The Imp and the Angel

 

“Angel” sat quietly and listened as his new job was explained to him. He didn’t quite like it but he wasn’t exactly opposed to it either. He’d needed the work and this job promised excellent pay to be sent to his mother and sister and he would live like a king until his contract was up in god knew how many years, he hadn’t actually read the thing when he signed it.

The woman, he learned her name was Piper and a man named Hamlin (they were brother and sister apparently) were teaching him about his “mate” someone he would presumably be spending the rest of his life with.

“We matched your compatibility level with his and that is why you are his “angel” and therefore…” Hamlin’s voice turned into the blah, blah, blah’s as he thought about this “mate” business. Piper’s voice grated him back to reality rather quickly, it was hard and cold, completely different from how he would have imagined.

“His name is Imp, and I am his keeper. Starting at the end of the week when you begin your cohabitation at the top of The Birdcage I will be responsible for the both of you. Though you should know that my first priority is Imp.”

“I like an honest woman.” Angel replied with a wry smile.

“And I like men that take care of their mate’s,” was her sharp retort. “So as long as Imp is happy I’m happy and you won’t get to learn why I’m the highest paid keeper here.” She flipped open a book and made a note before snapping it shut again. “Now, let’s review shall we just to make sure all that information has stuck to that thing inside your skull. You are now a possession of The Birdcage. For a twice weekly stipend disclosed when you signed your contract you will live here in the building as an object of lust and fascination for our patrons.” She straightened a bit and went on. “Imp is currently one of our top attractions and it was in everyone’s best interest that he was found a mate within his first five years with the company. The last four years have been a terrible struggle to make this goal a reality but we finally found you. The tests you took upon entering determine if you have a compatible mate already within the building, if not you are set up in your own apartments to await the arrival of your mate. If your mate never arrives compensation is tacked onto your current pay.”

“So what you guys like a dating service or something?” Angel snickered, highly amused by the logic this company was using. If they couldn’t find him a mate they made up for it with more money.

Piper regarded him thoughtfully before she continued in her same tone. “When the company first started we only kept single men and women in their appropriate habitats. What the keepers began noticing however was a drop in moral, attitude and sexual appetite, some eventually committed suicide and others went into depressions so deep they eventually let themselves rot away.”

“It was the current president’s father’s idea,” Hamlin interjected, excited that he could contribute to the conversation. “He felt that if the attractions had companions that they could get along with and love then they would be much happier. After all watching people sink into a depression is bad for business. The whole Birdcage idea was to allow patrons to observe things out of their control, performances of the sexual act between two lovers or even bitter enemies as is sometimes the case when the management thinks things are too tame. Everyone is so obsessed with controlling everything these days that sometimes it’s nice just to sit back and watch happens, happens.”

“But you do control it, after all compatibility matches?” Angel pointed out as he resisted the urge to scratch his still fairly new tattoo. Extending down to his buttocks the white, grey and white angle wings were an amazing thing to behold and even he was impressed with them but not being able to scratch at them as they healed was driving him nuts so he welcomed any and all slaps on the back to ease the irritation.

“Only to make sure we don’t cause any undue stress to the attractions. It would be unfortunate if we shoved together two people that hated each other ALL the time.” Piper scoffed as if he were an idiot.

“So I just have to play nice with my mate, keep him happy and be lovey-dovey?”

“Not all the time,” Hamlin conceded. “Lover’s spats are part of the process of course, you two won’t be entirely cloistered together, social interaction is important to the health of the attractions and sometimes there is more than one compatible match for a person in which case attractions are easy to manipulate, jealous arguments, make up sex, you know, usual stuff.” he shrugged.

“Of course there is too the fact that Imp isn’t simply going to fling himself at you when you first meet, I rather imagine he has something else in mind where his mate is concerned.” Piper grinned knowingly.

“Oh…he’s straight?” Angel felt his spirits fall just a bit. Turning a straight guy gay would be tough, he’d never done it before.

“Not at all, but you are…well, you are quite the opposite of what he’d expect his “angel” to be no doubt forgetting that those that serve God were not only beautiful but warrior strong as well. You’ll be good for him.”

“I get to meet him at the end of the week yes?” Angel couldn’t help but sound eager.

“Of course,” Hamlin waved his hand dismissively. “Your apartments are being prepared to mesh together the ethereal heavenly domain you hail from and the depths of hell from which Imp has come. His room his currently on one of the lower levels to simulate a more “hellish” atmosphere, lots of black and red.” The man grinned. “According to the patrons occasionally he starts a fire and dances around it just to be more spooky but I imagine all he does is manage to look ridiculous.”

Angel nodded without really hearing what was being said. He was still worried that he would be rejected by his new mate because he wasn’t in his ideal image. What was his ideal image? Angel thought he was a fantastic specimen. His parents hadn’t been wealthy enough to afford a child center so they had had to have a child the old-fashioned way. He was tall like his father, with fair skin that tanned easily in the sun. He loved the way his body looked when it had seen the sun, Hamlin and Piper had both promised he’d be able to keep tanning all he wanted as his new apartment would have a balcony on it for just such a thing. His hair was blond and while not long, was not short either. Soft curls danced around his ears and the nape of his neck. His eyes were apparently a mystery a throw-back to his great grandparents. Brilliantly dark sapphire orbs stared at him whenever he faced a reflective surface and he was often told they were beautiful. He wondered if Imp would say the same when he realized he was not the “angel” he’d been expecting.