Chapter Text
It was a nice day outside, sunny, even when winter was knocking on the door. The temperatures have progressively gotten lower, the cold slowly creeping in, letting itself known. Most trees were devoid of any leaves, only the evergreen ones still maintaining their natural green color.
Either way, Exorspace and Seraphlaser had decided to go out on a picnic date, the last one for this year, most likely. They needed to use the opportunity before the landscapes became white and barren, devoid of any life.
They were walking atop a meadow hill, stepping on the tall dying grass. Seraphlaser had a jacket on to protect him from the wind, while Exorspace was only wearing a baggy sweater, though it was enough for him. The grass they were walking on was still green, even if a little dead, but still retained that greenish hue nonetheless. In maybe a few days or a week at most, there will be meters of thick white snow covering it, killing it off completely until next spring.
Seraphlaser was happily carrying a bag slung over his shoulder, which was full with all they would need for a picnic - a cover to lay atop the grass, some snacks, books, even a neatly tucked in hammock. He was walking ahead of his lover, scanning the area for a perfect even spot to get their picnic set up. He needed to find a place with 2 trees close to one another so he could set the hammock. Thankfully there was a forest area near the hill, but in order to reach it they would need to go a little down the slope.
Exorspace was lagging behind a little, his steps small and slow. He was taking in the scenery, before it all became a cold barren land with no greenery. His bat wings were drooped a little, twitching from time to time when the wind picked up its pace. His hands were loosely tucked in the pockets of his pants, taking refuge from the biting wind. As a whole, he was a little out of it, just following Seraphlaser and waiting for him to settle down so he could sit as well and maybe doze off a little. The current breeze passing through was very pleasant for him, cooling him down. Exorspace felt a little hotter than usual as well, however he didn't really pay it much mind, preferring to focus on the landscape instead.
He knew why he felt a little off, yet he just wanted to ignore it, not wanting to ruin his and Serahlaser's last picnic for this year. He knew something bad was coming sooner rather than later, but he tried pushing the thought deep down, just for the time being. However, of course his body decided to betray him right at this moment! Nothing seemed to ever go great for them, something almost always ruining their plans.
He coughed, his throat screaming at him, feeling as if it was on fire. That pain went from his throat down to his lungs, burning them. His coughing fit was short, but it was enough to do the damage. When he retracted his hand from his mouth, he wasn't really surprised to see crimson red blood on his palm, fresh right from his body, along with phlegm. He cursed under his breath, brushing his hand in his pants, erasing the droplets of blood into them.
He looked up, only to release a relieved sigh once he saw Seraphlaser hadn't noticed8 any of this. Thank Sfoths! All he needed was for Seraphlaser to worry.
Instead the angel had gotten a little more far ahead than Exorspacs had expected, probably too focused on finding the perfect spot to pay him much mind. He was sure Exorspace could handle himself and Exorspace himself was sure of that as well... until his vision started blurring. He blinked a couple of times, hoping that maybe a dust particle had went into his eye, but as he kept blinking more and more, his vision became only worse. He saw black dots appear and his head felt light and suddenly his horns became too heavy. His legs wobbled, barely holding up his weight as he doubled down.
He reached out to the blurry winged figure in front of him, calling out Seraphlaser's name, but his voice had been too quiet, the wind drowning it in its soft cries. His knees buckled and the last thing he remembered was his body hitting the soft grass and then it all went black...
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When he came to, the first thing he registered was something cold plastered on his forehead. The next thing was a cool hand holding his, engulfing it. He felt a trimmed claw slowly moving across the skin on his hand, making circles or back and forth movement or playing with his fingers and claws.
He released a weak groan and dared open his eye, squinting it because of the harsh light that invaded his vision. In reality, it was just the dim sun rays through the window, but even that was too much for him. Seraphlaser seemed to understand and stood up to drape the dark red gothic curtains over the windows, not before letting go of Exorspace's hand with a gentle squeeze.
The room became darker and Exorspace seemed to relax, now fully opening his eye. He realized he was in their bedroom laying on the bed, covered up to the torso with the blanket they slept with during the winter. He was still in his warm sweater, his head comfortably placed on the softest pillow they had. He noticed Seraphlaser had removed all the jewelry from his ears, leaving them awfully naked, at least for his standards.
