Gargoyle! France x Reader

    Francis’s POV

    The sun sets finally and I can feel the stone that imprisons me melt away. “Ah,” I sigh. I move my arms and relax my stiff muscles. My wings feel so heavy since the stone still encases them for the moment. “Every night brings us a new morning, does it not, Mathieu?” I say, turning to my companion. Poor Mathieu is just so quiet. It's no wonder he got stuck guarding the tourists with moi. But all of God's children deserve protection, non?

    “Francis? Do you really think we should be speaking English to each other? The others don't really like it,” Mathieu whispers to me in reply.

    “Well, zhat is zheir problem, Mattie. Now, take my 'and so we can check zhe 'otels, oui?”

    Mathieu hesitantly places his blue-gray hand in mine. He didn't sin enough in his first life to acquire wings like I have. But I don't mind carrying him. He is like a son to me anyway. I trained the poor boy in this way of life. I was the only one who would. You see, even though all of us gargoyles are here because we have sinned greatly in our first lives, my little Mathieu is a bit different than the rest of us. Most of us here were sentenced to death, I as well. But Mathieu took his own life, very recently too. He told me that because he took his own life to spare another, as well as the fact that someone was praying deeply for his soul, he was given a second chance here. But the fact that he is victim of suicide makes him less desirable to the other Gargouilles.

    “H-hey, Francis?” Mathieu stutters quietly. “I think there's a girl down there who needs help.”

    I look down where he's pointing and see a girl about to be attacked by some man. “Zhe swine in zhis city is 'orribly vile. But, Mattie, we can't allow ourselves to be seen nor 'eard.

    “B-but...” Mathieu's already soft voice becomes even more silent. “T-that's (y/n).”

    I falter in my flight a little and take a look at Mathieu's shaking form. “You know 'er? From your former life?” I begin to dive. “You pull 'er away from 'im and I will take care of zhe monster. But do not let 'er see you, ok?” Mathieu nods and I let go of him.

    As soon as he lands, my little Mathieu wraps his tail swiftly around the woman's eyes and pulls her into  a dark ally. I land in  front of the pig who tried to harm Mathieu's petite fluer. He looks shocked to see me. But I suppose any man would be if he was placed in front of such a grotesque monster. “Tu seras puni,” I growl at the man. I can't kill him because he is human, but I most certainly can wound him. So I take my long claws and scratch his—dare I say handsome—face. The man screams in pain, and that is enough for me. “Mattie, est la fille consciente?”

    “Non,” he replies softly. “ Je vais l'emmener à son hôtel.”

    “Oh, Je suis désolé, I dropped mon anglais. Carry on, Mattie. I will accompany you.”

     “Thanks, Francis. I-I'm not sure where her hotel is.”

    “Don't worry, mon ami. 'ow many 'otels could la fille be staying at?” Mathieu comes out of the ally with the sleeping girl in his arms. The way her (h/c) hair drapes over her peaceful face makes her look like some form of ange. “We better 'urry. What's wrong, Mathieu?”

    “S-she smells like my...like...my brother...He must be here too.”

    “Mon bébé,” I whisper softly. “Don't worry about anyzhing. Let me take 'er 'ome for you. Go back to zhe cathédrale. I will be zhere shortly.”

    Mathieu hesitantly places the girl, (y/n), in my arms. He looks up at me with watery eyes before giving her a kiss on the forehead. “Goodbye, (y/n), I'm glad I got the chance to protect you. Be careful with her, Francis. Please.”

    “I could never let such a belle get ‘urt, Mattie.” I smile at the boy before I fly off, sniffing the air for something similar to her scent. Ah, there it is. I fly towards the open window of a hotel room. But to my dismay, there is a man waiting for me inside. I must think quickly. Things can become pretty ugly very quickly. “Don't scream, please,” I beg the blonde man. He can only look at me, shocked. “My partner found la fille being attacked. We rescued 'er but she fell unconscious. I only wanted to bring 'er 'ere so she can rest.”

    “W-what are you?” the man asks.

    “I am a guardian of zhe innocent. But you 'umans like to call us Gargouilles, Gargoyles.” I set mon zéphyranthe on the bed and smile for a moment. Perhaps I'll allow Mathieu to visit her. “Please don't worry. She will be alright. May I ask you not to mention zhis to 'er? We wouldn't to frighten la fille anymore zhan we already 'ave, non?” I give the boy a smile.

    “Y-you're not a demon?” he asks me quietly.

    “None, but I could certainly pass as one, non? If not frighten them.” I hold my ugly, clawed, purple-gray hand out to the boy. “Je m'apelle Francis. And I shouldn't be speaking wizh you. But I can't seem to 'elp myself.” I can't mention to the man that I know he is Mathieu's frère. Or that my little Mathieu is now a Gargoyle as well.

