Angel and Imp: Where Angels Fear to Tread - 1. The Best Laid Plans

Sometimes Angel regretted having been chosen for A.I. duty. Sure, it was an honor and a compliment, as well as a wonderful challenge and all the other positive spin words their initial tutor had spouted during the Angel Aptitude Class, but…. And right there was another sign of how much ze had changed. Before becoming an A.I. team member the term ‘spouted’ would never have crossed hir mind in so disrespectful a manner. There had even been a slight urge to roll hir eyes. Angels simply did not  at their superiors, and it was another sign of how Imp had influenced hir.

The silver-haired creature sighed and floated away from the soft cloud-like comforter on which ze had been resting. Speculating on this matter did absolutely no good, yet ze couldn’t help hirself. The only subjects distracting enough were their current A.I. project and a certain cheeky, red-skinned Imp. Their mission seemed to be going nowhere fast, which was frustrating as H…, and Angel had no intention of losing hirself in speculations about an imp, one whose bottomless black eyes were much too knowing and tantalizing. But perhaps thinking back and trying to work out where it all went wrong would help hir get a grip?

***

“Pay attention now, Class,” their tutor advised and eighteen angels sat straighter and leaned forward. Of course, they were all good at listening and no one would dream of disrespecting a Principato by letting hir attention wander. But when the stern angel said these words it meant there would be a test on the subject later, and failing to commit the information provided to memory could mean losing their places in the ranks of potential A.I. angels. This lesson had been reinforced when three of them had been expelled for failing the exam after the course ‘Signs of Love and Lust in Humans.’ To Angel’s sorrow the only other blue trainee had been one of them, and ze was now the only ‘sea’ angel to uphold their side amongst the green ‘grass’ angels and the white ‘snow’ angels.

If angels had been able to blush and feel embarrassed, they might have done so during the tutorial on lust symptoms. But, of course they were all pure and dispassionate, the way proper angels should be, and if anything, felt only compassion for those poor humans whose quests to find true love often caused them pitiful anguish. Angel had vowed to do hir utmost to help any humans assigned to hir future A.I. team no matter how hard any impish teammate tried to sabotage the effort with seduction tactics.

And imps were exactly the topic of this final course, which was meant to prepare them for their counterparts from Hell. How to deal with their coarse nature and lewd ways, how to persuade them to cooperate rather than pursue their own selfish aims, and at last, the lecture on how to guard oneself against their seductive tricks. Angel cringed to think how ze had been dismissive of potentially irrational behavior, even as ze engraved every bit of advice in hir faultless memory.

“Do not make the mistake of considering your opponents as simply evil. Yes, they are denizens of the underworld and thus devil spawn. But, like all beings, they carry a kernel of positive potential, just as angels have a tiny mote of potential darkness inside. Otherwise there would be no fallen angels.”

Every single being in the room shuddered at the last words. To fall from grace and be expelled from the heavenly realms was the fate most feared by angels, even if they never mentioned it out loud. If their tutor raised the dreaded specter in this context, the Principato must know or believe interacting with imps was fraught with danger. But the first lesson of the Angel Aptitude Class had impressed on them how the rewards of successful A.I. missions were worth any effort and hardship. Not only for the humans involved but for the A.I. team members too. Apparently, this included the risk of losing angels.

“Do not underestimate the intelligence and the strong will of your imp teammates. They may appear lazy, stupid, indifferent and, most of all, annoying. But this is all a ruse to trap or lull you into complacency. Just as you are chosen and trained to be the best candidates for A.I. missions, so are they. And while we have no hidden agendas or interest in converting imps, no devil will bypass a chance to corrupt unwary angels.”

The penetrating gaze of their awe-inspiring tutor glided from one class participant to the next. All of them met those golden eyes frankly, serene in the innocence and integrity they all had in common, even if they might shiver under the inspection.

Angel couldn’t help recalling the personal talk which had taken place after being accepted for A.I. training. Ze had been plagued with sudden doubts about hir ability to take on this duty. For once it had not been Angel who tried to convince the Management Office about hir zeal and determination to do hir best in whatever task they might assign. Instead, the stern Principato had softened marginally and explained, “It is true blue angels are rarely chosen for A.I. duty. However, we have sensed a high capacity for compassion in you, Angel Blaasom’himmeloghav. That combined with the cool and rational mind which is typical for Blues, makes you an ideal candidate.”

The evaluating gaze returned. “However, you will need to work hard. Not so much during training, which I suspect will be easy for you….” He had been right about that; Angel had passed every exam with flying colors. “Your real challenge will be the A.I. teamwork, where your possibility of success is matched by the risk of failure.” At the time, Angel had assumed the Principato meant failed mission objectives, but now other prospects of another kind of failure came to mind.

The silent communication with ten white, seven green and one lone blue angel ended with their tutor sighing and flexing his huge shimmering wings. “We do our best to prepare and warn you, but the truth is each of you needs to find his or her personal strength in order to withstand the wiles of those imps. They seem to be half ignorant of the temptation they represent, which makes them even more dangerous.”

