The unlocked door slowly opened. The gold details on the frame and its apparent opulence didn't match the low creaking sound it made. The person, or rather a tall man, slid his fingers covered in the soft, cool fabric of his gloves on the door's wooden surface to close it without making much noise.

Inside that room - full of opulent details as the hallway and the entire building - was a slender figure with a thin and elegant silhouette. The man seemed to know him, and, with a slight smile, he laughed softly before speaking.

"It's been a while, Younri," Mephistopheles leaned on the door. "I mean, angel Zophiel," he smiled.

Younri- well, Zophiel, chuckled and took his wig off his hair. His long ears were replaced by small, round ears, like a human's; behind them, a pair of ivory feathery wings appeared, letting the loose feathers fall on the fancy flooring. His hair, once short, teal colored, turned white like fresh snow, and the strands became long and loose, tickling his bare skin.

"Hello, Mephistopheles," Zophiel chuckled, taking the last garments off his face and neck. "What brings you here, my beloved?" he smiled, brushing his hair with his fingertips.

"You called me to come here earlier, and... old habits never change," Mephistopheles chuckled softly as he approached the angel. "I dearly missed you," he kissed Zophiel's head.

"I also missed you," Zophiel chuckled, looking up at his beloved's face above him.

Mephistopheles's orange eyes were sharp as always, and his teal hair was a bit longer than the last time they met. That hairstyle definitely matched him better. His fancy clothing didn't match his personality, but they suited him beautifully well.

Zophiel's dark eyes were serene as Mephistopheles combed his beloved's hair and lifted his chin to check for leftover makeup on his face. But Mephistopheles's expressions weren't completely transparent. The thin red line in his irises was glowing, and it meant one thing: jealousy.

Here we go. Zophiel thought leisurely.

"Why did you perform tonight?" Mephistopheles asked, resting his head on Zophiel's shoulder, wrapping his torso with his arms.

Is he hiding his face while sulking, so that I cannot see it? Zophiel chuckled. "I had to," he smiled.

"Let me guess. God asked you to work as a spy again," Mephistopheles dearly kissed Zophiel's neck, who chuckled softly in return. 

"As always," Zophiel's smaller wings fluttered.

"Why do you always choose to stay at the Pub?"

Zophiel smiled a little and looked at Mephistopheles. His eyes were always as bright as the night sky full of stars despite how pitch-black colored they were.

"I'll always be there for the ones in need, and I found that place a good one," Zophiel said, his gentle voice massaging Mephistopheles's brain. "I can't abandon those souls, and I bet more will step by. Also, I love mixing beverages!" he beamed, leisurely mimicking a bartender pose.

"Hm…" Mephistopheles hummed and nuzzled on Zophiel's hair. "You told me you wouldn't perform anymore…" he mumbled, sounding more like a grumble.

There he is. This time, he wasn't as straightforward as before... how silly. Zophiel chuckled internally, turning the chair to face his beloved properly. "Are you perhaps jealous?" he slowly raised Mephistopheles's face, revealing the same old pouty face.

"A little," Mephistopheles finally grumbled. "How can I not be jealous of my sweet angel showing himself to the crowd like that?"

Zophiel giggled and slowly kissed Mephistopheles's lips, but nothing more than that, and fondly looked at him. Mephistopheles knew himself very well, and if he stared at his beloved too much… there would be feathers all around the room soon, so he averted his gaze and rubbed his cheek on Zophiel's hand.

"So... why did God send a high-class angel like you to work?" Mephistopheles kissed Zophiel's hand.

"My mission is to investigate Agarath and Asmodeus's doings," Zophiel explained, rubbing a thumb on his beloved's cheeks. "Still... I didn't know I stepped on a mistake."

Mephistopheles frowned, confused. "A mistake?" he scratched his head, messing with the perfectly done hairstyle.

"You see... Agarath is plotting something. As far as I've studied him, he is aiming for one of my pub workers," Zophiel worried, tiding Mephistopheles's messy strands. "The existence of a Chronos is a miracle, and Mine had been through a lot," he painfully looked at Mephistopheles, whose gaze fell on his beloved's hands.

