Doflamingo had been feeling a new presence for the past two days, and he knew a demon was in the city. The creature's aura wasn't strong enough as to worry about it lurking around, but definitely not as weak as to make him not care at all. He didn't consider finding whoever it was because it wasn't his duty really. It would be if that someone fucked shit up, but he didn't think that would happen. And he was wrong.

As a high ranked fiend he could feel when other demon used their powers within a ten miles radius. Sometimes it came out as little sparks of dark energy, but this time it felt like a burst. And it was close, way closer than he thought the demon was. And with the proximity of the dark energy to his apartment he could sense another aura tangled in the mix.

It had caught him in the shower when he realized what was really going on. One of the auras seemed awfully familiar but it took him a few minutes to distinguish it. Water was pouring over his body, making his wings heavy and his hair messy and wet. He closed the tap to focus a bit more on the sensation. Trying to narrow down what the other aura could be, he found himself staring at of the shower's crystal doors but not really seeing it. Senses sharpened, alike his fangs and nails as he concentrated. The water drops on his body began to evaporate as he heated up his body's temperature. If someone had seen him he would look like if he was about to start burning, since the water evaporating looked like smoke. There was just a bit of humidity in his hair when he decided to get dressed. At the very least, his wings were completely dry, as he had the feeling he'd be using them tonight.

He eyed the windows with a dubious glare as he put on his boxers and jeans. The sky had darkened. A thick mass of black clouds that blanketed the sky and threatened a storm hadn't been there when he entered the shower. His brows creased, forming a frown. The sky had been blue, without a cloud before he undressed.

The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction.

Those verses from the Revelation echoed in his mind and he felt hyper-aware and cautious. And then it happened.

Doffy heard the scream, but instead of the echoing sounds of someone screaming in the streets somewhere, it was like they were screaming in his head. It sounded like…Roci? The pieces fell into place and his eyes widened. Roci was in danger, Doffy knew it, and it was the demon who was the one attacking him.

Tearing back the curtains, Doffy opened the window and jumped onto the windowsill. His eyes had gone from the glacier blue to an intense purple as his pupils contracted. The irises seemed to shine with their own light in the darkness as they glanced over the expanse of the neon-lit city, searching. Another scream and Doffy knew exactly which way to take. Spreading his great black wings he pushed off from the sill, and fell, letting the air catch him and carry him forward. It had begun to rain but he couldn't care less at that moment as his blood pumped hot through his veins. He flew as fast as he could toward the sound, dodging skyscrapers and radio towers with tight turns. In the distance he could see the dark energy from the demon rising like a column of black smoke against the brightly lit buildings, and it only made him fly faster.

Approaching the source of the energy, he finally saw what was going on.

Roci was on the ground, surrounded by the shadows, definitely in pain by his expression. One of his legs formed a weird angle and he was bleeding. Above him a fat frame he easily recognized.

Moria.

His fangs grew bigger and his nails became sharper. Doflamingo plummeted, hitting Moria's chest with his bare feet, right on the cardiac plexus. The force of the impact was such that it sent the other demon flying backwards. Spreading his wings wide open Doflamingo landed, almost squatting on the filthy ground before he stood up slowly, pupils two dangerous slits fixed on Moria.

He felt the shadows swirling around him and Roci but Doffy extended his hand pointing at Roci. His palm ignited and a ring of flames surrounded the angel on the floor. A protective measure so that Moria's shadows wouldn't be able to touch him.

"Kishishishishishishi!" Moria laughed, but he was coughing blood. Doffy could see it. "A prince of Hell protecting angel trash? Kishishishi-shishi."

Doflamingo's ears became pointy, returning to their original form and this time his eyes were crimson red.

Moria's shadows attempted to attack him but Doflamingo was faster. He blasted off, dodging them, but some made cuts on his skin. Not deep enough to be worrying, but they stung. His fingers flicked and the strings of his power made Moria fall backwards, pinning him down to the floor, burning threads digging painfully into the other demon's skin as he sat above him. Four particularly sharp strings were at Moria's neck, tightening with each passing second. Blood started to drip from his neck, but Doffy didn't release his hold. The crunch of cartilage was loud, sickening.

Even if the other hadn't had his vocal chords severed Doflamingo wouldn't have listened to what he had to say. The shadows began to disappear as the demon choked on his own blood. He was spitting the dark black liquid whilst trying to talk, slightly splashing Doffy's chest and face. It was a gross spectacle, but that didn't last long.

Soon the strings cut too deep and Moria stopped moving, but his strings didn't stop there. The strings had cut off each one of Moria's limbs and now even the head was fully separated from his body. Doflamingo didn't move from on top of the corpse, staring blankly at the macabre spectacle.

The rain intensified, but that was irrelevant. Doflamingo's wings begun to burn all the same. It hurt terribly, but he did nothing to acknowledge the pain.

