+Just for anyone who doesn't know, the name Suho in Korean literally translates into Guardian :)

The day Junmyeon died was a grim one. No one saw it coming. No one was prepared.

It was Sehun who found the leader late one morning. They had a schedule to keep and everyone was milling around, getting dressed, fighting over the bathroom. Everyone but Junmyeon.

Sehun is the first to notice the leader’s absence. Usually Junmyeon is one of the first ones up; helping Kyungsoo in the kitchen or trying to wake up the members that didn’t get enough sleep. But this morning is different. Something is off, and Sehun can tell it’s not good.

The maknae wanders into his hyung’s room, expecting to see Junmyeon getting dressed or making up his bed. Instead, he sees the elder still in bed, completely silent and still. Sehun walks slowly over to Junmyeon and gently nudges his shoulder. Nothing. Sehun nudges harder. Still nothing. Getting desperate, for Junmyeon is not a heavy sleeper, the youngest grabs Junmyeon’s shoulders and roughly shakes him, hoping to wake him up. “Hyung!” he yells. Nothing. Not a peep; and Sehun lets out a cry the whole dorm can hear loud and clear.

Kris is the first to come running into the room, having been standing almost right next to it. He finds Sehun bent over the bed, holding Junmyeon in his arms and sobbing. Kris walks over to the maknae to see what’s wrong and by then the rest of the members are gathering around, trying to see what’s going on.

“Out! Get out!” Kris yells at the other nine men. The Chinese leader shoves them back and shuts the door, leaving the others to worry and wonder.

Kris bends over Sehun and tries to pry him from Junmyeon but the youngest refuses to let go. “Sehun-ah,” Kris says in his best comforting voice, “I need to see what’s wrong, please let go.” But Sehun shakes his head, still hugging his leader.

“Let go right now or I will send you outside with the others.” That statement has Sehun slowly pulling away from Junmyeon so Kris can examine him. Taking Junmyeon’s pulse, Kris’s face becomes grim and he turns back to Sehun.

“Go call an ambulance. Now.”

Stress. That’s what the doctors say killed Junmyeon. They could all believe it. Their group had been under a lot of stress recently, Kris and Junmyeon more so because they’re the leaders. Sehun wanted to know if it had hurt Junmyeon, to die so suddenly.

“Autopsy reports show he had a heart attack while he was asleep, so no, he wouldn’t have felt anything. He died peacefully, although under terrible circumstances,” the doctor explained. That put Sehun a little more at ease, to know that his favorite hyung had died painlessly. He told everyone else, but some were too busy crying to even hear him.

The next few months would be hard, and especially, it would show, for Sehun.

Figuratively speaking, Sehun had ultimately lost a brother, friend, and mother all at once. He didn’t know whether to cry or be mad at God for taking away such a perfect person. He spent a lot of time doing both.

Often times he would cry himself to sleep at night. It wasn’t hard, Jongin had up and moved into Kyungsoo and Baekhyun’s room to hold his boyfriend and comfort him. Sehun took the opportunity to cry his eyes out. It was the only way he could fall asleep now, by wearing out his system enough to finally lay back in bed, completely exhausted.

Sometimes, on random nights, Tao or Minseok, once even Kris, would wander into his room and gather him up in their arms as he continued to cry. More often than not, that person would stay the night with him, rubbing his back or petting his hair as they tried to calm him enough so they could both get some much needed sleep.

One night, after the group had come back from Junmyeon’s funeral service, Sehun didn’t cry. He couldn’t cry anymore. It wasn’t that he had no more tears to shed for Junmyeon, because he was sure there was plenty of water in his body for more, it was that he realized he has to be strong for Junmyeon. He had to be strong for s, and all of their families, even if he is only the maknae.

That night, he prayed hard, sincerely hoping that not only God heard his prayers, but Junmyeon too. Sehun was convinced Junmyeon had become an angel. It was the only suitable place for him in the afterlife.

When Minseok came into his room that night and found him dry eyed and awake, there was a definite look of confusion on his face.

“Are you ok, Sehun? I thought today would have been really hard for you but you handled everything so well; the service, speaking in front of Junmyeon’s family. Is everything alright?” Sehun nodded as he sat up, giving Minseok some room to lay down beside him.

