Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/ works/6500308. Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Major_Character_Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage Category: M/M Fandom: Hetalia:_Axis_Powers Relationship: America_&_Canada, America_(Hetalia)/England_(Hetalia), America_(Hetalia)/ Russia_(Hetalia), Canada_(Hetalia)/Russia_(Hetalia) Character: America_(Hetalia:_Axis_Powers), Canada_(Hetalia:_Axis_Powers), England_ (Hetalia:_Axis_Powers), Russia_(Hetalia:_Axis_Powers) Additional Tags: Religious_Imagery_&_Symbolism, Brothers, Alcohol_Abuse/Alcoholism, Parent/Child_Incest, Underage_Prostitution, Suicide Stats: Published: 2016-04-09 Words: 1587 ****** Our Father Who Art In Heaven ****** by Cosimo Summary Alfred is willing to do whatever it takes to protect his little brother. Notes I hand wrote this in the middle of the night then decided to type it up in the morning. That probably explains why it's so dark and confusing and weird. Our Father who art in Heaven The cemetery was dark and damp, a mound of freshly piled dirt over an unmarked grave. Matthew sniffled and tried futilely to stem the tears that began to leak out of his eyes.  Alfred noticed and put his hand on his little brother's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.  'What'll happen to us now that He's dead?' the smaller child asked. 'Don't worry' said Alfred putting on a half-hearted smile, 'I'll still take care of you'.   Hallowed be Thy Name ‘Quiet’ thought Alfred, ‘is what Heaven must be like’.  He rifled through the empty whiskey bottles to reach the meagre stash of food cans.  He opened a can of beans and poured them into a pot.  No more Father to shout at him when drunk, to beat him, to… It seemed like He was always drunk, but when He wasn’t, Father was even more dangerous.  So Alfred learned how to care for Matthew, to protect him. ~~~~ ‘I’m not your Father!’ Arthur roared at Matthew as he cowered in a corner. ‘Your whore of a mother must’ve had you with another man, but I still feed you, clothe you, give you a roof over your head and this is how you repay me!?  On my bed.  Now.’ ‘Please Father, please don’t’.  Soft words slipped out of the child’s mouth. ‘Father, I’ll be there’ Alfred said slowly, deliberately, voice hitching.  A heavy hand fell onto Alfred’s shoulder as he was steered into Father’s bedroom. ‘You’re my real son’ He slurred, ‘Only you can call me Father’.   Thy Kingdom come It was painful, so painful.  Alfred’s hands clenched and unclenched.  Face down into the pillow he drew breath after shaky breath.  Father groaned and thrust harder, deeper.  Sticky warm substances trickled down Alfred’s backside as the scent of iron and something more menacing permeated the room.  Arthur sat up and wiped some of His semen and Alfred’s blood off of the child.  ‘Someday you’ll enjoy being fucked’ He muttered. The boy limped back to the room he shared with his brother, ‘At least Mattie’s safe’ he thought.  Matthew snuffled sleepily as Alfred gingerly lay down.  But the older child stayed awake remembering his Father’s last words that night, ‘Don’t tell anyone of this, it’s our secret’.   Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven Ten months passed.  Once a week, twice, sometimes even every day, Alfred would be called into Arthur’s bedroom. ‘What do you do in there Al?’ his brother once asked. ‘Stuff only a real son can do.  We may share a mother but He’s my Father, not yours’ Matthew retreated, hurt.  However, it was better to hurt him this way than to tell him the truth, Alfred figured. ~~~~ ‘What happened in here?’ Matthew whispered, fear causing his voice to fade.  Father’s mattress was covered in bloodstains. ‘Maybe when He died He bled’ Alfred said hopefully.  They both knew it was a lie.  Father had passed away in his sleep—alcohol poisoning—no blood.  ‘What happened?’ Matthew asked again, ‘What did He do to you?’ ‘Nothing bro, I can take care of myself’. Alfred smiled a smile he didn’t mean and hoisted the mattress out of the bed frame.       Give us this day our daily bread They were clearing out the flat, selling every piece of furniture, in desperate need of more money.  But it wasn’t enough.  Matthew lost the little weight that he carried, cheeks hollow, violet eyes dull.  Alfred pushed the last slice of bread and a cup of Father’s leftover wine towards him.  ‘Eat’ he told Matthew.  As Matthew ate, Alfred threw his threadbare jacket on.  ‘I’m gonna be out for a couple of hours, so remember to go to bed at a reasonable time’ he said with a grin, promptly turning on his heel to leave.   And forgive us our trespasses Alfred stood by the bins in the alley behind a bar and waited.  Eventually, a massive man ventured down the lane towards him. ‘Why is a boy alone at night in such a place as this?’ the man queried in a heavy Russian accent.  