Angel noticed most of hir classmates displayed various degrees of surprise or tension at the sudden use of his and her. Although their tutor didn’t state it explicitly, it was a clear indication what kind of temptation was meant. Normal angels didn’t have genders, and they had no physical needs. Their nutrition was spiritual, and naturally they didn’t indulge in carnal intimacy. They had the potential to be either male or female, but as far as ze knew the choice was rarely made, apart from Archangels and Principati, who were almost always male.

After having shaken his students completely, their tutor spent the rest of the time giving examples of every known impish trick and treachery. None of the trainees dared to ask which situations, if any, had resulted in angels falling from grace. The only relatively encouraging information came at the very end, when they finally got a physical description of imps, accompanied by a visual representation.

“Imps look alike with their red skin, orange-red hair, black eyes, a forked tongue, and traditional horns and tail. They are invariably and proudly male. However, by agreement they are compelled to wear loincloths, and they may not touch you in any inappropriate way. So you only have to guard yourself against their words and other antics. Keep in mind it is part of their nature, and they cannot help themselves; there is no need to take it personally.”

At the time, Angel had been relieved about the last bit of information, but now it came back to mock hir. However, the training had helped when ze was first confronted with Imp. The fire-haired rascal had lived up to every description and warning with his cocky attitude, provoking manners, and sly comments. He would eye Angel with the most infuriating smirk while lounging on his black pillows and playing with his tail. Yet, none of this caused more than the occasional irritation which could be shrugged off easily and even forgiven. Telling hirself Imp was a slave to his baser instincts and should be treated with firm kindness kept Angel in control.

The feeling had lasted for several assignments, during which Angel had slowly convinced Imp to cooperate in order to achieve their matchmaking missions. It had been touch and go with Antonius and Cassius, the Roman Decurion[1] and his personal servant, but the destined lovers finally gave in to their feelings and consummated their union. The next assignment of uniting Sir Lionel and his devoted Squire Cei had been a huge triumph, considering the challenge of taking on a pair who refused to give in to love – or lust – and had already defeated two A.I. teams.

Not surprisingly, Angel had been teamed up with Imp again, and their next two missions had worked out too, even though Imp had been chafing at the role he’d had to play in the fourth one. The lovers had been two monks in a monastery, and since they had vowed chastity, the physical consummation of their love consisted of kisses. But the passion of their lips meeting had been explosive. It still made Angel shiver deliciously to recall the event, in spite of the grumbling comments of a frustrated Imp running in the background.

“Fuckin’ Hell, will ya get on with it! Stop sticking yer tongues into mouths. Just shove those hard cocks where they wanna go! What the fuck?! They came! Aww man, I don’t believe it…” As they had both faded from the scene in the usual manner of a successful mission, Imp’s indignant wail had deteriorated into cursing and ranting over what he was missing. Angel always smiled about this memory; he was so obsessed, it was almost cute.

But the fifth time, their task had been two young soldiers in one of the senseless human wars. For some reason, Angel had been unable to fan the embers of love into a steady flame, but Imp had managed to entice one of the boys to seduce the other. When the youngster came back for more the next night, they had been discovered by their superior and executed immediately. Angel knew their shattered souls would go straight to Hell; not for the sex – no matter what their stupid officer thought – but for the failure to acknowledge their love spiritually.

The anticipated and well-deserved punishment on hir return to the heavenly realms was not nearly as harsh as Angel had feared, but still, it was not a good memory. Being told a return to duty would include the same imp as partner had almost been worse, since ze assumed Imp would tease hir and boast about his victory. But something quite unexpected had happened.

***

As the call to A.I. duty came, Angel took a deep breath and translocated to their briefing room. Ze made sure to face the spot where they would be shown their next task, rather than look around for Imp. But when Imp materialized next to hir, Angel felt his silent scrutiny. Luckily the disembodied voice of the manager immediately launched into a description of their new task as the shimmering window to the human world opened to show a huge bearded man standing in the prow of a ship.

“A.I. Team, your mission involves this Viking. He has not yet met his intended soul mate. You are to shadow him until he does and make sure he saves, rather than kills, this person. If you succeed in the first part of your task, the second part is the traditional contest of love and lust. Dismissed.”

They were catapulted into the head of the Viking, but nothing was going on except staring at the sea and having glum thoughts. Imp soon rolled his eyes and said, “Let’s get outta here.” He popped out, and Angel followed with trepidation.

Back in their familiar surroundings, Imp was already conjuring up black pillows and the golden drink he always indulged in. Angel was too nervous to settle down but didn’t want to start pacing in front of him. Ze took a moment to smooth down the white robe and settle hir silver wings before clasping trembling hands behind hir back. That way Imp wouldn’t see when they clenched hard enough to make the knuckles pale.

“So, they didn’t pull ya off the team?” Imp probed in his usual blunt way. Angel didn’t deign to reply to such an obvious observation other than with a slight shake of the head.

