"From The Other Side Of The Coin With Love"
Note: This chapter is a normal one! Haha, nothing M-rated in here, at all~~ It is kinds boring, but it is an important chapter because it really reflects a turning point for Arthur, on how he is throwing away is old life in heaven for this new one. (Or is he…?) ...
I hope that you will see this, and in the future understand so much better about the whole situation!
(A clue, look back to the chapter where Alfred first encounters Ivan and rescues Arthur after he woke up in his house...)
If you have questions, like I said before, don't hesitate to ask!~~
Bye Bye for now!
(Btw, all the names of the towns and stuff is all made up. Sorry if it is similar to something already existing, I only took something that popped up in my head!)
Chapter 5. A New life – Bring color to a blank sheet-
PART 2.
The archangel watched curiously around as he walked on the pebbled sidewalk, alongside his trusted lover and master, as they ventured farther into the city of Grail, one of the three major cities of Hell.
Said master watched his beloved with love in his eyes, as he bolted here and there, looking at everything that caught his eyes along the many market-stands that sold food and the like. This was the city that was, if you had compare, closes to a regular city similar to ones up above, on Earth. Here lived the more carefree devils, that did not crave or longed for blood and souls as much as others, and that preferred to live a somewhat normal life, albeit being trapped in the feared realm of Death.
The devil's smile grew as he watched Britannia pet a, what seemed to be an innocent bird-creature, that only, when he wasn't looking, turned into something gruesome, with large fangs and blazing red eyes.
The angel yelped when he caught sight of it, his large white wings flapping as he fell backwards in shock, only barley managing to save himself from falling as he steadied his body with the help of his appendages as he turned, with a sort of frightened face, to his master.
"W-What was that?" he asked, his green eyes wide. "It was so cute just a moment ago and then…" he tried to gesture with his hands in a frightening motion as he mimicked something with large teeth clasping its jaw over something.
Ivan just chuckled as he led his seemingly confused angel further along the wide road, surrounded by small houses and shops.
"It was a Shriexz." He said, as he answered the angel's question. "A bird of Death that lures its victims with its sweet appearance, only to strike when they're the most vulnerable." He added, a smirk forming on his face.
"Very much like you, I would say." He added, as he took the angels small hand in his, only to lead him further among the mass of devils, and some, surprisingly, angels.
Arthur frowned at that, his eyes going up to his master.
"How do you mean that me, -and that bird-," He gestured towards the direction of that particular market-stand that had held the bird. " …would ,somehow, be alike?" he puffed his cheek out in an offended manner. "That is ridiculous, Master!" he then exclaimed, pouting as he turned his eyes away from the other.
The devil stopped in his tracks then, surprise painted on his face on the angel's reaction. But his eyes soon turned into something soft, as he turned to lean down towards the others eye level.
"Well you see, Bri." He whispered softly. "Just like that bird, you too, have managed to capture me with you beauty, making me vulnerable for anything you might throw at me." He said, as he gave a gentle smile.
His smile got even bigger when he caught the angel meeting his eye, his cheeks slowly coloring a beautiful pink.
"I am, but nothing else, at you mercy, My flower." He said, as he leaned in to capture the others lips in a quick kiss, before he straightened up, and continued their walking.
The pair continued to walk in silence, the angel too flustered to speak, as he covered his eyes under his bangs, relying positively on the other to direct him through the market square.
But his master then suddenly stopped, making the angel walk into him.
A slight whine escaped his lips on the collision, as he turned to Ivan.
"Why did you stop, Master Ivan?" he asked, as he covered his nose and mouth from the impact.
"Because we are here." He answered shortly, as he reached for the door knob to open the door of the small shop.
Upon entering the small shop, a bell above the door rang, as to alert the shopkeeper of costumers. And, as if on cue, a brown-haired devil stood up from leaning under the counter, to give a small and friendly smile at them.
"Good day." The mellow looking devil greeted, his eyes a mossy green color that matched his chin length brown hair, slightly disheveled and put up in a ponytail for work purpose.
"Good day, Comrade~!" The fair haired devil greeted back, his personality changing to someone the angel was not at all acquainted with. A shiver went through him when he saw the smile that grazed his master's lips, not at all like the smile that usually masks his lips.
No, this one was frightening. A childlike smile, that would look friendly, if it wasn't for the aura surrounding said devil, that told everyone his smile's true intention. His master's smile seemed to scare the other devil too, as he kind off shrunk back as he stood by the desk, his eyes avoiding to meet the other straight on.
"Ah… Mr. Braginski." He said, his face a bit paler than from the start, but a kind smile still painted his face. "What can I help you with?" he asked, his east European accent a bit hard to understand, as he shivered under the purple glare of the taller man before him.
