Chapter 52: You are my Sunshine

"He'd never just leave," Baal instead from where he stood, Donnie was settled beside Israfil with his phone out.

"I know, it's...really odd," Abel mused, they had punched Sam's phone number into a tracking service only for the phone to come up at Norma's. It was as if the hunter vanished under their noses.

Despite their worry the King of Kings was determined to continue onward,

"We can't go see my friend without him," Bailey insisted from where she stood beside Baal. Her worry etched into her features, arms crossed over her chest.

"I know, but your friend is here for only a few hours," Abel whispered, running his fingers through his hair as stress burned into his gaze. Mishka let out a huff,

"Just gonna be leaving him too, Abe?" She spat, causing Abel to look to the floor. Clenching his fists,

"Hey Mish, that's not fair," Donnie piped up carefully. Mishka's shoulders dropped, she nodded to her friend.

"I know, I'm just stressed out," She admitted, "And I've been sick and it's just too much, sorry Abe,"

Booker glanced around the group with a curious glint in their gaze but said nothing,

"It's fine," Abel said, "Alright, let's split up. Bailey, Baal, Chammy, let's go talk to this lady. When we get back we can figure shit out with Sam and Cain," He groaned,

"Oh! That reminds me!" Donnie said as he got to his feet, Israfil followed without question.

"Do you mind if we borrow the van to see my folks? I'm...kind of without a car," Donnie said with a soft chuckle, feeling his face flush.

"Oh yeah, cops won't release the cars will they?" Bailey groaned nodded to Donnie. Pulling out the keys from her pocket and tossing them to the wolf who snatched them from the air.

"Sweet! We'll be back in-- maybe a week? Depends on what we find out,"

"Keep me posted!" Abel replied, the pair knocked their fists against one another as the wolf and his angel companion raced out of the room and away from the group. He heard Robin start talking but the wolf was far more focused on seeing his family, a buzz of excitement flooded his bones as the pair made their way up the stairs to grab a few things they had packed. The wolf yelped when he spotted the new quiver leaning against the wall beside the wolfs open door, something he and Israfil had stayed up late for a few nights to make for Robin. Snatching it up rapidly he turned towards the angel who was starting to collect the things they'd need. His wavy brown curls settled against his cheeks.

"Issy, toss stuff into bags! I gotta talk to Robin!" He called to his friend tossing the keys into the air, Israfil leapt up and caught them with a laugh.

"Should I pack your dog treats too?" Israfil called back, eyes glittered with laughter.

"Yeah! Bone shaped ones!" He called back with a laugh as he padded down the steps. The archer was already making his way to the steps with Danjal to collect their things, he practically bowled the man over. Shoving the quiver into the demons arms,

"Merry Christmas!" He laughed, causing Robin to blink at him in surprise.

"All of your arrows are now perfectly modified! Took me and Issy a day or two but I'm happy with it," He grinned bright at the demon who looked shocked at the gift,

"You uh-- Thank you?" Robin gasped

"Anything for me?" Danjal asked, Donnie glanced towards the man before shoving his hand into his jacket pocket and handing it to Danjal who looked at it with curiosity.

"What is this?" Danjal asked as he held up the necklace to the light.

"It's a shell!"

"Well I know what it is," Danjal laughed, rolling the small pink shell between his fingers. Pulling the necklace over his head and letting the shell drop to his chest.

"I'll explain it later," Donnie replied smoothly, not wanting to bore the large man. The invention was a bit older. He'd made it for his trip to Hawaii a few years back and never used it.

"It's not gonna explode at the Grotto or anything, is it?" Robin asked, reaching forward and picking it up. He glanced over the small shell before letting it drop back to the others chest.

"Nope, it's not super impressive and a little old. But I don't have a whole lotta time to explain, I'll do it when you two get back."

"What even is the Grotto?" Danjal asked, grinning down at Donnie. The wolf scratched at his cheek rapidly, almost dog like before speaking.

"It's a dude ranch, you know? Horses, animals, they teach kids to do farm stuff," He said with a hum, "Run by reformed vampires. My sister helps out there sometimes."

"Well I'll be damned," Danjal murmured, glancing over the shell again.

"Robin all the arrows are marked, the only ones that don't do anything special have black nock's and Fletching's. The quiver also got a few things I tossed in there,"

"You're one amazing son of a bitch," Danjal mused, pulling out one of the arrows and inspecting it. Donnie bowed to the man as Israfil trotted past with a few of their suitcases.

"We gotta go, don't have too much fun!" Donnie said as he grabbed one of the suitcases and raced down the steps. Since becoming a werewolf he found he had a new energy in him, his feet felt lighter, he could smell everything and anything, even hear pretty far if need be! Now he understood why werewolves stayed this way, when he wasn't angry it was like he was possessed by a golden retriever!

"Wait for me!" Israfil laughed as he leapt out of the front door after Donnie. The wolf stopped beside the old hippie van, his eyes glowing as he watched Israfil. The man's honey brown eyes glittered in the early morning light, Donnie's heart skipped a few beats at the man's smile. He wanted more than anything to taste the song that was always on the angels lips, to hold his hand and show him off to everyone. Yet a crushing feeling in his chest always made him stop, he didn't feel worthy of dating an angel of the lord. Especially now that he held a beast inside him, as much as he loved it, half of him hoped Paul found a way to rid his body of this curse so he'd feel more deserving of being with an angelic being.

"Do you think your Mom and Dad will like me?" Israfil asked as the two tossed their suitcases into the back of the van, tilting his head to the side like a confused puppy.

"I think they'll love you," Donnie breathed out, at least, he hoped! His father wasn't an easy man to get along with but he prayed that the older hunter would find Israfil as intoxicating as him.

"Hey!"

The two paused, glancing back to Bailey who strolled up to them with her phone out and a small smile on her face.

"Issy, go in the car. Me and Donnie need to talk,"

Donnie whimpered at the words, glancing to the brunette beside him and back. The angel nodded and shrugged at Donnie before grabbing the passenger seat door and swinging inside. Donnie glanced towards Bailey with a puzzled look on his features

"What's up?"

"Hey! So…" She paused, fiddling with her Adinkra nervously. "You said that your dad...he's a big name in the community and has a lot of information, right?"

