A/N- Hey guys! Merry Christmas! A Deathmask x Aphrodite story from me to you (with some other hinted pairings lol). I promise I'll update my other story soon, but this plot came to me when I was running late to band and I couldn't resist writing it. And I thought, hey, it's almost Christmas, I'll upload it on Christmas! Anyway, hope you guys enjoy it~ Please read and review!
Warnings- Yaoi (a lot of yaoi), slight alternate universe, slight OOCness (like in all my stories)
One Christmas Eve…
"Hey idiot, wake up." A finger kept prodding at him incessantly. Deathmask, who was lying on the bed, groaned and flipped over to the other side. "Shut the hell up Dite… It's too early. I'm not getting up."
"It is not too early, and you have to get your ass up and help with setting up the Christmas stuff in the Pope's chambers for Christmas, which may I remind you is tomorrow. Practically everyone is already there." Aphrodite replied
"You just convinced me to stay in bed."
Deathmask relaxed back into the fluffy downs of his bed (1)… Until he felt Aphrodite's eyes glaring at the back of his head. Uh oh. For a pretty boy, Aphrodite could muster up a pretty intimidating glare.
"You get up right now, Angelo."
Deathmask pushed himself up halfway and glared right back at Aphrodite. "Don't you dare call me Angelo. That was the name of the weak little boy who I left behind when I left Italy. It's Deathmask now."
"Well, hurry and get up, then I might stop calling you Angelo, Angelo." Aphrodite replied sharply
Deathmask huffed and pushed himself up. "Why did I tell you my real name…"
"Why did I tell you mine?" Aphrodite shot back
"…"
"…"
Flashback
Deathmask and Aphrodite walked into the Pisces temple in their regular clothes, Aphrodite laughing, Deathmask grumbling.
"I told you it is impossible to touch Shaka when he doesn't want to be touched," Aphrodite said, snickering as he watched Deathmask fume silently.
"How was I meant to know the bloody Buddha could release light that knocks me back?!"
"You shouldn't have tried it in the first place, idiot."
"…"
"Just say I'm right."
"Fine. You're right. Just this once."
Aphrodite scoffed under his breath. "Like this'll be the only time…"
He started pulling Deathmask towards his bedroom.
"Where are we going now?" Deathmask complained
"To patch up your wounds."
"Wha- I DO NOT NEED PATCHING UP! I AM NOT A BABY!"
"We could debate about that…" Aphrodite mumbled quietly. Out loud, he said "You have bruises all over you from when Shaka hit you back with that blast."
"You can't patch up bruises."
"At least get into my bed and rest."
"Fine…"
Deathmask grudgingly got into the bed. Aphrodite pushed at him so that Deathmask's back faced up and his face was stuffed in the pillow. He delicately sat on top of Deathmask's legs, with one of his own legs on each side.
"What now, Dite? …Please don't tell me you're going to spank me." said Deathmask, voice slightly muffled because of the pillow.
"You idiot, that's considered kinky. I refuse to do kinky." Aphrodite tugged at Deathmask's shirt. "Get up and get off your shirt already…"
Deathmask raised his head and looked suspiciously at Aphrodite. "What the hell do you want to do?"
Aphrodite sighed. "Just take it off. Or," he said, his mouth going right next to Deathmask's ear, "Do you not… Trust me?"
Shivers and tingles shot through Deathmask as Aphrodite's warm breath coasted over his ear. So close… "Okay okay I'm taking my shirt off! But get off me first. You're heavy."
"I am not! I am the lightest of all the Gold Saints!" Aphrodite protested, and moved off Deathmask's legs. He was quickly distracted when Deathmask began taking off his shirt. His skin was tanned… Light battle scars all over … His muscles rippling ever so slightly as he moved… Aphrodite shook his head to clear himself of these thoughts.
Deathmask felt Aphrodite start and take a sharp intake of breath without turning around. He smirked. It was his fault for asking him to take off his shirt anyway.
Aphrodite pushed and shoved lightly at him until they were in the same position as earlier. "Now…"
He placed his hands on top of Deathmask's back, and started slowly massaging him. He dug his hands in every nook and cranny he could find, and Deathmask found himself relaxing underneath his touch.
"Wait a moment… What do bruises have to do with you massaging me? Some aren't even on my back!"
"Just shut up and enjoy it."
