Fic: Hellspawn
Title: Hellspawn
Author/Artist: megkips
Character(s) or Pairing(s): Gilbert, Dumas (HRE)
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Swearing
Summary: In which Gilbert thinks adopting a Hellspawn is a good idea.
Gilbert doesn’t mind looking after Hellspawn. A tiny part of him even likes it. It isn’t just because the Hellspawn in question is cute (he is) or low maintence (he rarely speaks and has the patience of saints), or even that adopting Hellspawn have ruffled all of Roderich’s feathers (it has). There’s something calming about walking in the door of his horrible, bare apartment and taking a mental break for a few hours to worry about the kid that makes everything just seem better.
So when his request to commute from Earth is approved, Gilbert cannot contain his excitement. He picks up the blonde haired, blue eyed Hellspawn and spins him about the living room, cackling and grinning with glee. His Hellspawn takes in all of Gilbert’s joy with silence, but beams back at him none the less.
A week later, the two have a house. It’s in Prussia - Gilbert decided he quite liked the place during his stint as a Prussian during the French Revolution - located in the middle of a forest far from prying human eyes. The house itself isn’t much - there’s a downstairs with a kitchen and a room for sitting, and an upstairs with two small, seperate bedrooms, but it doesn’t reek of brimstone and that alone makes it pretty awesome in Gilbert’s eyes.
“Whatdya think, baby bro?” he asks his Hellspawn, surveying the property proudly.
“Smells weird,” the Hellspawn declares.
“Welcome to Earth,” Gilbert says with a laugh.
The Hellspawn is pretty capable of entertaining himself, but Gilbert is still weirded out by how quiet he is. He spends every other day on Earth with the kid. A part of him had hoped that being on Earth would loosen his tongue, but he’s still a mute most of the days. That’s okay with Gilbert though. He can appreciate silence.
They have few rules in their two person home. If you can’t reach something, ask big bro to reach it. Don’t leave the house without covering your horns. Don’t stray so far from home that you can’t walk. Don’t fly when you’re topside. Hide your tail in your pants if you’re out for a walk. If you smell something holy, run in the opposite direction. Stay away from humans.
The Hellspawn (they’ve both decided they like the name Dumas for now) breaks the last and most important rule in a month, although not of his own accord. He’s sitting in a field watching the clouds roll by when a young girl sits beside him. She’s seven or so, maybe, and has the prettiest smile. She tells him her name (Felicia) and says that today is a very nice day (much nicer than yesterday since it was rainy and sad) and that cloud looks like a bunny (but now it’s a turtle) and a million other things. Dumas says nothing (not that he could, she speaks so fast) but he smiles widely at her and almost cries when she says she must go, as she can hear her mama calling for her.
Gilbert can’t decide if he’s furious or delighted. His brother speaks so highly of the girl as he talks about his first encounter with humanity, but it is still a broken rule. The most important rule.
Gilbert sends Dumas to bed with no supper and forbids him from leaving the house the next day.
Dumas sneaks out anyway.
When Gilbert goes into work the next day and complains, Elizabeta simply laughs at him. He’s raising a proper demon, by her estimation. Gilbert simply grumbles in reply and worries about a love of humanity preventing his brother from becoming a Tempter.
That night when he returns topside, he sits down with Dumas to talk. Dumas frowns, because whenever Gilbert talks, it’s not good.
“Kiddo,” Gilbert says, pulling Dumas onto his lap, “Do you know why I keep telling you to stay away from humanity?”
“Because we eat and drink their souls,” Dumas says, “And you shouldn’t get friendly with your food.”
Gilbert laughs a little. He sometimes forgets how perceptive his Hellspawn-brother is. “Well, that and humans have a nasty way of hurting us.”
“Is it cos they know we eat ‘em?”
“Nah,” Gilbert says, hugging Dumas a little closer to his chest. “It’s cos to them, we’re evil and gotta be destroyed. The minute they see us, they think it’s their God given duty to do so. Any inkling of a horn or tail is reason enough.”
