Chapter Text
When Jesper was sent to Earth - he was terrified.
Not that he hadn’t been there before, he had years of experience from his guardian angel position a couple of decades back, but this was different. He was now sent there as punishment, sort of. A couple of bad decisions, a couple of questionable decisions, and without noticing he started leaning a bit more toward the dark side than the higher-ups would like.
To be fair, in his own opinion, he tripped, unintentionally and uncontrollably falling to the darkside. It was all an accident. Not anyone’s fault. Certainly not his own.
Meeting a demon who was first his lover for a brief moment, and now his best friend. Then, dipping his fingers into hell’s shady business and getting a bit too addicted to the feel of winning and losing interchangeably in one of the lower circles of hell gambling with human souls, to the point of losing his status. And, just like that, one day he found himself face first on the hot stones that paved the hellish abyss, bathing in shadows before his dear friend from Heaven worked up the courage to dive down and pull him back to the surface.
He didn’t even have time to think about his options for escape before he was set before the sacred jury and took on the punishment that he didn’t even fully agree to. But it was for the better, really. Someone had to stop his all too fast descent into darkness and if it was to be out of his hands to decide on it - so be it. He’d probably have made a bad decision when asked anyway. So, Jesper bowed his head down and, without anything more than asking for a guide on how to do the job, picked up the new title and came back among humans to spread misery.
That’s what he thought at least, at first.
Now, a few months in, he already knew the job wasn’t so bad. People depicted angels of death in books as those dark, horrifying creatures, faceless, clothed in black robes with rotting bodies, bony fingers that clutched your throat to squeeze the breath out, or chapped lips that with one kiss could pull your soul right out of your body.
Well, what a bunch of fairy tales - Jesper thought distantly.
Not that humans were right about a lot of things concerning Heaven and Hell but that was a whole new level of misinterpretation even for them. He supposed it made sense, no one who met a real reaper lived to tell the tale - it’d be ironic, wouldn’t it? - but still, it led even him to bitter disappointment, because angels believed similar stories. He wasn’t given any additional powers that would help with the soul collection process, his skin didn’t pale, his breath didn’t stink, and he wasn’t given a brand-new wardrobe devoid of color and joy. In fact, he was still himself, dare to say even cooler than before with a title that made him feared all around. He blamed it on rumors, really, and the fact Death’s department was so isolated from all of the others. He realized early on that he had never seen an angel of death himself before he became one, and it was probably why he believed the whole lifeless monster story.
If he was to be honest he had more life in him now than ever before. The first rule of his profession was to easily blend in with the humans, even if the only person that could see him was the one about to die, it made sense, it was far easier to pass with a familiar face leading you to the other side and even more so when that face happened to be gorgeous, if he could say so himself. He also quickly discarded his white and beige angel robes, striving for a more down-to-earth look that happened to be a lot of colors mixed together into something that shouldn’t make sense but somehow did. Was it so bad if the death that came for you happened to look stylish? He, himself, didn’t think so. The last thing was the guns. He felt ridiculous wearing them at first, but soon enough they became his greatest treasure. As much as he liked waving his hands around while using his celestial powers during an attack it was much easier to direct it through an object than through a thought, especially with his brain being a complete tangled mess of those at all times. And if it made him look just a little more intimidating and added to the whole picture, who was he to be blamed?
They told him to pick a weapon - so he did.
Nevertheless - his job was taking lives, obviously, collecting souls to be exact. He had no say to who could stay and who had to go, there was just a list, long, never-ending at first glance and changing every day. He served Mother Death with everything he had and as much as it didn’t sound positive in the slightest - most of the time it wasn’t all that bad.
The moment of collection wasn’t as dramatic as everyone made it out to be, often sad if anything. “A kiss of death” they called it and illustrated so thoroughly in nightmarish depictions whether it be paintings, stories, or reenactments. In truth it could be any kiss, whether Jesper kissed an old lady’s hand or a child’s forehead, it counted all the same. Sometimes it didn’t have to be a kiss at all, sometimes a touch was enough, a brush of his fingers against someone’s cheek, a stroke to the hair, a gentle push on the back. Sometimes it made him think he was made of Death, that it coursed through his entire being and in his golden veins woven with grace, that if he dared to get close to another angel they would be in danger all the same, but luckily enough that theory was quickly proven untrue. At least in terms of touch, with kisses, he never dared to find out.
