Chapter Text
Growing up, Ramie and his brother weren't exactly close. Ramie desired a better place for heaven, Liniere desired the impossible glare of fun. He didn't do work, he let anything and everything happen under his gaze, he tainted the heavens. The only time he ever did his holy job, was to kick his nieces out, for an entirely hypocritical reason itself. Ramie couldn’t complain much around that, however. Those little girls grated at his nerves.
But, once his first child had been born, Ramie knew the purpose he held. This son would pertain to the right morals, he would be an angelic example. Once his second child was born, Ramie expected nothing less from him.
Esteriel and Urethaniel. Not his children, but his examples of true righteousness. He raised them to be merciless, to have no sympathy towards those who didn’t deserve it. He raised them as worthy angels.
Sons? Not so much.
Despite the two having a mother no longer, Ramie expected both of his sons to dedicate all their time to proving themselves worthy. Miniscule things, like milestones, were pushed far in the back of his mind. He had only seen them in front of him, as one, as one obedient family. He quite expected them to have a similar relationship like him and Liniere did. Despite the unruly rivalry they had growing up, he wouldn’t exactly mind his sons having a similar relationship as their elders. After all, it truly shaped Ramie into what he was now.
And yet, in the end, he lost. He lost to sin, he lost to disobedience, shame. He lost to family. Something that, until now, he wasn’t aware he was missing. Despite blood, what did he truly know of his boys? Despite blood, what did they truly know of him? Besides your Highness.
Ramie opens his eyes.
He’s in the back seat of a vehicle, a convertible, and shame fills him once again. Liniere did not cast him out, did not punish him. He was, instead, merciful. Mercy has no place in heaven.
Instead, he was forced onto earth, just like his nieces. Demoted to a status like them. His sons accepted the truth within a heartbeat, answering almost enthusiastically when Liniere told them to ‘take care of their overworked father’. It was, again, a chagrin. He felt humiliated.
And here they were, his loyal children, happily chatting in the front seat.
“I mean- of all the colors, red?”
“For real, I hate her guts and all but I think I’d hate her a lot less if she didn’t look like such a…a-”
“Whore?”
“Well…”
Ramie straightens up, takes sight of his boys. They both wear glasses, and some sort of shallow floral pattern shirts that definitely shouldn’t belong to beings as high as them. Looking down, he comes to the disgusting conclusion he's also wearing one. He also notes they’re driving much too fast for the pleasure of a quick drive.
Ramie tries to regain his composure, but noticing how silly his high and above sons look, he simply sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.
“Pray tell, where are we?” He asks slowly, watching as both his sons jump in their seats. Esteriel’s hand tightens on the wheel, and Urethaniel quickly turns to look at his father. Despite his crazed expression from earlier, the expression akin to bloodlust he held, Urethaniel looks eerily calm. He smiles.
“Your Highness,” He says smoothly, bowing his head as far down as he can. It’s…surprising. Urethaniel never had the prowess to speak to his father before, seemingly nervous whenever before him in the past. It was a fatal flaw, one that didn’t seem very befitting now as he saw the relaxed expression of his child. Perhaps it was tone, perhaps it was the fact that the all powerful Ramie was no longer in position to demand them of anything. Perhaps they had finally lost respect. But Ramie wasn’t angry at such, just…thoroughly confused. Urethaniel continues. “We decided to go home.”
Home?
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“You started sending us to earth so much, we decided to just cop a small apartment outside the city.”
“Facts, practicality, y'know?”
Ramie looks around, at the sheer decoration in this apartment. He had always been passive as to his children's living situation, never really paid attention to the fact that they rarely kept anything personal in their living quarters in heaven. In fact, it seemed anything that depicted them at all sat in this apartment.
Along with other things that he'd never expect from his angels. A soccer ball, a baseball. He can easily piece together why, with Urethaniel being so focused on fighting with his legs, and Esteriel being so focused with his arms and aim. But not ever had he seen these…humanly objects in the heavens.
He turns to his children.
To his shock, they're kneeling. Despite the carefree tone from earlier, they still hold some respect as it seems, because both his sons are bent with their heads down. They're silent, almost…awaiting orders.
Ramie was never one to deny customs.
“Stand up.” He demands, watching the brief confusion that flickers on both his children's face before they arise. They keep their heads down, however. “Look at me.”
Ramie has purple eyes, a light lilac, but it seems they completely split in the product of his sons. Urethaniel, with his light blue eyes, and Esteriel, with his desaturated red. Of course, Ramie must chalk up Esteriel’s drastic difference to himself, and not the true reason, his mother.
“You both still have ghosts to kill.” Which was true. Now that it all was said and done, Panty and Stocking had chosen to go back to earth and kill ghosts once more. Or slack off, whichever of the sort. He'd never understand those girls, he'd never understand where they went wrong. But his faithful sons would do the real work, he was sure of it.
Neither of them seemed to protest this, either, nodding along. If there was one thing he knew of his sons, they hated ghosts as much as they should.
“I will watch over your progress.” He stated suddenly, folding his hands behind his back. “Although, judging by your previous actions, I doubt you’ll have any problem retaining your jobs as normal.” Also true.
They both seemed to preen at his praise slightly, or bristle, at the sheer confusion. Esteriel spoke up this time.
“Your Highness…you don’t exactly need to watch over us. We’re pretty good at our jobs.”
“Yeah! You should just relax, perhaps plot out your next great idea to overthrow heaven!”
Both of them are smiling at him, hands glued to their sides. It’s then that he notices, despite the age difference, how inherently similar his kids are.
Ramie simply sighs.
“I am actually rather insulted that my brother simply thinks rest can replace an insistent urge to fix the heavens, but I do not deny that now would be a good time to…repose, before pertaining with my next plan. I suppose you two have a place for me to lay?”
They nodded enthusiastically once more, and Esteriel immediately ushered Ramie towards an empty room in the back of the apartment.
Just as he looks around, realizing the room is shockingly bare compared to the rest of the temporary home, Ramie comes to a quick conclusion.
“Have you two…kept this room empty for me?”
Esteriel looks sheepish, but he nods less enthusiastically this time. “You’ve taught us to plan for it all, your Highness.” He says simply.
Yes, his darling sons have managed well on their own.