A/N: i was going to have something else in this chapter but this flowed better, so my plan will be in a different chapter. I hope you enjoy this one though.

I'll be updating slower than I normally do. I'm experiencing some writers block I have so much desire to write but my brain feels kind of dry. I've been a very busy and productive person lately and I think it's leaving me a little tired creatively.

But I will be working on this. Here and there, just not as heavily ^.^

Atem

Everything looks to be in order, but it looks like I'll need to pick up a shift or two to relieve my entertainers. There's been a drop in clientele since I left and my dancers have needed to pick up the slack.

Perhaps if I hold a special event then there'll be more traffic. But if I do that I'll need to spend less time with Yugi. Working as often as I used to won't do but I can't keep taking months off. Not to mention I'll also need to remove myself from available hosts… that'll hurt business a bit. Too bad I can't just hire another cubi to take over for me. But if I greet them at the door perhaps that will make up for it a little?

Hmm… I know this is my business but perhaps I should talk to Yugi about this. The issue of me working has nothing to do with my feeding and everything to do with providing enough income for my staff. The power I have over humans does plenty to provide for them. They won't be as willing to empty their banks if I am not available -

My skin tingles and shivers violently with the horrid flesh crawling sensation that courses through me. Fear envelops me and fills me with dread. My breath shakes and wavers from it. I feel hollow and ready to fly as far away from this place as possible.

This feeling can only mean one thing: there is an angel nearby.

I could remain down here. I could take myself away before they realise I'm below them… but if they hurt Shadi…

I should at least investigate.

My hands are shaking as I stand. The pen I had been using rolls off the edge of the table but I'm much too clumsy to grab it. Relax Atem. Relax.

I take a deep breath but all it does is make me anxious.

Okay. Move. As soon as I determine whether or not I am safe I can get the fuck out of here.

I climb the stairs back up to the surface and take some mild comfort from the fresh air. The angelic presence is nearby and a quick scan reveals it's bright light over near Shadi. A low growl rumbles in my chest and I feel my body itching to get him away from it. I may be terrified but he is the closest thing I have to family. If it hurts him…

Surely it can sense me by now. That must be why it's talking to my friend. Could it be luring me out? I do not sense others nearby. So it is just the one?

Another deep breath and I force my legs to move. I'm teetering on the edge of revealing myself. Should I need to I will sweep him up and flee. I'm ready…

One step out and I peek carefully around the corner…

And immediately sigh in relief!

Never in my existence did I ever think I would be more relieved to see an angel but this one? As much as she gets on my nerves I trust she is not here to kill me. It makes sense - any other would have barged in already.

I wipe the sweat from my brow and straighten myself out. I do not want her seeing me so riled up so easily. I have a point to prove.

"I never thought I'd see the likes of you here of all places." I say confidently as I stride out to meet her.

Tea: Yugi's friend and angel. She's also a cupid though she fights like an animal.

She's standing with Shadi and it looks like I interrupted what might have been a pleasant conversation. Shadi smiles at me and she looks delightfully unimpressed as I swander over.

"So it is you." She sighs. Curious…

"Should it not be?" I ask slowly. I keep a decent distance from her. I doubt she'll attack me. If she was going to, she would have. But her scent is repulsive. Her light is far too bright for me.

"That is yet to be determined. Where is Yugi?" She asks sharply.

"Never just a chat with you." I grumble and take great pleasure in seeing her writhe.

"Yugi. Where is he?" She snaps at me.

I hold my mouth shut as I examine her. She's getting angry and it makes my skin crawl. I can feel my muscles actively wanting to flee. If she does attack it'll be because I've riled her up, but she can still kill me with a wave of her hand.

Shadi stands at my flank, watching us both in I assume confusion. I'm sure he doesn't know she's an angel. But now that he's close I could grab him and take him away if I need to.

But perhaps I should cooperate. She's angry because I'm withholding information on her friend. She might be a pretentious, egotistical, pig headed little finch but she does care about her friend.

The same friend I love…

"Yugi is with his parents back in Falls Creek." I relent finally, averting my gaze from her.

I hear her sigh and any tension that was building ebbs. I feel I avoided destruction just now. But if she can demand answers then so can I.

"Why are you worried?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?" She snaps back, but I feel none of the bite so I just wait.

