So I spent all morning writing this...God, lately I've just been so obsessed with the "Sweet Devil" thing.
At first this was just going to be some hot stuff between Arthur and Alfred I was going to post on DA, but I ended up writing this all up instead. I do apologize for how boring this chapter is, but it had to be done, ya know? I'm thinking that I'll also post this on Archive Of Our Own, so when it eventually does get down to the hot stuff, I won't have to deal with wannabe Admin.
Anyway, do enjoy your read. Germoni is Germania and Romulus is Rome. I know this thing must be littered with errors but I did my best to fix them up.
Warning: This story has heavily implied religious themes. If that makes you uncomfortable, feel free to turn back. I do not own Hetalia: Axis Powers.
Sweet Devils and Cruel Angels
It was a time before Angels were even known of by most humans. When there was little peace in the world and Father's stories were just beginning to unfold. During this time, Angels had many children, though they were born from the souls of doves. This is because doves were the only purity that the archangels could see in the Human World, and so they gave the white-winged creatures a home in paradise, reborn as Angels. It was the only way at the time for the Angels to reproduce, since such things as courting and making love were forbidden among their kind. It was all for the sake of retaining purity.
It was during this time that a young Angel by the name of Romulus, only a human age of 20, watched two doves fly about the sky. His brown eyes watched with interest as the white-winged birds snapped and called to each other. He laughed from his spot lying on a cloud.
They looked so funny. It was unusual for doves of all creatures to fight, they were so calm most of the time. These two are most definitely not ordinary, he thought. But then something clicked in his head-he had a brilliant idea!
The sudden spreading of Romulus' large golden tinted wings startled the two birds and they squawked at him in fear. The brunette only laughed with a large grin as he flew as close as he could to the birds without making them scared enough to leave.
"Salvay!" He called out to them. The birds merely looked at him with cautiousness. "Little doves, I'd like to take you with me." He told them. Then from his robe's pocket he pulled out a bit of bread. It was golden crusted with the sweetest aroma. Angels had no need for food, but such things were still one of the best sources of pleasure and Romulus was one to respect pleasurable things. Surely these birds would know the same!
"Here." he said, holding the bread out. The birds remained still, the only movement being the flapping of their wings. Then one of them, the more aggressive of the two, flew forward and rested itself on Romulus' arm. In one swift move, the dove bit a piece of bread off the loaf and flew back to its previous place. The Angel could not resist the laugh that escaped him.
In the following few minutes, the birds took turns flying over to Romulus' hand to take a piece until the last crumb was gone. With the last of it being eaten, the Angel pulled his hands back to pull another out of his pocket. One could never be too ready.
This time the birds both stayed on his arms as they ate the delicious bread. Romulus' felt it the right time to state his purpose. "If you like this," He said, "we have even more in my home. It is paradise, you know." The birds did not stop eating until the bread was finished, but when it was they looked up at him with their beady black eyes.
In a test of faith, the Angel quickly flung himself a few yards away so that the birds lost their grip. There was confusion for a moment before the birds returned to their place on Romulus' arms. The Angel grinned in joy as he pet the birds.
"MirĂ¡biles! This is great! Oh, you two will love the Paradise, I know it! I'll raise you myself, too. Oh, this will be great!" He said. It wasn't long before they'd arrived in Paradise and Romulus brought them to the Father.
He asked him, "Will you make them into my kind? Please?" The Father gave his approval after a moment of thought. Romulus was among his favorite Angels, thanks to good behavior and morals. Such a good Angel deserved this gift.
Besides. Doves were sinless, and so would be the Angels they'd become. It was with silence and a sudden warmth in the air that the doves' white feathers became white gowns and under their wings grew limbs. Soon enough, the doves were no longer doves but two beautiful children with blond hair.
Nothing in the world could stop Romulus' grin when he saw two pairs of eyes opening to look at him. What once was black and beady were now colorful and warm. Green and blue. Gorgeous. After many thanks to his Father, Romulus left the Father's house with the large smile still in place, and two small Angels curled into each arm.
An Angel of a physical age of nine watched from the sidelines as the two newest Angels fought over a small human made toy. She'd heard from her guardians that Romulus had chosen 'evil' children, but she didn't understand why these two could be considered such a thing.
The brown-haired Angel took small tentative steps towards the blond children, each step closer allowing her to hear more of the conversation.
"Why do you get to play with it? You always get it." The green-eyed one complained. He had short messy blond hair and the largest eyebrows she had ever seen on an Angel.
The other one, with shoulder length blond hair and playful blue eyes, scoffed and held the doll closer. "That's because I'm older, of course!" The green-eyed one huffed.
"That's stupid!"
"You're stupid!" The blue-eyed one retorted. The brunette quickly flew between the two children as the green-eyed one got a strange glint in his eye. Her guardians were right! These two were out of hand.
"Don't fight!" She said, placing a hand on each Angel's shoulder. "Father does not like it when we fight, we must be happy, and we must be kind to one another."
