About once every three weeks or so you'd take a day off from Francesa's, leaving the store in a capable employee's hands so you could tend to your other needs and obligations. Today happened to be one of those rare days, this one a bit more necessary than normal. Your apartment was a total mess, your laundry was overflowing, and you were basically out of groceries. Running a store was great, but sometimes it left other aspects of your life seriously lacking.

Additionally, your social life was somewhat of a mess too. Your call with Sarah was a couple of days ago now, and she had yet to get back to you if she'd spoken to James, meaning you still had little clarity on where things stood between you and the man. He hadn't been entirely silent with you, having sent a few sidekicks to Francesca's like he'd promised and checking in about them intermittently. He'd also tried to text you like he normally would, and as much as you loathed yourself for it, you couldn't help but also attempt normalcy in your responses.

You wanted to distance yourself from James, but he was still your best friend at the end of the day. And also, more embarrassingly, he was frankly your only local friend. Talking to him was necessary to avoid the daunting loneliness you knew countless young adults experienced in a big city like yours. That didn't make it feel any less draining having to pretend that things were perfectly normal between you and him, of course, and you were tired. That exhaustion was probably partly to blame for the abysmal state of your apartment.

You begrudgingly prepared yourself mentally and physically for a long day of cleaning and shopping in the mid-summer heat by pulling on some light, flowy clothing and trudging downstairs. You'd scheduled your employee Montell today, a grumpy and sage older man you suspected had a thing for Gran Gran when she was alive, to open the shop. He'd been working there exceptionally for longer than you had, so while you still felt hesitant to not run the shop yourself, you knew it was ultimately quite safe in his experienced, trustworthy hands.

You decided to check in on him before leaving for the local grocery store, opting to pop in the shop before heading to your car. Despite the shop having opened mere minutes ago, Montel was surprisingly not alone as you ventured inside. Instead, the senior stood at the counter chewing out Angel grumpily, while the younger man stood across from him with a contrastingly cheerful expression on his face. Both of them had yet to notice you, and you listened in to their dispute as you shuffled closer.

"I don't know who you think you are, but I'm not telling you where (Y/n) is, you foolish boy!"

"I'm her soon-to-be boyfriend! Just tell me when she's coming in, please?"

"She's not coming in, and I'm sure as hell not telling you where she is in her free time!"

"I just wanna hang out with her..."

"Did you hear nothing? You listen to me, boy! She-"

"Hello?" you chuckled lightly, finally deciding to cut into the amusing scene before you as you walked behind the counter by Montell.

"(Y/n)!" Angel exclaimed. "You are here, I knew it!"

You momentarily ignored him to address your employee with an appreciative smile. "Good morning, Montell. Thanks for picking up today's lead shift so I can have it off. I needed a day to pull my life together- you know how it is."

"Of course, kiddo," the man smiled back, his demeanor softening now that he was addressing you. Ever since your youth, he'd always had a soft spot for you and Sarah, only ever snapping at younger James for your trio's combined antics which often left the boy pouting indignantly. "I'm always glad to help. Your Gran Gran asked me to care for her two babies: you and the shop. Which is exactly why I was trying to get this piece of work out of here," he scowled again as he pointed his thumb towards a now pouting Angel.

"Right. I know he can be a lot, but he means well... I think. Although," you finally turned to face Angel, "why are you here? Don't you have hero work or something?"

Angel shook his head excitedly, his smile so bright you almost felt like you needed sunglasses to look at him. "Nope! I'm just a sidekick so I have fewer hours. I have today off just like you- so we're destined to spend our day together!"

"I don't think that's what it means," you corrected with an apologetic smile. "Besides, I can't lounge around today. I've got errands and shit to do. So I'll have to get a rain check on that, sorry."

"I'll come with you! I have to help my woman- even when the tasks seem mundane!"

You sighed at his continual delusions. "Angel, I already said I'm not looking to date right now."

"Why though? We could be great together! Doesn't have to be serious- just two pretty people casually hanging out. Romantically!"

"I don't do casual stuff. And I... I only wanna date someone who I'm close friends with first."

Technically not a lie, you just wanted to date a specific someone who you were close friends with. If you even did still want to date... Whatever. Your point still stood.

