Chapter Text
This wasn’t what heaven looked like. Stan reopened his eyes and looked around. Was he flying? What the hell? Just one second ago, he had jumped off that deserted bridge in the outskirts of town, and now… Wait…was someone actually holding his right wrist? Stan looked up.
Holy shit.
Looking down to him was the sexiest dude he ever had laid his eyes on. And that dude had…wings?! Stan blinked, but the dude was still there. Ookay, if that’s what heaven looked like, he was on cloud nine.
“Am I…am I dead?”, he finally dared to ask the hot angel.
The male red-haired angel chuckled. “No, I’m afraid. I just saved your ass. Thank me later.”
Stan couldn’t believe what he had just heard. “You did what now?”
“I saved your life when you just tried to kill yourself, dude.”
It didn’t take long for Stan’s disbelief to turn into anger. His eyes narrowed. “Why did you do that? Just for your information: I wanted to die. Life sucked and I wanted to end mine, what’s so hard to understand about it?”
“Everything”, the angel answered matter-of-factly.
“Let go of me, man. I don’t wanna live.”
“Nah. Sorry.”
Stan tried to wriggle free to plummet to his death as planned, but to no avail. The angel smirked down at him. “Nice try, but I won’t allow you just end it without having tried everything in your power to get better. I’m pretty sure your family and friends will be upset if you decided to kill yourself.”
“I doubt that. They don’t even care about me.” Stan’s tone was bitter.
“I’m sure that’s not true.” In the meantime, the angel had brought them to the ground again, safe and sound – much to Stan’s disappointment. “Why don’t we take a seat and talk about it?”
“There’s nothing to talk about, believe me”, Stan huffed while he slumped down on the lone park bench. “The moment I get home, I’m just going to overdose. I knew that jumping off a bridge was a bad idea.”
“But first, we are talking about it.” The angel sat down next to Stan and offered him a smirk. “I’m Kyle, by the way.”
“Stan. And…what in the world are you even? An angel, or a bird, or a human-bird hybrid like those dudes from Maximum Ride?”
Kyle laughed at that, his big feathery wings behind him were fluttering a little. “I’m indeed an angel. Or strictly speaking, an AiT – an angel in training.”
Stan eyed Kyle’s ripped jeans and white biker jacket skeptically. “Sure.”
“But let’s not talk about me.” Kyle leaned back and gave Stan a quizzical look. “Why did you want to commit suicide?”
Stan avoided direct eye contact and looked down his hands instead. “Life is just so pointless. I feel…tired. Not physically tired but tired of living. Everything is shit, no matter what I try. I don’t have any friends because I put them off with my behavior years ago, and there’s this kid at school that seems to hate me for absolutely no reason.” He sighed. “I can’t do this anymore. It’s too exhausting to keep living if no one wants me around.”
“I’m sure that’s not true. People care if you are gone, you know.”
“Oh, and why are you so sure about that?!”, Stan suddenly spat at him, anger evident in his voice. “What do you know?”
Kyle sighed. When he spoke up, his tone was soft. “I know more about you than you think, dude. I’ve been watching you for a while.”
“Great, so an angel has been stalking me all this time?” Stan buried his face in his hands and groaned. “In that case, you must know how shitty my life is. And how badly I want it to end. I just can’t do this any longer.”
They both went silent for a while, until Kyle cleared his throat.
“Alright”, he said, his tone solemn, “How about we make a deal?”
Stan looked up again and gave him a funny look. “What?”
“You heard me right. All I want is three weeks. Three more weeks to give your life another try. Three weeks for me to show you the beauty of human life. I’m going to show you that your life is indeed still…liveable.” Kyle smiled at him. “And if you still want to commit suicide after those three weeks, well… I won’t stop you. Does that sound good to you?”
Stan groaned loudly but didn’t object. “Alright. Three weeks, but not longer. Though I doubt you’re gonna convince me to keep living.”
He had no idea how to find the glint in Kyle’s eyes. “Challenge accepted.” He suddenly jumped up from his seat and grinned down at the other boy. “Come on, give me your hands.”
“What?”
“Just do it, man. Trust me, I’m not going to hurt you. I'm an angel, after all.”
