#Nephie (CU)

[gremistired]

Haven’t been drawing the past few days cus my dumbass forgor that my sketchbooks came in so I’ve just been sitting around like “I can’t draw… when will my sketchbooks arrive it’s been weeks” WHEN THEY WERE IN MY ROO-

Anyways! Have my precious baby kitty Nephy my sweet darling angel whilst I slowly start drawing again

I love my sweet baby girl my precious baby who could do no wrong look at her darling face I love my cat sm she is a lil princess

[bookofmormonmemes]

I would love to hear your explanation for Nephi being a Trans man!!

it was given by another anon!

"I’m nb but still in the closet, so everyone calls me by my birth name. I find it comforting to use my secret new name that I haven’t told anybody about as often as possible when writing in my journal. It’s hard to do that since I’m obviously referring to myself in the first person, so sometimes I even call myself “I, [Name].” What I’m getting at is this: Nephi is a trans man who felt so good about coming out that he used his name as often as possible."

[tinybibmpreg]

Starting another mini-arc for my story Camp Uonder that i was doing in my prompt challenge! This one’s about Eis, one of the angels who Seleno used to be close to before he fell.

Eis

“A man he fell in love with, eons ago, convinced him to fall; foolish, I know. Helias and I begged him to stay, but he struck down my wings and went on his way.”

Gabriel drew back at the mention of the demon’s name, finally realizing what this woman was, this creature made up of strips of white flesh and silk ribbons. He looked over at the corner where Nephie was curled into a ball, rocking back and forth, eyes wide and unblinking, unseeing.

“Will you let him hurt you?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper.

“Who? Seleno?”

“My dear prince of Heaven, who abandoned our crown. I won’t let him hear you,” she promised, leaning in close. “If you think he will. I can do that.”

He couldn’t look away from Nephie, wanted to go comfort him but couldn’t move. “Block him out?”

“Such a sweet, our Archangel. Helias misses him dearly, you know.”

“Helias killed my husband.”

Eis tilted her head in front of him, her face identical to both Helias and Seleno’s, golden eyes shining. It hurt to look at them. “Do you want to know a secret?”

“No.” He didn’t want to talk to her anymore. Nephie was starting to cry, burying his face against his knees and sobbing, silent. Gabriel tried to lift his arm to reach out to his son, but not even his fingers twitched.

The creature held his face in her sharp, glass-like claws, almost piercing his skin. She whispered to him, “Those two cost me everything. If you call for them, I will strike them down with all my power.”

“Why? What did they do?”

“Seleno cut off my wings and Helias held me fast in Heaven after stealing my life from me. All I wanted was to be with my precious daughter and her mother. It’s not fair,” she whimpered, sounding as if she was going to cry. “Seleno gets to keep his halfling, why couldn’t I? And Helias… He weeps for our counterpart, but… Well, I suppose Father always realized giving us three a paternal instinct was bound to set us against each other. She must have intended this, or she would have taken it away, right? She would have.”

“You had a child too?”

Eis nodded, blood spilling forth like tears from her eyes. The thick substance dripped down onto his lap, sizzling on his clothes and burning his skin beneath like the barest touch of a lit cigarette. “Helias killed it, like he tried to kill Seleno’s. That’s his only sin, and I will never forgive him. I will never forgive Seleno, either. He stood there and watched,” she snarled, and the ribbons behind her in place of her wings turned grey and crumbled to ash.

“What do you want from me?”

“I just wanted you to listen. No one else will.”

Gabriel didn’t bother asking why. He wouldn’t want to talk either if he were her. He understood how she felt. He never spoke to anyone more than necessary about how Jude killed his mother. So why should Eis speak of her brother murdering her daughter?

She disappeared, engulfed by all her ribbons, and he slumped backwards as all his energy seemed to be drained from him. Nephie looked up, confusion on his face. He wiped his eyes, his crying ceased. Glancing around, he got to his feet and wobbled.

Voice shaking, Nephie asked, “Gabriel, what happened?”

“I… I think a demon came to our house.”

“Huh? Did it hurt you?” Nephie hurried over to him, afraid. “Are you okay? Should I call Dad?”

Rubbing Nephie’s head, Gabriel answered, “I’m fine, kiddo. A bit burned on the legs, but okay.” He drew the boy into a hug. “She just wanted to talk to me, that’s all.”

“About what?”

“Your dad. Has he ever said anything to you about someone named Eis?”

“No, I don’t think so. What’d she say?”

“Well, I think you used to have a cousin, maybe. A very long time ago. And, um… The person who killed your mother killed your cousin too.”

Frowning, Nephie clung tight to him. “Oh.”

[mormonmonastery]

#also gOSH i love nephi's just#he doesn't mention that they weren't lighting fires before now until after saying he made a fire to make tools#and he takes like#fifteen verses to tell us zoram's name in the funniest little aside 'and then zoram did this--oh yeah zoram's the servant's name--'#boy just forgets important details until they're retroactively relevant#how many other times does he do this#i remembered the zoram one cus i found it hilarious and now the fire thing#how many other instances are there of nephi forgetting to tell us things until we're already confused or it doesnt even matter anymore#iconic (tags by @bookofmormonmemes)

I KNOW, we love a boy with adhd who TOTALLY FORGETS plot relevant details until they come up in passing and, like, forgets to mention that he even has sisters until WELL into his personal narrative, but ABSOLUTELY REMEMBERS to tell everyone the completely irrelevant-in-context detail that he’s “large in stature” by chapter two.

