The wooden door creaked once more as Changjo lightly stepped into the room. Changhyun was asleep, peacefully under the covers and tears were still dripping down the latter’s cheeks. The taller smiled as he wiped them away, gently pecking the boy’s lips and as he trembled from the growing guilt once his lips met with the boy he loved, his tears quickly continued coming down his eyes. His gasps were loud and painful but he managed to quietly sneak into the bed and hugged Changhyun close.

“I don’t know what they want Ricky…” he spoke as his fingers gently caressed the smaller’s cheeks. “I’m scared” he was choking on his words but at the sight of Changhyun’s subtle smile and sleep-talk, his aching heart immediately recovered, slightly. “uhm.. Jonghyun… hee… you’re angry... again” the taller’s heart stopped feeling so pained but then, at the same time, it felt like he was dying, it was as if he was losing grasp of the boy he loved.

So, Changjo snuggled way closer and while his jaws clamped, he tried hard stopping himself from choking the smaller.

“I love you”

♦

It was a peaceful morning, as the rain drizzled outside and dampening the ground. Changhyun woke up rather slowly, with his nose grazing Changjo’s white, cottony shirt and his left hand cupping the latter’s cheeks. A smile broke free from his face, heartfelt and blissful as he brought his fingers to the taller’s nose. Silently tracing the features of the latter while he was asleep, it was like a routine that he did every time he woke up beside the half-blood.

A drop tear fell down his nose bridge, he was so happy that he became speechless and Changjo looked so breathtaking that it had hurt. He wanted to stay in that bed for a thousand years more and he didn’t mind if his time had stopped at that moment.

“I love you Jonghyun, so so much”

“Hey lovebirds, Chunji’s awake.” Hyunseung stood up straight as he closed the door, muttering words while he made his way out. The view that he saw, it was rather nauseating and yet, he wished that he hadn’t disturbed the blissful two. Changhyun sighed as he listened to the faint footsteps, looking straight at the boy he loved. So he brought his lips close to the taller’s face and for quite a moment, he planted a deep, emotional kiss on the boy’s jaws, the closest and reachable part that would never wake Changjo up.

“I’ll be back, wake up with a smile will ya?”

The boy whispered low, his fingers still glued on the taller’s skin.

But Changhyun’s wish never happened. The moment Changjo woke, the skies were grey from the storm and the room felt absent and rather suffocating. His ribs had throbbed as if he never recovered and he struggled to get some air into his system, while he managed to stand. His eyes in a desperate peer for the smaller and his heart heavy from guilt that had grew a size bigger inside his chest compared to last night. “Ricky…” the boy had to put his hand on the wall to help him move, it was weird, that he became so weak in such a short time.

His mind twirling and his head pulsed with a distinctive type of pain.

There was a huge mirror on the wall of the room, behind the door and Changjo trembled his way to it. With heavy breaths, the boy took off his shirt and held his breath, bracing a view that would make him queasy. He turned his back to the glass and a frail gasp escaped his pale, pinkish lips. Immediately, he wore his shirt back on and while he tried to calm down, he made his way down to the angel’s room.

Then as his steps slowed down, he halted at a sight he thought could never happen. Changhyun was smiling, brightly and sincerely, beside Chunji. The boy quickly hid behind the door and concentrated at the two’s conversation.

“So are you happy that I got stabbed by your scary mortal boyfie?”

“Haha yes, I am. Very much hyung.” The younger spoke as he watches Chunji’s hand creeping up to his fingers. “Yeah, I guess you should be. Changhyun-ah… I found a way. To bring Byunggie back, and if I’m not bedridden now, that bastard would’ve already woken up ya’know”

“Great hyung… that would be really great”

“So don’t leave us y-ya. You said everything will fine if he’s back right? So don’t run away okay. We’re almost there” the angel’s fingers finally entwined with the boy, slightly shaking but firm. “Hmm?”

“Yeah.”

It was as if he heard his own heart break a little when he heard Changhyun’s reply. He was tainted deep with guilt and agony that he did not hear the hesitation of the smaller’s tone, instead that answer felt genuine. Taking one step away from the door was indescribable, but he had heard enough, Changjo was completely shattered. He was numb.

