The two stood with a somewhat guilty stance while Shikyu stared them down, before Yin breathed in, puffing up a bit to face him. “We wouldn’t have ditched you if you weren’t seriously killing the fun, man,” Yin snapped, but kept his voice as un-hostile as possible. Still, Six winced at the human’s bluntness. “How’s anyone supposed to relax or, hell, even
breathe with you constantly hovering? There
are no angels here. If there were, there’d be an uproar.”
Shikyu was silent, looking like he was biting the inside of his cheek to hold himself from speaking at first. Then he snarled, expelling a breath angrily. “The low level ones can cloak perfectly fine. Even the middle-level ones can sometimes--”
“And we can
take those. You’re underestimating us, Shikyu,” Yin barked, giving the other demon a superior glance. “You probably could too, but I won’t blame ya for running off like a coward.”
“Li,” Six muttered in warning, hating that this was happening here. He just wanted some nuts. Come on. Yin continued to chatter light but still cutting abuse at Shikyu, until Six saw Shikyu’s body shift with purpose. Instinct took over, and Six darted in between the two just in time to get Shikyu’s merciless punch right in the center of his chest. It did little but make him stagger slightly, a frightened silence falling over both parties (and a few onlookers as well). Six coughed as the wind was momentarily knocked out of him, but he stayed on his feet.
“O-oh god okay, I’m sorry, hey--Six, I didn’t mean… I-I wasn’t gonna…” Shikyu trailed off, a terrified smile etched wide into his face as he cradled his hand in his other. Six’s chest was hard, and it hurt.
Yin was stunned into silence, staring at Six’s back, his eyes almost locked on the place where Six’s wings were. And lower, there would be the enormous scar that an archangel had put there months before, still not healed. Maybe never healed. “Why… did you take that for me?” Yin mumbled under his breath, too soft to hear behind the demons’ talking.
“I get that Li was being an asshole, but
you... do
not... hit him. Is that understood?” Six’s posture had changed from annoyance to a sharp protective hostility, looming easily over Shikyu. Yin knew that Six could do some serious damage. Six wouldn’t kill Shikyu, but he’d rough him up pretty bad… and in a public place, that would be seriously hard to explain.
Yin darted around Six and shoved himself between the two demons, trying to push them apart with his arms. “Can you two
stop for a second?” Yin snapped, thankful for Six’s intimidation--without it, Shikyu would probably have thrown him to the ground and… honestly, apologized. Shikyu wasn’t much of a fighter, or a punisher, or a vengeful spirit. A doormat among yakuza. Yin felt a pang of regret for saying such mean things, even though they were all true. “Shikyu,” he began, feeling Six’s trembling anger under his other hand, as he turned away from the wrathful demon. “I’m sorry.” His eyes were hard, but earnest, for the most part. Shikyu stared at him for a few moments, then let out a shaky, nervous breath, calming quickly.
“Yeah. M’sorry I tried to punch you,” Shikyu murmured, nodding his head slowly. Six barely relaxed. “And…” Shikyu dithered, glancing away from the two in thought, then back at them. “I’m sorry that I’ve been so jumpy. I wouldn’t do it if I could help it. You know that.”
“Dunno, I thought you were just being annoying to be annoying,” Yin muttered, but flashed the frog demon a smile. “Truce?”
[The Roasted Chestnut Stand - 16]