She looks me up and down and then huffs in annoyance. "I've been smelling nothing but your repugnant scent for days. But when he was taken from the city I looked. I found nothing but you and him together. But all you demons smell alike, so I couldn't be sure if the demon I smelled was you or some other poor wretch."

Some other… I won't hold her against the insult because frankly all angels smell alike as well… but if I left the city my scent shouldn't have lingered so strongly to cause alarm.

If there's another demon in the city it would not surprise me, nor would I notice immediately unless we were close… but demons performing a job in such a large city isn't surprising.

Then again it's in her nature to hunt us, even if she is a cupid.

"I see."

"You've been with him the entire time?" She asks me and I can't help but scoff at the notion. But she's serious…

"Yes. Yes I've been with him the entire time."

"Then if I can ask one thing of you I would like you to sweep the city and -"

"You can't order me around like one of your good little soldiers, cupid."

"Last I checked I could destroy you with ease."

"Last I checked if you were to do that, that would make for one very upset little angel." I bite back in spite of the very real electricity I feel in the air. I know she can kill me. She can send me back to hell or destroy my entire being so there's nothing of me left - but I am begging the devil she cares for Yugi more than she wants to see me hurt.

"If I may…" Shadi is quiet and skittish beside me, but he reminds us both that we're not alone. Roaming the gardens are a few people, quietly minding their own business and well out of earshot of us. Shadi continues.

"If there is another demon roaming the city, what does this matter? It is my understanding that demons do not linger long unless they fixate. If one has, does it really pose a threat to any of us?"

"If a demon has fixated on a human then it is my responsibility to free that human from its torment." Tea answers predictably. I merely roll my eyes though.

"So like an angel to deny instincts and a way of life you do not approve of." I mutter quietly.

"It is not I who possess the innocent, taint their souls and damn them for eternity." She says with an arrogant shrug of her shoulders that really gets on my nerves.

"No but it is your dear kind that judges relentlessly regardless on the situation."

"If you're referring to being an unsent then perhaps you should have thought about your life choices." Her snarky comment boils my blood and if it wasn't for Shadi stepping between us it might have just been the second to last thing I'd have ever felt.

I stand against her, fuming to the point of shaking as every ounce of my being desperately wants to rip and tear and cause her any kind of pain I can before she kills me. She meets my gaze and I don't fail to notice how she is angered but immensely more calm than I am. If she wanted to it would take extremely little effort to purge me.

But that comment… like I chose this life?

"Atem." Shadi says to me quietly, barely audible over the blood pulsing behind my ears.

"You should listen to your human." Tea's voice drips with venom, warning me to back down but it just makes me want to rend her tongue from her mouth all the more…

"You should stop telling me what to do." I say, matching her tone. I am asking for death at this point… I need to leave before I make a grave mistake if I haven't already.

"Fine." She says simply, taking a single step back and shrugging as if she really couldn't care less. "Suit yourself. I'm going to check on Yugi. You do you, and hey if there is another demon in town and it starts trouble - it won't be my responsibility."

Like that she disappears into a cloud of white dust and stray baby white feathers.

Her scent lingers but the electrifying, horridly cleansing sensation of her presence leaves with her. Slowly I feel my muscles relaxing, I feel the blood thirsting beast within simmering and I am calming.

Somehow I escaped that confrontation with my life in tact. But I am such an idiot! I never should have antagonized her but her conceited, privileged, entitled attitude just ruffles my feathers - and to judge me for what I am without taking a single ounce of responsibility for why I am like this…

Yugi is right: it is not my fault I am like this. This isn't my doing, wasn't my choice and isn't fair. I'll be damned if I'm going to allow her to dictate how I should view myself anymore. I've spent the last 5000 years loathing myself for something out of my control… I will not let her influence the way I want to live my new life.

"So." Shadi pipes up all of a sudden, moving to stand in front of me with an annoying expected look about him. "Care to explain?"

I should. I owe him that much. But I'm really not in the mood.

"She's an angel."

"I gathered that."

"Then what more do you want?" I snap back at him, turning to leave. I don't know where I'm going. Just… away. This garden is too tranquil.

He appears beside me, keeping my pace in spite of me. "She could have killed you."

"I know that."

"So what were you thinking?"

I stop to face him but I honestly just… I can't. Right now. "I wasn't, Shadi. I wasn't thinking."

