Thistle and Weeds (Mumford and Sons AU)

Chapter 3

“Benjamin, this needs to stop.” Ted said. Ben rolled his eyes as the blond glared at him.

After having to watch Marcus cry himself sleep during the whole week, Ted couldn't keep quiet anymore. He needed to stop this, he needed the demon to go away and let Marcus live his life in peace.

“You know you can't stop me. I already decided to drain him.” Ben crossed his arms and grinned.

“I'm not an idiot, you haven't drained him at all.” Ted said, narrowing his eyes. Ben's grin disappeared and it turned into a frown. He hadn't realized Ted would notice.

“I was going to…” Ben started, but Ted cut him off.

“No you weren't! You're just going to keep fucking with his head and driving him crazy!” he yelled. Ben shrunk back. He'd never seen the normally calm angel so angry. Ted didn't stop, he stepped closer.

“You just keep going and going, you keep fucking with his head. He cried himself to sleep last night you asshole! You need to leave him the fuck alone, before I make sure you'll never drain a human again.” Ted stepped so close Ben could feel his breath against him.

Benjamin tried to back away but there was a wall already behind him. He didn't wanted to show Ted he was scared, he wanted to keep his image but it was already ruined. His eyes were wide and his heart was beating rapidly in his chest. Ted grinned and stepped even closer.

“Now you're scared, huh?” Ted hissed as he slammed his hands on the wall, one on either side of Ben's head. “That's how you're making Marcus feel!” he yelled again.

Ben flinched and wanted to get away, but he was frozen in fright. The archangel was shaking he was so angry. His one job was to protect Marcus, and Ben wasn't making it easy.

Ben wanted to fight back somehow, not used to feeling this small, but with Ted so angry he couldn't even think of something to say. The blond wasn't done yet, either.

“I fucking told you to stay away the first day, Benjamin. You didn't listen, and now you can't leave.” he said. Ben shrunk back, pulling his wings close to his body.

“I can leave, I can leave.” he whispered, for the first time in his life terrified. Ted shook his head, wings ruffling slightly in anger. He stepped away, causing Ben to instantly sigh in relief. Ted ran a hand through his hair anxiously and began pacing around the room.
“But you can't leave, not anymore.” Ted muttered to himself. Ben frowned standing tall once more.

“I can, I'll leave him alone, like you wanted.” Ben said. Ted glared at him.

“Haven't you wondered why he doesn't push you away yet? Why he cries when you leave? He's terrified of you, Benjamin, but wants you to stay. And you haven't put the fucking pieces together yet.” he yelled, continuing to pace around the room. He folded his twitching wings tightly to his back.

“What are you talking about, Edward?” Ben asked, frowning at him. He'd never seen him so upset and though he would never admit it, it terrified him. Ted stopped and stared at him.

“He hasn't tried to stay away from you yet because he's your soulmate.” he said, immediately regretting it as the words left his mouth. Ben's eyes widened.

“No, no no no. How the fuck would you know? He's not, I'm an incubus and he's a human that's impossible.”

“Of course I know, I'm his guardian I knew as soon as you saw him the first day. I told you to leave, but you can't listen, can you? And now you can't leave, no matter how much I want you to, because it'll destroy you both.” Ted answered, hands shaking slightly. Ben was the reason Marcus was going to hell. His one job was to keep that from happening, and he had failed.

Ben laughed loudly.

“And why would I do that?” Ben crossed his arms again. He had no reasons to listen to Ted anymore. He never had.

Ted immediately snapped his attention to Ben, glaring again.

“If you leave, I swear to God I'll hunt you down and murder you.” Ted stepped closer again and pushed Ben back. “He's going to hell because of you! The least you can do is make him happy until then!”

Ben frowned and started to think. Something deep inside him didn't want to leave Marcus, but that same thing didn't want to hurt him or make him upset either, and now, he had doomed him to hell. For the first time in his life, Benjamin felt guilty.

Ted looked at Ben and his expression softened as he realized. His frown turned into a weak smile and he stepped closer, but not to scare him.

“You don't want to leave, do you?” Ted smiled and looked at Ben. Now he realized the reason why Benjamin didn't drain him at all, and why he had refused to leave from the beginning. “You always leave when you don't feel like draining someone. Why didn't you leave?”

“I don't know, okay?! I don't know!” Ben yelled and sighed. His wings twitched slightly and he closed his eyes, calming himself down a bit as he took a deep breath. “There has to be a way... maybe if I leave... maybe... maybe he can be saved from hell.”

Ted calmly shook his head.

“It'll destroy him. His fate was already decided, and you have to stay with him.” Ted sighed. “You weren't supposed to know you two are soulmates, but now you have to make it worth it.”

Ben looked at his own hands and frowned. He felt like something was crushing inside him, and it hurt.

“I don't want him to go to hell...” Benjamin said, voice breaking.

“At least make him happy while you still can. He wants you to come back... I know you hear him calling for you every night.” Ted looked at Ben sadly. The incubus frowned.

“He's terrified of me though.” he said. It was true, Marcus did call for him every night, and when Benjamin finally decided to show up, all Marcus did was look at him, scared of him.

“Then make him not terrified of you.” Ted answered, frowning as well. Ben sighed and nodded, then looked up at him again.

“I don't know how though, I never did anything, I never hurt him. I just give him what he wants when he's not trying to run away from me.” Ben sighed.

Ted hesitantly leaned a hand on Ben's shoulder, who flinched slightly at first.

“He's been taught to hate you... to be scared of you, to fight you. All he knows is that demons are bad and angels are good... Well, it's not that simple but then one day a demon shows up to a Priest... You should know more than anyone that Priests are not supposed to be friends with demons.” Ted said, frowning.

Ben looked down and started to think. This couldn't be love, this couldn't be. He doesn't even know what love feels like, he doesn't love anyone, a demon can't feel love. At least that's what he thought.

“I can't love. I'm not supposed to, I can't. You don't know the consequences but I do... You know what would happen to me if others found out.” Ben frowned. “The last thing I need is Satan sending every little demon in hell after me.”

“You know you're not directly related to him, you work on your own, you don't depend on anyone else.” Ted said. “He can't do that.”

“No shit, Edward.” Ben rolled his eyes. “I just don't need this weight on my shoulders.”

“We can find a way to save him, he's already going there we can't change that anymore. We can't send him to heaven but we can stop him from going to hell, but both of us will be breaking the rules... If we're doing this, we can't go back.” Ted frowned, knowing he's going to regret this. But he was designed to protect Marcus, so that's what he was going to do. “But we'll need help...”

“Maybe one of your angel friends can.” Ben said.

“No... I don't have many friends up there... And angels know the consequences, they wouldn't do it either.” Ted frowned. “It'll have to be someone you know, demons are easier to control than an angel.” He grinned.

Ben narrowed his eyes at him.

“Maybe I know someone. He's not an angel, but isn't a demon either.” Ben said, grinning. He knew what the one he was talking about was capable of. He could kill the blond angel easily.

“What's his name?” Ted frowned slightly at Ben's grin, slightly scared of him.

“Winston.”