Chapter Text
Organizing a ministry was a lot harder than expected.
Preparing paperwork, consulting with Siblings, making sure everything ran as according to instructions passed by Sister Imperator, all of it was overwhelming.
It didn’t help either that the time to pass the torch as Papa was growing ever nearer with each passing day.
He was to take up the mantle, being the first born Emeritus, and pass the message as his father before him had done. The only question was; did he have it in him?
Would his devotion carry him far enough?
“Primo”
Called a voice after him, heels clicking at a rapid pace.
He turned to face her, straightening his shoulders so as to not appear slouching.
“Si, Sorella?”
“Where have your brothers gone off to? I need to get them measured for new cassocks”
“They were in the garden last I saw them”
Sister Imperator sighed, brushing strands of loose hair out of her eyes.
“Right, ok…thank you, I’ve been searching for the little shits for hours”
Quickly turning on her heel, she stormed off past him, grumbling about manners and timeliness.
Sighing, Primo pressed after her, seeing as he also had to head in the direction of the abbey. The dread of walking into the office and seeing Nihil increased with every step. He hated working beside the man, given that he was treated less like a son and more like an underpaid employee. His father was supposedly a well respected leader, bringing the ministry into a time of prosperity for a while…that was, until he decided to use his dick more than his brain.
Now he had three sons from three different women, all of which he didn’t bat an eyelash toward, much preferring the company of his former partner, who always insulted him.
Rounding a corner, he looked out of one of the windows, spotting Sister Imperator descending upon his siblings with a fury he’d witnessed countless times before. Secondo appeared to be trying to herd Terzo, who in turn ignored him, choosing instead to attempt to chase after butterflies. Primo smiled softly at his youngest brother, admiring the carefree attitude he exuded, unwilling to follow convention. He would not sit and listen, but instead shout his protests at the wall if necessary.
Sometimes he wished he had the strength to follow his example.
Just as he turned to continue on, a screeching caught his attention, causing him to turn back..
It was Terzo, wriggling wildly beneath her grip on his wrist, pulling like his life depended on it. She pulled hard, yelling something indistinct.
Instincts kicked in immediately.
Primo took large strides out the door to the grounds, encroaching on the group in a matter of minutes.
“Sister, let him go”
He stated, jaw set, eyebrows furrowed.
She ignored him, tugging again at his tiny wrist, almost as though she were trying to yank it out of its socket.
Seizing her wrist, he pulled her off of him, staring deep into her eyes.
“You will not handle him like that”
The intimidation didn’t seem to faze her as she jerked away, straightening up to match his height.
“Since you seem to want to handle the matter, I expect to see them both in 5 minutes, if they aren’t there, then there will be consequences”
He remained stoic, watching her form stomp away until the slam of a door indicated she was gone. Sighing, he crouched down to meet his little brother, checking all over to see if there were any bruises. That woman had a grip like an iron vise.
“Fratellino, what happened? Why were you screaming bloody murder?”
Primo asked, voice soft as to not startle.
Terzo’s bottom lip trembled as he tried to keep his composure. Whatever had transpired clearly had shaken him. Anyone having to incur a wrath as immense as hers usually didn’t come out the otherside alive. Gathering the boy up, Primo carefully lifted him.
“He didn’t want to go because he was trying to catch a stupid butterfly for you”
Secondo perked up, crossing his arms in frustration.
“Is that so? Enamored by the monarchs, hmm?”
His tiny face hid in the crook of Primo’s neck, as if embarrassed. He chuckled, patting the little one’s back.
“I appreciate the gesture, but when Sister comes and asks you to do something, you do it, ok?”
“Mmm but I don’t want to get measured for a cassock! What’s wrong with my current one?”
Terzo grumbled, peeking out to look up at him, frown cutting deep into his features.
Primo couldn’t help but chuckle, noting the resemblance. Despite how much his brothers argued their differences, there was nothing that could hide their relation to one another; from crossing their arms the same way, to how they furrowed their brows, even down to the tone of voice they used when trying to bribe their way out of something. Truly brothers to the core.
“Nothing is wrong with it, fratellino, you’re just growing so you need a new one. Now come, we must meet with Sister and the tailor before she rips me a new one”
He heard the two of them chuckle as he started off, readjusting his hold to make sure Terzo didn’t slip out of his grip.
***
After five minutes of fighting, the two finally settled down.
Knowing they’d be left under supervision, Primo left to finally attend to his duties for the day. Arriving in the office, he nodded greetings to the assistants, who waved back gleefully, always happy for his presence. Taking a deep breath, he gently knocked on the door, waiting a few moments before letting himself in.
Sprawled across the desk, drool pooling out of the corner of his mouth, laid his father.
