It wasn't uncommon for angels to visit the earth or even live a life on their own, performing everyday miracles for those who need it and staging a death when they weren't needed anymore. They really only had one rule.
Don't get close to demons.
Interactions were fine, but relationships, even friendships, were heavily frowned upon in heaven. Their influence was too great and an angel was easily infected with their dark touch. So that's how John Laurens lived. He was almost always careful around anyone who had that dark glow around them, though they could just as easily see the white glow around him. Most of the time, they respected the rules of the world and stayed away. But a mischievous few didn't care.
Unfortunately, one of these few had grown... attached to John.
"Hey, Johnny." Like everyday, the demon strode into the tattoo shop, looking to talk to its freckled owner.
"Go away, Thomas. I'm busy."
The customer looked up at Thomas and smiled at how he was looking at John. "Are you his boyfriend?"
John scoffed. "He wishes."
"I don't need to be his boyfriend. I can love him from here."
John rolled his eyes. "Get out, Thomas. If you want to bug me, wait until after hours."
And that was exactly what Thomas did. Well, okay, not exactly. He stayed in the shop and rolled around in one of the rolling chairs, spinning and rolling around, but he did stay out of John's way and, at that point, that's all that mattered to him.
"Do you want to go out with me?" Thomas asked the second that the last customer left.
"No."
"Oh, come on. Why not?"
John rolled his eyes. "You know exactly why. Your kind and my kind can't go out."
"So, what I'm hearing is, if I wasn't a demon, you'd go out with me?"
"You're also obnoxious, vain, and a complete pain."
Thomas grinned. "Are you flirting with me?"
John groaned. "Why are you so obsessed with me?! There's hundreds of other demons and billions of humans. Why do you want something you know you can't have?!"
For once, Thomas stopped grinning. He stopped smiling, even. A frown set on his face and he stood up, taking John's hand. "You really want to know why? Its because everyone else, even another angel, would've punched me in the face by now. I know I'm not a bearable guy, but you manage to deal with me. And, whether you believe it or not, you trust me.. That's all I want."
John's expression softened for a second before he remembered that he couldn't be with this guy and why, snatched his hands away. "It's never going to happen."
"You don't get it... I don't need to date you or be in a relationship to love you like I do. You're special to me.." He stepped forward and kissed his forehead. "But, if it'll make you happy..." And with that, he turned and left.
"Finally.." John muttered under his breath, though he felt... weak.. For some reason. And he found himself wondering. "Do I trust him?.." But he shrugged it off and went home after.
Thomas didn't show up the next day. John found it odd, but was grateful that he wasn't there to annoy him. He enjoyed it while he could, assuming that he'd be back the next day. He wasn't. Nor was he back the next day or the day after that or the week or the month after that. Three months had passed before John realized how bland everything suddenly was. It was too quiet, too orderly. He always thought he'd like it, that he'd be liberated the day Thomas left him. He couldn't have been more wrong. At that point, John had no choice but to accept the obvious. He was in love with a demon. He was going to be in so much trouble... The next day, he took the day off, it was a weekend anyways, and went up to heaven. He had to find Thomas and, boy did he have to beg for forgiveness. That was the harder task and that's what he took care of first, going straight to the great hall. The great hall was structured to each person as they imagined, as their own beliefs shape it, just like the god or gods within it. For John, it looked like the US Capitol building with a tall white staircase leading to the entrance, large, gold double doors. Of course, on the inside of each building was a group of angels that made sure that god or the gods weren't too busy when listening to people and John had to go through them first.
"State your name and business."
"John Laurens. I have come to discuss a great dishonor that I have committed and apologize..."
The angels looked through a computer, John imagined things being modernized while others may have had the angels carrying lists or just knowing things automatically. "John Laurens. Earthbound angel. Current physical age, 22."
"That's me."
"Just a second please." John nodded and moved to sit and wait before the doors to the office swung open. He took that as a sign and took a deep breath before stepping into the office. The doors swung shut behind him and he was left in pitch black only the sounds of footsteps getting closer. Suddenly, everything went bright white, something that John was accustomed to up there, and he saw god themself standing before him.
"Tell me, why have you come here?"
John looked down at his feet, ashamed. "I've broken the biggest rule... I'm in love with a demon and I've come to apologize for it..."
One could only imagine John's surprise when he wasn't reprimanded, not punished, but comforted, God placing a hand on his shoulder. "And what's so wrong about that?"
John looked up at them, surprised. "I-It's a rule... A big one..."
"Not quite. That rule applies to those who look to demons for fun and who accept their dark nature. What you're experiencing, that's love. And even I can't control love."
"So.. What are you saying?.."
"I'm permitting you to be with him, on one condition."
John frowned and reached back, grabbing his shoulder. It didn't take a genius to figure out what that was. But for Thomas... "I'll do it."
God nodded and stood beside John, a white sword appearing in his hand.
John took a deep breath and bit back a scream as his white wings were cut off, feeling himself fall out of heaven and back down to earth before sitting up in his bed, panting. That was it. He was a human now. But that wasn't his current concern. He hopped to his feet and ran outside, running until he stopped outside of Thomas' apartment. As much as he flirted, of course he'd told him before. He knocked on the door and stood up straight, Thomas beyond surprised to see him.
"What are you doing here?.."
"I love you. And I want to be with you."
Thomas raised his eyebrows in shock and pulled John inside, letting him sit down. "What happened to you? You're not an angel anymore."
"I lost my wings so I could be with you.."
Thomas sat across from him. "This isn't a joke, is it?"
"Don't you trust me? This isn't the kind of joke an angel would make. It isn't a joke at all."
Thomas smiled widely and sat beside John, kissing his cheek. "You'll always be my angel."
