When I woke in the morning, I was on the ground, one I remember vaguely falling to. Covered over me was his coat and I held it to my chest as I sat up wincing slightly. My wings stretched out but then folded up against my back, they were still swore but getting better. I dressed, placed on my helmet, placed the gun at my side, my staff on my back then headed out of the lab down the stairs. He was there, completely dressed, his helmet covering his face again. I walked over to him and handed him his jacket, which he took and placed it on the table beside him. He was far too consumed in whatever he was doing to be bothered by it for the moment.

Moving across the room, I sat on the ground, my back facing him. Crossing my legs, I closed my eyes and focused on stretching my wings, moving them, slowly just enough to get mobility back in them. For a few days, it was like this, every day. We never spoke a word to one another, I would sleep, wake up and sit back down stretching my wings.

Then, one day, "you still have yet to ask my why we are here." He said and I didn't break my ritual.

"It isn't my business." I responded.

"If we are working together, it is."

I stopped for a moment then folded my wings against me back, turning to look over at him. "What is it?"

"Man kind cannot flourish without the ultimate defeat of the Omnic."

Standing, I walked over to him, "you want mankind to flourish again?" I asked but he didn't respond. "For what? To rule over them?"

"More or less." He shrugged.

"So, why are we here?"

"I have been accessing the satellite systems still in orbit, tracing the main Omnic ship. Which we will enter and finish the threat. Then we will not be hunted again."

"Interesting." I mumbled glancing at the computer. "Well, you have my support." I sighed sitting on the table beside the computer and resting my leg over the other. I rest back on my hands and took to looking around the room, not noticing the fact he was staring at me.

"You have yet to speak to me since that night."

"Hmm?" I looked over at him, confused. "You were working. Far be it from me to interrupt you while you are working."

"Then you have nothing to say?"

"What is it you wish for me to say?" I asked but he did not respond, only watched me. I smirked and rest my head back, closing my eyes. "Oh my dear, Reaper, it was simply fantastic, the way you thrashed me about and kept me begging for more all night long was intoxicating." I moaned, to which he let out a low growl and looked at the computer.

"Your sarcasm is noted."

"Sarcasm, but perhaps truth." I chuckled looking back over at him but he was only staring at the computer, his arms resting on the arms of the chair. Smirking again, I flared out my wings and suddenly moved until I was straddling him, he did not move, aside from his head which slowly turned upwards to look at me. "My own personal devil, the Reaper himself. What is so wrong? You've had a taste but yet you yearn for more? Care to pleasure yourself in the punishment that has you throbbing for more. Just a touch yet, I can hear your heart pounding in your chest, feel the rushing of blood in your veins, sense the heat burning off your body. Do you desire it again? To have me at your mercy beneath you, begging for more, controlling everything, strings laced in ecstasy, binding me forever to your will?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him slowly raise his hand, then before I knew it, I was slammed onto the ground, hand at my throat, with him looming over me. I watched him, heart in my throat. I was both excited and terrified. "Do not think to tempt me, Phoenix. I am beyond you."

"So, that's it then? A single night and you're finished?"

"I am far from finished with you. You belong to me now, forever. Even when death consumes you, I will be there. There will be no gates of Heaven greating you. Only me to drag you into the hell that I control."

I smiled and curled my wings up around us, "as long as it is you, then I desire no other afterlife." He seemed taken aback by this and his hand around my throat loosened. "Come on, devil. Weave your shadows into my light, consume all that I am and have me."

"You think you're so clever in your words. I know what it is you desire. My love. That which I cannot give. There is no love left within me. All I have is hatred, a consuming emotion I extend onto you."

"Then hate me if that is what you desire, but I have accepted this fate. Branded by shadow, it is the path I decide to walk."

"Decide?" He laughed. "Foolish bird, it is not your decision to make, but mine alone. You wish to be branded? So be it. I will forever claim you as my own. Never shall you leave my side, this hell will be your home." His hand tightened around my throat and I winced slightly, not replying. "You belong to me now, Phoenix and no one, not even God, can change that."

