Chapter Text
As the first ray of sun breaks through, Kris wakes up in his bed. It’s always strange, no matter how many times he does it, waking up in a bed that both is and isn’t his, in a body that he controls but one that’s only there as a tool, one that oftentimes doesn’t feel like it even belongs to him.
He stretches before getting up, getting used to the sensation of being corporal, of things hurting and feeling uncomfortable, of blood rushing through him and of hair falling into his face.
He spends some time getting used to the feeling before he approaches the tiny table in the living room, knowing there will be an envelope waiting for him there; he wouldn’t have woken up in a body if there wasn’t going to be one.
Sure enough, a white envelope containing a single piece of paper is laid out on an otherwise empty table, and as he opens it, the images start pouring into his head.
Damon Baker, 31
Addiction
It’s all the envelope says, but it’s enough. The endless database in his celestial mind helps him find the right file, and he immediately knows exactly which town he woke up in and where he’s likely to run into the man. He can see Damon’s entire life, everything that led him to where he is now; Kris can tell without an ounce of doubt he’s a good, kind person who let unfortunate circumstances of his life lead him astray. Only he kept fighting his demons, his-
Demons.
The word makes Kris stop and shiver, another sensation he still hasn’t quite gotten used to, not after several visits to the Earth, not quite yet. Of course they’re going to send someone, too, he thinks; the bifurcation he sees in Damon’s life, one that has the potential of happening at any point, makes it clear he’s going to do amazing things for humanity if he doesn’t fall, doesn’t go back, if demons don’t get to him first.
If they do, if Kris can’t stop whoever they decide to send to corrupt him, humanity will slip further; nothing too noticeable for a regular person, but something which will, on a greater scheme across a lot more decades, inevitably put another nail into humanity’s coffin.
They were all like that, the people Kris was assigned to protect and keep on the right path: vulnerable but powerful and talented, capable of much more than they themselves were aware, having no idea the future of humanity rested on their shoulders.
He wasn’t exactly new at this, having saved several humans before, giving humanity another chance each time; still, there were angels with dozens, even hundreds of saved souls behind them, so Kris’ count wasn’t all that impressive.
In fact, it still made him somewhat of a novice in the game. Still, he hasn’t lost a single soul yet, and he wasn’t planning on losing Damon, either.