He had never been a man of religion. It wasn't how he was raised, nor what he eventually learned. He told people that he had 'seen too much of the world' to be able to believe. As an ex-soldier, this was the truth. He had seen hell caused by his kind. He was rapidly losing faith in humanity. Why would tie himself to a higher power when he couldn't trust his own species?
People usually accepted this with a firm nod, and left him alone. Each man to their own. If he didn't believe then he simply did not believe. It was natural. It was how he functioned.
But Hanji Zoe refused to accept such a thing.
30 times. She had tried to get him to go to a Reform Jew synagogue thirty times in a single doctor's appointment.
"Levi! Just try it! If you're not into it then I won't bother you anymore!"
Scowling, the 29-year old jammed his keys into the door of his house. The jingle the action made was wasted on deaf ears as he pushed the door open.
Pristine, white walls and floors surrounded him as he marched in. He didn't bother to remove his boots or his black overcoat and immediately washed his hands in order to make tea.
Levi lived alone. The only family he had around was man by the name of Erwin Smith, and that was only his adoptive elder brother. Since his own parents were deceased, and Erwin's parents lived in Australia, they were all they had within the states.
Irvin had an apartment building somewhere in Malibu. It was usually clean when he came over, which Levi appreciated, but when Erwin's fiancée moved in that definitely would not be happening again.
Hanji fucking Zoe.
With a vengeance, he shut off the oven just as the kettle whistled.
He didn't need that woman stressing him out over religion every time he saw her! He had two homicide cases he still had to solve and write out detailed reports for! Detective work was stressful enough.
Hopefully when she and Erwin finally tied the knot she'd calm the fuck down.
Levi inwardly raged, but his expression remained apathetic. Dark navy eyes glanced outside the window above the sink, taking in the view.
His house was blocked out from the rest of society by heavy foliage. Trees and bushes he had planted himself provided solace and solitude: the two things he needed most in the busy town. He built his own walls, locked himself in, and allowed no one to come crashing in.
Forcing down the inner voice that criticized this decision, calling him a 'lonely boy', he sipped at his drink.
The evening sky was a deep Oxford blue, dotted every so often with white orbs and streaks that served as stars.
City lights didn't obscure the view, and he loved it. It was like a private showing meant only for him. This was the only spot in Santa Monica that one could see the stars, which he was aware of at least.
Beams of white shot like lighting across the sky, bringing a faint air of wonder to rise.
Oh? He wasn't informed that there was to be a show like this. Hanji usually knew of these astronomical things. She would've told him about them in great detail in advance whilst begging him to allow her to visit and watch the sight.
Perhaps she hadn't known.
Coal black eyes uninterestedly watched the white dashes speed away.
It was as if they were children racing, or playing a vigorous game of tag.
A lean star was first in a group of four. Green and gold dust seared behind it, leaving a bright trail. Immediately on its trail was a fast, petite flash of electric blue and pink sparks. It left no trail, as its precedent had, but it appeared to have faltered for a slight second, allowing a long view.
The final two shooting stars were the slowest. The blue and green were already long gone by the time they crossed Levi's line of vision. The speedier one was a shot of orange, pushing across the sky as a normal star would. The last was the biggest.
A large ball of white, surrounded around the edges with a deep scarlet. He would've assumed that this was an airplane but it was following the same path its friends took.
He shot a subconscious glare the huge orb until it finally passed the final tree.
Nothing was left except that beautiful green and gold mark against his blue sky.
The spectacle finally over and his tea finished, Levi turned on his heel to go about his daily evening chores.
Rolling up his sleeves, he began to wash his tea cup and absentmindedly glanced outside the window.
He didn't register the comet flying towards him at first. Or rather, he didn't want to register it. Diligently, he wrung out the sponge, set both it and the cup in their proper location, and then took a moment to breath.
Then he looked back up.
It was still there. A great mass of white and red flames getting only larger as it approached his house. It was still a distance away, but he could feel the heat and gusts of wind already. Papers on the counter in the adjacent living room began to rustle, the action getting faster as the comet got closer. The lights began to flicker until finally, the electricity gave out.
The only light was coming from the orb outside his window.
Scowling, Levi rearranged his coat and marched into his backyard.
His black hair was mussed by the great wind and he had to shade his eyes to see that; the comet that threatened the existence of his house, wasn't actually a comet at all. He had never seen anything like it ever before. 'Beautiful' would be considered an understatement.
