Satanic Marshmallows and Nonsensical Waffles
Shaking his head and rolling his eyes in exasperation, Nick stepped closer, pausing to wrinkle his nose at the pile of nearly radioactive vomit.
He waved a hand, making the stinking puddle disappear, leaving the concrete cleaner than the rest of the surrounding area.
As he settled primly on the ground with the others, he steepled his fingers under his chin and studied the demon closer.
“You called me Nick. You must truly be ill.”
Poking his lower lip out, Malachi nodded weakly, aiming for sympathy.
“I was so close to death. I could feel the ragged tatters of the reaper’s cloak on my skin.
I could hear the whoosh of his scythe as he whipped it through the air, whirling it over my remains.
The cold, clammy touch as his skeletal fingers wrapped around my wrist, preparing to lift me from this plane and return me from whence I came.
It was almost too much to bear knowing I wouldn’t be able to render my last goodbye to those I love,” he moaned, throwing his arm over his forehead in dramatic fashion.
Jaxon stifled a laugh and busied himself straightening Luna’s vest as she shifted back to canine form.
Chuck rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, a long-suffering sigh escaping her lips.
Nick simply stared, then waved at him loftily before responding in a voice so dry, it was nearly covered in sand. “Yes, well, you seem to have recovered nicely from your brush with said reaper.”
Sitting up completely, Malachi finally took in his surroundings.
They were in an alley between some large brick buildings.
He could hear the commotion from the crime scene a few blocks away, but they were hidden in a quiet area behind a dumpster someone had rolled away from the wall.
It was then he noticed he was naked except for a jacket tossed over his groin.
It was small and smelled like lavender, so he knew it was Chuck’s.
He flashed her a quick smile of thanks, cutting his eyes back to the material, before the soft grin slid from his face.
“What happened? How did we get here? Why am I not in dog form? And how did you heal me?” The last was directed at Chuck.
Luna spoke first. Those cuts on your shoulder; well, they weren’t from the glass. That demon must have slashed you when you went out the window or maybe when you were fighting. Either way, you were poisoned, and you passed out in the hallway. Her breathless delivery had him leaning forward.
Jaxon picked up the narrative then, “Yeah, and when Luna told us what happened, I grabbed you and carried you out here. Chuck shoved that dumpster out to hide us and…”
“Timeout,” Malachi said, perplexed and holding his hands up in a T shape. “Did you just hear what Moonchild said? Like… you can hear her now?” His brow was furrowed, and he rubbed it, trying to relieve the ache settling in there.
Nodding, Jaxon shrugged nonchalantly. “Trauma bonding, I guess.”
Malachi nodded as well, slowly, then sighed. “Well, I guess that’s a good thing. Thanks for hauling my ass out of there.” He glanced around. “So, how did I get like this?” He gestured at his body again.
Pawing the ground with embarrassment, a small whine slipped from Luna’s throat.
That was me. I knew you needed to shift back so they could see the wounds.
I shifted back, holding your hand… paw, and you shifted with me.
I changed back to canine now that you’re better because I don’t have any clothes.
Smirking, Malachi glanced at Jaxon and with a singsong teasing lilt, declared, “You mean you didn’t want to be naked in front of Jaxxy-Poo.”
“I guess that’s the thanks I get for helping save your demonic ass?” Jaxon sighed and ran a hand over his hair, ruffling the casual wave. “I don’t know why I bother sometimes.”
A hand on his arm had him turning to Chuck. “Thank you,” she whispered fiercely. “He is a whole damn demonic asshole sometimes.” She smiled slightly at Malachi’s noise of protest. “But I would be lost without him. So truly, thank you, Jaxon.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek.
“You’re welcome. Both of you. And for the record, I’ve seen plenty of naked women,” Jaxon grumbled at Malachi, then covered his eyes with one palm at the demon’s laughter. “That did not come out right.”
Slumped in the back of Chuck’s SUV, Malachi groaned as he tried to get comfortable.
She’d moved the vehicle to the mouth of the alley so he could sneak into it without shifting to dog form.
They weren’t sure how any transitions would affect his healing.
The compartment was not meant for a large man to lie down flat inside, so he was doing the best he could.
Normally, he could sit up in here, but he was still weak, so lying down was much better.
From the front seat, Luna whimpered slightly.
They’d left her in there as well, ostensibly to keep him company.
The vehicle was running, and the AC was on, so no one would be concerned with it being too hot for them.
Chuck and Jaxon had to give reports and explain their immediate disappearance following the showdown.
Malachi wasn’t sure what story they were giving, and quite frankly, he didn’t care.
He was still feeling like hammered shit and anxious to know how Chuck had healed him.
After giving Jaxon grief about his comment, Chuck sprang to her feet and mumbled about moving the car.
Nick flashed away and said he’d meet them at the house.
So now, they were playing the waiting game.
Waiting for Chuck and Jaxon to finish their reports.
Waiting to get to the house. Waiting for someone to explain what the actual unholy fuck was going on.
Angrily, he punched the wall of the metal cage, grimacing when he heard Luna’s whimper. “Oops,” he grumbled. “Didn’t mean to scare you like that.”
It’s okay, just caught me off guard. How are you feeling? she asked, timidly.
Too tired to be gentle, he snapped. “Stop it! Stop tiptoeing around people’s fucking feelings.
You are a demon for Satanic gonorrhea’s sake.
Be a bitch, be unapologetic, be anything but this wishy-washy bullshit.
Either own your darkness, or leave those angel wings out all the time and be an ass-kissing do-gooder angel simp.
You need to decide once and for all. Walking the line is gonna get you killed by either side.
Maybe both. Not trying to be a dick, well, yeah, I am because I’m me, but also, I’m tired, I’m hurting, and I almost fucking died for reals this time so I’m a little grumpy.
