Himchan really hates school sometimes. He hates putting on that uniform and struggling to button the shirt. He grabs his backpack from the nearby rack and heads out the door, skipping breakfast again.  The headphones are already over his ears as he listens to the easy beats on his walkman. And for those few minutes, Himchan is free. Free from societal burdens. Free from his own self hatred and he likes that. He likes the way music soothes his soul.

When he finally trudges home later, he puts the headphones back on and turns up the volume. But then he stops. It isn’t working; there is no sound. Groaning in frustration, he keeps the headphones on. At least he could pretend. Zone out the people judging him. Ignore the noises from his stomach. Just a little more.

The first time he makes the wish, he’s just frustrated and only five years old. He’s angry and tired and tears are falling down his face faster than he can feel them. The second time, it’s just for laughs and he’s ten (what ten year old believes in that stuff anyway?). It doesn’t really matter. But the third time, the third time he makes his wish, he’s calm and hopeful and a growing twelve.

Himchan glances up at the sky with a sigh. “I wish I was loved.” I wish I could love me.

~Wish logged. Date: February 6, 1995, 2000, 2002. Requester: Kim Himchan. Born: April 19, 1990. Age: 12. Agent assigned: Chunsa- Moon Jongup~

“Agent Moon, report to dispatch unit.”

Raising his head, Jongup walks carefully to the unit, ignoring the activity around him. He enters the small room, knocking against the hard wood.

“Requester: Kim Himchan. Wish: To be loved.”

Jongup nods, turning from the room, absentmindedly listening to the usual warnings. Fulfil the wish. Do not go outside of your boundaries. Do not use emotions as judgement. Jongup snorts, stretching out his wings. It’s been awhile since he’s had to fly earth.

“Remember, they are human and imperfect. We are not for them, they are not for us,” is his final reminder before he plunges to the small world.

When Himchan first sees the hopelessly lost boy outside the academy, he wants to walk right by him. But their eyes lock and the pout forming on the other’s face is enough to change his mind. He approaches the new boy tentatively and to his relief, the other meets him halfway. He appraises the way his hair is disheveled, but finds it weirdly cute.

“Are you lost?” Himchan asks, looking past the boy’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I’m new. I just.. I don’t know where the office is...” Himchan shivers as the boys speaks. The puppy dog pout on the boy’s face makes him go dumb. There’s a strange pull at his heart that makes him want to take care of him.

“I can,” he clears his throat when his first try comes out as a squeak. “I can show you the way.”

“Thanks,” the boy replies smiling, eyes crinkling and Himchan’s heart crumbling, turning to follow Himchan. They don’t chat much and Jongup watches the way Himchan keeps his eyes on the ground through the halls. He hears the snickers and snide comments made towards the other and makes a face of disapproval. Humans. When they arrive at the office, Himchan is red in the face, having endured all the insults without the comfort of his music. He moves to go to his class, but a hand catches his wrist. Himchan looks down  at the how the fingers don’t even wrap the whole way around his wrist and jerks away. He pulls away and again moves to go to class.

“Moon Jongup.”

Himchan stops in his tracks and turns to the new boy, surprised. “What?”

“My name,” he says, cheerfully. “It’s Jongup.”

“Jongup,” Himchan repeats, liking the way it rolls off his tongue. With a smile that made all the insults from before disappear in an instant, Jongup enters the office.

The second time Himchan sees Moon Jongup, he’s sitting under his tree during lunch asleep. Himchan steps carefully, not wanting to disturb him, but once he’s a close enough distance, the shorter opens one eye to peer at him.

“Your name is Himchan,” he says, lips curving into a smile. “Kim Himchan.”

Narrowing his eyes, Himchan sits on the ground and takes out his lunch. “Are you stalking me now?”

“You’re the only person I know here.

Himchan looks up sharply. “You don’t want to know me,” he mutters, munching on his carrot stick. He’s determined to lose weight so he’ll be beautiful. He wants to be beautiful and he has to. He just has to.

Jongup frowns, watching the other boy finish the few carrot sticks in a matter of seconds. He glances back up at him. “Is that all you’re having?” He asks, perplexed.

Himchan’s cheeks flush a faint spread of pink and that’s the first time Jongup’s heart thumps against his chest. “I’m on a diet,” he mumbles, moving to stand up.

“Can you keep me company?” Jongup asks, with the same smile as before. And just like before Himchan goes numb and sits next to him. Himchan’s stomach growls loudly and his face blazes in embarassment. Not in front of Jongup, no. But the brunet reaches out to rest a hand on his kneecap. “You don’t have to starve yourself to be beautiful, hyung.” The foreign word slips from Jongup's tongue easily even though he's eons older. There's just something about Himchan.

A tear slips out of the corner of Himchan’s eye and he furiously wipes it away with the back of his hand, but it's already happened. The first barrier is cracked.