"Oh, no need to be so tense, Toris." The devil answered, his smile growing bigger. "I just wanted to see if you could fix some clothes for my angel here, something more appropriate than what he's wearing as of right now." He declared, as he pushed the timid angel before him, in view of the other.
"Oh." The man uttered, before he smiled a much brighter smile than before, as he leant down in a small bow. "Hello there, My name is Toris Lorinaitis." He greeted as he regarded the angel before him. "And what is your name?" he asked kindly.
Arthur watched the other devil carefully, him feeling a bit shy since he was not used to other devils more than his master, so he felt himself being a bit on edge. But seeing the other regard him with such kind eyes, as if he too were nothing more than a heavenly being or maybe a human, made him swallow his fear to answer the others question.
"My name is Britannia." He answered shyly, as he hid half and half behind the Russian devils back. The taller devil only smiled, and patted his head as he once again tried to pull the other before him, so that the dress-maker could get a closer look at him.
"You did good, but there is no need for you to be afraid." He said. "Toris wouldn't dare to do anything to hurt you, isn't that right privet?" he said, turning to the brown haired devil with the same, frightening smile as before. The devil flinched at the look he was receiving, but shook his head. "O-Of course not. Why would I?" he only answered, as he strained a forced laugh from his lips. The light haired devil smile only widened at that.
"That is good, da. See, told you didn't I, Flower?" he mused, as he brushed a strand of hair behind the angels ear. The angel blushed at that, but he didn't have time to react further when he got hoisted in the Russians strong arms, only to be put on the same counter the other devil was behind.
"Soo…" the devil said. "What can you get my angel to wear, hm?" he mused as he looked at the shopkeeper.
Toris gulped at the sudden change of scene, before he opened up to speak.
"Um, as you know, It is mostly my partner, Felix, that's handling the fitting and such, but ,well, since he is out on business, I guess I will have to handle the fitting this time." He said, as he gave a small smile. "Please, come along back here so you can try on something we have in stock." He added, as he motioned for them to follow him to the back of the store.
The angel followed his steps, unsure of the situation, but he followed the man quietly non the less. With his master not far behind him he felt safe ,so he willingly let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, before he turned to look around the shop.
It did not shock him to see all the clothes, but to see it in this amount made his eyes go wide. Clothes, in all the colors and materials laid either folded or were hanging on some of the many racks of clothes that could be seen almost everywhere you looked.
The small angel felt slightly overwhelmed and the shopkeeper Toris noticed this and calmed him down by saying that everyone felt almost the same when stepping in here for the first time. He learned that the shop-keepers partner, that he had mentioned fleetingly by the name Felix, was the one who was responsible for all off the different designs and fabrics they had here. It seemed that he liked to have a lot of different fabric, incase inspiration would strike him and he would need a special kind of fabric for it. That explained why the room was so crowded.
Britannia felt himself remarkably relax in the devil's present, as he chuckled at a story he had mentioned, involving him, Felix and a fire daemon, before he heard his master clear his throat behind him.
He turned his eyes from the brown-haired devil to look up at his master, smiling doing so.
"Yes?" he asked. "What is it Master?" he asked, turning his head to the side, questionly.
He got greeted by a smile, a true on this time, as the devil bent down to ruffle his hair.
"I was thinking I should go get something for us to eat while you pick something to wear." He said, his purple eyes shining. "You haven't eaten in quite some time, am I right?" he asked playfully, even though he knew the answer clear as day.
The angel blushed at the statement, and turned his head to the side. "You know the answer so don't tease me please." He said, his cheeks glowing cherry red. "You." He began. "You had me awful busy with, well… other things yesterday so I did not eat, no." he said finally, his cheeks now redder than the most sun-kissed rose.
Ivan only smiled even bigger, as he put his hand on the others lower back.
"I did, didn't I?" he whispered huskily, only for him to hear, as he gave a small pat to the others behind.
The angel jumped and yelped in surprise, making the other devil turnaround from what he was doing, that being sorting through a mountain of clothes, to watch his costumers face turn beet root red.
"Is something wrong?" he asked the angel, that had a painful expression painted on his face, as he seemed to rub his hands on the lower part of his back.
The angel suddenly whipped his head in his direction, his eyes wide and face red.
"No!" the angel said. "No, not at all!" he reassured the other, as he gave a small glare towards his retreating master.
"I see you soon then My flower~!" The devil said, laughing, before he stepped out of the store, his pointed tail swishing playfully in the air.
The angel huffed, before he turned his attention once again to the slightly confused shop-keeper.
"I'm sorry." He said. "He is just very…well, he likes to tease, that is all." The angel said, still rubbing his sore back. Toris only smiled and nodded, as if in recognition, before he turned again to sort through a pile of clothes. The angel watched curiously at the devil, that was in full search of finding, or so it seemed, something in particular.