[tinybibmpreg]

Day 50 // ft. Elijah, Gabriel, Jude, and Nephie

#42 / Anxiety

“It’s midnight! Where the hell were you?” Jude grabbed his brother’s shoulders. Nephie looked up at him, frowning. He’d never seen his stepbrother look so disheveled. Jude’s hair was all messy, and his clothes were wrinkled. It was like he’d spent the past few hours tossing and turning in bed. His eyes were red and puffy, and his arms were covered in scratches from his nails. “I’ve been worried sick!”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it matters! You’re a kid, you can’t just leave the house!” Despite the hysteria in his voice, Jude kept his voice low, not wanting to wake their parents. “What if you got hurt? None of us would be there to help you!”

He wasn’t by himself, but he couldn’t say that. Instead, he replied, “You’re hurting me. Let go.”

Jude immediately released him, taking a step back. He looked at his arms, seeming to only just realize that he’d practically mauled them. His eyes widened, and he began trembling.

Crossing his arms and hugging himself tightly, Jude demanded, “Where were you?”

“Why are you so upset? Even my dad doesn’t get so upset when I leave the house.”

“You do this a lot?”

“Sometimes.”

“Like- since you’ve been living with me?”

“Yeah. But I always have done it.”

“You- you’ve been sneaking out a night for two years, and I’ve never noticed. And Eli hasn’t said anything about it.”

“He doesn’t want to bother Gabriel. Are you okay?”

“No!” Jude exploded, voice rising. “I’m not okay! I’m been worried like crazy when I couldn’t find you in your room! I searched all over for you, and then waited in bed for the door to open! I couldn’t sleep, and- and-”

Tears were falling from his brother’s eyes, and his breathing became strangled. Nephie’s eyes widened as Jude clawed at his own throat, stumbling towards the kitchen table to steady himself with one hand.

“Gabriel!” Nephie shouted, hurrying to the stairs. “Gabriel, help!” He ran up the stairs, and to his parents’ bedroom. The door was cracked open, so he went in and darted up to the bed.

“Wha-”

“Gabriel, get up!” Nephie grabbed his stepfather and tugged on him. “Get up!”

“Neph, what’s wrong?”

“Jude can’t breathe! He’s in the kitchen.” That got the man’s attention. He got up and hurried downstairs. Nephie followed him, but lingered at the doorway.

Gabriel took Jude’s shoulders and held him up. “Hey, buddy, relax.”

“I- I can’t- I can’t-”

“I know you’re anxious, but you can relax. Come on, deep breaths…” They went through a few breathing exercises. Nephie jumped when a hand touched his shoulder, but he calmed when he saw that it was just his mother. He turned and wrapped his arms around him.

It wasn’t as comforting to hug his mother anymore, not with his belly rounding out. Still, seeing his stepbrother so upset rattled him.

“There you go, J… Come on, let’s get you seated.” Gabriel led Jude to the living room and had him sit on the couch. He sat next to him and put an arm around him. “Aw, you clawed up your arms. Ah- Eli, would you get the blue box under the bathroom sink?”

“Sure, hon. Come on, Nephie.”

-

After cleaning up Jude’s arms, Gabriel bandaged them and gave his son a hug. “Feeling better?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Do you wanna talk about what happened?”

“I dunno… Nephie, he…”

Gabriel incorrectly took that as meaning Nephie knew what was wrong, instead of him being the reason. He looked over at him, and Nephie quickly lied, “I was getting some water, and Jude came down, and I think he had a bad nightmare…”

Jude stared at him. He smiled a bit, “Yeah… Yeah, I had a nightmare.”

“Oh, it’s been a while since a nightmare set off your anxiety. Well, you have a session with your therapist in the morning, so you don’t have to worry about telling me about it, if you don’t want to.” Gabriel sighed, and then stood up. “Well, how about we all get back to bed?”

“Just a second-” his mother said. “I’ll get Nephie his water, and then be right up.”

Nephie was steered towards the kitchen. He watched silently as his mother got him a glass of water. He took it when it was handed to him, but just stared at him. His mother tilted his chin up so he’d be forced to look at him.

His face distorted, and his mother sighed. “Nephie, did you meet with your father again?”

“No.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“Angels don’t lie.”

“Yeah, and the cat absolutely knocked over my guitar last week while I was standing right in the doorway. I know he visits you.”

“Yeah.” His father had told him.

“Now, I don’t know what you did to Jude, but it wasn’t very nice, and I don’t want you doing it again. Not to Jude, not to anyone.”

“But I didn’t do that to him!” Not in the way his mother thought, at least.

“Nephie. I’m serious. I thought you liked having Jude as your brother.”

“I do!” he protested, balling his fist. His face distorted again. “I didn’t do that to him!”

“Please, Neph, don’t be like this.”

“But I didn’t do it! I don’t use my powers on family!”

“Eli, Nephie didn’t do anything.” His mother turned at the sound of Gabriel’s voice. His stepfather was standing in the doorway. “I’m sorry, I never mentioned… Well, it’s been a few years since- ugh… Jude used to have really bad anxiety. He just had an anxiety attack, that’s all. He hasn’t had one since before we met, so I never said anything.”

“Oh. Ah-” His mother put a hand over his belly. Nephie frowned. “Oh, Neph, I’m sorry, baby… It was wrong for me to accuse you like that.”

Nephie threw his glass of water on the floor. It shattered, and water went everywhere.

“Neph!”

“You always think I’m the cause of everything bad that happens in this house! You hate me!”

“No, Nephie, I don’t hate you. I don’t know what your father has said to you, but-”

“He didn’t say anything! He doesn’t talk about you! You just think we’re bad people, just because we’re not human!” His whole body distorted. Gabriel winced. “If you hate Angels so much, why bother having me? You should have just waited to have your perfect little human baby!”

Gabriel tried to soothe him.  “Come on, kiddo, we love you. And we’ll still love you just as much when the baby’s born. You like Jude, so I think you’ll like the baby.”

“I hope it dies! I hate it!

“Come on, Neph, you don’t mean that.”

