Glacier blue eyes stared in amusement at the scene outside the cafe: A scummy-looking guy pickpocketed an old woman, and another man walked by that had just cheated on his wife, while a teenager was walking fast, nervous, for it had been the first time he skipped his classes. Doflamingo saw all those things, all the sins of the people around him, even if they were small. He could read the peoples' thoughts and anticipate their bad intentions, for he was, after all, a demon.
It was for that reason he knew that in precisely twenty two minutes an accident was going to occur on that same street, at the small crosswalk he could see through the front window, and exactly four humans would die. He absently sipped his black coffee as he stared at the scene, at how busy streets were, and he mused that if that accident happened right now around twenty people would die instead of four. He chuckled darkly, wondering if he should encourage the accident to happen sooner.
But his attention drifted away from the crosswalk to focus on a noise behind him. Someone had fallen to the floor and Doflamingo arched a brow, inquiring as to how the hell such a tall guy had tripped and fallen just by standing there. Despite the amount of people in the cafeteria, no one reacted to it aside from a portly woman who gasped in surprise. No one asked the blonde if he was alright, so, before he realized what he was doing, he spoke. "You alright, buddy?"he questioned from his spot, peeking at the other curiously.
Rocinante quickly righted himself, brushing off the knees of his pants and smiling out of embarrassment. "Yeah, I'm alright…" he said. His bright eyes looked around at all the people staring at the ruckus he created. He laid eyes on the woman sitting at one of the tables, the one who had let out a gasp. She was feeling pity for him, and had meant to help out, but Roci had recovered too quickly. His gaze wandered to look around to the other patrons, where he saw that one man had just bought a ring for soon to be wife, and another had just written a substantial cheque to a small charity. Rocinante saw all these things, all the goodness in people even if it was small. He could read peoples' positive thoughts and anticipate their good intentions, for he was, after all, an angel.
He laid his eyes on the one person that had asked him if he was alright. The man looking at him inquisitively was tall and had a shock of blonde hair, though cropped shorter than Roci's own. What really stood out on his angular face were the sharp blue eyes that stared directly into his, almost piercingly. The man sat calmly on his chair with a whimsical sort of air around him.
For a moment, Roci stared at him curiously. He couldn't read him: he didn't see any good things that the man had or would have done. That was strange, since normally he could see the past and future good intentions of everyone. However with this man, all he could see was the present, and that present good intention was that he genuinely was a tiny bit concerned for Roci's fall. It was small, but it was definitely there. Just a faint pinprick of light is a swirling mass of…nothing.
After laying his eyes on the other Doflamingo knew there was something wrong there. He couldn't see the bad things that man had done. No lies, no cheating, nothing… but he wasn't completely transparent and Doflamingo found that oddly fascinating.
The only free spot in the whole cafeteria was the one before Doffy, so he gestured the other to sit if that was what he wanted to. He felt curious, very curious. Why couldn't he see the evil in that man? There was simply nothing evil. "You can take a seat if you want to." He was almost finished with his coffee, but he would wait until the accident to leave the cafeteria and enjoy the chaos.
The cup rose to his lips and he took a short sip at the remaining dregs, staring at the other. Something was strange in there and he couldn't quite grasp what it was, but for now he would simply study him. Maybe if they started talking he could guess what was wrong.
"Ah, thanks, that was embarrassing," Roci said as he pulled up a chair beside the man. He fidgeted uncomfortably in his chair, but it wasn't because of the man's quizzical stare. No, instead he had his eyes locked on the road crossing by the coffee shop.
He knew that there was going to be an accident, for he could see it in the people on the street. He looked at the individuals out the window. A homeless man panhandled near the crosswalk, only to be completely ignored by those walking by. Little did those people know, that man was going to save a life soon. Another woman stood at the corner, attention completely on her phone. Her message to her mother asking about her day would be the last one she ever sent.