No other words were exchanged as Aphrodite continued massaging. Half an hour later, tired out, Aphrodite flopped elegantly next to Deathmask.
"Did you enjoy the massage?"
"Very. Next time, you have to give me double the length."
"In your dreams."
"I almost feel like I'm in a dream right now. When did the mighty Aphrodite start giving out free massages?"
"I just felt bad for you."
A silence settled over them.
"Angelo."
"What?"
"Angelo. That's my real name. Not Deathmask."
"Doesn't Angelo mean angel in Italian?"
"Shut up. I don't want to remember."
A silence settled over them again.
"…Pieter."
"Your real name?"
"Hnm."
"It sounds nice."
"I don't know what it means."
"Why did you change it?"
Aphrodite turned to look at Deathmask.
"Because like you, I have a past I wish to forget."
Present
"I have a past I wish to forget…" Aphrodite breathed out softly. Deathmask glanced his direction and then looked away. An awkward silence settled between them.
Finally, Deathmask swung his legs off the bed and stood up. "Are we going to get going or what?"
"Right… Let's get… going…" Aphrodite snapped back to his usual self. "But go wash up first, you look disgusting."
"Whatever. Let's just go, who cares about what I look like."
Aphrodite sighed. "Okay, you can look messy in front of Pope Shion for all I care."
"I changed my mind." Deathmask disappeared into his bathroom and reappeared a few minutes later washed up and wearing fresh clothes. He gestured to Aphrodite to show he was ready and they both set off for the Pope's chambers.
At Leo…
"Aiolia? " No reply.
"Aiolia?" Still no reply.
"Let's just go, Deathmask."
"I was going anyway."
At Virgo…
"Shaka? Where the hell are you?"
"Didn't I tell you mostly everyone is at the Pope's chambers already?"
"Right. Why did you wake me up so late then?!"
"You should've woken up earlier!"
"How was I meant to know?!"
"You should get up early every day anyway!"
Their voices faded from the Virgo temple.
At Libra…
"…not like he brushes his teeth anyway!"
"How do you know, do you stalk him?!"
"No! Does it look like I would waste time stalking the damn stick insect?!"
"Yes!"
At Scorpio…
"Plus, most people cannot be bothered to wash their hands properly! Just run their hands quickly under some damn cold water!"
"I don't do that! I wash my hands properly! I treasure my beauty, unlike some people!"
"You sound like that Lizard saint who apparently washed naked in the ocean after a battle with Seiya!"
"Do I seem like the type of person to do that to you?!"
"Anything can happen!"
At Sagittarius…
"…not only girls that use hair products!"
"Yes it is, because you're included in that section!"
"Shampoo is a hair product! I swear part of the reason I hang around you is because you make me feel smarter…"
"Well… Part of the reason I hang around you is because you make me feel less gay!"
"Is that an insult?!"
"Maybe!"
At Capricorn…
"What do you want me to do there anyway? Send the tree to hell?"
"That's stupid."
"Well that's about the only thing I can do!"
"What about your arms?"
"They're… delicate!"
"I swear you've grown more babyish!"
"It's your fault!"
"How is it my fault?!"
At Aquarius…
"…are all gay!"
"The lion and that red headed hottie aren't!"
"The lion's name is Aiolia, and the 'hottie' is Marin! Get their names right, it's respectful!"
"Screw being respectful!"
"You're like the previous Cancer saint!"
"How do you even know what he's like?!"
"I heard from Dohko!"
"You talked to the old man?"
A light slap from Aphrodite. "Be respectful!"
At Pisces…
"Dite, this is taking forever."
"At least you didn't have to walk DOWN to get to your temple."
"Touché."
"I cannot believe you know what touché means."
"I studied when I was younger, all right?"
"You certainly don't show it…"
"Oi!"
At the Pope's chambers…
"…know that he loves Dohko right?"
"He does?!"
"Are you an idiot? Actually, don't bother answering that, you are."
"Hey!"
"But didn't you know they survived that last Holy War together?"
"Yeah, as best friends…"
"It just developed into something more! Like Camus and Milo! Well, Camus and Milo will develop into something more…"
"What about me?" An icy voice chipped in. Aphrodite and Deathmask lifted their heads and stumbled when they found themselves already in the Pope's chambers, with Camus staring at them and Dohko looking curiously. All the other Gold Saints milled around doing something with decorations, and Athena was nowhere to be seen.
