Sympathy
There's a fountain between them. Arthur didn't remember there being a fountain before but it's there now, water spilling down in delicate arcs and gathering at the bottom. The atmosphere is tense so he doesn't say anything. He sits at the edge of the fountain, perched delicately so that he won't fall in. From time to time he gets hit with a few drops of water but it isn't enough of a disturbance for him to want to move. Especially not when the air between them still feels thick and heavy.
"We had a deal." That's what finally breaks the silence. Arthur chances looking over his shoulder to find that Alfred has seated himself on the opposite side of the fountain. He looks less stiff than he did before.
"Yes, we did." Arthur nods as he says it, lacing his fingers together and laying them in his lap. He's looking forward again.
"So what's up with this? Is this a joke?"
"To my knowledge, no." To be fair lately his mind has not been as trustworthy as it once was.
"What happened?" For a moment he thinks that he sounds upset. Resigned, Arthur lets out a soft sigh.
It's late and pitch black. His mind is fuzzy, his vision blurred, but he can clearly feel the sting of the cold wind and the warmth of tears on his cheeks. Arthur can't remember why he's upset. What he does remember is that he really needs to get home. Something has happened and he is not safe where he is. His body aches and the road keeps moving but he starts to run anyway as fear fills him. There is something that he needs to get away from. There is something following him. He can't remember what but he's filled with a sense of urgency as he runs.
He doesn't see the truck coming. It doesn't see him either.
"I died," he states, clearly enunciating the word so that there can be no mistaking what he's said.
"So then why are you like this?!" Alfred turns around finally, gesturing to Arthur's appearance. The halo, the toga. The white, feathered wings pulled up against his back in a resting position. Arthur doesn't need to look to know what Alfred is talking about.
"I don't know."
"You signed over your soul to me! We made a contract!"
"Yes, I am well aware of that fact." Arthur's words get a little sharper. He perfectly understands the demon's confusion at this because he is every bit as confused as him. By all accounts, this makes no sense. He tried asking when it first happened but the most he received was a nervous look on the other angel's face and a reassurance that `everything had worked out, so he shouldn't worry about it`.
There's the sound of movement, heavy footsteps, and Alfred has come around the fountain and is facing him. He grabs the angel's arms, holding him in place and hissing as he's burned by the Holy energy that radiates from him.
"You were supposed to be mine!" he can only hold him for a minute longer before it gets to be too much and he releases with a loud curse.
"I know! How many times do I have to say it? I know I made a contract but this is how things are, apparently, and I can't really do much to change it." There's an apology on the tip of his tongue but he doesn't say it. Out of sheer frustration the demon summons up the contract that was made and gestures to it.
"They can't cheat me out of you. You signed yourself over." This is the first time since signing it that Arthur has seen the contract. He takes it very delicately and looks it over, properly reading it for the first time. When he'd first signed it he hadn't been too interested in the details, just that the demon wait until his predestined time of death came to claim his soul. Now that he was reading it…
"You worded it poorly."
"Excuse me?" The demon looks offended and he might have lashed out if he wasn't going to just get burned for it. Arthur points at the line where the mistake is, tapping it twice as he looks up at the demon.
"Here. It very clearly states that my soul is yours once I've died of natural causes."
"So?"
"I was hit by a car." There's silence as this sinks in.
"A loophole."
"It seems so." There's another moment of silence during which Alfred rips the contact out of his hands and turns it around to read it over. As he goes over it he bites at his lip. It's a nervous habit he has that Arthur has started to find endearing. The flash of teeth and fangs should look even more dangerous now but the action itself is so childlike that he couldn't possibly be threatened by it.
"You've gotta be fuckin` kidding me." Alfred crumples up the contract as he says it. It's useless now, there's no point in keeping it.
"This is going to delay the plans," Arthur comments. He's already settled, sitting with his hands folded in his lap again and legs crossed.
"Delay? This is going to stop them entirely!"
"Now, now, love, don't get so worked up. I don't know how exactly I ended up in this position but if you think I don't intend to abuse my position you are sorely mistaken."
"You're going to get all doe-eyed and shit."
"I will Fall before something like that happens. I am still the same exact person that I was before and I intend to stay that way. Just let me handle things, alright?" This would not be the first time he's asked that same question and Alfred wonders the same thing he always does. How exactly is he going to handle things? Before it was that he was human and humans were known for being very squishy and accident prone. They were also a very flimsy species. A scrape to a demon was a fatal blow to a human. Now he was an angel, which was a step up in terms of how well he could take damage but still not desirable. His ideals didn't exactly line up with those of Heaven which would make him weak over time. He would be demoted and forced to Fall before he could accomplish anything. "Trust me. You can do that, can't you?"
No.
"Yes."
A smile slowly spreads on Arthur's lips and he stands to press a fleeting kiss to Alfred's lips. It's not enough to burn him but it leaves heat in its wake.