And watching from a distance he sat and prepared himself. Roci wasn't there just to observe. It was fated that he was to be present for the upcoming moment. Sometimes Roci was permitted to interfere in the intricate workings of fate, to change the future of those whom some higher power saw fit to alter. In angel lingo it was called a 'calling'. Today was one of those situations where Roci was called to play a role in it. More specifically, he had to make a choice.
In precisely twenty minutes, two specific people would be involved in this accident. The first was an older woman. She was no one special on the outside, but if permitted to live, she would one day go on to be a figure of hope for many suffering people. The second was a small child, who was fated to grow up to become a renowned doctor and save hundreds of lives. And in approximately nineteen minutes fifty four seconds, Roci would have to decide which life he would spare from this tragedy.
"You are welcome,"Doflamingo automatically said. He was aware that the attention of the other was placed in the exact same place than his. How interesting… Could it be? But until he had further information he wouldn't assume that man was one of the supernatural beings, just like him.
Like the other, he could also see a glimpse of the people whose survival wasn't certain yet. He knew there was a very slim chance two of them would live to see another day, and he of course had to make his own choice. Not only angels decided who lived or who died.
"Do you come here often?"He asked, looking at the other casually. He had light blonde hair and bright blue eyes. A handsome man, yes, but what was his agenda? Was he simply a clumsy, dorky human or something else? In all honesty the possibility of the other being an angel didn't cross his mind, not even once. Angels were graceful, he thought. And they definitely didn't trip and fall like that guy had.
Roci tore his gaze away from the window, bringing it back to the man sitting beside him. He probably appeared very distracted. Despite knowing what was about to occur, Roci had to remain normal, neutral even, less he give himself away to …others.
The fact was that humans weren't the only beings to inhabit the world. There were many other types of creatures that used the human skin as a façade. Demons and angels blended in with the human race seamlessly. Looking into a crowd, you wouldn't be able to tell who was human and who was something…well…more than. It wasn't like the fairytales, there was no visible distinction, no great spans of wings or horns or tails or halos. While not necessarily lacking such features, those parts of higher order beings remained invisible. The only ways for supernatural beings to identify or be exposed to one another was through keen senses of observation, such as picking up on strange but subtle behaviour, or by physical contact with another supernatural being.
For example, Roci's large wings remained invisible to humans, demons, and even other angels, but if someone was to brush their hand against his back, they might notice an odd current of soft, wispy air gathered around his shoulders and his spine. His wings would only become visible to others if they were continuously touched by another. It was like reconstructing an image from memory and bringing it back into reality. The more someone touched his wings, the more they knew of them and could recreate their image, until eventually they were fully visible to the other. But because of the intimacy, only angels and demons who knew each other well could fully see the other's wings. Unless they were willing, angels avoided touches to their back from lesser beings and others at all costs. It really wasn't worth the risk of exposing yourself to a demon and getting killed over it.
Though he had been touched by other angels before, Roci had never met a demon, but he had heard rumours that their skin was like ice, and would leave cold burning sensations on the skin if touched. He didn't know if the reverse was true though. If he was to touch a demon, would they feel fire?
"No, I just happened to be in the area," Roci replied. It wasn't a lie, he had traveled a fair distance to get to this intersection, but he knew this part of the city well enough. "My name is Roci, nice to meet you," he continued, extending his hand towards the man and hating that he had to focus on this small talk instead. The man took his offered hand, the touch somewhat cold and chilly. Roci thought nothing of it though, the weather was changing, and lots of people gave cold handshakes.
"Doffy,"He said, stretching his hand to shake it with that clumsy stranger. The other's hand was warm, maybe too warm, but Doflamingo thought that maybe the contrast of his cold skin against the warmth of the other made it feel strange. How wrong he was.
Doflamingo lifted his gaze on time to see a glimpse of what that man really was. He could see a flicker in the air for a mere second. He thought it might have been his imagination playing tricks… but how would he explain that man's interest in the street? In the same exact spot in which Doffy knew an accident was going to happen.