Alfred stepped close to the man and whispered as suggestively as he could, ‘Got a place nearby?’  The man smiled a creepy little smile, ‘Da, it’s not far’. It was the first time Alfred came.  The man, His name was Ivan, had giggled as He watched Alfred’s face colour with pleasure.  Ivan took him in with His mouth and Alfred moaned, pushing back into the faded bed.  A year of fucking and Alfred had never felt that way before.  Nor had he ever felt that sort of shame course through him as he nicked Ivan’s wallet and some of the expensive jewelry He wore before returning to his own flat.  Matthew didn’t question Alfred when he woke up to the smell of food again the following morning.  He just looked at Alfred with sad eyes.   As we forgive those who trespass against us The money Alfred had stolen from Ivan was enough to last the brothers for two months, but then the money ran out and the food with it.  After Matthew had curled up under their one remaining blanket and fallen asleep, Alfred slipped out into the night. Alfred stayed clear of the alley where he met Ivan, so he wandered around the dimly lit streets… The sharp pain of a metal pipe against Alfred’s skull… A dull ache starting in his head and spreading through the rest of his body… A giggle… ‘Ah Fredka, I’ve been wondering when I’d find you on the streets again’ The metal pipe was prodding against his exposed backside. ‘See, you’ve been a naughty boy.  You stole quite a lot from me’ Ivan lined up his weight with the pipe. ‘And bad children deserve to be punished’ Alfred tried to move, but he was tied down fast to Ivan’s bed. Another giggle… Alfred screamed as hot blood ran down cold steel… The scent of iron, steel, and misery roused the child once more.  Ivan sat on the edge of the bed, humming as he cleaned the dark stains off the pipe. ‘You’re insane’ muttered Alfred. ‘Yep!’ agreed Ivan happily.  ‘Anyways, I want to make a deal with you’ he continued.  ‘I’ve seen that adorable brother of yours’ ‘When!?’ ‘Oh don’t you know?  I own that flat you rent.  I own the whole building.  I like your precious Matvey—so sweet and quiet and innocent.  I’ll pay you for him.  Pay you well.  See, I aim to leave this country, go back to my homeland.  I want Matvey to come too.   I’ll care for him, spoil him, pamper him.  He’ll never go hungry again. ‘I’d rather die than ever sell my brother!’ Alfred grit out. ‘But Fredka, if you don’t agree then I’ll rape him and torture him until he dies.  With you as witness.  You’d wish you were dead as well.  So either we can do this the easy way or the hard’. For the first time since Arthur’s death, Alfred wished Father was still around.  He may not have been much of a parent, but He also wouldn’t have stood by and watched Matthew die.  Arthur would’ve known what to do, Alfred thought desperately.  The child tried to move again, gasping against the pain and the rope.  Ivan tittered.  ‘I give you a day to come back here with him.  If not, I know where you live and I have a key’.   And lead us not into temptation Their own flat was dark with night and despair.  Alfred couldn’t, couldn’t, couldn’t.  Matthew was the only thing he lived for.  To protect him from the terrible world was his life’s work.  Could he give up this brother, send him to a man who had no qualms causing Alfred so much pain in the hopes that Matthew’s life would be marginally better than it was otherwise?  No that was impossible.  But he didn’t want Mattie to die at the hands of Ivan either.  To scream with pain, with sadness and horror at the world that Alfred could no longer protect him from.  An easy way out, that was what he needed.  Alfred woke his brother and told him to get dressed.  They were going for a walk.   But deliver us from evil They stood at the edge of a bridge overlooking the river. ‘Al, we can’t swim’ ‘I know Mattie.  Just hold my hand and jump’ ‘We’ll surely die’ ‘You’re going to Heaven, think of that’ ‘How can I go to Heaven if I’m so dirty Al?  I’m so filthy’ ‘You’re not!  There’s a bad man after you and there’s no way we can win.  He wants to take you away from me forever’ ‘Ivan?’ ‘How do you know?’ ‘He collects the rent from me once a month when you’re out of the flat’ ‘But we haven’t paid the rent since Father died’ ‘I pay the rent.  You know how I do it.’ And Alfred knew.  He didn’t want to but he did.  Matthew’s sad, knowing, violet eyes met blue ones. ‘Mattie, I’ve failed you.  I’ve tried to save you, to protect you from all this shite’ ‘So what Alfred?  I knew what you planned to do at the bridge as soon as we got here.   I suppose we’re both damned, but I’d rather go to Hell with you than go to Heaven alone’ ‘I love you Matthew’ ‘I love you too Al’ And so they jumped into the murky water below.   Amen   Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!