"Okay. I think I get it. I'll stop hitting on you then and be your friend! And then we can-"

Montell cut him off with a loud scoff. "Did you hear nothing, you dumbass? She said friends! And healthy friendships aren't formed with those expectations. You have to put romantic feelings aside for her to feel like your relationship is genuine!"

You nodded in agreement, thankful for Montell's support. You hoped it got through to Angel, though the puzzlement on his normally chipper face wasn't too promising.

"So... I have to be your friend... without expecting you to date me at the end?" Angel asked slowly, seemingly struggling to comprehend platonic relationships.

"Yep. Obviously, I can't stop you from having feelings for me- if your feelings are even real, 'cause you caught them so fast..." you added skeptically. "But you can't expect that I will feel the same. Ever. Maybe I will, maybe I won't, but you've gotta lower those expectations to zero if you want me to spend time with you."

"I think I get it... but I'm not sure." The poor man looked entirely perplexed, and you began to fear for the man's social life if his social awareness was this lacking.

"Angel, um, I don't mean to be rude- but do you have many friends?" you asked as gently as you could, not wanting to shame the poor man.

"Um... well I have Mom and Dad sorta- oh, and Megistos! Also sorta... I think I annoy him sometimes with all my questions. And now I have you, maybe? So four!"

You frowned at him. His face and tone looked nothing but happy as he proudly held up four fingers, but his actual words betrayed a potential secret loneliness. You shared a knowing look with Montell- while Angel's words were sad to hear, they unfortunately made some sense concerning the man's earlier confusion.

"So you don't know a lot of people then?" you prodded further. "That's sorta surprising since you're so outgoing."

"What? No- I know lots of people! Like- hundreds, probably! They're just not my friends, they're like... um, my exes, I guess? And I've got a few coworkers now at the Commission! But they aren't really my friends either I don't think..."

"Wait, whoa- you have hundreds of exes? How- how is that possible?" you asked skeptically. You knew that your amount of romantic experiences was on the lower side (zero!), but what Angel was insinuating- or rather just flat-out claiming- seemed like the exact opposite side of the spectrum. "Are you like... dating everyone you meet? Do you actually like all those people romantically?"

"Uhh..." Angel looked up as he pondered your question. Suddenly, his eyes met yours, his gaze heavy with intense uncertainty. "I'm not sure? They always come up to me and ask to date, and sometimes I say yes, sometimes I say no! The ones I say 'no' to never stick around to be friends cause they get mad or embarrassed by the rejection, I guess, but the ones that I say 'yes' to stay for a bit! They usually leave too though eventually, because they say I'm not romantic enough or I don't wanna do 'stuff' with them! And I do do stuff- but not all the time- a lot though maybe- but it's not like a problem! It's um, it's confusing, I guess."

You hummed in understanding. "Yeah, sounds like it, buddy."

You couldn't help but feel for the guy. Clearly, he didn't have any friends because he just assumed everyone he met wanted to date him- which seemed to genuinely be the case most of the time. He didn't understand the difference between platonic and romantic attraction, and that's why he was overly flirtatious when he approached you- he didn't know how to form friendships. You saw yourself in him to a certain degree, though in the opposite way, and your heart ached to provide him the comfort and companionship he didn't even seem to realize he needed.

"I don't think you want to be my boyfriend, I think you just wanna be my friend," you explained to him kindly. "Like a friend-crush! You just somehow haven't ever had a true friend cause you found yourself surrounded by a bunch of shitty people. But that ends now, okay? We can just be friends! I wanna know you for you, no other expectations or anything. Does that sound like something you want?"

"I think so!" he agreed, nodding his head excitedly at your proposition. "I wanna be your friend. I still think you're really pretty, though- is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's okay," you giggled, feeling a wave of relief now that he'd finally stop flirting with you so aggressively. "I think you're really pretty, too. But I do need to start my day. We can hang out another time, yeah?"

Panic washed over his features as he stepped towards you in protest. "Wait, no! I still wanna spend the day with you, friend! I can help you with 'errands and shit' cause a friend would do that! Right? And I'm gonna be the best friend you've ever had!"

He looked extremely determined, and you just couldn't find it in yourself to turn him down. Glancing to your side, Montell was shaking his head disappointedly, like he already knew that you were about to cave into the winged man's whims.