Roci's broken body lay on the hard pavement in his own blood and feathers, like a bird half torn apart by a cat. Flames leapt up all around him, but they were no comparison to the fires that burned in his cracked bones. It hurt, it hurts it hurts…The shadowy figures disappeared, pushed back down into their dark puddles by the heat and light. The flaming ring obscured his view, but over the roar he could hear the sickening sounds of someone being dismembered.

The fire ring protecting Roci disappeared slowly and he blinked away the blood running into his eyes. He saw Doffy sitting on top of Moria's maimed corpse, and felt his stomach turn. The sight itself was gruesome enough; dark blood from severed limbs washing away in the rain, covering every surface including Doffy, but that wasn't what made him feel nauseous.

Doffy's wings were burning. The dark gossamer feathers slowly turned white again before they crumbled into ash. Where the feathers were completely burned, large expanses of hard, leathery skin could be seen, shimmering in the rain that was unable to douse them. Doffy had crossed a line, and there was no turning back as whatever angelic features he had left slowly transitioned into something cruel. Roci couldn't bear to see it happen, and he tried to get up, to get to the burning fallen angel, but with a snapped wing and leg he could barely move an inch. Even the slightest movement immobilized him further, reopening the various wounds inflicted upon him by 'Moria's' shadows and kept him tied to the cold ground. All Roci could do was watch as Doffy turned into the same creature that nearly killed him, the last of his charred feathers blowing away in the breeze.

The new demon just sat there, steam rising from his leathery wings, and Roci wondered if he was still himself or if the Doffy he knew had burned away too. "Doffy…" He called weakly, a coppery taste accompanying his words. His vision was beginning to darken around the edges, but he continued to hold on, just for a little longer.

Pitch black leather wings, full of burns and wounds that would take a while to heal. They hurt terribly, but he ignored the pain, standing up. A familiar voice called his name and Doffy turned slowly his head for his gaze to fall upon the bloody mess that Roci was. There was sadness in his eyes, along with resignation. He couldn't do anything about it now. He stepped off the corpse and walked with his bare feet towards Roci. The nails on his toes had gotten longer and sharper. Devil's feet giving slow, heavy but determined steps.

There was a silent stillness even with the grotesque spectacle of the corpse. It felt like if it all was in slow motion. His steps, the way the rain fell upon everything and Roci. Moria's maimed body began disappearing as a black mist and the rain washed the blood on the pavement.

Doflamingo reached Roci finally. His eyes were a deep shade of purple and the skin now pale, especially his chest was covered of cuts. Cuts those shadows had inflicted him. "You're hurt," he stated, picking Roci up from the floor and securing him with his arms, carrying him bridal style. There was a genuine concern in his voice, concern that he didn't even try to hide.

He didn't look at Roci eyes once though, for he was ashamed. His wings had burned and while it hadn't been the first time, it made him feel ashamed because Roci had witnessed it.

Spreading his wings wide open he took off. It hurt even more like that, but he had to take Roci to his house before someone else appeared, attracted by the energies. The flight seemed way longer than any time before and when he finally landed on his windowsill his wings seemed to be suppurating liquid. He took Roci to his bed, ignoring the pain and then proceeded to treat the angel's wounds the best he could, not minding his own.

At some point Roci had blacked out, and when he opened his eyes again he was lying under the sheets in Doffy's room, wounds dressed in white gauze. He winced when he jostled his broken limbs. It would take a several hours if not a day or two for the broken bones to knit themselves back together. The room was silent, and he wondered what time it was since the light was blocked out by the thick dark curtains. He was about to call out for Doffy when he heard footsteps approaching the room.

Doflamingo entered the room. The wounds on his chest were almost completely healed, but his wings were still hurting him with every movement. Soon they would heal, he told himself. And he really wanted to believe it. He saw Roci awake and again looked away. Why did he feel ashamed? He still didn't get it, but he did. "How are you feeling? Are you better?" he asked, looking at Roci's wounds. They did look better than a few hours ago.

"I'm alright, nothing that won't heal with a bit of time," he replied. Roci was concerned with the way Doffy wouldn't meet his eyes. And he was even more concerned with the oozing sores on his wings. Those didn't look right. "Come here for a second," he said, motioning Doffy toward the bed.

Doffy frowned, but he felt tired and he was in pain, so he would rather not argue. He sat beside Roci and kept his eyes half-lidded, looking at the wall before him. "Are you okay? Something wrong?" he asked.

