Inky ^beta

Something was off.

Pure knew very well nothing in heaven had changed. Sure, he hadn’t returned in almost half a decade, but the lord’s personal haven was always perfect. He, himself, was different. Standing before the glistening pearly gates, he already felt completely out of place. He couldn’t put a description to it, though deep down, he felt- for the first time in his life- imperfect in comparison to those around him.

When he stepped through the gates, heads turned, and for a number of reasons. Pure knew other angels would stop and stare at his very presence, they always had and always would; this time, however, it was not all fawning and awe. Perhaps some of them sensed those very same imperfections.

Flaws were not welcome in heaven; though they were never permitted to sin, the angels that surrounded him were privy to disgust at his sudden change of posture and clearly uncomfortable expression. Pure sulked through the clouds like the white light flooding his eyes from every direction gave him a hangover; to the other angels, his feet reaching the ground was the strangest behavior of all.

It felt like an eternity through the heavenly labyrinth before he rounded the corner and saw the sign above his old office; as soon as he’d wandered inside the curtains were pulled shut, though the sheer white wouldn’t block much light from coming through. Finally, he was home.. If he could even call it that anymore. Returning felt more like visiting an old workplace, if anything; besides, he’d already promised someone special that his home was elsewhere. The office was just as barren as he’d left it, just as void of personality- aptly defined as temptation by the higher ranks- as he was taught to keep his scarce space. There was of course his desk at the center, where only his bible remained; he’d spent much too long studying for his dream duties there, taking odd jobs just to fulfill his holy duty. The rest of his room was occupied by more books, mostly his own records of dreams from the old church. Truth be told, he didn’t exactly miss the job, as great as it was to get away from whatever side jobs nobody else in heaven wished to take. Protecting Brutal didn’t even feel like a job, though it certainly was a test of his strength.

In remembering Brutal, he was beginning to notice that his work as a guardian angel hadn’t made it into his logs.

”This place is pathetic.”

“You..!” Pure lowered his voice in an instant, careful to not alert anyone else of the demon’s presence. “What have you done to my records?”

”Moi? I am innocent..-” The voice paused, speaking much more deliberately than usual. ”You are not ready to know the real reason behind this error.”

“Wait a minute.. Why are you still here, anyway? You cannot withstand the lord’s might.”

”Don’t you listen, fool? I told you, you cannot get rid of me. I will be here to torment you, forever.” His other half truly laughed like the devil. ”It’s impossible to escape one’s own mind.”

“You will not last here very long, demon..” Pure jumped at the sight of his bible once more, sinking into his seat and skimming through the pages frantically as if he didn’t have it memorized. “You are not welcome here.”

”I’m as welcome as you are.”

He tried his best to will, exorcize and pray the demon away. Page after page, note after note, he’d tested countless hymns by the time he gave up to the sound of the voice’s echoed hums. The real fault in his method was just how much he doubted what he was reading. He’d experienced everything there was to see in heaven, spent decades on earth with even more duties to fulfill, yet his own faith was never rewarded with what the ancient book preached.

”There is no way you still have faith in that piece of junk. You’ve had your fun, we need to go back now.”

“I cannot,” even so, he considered momentarily the idea of returning to Brutal before he awoke, taking it all back and accepting all of the challenges the freak made him endure with open arms. It all faded like a haze when he reminded himself that their adventures were never truly meant to last, fate would not allow it. Then he felt two hands pressed to his own, making an earnest attempt at closing the book against Pure’s own force. “Arrêt.”

”Put that thing down, let’s go home.”

“Non.” The angel insistently turned the page, only to face more resistance.

”Oui, we must..”

“J’ai dit non!” Pure finally slammed the book shut of his own accord, placing it back on the desk with a deep sigh, calming the temper only the demon brought out of him. “..If I cannot get rid of you myself, I will have to find another way.”

”Good luck.. Tu es juste la cage censée me libérer.”

The angel would ignore that comment, pacing hesitantly towards the door and slipping silently back into the hallway. He wanted nothing more to avoid the watchful eyes of other angels for the time being; instead, he could hear that he was the topic of discussion only a few doors down.

“I told you, that one was trouble from the moment he was born.. How can you even fail at your dream duty?”

Another angel’s voice scoffed back. “I heard he was promoted not long ago. Rumor has it, he’s been taking forever on a simple assignment.” There was a pause, as both of them deliberated. “There’s a reason they make that one wear a mask. I don’t trust him.”

He couldn’t bear to hear much more, slinking away until the ridicule was out of earshot even though it echoed in his memory. He’d started nervously scratching at the bites on his shoulder over the knit of his sweater, though it was too late by the time he noticed. Somehow, underneath the surface of burning pain, the warmth of his own blood trickling down and soaking his turtleneck was just comforting enough to save the poor angel from another meltdown.

Pure could still feel the eyes on him. He wouldn’t question how many of them were whispering behind his back, he didn’t need to hear any more to understand how the other angels viewed him. All except one, of course; he could hear the oohs and ahhs from a mile away. With each step he took closer to the commotion the clouds around him turned pink, a much needed break for his eyes on the verge of a terrible headache. In his usual, extravagant fashion, it was Pure’s old friend Cupid that tore through the heart shaped cloud above. The weight of a million skeptical stares lifting off of his shoulders alone was a huge relief, even if it was only temporary.

“Pure, yer back!” Cupid cheered, floating right past all of the angels fawning over him in favor of the one he himself adored. “What’ve ya been up to?” He lifted Pure right off of his feet and onto his wings by natural inclination, wrapping the disheveled angel in a hug as he led them back to his own abode.

Pure struggled for a moment to stay afloat; what was once his own instinct now felt just as foreign as the heaven surrounding him. “Nothing you would find interesting, chérubin..”

“Are ya sure about that? You were just walkin’ a second ago..”

“I assure you, I was just- thinking..” the halfhearted lie didn’t spare him from a suspicious glance.

“I thought ya hated walkin’,” the love angel truly seemed concerned, though that only served to annoy Pure even more.

“I suppose you could say I’ve had a change of heart..”