Angel and Imp: Mission Impossible - 1. The Best A.I. Team ever

“I cannot believe we got another Gay Boy!”

Imp rolled his eyes and retorted, “I can’t belief ya complain ‘bout it.”

“But he is the twelfth one in a row!” Angel’s voice matched the pout on the cute face.

“And?”

“Don’t you get annoyed by the similar assignments? Or being stuck with each other?”

Imp couldn’t help the small growl escaping as he conjured up more black pillows and sprawled on them in a deliberately bored manner. He was sick of Angel whining.

“I want diversity, new challenges, different kinds of love.” Chopping hand motions accompanied Angel’s demands. “Are you not fed up with the same old thing?”

“Nah, no objection ‘ere, Angie.” But he didn’t like this unexpected ranting from his normally calm partner. Suddenly, Imp had to be the sensible guy defending their bosses and partnership, and he resented it.

“Don’t call me that!”

“OK, whatever.” He yawned to indicate his disinterest in the conversation.

“But why do they do it?”

“What?” Why don’t you shut up? That was what Imp wanted to know.

“Why does the Management keep assigning us to gay guys?”

“Because we do a fuckin’ good job?” Imp tried a positive spin to stop the nagging.

“We could get excellent results with straight men too. Or women.”

He shrugged. “Whatever. I don’t giva shit.”

Shifting a bit on the pillows, Imp brought his red tail up and started picking his pointy teeth with the diamond shaped tip. Hopefully his pouting companion would get the message, but he might have to resort to scratching his butt, or groping himself. Such uncouth behavior usually pissed Angie off enough to make the prissy thing vanish for a while. Imps were proudly male, but he’d been ordered to wear a loincloth on assignment because ‘heavenly creatures did not concern themselves with bodily functions, including fornication, blah, blah, blah.’ In Imp’s opinion angels would be better off if they ate, drank, shat, pissed, and fucked occasionally. His temper always improved after a bit of physical fun.

“Imp! Will you pay attention, please? You are so annoying!” The figure in the white dress almost stamped its little foot and Imp smirked at his irate A.I. partner. What did Angel expect? Being obnoxious and irritating was part of his job description.

Angel/Imp pairs were created and assigned to humans by a largely unknown selection process. Imp had heard rumors, of course, but no one had any hard facts on how the Joint Management Office selected the parties. Imp had spent ages with his fellow imps playing pranks on each other and the other denizens in the outer circles of Hell, before he was snapped up for A.I. duty.

He had the feeling he’d been picked after he had managed to irritate two inner-circle devils on routine inspection by taunting them about their task, their well-groomed looks and the inability to catch him. Although Hell was timeless, it had felt as if only a short while later Imp was suddenly whisked away from his playgrounds and placed in rigorous training by Outer Hell Management.

All his initial thoughts of rebellion vanished immediately when he realized his new task involved humans. They were the most complex and intriguing beings in the universe, capable of deep emotions and surprising reactions and choices. Finding their weak spots and prodding them was so much more satisfying than any prank involving angels or devils. Pestering Angie was much too easy; humans were the real challenge.

As an imp he wasn’t meant to entice humans to evil, that was the job of regular devils, but Imp had the feeling old-fashioned temptation was less common in current times. Humans did well on the evil scale on their own. Not that he was really part of the temporal world, since A.I. pairs worked outside time, dipping into the life of their assigned human in a series of confrontations. Oh, the episodes usually happened sequentially, but they didn’t stick around while the humans did all the boring parts of their existence.

“So tell me honestly, Imp, why do you think we keep getting assigned to gay guys?”

He was suddenly aware Angie had reached the end of a long passionate rant of which he had heard nothing except the last question. Desperately, he blurted out his uncensored opinion before he could stop himself.