"Yeah! He knows about everything, why? You cool?"

"Oh yeah! I just...you know, sometimes you need information but you're not sure who to go too and so you just ask around and hope that someone knows without demanding money or some kind of payment or...y-you know?"

Donnie blinked at her in confusion, "You...want information?" He asked, she nodded slowly with a nervous smile.

"What about? You don't have to pay me!" He laughed softly at this, Bailey treated the group as if they were all her kids and he rapidly came to love it! She had even been able to cut his hair perfectly after he wolfed out. He was shocked she knew how to handle the texture of his hair, it wasn't often he found anyone who could.

"First thing I learned from my teacher when I went to school was that most people don't learn to cut black people's hair and that should be considered a sin. Everyone's hair is beautiful and should be treated that way," Bailey had explained as she rolled her clipped against his facial hair to beat back the beard that was starting to form. Donnie always had a mustache but the full beard was something new!

"Well, I...think that someone-- or something bad has...some important souls and I want to know everything I can about souls. I looked through all the books but I couldn't find much," She whispered the last part, Donnie frowned at this. Thinking back to his fathers teachings but he only drew a blank.

"I'll ask him! See what I can do, I can also ask my grandfather too. The pair were a father son hunting team before my Dad became the church pastor after my great grandfather passed," Donnie explained, though he silently figured he'd ask his mother who seemed to have her hand more in the spiritual side of hunting. Bailey visibly lit up, throwing her arms around him and hugged him tight, nuzzling her cheek against his chest before pulling away and fixing her hair.

"Thank you," She breathed, "Also," she flipped her sunglasses over her warm amber eyes.

"You should tell Issy,"

Donnie looked at her with a shocked look on his face, "W-What?" He whimpered out nervously. Bailey grinned wide at him, looking to Israfil and back to Donnie.

"You're not a king, Don. You can be with whoever you want," She laughed, though there was a bitterness in her voice that Donnie couldn't place.

"Well..I mean, he's an angel, I don't...deserve that," He murmured, Bailey rolled her eyes at him. He could just barely see it behind the aviators,

"You're probably one of the most selfless people I've met, Don." She chuckled, slugging him lightly in the chest. He grinned at her, returning the soft playful hit.

"You deserve to be happy, and that dude in there is just as obsessed with you as you are with him,"

This caused Donnie's face to burn, she winked at him before turning on her heels and making way over to Baal who was leaning against the Impala with his phone out. Seemingly taking a selfie that the woman shoved her head into.

Donnie glanced up at Israfil who visibly brightened when the wolf looked at him. He breathed on the window and drew a smiling face on it causing Donnie to chuckle, he made for the otherside of the car and pulled himself into the driver's seat.

"Everything okay?" Israfil asked as he buckled up, pulling out his phone and scrolling through a music app with a hum in his voice.

"Yeah! She just wanted to know how you got so cute,"

Israfil laughed at this, his face turned a light shade of red, "I learned from the best!" He gestured to Donnie who felt his heart skip a few beats.

"Alright! Well!" He grabbed the wheel, "Music?"

"Music!" Israfil replied, turning the pop music on. Donnie didn't usually listen to happy music, he enjoyed heavy metal but since meeting the angel he found himself listening to more love songs than he ever had in his life.

"Suitcases?"

"Suitcases!"

"Phones?"

"Phones!" Israfil held up his phone, handing Donnie his own with a beaming smile, Donnie leaned close to the other with warmth in his gaze.

"Our sense of adventure?"

"Adventure away!" Israfil laughed, they gave each other a high five before Donnie turned the car on. It let out a soft purr, shaking lightly.

"Adventure away!" Donnie repeated, it was a phrase the two collected along the way. He wasn't sure where it came from, but he loved it more than he could explain.

***

The night sky cast it's darkness above the pair as they drove down the long freeway, music blasting from the speakers into the twilight. The windows all rolled down allowing the wind to rush through the angel's hair, it was getting longer and shaggy! The loud pop music caused energy to burn through his veins, making him want to run for miles as he turned to his friend in the driver's seat. Donnie sang with the music which caused the angel's heart to hum! Even if Donnie couldn't sing incredibly well it was one of his favorite things to hear.

It meant his friend was happy! Which was something he found himself constantly trying to do for the other. Since day one he saw that depression that ate away at the man's inner thoughts, his brain constantly thinking, always making it hard for him to relax. The angel has made it his mission to bring the other joy whenever he could, however he could! Why? He wasn't so sure himself.

The music stopped suddenly as the phone rang, Donnie leaned forward and pressed the "talk" button.

"Hey Paul! What's up?" Donnie asked aloud, his brother's voice came through the speakers around them.

"Hey!! You guys almost here?" He asked with a touch of warmth in his voice at the idea of seeing his brother.

"Few hours out," Donnie replied with a hum, moving his gaze to Israfil and back to the street that flashed past them in a blur.

"Awesome! We can't wait to meet you, Issy!" Paul laughed, Israfil felt a buzz in his chest. Excitement pumping into his veins, the need to dance and sing rolled through his body.

"I can't wait either!" He laughed, "I'm so excited I have goosebumps!"

Paul laughed at this, he could hear a few other voices in the background as well. They were on speaker, the angel could tell from the echo.

"Israfil, baby, do you have any diet restrictions? I'm going to have a pizza delivered! You said a few hours? How long is that?" The woman's voice was soft and loving, which told Israfil that it was probably Donnie's mother.

"I think around eight," Donnie said,

"Don, I'm talking to your friend,"

"Sorry mom," Donnie chuckled. Israfil grinned wide, his eyes glowed.

"I don't! I'll eat about anything so long as it doesn't have mushrooms!"

"Bad texture!" Donnie said,

"Yeah yeah, bad texture for sure." Issy agreed.

"Alright! Drive safe boys, me and Mr. Campbell are very excited to meet you! We've seen all your pictures and can't wait to hear you play your guitar," she said with an added energy into her words.

"Alright! See you soon, mom!" Donnie chuckled, "love ya!"

With that he hung up the phone, the music started up again as Israfil relaxed into the seat. Humming along to the song. Donnie watched him out of the corner of his eye.

