Uzi stomps in, looking down in the dumps- her tail hanging low to disappointment
She, had of course, expected to come to V- too be welcome with open arms and a hug, love and affection at that.
“Hey.. honey..?” It calls out, scavenging the room for whenever it’s partner was
@dark-x-wolf-17-987
V had heard the stomps approaching the area, and immediately knew it wasn't one of her squad mates. Hearing it get closer, she grinned and climbed up the wall and watched from along the ceiling. The fact that some worker drone had walked in was perfect for her. Hearing its words made them roll their eyes, but their grin sharpened at the fact this worker was alone.
She dropped from the roof, landing in between the worker drone and the exit, a savage >< displayed on her visor as a maniacal giggle exiting her mouth. Her hands were claws and their tail swayed side to side dangerously. Their head snapped up to stare at the worker. "Hehe~ Look at you, all alone~"
“Papa!” “Jeffrey!” “Abaddon!” Reaper, his mom, and Alistair came running over to him, the rain continuing to pour. “Are you alright? That was an incredible battle! I didn’t know you had that in you!” Alistair held onto his arm and helped him to his feet. Reaper went to assist him on his other side as Raphael called out to them. “Abaddon! You need to hurry over here now. He hasn’t got much time left…” Raphael’s hands were covered in blood, and Grim was still bleeding out on the ground.
“T-Take me to him…” Abaddon could barely keep his eyes open, the battle had exhausted every last bit of strength he had. Right now though, all he cared about was seeing Grim, no matter what condition he was in.
Alistair and Reaper helped Abaddon walk over to his bloody fiancé on the ground, easing him down beside him. His condition was terrible- Grim’s skin was almost white as a sheet, blood pooled around his body on the ground, it flooded from his chest and even trickled down the corners of his mouth. His breathing was slow and shallow, his overall appearance was worse than Death itself; he was dying. “...A...Abaddon..?”
Abaddon rushed to his side, grasping Grim’s hand. “I’m here… I’m here…” He hated seeing Grim like this, but what else could he do? Raphael had clearly tried everything judging by the countless amounts of medical supplies around him.
“You...you really did it...you kicked Satan’s ass...you’re free…” Grim smiled weakly at him, interrupted by a coughing fit which caused more blood to spurt from his chest and mouth. “..I’m so p-proud of you, baby…” “Abaddon, I- I tried everything and nothing could heal him. I even tried to apply bandages but the wound burned me. I-I- I don’t have the power to heal him from this.” Raphael stammered, visibly shaking as he could not do the one job he had been given. “He’s fading fast…”
“It’s okay… we’ll think of something…” Abaddon was now just as emotionally exhausted as he was physically. This day started so perfectly, and now his fiance was dying in front of him. ‘Wait… we never even got married!’ Abaddon looked down at Grim again, the sight almost too horrifying to stare at. “Grim… stay with me… we can still save today… Let’s… we can still get married… right…?”
Grim reached up with a trembling hand and cupped Abaddon’s cheek, smearing crimson on his tan skin. “Abby...I want you t..to promise me something……promise me that y-you’ll be strong..no matter what happens...I l..love you so much.” He coughed again, his silver eyes losing their light. “So this is what it’s like...dying. N-never thought it...w-would happen...to me…”
Grim’s hand started to go limp, causing Abaddon to panic. “Grim…! Grim, stay with me. Please… don’t leave me. I need you, I… I love you.”
“I...l...love...you...t...too…be...s..strong....” His silver eyes dulled to gray and his lids slowly shut. His hand went limp and fell to the ground in the puddle of blood, his entire corpse now frigid. Raphael felt Grim’s chest for a heartbeat, then his neck for a pulse. He didn’t have the heart to look at Abaddon, his own tears falling to the ground as a downpour began. “...I’m sorry...he’s gone.”
“No… no, no… he- he can’t be…” Even as Abaddon spoke those words, he knew what was true. The Grim Reaper was dead, his body lying cold in front of him. Abaddon fell across his body, crying out for all who could hear.
The rain poured down on all of them as Abaddon wailed, the garden even began to wilt from the loss of Grim and Abaddon’s anguish. Reaper let out a mournful wail as everyone shared their tears. Abigail hugged her son, this wasn’t how she wanted his birthday to go for him. It was a while before Raphael got to his feet, placing his hand on Abaddon’s shoulder. “Abaddon...you should go rest. We’ll take care of Grim now…”
“NO! Don’t take him from me!” Abaddon was not in the right state of mind to leave Grim’s side. He planned on sharing his whole afterlife with him, but now… he wasn’t even sure where Grim’s spirit was if he even had one.