“Guess Management noticed I dig hot man-on-man action and ya’r a fan of yaoi ‘n’ gay love stories. Mebbe they wanna reward—”

“Oooohh, you horrible, impudent, evil, rude, stup—” the silver-haired creature vanished mid-screech, and Imp groaned. He didn’t mind the name-calling of course; the words were sort of compliments for a denizen of Hell. He was quite relieved to be alone too, with no more nagging from his Angel partner. But, for the first time in his A.I. career, Imp worried he might have gone too far. What if Angie demanded a new imp partner? Could his heavenly counterpart even do that during an assignment? Distracted, he sucked on his tail as he thought back to the beginning….

***

Having been told his training was over and he was finally ready for an A.I. assignment, Imp was impatiently waiting for the moment he would meet his holy opponent and be briefed on their target. He was still a bit jittery after the final meeting with his supervisor, who was one scary fuck of an Inner Circle Devil.

“Imp Jegskakommefterdig,” the stern supervisor said, and Imp flinched at the rare use of his full name. “I expect to see you put all your naughty mischief talents to bad use in your future A.I. tasks. And don’t forget: no matter how irritatingly good your angel partner is, there can be no teasing of the creature on the job. Focus on the human target, Imp, or I shall be most displeased!”

Imp let a small whimper escape, while nodding frantically to show his understanding. He no longer doubted the rumors of what happened to imps who embarrassed Hell by misbehaving inappropriately outside its fiery pits. He could almost feel his red skin blanch at the thought.

“Of course, if the angel hangs around after hours, trying to corrupt you, it’s another matter. Do your worst!”

‘Did he actually wink at me?’ Imp asked himself for the third time. He’d been dismissed right afterwards, still shivering with fear, so he wasn’t sure he could trust his powers of observation, keen as they were. In any case, he was determined not to put a hoof wrong in his first job, no matter how distressingly holy his Angel partner might be.

When the call came, Imp immediately translocated to the briefing room. Moments later the angel materialized, and he got his first surprise. He knew lower tier heavenly creatures came in different colors, but somehow he always thought of them as boringly white, bland and bleached of any interesting characteristics.

However, the delicate Angel standing next to him was a shimmering blue with silver wings. The hair and eyes were silver too, and Imp hoped his own obsidian orbs were as hard to read as his new companion’s calm gaze. It swept over him from his shiny black hooves to the stupid loincloth to the small dark horns poking out of his flaming orange-streaked red hair at the top of his head. Not literally flaming of course, only the most senior devils had the ability to cloak themselves in the virtual flames of Hell.

“Are you ready?” the disembodied voice of a manager asked, and they both turned to face the orifice which opened to the human world so they could see their target. It was a Roman soldier staring at a young male slave.

The manager gave Imp simple instructions, but this time it was inside his head. “Get the soldier to fuck the slave.”

Angel’s instruction had been equally short and a moment later they were thrust into the head of the Roman. At first, Imp had thought his task was easy, because it was clear Antonius desired the handsome youth who was to be the decurion’s[1] personal servant. But it had been fiendishly difficult. He had soon worked out Angel’s task was to make the soldier fall in love with the cacula[2], and he’d almost felt sorry for his partner’s impossible assignment, particularly since the Roman horseman rarely seemed to notice the ‘voiced’ suggestions of following his heart.

He and Angel had stayed away from each other between their visits to Antonius, even though they were sharing a suite whenever they returned to base. But they both spent most of the time in their own rooms, plotting their next steps and thinking up ideas and temptations to achieve their goals. Imp thought it was pure chance which had them meet in the common area shortly after they had returned from yet another fruitless ‘voicing’ visit to Antonius’ mind.

Imp wanted to pace while he tried to come up with another angle, and the long hall was better suited for this than his own room. Suddenly Angel materialized right in front of him, and he ran straight into the shimmering blue figure and knocked the silly creature over.

“Fucking Hell, Angie, will ya watch where ya’r goin’ for fuck’s sake!” The nickname Imp had been calling his partner inside his head slipped out by mistake. Oooops…

“I beg your pardon, what did you call me?” Angel stared at him, as haughty and frosty as ever, in spite of lying on the ground at his feet.