And was there any point? A few more months and he’d be free of this burden - he thought. A few more months and I will be me again, it’s not an eternity-long sentence, it’s penance - he assured himself while every day stretched for impossibly long. He wasn’t a being of routine so the practice was rubbing off on him already. Telling himself it would soon end was the only way he could keep himself from going mad.
Til one day, someone came crashing through the roof of his perfectly built golden prison offering hope of escape without even knowing it.
Jesper walked through the busy street with just a bit of a hurry in his step, humans passing him without even knowing it as if the wind pushed them gently to the side or they swayed with too much alcohol coursing through their veins. The cobblestones were wet with the morning rain that stopped not long ago after plaguing Ketterdam for days and the thickness of air didn’t make it easy to breathe on any of the citizens. It was still better than the usual stench of the Barrel - Jesper thought, wrinkling his nose just a little bit in disgust. He didn’t feel or smell things the same way humans did, but somehow it was unbearable even for him.
Soon enough he found himself at the opening of a narrow, dirty alley, which no doubt most people would avoid for its sinister look, signs of blood splattered on the walls that never seemed to wash off, and plenty of waste littering the ground. Among it all sat a boy, with his legs pressed close to his chest, his head leaning with its full weight on his knees. He was wet. There was blood on his coat and on his hands but long dried now. Jesper tried not to think of the implication of this view. He approached, slowly, then being close enough knelt down next to the small human. The boy lifted his head just enough to see the person before him, then his eyes opened with effort. They were deep, hazel brown with big shadows under them. His cheeks were tear-stained, and his lips chapped, his breathing shallow.
Jesper felt fondness course through him and an all too familiar pang of pain as he smiled gently at him.
“Hello, Leonid” he said softly, brushing a few hairs away from his eyes so the kid could see better “Would you like to come with me?”
Despite the exhaustion, the child frowned. Jesper had no time nor the heart to explain it all, so, with another touch to the boy’s brow he let his power slip through and speak of the meaning of the question for him, showing the faces the boy needed to see before going, making him hear all of the right voices as a guide. The boy smiled with effort, a shadow of bliss crossing his features.
Jesper smiled a bit wider “Your parents are waiting for you” he said and as the boy nodded, Jesper leaned in, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.
It dropped, right with his eyes, and as Jesper rose to his feet he watched a stream of golden light splay out of the small body, like smoke or rays of sun coursing through a window. He couldn’t take it with him, deep down he was still too good for that, so instead of tucking the soul away in his coat pocket he reached a hand out and gently pushed the matter upwards, leading it towards the sky. It disappeared as if it was never there, and Jesper pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper, before plucking a feather out of thin air, with a grimace and crossing the name off the list. He was all too familiar with the process to stop and ponder it in his head.
Without a second thought, Jesper turned to walk away but was swiftly stopped dead in his tracks by a human, standing right at the entrance of an alley and burning their eyes into him. At first, he panicked over the fact there was someone around who could see him. Had he been behind schedule? Did he break protocol somehow? He couldn’t picture the face staring back at him belonging to someone on the list and he knew them all by heart. Dropping the gaze of endless blue eyes that stared back into his own he noticed a few messy white feathers sticking out from behind the human’s back.
And oh! It wasn’t a human! It was an angel!
Their wings curled neatly against their small frame, their hair, tangled and freely flying around in curls of reddish gold, pushed and pulled by the wind. Jesper’s mouth fell agape, the angel was gorgeous. They looked like a cherub but infinitely prettier, with pale skin that could bruise if you breathed on it too hard and a rosy blush to the cheeks.
Saints! - he thought, distantly, feeling the breath being all but punched out of his lungs - Where have you been this whole time?
“Hello there” he managed to choke out, finally, after a way too long pause for it to be normal. But at the same time shouldn’t the angel speak first? They were the intruder here, Jesper was just doing his job.
The angel swallowed, before opening their mouth, their lips were trembling.
“Hi” was all that came out, small and shy.