It was a star, big and bright, with an array of colors to support it. Along the slender shape were woven wisps of blues, violets, reds and pinks in shades Levi had never seen before. The longest tendrils were lengths of jade and amber, stretching behind the star as if to form wings, struggling to fight against gravity to soften impact.
Eyes wide and lips ever so slightly parted, Levi took in the sight, taking a picture with his mind. He took in the cold night air that stung his lungs. He took in the overpowering scent of fire and sweat. With lemon tea tainting his lips, he did his best to remember every sensation.
He knew how precious such a sight was in such a short life.
He had seen too many deaths to ignore it.
But the spectacle once more changed its form and the beauty was shattered. The star was actually a man's body alight with flames. The lines of green and gold were wings, great extensions from powerful shoulder blades that spread to their full extent in a sorry attempt to alter the outcome of the perilous fall.
Out of pure habit, he rushed forward to stop a demise that would come much too early. He leapt at the last second, knocking the being out of the air and into a nearby shrub.
Chest heaving, he cradled his arm and turned to find out what had come hurdling out of the sky at such an odd hour.
Thus, Levi Smith saw his very first angel.
Sun-kissed skin was covered in an unearthly glow. The curves on its face were well defined, with a sharp jaw line. It had to be in its teens. Wild, amber eyes glared with a ferocity matched only by wolves on the hunt. Its brown hair was disheveled, sticking out in odd areas while others were matted down with blood.
It was injured.
Its skin was marred by cuts, both deep and shallow, that were bleeding profusely. But what Levi could see was only its face and legs. The rest of its body was hidden away by the great accumulation of red-stained white feathers coming from its back.
Levi stood and it snarled at him, letting a deep growl escape ruby red lips. Slowly, he approached it and took up a fighting stance. He reached out with one hand with the other prepared to guard his chest.
"You're injured," He said lowly. "Injuries like that can't be ignored. Let me help you, then you can go back to wherever you're from and forget that this ever happened."
Shoulders raised and wings spread, the angel glared him down, animalistic in the way it was protecting itself.
But Levi had been faced with guns and explosions. There wasn't much that could frighten him. Especially not some animal.
He continued walking towards it, speaking in a low, comforting tone he usually used on a dying man. Guard always up, he still extended the hand of consolation.
As he got closer, he noticed that the bright, white wings were coated in the same green and gold dust from before.
"You're that star," he breathed. "The one that was faster than all its friends. You've lost your way soldier. Let me help you find it."
It was darker around its edges, and parts of its wings were black and brown. The burns were severe. It should've been in too much pain to even consider the thought of moving.
His fingers were only hairsbreadth away from touching it when a long, guttural growl distracted him. It was still watching him. The amber eyes appeared to have calmed down, but orange flames still curled around its long eyelashes.
Levi brushed its wings.
And the angel screamed.
Searing hot pain burst in Levi's chest, exactly where his heart should be, as he was jumped on. The fist that was prepared to defend flew, catching the angel in the right side of its head.
Just as quickly as it had sprung, it fell limp in Levi's hands.
With his usual poker face, he stared down at it as it bled over his clothes and expensive boots.
At least its eyes weren't on fire anymore.
Inwardly grumbling about how the universe simply did not pay him enough for this, he threw the angel over his shoulder and walked back inside the house.
He had simply tossed the visitor on the kitchen floor and threw his coat over it before immediately moving to take of his boots. Bloodstains all over his kitchen floor were a bitch to clean, but it was easier than having it on carpet. Allowing his shoes to rest by the door, he walked up to his bathroom to get a first aid kit.
By midnight, the angel had been given all the medical attention Levi could give and the kitchen had been cleaned. He placed it on a couch in the living room after removing its boots. He would've removed the jacket as well, but damaging the wings wasn't something he wanted to risk. He had brought it a blanket, but it discarded it in favor of curling its wings around its body.
For a moment, Levi paused and just stared. Even with injuries, it was a sight to behold with dilated pupils and agape lips. The bandages were dull against the neon wings, which were flickering faintly. When the appendages finally grew dull, the dim lighting in the house finally grew to its full potential.
Interesting.
Slowly, his eyes traveled from strong, broad shoulders, up a slender neck, past rolling fields of umber hair and rested on the circle of light surrounding its head.
If the wings weren't enough confirmation, then the halo was.
Levi had honestly found a broken angel in his backyard.