"If you really want to... I guess you can come with me?" Angel squealed in delight and you almost took back your offer. "Okay, uh- you have to be chill though. No yelling and no acting like a kid on a sugar high. Alright?"

"I will pull myself together!" he shouted, sobering when you and Montell both sent him warning looks. "I mean, I will pull myself together."

Montell scoffed, but you paid it no mind. Having a friend to spend such a formidable day with kinda sounded like it might be nice.

"Okay then. First up is groceries. My car is just outside," you said as you led him out of the shop, after bidding your employee farewell. You both walked out to the street where your car was parked, but as you looked at the winged man standing next to your car, you noticed a slight issue.

"So... how do you fit into cars and stuff with your wings?"

"Huh?" he grunted in confusion before flushing in minor embarrassment as he also realized the predicament. "Oh... I guess I haven't been in a car since I was smaller. I usually just fly everywhere. But I can probably fit in..."

You looked between him and your comparatively tiny car again. "I don't think so, bud. Maybe we can't hang out today if you-"

"I can fly us!" Angel cut you off quickly, not wanting to cut his time with you short.

"You can fly us?" you questioned dubiously. "You can carry me and my many bags of groceries the few miles between my home and the store?"

"Yes!"

"..."

"What? I'm a big guy and I'm a hero now, too! I can carry like... five injured civilians at once, probably! One person and some bags are nothing!"

"I doubt you can carry that many- wait. It's illegal to use your powers outside of hero work... how have you just been flying around for fun?"

"That's actually not my superpower! Well, technically. My wings don't count as one the same way flying does for Megistos cause they're categorized as a genetic mutation!" he explained with a puffed-out chest, proud of his supernatural gift. "So I can use them all I want and it isn't against the law! I seriously got lucky."

"Superhuman rights make no sense," you sighed in resignation. "I just... fine. Do you know where the store is?"

"Yup!"

Before you could ask any more questions to ensure you were on the same page, you were in Angel's arms bridal style and zooming through the air much faster than you were prepared for. James usually didn't carry you in such a fashion, nor did he like to utilize the fullest extent of his speed for (believe it or not!) 'safety' reasons, so flight with Angel was a new experience altogether. And admittedly? It was exhilarating.

In almost no time at all he touched the ground again, and you looked at your ride in awe as he gently set you down with a wide smile on his face.

"That was so fast!" you grinned back. "Megistos is nowhere near your speed when he carries me! I'm so happy superhuman regulations make no sense so that I can do that again legally!"

Angel laughed gleefully at your excitement as he began to walk towards the store. It was at that moment that your joy died, because you and him were evidently not on the same page.

"This isn't the right place," you whispered in subtle mortification as you tugged him back by his shirt.

He paused in confusion, scratching his neck as he looked between you and the store he'd brought you to. "What? This is my grocery store I've been going to since I moved here, and the one my parents went to at home.... what's wrong with it?"

Literally nothing was wrong with it, and that was your exact problem. He had taken you to one of the high-end grocery stores that sold exclusively organic, exclusively grass-fed, exclusively exclusive products. You only knew any of this because it was the same store that James shopped at, and much as you liked accompanying him there on his errands and pretending like you were shopping for yourself, it just wasn't your reality. Your bank account prevented you from entertaining such delusions.

Running a flower shop just wasn't a millionaire type of career. And seeing as you tried to be a responsible and caring boss, you paid all your employees well above minimum wage. You'd never regretted that choice, exactly, but it did mean that you had to live a bit more frugally than you would otherwise. Case in point, there was simply no way you could afford to buy groceries at the store Angel took you to.

"Um, I can't shop here, bud. I don't have that hero salary," you joked, attempting to make the situation less awkward, to no avail, because Angel still looked as distressed outwardly as you felt inwardly.

"No, I'm so sorry, (Y/n)! I feel so bad! I just- well, I thought this place was so cool and you're my friend so you should be able to shop at cool places- and um, I'll pay for you!" he blurted out.

His offer unfortunately only made you feel more abashed, so you averted your eyes with a small smile. "No- no thanks. I'm trying to not take advantage of you like all those other people in your life, so I just- I cannot accept that."

"No- I really wanna! Please? Think of it as a payback for when I broke your window!"

"The Commission paid me for that already..."