It would be quite amusing if Jesper couldn’t see the halo glowing big and bright over their head, almost threatening to whoever approached. He wondered if he was staring a it too hard. He missed his own halo, too bad he gambled it away.
“You are?” he finally asked, a bit more casually to ease the air around them growing with tension.
That didn’t seem to soothe the angel, who not only held their distance but also stood like a frozen figure, all muscles tense, wings still tight and unmoving. Jesper’s own wings were hidden in another plane but even then they always swayed easily in the wind, stretched and comfortable when he wasn’t anticipating an attack. It must’ve been uncomfortable to have them all squished like this - he thought.
The angel released the answer along with a shaky breath, which made it barely audible “W-Wylan?”
Are you asking me or yourself? - Jesper thought and held back a laugh. The being was scared enough as is, no need to additionally startle them. Jesper was an angel of death, after all, no suprise they were so scared of him and visibly uncomfortable in his presence. Everybody was and they hadn’t even met him.
Once I’m done with the job I have to work on fixing those rumours because it’s clearly getting ridiculous.
“Well, Wylan, what do I owe the pleasure?” he asked, offering a smile, small, but reassuring, a bit of humor in his voice as he spoke.
Come on, I won’t bite you. There’s protocol.
“I- Are you Jesper by any chance?” the angel stuttered, taking an unsure step forward, if they were still scared their face didn’t give it away. What did was the tremble in their voice. But Jesper didn’t mind. It was still a step closer to something akin to a normal conversation.
Jesper grinned at the question. Did his reputation precede him? Or did someone send Wylan with something specific just for him? He preferred the first option, but he knew a few months weren’t enough to actually build something like that. He was working towards it though, to be recognized as someone outstanding in his field by the end of the mission just so they’d leave him be for doing splendid work and he could come back to his old life.
“I believe I am” he responded, with a drop of pride “What can I help you with, love? Aren’t you-”
“I-I was sent by Gabriel?” Wylan answered right away this time, then cleared their throat as if realizing their position didn’t really put them in any danger. Maybe Jesper was doing a good enough job, of changing the mood. “I’m a new recruit, you’re supposed to teach me” they explained at last.
Jesper’s face fell, a line appearing between his brows as he frowned, in confusion. Well, that certainly wasn’t on his schedule. Since when was he even fit to teach a recruit? He himself was new to all of this. Were they already searching for a replacement? Was he getting his freedom back so quickly? Hope filled him, solid and warm, but dissipated in a second because he knew he didn’t know how to teach Wylan. Why was this suddenly dropped on his head? Maybe it was part of his punishment, after all, maybe it was another step of it to make the whole process last longer, maybe he’d be teaching people how to spread death and misery as he himself became more and more miserable as time went on?
He shook out of those thoughts. There was no time to ponder. In truth, there was no time at all. And he was still confused and there was still an angel just as confused standing before him.
“Teach you…?” Jesper managed when the impulse reached his brain and settled there for good waking a sudden million questions to life “They could’ve at least given me a note” he sputtered out, fiddling with a piece of paper still in his hand “For Almighty’s sake, don’t I have enough work…” he mumbled, letting the roll slip through his fingers and tumble to the floor by his and Wylan’s feet, unraveling far out of the alley where they couldn’t see it anymore “Well, maybe this can wait til tomorrow… this another week…” he muttered, making some notes on the list “I suppose I can squeeze you in” he sighed at last, then with a shake of his hand the list rolled back into his hand and he hid it in his coat pocket.
Before Wylan could answer or in any way comment Jesper was already passing them on his way out of the alley and towards the busy town “Come along” he said “Uh- watch and learn, I guess? I’ve never really done this before” he admitted, making his way through the crowd, he was already feeling the tingling in the tips of his fingers that urged him to move, run, do, anything to keep him in motion.
Wylan looked around as if taking in the situation and composing themselves. They quickly ran to catch up, then followed along, glancing sideways at Jesper, their lips parted and their face lost and shaken with the quick progression of events. Jesper fought the urge to reach over and close that mouth with a simple gesture. It wasn't an everyday thing to be meeting an angel of death and finding out he's just another whoever in Heaven but it couldn't be all that surprising, could it?