He blinks at me, unphased and borderline bored with me. Which is fair. I'm being ridiculous. I really need to clear my head.

"I'm going for a fly." I say grumpily, walking past him to leave the lot.

"Atem." His voice brings me to an abrupt halt but I don't turn to look at him. "Be careful. Please. You have people here who rely on you."

…I know. He's right. I know.

Yugi

"I cannot tell you how nice it is to be home." I exclaim with a heavy, relieved sigh. My legs are heavy, my back is killing me and I am so tired.

But I'm very happy. Tonight I get to see where Atem works and if I'm lucky I'll even get to see him work. I might be ready for a long, heavy coma but I am so ready for tonight.

I hear his gorgeous chuckle behind me as I happily toss my keys aside on my kitchen bench. "We could always stay in if you desire it?" He suggests coyly. I feel him touch my hip and I affectionately sway back into him -

Only to hiss and swiftly move off him as soon as my back presses against him.

"Mmm… tempting but I really want to see where you work." I say, rolling my shoulders to try and ease the sting.

"Are you okay?" He cocks his head, his brow raised quizzically.

"Yeah just… My back has been hurting all day." I admit shyly. I don't want him to worry but I doubt I can avoid that. Not with it hurting the way it is. My shirt is already catching on dried blood and undoubtedly scabs from those wounds he gave me.

He thinks about it for a while and then a flash of recognition sparks in his eyes. "I can still heal them if they're bothering you this much." He says sincerely apologetically.

This morning I wanted to keep them. I wanted to keep them because he gave them to me during a night of surreal passion.

…but they are cumbersome…

"At least let me look at them for you. You wanted a shower didn't you?" He offers. I smile and nod. Maybe after they're cleaned and patched properly it'll be fine.

"I did. Can you fetch the first aid kit under the sink for me? I'll meet you in the bathroom." I say happily and skip down the hall to the bathroom excitedly.

It is so nice to be back in a familiar place. You'd think I traveled the world or something.

Hmmm. Just remembering yesterday… how incredible it was to go to Paris and to see the world from so high!

I let out a small, giddy giggle to myself as the excitement of yesterday bubbles in my chest. But I catch and silence myself, clapping my hands to my mouth before Atem can hear me laughing away like a loon.

I hear nothing nearby so I carefully lift my shirt up and over my head. My shirt sticks to my back in places, pulling at blood and hairs but it does come off easily enough. It stings though. My muscles are begging for a massage and heat, my skin is crying for attention… but it was so worth it. I'd do it all again in a heartbeat.

I hold my shirt to my chest and stand with my back to my mirror, looking over my shoulder to inspect the damage personally. The claw marks over my shoulder blades and down my spine are deep. I look like I was mauled by a big cat. I see teeth marks too coming up as big red welts in a soft oval shape, two prominent holes where his fangs must have sunk into my skin. Everywhere else that isn't actually wounded is bruised, especially around the back of my neck. Thank God my parents didn't notice.

"Hey. I found it… but I'm really not sure why you don't want me healing them if you're going to be using this." Atem appears by the door and I smile warmly at him. He's so sweet.

Gently I take the little box from him and search through it. Though what I'm looking for I haven't even decided yet. "Honestly I'm still undecided on that. I wanted to keep them because they're your marks on me… but the claw marks are a bit painful…" I admit sheepishly.

I see him stand behind me in the mirror and I gaze at him from under my lashes as he closely examines his work. His brow furrows, his lips form a sorrowful line and I can feel his fingers hovering nearby as if afraid to touch me.

"Okay… well what if I heal the claw and bite marks. You can keep the bruises if you wish." He suggests, looking at me from over my shoulder.

"Hmmm…" That could work…

"Yugi." His hand touches my hip again but this time he stands a little to my side and with his other hand he gently pushes a lock of my hair behind my ear. "The world will never see these but you will suffer from their pain until they heal. Why endure the discomfort? If you want me to mark you I can do it in a way that doesn't hurt anywhere near as much as this."

"Really?" I ask, rising hope makes my heart quicken.

He laughs joyfully and bumps his nose to mine affectionately. "Yes, my light. So will you allow me to heal you?"

I hesitate but give him a nod of approval. I'd hoped to keep them but they are really hindering.