“Never ya mind, angel boy, why did ya pop in ‘ere all of a sudden?”

The silver-haired angel levitated upright with such a speed that Imp recoiled. Then he stood his ground; he wasn’t afraid of his A.I. partner, even if those blazing argent eyes were freaky.

“I am always here after we return, waiting for the chance to discuss tactics and strategy. But you prefer sulking in your room, you stupid imp.”

Imp’s horns ached as he fumed over the unfairness of the accusation.

“Why should I discuss my ideas with you? It would just make it easier for ya to sabotage me.”

“You are the one ruining any chance of success. Always trying to corrupt Antonius, pushing him to take advantage of Cassius, give in to his baser instincts and ravage the poor boy. Can’t you see he is much too noble and caring?”

“As if ya don’t know he wants to do exactly what I’m proposing. He’s always starin’ at the boy’s pert arse ‘n’ dreaming ‘bout taking him,” Imp retorted. He thought back on the ‘voicings’ which had caused obvious bodily reactions in the soldier even if he refused to act.

‘He looks ravishing kneeling in front of me, untying my sandals. His mouth would feel divine on my manhood.’

‘Those twin mounds are begging to be fondled and forced apart to make way for me to enter him, fill him, ravish him.’

“But Antonius will never do what you want unless he admits he is in love with Cassius.”

“Not this again,” Imp moaned and clapped his hands over his ears. Angie had tried to corner him at the beginning of the assignment to sell the idea of the men falling in love as the best way to have them be intimate. Imp had rudely told his partner to buzz off and leave him alone. He had to admit Angel obeyed, but this made him despise the heavenly creature even more. Imps never did what they were told if they could get away with disobeying.

“Imp, listen to me,” Angel pleaded. “I know you think I am against them being intimate, but that is not true. As long as they love and commit to each other, there is nothing wrong with physical love. But I refuse to let you persuade them to rut in the rushes like common scum.”

“Antonius respects his family and his duty as eques[3], and they aren’t compatible with lovin’ a slave. His father expects him to marry the woman he’s selected for ‘im, providing he survives. The men in his turmae[4] won’t care if he fucks his handsome cacula, but they sure as hell won’t understand any luv shit.”

“But destiny and true love care not about such impediments,” Angel told him, and Imp rolled his eyes. He conjured some pillows and threw himself down on them.

“Good luck on convincing Antonius. So far he seems to be ignorin’ ya, Angie. I don’t even need to—”

“Don’t call me that!”

“Touchy, are ya?” He began nibbling on his tail.

“Imp, will you focus on the problem! We are running out of time. If we don’t come up with a plan they will pull us from the assignment soon. Do I need to tell you that is a bad thing?”

The furious face of his supervisor from Hell rose in front of Imp’s inner eye and he shuddered. He did not want to fail, and he had to admit none of his ploys had worked so far. Perhaps he should give the desperate Angel a chance?

“Nah, it would be shite, but I don’t see what we can do more. You sure we’re runnin’ outa time?”

“I think we may have two or three encounters left. My principato[5] told me I would get a feeling of urgency when failure was imminent but could yet be averted.”

“An’ ya think workin’ together will do the trick?” Imp licked the tip of his tail and noticed Angel frowning at him.

“I do. Antonius defends against your lewd suggestions by telling himself he cares too much about Cassius to use him. But when I put pressure on him to admit his feelings, he avoids the issue by pretending he only feels platonic love.”

“Philia but not eros, eh?”

“Impressive, my dear Imp, I didn’t know you were a scholar.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, get on with the plan, dear!” The last word was accompanied by the most ridiculous facial contortions Imp could manage to express distaste. Angel, the holy prick, simply smiled sweetly and continued to outline the proposed strategy. Imp revenged himself by blatant grooming of his tail, which seemed to disgust his partner. Angel even disappeared in a huff when Imp sucked on the diamond shaped end like he would a cock. But after a short time the silver-and-blue figure popped back into the common room and went on with cajoling and nagging Imp about ‘joining forces against the human.’