“I do! I don’t want a baby sibling! I hope it’ll die when it sees my distortion! Then you can both have something real to blame me for!”

God, he hadn’t meant to upset Jude so badly. His stepbrother was the only person who really cared about him besides his father, was the only human who really understood that he couldn’t control his Angelic nature, his distortion.

He couldn’t help but say awful things to his mother when he couldn’t really admit what was wrong to him. And he hated that it was true, too. He didn’t want a baby sibling, and resented his mother for replacing him with what would no doubt be a better child.

His mother was crying, now, but he was too shaken up to feel bad for that.

Gabriel carefully approached him. “Hey… You look overwhelmed. I know seeing your brother like that must have scared you, but that’s no reason to be mean to the baby and Eli.”

“I know.”

His stepfather held out his hand. “Now, this is tile, so it doesn’t matter if we clean this up. Let’s go make sure Jude settles in alright, huh? I bet he’d really appreciate a visit from his favorite little brother.”

Nephie doubted it, but took the offered hand anyways, sniffling.

“Elijah, I’ll be back soon, if you want to wait in the living room.”

“N-no, no, make sure the kids are alright and get back to bed okay. I’ll be fine. It’s just hormones.”

[tinybibmpreg]

Day 90 // ft. Seleno, Elijah/Daniel, Gabriel, Jude, Nephie & Michael

#46 / Nephie

“Hey, I know you’re hurting.. but, you’re not alone, okay?” the man said to him, bringing a pale white hand up to touch his face. Elijah stared at him, wide-eyed. Where the man’s hand touched his skin, he felt a gentle warmth, a slight tingle. Bright gold eyes looked down at him, slightly obscured by strands of wavy, pure white hair.

Above the man’s head was a golden halo.

-

Nephie always liked to know what his mother was going to say to him next now that his baby brother, Michael, had been born. The baby cried whenever he saw Nephie, and wailed at the sight of his distortion, so the time he spent with their mother was severely cut. Jude spent more time with him as a result, nervous around an infant, but Nephie could see that all his fears were coming true.

If he knew what his mother was going to say now, he had a good guess as to when he’d be talking to him next and could judge just how long they would be able to spend time together.

So in the middle of the night, while everyone in the house was asleep, he listened to what his mother’s next words to him would be.

And then shot out of bed to call for his father.

-

Seleno held his son tight in his arms. He rubbed Nephie’s back as the boy bawled his eyes out, his whole body distorting and his cries pitching and stuttering. He hummed to his son, trying to soothe him, even as he distorted and every bit of him screamed at him to make Elijah pay for what he was going to try to do.

But he could be smart about this, clever. He could use it to his advantage. All he had to do was watch and wait. He wouldn’t take his eyes off of Nephie, wouldn’t make the same mistakes that all of his brethren in the Holy Army had made with their Nephilim. Out of all of the children they had produced, he would be the one to succeed. His Nephilim would survive past the age of ten, his Nephilim would reach adulthood. His Nephilim had already earned its halo, had just over a year more to go before it reached double digits.

“Shh, child. I won’t let anything horrible happen to you. I will always protect you while you cannot protect yourself.”

“I- I knew he hated me, but- but I- I- I- I-” Nephie repeated the last syllable like a broken record, his face glitching. He kept going until he got the hiccups, and Seleno nuzzled him.

“You are safe. You will always be safe.”

-

Intrusive thoughts had plagued him since the day Nephie was born, some corrupt part inside of him making him wonder about doing the horrible things many of the Nephilim’s mothers had done. He’d always ignored them, thankful for the new family he had. Though Seleno was strange, he had seemed to genuinely love him during their early marriage, and Elijah had been happier than he’d ever been before. Then he’d realized that the ‘symptoms’ he was experiencing weren’t just normal effects of being around divinity, that Seleno had been the one transforming him into an ideal version of himself, one that could be his perfect precious prophet.

The thoughts had been most quiet then, when Nephie and the cat were all he had. He couldn’t bear to be alone, and Nephie had been so clingy and loving.

Then he’d met Gabriel, and the thoughts came back. Nephie was a detriment to the family, as horrible as it was for him to admit. Nephilim couldn’t help but be bad luck, it was out of their control. The muted divinity, if it was even divinity at all…

Now Nephie was even more full of misfortune, with red tattoos wrapped around his throat, a new gleam in his crimson eyes.

And now that Michael had been born, and Nephie looked at his brother with disdain, he couldn’t help but wonder if it would be safer for Gabriel’s children if he listened to that awful instinct.

He hadn’t seen Nephie much the past two days and hadn’t spoken to him at all, so he tried to put it out of his mind.

While everyone was asleep, he woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t get back to sleep. Sighing, he got up and decided he would get some water and read in the living room until he felt tired again. He stopped at Michael’s crib to check on him and was pleased to see that the baby was sound asleep and content.

Heading downstairs, he noticed a light in the living room. He walked in, steps slow and cautious. “Oh.” It was just Nephie, sleeping on the couch. He had one of his little LED kid lanterns, one with a smiley face on it, though Nephie had scratched off the eyes and replaced them with X’s, as he did to most of his toys and belongings that had painted on eyes.

Elijah went to the couch, and that horrible feeling inside of him returned. He stared down at his son, knowing that if he were to listen to that instinct, now would be the perfect time. No one was around to see, and Nephie was sound asleep, wouldn’t be awake to know he’d been betrayed by the person who was supposed to love and care for him.

He sat down next to Nephie, and pulled the boy halfway on his lap, stroking his silky, black hair. Nephie mumbled in his sleep but didn’t wake up.

Elijah kept a knife under the couch cushions. It would be so easy… He slipped his hand through the crack and pulled out the blade. There was a hissing sound, but he was sure it was just in his head. Was this how the other mothers of the Nephilim felt? A deep, sinking regret, but feeling like they were doing what had to be done, as they got rid of their little crimson-eyed children?

