FALLEN ANGELS ✓

9.

HE WOKE UP in Heaven.

He wasn't dead. He knew he couldn't have been dead. When he blinked open his eyes, he was standing in front of a large white door, decorated with gold illustrations. He heard familiar laughter behind it.

Greed hesitated before grabbing the doorknob and opening the door, walking inside.

There were seven boys. Greed recognized them all and immediately he felt his heart clench.

The sins. Younger, and as angels. They seemed so naïve, so innocent, as they shaped their human-sized sculptures. Greed couldn't remember exactly why they were making them in the first place.

Their angel wings were hidden away, not sprouted out in all their glory. They didn't see Greed. They continued on with their work. Greed stepped closer.

"Namjoon!"

Greed flinched at the sound of his own voice. His younger self---Jeongguk, since Greed knew this wasn't himself anymore---grinned at Namjoon teasingly.

"You keep messing up your sculpture's nose!"

Greed tensed. He shouldn't be saying that to Wrath, he'd get angry---

Namjoon just sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I know. It's alright, I'll fix it."

Greed blinked. Right, this was not Wrath. It was Namjoon. And if he remembered correctly, Namjoon always kept a cool head.

Greed glanced then at Envy---wait, no, this was Jimin---who was glancing at Seokjin's sculpture, confused. "How'd you get it so perfect? Wow, Seokjin, you're really good at this!"

Jimin used to be the most uplifting towards the others. Greed remembered endless compliments and encouragement from him, but now. . .

Seokjin wasn't listening to Jimin, instead glancing into a mirror on the wall, except he wasn't admiring himself. Instead he was fixing his hair, looking worried.

"Seokjin," said Yoongi, whose sculpture was already done, and Greed remembered that he'd worked on it the hardest, "What are you doing?"

"Someone said my hair looked choppy this morning. . ." Seokjin tried to fix it, pursing his lips. "Does it---does it really look bad?"

"No, you look great!" Jimin chirped.

"Yeah, I'd smash," Yoongi agreed.

Taehyung frowned and glanced over at them. "Huh? What does that mean?"

Greed furrowed his brow. Did Lust really used to be that innocent?

Yoongi grinned. "Nothing, kid, don't worry about it."

Taehyung shrugged, but then said, "Someone please scold Hoseok. He hasn't eaten since morning."

Immediately, Seokjin stopped trying to fix his hair and went on a rant about how 'food is important, Hoseok!' and 'listen to me, you need to eat!'

Hoseok ended up taking a few bites of his lunch before he set back to work.

And then Greed watched Jeongguk, who was smiling and laughing with the others. He offered his supplies and took criticism, he didn't get angry at the sound of Jimin's voice and he didn't try to steal anything or irritate anyone.

This was what Greed wanted to have again, but looking at the past, he knew it wasn't possible. Not with the way they were now.

Greed swallowed hard, tears springing to his eyes.

Why did it have to be us?

These angels from Greed's memories were the complete opposite from the sins they were assigned. That was why, Greed knew. That was why Heaven took them and cursed them---they were pure enough to bear the weight of the deadly sins.