Dumas nods and takes the information in. “But how can they do that? We’re more powerful than them.”
“Well, there’s a rite that they have. S’called exorcism. It breaks down your body and strips away every part of Hell that’s accumulated on you over the years, purifies your spirit, then sends that spirit back down to Hell. It’s like a second fall. Takes months - even years - to recover from.” Gilbert shook his head. “And there’s an entire order of humans that do this.”
The little Hellspawn stares up at Gilbert, his eyes big and wide. They are scared, the exact response Gilbert wanted. “Worst part is, you can never tell which humans are a part of this Hunter Society. It’s why you always have to be careful. Understood?”
“Yes.”
Two days later, Dumas sneaks out again, and when he returns home Gilbert yells at him as if he’s gone and rolled in holy water. Things are thrown about and Dumas ends up hiding under his bed. Gilbert storms back to Hell in a fit of anger that would make Elizabeta proud and spends the evening working the wine presses. The screams of the damned are just what he needs to calm down.
When he returns to Earth, Dumas is still under the bed, shaking. Gilbert sits down on the floor and tries to reason with him, asking him to stop being so scared. Dumas eventually pokes his head out from under the bed, whimpering.
“I’m sorry, okay?” Gilbert pulls his brother out the rest of the way then rests Dumas in his lap, holding hm close. “It’s just that after all I told you, you insisted on--”
Dumas shakes his head. “How do you tell if a human is a hunter?”
Gilbert blinks. “There’s a lot of factors. Why?”
“Just....tell me, okay?”
“Some wear small pins, those are identification marks. For others, a surname is a good giveaway. There are families that have done that work for centuries. Others well, you can just tell. Why?”
“Is one of the family names Vargas?”
Gilbert feels his stomach drop for one perfect, horrible moment, and he is certain that his face is showing every bit of fear welled up inside him. “It is.”
“That’s Felicia’s last name,” Dumas whispers. “I don’t think she knows but--”
“Shit,” Gilbert hisses. “Why would those fucks be out here?”
“Gilbert?” the Hellspawn on Gilbert’s lap looks at him. “What should I do?”
“Calm down,” Gilbert says, perhaps to himself more than to Dumas. “Pack your things and be ready to go in ten minutes. Meet me downstairs.”
Dumas hops off of Gilbert’s lap and drags a small bag out from under the bed. It won’t hold much, but it doesn’t have to. Just a few changes of clothes and the drawings Felicia gave him. He wouldn’t leave those behind for the world.
Gilbert races downstairs. He has nothing in particular to hold onto from the house, but speaking the name Vargas often brings the family knocking.
Dumas finishes his packing in exactly seven minutes and comes scurrying down the steps, bag dragging behind him. Gilbert looks him up and down, offering him a small smile. Dumas looks ever so slightly bigger now - his black traveling cloak doesn’t drag on the ground, his hat sits oddly on still growing horns and his face looks just a touch more mature. It doesn’t stop Gilbert from scooping Dumas into his arms and holding him.
“Ready to go ba--” he starts, but is cut off by his door being kicked down.
Dumas squeaks and buries his face in Gilbert’s shoulder almost instinctively.
“Oh well,” Gilbert turns to look at the trio who kicked down his door. He knows they’re Hunters because of their black cloaks and the air of superiority that surrounds them. “This is awkward. We were just on our way out!”
Gilbert doesn’t give them any time to respond. He simply teleports himself and Dumas back to Hell in a puff of grey smoke, laughing as they disappear.
They land in the living room of Gilbert’s apartment. Dumas takes a deep sniff, then finally lifts his head up.
“We’re home?” he looks at his older brother, putting on his best air of bravado.
“Yeah,” Gilbert says. He then kisses his younger brother’s cheek and smiles. “You did well for your first time topside.”
Dumas says nothing to that. He only offers Gilbert a small, tired smile, deciding that where he is right now is the safest possible place. Gilbert smiles back and collapses onto the sofa, quietly agreeing with his brother’s observation.