"Did I hear my name as well?" Dohko enquired
Aphrodite regained his composure and said primly "We were just discussing couples in the Sanctuary."
"And why am I included in this?" asked Camus "I am not with anyone."
"Everyone knows that you and Milo will have sex together soon." Deathmask said, smirking.
A faint blush came over Camus' cheeks, but he remained calm. "We would never do things like that."
"Sure…" Deathmask said. "Are you and Milo going to the party together?"
"Of course we are. I have to make sure he doesn't go drunk again."
"You already refer to yourself as we, and you do most things together." Aphrodite cut in. "I think you are pretty much a couple already."
"What Dite said."
"Well I-" Camus became slightly flustered. "Excuse me." He quickly left the little group.
Deathmask snickered. "I think that's a new way to make Camus embarrassed."
Dohko, who was watching the proceedings, let out a laugh. "You two are impossible to manage. You should be careful though. Camus and Milo will probably tease you back."
Deathmask and Aphrodite glanced at each other and both shouted the same time "WE ARE NOT IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER!"
A smile passed over Dohko's face. "You will find out later…" he said softly
Aphrodite and Deathmask shuffled their feet as Dohko excused himself. They both liked him, but the fact that he was 200 and something years old in an 18 year old body made them feel awkward around him. Deathmask and Aphrodite saw him go towards Shion, who was working out plans on getting the 2 metre Christmas tree upright. He tapped Shion on the shoulder, and Shion turned around and they both smiled. Dohko pressed a light kiss to his cheek.
"You would've thought they really are 18 years old with all that PDA they're showing…" Deathmask muttered
"I think it's cute," Aphrodite said, staring after them as they left to do something together.
"You think anything is cute."
"I do not! I don't think you're cute for starters!"
"I'm glad! I'm not cute! I'm hot!"
"Yeah you-" Aphrodite caught himself "Not that hot."
"Liar."
Aphrodite looked away. "Whatever."
Deathmask snickered.
"Oi, lovebirds!" shouted Kanon from the corner. "You going to do something to help anytime soon?"
Deathmask and Aphrodite looked at each other. "WE AREN'T LOVEBIRDS!" they yelled simultaneously.
Somehow, Aphrodite found himself hanging up wall decorations with Mu (2). They worked silently side by side, neither talking to the other. The silence was broken by Mu.
"Aphrodite? Could you pass me one of the wreaths please?"
Aphrodite looked up. "Oh, uh, of course." He handed a wreath over.
"Thank you." They returned to silently hanging up decorations.
A while later, Aphrodite looked up to find they had decorated the entire wall with wreaths. "I guess we're done then." he said formally, his usual demeanour changed when around Mu.
"Aphrodite, may I ask you a question?" asked Mu abruptly
Aphrodite blinked and tried to hide his surprise. His impression of Mu was a calm and powerful saint, one who held the saints together during the Holy War, who never spoke his mind unless he had to, and probably the only one who could talk to Shaka for a long period of time. His impression didn't include Mu asking abrupt questions.
"Yes… Go ahead."
"Why do you care so much about your beauty?"
Aphrodite stiffened and didn't even bother trying to mask his surprise this time. When did Mu even care that much about him?
"Well… I care… Because I…" Aphrodite hesitated. Why was he actually considering telling Mu? He didn't even know the Aries saint very well. "Because I…"
Flashback
A boy loomed over Pieter. "Do you hear me? You are nothing. A little boy like you is nothing! You don't have anything you can fight for, nothing to live for. You will become a weak saint!"
As Pieter stared, frightened, into the eyes of the boy, something inside of him clicked. He believed the boy… He needed something to believe in, something to take care of, something that could act as a barrier, something he could fight for, something that could show he wasn't nothing. He needed something that would make him into a strong saint. And as the boy left, Pieter saw some of the girl trainees holding a comb… and got an idea.