Somehow, after an eternity spent arguing and insulting each other, they managed to devise a plan which had their stubborn decurion take his manservant to bed and declare his love at the same time. Angie had been right about Antonius being unable to resist a joint ‘voicing’ attack where they tag-teamed each other.

Imp snorted in irritation. He barely had time to exult in his success – and enjoy the sight of two naked human bodies fucking each other’s brains out – before he was dragged back to Hell. His supervisor had glared at him but admitted he’d done reasonably well for a beginner. Imp even got some R&R time before he would be sent out again, and he sure needed the chance to Rut and Rave after the holy company of a romantic Angel. Yuk.

Yet, when the call to report in for the second assignment came, Imp had been eager to go. Once more he was teamed up with the same angel, or at least he assumed so when a similar-looking creature popped into the briefing room at the same time he did. They were given no chance to greet each other as their manager immediately launched into a joint description of their task. A medieval knight and his squire were to be enticed into loving and/or fucking each other. They had to ‘voice’ to both of them, and the manager urged them to work together.

“This pair has defeated two A.I. teams already. I suggest you plan your campaign carefully. Dismissed.”

Unlike the first time, they were not catapulted into the head of either human, but ended up in their old common room, which was as bare as the first time Imp had set hoof in it. The only reason he recognized it was because his personal sigil was still on the door to one of the two rooms. He shrugged and conjured up some of his favorite black pillows and a glass of his preferred whiskey.

“Imp! It is you, what a relief. I was unsure after the Antonius job we almost botched.” Angel waved a hand and a soft white chair appeared. A small table with a vase holding a spray of white, sweet smelling flowers popped into being next to the chair. Imp nearly gagged at the scent, but a swig of whiskey helped.

“So, we’re stuck ‘ere again ‘n’ with a fucking impossible job,” he groused, trying to hide his pleasure at the new chance to tease humans and compete with Angel.

His partner sat in the chair and somehow the silver wings retracted so the angel could lean back. The calm eyes studied him, and Imp suppressed his urge to squirm. He was wary because Angel was pleased to see him again. Was this a bad sign?

“I don’t think the job is impossible if we work together. It will be easier for you to tempt them to intimacy if I persuade them to fall in love. And they might be more likely to give into their feelings if they become physically attracted too.”

“Ya mean if they’re horny they won’t be rational ‘n’ cling to silly moral scruples ‘bout lovin’ or fuckin’ each other.” Imp dipped his tail in the whiskey and sucked on it nosily.

“Don’t be crude.”

“Why not?” Imp smirked and continued grooming his appendage.

“Because you need me, so we should try to get along.”

Unfortunately, Imp had the feeling Angel was right – again, damn it. The key to solving the problem they’d been given lay in working together. He dropped the tail-play Angel seemed to hate and sat up straighter.

“OK then, how d’ya suggest tempting the knight ‘n’ his squire?”

“Why don’t we start with observing them? Spend some time in the head of the knight without ‘voicing’ and then go back and lurk in the squire’s head during the same incident?”

“Fucking Hell, can we time-travel like that?”

“The alternative is to split up and compare notes afterwards, but it will not be as efficient. I bet we can get the management to allow it.” Angel tilted the cute blue face back and stared towards the ceiling for several seconds. Imp took the opportunity to guzzle his whiskey and refill the glass.

“Authorized.” The sudden booming of the manager’s voice made Imp start and splash whiskey all over himself. Fuck, he didn’t know angels could contact their supervisors at any time. When the silver eyes returned to his face, he tried to look relaxed and unimpressed, but he wasn’t sure it worked.

“What kinda incident was ya thinkin’ of?”

