Reapers and Angels

by Margie Eileen Jones

  Calis did eat every bite of the cereal and drank down three glasses of the tea Sebastian made feeling much better although his cough did not fade.

  “Calis I want you to remain in bed until you are well. I shall gather what you need as far as things to do. Christian offered to teach you how to knit and crochet if you would like to do so. Kingsly has a closet full of yarn and William said we can use some of it since Kingsly merely collected it because it was a pretty shade of red.’

  “I think it might be nice to make Kingsly and William some scarves out of the yarn if you would like. I also know how to crochet and knit if you would rather me teach you, but really Christian is much better at it than I am.”

  Sebastian said as he felt Calis’s forehead noting that the boy had a slight fever. Calis started coughing again and Sebastian offered Calis more tea which seemed to help a bit.

  “I would like to learn to crochet Sebastian. It looks less complicated than knitting.”

  Sebastian nodded since he would be glad to have Christian show the boy how to do so.

  Sebastian went to the closet and gathered different types of yarn asking Calis which one he would like to work with. He explained that some of the yarns were a bit more complex to work with, but Calis liked one of the yarns with the multiple colors in it and it was also very soft.

  “Very well we shall use this one. I will start rolling it into a ball for easier use.”

  Sebastian said as he took the other yarns back and started rolling the yarn into a ball so quickly that Calis merely remembered only blinking once and it was done.

  Christian was up getting breakfast ready for everyone, but Sebastian told him that Calis had already eaten and he wasn’t hungry so Christian just made breakfast for himself, Ashton, and Anne.

  Anne was up helping Christian with breakfast preparations and Sebastian asked Christian if he would help teach Calis how to crochet after he was done with breakfast. Christian smiled and said he would be glad to help. Christian liked to crochet and when Sebastian told him about the yarn in the closet the man was delighted that he could do some crocheting or knitting while here.

  Sebastian brought Calis more tea and helped the boy to the bathroom since after drinking so much tea he had to use it rather badly. Calis finished his business and then Sebastian tucked Calis back into bed noting Libby was once again at Calis’s side. The cat seemed to be attached to the boy.

  “Please get Libby some cream and tuna from the kitchen Sebastian. Also, she needs a bit of water. William already bought her the cat box and she seems to be house trained so it should not be an issue with cleaning up after her.’

  “I would also like to see Charles. Libby doesn’t mind the puppy and I miss playing with him.”

  Calis said as another bought of coughing hit him.

  “I shall do so expeditiously.”

  Sebastian went out to get Libby her things and then he gathered the sleeping puppy from its kennel bringing it in to Calis who took Charles and allowed the puppy to lick his face. The silly little dog was wagging its little nubby tail a mile a minute and making little noises of excitement as it licked Calis’s face so much that the boy finally had enough of it and pushed Charles down.

  “Here, let me have him for a moment.”

  Sebastian said as he took the puppy flicked its nose with his fingers then pet it and then flicked it again with his fingers rather roughly only to growl lowly to him before setting the puppy on the bed. Charles then calmed down considerably although he looked at Sebastian rather than at Calis waiting for Sebastian to pay attention to him.

  Calis pet the puppy who whimpered and reached out a paw to Sebastian several times before Sebastian finally gave in and pet the stupid thing. Then Charles made little noises of contentment until Sebastian realized the dog needed to go out to go potty.

  “I am sorry Calis but the dog must go out now. I will have Ashton go with me to take him and bring the baggies with us so we can clean up after him.”

  Sebastian lifted Charles off Calis and took the dog out of the room. Sebastian really hated this dog, but he promised William and Kingsly he would take care of it.

  As Christian went into Calis’ bedroom to teach him how to crochet, Sebastian took Ashton with him as they walked down over twelve flights of stairs to the bottom where there was a little park to the side of the apartment complex. There he noted other reapers walking their dogs and enjoying the fresh morning air.

  It really was a beautiful morning, but Sebastian also figured that it probably was always like this since the reaper community was above the clouds.

  Ashton noticed that the park had plenty of room to run and play in so he begged Sebastian to allow him to come here to play sometime. Sebastian did not see an issue with that, but Christian would have to come with Ashton since the only reason Sebastian was not with Calis was due to having to walk Charles.

  Charles finally did his business and Sebastian walked the dog a little further than necessary to wear the puppy out a bit. Then they took the trek back home and rather than flew to the twelfth level, Sebastian dragged both the puppy and Ashton up the flight of stairs figuring this would wear them both out if nothing else did.

  Ashton bounced up most of the steps until they got to the tenth floor in which Ashton started to slow down a little bit, but not much. The child kept up with Sebastian who eventually had to lift the puppy up since Charles could not keep up with his little stubby legs starting to have trouble getting up the stairs.

  Sebastian had Ashton carry Charles the rest of the way home since the puppy still wanted to lick him to death and Sebastian did not want dog breath in his face. The little dog adored Sebastian, but Sebastian was simply contemplating dropping it off the apartment complex since he hated dogs. He wouldn’t harm it, but he certainly wanted to.