With a groan, he lumbered over, shoving his shoulder to jolt him awake.
Nothing.
The man slept like he was a corpse. Which was oddly fitting, given his age. He shoved him again, still receiving no response.
“Nihil…”
“It’s no use, dear, he’s been sleeping since he got here”
One of the assistants replied, tipped slightly back in their chair.
“Grazie, I’ll leave him be then”
Primo slipped out, slamming the door behind him.
“Here’s the paperwork for today, at least, the bit that hasn’t been slobbered all over”
She relayed, handing over a manilla folder.
He took the folder with a smile and a nod, heading toward his desk. Flipping through the reports, it was apparent that things weren’t going entirely too well on the financial side. Due to Nihil’s incessant spending after rituals, the budget was getting a significant decrease, which did not bode well for the future of the ministry, especially when there were major repairs that needed to be made. Sending a silent prayer to Satanas, he took pen to paper, working out calculations for distributing costs as efficiently as was possible.
The beginning of a headache was coming on, he hoped the aspirin was restocked.
“Fratello!”
Shaking his head, he looked over to see Terzo barreling toward him with a grin stretching from ear to ear. Secondo followed swiftly behind, nodding politely to the assistants.
“Well look at you! How did the measurements go?”
“He kept trying to bite the tailor”
Secondo replied, slugging his brother in the shoulder.
Terzo stuck his tongue out at him, landing him yet another slug. Seeking solace from the blows of his brother, the youngest sibling climbed into his older brother's lap, scanning over the paperwork with curiosity, pointing to where Primo had set his pen down at.
“What’s that number for?”
He inquired, tilting his head slightly.
“That one? That’s the budget for the ministry”
“Budget? Is that like an allowance?”
Just as he was about to answer, the door to the main office swung open forcefully, the form of Nihil emerging like a reanimated zombie. Drool smeared part of his papal paint, leaving a trail from the corner of his mouth to his chin.
“Look who finally decided to join the land of the living”
One of the assistants jested, fighting back a laugh.
Squinting at the crowd, the man stretched his back, hobbling past the crowd toward the exit.
“Papa!”
Terzo jumped up from his seat to chase after Nihil, tugging at the end of his shirt eagerly. The man glared daggers at the little boy, swatting his hand away with a growl.
“Leave me alone, you little nightmare, I have a headache”
“But…Papa”
The boy reached out toward the older man, seeking some sort of attention. But he wasn’t in the mood for conversation, choosing to shove Terzo away when he got a little too close, watching him tumble to the ground with an emotionless expression.
Secondo rushed to help his brother up, giving a glare to his fathers back.
“Va bene, fratello, va bene”
He reassured, ruffling his hair as he let out tiny sobs.
Primo rose from his seat, rushing over to also help. Almost out the door at this point, Nihil let out a huff, running his fingers through his greasy hair.
“So weak, he’ll never achieve the status of Papa if he keeps crying”
SLAM!
Gone, most likely off to his chambers.
It boiled Primo’s blood to see such disregard for children he supposedly called his own, why bother bringing them together if he wasn’t ever going to be present? Never an ounce of time given, always off to another party, from one binge to the next. They weren’t going to learn the ways of being a Papa if all they received was a cold shoulder, and he didn’t seem keen on turning around any time soon. He kneeled down beside Terzo, watching tears cascade down his face.
“Mio fratellino, mi dispiace tanto”
He cooed, bringing him in for a hug.
Secondo soon scooted in, wrapping his arms as best he could around the two’s shoulders. He brought him in, all of them in one giant huddle.
“Why is Papa so mean?”
Terzo finally asked, voice shaking.
“Because he has a giant stick shoved up his ass”
Secondo chimed in, getting a little smile out of his brother.
They sat like that for a while, feeling each other’s body heat, comfort in being held. Eventually Primo pulled out of the huddle, patting the top’s of both their heads.
“Run along now, check with the Siblings to see if they need any help with their tasks, I’ll come by later”
He said with a soft smile.
Nodding, the two headed off, Secondo securing his brother’s hand to make sure he didn’t run away. Terzo turned to wave goodbye to his brother, swiping away a tear before turning back.
Watching them walk away, Primo felt a deep, burning hatred form in the pit of his stomach. They were children, yet they were subject to constant distress from all sides of authority. What kind of environment was being harbored? Completely unacceptable. Placing his hand to his chest, he made a solemn vow; that should his brothers ever find themselves struggling, he would treat them with kindness and never yell.
‘ Lord Satanas, may you guide our paths to glory, and those who seek to cause harm shall perish beneath your flames, Nema ’
His father would pay, but not at the moment, there was work that needed to be done.