Still looking skeptical, Stan got up to and complied. He cocked his brows quizzically when Kyle closed his eyes and muttered something in Latin under his breath. A warm sensation shot through Stan’s arms and his breath caught.
“What the hell?”, he mumbled as he stared down his right hand. A golden sign that looked like an angel’s wing was adorning his arm, starting from the back of his hand and ending on the lower half of his underarm.
Kyle smirked at him mischievously. “I just marked you. As from now, you are officially my charge. No one but the two of us can see your mark, don’t worry. As long as you are wearing it on your body, you are unable to hurt yourself or get hurt in any way. That mark will disappear in exactly three weeks, though.”
“So let’s say I wanted to jump off that bridge again, it wouldn’t work?”, Stan wanted to know.
“Nope. You are invincible.”
“Dammit.” There was no way this could be real. No, Stan must be dead now. There was no way anyone cared enough for him to make sure he wouldn’t harm himself. People never cared about him, he had long gotten used to that.
Suddenly, another smile spread om Kyle’s handsome face. “You in the mood for an adventure, Stanley?”
Stan shrugged. Let’s see what else this crazy dream held in store for him. At least, he would cherish the memories once he woke up in his cold reality again. “Sure, why not?”
"Grab onto my hand", Kyle instructed, "and trust me."
Hesitant yet intrigued, Stan took Kyle's hand, feeling an ethereal warmth radiating from the teenage angel's touch. With a single beat of his white feathery wings, they soared into the night sky, rising effortlessly above the trees. As they ascended higher and higher, the world below transformed into a breathtaking panorama of lights and shadows. The city's skyline stretched before them and twinkled like a sea of stars.
"Wow, this is incredible!" Stan exclaimed, his jetblack hair ruffling in the wind. "I can't believe I'm flying with a goddamn angel!"
Kyle chuckled softly at the phrasing, guiding them through the night sky with grace and ease. They danced among the stars, their laughter mingled with the gentle rustle of feathers.
With each turn and loop, Stan's initial nervousness transformed into pure exhilaration. He felt weightless and free, as if all his worries had been left far below on the ground. While they continued their flight, Kyle pointed out constellations and shared stories of the cosmos. The night seemed to hold an endless array of wonders, and Stan soaked in every moment, etching the memories into his heart.
"Thank you, dude”, Stan said, his eyes shimmered with gratitude. It was the first time in weeks he had laughed like that. "This is by far the most amazing experience of my life."
"Believe me, you’ll get plenty of amazing experiences, I’m gonna make sure of that", Kyle replied, his strong wings carried them in a graceful descent. "Remember, there is magic all around us, waiting to be discovered. You just need to believe."
They touched down softly in front of Stan’s home, and as Kyle folded his wings, the night sky seemed a little brighter, filled with newfound hope. Before Stan entered his house, he turned to Kyle and threw him a quizzical glance. “When am I going to see you again?”
“Sooner than you think, Stan”, Kyle promised. He put his hands out of the pockets of his jacket and saluted jokingly. “Go to bed, dude. You need to get up early for school.”
Right, school. Stan’s face fell again. He nodded slowly. “Yeah…”
“Have a good night, okay? Don’t stay up too late.”
Stan pouted at him playfully. “You sound like my mom.”
“In that case, your mom is a very wise woman”, Kyle replied. With that, he took flight, disappearing into the night sky, leaving Stan with a heart filled with wonder and a belief that maybe, just maybe, things weren’t that shitty after all.
➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶
The school bell rang and signaled the end of another day. Stan trudged through the hallways, trying to avoid the gaze of the bullies who seemed to revel in tormenting him. Among them was Eric Cartman, a relentless bully who made Stan's life miserable at every opportunity.
Today seemed to be no exception. Cartman and his lackeys cornered Stan in a secluded corner of the schoolyard.
"Well, well, well, look who we have here. The faggy hippie", Cartman sneered, a malicious grin spreading across his face as he clutched Stan by his shirt and slammed him against the fence.
Stan groaned and rubbed his cheek. It wasn’t bruised, much to his surprise. While he got up, he tried to keep his composure. "Just leave me alone, Cartman", he said quietly, hoping his words would somehow penetrate the bully's cruelty.
But before Cartman could retort, a voice rang out from behind them, firm and commanding. "I suggest you do as he says."