  When Sebastian got back to their temporary home, he saw Christian teaching Calis how to crochet as the boy had a hook in hand with Christian showing him how to make the knots in the yarn to create something wonderful.

  Christian insisted Calis learn to make a doily first in a spider web pattern since it was the easiest way to start learning this skill. Christian had yarn in his hand he had wound into a ball and showed Calis how to do this going slowly enough for the boy to follow his example.

  Soon Calis got the hang of it and was working on a rather large a bit off center doily that Christian said they would take apart and have him redo until he was satisfied with it. He told Calis to keep the knots loose so they could start again.

  While Calis was busy, Sebastian went over lessons with Ashton and brought Ashton into Calis’ room to do music lessons with both children. Calis was to work on using his Angelic voice at a level that would not make them pass out. It was enough for a human to even be able to stand and Calis’s beautiful voice echoed throughout the complex to the outside where people stopped to listen.

  Ashton also apparently had this ability, but did not quite have the control that Calis did so it took a few tries before the boy had it right. Christian, Calis, and Sebastian had to hold steady as the boy gave them a bit of a headache, but soon both cherubs were singing in harmony. Calis carried the lower part of the melody where Ashton was easily able to hit those difficult high notes.

  When they were done, Sebastian looked out the window noting that there was a huge congregation of reapers down below listening to them. Raphael was in the center of the group dressed as the Grim Reaper with a smile on his bony face since it would seem Michael may not be needed for training the children on controlling their voices.

  Calis still had quite the cough so he had to stop singing several times and Ashton simply looked concerned although Sebastian had him continue singing. Ashton and Christian were quite concerned about Calis although Sebastian assured them Calis would be fine now that he was home.

  Sebastian had several meals created for Calis to help him gain weight with soft warm foods like mashed potatoes with lots of delicious spices and melted cheese. He also had several c
ups of tea ready for his little love with lemon and honey in them to help with that cough. Orange juice was also brought out to up Calis’s vitamin C intake.

  Pastries were created in the kitchen by Sebastian that were high in calorie and had a delicious buttery flavor to them. Calis wasn’t too fond of too much chocolate so Sebastian came up with things like flan and different types of puddings. Calis was to have as much of the desserts as he would like.

  Calis ate like he had been starving and Sebastian insured the boy ate every bite of everything he made. He knew Calis could not get fat, but could gain the weight back he lost through rest and lots of tender care.

  Of course, Calis worried about getting fat, but Sebastian said that was impossible. Calis would simply go back to the weight he originally was since his body would stop gaining weight at that point. It was possible to lose weight, but gain weight after being transformed to a cherub or demon past the point of the physical body they had when they transformed was impossible. Calis would simply be small for the rest of his life.

  Sebastian told Calis that even if he did let go of his past pains he would not be very big. Calis would always be small and Calis felt like there was no point in growing up then. The only part Calis really wanted to grow was his cock anyway. Calis didn’t care if the rest of his body grew, but that part annoyed him which made Sebastian laugh a bit.

  “Calis, I am not that big. There are men a lot bigger than I am.”

  Sebastian said with a grin since Calis thought of Sebastian as a giant compared to himself.

  “You are huge Sebastian. I have seen pictures of other men’s cocks and you are giant. You are also very tall, maybe not as tall as Christian, but you are taller than most men I know. If you say you are not big than you are fooling yourself.”

  Calis said irritably.

  Sebastian laughed at that. It was too funny. Sebastian then did realize to a 13-year-old boy he was huge. Even to Ashton, who was indeed tall for his 14-year-old body, he was rather big. Christian probably seemed gigantic to Ashton.

  “To a child, I guess I am big. However, compared to most adult males, I am only a bit taller than a few of them. There are men taller than I am. I am merely six foot seven and still fairly slender although not thin. You my dearest are tiny. You are smaller than most thirteen-year-old boys especially in this day and age. You are actually the size of a ten-year-old sweetheart.”

  Sebastian said with a smile as Calis frowned since he knew he was shorter than most boys plus he was always so thin. Part of that was he couldn’t run and play like other children as much due to the fact he had asthma. His play time had always been limited by his illness, but that had not stopped him from trying. Mother had been the same way having asthma attacks on occasion as Father helped her through them.

  Calis missed his parents so much sometimes. Like right now he wished they were here with him and Sebastian and wished they would approve of Sebastian. Calis knew they would never approve of his husband, but he dreamed sometimes that they would. He dreamed of growing up and being with his husband with his family sharing meal times and other pleasantries.

  A light floated down and landed on Calis with Calis knowing what this light was. It was his parents who were with him right now. They seemed to know his distress and they seemed to be pulsing a bit pushing Sebastian away.

  “I told you they would never approve of you. It is the worst thing ever.”