“It has to be something where they are on their own and focused on each other. Perhaps the squire helping his knight into armor before a tournament or a challenge.” Seeing Imp’s puzzled look, Angel waved a hand and conjured a set of images showing the progress of this romantic knight-fight which looked more impressive than real. But Imp liked the pre- and post-fight scenes with the squire helping the knight don and remove his armor. He could work with that, particularly the removing of stuff.

“Looks like hot, sweaty work. Could be injuries too.”

Angel seemed startled by his remark, but nodded reluctantly.

“Not fatal, but ‘nuff to need tending. Bet a sponge bath or visit to a bathhouse feels nice after tough tournaments. Just the knight ‘n’ his veeeery helpful squire.” Imp leered at the blue angel who frowned but nodded once more.

“I am not sure about bathhouses; that seemed to be a Roman thing. In this time they have bathtubs.”

“Never mind, wipin’ him down with a wet cloth is even more intimate.”

“I suppose so,” Angel conceded reluctantly.

“Ya can tell the boy ‘bout admiration of knightly skills and gratitude his man wasn’t hurt and romantic shit like that. My voice’ll be all ‘bout muscles ‘n’ warm naked skin and stuff.”

“We are not going to make voices at first,” Angel reminded him.

“But we can think ‘bout what to say next time.”

“True. For the knight I am going to point out how lucky he is to have a devoted and loyal squire, someone he can trust and depend on.”

“Sounds ‘bout right for ya. My job is to tell him how good those warm hands would feel if they touched him…elsewhere, and what a pretty mouth the squire has, almost like a girl’s, ‘n’ begging to be kissed.”

“Why, that was positively poetic!”

“Fuck off!”

“Imp!”

“Yeah, yeah, sorry, Your Highness.” Both of them knew he wasn’t sorry at all.

“I think our strategy will work, we just need to be patient.”

“Clever ‘n’ sneaky as Hell,” Imp added.

“And we need to work together and trust each other.”

“No ‘voicing’ until we both agree it’s time, ‘n’ we ‘ave to avoid them danger words.”

“What are the danger words?” Angel seemed genuinely puzzled.

“You can’t use the word love, not in the romantic way. They’ll spook if ya do. Has to be all ‘bout close companions ‘n’ loyalty ‘n’ brother bonds and noble shite like that.”

“You are right. Once they admit to love as friends, the next step is much easier. And you have to stay away from all those crude hints of physical intimacy like lovers.”

“Don’t worry, Angie, I’ll do my part.”

“Don’t call me that!”

“Why, don’t you like ya’r pet name? You can call me Impie, if ya want, Angie.” He used his tail to blow the prissy blue thing a kiss.

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

Yup, this A.I. partnership was off to another great mission start.

***

They spent quite a while observing the knight and his squire, and it was obvious the men harbored deep and lasting feelings for each other. When Imp admitted they probably loved each other as much as humans were capable of, Angel actually hugged him. Yuk.

He fully expected to be dragged back to Hell moments later to have his hide tanned for losing the Game for the Wicked Side, but no such thing happened. When he finally gave in and asked Angel why, the heavenly creature was surprisingly honest at first.

“Imp, we are always assigned to couples who are destined to love each other and to be intimate. You noticing their love does not signify defeat for your side as long as the humans refuse to acknowledge it. All the couples with A.I. pairs have several choices. They can refuse their destiny and live forever unfulfilled. They can give in to lust and gain some temporary relief, but be broken-hearted by denying their love is real. They can admit to loving each other but refuse to consummate the love. Or finally, they can be joined in every sense of the word.”

“So, what’s in it for us?” Imp was sprawling on his pillows as usual, and he waved his tail between them.

“Do you mean Heaven and Hell, or us personally?” Angel looked quite relaxed in the white chair, with both legs dangling over one of the sides.

“Huh? Both, I guess.”

“If the humans refuse their destiny utterly, they get reborn until an A.I. teams gets through to them. I don’t know what happens to A.I.s who fail, and I don’t want to find out.” A shudder ran through the blue figure making the silver hair shimmer for a moment.