    “I'm Alfred. Is (y/n) going to be ok?” Alfred sits on the side of (y/n)'s bed and brushes her hair out of her face. “She was my brother's best friend. Since he died, she's been mine.” The gorgeous fille belongs to my Mattie's brother? How disheartening. “She seems ok. Thanks, dude, for bringing her back.”

    “It is my job to protect innocent 'umans such as she. But, I must be on my way now. Please, don't mention me to your belle (y/n). But feel free to visit us on top of Notre Dame, oui? I must warn you, during zhe day we are...less animated.” I wave to the boy and jump out the window. I should talk to Mathieu about this. But we don't have much time. The sun will be rising soon.

    “Francis,” Mathieu calls to me when I land on our corner. “What happened. You were gone longer than I thought you would be.”

    “Oh? Alfred was zhere and I 'ad no choice but to speak wizh 'im.” Mathieu gives me a horrified look. “I said nozhing of you, mon Mathieu. But 'e did. 'e said zhat 'e and zhat beautiful amie of yours still grieve over your sudden mort. My beautiful Mathieu, you must speak wizh zhem before zhey leave. I won't speak a word about it to anyone else. I promise.” I feel my toes start to tingle. The sun is rising. “We will speak about zhis later, Mattie.” I place my hand on his shoulder and feel my body become encased in stone.

    Alfred’s POV

    I wake up and take a look at (y/n) sleeping in the bed across from mine. She's always been like a little sister to me, but now I'm afraid to leave her alone. Ever since Mattie died, she's cried herself to sleep almost every night. She prays for him every night too. I think she's making herself sick. I'm so thankful that that gargoyle guy thing saved her last night. She's so lucky...

    “Al?” she calls to me quietly. She sits up too and stares at me for a while. “Are we going out for breakfast again?”

    “No. I think we should go to church this morning,” I mumble. I get up and stretch. “We can light a candle for Matthew at the Notre Dame. I thought it was a nice idea.”

    “It sounds like a great idea.” (y/n) smiles when she says it. “I thought you had given up on your faith since Mattie died.”

    “How could I when you’re praying for him every second of the day,” I tell her with a smile. She never gave a shit about religion until Mattie died. Now, I think she might have killed herself as well without it. “So get ready. Mass starts in an hour.”

    This cathedral is a lot bigger than I thought it was. I didn’t really pay attention during mass, but (y/n) got really into it. It’s all because of Mattie. We’re lighting a candle now, and as much as I think I won’t do it, I know that I will always pray for my brother. (y/n) get’s really quiet. She closes her eyes to pray and I stare at the flame of the candle.

    God...I think...I just want to be able to talk to my brother...one last time...to know why he killed himself...and if he’s ok now...if he’s happy...and at peace. I just want to let him know that...everything will be ok...

    I open my eyes and look at (y/n) who’s holding in tears. “Hey, we should check out the cathedral a little bit before we go.”

    “Are you sure?” she asks me hesitantly.

    I nod and give her a big smile. “I want to climb up onto the roof and check out the gargoyles up close.” I can’t tell her that I want to see if there’s a gargoyle up there that looks like Francis. I just...want to make sure that he wasn’t lying to me when he told me that he was a gargoyle.

    “Are we allowed to do that?” she asks me.

    I just smile and pat her on the head. “Who cares? The hero can do anything.” Except be the hero he needed to be...

    “Wow! Alfred you were right!” (y/n) says happily. I hold her hand on top of the Notre Dame. She lets go of me and checks out one of the gargoyles. “Dude, Al, they look so real! Check this one out! His face is so handsome!”

    “What?” I ask as I turn to her. “Are you sure you’re not losing your mind? You just called a gargoyle handsome.” I walk around on the roof for a while, trying to find one that looks like Francis. But they’re all different. “Hey, (y/n), what are you doing?”

    “This one reminds me of Mattie,” she mutters from a corner of the roof. She’s sitting in front of two lone gargoyles set apart from the rest. “Come look, Al.”

    I head over to her and take a look at the gargoyles. The first one I notice is Francis. He’s looking out to the sky. His eyes are open and he’s even smiling. His hand rests on the shoulder of the other gargoyle. And (y/n)’s right. This one does look like Matthew. Almost exactly like him. Of course, this one has weird dragon-like ears and horns jutting out of his shoulders and head. But his face--those half-closed eyes looking downward and his face looking so sad. It has to be Mattie. It just has to be.

    “Mattie...” I murmur. I can feel the tears running down my face. But I don’t care anymore. If Francis can come to life at night, then Mattie will too. He has to. I have to talk to him again. God really did answer my prayer. “(y/n), this has to be Mattie.”