The angel came back to sit on the bed next to him, reaching forward to hold his hand again. Exorspace looked at him, his expression barely changing as everything came to him. He knew why he had fainted, but he was sure Seraphlaser didn't have any clue...
Which is probably why he was currently staring him down with such intensity, along with huge amounts of concern.
Before the scolding Exorspace was sure he would receive, however, Seraphlaser reached for the cup of water on the nightstand near the bed with his other hand and grabbed it, offering it to the vampire. Now that he had seen it, he realized how thirsty he really felt, his dry throat screaming at him, so he took it from the angel's hand with vigour and sat up with Seraphlaser's help, drinking the cup empty. Droplets of water trickled down his chin, but he quickly brushed them off with his arm.
Seraphlaser just watched him all the while, still holding his hand. He took the empty glass and placed it back on the nightstand. Exorspace straightened his pillow a little and laid back on the bed, now half-laying, half-sitting. He already felt a bit better, however he was still a little lightheaded. Either way, he saw the intensity with which Seraphlaser was staring at him and he wished he could fall back asleep just to avoid this painful conversation.
"You fainted." - He began, his voice stark and scrutinising. The hold on his hand strengthened, turning it into a grip. Exorspace could only sigh, his eye darting between Seraphlaser and his hands. He tried lying:
"I should have drank more water-"
"No. It's not from dehydration, you had blood dripping from your mouth! Blood, Exorspace, blood!" - Seraphlaser said, raising his tone. He was angry and he had a very good reason to be. Still, the loud voice made the headache the vampire had even worse, his ears twitching a little, and the angel seemed to notice that, so he lowered his tone and continued -"It can't be internal bleeding. If it was you would have already been dead by now... so what is it?!"
Exorspace was looking away, his hand gripping Seraphlaser's. Does he tell him? What should he do?! Lie?
A hand gently grabbed him by the chin and swiftly yanked his head forward so he could look straight at Seraphlaser's 3 eyes. He was staring him down, yet concern still made itself apparent. Exorspace's throat suddenly became dry and his stomach twisted inside him. He was way too cold yet way too warm, uncomfortable in his own skin. He couldn't tell him.
"Answer me, Rose. What is it? Is it the rot?" - He asked, straightforward. He had his suspicions and judging by how guilty and uncomfortable his beloved looked, he was probably right...
Exorspace opened his mouth and closed it again, not knowing how to even start. Seraphlaser kept staring, his hand running circles into his. His other hand had went from his chin to lazily sitting on Exorspace's leg, which was covered in the thick blanket.
The silence stretched out for some seconds and it became apparent Exorspace just wouldn't answer, choosing to ignore the question. Seraphlaser stared him down a bit more, but seemingly gave up, releasing a big sigh and looking away.
Exorspace couldn't say it. He wasn't prepared for what would follow if he said the truth. The only thing he knew for certain though, was that if he told it, things would never be the same ever again. He was afraid of the angel looking at him differently, not with love, but with pity, or perhaps even annoyance and disgust. He knew it was selfish to think so, knew it was stupid and irrational, but he couldn't really help it, not when his thoughts were running haywire.
"You must tell me so I can help you. Please, Rose. Now is not the time to be stubborn, nor try to keep whatever ego and pride you have. Please."
“You cannot help me.” - He said with a solemn and final tone, still looking away. Seraphlaser just looked at him disapprovingly and grabbed the cloth from his forehead, placing it in a bowl of cold water on the nightstand.
"How do you feel?" - He asked, changing the direction of the conversation, trying a different way. He placed his hand on the vampire's neck to measure the temperature. Still warm... "- And please be truthful." - Exorspace weakly scoffed at that.
"Lightheaded. I have a slight headache and feel a little weak, but otherwise I am alright.”
"No, no you are not. This is something serious. I can tell by how much you are trying to keep it a secret. Not to mention the blood I saw." - Seraphlaser was blunt with his wording, tired of playing around.
He got the cloth again and squished it, ridding it of all the water inside and only leaving it damp. He then placed it on Exorspace's temple again and he twitched a little, but otherwise remained where he was. They were still holding hands through all of this, not letting go.