He was nervous. He knew his brother had told everyone about his feelings for the angel, they were acting as if the pair were dating already! Already? His heart sank, he didn't believe that Israfil would ever settle for him. He wasn't just a human anymore, now he was also a monster. Yet the angel continued to be the sunshine Donnie had been craving his entire life.

The man's smile made him feel like he was dropped into a pool of warm, beautiful water and he didn't want to try to swim away from it anymore. His feelings were driving him up a wall, he caught himself staring, talking about him constantly to everyone but especially his family. His brother recently pointed out the few changes in Donnie the man hadn't noticed about himself.

How his music taste had switched from heavy rock and metal to lighter, more happy stuff that Israfil loved, though Donnie still loved his metal he knew Israfil enjoyed singing to the happier songs which caused the wolfs tastes to shift ever so slightly. How he didn't work so hard all the time, in fact, he found himself leaving projects alone that he would have obsessed over for days to spend time with the angel. He found himself dancing, singing and acting goofy when he used to detest doing so. Trying so hard to come off as smart, as older than he was but something about Israfil made him change that.

Even when he wolfed out the angel's presence kept the anger calm, the warmth of his touch, his forehead against Donnie's. He was different from everyone Donnie had dated or befriended, Israfil letting himself learn even when he didn't understand what the genius was talking about - he always tried. The angel would attempt to help, to give ideas, the Wolf's intelligence didn't seem to bother the angel like it had in the past with others in his life.

The hours ticked by as he busied himself with thoughts. He knew, deep in his gut, that he'd tell Israfil how he felt on this trip. He had too or he felt he'd go crazy! He trusted that Israfil wouldn't drop their friendship if he told him he knew the angel better than that. Glancing towards the other, he was seated awkwardly on the cushion with his phone to his face. Giggling to himself as he scrolled through his blog.

Donnie so badly wanted to call the other the pet names he silently assigned to the man, wanted to call him beautiful, but it was terrifying to him. When he was with his family he'd have more courage, right? Part of him almost wished he was one of the kings, that Israfil was his lion heart.

From what he gathered the Lionheart and the king were always soulmates. Though there were cases of them being non-romantic soulmates that was incredibly rare to the point of it only being mentioned in one old text. He let out a nervous breath as their exit came up.

"Alright, you're about to meet a lot of people," Donnie said to the other.

Israfil looked towards him with such a big, excited grin it made the wolf bite his lip in an attempt to keep the words that billowed in his throat back.

"I know! I've been chatting with Vanilla all day, I'm so excited. I can't wait to meet everyone!"

"You're amazing, you know that?"

Israfil tilted his head to the side in the overdramatic puppy dog way that he always did, "why?"

"Well...I mean, most of the time people who meet my family are a little terrified." He chuckled nervously, "they...are a lot."

"That's okay," Israfil soothed, "I love everyone!"

Donnie gave the other a warm, dreamy smile. "I know you do, Is,"

The angel gave him a thumbs up as they took the exit, after only a few more turns they entered the town that Donnie called home. It was a small town with only one school, a handful of little restaurants and not a ton of people. Everyone knew everybody, and now Donnie would have to start introducing the angel around.

Silently, he hoped he could introduce the man as his boyfriend near the end but it hung in the air if the angel would return his feelings. Israfil was incredibly talented at hiding what he thought or felt, even when it came to love. He only knew the man felt love due to his love for Faith, the thought of the archangel sent a shot of anger through his bones but he shoved this into the back of his mind.

"Here we are!" Donnie said, pulling into a large, mansion sized home. A church was attached to it with trees scattered all about, flowers blooming in brilliant color all around the home. He glanced at the angel who was practically vibrating with excitement.

"I think I've been here before," Israfil whispered, eyes wide.

Parking in the front, Donnie rolled his eyes as he spotted his large family all collected in the front of the house. A few kids ran around, his oldest brother stood with his wife who had a hand on her large belly. A couple of his other brothers waved him down, his only Sister towered over Paul with her arms out waving them in excitement.

"Okay, a few notes you might already know but just in case, so Vanilla's transg--" Donnie started but Israfil had already leapt from the car, racing up to the large group of people. Donnie sighed happily as he stepped out, shutting his door and going around to close Israfil's. The angel practically jumped into Vanilla's arms.

The woman laughed, hugging the smaller man tight and spinning.

"My favorite angel!" She yelled out, Donnie moved to his family who quickly went to him. Everyone was on the two in heartbeats, Paul trying to introduce people but no one could hear over the talking. Israfil went from person to person to shake their hands and introduce himself.

"Where's mom and dad?" Donnie asked as he made for Paul, the house lights turning the front lawn bright. Sending light over the large group as they chatted to one another.

"Inside," Paul snorted, looking down at his younger brother with a grin.

"I knew he was a happy guy, but damn! He already feels like one of us, yaknow, except for the height!"

Donnie shoved Paul and shook his head, Israfil went down to talk to the kids. Going to his knees to introduce himself,

"Hey! Be polite," Paul said to his sons who looked at Israfil with wide eyes.

"Are you really an angel?" One asked, clenching a superhero doll in his arms, his deep brown gaze matched his skin tone, with shaggy, long curls rolling down his shoulders.

"Yes, I'm the angel of music!" He giggled, "are you really Iron man?"

The little boy beamed at this, "how did you know?"

Israfil shot Paul a look before grinning wide, "I'm an angel! I know a lot of things!"

"What about me?" The other twin asked, puffing out his chest. Israfil scratched his head overdramatically and pretended to think hard.

"No, don't tell me," he started, "you're-- Spiderman!"

The boy squeaked, throwing his arms around the angel who laughed in glee.

Paul nudged Donnie, "good with kids too,"

"You're acting like I just proposed to the guy," Donnie snorted quietly,

"I'm just saying, you're not getting younger,"

"Paul! Stop," his wife murmured, she leaned on him. Eyes moving from the pair down to her stomach and back, "Not everyone get's married and has kids," She giggled.

"Well they should!" Paul huffed.

"Inside everyone! Come on! It's getting cold!" Vanilla shouted.

"Can you carry me?" One of the twins asked the angel, Israfil laughed and held out his arms. The boy launched himself into Israfil who jumped up, floating into the air a bit and spinning. The boy laughed loudly at this as the angel made for the front door, the twin raced behind.