From that day on, Pieter wasn't Pieter anymore. He demanded to be called Aphrodite, and wouldn't respond to Pieter. People whispered about it behind his back, whispered about him demanding to be called after a goddess, and a love goddess at that. But Aphrodite didn't care, as his name wasn't the only thing he changed. From a shy boy turned to bold fighter, everyone, especially his trainers, noted the difference in his punches and kicks and cosmos. But his most drastic change was his physical appearance, which in time, would become everything the boy ever needed. His pale blue hair was combed, styled and washed beautifully so it fell like a halo around his face. The mark underneath his eye, once deemed ugly, turned into a beauty spot. He placed just the right amounts of make-up that made him look prettier, without making him seem like a girl. His lips were full and pouty, and he had an air around him that said 'Insult me and you die'. He took great care with his looks, and it became the only thing that he could fully rely on to be there.
And so it began. Pieter, now Aphrodite, used his newfound beauty to do a great many things. He used his beauty to hide his real self, from others and him. It was his barrier he hid behind, and it was so well structured he could even convince himself that his beautiful self was his real self. People looked at him instead of ignoring him like before, and acknowledged he was something, acknowledged that he was powerful. No one ever dared to call him nothing again.
And as Aphrodite grew up to look prettier and prettier, he came to be a strong and more powerful fighter than anyone at his training grounds had ever seen. He soon became to be known as the Angel of Death- he looked like an angel that had descended from the sky to give blessings, but his blessing was a quick defeat of the opponent. It was rumoured that he could even kill if he wanted to. Soon, he was capable to be a Gold Saint, a powerful one at that, and was sent off to the Sanctuary. When he arrived there, lots of people didn't talk to him, his beauty making them feel unworthy. As he was one of the first Gold Saints, there weren't many people to talk to him anyway. And that was fine with Aphrodite. Less people talking to him meant less people knowing how weak he truly was. So each day in the Sanctuary he trained, fought, and defeated all his opponents. He never got marked by a scar or bruise.
What everyone didn't know was that his real intention wasn't to try to become a Gold Saint of Athena. His only thought in the beginning was to protect his beauty. He was forced to fight, and in a fight, he may get hit, and left with a blemish. To avoid his beauty being destroyed, he fought harder and harder till no one could beat him, so beauty was his power and will. When roses were introduced as one of his most deadliest weapons, his only thought was that they would make him more beautiful, and therefore, more powerful.
So every day, Aphrodite had one goal in mind- He had to stay beautiful, because if he stayed beautiful, he would stay powerful. He would never be nothing again.
Present
"…Beauty was my only goal I had in my life." Aphrodite finally said. "It was the only thing that stayed alive for me, and it was the only thing I could fight for."
"I see." Mu said quietly. "Do you still fight for only your beauty?"
Aphrodite paused. Did he still only fight for his beauty? Sure, he took great care in looking beautiful. But… he had his brother in arms, the Gold Saints now. They weren't the most harmonious family… But still family. Also… he had Deathmask, the idiot who had annoyingly insisted to become friends with him, and maybe even something more than that now.
"…No. No, I don't." said Aphrodite softly.
Mu nodded, and moved away to help Saga with his Christmas decorations. Aphrodite sat down in a plastic chair to the side of the room, reflecting over what he told Mu. Was it the truth? He couldn't deny the fact that he didn't only fight for his beauty anymore. Hell, he wasn't sure if he would care as much if someone took away his beauty right now. But he still needed his barrier… Aphrodite sighed, and pushed himself up. Maybe he just needed to take his mind off this for a little while, and help someone with decorating.
Out of the corner of his eye, Deathmask saw Mu moving away from Aphrodite, and Aphrodite sitting down on a chair, seemingly sad.
"That goddamn sheep better not have said something stupid to Dite, otherwise he's dead."
Kanon looked at Deathmask, apparently amused. "On the bright side, at least you aren't the sadistic bastard everyone thinks you are."
"Wha- How am I anything apart from a sadistic bastard?!"
"You care for Aphrodite." Kanon pointed out
"…I do not."
"What's so bad about caring for him anyway? It's nice to stop being sadistic sometimes. "
"…"
Flashback
Angelo laughed as his dad picked him up and swung him around. We'll be together forever, Angelo, as a family, his dad had said. And Angelo believed him. He looked around at his family, his mother talking and washing the dishes, his older sister helping and chuckling at jokes. How could anything go wrong? he thought.