"I see."His eyes had become much more calculating. Doffy was a cunning creature, and it was his cunningness that had made him a higher classed demon. While it wasn't too obvious just by looking at him, Doffy was a crown holder of Hell, soon to be the next ruler is he played his cards right. Being a higher order demon gave him a lot of advantages, aside from being able to control fire, such as incredibly tuned senses. And the man beside him was ringing all sorts of alarm bells. He smirked silently to himself. Doflamingo had never met an angel before, and he had lived for a few hundred years. "Are you from this city or are you visiting?" He asked casually, taking another sip from his cooling coffee.
Roci shook his head, "I'm from out of town." That was a lie. It wasn't like angels would be plunged into hell for a simple white lie. Sometimes it was safer to lie in order to protect one's self, and something about the peculiar look this 'Doffy' was giving him drove him to that point. He was having a hard time focusing on the conversation, his eyes drifting every once in a while back to the street. He had such little time to make such an important choice, and he didn't want to make the wrong one. Roci absentmindedly played with the cuff of his shirt, trying to keep himself focused on two things at once. "Are you local?" he asked.
Doffy saw the small spot of darkness appear within Roci's aura. It was a white lie, but still a lie, and he could easily perceive such. "Not really, but I spend quite a lot of time in this city."Hell wasn't so entertaining after all, and watching humans and their silly traditions and routines seemed funnier. Doffy couldn't help but to notice that guy was anxious. He could see how he looked to the other side of the street, how he played with the cuff of his shirt. "Why are you nervous? Are you in a rush, Roci?"he questioned, eyes attentive to each reaction the other's face showed him. He was planning to read that man as if he were an open book.
Roci looked back at Doffy. So he was catching on, but it wasn't like Roci was doing a particularly good job of hiding it, especially since a child and his mother had just stopped outside the coffee shop. Thechild. "Sorry," he said, stopping his fidgeting hands. "I can't stay too long. And…" Doffy was so focused on Roci that it was starting to make him a little uncomfortable. Had he missed something? "…I'm not one to talk to strangers…I don't really know you…" He played that card. Usually it made curious people back off, and hopefully it would work here too.
Doffy followed Roci's gaze and he stared at the kid, studying him meticulously. He was innocent still, he had done nothing evil yet, and he definitely didn't deserve dying that day. For Doflamingo it took just a mere second to decide he was going to spare that kid. "And you won't ever know me if you stop talking." He shrugged, finishing his coffee. His gaze returned to the man in front of him. "Everyone is a stranger until you meet them." He gave the other a small grin. Doflamingo was honestly too curious as to simply drop that conversation there.
Roci pondered on that. Yes, it was true. Everyone was a stranger. The people on the street were all strangers. The kid who might die in a few minutes was a stranger. The man sitting beside him whom he was about to confide in was a stranger. A strange calmness settled over Roci as he watched the scene outside.
"I've been thinking about something," he said, deciding to answer Doffy's earlier question. "Hypothetically, if you had the choice," Roci chose his words carefully, "between meeting one of two strangers, what kind of person would you rather meet? Someone who has lived, or someone who has yet to?" As if on cue, the woman, the other half to his choice, joined the crowd on the streets.
Doflamingo tilted his head to the side, pondering the answer for a few seconds. "Someone that has yet to live is still inexperienced, innocent in many aspects." He said as his gaze fixed on Roci. "Someone that has lived has the experience of making mistakes." He lifted his shoulders, offering a small shrug. "You can learn from one, but the other can learn from you and from the rest of the world. I would probably chose the one that has yet to," he finished.
Roci involuntarily shivered at the man's low voice, but he took his words to heart. He had to make his choice now, he was out of time.
He stood from the chair, eyes lingering on Doffy, before simply saying, "Thanks." Though what Doffy had said helped him make up his mind, his heart still felt heavy. A person would die because of his choice, a person who could've lived. He had to make these choices before, but they never got any easier…and time was up. He had to move, now.