"But you had to close the shop a few days after, right? You probably lost money then, so this is my paying for that!"

He was right, you did lose money for those few days. And this could also be an unspoken payback for when he flirted with you even after you rejected him. You pursed your lips hesitantly before begrudgingly answering. "Okay. Just this once, though. And I'll only get the essentials and the cheapest version of whatever I need that they sell here, okay?"

"Whatever you say!" he agreed with a mock salute before making his way to the store. You laughed to yourself as you followed closely behind him, unsure how it was that someone so lively had just fallen into your life as he had.

Your time spent together shopping was surprisingly fun. Angel was so sweet and funny when he wasn't trying to make moves on you, and he was a good shopping partner too- being attentive to your list you pulled up on your phone. He did try to convince you to get the super high-end brands that you'd never be able to afford on your own dime, but you refused every time. You noticed at checkout though that he managed to switch out a few when you weren't looking, which was actually quite touching in a frustrating sort of way.

In the end, you had about six bags, but Angel assured you he could carry all of them and you. Slightly disbelieving yet hopeful after so much time spent around his contagious self-assurance, you situated yourself in his arms outside the shop, though not before voicing a question that'd been in the back of your head for a bit.

"Hey, how did you know where I lived?"

"Oh!" he flushed slightly. "Um, Megistos told me! That day I brought you coffee!"

"I thought so, was just curious. You ready?"

"Mhm, let's go!"

He took off again and the flight was just as nerve-rackingly fun as the first time through its entire short duration. When you landed, he continued to carry your bags as you led him up to your apartment. You opened the door for him, and he set the bags on your kitchen counter before he wandered around, taking in his surroundings with little 'ooh's and ah's that had you chuckling in amusement,

"Awww- this is so (Y/n)! Like, it just looks like your name personified!" he pointed out gaily, eliciting another laugh from your lips.

"Well you know, you look like your name personified. Or like your hero name, I guess," you commented as you began to put away your groceries in your nearly empty fridge and cupboard.

"It's actually both! Sorta like with the mask thing, I don't need to hide my identity due to the huge white wings that no one else in the world possesses. And my parents weren't very creative, so my real first name is the same as my hero name since it's so fitting to my wings and my power!"

"Oh, that's cool. Sorta dangerous maybe, but definitely also cool. Wait, you have another power, then? Besides the wings?"

His jaw dropped at your questioning. "What!? You seriously don't know? I've used it around you by accident a few times when I got too excited..."

He chuckled softly as you tried to remember any time he'd ever used a superpower, your mind coming up short.

"It's light manipulation! I can create light from my body, but I can also turn light into tangible energy. Kinda like Megistos' energy blasts! That's why I wanted to be his sidekick!"

You lifted your brows in surprise, realization setting in. "Oh- is that why your smile physically makes me squint sometimes? It's like looking at the sun."

"Yes!" he beamed quite literally, evidently quite excited again. "No one's ever compared my smile to the sun before."

"What? No way. You're genuinely sunshine personified. It's cute."

Angel turned away, presumably to hide his blush at your compliment. "So what's next? We did the 'errands,' so what's the 'shit'?"

You giggled at how he recalled your exact words from earlier so earnestly. "Now I just need to pick the place up and do my laundry. You can go if you don't wanna do this, though. It's the boring stuff now. I will take no offense."

Angel shook his head adamantly. "No way! I promised my friend that I would help her all day, and I always follow up on my promises! You start the laundry while I clean things up, 'kay?"

You were honestly shocked by how much more pleasant Angel was to be around when he didn't feel like he had to woo you. He seemed to be a stand-up guy, and an even better friend. Honestly, you missed having someone your age to hang around like this. There was Sarah, but you never really got that in-person bonding time that you often craved. Then there was James, but even though you spent tons of time together as friends, he was still someone you had feelings for and that added an extra layer to your time together that prevented you from ever feeling entirely relaxed around him. Plus, things were weird now with him anyways. And finally, there were the employees at Francesca's. You loved them all dearly, but none of them were your age- either being much older or younger- so there wasn't a ton of relatability among you all. Angel was just what you needed, and spending the day with him was surprisingly refreshing.

