The day was old, with the sun setting and the stars beginning to appear as the night sky faded in. Down below, in a single house in the middle of nowhere, the last dregs of sunlight shone through the window as young boy blearily opened his eyes.
The first thing he felt was excruciating pain. It hurt! His body felt like it was still on fire, his arms and legs like they were going to fall off if he even moved wrong, but worst of all, his wings felt like they had been ripped off, he could barely move them and-
"Good, you're awake," The unfamiliar voice snapped the boy out of his thoughts, looking up at someone standing over his bed. "You're very lucky, you know. I thought you were dead when I found you."
Dead? the boy thought, unable to deduce what happened to him. His thoughts were a mess and would take a while to sort out, so he decided to go with the obvious question. "Where am I?"
The man stared down at the boy. Numerous bruises and cuts were among his body, but the most surprising thing was that the boy had white wings, like an angel or one of the herons he had met and fought together with years ago. Those wings were bloody and looked like they had almost been ripped right off his body, so he supposed that the boy barely survived whatever attacked him. "Where you are isn't important right now. All I want to know is how you fell right out of the sky."
The boy frowned. The sky? he wondered before he started remembering. A tournament. There was some sort of tournament to be held, the Smash Tournament if he recalled, to be fought by the greatest warriors assembled. He recalled being there... but that was as far as he could remember, up to the point where there was incredible pain, lashing across his body and not letting up, his wings-
"Hey, kid, you're trembling!" the man snapped, laying a hand on his shoulder to get him to stop convulsing. Slowly, the boy stopped and looked at the stranger's face. Blue hair, much like that of that prince he met (Marth, he remembered clearly), but much more messy and had a green headband tied around his head. The most striking thing to him was his eyes, they were incredibly blue, but had such a sharpness to them and felt so cold just by staring into them...Shaking his head, he sighed.
"Sorry...I can't remember," he muttered, defeated. "All I can remember is the pain I felt before I woke up here." He saw the man nod as he set down a bowl of water on the table next to him.
"Can you remember your name?" the man asked, eyes narrowing slightly. The boy nodded.
"Yes. My name is Pit, and..." That's right... he thought as his memories started to slowly come back. "I'm an angel, the captain of Goddess Palutena's knights. Yeah, I remember that..." he trailed off, his eyes distant.
Pit was afraid that the man would snort and call him crazy, that angels didn't exist and were only fairy tales, but to his surprise, he only nodded again. "I see. Considering everything that's happened in my life, that's pretty tame. Just get some rest Pit, and I'll get back to you in the morning." He started to leave, but was stopped as Pit reached out to hold his arm, despite his body crying out in protest.
"Wait, please! What's your name?" he asked innocently, studying the other man's face intently. There was a long pause before there was an answer.
"Ike. That's all you need to know for the moment, so just rest." he said gruffly as he left the room. Pit stared at the door for several minutes before laying back down, his mind still a jumble of thoughts and confusion, but decided to rest.
I can trust him. he thought as he drifted off into slumber.
It had been a week before Ike deemed Pit would be able to move around, and the angel was grateful that the other man watched over him. To his dismay, however, his wings were a total wreck. It hurt to even move them around, and he wouldn't be flying in the sky anytime soon. Ike must have sensed his depression, because he immediately clapped the boy's shoulder, the smallest hint of a smile on his face.
"You'll fly again, someday. It's up to you to get to that point, however. If you don't have to will to try and fix it, you'll stay grounded forever." Pit caught on to his words, eyes widening. Even with his wings in their current condition, he had to keep believing that he would fly again.
"Thank you." Ike shook his head, another sigh leaving his lips.
"Can you remember anything new?" The angel frowned. Ike had been pressing him to remember everything that had led up to him falling out of the sky, but it was just so hard! Luckily, the swordsman was patient; he merely closed his eyes and nodded when he said he couldn't remember anything more.
Shaking his head, he decided he needed to ask a question. "Ike...why do you need to know, anyway? I'm a stranger, aren't I?"