“Fuckin’ Hell, ya bet we don’t, Angie.”

“Don’t call me that!”

“Sorry, Princess.”

“Imp!”

“OK, OK, get on with the story. What if they fuck but don’t admit to luv?”

“In that case, Hell gets two shattered souls when the humans die. You win and I lose.”

“And the other way ‘round, with luvin’ ‘n’ no fuckin’?”

“I win, you lose.”

“No shit, Angel, ya don’t think I can work that out meself. What happens to them humans?”

For the first time his A.I. partner seemed uncomfortable or upset. It was clear Angel didn’t like this option, which in Imp’s mind was very suspicious. He nibbled on his tail while considering how to worm the truth out of his companion.

“I may not tell you, Imp. Why does it matter, anyway? Now the last option is what we achieved with Antonius, and what we should aim for again. We both win, and the humans do as well.”

“And our bosses?”

“Management has solved another task and will be pleased with our success.”

“For fuck’s sake, I’m not talking ‘bout them. What’s in it for Hell when it’s a successful draw? Cause I bet the humans’ souls go to Paradise, or whatever holy afterlife they believe in, when they die.”

“No, I don’t think so, but I don’t know what happens. Please believe me, Imp. Did you get punished after Antonius?”

“Nah, it was OK. Devil said it was ‘acceptable for a beginner,’ blah, blah, blah.” He waved his appendage dismissively.

“See, all you have to do is focus on your job, and you will be fine. If making our humans realize they love each other helps you, then you should aid me in completing my task too.”

“Nice try, Angie.”

“For Heaven’s sake, Imp, will you stop calling me that!”

“OK, OK, keep ya’r dress on. Jeez.” Imp smirked behind his whiskey glass. “I agree we should work together on this one, but I’m not promising ya more than that.”

“Fine, so how do we get them to embrace their destiny?”

“Well, I happen to ‘ave an idea ‘bout that.”

***

It took quite a bit of persuasion, but finally Angel gave in. Imp’s theory was that the previous A.I. teams had only worked on one human at a time. Because their voices gave different or conflicting advice, both Sir Lionel and his squire were rejecting them. This was easy because the other part in the couple stayed aloof at all times when not under the influence of the A.I. The resulting rejection of even the slightest advance towards love or lust had made both men build strong emotional defenses.

Imp wanted the team to split up and work both men at once. He would take the knight and Angel would do Squire Cei. If necessary they could switch halfway through, but he was convinced all they had to do was poke the first holes in those defenses and the natural desire of both humans would do the rest.

“You mean they will be intimate,” Angel groused.

“Hey, have some fuckin’ belief in love, will ya? Once they’re in each other’s arms, it’ll come pouring out. And if not, ya can poke ‘em a bit, eh? I won’t stop ya. Trust me, Angel.”

“Very well, Imp, but you better not cheat on me.”

“Cross my heart ‘n’ hope to die and go to Heaven.” Imp didn’t have a stronger oath than that. Well, he did, but it involved his tail and one of those bodily functions angels were prissy about. Better not antagonize his partner now that he was about to persuade Angel to his way of thinking.

They decided the best time was after a long, hot, arduous trek in the wilderness. The Knight was on his way to his parents’ home because his mother was dying. Cei’s horse developed a slight limp, which delayed them. As the day waned, the knight realized they were close to a secluded cave which he had explored many times as a child. A stream of water fell down the cliff’s side next to the cave and pooled in a shallow basin before flowing on. There were birch trees hiding the cave and the pool, and grass for the horses.

“We will seek shelter there and travel onwards at dawn, Cei.”

“Yes, Sir Lionel.”

“Collect some dead wood for the fire while I see to the horses.”

“Thank you, Sir Lionel.” The squire knew better than to argue it was his chore.

“We will share the task of setting up camp and cooking tonight, Cei. I want to bathe in the pool so that I may arrive fresh at my mother’s side tomorrow.”