Or maybe it wasn’t about that, maybe it was the change of environment, could this be Wylan’s first visit to Earth? They clearly knew how to find him, how to move through town as the two of them walked so it was unlikely, but Wylan still seemed to be holding back a million words right at the back of their tongue, forcing themselves not to voice them for some reason. The unease and stress were radiating off of them in waves so strong they reached Jesper and he couldn’t stand it. His own chaos was troublesome enough.
“I see you’re burning with questions” he let the words escape his lips “Go on, ask away” he urged, making his way through the crowd to the University District, If he wasn’t behind schedule before it was definitely close to it now. Not that anyone would care enough to come down and check on him or scold him for it - they never did, he tested that before going the whole day without doing anything - but he really wanted to be done earlier than usual, he had arrangements.
But he wasn’t going to fly anywhere, too afraid he’d lose the novice in the process.
“Shouldn’t you be carrying around a scythe?” he heard, the voice no longer wavering but still quiet as if the permission for asking questions wasn’t enough to make the angel believe they could.
Jesper nearly laughed though, because that was exactly what he asked on his first day and someone laughed back at him in response. He wouldn’t be as impolite, It wasn’t a wrong question, it was still coming from the same crooked misconception all angels had because no one cared to explain. The Higher-Ups didn’t care to explain many things apparently because the answer Wylan were looking for should come before he was sent down here.
“Didn’t they even brief you on this before they sent you down?” Jesper asked, incredulously, noticing Wylan’s confused face out the corner of his eye. They were probably asking themselves if they should have been told things too “Well, I’m not Death, am I? I’m a lower case angel of death, the scythe is trademarked for the upper floor fellows” Jesper explained to put the recruit out of their misery “Besides, don’t these babies look gorgeous?” he grinned, gesturing to his revolvers.
For some reason that seemed to confuse Wylan even further as he drew his brows for a brief moment before they shot back up in realization.
“So you’re a reaper, not a-”
“Call me whatever you like, Darling, but I prefer Jes for short” Jesper answered with a hint of a smile as he rounded a fountain.
Not that he wasn’t disappointed Wylan didn’t say his revolvers were indeed gorgeous.
The angel by his side flushed, slowing down in their step, their cheeks gaining even more color than before. What was that? Too intimate? Too straightforward? Saints, he could just- Wait. Was Jesper even allowed to flirt with a recruit? Wylan were technically his subordinate. Could there be any protocol for that?
Not that Jesper didn’t already break it but the matter was still interesting to think about.
Jesper didn’t care about divisions in Heaven, Hell, or anywhere else for that matter but he knew the Old Guard definitely did. Well, their problem - he thought just once more looking back at the angel, tagging along, still flustered and trying to deal with it.
Jesper felt giddy at the thought, were they never flirted with before? then once again came the question: Where have you been?
He shook his head to focus again. Despite this pleasant game there was still work at hand and he knew it, he vibrated with it, and he still had so much to do. He put a gentle hand to Wylan’s chest as the angel nearly crashed into him, his eyes cast downward and flinched at the contact as if it would burn. Ah, so that rumor was also still in play. Calm down, I don’t kill by touch, not you anyway he wanted to say with the most exasperated tone known to man, but stopped himself as the angel’s wide eyes jumped to his own, overwhelmed with realization and the magnitude of it. Jesper merely smiled. Surprise - he thought and as Wylan took in a deep breath, opening his mouth to say something, Jesper raised a finger to his lips, shushing them before they did.
“Watch and learn” he said, stepping back and walking over to the elder lady sleeping on one of the benches near the fountain.
She looked calm and peaceful, Jesper was pleased with the sight, as much as some of the Higher-Ups thought otherwise, he didn’t enjoy watching people in pain. He approached, quietly, then without even waking the woman up, leaned in and pressed a feather-light kiss to her temple.
“Rest now” he whispered, leaning away, watching her soul pour out of her body. It was so vibrant it made his heart sing with joy. She must have had a good life.
