A World Like That

Chapter XVII

-Ariel-

As he lay in his soft cloud bed that night, all he could think about was Dante. He was glad he'd followed Laila's advice and talked with Dante and apologized to him. Dante had forgiven him right away even though he didn't deserve it.

Even better, Dante seemed to like him too. He closed his eyes, replaying the moment when they'd tumbled to the grass together. He and Dante had been so close that the smell of smoke surrounded him, but it was a familiar smell now, one that made him happy instead of filling him with dread. He hadn't felt this way with any of the angels, not even the angel he'd messed around with. Dante was special. They had fun and Dante understood his love for Earth and seemed to have the same adventurous spirit.

He decided he was going to risk it all. So what if something happened? He had to kiss Dante. He had to know if what he was feeling was real and if Dante felt the same thing. It didn't matter that he was an angel and Dante was a demon. According to everything he knew, love was love.

-

The next morning seemed to drag on and on. As soon as he felt like enough time had passed, he left his friends and flew to meet Dante. His hands were trembling and his heart was racing as he soared through the air. He felt like he couldn't get there fast enough.

When Dante spotted him, he broke into a wide smile. He landed right in front of Dante, but before Dante could say a word, he threw his arms around Dante's neck and pressed their lips together. He felt Dante's hand on the back of his head and Dante seemed to return the kiss, as much as was possible with how tightly their lips were joined.

Then they pulled away, gazing at each other with bated breath. The world hadn't stopped. The sky wasn't falling. Nothing was burning around them. Nothing was happening at all, except for the tension in their bodies pulling them back towards each other.

He laughed and kissed Dante again. The demon's body felt amazing against his, and Dante's lips were warm and inviting. Dante's smoky scent was all around him, and he breathed in deeply as he kissed him, moving his lips slowly against Dante's. It finally felt like he had found the right one. He was so at ease with Dante. He leaned into him as Dante wrapped his arms around his waist. He didn't want to stop or let go.

It was another minute before they pulled apart, although he suspected that was more to catch their breath than wanting to stop.

Dante was grinning and seemed to radiate happiness. "That was quite a hello."

"I decided to just go for it. If something was going to happen, then so be it. It killed me to stop yesterday."

"It killed me too," Dante confessed. "I've been feeling this way for a while, but I wasn't sure if you felt the same."

"That makes two of us." He leaned back in and brushed his nose against Dante's, taking in everything about the moment. Dante had been worth the risk, and now that he had him, he wasn't going to let anything keep them apart again.

-Dantalion-

He was surprised by how forward Ariel had been, but he wouldn't change anything about it. It assured him that he wasn't alone in feeling the way he did. Their connection hadn't been one-sided. Ariel liked him too.

As he kissed Ariel, he felt like he was home. Like Earth was where he was meant to be, and Ariel was who he was meant to be with. He hadn't known Ariel that long, but he couldn't imagine life without him now.

He rested his forehead against Ariel's and stared into his pale blue eyes.

"I'm glad you like me," he said. "I didn't think you would since I look different from what you're used to."

To his surprise, Ariel leaned back and ran a hand down his abs. "You're hot. Don't think I haven't noticed all along."

He smirked and pulled Ariel close. "You're the one with a perfect body. And a perfect face. Everything about you is perfect."

Ariel blushed. "I'm not perfect."

"I think you are." He kissed Ariel again, feeling like he couldn't get enough. He wrapped his arms all the way around Ariel, inhaling deeply so that Ariel's flowery scent flooded his senses. Ariel opened his mouth slightly, and he grazed Ariel's tongue with his own.

When Ariel made a small noise - half sigh and half moan - he deepened the kiss, but Ariel yelped and jumped back.

"What?" he asked.

Ariel put a hand to his mouth. After gently touching his lip, he pulled his hand away. Golden blood dotted Ariel's fingertips, and when Dante looked at Ariel's face, he could see blood on Ariel's lip.

"Your teeth," Ariel replied.

He hadn't thought about that. His teeth were razor sharp, so if they touched Ariel, they were going to hurt him. Playfully biting on Ariel's lip was not going to be an option.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

He took Ariel's arm and led him over to the babbling brook nearby so he could rinse out his mouth. Once he was satisfied Ariel's lip wasn't going to bleed anymore, he laid down in the grass and motioned for Ariel to join him. 

"I'll have to be more careful," he promised.

"I guess pain is just part of being with a demon," Ariel joked. He rolled in Dante's direction. "I do like kissing you," he admitted, a soft smile on his face.

Dante smiled back and leaned towards Ariel before placing a gentle, closed mouth kiss on his lips. Ariel leaned into the kiss, clearly wanting more. He was surprised when Ariel suddenly bit his lip and tugged slightly.

Ariel let go, a grin making its way onto his face. "I can do that all I want, but you can't," he taunted.

"Unfair. Looks like I'll have to hold back and let you do all the rough stuff," Dante replied, his voice low.

He continued to be gentle with Ariel the rest of the afternoon. It was different from being with a demon, where he could be as rough as he liked and not worry that simply kissing them would hurt them. But Ariel was worth the effort, and after hurting him once, he never wanted to do it again.

"I hope we can still see each other every day," Ariel murmured, his head resting on Dante's shoulder.

"Me too. But if something comes up for either of us, we'll just have to wait until the next day."

"I hope not. I don't want to miss out on spending time together."

"I know. Promise me you won't come looking for me though," he insisted. "It was dangerous for you to go into the desert the other day to find me. Don't do that again," he said, more harshly than he intended.

Ariel sat up and looked right into his eyes. "I won't," Ariel said, taking one of his hands and holding it in both of his. "And Dante, I won't abandon you again. I promise."