Alistair kneeled to Abaddon’s side and took his hand. “Abaddon...he’s already gone. We can’t bring him back, and I wish we could...we should tend to your wounds. Raphael will handle his body. C’mon Ab.” He gently tried to coax the demon away from the limp form of Grim, there was nothing else they could do for the Reaper.
Abaddon’s eyes flashed blue as Asmodeus communicated with him. After a second, he was brought back to reality. “Mom… remember the… the bottle I asked you to look after?”
“Huh? That red one? Y-yes, I remember. It’s on my nightstand...why?” Abigail looked at her son, why was he suddenly bringing this up now of all times? Was there something special about it?
“Get it for me… quickly!” Abaddon had tears in his eyes, although his expression turned more determined than depressed. ‘God, I hope Asmodeus was right about your gift.’
Abigail nodded and ran across the street to the house. It was easy to find the bottle of red liquid, shimmering gold in the light. She held it close as she ran so she wouldn't drop it, then handed it to her son. "Here, it's still unopened." The angels' eyes widened at the vial and Raphael was the first to speak. "That's- how did you get that?"
“So it is what Asmodeus said it was… It’s a bottled miracle.” Abaddon cracked a smile for the first time after the battle. Finally, there was hope.
"That's incredibly hard to get from the Almighty...not even the highest-ranking angels could get that. You're really lucky to have been given that." Alistair looked at the bottle in awe, scooting back to give Abaddon space to use it on Grim. Would this work? Could the miracle bring Grim back from the dead? There was only one way to find out.
Abaddon uncorked the bottle, staring at the glowing liquid inside. ‘God, if you’re listening, please… bring Grim back to me.’ He listed Grim’s lifeless body, tipping the liquid into his mouth.
The red seeped past his lips and down his throat. For a little bit, it seemed like nothing was happening. The silence that hung in the air was suspenseful as they waited. Raphael took out a stethoscope and placed it on Grim's chest. "I'm not getting anything yet...maybe it takes a while to go through his system? Gotta be patient, keep pouring it."
“R-right.” Abaddon continued to pour the crimson liquid down Grim’s throat. He was starting to get nervous, questions running through his mind. ‘What if this doesn’t work? What if he’s really gone for good? What if I never love again…?’
Half the bottle was used before Raphael held up his hand to pause Abaddon. "Hold on- I think I'm getting something. It's faint, but I can hear his heart!" He glanced at Abaddon with a hopeful smile. "Okay okay- can you wrap his stomach with bandages? We don't want him to bleed out again when he comes back." He kept his ear on his heart, making sure Grim stayed with them this time.
Abaddon snapped back to reality, a new feeling of invigoration coursing through him. His eyes turned purple as Asmodeus supplied some of his power to magically bind Grim’s wounds together. After it was complete Abaddon returned back to normal, panting and sweating. “There. Is he still alive?”
"Yes, yes he is! His heartbeat isn't that strong, but he's back!" Raphael took off his stethoscope and wiped the sweat from his head. "Thank God, he's back.." Sure enough, there was a slight movement in Grim's chest. He was beginning to breathe as his heart got working again, and his deathly pale skin was looking less white. "If you didn't have that miracle I don't know what we would've done. You brought him back."
The number of tears that Abaddon cried today could fill a river, and this moment was no different. Tears of joy fell from his face as he hugged Grim’s body close to his. “I was so scared I was going to lose you.”
Grim only made a quiet moan in response, still unconscious and in a terrible amount of pain. "Easy Jeffrey, we should be gentle with him now." His mother smiled softly at him and patted his shoulder. "Your mom is right. He still needs a lot of healing and so do you. Demonic injuries are not to be taken lightly." Raphael packed his bag and stood up. "Koban can carry Grim inside. We need to give you both proper attention. For Grim, however, he'll need a different type of doctor for his wound."
Abaddon turned to Raphael sharply. “You are not taking him away from me! I can carry him myself.” Without another word he lifted Grim into his arms, standing on shaking legs.
"Abaddon- you are in no condition to support him!" Raphael argued with him, frowning. They both needed to rest and pushing himself was the last thing Abaddon should do! Koban strode over and picked both Abaddon and Grim up into his large arms. "No one will take him away from you, little demon. If you will not let me carry him, then I will carry you as well. No arguing about it."
Abaddon sighed, knowing he was in a losing battle. “Fine, but Grim is not going to leave my sight.” He had already lost Grim once, and he wasn’t going to take any more chances.