"I should be asking you that…" Roci said, and wrapped his arms around Doffy. He didn't know what to say exactly, so he just embraced the other man. It gave him a better look at the wounds on his wings too. They looked cursed, the way they glistened, unable to heal properly. "I may not be high rank," Roci said, covering the sore with one of his palms, "but I still have some power. Just...stay still for a moment." He pressed down lightly, feeling Doffy flinch, then closed his eyes and moved his hand slowly across. When he lifted it again, the sore was mostly healed, aside from a small scab. "I think it's because I'm clumsy," he said, moving onto the next oozing patch. "I always find a way to hurt myself doing simple things, but I learned how to heal smaller injuries…"

He wasn't expecting the hug. At all. He stiffened at the unexpected touch, although it wasn't unwelcome even if it hurt because Roci was touching his wounds. He didn't understand why Roci was hugging him. A frown appeared on his forehead when Roci asked him to stay still, but he did so, wondering what would happen next. He flinched, he couldn't help it, because it stung awfully, but he endured it. Then he felt how the stinging began to disappear. His eyes opened slightly in surprise. He had no words when he turned and saw that Roci had almost healed his wings, but in the end he managed to articulate. "Why didn't you cure yourself? You have terrible wounds." And Doffy wasn't able to heal them with his powers.

"Like I said, small wounds are easy. I can take care of cuts and bruises and small infections. Broken bones and internal damage are a bit of a different story...that'll take a few days." He shifted his wing experimentally, and felt a hot rush of pain flood through him again. Definitely a few days. "I'd be dead if you hadn't shown up…" he said quietly. It was kind of a miracle, when he thought about it; Doffy wasn't just out for a stroll shirtless and shoeless, he didn't just happen upon the scene. "How did you know?"

Doffy lifted his shoulders, offering a shrug. "I just…" he really didn't know how to explain it. "I felt something was wrong, and then I heard you." Doffy was trying to remember, to understand how that happened. "It… felt you were in trouble?" He shrugged again. He was glad he appeared even if now he didn't have feathers anymore. Roci was alive, and it was worth it. He stood up. "Try to sleep a little, you'll heal faster." Before leaving the room he turned, looking almost shyly at Roci that time. "Thanks for healing me." And he closed the door behind him.

Roci sighed, easing himself back into a laying position. He tried not to show it, but even healing those small wounds drained him. Sleep sounded like a really good idea right now. But Doffy thanking him? It made a smile grace his lips. He only healed what was on the surface. Doffys wounds went a lot deeper than that. But that would take longer. Roci closed his eyes, allowing the darkness to swallow him up once more.

Doffy lay down on the couch, resting his weight on his stomach, but he still needed to heal properly. He slept for two hours, maybe three and when he woke up he felt a bit better. He went to the kitchen to cook something for the both of them. Food would help them heal faster, so now they shouldn't be skipping meals. He cooked some rice with vegetables and fish and after eating a bit he took the rest to Roci. "Hey.." He said in an attempt of waking up the other. "You should eat something. It'll help you heal."

Roci opened his eyes and looked to Doffy, noticing the plate of food. He chuckled a bit, Doffy was worrying about him, and he reminded Roci of a mother hen. "I'll ruin your sheets, haven't you seen me eat?"

Doflamingo simply shrugged. The sheets were a mess already. "Just eat." And he left the plate on Roci's thigh. His gaze quickly roamed over the bandages to make sure they were alright before he turned to leave the room. Roci should continue sleeping and Doffy probably needed to do the same.

"Wait." Roci huffed, putting the plate on the bedside table and sitting up a bit straighter. He really wasn't that hungry. In fact the sight of food made his gut churn, the fish reminding him too much of Moria's cut up body. "What happened in the alley was scary but," he paused, looking up at Doffy. He had been acting so distant since Roci woke up, like he was afraid of Roci looking at him, "It doesn't change how I see you. You're still Doffy, feathers or no feathers…If you can look past my scars, I can look past your wings." He was tired, Doffy was tired, they both were still wired from the earlier events, and Roci couldn't stand to see the wall between them slowly build higher as Doffy kept hiding from him. "Stay here with me. It's your bed anyway."

A long, tired sigh, escaped Doflamingo's lips. A part of him was relieved to hear those words. The other was just being a rebellious piece of shit that wanted to show Roci that he could be a true demon. Merciless, relentless. Pure, unadulterated evil. But the other was just trying to fight somehow. Still caring, still worrying, still wanting everything to be alright. It was a part that he considered helpless, but sometimes it took over his body without any permission and he couldn't do anything about it.

"It's not the same," he said, but he sat on his own bed, eyes closed, corporal expression defeated. He really felt too tired to argue. "Let's just rest until you are healed, okay?" he said. If he was that close Doffy's aura would protect Roci from any demon or angel. He'd be safe even if both of them were sleeping. Tired, he got comfortable on his bed, ignoring the pain on his wings. "Let's rest…" he didn't know what tomorrow would bring. "... tomorrow we might have a rough day," he said, and closed his eyes, tired. He wasn't expecting anything but to sleep to be honest.

"Then we'll face it," Roci said softly, shifting a bit closer. Doffy was still cold, colder than usual, but Roci didn't care. Maybe it was stupid optimism, but he felt that as long as Doffy was close to him, things would get better. It didn't matter what came at them next, as long as they were in it together, everything would be alright. Roci let a small smile stretch his lips as he closed his eyes and gradually fell back asleep.