“I realized when I got up this morning that I have to be strong for Junmyeon hyung. He wouldn’t want to see me crying like baby because he’s not here to take care of me. So I have to be strong now. For him and for you guys, for our families. Because no one else is doing a really good job at it.”

When Sehun finished speaking he could hear sniffles beside him. He looked over to see Minseok’s eyes full of tears, threatening to spill over soon. “Sometimes you amaze me, Sehun-ah,” was all Minseok could get out before he was crying.

That night, Sehun found his strength, and this time he held his hyung as he cried. He patted Minseok’s back, his hair, and whispered quiet nothings into his ear to calm him down. Soon the two fell asleep, Minseok wrapped in Sehun’s hold instead of vice versa.

An entire year passed before things finally got back to being almost normal. For EXO, that year was spent with only a small break due to Junmyeon’s death. EXO-M eventually went back to promote in China for four months. During that time, EXO-K was hit hard again with the fact that Junmyeon was no longer with them.

Kyungsoo was assigned as the new leader for EXO-K. Baekhyun was next in line, but backed out at the last minute because he felt he couldn’t handle all the pressure. Chanyeol wasn’t even given a second thought by the manager, who told him he was still too much of a kid to handle the job of leader.

Life went on as normal as it could, except now there were only five of them. SM decided not to replace Junmyeon right away. Sehun liked to think it was because they really did care that someone had died, someone so good and perfect, but he knew better than that. It was really only because the company didn’t want the public to think they were insensitive about Junmyeon’s death.

Kyungsoo went on being Kyungsoo, but now he had more meetings to attend, schedules to talk about with the manager. He really was doing a fantastic job, making sure the members got everywhere on time, fixing them meals with the help of Jongin most of the time; but it was never the same. No one could ever replace Junmyeon.

It was on the day of Junmyeon’s death anniversary that something truly amazing happened. Sehun was only disappointed he was only one who witnessed it. But he knew it was only meant for his eyes.

Sehun has just woken up. He looks over at his clock. 4:17. He has never woken up this early but he doesn’t feel tired. As he gazes over at Jongin and Kyungsoo asleep in the same bed, he knows he won’t be able to go back to sleep. So he lies there, until he hears a noise in the kitchen. Getting up slowly, he goes to investigate. Grabbing an umbrella that was standing by the door, he walks down the short hallway and turns the corner into the kitchen. He sees someone standing in front of the sink.

He drops the umbrella.

The short figure standing in the kitchen jumps at the noise and turns around. Sehun can’t find his breath.

“J-Junmyeon hyung?” he barely whispers, as though saying the name loudly will wake him from the dream he feels like he’s in. Junmyeon walks over to him and smiles his perfect smile, and Sehun breaks down. He had been so strong for the past year, keeping everything together, but seeing Junmyeon so real, whether this be a dream or not, was the breaking point for the maknae.

Junmyeon held him tight and supported him even as he lost strength in his legs and slid to the floor. They ended up sitting together on the floor, Junmyeon rocking the youngest and comforting Sehun in the way only the elder knew how to. It took some time, about thirty minutes for Sehun to finally calm down, but Junmyeon still held him even as the tears finally dried and sniffling finally stopped. Regaining composure, Sehun sat back and observed the man sitting in front of him.

“But, h-how are you here? You d-died, a year ago, an entire year ago,” Sehun said, reaching out to grasp Junmyeon’s arm, making sure he was real. “I know I did. I’m not technically a human right now,” Junmyeon said in his soft voice; the soft voice Sehun missed hearing every day.

“Then what are you?” Sehun asked, bracing himself for the answer he knew was coming.

“I’m an angel. Specifically a guardian angel. Even more specifically, I’m your guardian angel,” Junmyeon says, and Sehun almost laughs. He knew Junmyeon had become an angel. He was right. He is right. Junmyeon really did live up to the silly name the company had given him; Suho. Guardian. Sehun’s Guardian.

Once again, Sehun starts crying again, clinging onto Junmyeon like his life depends on it, which it might actually considering he has a guardian angel. Sehun wants to ask so many questions but he can’t think up a coherent sentence at the moment, and Junmyeon seems to be ok just waiting for the youngest to calm down again.