He held the knife over Nephie, knowing exactly how he could kill him as quickly as possible. After all, he’d many times intended to do the same to himself.

“I… I’m going to kill you, so Michael will be safe. You won’t feel a thing.” But he couldn’t do it, felt horrible for saying it aloud. Nephie didn’t hear him, still sound asleep. He tucked the knife back in its place and resolved to try and figure out how he could get Michael to adjust to seeing his brother’s distortion without too much pain. Maybe Seleno would know. Surely he wasn’t the first of the Nephilim’s mothers to have a second child who not of divine blood.

The hissing sound stopped.

-

“Who are you?” he asked the strange man, holding Michael tightly against his chest. Though something about the man seemed safe and familiar, he was also unnerved by him. Seleno had told him that the other Angels were like him, but different, that none of them could manage to take perfect human form. Undoubtedly, this man was one of Seleno’s brethren, but he had flawless human shape. His face was perfectly formed, and his body looked exactly like one would expect a man in a white suit to look. He had no distortion. Seleno had lied to him for years, but he hadn’t expected that to be a lie, the distortion…

“Do not be frightened. I am the Angel, Helias, and I have come to help you.”

“Are you one of Seleno’s friends?”

Helias smiled wide, too wide. “I knew it was his presence that I sensed! Please, call for him. I wish to speak to him.”

“I thought Angels always knew where the others were?”

Golden eyes bore into him, and Helias raised a hand to his mouth to muffle a giggle. His shoulders shook with quiet laughter, and he asked, voice filled with incredulous delight, “Is that what he told you he was?”

“He’s… not an Angel?”

“Goodness, no! Ha! He really told you he was an Angel? Oh, Seleno, he always knew how to make Eis and I weep!” His eyes filled with red tears and spilled like blood over his cheeks. “A cruel creation, is he not?”

He’d been right. Still, the revelation horrified him. “Then what is he?”

“A traitor and monster, of course. What else could father a half breed like the one he forced upon you?”

“He didn’t force me.”

“Oh, precious pariah, is that what you really believe? After all that he has done to you? To think he tricked you into believing he was an Angel… Is that what you believe your son is as well? The Nephilim are not Heavenly nor Earthly children in the eyes of our Father.”

“I… I don’t know what I believed.”

“Pity, pity, precious pariah. Just look what he did to you, how dreadful… All of Heaven weeps for you, for how you have suffered.” Helias cupped his face in his hands and leaned in close. “Shall I make you a son of man once more?”

Before Elijah could ask what that meant, Helias closed his eyes and kissed him. An intense warmth spread from his lips to the rest of his body, and he gasped when the true Angel pulled away. In a voice just over a whisper, Helias said, “Goodnight, Elijah Ordell.”

“Ah…” A wave of dizziness washed over him, and Helias held his arms. Disoriented, Elijah asked, “What… did you do…?”

He closed his eyes to try and quell the feeling, and when he opened them, Helias was taller, and everything felt different. The Angel smiled down at him, tears still falling down his face. “Good morning, Daniel Mallory.”

“What?” Daniel asked. His eyes widened at the sound of his voice, and he looked down at himself. His hands had freckles and scars again, and he was thin and lanky once more. He felt his face, and his scars had returned. Running a hand through his hair, he could feel the curls, and tugging on them let him see that it was no longer a shiny black, but dark orange. “You-”

“-Are yourself once more, Daniel Mallory. My fallen brother’s curse has been lifted.”

Michael still looked exactly the same, the same blend between Elijah and Gabriel. “But now my sons don’t look like me.”

“They aren’t your children, not anymore.”

A cold feeling gripped his core. “But I gave birth to them.”

“No, Daniel Mallory, you did not. Elijah Ordell, a denizen of the fallen kingdom, is their mother.”

“Don’t call me Ordell. It’s Elijah Etherford.”

Helias’ eyes shone with delight through his tears. “Do not mourn for the pitiful pariah, son of man. Rejoice! You shall ascend to Heaven.”

Seleno had always told him humans could not go to Heaven, but if he wasn’t an Angel, what Heaven did he and Nephie cry out for? Who was the Lord and Master they both obeyed, who had given his son that glowing red halo? Michael mumbled in his arms, and the baby’s face scrunched up as he awoke. Daniel looked down at him, and Michael’s eyes opened.

At the sight of a stranger, Michael began to cry, squirming. Daniel tried to shush him, but it just made the baby wail even louder.

“Please, call for my fallen brother.”

There were footsteps behind them, and Daniel turned to see Gabriel walking up. The lack of recognition on his husband’s face hurt. “What are you doing with my son?”

“Gabriel…”

“Give up the child, son of man,” Helias urged.

“No! What have you done to me? Turn me back!”

“Who are you?” Gabriel demanded. “Give me my son.”

“Call for the creature, precious.” Helias put a hand on his shoulder. “Return the boy to his father. I have no quarrel with him.”

Daniel shook his head. “No! I didn’t want your help! Please, I was happy-”

“Don’t lie to yourself, precious.”

Nephie approached from behind Gabriel, holding his head as if he was in pain. Helias hissed, and Daniel glanced back at him to see that even more tears were falling from his eyes, a trickle of blood coming from the corner of his mouth. “Gabriel, my head hurts… Huh?” Nephie saw Helias and immediately hid behind Gabriel, whimpering.

“Neph, call your dad.”

In an instant, space ripped open and Seleno stepped out. His wings sprouted from his back and his halo appeared as soon as he was there, and he snarled at Helias.

“A Nephilim! Is this what he left us for? Wretched creature, little monstrosity- Why should Eis and I weep for your departure when you have been bound by animal urges? Seleno, prince of the damned!” Helias’ face glitched, and he stepped back, hugging himself. He took a deep breath, and then continued, much calmer, “It’s been so long, Seleno. I never thought I’d see you again. Eis gave up hope eons ago.”

