With an exhausted sigh, Gunwoo finally retreated to his bedroom at the end of another very long day. When he stepped inside, he could hear the faint sound of water running in the background, and he knew that Hyosung had already returned. He thought about joining her in the shower, but decided against it and collapsed on the bed instead.

                It had been months since Gunwoo had sat down with the Angel and Demon Emperors. While they had made some steps towards progress, the trek was achingly slow.Most of the time, he was stuck defusing tense racial encounters as the angels and demons cautiously tried to meet each other on more even ground. It felt like forever since he’d left the Negal Cemeste, but so far, it was the best and safest place to start working on developing better angel and demon relations.

                This was his suggestion so it was also his task while his father and mother spent most of their time traveling on the RAS1-Celestial Scion, speaking with their people about the upcoming changes and how they supported it. He wished his father much luck in that regard, but knew he’d have more success anyway. Yunho had always been more charming than Gunwoo in political matters. And he had a reputation to help smooth anything out as well. That was not the case for Gunwoo…

                Scrubbing his hand over his eyes, the tired angel sat up and stifled a yawn before he wandered to the holo-screen on the wall. He opened his last message from Earth and grinned when he saw the beaming face of Kibum looking back at him. The young man had dyed his hair blonde and was holding up the peace sign next to his face. He looked happy. Myungsoo was behind him with a subdued but amused expression. From the message, Kibum had made the Discover take the picture with him. If it had been anyone else, Gunwoo would have been surprised but Kibum could convince a mountain to move if he wanted to.

                He’d also sent a picture of him and Junhong eating together, which made Gunwoo even happier. It was reassuring to know they were alright. Earth was moving along as ever. Talks were slow about trying to establish space travel. Myungsoo had managed to wipe most of what they’d learned out of the system but humans were also tenacious and resourceful, so snippets of high technology kept popping up from time to time. Kibum explained that it was driving Myungsoo crazy with how often he had to “buy” something to keep it quiet, but the respective governments were at least in talks to have more of a unified front should another “alien invasion” be possible in the future.

                “Of course, if we had been invading, they wouldn’t even be having those talks,” Gunwoo chuckled to himself. Earth had a long way to go, but it was on the right track. Maybe one day he’d meet their people out in space. Or his children would perhaps. Some day.

                He was about to turn away and return to the bed when a blinking message light popped up in the corner of the screen. Clicking on it, he paused and just sat there for a long moment. It was from the Vylorian Quadrant. Gunwoo’s breath caught in his throat and he bit his lip, filled with joy and worry both. Since his original sentencing, he had only received basic reports from the outpost relief force. Updates were few and far between and while they were still looking into things, they hadn’t found trouble. Yet anyway.

                But this was not a report. It was a personal message. From Changmin. Gunwoo grabbed his arms and squeezed tight, feeling his heart and stomach lurch at the name. Most days, he could keep the other angel out of sight, out of mind. Not forgotten but not haunting his every waking moment either. This though… This brought back every memory in vivid, aching detail and his eyes teared up. He still missed him. Sorely.

                Taking a deep, shaky breath, Gunwoo reached out and opened the message, both disappointed and relieved when there was no image to go along with it. He didn’t need one; he could still remember the angel perfectly, but it would have been nice to see him again. Instead, it was a short but simple message.

Dear Gunwoo,

I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to write this. I’ve tried so many times but it never came out right. I’m still not sure it’s what I want but I at least wanted to let you know. I’m sorry for how things worked out. I’m sorry I wasn’t enough to keep you from running away and having to go through what you did. I’m sorry for not being able to protect you from everything that happened. I’m sorry for so many things and yet I know it won’t change anything.

I’m also sorry that I’m not sorry for what happened too. Things did not work out as I think either of us hoped, but if you hadn’t run away… if I hadn’t been asked to find you… I would have always loved you from afar. But because of everything that did happen, both good and bad, I will always be glad that in that madness, I got to have you. I was finally able to tell you… to show you how I felt about you for so many years. If I forget everything else, I will still always remember our night together. It is cold and lonely out here, but that memory warms me on even the darkest of days.

I hope you are well even now. It’s probably hard, but you are strong, Woo. You always have been, even if you did like to cry as a child. But I know you’ve turned into a fine young angel. I have no doubt that you will change our universe for the better, my Prince.

I wish for nothing more than your happiness and safety. I miss you. I love you. And always will.

Your Guard, now and forever,

Changmin

                Gunwoo sniffed and closed his eyes, dropping his head as he braced his forehead with his fingers. “That’s not fair, jerk.” Vainly, he tried to compose himself enough to respond or do anything other than try not to cry, but even that was a struggle.

                He realized he was taking too long when he heard the light footsteps of Hyosung coming up behind him. Her hands brushed over his wings before resting on his sides as she murmured, “Is it from him?”

                “Yes,” he croaked after a pause, voice choked with emotion.

                “Is he doing okay?” she asked, leaning closer so she could hug him carefully from behind, damp hair pressing against the back of his neck in the process.

                “Yes,” he swallowed, grabbing her arms with his hands gently.

                “Do you want me to go so you can answer?” she wondered aloud, holding him just a bit tighter.

                “No,” Gunwoo shook his head, gently pulling on her arm so she would step around in front of him. “Stay,” he pleaded, knowing he didn’t want to be alone. Slowly, he pulled Hyosung against him and rested his chin on top of her head, cradling her close as he caressed the side of her gently swelling belly.

                “Okay,” she murmured, snuggling closer as she heard his heartbeat under her ear.

                Gunwoo wasn’t sure what he should say in his response. There were so many things he hadn’t been able to tell the other angel, but he didn’t think a letter would be able to fit them all. The one thing he did know was that he would always remember that night too.

                He was starting to really care for the angel in his arms, and he knew he would love the child she was carrying, but he doubted he’d ever feel anything like what he’d had with Changmin. If nothing else, he knew he would send the only thing that really mattered in the message.

                ‘I will always love you too, Minnie.’

The End

(for real this time)

For Now...