Zero bolted upright in his bed as he fell back into the land of the living. His heart pounded painfully in his chest and his body was covered in sweat. His head began to throb as if he had been crying for hours, but his lower half was warm and rigid in full accordance with the end of his dream...nightmare?

The vastly differing sensations were setting him on the verge of a panic attack. He instinctively curled in on himself trying to close the invisible, yet gaping hole carving itself into his chest. A desperate whimper trembled through his lips as his fists bunched up the blankets around him mindlessly clawing at his mattress. He stayed there in that pitiful position until his lungs caught up to his heart and then sentient thought began to return to him. He had no idea how long it took, but judging by the sticky mess his face suddenly felt like and the amount of tears soaking his sheets, Zero chalked this up to one of his longest episodes yet which theoretically makes sense. This was the first time he had experienced the dream in such painstaking detail. He swore he could actually feel where the demon's lips had taken his, the delicate skin still tingling in memory.

God, these dreams were going to kill him. Either that or Zero was going to lose his mind first. There was nothing rational about the dreams in the first place and definitely no sense in the reactions they caused. At first, his dreams had just been of him running through that forest firsthand. He would have no idea what he was running from, but he knew that if he were caught...that would be the end. As the dreams became longer and more real, he began to see everything in third person, but he could feel everything the angel felt. He thought everything the angel thought. It was terrifying to say the least and the hole left in his chest every time he woke up was starting to last well into the day. At this rate, the dreams really were going to kill him.

Later that day, hours after he had managed to rise from his bed, Zero sat at a window bar reading his new book. He had a steaming cup of coffee situated right under his nose allowing the bittersweet smell to calm his restless nerves. He hadn't quite managed to rid himself of the trembling that stubbornly remained after this morning's debacle. Something about that dream just had him completely on edge. Maybe it was because he finally saw the demon's face. He finally heard his voice. Either way, his entire being was still completely out of wack, but he had no idea how to fix it. Hopefully, it would all just pass.

The silverette spent the next few hours skimming through his book, occasionally gazing out into the city's gloomy streets, and scrolling mindlessly through his phone. He didn't have to go into work until eight which meant he still had four hours to kill. Usually, Zero wouldn't even be up at this time of day, but that damned nightmare made sure sleep wouldn't come without drinking or medicating himself half to death, but he promised Isaiah he would stop doing that.

Ugh, tonight is going to be shit to get through…

Running his hand through his silver strands, Zero offhandedly gazed into the busy street taking in the scurrying pedestrians and sleek cars when a taxi on the opposite side of the road caught his attention. There wasn't anything particularly different about it, but a gentle buzzing at the back of his head had him watching for something. Soon enough, the back door opened to the sidewalk and a black umbrella opened above it. He saw the owner's hand first, covered by a black glove and then the coated arm. As the man's head came into view, Zero's heart stopped. A strikingly familiar waterfall of auburn locks came into view. The tresses curled gently around the man's shoulders and seemed to change color with every movement he made. The man turned slightly to close the cab door and patted the roof once to signal the driver that he was clear. Zero barely caught the sharp edge of a pale jaw peer around the chocolate waves before the man turned and started making his way towards the busy intersection.

Without a coherent thought, Zero shot up and bolted straight out of the cafe. His wide eyes desperately tried to keep the man's elegant frame in view, but the bustling sidewalk and numerous umbrellas had Zero shifting about clumsily drawing more than a few strange looks from passerbys. He caught a near full body sight of the man right before he was forcefully pulled backwards by his collar and then, none to gracefully, dropped onto the cold, wet concrete. Startled, and completely confused, Zero looked up into the face of a total stranger. A kid probably no more than sixteen.

"Sir, are you ok? I'm so sorry, but you were about to walk right into the road!" Zero honestly tried to make sense of the boy's words, but the buzzing at the back of his head was becoming worse and he just had to find that man! Muttering hopefully a sensible apology, Zero shot back up and walked right out of the ring of concerned strangers. He dodged his way across the road hearing plenty of honks and furious yells, but he took off as soon as he hit the other side. He sprinted down the walkway desperately trying to catch sight of the black umbrella again. He must have run five blocks before it finally sank in that he had truly lost him. Quickly stepping into a side alley, Zero leaned heavily against the damp brick wall and tried to catch his breath. He couldn't quite work out why it was suddenly crucial that he found that man, or why the damned hole was back in his chest, but he knew that he just screwed up -that he just missed something important...and holy lord did it hurt.

The man in question dutifully ignored the sudden nagging in his heart and fangs choosing to continue casually walking through the bustling crowd. None would be able to detect the minute changes in the beautiful stranger, but his inner world was crumbling in chaos. How long had it been since his cavernous heart beat in excitement, in pleasure, in purpose? How many decades had he stumbled through pitifully bearing the tediousness of each sunrise and sunset? Far, far too many. His loneliness had been nearly unbearable during this cursed cycle, his only motivation to continue being the pain his beloved would feel if he left him to fair this damned earth alone. The sudden lightness filling his deadened limbs was fogging his mind in an emotional high making it harder to keep his breathing constant. If what he was feeling truly was in reaction to him...he was near.

The man could've sagged in a wretched display of relief if it was not absolutely paramount to keep his composure. He couldn't let those damned keepers know that he was alive again. He would murder the guards of Heaven themselves if they sent a mere glare in his love's a myriad of options and plans racing through his mind, the beautiful stranger kept to his schedule patiently awaiting the opportunity to once again claim what was rightfully his.