He didn't spare a glance backwards, but if he had, Roci may have noticed the other watching after him. Roci saw the beginnings of the accident unfold as he opened the door to step outside. It was like he was watching it in slow motion. The lights changed colour, but the vehicle didn't stop. Smoke from squealing tires rose like steam off a lake as brakes locked, horns blared. The metal on the hood of the cars crinkled, and Roci could see every fold as it formed, every crack as it spider webbed slowly across the glass. Blood against the windshield; the first person was gone. The momentum of the collision sent one of the cars skidding to the sidewalk. He watched the slow transition on pedestrian faces as they turned from an unsuspecting calm to a look of terror and disbelief. But the metal kept rolling regardless, and he watched as one more person was snuffed out underneath. He tore his eyes away from the blood streaking the pavement, and focused on the situation in front of him.
Another car was skidding to a halt at the crosswalk, trying to avoid the wreckage, but was coming in too quickly. Roci's moment was now. The woman marked for death was crossing the road, her coat fluttering around her body as she turned, face darkening as the vehicle screeched towards her. The boy was crossing as well, his face still calm despite the situation. The shock hadn't set in yet.
He reached out his hand, fingers twisting into the collar of the boy's shirt and yanked him backwards. They fell together to the pavement, and the woman he could not save simply disappeared, taken away from them by the impact. He held the boy's head against his chest, away from the panic, the blood, the smell of smoke and burned rubber. He only watched as people around him began to move normally again. Screaming… crying… voices going hoarse as people called for aid or loved ones or God. The homeless man he had seen earlier knelt by a victim, staunching the flow of blood with his hands. People had their cellphones out, either snapping pictures or calling emergency services. Roci barely realized the boy's mother pull the child away from him. He just sat there and felt lost.
Doflamingo had followed Roci's steps but he never had expected him to save the kid. Fuck! he cursed, looking at the mess. Without much care he grabbed Roci by his shirt and forced him to stand up. "Why didn't you tell me, you idiot?" he grumbled, annoyed. "I was going to spare that kid. If you had told me you were going to go after the kid too that woman would be alive!" Why did this guy get in the fucking way? He let Roci fall unceremoniously to the ground. "I hope you are happy. Stupid fuck." He grumbled, walking away from that mess. He could hear the sirens of the ambulances getting closer, but there was nothing to do for that woman. She had died instantly.
Roci sat dumbstruck in the middle of the chaos, trying to process what Doffy had said. He felt like he wanted to puke, but he swallowed it down. He could only stare as the man walked away. And for the briefest of moments he saw it, a shimmer in the air; the flicker of something dark around his shoulders.
Wings.
Suddenly Roci was angry. Angry at himself, angry at Doffy, angry at the whole situation and how fucked up this all was. Was this guy another angel? Seriously?! How had he not been warned that he would be working with someone else? How had he not known another angel would be here? At least, Doffy was an angel, right? That was the only explanation, but why didn't he realize it? Demons didn't care who fell victim to accidents like these, demons wouldn't go out of their way to save someone. No, he had to be another angel.
Roci got up, noticing the blood flecked across his shirt, thinking of the woman, and felt hollow again. How could he have possibly known that…?
"Wait…" he said, trying to find his voice again. He took a few steps, intent on catching up. "Wait!" he said again, louder. As he grabbed Doffy's shoulder, he felt the strangeness of the air around his back: the light impression that he was touching feathers.
Doflamingo stopped and gave Roci a particularly cold glare. "Don't touch me," he warned. Yes, Doflamingo did have feathers. They were black and glossy, nothing to do with those bat-like wings the lower ranked demons had.
Roci withdrew his hand, "I was the only one that was to be here." He was told that this was his responsibility, there weren't supposed to be any other angels around. This was his job, so why was Doffy there? Things weren't adding up. "What were you doing back there?" he asked, unsure if he was going to get an answer or not.
This guy was being a complete nuisance, and unless Doffy got off the mayhem caused on the street he knew he was just going to get even more pissed. He could fly away, but that wasn't a good idea with the amount of people around, and Roci was still clueless as to his true nature. Did it matter though? Doflamingo didn't know, but he would keep the secret a little longer.