He reached out and just like with the boy from before urged her soul up and to the Heavens before taking out the before mentioned list of names and crossing out the one at the very top. He turned to Wylan then, standing there, watching almost in… awe? Jesper could swear they were still staring at his hands as if they couldn’t believe the touch from before was real. Jesper couldn’t blame them for not being able to comprehend it, it wasn’t easy to just jump head first into this world and take in everything. Their brain wasn’t a blank page Jesper could dump words onto, it was a whole book that Jesper was merely putting annotations into, squeezing them in between different lines or on the margins. It was fine, they were alike in a way, Jesper was like that before as well.
“Jesper-” Wylan started.
“Jes” he immediately corrected, wanting to force the more personal, intimate ground, or at least a more casual one. He wasn’t a Saint, not even an Archangel, his name wasn’t blasphemy if said wrong.
“That’s not really appropriate” Wylan countered “Why are you here anyway? I heard no one willingly chooses this job”
Jesper stopped another witty remark about something more inappropriate he wanted Wylan to call him dropping from his lips, too surprised with Wylan’s question not touching on the nature of the job but Jesper himself. So he was interested after all!
Too bad Jesper’s story wasn’t an interesting one.
“Oh, very long story” Jesper waved a hand around, dismissively “In short: was a guardian angel, but my human died, then had an affair with a demon. Started hanging around the bad guys, and lost my halo on a bet. Overall-” he stopped himself from rambling further. He didn’t want to overwhelm his new friend with information and he didn’t think it was in any way crucial knowledge he wanted to pass on “A lot of dealing with demons but I apologized to the upper floor nicely enough and they put me in grey area. Time out for bad angels” he grinned at last “You?”
Wylan’s eyes were wide enough to drink from, mouth agape, once again. They didn’t even know an angel could do so much and get away with it. How was Jesper still around?
Jesper held back a laugh, seeing the horrified expression. Maybe he did overwhelm them after all. Well, at least he didn’t mean it! He could’ve just said something like “they made me”. Why did he always have to be so extra? Could he still take that back? That was complicated as well, most angels thought their kind couldn’t lie, that it was impossible to do that which stopped many from developing a sense of humor or any sarcasm-related skills, if he told Wylan now it was a lie and a joke Jesper feared they might overheat and pass out. So he stood his ground and waited.
Wylan blinked, a quiet scoff leaving their mouth before their tongue caught up to the words and the question they were asked.
“Uh, I got a promotion” Wylan stuttered out, eventually.
Jesper didn’t hold back the laugh this time, he couldn’t, although it was more from shock than amusement. Is that what they told them?
“Promotion to this? I’d say that’s a demotion, Angel” he quipped, stunned out of his mind by the idea someone might call this job that of all things.
Wylan flustered, their cheeks heating for a second time that day, their eyes escaping Jesper’s be it shyness or embarrassment due to Jesper’s reaction. Jesper found it incredibly endearing. Did they care all that much about what Jesper had to say despite all of the stupid things he already did? Or was it because of the obvious pet name? If that was the case, Wylan didn’t let it come across with their next answer.
“They, uh, they said there’s a shortage of angels here”
Jesper blinked. Every next reason Wylan gave him for being here was more ridiculous than the last one, now he started wondering whether the angel before him were telling the truth. The tingling sensation came back to him, they didn’t have time. Jesper passed Wylan and started walking again towards their next target, this time Wylan caught up quickly enough, his face still bright red but more open and easy now. Jesper was glad his witty remarks broke the ice at least a little bit.
“Well, that makes sense, with how much we’re hunted these days” he answered before he could stop himself, forgetting for a second the angel by his side might not know half of what was happening outside of Heaven these days.
Again, where the hell have they been?
Wylan gasped behind him, slowing down.
“Hunted?” they echoed and Jesper glanced to his side to answer, but quickly realized he had to speak over his shoulder because Wylan were falling behind.
“Well not all of us, some just switch sides after this” he said casually, picking up the pace even more, well, it was true after all. He wanted to switch sides.
Wylan didn’t follow and Jesper realized after a couple of steps he had to stop as well and turn to him. Did he say too much? Did he go too far? Judging by the angel’s blank expression and the gleam of concern in their eyes he might have. Well, he was supposed to teach Wylan, technically this was vital knowledge if they were to become another angel of death and survive out there on their own. It wasn’t all love and rainbows down on Earth as much as some believed. It could be brutal too. Jesper was only surprised nobody told them that before. Was the transfer rushed? Were Wylan never a guardian angel before? Jesper thought every angel had to be at least once in a lifetime and that would require them to spend time on Earth for long enough to gain all of this knowledge. He wanted to ask what garrison Wylan came from. It would explain a lot, but they didn’t have time. He had to keep things brief and simple, the two of them could talk properly after he was done with his job.