"... when you are sick your fever usually skyrockets. This one is only mild. Stop lying to me."
"I’m not lying to yo-"-before he could finish the sentence, Exorspace doubled over, coughing, his hand immediately going up to his mouth in a reflex. The cloth from his forehead fell down on the bed, making the covers a little wet. Seraphlaser reacted accordingly and placed an arm on his back, going a little forward to catch him if he fainted again, concerned.
"Careful." - He whispered, rubbing slow circles onto his back.
However the coughing fit was over quickly and Exorspace pulled his hand back, only to see blood yet again. Seraphlaser ushered him to lay back on the pillow again and grabbed the hand with the blood, inspecting it.
He then gave him a napkin and Exorspace quickly cleaned the blood off, putting the bloodied handkherchief back on the nightstand.
"This is not normal... your lungs aren't bleeding now, are they? Is there a wound in there? Have you done something that can possibly damage them?-"
"No, no and no." - Exorspace was quick to answer, even if his throat was in agony like his lungs.
"There is only 1 option. And we both know it." - Seraphlaser said, going quiet at the end. He had went back to holding Exorspace's hand, running circles on it yet again.
"..."
"If there is blood in your lungs that either means you have severe bronchitis, internal bleeding or something we both know yet don't want to mention..." - Seraphlaser said, reciting all the knowledge he had learnt reading the countless biology books Exorspace had brought him on behalf of his wishes. -" Bronchitis is unlikely, since you aren't wheezing, nor have any other symptoms akin to a more severe stage of it. You aren't internally bleeding for sure... so that leaves us with only 1 option." - He counted all of them, trailing off at the end and staring at him disapprovingly, his eyes narrowed.
Exorspace finally cracked, unable to keep this a secret anymore. He knew he wouldn't be able to get out of this until he told the truth, so he had no choice:
"...Me and Valleystaff hypothetised on my “illness”. This is the last stage." - He uttered, trying to be as vague as possible. He was already regretting telling the truth, knowing Seraphlaser would reach the agonizing conclusion sooner rather than later. He was smart, logical, and Exorspace loved that about him, but now? He despised that part of him.
"Last stage before what?"
"..."
"...How much more do you have left?..."
"...1 month. 2 at max."
"..."
Seraphlaser could just stare at him, his expression that of utter horror and denial. Had he heard right?! He stopped stroking Exorspace's hand, only becoming a dead weight to it. Everything became too silent for him. He felt his stomach turn on him. This couldn't be...
Exorspace couldn't even look at him, couldn't look at his face without breaking down. He just focused his gaze on something else, his ears low, trying desperately to not look back at his lover, afraid of what he will see. It had become way too uncomfortably hot for him, as if the only solution to it would be to rip his skin off... not like it wasn't happening anyways.
He wanted to do nothing more, but to disappear somewhere underground and never show up again, just anything, but not face Seraphlaser. He will be dust in no more than 10 years anyways, so he was close to that, but now especially he wanted to just sink and remain in the dirt. He had never felt more guilty, his ears pinned down to his head in shame, but also sorrow. Now that he had said it himself, he really came to the realization he would die. It hadn’t struck him as much before, having always expected it, but now that he had said it out loud… he would die.
Seraphlaser just kept staring. A month. A month is all he had left with the inphernal who had freed him from that void, who had shown him how amazing the world could be...who had loved him more than anything and everything. And he only has 1 more month with him. One.
In 1 month he will only be able to hold a still hand, hug a cold body, talk and have no response back, no quips, no nothing. He couldn't imagine a world without him, yet he would have to in only a month. He had thought they had more time. He had hoped they had at least a decade more. He knew of the rot, he had suspected it would prove to be his Rose's end, yet he wouldn't have guessed it would take his beloved's life so early.
And painful, at that. He knew of the painkillers Exorspace took each day just to keep the pain at bay. He himself had become accustomed to being careful when tending to it, knowing even the slightest of touch in the wrong places would send his lover's deteriorating nerve endings into full blown agony...
Why had this fate befallen them?! Why did something have to fuck them up all the time, screw them over. Him and Exorspace aren't new to being in the trenches, this isn't the first time something went horribly wrong, leaving at least one of them crippled, but not beyond repair. Never beyond repair. This time, however?