3 years later
Angelo's lower lip trembled, tears filling his eyes as the gunman slowly circled around the rest of his family. They packed close together in the middle of the room, shaking with fright. The gunman didn't seem to care about Angelo, probably as he was too small and a useless bounty. Angelo wanted to help his family… But what could he do? His young body was nothing compared to the strong burly man he was up against. His father suddenly let out a yell, and launched himself at the man, disarming him. The gun clattered away from his grasp, and skittered its way over to Angelo. He stared at it, hardly comprehending what was in front of him. He leant down and picked it up, hands shaking. The gunman picked himself up and let out a yell- and bought his fists together down upon Angelo's dad's head. Very hard. His dad immediately collapsed, blood leaking from the wound. Unless his head was made of iron, it was impossible for him to survive that hit without immediate medical treatment. And no treatment was coming.
His mother and sister hugged each other in fear as the gunman menacingly made his way towards them. He was obviously going to make them pay for their disobedience. Angelo gripped the gun, sweat making it slippery, and pointed it shakingly at the gunman. With one final surge of energy, his father lifted up his head and rasped out "Shoot!" Then his head flopped down and he never spoke again. The gunman noticed Angelo holding the gun, and started heading for him, fists raised. Shoot, Angelo thought. I must shoot. Daddy said so, it was his last message. Tears slipped down his face. But although he tried, his fingers were frozen, and he couldn't force himself to pull the trigger.
Two screams suddenly startled Angelo, and he almost dropped the gun. His mother and sister had followed his father's example. They had launched himself at the gunman, kicking and screaming. Angelo couldn't make out what they were saying to him, was it "run" or "shoot" or something else? The gunman swore, and picked them both up by the collar of their shirts, and threw them in the corner of the room. The man growled, and at that moment, two more gunmen from the outside banged open the door and came rushing in. They were holding guns themselves, and ruthlessly shot multiple bullets at his mother and sister. Blood came spurting out. And then all Angelo saw was red.
Thinking back, Angelo couldn't even remember what happened. As he watched his entire family die, a wave of hate came crashing over him. What right did those men have to come and killing his family? They never did anything to them. And as the thoughts bubbled and boiled throughout his brain, making him angrier and angrier, he was hardly aware of the blue aura that had surrounded him. He mindlessly leapt and kicked and punched the gunmen, not caring about what would happen to him. Not once did he think about how his punches were stronger than they should be, or the weird sensation around his body. But although he was fighting like a crazy demon, his body couldn't do much against three fully grown men.
The door suddenly burst open again. A man with long, greenish blond hair that was flying everywhere came in, eyes ablaze. With a few punches, the gunmen were knocked unconscious, and lay on the floor. Angelo, who had stopped moving as soon as someone else came in, froze as the stranger came and bent down to look at him in the eye. You poor soul, he had said. You need help. Come with me. You can trust me. Angelo, too tired to disagree, let him pick him up and carry him close to his chest. You are powerful in more ways than you can imagine, child, the stranger said. I will help you with your life. As those words were being said, Angelo felt his eyelids drooping from exhaustion. He fell into a deep slumber, but not without being plagued by nightmares about his life.
.
.
.
Angelo awoke to find himself cold and clammy. He pushed himself up to find himself in a vast room slightly bathed in sunlight, in a comfortable bed(3). His dreams had haunted him the entire night. From his father telling him to shoot, to all the blood of his family… He shivered. Why was he such a coward? He might've been able to save his mother and sister, even if he couldn't save his dad. If only he could've pulled the trigger.
"Ah, I see you are awake." A soft voice spoke from above him
Angelo looked up to see the same man from yesterday looking kindly down at him. Straightaway, he trusted him.
"I am glad you are alright. My name is Shion."
"M- my name is Angelo." Angelo stammered out.
"Angelo, hmm? Italian for angel…"
Angelo sat extremely still, not sure what to do.
"Yesterday, Angelo, when your family was attacked, I believe you felt an aura around you when you attacked the men, am I correct?"
"…Yes." As an afterthought, he added "Sir."
"Don't call me sir, that makes me feel older than I really am. The aura you felt is called cosmos. It is an extremely rare thing only certain people can achieve if they were strong enough."
"Does that mean… I'm strong?" Angelo blinked up at Shion
"Yes, little one, you are." Shion smiled at him "If you wish, you can stay, and learn how to become stronger."
Angelo suddenly thought of his family, and how they were strong for him, and sacrificed themselves. "But I'm not… Strong…" he whispered. "Shion…" he pronounced the name with a slight baby tone. "I let my family die…." Tear began trickling down his cheeks.
