Chapter Text
Wobbly Wings
Guardian Angels were a known phenomenon, but highly rare.
The most that researchers understood about them was that they appeared in a human’s life to grant guidance and comfort when the human was experiencing an extreme amount of stress and agony.
It was theorized that they had disappeared as humans became more advanced and didn’t run into many ‘lost in the desert on a pilgrimage for Christ while being chased by holy assassins’ situations. The latest instance of a guardian angel was pre-2000s and, while heavily documented, none of the documents really showed anything different.
One such case involved a young boy in the foster care system who was being tortured by his foster parents. Schools, police, and social workers did nothing. It wasn’t until he disappeared that people began to look into his living situation. Just after the parent’s sentencing, the boy appeared in the middle of the courtroom completely healed and healthy. Medical professionals all agreed it would have taken much longer for the boy to heal and reach the health he was at through normal medicine. Divine intervention was not a researched medical practice, however, and that was what the boy claimed had healed him.
He had, as he explained throughout his life until his death of old age, been taken to a small cabin in a forest next to a lake of clear water. While he stayed there he was given food, books, clothes, and toys. The woman who stayed with him had bathed him, cared for him, and healed him just with her very presence. His bruises cleared, his bones and joints ceased aching, and his body filled out. Even when he played in the woods and received bumps and scrapes, they immediately healed under the gaze of the woman. The boy didn’t learn her name before he disappeared from the cabin and appeared in the courtroom.
Since then there had been rare reports shrouded in mystery as the humans often refused to discuss their Guardian Angel for reasons unknown. Because of this, belief in them waned and they had become an urban legend.
Which is why, on a Friday afternoon, Toshinori stared from his corridor, where he was laid out on his back, at a winged creature. Yes, people had joked that he needed his own Guardian Angel and he half heartedly agreed he would probably see one at some point, but he’d never thought he actually would.
Much less, in the form of a toddler.
Adekias was training to be an Archangel, and he was very excited. He hadn’t finished his basic training, but he was really good! He wasn’t even in class with the other three year olds anymore, he was training with the five year olds! And the five year olds were learning how to write their name and braid human hair!
Adekias was very proud of himself and practiced all the time, but he was still surprised when he was made into a Guardian Angel. Father said Adekias was such a good Angel, he could become a Guardian Angel! His friends were surprised too, and so were all the other angels. He was the youngest Guardian Angel ever! But Adekias wasn’t given instructions like the others. He was told to just ‘be himself,’ and he believed he was pretty good at that.
So, that’s why he appeared in the home of one Yagi Toshinori.In order to be fully prepared, he arrived just a bit early. A few hours in fact. He still didn’t understand how time passed in the human realm. Once he acquainted himself with the apartment, he decided to curl up on the couch and take a short nap.
He expected to wake up just before Mr. Yagi got home. Instead, he awoke at the slamming of the entrance door.
Adekias fell onto the floor in a jumble of wings, feathers, and unsure limbs. He jumped up as heavy footsteps made their way through the corridor. He said a quick prayer that Mr. Yagi was a kind man as he rounded the corner.
Adekias only saw a very large man before said very large man shouted. “Oh sh—,” as he pulled his fists up in a fighting stance
Adekias yelped and ran behind the couch. Was he in the wrong home? Was he on the right plane? Did humans really get that big?
“Uh, he-hello?” The supposed Mr. Yagi said.
Adekias gathered all his bravery and replied in a shaky, small voice, “A-Are you Mr. Yagi?”
At the lack of response, Adekias peered out from behind the coach. Mr. Yagi (?) stared at Adekias with confusion.
“How—What—,”
Adekias, suddenly remembering his training, leapt out from behind the coach, “Be not afraid!” Adekias said, much louder than he meant.
Mr. Yagi jumped again, shouted, and fell back into the corridor. The entire apartment shook under his weight.
“I-I’m sorry Mr. Yagi! Are you okay?” Adekias wasn’t doing very well at all. He ran around to the corridor, his feathers completely ruffled.