Cartman and his gang turned to see a ginger-haired boy standing there, radiating an aura of strength and confidence. His green eyes held a steely determination that made even Cartman hesitate. Stan's breath caught.
"And who the fuck are you, daywalker?" Cartman challenged, trying to mask his uncertainty.
"My name is Kyle," the new boy replied calmly. "And I won't stand idly by while you bully others."
Meanwhile, Stan blinked at Kyle, stunned. He was convinced he had been dreaming everything about the incident at the bridge. But Kyle was indeed standing in front of them with an air of confidence. He was even wearing the same white leather jacket and ripped blue jeans as last night. The only thing missing was his pair of magnificent wings.
Cartman let out a scoff. “Pfft, I’m not afraid of you.”
“Leave. Him. Alone.” Kyle’s words were quiet and calm, yet so loud and powerful. A shiver ran up Stan’s spine even though those words weren’t even directed at him.
Cartman exchanged worried glances with Kevin Stoley and Dougie. “You’re a freak”, he croaked before he and his friends turned around and left hastily.
Releasing a breath he didn't know he had held, Stan straightened up again. "Thanks for helping me”, he said, expressing his gratitude once his bullies were gone.
Kyle turned to the other boy and offered a warm smile. "It's my duty to protect you. You don’t need to thank me for that”, he answered matter-of-factly. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be here earlier, but I had to settle some things.”
Stan just couldn’t help himself when he stared at the teenage angel in front of him. A warm feeling was spreading in his stomach. “You really exist”, he breathed, stunned, “I was convinced everything was just a dream.”
“Of course, I exist, dude”, Kyle chuckled lightly and put his hand on Stan’s shoulder. For some reason, Stan’s heart made weird movements. “And believe me when I tell you that I won’t leave anytime soon.”
➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶
Kyle sat perched on the edge of a fluffy cloud, his wings tucked behind him as he gazed down at the sprawling city below. The golden hues of dawn painted the horizon, casting a warm glow over the smalltown. He knew he had to share the events of the previous night with his friends. They were AiTs too, and their friendship was unbreakable. Kyle trusted them with his life.
With a deep breath, Kyle soared down to the familiar meeting spot where his friends were waiting, a deserted park in the forest. Craig's stoic expression greeted him first, followed by Kenny's mischievous grin and Tolkien's calm demeanor.
"Something's up with you, right, Kyle?" Tolkien immediately said, his observation skills on point. "You look like you've got something on your mind."
"Yeah, you're right. There's something I want to get off my chest." Taking a deep breath, Kyle recounted the night's events. "Last night, while I was patrolling near the bridge, I saw a human boy named Stan. He had jumped off the edge, and I managed to catch him in time."
Kenny's playful grin turned into an expression of astonishment. "Whoa, Kylie, you saved him? That's fucking incredible!"
Kyle nodded, a mixture of pride and concern in his eyes. "Yes, but that's not all. When I caught him, our eyes met, and I made a split-second decision. I revealed my true identity to him. I showed him that I'm an angel."
Tolkien's usually laid-back demeanor held a hint of worry. "Kyle, you know exactly we're not allowed to interfere with human life, let alone reveal ourselves to them. It's against the rules."
"I'm aware of the rules, okay? But Stan needed someone to believe in, someone to show him that there's hope. I couldn't just let him fall without doing something."
Kenny's expression turned thoughtful. "You formed a direct connection with him. That's not something we're supposed to do, buddy. There could be consequences, especially for AiTs like us."
When Craig chimed in, his voice was measured but stern. "Like archangel Sheila always says: Our purpose is to guide and inspire, not to intervene directly. You know damn well our actions have far-reaching effects."
"Guys, I understand your concerns, all of you. But I don't regret what I did. Stan needs a friend, and I'm willing to be that friend for him, even if it means breaking a few rules." Kyle's lips curled up in a resolute smile.
Tolkien sighed, his concern mingled with understanding. "We know your heart is in the right place, Kyle. Just promise us that you'll be careful. Your connection with that human boy comes with responsibilities."
Kyle nodded gratefully. "I promise, and thank you for being here for me."
As an answer, Kenny playfully ruffled Kyle's red locks. "Of course, bro. Just remember, we're here to support you, even if it means bending the rules a bit. We won’t tell anyone."
His friends were the best.