A/N: So, the intention of this piece is for the main plot to be Tony-centric, even though there will be a whole ton of sub-plots, I'm sure. This one's for my friend Emily as well as for broadening my own horizons, so here goes.
A little background on the story universe first:
This is a world where angels and demons have had children with humans and the resulting creatures are constantly at war with each other because their perception of their heritage has been skewed by humans view of the battle between Heaven and Hell.
Demons, normally considered evil by humans and thus by the half-breeds, are actually simply the judges of the dead, they determine the value of a life and whether it deserves Heaven, Hell, or something in between. Since most people don't like people who judge them, this led to the belief that demons are evil. Characteristics of a demon-child are black hair, green or gold or dark brown eyes and olive-toned skin.
Angels are basically God's method of interfering in human affairs, seeing as the big man can't exactly be everywhere at once. They go where they need to be to provide guidance, comfort, and often times a muse for the more important discoveries of mankind. They are too innocent to be judges of the dead (Lucifer had been exposed to the cruelties of the world as an angel and that's way he was assigned the job of caring for the underworld.) and their children are often plagued by the inability to see the world in shades of grey because of this. The sign of an angel-child is grey or blue eyes, blonde, red, or light brown hair (or albino, but that one goes both ways based on genetics of the human parent, so it's not reliable) and a pale complexion.
The two races, devil-spawn and angel-children, hate each other because they frequently misunderstand the roles of their parents, and while many live peacefully and without hatred, there are also many whose lives are consumed by the "war" of their parents.
Tony is the son of an angel's daughter and a demon's son, which is why he is part of all three worlds, and subsequently an utter misfit.
Now, enough background, time for the story. I'll try to explain little details as I go along, but I'll also try not to bore you with a whole ton of irritating trivia on a fake world. Hope you like the story! And remember, Reviews make me feel less like I'm taking up internet space that could be better used elsewhere and will guilt-trip me into updating on a (slightly) more regular basis!
"Goddamn piece of angel shit." Spat the older boy as he kicked the small one huddled up by his feet.
The younger boy was sent flying from the kick to the gut, and he clutched his stomach in pain, tears in his eyes as the boys advanced. "I'm not!" He shouted, his voice thin and wavering. "I'm not a fucking angel! I'm a devil-child, and I'm strongerthan you!" A burst of light knocked his attackers back, and he forced his legs to hold him up as he ran for it.
"Yeah, you better run, you little wing-freak!" Jeered his tormenters as they clambered to their feet and gave chase. "Run home to your mommy! God's daughters will protect you! Since you're too pathetic to do it yourself!"
He finally stumbled back into the house, slamming the door behind him, and he dropped to his knees, sobbing.
"Tony?" His mother's worried voice floated towards him and he heard the sound of her heels clicking along the floor as she ran to him. He held his arms up to her blindly and knelt beside him, drawing him into her arms. "Oh baby, what happened to you?" she whispered.
"I'm not an angel, mom!" sobbed Tony. "I'm a demon, like Dad! I'm not a stupid angel!"
His mother's hand stroked his black hair gently and he turned tearful grey eyes up to her. "But you're both my little one." She murmured, smiling at him softly. "You're both, and that's a beautiful thing. That's something they'll never understand. But you will be more powerful and more wonderful because you're a part of two worlds."
"I want him out of that damn school Anthony!" Tony cowered in his room, hearing his parents shouting down the hall. "I know you went to school there, and I know you say it's a good education, but goddamnit, don't you see how he keeps coming home? Can't you realize that it's different for Tony? You can't send him to an all demon school because he's not all demon!"
"Alison, it won't be any better at an angel school, and you know it!" His father's voice was quieter but still loud enough for him to hear. He didn't sound so much angry as resigned. "He'd be picked on there for being part demon!"
"Then find a damn mixed school!"
"Damnit Aly, if we lived in a perfect world, maybe I could, but you know just as well as I do that there's no such thing as a mixed school!" Shouted Anthony Senior. "And he needs to attend some kind of proper school, or he'll grow up not knowing how to handle his powers, do you want that? I don't know what else to do, alright? I've talked to the teachers, the administration, they're trying, it's just that the kids..."
"Angels would never be so cruel to a little boy!" Snapped Tony's mother. There was dead silence for a moment as she seemed to realize what she'd said, and Tony knew his father would turn his head away and press his lips together, the only admission of hurt that he was capable of showing. "Oh, Anthony, I'm sorry."
"Forget it."
"Anthony..."
"I said forget it." Growled Senior. "Keep him home tomorrow, I'll call around and find him a new place. Maybe we can keep his other half under wraps until he graduates this time."
Tony stared at his mother's coffin, still lost in a state of shock. He'd caught snippets of conversations between the adults as they spoke of what had happened to her; things they were careful to never bring up if they thought he might hear them.
Beaten. Cut. Raped. He wasn't sure what that last one meant, but he could tell it was bad; even amongst themselves, the adults only whispered that word in fear.
She hadn't survived her injuries, and she'd died without ever waking up from her coma. Tony had lost the light of his life, and his father had lost his will to live. He'd seen his old man passed out in his office most nights, a glass of amber liquid in front of him. Tony had snuck in once and tasted the drink, but it had made him sick and he'd spent the rest of the night shaking in bed. It was nothing like the wine he sometimes got to drink at dinner.
And now, tomorrow, he was being sent away to another school. One where he would not be registered as a demon. In fact, he wouldn't be registered as anything, for it was a mortal school. He had been instructed to watch his words and control his powers. Under no uncertain terms was anyone allowed to find out what he was.
The warnings didn't matter though. He wasn't interested in his powers, didn't want anything to do with his heritage anymore. They'd called his mother a traitor, carved it into her body, or so he'd heard. It had been angels who had done it. But they'd done it because of his father. Tony hated them all, demons and angels alike, and he wanted nothing more than to be free of it, the fighting, the hatred, the cruel names. The eight year old boy just wanted his mother back.
A/N: Liked it? Review and contribute ideas on where you want the story to go from here! Seriously, if you tell me what you want to see happen, I'll do my best to make it happen, this is pretty much a controlled-by-the-readers kind of fic. Thanks for reading!