"Is there anything special you are looking for?" Britannia asked. "If so, maybe I can help?" he offered with a small smile.
The devil kindly accepted the help, and after explaining that he was looking for looked like, they both sprawled out on different sides of the room, searching.
While both busy with the task of finding the lost piece of clothes, Toris decided that now was the time to ask some questions.
"So, Britannia was it right?" he asked. "How long have you've been with Mr. Ivan?" he asked, his tone serious. "I haven't seen him together with someone, and certainly not like this, since forever." He added, as he turned to get a glimpse of the other from his shoulder.
Arthur stopped with what he was doing for a moment, before he answered the question solemnly. "I met him some days ago, or… well, I met him again so to say." He said, as his eyes wandered to look at nothing in particular. "Before now, we hadn't seen each other for some time…" he said, as his fingers slowly continued with his task at hand.
"Oh, Is that so…" the devil said, his face changing into a thoughtful expression. "If that is the case, then I am glad you are finally back together." He then said, as he turned to give the other a kind smile. The angel watched, at bit stunned at first from the statement, but then returned the smile with a warm one, his cheeks turning a slight pink.
"Yes, So am I." he said, before he turned to look into another pile of clothes. But he didn't even manage to search the first layer of the batch before the devil cried out, his voice joyful.
"Ah, here it is, at last!" he proclaimed, as he turned with something in his right hand, in the color similar to freshly picked peaches.
The angel quirked a brow, as he walked towards the devil, his head tilted in question.
"So that is the thing we were looking for?" he asked, eyes wide with a curious glint in them. "What is it?" the angel asked.
The devil only nodded once in response, before he turned to hold up the piece of clothing before the angel in all its glory.
The angel watched the piece carefully with wide eyes, taking it in fully.
More than a regular shirt, it was more like a long tunic, that ended mid-thigh, but flowed into longer pieces of fabric in the back, very similar to that of a tuxedo. The color a fresh shade of something between a lighter orange and a darker pink, coming along nicely as it faded out to white at the back. For being so straight, it had strings in the side of the garment to adjust it to a more prominent fit, and the collar of the tunic soft, as it showed both of the shoulders, before it flowed gently forward into something similar to a fleeting bow of fabric spilling out, similar to the flaps of fabric in the back. The fabric looked soft to the touch, but also durable. The long sleeves of the tunic would also help in the cold nights they spent by the mountains.
He nodded, and regarded the devil before him. "It is very nice." He said, as he smiled towards the other. "But why this?" he asked questionly. "Why did you especially think of this piece for me to wear?" he asked.
On that question, the devil gave a sheepish grin, something that seemed to be something he did not give often, as he turned around to locate something for him to wear underneath and some shoes,(He couldn't wear his sandals anymore. They were fitted for flying, and since they walked a lot in hell, they simply would not do anymore.) when he decided answered the others question.
"Well, you see." He began, as he picked up a pair of black shorts with a lot of excess fabric floating on the sides. "When Felix designed this piece." He mentioned towards the tunic that he had thrown over his shoulder while searching. "He gave it the name 'Angels flight' " he added, as he turned to the angel with the rest of the clothes he had picked out.
"Therefore." He said, as he handed all the pieces of clothing to the angel. "I thought it would be perfect for you." He said, smiling, while he led him towards the dressing rooms.
After gently guiding the angel inside one of the booths, he closed the curtains behind him.
"Well, Let's see if my choice was any good or not." He said cheerfully. "I have to remind you again that I usually don't handle these types of things in the store, so I cannot guarantee that it will be any good." He added, smile still present on his face, even though the angel could no longer see him. "Please, try them on." He added, as he walked over to the other side of the room. "I will be waiting, so just take your time and ask me if you need any help." He said as a final, before he began working with others things that needed to be done.
The angel, now in the dressing booth all by himself, felt a bit uneasy. He watched his tunic, that was very dirty since it hadn't been washed in days, for a moment, deep in thought. But after catching himself staring at the piece of cloth, he shook his head, only to, in a swift motion, pull it over his head and throwing it in a small pile on the floor. Without regret, he shredded all of his former clothes, until he stood there, completely bare. Only then did he begin to put the new clothes on, the ones that the brown-haired devil had selected for him.
After he had buttoned the last button on the shirt, he opened up the curtain slowly, stepping out of the dressing room.
As he lifted his eyes to search for the Eastern-European devil, he was met with a pair of familiar purple eyes instead.
Britannia froze in place then, not at all prepared to face his master so suddenly.
As he tried to get the larger devils attention, he noticed how the others eyes was as if they were glued on him. The eyes scanning his lithe body from top to bottom, slowly, as if to savour the sight.