No. This just felt like a fever dream Seraphlaser desperately needed to wake up from. This cannot be real. This is just like all the other times, it must be! They will find a cure at the last second and everything will go back to normal, as it was and this would become a joking matter for them in old age. He just wouldn't accept it, he couldn't.
Yet the utter hopelessness and exhaustion plastered on Exorspace's face along with the drooped down low ears were enough to stop him from believing any happy delusions. Still, he wanted so hard to think otherwise, just so he wouldn't have to prepare to dig a grave after a month:
"Can't you slow it down? Surely Valleystaff can do something-"
"She can, yes. However it will just come back full force later and, Seraphlaser, I am tired. I am tired of this." - His voice was full of despair. He sounded defeated but mostly, as he had said, he sounded tired, exhausted even. - "And the pain is getting worse. The painkillers are not working properly anymore and they are the strongest Valleystaff has. Any stronger and they will just knock me out, but this isn't the point. Angel I can't keep going on like this."
"Rose... You... but you can't just...say that. I-"
"Seraphlaser, I love you." - He said, his voice now stronger and more passionate. He grabbed the seraphim's head with both his hands, the cold helmet coming in contact with his palms. He looked at him, 1 eye locked in contact with 3 - "You have been the best thing to happen to me my whole life and I couldn't be more lucky to have you. If I could, I would give anything just to live with you for the rest of eternity. However, I can't. And I don't think you would want to see me in pain for longer than necessary... I myself don't wanna be in pain. Please..." -his voice got quieter, until it ended off, almost silent. His plea was obvious, yet the angel still couldn't quite comprehend it, nor did he want to…
Seraphlaser could only stare at him, still unbelieving, unaccepting. He was frozen, he couldn't move from the shock. Exorspace kept his hands on the helmet, holding him by where his cheeks would be. He could only look as the angel's 2 pairs of head wings drooped as low as he had never seen them before. The antennas on his head were also low, pressed down to his head. Before Exorspace could say anything, he lurched forward, crushing him in a tight hug as he buried his head under the vampire's neck. He wished to contain the tears in his eyes, but he couldn't. Exorspace wrapped his arms around the seraphim too, placing his head atop Seraphlaser's.
"Please don't cry, it won't do anything!" - He pleaded, even if he could feel the tears begging to come out from his own eye. The angel didn't help with that. Seraphlaser weeped even harder, pressing the vampire as close as he could to himself. He could barely hear what he was actually saying, the only thing going through his mind being the inevitable close death of the one he cherished most. How else could he react?!
Exorspace closed his eye, feeling his own tears trickle down his cheeks. He strengthened his hold on Seraphlaser, feeling the same returned to him. The both of them just spiraled down further into this state, becoming nothing but a sobbing mess. He would die. He would die in only a month…
Skittering could be heard from beyond the bedroom, the sound growing louder until a furry winged head appeared out of the door. Princess peeked from the door, seeing her dads hugging on the bed. She meowed, happy to see them, and got closer, realising that they were both crying. Her ears drooped a little at seeing her caretakers sad and she got a bit closer, jumping up on the bed to have a better view.
She meowed and pressed her head to Seraphlaser's trembling body, rubbing her body and purring. A hand pulled her by body into the hug and she purred harder. They remained like that for quite some time, slowly calming down, though sniffling and hitching could still be heard from time to time...
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3 days had passed since then and for the most part, Exorspace had gotten better. The fever had ended on the first day and he hadn't fainted since, only having coughing fits every now and then and feeling lightheaded at times, though he always just sat down somewhere until it passed, drinking lots of liquid as well.
Ever since then though, Seraphlaser had never let him out of his gaze, always following him wherever he went. Exorspace was annoyed to some extent, but he didn't find it in himself to say anything against it, even kind of appreciating it, considering he only had 1 more month left..
They had went to Valleystaff yesterday so that they could restock on painkillers and so that she could explain her hypothesis better, with a few quips from the vampire himself, mostly detailing the pain he felt.
From what they understood, the rot had 2 options - it would either reach first for the lungs, causing blood coughing and trouble with breathing or it would reach the brain, which could have various side effects, from bad to worse. Either way, whether it's the brain or the lungs didn't really matter in the end, what mattered was the rot had reached an internal organ so there was no turning back.