“Surely, she will be pleased at the courtesy, Sir.”

“As long as she is still in this world; that is all I ask.”

“So mote it be.”

Imp had slipped into Lionel’s mind and now whispered Angel’s words about loyal companion and trusted friend. He knew his counterpart was working on the squire’s compassion and caring, but hopefully also on the anticipation of a cool bath in the warm summer evening – a rare chance to be alone and naked together.

The two men worked alongside each other the way only close friends could do. Although knight and squire, they were more like equals and shared the same log seat while eating their spare meal of cold, roasted rabbit, bread and summer apples.

“You did well with seasoning this rabbit yesterday.”

“Thank you, Sir Lionel.”

‘How Cei blushes at a simple compliment. I like my name on his lips,’ Imp voiced.

“The night will come soon; we should bathe while it is still warm in the sun.”

Squire Cei immediately rose and laid out their last clean undergarments and the thin blankets to be used for drying themselves. Lionel moved into the cave and started undressing. When half-naked, he glanced over at his companion.

“We are safe here and may bathe together, Cei.”

‘We have done this before; it is only right he joins me before the water cools,’ Imp voiced carefully. When the squire was naked, he followed up with: ‘His body is a work of art, truly made in God’s image, without blemish or fault.’

During their bath Cei stole many looks at Sir Lionel, who pretended not to notice. ‘He knows my body well, every scar is a hurt he tended and he has helped me train that I may wield my sword in the cause of good. I need not be ashamed before him and his admiration is nothing but a squire’s wish to grown into a knight.’

Just then the squire stumbled as he moved towards the shore. The knight reached out and caught him, and somehow Cei swung around and was in Lionel’s arms. Their eyes met and Imp immediately pushed.

‘It feels so right; his lips are begging for a kiss, the chaste kiss of brothers and friends.’

Imp could almost hear Angel shouting in Cei’s head. ‘You are where you belong; let him kiss you.’

A tiny sliver of hesitation and two sets of lips molded together in their first kiss, making time stand still.

‘He shivers, pull him closer and keep him warm, safe, yours.’

Imp wanted to dance around in glee when the two naked bodies touched and strong arms embraced the other man. But he knew they had to keep the momentum going.

‘We have no one but one another; he is mine to cherish and care for. I want Cei, and his body tells me he wants me too.’ Indeed, two male organs had risen and were now laying claim to the space between the would-be lovers.

‘Take him to your blankets, dry his beautiful body and worship it like you’re meant to.’

Again the faint echo of Angel’s pleading in Cei’s mind arose. ‘Do not waste this chance of love, or you will regret it always. Go to his bed and let him claim you, take him inside you and find paradise on earth.’

Two dazed men stumbled out of the water, barely remembering to grab their towels before hurrying past the fire to the piles of clothes and bedding inside the cave. The squire bent over to arrange their blankets into a common bed, and the knight took a deep breath at the sight of those glorious buttocks.

‘Yes, they must be spread to reveal the secret place where your manhood belongs. Grab the lard so you can ease the way. You want Cei to feel pleasure, not pain, as you make love to him.’

For one scary moment Imp thought he had lost control of Lionel as the man tensed up and took a step back. But it was only to grab his cloak lined with soft wool and the small pot of cooking fat. Then the knight moved closer to his squire and caressed the wet skin raised in goosebumps.

“Let me warm you, Cei.”

“Yes…Sir.”

“No ‘Sir’ tonight, Cei.”

“As you wish…Lionel.” Imp wished Angel was next to him so they could high-five each other at Cei uttering the knight’s name as a lover and not a squire.

The two men sunk onto the spread blankets and Lionel covered the lower parts of their bodies with his cloak. He was half on top of Cei, who looked up at him with such trust.