"Thank you." He whispers softly.

He gently takes my hand and drags me along with him. He leads me to the bedroom and while I know that he's going to try and heal me I still can't help but feel excited.

"Lay on your stomach, love and get comfortable." He says softly, taking my shirt from me to toss aside.

Obediently I crawl onto the mattress and lay happily upon my pillow. I didn't realise how much I missed it. It's only been a night away from home but sleeping on top of the Eiffel Tower isn't a spot I'd recommend quickly.

I soon feel him press on the bed and slowly he straddles the backs of my thighs. He leans over me to take my arms and places them down at my sides.

This is kind of embarrassing but also exciting. It's like he's about to give me a massage and I've never had one of those before. I wonder what he's going to do. Will it be like most healing classes and he'll just hover his hands over me? I wonder how it'll feel. This is kind of cool!

"Good boy. Stay like this for me." He purrs in my ear and his praise forces air to expel from my lungs and catch in my throat and I must stop myself from squealing.

But that is so hard when I feel his lips softly ghost my neck. A shiver courses down my spine, making my back arch away from him and my hips to push back against him in anticipation. His hand rests on my hips and his fingers gently squeeze me, keeping me in place.

A low chuckle bounces from his chest shortly before his tongue glides across my skin. A sharp gasp draws in cool air unexpectedly and I feel my skin tingling and heating up where his tongue is tasting. The cool air of my room quickly makes my skin feel fresh but muscles are warming just as fast.

I know I shouldn't be aroused by this but can I not be? I have a really hot demon boyfriend riding my legs and licking my flesh like I am his personal candy.

He kisses the back of my neck and leaves trails of them along my shoulders. My chest heaves with the deep breaths I'm trying to be subtle about, even biting my lip to stop from moaning. I shouldn't be enjoying this so much.

Desire is coiling in my stomach and I feel heat rising between my legs. My cock is waking already, and no amount of holding my breath and minute squirming is helping.

"You are such a delight." He whispers against my shoulder.

I can't answer him. If I speak I'll moan…

"Getting aroused from a little tender treatment like this?" He kisses the back of my shoulders now, trailing towards my spine… to a very tender and sensitive area…

I hiss and squirm away when his tongue glides flat over a particularly painful wound. It's enough to shake me from the fog of lust attempting to cloud my mind.

"The deeper wounds will hurt, but not for long." He sings softly.

"Mhm." Is all I can manage. It stings so much, like it's on fire. I want to grab at something but all I can reach is my own thigh so that will have to do.

"I did this once for you before. But fang holes are much smaller than the claw marks I left you. I am so sorry." He breathes sadly. I want to respond and ask him what he means, but it hurts…

I hold my breath, scrunching my eyes closed and wait for it to pass enough to breathe.

"What do you mean? When did you do this?" I ask him, hating how strained my voice is.

"Hmm." He sits back, gliding his fingers down my arms until he finds my hands. I'm happy to switch my thighs for his hands. "Our first time, I bit you too hard. When you flinched and yelped I kissed it better for you."

My heart skips with the memory. I'll never forget that night. The night I feared I'd only ever dream of. He showed me what true love felt like for the first time and in return I gave him everything I had to give.

"I didn't realise…" I sigh softly. I'm starting to feel cold now as the pain is subsiding.

"There's more to heal. Are you okay?" He asks patiently.

More… of course. He's barely touched the center of my back. I think I know what to expect now so I take a deep breath and nod firmly. He squeezes my hand and leans back over me again.

I gasp when I feel his tongue lap against another wound. It sends a bolt straight up my spine, making me hastily move my hands to push him off me, but I don't… Instinctively I want to scream but instead I bite my pillow. I knew it was going to hurt but fuck me… why does it hurt so much?! He's supposed to be healing me so why does it hurt?

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry my love." He hushes me gently, petting my hair apologetically. I can feal tears at the corners of my eyes and soon I can breathe slowly… so I let the pillow go, licking my lips and try to gather myself. My skin is on fire and it feels like he just flayed it off.

"Why does it hurt so much?" I whisper, breathless.

"It is the demonic antibodies in my saliva that is fighting the angelic antibodies in yours. Your body is detecting a demonic presence entering your wounds and it's trying to fight against it and eradicate it. But my healing properties are stronger. Your wounds are being healed, but not without a fight."

