Chapter Text
A feeling like no other. Excruciating and unfathomable, a constant reminder of how you failed.
In the blink of an eye, your purpose—what should have been your greatest triumph, was snatched away, and in its wake, a well of resentment remained. You loathed your negligence and strived to redeem yourself. As a result, you scoured the Earth. Searching, hoping for forgiveness in the form of reason. Nothing came of it and as time passed, the consensus was absolute. You failed and nothing would change that.
These halls once brought you a great sense of joy. Warm, gilded, and brimming with purpose, you felt at home as you floated through its labyrinthine corridors.
You lost such sentiments years ago.
These days, the sacred walls felt judgmental upon each dead end that you came across, hence the reason you moved away. The shadow of your former self became too much to bear. You changed, and the counsel was forever understanding of your woes.
By no means were you banished, in fact—you were one of the most revered angels above. Your reputation preceded you and none would ever rise to your station. Yet, my how have you fallen.
Your footsteps were light against the pristine marble floors. Your time spent living with humans made you forget that you could defy gravity. Walking was just second nature to you now.
You arrived in an open area where an old friend stood waiting. He blended in so well with the white alabaster stone that you almost didn’t spot him. He didn’t notice your presence and you were quick to change that by striking up a conversation.
“It is said your ears are the sharpest in the clouds,” you smirked when your friend jumped in fright. “and yet I’ve startled you.”
The being turned around and graced you with his beauty. One look into his milky white eyes and there was no escape. That is, if you were weak in body.
Ario knew you were mostly immune to his charm yet he still decided to lay it on thick for old times’ sake. You arched an eyebrow at his poor attempt. He circled your form twice before bowing at the waist.
“What an honor! The Great Y/n graces me with her presence. Still as radiant as ever I see.”
Centuries ago, you would’ve been flattered. Now, not so much. “Cut to the chase, Ario. I am not in the mood.” you sighed.
“When are you.” he grumbled under his breath. He flew a short distance over to the balcony edge. Vines and ethereal flora crept up the ancient stone crafting a quite serene and secluded space.
A pale finger beckoned you over. You rolled your e/c eyes and urged your feet to move even as Ario eyed you sideways for walking.
The view was breathtaking. The two of you could see all that was beneath the sea of clouds. Earth from above was simply beautiful. Back in your youth, the sight never failed to make you tear up. Today you took it for granted.
Your eyes flickered back towards Ario, urging him to speak. He admired the view a bit more before sighing.
“I see you are pressed for time; I will make myself short. You’ve been on an extended leave for decades Y/n. I worry.”
You glanced down at Ario’s hand resting on your arm. You could see that he was touching you. Besides that, you were unable to feel the physical contact.
“Your worry is misplaced.” You jerked your arm away and focused your sights on a little sprite floating near an Edelweiss flower. The sprite sensed your presence and shined brightly for you.
Ario heard rumors of your drastic change in personality. He thought it was all heresy for you were known by your warm aura and gentle spirit. The woman before him was cold and detached despite standing in one of your favorite grottoes. Something had made you bitter and he wanted to find out what.
“Y/n. Don’t you find it odd that you haven’t had an assignment in ages? Even you aren’t above reproach. Either something is wrong or....” Ario’s voice trickled off the second you unfurled your wings in anger.
“Or what?” you seethed.
Dark as the night, your wings expanded as they blocked out all light in the grotto. The sprites and other animals in the vicinity fled. Ario was forced to turn his head away in humility. You outranked him in every way and deserved respect.
Deep down you knew Ario meant well. He could simply be a messenger of this bad news. If that were the case, then it was wrong to unleash your frustration on him.
“Forgive me. I will open my mind to your words.” You took flight for a second to perch yourself on the balcony ledge. A brief compromise if you will.
Ario smiled seeing your legs kicking in the air. It was nice to glimpse your whimsical personality, if only for a moment. One day he would have his old friend back. For now, he must deal with this latest version of you. He leaned on the balcony by your side in earnest.
“There is an assignment we think is best suited for you.” Ario looked up in shock when you hopped down. “Hear me Y/n!” he called after you.
He blocked the exit with his wingspan and came face to face with your disapproving frown. Even displeased, your beauty remained. He wondered who was charming who..
Ario knew if you wanted to pass, you wouldn’t have to lift a finger to move him. After so many years away, you returned of your own accord. You wanted to hear what he had to say. That had to count for something. Perhaps you were longing for purpose once more. Ario used that thread of hope to his advantage.
“He is doing good for the humans. Fighting crime, purging the city of evil doers.” Ario materialized an assignment scroll from thin air and handed it to you.
You hardly glanced over it, “He has an armored tank and a military grade suit. Why does he require my protection?” Did the counsel think you were that desperate? A child could protect this human.
“He’s only one man, Y/n! Just... go observe him for one night. There is no harm in that.” Ario bit his lip and softened his clear eyes.
You were stronger than this... Ugh! Ario’s charm was getting to you, and he knew it. You shut your eyes to stop the spell. You needed a level head to make a decision like this.
The last thing you wanted was a new assignment. Brief flashes of your last charge danced across your memory. You lost your touch. You failed. Could you suffer through another failure?
