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Pete and Kao are two mystical beings stuck on Earth. They have been cursed to be decision-makers of humans. They have the power to control people's decisions either good or bad, which makes them a lethal combination. Pete has the role of the devil and Kao has the role of an angel because of which they only end up fighting each other. It made them a comedy pair of mystical beings.
"Pete, it was my turn to give the decision.", Kao complained after their latest client had escaped with Pete's advice.
"Oh come on Kao, you know the bad ones are always mine.", Pete wiggles his eyebrows at Kao.
"Whatever, let them make the right decision sometimes", Kao continued pouting.
Pete then wrapped his arms around his waist and leaned closer to his ear, "The only right advice that ever came from you was to be stuck with me doing this."
"Pete~", Kao nudged him lightly.
Yes, they were lovers and cursed ones at that. Pete was banished to fulfill his duty and Kao followed voluntarily like a good boyfriend. A small bell rang above them and it was their cue to disappear in thin air. They were summoned by their client and they landed on either side of a little girl.
She was sitting in front of her parents, looking at them alternately. The atmosphere in the room was tense which prickled Kao's hair on the back of his neck. He didn't like the feeling was getting from here. The worst part of this client was that they didn't have her background story which was making it hard for them to give their verdict.
Her parents were getting a divorce, the mother was looking at her eagerly whereas the father was calm about the whole situation. They were asking her with whom she would like to live. It was a huge decision for the kid but it was the last phase of the custody case and she was scared to choose.
Pete and Kao's verdicts were going to be on the observations they did in 5 minutes. They both examined the parents listening to their conversation with their child and trying to catch any mistake but they were flawless at least on the outside. Kao glanced at Pete and asked,
"What do you think?"
"The father will be an appropriate choice for her."
"I thought you would say the mother, the girl will need her mother while growing up Pete."
"I kept it for you to choose.", Pete tried to lighten the mood.
"Very funny but seriously why the dad."
"I know she will be a better choice but she has something on her. Something about her ticks me."
"I think she is okay."
"Still you should look into the father's background as well."
"He is a good man too so why are they separating?"
"Stop being so nosy, Kao."
"Hey, I'm just curious okay?"
"But will you do the same if we had a daughter? Will you let her choose me?"
"Pete.", Kao said seriously, "Divorce is not an option in our case, because we are not married yet dumbass. We will take care of our daughter together."
"Awh, just because you said this, I'll let you give the verdict."
The girl suddenly looked up and saw them, two little fairy-like creatures flying around. If it would have been any other occasion she would have leaped in joy to chase them but in this situation, she just stared at Kao with mellow eyes.
"I think you should go with your mommy.", Kao said softly.
The girl sighs out of relief and sadness. It was on her mind to live with her mother but she loved her father as well. Kao just gave her the push to in the direction she wanted to take.
"I'll stay with mommy.", she told the lawyer after her parents had left. Pete and Kao looked satisfied with their choice and they disappear after their work was done.
***
A few months pass in oblivion with Pete and Kao meddling with the decisions of humans while they bicker away on their minds making the humans frustrated.
It was a cloudy day, Pete and Kao were perched on the rooftop of a bakery with Kao munching on a cupcake which he scared. Pete had rested his head on Kao's shoulder as he asked,
"Kao?"
"umm?"
"Do you ever wonder about that kid?"
Kao stopped eating and stared ahead dazed.
"Which Kid ?", he racks his brain thinking.
"uh.. the one with divorced parents."
"Oh her... what about her?"
"Do you ever wonder how she might be now?"
"Mm-mm", Kao gobbles down the last of his cupcake before answering.
"Yeah, I hope she is happy."
"Hmm..."
A comfortable silence falls on them as they stare at the horizon thinking about her.
"Pete", this time it's Kao who leans on Pete's soft-haired head.
"Hmm?"
"When will we reincarnate as humans?"
"Soon."
"Will we be together then?"
Pete sat up straight looked at Kao seriously, "Life without you Kao, is not an option."
"Then... we will also adopt a baby girl?"
"As you wish."
They continued their banter till their next client summoned them.
A week later, they were summoned unexpectedly again without any background of the client. They were in front of the girl who was crouched in a fetal position. Kao's eyebrows furrowed and he turned around to see a woman throwing a tantrum.
"Angel, I want to run away.", the girl's voice echoed in his ears and a sudden wave of guilt washed over him. The girl looked broken and hurt. He never thought his verdict would lead to such a disaster.