Finally, Sehun thinks, his tears are done. He needs to be strong again, this time for himself. He holds himself back up, but grabs onto Junmyeon’s hand like a lost child would with their mother.

“I’ve missed you, hyung. We’ve all missed you,” he says as he looks Junmyeon in the eyes. It’s the same eyes, those beautiful eyes that Sehun could get lost in. “I know,” Junmyeon replies. “I’ve watched you guys from heaven since the second I got up there.” Sehun smiles at that. “Heaven is the perfect place for you,” he says and Junmyeon laughs. Sehun melts a little inside being able to hear his favorite laugh again.

They stay quiet for a little while, each man enjoying the company of the one opposite him. Sehun finally breaks the silence with a question.

“How long are you going to be my guardian angel?” he asks quietly, fearfully. He almost doesn’t want an answer, just for Junmyeon to stay with him for forever, until he’s dead and gone and they can be together in heaven again.

“However long it takes God to decide when he wants to move me higher up in hierarchy of angels. One of his messengers told me I have great potential in becoming a very powerful angel, so I might not spend too much time on Earth.”

Sehun almost cries again, but steals himself and smiles a genuine smile instead. “I’m really happy for you, hyung. You will make a wonderful angel. You already do, actually,” Sehun says instead, holding back his tears and putting his head down. Junmyeon, however, can tell that the youngest is struggling with the news.

“Sehun, look at me.” Sehun immediately looks back at Junmyeon’s eyes. “Just because you can’t see me, and just because I’m not on Earth, doesn’t mean I’m not with you. I will always be with you, and you can always talk to me. Even though I might not be able to respond with words, I’ll always find some way to let you know I’m listening.”

Sehun thought he was going to cry again, but instead Junmyeon’s words put relief and happiness into his heart. Tears were no longer needed, unless they were going to be of happiness. Sehun just holds onto Junmyeon’s hand. He brings it up to his mouth and places a gentle kiss on the back of the elder’s hand. “Something to remember me by,” he says, and Junmyeon thanks him.

The two sit and talk for a while longer while the other four are still asleep. Sehun wants to know what it’s like in heaven but Junmyeon has been sworn to secrecy and only reveals that everyone is very nice to him. “Well yeah, how can someone not like you?” Sehun states, which makes Junmyeon chuckle.

It’s around 6:30 in the morning when they hear the telltale signs of someone else getting up. Junmyeon stands up and Sehun follows, still holding onto his hyung’s hand.

“I can’t let anyone else see me. I’m still too young of an angel to make myself only visible to you. That will come when I’m at least 3 years older,” Junmyeon explains. Although Sehun is visibly saddened to see his favorite hyung leave again, he knows it must happen for him to eventually come back.

“I’ll come back soon, Sehun-ah, I promise,” Junmyeon says as he cups Sehun’s face in his hands. Bringing the younger down to his level, Junmyeon places a kiss on Sehun’s cheek. Sehun can feel the warmth left behind from the other’s lips and he smiles.

Watching Junmyeon leave is nothing spectacular in itself, the elder simply fades away into the air, but just the knowledge that Junmyeon is an angel, his guardian to be exact, makes it all the more exciting. Sehun feels like he has just been given the greatest gift in the entire world. He will always wait patiently for Junmyeon to come back to him.

And Junmyeon does come back soon, just as he had promised. He comes back that night. Sehun was almost asleep, his eye lids drooping as he listens to Jongin snore in the other bed, when a faint light shines in the middle of the room. Sehun knows exactly what it is.

Once Junmyeon materializes completely, he walks over Sehun, waiting for the youngest to make room for him. Neither seem to care that the bed is way too small for one person to sleep comfortably in, much less two, because now Sehun is back in Junmyeon’s arms, back where he belongs. As a brother, friend, and child all in one.

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I really really really hope you guys enjoyed this. If you read the foreword and description, I've never written anything like this before so I'm not sure how it turned out. I hoped it turned out really well because I really love the thought of people having guardian angels. I wrote this in like 3 hours so if there are mistakes please ignore. I didn't get a chance to re-read it and check for errors. So please comment and subscribe and upvote!!! <3