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The beginning of his fall from grace started the moment he laid eyes upon Jason Todd. Ever since Dick first felt the strength of his heart and the fire of his soul, he'd been watching. Jason was but a child at that time. A child full of heart and compassion. A child who deserved a life better than the one he'd been given. Dick watched as he struggled to survive and help the one he thought was his mother. He watched as the boy grew, and with him grew his bitterness. But that bitterness never outweighed his profound love. Yes, the angel watched over the boy with a warm sense of pride. Quietly, he'd whisper guidance to Jay. Lead him from trouble, help him find a way to survive, be it food or money. When his mother passed and despair seemed to strangle Jason, the angel came to him in dreams to comfort him and let him know he was not alone. Dick could not directly intervene, true. But, he could most assuredly point the deserving child in the right direction.
His first real mistake was leading Jason to the Batmobile one night. Dick knew the Bat to be a man of Justice and would help the orphan. From his lofty throne, he observed Jason's progress. He burned so brightly, Dick would have thought the mortal to be far more than just a man. Everything he did, he did with all his heart. There was no partial effort and it was truly beautiful to watch. Jason seemed to flourish under the guidance of the Bat. With every life he saved and criminal he caught, his heart soared a little higher. The angel of justice could not be prouder.
But like Icarus of legend, Jason flew too high and Dick was not there to see it. It was when shards of absolute fear and pain were driven into his chest that Dick knew something was wrong. He dove from his ephemeral perch, wings snapping out with a clap of thunder on a cloudless night. The heavens called to him as he flew toward Jason. They tugged at his wings to slow him. Warnings were screamed into his ear not to intervene. It was the way of things. He had no right to stop fate. He would damn himself for the life of one mortal. One mortal who would die with time anyway. It was foolish and selfish. Stop or fall.
He did not stop.
Dick broke their hold and flew with astounding speeds, covering ground faster than the eye could see. With each flap of his wings, the sonorous boom of thunder followed. He was the calm before the storm, the herald of the coming battles, the bang of the first shot fired and the last one spent. He was justice and vengeance and he would not let this mortal die. Not when he watched Jason fight tooth and nail to live. Not when he gave all of himself to a city that chewed him up. Not when, even in his final moments, he still forgave the one who betrayed him. Jason did not deserve this punishment. He did not deserve to die on the floor, broken and more alone than ever. Dick was not to intervene, but he no longer cared. For where was the justice in letting an innocent like him die when he could be his shield? It was his duty to stand before the hail of bullets and shrapnel.
Jason Todd would not die tonight, so mark his words.
There was an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness and then the cool sweep of resignation coloring the mortal's soul. Time was almost up, Dick knew. But he was so close. He could make it. If he had to stop time itself, he would. For the briefest moment, he saw the Bat approaching as well, but he was too slow. The one Dick had entrusted this most sacred life to would fail.
With one last thunderous push, he crashed through the roof of the warehouse. It burst beneath his might like it was made of paper. Without hesitation, he shielded the boy and his mother with his large wings. Not a moment later, the whole building exploded. Fire and rubble rained down upon the group. The angel grit his teeth as he held his ground against the volatile blast. No flame scorched his feathers. No shrapnel pierced his defenses.
He stood there, shielding them from the fallout for a moment longer before he carefully retracted his wings. Blood was smeared all across Jason's face from his wounds and one eye was swollen shut. Yet, the young man seemed not to notice his own grievous state as he stared up at his savior in total awe. The angel stood tall and proud. His wings were a marvel, truly. Grand in size and darker than the abyss. They seemed to hold the night sky within them. Stars gleamed in and out of existence across the black expanse as small bolts of lightning arced across the soft feathers. The black of his armor was offset by a band of blue stretching from fingertip to fingertip. Just like his wings, fissures of electricity jumped across the cerulean swathe.
There was only one place the boy had seen someone so decidedly divine before; his dreams. This man had been there in his sleep, when he felt like he'd lost it all. He was the one who lit up the darkness and assured him it would get better. Jason could vividly remember those wings and the shockingly blue eyes now staring straight at him. Remembered the soothing way he spoke and the warmth of his embrace. Every little detail was as he recalled. This was no dream; the pain was too real. No, this...this angel was here. He saved Jason. Saved his mother. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse and quiet but still so full of awe.
"You...you're real."
That angel smiled upon him and kneeled to his level to look him in the eye.
"That I am, Jason and you're not alone."
There was a moment where they just stared at each other and Jason soaked in the details of his inhumanly beautiful face. Then, he hobbled a little closer and threw himself at the angel for a hug. He tried to stifle a sob as he didn't want to appear weak. But, the angel wrapped him in a soothing hug and the boy couldn't hold back his cries any longer. He almost died. He thought he would have and even made peace with that fact. But Jason didn't want to die. He wanted to live and grow. This man saved him. Again.
Jason cried and cried while Dick comforted him. With each gentle stroke, he healed the teenager just a little more until finally, his physical wounds were gone. After a few more cathartic moments in the embrace, Jason pulled back. Dick allowed him to take a few hiccuping breaths before he stood to depart. First, he pressed a hand to Shiela's head, taking the memories of Dick's presence with him. He would not grant her the knowledge of his intervention. She would awake and not understand how she survived. How she filled the gaps was up to her. Jason seemed to understand what was going on and shot the angel a frantic look.
"Am I gonna remember you?"
Dick stared at him before giving a small smile.
"Yes. Don't fret, Jason. We'll meet again soon. Until then, if you find yourself in trouble just look to the robins for guidance. Speak to them and I will listen."
In the distance, the faint sound of an approaching motorcycle could be heard. So, the Bat has arrived. Dick took a few large steps back and spread his wings. Rain began to fall as he took off with a thunderclap. He knew the rain was no coincidence. Knew it was the angels crying for their lost brother. That's when his first feather fell to the ground. Jason picked it up and stared at the black, star-ridden plume with an aching smile, not knowing the damnation it meant. All that he thought of was the angel's words. 'We'll meet again soon.'