Chapter Text
Ray, Norman and Emma stand side by side as they walk down the hallway. Their footsteps are the only requiem from the stony silence of the courtroom halls. Finally, they arrive at their destination, and the three of them look at each other.
Even Emma looks nervous, a stark contrast to her ever present smile. Ray reaches out to grab her hand, intertwining her fingers with his. Norman sees them do this, and smiles, reaching out for Ray’s other hand.
“It’ll be okay.” Ray says, willing his voice not to shake. Maybe he was trying to comfort Emma, or maybe he was trying to comfort himself. It was hard to tell, really. “It’s like you always say, isn’t it? As long as we’re together, our bonds will protect us, right? No matter what happens, as long as we’re together…” He leans forward, bumping their foreheads together.
She nods her head. “As long as we’re together, I know it’ll turn out alright.”
Norman pulls them in, wrapping his arms tightly around the other two. “Yeah. No matter what happens, no matter what the verdict is… we’ll be okay, since we’re together.”
And just like that, they enter the courtroom. As they do, there are eyes upon eyes on them. At least several hundred people are there, a few turning and whispering to one another.
The trial goes by in a blur, with seconds passing like sand out of their hands. Everything moves far too slowly and far too quickly. Ray finds it difficult to breathe, feeling like his throat had been plugged shut with cotton. With each word, with each second that passes, his heart feels like it’s rotting.
It’s a feeling of foreboding and fear. He tries to calm himself down, he tries to remind himself that it’ll be okay. They’ll be together. They’ll be okay. Their bond was the guarantee that in the end, everything would be alright.
A man in an all white suit looks down at Ray, Norman and Emma. His wings are unfurled at his back, gavel in his right hand as the room falls silent, waiting for the verdict to fall from his lips. The room is silent as the man looks over the three--he lowers the gavel, tapping it against the wood once. Twice.
Everything they had done, all their lives and experiences would determine their fate, here and now. Even if time were to stop right now, the rain of justice would still descend upon those three. It was time for Judgement.
"Ray, Norman, Emma." He starts, and the three hold their breath, straightening when their name is called. "The punishment for your crimes will be..."
Ray looks over at Norman and Emma. He feels his hands shake and looking at their expressions didn't grant him any sort of relief. It only made him more anxious. Underneath the desk, the three of them intertwine their fingers, holding onto each other.
"Execution."
Ray hears the verdict. He feels it, in every fiber of his being. His eyes shut, and he tries to think back and remember just how they got to this point.
Ray leans back against the couch, barely watching the TV in front of him. It's some history channel, depicting the long gone times when Humans and Angels would coexist. The black haired boy feels his wings curl in on himself, and he leans his head back. The man on the TV speaks, voice measured and low, every word pointed and enunciated.
"Gone are the days when Angels and Humans lived together. Now, the two species live apart, separated by the sky. Unlike the Humans' modern depiction of angels, we do not exist solely to protect humans. We are no longer their guardians--nor do they possess the ability to view our forms. Angels and Humans are now separate existences.
"Though a path to Earth exists for Angels, it should not be crossed unless you are an Angel of great power and training, or an Angel whose training has progressed enough, gaining approval from the Divine Court of Judgement. Failure to comply will result in a punishment determined by the Divine Court of Judgement."
Footsteps echo behind him, and someone leans over, arms resting on the couch. “You only get punished if you get caught.”
Ray looks up, recognizing the voice. “Yo, Norman. My dad let you in?”
His best friend nods, walking around the couch to extend his hand to Ray. “Yup! Speaking of…” Norman lowers his voice, leaning in closer to the black haired teen. “Are you ready to go?” There’s a sly smile on his face, and Ray returns the same smug grin.
“You bet.” Ray stands, pulling his jacket off the couch. He ties it around his waist instead of wearing it properly, and reaches for the remote, turning the TV off. “Let’s go. The longer we wait the more suspicious it will be if we come back late.”
Norman nods at him, and the pair of them make their way to the door. Ray’s dad, Leslie, peeks his head out from the kitchen. “Are you two heading out?”
“Yeah. We’ll be back before it gets dark.” Ray replies, slipping on his shoes. Norman does the same.
