Give me a kiss to build a dream on

It had been a couple of days since she had made sure one of her people had dropped off her little handwritten note. She was nursing a red wine as she stood by the giant bay windows facing the wild and unkempt garden. Seeing how nature was watering the plants, desperate for the water after the many days of increasing warmth and unrelating sun. Her house was placed on a small road, one of few houses on a one-way street formed like a very stretched u. She liked it here, the silence, the fact that neighbours kept to themselves, much like she adored the weather as it was now, washing away everything, letting the area start anew when it once stopped.

Rogue knew that she was needed elsewhere, but the number of things she had been going through the last couple of months had made the old Valkyrie tired, enough so that she had taken a few days for herself. Found this house to live in and slowly but surely started to make it feel like home. Having more than enough space for when her children found the time to visit. A low hum left her as she lifted her glass and took a small sip of the red liquid making delicate curtains when swirled around. Maybe she had been too brazen with how she had decided to contact Levithan, but after Fox had told her how he had acted when he had shown up, she found it better to play by the old demon's rules. She was rather intrigued with what this human girl was offering him since he was so attached to her. Now, Rogue was no stranger to finding people who, one way or another, offered some type of relief in this wretched world. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder, which was one part of why she had decided that it was time to see one of those few love interests she had, where she had gotten children of her own, a man she had loved and still loved to this day. Oh, how love meant different things to people. To her, it was fleeting. One day you had it; the next, it could have been replaced with something else. No, the only thing she relied on was the love she had for her children and the faith she put in herself.

With a sigh, she walked away from the view, and just as she was about to go upstairs, she felt a pull toward the door. A smile formed over her lips as she placed the glass on a table she passed before entering the hallway where she could open the door. The rain was pouring down, and for a moment, she was unsure if she had sensed wrong, but there he was, being framed by the rain and in the darkness, his features stood so much sharper than usual, how beautiful he was.
“You came”, she mused before stepping to the side and letting him enter her home, which was still showing signs that she had only just moved in.

It had been a while since Levi had been away from Aston. The buzzing town filled with all sorts of creatures had become some sort of permanent home and he felt content about it. There was jealousy enough to keep going for eons amongst its people, humans and non-humans alike, and he was playing an entertaining game that still didn’t bore him. On the contrary it was a wildly addictive game.
The initial annoyance and panic he had felt after his brother visiting him the week before had slowly worn off – nobody seemed to have caught on to the concentration of energy they had emitted between the two of them, and so luckily no harm was done. Perhaps the siren had worked her luck anyway, he thought, as he walked up the residential, dainty street of houses in Northwitch. Dainty but dark, amplified heavily by the gloomy weather. It was so quiet compared to the larger city; even compared to the area where he had resided for the prevalent part of the year where there were a constant buzz of people living in their gardens and on the street. Here there was only the rain; pouring down in streaky lines that parted for him as he walked through the murky afternoon.
The rain hit what seemed to be an invisible barrier, bouncing off of him like he was smooth stone, not one managing to stain his expensive suit or shined shoes. For once he looked like his old self; poised and with the confidence and pride he had always worn as an integral part of his entire self. It felt refreshingly beautiful. The hair was longer than it had been, though, curling at the ends somehow making him look a little older, and his beard had been allowed to grow into well-kept stubbles. He still, however, was as recognizable as ever, though the all-powerful aura was slightly dimmed by magic. A precaution he had had to take in this new life of his. It didn’t change the greeting of the woman he had come to meet though. She had sensed him regardless.

Levi found her eyes, his hands placed casually in the dark suit’s pockets. She was dressed for summer. Barefooted, flowery and with the wonderful curls bouncing around her as she stepped aside. A small tug in the sides of his mouth opened his lips in a teethy smile. Beautiful as ever. “Always for you, my darling Rogue.” He matched her musing perfectly, a playful hint of warmth and nostalgia in his voice. “This is new, indeed.” It seemed atypical for her, this type of quiet and residential life, and so when he stepped in his eyes drifted to observe the place before he turned around to face her. Gently his hand found the side of her face to delicately push a curl behind her ear.
He was not one to worry – especially not for her, good God, she could take care of herself just fine he knew, but something was different. The finger drafted downwards, tracing her jaw to find her chin. With a light push, he lifted it upwards, an insisting glare in his eyes as they found hers. “Are you alright?”