…I see… "So… the hatred between angel and demon runs so deep even our bodies want to fight one another…" I sigh sadly.

I feel him climb off me and lay down beside me. I look at him through squinted eyes and try my best to smile bravely at him. I see how worried he is. How sorry he is. I love him. I love how kind he is, how caring he is, how soft and sweet he is. I love how thoughtful he is. I love how confident he is. I love his sensitivity and his sincerity.

I love him so much… I don't understand why angels and demons can't get along.

"It doesn't matter to me." I say, smiling sadly at him. "I don't care what anyone says, I love you. You have quickly become my entire world, Atem." Lovingly I add, reaching to touch his cheek.

He smiles warmly at me and leans into my palm, pressing against my hand with his own.

"And I you, Yugi. I cannot begin to tell you what you have done for me in such a short time."

I roll to face him and cuddle up against him, touching our foreheads intimately. My body is still aching and every cut and scratch is protesting these movements, but I want to feel close to him.

"I'm sorry I hurt you so much." He whispers quietly. Gently he brushes his fingers along my shoulder before switching to brush them through my hair.

"It's okay. I wanted to keep them." I say tiredly. We've had such a big couple of days, I guess it's all coming back to me now.

"Yes, but I should have better control. You can't heal as quickly as I can yet, and with your angelic nature locked behind a seal of sorts your body is more fragile. I need to be in more control of the beast within. Next time… no. There won't be a next time."

"What do you mean?" I ask curiously and almost hurt. He doesn't mean he won't sleep with me again, right?! He'll starve! And… I… I want to…

"I mean I can't have you touching my horns like that." He chuckles lightly when he clearly senses my distress. That's a relief though.

"Oh. But, what if I want you to ravage me a little?" I ask shyly, scooting a little closer to him so my body can be flush against his.

"I can be rough with you without doing this to you." He says softly. I suppose he's right. "You are so cute."

"What? I am not!" I resent that and pout.

"Yes you are. For someone with such little experience and so much virtue, you are a devilish little imp and I think it is the most endearing thing about you."

I'm afraid my groaning isn't doing me any favours so I hide in his chest, but he just laughs and pets my hair. "Mmm stop thinking I'm cute!"

"Then stop being so cute." He coos as he holds me closer, squeezing me as best he can without hurting me.

I let him but soon push him off me so I can lay on my stomach again, huffing. "Shut up and heal me."

"Okay." He laughs, swinging himself back up to sit on my legs again.

I feel his fingers trace in odd circles on my back, near tender areas but so soft it merely tickles. "I can heal the smaller wounds if you like, or continue with the larger ones, but the larger the wound the painful it will be."

I nod and bring my arms up so I can bury my face in them. He doesn't stop me, which is good because I feel more braced here. It'll hurt… I have to remember it won't last long.

"The larger ones please." I say clearly.

"Okay. Remember your colours? If it gets too much …"

Colours… right. That might help. "I'll use red if it's too much."

"Orange to slow down." I affirms and I nod. "Alright."

He bends low and plants a gentle kiss near my right shoulder blade. It doesn't hurt. If anything it feels invigorating and exciting again.

Until he licks the wound there. At first it's an acute sting but then it flares rapidly, like acid spreading through my blood. I gasp and grasp at my arms, burying my lips into my flesh to stop from making too much noise. I know he feels guilty, I don't want to make it worse. I need to be brave and take this.

God, if I really am an angel I can't wait to learn how to do this myself so it doesn't hurt. Then he can maul and bite me all he likes, it won't matter.

"You're doing well." He whispers softly, kissing the uninjured areas of my back lovingly.

I can't respond yet. I'm focusing on the pain, willing it gone, trying to convince my body that it's okay. It doesn't seem to listen though. It's trying so hard to fight against the help being offered to it.

Eventually it calms down and I can relax. I'm getting tired though. So tired…

"Is it… supposed to … make me tired?" I ask weakly.

"No… but it could be that your body is using what little power you have to fight me." He says softly.

I nod. That makes sense I think. I don't know. I honestly have no idea what's supposed to be normal anymore.

"Do you want to continue?" He asks.

I want to sleep… I wonder if that'd be okay…

"Yes. We can keep going." I say. I'm going to try and stick this out. I still want to go to Dionysus.