“Hmm… you’re lying, aren’t you” the elder stern voice echoed rather distant as he turned his head away from the boy. Chunji knew that he was pushing the boy into a decision he made himself, but he couldn’t help to stop just right there. Changhyun used to be completely theirs and now, after a few years of negligence and the boy’s new found love, it was like handling a boy he never met before. Suddenly, the tight grip on his escaping fingers proved his instincts wrong “ I’m not hyung. I love you, and I love Byunggie too, and I honestly want to stay, with or without Byunghun. But I can’t bear to leave him anymore, hyung… I think might just love him as much as you love Byunggie” a tear fell down to the sheets as Changhyun swallowed his growing pains.

“I know… I know you better than Byunghun remember?” though it was a struggle to look back into Changhyun’s unfamiliar eyes, the angel managed to smile back and as he did, his hand moved up to the latter’s neck. Slowly, he pulled out the long, silver necklace that was hiding behind the boy’s shirt. “Wings, huh?”

“Y..yeah” Changhyun stuttered as fear crept into the corners of his mind, he was scared that Chunji would get angry again. “Corny. But damn, he might just know you as much as I do” The boy’s eyes lit up as he looked searchingly at his winged guardian. “Stop being scared will ya, I’m in a state where I almost died. I don’t have the time to torture you anymore”

“I’m nn not”

“Yeah, right. Changhyun I want you listen to carefully, I’m not letting you go. I won’t allow you to run away and god knows what would happen if you stopped listening to me. Listen. But I will allow you to be happy, it sounds bloody selfish, but I won’t let that half-blood take everything.”

“I need you, but I hope you need me more”

It was true; all that the angel ever hoped was for him to see how broken Changhyun would be with him gone. Because if it was the other way, he could never have survived. Changhyun was a lifeline that he had previously despised, but now, because of all the painful waiting, Byunghun was about to be saved.

But he realized that he might just be too late. There was desperation in the younger’s eyes, but they were foreign.

♦

Chunji’s eyes turned bright gold the moment he heard the faint knock on his door. He knew who it was and though his wound had already healed, it had throbbed nervously while Changjo walked inside. The elder’s lips were trembling but his mind failed at making any words, he wanted to speak. Though he laid victorious and proud in front of the half-blood, the slight tremble in his bones made his sentences disappear into thin air, he was pretty uneasy at the latter’s presence.

“Did you come here to apologize?” with a blank expression, the angel, however, managed to blurt out the words rather comfortably. “No. I won’t apologize for something I intended to happen, at least not for you” the latter replied as he dragged the wooden, winged chair effortlessly despite its solid mass. “But there’s something I need to know”

“What is it?” Chunji failed to look so cold anymore, his words were tense and surprisingly he almost stuttered.

“Would everything be perfect, with Lee Byunghun back?”

“Would you… w..would you care for Changhyun more if that other angel is awake?”

The air thinned out so suddenly and even for such a heavenly creature, that question was beyond his expectation. He blinked silently for a few seconds before he realized that he needed to answer while Changjo deserved to know. “Yes, it will”

“We’ll be perfectly happy with Byunghun back, I don’t know if my plan would work, but I’m sure that we’ll be perfect once that angel awakens.” He sighed as his left hands ran up to his face, covering his glistening eyes.

“Would Changhyun be happy too?” the younger trembled, but as Chunji listened carefully, he knew that tone better than anyone else. That voice reminded him when he first met Ljoe and how love had driven him to the edge.

“Yes, he will. Byunghun is someone who had promised that child's happiness. I’ll be grateful with him back, but Changhyun, that kid… he’ll be blessed”

Though Chunji’s lean fingers had covered his emotional eyes perfectly, Changjo could see the hope that was glowing from the elder’s radiant smile. It was a breath taking view; indeed the fallen angel was so beautiful that he couldn’t help but to smile along. He was dying inside still he could actually see how bright and beautiful Changhyun would smile if the other guardian was alive. Changjo was smiling, looking down to the floor and as he held in his heartbreak, tears were dripping down his nose.

“Okay”

hello its been a while huh. oh my god im so sorry, everything is so crazy with assignments etc. but im writing again and hehe the next chap will be up within a few more hours <3 Happy 22ndChanheeDay angels <3