Still, Exorspace was a little grateful it didn't reach his brain. He would much prefer die whilst knowing who he was and not while not even remembering a single thing. Dying with a perceived stranger by his side was definitely not something he wanted. But again, did it really matter? Now he would have to deal with his lungs anyways and in the end they would still reach the same conclusion.
For now he wasn't having much trouble with breathing, but it would surely start when enough blood had filled his lungs…or when the rot spread further inside, slowly claiming all the cells, alveoli, eating its way up until his lungs became practically unusable.
He would die, but the rot wouldn't. Valleystaff had told him her theory. She had hypothesised that even after his death, it would continue to feast even faster, now that it didn't have an immune system trying to fight against it all the time. It would completely disintegrate and decompose his skin, eat at his organs until it died off with the last bit of flesh left of him, leaving his body consisting only of bones.
He felt goosebumps only thinking about it, feeling wrong in his own skin. He was glad Valleystaff spared Seraphlaser these details. He didn't want to traumatise the angel...
After Valleystaff had finished explaining, she gave them a bag full with dried plants. They were the painkillers Exorspace used everyday. For now they had been doing a good job at keeping the pain away. He still felt a little discomfort, but it was way more manageable than when he didn't have any painkillers at all.
However, lately they had started faltering. Maybe the body had become so accustomed to them they just stopped working to their fullest... or maybe the rot had just somehow gotten worse. Whatever it was, he would feel dull pain instead of discomfort. He knew these were the strongest painkillers Valleystaff had, so he guessed he would just have to bear the pain when it got worse...
Unbeknownst to him, Seraphlaser had secretly asked her for pain-numbing sedatives, just in case his pain got too bad. He hoped he wouldn't have to resort to such extremities, but it was either that or having to watch him writhe in pain, and he much preferred his lover soundly sleeping then suffering in agony.
Now they were both in the living room, sitting on the sofa and reading their own books. Exorspace was deep in the novel he was reading, consumed by the world so beautifully illustrated by the author, his worries forgotten for a second. Meanwhile Seraphlaser was studying the biology of the lungs, both for his own interest and in hopes of finding literally anything that could help his beloved. Mostly the 2nd one, however. There needed to be something that could help him! Anything!
Princess, for once, was cuddling near Exorspace, purring against him. She much preferred Seraphlaser, however it is as if she had sensed something was wrong with him, so she decided to show him her love at least this time.
And for once, Exorspace was also petting her on her head, his sharp claws gently scratching at her little scalp, bringing out even more purrs which vibrated against his body. He wouldn't say it out loud, but he enjoyed petting her. It seemed she loved it just as much.
Once he reached the end of the chapter he was reading, Exorspace put a little paper inside the page to remember where he was and closed the book, putting it on the table. He was tired of reading and the story entered one of its filler chapters, so he lost interest. Afterwards he laid back on the sofa again, still scratching Princess. She purred and once she realized the book wasn't occupying his lap, she quickly jumped on his chest and laid there, loafing, actively imprisoning him on the couch.
He scoffed, but didn't make any move to get her off, instead tracing his hand across her spine in a slow manner, happy to get so much purrs from her. He took a look at Seraphlaser, who seemed to be consumed by his studies, judging by how much he was writing in his own little notebook. He smiled a bit, amused by the angel's endless fascination with such things.
He cleared his throat, which got Seraphlaser's attention. He looked up from the book, releasing a small laugh when he saw Princess peacefully sleeping on top of Exorspace, who looked like he was scared to move and wake her up. He didn't expect that of all things!
"You should really spoil her more. Look how relaxed she looks around you!"
"I suppose it's nice. She is soft...anyways, we have a problem." - At that Seraphlaser became concerned, his awe quickly turning into a more solemn look. However, judging by how relaxed Exorspace looked, it probably wasn't anything deathly serious. Still, he asked:
"What's wrong? Are you alright?"
"Well, you see, my body may quite literally be shutting down, but it still requires blood."
"... right.... I completely forgot. Has 1 week passed already?"
"Yeah, I need to go tonight-"
"You mean we."