This made the angel uncomfortable, as he began to squirm on his place on the floor, his cheeks reddening.
"M-Master?" the angel said, his voice low and soft. "Is… Is there anything wrong with the way I look?" he then asked, his eyes furrowed in concern and worry.
"What if his master didn't like it at all…" the angel thought, his eyes turning sad on that thought.
"I… I kind of like it, but does he?" he asked himself, as he looked down; pondering over the question he had asked himself.
With him not meeting the other eyes, he then failed to notice the smile that came on the other lips, and also how the other stepped closer, only to lift his chin up and meet their lips together.
After regaining his senses back after the shock of the sudden kiss, the angel watched his master smile at him, while holding a bag of something he wasn't sure of what is was yet. But it smelled wonderful.
Britannia turned his head to the side in question. "So." He began. "Do you like it Master?" he asked, his eyes still showing a bit of worry.
The only reply he got was a low chuckle, as the other pulled him closer to his chest in a hug.
"Of course Bri." He answered, while giving a small kiss on the top of his head. "But you would look beautiful in anything, малютка.*" He said, making the angel blush. "Your beauty cannot be defined by what your wearing." he added as a final, as he led the other back towards the front of the store, where Toris were, currently working with some paperwork when they showed up.
"Oh, I see they fit you rather well Mr. Britannia." He said, as he smiled to the angel. "I'm glad you liked it." He said.
Britannia only nodded weakly, as he smiled back. "Yes, I like them very much Mr. Toris sir." The angel said. "Thank you." He said, as he gave a small bow.
"You are welcome." The shop-keeper replied, giving a bow in return. "I hope I will see you again." Toris added, before the Russian devil and the small angel walked out of the store, the angel giving a small wave doing so.
While out in the street again, the angel had to get adjusted to wearing the heavy black knee-high boots he now was wearing, which was not easy since he only had ever been wearing light shoes before.
"Heh." He chuckled. "This will take a while getting used to, I think." The angel said, as he looked up to meet the violet eyes of the devil. "It feels weird." He added, smiling wide.
Ivan only laughed at that, as he took the others hand in his.
"Take all the time you need…" he said, but as soon as that sentence had escaped his lips, his gaze began to wander, as he seemed to look at something far off in the distance.
"Is there anything wrong Master Ivan?" Britannia asked, worry painted on his face.
"No, not at all." The devil answered, as he turned to meet his angel by his side.
"Not now, at least." He thought for himself, as they continued their peaceful day at the market.
No, for now all was at peace, but Ivan suspected that it would not be so for so long...
Because he had heard it too, of course, like any other being resigning in hell at that point.
That ear-piercing roar of agony and rage had shaken all the devils that night, and along came several flashes of blue, that pierced through the never ending darkness that surrounded the skies of the dead, filling the usually dark place with its fearful light.
Ivan had known, at that time, that that roar was directed to him, and that the one emitting the sound would do next to anything to try get his beloved back.
But he hadn't been afraid. No, not for himself.
Only for the safety of the angel that had laid beside him, snuggled close to his body for warmth, after their first act of love since they reunited.
The only thing he was slightly worried about was the youngling's wrath, so very similar to that of his own.
But he was much older, and therefore more experience with it. The chief commander, on the other hand, was a rookie. A young; albeit powerful devil, that possessed enormous strength and the like. But he lacked life experience, and so, that could be what would lead him to his fall.
But he had seen the other in action, and he was an opponent to be reckoned with, and that for sure.
Ivan knew this fight would be a tough one, and one he desperately had to win.
Not for him, but for their happiness. His and his servant's happiness, which had already been delayed for centuries.
With his happiness secured once again and by his side, the Russian was not at all keen to let it slip from his fingers once again.
"No." the devil thought, as he smirked.
"Bring it on Comrade" he thought darkly. "I will not let you have what is mine."
Russian:
**малютка = in this case, not really baby more like "little one"
Note: Last chapter will have, I think, a two part piece. One with Alfred's P.O.V and the rest with the others. The next chapter will take a while, I think, since I want to work on my other stories a bit more!
((((( The inspration for Arthur clothes is from this picture you can find on my tumblr, thequeenofregrets! Since the picture is very vague, I made some things up. But that is how I picture him atleast! Please, go take a look! Im sorry though, I don't have a source!)))))))
There is also one thing I like to mention:
Arthur, depending on the sitaution, can be called either "Arthur" or "Bri"/ "Britannia". Ivan calls his servant whichever name he prefers for the moment, but he prefers Britannia or Bri, especially when they are in public so to say. (Since he knows people are after him and the archangel 'Arthur'.) Why he prefers Britannia is because it separates his Arthur from "the other" Arthur.
I hope that explaines some!
Ciiaaao~~ Til' next time.