The one with the large eyebrows pouted and shrugged off her hand. "Who are you?" He asked. The brunette smiled at him.
"I am Elizaveta, and you two?" She asked. The blue-eyed one was quick to come closer.
"I am Francis! It is a pleasure to meet you, Elizaveta." Francis smiled brightly at her and Elizaveta could not resist the squeal that left her. She pulled him closer for an embrace that was welcomed.
"Good Graces, you are adorable!" As the brunette continued to ogle at the blue-eyed cutie, the green-eyed one frowned from his spot to the left of her.
"My name is Arthur." he muttered, but she did not hear him and continued to praise the blue-eyed brother. Arthur's frown deepened as he was completely ignored in favor for his much more angelic brother. Even at the simple human age of four, Arthur knew what was wrong and what was right, so when he began to feel jealousy for his brother, he quickly went on his way.
Tiny white wings lifted him away from the two, at first only a few feet. From his new spot he waited to see if they'd realize he'd left, but minutes passed and he was still ignored. With a deep sigh, Arthur flew away from the cloud he'd originally been playing on and went off to find better company. Even as he got farther and farther away, he could still hear Elizaveta's praise.
It was while wandering the streets of gold along many other Angels that Arthur finally caught sight of Romulus', he and Francis' older brother. It was with one powerful flap of his wings that the green-eyed boy landed in Romulus's arms, just as he finished a conversation with another Angel.
Upon sight of him, the amber haired Angel laughed jovially and Arthur felt better than he had moments before. The other Angel was introduced as Germoni, a long time friend of Arthur's brother and the rest of that day was spent in the comforting arms of Romulus' as he and Germoni shared stories of their adventures among humans. And though Arthur felt pain when he saw the playful touch in Francis' gaze, the green-eyed Angel found happiness in the unconditional love that Romulus' looked at him with.
It was centuries before Arthur and Francis' had reached the age of adulthood, a human age of 14. Their lives before then had seemed to be running in separate directions. Francis received guidance from the young Angel Elizaveta, learning how to value the beauty of the world, all the while receiving nothing but praise.
Arthur, though, had remained under both Germoni and Romulus' guidance. He learned of every virtue and sin, what is good and what is wrong. He often got off track though, and often failed to stay on the path of good. Germoni would reprimand him, and then Romulus' would teach him how to stay good and slowly but surely, Arthur was beginning to receive the praise he'd tried so hard to get.
Every meeting between the two brothers, Arthur and Francis, resulted in arguments, whether it was about an idea of right and wrong, or the actions of the humans below...
Francis thought them beautiful.
He would spend every day lazily resting on the clouds as he watched the humans strive to survive. Francis' would laugh when they laughed, cry when they cried, and love what they loved. He thought those below to be the most gorgeous of creatures and it earned him both scorn and respect.
Sitting with Romulus and Germoni for company, Arthur watched as his brother smiled down at the beings below. "What a good little brother I have." Romulus' commented. Just as always when Francis was given such love, Arthur flinched. "To be able to love those below us, it shows a promise of great things, don't you agree?"
Germoni huffed and Arthur looked at him with curiosity. "Nonsense. Really, Romulus? I'd think you smarter. This is clearly a sign of bad things to come." Romulus huffed from his spot to the right of Arthur and the youngest of the three carefully caught Germoni's attention.
"Why is it bad? I thought that humans were to be loved?" Arthur asked. He was careful with his words. The last thing he wanted to do was lose Germoni's respect, which was easy to do if your opinion was considered 'idiotic' by him.
Germoni looked down at Arthur with fierce blue eyes, only being soft and less intense when they saw the honest curiosity in the younger's gaze. The older blond sighed as he looked back to the wonder struck topic of conversation. "Yes, you are right. We are supposed to love our Father's creations, all of them, but what you do not understand is the horror they can bring us. We were made like them, we are them, but we are not. We have so selflessly brought ourselves down to their level. All that we have to show our difference are these wings we are born with, allowing us to fly to hights they can only dream of reaching."
At the mention of wings, Arthur looked at the white feathered limbs that gave him flight with interest. Germoni continued. "But there is one more thing that separates us, and gives us greater power over them. They are sinners. All of them, not one excluded. From the first selfish breath they take to the people they kill, they are of sin and not nearly as worthy as us."
Romulus frowned and placed a protective hand on Arthur's shoulder. "You cannot really believe such a thing, Germoni. It is our job to protect them and answer their prayers. You know that they are not all merciless sinners. They love and work hard and no matter what they are put through, they always make it to go another day."
"Where is this opinion coming from?" Germoni demanded. "Humans are vermin. Perhaps there are some who can be considered worthy of Paradise, such is shown by the human souls we have here. But there is simply too much sin for it to last. Even their love is laced with the sin of lust and greed. You should know this well."
