piecewise | g/t snippets & drabbles

rude awakening (m/f) | pt. 2

requested by PrpleLily
see the g/t one-shot book for part 1!

----

"Your car is fine, but...you might not be."

Sydney's eyes widened. "How?" She asked, the exasperation and fear leaking out of her voice. "I didn't do anything!"

The tall being let out a huff. "You didn't have to," he said, and that certainty and bass shut down anything else Sydney had thought to ask in that moment.

Her lips trembled as she pressed her hands to either side of her head. The 22-foot anomaly stepped closer, ever careful yet oozing confidence. She noted the flickers of his form, eyes flitting from her own disbelief to the predicament looking down on her.

"They're looking for you." He said, and despite the ambiguity the human had a feeling Isaiah was putting it lightly.

"Who? " She asked impatiently. "My parents? My friends? That makes the most sense, right? I've probably been gone for hours, or days..."

She flinched at the implication, new thoughts entering her brain and firing at a mile a minute. How much time has passed? How have her relatives taken it, her close friends and acquaintances? Are they the ones after her, striken by grief to the point of-

"You're not gone. At least, not time-wise." He muttered, and with her gaze matching up to his Sydney noticed he was flickering more. The guardian angel took a step forward.

The 26-year-old took two steps back. Isaiah's eyes narrowed slightly as he seemed to fill in where she moved from where she last was.

A second gigantic step forward.
The human scampered a few paces back.
Another advance.
Another retreat.

Isaiah sighed. "You don't believe me."

Sydney pursed her lips. She'd known she couldn't outrun him. He'd teleported before, and if looking at his shins wasn't embarrassing enough, being caught without the flashy guardian powers would be the icing on the cake. Besides, this...no, his domain would catch her if he didn't, and she may have been fast but definitely not supernaturally so. Sydney's brain thought one better: she wasn't 4 times faster than a human her height, either.

Sydney's heart began to pound as Isaiah's expression, few unreadable, twice tired, morphed into something she'd only seen one time before. Concern. For her, she assumed.

With exaggerated carefulness, Isaiah brought a knee down in front of her, making sure not to lose eye contact the entire time. The THUMP of the angel's body onto the expanse's surface was not lost on Sydney, but the eye contact didn't spare her the luxury of a reaction, let alone a flinch. She watches him bring his body elegantly forward, arms scooping on either side of his torso. Gingerly, he lowered himself further, bringing his hands to either side of the human.

"Can I..." He started, then cleared his throat. "Can I hold you?"

Sydney's heart hammered as she stared him up. Here he was, her guardian angel, asking her permission to be touched. The request seemed so out of left field, so unusual that she'd nearly forgotten the warning Isaiah has given. The information the mini-giant was still withholding from her. She sighed, balling her fists as she forced a glare in Isaiah's direction.

"What for?" She managed, but the shakiness of her legs said otherwise.

With the beckoning of his right hand, he answered her. "Come and find out."

Find out. He had said. Teasingly, like the men at the party had. Sydney wasn't one for challenges, but the lack of outside world hadn't given her much of a choice. Besides, even though this trip had become a bit more real to her than before, the giant in front of her was NOT scary.

Sydney watched the hands that each could easily encompass her entire torso inch closer to her. She rolled her eyes, shrugging for the guardian to pick her up as he saw fit before the hint of his touch overwhelmed her.

"Sorry," he said softly, watching her pupils dilate as he held her gently in his hands. Her eyes saw nothing and everything at the same time, the powers of the Divine granted to her through his cool touch. It felt like a river, streams of warmth flowing around and about her as the fingers on each of his hands met after completely encircling her. Something flashed in her peripherals, and the flash became her main view as she flashed into foresight.

Suits. Across a highway similar to the one she stopped at. One she recognizes from the party - a tall, stocky man named Albert. The other two she can't piece, though she swears they both look familiar. Whether a past not puzzled or a gift from the Divine, Sydney fears she won't know.

She feels herself shift in real-time. For a moment, she forgot she agreed to be handled. She doesn't trust Isaiah completely, not because of his size but because he can't be trusted to care about the things she does. Like her car, or her friends & family.

A tear dipped in multicolor falls as she continues to see through Isaiah's physical embrace. She'd been responsible, she swore. Keeping boundaries with the man she made out with, pulling over when she felt too tired to drive, sending texts to those she knew in case things went awry.

And as she watched a future unfold through the guardian's eyes, the human realized it had been a responsibly enjoyed day. She'd been cordial with Albert & everyone else as best she could, and even Isaiah had admitted that this wasn't her doing.

A warmth caressing her back brought her to her senses. Not Isaiah's. His expression was for the most part deadpan, but the twinkle in his eyes indicated far more than Sydney wanted to unpack.

"You were right," she whispered, and managed to ignore the shock of the angel that surrounded her. Her eyelids felt heavier as she reconciled with the truth.

"I am in danger."

-----

Isaiah frowned as he brought her back to the vehicle she came in, the woman resting peacefully in the cradle of his arms. Any other time he would have felt peace - she believed him, interacted with him even, and didn't even fear him like he thought she would.

But...she did fear what was after her. He gently placed her in the driver's seat, thanking God that he was only visible to her and the objects he touched. And what was, no, who was after her happened to be after him too. He resumed his flickering at an alarming pace before slowly returning to his normal luminescence.

He sighed, watching the cars zip by as he sat cross-legged on the grass adjacent to the highway's shoulder. He wondered if his physical form a little longer, maybe cause some chaos of his own with the objects hidden in the grass, but that may hurt her more than it helps.

Isaiah took one last look at Sydney, a ghost of a smile on his lips as he recounted their meeting - his voice hidden until he touched her - transporting her to the spiritual domain.

"Good luck," he whispered, recognizing that the future she'd seen was starting soon...and would determine how fine she'd end up being.

"We'll need it."