Years had passed and still it hurt—but you longed to have purpose once again. Your only failure could not define your entire life’s work. You protected so many, why did one single human affect you this severely? It was your secret, your burden to bear. Others had made mistakes. Charges sometimes couldn’t be saved....
You are the Great Y/n. You didn’t make mistakes and no one could know you failed a mission. However, if you didn’t take an assignment, it was only a matter of time before your status would be called into question. If the counsel made an inquiry... No!
You were a holy guardian, a protector of life. It was time you returned to your calling.
With a heavy sigh, you locked eyes with Ario. “Fine, but this is only an observation. I will not commit myself until I feel a connection.”
Those words would come to haunt you very soon.
You broke through the ethereal cloud barrier and used Gotham City’s pollution as a cover to tuck your wings away.
It wouldn’t have hurt if someone saw you—there were hybrid humans in the world, yet seeing a hawk hybrid is one thing. Seeing a fully realized angel would literally kill a human. It was best practice to apply a glamor. One less human pile of goo to clean up.
You wanted nothing more than to go home to your apartment in The Bowery and sleep off your trip home, but duty was more important, and this was the perfect time to begin your observation.
Your potential assignment was a night owl. The Batman, he called himself. You rolled your eyes at the dumb title. Humans were such odd creatures.
His file was of little interest to you. Dead parents, filthy rich, yet he devoted his life to fighting crime. Now that almost made you laugh. For what could one man do to rid the world of evil?
Absolutely nothing. All of his hard work was in vain.
You kept that knowledge to yourself. It wasn’t your place to dabble with fate. If you accepted this charge, then you would do your best to guard this little one until his predestined time. At the rate he was going, it wouldn’t be long.
Speaking of time, you entered the bank where Batman was conducting his ‘round of vengeance’ despite the late hour.
Some humans were screaming while others, wearing odd clown masks, were either on the floor unconscious or still standing, trying to disarm the bat.
Batman was just one man yet held his own against a group of five, although one did not seem human to you. There was an unnatural aura about him that made you wary.
You leaned on a bank counter to watch the strange man laugh and kick your charge. They were ganging up on him yet, you didn’t feel anything. Odd.
Normally an angel didn’t register pain unless they were a guardian in the presence of their charge. They shared each other’s pain within a certain distance to help the angel sense potential danger. You were in the same room and felt nothing. Now you were interested. It wasn’t uncommon for a connection to be delayed but it was ideal for it to occur upon first sight for it to be a successful match.
Just then, Ario’s words from earlier came to you. “There is an assignment we think is best suited for you.”
Unique scenarios like this were your realm of expertise. A daunting challenge for others, a mere walk in the park for you.
Batman blocked each attack hurled his way and managed to even the score in the process. He was left standing toe to toe with the odd-looking fellow dressed in a purple suit.
His laughter grated your nerves and soothed it at the same time. Your feathers bristled, begging to be outstretched due to the complex feeling.
“Well Bats! It’s just.... you annnnnnnnnnd me!”
Their conversation about justice and the principle of right and wrong quickly bored you. Ario wanted you to observe this human for an entire night? You would stay until the connection was made and then leave.
Granted it was there, albeit faint—most likely because Batman was fully capable of protecting himself unless he miraculously got caught in a near death situation. You didn’t foresee that happening anytime soon, and definitely not tonight.
You didn’t have the patience to wait around. You were turning to leave (and to reject this assignment) when a sharp blow to your stomach made you double over in pain.
The counter cushioned most of your fall, but you still wheezed as you—for the first time in ages, experienced pain. Heavens, did it hurt. You did not miss this at all.
It took you several moments to realize that the bank had gone eerily quiet, and that all eyes were on you. Why were the humans staring?
Stars above, they were staring at you.
In your moment of shock, your glamor fell. In the middle of an armed robbery. In front of dozens of humans. Could it get any worse?
You closed your eyes and started checking off the Unexpected Encounter protocols in your head. Blink twice, summon Amenadiel to freeze time. Proceed to erase all human memory of said encounter before..
“Whyyyyyyy hello beautiful.”
Your eyes snapped open. No one was screaming and no one was being evaporated by your angelic aura. No, everyone was too busy watching the head robber saunter up to you.
He had a knife in hand, and a smile stretched grotesquely across his face. Your own cheek throbbed just from looking at the jagged scars. They looked familiar somehow.. you struggled to remember from where.
A quick glance to your right confirmed your worst fear. Batman was lying on the ground, motionless.
You failed your charge on the first watch. That was the least of your worries though. This strange man had reached your side and his eyes, the most vivid shade of green you’ve ever seen for a human, watched you in intrigue.
They made you lose focus and become adrift at sea. Something was off about this man. A mere human shouldn’t affect you this way. If at all.
He smacked his lips and pushed his hair back, before grabbing ahold of your face. You could feel the texture of his gloves.
You.. could.. feel? Nothing about this made any sense.
“Did it hurt?” His words snapped you out of your fog. Your guard immediately went up.
Was this man an angel like you? How did he know about your connection link? You decided to play dumb just to be on the safe side. It could be just a coincidence. You truly hoped it was.
“What?” you gasped.
“I saiddd.. did it hurT… when you, ahh, fell from heaven?” he asked.
Your entire body tensed up. Oh Heavens above, he knew. He knew your secret. You knew what you had to do.