"I've lived with most of these people all my life. They grew up with my parents. Some were even good friends with my grandparents. How can they treat me like this?" Tom asked, speaking his mind aloud.

"Twats, the lot of them," Cal grumbled between munching on his sandwich. Tom hadn't yet opened his, feeling too sad to be hungry.

"You shouldn't have quit your job."

"I should have."

"But what will you do now? How will you give your parents rent?"

"I'll figure something out. You don't have any jobs going at the pub, do you?"

"No. but-" Tom raised his eyebrows, turning towards his best friend. "Actually, there is one position we're trying to fill."

"What is it?"

"We need another bouncer. Ez might be called upon by an angel at any time. But finding someone else to work with a demon was going to be hard."

"I'll happily work with him!" Cal leapt off the bench. "Do I get free drinks?"

"Free energy drinks."

Cal shrugged. "Good enough. I'll start tonight." He sat back down, but his excitement didn't last for long. "The village can't do this to you and get away with it."

"What am I supposed to do? I can't force them to treat me fairly."

"No, but you can consult the angels. Their voice means a lot to many. You've done nothing wrong and I reckon they can help."

Tom didn't feel like anyone could help him, until Ezra appeared, blocking his view from the hilltop. At first, his expression was his usual big, curious eyes, until he saw the look of distain in Tom's.

Cal immediately got up, so Ezra could sit down. "What's wrong?" Ezra asked, resting a hand on Tom's shoulder.

Tom explained how he was banned from where Cal worked, so Cal quite, and now Cal would be the other bouncer to work at Glass Horns Pub.

Ezra's features had darkened during his explanation. "They banned you from the shop because of your relationship with me?"

Tom nodded. Before he could convince him that everything was fine, Ezra got up and marched down the hill.

Tom and Cal exchanged panicked glances. "Where are you going?"

"To speak my mind to people who clearly like to speak theirs," Ezra said, not slowing down, even when he passed a group of hikers who huddled together and stared at the demon mark on his neck.

Tom and Cal followed him into the village with thumping hearts. Ezra didn't stop when he reached the sandwich shop. He barged in through the door. The bell above rang aggressively as those in the queue turned to gawk.

Cal's ex-boss was working behind the counter. His eyes almost bulged from his round head when Ezra pressed palms to the counter, leaning over with a glare. "Can you please explain to me why you have banned Thomas O'Connell?," he asked calmly.

The owner fumbled over his words, until he couldn't come up with an excuse and yelled, "Get out! You're not welcome here!"

Ezra didn't move. "You didn't answer my question."

"I said get out!"

Ezra leaned closer. "You can treat me like shit, but don't you fucking dare treat Tom like that. He's nothing but nice to everyone. I bet none of you have anything bad to say about him, do you?" Ezra looked around and everyone dropped their gazes. "That's what I thought. You're all pathetic." He turned and stormed out of the shop, grabbing Tom's hand along the way.

They strode down the path in silence until they were at the country road. Cal followed along but stayed behind to give them space. Ezra never stopped squeezing Tom's hand.

Tom talked to his parents and Cal was hired on the spot. They tried to ask if he was okay, but Tom didn't want to think about how he might be shut out from his hometown. Instead, he busied himself by showering and getting ready for work.

When he was done, Tom paused in his bedroom doorway. Ezra was changed into his bouncer uniform, and sitting on the end of Tom's freshly made bed. His room had never been so tidy, and his head was cleared of all the terrible thoughts bullying their way to the front.

He sat down next to Ezra and hugged him tightly for a long time. "Thank you," he whispered.

"Just trying to make your life easier," Ezra murmured into his hair. "I know you're putting on a brave face, but I see how much this has hurt you."

"I'm just going to have to deal with it. They could chase me through farmer Joel's field with pitchforks for all I care. Nothing will make me give you up."

Ezra squeezed him a little tighter, as if he was trying to force the love into him through words he couldn't say. A kiss on the cheek was all Tom needed. He felt peaceful when they pulled away, and even managed a smile when those brown eyes bore into his. "Thank you for sticking up for me in the shop."

"You should have summoned me when it first happened."

"You were needed by the angels."

"It doesn't matter. I will always come to you." The sincerity in his voice, and the desperate searching in his eyes flipped Tom's heart.

He nodded, and they kissed until his anxiety released it's cold, painful clutch on his chest.

His shift started off slow, but with each new customer, Tom caught himself staring them down, willing for them to keep their thoughts to themselves. His parents worked beside him, doing the same thing.

Ezra stood by the door, so most customers noticed his glare first, which helped to keep their voices quiet and their mouths full of beer.

"How's the shift going?" Tom asked Cal on his break.

"Not bad. I'm tired though. I'll need to change my sleeping pattern for this." Cal peeked through the door, staring at Ezra's back. "I kind of want to talk to him through the radio."

Tom chuckled. "And say what?"

"That I feel really cool working with him." Cal shut the door and breathed in the fresh air. "I'm also a little nervous. I don't know how to fight if things take a turn."

"Ez might not want to talk to you through the radio, but he will protect you if you need it."

Tom didn't have to wait long for Ezra to prove it. A group of rowdy humans entered near closing time, drunk, loud, and disorderly. Cal tried not to let them in, but they shoved him aside and stormed through the double doors.

Ezra turned around with strong arms crossed over his firm chest, staring down at the group with a blank expression. "You've missed last orders," he said steadily. "The pub closes in twenty minutes."

Cal rushed in, standing with Ezra. Tom watched from the other side of the bar. He recognised some of the faces from school, and he knew Cal did too.

"It's a fucking pub, and we want a fucking pint," one man slurred, pointing a finger into Cal's chest.

"I'm sorry, but you're too drunk anyway. Come back tomorrow. We're open till eleven," Cal said, ignoring the patronising stances.

"Too drunk!" the man yelled, looking around at his friends. "You've always been a bullshitter, Callan."

"That's enough," Ezra boomed. "Leave or I will remove you."

"Touch me demon, and I will ruin your life. And-" Ezra grabbed his arm and twisted it painfully around his back until he winced. He pushed him through his friends who made no attempt to fight back, and threw him outside, letting him stumble on the grass.

"Don't threaten me," Ezra warned. The rest followed awkwardly. "If you push past Cal again, you won't be allowed back for a third attempt. If he says you're not allowed in, you leave. Understood?"

The group muttered to each other and once they were a safe distance away, their muttering got louder until they were echoes floating down the winding country road.

Tom watched Cal carefully, but he was in adoration of Ezra's bravery, and thanking him for being so quick to act.

"This bouncer thing was a good idea," Moira whispered. "They would've come straight in and we would've been arguing with them for ages until angels stepped in."

The locals finished their drinks and some even mumbled good night in Ezra's direction before leaving. Tom slumped into a chair when the door closed for the last time that night. Ezra and Cal joined him, sitting on either side of him, not saying anything, and not needing to speak either.

Tom rested his head on Ezra's shoulder, while Cal turned off his radio. "The first shift down, many more to go," he said happily.

"Many more to go," Ezra repeated.

Tom closed his eyes, feeling the warmth from Ezra's shoulder on his cheek. He smiled when he felt the warmth of his fingers wrapping around his palm. As long as they could keep the violence at bay, everything would be okay.

"Oh shit," Cal said suddenly, ruining Tom's calming moment. "I forgot to bring keys. Can I stay over?"

"Yeah, sleep on the couch though."

"Obviously," Cal scoffed, getting up and stretching. "I'm not gonna buddy up with you two am I. Ez's shoulders probably take up most of the room anyway." He yawned and left Tom smiling, and Ezra with an amused raised brow.