Koban nodded and understood Abaddon's worry, carrying the two of them back into their home as the rain got worse. Everyone followed them inside to dry off and relax from the chaos of the wedding. The only one who didn't come in was Joseph, who stayed out on the porch. The tall Oni set Grim in bed and Abaddon next to him in a chair. "Now, stay put. Raphael will tend to your injuries, but he is calling another to look after Grim's. Only one type of doctor can handle that infernal wound."
“Who did he call?” Abaddon thought Raphael was the best in his field, who does the best healer call for help?
"A demon doctor. You'd be surprised that your kind actually has them." He explained as he draped a blanket over Grim's body to warm him up. "Apparently they specialize in infernal and strong holy energies and can withstand them to heal their patients. Raphael cannot do that, so he will be tending to you while the other one tends to Grim."
Abaddon was hesitant to trust anyone else with Grim, but what other choice did he have? “Alright… I don’t like it but… I trust you.”
Koban looked at Abaddon over his shoulder and smiled at him. “Raphael will be in the room with them at the same time, you have no reason to fret. You both are in good hands.” He rested a hand on Abaddon’s head and ruffled his hair slightly. There was muffled shouting from downstairs and he sighed. “I’ll go deal with that. Why don’t you change out of your dress in the meantime?” He suggested as he got up and left the room, shutting the door on the way out. The only sounds that could be heard were the faint noises downstairs and Grim’s soft breathing.
Abaddon struggled to get up, groaning in pain for every inch he moved. He had just enough strength to strip the dress off himself before collapsing against the chair once again. “Fuck… I really am beat up, huh?” The question was posed to Grim, though Abaddon knew he wasn’t going to get an answer.
If he was actually conscious, he definitely would’ve retorted with ‘Yes, you are. But still sexy as ever~’. He probably wouldn’t be awake for a while. It wasn’t too long before Raphael peeked his head in the bedroom. “Abaddon? I can come in now, right? I have an...assistant with me if they can also come in to help.” A voice from behind him scoffed, tinged with German. “Assistant?! I am more skilled in demon medicine than you. You should be my assistant instead, Archangel!”
“They sound fun. Hope they can handle scantily clad demons in poor condition.” When all else was gone, Abaddon still had his sass. He adjusted himself as best he could on the chair for whatever medical procedures needed to be done.
Raphael nodded with an eye roll at the person behind him, then entered the room. The person that followed was definitely a demon by the aura around her. Blonde hair stuck out from a wide-brimmed hat, she wore a dark overcoat and high boots, brown leather gloves, and carried a medical satchel with them. The most striking and creepy thing about her was the familiar bird-like plague mask she wore, black tears dripping from pitch black eyeholes. "Alright then, where is my patient?" She asked, pulling out a long needle.
“Raphael, I’m immediately having second thoughts…” Abaddon was rightfully put off by the demon’s appearance. The last time he saw one of those masks was the same day his mother died.
Raphael sighed at Abaddon and kneeled down, opening his own medical bag. "Cicely's the only one who can heal Grim. Demons don't really have doctors and she's the only one with the right skills for this. Just...trust me. Please." He looked at him with a pleading expression as the plague doctor looked around their room with a hum. "Nice place for the living world...oh, is that my patient in the bed?"
Abaddon couldn’t help but stare at Cicely with fear. He was forced to trust a complete stranger with the fate of the love of his life. It didn’t help that she was wearing a mask that caused him a lot of trauma as a child.
Cicely strode over to Grim, pulling back the sheets and opening his tattered shirt to get a look at his gash. "Sheiße...this is one Heaven of a wound. Did someone try to heal this? While I can see they tried, he'll need a lot more than an attempt to close it." While Cicely looked over Grim, Raphael started to apply a powerful aloe cream to Abaddon's burns. "Tell me if it hurts too much, okay?"
“Whatever it is, I can handle it.” Abaddon was not about to be weak in front of everyone, especially not the new girl. ‘Excuse me for trying to save my fiancé’s life.’
Raphael continued to apply the cream as Cicely took out a few tools- sewing needle, surgical thread, a hypodermic needle, and a few bottles of fluids to sterilize and numb the wound. "This is going to take half of my thread to sew up. If I weren't a demon I'd use about 5 gallons of holy water for this thing." She groaned and filled up the needle, readying a numbing solution.
It took every last bit of strength for Abaddon to not knock out everyone in this room so he could heal Grim himself. He knew he could do it, but it would take way longer without the proper tools and training. So, Abaddon was forced to just sit and watch his beloved be poked and prodded several times with a needle.
Grim occasionally made a small groan and winces as Cicely cleaned him up and worked, sewing up his gash carefully. Raphael even gave glances back at the demon, just making sure Grim was doing okay. "You're almost done, Abaddon. Just gotta wrap the rest of your cuts in bandages." "Hey, anyone still using that IV in the corner? Can I use it for The Reaper?" Cicely pointed to the corner near the closet where Raphael's IV bag hung, still somewhat filled with the clear miracle fluid.
