Demonic Influence (I hate my co-workers)

Live In The Moment

Brett and Eddy sat in silence, sipping their respective coffees. Neither of them made any attempt to make eye contact with one another, but it didn't feel awkward. They were really just sitting there, soaking in the last twenty minutes. The only lingering question between the two of them was "Where do we go from here?"

"We could stop by the park if you wanted to," Brett offered quietly, after a while. "I know it's not exactly paradise out there right now, but..." He sighed. "Who am I kidding. I don't quite know when it happened, but I don't exactly think you're being kidnapped anymore..." He shook his head in bewilderment. "You're free to go."

Eddy took a long, slow sip, looking Brett directly in the eyes. "The park sounds nice!" He smiled, beginning to slide out of the booth and lacing his fingers through Brett's once more when the shorter man joined him, absentmindedly dropping a tip on the table. Eddy's hands were cold. "I'd love it if you could show it to me!"

Brett looked down at their intertwined hands, confused. "You know I'm not deluding myself that I can keep you here anymore, right? You can do whatever you want. We don't have to hold hands anymore." He was currently doing his best to ignore the possibility that Eddy might flee with his newfound freedom and blurt out his secret to the first angel that would give him the time of day.

"Oh, I know," Eddy said cheerfully, opening the door for Brett. "I don't think I've ever seen the park during winter. Is it nice?"

"I mean, I guess." Brett shrugged. "Everything looks kind of dead..."

"Well, I guess you'll just have to take me there so that I can see it myself then," Eddy said stubbornly.

Brett was absolutely floored by that logic. "I guess I do."

Neither of them noticed the TV blinking behind them, in the window of the shop, the woman talking on the screen, or the scrolling text below her. "Man, age 28, found dead in alleyway behind Frances' Pizzaria. Cause of death, still unknown at this time, though foul play is suspected. Suspects would be short with dark hair. Please contact the police if you have any knowledge about this tragedy."

Brett didn't even realize that Eddy was shivering until they crossed the street. The demon's hands weren't the only part of him that were unreasonably cold. He could see Eddy's breath in the crisp winter air, and his cheeks and neck were tinted a slight pink. Even as he looked up at him, the demon let out a shaky breath of warm air.

"Here," Brett said, without really thinking about it. He quickly unwrapped his scarf with one hand, tossing it up to him. Eddy caught the garment with ease.

"Are you sure?" He looked down at the angel and smiled, already rearranging the fuzzy cloth so that it better covered his neck.

"Of course," Brett replied, still not giving himself time to think. If he did that, then he would have to linger on such important facts such as Eddy's slightly crooked yet incredibly endearing smile, or maybe the way his eyes lit up whenever he looked down at Brett, or even the way he curled his long, slender fingers in on themselves to keep warm, tucking them away beneath the sweater paws he gave himself in the absence of gloves. He would have to admit to himself that Eddy's face was pretty, something that he had been desperately trying to ignore up until this point, something that was rather difficult to accomplish in its own right, even with the whole kidnapping him and locking him in his basement thing.

Brett sighed, doing his best to banish all those thoughts. Those were dangerous thoughts. Fred was right when he said that the higher ups on his end wouldn't be happy with Brett's new friend, not if they found out who he was, what he was. Brett wasn't an idiot, he knew it was coming. They had been too careless already, at some point, the wrong person was going to find out who he was hanging around with. But that was a concern for another day.

Besides, how could he let thoughts like that trouble him when Eddy was right there next to him, hugging close to his arm glancing around at everything he saw like an overexcited puppy? Brett smiled fondly at him. Does he even go outside when he doesn't have to work? Something told him that Eddy had never went outside just to admire nature, a thing that Brett was excited to introduce him to.

"Well, we're here," Brett finally said. "It isn't much, but..."

"Wow!" Eddy interrupted him, gasping.

It really wasn't that impressive. A couple of trees lined the edge of the curved walkway, their leaves all having fallen long before. Their dark branches were a stark contrast to the silvery white sky, overcast. A couple of ornate benches sat where there would be shade if it were spring, some half-assed shrubbery on either side of them. The path looked like stepping stones, and a somewhat bland fountain sat in the middle of this circular park, water gurgling happily despite the chilling temperature.

"I'm glad you like it, I guess," Brett chuckled.

"They all look so... happy," Eddy whispered.

Brett looked around them, and then he began to get it. A woman jogged past them, talking in a high pitched voice to her dog, bounding alongside behind them. Two girls sat aside the fountain wall, tossing coins in and sharing secrets. Their giggles carried across the entire park. A mother and her baby sat on one bench, while a couple leaned against the base of one of the trees, whispering in each other's ears. The park was alive, and though not the most impressive at face value, the people that they watched were making it come alive, bustling with laughter and joy.

Eddy was just standing there, taking it all in, when Brett squeezed his hand. "Yeah, they do look happy," he whispered back to him, smiling.

Eddy leaned down and kissed him softly on the cheek. "Thank you," he whispered.

Brett felt a confusing sort of fluttery feeling travel through his body and he squeezed Eddy's hand again. Yup, it was definitely best to just not think for a while, best to just live in the moment.

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A/N: Idk about y'all, but I loved writing this chapter sooo much. It's definitely a lot less "funny" than I tried to make some of the other chapters and I'm back on my home turf of "just a little too sappy". What did y'all think? I'd love to hear whether you like my lame attempts at humor or chapters like this more! :D