Mr. Yagi, from his position on his back, stared at Adekias as he stammered.
“Who—Who are you?” He lifted up into a seated position.
Adekias took a breath, he’d practiced this a lot, “My name is Adekias. I’m a Guardian Angel sent for Mister Yagi Toshinori.”
Mister Yagi, still wide eyed, swallowed hard, “That’s me.”
Adekias threw his arms up, “Oh yay! I was so scared I went to the wrong person,” his face dropped, “But, um, it looks like you’re the right person. And I scared you really bad,” a look of absolute devastation spread over his tiny features, “I’m sorry Mister Yagi.”
Immediately, Mister Yagi was scrambling up and to Adekias, “No-No it’s okay! I’ve just been very, uh, jumpy! It’s been a long day for me!”
God, Toshinori thought, he’s adorable. What the fuck do I do?
Adekias sniffled, “A long day?” Toshinori watched the boy bring a chubby fist up to rub at his eye, tears clinging to the long, dark lashes. His lips were pushed out in a pout and he stared up at Toshinori through his eyebrows.
“Yeah, a bit of a long day,” he said. The weight of the day had disappeared with the chaos he walked into.
“I can,” Adekias swallowed and pushed his long curls out of his face, “I can make you some tea if you’d like.”
It was the first time Toshinori could get a good look at the boy’s face. He was cute, disarmingly cute. Maybe Toshinori had a soft heart or maybe he was just tired, but the boy seemed to be trying his best. Why not let him try to make a cup of tea?
Under adult supervision of course.
“I’d like that quite a lot, thank you,” Toshinori smiled without force. Something that just overcame him.
Adekias’ eyes brightened and his cheeks dimpled with a smile, “Okay! But, uh, I can’t reach the—the counter.”
After Toshinori lined up his dining room chairs alongside the counters, Adekias got to work. With the utmost care, he filled and turned on the electric kettle, fetched a mug (“Mr. Yagi, where’s your favorite teacup?”)and put an Earl Grey tea bag in to steep.
“Do you like milk and sugar?” Adekias asked.
Toshinori set out the sugar cubes and took the milk from the fridge, “Well, I like two sugars and a glump of milk.”
Adekias set the two sugars in, but furrowed his eyebrows at the milk, “I don’t know what that word means, Mr. Yagi.”
“It’s a, uh,” he thought for a moment, “Onomatopoeia, but if you say it kinda slowly you can measure how much milk I like. Here,” he pulled the mug in front of him and tilted the milk carton, “Are you watching?” he asked.
Of course, Adekias watched with calculating eyes. He nodded in affirmative.
“Glump,” Toshinori said as he poured in a bit of milk. The creamy color bloomed in the dark tea just how Toshinori liked.
“Glump,” Adekias said quietly.
“Glump. Would you like to stir it?”
“Yes, please!”
A moment later, Toshinori was presented with a perfect cup of tea that, for some reason, tasted even better than usual.
“This is amazing, Adekias. Thank you very much.”
The boy blushed and giggled, “You’re welcome, Mr. Yagi.”
Toshinori set his mug down after a long sip, “By the way, you can call me Toshinori.”
“Oh, okay. Toshi—Toshee—To—Toshina—Tosh—,” Adekias stammered. His tiny fists curled with concentration as he tried over and over to pronounce the name.
“Toshi works too,” the man in question said after watching amusedly as the boy stuttered through the name.
“Toshi!”
In a moment of complete unawareness, he reached up and gently caressed Adekias’ face with the back of his fingers, “There you go, my boy.”
Instantaneously, he froze. Oh god, he thought, what the fuck was that? Adekias, however, grinned happily and hopped off of the chair. He reached up and started pulling the chairs back around the dining table. Toshinori realised that eventually, he was going to face the fact that some higher being decided his life was pitiful enough that he needed a guardian angel. Is that something he would talk to Adekias about? The boy was an angel, but he was also a toddler who didn’t seem too keen on the subject. Toshinori sighed with a sense that he was getting himself into something that he wouldn’t come out of unscathed. If he came out of it at all.