A/N—It's been awhile for this story, so I thought I'd post another chapter. As a reminder, the last chapter ended with James fainting in the elevator because he realized Kendall isn't a figment of his imagination. Thank you for reading, and I hope everyone is doing well!

The next thing James saw was the ceiling of his bedroom. He'd opened his eyes slowly, mind in a fog. He'd just been in the elevator, why was he now in—

The answer became clear when he turned his head to the right. Kendall was seated on the edge of his bed, head in hands as he murmured to himself. "Are you certain? He would have fallen if not for me. He is damaged. Tell me how to fix him, I cannot fail the mission on my first day." Kendall paused as if listening to someone respond. "Yes, I understand that, but he will not open his eyes. Of course I tried that. What if he remains like this for the entire year? For the rest of his life? This is my fault, I should have been more—"

"Hey," James rumbled through what felt like rocks in his mouth.

Kendall jumped, a loud gasp leaving him while he stared at James with wide eyes. "You have awoken!"

"Oh god, if you're gonna talk like that, I'll just go back to sleep." He rolled over onto his side, away from Kendall.

"I must go now, he is awake. Yes, thank you."

Curious, James looked back over his shoulder. "Who are you talking to?"

"An angel. I contacted the foremost expert on human medical conditions."

James frowned. "The foremost expert on human medical conditions is an angel?"

"Of course. You didn't expect that humans would know more than angels about how your body works, did you? Humans didn't create you."

"Right." James closed his eyes and let out a breath. "What happened? Last thing I remember, I was in the elevator."

"You collapsed. I caught you and brought you here, to your home."

"You carried me the whole way?"

"It was instantaneous. I do not need to walk from place to place as you do."

"Because you're an angel," James confirmed.

"Yes."

James said nothing, mind spinning. Lucy had seen Kendall. No one had ever seen Max, because Max only existed in James' head. Which meant Kendall existed outside of it. But the cops hadn't seen him. Bitters hadn't. The students hadn't seemed to notice him either. Why did Lucy?

"Do you believe me now?" Kendall asked softly.

"Why could Lucy see you?"

"I chose to show myself to her. I thought that might be the only way you would understand that I am real." After a pause, he added, "Was I correct in that?"

James licked dry lips. His heart was racing with the idea that everything Kendall had said was actually true. It couldn't be. Angels on Earth? Him, of all people, being responsible for the destruction of Heaven? Surely this was a joke. A prank. Probably by Lucy herself, because she would do something like that. So would Carlos, his best friend from back home. Maybe they'd teamed up for this one. Carlos was here, wasn't he? He'd flown out, probably with Logan, to surprise James on his birthday. And they were all having a good laugh now. In fact, all of The Palm Woods was in on it. That explained the students not seeing Kendall. And the cops, they'd been hired by—

"James? Are you well?"

"I'm trying to make sense of this. Who hired you?"

"Hired me?"

"Was it Carlos?"

"Are you referring to your friend from Minnesota?"

James flung himself onto his back to see Kendall had returned to his perch on the edge of the mattress. "Ha! That's proof! You know who Carlos is!"

"I know that you had two close friends before moving to this place. Carlos Garcia and Hortense Mitchell, who is referred to by most as Logan. You were sad to leave both behind, which is why you ignore messages from them now. You miss them greatly."

"Shut up! I don't ignore messages from them! I'm happy here!"

"Yet you miss them. It was in the report."

"What...what are you talking about? What report?"

"The report I read about you after being chosen for the mission. It stated that you sometimes wish they were here with you."

James had never told a soul that. To admit he missed them and (sometimes) his life back home was weakness. "Is that what Logan told you? When they hired you?"

"I have not spoken to Logan. Or Carlos. I only know what I read in the report."

"Right. Okay. Fine. So if you're an angel, like you claim, where's your halo? Huh? I thought angels wore halos."

"Not on Earth, we don't. That changed after an angel permanently blinded a human. Our halos are too bright for human eyes."

"Oh, sure. Yeah, that makes sense." James rubbed his face, trying to pull himself together.