“I never got through to her like you.”

“You created a Nephilim.”

“Yes, and-” Seleno looked down at Daniel as if he hadn’t yet noticed him. “Daniel?”

“You know these people, Seleno?” Gabriel asked.

“Of course I do! Daniel, oh, Daniel, my dearest friend!” Seleno held his face, smiling down at him. “I thought I had lost you forever!”

What reason was there to lie? Helias knew who he was, Nephie knew of divine alteration but not his original identity. The only person to hide it all from was Gabriel, but Seleno never paid much mind to Gabriel. Had never seemed to like him much.

Nephie did.

Seleno’s hands were like ice against his skin. He hugged him, and Daniel felt his arms go into a hole. Then Michael was being taken from his arms through Seleno. Gabriel began soothing the baby. Daniel felt nauseous when he remembered how Nephie had been telling him and his father how he wished Gabriel was his mother instead of Elijah. Seleno had never really cared about him, he only wanted the perfect mother for his Nephilim.

Nephie deserved a perfect mother, but Daniel wanted now more than ever for that to be him, to be Elijah. Even if Seleno was a monster, Nephie deserved his mother to be with him.

He couldn’t let Gabriel fall into the same trap that he had.

With his mouth almost touching Daniel’s ear, Seleno whispered, “I know you tried to kill Nephie. I’ll never let you hurt my son, I’ll get rid of you first.”

“No-” Seleno pulled back. Daniel clenched his fists. “Seleno, you monster! You can’t do this!”

“Do what, Daniel? Are you feeling alright? Did Helias hurt you?”

“You’re a liar, a cruel liar! I won’t let you hurt Gabriel and Nephie like this!” Seleno stared down at him, devoid of any expression. “You’re not an Angel, you’re a Demon! You tricked me! The Heaven you talk about, the Master you worship- It’s just Hell!”

“Daniel, why are you saying such awful things? What did Helias do to you…?”

“He made me Daniel again! Don’t-”

“The Nephilim really are hideous,” Helias interrupted. “I can’t bear to look at it any longer.” He held out his hand, and a white light built up. It shot towards Nephie, and Seleno used his wings as a shield. He screeched as it hit him, and the red lines hovering around his halo shot out at Helias.

One aimed directly at Daniel, and he didn’t even have time to react before everything ended.

-

Gabriel stood up once everything went quiet. When Seleno’s wings had shielded them, Gabriel had ducked down to protect both of the kids. Nephie clung to his side, and Michael began crying again.

“Dad?” Jude peered around the corner of the hall, red eyes wide. Gabriel gestured for him to go back. Before he could have Nephie take Michael and join their older brother, Seleno lowered his wings. Smoke rose off of the seared flesh and feathers, but there was no smell.

Helias looked completely fine, but was kneeling next to the prone body of Daniel. A long, metal rod was sticking through his chest, and when Helias brushed a finger against it, it dissolved into specks of gold that then faded to nothing.

“Seleno… Will you renounce your King and rejoin us in Heaven?”

Gabriel’s heart skipped a beat as Seleno answered, “You killed my lover, endangered my family, and forced me to kill my dearest friend after you filled his head with lies. I shun your Kingdom and Father, and remain loyal to my brethren and Lord.”

“Eis may weep for you yet.”

“Please… Let me raise my child in peace. I only wish to care for my Nephilim and our family.”

“The humans have corrupted you, precious prince. I pray you will one day see the error of your ways and return to your place as Archangel beside Eis and I, that our Father shall forgive you and the others who have fallen from Heaven.” Helias extended a hand out to Seleno, and the Demon took it. His face turned into one that almost perfectly mirrored Helias’, colored grey and black. Golden tears spilled from his red eyes, and his body turned into a black, humanoid mass, melting like wax. His wings draped behind him. “Farewell, Seleno. We will meet again in Heaven, with Eis at our side.”

“No, we won’t.”

The Angel vanished, and Seleno slumped to his knees. His face became featureless and black, his body turning human, with a dull and baggy, multi-colored sweater, with grey pants and oil slick combat boots.

Nephie darted over to him, burying himself against his chest. “I can’t hear what Mom is going to say to me next. I can’t hear him, I can’t hear him.”

“I’m sorry, Neph. I couldn’t save him.”

“Was he really going to kill me?”

“He fought his urges till the end. He was very brave. But that Demon killed him, and made me kill my one true friend.”

Gabriel felt like he was going to be sick. It was exactly the feeling as when his first wife had died, coming home to find out that Jude had been forced by circumstance to kill her. Now his husband, who had been struggling more than Gabriel had imagined, was gone.

Seleno turned his head to look at him, and Gabriel moved into his arms as well, tears spilling. “I’m sorry, Gabriel. I should have kept a closer eye on everyone… Jude?”

“Is Eli really gone…? Oh, God…”

“I promise I’ll protect all four of you. I won’t let anyone else hurt you.”

Gabriel believed him.

[bookofmormonmemes]

concept: a valentine card saying only “to me you doth not stink”

why stop there

(image artists under the cut)

Queen Lamoni: James H Fullmer

Ammon, Nephi, Moroni: Arnold Friberg

Nephi and Zoram: Jerry Thompson (quote adapted from 2nd Ne 1:30)

[tinybibmpreg]

Day 54 // ft. Jude, Nephie, and Seleno

#43 / Halo

“What the hell is your problem?!” Jude snarled, stepping up close to Adam so that they were almost touching. He had half a foot on the other teen, and Adam was forced to look up at him. “Leave my brother alone!”