"Me next!" He yelled out,

"Forrest, River! Say please!" Stella shouted to her sons, following after. Donnie and Paul walked side by side into the house. The wolf's hands brushed over the rose bushes that were shoved beside the white home, their soft pinks and whites among the forest green on their leaves brought a sense of peace to the man.

The group made their way up the cobblestone driveway, "I thought maybe I was pushing you too much, but seeing you? Don, you're practically glowing." Paul laughed, causing the wolf's face to turn red as the men walked slowly behind the rest. Attempting to stay out of earshot of Israfil.

"Ah shut up,"

"I mean it, I haven't liked any of your boyfriend's. But Israfil?"

"Come on, man, he's an angel."

"Abel's dating an angel,"

"Abel's basically Jesus,"

Paul stopped just outside the door, looking down at his brother with a knowing look.

"Yeah? And Jesus was a normal guy when he started, you're just a normal guy right now but you're gonna shine brighter than all of us," Paul whispered the last part as if it held heavy meaning, it wasn't anything new. The wolf heard this often from Paul, the man had said this to him since childhood and he wasn't sure if it was because Paul was a good guy or if the man knew more than he let on.

"I'm just...saying, I'm terrified that he should be with someone...great,"

"How about this, let's make a bet!" Paul crossed his large arms over his chest, his dreadlocks settled around his neck as if he had a mane.

"Oh you know I never say no to a bet," Donnie snorted, tilting his head up with pride.

"If Dad approves, you tell him,"

Donnie blinked in surprise, that was the last part that scared him.

"You know Dad, that man never approves! You know how long it took us to convince him to approve of Stella?" Paul continued, he definitely knew more than he was letting on but Donnie didn't want to bother figuring out the others odd clues he was dropping.

"Do...you think he'll approve?" Donnie murmured, scratching at his cheek from the anxiety that pulsed through his veins.

"I'm...not sure," Paul admitted, "But do we have a deal?" He held his hand out to his younger brother. Donnie glared at the man and glanced down to his hand, grabbing it. It was perfect, right?

"Boys! Come in here!" Their mom shouted from inside the home, stained glass windows on the door glittered in the moonlight as the pair made their way into the home. The house was large, with pictures of Donnie's family lining the walls. The inside felt old, with hardwood floors and red wood covering the sides of the home. Donnie and Paul made their way down the short hallway and into the living room, a few chairs seated beside a large red couch. A shag rug stretched in the middle of the room with a coffee table on top, a large flat screen tv settled past this and pushed against the wall. A few guns sat above the picture box, held behind glass to keep them safe.

The family all sat in the chairs and couch, chatting, laughing, Israfil was seated beside Vanilla and Donnie's mother. His mother ran her fingers through Israfil's hair, laughing as she and Vanilla talked. Vanilla ran her long pink nails down the angels back and to the guitar.

"It's Bellwether, one word!" Donnie's mom sang, Israfil's eyes glowed.

"Bellwether! Got it,"

"Oh! Donnie!" His mother hopped to her feet, she was shorter than everyone else in the home. Her tight, curly hair seemed to bounce with every step, her soft auburn eyes glowing with joy at seeing her son. The bright colors she wore stood out against her deep, oak skin.

"Mom!" He threw his arms around her, burying his face into her shoulder and letting out a happy sigh. She hugged him tight, grinning wide as her son relaxed in her arms.

"He is so handsome, Don," She whispered to the wolf, causing Donnie's face to burn.

"And he looks at you like you're his world,"

She pulled away and looked him over, getting to her toes and rushing her fingers against his cheek and ruffling them into his short locks.

"My boy! A werewolf! I can't believe it," She murmured, Donnie gave her a soft smile. Kissing her forehead "Don't worry, Ma, it's not too bad!"

"Hey mom!" One of Donnie's brothers huffed, "I used to room with a werewolf, they're pretty cool, not as ugly as Donnie though!" Humor flashed in the other's cherry brown gaze. A few visible scars on his face, a large wooden stake tattooed on the others neck caused Donnie to roll his eyes. Max was big on monsters! More so than any of the others.

"Shush Max!" She turned to him, crossing her arms over her chest with a huff. Donnie's father came from behind his son and went to his wife. Grabbing her by the hips making her laugh as he wrapped his arms around her.

"My family is all here laughing without me!" He chuckled, Donnie scooted past the pair and made for the couch. Sitting himself beside Israfil who shuffled closer to Donnie till they touched, sending a wave of warmth through his system. For a few seconds he couldn't help but think of how wonderful it'd be to be married, to stay with someone the way his parents stayed with one another. He glanced at Israfil who caught his eyes and shot the hunter a bright grin which sent another wave of warmth into his chest.

"Donnie! Who's your friend?"

Donnie blinked a few times as his fathers voice broke into his daydream,

"Oh! Dad," Donnie chuckled in embarrassment, "This is Israfil, he's--"

"The angel of music and harmony,"

Donnie looked a little shocked his father knew who Israfil was but at the same time he shouldn't be shocked! His father was one of the most knowledgeable hunters on the planet at the moment.

"Yes!" Israfil laughed, getting to his feet and holding out a hand. Donnie's father was large, muscular, with pale brown eyes and shaved down hair. He was graying on his large mustache but it suited him,

"It's nice to meet you," Israfil said,

There was a silence that followed, it was unspoken in the family that if someone wasn't approved by his father they weren't approved by the family. It was something that caused many relationships to fail, everyone Donnie had brought home was rejected without even learning his fathers name.

"Israfil," The man said, a soft laugh on his lips as he leaned forward and hugged the angel. Israfil's eyes glowed so bright as he returned the hug. Everyone in the room's jaws dropped at this, especially Paul's who had to convince their father to even shake his wife's hand. Yet here he was, one of the most judgmental men Donnie had ever met hugging the angel.

"My name is Buck, short for Buckshot," He laughed, pulling away from Israfil. "It's been so long, I'm assuming you don't recognize me anymore,"

Israfil listened to the man for a few heartbeats until his eyes lit up with understanding, he gasped and threw himself on the other.

"You're alive!" Israfil laughed out, and the man returned the hug.