Pete stood behind Kao as he crumpled to the floor in front of the kid. The woman nor the child could see them but the woman calmed down and shooed her daughter away.
She ran to her room and Pete helped Kao on his feet to follow her. In the room, they saw her pulling out a photo frame, the one with her father in it, and an antiseptic. They couldn't see the wound first but after she washed her arms the scratch marks had swelled her skin with some of them bleeding.
Kao felt shattered looking at her, he wanted to pull her in his arms and apologize profusely till she accepted but Pete held him back.
"Dad, I know I should have chosen you that day.", she before breaking down into sobs. Kao was unable to stop his tears so he curled up into a corner of the room.
"But I didn't want to lose her either.", the girl whispered and only Pete heard that.
Pete sat beside Kao and slung his around his shoulder to pull him close.
"It is all my fault, Pete.", Kao sobbed into his black silk shirt.
"Shh... Kao, calm down", Pete ran his hands down on Kao's arm to comfort him.
He knew Kao was not in the state to listen yet. He let him cry his heart's content till it turned into sniffled. Pete pulled out his hanky from his pocket and offered it to Kao. The latter accepted it carefully but kept his head on Pete's chest without moving.
"Are you done crying?", Pete asked calmly after the sniffles died down. Kao nodded tickling Pete's neck with his hair.
"Okay now?", Pete pulled him on his lap and wrapped his arms around his torso, "Look at me.", Kao kept his face buried on Pete's neck.
Pete turned to face himself with Kao's legs on either side. He cupped Kao's face and held it in place to look into his eyes.
"Look at me and listen carefully.", Pete said each word slowly. Kao nodded obediently having no choice but to comply.
"It is not your fault.", Pete said weighing the words slowly and let it sink.
"But-", he cut him by saying,
"Kao, we are magical beings. The verdict or decision we make or give to our clients is not always ours. It is their choice, those two options are the ones they are weighing to choose and it's likely that they already have made their own choices, we are just to enhance and show them. It is their fears and possibilities we show them. Their future and other future choices are not in our hands."
"But she was just a kid Pete."
"I know but she wanted to stay with her mother. Kao, the girl knows her parents more than us."
Just then the door cracked open startling them. The woman walked in wringing her hands guiltily in front of her. She sat on the edge of the bed and watched the girl sleep.
"I shouldn't have insisted on the custody.", The woman said to herself, "You would have been happy with your father."
Just then Pete and Kao were pulled into a flashback. It was the time when the woman's pregnancy test came positive. She was throwing a similar tantrum then,
"I can't have this baby, it will ruin my life, my career, and us. I'm not ready for this.", she shouted at her husband. The husband calmed her down and talked about it.
The flashback forwarded and they were in this room again. The woman now looked haggard with bags under her eyes with her breast sagging.
"Can we give her up for adoption?", a thought fleeted in her mind but it passed as soon as it came.
The flashback fast-forwarded again, the father was doing her hair and she was 3 years old asking her father, "Mommy doesn't love me anymore?"
"She loves you baby but she doesn't know how to show it. You should trust in her."
Kao sniffled at this memory, he felt that the girl knew the truth at a very young age but still they were protecting it to not ruin their family. Those were big words for the kid but she was happy to know that her mother loved her.
The flashback fast-forwarded again, it was the same room but this time the girl sat leaning against the door listening to her parents argue. She covered her ears and wept quietly.
Pete and Kao were stunned by the series of flashbacks which continued showing how the woman was not ready for her motherhood. It ended and they saw the woman stroking the kid's hair. They knew then what decision they were going to take.
The next morning, the girl asked her mother to meet her father. The woman was shocked would have been an understatement. Despite that, she called her ex-husband and scheduled the meeting.
Pete whispered to her to shift with her dad. Kao kept to himself during that time.
"Will she be happy with her father?", Kao asked.
"From the flashbacks, it is evident that the father was more inclined to the child."
"She will need some help to cope with his."
"You should give his idea to her father."
"Should I or-"
"Kao, just one decision doesn't decide that you are not good."
"Okay."
Kao did as Pete suggested and the father decided to take the daughter under his wing. It took a little time for the formal transition through which Pete and Kao stayed with her. Once they were satisfied with the progress they took their leave.
"I'm happy she got the right parent now", Kao said as they sat on the edge of a rooftop of the building.
"Me too and don't beat yourself too much for it."
"I won't."
"We'll do a better job with our kid."
"We'll have a girl right?"
"Yes"