"I do know this well and that's what makes them beautiful. They work for their happiness and they fight the sin. They are dirty with the evils of the world given to them by the Serpent, but they still die for us. Does this not make you respect them? If not, your heart is the colder than their dead corpse's!" Romulus' exclaimed. Germoni quickly stood up, pulling Arthur up with him.
"I refuse to hear such things! You may go on to worship those disgusting things, but I will take this young one and make sure you do not give him any more of these sinful ideals. Goodbye, Romulus." Germoni was quick to fly far away as quickly as he could, carrying Arthur with him.
The young Angel watched with sad green eyes as his older brother glared hatefully at Germoni's form. When he could no longer see the distinctive golden wings he'd loved, Arthur curled close to Germoni's form. In response, the elder Angel tightened his grip as they flew back to Germoni's home.
Romulus and Germoni weren't the only ones who had a falling out due to their opinions on humans. It was only a few weeks after that argument that all of Heaven was in an uproar. While half of the population wanted the humans to respected and loved them, the other half wanted purity that could not include the sinning creatures.
So no longer were Francis and Arthur chastised for their anger filled arguments. Instead they were encouraged to stand up for what they believed and they took the chance happily.
The two took every chance to push and fight each other. Though they did not dare talk in vain of their elders, they did so to each other with no guilt. Their guardians were no different. Romulus and Germoni were no longer the close friends they once were, but lead opposing sides of the coming Civil War. Every Angel fought with the other, whether it was physical or verbal.
There were only a few who could not decide which side they felt right and did the best they could to stay out of it. Least to say, the opposing sides did not take kindly to it. It was only after these neutral Angels were nearly being killed for treason that the Father finally stepped in.
Arthur knows that in all his life, he'd never felt anything as terrifying as God's wrath. And now that he was, he wanted nothing more than to escape it. The sudden chill that overcame him froze him in place, along with all the others who chose a side. He could see in the distance that Francis was frozen as well.
Each side had lined up, ready to fight, with the neutral Angels huddled in fear between them. Arthur could not help the guilt he felt when he saw Elizaveta among them. She was huddled close to another Angel, white robes dirty and face read from the tears he had no doubt she'd shed. His attention did not linger on her for long though, as Arthur instead looked towards the bright light coming forward to embrace the undecided.
Beside him, Germoni was choking on his breath at the sight of their Father so angry. Arthur only hoped that it wouldn't last long.
They all watched with enchanted eyes as the their Father held the Angels close to him in comfort. It was then, with a sudden gust of wind, that the icy grip was weakened. But even as they were no longer forced still, no one dared to move as their Father spoke.
"No war is worth such pain." The cold voice left Arthur shaking once more, but he could see the love Elizaveta and the others who chose peace felt for it and knew that for them it was heavenly. "If my children are so insistent on war...then you may all take your leave. I will not force you, my children." He said. "But if you chose to stay, I will hear no word of this again. Or you'll be forced out."
With that final warning, the light was gone and everything was as it was moments before. The Angels who had been in the Father's embrace were now up and dressed in the finest of robes, their wings the most beautiful of color of gold. It was clear to see that the Father had chosen new 'favorites', even as some of them were children.
Arthur quickly looked to Germoni in worry, seeing the now dull color to his wings. What once was beautifully golden was the plain white that he had. Germoni sighed deeply and took a long look at Arthur. Though Arthur was no longer a child and stood tall, he still only reached Germoni's shoulders and had to look high up to see the elder.
The young Angel felt worry frenzy about him as he saw Angels letting themselves fall down from Heaven in bursts of flame. Arthur stepped back he could feel the true terror of it all. It might have been a choice to make, but those flames were that of Hell and sight of such evil burned just as bad as being the one on fire.
"Do not fear." Germoni said to him, an arm wrapping around him as if to protect. "I will not leave. I only wish for your happiness and safety, though, so if that is what you want, I will follow you to Hell's flame." The honesty in those words made Arthur's eyes water as he hugged Germoni close as well.
"I don't want to leave." he admitted and the once favorite of the Father gave him a small smile of content with that news. Unfortunately, Arthur could no longer feel that joy when he saw Germoni looking with pain filled eyes to the front of them. Green eyes followed his gaze and Arthur gasped as he saw Romulus and Francis together, just in time for the older Angel to disappear into flames.
Francis turned his gaze in Arthur's direction and both froze as they stared at each other. Francis almost looked shocked for a moment before his gaze hardened and flames consumed him. A whimper escaped Arthur as he witnessed this and Germoni held him close as he guided him away from the flames.
Hours later, only half of the Angels remained, the rest leaving. Some went to Earth, others to Hell, but either way they were gone and were never going to return.
This was Hell to write, I swear. Ugh, but it's over. I would greatly appreciate your opinion on the story so far and my writing. Because, damn, it feels like everything I write is more boring than Carrot Top. No offense to Carrot Top fans, of course.
Read and Review? Reviews mean more chapters and more chapters means we're just that much closer to the good stuff.