"You look the same as the day you saved me," He chuckled, pulling away and placing a hand on the angel's shoulder. "Well, except the hair! Didn't you use to be blonde?" He chuckled, running his fingers through the angel's wavy locks.

"And now, my boy brings you home?" He grinned wide, turning to his family who all looked dumbfounded.

"We celebrate," He practically shouted,

"H-How do you know each other?!" Vanilla gasped out, tying back her long hair in an anxious manner.

"Oh, well, Israfil do you want to do the honors?" he nodded to the guitar on the angel's back, Israfil nodded and pulled his guitar forward. His eyes closed, the lights in the home flickered causing the group to look around in awe, the Adinkra glowed a vivid gold as he ran his fingers over the strings. They hummed into the air, the lights went out as the strings turned to gold under his skin.

"Long time ago," Israfil started, "When I was still in hiding with Faiths Adinkra, I met a man and his son running from a group of men who felt that this man didn't deserve to live due to his skin color."

Light shuddered and moved from the guitar like lava in a lamp, it showed white shapes running after a man and his son. The picture changed to the man holding his child,

"I was living in this little church at the time, the man came into the church to hide,"

The picture changed to a large church with great stained glass walls and a cross settled in the middle. Though it was mostly shapes Donnie silently was astonished by the level of detail that it showed, he knew Israfil made every shape in his mind and translated it using his grace but the others vivid imagination always surprised the wolf.

"The man somehow knew who I was, he knew I was an angel despite me not saying anything. He came to me and told me he'd been praying that these people have been after him a long time."

The picture changed again to show the shapes of the man and his son with fearful expressions, Israfil showed himself as well with a bent halo that caused Donnie to tilt his head to the side in curiosity.

"That was your grandfather," Donnie's father said, causing the angel to smile a little wider at the others' inclusion, "He was being chased down by other hunters who felt he would cause more damage than anything." The man took over telling the story, nodding to Israfil who made the pictures with the man's words.

"I was so young, yet I still remember Israfil's light. When those men came up to the church he didn't question us, He told me God had plans for me, that I shouldn't stop fighting for my family,"

The picture changed to the outside of the church with the hunters creeping up on the building, only for a flood of light to explode out of the windows on the church and turning the once dark area to a brilliant gold.

"From there, he went outside to confront the group. To this day, Israfil, I don't know what you did...but I'm happy to see you again, my friend. He came back once or twice to check up on me, but I haven't seen you since I was a boy."

The sound of the guitar faded out, Israfil hopped up onto his feet as the lights flickered back on. The man grinned wide at the smaller man, wrapping an arm around the angel's shoulder with a laugh.

"My father turned that Church into the one beside us,"

"That's the same church!" Israfil gasped, practically hopping up and down at this point. Donnie scrambled to his feet and beamed at the angel. He had heard that story before, it was usually longer and more dramatic but he was never told what angel saved him. The whole story now brought tears to his eyes, without Israfil's influence there was a possibility that he wouldn't even be alive.

"Oh yeah," Buck mused, "After that Israfil visited the town often. He'd come and go, helping all of us out, That is. Until the church fire," The man murmured, shaking his head as if the memory was painful.

"But that's a different story for another day," The man finished.

The group all started to chatter together as the shock of it wore off. Buck guided Israfil from where he stood towards the kitchen, the family following close behind. The kids were chatting with one another in excitement at the whole spectacle as they sat down to eat pizza. Donnie could hardly even believe how well Israfil seemed to fit in with his family, he recalled things that his siblings enjoyed from their posts on social media, told stories of his journey, though Donnie noticed he avoided talking about Faith.

His thoughts were torn as he felt someone nudge him, he was sitting near the end where he usually sat. Everyone was listening to one of Israfil's stories about a riot he had been a part of.

"Hey" Paul murmured, Donnie glared at his brother. Silently wishing Israfil was beside him instead of his nosy older sibling. He had noticed Paul move from one seat to another as the group ate until he was closer to Donnie, he knew the conversation was coming but hoped they'd finish dinner before it happened.

"What?" Donnie hissed at the man, Paul grinned bright at his brother with a shit eating grin plastered on his face as if he'd learned the secret to Atlantis.

"He saved Dad's life!"

"So? Do I have to give him something for it?" Donnie whispered back, glaring at the other.

"Blow job maybe,"

Donnie looked shocked, growling low at the man, "Paul go away,"

"No way!"

"Guys,"

The two brothers turned their head to their mother who was glaring at them, Israfil beamed at Donnie which nearly knocked him off his seat from the rush of warmth that flooded his bones like the sunlight had just blasted its way through the darkest skies and into his view.

"Israfil is talking," She growled, both men ducked their heads and apologized at the same time causing the woman to nod at them before turning her attention back to the angel.

"You should tell him," Paul murmured, Donnie let out an annoyed sigh and leaned back in the wooden chair under him. His hands nervously fiddled with the yellow table cloth that was covering the large eating area.

"Paul stop, he's an angel. I'm only a human...kind of," Donnie hissed out to his brother, but he couldn't keep the longing out of his gaze as he turned his head to glance at the angel.

"Donnie you're so stupid! He practically radiates when he looks at you,"

"Shut up! I have claws now, I'll use them!"

Vanilla pushed her head closer to the three, having done the same thing Paul did until she was only a seat away. Her long hair felling against her shoulders, pale eyes glittering with mischief.

"Did you see the way Israfil looked at him?" She whispered to Paul who grinned at his sister,

"Right? It's like someone turned another light on in here!"

"Take him to the ugly tree!" Paul murmured

"Oh yes! I got my first kiss there," Vanilla sighed

"Wasn't it from that kid who ate dried pasta for lunch?" Donnie chuckled

"The boy was bad but the kiss was romantic,"

Donnie rolled his eyes and looked to the floor, feeling his face burn. His older siblings were pretty great at making him fluster up around a crush but this was different and Donnie knew it. He felt it. Something about this was different and it terrified him.

***

Mammon glared daggers at the woman standing beside him, her eyes narrowed to slits as they settled in a small motel room. A lollipop between her cherry red lips, eyes covered by sharp, red sunglasses despite the sun not being out. Soft, short red hair falling in her face.