Nephie stared at his stepbrother with wide eyes. For the first time in his life, he felt no distortion. Jude was protecting him. They were in the middle of the woods, with no one around but Adam and a few of his friends. Jude had no one to show off to, no adults to act in front of. It was a threat to his safety to protect him. There was no gain in confronting Adam.

He was doing it because he cared. Because they were brothers.

“Your brother’s a freak, Jude Etherford.”

“He’s not a freak!”

“Really? Then what is he?”

“He’s just half human and half Angel!”

“He’s half monster, that’s what he is.” Nephie’s father had always told him that humans just could no longer comprehend what it was to be an Angel, that they had never been able to comprehend the idea of accepting the Nephilim. And there had been so many Nephilims over the years, sired by tens of Angels. To a human, his father whispered, he was the very definition of imperfection, his distortion.

Jude could understand that he wasn’t human, despite his blood.

Jude was the first human in a long time to comprehend the difference of the Nephilim.

“My brother is not a monster, Adam. He’s a little boy.”

Jude accepted him.

“Hey, Jude, do you know what they used to do to kids who claimed they were half Angel?”

His father said Nephilim could only survive in this modern human world, where the laws protected children, where murder of difference was frowned upon in the city. His father wasn’t terribly familiar with the thoughts of those who weren’t in those modern human cities. Modern people, outside of the relative safety of a city, did not have distractions to keep them from looking too closely at the distortion of a Nephilim, the bad luck that surrounded them.

Nephie had a feeling that the next Nephilim would be born to a high class mother, one that could protect them until adulthood, hide them away until they were strong enough to defend themselves.

Elijah wasn’t good enough, even if he looked the part,

“No, what?” Jude asked, fists clenched at his side.

“They’d get rid of them.”

He’d never seen Jude get so angry before. His brother slammed Adam against a tree, lifting him up by the collar of his shirt so he could hiss, “I won’t let you lay a hand on my brother.”

“Yeah? Or else what?”

“If you hurt him, I’ll kill you.”

“Ha!” Adam laughed, but Jude didn’t let him go. His smile faded. “Wh- what are you talking about? You’re a nice guy, I don’t think you’re capable of-”

“Why do you think I’m in the behavioral section of the counselor’s cabin, Adam, huh? They don’t stick good kids in there. They don’t keep such a close eye on me because they want to see what the model camper looks like.”

“I thought they kept you in there to look after your brother.”

“Nephie doesn’t get to sleep in the same room as me in that cabin. Take a guess, Adam. Guess why they stick me in my own room, with only Mr. David to look after me. Why do they have ‘prone to episodes of extreme violence under stress’ written in my file? I’m not allowed to join teams with anyone but Nephie if I don’t have a counselor keeping an eye on me.”

“You- you didn’t. You couldn’t have-” Adam’s friends took off. Nephie grinned, his smile just a bit too wide for a human, his teeth just a bit too sharp. Adam went pale when he glanced at him. “No-”

“I killed my own mother, Adam, what makes you think I won’t kill you?”

He let Adam go, and the blond leaned against the tree. Jude took a step back.

“Hey, Jude…” Jude looked back at Nephie. He held out his hand to his brother, and Jude took it. “Close your eyes.”

As soon as his brother’s eyes were closed, there was a sickening rip of flesh as his wings burst free from his back. Adam screamed. Jude opened his eyes. A searing pain wrapped around his neck, and etched its way up, and a voice in his head praised the Nephilim.

He was the first of the Nephilim to be granted their halo.

-

The camp counselors called their parents to come pick them up early. Unfortunately, they were in Italy, and wouldn’t be able to come to get them for another week. Their grandparents couldn’t make the trip. Since the two of them were both special needs, they couldn’t just be stuck in a taxi and whisked away to the bus station without supervision, and none of the counselors were willing to sit alone with them.

A few hours later, a car pulled up in front of the main cabin. A tall man in a solid black suit stepped out of it. Looking at his face revealed just a black expanse of flesh. Nephie’s father had adopted a hairstyle similar to his son’s, and his form looked deceptively human. Sacrificing the face allowed an Angel to appear human.

“Excuse me, sir, but you can’t just come onto the property without permission.”

“I’m here to pick up my son and his brother. You called their other parents and grandparents. Elijah and Gabriel asked me to come get them.”

Nephie sincerely doubted it, but he didn’t know for sure. Maybe his mother thought it was more important to remove him from a bad situation than to keep him from his father. An improvement from usual.

“You’re- ugh-” The counselor rubbed their eyes as they tried to look at his father. “You’re Nephie’s father?”

“Yes. Seleno. Where are the boys?”

“Dad!” Nephie ran up to his father. Seleno lifted him up, and Nephie could feel the happiness and pride radiating off of him. “Dad, look what happened!”

“Our Lord and Master has given you your halo, my son! Oh, this is truly glorious- I am so proud, child. You are the first of your kind to join the Holy Army.” His father’s arms and face distorted as the sin of pride consumed him. “Did you hear our Lord’s voice when you earned your halo?”

“Yes! He told me I was the first Nephilim to be worthy of his gift!” Nephie was beaming. He hadn’t stopped smiling since he’d gotten the red tattoos on his neck, face, and limbs. His father traced the ring around his neck, and his hand glitched. “And Jude understands! See?”

He pointed at his stepbrother. Jude waved awkwardly with his good hand. The other one, the one Nephie had held onto, was black, and gradually faded to normal flesh at the elbow. His neck had a red tattoo on it as well.

“Oh my…” Seleno stepped up to Jude, and a smile formed on his face, along with a few pairs of eyes. Jude looked at his face, not even flinching. Red eyes searched the Angel’s. “I haven’t seen a human like you in an eternity.”

“Do you like him, Dad? I think he’s perfect the way he always was, but I wanted us to match.” His mother had been slowly morphed into someone he wasn’t, everything but his mind changed to match his father’s desires. Nephie didn’t see any reason to change Jude besides wishing for the tattoo on his neck. The hand and eyes he wasn’t responsible for, but he quite liked them too.

