“Joshua. Joshua, wake up. Joshua.”

The world comes back into focus like an old movie: there’s a spot of light somehere in the middle, and then the black gently fades out.

I’ve never seen Wonwoo so pained in my whole life. The shock and worry and fear in his eyes is overwhelming, and I’m only just coming too. When he sees my eyes, he lets out an audible whoo and bends over me further with a more concerned look. “Joshua, there you are. Are you alright?”

I blink a moment, not sure if I can find my mouth. Then, I speak. “I’m alright.”

“Are you hurt?”

I shake my head automatically. “No. I don’t think so.”

“What happened?”

“…vertigo,” I smile weakly, although I know damn well that’s not it.

The idea of a hoard of demons coming for my is frightening enough – nevermind that I’m still not entirely sure why. I know I shouldn’t worry when I’ve got a demon who is bound to protect me and two of my best friends are angels, but it’s still a little off-putting.

DK gently helps me up, supporting my head like I’m a newborn, and I’d complain if I didn’t feel so crap. I slowly sit up, but a stabbing pain in the chest makes me wince on the way up.

“You alright?” Wonwoo asks worriedly.

“…I’ll be fine,” I smile gently. “Uh, my bottle of water is…”

DK has it before I can even finish: I drink a little, and the stabbing pain seems to go away a little. I pull myself up off DK’s supporting hands, and glance around at the circle of students gathered. “Don’t worry guys,” I smile, raising my voice. “I just got a little dizzy, ‘cause the art club wants me to fly.”

A laugh ripples around and Wonwoo grips me around the waist to hoist me onto my feet. He holds me so close, I can feel his heartbeat through his shirt. “Hey. Are you sure you’re alright?”

I smile at him. “Don’t worry.”

He hugs me close, pressing my chin onto his shoulder. I like it when Wonwoo hugs me – he always looks so cold, but he’s very warm inside. His arms go around me and he pulls me in gently. “Don’t scare me like that,” he whispers lowly in my ear. “I was really scared, for a moment.”

I just grin and hug him close, too. “Sorry,” I whisper back. “I’m alright now.”

Usually, he lets me go pretty quickly. Today, he just squeezes me a little tighter. “Don’t go,” he whispers suddenly, a bit of desperation in his voice. “Don’t go away where I can’t find you. Okay? Don’t go where I can’t find you.”

I frown a little, his hair. “Hey… what do you mean? What’s wrong?”

He shakes his head a moment. “Just… be with me forever. Okay? Don’t faint or die or go places where I can’t follow.”

I bark out a small laugh and bury my face in his neck. He smells nice, like apples and summer sunshine. “Don’t worry,” I tell him gently. “I’ll be close to you forever. After all, you’re my best friend.”

Best friend. It’s weird, how much grief such beautiful words can bring.

Yes, I’ve been his best friend for years. Joshua. My Joshua. My pure-souled, lovely, kind, happy Joshua. I’ve stood by him, protected him, helped him, made him smile and dried his tears. There’s no reason for me to ever think I could ever be more than a best friend – it’s illogical to want, illogical to hope for, but I did.

Best friend. I don’t want to be his best friend. I want to kiss him. I want to hold him the way I’m holding him now. I want him to know what I feel when he smiles. I want him to hold me close, always.

In a way, I’d like to have what Jihoon and Seungcheol have. They’re inseperable, loyal, devoted to each other. On the outside they’re not very cuddly, but I think we’ve all caught a glimpse here and there of how Jihoon looks at his boyfriend. The fire there. The ultimate devotion in his eyes. There could never be any kind of doubt between them.

I want that. I want to know that Joshua is as attached to me as I am to him. I want his loyalty, his devotion – even if it’s just a fraction of what I feel for him. I want that kind of happiness.

But I’m his best friend and honestly, it should be enough. I told myself that from the start. Being his best friend should be enough for me. I shouldn’t be asking for anything else. I shouldn’t be that greedy. But I am. I want to love him, I want to shout it from the rooftops. I want him to feel how much I love him, how much I need him in my life.

But I let him go, drop the hug. Because right now, I don’t have the words. I can’t say it. I can’t tell him how much he means to me.

Joshua grins at me, eyes twinkling like little stars. “You’re the best, Wonwoo.”

I smile back, and it doesn’t even hurt so much. It’s almost pathetic how happy he makes me when he says stuff like that. I’m pathetically his.

“Now, how do get me all the way up there?”

I lean in again. “I’m an angel,” I mutter, “don’t worry about falling. I’ll catch you.”

Joshua grins at me and squeezes my shoulder for a moment. “Thanks, Wonwon.”

With every passing moment, the Prefects get a little more antsy: during the parade, and when I come down off the crazy scary float. The tour through the neighborhood was fun, sure, but my legs feel like jelly.

Jeonghan keeps a hard hand on my arm, helping me off. “Be careful,” he mutters in my ear. “There are demons present.”

Luckily, as a Prefect, I have to keep going so quickly that I barely even notice the thrall of students from Jaehwang High. Jeonghan’s got one hand on my left shoulder and DK is on my right, and together they simply push me forth to where I’m pushed in a chair and presented with pizza for lunch.

“So,” I mumble at the others through a mouthful of tomato, bread and mushrooms. “Anybody want to clue me in on the demon situation?”

Everybody seems to look at Jeonghan, who simply looks o