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fireinside[ooc: yes this is set in roughly 1920's ireland. i'm sure i did it wrong. just go with it. it was late okay? also first time i wrote demon-killing fic. be gentle.]
The first time Simeon changed was soon after his sixteenth birthday. He and Shannan were outside doing chores and laughing, and he suddenly felt it coming on. He remembered locking eyes with his brother, his own filled with fear and Shannan's filled with confusion. And then it happened. Simeon was something large and ugly.
He towered over his older brother. He watched Shannan back up in fear or in disgust, he was never sure which, and then he heard their father coming up the path.
"You bloody children never do anything right!" He was shouting.
Shannan was still moving backwards and just staring up at his younger brother, speechless. Simeon could hear his father's curses and rants as he still approached. As usual, it sent nails across his spine. He always felt all of his old scars prickle at the sound of his father's anger. Especially so the burn mark on his back, the same one Shannan had, made with a hot iron poker again and again. Every time they deserved it. Cormac thought they always deserved it or some other form of punishment.
As the older brother Shannan always tried to protect Simeon, but he couldn't. Even he was afraid of their father. Shannan who was 20 years old and bigger and stronger than Cormac. It didn't matter. The old man had done enough damage to keep them scared. Scared and angry.
Simeon turned towards the path that lead from the front of the property to the back, and he could see the figure of Cormac getting closer. Anger and hatred burned inside of him even stronger than ever before.
"Sim," Shannan finally said. It was soft, fearful. But it was a word, and Simeon was glad to hear anything from his brother. He looked over to Shannan.
"Calm down, brother. Send the monster away."
The words were like a haze over him. He didn't think himself a monster, this was just his Calling was it not? They all had one, his was just more visual than everyone else. He looked over at his brother and wanted to tell him he didn't know how. That he almost didn't want to. He liked this. He liked being big and scary.
"Please Simeon," Shannan begged.
"Boys! Where are you little bastards?!" Cormac was coming around the edge of the house, and he stopped when he saw his youngest son. "Christ Almighty," he said, gazing up at Simeon.
All Simeon could feel was the pain. Every ounce of pain his father had ever caused him, that he had ever caused Shannan. He heard the angry words that had been thrown at him his entire life. He smelt the stench of burning skin as that hot iron was pressed into his back, branding him. He looked down upon his father and saw fear, and he liked it. He wanted his father to fear him.
He started to move closer to Cormac when Ita, his mother, stepped outside of their house. She gasped up at him and shook her head. "Simmy! You back away! Back!"
He twitched. The words hit him wrong and he stopped to look at her. Ita, a beautifully poetic Rakshasa who used to get such pleasure from the kill, now hopelessly bound to Cormac. Their love was long and deep, and she settled down for him. She beared children for him. Yes, she loved her boys, but she loved her husband more. Especially so once the boys were more grown. There was a detachment there. And when it came to Cormac beating them, she didn't stop it. She told her husband 'yes they deserved it' 'no they shouldn't test you'. Whether she believed it or only wanted to assure him, only she knew. Either way it made Cormac feel betrayed. His Mam, the woman who was supposed to protect him and shield him, let terrible things happen to him.
And he never forgot how she favored Shannan. Shannan who was once a small, sweet boy that loved his mother dearly. She babied him, which only made their father beat him harder. He wanted to harden Shannan up, make him less of a girl. Simeon once resented his brother for the attention he got, but later learned that he didn't care. That he was never going to have his mother's love as it was. Not enough of it anyway. And as they grew, she even let go of her hold on Shannan.
Ita loved her husband, and nothing could deter that.
As far as Simeon was concerned she was to blame as much as Cormac. Cormac was just a grumpy old bastard who felt like a small, weak demon compared to his wife. Compared to his boys. A Charun didn't really stand much of a chance against a Rak, a Teme, or a Behemoth.
No she didn't do anything, but that was exactly the point. She could have easily stopped Cormac, but she never did. She never saved her boys.
It only took him a moment to turn to her and for his anger to rise even higher. It hurt. Everything inside of him hurt, and he wanted it to stop. He wanted to be free.
All these years later, he doesn't remember anything after that. It could be because it was his first kill, or it could be because it was that traumatic. The next thing he could remember was laying on the ground in his normal state with screams going on around him. Cormac was screaming, Shannan was screaming, and apparently Simeon was too. His was a loud, unending, pained wail.
