Chapter Text
A hand came up to pinch the skin between your eyebrows. You couldn’t believe he’d gotten infected with another virus… Looks like you would be working through the night again.
In theory, being a guardian angel sounds like it would be something pleasant: wearing white silk robes, living in the heavens, and having a bond with a human so strong that it was basically your whole life. But unfortunately, you happened to be paired with one of the most death-seeking individuals you’d ever heard of. Leon Kennedy, government agent and the reason why you worked longer hours than any of your colleagues. It wasn’t like he was ever purposely trying to end his life, yet he would throw himself into cesspool after cesspool of zombies, bioweapons, and monsters you couldn’t even properly describe, all while expecting to come home perfectly fine. You had no say in his actions, but god did you wish you could float down to earth and yell at him to retire.
You sucked in a deep breath through your clenched teeth and thought hard about how you were going to go about fixing things this time.
…
After a painstakingly long time spent conjuring plans so convoluted that you wanted to smash your head on your desk, you were finally able to figure out a course of action for Leon to get the antidote for the virus and get the hell out of there. You made sure the weapons were sitting where he could find them, that the other supplies were lying in wait inconspicuously. You wondered if he ever took a moment to consider how convenient it was that a gun usually showed up whenever he needed one…
And now that the nightmare was finally coming to a close, you had to drop by the office to grab some mandatory report forms. Most days you got to work from home, which was both a blessing and a curse, but today was one of those few where you were forced to show your tired face to everyone in your workplace.
“Hey, are you doing alright?”
You looked at your coworker with bloodshot eyes (the result of pulling two consecutive all-nighters to resolve that crisis) and you could see them flinch. Lucky for them, they happened to be blessed with the duty of looking after a regular person - the worst they ever had to deal with was a minor traffic accident. They would never know what it was like to circumvent an entire zombie apocalypse, and you were both jealous of and relieved for them.
You sighed. “Doing as alright as I can be after working overtime for… man, I can’t even remember the last time I had a regular day.”
“Have you considered requesting assistance? I know the boss would probably make an exception since you have a special case.”
You just shook your head. Of course you’d thought about it before - you wouldn’t do this much work unless you absolutely had to. But unfortunately, you were the only person who knew how to handle situations that were insane to this extent. If you left Leon alone for even a second, it would probably be enough time for him to accidentally stumble upon a whole other man-made abomination, and who knows what would even happen after that. And besides, you and him had come so far together - even if he had no idea about your presence, and though you’d never had a conversation with him before, you felt attached to him somehow. Well, that last part was natural considering you were his guardian angel and all.
“I’m fine doing it myself.” You finally replied with another heavy sigh. “I’ve been doing it alone this whole time, anyway.”
Your coworker just gave you a concerned look out of the corner of their eye before they turned away.
…
You were finally on your way home after deciding to stay and work the rest of the day in the office. Night had fallen and you were approaching sixty hours without sleep, but if you played your cards right, tomorrow could be your first day off in a while. At last, Leon was home from his mission and cleared from debriefs, so unless some freak accident conveniently decided to happen, he would probably be occupied with low-risk activities for at least a week.
The clouds on the path to your house were like stepping stones over the still lake that was the night sky. Your eyes were heavier than you’d ever felt them before, and it felt like there was the weight of two freight trains stacked atop each of your eyelids. You were nearly home… just a little further.
You weren’t aware of it when your eyes closed on their own, and you also weren’t aware that you lost your balance and tumbled off the path down to the world below.
…
When you awoke, there was a face staring down at you with a half concerned and half confused expression, though a pinch of what seemed to be irritation was somewhere in there as well.
Wait… you knew that face. You rubbed your eyes, and the motion made you realize that he was carrying you in his arms bridal style. How embarrassing for a first meeting…
“Leon?” You asked, and the concern on his face was instantly wiped away and replaced with suspicion.
“I was gonna ask you if you were alright, but how the hell do you know my name?”
You gulped. You weren’t familiar with protocol for a scenario like this… were you even allowed to tell him the truth? Although, even if you did, it was unlikely he would believe you anyway.
“It’s a long story.” You settled on that excuse for now. “But I’m alright. Did you… catch me?”
He somehow managed to find a way to look even more confused than before.
“Of course I caught you, what else does it look like? Not sure how you even managed to fall considering those balconies have tall railings, but you should really get it together and be a little more careful next time.”
You looked up past Leon’s face, and it looked like you were standing on the sidewalk in front of a cafe that was on the first floor of a hotel. If you’d fallen just a bit more to the right, you could’ve been a splat on the rooftop… but you decided not to think about that. Hey, maybe you even had a guardian angel of your own now.
“Uh…” You struggled to come up with something to say. You could lie and say you were staying in the hotel like he’d assumed, but if he offered to walk you inside it would be pretty awkward if you didn’t even have a keycard to get the elevator to work.
You froze as your situation was suddenly becoming a lot clearer. You had nowhere to go, no money, no clothes…?
Your eyes shot down to look at yourself to confirm that last part, and you could see that you were wearing a plain t-shirt and jeans. Huh.
Well, you didn’t have any money, and you also had no form of identification that would get you a job where you could earn money… And without money, you would have no food or place to live…
You knew all about how this world worked and a part of you always wondered what it might be like to experience life here, but damn did it make heaven seem like… well, heaven.