Shion picked him up and hugged him close to his chest. "You could do nothing else, Angelo… And you are strong. Do you know why?"
Angelo hiccupped and shook his head.
"It's because I could feel your cosmos. I just finished a scouting mission in Italy, and was about head back to my home, when I felt your cosmos explode. So I immediately teleported over to find out what was going on."
"You can… teleport?" Angelo stared up at him with wide eyes, crying temporarily stopped.
Shion laughed. "Yes, little one. Why don't I take you outside and show and tell you some more?"
Angelo nodded excitedly. Shion headed outside, and there lay the Sanctuary in all of its afternoon glory. "Wow…" Angelo said quietly.
"Angelo, welcome to the Sanctuary. Let me introduce you to how everything works."
Angelo smiled a bright smile, the first bright smile in a long time. Here, he would become stronger. He would become stronger for his family.
7 years later
It had been a long time since Angelo first arrived at the Sanctuary. He was strong, in fact, one of the Gold Saints now. But however hard he fought to take his mind off things, his family's death would not dislodge itself from his mind. It would be fine if it wasn't at the front of his mind all the time. But he couldn't stop thinking about how he wasn't strong enough, how he couldn't shoot at the gunman. How he was too nice to them.
And so, after thinking it through, his name became Deathmask. Death stood for, well, the death he would bring to his opponents, whether physical or mental. Mask had an even more important meaning. Angelo already realised long ago his personality was too soft for a Gold Saint. In his opinion anyway. He would have put on a façade, a mask. That was the only way to stay strong. When you put Death and Mask together, you got Deathmask. And to honour his new name, he vowed he would make a face mask out using the face of anyone he killed. He called them death masks. His personality changed as well. It became merciless, sarcastic, sadistic. Making a death mask was a way to make sure he was keeping to his new personality. In his eyes, his new personality made him stronger, as he would not let anyone escape alive. He could pull the trigger now. If the opposition wasn't alive anymore, they couldn't do anymore damage. Whether it was to him, or to anyone he cared about.
After all, if he didn't have a personality of a sadistic bastard, he would be weak, and everyone he cared about would die.
Present
"Deathmask? Deathy? Hello?" Kanon waved his hand in front of Deathmask's face, who had spaced out.
"What." Deathmask said brusquely, coming back to himself.
"You going to answer my question?" Kanon asked
"It's just better to stay sadistic than not, ok?" snapped Deathmask. He instantly felt bad when he saw Kanon's hurt expression. "Sorry."
"Is something bothering you?"
"Not really."
Kanon sighed. "Let's at least get these decorations up."
Deathmask nodded shortly, and began hanging up tinsel and wreaths. After a period of silence, he spoke up. "You know, one of my death masks would look a lot more festive than this piece of goddamn tinsel."
Kanon stared at him. "Are you crazy or something?"
"Or something." Deathmask cracked a half smirk, half smile, and the tension between them snapped. They fell back into their usual routine of bantering, and was one of the loudest decorating groups the entire day.
Finally, all the decorations were hung up and everything was as pretty as it could be. Well, almost.
"Come on Camus! Just some icicles over the doorway, it's not that bad!"
"Aphrodite, that's an insult to my powers."
"Geez… Hey Milo, a little help over here?" Aphrodite called out towards Milo
Milo headed over. "What do you need help with?"
"Your boyfriend over here won't put up some icicles around the top of the doorway. Can you convince him otherwise?"
"He's not my boyfriend." Camus and Milo stated at the same time.
"Yeah yeah…"
Milo turned to Camus. "Come on, Camus, please? We need a finishing touch."
"…" Camus looked at Milo's expression. His cute expression that wasn't even close to puppy dog eyes, but it got him every time. "Fine."
Aphrodite cheered silently as Milo pulled Camus over to the door and watched Camus place icicles around the top of the doorway. "You sure they won't melt, Camus?" Aphrodite heard Milo ask.
Camus glared. "That would be an imperfect job."
Shion clapped his hands to get all of the Gold Saint's attention. He motioned for Athena, who was next to him, to speak.
"Everyone, you have done a great job today." Athena said sweetly. "The tree looks beautiful, and the decorations look fabulous."
"Athena-sama… If I may interrupt?" Saga said. "No has put the angel on top of the tree yet."