‘He desires you, loves you, feel how his swollen manhood yearns to be touched. His lips are so soft, kiss them; think of how they will feel around your aching flesh. Let him drink your seed, it will make Cei yours forever. But first, do the same for him, take his virgin member in your mouth and swallow his offering.’

The cries of the dark-haired squire as his knightly lord moved down to kiss and lick and suck were as peals of triumph for Imp, and he didn’t care the young man also proclaimed his love as he spurted into Lionel’s mouth. The knight straddled his panting lover and presented the sword of his loins to be worshipped and serviced, and Cei happily did so. It made his own manhood rise once more, and soon he cried out in pain and pleasure as Lionel penetrated him, took his virginity and joined them in love.

‘Take him, ride him, fill his tight arse with your essence that he may belong to you. Feel how he spreads his legs, urges you on, he wants this, needs you to plunge into him and own him.’

As the knight spilled himself in his destined lover, who stroked himself to another shattering climax moments later, Imp crowed in wicked delight. He’d done it, won this fun game of sex. He didn’t care that their physical union was followed by two whispered declarations of devotion.

“Cei, oh my Cei, I love you, now and forever.”

“Ah Lionel, I have always loved you.”

Let Angel share the victory; they had earned it together, taking on the challenge where other A.I. teams had failed. He felt the first tugs which would soon transport him back home. As he gave in, he called out to the clever blue angel with the silver eyes.

“We did it, Angel. Fucking awesome.”

“Great team work, Imp. Brilliant voicing.”

***

Truly, their A.I. partnership had felt perfect in that moment. And every subsequent assignment had shown how suited they were at getting humans males to fuck and love or love and fuck. Imp almost regretted the two times where he had managed to get the humans to fuck without love. Almost. Because Imp wanted to win every wicked game against his Angel, right? Of course, he did….

At least he didn’t tease Angel about it. Not after seeing the huge shiny tears rolling down the blue cheeks the first time they met after Angie’s failures. Fuck, he hated crying, angel crying of course, since imps didn’t cry. Howled, wailed, cursed, moaned, shouted or – very rarely – whimpered. But crying? With tears? Nah, that was for humans – and soft angels. Imp despised crying, in particular when the dejected sobbing almost made him feel sorry for his A.I. partner. They were NOT friends or anything like that. They were competitors, adversaries, two entities playing against each other, and Imp should feel his usual wicked glee when he triumphed.

Why would Angel suddenly get all pissy over their new task? In between visiting the human’s mind, they bickered here and talked about their previous assignments. Imp was having fun, or he had been until now. Damn that silly angel suddenly getting in a temper. Oh well, they had another human visit scheduled soon; that should bring Angie back. Especially since Valentine’s Day was a favorite holiday for his cute A.I. partner. Personally, Imp thought the whole thing ridiculous, but it was a useful occasion for teasing the love-forever-after entity in his life.

Imp yawned and snuggled deeper into his pillows, forgetting to translocate into the private room he used less and less. He almost hoped the man’s destiny would miraculously manifest, if only to shut Angel up. But faith in miracles was certainly not his department. Shit, now he missed Angie; damn that silver-eyed, blue-skinned, white-robed, romantic, clever, annoying, shiny-haired, holy twat. Imp was beginning to hate… he finally feel asleep, unaware that his A.I. partnership had gone into a new phase and the Wicked Game Rules were changing.

He would have been horrified to see Angel silently appear and gaze at him with a tender expression, before conjuring a fluffy white comforter and settling down next to him. Imp’s tail twitched and moved in his sleep, ending with the diamond-shaped tip on the nearest blue arm. Rather than flicking it away, Angel stroked the red appendage softly. When Imp purred in his sleep, his companion smiled with satisfaction and kissed the tip before tucking it between silver hair and a smooth blue cheek. Soon nothing but the soft snores of the Best A.I. Team ever was heard in the room.

I hope readers will make up their own minds about the destiny of my A.I. team, since I couldn’t decide. This way you can imagine the wake-up scene and their future exactly the way you prefer.