Leslie glances at the clock. It’s 10AM. He briefly wonders just what on Earth those two boys could be up to that they’d be out all day--but kids will be kids, he supposes. He smiles at the two of them. “Okay. Be safe, alright, you two? Just because you’re young doesn’t mean you’re invulnerable to injuries or illnesses--”
“Yeah, love you too, Dad!” Ray opens the door and dashes out before his father can properly start his lecture.
Norman politely bows. “I’ll see you later!”
“Don’t get into too much trouble!” Leslie calls out as the door shuts. He sighs, hand on his hip, watching them leave through the window in the kitchen. The pair of them seem excited--Norman’s grin stretched across his face and Ray’s is more subtle but he seems just as happy. “It’s good that they have each other.”
He pauses, and sighs, gazing wistfully at the framed photo by their front door. “Ah, no point in thinking too hard. Now, what should I do for dinner, to feed two growing boys…”
As Leslie turns his back, the framed photo of their family smiles, a moment frozen in time. The three of them, Leslie, Ray, and Ray’s mother, Leslie’s wife--Isabella. The picture of a happy family.
“I’m glad we got out of there before he could start his actual lecture. You know how long those last.” Ray sighs, hands in his pant pockets as they walk.
Norman laughs. “It’s okay, isn’t it? He’s just worried about us! I for one don’t mind having a family who’s actually concerned about my well-being.”
Ray snorts. “You say that, but have you been on the receiving end of one of his three hour long lectures?” There’s a pause. “You know you’re always fine to stay the night here, right? We have extra rooms.”
Another cheerful laugh. “I know, don’t worry! But I don’t want my family to be too pissy with me.”
“Oh, to be the future head of the Ratri family. I couldn’t even imagine. You sure you don’t want to join our family, have nonstop rumors about how shitty we are? It’s fun. I like watching people pale and whisper when I enter a room.”
“I know you do. It’s your hobby.” The boy replies, sarcastic grin stretching across his face. “People being horrible aside, on a scale of one to ten, how ready are you for this?”
“No matter how I rank, there’s no way it’s comparable to how excited you are.” Ray teases, and Norman just rolls his eyes. “What? It’s true!”
“Don’t try and act like you’re not excited, Ray--we’ve been together too long for you to lie to me like this!”
Their fast pace and excited conversation leads them to their destination almost immediately--the twenty minutes it takes to walk there past by in a blur. Ray and Norman stand at several bushes, sharing nervous glances.
“This is it, right?” Ray asks, leaning down to part the bushes with his right hand. Norman nods his head and squats down next to his best friend, parting it with his left. A bright blue light shines through the leaves of the bushes. “Jeez, that’s bright.”
At his gentle touch, the leaves flitter out into nothingness, glitter shining in the air. “It’s beautiful…” Norman murmurs, and catches Ray staring up into the sky, the glitter reflected in his eyes, and Norman briefly wonders what--or who, he was referring to when he said beautiful. But there wasn’t any time to pine for his best friend right now. He could do that later.
“Should we go?” Ray asks, peering into the now-transparent barrier that separates heaven from earth. He squints, but it’s far too far to make out anything in particular. “I mean, we came here to go down. You’re not gonna chicken out here, are you?”
“Absolutely not!” Norman replies, grinning wide. “What about you?”
Ray shakes his head. “My mom might have raised me to be a coward, but my dad didn’t. Let’s go.” He sits with his legs dangling down the barrier, and Norman reaches out to grab Ray’s hand. “Eh?”
Norman smiles, a light blush painted across his cheeks. “You know. Just so we don’t get… separated, or something? We’d definitely get in trouble if something like that happened.” He tries to seem convincing, to make Ray think that he wasn’t afraid at all--when in truth, he was a little bit afraid, and judging by the way Ray’s hands were shaking ever-so-slightly--Norman wasn’t alone in feeling the slightest twinge of fear.
After all--they didn’t even know who made this in the first place. The hidden entrance to Earth. But they knew it was an entrance, and the who or what if it didn’t matter as much as the fact it was an option, a pathway to the place they wanted to see. They could worry about the details later. For now, all that mattered was the fact it existed.
“Yeah.” Ray replies, and finally, there’s a hint of a genuine smile on his lips. Norman knew his best friend felt alone a lot, but was willing to bet now wasn’t one of those times. “Let’s go, Norman.”