"...yes, fine, we are going." - Exorspace gave up on arguing, rolling his eye. He knew Seraphlaser wasn't letting up, especially not now. To be frank, Exorspace did not really object to the idea of going together with his angel... He kept petting Princess, who was still loafing on his chest.
"Wow. No argument, you've changed..."
"Well, one can't really afford to argue when there is no point anymore…" - he said, defeated. Seraphlaser saddened as well. This still all felt like a fever dream. How could this be happening to them exactly? It could have literally been anyone else...
"... it would probably be wise of you to take a bath before we go." - Seraphlaser said, changing the topic before it got too gloomy. He didn't want to think about that right now.
"I really want to, believe me, but the pain is already as bad as it is. You know how my rot reacts with water!"
"I will try and make it as painless as possible for you! Please do, you probably reek! I don't know how Princess can endure it."
"That's not very nice of you! Well I would go right now, but it seems I can't move. Such a shame~" - Exorspace smirked at the end, resting his head back. Who was he to wake up Seraphlaser's precious cat? He would simply have to wait until she wakes up again and unoccupies his body, which, judging by how long she slept, wouldn't be soon in any case.
Seraphlaser was having none of it. He left all of his biology studies on the table and walked with his knees on the sofa next to where Exorspace was laying, the matter of the couch going down from the weight.
"Hey, what are you doing?" - Exorspace asked when the angel grabbed Princess with both hands, making her release a little annoyed growl.
"Hey, shhh, I know, but your dad needs to do something. I promise you, your nose will thank me later." - Seraphlaser said, placing the cat down on the sofa where he used to sit, where it was still a little warm. She curled up and got in loaf position, quickly going to sleep yet again. Seraphlaser turned to look back at the vampire, who just stared at him dumbfounded. Seraphlaser extended a hand which Exorspace begrudgingly took and they both stood up from the couch.
___________________________
Seraphlaser had just finished bandaging his chest and left shoulder where the rot was, wrapping the last layer of clean white gauze around the disintegrating skin. Exorspace's hair was still very damp, some droplets of water dripping down on the bed underneath them. He definitely felt more fresh and comfortable, though the pain was something he didn't really enjoy about the whole ordeal. He could still feel the rot pounding, sending painful jolts to his whole body.
"Feeling better?"
"Much, though the pain is not something I particularly enjoy." - The vampire said, grabbing a towel and drying his hair further. Seraphlaser got off from the bed and went to his lover's wardrobe, getting his usual attire and laying it down on the bed. Exorspace thanked him and got it on, now dressed with the grey baggy shirt with a bowtie and a jebot, as well as his stylish black corset. While he was restocking on the little knives he kept in all his belts, Seraphlaser himself was getting ready for going out. He grabbed a little bag and stuffed it with bandages just in case. He could never be too careful and considering what problems Exorspace was dealing with? Careful was mandatory.
When they were both ready it was already sunset. The cold was creeping in, now especially with the lower temperatures. In the last 3 days the weather had gotten considerably colder, though there wasn't any rain or snow yet. Only the strong gust of winds which would show up occasionally, ruffling off the last leaves the trees had and sending them flying to who knows where.
Seraphlaser said goodbye to Princess by petting her, made sure to put some food in her bowl and then they both went out in front of the manor to get in shape for the night. Exorspace stretched a little, did a few exercises to get his body ready for #phighting. Meanwhile Seraplaser summoned his gun, checking it and shooting at a dummy they had plastered on a tree, hitting it right on spot. He still had his aim, he noted with pride. The little bag was slung over his shoulder and while Exorspace had noticed it, he didn't really comment on it, focused on his own little warm-up session.
"Well, I think it's time we go." - The vampire said, noticing how the moon was just going out, it's silver rays slowly lighting up the ground, along with the many stars plastered on the night sky.
"Before that, I just want to get a few things clear. We go in, you find someone, get what you need and we go out. We don't fight, we don't remain for longer than needed." - Seraphlaser said as if reciting something from a rulebook. Exorspace just shook his head, agreeing with not as much enthusiasm as the angel wanted. Still, he chose not to comment, only hoping that the vampire actually listened to him.
He grabbed him by the armpits and they both flew off in the direction of Rockbloom, the angel flying a little faster than Exorspace thought was needed. He didn't really complain, wanting all of this to be over with sooner rather than later.