The smile that blossomed on her lips was a clear testament to the feelings forming in her chest and body; now, she was not a woman that tied herself to any man or any woman for that matter. She liked her freedom, cherished it more like it, just as much as the love she held for those she chose to be her children—a bottomless pit of affection and adoration.
But Levi. Now the Origin demon, he had a very special place in her heart, so much so that no time nor person could ever come between them. They were allowed to have their fun; they weren’t enslaved by the mortal thinking of how a relationship should be between a man and a woman. Maybe it was the reason why she adored him so, her darling demon. He had, after all, given her the biggest gift one could possibly give, their beautiful daughter Ivy. A link far stronger between souls that anyone could easily break. Because when you decided to share a child, there would always be something in this world that would remind you of the other. They could look at one's child and how they acted and would remind them of a time they had spent with each other. For some, it would bring hatred, regret, and sorrow. And maybe she had once felt that, so long ago, it was but an estranged memory she had no recollection of ever feeling.  
“Yes,” she hummed, closing the door, stepping backwards until her back was pressed against the cool surface while she took him in. How beautiful he had become; suddenly, the hatred and envy she had felt for the human girl disappeared much like the morning dew from a petal that was struck by the early morning sun. She did him good. But the feeling spreading in her chest took her violently by surprise, a feeling she urgently pushed down again.
He helped her with that, however, as he stepped forward and let his hand find her cheek. A silent sigh left her as she let herself overcome by the nostalgia storming through her body by that simple touch. She breathed out, being pulled under the wool of comfort and longing. But when he asked if she was all right, it was like a bucket of ice was poured over her body; she lifted her chin, letting her dark eyes connect with his, almost standing regal in front of her, as if the mere thought about him having someone care for her, was revolting.
But it didn’t take long before he managed to creep underneath the perfected armour protecting the fragile woman that was hiding underneath the strength and power she so strikingly carried. Even the mere thought of her being weak, it disgusted her, and yet here she was looking into his eyes as if he had just uncovered the most unholy thing she could ever let anyone see; weakness. The wanting of someone to hold her in their arms, letting their hand glide over her hair and whisper in her ear that she would be okay. It was nauseating; she was more than those feelings. So human.
With a deep breath, she composed herself, and with a slight nod, she tried to reassure him that she was okay.
“I have a daughter trying to fly from the nest; it seems like I will never be able to accept the defeat of them trying to sever their ties with me”, her voice rung with impassiveness she tried to feign; she wasn’t sure she was effective in the matter. Then the smile came back, her own fingers brushing gently against his cheek; “it suits you; the human life you have chosen seems to treat you well", the words leaving her with such a mellisonant tone to her annunciation. “To be completely honest, I just wanted to see you”, she finally confessed, letting her eyes travel with her fingers that stroke him so gently before letting her hand fall against her side. “Would you like a glass of wine? Or is tea more preferable?” she wondered before stepping away from his periphery.

Her smile was as intoxicating as the rest of her, but the adrenaline that rushed through his body as that overwhelming flicker of jealousy rushed through hers, was a high he could possibly chase for the rest of his life. It provoked a low, susurrating hum from the back of his throat. “Unfair,” he breathily murmured at her.
Pride recoiled  through the Valkyrie and she straightened her back, settling into the ancient and powerful being that she was. Their eyes met equally. He had seen many versions of her and knew that he had pushed a little hard, risking her feeling undermined by his insinuations or her own interpretation of his question. It was after all not very often he showed concern or would dare ask the likes of her whether they were okay at all and even rarer that she would accept it and reply. She melted into his touch then, giving into him and accepting the emotions she so battled with.
He could eat them up, all those emotions that surged through her small body, even the ones that had nothing to do with him. Whatever was troubling her had no base in jealousy or envy; that much was obvious by now, and he blinked as her melodic voice recentred him and forced him back into reality. The playfulness in his eyes faded ever so slightly in favour of a sharp seriousness. “By no means is that defeat, Achlys,” he insisted, purposefully reminding her of her powerful name. She would not be diminished to a pouting mother in front of him. He lifted his left hand, placing it on the wall behind her and leaned forwards, tugging her chin a little higher to follow his movement and to make sure she was listening to his words. “There is strength and power in that. It means you have done your job well. Take pride in it; it’s what you deserve.”

Her delicate fingers found his cheek, and with them, a soft compliment from her indulgent lips and the gravity in his eyes faded from her touch. He had expected her to ask more questions, perhaps. Instead, this was a more than welcome surprise to him. A moment of not needing to play pretend; play a role and walk on glass. A moment with someone who knew him better than most. Her scent was ever so comfortably wrapping around his senses, reminding him of the power he possessed; a reminder he had not expected to feel so intensely as he stood so close to her. His eyes darted to her lips as she spoke, following the curves and appreciating the rosy tint.
Would you like a glass of wine? His reply came in a breathless wisper. “Yes.” A low chuckle built in his chest as her body shuffled away from beneath him, the flutter of brown curls gently tickling the side of his face as she moved. He stood still, his hand still on the wall as his head turned and his eyes locked on her, following the lenient steps she took with her bare feet on the wooden floor. “Wine would be fine.”
The demon straightened himself, tugging gently at the bottom of his suit jacket to set it back in place. “You just wanted to see me?” He repeated what she had told him moments before and turned to face the direction she had walked. Not one to faff about – especially not when his priorities were elsewhere preoccupied as of late – his voice had caught a humorous spark. “I heard you had – how did my brother put it? – excellent news for me, I think is what he said.”