"How much longer?" Mammon growled, "I have a Robin who's wings need plucking,"

"Shut up, we're not going after Ancitif. Yet. We need to kill the next king before he gets his Adinkra,"

Mammon sighed, running his fingers through his shaggy dark hair. His chest still hurt from what his father had done but it didn't bother him much, though he was happy to be given a second chance.

"Besides, what rush do you have? I was dead for ages! They just brought me back, do you know how many podcasts I need to catch up with?" She snarled at the other.

"Oh shut up!" Mammon snorted, "You got to have a dirt nap without some faggot ass demon shooting you in the face,"

She laughed at this, crossing her long legs over one another, biting down on the candy in her mouth so it made a loud crunch.

"No but some shitty angel blasted me into bits! Least the guy who killed you wasn't hopped up on horny energy,"

"Onoskelis, Mammon,"

They both turned to the door that had been pushed open quietly, a tired looking demon with large bags under his eyes and an annoyed glint in his gaze walked in with a suitcase that looked far too heavy for him. His short, fat frame waddled into the middle of the room. Tossing it down with a sigh, Mammon stood up from where he sat on the single twin bed of the motel room while Onoskelis rolled off the old chair she sat in and stood up straight.

"You found it?" Mammon asked as the small demon pulled his comically large glasses off his face and rubbed them on his shirt.

"Of course! They don't call me 'Eligos the discoverer' for nothin'" The man snorted, placing his glasses back on his face. The two demons surrounded the man as he fiddled with the large suitcase, punching in a code into the electronic key that was wrapped around the front to prevent anyone from getting inside.

"I think it's…" Eligos murmured to himself, coughing a few times as he typed in and the key let out a soft beep before turning red. He scratched his head and narrowed his eyes,

"Maybe it's--" He grumbled to himself, rubbing his liver spotted forehead. Mammon and Onoskelis share a look of irritation at the older man's speed. The balding man typed into the key again, it let out another angry beep causing him to huff.

"Now, I just made that code this morning," He whispered, scratching his head another.

"Can you hurry up? If I don't hear MBMBAM's beautiful voices in my head in twenty minutes there will be hell to pay," Onoskelis groaned

"Yeah yeah! Kids these days," The man huffed, waving a hand at her with a snort. "You know back in my day we didn't have MBMBAM's to listen to either. We had to go to a concert to hear our bams! We couldn't just hear it in a second,"

Mammon laughed at this causing the woman to shoot him a dark glare, the man continued with his fiddling before it let out a small click. The electric key flashed green as the case whirled before clicking open. The inside glowed a vivid gold, causing the demons to grin wildly at the old man. He huffed and laughed, pushing the case open.

"Now you kids be careful! You'll cut your ear off,"

***

Israfil collapsed on the bed in Donnie's room, he grinned up at the stars on the ceiling that were stuck into the white wood. There were hundreds of them! Israfil couldn't imagine how long it must have taken the wolf to get those up, Donnie dropped down on the bed beside him with a laugh. Laying down and grinning at the other, the man's smile sends a wave of warmth into his bones. He used to be fearful of the feelings that the wolf brought him, he feared he'd have to pick between Donnie and Faith some day but now he understood things more clearly.

Yet, he knew it wouldn't last. Not with what Faith had told him. Not with the final part of his mission. He wasn't sure when it would happen but until then he knew he wanted to be beside the wolf until then,

"You like my family?" Donnie asked, they were sitting in his room from when he was a teenager with posts all over the walls, a few old experiments that lined the old desk and floor. Paperwork of all sorts were tossed into drawers or scattered among the ruins of old machine parts that lazily settled in the shag rug underfoot.

"I love them!" Israfil sang out, scooting closer to the other. Donnie smiled wide, the two continued to look up at the stars. A rush of warmth exploded into Israfil's chest when he felt Donnie push his hand into the angel's, his heart skipping a few times as he looked at the wolf in curiosity. He'd never held the angel's hand before, they cuddled often but it was normal for Israfil to cuddle up to just about anyone. But hand holding? It was a little more than he was used to, yet, it filled something in his chest he couldn't explain.

"Hey Donnie," Israfil murmured, frowning. Donnie let out a small breath as if he were working himself up to say or do something though the angel wasn't sure what that could possibly be.

"Yeah?"

"Can...I confess something?" Israfil whispered, Donnie looked more interested now. Eyes meeting Israfil's, he nodded to the angel with a spark in his gaze.

"Well...remember when we first met," He whispered, lacing his fingers with the others, Donnie scooted until their shoulders touched.

"Yeah, of course! I thought you were going to rob me!" He laughed, Israfil smiled at the memory and tilted his head to look at the other better. Donnie did the same, their foreheads nearly touching as he spoke,

"Well, I...kind of lied," He admitted, "I..wasn't assigned to you, I...just didn't know what else to do," he admitted, "after I gave Abel the Adinkra I followed them and I saw you. You were so...friendly and nice to them and everyone else...I just wanted a friend," he murmured, shaking his head "I...just wanted to be part of this group, in your radar specifically,"

"So you didn't even have any other angels telling you these things?"

Israfil shook his head, "I just didn't want to be alone anymore," he whispered. Donnie couldn't imagine how lonely Israfil must have been all those years, he could hardly go a few days without calling his family whenever he was alone.

"You won't have to be alone again," Donnie whispered, "I won't let you be alone anymore,"

Israfil smiled at this, his heart was beating so fast he swore that Donnie could hear it from where he laid. He bit his lip and shut his eyes, maybe he should be telling the other about these weird feelings that flooded him? Especially after Faith, it was as if a flood gate had opened or maybe he felt them all along?

"Issy," Donnie murmured, the angel's eyes opened he tilted his head at the other.

"Donnie," He replied back with a small chuckle.

"Do you...still love Faith?" He murmured

Israfil thought about this for a few seconds, his eyes moving from Donnie to the wall behind him and back. He could make out a few of the man's drawings from when he was a teenager on the back wall,

"I...do," He whispered, "But I...feel better, I don't know if I'll ever stop loving her," He admitted, "I need to let her go though,"

Donnie nodded at this, seeming to think over what the other said. He sucked in a sharp breath, he was going to tell him.

"I just, guess I'm hurt I was only a pawn,"

"You aren't a pawn," Donnie said quickly, causing the angel to give him a small smile.