And they do.
The pair of them leap--falling through the sky, their hands held tightly together. Ray’s wings expand first, pure white stretching out into the sky and blurring with the clouds into one. Norman sees, and his body moves faster than his brain does. His wings stretch out, too, and suddenly the two of them aren’t falling, they’re flying.
The sun is warm and gentle on Ray’s face and Norman’s hand feels perfect in his, though he might never admit to that out loud. Ray can see the exhilarated grin on Norman’s face and feels his heart speed up faster than he ever thought possible. They’re both laughing as they fly through the sky, breathless and weightless.
Eventually, Norman points to somewhere in the distance and mouths something, words that the wind manage to steal right out of his mouth--but Ray understands, and nods back. The wind rushes past their hair, blowing it out of their faces as they simultaneously decide on a place to land.
The park didn’t seem to have much from a distance, but as they get closer, there’s more--details become more and more clear the closer they get. The tanbark underneath their feet flies around them from the force of their landing as Norman and Ray tumble directly onto the ground.
Tanbark isn’t comfortable, nor does it make for a good cushion as you land.
“Ow, ow…” Ray mutters, rubbing his back. There had to be a couple of cuts and bruises on his body. Even if humans couldn’t see them--objects and such in the human world could harm angels. But angels were resistant. Even falling from the distance of heaven to earth, neither of them had suffered from more than a scratch. “Norman, are you--”
Ray stops, unable to finish his sentence. Norman’s on the ground, too, having landed sophisticatedly directly on his face, he props himself back up on his knees. But he doesn’t turn around when Ray calls, because his gaze had been stolen.
In front of them, there was a girl with bright orange hair standing and staring at them. She looked around the same age as the two of them. Her head is turned to them, but her body is facing away. She was turned towards them, looking directly at them--almost like she could see them. But… there’s no way she could. Humans aren’t able to see angels.
A second, thirty seconds, or maybe even a minute passes between the three of them. The girl turns, her eyes wide. She’s staring, looking between Ray and Norman rapidly, obviously confused, but she isn’t screaming or shouting about two boys falling from the sky.
The girl walks closer. Closer. Ray wonders if she’ll stop, or just keep walking. Humans couldn’t see them, and humans couldn’t touch them, either. The only way they could even come into contact, was if the angel possessed an incredible knowledge for advanced magic--something neither Norman nor Ray could do, not yet, at least.
Then, she stops. Stares.
Her lips slowly part, head tilting to the side as her fiery orange hair sways with each minute movement. “Are you okay? Do you need help up?”
No--no way.
She could see them?
Norman’s flustered, unable to respond as the girl reaches out for his hand and pulls him up. He’s too incoherent to form a proper response, simply bowing lightly as she beams at him, brighter than a thousand suns.
She turns to Ray, that smile not yet faded, and reaches out to him. “Here. You smacked right into the tanbark! I’ve fallen off the swings a ton, so I know how much it sucks! I was pulling splinters out for weeks! ”
He isn’t sure if he wants to reach out to her. There’s a million thoughts in his head right now, all unorganized and chaotic, trying to understand just what in the hell was happening right now. A human could see them? A human could touch them--and so easily, so casually, like it was nothing? That wasn’t supposed to happen. That wasn’t supposed to be possible!
The girl tilts her head at him, clearly wondering why he hasn’t taken her hand yet.
And at that moment, Ray felt his heart skip in his chest. His heart beat wildly, uncontrollably. He stares at Norman, who’s now standing, and at the other girl in front of their eyes. He felt something--
Something.
An intuition, or maybe a sense of deja vu--Ray didn't know. He couldn’t say for sure, and there was no way to confirm nor deny the spinning feeling in his chest. It was a feeling he couldn’t describe, no matter how hard he tried, or how long he could spend thinking about it. It made his body feel tense and wound up, like a spring ready to bounce away.
But he knew that here and now, something had begun. The gears of fate had begun to turn. Their world--no, the entire world was going to change. Nothing would ever be the same again.
They couldn't turn back. From here on out, the only way they could move was forwards, hurdling towards their destination, until they crashed face first into the ending.
Until they met their Judgement.