"You saw my wings, James. I appeared before Lucy. What more proof do you need? Tell me, and I shall do it."

"I need for you to go away! That's what I want for my birthday, okay? For you to go away. Aren't you supposed to grant wishes? Isn't that what angels do?"

"I am not one who grants wishes." Kendall smiled apologetically. "That is an entirely different sector. And I'm sorry to inform you that all of them have been given orders to not grant yours. At least not until after this disaster has been averted. Perhaps on your next birthday."

"Why? Why can't I get what I want?"

"Because you might wish for love. And as you know, that will be Heaven's downfall."

James banged his head back against the pillow. "This is so fucking stupid. Even if I did believe you, there's no reason for you to be here. I already told you, I'm not going to fall in love. I don't want it!"

"So you are willing to keep your distance from the females of your species?"

"Um, no. There is such a thing as sex without love. That's my specialty. Now are you gonna tell me that's a sin?"

"It is not my place to judge."

"Right, because that belongs to...which angel was it? Is it Peter who guards the gates and decides that?"

"Peter does not work alone. He commands an entire team. But yes, it is the duty of that team to deem your final resting place. I use the term loosely, because in Hell there is no rest."

James stared at Kendall, a question occurring to him. "Have you been there? Hell?"

"No. I have only resided in Heaven."

"So you were just like...born there, or what?"

"I went there when I perished on Earth."

James sat up, surprised. "You were human?"

"I was."

"Then...why do you act like this? Why are you so stiff and like...robotic?"

"This is my first mission to Earth, James. I am...feeling my way, to use a phrase you might be familiar with."

"But...why wouldn't you already know your way around? If you came from here, I mean."

"I don't remember my time here. When you become an angel, your earthly memories are wiped away."

"Seriously? Just like that? You don't remember anything about yourself? Your family, your friends...even when you died?"

"No. That is all erased."

"You can't just erase it. It happened."

"It doesn't matter. It's a choice we make; we know that when we accept the honor of becoming an angel we leave behind everything of our pasts. All we are allowed to keep is our names."

James thought that over. "So...here on Earth, your name was Kendall."

"It was."

"Huh. Okay. And you're saying humans can choose to be angels? If they go to Heaven?"

"Yes. It is a privilege. And you must be approved for duty by the committee."

"The committee. There's a committee that decides who's worthy of becoming an angel."

"That's correct."

It was too much for James' brain to handle. He wasn't completely on board yet that this was all real, anyway. "So...you're telling me you weren't hired by my friends to play a joke on me?"

"Of course not."

"And...there's some prophecy that says if I fall in love, it'll destroy Heaven?"

"Yes."

"But aren't you guys supposed to like...let prophecies come true? I thought biblical prophecies came down from God himself."

"They do."

"So then God's okay with you guys just...you know. Breaking a prophecy?"

For once, Kendall didn't have an answer ready. He hesitated.

"Ah. Are you guys doing all this behind God's back?"

"God does not want Heaven to be in chaos any more than we do."

"Has He actually said that?"

"He does not need to, James. Heaven is our refuge. It will be yours as well once you pass on."

James smirked. "You're so sure I'll go up and not down, are you?"

"Of course. You are a good person."

"I don't know about that. I sin plenty."

"Yes, with your vanity and your pride. But those can be—"

"What? No, I meant with sex! How dare you accuse me of being vain!"

Kendall's brows drew together. "Are you not aware of those qualities in yourself?"

"Hey! I take care of myself and look good. That's not a sin. And you yourself said I have the voice of an angel. Why shouldn't I be proud of that?"

"There is nothing wrong with appreciating your talents, James. I am only suggesting that—"

"Well, suggest somewhere else!" James scooted off the bed so he could stand, facing Kendall across it. "Look, it's obvious you're gonna stick to me like glue, and until I figure out how to change that, I'm just...stuck. But I will not sit here and listen to you insult me, especially on my big day! I've waited eighteen years for this, Kendall. Nobody's gonna ruin it!"

Kendall held his hands up, palms out. "James, please calm yourself. I meant no disrespect."