They landed atop a rooftop in the outskirts of the village, Seraphlaser landing with unmatched grace, his wings flexing before they tucked back into his body. Exorspace stared from the rooftop, his ears twitching in hopes of catching any sound. He had placed his jewelry back on them, his cross earring releasing a little jingle before settling.
The streets were empty, most inphernals probably sleeping or staying home to avoid him. He didn't blame them, yet he still felt irritated. He signaled to Seraphlaser to move and jumped across a rooftop, landing on the other one with light steps, continuing his search. Seraphlaser just flapped his wings to get to him, his agility not as honed as his Rose's.
They carefully made their way to the centre of the village, Exorspace especially being stealthy. Years of doing the same thing had taught him many things and one of them was to always be quiet, hidden and quick. Part of the reason why he didn't want Seraphlaser with him all the time was exactly because of that. The angel simply didn't know how to be these things, not to mention his form was easily recognizable and hard to stay hidden…
While moving, they still looked for anyone, but there was no soul in sight. It was awfully quiet, even for the night. Usually there would always be some noise or chatter, either by drunk inphernals partying or hushed conversation from people walking down the main streets. It was never this quiet...unless-
Exorspace took a quick look around his surroundings, scanning the area. His vision may not be the best, but he could always spot if someone was spying on them. And someone was spying for sure. He looked at one of the higher roofs and saw something quickly move. Without alerting Seraphlaser, he quickly jumped to the house and climbed up by some of the fissures and dents splattered across the wall, going to check what's on the higher roof. Seraphlaser, surprised at the sudden movement, called out for him, which internally made Exorspace cringe... he just had to be vocal about it didn't he?
He got on top and as he suspected, there was an inphernal. They had seen him and so he expected the knife that was thrown at him once he showed his head on top. He dodged it by only leaving one hand to hold his body up as he dangled off the roof, then he swinged himself enough to jump and land on the bricks, avoiding the other knife thrown at him by moving his body right. The adrenaline kicked in and he ran towards his hunter, who quickly moved out of the way. Exorspace got his trusty dagger out of the belt on his back and charged again.
This time, before his spy could move out, Exorspace predicted his next move and moved left, where he expected the inphernal to evade his attack. He was proven correct, so he moved his dagger to point in front of him and stabbed the inphernal in the chest, forcing out a pained gasp. The inphenal fell on his knees, the vampire's dagger still in him, as he coughed blood, making pained noises until Exorspace just finished him off, sticking his sharp fangs right into his neck and biting down on one of the main arteries, quickly ending his life.
Seraphlaser just flew up on the roof, only to find Exorspace feasting. The angel got closer and he stopped, lifting his head to stare at his beloved, blood dropping from his pointy teeth. He licked it off and pulled out the knife out of the now dead body, ignoring the sickening sound that came from it. Seraphlaser squinted his eyes in disgust, but sighed and got to stand next to Exorspace, used to his lover causing a blood bath. However, him licking his dagger clean of blood was just unnecessary, though he chose not to comment on it.
"Is there only 1?" - He asked, watching as the vampire got a cloth from his belt and cleaned his dagger more thoroughly, making it shine under the moonlight.
"No. This was just lookout. A spy, if you will."
"Let's just go home."
"No. They can track us down and I don't know about you, but I don't want inphernals constantly threatening to destroy our house! We need to kill them now." - He said, his tone final. He looked around again, not sure from which side his next target will show up. Seraphlaser just looked at the dead, blood-soaked inphernal, a bad feeling settling inside him.
"Are you sure you can take on a whole group of hunters right now? I mean, I don't doubt you, but do you think you can do it?"
"I am not fragile glass, Seraphlaser, I can take a few hits. Sure, I am not at my best, but I can still cause as much chaos as I could before." - as if to prove his point, the vampire grabbed a little knife out of the belt on his leg and threw it in his lower right direction, earning him a surprised yelp. When Seraphlaser turned to look at the direction Exorspace had thrown the knife at, he saw a group of 5 inphernals carrying various weapons. One of them had barely avoided the little knife, now actively looking with rage in their eyes at the vampire, who was just smirking from above. He really loved his ears, he had heard their weapons from meters!