“Didja get it bad for losing the game with them soldier boys?” Imp’s next impertinent question was only met with a shrug. Angel doubted the wicked creature cared about the details, other than to gloat over his partner’s misfortune.

“Ya know, I only got a pat on the head as reward for winning. My supervisor is one grumpy fuck of a devil, curse his hairy arse,” Imp grumbled. “An’ I can’t even replay the hot soldier sex in me ‘ead, ‘cuz I keep seeing the stupid holy prick of an officer bargin’ in an’ ruining the fun.”

To Angel’s horror, Imp’s words conjured up an image of the two young boys’ faces as they got executed before ze could prompt them to declare their love and thus be spared the banishment. Even worse, the gruesome memory caused tears to form and roll down hir cheeks.

“Awww, Angie, don’t be upset. I hate crying,” Imp groused.

“Don’t call me…” Angel started, but trying to speak was a grave mistake. Sobs broke out as hir heart shattered anew for those two poor boys. Hiding hir face in trembling hands, Angel stumbled away to hir private room, being much too upset to translocate. After a long cry and severely scolding hirself for showing such weakness in front of Imp, Angel returned to the common room. To hir surprise, Imp never mentioned the incident, nor did he refer to the soldier boys again. Instead, they both focused on their new mission. Thinking back, perhaps this was the moment Angel had felt the first tiny seed of gratitude and admiration for hir partner?

While they discussed the Viking, Imp brought up an important matter.

“Didja recognize the ship he was on?”

“No, not particularly. Does it matter?”

“It’s a warship an’ part of a fleet. I’m guessin’ they’re going on a raid.”

Angel knew what that meant. “He will come across his true love while they are pillaging, and he will have to rescue her from the other Vikings.”

“Hope she’s attracted to blond hunks. He sure looked like he needed to get laid.” Imp seemed to agree with Angel’s expectation of the Viking’s intended being a woman, but perhaps he considered the new mission type a demotion due to hir previous failure?

When ze didn’t react, Imp continued his taunting. “Ya know you’ll have to prevent him from rapin’ her, right?” Trust Imp to state the challenge in the crudest way possible, but unfortunately his assessment of the problem was accurate.

“While you will urge him on, of course,” Angel said with as much disdain as ze could force into hir tone.

Imp seemed to flinch for a moment, but soon rallied. “Anyways, how will ya know who his true love is? We didna get shown an image.”

“By the bond between them, of course.”

“What bond?” Imp seemed puzzled rather than mocking.

“You mean, you cannot see the silver ribbon which connects them as soon as they meet?” This had been one of the easiest signs on the list Angel had memorized. Of course, it was not a human or physical sign like blushing or stammering, but a heavenly one. Angel had assumed the soul mate bond was visible to both A.I. team members, but apparently it wasn’t. “How do you see their feelings?”

“Ya know the urgent red pulse of lust males get when they’re attracted to someone? Like that but waaaay stronger – lava hot an’ steaming.” Imp leered and stroked his tail.

Angel simply stared blankly at him, and Imp suddenly smacked his head with the diamond-shaped end of his tail.

“Duh, of course ya don’t know what I mean! Dude, getta grip! OK, trust me, Angie, I can see if a guy has the hots for someone.”

“Don’t call me that.” The admonition was automatic, but with less heat than normal since Angel was more interested in Imp’s explanation of his powers of observation.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyhow, my point is, if yonder Viking Man gets all worked up an’ berserk-like, he’ll want to hit or fuck anythin’ that moves. Chances are I won’t catch the extra hot spark in time.”

Angel nodded in understanding. “Crude, but accurate, as usual. You are saying his state of mind will be so agitated, the signal of heightened attraction to the love of his life may drown in the general haze of violent emotions.”

Imp rolled his eyes and made an obscene gesture towards his nether parts. “Prissy, but perfectly grasped, as usual.”

Angel did hir best to ignore the bulge which Imp’s hand pretended to take hold of. “Very well, I shall let you know when the bond snaps into place. You will have to trust me and follow my lead.”

“Ha, that’ll be the day,” Imp shot back.

“I would never lie to you, and I need your help to prevent our target destroying the chance of victory.” Angel wasn’t above pleading if it would persuade Imp use his powers for the good of the mission. As sad as it was to admit it, his carnal knowledge would probably be more effective when it came to holding the Viking back from non-consensual physical joining.

“You mean you want me to stay outta it,” Imp retorted in anger. “Not happening, Angie.”

“Don’t call me that,” Angel snapped, before taking a deep breath to calm hirself. “But no, what I mean is you have to prevent the rape, not me. You are the entity who can control those carnal urges. All I can do is promote the tender feelings of love.”

The memory of the previous failure reemerged, and Angel quickly turned away as silver tears once more leaked from hir eyes. “That is, if I have not lost my touch.”

Suddenly, Imp was in front of hir. “Of course you haven’t, you stupid blue twit. Pull yerself together an’ put that silver tongue of yours to proper use. We’ll make that hairy hunky Viking behave, if it’s the last thing we do!”

