Chapter Text
It was typical for Basil to be out in his garden on a Saturday morning, pulling up weeds and humming to himself. Sometimes, it was typical to discover small creatures such as bunnies nesting in the shelter of his plants, or feeding on his vegetable patch, which he never really minded. Sometimes, he would deliberately plant carrots for the bunnies, as much as Polly would shake her head and sigh fondly. He knew she wasn't too keen on the idea of food going to waste, but it wasn't a waste to him, and he was grateful his caretaker respected that.
It was not, however, typical to find a person in his garden.
Basil had just walked outside, shears in hand, ready to prune his roses in preparation for spring, when he discovered a trail across the grass where the dirt beneath had been disturbed, as if something had been dragged over it. Curiously, he followed the trail around the corner, jumping in shock at what he found.
There, right below his rose bushes, was a boy, face down in the dirt. His hair was unkempt and darkly coloured, and he wore funny clothes unlike anything Basil had seen before. But that wasn't what caught Basil's attention. His eyes instead rested on the boy's back, where a pair of white-feathered wings were sticking out, one bent unnaturally.
It had to be a costume, right? But how did this boy get here?
“A-Are you okay? U-Um…” Basil rushed over, finding that his hands were shaking. The boy didn't respond.
Cautiously, Basil rolled him onto his side, trying not to cause any more damage to the wings than there already was. He flinched a little as he noticed a small spatter of blood on the bent one.
The boy, who looked to be about his age, was cold to touch, but still breathing. It had been a cold morning, and though the sun was out now, Basil was sure it wouldn't have helped much in the shade where this boy was.
He started to doubt the boy was wearing a costume when he noticed something above his head, floating without anything visibly holding it up.
“Is that… Is that a halo?” He whispered to himself. “I should c-call the police, or ambulance…” But, he realised after he had muttered the words, if this boy truly did have wings and a halo… He couldn't imagine his fate. It might do more harm than good to turn him in to the authorities.
“Please, wake up… Y-You can't stay here like this, it might not be safe…” Basil tried to shake the half-human creature awake - he was hesitant to believe it was an angel or anything of the sort - to no avail.
Basil bit his lip. Grandma was bed-ridden right now, and Polly had left to get groceries earlier.
Without a second thought, knowing Polly's car could turn the corner and pull into the driveway any second, Basil scooped the unconscious winged boy up in his arms, being careful not to touch his wings, and brought him inside. The boy was lighter than Basil expected, and Basil was used to heavy lifting, so it wasn't a struggle. He carried bags of potting mix home all the time, back before Polly was around to offer him lifts.
Basil carried the boy into his bedroom, quickly nudging the door shut with his hip. He grimaced at the amount of soil on the boy's body and clothes, but tried to ignore the thought as he carefully placed the boy on his bed. He could always wash his sheets, but he might not get another chance to help this boy. He looked to be in bad condition, from the lack of consciousness and the broken wing, though Basil took note of the fact that the rest of his body seemed to be unscathed.
Quietly, as to not wake his grandmother, Basil tiptoed to the bathroom, where he retrieved a bucket and a washcloth. It wasn't realistic to sneak the boy into the bathroom and wash him, so a cloth and some warm water would have to do for now. As he left, he pulled a towel from the rack. He paused when he reached his bedroom door, half expecting to open it and find nobody there, for it to all have been some strange dream. But alas, as he entered, the boy hadn't moved an inch from where Basil left him.
Basil sucked in a breath as he carried the bucket with the washcloth over to his bed, folding the towel and putting it by his bedside afterwards. The boy didn't stir as Basil wrung the water from the cloth, then gently wiped the dirt from the boy’s face. There was a lot, and Basil was surprised to see how pale the boy was beneath it. It didn't take too long for his face to be completely clean, though Basil decided this boy would have to handle washing his hair by himself when we woke up… Which Basil sincerely hoped he would.
He hesitated, seeing the dirt on the boy's hands and clothes. Should he…? Don’t be silly, Basil, he told himself. The clothes were torn and filthy. There was no way the boy would be comfortable in them. He also noticed while carrying the boy that they felt rather moist, which wouldn't do any good. He didn't want the boy to catch a cold on top of his injuries.
He chewed at the inside of his cheek before carefully unbuttoning the boy's… He wasn't sure what to call his clothing. It wasn't exactly a dress, but something like an intricate and long shirt perhaps? Once all the buttons were loose, he slid the article of clothing off the boy's arms and found that there were some buttons at the back, making it easier to avoid touching the boy's wings. When the shirt was off, it became clear to Basil that this boy was definitely not a human. The wings had to be real. They came straight from his bare back. Trying not to overthink that, Basil kept the boy on his side and wetted the cloth once more in the warm water, before doing his best to clean his back, arms and chest.
He decided to leave the rest up to the boy when he woke. For now, he pulled his blanket over the sleeping angel and stood back.
Basil was in the bathroom replacing the muddy water when he heard a crash from his bedroom. He jumped, dashing out and back to his room in time to find the boy slumped on the floor holding his head. The boy looked up at him with an apprehensive glare, but said nothing.
“O-Oh, please be careful!” He rushed over, gently reaching for the boy's arm. “You're hurt… Please let me help you up.”
“Unhand me,” The boy demanded, and Basil quickly let go. “Who do you work for? You're… A mortal.”
“Um… Yes.” Basil nodded slowly. “I don't- I'm unemployed…?”
The boy narrowed his eyes.
“You… I don't kn-know what happened, but I found you in my garden. You were in a terrible state, and I couldn't just l-leave you there, so…”
Finally, the boy's expression loosened a little. He groaned.
“W-Well… Here is your, um…” He handed the angel his clothing. “It looks a little… I could lend you some of my clothes, although we would have to figure something out for your wings…”
The angel took what he was handed and glanced down at it, before meeting Basil's eyes. “You're telling the truth, mortal?”
“Y-Yes! I don't really know what's going on, but… All I did was bring you inside and try to clean off some of the dirt. And my name i-is Basil.”
“Basil.” The boy repeated softly. He spoke as if he had never spoken to anyone before.
“Um… I'm sorry for scaring you. I just want to help. Can I ask your name?”
The angel hesitated. “...Sunny.” He didn't give Basil a chance to respond before standing up and heading straight for the door as if Basil weren't even there.
“Wait! Y-You can't go out there… Your wings… You… They might hurt you or d-do something to you…”
Sunny hesitated, his expression unchanging. He didn't take any more steps forward, but Basil still continued.
“People don't… don't see people with wings every day.”
“I'm not a ‘people’. I'm a celestial being.” Sunny corrected shortly.
“... So, like- like an angel?”
He gave a curt nod. “I will not be seen by anyone. Your ability to see me is… an oddity.”
“D-Do people not usually see you?” Basil asked, to which Sunny shook his head.
“... You are not to tell anyone what you saw today. Though, I doubt anyone would believe you if you did.”
Basil looked at his feet. “Okay… It was nice to meet you, Sunny. I-I’ll be praying for you. I hope your injuries aren't too bad…”
Sunny didn't respond. Basil stepped aside, and Sunny took his leave.
His timing, however, was unfortunate. As the angel approached the front door, it swung open.
Polly dropped her groceries (and her jaw) in disbelief.