    “Don’t be silly, Al. It’s just a gargoyle that looks like him.” (y/n) looks at me and wipes the tears off my face. “Don’t cry. It’s ok. We’re ok.”

    “If you say so,” I murmur. “Do you have a piece of paper and pen?” I ask her quietly. (y/n) looks at me funny but gives me what I asked for from her purse. “Thanks.” I kiss her on the cheek. She always smiles when I do that. Even at Matthew’s funeral... “You should check out some of the other gargoyles.”

    “Ok, Al. Don’t do anything bad to Matthew, ok?” I give her a horrified look. “I meant the gargoyle. I don’t know what to name his friend though.”

    “He looks like a Francis to me,” I tell her with a smile.

    “Well, he’s pretty cute too.”

    “Shut up, (y/n),” I murmur. She just rolls her eyes at me and walk across the roof. I take the paper and pen and scribble a note before shoving it into the slightly open hand of my brother. This better be Mattie. I don’t know what I’ll do if it isn’t. “You ready to head out for lunch, (y/n)?”

    “Hm? Yeah.” She smiles at me and heads over to Mattie and Francis. “We’ll come back here, right?” I nod. “Good.” She takes off two of her three St. Christopher medals that we (Matthew included) bought in Florida. We always buy one every time we go down there. She places one around Matthew’s neck and one around Francis’s. “There. They look better now.” She looks at me and gives me her first sincere smile since Matthew died.

    Your POV

    “Something bothering you, Al?” I ask him. He looks at me and gives me a fake smile. Something’s been bothering him since I made that comment about the gargoyle that looks like Matthew. “If it’s about that gargoyle, don’t let it bother you, ok? It’s just a coincidence.”

    He looks up at me and gives me a half-smile. “Don’t worry about it, (y/n). I was just starting to think about Matthew. Sometimes I just wish I was a better brother, you know? Like...maybe if I paid more attention to him or if we talked more, he wouldn’t have killed himself and would be here with us.” He looks down and I see the tear drop from the tip of his nose.

    “Don’t cry, Alfred,” I beg him. “If you cry, I’ll cry too.” My lip begins to quiver at the sight of his trembling. “C’mon, Al. Please...”

    “Alright,” he tells me. “I’m done. We can be happy now.” He smiles at me and takes a sip of his water. That’s right. I made him order water. “The hero will make you smile again! What do you want for lunch? Do you want some nuggets duh powlet?”

    I do let out a slight chuckle at this. Matthew was the only one who could speak french. “You mean nuggets de poulet? That’s chicken nuggets, right? I didn’t come to France to eat chicken nuggets.”

    “Oh...Well, I’ll order it anyway!” He laughs loudly at himself and stares at me. “You know what we should do in France? Find you a French boyfriend!”

    “Shut up, I don’t need a boyfriend. I have a dorky brother.”

    “You have a brother?”

    “I’m talking about you, genius,” I murmur as I look over the water. “Can I put ‘stupid’ in front of ‘dorky’?”

    “Hey! C’mon, Babe,” he mutters under his breath. But I can see him smiling. “Why don’t you just have the soup du jour? Go easy on my wallet today?”

    “You’re the one who always orders the expensive meals!” I yell across the small table. Alfred just laughs at me. It’s nice being able to laugh with him. I just wish Matthew were here. It’s been almost a year. “But seriously, finding a French boyfriend would not be that bad. We just have to find someone who doesn’t hate Americans.”

    “Haha! Yeah...that’s the key.” He smiles and stares at his water. “So, you want to check out the Louvre today, or am I going to have to take you shopping?”

    “We can do what you want today, except go to the beach.”

    “Ah man! I wanted to wear one of those mankini things and show off my package to the French chicks. Why do you hate me, (y/n)?”

    “You know I love you dearly, Al,” I tell him. “Why don’t we just walk around and...I don’t know...scream things in German or something.”

    “Haha! That’s a great idea! Let’s do it after lunch ok? But I’m standing behind you if people start spitting at us!”

    “Fair enough.”

    Turns out, Al might be loud, but he doesn’t know any German, and neither do I. So we walked around the city for hours. But Al made us head back to the hotel before the sun even set. He said something about it being dangerous at night, but I don’t believe him at all. “Well, whatever Al. I’m going to sleep. Goodnight.”

    Alfred comes over to me and kisses me on the forehead before he sits on the bed by the window and just stares out of it. “Can we go to the beach tomorrow?” he calls to me softly.

    “Sure, whatever you want,” I mumble as I drift off to sleep.

    Matthew’s P.O.V.

    The sun sets and I can feel the stone cage I’m in slowly disappear. I feel something foreign around my neck, and something else in my hand. I look down at my chest and see one of (y/n)’s medals around my neck. And if that’s not shocking enough: in my hand is a note. I look over at Francis who is smiling innocently at me. Yes, the guy is my only friend now, but I still don’t know how trustworthy he is. I sigh and look down at the note.