  Calis said as a tear poured down his cheek as Sebastian had moved off the bed for a minute to allow Calis to be with his parents.

  “Calis, I wouldn’t approve of me. They simply care and it is fine. They just want to protect you. I will leave you with them for a bit since I think they want to talk to you.”

  Sebastian stated as he left the room and the light expanded out and there stood the spirits of Calis’s parents looking down at their son.

  Mother sat on the edge of the bed with Father’s hand on her shoulder as they looked at their little boy. Calis was crying and Mother was holding his hand.

  “Calis we are here for you little one. We cannot be here for your Sebastian. He has hurt you and until we are certain he is going to be true to your heart we cannot trust him with you. We had hoped you would move forward and married Libby letting us go. Your seeking revenge took over your life and in some ways, it saved your life.’

  “We were glad Sebastian saved you, but he also used you and hurt you. We cannot abide by a man who was once a demon. We couldn’t imagine you suffering in hell without us my darling boy even if the demon loved you wanting you to be with him eternally in this hell you would have been trapped in.’

  “Calis please forgive us, but we want what is best for you. Give it time and we will maybe come to see Sebastian as worthy. It is going to take time though son.”

  Father said to Calis as Mother squeezed Calis’s hand.

  “But I love him… I don’t care if he hurt me, I don’t care if he took my soul, I love him.”

  Calis sobbed out with Sebastian hearing this conversation feeling his own heart ache.

  “We know this. You loved him the day you called upon him. He was your savior and your damnation. We understand even if we do not approve. We love you Calis. Please my dear boy, stop crying and know we love you.’

  “We are so grateful you still live and you have hundreds of years of life before we will be reunited again. We are also grateful for Sebastian’s love of you, but it does not excuse his actions. As we said, it will take time. Be patient Calis and you will see we are right in waiting. Now please little one, get well and take care of yourself. You need no more pain in your life with anyone being the cause of it. We will destroy the next person who hurts you Calis be it Sebastian or another. No one is allowed to hurt our little boy. Please, for your sake and if you do love us, let go of your pain. It does not change who you are it just makes you stronger.”

  Mother said as she kissed Calis’s cheek and wiped away those tears.

  “I can’t let go Mother… I can’t…….”

  Calis sobbed out shaking his head and Father came over touching his son’s head.

  “You must Calis. We are dead and nothing will change that. Those who hurt you and us, are dead. There is no need for all this pain anymore. It is holding you back and it is time to move forward son.’

  “It is time for you to grow and to become stronger. No one is telling you to forget things, but it is time to let that pain that has festered in your heart to depart. The only person you are hurting is yourself.’

  “You could not prevent our deaths. You were and still are a child my dear boy. We should have never kept secrets from you although we were simply trying to protect you. In protecting you we also harmed you. It is time to say goodbye and find peace in yourself Calis.’

  “We love you, so find that love we have in you in yourself. For once in your life Calis love yourself since you are an amazing wonderful boy who is loved by all who know you. Allow yourself to be free and you will find yourself much happier. Perhaps then we can accept your Sebastian. Let him guide you.”

  Father said and Calis wished it was this easy to let go of all this pain. It was so hard though and Calis knew he had to let go of some of it. He couldn’t let go of all of it just yet, but he could forgive Sebastian and let that pain fade. He could let go of some of his past pain and forgive his parents for hiding things from him. Calis loved his parents as fiercely as he loved Sebastian.

  “We must go Calis, but know we always will love you. Our healing light will always be there to heal you from your wounds and to guide you in the right direction. However, know this light is also powerful enough to destroy anyone who harms our little boy. No one is allowed to hurt you Calis. No one.”

  Mother said as she kissed Calis’s cheek and Father bent down kissing Calis’s forehead before the light faded and disappeared again.

  Calis broke down sobbing. He did not want his parents to kill Sebastian if he hurt him again. He did not want to let go of the pain inside, but
some of the pain was indeed leaving him. Calis tried to cling to it, but it was fading fast.

  Sebastian came into the room and held Calis in his arms allowing Calis to get all that pain out. Sebastian was so glad that Calis’ parents came today and talked to the boy. Sebastian knew now Calis would be safe even if it meant safe from him which he was fine with. Sebastian knew that Calis would be ok now and perhaps he could even help him grow.

  “I am so pathetic Sebastian. I can’t stop sobbing. I can’t stop feeling……”

  Calis cried as Sebastian held him.

  “No one will know but us my dearest. You need to feel. I need to know your love for me and you must feel to have this. I love you Calis and I swear I won’t hurt you ever again. I swear I will be the one to take my life if I hurt you, your parents will not have time to get to me if such happens since I will not have you hate them for doing what they promised.’

  “You have such hate in your heart for the world Calis and some of the world deserves it, but you do not. You need to start caring for yourself my darling one. You need to think about your own heart and your own feelings. You are not at fault for many things in this world and your parents are right. Those that harmed your family are dead. There is no point in hating them anymore.’