When he had woken up this morning, Levi had planned on spending the day writing some new music, calling his mum to check up on her, and maybe going to the store to buy a fresh carton of milk. Yet here he is, on a dirt road with a fallen angel who just saved a deer from imminent death with some kind of magical powers.

Haraeya watches Levi confusedly as the man paces the path, muttering inaudible gibberish to himself. He finally stills, raking his fingers through his raven hair. “So, just back up for a second, yeah? You’re…an angel?”

“Yes, Lee!”

“Like…a real, actual angel?”

“Yes, Lee!”

“Who can heal things?”

“Yes, Lee!”

“So those wings I ripped off your back…those were real?!”

“Yes, Lee!”

The man starts pacing again. “This can’t be happening to me,” he murmurs, “Why me? I’m a good person–”

“Yes, you are! Such a very good person, Lee. You are my favourite person!” Haraeya chirps.

Silencing his ramblings, Levi's dark eyes slice into Haraeya’s admiring gaze. The boy’s ecstatic grin fails to falter as Levi stares at him with a flat, stone-like expression. “You have some explaining to do, kid.”

The angel frowns. “I do not understand.”

Levi exhales sharply. “How did you end up in my garden? Why are you here? I–where did you come from?!”

Haraeya bounces excitedly on the spot he is standing on. “Oh! I come from up there, beyond the clouds in Heaven. It is so lovely, Lee, there is sunshine and smiles and happiness and–”

“Yeah, yeah, sounds peachy. Fuck, I need a smoke.” The man has almost chewed his nails down to the root by this point. It is the only thing that seems to diminish the unbearable craving for a cigarette or five. Inhaling a deep whiff of fresh air, the man attempts to calm his erratic thoughts. “If Heaven is so great, why did you leave?”

Smile abruptly dropping, Haraeya’s eyes fall to the ground. “I did not want to. It was the Serpent, Lee. He did it. It was not my fault, honest!”

“The Serpent?” Levi squints in puzzlement, “Who the hell’s the Serpent?”

Haraeya’s mouth molds into an angry pout. “Sammael. Where there is beauty, there is evil. Heaven is magical, but the Serpent…he is evil, Lee. An unspeakable evil.”

“What, is he like an ugly ass snake or something?” Levi questions, “Like some Garden of Eden crap?”

“Oh no, Lee! He is an angel, like me. But he is not good. He is so beautiful; it is said he charms his victim with his beauty and tells them to do bad things.”

“So he…manipulates angels?” Levi confirms, baffled at himself for actually considering this true.

“Yes. He found me, Lee. He told me to take the Archangel Jophiel’s sword. He said it was for good – he told me I was doing good! I thought he meant it, Lee, but he tricked me. He tricked me!” The boy’s voice raises in distress and his bottom lip trembles.

“Wait,” Levi stops him, "If he’s evil, why did you even let him near you in the first place?”

“I did not know it was him, Lee. I had never seen him before and there is only good, only kindness in Heaven. I thought he was being good!”

“How do you know it was him then?” Levi drags his nails down his wrist as the craving for nicotine itches every inch of his skin.

“Because only he would get someone banished. The Archangels found out and forced me down to Earth.” Once again, the boy’s stare drops to the ground woefully, before flicking back up to gaze at Levi with absolute adoration. “I must have fallen to you, Lee. You are my saviour.”

Eyes widening, Levi coughs awkwardly. “Hold up, buddy.” He raises his palms. “I ain’t no one’s ‘saviour’. It was just a coincidence.”

Blinking profusely, it is clear Haraeya disagrees. “Oh no, Lee. You are my destiny.”

Uncomfortable feelings begin to brew within Levi at the boy’s growing attachment. It is as if he sees Levi as his white knight, a prince to be worshipped. And Levi doesn’t like that. He isn’t perfect, nor does he consider himself a particularly nice person at all. Sure, he can differentiate right and wrong, but he is snarky and sarcastic. He is rude and dismissive. He unintentionally offends people by speaking his mind a little too bluntly and he doesn’t like the idea of Haraeya hanging on his every word since half the time he has no fucking idea what he’s talking about anyway. It’s flattering that Haraeya sets Levi on such a high pedestal, sure, but with those expectations comes standards to be met. And Levi knows he cannot reach them.

The man swallows. “Kid – Haraeya. Haraeya, I need to tell you something, okay? And I need you to listen. I mean really listen, yeah?”

Haraeya hesitates, before nodding enthusiastically. “I understand, Lee! I always listen to you!”

Retaining his poker face, Levi fails to crack a smile at the boy’s bright eyes and wide-set grin. “I’m not who you think I am, Haraeya – what you think I am, okay? I’m not a nice person. I’m not this saint that can do no wrong like you think I am. I’m just as selfish, just as lazy, just as ugly as every other human being on this godforsaken planet, understand? This ain’t Heaven, Haraeya. People are cruel. We’ll murder each other over stupid shit like where we were born or what colour skin we have. You weren’t banished to make new friends, you were banished to suffer and that’s exactly what you’re gonna do when you see how truly evil this world can be.”

Stares are exchanged for a few seconds until Levi is shocked when Haraeya's face crumbles and pained cries begin to rack from his throat. Tears brim his waterline and spill down his cheeks and that is when Levi knows he has fucked up big time.

Wiping the warm tears away from the boy’s cheeks with the pad of his thumb, Levi looks at him with his eyebrows knitted together in concern. “Kid, don’t cry, please.”

“Why would you say that, Lee?” Haraeya wails, “Why would you hurt me?” He continues to sob, reaching out to grab Levi's thumb for some sense of comfort.

It pains Levi probably a lot more than it should to see this boy, usually glowing with youthful curiosity and innocence, now red-faced with tears dripping off his jawline. Almost instinctively, Levi takes a single step forward and engulfs the boy in a tight, desperate embrace. It’s different to the hug they shared earlier in the bathroom; it’s raw and heartfelt and Haraeya visibly revels in the feeling of Levi's arms wrapped around his shoulders. They remain like that for a while, Haraeya’s tear-stained face pressed into Levi's chest, sobs finally beginning to calm. As Levi rests his chin on the boy’s head, he realises he would never admit, not even to himself, that he enjoys the contact almost as much as the angel does.

“You are wrong.”

Levi lifts his head to gaze down at the boy peering up at him, arms still hooked securely around the man’s waist. “Huh?”

“I said you are wrong. You are not cruel, or lazy, or selfish. Or ugly. You are a very wonderful human, Lee. You have a beautiful heart and a beautiful soul.”

Finally letting go of Haraeya, much to his displeasure, Levi stares at him analytically. “That’s kind, Angel, but how would you know that if–?”

“Angel?” Haraeya repeats.

“You what?”

“You said nickname Angel is too romantic so you will not use it.”

Levi pauses. “So I did.”

Haraeya admires Levi dreamily. “Lee wants to be romantic?” He sounds hopeful.

Scowling at the boy a final time, Levi turns to head back to the car. “Not today, kid.” Strapping himself in, he starts the engine. “You coming?”

Eyes gleaming, Haraeya lights up and hurries into the passenger’s seat. “Where are we going, Lee?!”

After buckling him in, Levi begins to drive forward. Relief melts from the tallest hair on his head down to the soles of his feet when he discovers that his car is working fine despite the deer incident. “Home, I guess.” Only then does it hit Levi that he expects Haraeya to live with him. And from the way his mind is reeling about new clothes, re-decorated rooms and how the fuck he’ll afford rent, it doesn’t sound like it will be short-term either.