” He let a heartbeat pass. Then another.
“We good?” he called, anger still tightening his tone.
He understood her hesitancy. Neither side had accepted her. But somehow, despite the odds, she’d made it. She’d lived. Not thrived, that was too strong of a word. But she’d survived and that counted for something.
“You’re a hell of a lot stronger than you think you are,” he added in a thick whisper when she didn’t respond.
There was silence for nearly a minute while he could practically hear the wheels in her head turning. “Lunar module?” he called softly, now worried he’d pushed her too far.
You’re right, came her eventual words. Shaking, but not with fear this time, more…
raw determination that fueled her voice and her resolve.
She straightened in the seat, thumping her tail on the surface hard.
I am a nonsensical waffle. I need to decide which way I’m going.
My main hesitation is that I only know the demon side of acceptance.
You. Chuck, Glenda, Nathan… and even Jaxon.
You’ve accepted me as a demon. But not as an angel.
I thought I needed to know what that’s like before I made my final choice.
But no angel has shown me even half the acceptance your family has.
So… fuck them! Demon it is! She sat taller, prouder.
A rich darkness seeped into her halo, giving the pastel colors a deeper, more sinister hue, edged with tendrils of black.
Malachi sat quietly for his own damned moment, digesting her words, laughing at ‘nonsensical waffle’ as it was the best descriptor he’d ever heard.
Whether it was intended to be amusing or not, he was a little miffed he hadn’t come up with it on his own.
He cleared his throat with feigned indifference and said, “Well, I’m glad you’re taking this seriously, breakfast references notwithstanding.
” He paused, then horrified himself by blurting, “But you haven’t given angels a real chance. ”
They didn’t give me one. Nick is the first one I’ve met who didn’t try to kill me on sight.
“Then let Nicandescent give you a chance,” he murmured, completely disgusted with the words he couldn’t stop from pouring out like verbal diarrhea.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this anymore than you can.
But seriously. Give Niciose a chance before you make your final decision.
” He threw his forearms over his eyes. “This is Chuck’s fault… I know it is.”
“What’s my fault?” Chuck laughed as she opened the door in time to hear his final words.
Lifting one arm in the air, still covering his face with the other, he pointed down at himself.
“This. Me. I’m going soft.” His voice carried a heavy tone of dejection and self-pity.
“I just told Lunes to give the angels a chance before she decides to go full demon. It’s your fault.
You made me a wimp.” He groaned and gagged a few times.
“I’m changing my name to Chuck’s Wimpy Bitch.
I’m turning in my demon card. No more frequent soul eater points. ”
Snorting and shaking her head, Chuck simply slid into the driver’s seat and glanced at Luna.
She rolled her eyes before responding. “A wimp wouldn’t have thrown another demon out of a sixth-floor window using his own body as a weapon.
But if you want to give me credit for that bit of badassery, I’ll take it. ”
Malachi perked up at that and raised his head so he could see her. “Yeah… that was pretty badass of me, wasn’t it?”
Smirking, Chuck leaned to Luna and in an exaggerated stage whisper said, “Just stroke his ego. Works every time.”
“Heard that.”
“Meant you to.” Chuck waved at Jaxon who was opening the passenger door. “See you guys at my house?”
Jaxon nodded once and clipped a leash on Luna, waving before leading her to his vehicle.
Now that they were alone, Chuck turned to Malachi and softly asked, “How are you? Really? No lying, no dramatic nonsense.”
“Getting better,” he mumbled grumpily.
“Yeah, you’re pissy, which must mean you’re healing.
” Her smile fell, and she blew out a shaky breath as she tunneled her fingers in the short silky cap of her hair.
The pixie-style bob didn’t give her much length to tug on, but she made a strong effort.
“You scared me, Malachi. I thought I lost you. Like truly, completely gone from this world, lost you. And I wasn’t going to accept that.
” Wiping her eyes, she sucked in a deep breath and blew it out in a noisy whistle.
Turning forward again, she put the car in gear and headed home. “Not on my watch,” she whispered.
Malachi sat up a little more. “I love you, too, Kelly. Thank you. I still don’t understand how you did it.”
She shook her head slowly; eyes narrowed in concentration.
“I don’t either. Nick had better be there, and he had better have some answers.
Otherwise, I’m going to kick his feathered ass.
” At his chuckle, she glanced in the mirror.
“Mal, what you told Luna, I think that was good of you. She does need to give Nick a chance to show her that side of things.”
“Not really; they still won’t accept her.
She’s part demon, which makes her an embarrassment.
That one of their own could fall so far.
A human is bad enough, but one of my kind?
Never. It’s a shitty opinion I know. I didn’t ask to be born demon, but here I am, hated by Heaven, cursed by humans, because of circumstances outside of my control.
” He sighed and, with only a mild struggle, sat up completely.
Watching her eyes turn troubled, he leaned forward and rested his head on the grate.
“That’s just the way it is in the world of Hell and Heaven. ”
Chuck’s mouth opened and closed a few times while she thought through his words. Finally, her frustrated response came. “But, if that’s the case… why encourage her at all?”
“She needs to know she made the right choice. If she doesn’t see it firsthand, she’ll always wonder.”
“That seems needlessly cruel,” Chuck replied quietly, her aura shimmering blue, sadness for the young girl making her shoulders droop. “I understand what you mean now, though. You’re still doing her a kindness even though it’s going to hurt her feelings in the end.”
Groaning, Malachi banged his forehead once on the partition. “Eww… don’t say it like that. You’re already turning me into a Satanic marshmallow. Don’t make it worse.”
Chuckling now, she pulled into her driveway, lifting her chin in acknowledgment at Jaxon, who pulled to the curb behind them. “You say the damnedest things.”
“In six hundred sixty-six languages no less.”