“Hold on, hold on. Who the hell did you kill?” Angel asks, still doing as they said and grabbing a bag.

“Valentino.”

His hand slips off the dresser he’d been opening as every muscle in his body goes slack at once. He’s distantly aware of his knees going weak, and his legs slipping out from underneath him, but he swears he’s dreaming, they can’t be serious.

They catch him, eyes wide with alarm and sitting on the floor to steady themself and him. “Angel? Angel! What’s wrong?”

“You…killed Val? You really killed him? I- Wh- How?” His head is spinning like he’s had too many drinks, but he hasn’t been to the bar at all today.

“Sniper. He was alone. Clean kill. But I don’t doubt that the other Vees will be on my ass soon. I think Vox has some sort of… thing for Val. Or. Had, anyway,” they laugh awkwardly. “We need to go before Vox watches the security footage and figures out it was me.”

“But… But why, Ray? I don’t… You could have lost your chance at salvation, hell, maybe you already have!”

They sigh, standing up and extending a hand to help him off the floor. He takes it and rests his hands on their shoulders for extra support, not trusting his own limbs.

“Ang, do you know how much it kills me inside seeing you come back every day with some new bruise or cut, exhausted and upset and barely keeping it together? I hate seeing you like that,” they murmur, reaching up to cup his cheek in their palm. “I love you, and I knew the only way to fix those things was… Well, Val had to go.”

He reaches to place his hand on top of theirs. “I love you too. But… Ray, if I get up there and you don’t… I-I can’t-“ He feels tears well up in his eyes. “I would never ask you to give that up for me.”

They grin. “I have my ways. Leverage. Don’t you worry about a thing, Ang. Now, seriously. Get your shit together, ‘cause we gotta go.” Ray leans up on tiptoe and kisses him once, then turns away to get their things together.

Angel just hopes this doesn’t backfire horribly…

Knowing Ray, though, it will.