“Um… not sure if you want that. It’s full of demon magic, or something similar… Actually, I have no idea. I just know it was last used to help restore my powers temporarily.” Abaddon looked to Raphael to fill in the details, as he was clearly clueless.
“It’s more like a boosted health formula I concocted, with some demonic ingredients I could lay my hands on to make it specific for you.” The angel explained as he wrapped a part of Abaddon’s arm. “If you’re gonna use it, switch the bag with another IV. Maybe we can use the rest of that bottled miracle to boost his healing. If that’s okay with you, Ab.”
“Don’t see what else we would use it for.” Abaddon started to feel a little better, not realizing how much pain he was in while the adrenaline was still coursing through his body. He handed the bottle to Raphael as he was closest and he could barely keep his eyes open anymore.
“Easy Abaddon, don’t pass out on us yet. At least let me get you in a better sleeping position.” Raphael handed the IV and bottle to Cicely and got up, grabbing a spare blanket and extra pillow for the demon. “You took quite a beating after all. Do you need anything else, medicine wise?” While Raphael dealt with him, Cicely hooked Grim up to the new IV and resumed her work. “He’s a demon, he should be fine. I can feel his aura from here, he’s got enough in reserves.” She waved a hand as she began threading the surgical needle.
“A-aura…? I thought… I was running out of… power…” Abaddon started to drift off to sleep, his body shutting down after being abused in the battle.
“Just because you still have power doesn’t mean you don’t need rest.” She sighed and paused what she was doing, going over to Abaddon and laying out a spot on the floor for him. “C’mon, you won’t wake up good if you sleep in the chair. Lie here.” Cicely helped him out of the chair and laid the demon on the floor, covering him with the blanket. “Now, get some sleep. The Reaper will be just fine once I’m done sewing him up.”
“O… kay…” Abaddon was too tired to argue, swiftly drifting off to sleep not two seconds later. As much as he wanted to object to his spot on the floor, much preferring to sleep next to Grim, dreamland came all too quickly.
Cicely and Raphael finished their work on Abaddon and Grim, then left the bedroom to let them rest. While they slept, most of the demons went back to their homes and Hell, deciding that they themselves needed rest. Only Abigail, Alistair, and Reaper stayed in the house to wait for them to wake up. It was quiet for a few hours when Grim finally made a few grunts, coming to full consciousness. He cracked his eyes open, blinking the bleariness away. “Wh...where..? Where..am I?”
Abaddon had woken up only minutes before, but he was awake enough to jump onto Grim, hugging him tightly and placing countless kisses on his skin. “Grim! Oh, thank God, I thought I lost you!”
“Agh- ow- stop a second-” Grim placed a hand on Abaddon’s body to stop the assault and bone-crushing hug, pushing him away for some space. He felt a burning pain in his stomach and looked down at himself, his torso covered in bandages. “What happened to me...why am I feeling so much pain?”
“You were… attacked.” Abaddon took a deep breath before explaining. “Satan crashed our wedding and-”
“Wedding? What wedding? And why would it be ours?” Grim cut him off and seemed very confused. It was then Abaddon could see that Grim’s eyes were not the gleaming silver they usually were. No...these were cold, gray steely eyes. They did not look at him the same way they had at the podium, in Japan, in Paris, and every other day of their lives. “Who..who even are you?”
Cozmic had been wandering. Unsure of how long it had been, minutes, hours? She couldn't figure it out, the sight of the building she was in previously had grown farther and farther, and eventually disappearing into the fog. She held onto her stomach, struggling with every step, a long, dark trail of oil followed her, it stained her clothes and her hair. Her visor glitched violently, making it harder to see. She was unsure where she was going,, hopefully home. the past week and a half had been quite literally torture. All she wanted to do was see her family. She just wanted to go home.
V had been gliding around, sick of all these drones that claimed to know her or whatever. The only drones she knew were J and N. And Cyn. She was gliding up a bit higher than usual, quite bored, when she caught the scent of oil. Fresh oil.
She swoops down lower, her visor turning into the >< shape as her sensors tracked the path of oil. Then she spotted her target.
V landed in the snow ahead of the young worker, enough of it billowing up in the air to mostly hide her appearence.
But Cozmic should know her mother's arrival pattern well by now.
She grips their wrist, her hand tightening to where a few ominous cracks are heard. "Well now, let's not do that again, hm?" She then flung them by the wrist into a wall.