“Oh, he’s wonderful, Nephie. Now, let’s get you to your grandparents’ house. I promised your mom I’d not waste time.”

[tinybibmpreg]

Day 51 // ft. Elijah, Seleno, Gabriel, Jude & Nephie

#95 / Me

“How bad do you want me?” Seleno asked him, a sharp toothed mouth next to his ear. Twisted claws gripped his arms, gentle enough not to break his skin, but firm enough to hurt. In the two weeks they’d been meeting up again, Seleno had grown more and more rough. He still left no injury, but Elijah worried that if he kept this up, the Angel would hurt him.

“Not at all,” Elijah answered, and desperately hoped that it was true.

Despite everything, it wasn’t. Seleno laughed quietly, and velvet soft skin pressed against the back of his neck.

-

Gabriel didn’t mind if he and Seleno still wanted some sort of relationship, and Elijah almost wished that he would. If his husband just said that he was uncomfortable with the idea of him being with another man at the same time as him, he would have a reason to ignore all the feelings inside of him, and could tell Seleno to stop visiting.

However, his husband admitted he’d never really cared for strict monogamy. “Honestly, Eli, I’m fine with a bit of a polyamory. If my wife came back from the dead, I’d want to be in a relationship with both of you.”

Elijah wouldn’t want to erase an old relationship of his husband’s, either.

-

“Do you talk to Nephie about me?”

“No, why?”

“He thinks I hate him,” he admitted. “And he said he wants the baby to die.”

“Well, precious prophet, to tell you a secret…” Seleno leaned in close and whispered, “So do I.”

“For what? The former or latter?”

“I think you know.”

He did.

-

Gabriel looked worn out when he came home from what was supposed to be a check in with a ‘doctor.’ Apparently, Jude saw a therapist once a week. Elijah felt hurt that Gabriel had kept that secret from him, that he and Jude worried that he would find that shameful. “He isn’t taking the breakdown he had very well, so he’s staying there for a few hours until he can work out what happened.”

Nephie drove his hands through the glass coffee table. He’d been drawing with the markers Jude bought him a few weeks ago. Elijah had thought he’d calmed down, but apparently not. He was still rattled by his brother’s anxiety attack.

As Gabriel rushed over to make sure the boy wasn’t hurt, Elijah wondered if Seleno was right.

Sadly enough, when it came to their son, he usually was.

-

“If you don’t feel like you’re up to going to Camp Uonder, I won’t be upset. Your grandparents would be glad to see you,” Gabriel assured his son, hands on his shoulders.

Jude looked up at him. His eyes were red and puffy, like he’d spent most of the past few hours crying. He smiled, and told his father, “No, it’s fine, really. I want to go to camp with Neph. Right, kiddo?” Nephie had practically attached himself to his stepbrother’s leg when they all got home, sobbing and apologizing. In the car, Jude had told them the real cause of his ‘relapse.’ Elijah still felt horribly guilty for not telling them about Nephie’s outings.

“Mhmm. Wanna go to camp wi’ Jay…”

The baby kicked. Elijah rubbed his belly, sighing. Gabriel gave Jude a tight hug, and then lowered an arm to give Nephie a squeeze. “Good boys. Now, does anyone else have any big secrets to reveal? Uh… Oh! Nephie, while you’ve been seeing your dad at night, Eli and I have been seeing him during the day. I don’t know if your dad told you.”

God, he wished Gabriel wasn’t such a good and honest person.

Nephie looked over at him, and he could practically feel the hate in his eyes. “Really? Even though you told him not to talk to me ever again?”

“Let’s not get all worked up again, sweetheart. Your father has his own reasons for why he visits us separately.”

“Yeah, I bet.”

“Nephie!” Gabriel chided, but not at all firm. “It’s not very nice to talk to Eli like that.”

“It’s not very nice for Eli to try and keep me away from my dad!”

Jude swallowed hard, one fist clenching, the other holding his stepbrother’s sleeve. “Come on, Neph, let’s go get our bags packed! I’ve been to the camp a bunch of times, I know what we’ll need!”

“I wish you were my mom instead of Elijah, Gabriel.”

But then he’d be just like me, Elijah wanted to tell his son. Your father made me this way, don’t you understand? Why can’t you understand? It doesn’t matter who I am. Seleno is a monster, your mother was always going to be me.

[bookofmormonmemes]

i should be sleeping

[bookofmormonmemes]

1st Nephi 4:35

fun fact google images will give you no good pictures of zoram and the only pics of laban you’re gonna get are the ones of right before he dies

[tinybibmpreg]

Day 89 // ft. Elijah, Seleno, and Nephie

#3 / Seleno

“No, I’m not letting you go. It’s too early to get out of bed.” Elijah squirmed, but Seleno held on tight to him.

“But you don’t need to sleep.”

“You do, precious prophet.”

“I have to get ready to go to work.”

Seleno grumbled against the back of his neck. He could feel his face shifting, his hair growing longer and brushing against his skin. “I don’t like when you have to interact with other humans.”

Elijah immediately thought of the warnings the other Angels had given each other about allowing the mothers of their children around people who could potentially cause them harm. Though he and Seleno had been in a relationship for a few years now, he didn’t think that those warnings would apply to them. Seleno had never brought up the idea of having a Nephilim with him.

“Seleno?”

“Yes, precious?”

“...Nevermind. I’ll sleep in. But only for a half hour. Then I really need to get up and leave.”

-

Sometimes, Elijah would wake up in the middle of the night and find Seleno sitting in the living room, golden tears falling from whatever eyes he currently had on his face. His shoulders would shake, and Elijah would hear quiet sobs. Whenever that happened, Elijah sat down next to him and held his hand until the Angel’s tears ceased.