"Okay." He moves down and kisses my side gently. Again, maybe he's letting me know where he is.

A moment later he licks the soft flesh he finds there, right along the back of my hip. Me entire body tenses and contorts and I feel like my blood is in attack mode. I try to silence the yelp that pushes through my throat that sounds more like a strangled scream, and muffle it by biting down hard on my arm. My body feels like he just stabbed me with a hot knife fresh from a fire. It hurts so much but I can't even speak to say my colours.

He stopped licking me the moment I made a noise but it's still burning, and I can't stop whimpering and crying into my arm.

I can't do this. I thought I could. But I can't do this. This hurts so much.

"Red." I hear him say in a breathless whisper. A short moment later I feel something wet and cold on my back, like a damp towel. It soothes the burn and eases the pain.

I can breathe again. I don't need to whimper. I don't let my arm go though. It's keeping me somewhat sane enough to feel the cool freshness upon my skin.

After a while of replenishing the cool and lightly dabbing my skin, he lays beside me once more. My eyes are closed. My body is finally relaxed. My teeth are comfortably sunk into my arm and my muscles are shaking ever so slightly. It doesn't hurt anymore though and I am so tired.

I feel something hard and sharp nudge my cheek and it startles me. Peeking through my lashes reveal he's gently nudging me with his horns. The sorrow in his eyes are deep and the pain trembling upon his lips breaks my heart. He nudges me once more, carefully and shy. I don't know when he shed his other form but his true one is still so beautiful even if he looks so terribly sad.

I let my arm go, licking my lips and gently we seek each other out. He nudges his horns under my neck and I hold him close to me, offering what comfort I can. He wraps his wings around me and his hands rest on my hips.

Gently I pet his hair and I feel his shoulders shake just a little. His feathers fluff up, as if shivering before they smooth out nice and sleek again.

"I'm sorry." He whispers.

I shake my head and take a deep, calm breath. "It's okay. I asked for this." I say just as quietly. It's true. I asked for the injuries when I touched his horns. I asked for him to heal me. He's not done anything wrong at all.

"I should have known better. I shouldn't have allowed myself to remain so out of control. I knew I could hurt you, I feared it, but I allowed it -"

"I am the one who insisted on touching your horns." I urge him.

"I should have more control."

"It's okay. I honestly don't mind. They'll heal in time." I say kindly, trying to convey as much love and forgiveness as I can to soothe his heart.

"I can't heal you either. Not without hurting you terribly. I'm sorry, but I can't heal you more tonight. I can't bear to be the one that makes you hurt so much."

"It's alright. It doesn't hurt anymore."

He says nothing but I can hear how choked he is right now. It makes sense to me too. When he said Red… it wasn't for my benefit… he had reached his own limit. I understand too. I could never knowingly hurt him either even if it was best for him. Even if the pain was temporary.

Honestly my neck and shoulders don't hurt much anymore. My muscles are sore and aching, but he did a great job healing my injuries. My lower back and hips still feel untouched and painful, but they will remain this way.

"Hey." I move my head away and coax him to look up at me with a finger to his chin. His horns narrowly miss my chin but he looks at me with wide, glassy red eyes. "We didn't know that my body would react this way." I say and he nods slowly. "And you did everything you could to make sure I wouldn't be in pain or uncomfortable."

"But -"

My finger keeps his lips closed. "You've always had my best interest at heart and I love and appreciate you for it. I'm not upset, mad or otherwise. I'm a bit tired… but I love you so much. Please don't do this to yourself. Forgive yourself, please. You have nothing to apologise for."

He chokes on a sob, searching my eyes desperately before fluttering his lashes and forcing a deep nod. "I love you."

I smile and lean in to draw in a long, sweet kiss from him, sighing happily when he finally relaxes.

A bolt of excitement courses through me when I drag my tongue over his lip and he obediently opens for me, even daring to tag my own, encouraging a little game of chase. I chuckle lightly and he giggles, pressing into me deeper, breathing me in.

"I love you, my light." He whispers against my lips, smiling happily.

"I love you too, my sweet prince of sin."

He laughs lightly and his claws gently takes my head so he can kiss me deeply. My head swims but I am so happy right now.

My back will need to wait… and I fear my trip to his workplace will too… but so long as I am here with him I do not mind.