"You little bastard! How could you?!" Cormac was on his knees, tears were pouring down his cheeks.
"Simeon! Simeon are you okay?!" Shannan was over his brother shaking him.
Sim didn't want to kill his mother. He didn't hate her. He loved her. He lay there on the ground not feeling the same anger he'd had before.
"I'm sorry Shannan," he whispered. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It was an accident." Shannan cradled his brothers head in his lap and brushed his hair back. "It will be okay."
"Okay? He killed my wife!" Cormac screamed. The boys looked up and saw Cormac lunging at them with his axe.
Shannan jumped to his feet and jumped in front of Simeon's body. He reached out to catch the axe's swing and there was struggle between the two men over it. Shannan won before long and yanked the axe from his father's grip. He took a step back with it and let it fall to his side. Cormac turned to Simeon and lunged at him again with his hands out.
"I'll kill ya boy!" It was said so dark, so thickly, that neither had any doubt he would.
Both boys watched as Shannan brought the axe up and through his father's neck, disconnecting his head from his body. The only kill he ever did with his own two hands.
Simeon rolled out of the way as Cormac's body fell to the ground right where he'd been laying, and he stared in horror. Shannan stood over them both with the axe hanging in one hand. He looked down at the blood-caked tool and dropped it. Then he met his brother's eyes.
"Shannan," Simeon murmured. It hurt to get the word out. To get any words out. There was blood everywhere, his father's body on the ground, his mother's body gone. Eaten by the monster. In the blink of an eye, their whole world shifted.
"Get up," Shannan said in a gruff tone. Simeon did as he was told and watched his brother, waiting. "I need a drink," he said. He started towards the house. "And then we're leaving."
Simeon watched his brother go in shock. He couldn't move. Between the two of them everyone assumed Simeon would be the wreckless one, the cold one, but in that moment Shannan had changed. He'd seen it. They'd both changed.
It took him a long time before he could walk into the house, but when he did Shannan was cleaning himself up over the water bucket. He turned to look at his brother. "From now on it's me and you, Sim."
Simeon nodded. "Me and you," he repeated shakily.
The first time Simeon changed was soon after his sixteenth birthday. He and Shannan were outside doing chores and laughing, and he suddenly felt it coming on. He remembered locking eyes with his brother, his own filled with fear and Shannan's filled with confusion. And then it happened. Simeon was something large and ugly.
He towered over his older brother. He watched Shannan back up in fear or in disgust, he was never sure which, and then he heard their father coming up the path.
"You bloody children never do anything right!" He was shouting.
Shannan was still moving backwards and just staring up at his younger brother, speechless. Simeon could hear his father's curses and rants as he still approached. As usual, it sent nails across his spine. He always felt all of his old scars prickle at the sound of his father's anger. Especially so the burn mark on his back, the same one Shannan had, made with a hot iron poker again and again. Every time they deserved it. Cormac thought they always deserved it or some other form of punishment.
As the older brother Shannan always tried to protect Simeon, but he couldn't. Even he was afraid of their father. Shannan who was 20 years old and bigger and stronger than Cormac. It didn't matter. The old man had done enough damage to keep them scared. Scared and angry.
Simeon turned towards the path that lead from the front of the property to the back, and he could see the figure of Cormac getting closer. Anger and hatred burned inside of him even stronger than ever before.
"Sim," Shannan finally said. It was soft, fearful. But it was a word, and Simeon was glad to hear anything from his brother. He looked over to Shannan.
"Calm down, brother. Send the monster away."
The words were like a haze over him. He didn't think himself a monster, this was just his Calling was it not? They all had one, his was just more visual than everyone else. He looked over at his brother and wanted to tell him he didn't know how. That he almost didn't want to. He liked this. He liked being big and scary.
"Please Simeon," Shannan begged.
"Boys! Where are you little bastards?!" Cormac was coming around the edge of the house, and he stopped when he saw his youngest son. "Christ Almighty," he said, gazing up at Simeon.
All Simeon could feel was the pain. Every ounce of pain his father had ever caused him, that he had ever caused Shannan. He heard the angry words that had been thrown at him his entire life. He smelt the stench of burning skin as that hot iron was pressed into his back, branding him. He looked down upon his father and saw fear, and he liked it. He wanted his father to fear him.