"I did my best to avoid his identity's leak, but it seems Lilith was smart enough to put a muzzle on me," Mephistopheles showed a very detailed mark on his arm, Lilith's command. "We tried, sweetness," he rubbed a thumb on Zophiel's cheek.

"We did try... right? Ha ha ha ha..." Zophiel chuckled melancholily. "We sabotaged every Belial and Azazel's plans and gave Lydia the Seraph's tear flower, but... ah... God knew what I was going to do," he showed the chains on his wrists that faintly appeared when he called a foreign word. "Now I'm temporarily grounded."

Mephistopheles looked disgusted.

He traced Zophiel's wrists, not feeling the chains, but he knew its presence was there once he felt the faint burn from them. He didn't hate God, but that action towards his darling made his fragile balance of "likes" and "dislikes" pend to the dislike side.

A bird in the cage.

Tsk, typical.

"Still, we can take care of the side effects," Zophiel cupped Mephistopheles cheeks. "That's one of the reasons I called you here," he smiled.

"All you have to do is tell me what to do, sweetness," Mephistopheles looked at Zophiel with bright eyes full of energy and determination. 

The angel chuckled and touched his beloved's cheek, "Thank you, Mr. determination," he smiled.

"I'll just finish my work..." Mephistopheles took Zophiel in his arms, which startled the poor angel, "... and I'll be back, ok?" he kissed his sweet angel's blushed cheek.

A faint smile formed on the angel's face, and he switched to his disguised form. "I'll wait for you then. Meanwhile, I'll be- ah!" he giggled when Mephistopheles endlessly started kissing his neck and cheeks.

"Please stay how you are. It's a waste to not see you this way… We've been apart for so long…" Mephistopheles smiled and kissed his darling's forehead, who turned to his original form again.

"You're the one full of work… I'm always at the Pub, ya know that" Zophiel teased, and Mephistopheles fell on the bed with his darling in his arms, giving him tons of kisses everywhere possible.

His lover's skin was smooth and warm, with a faint vanilla smell from his usual perfume and body moisturizer and oh… it's been a long while he hadn't felt his whole darling with him…

A hand here, a hand there, lips here and there, something started making the room turn a little bit… a little bit warmer than usual. Faint voices here and there didn't dare to escape under the door or through the closed windows.

A flap of wings startled one, who stopped for a while and looked at his darling on the bed. Mephistopheles knew Zophiel's wings were incredibly stunning, but seeing them sprayed like that… only fueled something inside him.

"You have a business to do," Zophiel breathed, the flush across his face as delicate as his hands, tracing Mephistopheles's facial features. "Come back later," he chuckled, and his wings covered his body like a cocoon.

"No… that's not fair!" Mephistopheles laughed and tried reaching for his darling, but he knew the wings could turn into an odd shield. "Ah… Sweetness… You're so mean…" he whined and slumped beside his lover, who peeked to see the outside world out of his cocoon.

"Go to work, you sleazy one," Zophiel chuckled and kissed his lover's cheek. "Then, let's enjoy our time together here and… outside!" he beamed excitedly. It's been ages since they didn't go for a stroll.

Mephistopheles buried his head in the pillow and deeply sighed. Damn… he didn't want to work anymore. He wanted to pretend everything was a joke, a dream, and enjoy some time with his sweetness…

"I don't wanna work…" Mephistopheles whined again.

"But you must! Now go," Zophiel slapped Mephistopheles' butt and turned into a cocoon when he saw the grabby hands of his lover, ready to distract themselves again.

"Ah… ok…" Mephistopheles sat on the bed, rubbing the tiresome off his face. "A kiss before going?"

Zophiel looked at him and released the cocoon, elegantly flapping his wings as his hair tickled his bare skin.

…

Maybe Mephistopheles shouldn't have looked at his darling that time. Well, Agarath would have to wait a few minutes more.

-- CHARACTER SHEET --