“Oh, Imp!” Angel threw his arms around his A.I. partner and hugged him hard. Embracing the feisty creature had happened once before when Imp acknowledged the love between the humans of their second mission. Back then, the red-skinned little devil had been shocked and disgusted, or at least clearly uncomfortable with physical, angelic contact, which was rather strange, actually. His reaction this time was no different, although he tensed up rather than fight to get free.

“Will ya cut it out with the hugging, Angel! We’re not supposed to be touching, for fuck’s sake! And I don’t wanna get smeared with yer stupid silver tears or holy blue glitter. Yuk!”

Angel let go of him and smiled through his last tears. “I am sorry, Imp. But thank you for agreeing to help me with the Viking.”

Imp gaped at his partner for a moment before a curious mix of grudging admiration and sly pleasure lit his red face. “Why, you sneaky little sod. I guess ya tricked me this time, eh? Well, I’m an Imp of my word, so let’s get this show on the road.”

He turned away and adjusted his loincloth. Angel wasn’t sure, but it sounded like he muttered something about better uses of hir silver tongue. But ze didn’t care. They were a team with a joint goal once more and that was all that mattered. Not even the fact it turned out the Viking’s intended was a young novice at the raided monastery and not a woman could dampen Angel’s joy. They managed to control the emotions of both men long enough for Helge to claim Padrik as his slave. However, they then had to follow them on the journey back to Scandinavia and manipulate the two men into accepting their love and the natural consequences.

It was their longest mission yet, and Angel was exhausted by the end of it, not only from the countless visits, but also the endless arguing with Imp about strategy and methods. He grumbled and objected, but never betrayed their deal in spite of multiple opportunities to trick Helge into taking what he so clearly wanted. Owning Padrik as his slave meant the Viking was entitled by the laws and customs of his culture, but Imp somehow prevented it from happening until Padrik suddenly confessed his love. The subsequent activities were epic and lasted all night, short as it was at midsummer.

Angel had been forced to witness every second next to a gleeful Imp, because Helge did not declare his love in return until the sun rose on their final act of lovemaking. As the first rays lit Padrik’s tousled auburn locks and the young man fastened his beautiful green eyes on the blond man ravishing him, the Viking’s last resistance broke. He didn’t even need a prod from Angel to return Padrik’s renewed avowal of love. The whispered words of devotion were the last thing the A.I. team heard as they faded from their sixth contest of wills. Angel was very grateful to be rewarded with a long stay in the heavenly realms to recover hir normal serene and rational mind-set.

None of their later missions had been as arduous as the Viking Quest, although Imp usually fought Angel every inch of the way. On their ninth job, Angel had failed once more. When hir supervisor chided the mortified blue angel for a lackluster performance, Angel had spoken up. “It is true I am getting stale, but perhaps this is due to the monotony of the tasks. Why do we always get gay men? Why not man-woman pairings? I need diversity, new challenges, different kinds of love. Imp is probably as bored with the jobs and me as I—”

The management had NOT been pleased with the complaint, and the Principato Supervisor had cut Angel’s rant off at this point. A long lecture on duty was followed by a short statement about how the difficulty of the task was the reason the best A.I. team was devoted to these pairings. “Same gender couples have the odds stacked against them in many cultures and times, but if the Powers That Be see fit to gift two males with a destiny of love, they deserve the best chance of success. And right now, your A.I. team is the only one with a good record in the most challenging cases. We have plenty of teams able to handle all the other kinds.”

Angel had bowed, accepted hir punishment, and done hir devoted best on the next two missions. It wasn’t that ze was truly fed up with the job, and the joy of succeeding was the best feeling in the universe. But why couldn’t the management give them an easy man-woman pairing once in a while, or even a difficult one, for heaven’s sake? For every mission accomplished, an undefined, antsy feeling of being unfulfilled nagged Angel. Something was missing, or wrong, or off. The sight of two men staring at each other with unrequited passion grated on hir nerves, as did Imp’s lazy acceptance of doing the same kind of mission over and over again while alternately teasing or ignoring his A.I. partner.

It didn’t help that their most recent tasks had been set in a time and place where humans were relatively free to indulge in lust and love. If two people felt attracted, a complicated mating dance would start. They might go on something called dates, which could lead to intimacy before or after declarations of affection. Sometimes the connections began with physical interaction, often called one-night stands, for an obscure reason that had Imp sniggering. Angel refused to ask for an explanation, but after the failure of their ninth mission, ze had tried to study these new ways for humans to find their intendeds, whether destined or not. Imp claimed to be doing research too, but Angel had hir doubts about what he was studying, considering the sounds occasionally escaping his private room.

Their twelfth case, however, had given Angel hope that Management was finally rewarding them with a new challenge. Once again they had been assigned to a man awaiting the first encounter with his intended. Patrick was a romantic soul, but lonely and sad after the loss of his parents. He was also kind, modest, stubborn, and blessed or cursed with an unusual ability to read the emotional or spiritual intentions of people when he focused on them. Even Imp seemed impressed, and he agreed the man in the quaint little card shop in London was destined for someone special. Of course, being Imp, he expressed this in his usual crude manner.