FIN
NOTES
--Dumas
Author/Artist: megkips
Character(s) or Pairing(s): Gilbert, Dumas (HRE)
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Swearing
Summary: In which Gilbert thinks adopting a Hellspawn is a good idea.
Gilbert doesn’t mind looking after Hellspawn. A tiny part of him even likes it. It isn’t just because the Hellspawn in question is cute (he is) or low maintence (he rarely speaks and has the patience of saints), or even that adopting Hellspawn have ruffled all of Roderich’s feathers (it has). There’s something calming about walking in the door of his horrible, bare apartment and taking a mental break for a few hours to worry about the kid that makes everything just seem better.
So when his request to commute from Earth is approved, Gilbert cannot contain his excitement. He picks up the blonde haired, blue eyed Hellspawn and spins him about the living room, cackling and grinning with glee. His Hellspawn takes in all of Gilbert’s joy with silence, but beams back at him none the less.
A week later, the two have a house. It’s in Prussia - Gilbert decided he quite liked the place during his stint as a Prussian during the French Revolution - located in the middle of a forest far from prying human eyes. The house itself isn’t much - there’s a downstairs with a kitchen and a room for sitting, and an upstairs with two small, seperate bedrooms, but it doesn’t reek of brimstone and that alone makes it pretty awesome in Gilbert’s eyes.
“Whatdya think, baby bro?” he asks his Hellspawn, surveying the property proudly.
“Smells weird,” the Hellspawn declares.
“Welcome to Earth,” Gilbert says with a laugh.
The Hellspawn is pretty capable of entertaining himself, but Gilbert is still weirded out by how quiet he is. He spends every other day on Earth with the kid. A part of him had hoped that being on Earth would loosen his tongue, but he’s still a mute most of the days. That’s okay with Gilbert though. He can appreciate silence.
They have few rules in their two person home. If you can’t reach something, ask big bro to reach it. Don’t leave the house without covering your horns. Don’t stray so far from home that you can’t walk. Don’t fly when you’re topside. Hide your tail in your pants if you’re out for a walk. If you smell something holy, run in the opposite direction. Stay away from humans.
The Hellspawn (they’ve both decided they like the name Dumas for now) breaks the last and most important rule in a month, although not of his own accord. He’s sitting in a field watching the clouds roll by when a young girl sits beside him. She’s seven or so, maybe, and has the prettiest smile. She tells him her name (Felicia) and says that today is a very nice day (much nicer than yesterday since it was rainy and sad) and that cloud looks like a bunny (but now it’s a turtle) and a million other things. Dumas says nothing (not that he could, she speaks so fast) but he smiles widely at her and almost cries when she says she must go, as she can hear her mama calling for her.
Gilbert can’t decide if he’s furious or delighted. His brother speaks so highly of the girl as he talks about his first encounter with humanity, but it is still a broken rule. The most important rule.
Gilbert sends Dumas to bed with no supper and forbids him from leaving the house the next day.
Dumas sneaks out anyway.
When Gilbert goes into work the next day and complains, Elizabeta simply laughs at him. He’s raising a proper demon, by her estimation. Gilbert simply grumbles in reply and worries about a love of humanity preventing his brother from becoming a Tempter.
That night when he returns topside, he sits down with Dumas to talk. Dumas frowns, because whenever Gilbert talks, it’s not good.
“Kiddo,” Gilbert says, pulling Dumas onto his lap, “Do you know why I keep telling you to stay away from humanity?”
“Because we eat and drink their souls,” Dumas says, “And you shouldn’t get friendly with your food.”
Gilbert laughs a little. He sometimes forgets how perceptive his Hellspawn-brother is. “Well, that and humans have a nasty way of hurting us.”
“Is it cos they know we eat ‘em?”
“Nah,” Gilbert says, hugging Dumas a little closer to his chest. “It’s cos to them, we’re evil and gotta be destroyed. The minute they see us, they think it’s their God given duty to do so. Any inkling of a horn or tail is reason enough.”
