When Damien opened his eyes, the world danced around him. He felt dizzy, his body trembled with pain. However, something was strange; he was not wet, he was dry. Weird. He thought.

What was even weirder, he discovered, was how he could no longer feel the chill of the pavement. Instead, he laid on something soft. Not a bed, since it was too soft and fluffy to be a bed. It was something that Damien could not describe. Just where was he?

He opened his eyes again, in hopes that the world had stopped spinning, but he was wrong. The world still spun. And along with that spinning, he met two pairs of eyes, blue eyes that stared down at him from above. They grinned down at him, wings surrounding their bodies, golden hair shining. Damien frowned. Angels? 

He shook his head at the thought, “Damn, I really must be losing it.” He cursed his sicken state. “And... there's another one…” He grimaced at the angel beside him, head tucked to their chest asleep, their wings cradling their body. 

Am I dead?

He tried his best to scan his surroundings for a sign or at least something to prove the thought untrue. Yet, through his blurred vision, he could only see darkness and a red glow a distance away. 

No… there's no way I could be dead. 

He thought back to the rain, the coldness of the night biting at him, the way his feet throbbed with pain. I can’t die that easily, right? 

At the thought, his eyes began to burn. He rubbed them in an attempt to ease the burning. Yeah, I’m stronger than that. There's no way I'm dead. The angels’ eyes twinkled in response, their grins sinister in the red glow of the room.

“Damn...” The tears fell, clouding his already hazy vision. “Damn!” He couldn’t stop. The tears took over his body as one shuddering word escaped his mouth. “Dakota.”

“Hmm” hummed the angel beside him.

Damien wiped at his eyes, as he turned to the sleeping angel. “What?” God… why am I even trying to talk to it?

Despite his rude tone, the angel remained silent, wings embracing their body. 

Perhaps it was the angel’s expression or perhaps the way the angel slightly leaned towards him, but for some odd reason, it felt like the angel was listening to him. As if they were interested in whatever he would say next. So, Damien spoke. 

”I’m useless. I can't handle two jobs. I can't support my brother, hell I can't even attend school.” The tears returned and he quickly wiped them away. “How will he survive without me? Ava’s there, but for how long? What can do when she’s hardly an adult herself? How will Dakota act when he finds out? That I...” The tears burned streaks into his cheeks. “I…”  He couldn’t say anymore. The words like lead, as they escaped his body, falling, sinking. Damien was sinking. Sinking so deep that it was hard to breathe. Perhaps this was his punishment. A place for him to suffer. A twisted hell made just for him. Yet before his thoughts could consume him, his hand was grabbed. His teary eyes landed upon the sleeping angel. Their smile blinding, their blonde hair crimson in the glow of the room. The angel gave a gentle squeeze.

“You are not worthless. That I can assure you.”

“I’m… not?” Damien averted his eyes, his hands suddenly sweaty. “Well, I don't believe it. If my life did have some sort of worth then I wouldn't be suffering like this. Working myself to the ground, causing the people around me to worry, if only I was a little bit stronger then maybe... “ he bit his lip. “It… it doesn’t matter anymore. I’m dead now, and there's nothing I can do to change-”

The angel released Damien’s hand, the action so sudden that Damien was at a loss for words. “Ah…” they coughed. “Pardon me Irving, but I can assure you that you are not dead. You are quite alive.”

Damien gave the angel a weird look, “I’m surrounded by angels, how am I not dead?”

The angel tilted their head, “Angels? Oh! Are you referring to them?” he pointed up at the two angels above Damien. And when Damien nodded he smiled, “They are quite beautiful, right? My mother made them for me when I was younger. But to confuse paintings as real angels. Are you that out of it Irving?”

Damien stared confusingly at the angel through blurred eyes. Irving… Irving... Shit!  Realization struck Damien, his eyebrows curving sharply together. There was only one person with such an annoying singsong voice. And only one person that would address him by his last name. 

Ah shit. Damien jerked up, ignoring how much his head throbbed in response. He took in his surroundings. He was not dead, and he certainly was not in the afterlife. Damien found himself in a room, a giant one from the items that filled it. It was still dimly lit, but Damien could make out faint traces of furniture within the room. A fireplace graced the wall opposite him, this he realized was the source of the red light. Two loveseats and a large table also filled the room alongside the bed he laid upon. Other things were present inside the room, but they were indistinguishable in the darkness. 

Seeing Damien’s agitated state, Aemilius raised his hands. “Irving, please rest, moving too much will only worsen your condition.”

He leaned closer to Damien, causing him to tense in response. “Relax Irving, I am simply fixing your towel.” Once again Aemilius leaned closer to Damien, and this time he was successfully able to adjust the towel upon his head. A towel that Damien was finally noticing. Aemilius smiled in satisfaction. “Now Irving. How are you feeling?”

Damien, poked at the towel that clung to his head, “I’m fine… but where am I?”

Aemilius nodded, “Of course, you would ask such an important question. On my way home from a party, I happened to come upon your figure on the road. It was terrifying, seeing you fall out of nowhere. So, I decided to take you home with me.”

Damien couldn’t help but scoot away from Aemilius.

“N-not like that.” he blushed, “What I mean is that I could do nothing else but take you home. I have no idea where you live nor do I have a way to contact any of your relatives. Moreover, when I suggested the hospital you clung to me begging me to do just the opposite.”

Damien frowned, as the thought of him clinging onto Aemilius surfaced. “Thanks...” he muttered.

Aemilius shrugged, “You are welcome, but that was scary. If it was not for my help you could have possibly died in the rain.”

Damien shook his head “I doubt it was that bad.”