Everyone's eyes went towards the top of the tree. Indeed, the angel wasn't there. A brief strange expression flitted over Aphrodite's face. Deathmask noticed, but didn't say anything.
"If I can make a suggestion?" Shaka's voice spoke out quietly. Everyone turned towards him. "I think Athena-sama should put the angel on the tree. We would not be here without her."
As heads nodded in agreement, Athena smiled. "Thank you, everyone. It's my pleasure."
"Here" Aldebaran rumbled. "You can use this ladder, I'll hold it still."
"Aldebaran, it's fine." She smiled. "I'll do this a different way."
Aiolia handed the angel to her, and she surrounded herself in cosmos and began floating up towards the top of the tree (4). She delicately placed the angel on top of the tree, and everyone cheered or clapped. Athena floated back down and landed gracefully. "Everyone, you are dismissed! You can go back to your temples if you wish. Remember we have a Christmas banquet tomorrow!"
One by one, the Gold Saints headed out, calling goodbye as they went. Even Athena and Shion retreated to their private quarters. Soon, only Aiolos, Shura, Deathmask and Aphrodite were left.
"You guys aren't leaving?" asked Aiolos
"Well, I live right next to here, and Deathmask usually stays in my temple for a while after he comes all the way up here. Something about not bothering to walk down back to Cancer" Aphrodite said airily
"Would in their right mind would do that?" Deathmask grumbled. "Don't people like Mu hang out for a while in Shaka's temple just to avoid going down more steps for a while?"
"That is because Shaka and Mu are in a relationship. Although, that explains why you stay back at Pisces, Deathmask." Shura said, cracking a small smile.
"I- hmph."
Aiolos laughed while Aphrodite blushed.
"Well, we're going to get going, guys." Aiolos said. "I'm staying at Shura's temple for a while as well."
Deathmask snickered. "Can I apply the same logic Shura told me just now?"
Shura glared at Deathmask. Then glared at Aiolos for telling them. Aiolos raised his hands in surrender. "We are right next to each other! It doesn't really make a difference, does it?!" he asked desperately in his defensive.
Aphrodite laughed and waved. "See you later!" He called out.
"Have fun together, if you know what I mean!" Deathmask yelled after their retreating forms.
Deathmask knew he was so going to get Excalibured by Shura tomorrow.
In the Pisces temple, Aphrodite and Deathmask flopped down on top of the covers next to each other on Aphrodite's bed. A comfortable silence settled over them.
"Dite, why were you so uncomfortable with the angel?"
Aphrodite started. "You… You noticed?"
"Duh."
"Oh… Well, I was called the Angel of Death when I was younger, that's all… "
"Because you looked like an angel and you could quickly defeat someone?"
"Hmm. You know me too well."
Deathmask looked at Aphrodite. "You know…"
"Yeah?"
"We're kind of the Angel of Death, together. We're both 'angels'" Deathmask said with finger quotations around angel "And we're can both deliver death so easily."
Aphrodite hmmed thoughtfully. "Well, to me… You're more of an angel, Angelo." He snuggled closer to Deathmask on the bed.
Deathmask blushed lightly, although barely noticeable on his tan skin. "Trust me, I'm not an angel. You look a lot more beautiful than that angel on top of the tree."
"Well… how about I rephrase? You may not think you're an angel, but you're my angel, Angelo." His hand groped around to find Deathmask's and held it tightly.
Deathmask's breath hitched slightly, and squeezed Aphrodite's hand back. "And as much as I hate to say this… I think you're my angel too, Pieter."
And there they lay, together. Hand in hand.
(1)- I have this theory that they don't sleep on the stone beds we saw Athena on in the Sanctuary arc. I mean, their bones would die from being stiff every single night
(2)- Aphrodite and Mu seem to be the people least likely to talk to each other. I mean, Shaka probably also wouldn't talk much to him… But I have (another) theory that Shaka and Aphrodite came to the Sanctuary around the same time, so they would know each other a bit better (don't ask why)
(3)- Again, my theory that they shouldn't sleep on stone beds
(4)- I don't actually know if Athena/Saori can do that… But whatever, it's Athena, she can do stuff people cant.
If you spot anything wrong, feel free to give constructive criticism!
Silverpenguin221
EDIT- Just some minor changes in this updated version. I got rid of the old ending… It seemed so abrupt. And fixed up some errors, etc.