That cold look that had been always been in his eyes before suddenly disappeared, and for a brief moment, Pit could see things underneath; the worry, the sadness, the pain, the friendliness that radiated from those eyes before the iciness returned. "Yes...I suppose you're right. However..." he trailed off, looking at the blue, endless sky above them. "For a great portion of my life, I've lived as a mercenary, the leader of my own band. I've learned that any secrets, unknowns, or anything that is out of the ordinary is very dangerous; to be caught unaware is asking for death, you understand? If that thing that did that to you is still out there..."
Ike stopped there, his mouth forming into a thin line of suppressed anger. Pit couldn't read people well, but he was surprised when he immediately thought of one thing. He's worried. He's worried that I'm still hurt, that I'm still vulnerable...and he's disliking the fact that he couldn't help me. People worrying about him, other than his Goddess, was something he was unaccustomed to, so he had to fight a blush that threatened to appear on his cheeks.
"In any case...just know that being kept in the dark is bad, okay?" Ike said softly, turning around to face him. He was surprised when Pit clutched his head, his eyes widening and unfocused.
Great darkness, a giant void...a writhing white hand...pain, great pain...!
"Hey, Pit! Snap out of it!" Ike called as he shook him. Slowly, Pit's eyes refocused, breathing heavily as Ike held him closer than he remembered ever being.
"I...I think I'm beginning to remember how I got here..." he gasped, memories flooding into his mind. "I can remember standing in some dark place...I could literally see a giant void, and...a giant white hand, it was writhing so much, I couldn't follow it..."
Ike nodded, putting that information aside for the moment. "That's great...you look like you're beginning to be yourself again." he said warmly, to Pit's surprise. "Come, let's get back inside. From your face, it looks like it has been an ordeal just remembering."
Pit allowed himself to be picked up by the larger man, resting contentedly in his arms. Before closing his eyes, he saw a small smile grace Ike's face, and Pit wanted to see it again. It looked so warm, so happy...
To Pit, time flew by quickly. Days had turned into weeks, and then into months. Before he knew it, it had been a whole three months since he started to live with Ike. They had settled into a daily ritual; Ike would either go hunting in the woods or take a small job in the nearby town for some food, while Pit cleaned the house and would eagerly wait for the mercenary to get back.
He wouldn't admit it, but he liked to live with the mercenary. Ike had been opening up to him as of late, the frigid air he carried himself on dispersing in favor of a warmer personality. Pit always looked forward to the tales the mercenary told, of his past life on another continent. In return, Pit would offer his own stories of what happened in his past, and Ike couldn't help but be impressed at the way the angel had stormed his enemies' world and rescued his goddess singlehandedly.
His wings were almost fully healed, to Ike's surprise. Considering the extent of the damage done to them, Pit didn't blame him. The angel was very excited; soon, he would be able to fly amongst the clouds once again!
Pit, despite himself, didn't want it to end. However, each day, bits and pieces of his memory were slowly returning to him as his wings healed, and a great fear settled inside his heart. Would he have to leave the mercenary behind once he remembered everything? He didn't want that! The angel just couldn't seem to shake off his fear, and Ike looked at him that night with worried eyes.
And then, the next day, he remembered.
Pit gasped as he sat at the table, clutching his head as the final piece of his memory, the one that led to this whole ordeal, finally surfaced in his mind.
That white writhing hand had grasped him, squeezing until he could feel like his bones would break, nearly plucking out his wings from his body until he saw another white hand slam into it, trying to get it to stop. He heard all the voices, the concerned yells and screams and he couldn't take it, he just had to get away...and so, he was falling...
The angel then seized up; with the return of the final piece of his memory, he remembered his duty. He remembered the comrades that were still up there, still looking for him...I have to go, I have to return...they're waiting for me...
But I don't want to leave...!
Pit thought he was imagining it, but there was suddenly a pain in his chest, almost as if his heart was telling him to follow it. But he couldn't, he was chosen by his Goddess...there was no choice!