"Then stop saying shit like that about me. I work hard to look this way. I work hard in that studio to sound good. Fame isn't just handed to you, you know. It's a complex process that I've been perfecting my whole life. I refuse to be ashamed of that."

Kendall had no answer. They stared each other down for ten seconds before James spun away to storm toward the door.

"Where are you going?"

"I have to be at the studio. I'm probably already late, and Gustavo's gonna yell at me. But hey, what's new?"

Kendall was waiting for him in the living room.

"You know, I'm getting really sick of you just popping up wherever you feel like it. Walk like a normal person!"

"But I am not a person, James. I'm an ethereal being."

James stopped at the apartment's front door, chest heaving as he tried to fight off panic. It had made sense for Kendall to be disappearing in one place and appearing in another when he'd existed solely in James' head. Now it had been proven that Kendall was real. Which meant that he shouldn't be able to do that.

James turned, leaning back against the door to face Kendall.

"Your face has lost color. Your eyes are scared. What can I do to calm you, James? Tell me."

"I can't breathe."

"Close your eyes."

"No. No, I need...I need to just..." What? What did he need? He didn't know. He'd had panic attacks before, and he usually cried his way through them. He couldn't cry in front of Kendall.

"James, please." Kendall's voice was soothing. "Close your eyes."

James did, only because there was nothing else to do. He couldn't think.

Warmth spread from a point in his chest, going out in all directions to suffuse his body. Eventually he was warm from head to toe, and it was a pleasant feeling. Soothing. Calming. Peaceful. He could breathe again.

When he opened his eyes, Kendall was a foot in front of him with a hand splayed over his chest. That was where the peace radiated from, the contact point between them.

"Better?" Kendall asked in a soft voice.

Ashamed to admit that Kendall's touch felt so good, James nodded. He couldn't meet Kendall's gaze. Kendall lowered his hand. The warmth remained, but was fading faster than James liked.

"Should you feel like that again, let me know. I will calm you."

"I don't need you."

"Still, I'm here if the fear takes over again."

"I wasn't scared," James snapped. "I just...this doesn't make any sense."

"I did not consider that this might be so difficult for you to accept. Most angels I spoke to said that their humans were happy to have a guardian."

"Yeah, maybe once they got used to it. And I doubt those humans had to suffer it for a year. Or were told they had to stay away from chicks."

Kendall's eyes narrowed. "I'm assuming you aren't referring to baby chickens. If you are, you're free to hold them. They don't pose a threat."

James snorted a laugh. "Thanks, I'll remember that next time I'm around one." He stepped past Kendall and pulled out his phone. "Damn, I'm gonna be late. I don't even have time for breakfast. I never sing well on an empty stomach."

"James, how can I convince you to stay here?"

"You can't. How can I convince you to stay here?"

Kendall grinned. "You can't."

"Wow, is that a real smile? I was starting to think you didn't have feelings."

"Feelings have no place in an angel's life."

"Well, you're on Earth now, buddy. Among humans. Feelings are all we got." His stomach growled loudly. "And hunger." Realizing that he wasn't going to shake Kendall, James accepted it and switched gears. "Okay, if I have to put up with your presence, we're going to do this right. You need clothes."

"I'm wearing my gown."

"No no no, real clothes. Come into the room, let's hurry and find you something to wear."

"I won't be appearing to any other humans," Kendall called out as James headed down the hall. "That one time was necessary. For proof."

"Not taking any chances, buddy. You're about my size, so it shouldn't be a problem. Kendall, will you get in here? I'm running out of time!"

Standing in front of his open closet, James jolted when Kendall appeared next to him. "Stop doing that!"

"You said you were in a hurry. I'm trying to save time."

"Okay, listen. You cannot do that shit outside this apartment. Nobody can know that you're not human, do you understand me? You have to blend in."

"I told you, James, that no one else will see me."

"I'm not counting on that. If I talk to you and no one else can see you, that just makes me look crazy." James slid aside some hangers, trying to decide what Kendall might be comfortable in that wouldn't be too weird. "Does anything here appeal to you?"

"In what way?"

"Just look at the shirts. What would you like to wear?"