"What I was doing there is not your business," he spat. Why was he annoyed at all that? He could be bothered, but not that pissed. He didn't get it. "You are not the only special guy in the world, Roci."He said, and then resumed walking. That other was pissing him off that much that he would probably punch him if he kept pestering him, and he still didn't understand why he was so bothered. Maybe it was because this time he had wanted it to be different, and Roci had interfered with his plan.
Roci held back the urge to clock the man. He was stressed enough as it was, and this jerk wasn't making it any better for him. Fine, whatever, he decided to just walk away. Forget it ever happened. But he couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "asshole," as he turned and headed in the opposite direction using an alley shortcut. He wiped his sleeve across his face, the white of his shirt coming away red. He was literally a bloody mess right now.
Doflamingo kept walking, still annoyed, and he heard that clumsy fuck calling him asshole. Before realizing what he was doing, he used his power, a set of razor sharp strings to cut the base of a streetlight, making it fall Roci's way, not even bothering to look back to know if the other had been hit or not. He was heading towards one of the tallest buildings in town, from which he could fly away, sheltered by the clouds. He really didn't think he would be seeing that guy again.
Roci heard the moan of bending metal and sheltered his head from the hot sparks that exploded from the streetlight and showered down on top of him. He tried to step backwards, but ended up tripping again. Damn his wings! He cursed as he tumbled backward, they were more trouble than they were worth, especially when he kept tripping over them. The streetlight came down with a crash, kicking up the leaded dust that lay like a film across the city, choking him. He opened his eyes, blinking against the kicked up dirt cloud, and felt a weird pressure settling across his left ankle.
He hadn't gotten out of the way in time. While nothing was broken, which he found out after wiggling his toes, the metal had trapped his ankle underneath.
"Just fucking great," he said, looking up to the darkening sky. "Yeah, this is going so well, thank you." The sky did nothing, as expected. He wasn't going to get any help from anyone up there, no matter how much he shouted at God. Roci sat as straight as he could, jamming his free foot against the metal and pulling. His leg moved a bit, but was still trapped. He unfurled his wings, which almost took up the entire space between the two buildings where he was sitting in the alley. Giving a few, powerful flaps, he used the thrust of his wings and pushed his other foot against the metal pole, pulling with all the might he could muster. But it didn't matter how much power he put behind it, the way the streetlamp had wedged itself meant it wouldn't budge that easily, and that Roci was stuck. "HEY!" he tried calling out, hoping for someone to notice his predicament, but everyone was too concerned with the accident at the corner, the sirens drowned out his call.
"Fuck," he cursed, and laid back down. He would probably be here for a while.
Doflamingo was already a few blocks away, but he could hear Roci shouting nonetheless. It took him nearly five minutes to decide if he was going to help him or not, but finally, and not knowing why the hell he did so, he headed back to that alleyway and used his demon powers to lift the streetlamp enough for the other to be free and stand up. He was hidden by the shadows of the building and, in all honesty, he didn't want anyone to know he had helped a clumsy dork, so he would not step in and be all 'hey it was me who helped you should thank me'. After moving the streetlamp Doffy headed again towards the building, ignoring the voice in his head that said that demons didn't help others. Demons were mean and broke shit and raised hell on earth, but Doffy didn't do that as often as others. He lived by his own terms, whether the rest liked it or not.
Roci didn't know who or what made the streetlamp move, but he wasted no time in pulling his foot free. Massaging his ankle, he looked around the dirty alley, just barely seeing Doffy's pink shirt walking away before the infrastructure swallowed him up. Roci wasn't a high ranking angel: he barely had any status or power at all in the angel world. But Doffy…well…if he could lift that off of him, he must be pretty far up Jacob's ladder. Standing and brushing himself off, he decided to go back to his apartment and call it a day before anything else happened. He really needed a smoke and a bath…