Come Back Home [2NE1]: In a time where things change,
The one thing that doesn't is,
You find yourself watching sometimes. Mostly the interesting humans. By that you don't necessarily mean the ones with exciting lifestyles or fantastic jobs. Just the ones that have interesting personalities, like the boy who likes to make origami and give it to the ill old woman next door or the girl who singlehandedly started the only double-dutch team in the county.
These people are riveting and inviting. You're supposed to watch them anyway regardless, considering they're on your list. You find yourself watching them even when it's not an order. Through your endeavors you find that a lot of it is . . . sad. You tend to not dwell on that for long because then you start to wonder what their happier lives are like. The joy and love.
You turn when your name is called and face Kaldur, who doesn't necessarily look happy. In fact he looks sorta irritated. Whoops. It's past your shift again. "You're supposed to be sleeping."
You smile at his disciplined frown on his face. "C'mon, angels don't sleep Kaldur." You spin in your chair slightly and grin. "Maybe I'm not the one who watches the humans too much." You tease, but still careful of Kaldur's mood. He making a sour frown towards you and tips of his ears are tinted pink.
"You know what I meant Barbara." He crosses his arms and you take that as a hint to quit poking the slight agitated bear. "Why are you still watching him?"
You spin back towards the monitor and hastily click away from the profile you had open. "I'm doing my job." You feel your face is powdered with an embarrassed blush.
"Okay, let me rephrase Barbara. Why are you watching only him?"
"He's had a bad day." Kaldur purses his lips and you meet his hard gaze. That's what you're supposed to do as a guardian angel. Each one has a list of people that they watch and care for until they, well, die. You protect the humans you are assigned and watch over them for years until they are gone. From the moment they leave the Earth, they are erased from your list and you don't control where they go.
"That's not within job detail, you're a protector, not a comforter." Kaldur's eyes soften and you look away. He off all people should understand what it's like. Sometimes a soul just reaches out to you.
Dick Grayson was born to two trapeze artists from 'The Haly Circus' on the first day of spring. He was born a week premature but healthy nonetheless. His favorite color is blue and he's allergic to shellfish. His parents were killed by criminals in Gotham when he was twelve. He brushed with death that day and you as his protector, kept him safe. It wasn't his time. Unfortunately, it was his parent's.
You watched him closely since then, he was depressed and in an orphanage until he was fourteen, when he was adopted by a middle class family. They were nice and owned a cat that he loved until it passed when he was seventeen. He stayed with them until he graduated college and now lives alone.
You still watch him, as a blossoming cardiologist and a blooming romantic when he meets someone named Zatanna. You watch him when he gets his own office and Zatanna moves to a different city, leaving him heartbroken.
And now you're are currently watching him as he trudges through the snow towards his apartment.
It's against the rules to give anyone on your list special attention. That doesn't stop you though. You can recall every single cut or bruise Dick has ever gotten. The fact that he prefers cats over dogs. He likes children more than teenagers because they're more fun. You can name every panic attack he's had and every anxiety disorder he was diagnosed with after his parent's death. He doesn't like pretentious people or condescending ones.
It's honestly amazing that your superiors haven't caught on.
Dick's parents were on Kaldur's list. He watched them fall in love, have a child, and build a life. He's pretty good at not attaching himself to any of the souls on his list and he knows that when it's time for them to go, you can't stop it. But you could still see the melancholy reflected in his eyes when their names faded from his list.
The first night he spent alone when his parents died was in a police station and you watched his twelve year old self cry for hours before drifting off.
Your bosses catch onto your special treatment the day his adoptive mother is sent to the hospital for a stroke. Everyone does. They know that it's not possible and that it's wrong for a guardian to be this attached to a soul on her list.
The night you felt something was wrong, Kaldur berated you. "Barbara." You looked away as soon as he said it.
"He doesn't deserve to die." You know your place. You know Dick's. You also certainly know that you should contain your personal feelings and let things take their course. Dick is a good person who's been through so much. Why should he have to die before he can even do his first heart surgery?
You look at the screen and Dick, who is currently, literally, drinking his life away. "I can't let this happen."
"Barbara," His eyes are pooling with panic as he realizes your intentions. "You'll die." His words are a whisper and you feel tears fill your eyes.
You are fully aware of the situation but it's okay as long Dick gets to live his life.
You're beside him now, Kaldur trailing behind you. You're next to Dick as he climbs in his car, drunk and depressed. "Please Barbara." You smile and wave at Kaldur before everything becomes black.
You're awake and the clock in Dick's apartment reads 9:08 am, meaning it's morning. Which also mean it worked, Dick is safe.
"Hi, little one." You hear a groan from the bed and focus your eyes on the bundle of blankets and the blues eyes that are gazing at you softly. His hand pets your head and you don't reply, mainly because you're a cat. "You saved me last night, I would've been in big trouble."
His hands wrap around your stomach and he pulls you into his lap and pets your fur gently. You've done it. You broke all the rules, you're no longer a guardian. Your immortality is gone.
Over the next few months, you become Dick's pet. He likes to talk to you a lot about his troubles and aspirations. It almost makes you feel like you're a guardian again. He calls you Barbara, mainly because it's the name tag you came with, which also why the first few weeks, he searched for your apparent owner. He still says that they is probably a family looking for you somewhere.
You start to forget things about Dick. His grandmother's name and favorite color. The day he was adopted. This unsettles you and you begin to worry about your decision. One morning Kaldur is there, watching you from across the park and you know there is something wrong. He doesn't say anything and only stares at Dick and you in the park. His gaze his sad and you want confront him but Dick has rolled you onto your back and is petting your stomach. His eyes stay on you the whole time and they scream, I hope this is what you wanted.
The day you forget his birthday is the day it happens. You slip out the door Dick did moments earlier desperately trying catch up to him. You run through the streets ignoring the outstretched hands of children and shouts of 'kitty!'
You seem him in the distance at the crosswalk and you pick up speed, your red hair flying behind you. You don't take notice of this until you hear the shouts and cries of "Look, angel!" Your wings outstretch as the car comes, barreling through the red light towards Dick. There screams as you tackle him, throwing him to the side. You remember.
He was born on the first day of spring and his favorite color is blue and his grandmother's name was Mary. He once cried when he found out his second mother had a stroke and cried again when she made a full recovery. He likes to let you sleep on his stomach. He's kind and has never really had an official girlfriend. He's Dick Grayson.
He's the human you fell from the sky for.
He's the human you died for.
a/n: this wasn't the original chapter 3 but i finished it first so oh well. yes i did write this in second person mainly because it was supposed to be a different story but ended up here instead, but i enjoyed writing it this way. next chapter will go back to my normal style though. i havent mentioned this before but please leave reviews? :^)