[C] The Eternal Ones

"I saw what you had become when you were regaining your feelings," Achinoam corrected.

He'd never seen Belial in the height of his stint as a Demon. He'd never seen the Fallen as a truly hateful creature. He didn't want to. He wanted to see Belial as he was now; as he was back when they were both happy Angels.

He didnt even want to consider that Belial had been the evil creature that he had been for millennia.

Noam leaned forwards to kiss the Fallen gently. "It's not just me that's helped you through this."

"No but you heard what I had done and what I had said."

Uriel had said once that he would tell Achinoam exactly what he had said, Belial hadn't expected the man to keep it a secret to spare the Angel's feelings.

He returned the kiss eagerly, it still amazed him that Noam was so forgiving, that he came so willingly back into his arms.

"I suppose that is true, though I still owe you a great deal."

"What you had said?" the Angel asked in interest.

What had the Fallen said that was supposedly so terrible?

Contrary to Belial's beliefs, Uriel had kept it a secret. The archangel hadn't wanted to break the Angel and he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that those words would have crushed Achinoam. He hadn't wanted to see it.

"You owe me nothing. What I did was of my own free will. You don't owe me for that."

"Uriel never did tell you, did he?"

Belial muttered, stroking the Angel's hair and face tenderly as he leaned up and pressed a kiss to his lips.

"We had a run in a few thousand years ago, I was spiteful and angry, I couldn't stand seeing his face again after what he did to me.

I was being heartless and said some things that I didn't mean, I've always been a liar, you know that, but I never could lie to you so trust me when I say that I never meant a single word of it."

He wouldn't tell Noam the words he had dared to utter, he couldn't stand to see the man hurt because of him.

"I do owe you, despite it all you were the only one who still believed that I could be saved."

"Never told me what?"

Noam returned the kiss with equal tenderness.

He could never condemn Belial, no matter what he said about or to whom. Achinoam had always believed there was good in Belial and that the things he said and did in those years following the Fall weren't who he truly was.

"What did you say?" he asked gently.

The Angel was curious.

What could have been so bad that Belial felt the need to apologise about it before Achinoam even knew what it was he had said?

Belial shook his head and went silent, glancing away from the Angel, what he had said was too horrible, he couldn't bring himself to repeat it in front of the man.

He was afraid that Achinoam would see that he really had been a monster, that he had given Jeg and Uriel as reason to despise him the way they did.

Would Noam look at him with utter disgust like they had?

He didn't even want to consider it, it was far too painful.

It was about him, then.

Something that Belial had said about him in front of Uriel that made him so ashamed that he couldn't repeat it to Achinoam's face.

Achinoam let a little worry seep into him.

What could it have been?

The man reached forwards, tilting Belial's head so he was facing him again.

"Tell me," he urged gently.

Belial shook his head as he looked up into the man's eyes.

"I can't Noam, you'll see me like they did, I don't want you to see me as a monster."

He replied, pain entering his gaze, he wouldn't do it, he couldn't.

If Achinoam thought he was a monster then all hope was lost.

"Have I ever been able to see you like they do?"

He didn't push any further, though. If Belial really didn't want to tell him what he had said about him all those years ago then he wouldn't force him to.

Achinoam was known for being cruel to people, but he knew when not to be cruel to Belial. The one person in any realm that he didn't ever want to upset.

He pressed another gentle kiss to the Fallen's lips.