“I can’t wait to see who the upper deck wants him to fuck. Man, I bet it’s gonna be someone special to make up for all the shit this dude has gone through.”

“The upper deck?”

“Yeah, ya know, them powers messin’ around with destiny of humans, and the lives of imps and angels.”

Angel stared at him in consternation. This was something ze had never considered.

“Are you saying you think it would be better if humans did not have soul mates?”

Imp shrugged. “I dunno. We never get told what ‘appens afterwards. An’ I don’t mean when they die, but during the rest of their lives on Earth.”

“They live happily ever after,” Angel almost yelled at the annoying red devil, but at the last moment, ze managed to speak slowly and patiently as if to a slow child.

“How do ya’ know? Maybe most of them only had a short time as lovers before they got caught or exposed or whatever. Maybe Antonius’ pater forced him to give up Cassius an’ marry a woman, or the squire lost his knight in battle an’ had to live alone for years. Do ya’ know for sure they get rewarded in this life as well as the next?”

Angel was rendered speechless, and the frustration and niggling fear Imp was right made two huge tears roll down hir pale blue cheeks.

“Aawww, shit!” Imp exclaimed. “For fuck’s sake, I’m just messin’ with ya’ mind, ya silly…” He face-palmed himself and suddenly disappeared. Before Angel could do more than take a few calming breaths, he returned with a black bowl made of shiny obsidian. Placing it on a low table, he beckoned Angel over.

“Pour some water in this,” he ordered and pulled over a couple of satiny pillows for them to sit on.

“Why—” Angel began, but when Imp scowled at hir, ze decided to cooperate and conjured up a jug of clear spring water. After pouring it into the bowl, Angel knelt and watched as Imp made a few gestures and muttered an incantation under his breath. The surface of the water turned black and images began flicking across it. Angel soon realized they were witnessing scenes in the lives of the humans of their successful missions. A parade of happy, tender, and loving moments from each of the soul-mated couples had Angel’s heart fluttering with joy and a silvery shimmer slowly spreading to envelop both team members.

Imp didn’t seem to notice the shimmering, and a few sideways glances showed Angel he wasn’t watching the bowl, apart from a quick look now and then, followed by a mocking eye-roll at the romantic scenes in the scrying water. Rather, he was pretending to be grooming his tail and his horns, but Angel noticed the covert watch the sly devil kept on his teammate. As the images from their latest mission began to fade, and Angel turned to thank him, Imp quickly backed away.

“Now, don’t ya go huggin’ me or summat, Angie,” he said, wagging his tail at his partner in admonition.

“Don’t call me that! But I still want to thank you, Imp. You have gladdened my heart and removed the anxiety of my mind.”

“No more cryin’ is all I ask,” he requested, but Angel could tell he was pleased at his success with the unprecedented look into the lives of ‘their’ humans. The self-satisfied smirk and the way Imp’s tail wove intriguing patterns in the air gave him away.

“Why did you ask me to pour water into the bowl?” Angel knew better than to ask about the secret of the device, just in case it was forbidden black magic. But, of course, Imp would never have shown his partner the bowl if it was against the rules. Or did he perhaps trust Angel enough to risk being pulled from the team in disgrace if he was reported to Management? Naturally, Angel would never betray his confidence.

“Ya wouldn’t have liked the images we’d get from anythin’ I poured in.” Imp’s leer didn’t leave much doubt about the intimate scenes he probably used the bowl for regularly. But for some reason Angel was neither shocked nor disgusted. Imps were all about lust, but as long as this particular Imp saw the value of love too, all would be well.

Something about their talk bothered Angel, who tried to work it out while Imp vanished to put his bowl away. No, not their conversation as such, but the emotions it caused. The reason for unease eluded hir, but one question did pop up. As soon as Imp returned, Angel confronted him.

“Imp, you said the Powers That Be mess with our existence. What did you mean?”

“Did ya volunteer for A.I. duty? ‘Cuz I sure as hell didn’t. I was made to join, plucked away from my mates an’ all the bad fun we had.”

“I was honored to be chosen for this task,” Angel said and almost winced at the formal tone of voice which had Imp making disgusted faces and gagging noises.

“Yeah, fine, keep tellin’ yerself that, Angie,” he sneered and vanished with an unusually loud bang.

“Don’t call…. Oh never mind,” Angel sighed. Ze went back to hir room and conjured up hir favorite comforter in order to take a nap. But it was a restless slumber and soon ze was back to worrying about the unease and increasing feeling of emptiness. All the speculation and worry led Angel to the same conclusion. Imp hated being part of an A.I. team; he hated their job, and most likely, he hated having to spend time with Angel and having to help his counterpart achieve success. But for some obscure reason he refused to admit this or complain to Management. Wait, maybe he had complained but got punished by being forced to continue?