His breathless voice and the word yes left his lips. It was intoxicating—oh, how she had hated he had that pull on her. Granted, she had many lovers, both men and women; she had taken to bed, dominated and then left as she was not a soul to be tied down or committed to any person. She had only once been foolish enough to let the snare of marriage wrap around her neck, feeling how it slowly drained her from life until she had ended him. In her haste, she had forgotten the rumours of how the Radclyffee’s could not be killed, which had ended her in quite a predicament, one she had gotten out of fairly easy, and she had once again been free.
But Leviathan—Invidia. The power he held over her, the things she would do for him—it was a much stronger bond than any marriage could ever produce.
Just like his voice—how it managed to make a thrilling feeling float down her back and let the small hairs on her arms rise.
Her head turned, and she looked at him; a smirk formed over her lips as she walked into the kitchen and took the bottle of wine she had been drinking from; “have you not noticed how the sunset seems a little duller?” she mused as the red liquid made delicate curtains against the glass as it was poured in. “How at the morning we see rain far more often than a sun greeting us?” she kept on with her cryptic way of speaking, hoping he might see the connection himself.
Then her body changed, like everything from her skin to her clothes vibrated until Azrael stood before Levi—she knew she hated him, but no matter, a girl needed to have her fun. “I killed Eos—while looking like Azrael” she turned back to her normal skin. “I heard how you were in a tight spot with the archangels, so I made them turn against each other. Besides, Eos was starting to get on my nerves, and with one of my daughters looking so uncanny like her, I thought, here is my chance to spread a little chaos” the look that formed in her eyes was so full of fire, the same with the feelings of sin that surged through her body like such vigour that she could hardly contain the laugh that wanted to escape her throat. “I thought it was about time that we brought a little old testament back to the world; everything seems so frightfully dull around here; I’m getting bored, Levi” a soft pout formed over her lips as she sauntered toward him so she could give him his glass of wine. “So, yes, I guess that is my news” a loving tone took hold of her voice; “I killed her for you, for us” her fingers gently grabbed his chin “, so maybe I was getting a little envious that another girl suddenly caught your interest, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you get so involved with anyone for a very long time” for him she let the feelings of jealousy form in her chest—of course, she had (and was) envious, how could she not be. Even if she understood. But instead of barging in as Fox had done, she found a much more devious way of getting the attention back to her.

That particular twang to her voice was one he had heard before. She was bragging about something. Or possibly showing off. Either way it was usually news she would think him to be pleased with, so he knew to listen.
Tilting his head at her, he couldn’t help letting the excitement from the expectation gleam in his eyes. His brain tried connecting the dots. Had the sunsets indeed seemed duller as of late? Truthfully the weather had been remarkably dreadful for a little while, but it had reminded him of Dis, and it had felt comfortable and homely with a misty rain. The last sunset he had witnessed had been on the Harbour in Aston, and it had been the most splendid fireworks of oranges and pinks that he had seen in years. Only a few weeks back, now that he thought about it, but he had not seen the rising sun cast colours like that for a long while, despite being an early riser. The misty mornings with its tireless drizzle had not bothered him, but he had heard the humans complain that it was not how summer would usually project itself and how the Dawn seemed to come later than what was com-
Levi straightened his back as the realisation dawned on him and he turned to her, quickly. “Oh my-“
“I killed Eos.”
Surprise had painted his face with parted teeth and lightly bulging eyes and then, the unmistaken curling of his lips turned to a wide smile, and with it, a hoarse laughter. Disbelief mostly, but there behind it was genuine joy. He had not even had time to feel anger as she had transformed into the Angel of Death.

“Oh – You -“ Levi moved across the floor swifly, meeting her as she had started to move back towards him, and where one hand found the glass of wine another found its way back to her cheek. He was not one to gush or spill tsunamis of compliments onto others, but a new spark had lit up his eyes that made him look younger and more excited than he had looked for very long, and his voice was for once filled with admiration. “You fantastic woman. My beautiful, Achlys. You killed me an Archangel?” It was almost sickening, the thrill and the delight of someone offering you something so extraordinary and special.
Eos, like Azrael, had been an angel heavily associated with hell and with her out of the way, controlling the gates would be much more heavily reliant on a certain Ancient Monster with which he shared a connection beyond their name.
Levi’s thumb traced her cheek, finding her pouting bottom lip and pressed down gently on it before letting go. He met her eyes with a fire mirroring her own. I killed her for you. For us. He growled; a low vibration from the back of his throat that only underlined the energy he felt surging through his body.
“I want you to me all about it,” he pressed. Wine was not on his mind in the slightest anymore, and the delicate glass was carefully held as he took a step forwards, putting just enough pressure that she would have to move back to not lose her balance. A few more steps and they were back in the kitchen where he could advance to place his glass on the counter. Two free hands made it easier to trace down the back of her body, following the curves to grab hold behind her thighs and lift her up; placing her on the kitchen counter with a leg on each side of his body. “All of it. Did you make her scream?”
The jealousy was nothing short of intoxicating. “Did you think of me?” His voice was low; nothing but a whisper but still clear and rich. “You know how it is with humans. You have to act, or they die and grow old, poor things. Perhaps little Miss Poe is stronger than I’ve given her credit for; making you run around doing these lovely things for me to come back.”