Surrounded by Time

Story

When Theo opened his eyes, he found himself strapped with chains to a big bed. The ceiling and the wall were painted black. Human bones and blood scattered the room. The room was filled with a strong smell of nauseating incense and decay. It was a sore sight to even mortals in their right mind,

Theo's heart sank. As an angel, he recognized immediately that this was a room used for dark magic rituals.

He tried to pull against his chains and a wave of fatigue and nausea nearly overwhelmed him. His wings felt heavy and damp. The heat underneath his skin informed him that his captor kept him on a magic circle that was probably used to sap his strength and imprison him.

Theo could think of many bad reasons why they needed an angel captive. He tried to free himself, but the chain tightened further.

Then the room seemed to constrict by itself. The air became thinner with the additional odor of ozone. Theo saw sparks in the room before a demon appeared and pinned him further to the bed, putting a hand over his eyes.

"Stop-" Theo said before the demon devoured his mouth.

Theo hasn't been kissed nor touched for a very long time. He was an outcast since his twin brother Talral fell from Heaven. The new sensation was shocking and unsettling, especially when the demon grabbed and fondled wherever it could reach. Its rough hands and sharp nails left painful marks on him.

However, Theo has starved for contact for so long that even its cruelty dragged excitement out of him. Heat flew along his body as it pinched and bit him.

"Ah!" Theo screamed as it spanked his erection, adjusting its strength and position to make the hit unpredictable. Burning pain spread as it tortured his shaft and the skin between his legs, but his arousal persisted despite the pain.

"Talral…" Theo sobbed as his body betrayed him. What would Talral think of him now?

Then he froze as he heard a familiar sigh. The demon revealed its face, which greatly resembled Theo.

"How dare you! What did you do to him?" Theo struggled against the chain. Why was he wearing his brother's face?

Then a firework exploded inside his mind as the bond strengthened and connected them. Theo could see the golden bond danced between them.

Theo raised his head in disbelief and suppressed hope. "Talral! Is it you? Why're you scaring me?"

"I don't want you to recognize me. I don't even expect to meet you again." Talral said.

Theo had looked for him ever since his fall, but Talral seemed to have disappeared from the world. Theo felt his absence like a deep unhealed wound. Once he felt the fainting bond between them snapped and needed to hide from his peers, as he coughed blood into the ground which turned into bloody flowers. Cold dread filled his heart as he dreaded this evidence of Talral's death. However, the bond healed by itself and persisted to this day.

"Where have you been all these millennia?" Theo asked while staring at him, memorizing everything of Talral. "It's not too late if you return with me."

Talral looked all grown up now. He was still a cherub the last time they saw each other, but he had reached the full height and size of a mature angel. His eyes were wary and tired, and his wings were dark as night. "I can't return with you."

"Why?" Theo tried to reach out to hold his hands, but the chains held him back.

"You should have felt the magic on me. I belong to Hell now."

The implication of his words turned his heart cold. With Theo's power dampened, he could only sense the restraint of Talral's soul now. "Do you mean… What did they do to you?"

"I never want to leave you," Talral said. "Heaven has found out that I'm defective. It's going to reset me."

"Why? You're the better of us. They all said that you would make an archangel one day."

"You're more important to me than any position."

Theo's mouth was bitter. "It's because of me."

"Soldiers should only follow commands. I'd be judged a failure with or without you."

Anger burnt inside Theo. How dared they try to kill Talral! Then he looked away because of shame and guilt. If he had noticed earlier, at least Talral wouldn't need to be on his own

He didn't notice that the chains were gone until Talral hugged and kissed him. The kiss was passionate but gentler than before, as if now they could afford to be gentle.

"I'll join you by your side," Theo said. They belonged to each other since they first opened their eyes and the bond formed between them. Theo would rather die with him than return to the ominous heavenly bureaucracy that would have destroyed them.

Talral hugged him tighter. "I'm counting on this. I can't let you go after what we have gone through."

They kissed while exploring the other's body, learning and mapping their change throughout the parting years. Theo's face heated up as Talral praised how beautiful and beloved he was. He cried in joy when submitting to him despite the discomfort of the fullness. 

Talral spooned around Theo and pressed their bodies together. Too long since he could experience his brother's gentle touch. Too long since he could afford to touch or let himself be touched. 

He didn't tell Theo the full story. During his escape from heaven, the pursuers cut him in half and chopped off his wings, throwing him into the rivers of hell. However, what remained of his soul heard his brother's call through their bond. The desire to return to his brother was so intense that his soul devoured pieces of the hell to recreate his body. That was why he was now connected to hell.

He kissed Theo on his cheeks and decided to nap. They had each other now. They could face the world together.