Angel shook hir head. Imp liked to grouse about the A.I. task and the Management. He wouldn’t hold back if he was unhappy about being teamed up with Angel, or with their assignments. But perhaps he was too proud to say anything if Angel kept up the positive façade which had been hir choice so far. Very well, next time they were together, Angel would tell Imp exactly what ze felt about the job, and if he felt the same, maybe they could convince their superiors to shake things up. Something had to change, or Angel would…would…grow distracted or something.

The silver-haired creature sighed. No, going back over the past events hadn’t helped; not at all.

***

They had just returned from another session inside the sad cardmaker’s head, and the things they had learned caused Angel’s frustration to boil over.

“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 winced internally at the whine in hir voice.

“And?” Imp raised one pointed red eyebrow in the most insufferable manner.

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

Imp gave a small growl and conjured up more black pillows to sprawl on. Ha, he always did that when he wanted to divert Angel’s attention from the topic at hand. He was so predictable, but this time ze wouldn’t be distracted.

However, Imp deflected all attempts to evoke outrage, finally saying, “Whatever. I don’t giva shit.” He brought his red tail up and started picking his pointy teeth with the diamond shaped tip. The habit had annoyed Angel at first, but now ze found it almost cute, particularly since ze suspected Imp did it when he was feeling defensive.

“I tried to ask the Manager, but only got a lecture about duty.” There was no response from Imp who seemed to be lost in thought. Angel cleared hir throat a couple of times, but those bottom-less black eyes were unfocused and unreadable.

“Imp! Will you pay attention, please? You are so annoying!” Angel almost stamped hir foot in frustration, and Imp’s gaze snapped back before he smirked. Elated at having his attention, Angel launched into the speech ze had prepared.

It detailed the arguments about how they should broaden their horizons and hone their skills, followed by a short rant about the unfairness and perhaps even stupidity of their Management. Angel was almost breathless at the daring way ze complained and ended with the final question. “So tell me honestly, Imp, why do you think we keep getting assigned to gay men?”

Imp raked his fiery locks with his talon-like fingertips and casually replied, “Guess Management noticed I dig hot man-on-man action and ya’r fan of yaoi ‘n gay love stories. Mebbe they wanna reward—”

Angel felt like he had been punched in the guts. Losing control of the temper he didn’t even know he had, he shouted, “Oooohh, you horrible, impudent, evil, rude, stupid, disrespectful, ignorant, awful, infuriating Imp.” Halfway through the scolding, Angel managed to translocate to his private room where he collapsed on the floor and cried silver tears of shame and fury. How did Imp know about his interest in certain Japanese love stories? Even worse, why did he insist on pretending Angel had no understanding of the beauty and necessity of physical love?

Angel almost regretted not telling Imp of the awful fate awaiting those couples who admitted to true love but refused to consummate their union. They would spend eternity gazing across a vast ravine, unable to touch or talk or comfort each other as lovers should, while their hearts ached with unbearable loneliness. The Angel Aptitude Class had not only been shown examples, but they had ben forced to experience the pain of their separation. A massive shudder made the silver wings rustle as Angel once more tried to banish the memory. Anything was better than that, including letting Imp practice his seductive wiles on the humans. If they couldn’t both win, Angel would rather lose than win a lone victory. Did the Powers That Be devise the fates of human soul mates to force the angel halves of A.I. teams to work together with imps?

Angel’s fury at Imp returned; how could he not understand his partner approved of physical intimacy? Imp might call it by crude names, but humans making love was fascinatingly beautiful. True, Imp’s antics and the results still made his partner blush, but Imp also rolled his eyes at romance, even though Angel was certain he was secretly happy to help the lovers achieve success of the heart as well as the body. Angel believed Imp cared about the humans, or at least about joint mission success. Otherwise, why would he do almost everything Angel asked, in spite of him grumbling all the time and poking fun at the romantic outcome?

Suddenly, several novel ideas surfaced. Perhaps Imp was pleased about their missions with gay men because he was gay himself – that was a given since there were no female imps. Did Imp see himself in those couples, not only in relation to the physical intimacy but also the love? Was that why he didn’t resent only getting missions involving male soul mates? Did he have a lover back home in Hell who was perhaps more than…what was it he had called those men? The ones they had observed in the bar where the guys of the ninth mission had spent a lot of time? Oh, right, fuck buddies. Angel felt a blush develop at the naughty word, but there was also a strange hollow feeling inside. Something he had never felt before.

Angel jumped up to pace around, trying to dispel the disquiet which had crept up. Why would the thought of Imp’s antics between missions bother him? Especially since Imp hardly spoke of those interludes anymore. During the first half of their team missions so far, the sly devil had repeatedly teased his partner with veiled hints about his sexual escapades, as well as the suggestive whispers he used on the humans. But while Imp had expanded on his seductive attempts on the men and often leered at Angel while he spoke, he had gradually fallen silent about his own private exploits. Was it because Angel had ignored him and hidden his own discomfort? Or had Imp actually sensed how Angel resented those silly stories and decided to respect his limits?