You ended up making early dinner with him after cleaning up, a fun and chaotic experience that left a small mess in your kitchen. He tried to stick around longer, but your consistent yawning told you it was finally time for him to go. You were taken by surprise at the slight disappointment pooling in your chest at the prospect of being left alone again, but you pushed it aside. You were exhausted with a kitchen to clean, after all.

"You sure you don't want help cleaning up?" he asked tentatively, glancing towards your kitchen while he stood by your front door.

"No, it's seriously fine," you responded with an appreciative smile. "You already helped a girl out more than enough today. I'll see you later, though?"

"Totally! Oh- uh... can I... can I get your number?" he asked meekly before continuing in his typical frenzied manner. "I'mnothittingonyouIswearIjustwanna-"

"Hey, it's okay," you giggled. "I didn't think you were hitting on me, and I was gonna ask the same thing. So I can make sure you get home safe."

"Aw you're seriously too precious, (Y/n)!" he cooed at you with one of his widest smiles yet. "I'm a hero, of course I'll get home safe! But I'll still give you my number for your peace of mind I guess..."

"Sure. That's why you'll give it to me." You side-eyed him jokingly before swapping phones.

"Woah... um, who's 'the greatest!!!'? Because they've been blowing up your phone today..."

Your eyes widened at his words. "What? That's just, uh- it's Megistos. I guess I haven't been checking my phone all day cause I've been distracted by you and my errands."

He gave you back your phone after entering in his number, and you typed a contact name and saved it before shutting it off, unprepared to address whatever James was freaking about this time.

"It's no big deal, probably. You seriously better tell me when you're home, okay? It's what friends do."

"Okay then! I'll do it! I'm the best friend ever!"

"Sure you are, sunshine. Get some rest tonight and I'll see you later. Bye!"

He blushed profusely at the nickname, but you closed the door before he could comment on your adorableness. You knew he wasn't gearing up for a flirtatious compliment anymore, but you were a bit overwhelmed by how cute he thought you were in general, and you were reaching your limit of his cuteness aggression.

Making your way back to your couch, you unlocked your phone and readied yourself to assess the damage with your other superhero friend. There were around fifteen notifications- both phone calls and texts- and all were from your ever-persistent James. The last few were all him asking if Rowan had kidnapped you- which you had to laugh at. Why would you have your phone if you were kidnapped? His logic was so flawed sometimes.

Not in the mood for a long conversation, you sent him a simple message and set his chat to be silent for the rest of the night.

9:32 - you

- was hanging out with angel all day and didn't see ur texts, sorry. im safe so no need to worry. goodnight

Just as you sent that text, one came in from Angel. He obviously flew home if he made it back so quickly, but his speed still took you by surprise.

9:32 - sunshine ☀️

- hi hi! 👋 it's angel 😇 your super friend!

- i made it home super safe! 🤩🤩🤩

- get it? cause im a super hero

- hahahahahahahaha

- 🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭

- [image attachment]

You opened the attachment to see him grinning widely in what you assumed was his home while throwing up a peace sign. Cute.

9:33 - you

- yay you remembered to text me!

- very uh... funny joke...

- anyways im sleepy so night night

- [image attachment]

You sent a picture of yourself smiling, in a similar pose as Angel was in his, and the replies were instant and quite impassioned, as expected.

9:33 - sunshine ☀️

- ASKSDEOKOFOEFL

- SO CUTEEEEEE

- AW (Y/NNNNNNNN)

-💓💘💖💗💖💞💖💓💖💗💕💗💕💖💞

- sorry for the spam!

- cuteness aggression!

- again...

- you're just too precious awwwwww

- goodnight! sweetest bestest dreams!

-🌙🤍💤

You chuckled to yourself and 'thumbs up'ed a couple of the messages. You were usually the less formal texter in your relationships, but never to this extent. You appreciated how he shifted the dynamic, and you appreciated his new, bright presence in your life in general. You shut off your phone for the night and smiled as you got ready for bed, reminiscing on your unusually fun day, wondering how Angel would continue to brighten your life with his friendship.

a/n: hey kitty girls ;) so sorry for not updating, i sorta forgot that i was crossposting for like a month- whoops! but now im back on my grindset fr, so like 30 more chaps of prewritten silliness to come soon, and then more later! unless i forget again! which i wont! maybe! okay that's all! bye i love uuuuuu <3