He stepped forward “But the revolvers?” he gestured to his pearl-handled weapons “Well they’re not just an accessory, they’re for self-defense too” he explained, with an unintentional grain of pride in his voice.
He believed he’d wear them even if he didn’t need them, he’d grown fond of the weapons, it was hard to believe they were just hunks of metal to everybody else. Earthly, at that, which many would consider disgusting or inferior to Heaven-made weapons. He didn’t really care what Heaven deemed inferior anymore.
Inej worried about that.
“Self-defense from what?” Wylan’s voice came more curious this time and Jesper couldn’t help but like the change of attitude. Maybe they weren’t just a bundle of nerves after all. Maybe, they were just clueless for now and that fueled the fear. Maybe once they heard everything they’d even be intrigued, drawn to all of this. Or maybe they’d run screaming.
“Demons, most of the time” Jesper answered, Kaz’s smiling face appearing in his mind “Witches sometimes, collectors, rarely, but they happen” he continued on, trying to shake off the many things Kaz’s image brought right along into his head. He couldn’t afford to be distracted any further that moment “You should have a weapon too” he said at last.
Wylan looked away, suddenly a bit sheepish, but the smile tugging at the corners of their lips couldn’t go unnoticed. “I do” they admitted quietly.
Now, Jesper was intrigued. Which didn’t stop him from teasing.
“Charm isn’t a weapon” he accused and if Wylan could get any redder they certainly did, pulling at the sleeves of their cloud-white shirt from the softest silk Heaven could possibly have, Jesper only now noticed it was a tad too big on the angel. The beige cloak over their shoulders seemed too big too, it didn’t help making Wylan any less adorable. And they said they had a weapon? Saints help Jesper. Heaven must have been desperate. The smile was now definitely on Wylan’s mouth as much as they tried fighting it and Jesper just couldn’t help himself “A killer smile isn’t a weapon either” he quipped “Despite the name”
Wylan ducked their head, physically hiding from the compliment as if it was possible to make them invisible just because they didn’t hold eye contact.
Jesper couldn’t believe they were real.
He bit his lip, taking in the sight. He wasn’t strong-willed enough for this, he wasn’t really taught how to resist temptation, which was probably why he so easily fell for them each and every time. It took everything in him not to cross the distance between them and kiss Wylan til they swayed off their feet and were absolutely breathless. Jesper still didn’t know if his lips didn’t kill. He was about to say that the silence was killing him, when Wylan spoke up, changing the subject, avoiding everything Jesper tried to slip across not so subtly anymore.
“You ever met one?”
Jesper tilted his head to the side, his mouth opening on an answer “Well…” he started.
How truthful did he want to be? How much more of this could Wylan take before running away from him and asking to be sent to someone else to be taught?
“I know my fair share of demons. There’s one that particularly likes to ruffle my feathers” he admitted, after a moment, shamelessly. Kaz’s face came up again but he swiftly ignored it with all the self-control he had left, continuing “Only know one witch, she’s not that bad. Her werewolf boyfriend though” Jesper scoffed “He’s a piece of work”
Wylan nodded slowly, soaking up the information, now a pure look of fascination on their face. The flush was slowly leaving their cheeks and Jesper missed it already, he strived to bring it back. If they only had time…
“Never met any collectors” he said, turning away and starting to walk again.
This time, Wylan followed immediately, for which Jesper was eternally grateful, He’d answer as many questions as the angel liked as long as the both of them kept walking and crossing names off the list.
“Who are the collectors?” Wylan asked then, breaking the silence after a minute.