"Pit?" Ike's voice rang throughout the small house, walking in. He paused when he saw the young angel trembling, staring down at the table. It looked like he was on the verge of tears. "What's wrong?" he asked quickly, slight panic already creeping into his voice.
The angel looked up, and before either of them could react, he flung himself into Ike's arms, burying himself into his chest; his safe haven. "Ike...oh by the Goddess Palutena, Ike...I've remembered..." he mumbled, drawing closer to the other man's chest. He didn't want to let go...
The swordsman was stunned, but didn't fight it as Pit embraced him, still shuddering. "Your memory?" he asked quietly, stroking the brown hair in front of him.
There was a nod. "I'm...I can't stay here. I have to go back as soon as possible." he stuttered, almost as if he was afraid to say it.
"Go where?" Ike questioned, his confusion obvious.
"Back to where my companions are waiting for me...I remember everything now, it's so clear to me as if I didn't lose it at all. I just have to get back into the sky..." Pit flapped his wings for emphasis, the pain now mostly gone.
Ike's mind was a whirl of thoughts, of feelings, of the brief memories he had of this boy in his arms for the past few months. "Pit..." He couldn't bring himself to say what he wanted, of what he was really feeling, so he just clutched the angel tighter to himself. Taking a deep breath, he decided he needed to tell him. "I don't want you to leave..." he breathed, eyes distant. He remembered his departure from Tellius, saying his final farewells to the companions he had drew close to over the years. He didn't want that pain again. "I want you here, with me."
Pit teared up. He was wanted by the person he had learned to trust and admire, but he couldn't. "Ike, don't make this any harder! I have to leave, I don't have a choice in it!" he cried, tears finally spilling into the front of Ike's clothes. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..."
Ike couldn't do anything but hold him close; was their final good-bye not that far off?
The next morning, Pit gazed forlornly at the small house he learned to call his home for the past few months. He would be leaving behind someone he had started to love, but he also had people to go back to. Goddess Palutena and his other friends would still be looking for him. Biting his lip, he turned and stretched his wings, ready to take to the air again, when he heard that voice behind him.
"If you're going to leave...the least you could do is wait up." came Ike's voice, a pack over his shoulder and Ragnell in his other hand. Pit looked surprised; he knew Ike didn't have many valuables, and all of them seemed to be in that bag. "I'm coming with you."
"What?!" he exclaimed, blinking. "But why? I thought you didn't want to leave here!"
Ike shook his head, bemused. "I have no attachments to this place. Being alone is hard, but manageable...but you went and disrupted it, didn't you?" He smiled, laughing at Pit's blushing. "Anyway, do you know where to go? I can't imagine flying higher into the sky will get you anywhere."
Pit opened his mouth, then closed it. He had a point. "It's my only lead, though. If I need to get back, why not go back the way I came?" he asked, looking at the blue sky.
The swordsman grinned. "Where there is a will, there is a way. I'll help you find your way back...I only ask that you stay with me a while longer."
Both of them knew what he meant. Ike wanted to be with Pit, to protect him and just stay near. "Do you have any idea where to begin?" Pit asked quietly.
"Yeah, where you landed in the first place. Sometimes, returning to the place that holds the worst memories will always give you the answer." Ike responded, closing his eyes as he gripped Ragnell tightly. "So, what do you say? Will you come with me?"
Pit was silent for a few moments before laughing and nodding happily. "Of course I will!" With that, he literally flew right into Ike's arms, a few tears of happiness escaping his eyes.
Fate worked in strange ways. Two drastically different people met on one fateful day, and their lives would be changed forever. Their journey, their love...would be a tale for another day.
A/N: This chapter was originally a response to a prompt at the Smash Bros. Kink Meme on Livejournal. I've revised it from the time of my original posting, and I'm much more satisfied with it.
...of course, I couldn't simply leave this fic hanging, so in a fit of inspiration, I wrote two other chapters until it was finished.
For those of you curious, this was the wording of the original prompt:
Slight AU. Fluffy Ike/Pit. Ike finds an angel who has fallen from the sky and takes care of him until he's fine to fly again and ends up falling for him.