    Hey, It’s Alfred. If you’re Mattie, please come see me. I just want to talk to you at least one more time. Your friend, Francis, knows where we are. (y/n) will be asleep, so you don’t have to worry about her. Please, Mattie. Just let me hear your voice again.

    Alfred

    I crumple up the note and glare at Francis.  How could he? All this time he’s been telling me not to let myself be seen by anyone and he goes off and tells the people I love most that I’m now some kind of hideous monster! I can hear myself growl for the first time. My eyes even water. I can’t let them know about this! I can’t!

    For the first time ever, I’m driven to attack Francis. He even gives me a shocked look. Like he didn’t understand why I’m upset! I claw at his face as I feel the tears run down my face. If Alfred knows that I’m this monster now...he’ll hate me! He’ll laugh at me! My death would be pointless! He’ll be so angry! I can’t... “I can’t do this!”

    “Mathieu?” Francis asks me quietly. I’ve started sobbing into his grotesque chest. “Mathieu, it’s ok. ‘e still loves you. ‘e wants to see you because ‘e loves you.” He tries to comfort me for what seems like hours. I can feel the glares from the others. Gargoyles don’t cry. We’re not supposed to have feelings anymore. “Mattie...don’t you want to see ‘im?” Francis asks me softly. “Don’t you want ‘im to know zhat you are all right? Let ‘im stop grieving for you.”

    “Ok,” I whimper. “Will you take me to him?”

    “‘ow else would you get zhere?” he asks me sarcastically. I can feel him pick me up and begin to fly off. What am I going to do? How can I explain all that’s happened to me in the past year? “Don’t worry about a zhing,” Francis whispers in my ear. We land on a windowsill and Francis puts me down. “‘e will be ‘appy to see you again.”

    I look at him and see him playing with a necklace. It’s another one of (y/n)’s. Then I look  back into the room and see Alfred. Staring right back at me. I see tears in his eyes, but I don’t know what kind. But he opens the window and pulls me inside, wrapping those familiar arms around my unfamiliar body. I can hear him sobbing, tears smearing into my neck. “I’m sorry,” he says over and over again. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you.” I hesitate to wrap my arms around him, but I do. And the moment I do, I break down. We both fall to our knees apologizing again and again.

    “I didn’t want to hurt you,” I tell him. “I didn’t want to hurt you, or (y/n), or anyone.” He just keeps sobbing into my chest and holding me close to him. “You’re not disgusted by what I am now?” I ask him in a whisper after we’ve quieted our sobbing.

    He looks up at me and smiles, tears still streaming down his face, snot still running from his nose. “How could I be disgusted by you? You’re my little bro. But...what happened? I know we buried you after the funeral. How are you this...gargoyle?”

    “Ah, Mathieu,” Francis chimes in. I almost forgot that he was here. “You know we can’t tell ‘im everyzhing about us.”

    “I know that,” I murmur. “I’m sorry, Alfred. I can’t...talk about what happened.”

    “That’s fine!” he shouts at me. “I have my little brother back!” I lunges at me to embrace me again. Mid-hug, I hear a small moan and the movement of sheets. If (y/n) is going to see me like this, it might as well be now, right. If Alfred could accept me as this monster, then (y/n) should have no problem.

    “M-Matthew?” a soft voice calls to me. I slowly look up to meet those familiar (e/c) orbs. (y/n) jumps up, getting caught in the sheets, and scrambling over to me. Her warm embrace is something I’ve longed for since before I died. Finally having it again is the best thing I’ve felt in this second life of mine. “Is it really you? You have a tail.”

    “It’s me,” I tell her softly. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”

    “That doesn’t matter,” she mumbles into my shoulder. I can feel her tears on my bare flesh. We Gargoyles get pants, but not shirts. “I missed you so  much. I love you so much, Mattie.” I kiss her soft head and rub her back. “I never thought--”

    “Don’t worry about it,” I tell her quietly. “I guess I just wanted to let you know that I’m alright. And that I’m sorry. So, goodbye.” I let her go and take a look at her sad, shocked face. “I love you guys.” I have to look away before I start sobbing. “Francis, can we go now?” He nods sadly and reaches out a grotesque, faded purple arm towards me. I take it and soon we’re flying back to the cathedral’s rooftop. “I hope they understand.”

    “Understand what, Mathieu?” Francis asks me. Does he really not know?

    “That we can’t see them ever again,” I tell him.

    “What do you mean?”

    “You know what I mean! Don’t play dumb! We’re not human anymore and we can’t interact with them!”

    “Of course we can.”