Jesper’s face clouded with something darker than before and he had a hard time shaking it off. He sort of hoped Wylan wouldn’t ask, but he said it first so he was to blame for having to explain now. They most likely knew about witches and werewolves, but not about this. Whatever he was about to say sounded in his head already like a human scare story that they told children during bedtime so they would be well-behaved. But, honestly, it kind of was. The collectors were scary people. If one could even call them that - some said they weren’t humans but creatures born of something dark beyond Heaven and Hell. Not that Jesper would know, he was never in Purgatory, nobody he knew was. The point still stood.
He cleared his throat “They’re humans, most likely, they hunt angels like us for our supernatural qualities. Some of them are after wings” he said carefully and Wylan’s eyes were glued to him, enchanted “Reapers’ wings have the power to alter the Death list as you’ve seen me do. Humans like them strive for that power. It’s the minority, though, most of them just want to keep us as trophies for the feeling of superiority over a higher power killing an angel gives them” he said with disgust.
Wylan didn’t answer to that, they just swallowed and kept walking, looking ahead.
Jesper hated himself for ruining the mood, but he couldn’t lie to Wylan about this of all things. If they were to take up the job and immerse themselves into it, it was the most basic danger waiting behind the door. Jesper said he never met a collector - and he wasn’t entirely lying - he never met a collector but he’d seen one and that was enough of a scare for eternity. He’d seen someone being taken and he never ran faster from anything in his life. To this day he sometimes looked over his shoulder to make sure he wasn’t being followed. So far he was lucky, but he knew he had to be prepared even if it was to never come.
Their way to another target passed in silence and Jesper hated it with a passion, he always hated silences, he endlessly rambled to fill those, sometimes even talking to himself when he was frustrated, but here he wasn’t exactly given the opportunity. He didn’t want to weird Wylan out more than they already were, so he turned to humming something, which the angel didn’t seem to mind.
Wylan watched every process of collection with undivided attention as if memorizing the details. They couldn’t yet try it themselves, but observing was already a lot of help, and more than Jesper was given in his time.
It was after their third soul that Jesper couldn’t really take it anymore. His body craved a conversation, begged for small talk at least, something, anything to fill the space between him and the angel, so he slowed down to a pleasant walk and finally let himself burst.
“So, riddle me this” he started off, drawing Wylan’s full attention “You look like a cherub, you sound like a cherub, you more than anything act like a cherub, yet you told me you have a weapon and I know for a fact cherubs don’t carry weapons, because they’re infinitely peaceful creatures and much prefer to act as mediators” he rambled like his life depended on it, his hands flowing without any control, gesticulating wildly. He finally felt some of the pent-up energy leave him “So either they gave you one before you came here and you were pointlessly making me explain why I carry my guns or… you’re a very unhinged cherub”
Wylan listened, bewildered, for a long moment, before they chuckled at the last words, flushing bright and Jesper’s brain filled with static noise as he sharply turned his head to look towards the source of the sound. It was the most beautiful laugh he’d ever heard. Sweet as honey, dripping all over his skin, soaking into his bones, and shaking him down to his core. It felt as if the earth moved under him.
He barely registered Wylan’s answer.
“I’m not a cherub” they said, their eyes cast downward, all bashful, twisting their fingers to the point of Jesper feeling obliged to look at them.
That was when he saw all of the tiny lines littering their skin.
“Hold on” Jesper said, quickly, stopping, then as gently as he could, grabbed Wylan’s right wrist, halting the angel to a stop as well. He turned his hand, palm up, revealing the spirals of ink he’d just noticed to be a little bow with an arrow right down the middle. It looked like a human tattoo, but in Heaven, it was a mark. “You’re a cupid” he said, matter of factly.
Wylan flushed again, as if that was a compliment too. Technically it was, being a cupid was no minor thing. They were the most beautiful creatures ever created. Making them all the more desired.
“I was, for quite some time” they admitted, letting Jesper’s fingers brush along the lines of the mark, no longer flinching, no longer scared.
As if a mask, or at least a veil, dropped from their face.
Jesper wondered if the mark turned gold in the sun as the rumors said, but Ketterdam was too cloudy to check that theory. He stared at it nonetheless, as if it could shift or gleam any moment while he looked away and he’d never witness it again. He didn’t remember ever being that still before. It took him a minute to wake from the trance. Still holding Wylan’s hand, he raised his head, his eyes meeting Wylan’s that searched for his at the same time. The secondtheir gazes crossed, he was pinned in place.