Somehow, the idea Imp actually cared about Angel’s wishes brought a silvery sparkle into the air around the blue face. Not only angelic instincts but also rational thought supported this theory. Angel could recall plenty of situations where Imp had conceded to his partner in deed even if he had objected vehemently in speech. The latest and most important instance was that he used his scrying bowl to visualize all those romantic sequels to their missions. Imp had shown no interest in those scenes, but he hadn’t left Angel’s side.

He had definitely observed Angel, and he had known how delighted his partner had been by the end of the viewing. Maybe…just maybe, Imp cared as much or more about making Angel happy than the task itself? Had their relationship developed not only from competitors to collaborators but even further to…to friends? Was that why they were so successful in their missions?

Angel paced back and forth trying to work it out. He had never had a friend before, never spent so much time with another entity. Angels tended to hang around their own colors, but Blues were rather solitary creatures apart from valuing intellectual debates and games like chess. Even when the colors mixed and had joint gatherings or missions, which happened fairly often, Whites and Greens seemed to have an easier time befriending angels of the other color, while Blues kept aloof. Whites were fluffy, cute, and generally in tune with emotions. They loved and praised the purer feelings of which humans were capable: altruism, selfless love, genuine friendship, generosity and so on. They were the perfect opposites of imps, but Angel could see why this would make A.I. teamwork difficult and create tensions.

Green angels were probably the most popular and easy-going amongst all the heavenly creatures. Always cheerful, helpful, forgiving and compassionate, they tended to focus on how to make the universe a better place physically. They loved all creatures, great and small, and would sometimes give up their own existence to save or improve the physical world. Everyone admired them for their passionate devotion and overlooked their tendency to bend rules or become pushy in their zeal to achieve mission success.

Angel had never been part of an angelic trio, but had been taught about them. At times a white, a blue, and a green angel would be chosen to do an investigation or intervention. They would constitute a perfect balance between emotional, rational and practical in order to find the optimal solution, the best outcome for all the parties involved. Often the angels involved forged an unbreakable bond of friendship and pure love, and even though it might set them apart, their members still interacted normally with their own colors as far as Angel could discern. Just the same as when angels formed closer relationships within their own color; those friendships were never exclusive but seemed to enhance the existence of the green or white angels around them. Blues too, of course, but Angel had only met one set of blue angel friends; however, judging from a single observation was neither logical nor rational.

No matter what, friendship was something to desire, a good goal to achieve. And if being friends with Imp helped, made their job easier and success more likely, wasn’t it Angel’s duty to strive for such a relationship? Angel sighed; was he becoming too much like a Green? Too eager to cut corners or compromise for the sake of success?

A shudder ran through him. Their tutor hadn’t said anything, but Angel surmised from the examples that most of the fallen angels had been Greens. Naturally, the spectacular cases must have been Whites or Blues, simply because it was more unexpected and the impish tricks used were probably exceptionally clever and evil. But, of course, nothing like that was going on here. In fact, Imp seemed to become less evil and scheming as time went by. He might mouth off and play at improper behavior with that cute tail of his, but most of his actions were actually helpful and even respectful.

So what if Imp had blurted out the part about knowing of Angel’s fascination with yaoi and gay love stories? It wasn’t anything to be ashamed of and friends could share such innocent secrets. Imp had even admitted a secret of his own first, not that his fascination with physical intimacy was really a secret. A small giggle escaped Angel’s lips at the thought.

But looking back at the incident, Angel was filled with remorse for his silly outburst at his poor companion. Imp deserved better, and Angel was determined to make it up to him. The thought arrived with a fierce determination which was quite unusual for such a rational Blue, and which caused another moment of discomfort. Angel shook it off and popped back into the common room, hoping to find Imp there, but ready to go knock on his door to make amends if necessary. The silver-haired A.I. team member told the rational part of his brain their new mission would demand all their attention, and they needed to get back to a good team standing. As the one at fault, it was up to Angel to take the first step.

Luckily, Imp was sleeping on his mound of pillows in the common room. Looking around the area, Angel noticed how both of them had managed to put their own personal touches on the place. In fact, this room had become a nicer place to be than his private room. Gazing down at the red creature dozing restlessly on his black pillows, Angel realized it was Imp’s company that made the job fun. A fond smile hovered around Angel’s mouth at the recollection of intense strategy sessions and Imp pretending to tear his hair out while trying not to admit his partner was right. Like the time they had their final discussion about the blond Viking and his shy, red-haired slave….

***

“Ya can’t expect a tough warrior like Helge to go all mushy an’ romantic, ya blue twit! He’s a man, not a lily-mouthed, softhearted bard. If Padrik wants to win him over, he’s gotta shed some of that monkish behavior. Lover boy should shed some clothes while he’s at it, an’ show what he’s got to offer. Assets like his pretty, white arse an’ sexy red treasure trail.”