Leon was still holding you in his arms, which you only realized as he motioned to set you down. You stood in front of him and he was still staring at you like you were a freak of nature which, to be honest, you basically were.
“Should I call the cops or something?” He asked, and you furiously shook your head. They would ask to see your ID, and if you didn’t have any proof to show them that you were a real person… You’d rather not find out what would happen.
“Please don’t. Uh… could we talk?”
Leon pulled out a chair at the table where he must’ve been sitting before he caught you. He motioned for you to sit down, which you did, and he was still eyeing you with suspicion as he crossed his arms on the side across from you.
“Alright, you have some explaining to do. How do you know my name?”
You sucked in a breath. What could you even tell him?
“If I said something crazy, would you believe me?”
He let out a gruff laugh. “I’ve seen crazy on levels I doubt you have. Try me.”
You closed your eyes and pressed your lips shut for a moment of stillness before letting out the truth.
“I’m… your guardian angel. Or I was, at least.”
The worst part about what came after your confession was the silence - half of you was expecting him to laugh, but he didn’t even make a sound. He just stared at you like you were a maniac.
“Heh, funny. Now tell me the real reason.”
“I wish I was making this up.” Your face was starting to redden from pure embarrassment as you pressed your fingers to your eyebrows. Of course this wasn’t going to go well…
But suddenly, you got an idea.
“Hey, how about this - I’ll prove it to you. I know you just as well as I know myself - ask me something about your life.”
He still looked suspicious and even a little offended at the same time, but there was also a spark of curiosity fueled by doubt in his eyes. You hoped and prayed this might work.
“Oh yeah? Then tell me, what was the name of my first girlfriend?”
You told him and watched the light fade from his eyes. Before he could assume that your answer was some crazy fluke, you decided to back it up with a little more information.
“I remember - she was the one you left when you moved to start your job as a cop. That breakup was the reason why you drank that whole bottle of whiskey the night before everything happened.”
His eyebrow quirked. “Alright, this is getting creepy. How did you know that about the whiskey?”
As if the whiskey was the only secret revealed in your last sentence.
“Because I’m your guardian angel,” you stressed. “Wasn’t it the reason you didn’t end up like everyone else? And who do you think made that happen…?”
You raised your eyebrows into an expression that goaded him to think a little harder about it, to believe you, and you could see the gears turning in his mind. But then they disappeared, and he shook his head. Unease grew inside you until he spoke again.
“You know what… I’ve seen weirder things. I guess you’re telling the truth.”
You gawked. No way that worked.
“If you don’t believe me, I could go on…” You started, but he cut you off.
“Nah. Not here.”
His eyes flicked around the place, scanning for people who could’ve heard. It was a reminder that nearly his whole life was a government secret, and yours would become one, too, if they found you. You knew well of the experiments they were conducting, and became immediately aware of the fact that you would be a prime target if they found out the truth about where you came from.
Leon began to speak again, his tone calm.
“I guess I owe you for looking out for me for all these years. Want a coffee?”
You initially shook your head, but then thought a little harder about it…
“Actually, that sounds really nice.”
…
“So, do they wear t-shirts and jeans in heaven?”
You were walking around a park, coffee in hand as you mirrored Leon’s pace. For someone so athletic, he sure walked slow…
“Of course not. I had these really nice silk robes, but they must’ve transformed when I fell down here. Not exactly sure how the logistics work, but it’s gotta be some kind of safety measure for when idiots like me lose their balance.”
There were no people anywhere near you, but even if there were, the chance of them hearing your conversation and taking it seriously were extremely slim, so you didn't feel too much of a need to keep quiet.
“Interesting…” Leon took a sip from his paper to-go cup. “How’d you fall down here in the first place? Is it that easy to slip?”
“Funny story… It's mostly because of you. I had to pull two all-nighters to make sure you survived your last… work trip, and my body literally shut down on the way home from work. I fell off a cloud, I think.”
He laughed and you took a moment to reflect on how ridiculous your life was.
“So it’s your first time here, then?”
You nodded in response to his question. “Yeah. Kinda ironic… I spent my whole life with my eyes on you down here, it doesn’t even feel that unfamiliar now that I’m here myself.”
“Sounds a little creepy when you put it like that.”
“It’s just work,” you shrugged.
He hummed. “Must be a pretty high-stress job.”
“Oh, it is. Especially when the person you’re protecting has a habit of throwing themselves into danger on a regular basis. I would’ve loved to just do taxes or be a receptionist or something.”
You got another laugh out of him, which made you think that now might be the time to ask the question that was weighing on your mind.
“Say, I would hate to impose, but do you happen to have an extra couch or even some extra space on your floor? I really don’t have anywhere else to go. It could be a little way to pay back the one who’s been watching your back for so long…?” You pleaded, and he gave you a smug grin.
“I already bought you coffee. I think we’re even.”
Your heart dropped.
“Just kidding. Yeah, you can stay.”
…
On the walk back to his place, Leon snuck a glimpse at you. It was easy for him to believe you were his guardian angel, because damn, you sure looked like one. Even though you were wearing the simplest outfit known to man, you looked heavenly.
You caught him looking and shot back a glance of skepticism as he put his hand on his hip, a small smirk forming on his lips.
“Hey, I got a question for you. A serious one.”
“Hm?”
“Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?”
You just blinked at him, and his smirk had grown a little bigger.
“Is that a genuine question or a pickup line?”
He said nothing and just shrugged, and you gave him a playful shove.