It was several hours, well into the night, before he was finished and lay there beside me regaining his strength. After a moment, he stood and rolled his neck to stretch it, he turned casually and glanced over to see me curled into a ball, though the ground around me was soaked in blood, there was a smile on my face as I lay there passed out. Careful not to wake me, he picked me up and carried me across the room onto a couch and rest me down, then brought over his coat, placing it over me, he had no need to attend the wounds he made on me, he watched me heal them as he went. All of them, minus one. Kneeling down, he lifted my hand to see a deep wound stretching across my palm then turned to look at the same wound on his hand. His shadow fused with my blood, my light fused with his. Smirking to himself, he stood and returned to his work.

The next morning when I woke, I sat up and stretched, without a word, I stood and hunted down the bathroom, finding a shower to wash myself off. Dressing completely, I headed back out into the lab to find him standing before the door. "Um...yes?" I asked curiously.

"Follow me." He turned and began walking towards the exit. Grumbling slightly, I followed at his side. "What is it you desire to gain from me?"

"Gain from you?" I asked and thought about it a moment. "I don't seek to gain anything from you. Nor did I expect our partnership to turn into whatever this is."

"What do you call this?" He asked as we headed up a comm tower.

"I...uh...don't know. A relationship, possibly? Friends with benefits? You title it if you want. But, know this. If I catch you sleeping with anyone else, I'll kill them."

"Possessive?" He chuckled.

"Call it what you will." I shrugged as we headed out onto the top of the tower. Once there, our conversation seemed to end as I headed out towards the edge of the tower, looking out over the ocean towards the sun. I stared at it for a while before, "why did you bring me out here?" I asked turning to face him but he said nothing, only watched me a long moment.

He then walked towards me and stopped mere inches from me. "How are your wings?"

"Back to normal, I assume." I muttered, carefully, confused.

"Good." Suddenly, he pushed me and I fell off the tower. I panicked and curled up my wings, turning to see the ground coming in fast. Cursing to myself, I closed my eyes and spread my wings out wide, my whole body jerked as I suddenly stopped falling and lightly touched my feet to the ground. Turning, I glared upward towards the top of the tower where he was sitting, watching me.

"Asshole." I hissed spreading my wings out, then slowly curled them upward. In a single thrust, I was up in the air, then beat my wings a couple times to move upward, then landed on top of the tower. "What the hell was that for?"

"To see if you could fly."

"So you didn't know if I could?!" I shouted.

"I naturally assumed and now I know."

"You..." growling lowly, I turned my back on him. "Rot in hell."

"Already am." He responded, causing me to ease slightly. Slowly, I turned to look at him to find him looking out towards the ocean. Everything suddenly made sense to me and I frowned. Moving, I sat next to him and rest my wings down letting out a soft sigh. "I don't need your pity."

"Too bad." I muttered resting my head on his shoulder. "Where are we headed to after you finished here?"

"That's what I am figuring out. It may be another day or two."

"Well, you might need to be quicker than that, no doubt the Omnic were tracing this place and seen a rise in-"

"I know." He said cutting me off. "I ran a virus first, everything I am doing is silent."

"Alright." I shrugged closing my eyes a moment. "Also, Reaper?" He made a soft sound in his throat. "Take this." I lifted my head off his shoulder, pulled out a feather and handed it to him.

"What is this supposed to do?"

"If we ever get separated, you can use that to find me. The closer you get to me, the warmer it will get, it will also begin to glow."

"Are you suggesting we will get separated?"

"There is always a possibility." I sighed softly.

"Why isn't it doing all that now?"

"You must ask it to lead you. Then it will guide you." He gave a slight nod and slipped it away, while I rest my head back on his shoulder.

Silence passed for a minute, then, "I looked you up in the Overwatch database." Slowly, I rose my head. "You were an Overwatch agent, you were hired to help fight against the first Omnic crisis, but then you were decommissioned."

"That's right." I muttered softly.

"You have a warrant and a price for your head." He looked over at me but remained emotionless, staring out towards the ocean. "You killed an Overwatch Agent."

"I did." I muttered almost silently.