Seraphlaser summoned his gun, preparing himself to fire if need be, while Exorspace just stared at the 5 inphernals, who stared back at him, whispering something amongst themselves, probably planning on how to take him down.
For fun, he summoned a star and threw it on the roof where the group of hunters stood, the crystal smashing on the bricks and exploding into red-ish thick smoke, causing surprised yelps and very vibrant curses. Without waiting, the vampire jumped down from the roof to where they stood, going into the smoke himself. Seraphlaser took the hint and started shooting from the higher roof, his helmet programmed to see through the smoke and spot the inphernals in it.
After the smoke had disappeared, 2 of the hunters were already dead, their bodies marked with a deep stab wound in the neck and chest each, granting them a swift death. Exorspace was moving faster than they had anticipated, his movements quick and unpredictable. One inphernal swinged their heavy mace at Exorspace, making him fall on all 4 on his back just to evade the attack. Afterwards, he spun around, his legs tripping his attacker. He quickly ended them too, putting his already bloody dagger through the inphernal's stomach and then punching them in the face, sending them back on the roof to let them bleed out.
3 down. 2 more to go.... 1 more to go. Seraphlaser had managed to shoot one inphernal down the roof, probably causing them to plummet down to their unfortunate death.
The last inphernal, now realising all of their teammates were dead or fatally injured, didn't hold back. They had dual blades, which they really wanted to put through the pest's neck. They charged towards Exorspace, who quickly dodged out of the way, and he was just about to run forward and stab the last remaining inphernal, when suddenly he felt a tingling sensation in his throat, along with sharp pain in his lungs and chest. He mentally cursed, but he knew he couldn't stop it.
He stepped back as he doubled down, hacking blood from his mouth, suddenly feeling very weak. His head was lightheaded and it seemed like everything moved in slow motion, so when he saw Dual Blade run towards him with full speed, he couldn't really do anything, but watch, his eye wide-open. Just as they were about to stick their blades right into his skull, a loud shot echoed through and Exorspace watched as the inphernal got evaporated right in front of him.
He looked up to see smoke going out of Seraphlaser's gun, the hyperlaser still emitting soft red light, just now cooling off from the fatal shot. He quickly desummoned it without waiting for it to properly wind down and flew over to the roof below, landing right in front of Exorspace, who felt like he was going to pass out.
The angel crouched next to him, hands hovering around him, prepared to catch him if he fell.
"I'm fine, I just... need some time." - Exorsace barely uttered, blinking a few times, his ears low. He took a few breaths, little blood droplets still falling from his mouth. Seraphlaser, when he thought the vampire was well enough, grabbed his healthy arm and swung it over his shoulder, using his other hand to wrap it around his waist and lift him up. Exorspace struggled a bit, but in the end he found his footing and once he felt as if he wouldn't collapse any second, he shook Seraphlaser off, who still hovered around just in case.
"You got really lucky I fired the shot on time, Rose. Are you sure you are alright?”- he asked, following him as Exorspace went to grab the little knife he had thrown a couple of minutes ago, stumbling on the first few steps, but quickly regaining his balance. Seraphlaser swore he could have received a heart attack right then and there... Exorspace still felt lightheaded, but overall he got his strength back fairly quickly.
"Yes. Just a fit." - He answered, finding the little knife and ripping it out of the wall it was stuck in, putting it in his pocket. He got the already bloodied cloth and cleaned his dagger yet again, making it shine.
In the meantime Seraphlaser looked around, staring at the 3 dead bodies plastered on the roof. Blood was everywhere, bathing the bricks into the sticky crimson liquid. He kind of felt bad for the inphernal living in this house... only a bit.
"Get what you need and let's go. Preferably before you get another one of those episodes." - He ordered and Exorspace nodded, going to the nearby body and bending down to feast again. Seraphlaser stood on standby, just in case someone decided to show up.
Once Exorspace was done, he quickly licked his mouth clean from the blood and went to stand near Seraphlaser, who gave his surroundings one last look and hugged Exorspace from the back, locking him in a tight, secure grip. He flapped his wings and flew off, holding him tight as he quickly gained speed, the both of them disappearing into the night, leaving behind only the remains of a bloodbath...