A pause.
“And they just sent you here?” Jesper asked, full of disbelief.
To his knowledge cupids were basically untouchable, Heaven protected them dearly as their most valuable treasure. They were sent to Earth in specific instances, to do their jobs and come back to the safety of the sacred plane not to risk any harm coming their way, unlike ordinary angels who were allowed to freely explore all of the planes for extended amounts of time. This explained so much about Wylan, about their questions, interests, and wanderlust. What it didn’t explain was how the hell Wylan found themselves outside without any protection. And on Heaven’s orders? To become a reaper? Something was utterly out of place here and Jesper couldn’t even begin to comprehend it.
“Truthfully…” Wylan started and up close Jesper couldn’t help but glance at the perfectly shaped lips as they moved with the words. Wylan’s sweetened breath was close to fanning over his face and Jesper was sure he could get drunk on it if he was exposed to it for too long. It all makes so much sense now. “A shortage of angels might not have been the only reason…” Wylan admitted, then hesitated just for a second, their tongue flicking out to moisten their lips before the rest of the sentence came out “I… stepped out of line. Just a little bit”
It was almost a whisper that echoed across his skin, sending shivers down Jesper’s spine.
Jesper’s eyes flickered to Wylan’s again, blue but with a sparkle of something darker hiding inside. Jesper wanted to know what it was and dive, head-first into it. He knew he couldn’t, but he desperately wanted to.
Instead, he narrowed his eyes “A little bit?” he echoed, wondering if his voice sounded as strained as it felt.
Wylan seemed to realize the effect they had on him, just by the way their eyes travelled over Jesper’s face alone, but if they did they didn’t say a word of it, all too focused on the conversation. Now they were concentrating when Jesper himself felt like he was losing his cool with every passing second and slowly going insane with a need for something he couldn’t even place or name. It was an itch under his skin, an unspoken word.
“I made a demon and an angel fall in love” Wylan said, their hand moving in Jesper’s hold, turning, wrapping around his wrist, as if in exchange for the earlier caress. Then their fingers slipped back, brushing feather-light against Jesper’s skin, in the same patterns the angel of death was tracing before, the exact same ones he drew on Wylan’s palm. Jesper swallowed, his throat suddenly feeling dry, he wanted to look down but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the cupid before him. Wylan continued, unfazed “The upper floor said my doing was abominable. That it will only cause death and destruction. They offered, that if I feel a calling for such a thing, they’ll provide. They sent me here, I suppose, to see with my own eyes what I bring”
Jesper stared, unable to utter a word, not that he was speechless, he was mesmerized.
The corners of Wylan’s mouth quirked up in a stupefying smile, that made Jesper feel like his head was swimming, like he himself was floating.
“You said charm can’t be a weapon” came a whisper from the cupid “I beg to differ” they said, then, without a warning stepped out of Jesper’s space and his grasp, leaving the angel of death stumbling forward with a gasp.
Jesper felt as if the world expanded on him, as if all of his senses along with his consciousness were outside of his body before and were suddenly pulled right back in, overwhelming and all-consuming. His ears rang, his skin tingled, his eyes were hazy and the air he breathed felt heavy and thick, all too big for his lungs.
He heard Wylan’s chuckle again, grounding him in place.
Jesper couldn’t believe the creature standing before him was real, tangible, and so powerful, and dangerous at the same time. As much as he shouldn’t have trusted the rumors about reapers, he shouldn’t have trusted those about cupids too, apparently. They weren’t all sweet and innocent creatures, as much as they presented on the outside, they were mischievous and clever too, and insanely beautiful at that (but that part was true from the start).
“To be fair, I have a real bow too” Wylan added, with a hunt of amusement in their voice, when Jesper regained his ground “But this is much more fun” they admitted, shamelessly.
Jesper couldn’t help the blush that crossed his own features at the implication that Wylan enjoyed toying with him just as much as Jesper enjoyed doing it to them before. It’d be a waste to spend all that talent and wit on Wylan becoming a reaper. He was suddenly struck by a much better idea.
“Come with me” he said urgently.
Kaz will love him - Jesper thought.
And a cupid would be far from the strangest addition to their group.