"I'm most comfortable in this gown, it—"

"Forget the gown! Pick something."

Ten minutes later Kendall was clothed in a faded pair of blue skinny jeans, a t-shirt with a blue flannel thrown on over it, and a pair of James' sneakers. Now in the bathroom, James was running a comb through Kendall's hair.

"This clothing is restricting."

"I would imagine so, after freeballing it in a dress. Turn around, let me get your bangs."

"The shoes are...roomy."

"Yeah, my feet are a little bigger than yours. Sorry about that. But you know what they say about big feet..."

"No. What do they say?"

James rolled his eyes. "Forget it. But hey, since we're on the subject, why were you checking out my junk earlier?"

Kendall frowned. "Your junk?"

"Oh my god, you are so..." Begging for patience, James set down the comb and tried again. "My...penis. Wow, I hate that word." He was distracted from his disgust by the sight of something he'd never thought to see—Kendall was blushing. "You're embarrassed?"

"No. It's completely natural to be curious about things that are foreign."

James' head fell to the side as he crossed his arms over his chest. "A penis is foreign to you?"

"Yes. I had no need of genitalia in Heaven. No need of a body, really. Having one now feels strange."

"Wait, seriously? You guys don't have bodies in Heaven?"

"We are spirits. Energy. I have not had a body since my human life."

James contemplated that. "So...you having a dick. That's weird for you."

"All of this is weird for me."

"Huh. So I'm not the only one out of my element. That actually makes me feel better."

"Good. I'm glad that I could help you in some way."

"Yeah, checking out my junk...that's..."

"Why do you keep referring to your genitalia as...junk? I thought male humans valued that part of their bodies."

"Oh, we do. Trust me. It's a...it's slang. Basically it means my dick and everything else involved with that."

Kendall nodded. "Your junk."

"Right."

"I apologize if it made you uncomfortable when I was looking at yours. I was curious to see if yours looked like mine."

"Ah." James couldn't help but be amused. "And uh...does it?"

"I believe yours is a tad longer."

Chest puffing out in pride, James grinned.

"But mine seems to be thicker. In circumference."

James blinked, knocked off his high horse. "Oh. Well. Both are good things."

"It is not a matter of pride for me, James."

"It should be, if you're thicker." James nudged Kendall. "Come on, Kelly's already texted asking where I am. We gotta go. I have no idea how I'm going to explain you to everyone."

"Who is Kelly?" Kendall asked while following James back to the living room.

"She's Gustavo's assistant. Was that not in my file?"

"Oh, yes. Gustavo is the man who bellows at you daily. Kelly is the nice woman who tries to keep him from being rude."

"That's about right." James opened a closet near the front door to pull out his leather jacket. He considered loaning something to Kendall, then realized that angels probably didn't get cold. "So do us both a favor and stay out of the way today."

"I told you, I'm not leaving your side."

"Yeah yeah, I get it. I just mean to try to act normal. You can sit with them in the booth. If they let you. If not, there's a little lobby area you can chill in."

"You will not be out of my sight. Especially with a female around."

James paused with a hand on the door. "Trust me, you don't have to worry about Kelly. I have zero romantic feelings for her. And even less of the sexual variety."

"You say that now, but women are predators. Like that Lucy girl. She is your biggest danger, James."

"Lucy's my friend, okay? It is possible to be friends with a girl. Though I admit I didn't really get that until she came along." He opened the door and ushered Kendall through. "Stick close to me."

"Of course."

"If anyone asks, you're my cousin from Minnesota who came out for my birthday."

"That is a lie. I cannot lie."

"Then just...keep your mouth shut."

James got them through the lobby with little attention. From the front desk, Bitters raked his eyes over Kendall, clearly curious about James' companion. James diverted any questions with "Thanks again for the help earlier. I'll let you know if he crashes my apartment again."

Reminded of the incident, Bitters was too embarrassed to do more than nod.

Kendall hesitated when James pushed him toward the shuttle. A hard shove got him moving up the steps, and James was amused to find Kendall nervous for the ride over to Rocque Records.

It made him feel better that Kendall had fears, as well.