"At least, you're not a pawn to me," Donnie added, "You're...my sunshine," He whispered, causing the angel's face to turn a soft shade of red.

"Israfil I--"

His words were cut off when someone knocked at the door, Donnie groaned and sat up. He pulled himself off the bed and made for the door, Paul smiled and waved at his brother only for Donnie to shove the man back and slam the door behind him. Leaving Israfil alone in his old bedroom, the angel giggled and sat up. He examined the room a little closer until something sparked in his mind,

"Israfil!"

Israfil blinked when the voice echoed through his skull, Angel radio hadn't been working for him since he denounced God with Chamuel but somehow someone went through.

"Uriel?" Israfil whispered, but no one answered. He blinked a few times and listened hard but nothing came. Donnie walked back into the room a few seconds later, running his fingers through his short locks with a huff.

"My Dad wants to talk to you, again," Donnie attempted to keep the irritation from his voice but Israfil picked up on it quickly. He shot the man a grin,

"Where is he?"

***

After a few days Donnie felt as if he were going to crawl out of his skin, his father seemed to always want to be around Israfil despite his mother trying to keep him away so the pair could talk. Israfil didn't seem to mind as he was dragged from one event to another, his father wanted to take the angel to Sunday Church, explain to the folks that he was an angel of the Lord and the demons wouldn't win. Israfil met Donnie's grandfather who practically collapsed on the angel, sobbing into the man's shirt.

Sunday whizzed past in a blur as Donnie was consistently shoved aside by his family, but one thing that held true was no matter how often the angel was dragged from one thing to the next he always seemed to find his way back to Donnie. The night before the pair had ventured out into the woods to see the ugly tree and part of Donnie was still high from the experience. Playing the night over in his mind a few times.

Donnie sat beside Paul in the church, the dazzling dying light from the stained glass above shimmered onto the wooden floor and over the pews they settled in. A choir sang not far off, a band knocking to the tune. His father sat in front of him, hands folded, while a thin, older looking man smiled at the people inside. He was telling a small summary of some bible verse Donnie's heard a hundred times. His eyes moved from the man on the stage to the back of Israfil's head, the man was planted between his parents with his leg bouncing nervously. He could tell the angel's smile was fake, he'd glance back to Donnie every so often as if making sure he hadn't left.

"-- And the Adinkra's where made by King Nana, part of the Bono people of Gyaman." The older man said, his salt and pepper hair was covered by a hat. His voice smooth and soft, his dark skin almost radiated in the light of the church.

"Great! Perfect," Buck said, getting to his feet and shaking the hand of the smaller man as he walked to the pews and took a seat beside Donnie. The wolf glanced at him curiously before looking back at Paul whose eyes were on his wife sitting in the pews beside them, The two were passing a game of hangman to one another over the walkway between their seats secretly while things went on.

"That was Pastor Fran everyone," Buck made his way to the podium, placing both hands on the wood before motioning at Israfil. The angel got up anxiously, Donnie could see the man nervously picking at the skin on his fingers.

"Everyone, This is Israfil, he is an angel of the Lord!"

Everyone murmured to one another as if they didn't believe it, Israfil let out a soft breath. The lights flickered a few times in the church causing the crowd to fall silent as the angel floated up in the air, the golden light from the sun turned the angel's eyes to a honey color as his wings extended from his back. Coming out as a quick shadow as if just to show a light peak of the angel's power. Everyone gasped, murmuring to one another in fear.

"My friends, team Born Again has two angels on it," Buck breathed,

"And one Campbell!" Israfil said as he dropped back down to his feet, his halo glimmered in the light. He gestured to Donnie who looked shocked and shook his head, Israfil nodded at him.

"Come on, don't make me throw a bone!" Israfil mouthed, Donnie felt a rush of warmth through his skin.

"Oh God, I'm in deep," He whispered to himself, Fran laughed beside him. He didn't pay the man any mind

Getting to his feet he stepped into the golden sunlight and started towards the other, keeping his eyes on the brilliant sunshine in the angel's honey brown gaze. His heart beat rapidly as walked up the path of the church towards the man. For a few seconds he felt dizzy with joy as he stood beside the other, the crowd clapped for the pair. Donnie's heart jumped as Israfil gingerly took his hand, he looked down at the other in shock as he leaned on him.

"Don't forget, we have to talk after," Israfil whispered, his eyes shone with such love Donnie felt as if he'd melt into the floor.

"Yes We do, sunshine" Donnie whispered, staring out at the patrons in the church he sucked in a breath. Standing tall beside his father, feeling powerful with Israfil holding onto him.

"I'm on Team Born again, and me and Israfil are going to save all of you! These demons, creatures, this darkness, me and…" He smiled down at Israfil again, who seemed to glow.

"Me and my Lionheart," He finished, at this Israfil noticed a shimmer of gold flash in Donnie's gaze. The crowd let out a burst of excitement. Buck laughed, placing a hand on his son's shoulder. After a few more words he and Israfil made their way back to their assigned pews.

As he sat down to listen to the rest of his Father's speech all he could do was stare at the back of the angel's head. He knew he was smiling like hell, he knew his brother saw this, he didn't care.

"Paul,"

The man leaned into his brother, "You gonna tell him?" Paul whispered back

"Yeah," Donnie gulped hard as the angel glanced back at him with a smile and turned back to the man at the front.

"I am, but can you keep Dad busy for like ten minutes?"

"Oh, we can keep dad busy for thirty! Give you time to-- you know!" He winked at his brother, causing Donnie to flip him off playfully.

Donnie sighed, sitting back in the seat as Paul and his wife ducked their heads together to chat. Her fluffy dark hair fell over his brother's face causing the man to snort out a laugh, the wolf rolled his eyes at this and moved his gaze back to Israfil.

"Got it bad indeed," Fran chuckled.

Donnie glanced towards Fran with a frown, "Yeah but...I...I'm a little worried though,"

"Why's that?" Fran asked, adjusting the hat on his head. He leaned on the cane in his hands, eyes glittered with wisdom.

"He's...an angel, I'm...not," Donnie's mind flashed to the night before but he shoved this to the back of his mind. After all, it was only a kiss.

