Category: Darksiders I & II
Rating: M
Couples: Azrael/Abaddon
Warnings: AU, Disturbing Imagery
Chapter: 6
Copyright: Characters & places © By Appropriate Copyright-holder, Plot & OC´s © by me
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"Stay near me." Azrael warned the young child, despite not needing to have bothered since the boy had seemingly almost fused to his legs. The young boy clutched tightly onto the angel's robe; everything was strange, so bright and... white. The buildings were the highest and the sparkliest things he had ever seen. Terrified to lose his rescuer from his sight and become lost in this alien place, he held onto the blue fabric as if his life depended on it. All the other angels looked scary too.
Chuckling softly, the Archangel patted the boy's head as they walked through the White City. At least he lived near the inner city and they would be back home soon. "Something different from camp, I take it?" He softly asked, wings held high behind him. The child nodded in silence.
"Azrael." A booming voice sounded from above. When he looked up his eyes widened even more: floating near them he saw a very muscular angel. Broad and powerful wings moved behind the man and the stern face looked down at the slender angel walking on the street. With mighty swoop, the tall man landed near them and walked with confident tread towards them. "I haven't seen you for awhile, old friend." Zeruch tried to make himself small and hid behind Azrael's robes. The man with the mighty voice was scary!
"Abaddon." The mystic returned the greeting, stopping in his walk to the city. "Indeed it has, old friend." He smiled gently, not removing his hand from Zeruch's head as he felt the child almost burrow into his clothes. Well... Abaddon could be terrifying, he had to give the Nephilim that. "Done with scaring recruits for the day?"
"Yes, unfortunately. Just collected the new reports from the outposts. The demons have suddenly become very active the last few days." The General informed the First Mystic, his face becoming grim at mentioning their enemies. "Those bloody..." It was only then he noticed small hands clutching the other's robes. "Uhm Azrael, who's that child?"
"Ah..." Azrael gently pushed Zeruch forward a bit, though not so far that the child needed to break contact with his robes. "This is Zeruch. I found him and am taking care of him until I can find his family. Zeruch, this is Abaddon, a dear friend of mine." He caressed the platinum hair of the boy soothingly. "He might look scary, but he is quite nice when you get down to it."
With a small and shy 'Hello', the young boy couldn't help but to stare at the large and bulky male. It was clear that the large angel was a fighter; the child had seen enough battle-scars on his own siblings and other Nephilim warriors to recognise them.
Abaddon took a step backwards and kneeled down so he wouldn't loom over the nervous child. "Hello Zeruch. " His stern face smiled gently at the child.
Trusting his savior's word and at seeing the warrior no longer towering over him, Zeruch inched closer to the General. "You fights demons?"
"Sometimes a bit too eagerly." The male whose clothes he was holding smiled teasingly at the General as he spoke. "Warmongering warrior that he is." The scholar added with a gentle chuckle.
"All for the protection of the White City, Azrael." Abaddon grinned back at the scholar.
"I wanna be big and strong so I cans protect family from demons. " Zeruch declared, his nervousness nearly completely forgotten. His blue eyes burned in determination and his young face hardened.
Abaddon become serious again and he looked at the child intently. "Did demons hurt your family?"
"They took him from his family to become a slave." Azrael darkly answered his friend, looking down at the boy at his side. "At least one of his siblings is probably dead." He gently caressed the child's head comfortingly.
At the mentioning of his brother, Zeruch pressed his face into the blue robes beside him. He tried hard not to cry about his brother again.
Abaddon's lips set into a dark grimace at what Azrael just revealed and the reaction of the child. It also didn't escape his attention that the boy lacked a pair of wings. It was not too hard to conclude what had happened to them. "Don't worry, Zeruch. We will try our best to find your family again." He stood up and looked at Azrael. "Is there any help I can provide you two? Don't hesitate to ask."
Leaning down, the mystic carefully lifted the boy into his arms. "I will, don't worry." He kept using one hand to caress the child's head. "The problem is that Zeruch does not recall where he lived, so I intend to send messengers to all outposts we have with a query if someone misses a child or whole family." Granted, he knew that they'd come up empty, but he had to keep up appearances. "But I shan't keep you from your duties. Though you are welcome to join us if you wish to procrastinate again."
"If it's not too much of a bother, I'll visit you in the evening. I can't delay much longer from my station." After saying his goodbyes to Azrael and Zeruch, the General flew off again.
A muffled sniff and "I miss my brothers and sister" could be heard from Zeruch, while he embraced the First mystic around his shoulders.
"I can imagine." Azrael started walking again. "I will do my very best at finding them, but... the Nephilim hide themselves well, I am afraid."