He went to ask him what was wrong one night, and Seleno nuzzled him and answered quietly, “I mourn for my demonic brothers and sisters who disregarded Heaven, and grieve with my brethren whose children were denied the gift of life.”

Another time, Seleno was distorting so heavily that Elijah could barely stand to look at him as he alternated between bitter sobs and hysterical laughter. When he finally collapsed to the ground, insect limbs holding him up as he spat ichor from two mouths, he told him, “I feel the sin of Envy consuming me.”

“What are you jealous of?”

“It’s too difficult for you to understand, my precious prophet. Please… Shall I make you some coffee? I could use a hot drink.”

Angels didn’t need food or drink, but Seleno loved to drink coffee whenever he appeared in front of him. Elijah knew every cafe in the city by now, since Seleno had dragged him into every one when he walked him home from work.

Seleno broke three cups before managing to steady his hands enough to make coffee, with some help from Elijah holding his hands to help him pour it.

-

“Seleno?”

The Angel grinned and hugged him. “So do I.”

“Oh, come on. I wanted to say it.”

“I can’t help it, precious. I always want to know what you’re going to say to me.”

“Well, I love you.”

It wouldn’t be for a few years that he would realize that Seleno distorted whenever he told him he loved him, that he would overhear a tearful confession to the Lord and Master of Seleno’s lustful corruption.

Angels could not experience emotion as a human did.

-

Seleno took him to a park filled with all sorts of lovely plants and sat down with him on a bench. While Elijah looked around at everything, the Angel’s eyes were only on him, spindly fingers playing with his sleek, black hair.

Elijah turned his attention to Seleno when he tucked his head against his shoulder. His eyes widened with surprise when he saw a perfectly human face looking back at him, light grey skin framed by Seleno’s typical wavy black hair. The rest of his body was molten, like melted wax, the grey dripping down into a black mass. Black wings pushed free of the ooze, growing larger and surrounding them like a cocoon.

“Seleno?”

The Angel’s face was the most beautiful he’d ever seen, with mournful red eyes welling up with that golden ichor he wept for his sins. Elijah wondered which one he could possibly be committing now.

“Elijah, my precious prophet… Would you like to see my true form?”

Darkness engulfed them both as Seleno spread his eight pairs of wings. Elijah watched them unfurl and grow, and Seleno rose up, getting larger and larger. He spread his arms, and a red halo appeared around his throat, glowing tattoos snaking down his body from his neck.

It burned his eyes to look at him, but Elijah couldn’t tear his gaze away, didn’t want to look away. Red squares appeared around them, that burned the tips of Elijah’s fingers when he reached out to touch a small one hovering near his knees. Horns grew from Seleno’s head and his grey skin faded to a deep black, his features dissolving. A sword appeared at his side, made from flames instead of metal.

A large, red eye opened sideways on his face, and golden tears spilled from it.

Seleno’s body glitched like a computer error as if he were made of pixels instead of flesh. Elijah felt like he was going to be sick, but at the same time, he was amazed. He opened his mouth to make a sound of awe, but nothing came out.

Though he’d never doubted before that Seleno was divine, this confirmed it. How could he be anything but an Angel? If this is what he’d been spending so much time with, this shifting being- no wonder he’d changed. How could anyone stay the same after coming into contact with a creature like this?

“Elijah-” Seleno lowered himself down so that his face was right in front of his lover’s, and carefully held his head between two claws. “Elijah Ordell, my precious, would you marry me?”

Oh, God, Elijah thought, hating himself for only realizing something at this moment. I can’t believe I never noticed this before. His voice returned, and he asked, “Seleno… I know this is supposed to be a really romantic moment, but… Have you ever heard of a movie called The Hobbit?”

Seleno blinked. “Elijah, I’ve never once watched a movie before in all of my life. What does that have to do with my proposal.”

“Well, uh-” He’d brought it up, so now he had to explain. “There’s a character in it, Gollum, who sounds exactly like you. You even both say ‘my precious’ a lot. I mean, you add ‘prophet’ a lot, but-”

“Do you want to marry me or not?”

“Oh! Yes! I do want to!”

-

“You’re not an Angel.”

“Shh!” Seleno shushed him, body distorting, and pulled him out of the room as their toddler looked up from the blocks he was playing with. His features morphed and glitched as he loomed over him, finally settling on a sharp-toothed snarl and six multi-colored eyes in a semi-circle, all glaring. “What have I told you about speaking blasphemy in front of our son?”

“It’s the truth.”

“No. It’s what you convinced yourself to believe because you’re upset with me. Don’t involve our son in our quarrel.”

He lowered his voice. “You’re just some monster who came to ruin my life.”

“And how, precious prophet, have I ruined it? You went from being alone and unloved in an apartment, on the verge of suicide, to being a married man in a beautiful home, with a family that loves you. You haven’t hurt yourself in years.”

“You don’t love me.”

“I’m an Angel, Elijah. We feel things differently. But Nephie loves you. He’s the family you always wanted. You can’t comprehend what it means to be an Angel, but don’t take out your anger on him. Don’t ruin his childhood. The Nephilim deserve to be happy.”

“Why did you marry me?”

Seleno stroked his cheek. His hand glitched, and it stung Elijah’s skin. “I chose you. You’re the mother of my Nephilim.”

“So that’s all you wanted me for?”

“You were the one who suggested we have a child. I have never had a Nephilim before. I have no idea if I was truly ready to become a father like some of my brethren have. I would have been content to keep waiting.” Before he could say anything else, Seleno patted his cheek and told him, “I gave you a good life. Don’t be so ungrateful. What if I took it all away?”

“Nephie is my son too. You can’t take him from me.”

“But you don’t want this life.”

“You can’t!”

“I can do almost anything, precious. Don’t you remember how I told you that?”