Fran nodded slowly at this, seeming to take in what the other said, "An angel maybe, but from what I can see angel's might just be as human as you and me,"

Donnie frowned, he hadn't thought of it like that. Sure, he was an angel but Israfil was obviously very human as well.

"He's got this great power and responsibility and...I don't know," He murmured,

"And? We are all unique, it's one thing God loves so much about all their creations. We are all special, all beautiful, all a little too human. If Israfil was a celebrity would you feel the same? That you're not worth his love?"

Donnie thought this over for a few seconds, trying to keep his voice low so Paul wouldn't cut into their conversation. He'd tried talking about this with his family but Paul and Vanilla would often bulldoze their way through his love life.

"No, I guess not. A celebrity is just a person,"

"And, you kissed him last night. Didn't you? Now why would an angel and a werewolf not work?"

Donnie froze, how did Fran know he was a werewolf? Better yet, how did Fran know about the kiss?

When he came here his father admitted to telling one or two close friends but not anyone else who wasn't in the family. The kiss last night was only seen by a few stoned teenagers too. There wasn't any way Fran could know about it, right?

"Here,"

His thoughts were dashed as Fran handed him something, "Be strong, no matter what the world says. What God says. You do what's in your heart, you fight until you're happy and than keep fighting,"

With that said Fran got up with the rest of the Church, Donnie didn't have a chance to say anything else to him before he vanished in the crowd.

"You cool, dude?" Paul asked, "You look like you saw the ghost of great Nan!" he chuckled, Donnie didn't answer him as he glanced down to the small trinket in his hand. It was a switchblade, the words 'Fran' were written on the black cover of the blade in gold. He pressed the small black button on the side causing it to flip open, eyes wide at the golden blade that glimmered in the light.

"What's that?" Paul asked,

"Switch blase," Donnie replied dumbly, letting his fingers dance over the sharp blade.

"No duh," Paul laughed, only for him to be shoved aside by Buck. Causing Paul to let out a childish whine at his father.

"Donnie, we need to talk," Buck said with a small smile, Israfil walked beside him and looked at the man puzzled before giving Donnie a thumbs up and leaving the church beside Paul and Stella.

"What's up Dad?" Donnie asked, shoving the knife into his back pocket, turning to his father. He was worried the man would scold him for deciding to stay a werewolf. He and Israfil talked about it in length and he felt he was more helpful to the team as a wolf.

The man sat down on the pew beside his son, his wrinkled face and tired eyes made him look older than he was. Though the man still ran strong Donnie worried for him at times,

"So, you and Israfil,"

Donnie froze, he looked down to the ground and shuffled awkwardly. He felt like a child bringing his date home for the first time, he hated that! His father often made him feel childish for being one of the children who didn't buff up and join in on the hunt.

"I'm that obvious, huh?" Donnie asked, sitting down beside the other and letting his arms rest on his knees. This was the talk everyone in his family hated, getting the fathers approval was important and he wasn't sure if his father felt he was even worthy of being with Israfil.

"When you're not around you're all he talks about," He father chuckled, causing Donnie's face to heat up

"Really?"

Buck turned to look directly at his son, a small smile on his lips as he spoke. Deep voice seeming to echo around them in a comforting fashion,

"Donnie, since he showed up in your life it's like you're a new person. You're smiling more, you aren't listening to just those sad songs all the time, your inventions! They're suddenly so much better," He laughed, patting his son on the back a few times.

"Donnie, you better tell that boy how you feel," He grinned wide at his son, "My boy...dating an angel of the Lord," He breathed and rubbed his eyes as if he were about to cry in joy. Donnie felt so shocked he wasn't sure how to reply, staring at the other with his jaw on the floor.

"You know, when your mother was born with you we went to a psychic reading," He chuckled, "at that reading, do you know what that lady told me?"

Donnie shook his head no.

"That she was going to give birth to a king, we didn't think it was true! But she insisted, you had a great destiny," He sighed, rubbing the others shoulder before his hand dropped to the wood of the pews.

"That crazy lady, with her giant red hair and that snappy girlfriend of hers. She insisted you were going to be a king, that's why we named you Donnie. Mean's noble chief." Donnie practically beamed at this. He felt tears burning into his eyes as he nodded up at his father.

"Dad, I think I'm in love with him," He whispered, Buck nodded at this and got to his feet.

"I'm pretty sure he's also in love with you," He nodded, "Last night your mother asked him what his sexuality is when he was helping her wash dishes. You know what he said?"

"No?"

"Demisexual, he was only in love with one man,"

Joy exploded through the wolf as he got to his feet. Attempting to keep himself from grinning too wide but he couldn't stop it, he smiled so big it hurt his cheeks.

The pair made for the door now, Donnie felt a weight being lifted from his shoulders. He ran through what he was going to say to the angel, what would Israfil say to him? The anxiety burned into his core until the doors were thrown open just a few inches from them.

A man with dark, long hair curling down by his shoulders grinned at them. Israfil was being held by the back of the neck. Struggling to get from Mammon's grip. He dropped the angel to the floor causing him to grunt in pain. Israfil turned on the demon only to be blasted with a shot of electricity.

Israfil yelped in agony as his body twitched painfully, Donnie felt anger flood his system.

"Issy!" He growled, his body shuttered and started to contort. His eyes flashed to yellow as he glared daggers at Mammon, his dad pulled out a gun beside him. Holding up the small hand gun with narrowed eyes,

"Jumping in on a family of hunters? Not that bright are you?" Buck hissed,

"Oh? Family of hunters?" Mammon laughed, walking into the church. His feet didn't burn which sent a shot of fear into Donnie, the demon noted the look on the others face. He pulled the sleeve of his jean jacket up to show a deep burn on his skin. It was a shape Donnie had never seen, it looked like a pentagram was turned into a goat.

"How are you walking on Holy Ground, demon?" Buck snarled as Mammon stepped farther in and looked around, putting a hand on his hip. Onoskelis followed after him, she dragged Paul behind her. He was passed out, chained up and looked pretty beaten up.

"It's called a Demon Keeper Sigil," The man snorted, "Keeps the demon in the skin, and if done a special way it keeps us from burning in holy land,"

"That's bullshit!" Donnie spat.

"Not bullshit, an angel's blood can do amazing things!" Onoskelis snorted, "Now tell us, which one of you is the King?"