"Djulnael," Bernadette says, drawing the word out and sounding unusually subdued, "can we. Can we. I mean. Can we talk?"
"Yes," Djulnael says, prompt and attentive, turning herself on the safehouse couch to face her; one elbow propped on the back, chin resting on her forearm, expression open and relaxed.
Bernadette wriggles, lets out a hot little moan, and pushes Djulnael's other hand away from doodling aimless patterns on Bernadette's tail with the tips of her nails. "Distracting," she says squeakily, takes a few deep breaths, and starts again. "I've been thinking, you know — since I'm stuck in Ohio and everything, I've got a lot of time for it—"
"It's not for ever," Djulnael murmurs.
"No, I—" Bernadette's eyes flutter shut, and she draws a long, shuddery breath as Djulnael strokes a fingertip along the tail-tip coiled in her lap. "Djulnael."
"Mm," Djulnael says, folding her fingers into a fist and moving it behind her back. "You were saying?"
"Yeah," Bernadette says, and works on opening her eyes and focusing them and thinking. "Djulnael, I've been thinking oh fuck." She clamps her hand round Djulnael's wrist. "Would you — Djulnael. Are you using succubus wiles?"
Djulnael goes very still, and her expression slips. "Are you breaking up with me?" she says softly.
Bernadette blinks at her a couple of times, then launches into her lap hard enough to knock the couch over backwards, scrabbling to pin the angels' wrists to the floor.
"You stupid ass," she hisses, "why would I dump you—" and savagely sucks a bruise into Djulnael's neck, the angel arching and whining under her. "This is hard and I'm scared and I don't — I don't want you to leave but I want you to know I'd understand—"
"Fuck off," Djulnael gasps, wrestling in her grip. "Where's my Byzuunam-Tsaa, where's my demon lover who'd fill my lungs with wasps if I let her down—"
"Yeah I'd fuck you up but I'd understand!" Bernadette yelps as Djulnael flips them over, tries to slither out from underneath her, then yelps louder when Djulneal closes an iron fist around the base of her tail and uses it as a handle to keep her exactly where Djulnael wants her. "Oh fuck—"
"Fuck you, understand," the angel seethes. "You leave me and I'm going all the way overboard, lakes of fire and eternal spite—"
"Th-the Upstairs speciality!" Bernadette stutters, and yowls when Djulnael bites her tail.
"Rail you through the floorboards," Djulnael threatens indistinctly through a mouthful of whipping tailflesh, and Bernadette drops her face to the floor, cants her hips, and agreeably wails, "Fuck you!"
"Seriously, though," Djulnael says later, voice raspy from screaming and dehydration, flat on her back in the middle of the shredded rug and overturned furniture, "I love you, and I'm not going anywhere without you."
Bernadette sighs contentedly into her ribs. "S'all I wanted," she mumbles sleepily.
