https://augustwritingchallenge.tumblr.com/post/659793145302843392/day-17-my-personally-favourite-au-huge-potential
TW: This involves angels and heaven so I guess it has religious themes? I'll try to make it as secular as possible, but it's a bit hard.
Gray wings, the symbol of a fallen angel.
The very same wings that seemed to be sprouting out of Leafy's back.
Pin didn't mean to walk in while her girlfriend was changing clothes. She certainly hadn't meant to see what must be Leafy's most closely guarded secret. But the funny thing is that life doesn't really care what you did or didn't mean to do. Leafy had heard the door open and had turned herself around to face Pin.
"...I'm sorry, Leafy," Pin said, because she wasn't really sure what else she could say exactly. It would be rude to ask about her wings, so she just turned to leave. "I thought you were done dressing already. Don't worry, I saw nothing."
"Wait, Pin," she heard her girlfriend say from behind her. Pin turned her head to see Leafy gazing at her with the most gentle, yet desperate and pleading expression. "Stay. Please." The brunette sat down at the foot of the bed and gestured to the spot beside her. Pin got the hint and sat down next to her.
There were a few moments of silence before Leafy broke it.
"I'm sorry for keeping this a secret until now," Leafy apologized. "It's just... people often see us fallen angels as people who were rightfully punished for their sins. But then again, they're right. I am being punished for my sins."
"Leafy, you've always had good intentions. I can't see you committing any sins. You probably just made a mistake," Pin replied, thinking of all the times that Leafy wanted to help people but ended up just making things worse on accident. "If you explained how you didn't mean to do whatever it is you did, then I'm sure things will be alright."
"...That's the problem, Pin," Leafy said. "I didn't do what I did on accident. I did it intentionally."
"Well, we all have our bad decisions," Pin said. "I mean the fact that you went to heaven in the first place means that you were a good person in your past li-"
"I didn't have a past life."
"...What?"
"I never even earned wings or a halo. I was born in heaven," Leafy explained. "I was an angel only because my parents were."
"...oh," Pin muttered.
"And you know what the worst thing is?" Leafy continued. "I'm not even as nice as I claim to be or as nice as you think I am! When I was little, my parents praised me so much for being nice, but then when I was finally allowed to leave the house- nice isn't special in heaven. I wanted to be nicer than anyone else up there, so I could be special and praised again! ...But pride and envy are sins, as I'd soon find out."
"Leafy, I'm sorry," Pin said gently, trying her best to console her, but Leafy didn't respond as more tears fell from her face.
"I thought I was doing a good job outclassing everyone my age in the niceness category but then I met Bubble," the fallen angel continued. "Bubble actually did die, but relatively recently and she died young, so she was only a few years older than me. Her parents on Earth were bad people who either already ended up in the bad place or were there already, so when she died, my parents took her in. ...And they treated her so gently and with so much love that I was scared I'd be replaced.
So I tried my absolute hardest to make her mask crack. I even involved one of my friends, Ice Cube, by telling her that Bubble was bad news, knowing she'd confront her about it and then Bubble would drop the act for a moment. But she was never acting in the first place. And so it wasn't her mask that cracked, but mine."
Leafy took a deep breath before continuing.
"I had another friend named Firey who sort of knew what was going on because he was my best friend. He didn't like what I was doing all too much, but he didn't interfere for the longest time either. In fact, he wasn't even planning on interfering in the first place, until he caught me trying to summon a succubus named Flower and framing it to look like Bubble and her were friends. He flipped out. You see, the thing about Firey was that he was actually born in hell, but he was a pure boy so my neighbors adopted him and took him to heaven. So he had trauma with demons. I tried to explain to him that it was alright and that he wasn't supposed to see that, but then he threatened to tell my parents everything and I... I lunged at him, yelling that he was complicit too, which was a big mistake because both my parents and Bubble heard me yell and well, I think you know what happened then... So I'm sorry to tell you, Pin, but I'm really not as nice as you think I am."
Pin frowned, taking the time to process all of this information. It was hard to believe that her cheerful and kind girlfriend was capable of... this. She thought for a few moments, before hesitantly beginning to speak. "Leafy, I... I'm not gonna lie, that's pretty messed up, but... here on Earth, or at least ever since I met you, have you been genuine?"
"Of course I've been!" Leafy exclaimed, looking hurt. "I really do love you, Pin! Believe me! As for my usual good natured attitude, that I may have started with the same intentions that I had in heaven but... I quickly learned that even the nicest person can't always get people to like them here on Earth, and so I wondered why was still doing it," Leafy sighed, "and then I saw you look at me with that beautiful warm smile of yours and I looked around to see other people were smiling too... and I think I found it. The true reward for being nice, not praise or attention, but seeing people happy. I know it still doesn't make up for what I've done and I still owe many people back up in heaven apologies-"
"But you're growing, learning," Pin cut in. "And that's what matters to me. To tell the truth, I've made mistakes in the past as well. I used to be a bully back in elementary school."
Leafy's jaw dropped. "No way, but you- now you're-"
Pin chuckled. "Yeah, that's exactly how I felt when you told me about your past mistakes. But what matters is that we try our best to atone for our sins and become better people. And one day you'll go back to heaven, having earned your wings and halo, ready to apologize to those you've wronged and show them how you've changed for the better. But for now, let's just help each other grow. Alright?"
"Alright," Leafy nodded, before adding, "I love you, Pin."
"I love you too, Leafy."