“But he should declare his love at the same time,” Angel said. “The way to Helge’s heart may be physical intimacy, but he will admire his soul mate for being brave enough to voice what they both feel. Since you will be the one to push Padrik to let go of his inhibitions, you need to make him bare his heart too.”

“Why do I get to do all the dirty work while you hang around the hot Viking stud flutterin’ yar ‘lashes an’ making cooin’ love sounds?” Imp looked hilarious making yuk faces while batting his eyelashes at Angel.

“We can trade places if you prefer, but I doubt I will be able to seduce Padrik to do what you want him to do. Helge, on the other hand, will need very little persuasion to act on his urges. We do want Padrik to consent, right?”

“Yeah, I guess so. I’m not a fan of rape. Steamy hot sex, yes, an’ a bit of bondage an’ fake reluctance can be fun.” He leered at Angel who pretended not to notice. Imp’s face changed to an expression of disgust as he said, “But forced copulation is sick, dude, an’ it brings too much screamin’ and crying. Not sexy at all. I wanna enjoy seein’ those two fuck each other’s brains out.”

Angel hid a wince at the crude words and smiled sweetly at the scowling imp. “There you go. You are the only one able to achieve success in this strategy, and I am sure you will do an amazing job as usual.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Flattery woun’t get ya nowhere, Angie.”

“Don’t call me that.” Another spate of bickering had followed, but they both knew the discussion was over, and Angel had won the argument. At their next rendezvous with the two men, they had implemented the plan with astounding success. The taste of victory was still sweet on his tongue.

***

Angel sighed with contentment and glanced around the room. The place was both cozy and safe, and Imp must have felt the same, since he had decided to sleep there. It was the first time Angel had come across him like this, and the idea Imp trusted his companion enough to fall asleep in the common area made Angel’s heart flutter with happiness. It also provided a chance to study him without getting caught. The small horns poking out of Imp’s flaming red hair fascinated Angel; he couldn’t help wondering what it would feel like to run his hands through the silky-looking strands and touch the smooth black nubs.

Imp’s skin looked slightly scaly up close, but from the two brief hugs Angel had managed to give him, he knew the red surface was soft and warm to the touch. Like a snake or one of the cute little lizards that had lazed around on the cliffs while the A.I. team had worked on Antonius and Cassius under the hot Roman sun. Not that Angel had ever touched either animal, but Cassius had caught one of the lizards and commented on its unexpectedly soft skin. As for snakes, he had heard an experienced ‘grass’ angel lecture a group of fellow Greens about snakes not being slimy or cold, but amazing smooth-skinned creatures having the temperature of their surroundings.

Thinking of snakes reminded Angel of another characteristic Imp shared with the creatures, his forked tongue that would peek out or move around most distractingly at times. Angel shook his head in confusion. It wasn’t so much when Imp deliberately tried to tease his A.I. partner by licking his tail, although that could be disconcerting too. No, the actions which threw Angel off balance were Imp’s unconscious use of the long, sinuous tongue. Like when he licked the last drops of his drink from the bottom of the glass. Or when he stared at good-looking human males and his tongue poked out the side of his mouth and did a weird little dance in Angel’s direction.

Truly, being part of an A.I. team was a harder challenge than Angel had ever imagined. But he was gradually coming to realize the difficult part had become going back to the heavenly realms after a job, and waiting for another mission. It seemed impossible, but Angel had to admit Imp’s presence made this place home. Maybe their tasks were arduous, but Imp somehow managed to cheer his partner up with his silly antics and outrageous behavior. He was obviously content with their being a team, and he focused on their joint success. He was acting with true team spirit, almost like a real friend.

Conjuring up a fluffy white comforter, Angel settled down next to his partner. Imp’s tail twitched and moved in his sleep, ending with the diamond-shaped tip on Angel’s arm. Angel felt a small shiver run up his spine and reached out to stroke the red appendage carefully. When the redhead purred in his sleep, Angel suppressed a satisfied chuckle at his kitten-like reaction. What better way to show Imp his teammate trusted and cared about him as a friend, than to lie here right next to him? Of course, seeing Imp’s reaction when he woke might be fun too. Maybe Angel would manage to surprise the clever devil for once.

Somehow Angel didn’t want to let go of Imp’s tail. Kissing the tip before tucking it between his silver hair and smooth blue cheek seemed the natural thing to do. A sense of rightness filled the empty space inside him as Angel slipped gradually into sleep.

Slowly, a small silver tendril wound its way from the area above his heart towards the softly snoring imp. At the same time a small red mist drifted out from Imp’s groin region, gradually forming a translucent cord which crossed the distance between the two creatures. The two potential connections hovered just out of reach for a few heartbeats before they bridged the gaps.

Imp wouldn’t be the only one blindsided by the changed Game Rules and the new phase in their A.I. partnership. Did the ‘upper deck’ have a plan and a good purpose, as well as a wicked sense of humor? Or were the Powers That Be taken by surprise too? Angel had demanded new challenges. But you know what they say: Be careful what you wish for….