He started to move closer to Cormac when Ita, his mother, stepped outside of their house. She gasped up at him and shook her head. "Simmy! You back away! Back!"
He twitched. The words hit him wrong and he stopped to look at her. Ita, a beautifully poetic Rakshasa who used to get such pleasure from the kill, now hopelessly bound to Cormac. Their love was long and deep, and she settled down for him. She beared children for him. Yes, she loved her boys, but she loved her husband more. Especially so once the boys were more grown. There was a detachment there. And when it came to Cormac beating them, she didn't stop it. She told her husband 'yes they deserved it' 'no they shouldn't test you'. Whether she believed it or only wanted to assure him, only she knew. Either way it made Cormac feel betrayed. His Mam, the woman who was supposed to protect him and shield him, let terrible things happen to him.
And he never forgot how she favored Shannan. Shannan who was once a small, sweet boy that loved his mother dearly. She babied him, which only made their father beat him harder. He wanted to harden Shannan up, make him less of a girl. Simeon once resented his brother for the attention he got, but later learned that he didn't care. That he was never going to have his mother's love as it was. Not enough of it anyway. And as they grew, she even let go of her hold on Shannan.
Ita loved her husband, and nothing could deter that.
As far as Simeon was concerned she was to blame as much as Cormac. Cormac was just a grumpy old bastard who felt like a small, weak demon compared to his wife. Compared to his boys. A Charun didn't really stand much of a chance against a Rak, a Teme, or a Behemoth.
No she didn't do anything, but that was exactly the point. She could have easily stopped Cormac, but she never did. She never saved her boys.
It only took him a moment to turn to her and for his anger to rise even higher. It hurt. Everything inside of him hurt, and he wanted it to stop. He wanted to be free.
All these years later, he doesn't remember anything after that. It could be because it was his first kill, or it could be because it was that traumatic. The next thing he could remember was laying on the ground in his normal state with screams going on around him. Cormac was screaming, Shannan was screaming, and apparently Simeon was too. His was a loud, unending, pained wail.
"You little bastard! How could you?!" Cormac was on his knees, tears were pouring down his cheeks.
"Simeon! Simeon are you okay?!" Shannan was over his brother shaking him.
Sim didn't want to kill his mother. He didn't hate her. He loved her. He lay there on the ground not feeling the same anger he'd had before.
"I'm sorry Shannan," he whispered. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It was an accident." Shannan cradled his brothers head in his lap and brushed his hair back. "It will be okay."
"Okay? He killed my wife!" Cormac screamed. The boys looked up and saw Cormac lunging at them with his axe.
Shannan jumped to his feet and jumped in front of Simeon's body. He reached out to catch the axe's swing and there was struggle between the two men over it. Shannan won before long and yanked the axe from his father's grip. He took a step back with it and let it fall to his side. Cormac turned to Simeon and lunged at him again with his hands out.
"I'll kill ya boy!" It was said so dark, so thickly, that neither had any doubt he would.
Both boys watched as Shannan brought the axe up and through his father's neck, disconnecting his head from his body. The only kill he ever did with his own two hands.
Simeon rolled out of the way as Cormac's body fell to the ground right where he'd been laying, and he stared in horror. Shannan stood over them both with the axe hanging in one hand. He looked down at the blood-caked tool and dropped it. Then he met his brother's eyes.
"Shannan," Simeon murmured. It hurt to get the word out. To get any words out. There was blood everywhere, his father's body on the ground, his mother's body gone. Eaten by the monster. In the blink of an eye, their whole world shifted.
"Get up," Shannan said in a gruff tone. Simeon did as he was told and watched his brother, waiting. "I need a drink," he said. He started towards the house. "And then we're leaving."
Simeon watched his brother go in shock. He couldn't move. Between the two of them everyone assumed Simeon would be the wreckless one, the cold one, but in that moment Shannan had changed. He'd seen it. They'd both changed.
It took him a long time before he could walk into the house, but when he did Shannan was cleaning himself up over the water bucket. He turned to look at his brother. "From now on it's me and you, Sim."
Simeon nodded. "Me and you," he repeated shakily.