Dumas nods and takes the information in. “But how can they do that? We’re more powerful than them.”
“Well, there’s a rite that they have. S’called exorcism. It breaks down your body and strips away every part of Hell that’s accumulated on you over the years, purifies your spirit, then sends that spirit back down to Hell. It’s like a second fall. Takes months - even years - to recover from.” Gilbert shook his head. “And there’s an entire order of humans that do this.”
The little Hellspawn stares up at Gilbert, his eyes big and wide. They are scared, the exact response Gilbert wanted. “Worst part is, you can never tell which humans are a part of this Hunter Society. It’s why you always have to be careful. Understood?”
“Yes.”
Two days later, Dumas sneaks out again, and when he returns home Gilbert yells at him as if he’s gone and rolled in holy water. Things are thrown about and Dumas ends up hiding under his bed. Gilbert storms back to Hell in a fit of anger that would make Elizabeta proud and spends the evening working the wine presses. The screams of the damned are just what he needs to calm down.
When he returns to Earth, Dumas is still under the bed, shaking. Gilbert sits down on the floor and tries to reason with him, asking him to stop being so scared. Dumas eventually pokes his head out from under the bed, whimpering.
“I’m sorry, okay?” Gilbert pulls his brother out the rest of the way then rests Dumas in his lap, holding hm close. “It’s just that after all I told you, you insisted on--”
Dumas shakes his head. “How do you tell if a human is a hunter?”
Gilbert blinks. “There’s a lot of factors. Why?”
“Just....tell me, okay?”
“Some wear small pins, those are identification marks. For others, a surname is a good giveaway. There are families that have done that work for centuries. Others well, you can just tell. Why?”
“Is one of the family names Vargas?”
Gilbert feels his stomach drop for one perfect, horrible moment, and he is certain that his face is showing every bit of fear welled up inside him. “It is.”
“That’s Felicia’s last name,” Dumas whispers. “I don’t think she knows but--”
“Shit,” Gilbert hisses. “Why would those fucks be out here?”
“Gilbert?” the Hellspawn on Gilbert’s lap looks at him. “What should I do?”
“Calm down,” Gilbert says, perhaps to himself more than to Dumas. “Pack your things and be ready to go in ten minutes. Meet me downstairs.”
Dumas hops off of Gilbert’s lap and drags a small bag out from under the bed. It won’t hold much, but it doesn’t have to. Just a few changes of clothes and the drawings Felicia gave him. He wouldn’t leave those behind for the world.
Gilbert races downstairs. He has nothing in particular to hold onto from the house, but speaking the name Vargas often brings the family knocking.
Dumas finishes his packing in exactly seven minutes and comes scurrying down the steps, bag dragging behind him. Gilbert looks him up and down, offering him a small smile. Dumas looks ever so slightly bigger now - his black traveling cloak doesn’t drag on the ground, his hat sits oddly on still growing horns and his face looks just a touch more mature. It doesn’t stop Gilbert from scooping Dumas into his arms and holding him.
“Ready to go ba--” he starts, but is cut off by his door being kicked down.
Dumas squeaks and buries his face in Gilbert’s shoulder almost instinctively.
“Oh well,” Gilbert turns to look at the trio who kicked down his door. He knows they’re Hunters because of their black cloaks and the air of superiority that surrounds them. “This is awkward. We were just on our way out!”
Gilbert doesn’t give them any time to respond. He simply teleports himself and Dumas back to Hell in a puff of grey smoke, laughing as they disappear.
They land in the living room of Gilbert’s apartment. Dumas takes a deep sniff, then finally lifts his head up.
“We’re home?” he looks at his older brother, putting on his best air of bravado.
“Yeah,” Gilbert says. He then kisses his younger brother’s cheek and smiles. “You did well for your first time topside.”
Dumas says nothing to that. He only offers Gilbert a small, tired smile, deciding that where he is right now is the safest possible place. Gilbert smiles back and collapses onto the sofa, quietly agreeing with his brother’s observation.
FIN
NOTES
--Dumas