“No… it was. You have been asleep for more than a few hours.”`He showed his phone to Damien. “It’s four o’clock Irving. No matter what I did, I could not wake you up.” his brows knitted together, “Why were you out there? Does this have something to do with your absence from school? Why do you have to push yourself so hard? Irving!”

Yet Damien was already getting up. It's four? Shit, I need to go home. Dakota… He attempted to rise from the bed but was forced down by Aemilius. 

“Let go,” he spoke, his voice cold.

Aemilius shook his head, “I will not. Irving, rest is more essential right now. I understand that your brother must be worried, but right now you are simply not in the right condition to leave.”

“Then you plan to hold me here?”

Aemilius sighed, “Not that either, what I plan to do is to call your relatives. And offer a way of helping you”

Damien stopped his struggle against Aemilius, confusion on his face. “Help...me?”

Aemilius smiled, “Yes, for this situation appears to be quite to my advantage…” Perhaps, realizing what he just said, Aemilius frantically shook his hands, “Aha no... that came out wrong. Sorry about that. I'm just happy that I have a way of helping you?”

Damien glared at Aemilius, his head throbbing once more.

Aemilius merely smiled. “Irving become my tutor. You will be paid handsomely for the job.”

Damien’s glare grew intense, “That crap again? Didn’t I told you before that I couldn’t do it?”

Aemilius smiled, unfazed by the glare. “Yes, which is why I increased the price to around ninety dollars an hour.”

Damien's mouth practically fell open from the amount. “N-ninety…” he brought his hands to his face. “Shit I really must be losing it.”

Aemilius' smile deepened, “I must disagree, You are “not” losing it. As my mother said, I am indeed rich, so such an amount is nothing to my family.”

Damien raised a hand to stop Aemilius, “Wait a minute even if you are rich I can't do that to you.”

Aemilius took Damien’s hand, tenderly enclosing his fingers over Damien’s palm.“But I assist. Please accept my offer Irving. It is beneficial to both of us.”

Damien tried to take his hand from Aemilius' grip, but due to his fever, he could hardly move it. He sighed. Why is this dude so obsessed with me?  

“Yeah, can't accept your offer, it's too much of a burden.” Damien knew that he needed money, but charity was something that he could never accept. That was his only rule. His gaze met Aemilus’ eyes, eyes that twinkled in anticipation. It was hard to maintain eye contact. So his gaze went back to the dying fire. 

Aemilius sighed, his hand tightening around Damien’s hand, “Then you will earn this offer through your own power.”

“My power?”

“Yes. Competition is a good motivator, so you shall compete.”

Damien furrowed his brows, aware of the fact that his hand was becoming increasingly sweaty in Aemilius’ grasp. “What the hell are you going on about again?”

Aemilius grinned at Damien. “It's simple to understand, you shall fight for this position. The offer still stands, yet it is not exclusively for you, for others will participate. Now rest, we can talk about this matter further after you sleep.”

Damien eyed Aemilius, then finally sighed, “Fine I’ll consider the idea, but I have to get home.” He tried to pull his hand away but Aemilius still clung to it. He turned confusedly to Aemilius, “I said I’ll think about the deal, so let me go.”

“We can talk about this after you sleep. Your sleep will, of course, happen here.”

Damien’s brow arched at the response. “Aemilius, I have to go, you can’t force me to rest,”

Aemilius smiled, as he stood up over Damien. His grip tightened on Damien's hand, as he rose from his chair. 

Damien frowned, “Are you trying to scare me?”

“No,” Aemilius said as he pinned Damien to the bed, scattering pillows about. 

“W-what?!” Damien was at a loss for words, as he struggled against the smaller boy, yet due to his fever, Aemilius was immovable.

Aemilius smiled gently above Damien, his blonde hair tickling the tip of Damien’s nose. His blue-gray eyes seemed to shine at that moment as he spoke. “Rest Damien. “Damien, rest.” As if magic was cast on him, Damien felt glued to the spot. He could do nothing but stare helplessly into Aemilius’ eyes. Eyes, that reminded Damien of a stormy sea. A sea that could ruin him.

“This is a first.” Aemilius’s lips curved upwards as he chuckled at Damien. “This time you cannot run away from me.'' Before Damien could give a response, Aemilius lifted himself from Damien. He then  offered a hand which puzzled Damien who looked up questionably “your phone.” Damien’s eyebrows connected more.

 “I’m sure you’re family must be worried about your whereabouts, wouldn’t want them thinking you were kidnapped or something.” He smiled.

Damien sighed, knowing full well, that he would be unable to argue with Aemilius in this state. He reached into his pocket and handed his phone to Aemilius. “The first two numbers.”

Aemilius took the phone. “I will be back shortly, then.” with that he left the room, leaving Damien alone. Damien stared at the ceiling, no, the mural that laid directly above his head, In the dark glow of the room, the angels still appeared sinister, yet it was comforting in a way. He then glanced to the chair beside him, and the blanket bundle that now occupied the space. Instantly another realization struck him, Aemilius was listening to his rant. His hand throbbed as if to remind him of the sensation. The sensation of Aemilius’ hand in his own. He felt like puking at the thought. 

Before sleep overtook Damien, he thought about his brother. Too much time had already passed. Was Dakota awake? Was he worried? At the thought, he rose from the bed, his body aching in protest, as it instantly sunk into the bed. The bed creaked at the action as if chastising Damien for attempting to disobey its owner. 

Damien cursed at it, while Aemilius’ words rang through his head.

Rest.

He sank further.

Rest

His body, growing heavy.

Rest.

He fell asleep.