Suho had been cooped up in Jongdae’s house for nearly five days now. Of course he didn’t mind staying there. He enjoyed the tentative care and the kisses that were peppered all over him. But it was starting to become claustrophobic. Jongdae even took off from work so that Suho could become his first priority. He might as well of had a leash around Suho’s neck. Jongdae kept tabs on him and treated him like he was going to break at any moment.

Suho honestly was feeling much better; demons heal quickly just as angels do. He was perfectly fine, but Jongdae still insisted. And only weak protests could slip from Suho’s lips; he wanted to be by Jongdae’s side for as long as possible.

Jongdae was aware that Suho was healed now; he wasn’t stupid. But he felt like without the excuse of needing to be taken care of, Suho wouldn’t stay. Seeing his smiling face every morning was a distraction for Jongdae. His radiant smile spread warmth through his body, making him forget about his dead friends.

Suho woke early in the morning to find Jongdae already awake and brushing his teeth. He must’ve just stepped out of bed and haven’t had his coffee yet.

He walked behind Jongdae and wrapped his arms around his waist and laid his head on his broad shoulders.

“Good morning! Would you like me to go buy us a couple cups of coffee?”

A mumbled protest was heard as Jongdae shook his head no. Suho laughed and moved to sit in front of Jongdae on the countertop.

Jongdae leaned over and spit his toothpaste into the sink. Foam swirled down the drain with a groan.

“I’m still worried about you, Suho. What if the group of people who attacked you is still out there waiting for you. What if they’re planning to finish what they started?”

Even though Jongdae knew that Suho’s wounds were healed, he was still afraid that his attackers would cause new ones.

Suho cupped Jongdae’s face with his hands and kissed his forehead gently.

“I’ll be fine, trust me. I’ll be aware of my surroundings and be extra cautious. The cafe is only a short walk away. Don’t worry.”

Jongdae knew it would be unfair to ask him to stay once again, so he nodded his head.

“Promise me you’ll be okay?”

Even though it was a promise that seemed irrational, it would still comfort Jongdae to hear it.

Suho beamed and wrapped his pinky around Jongdae’s while whispering a promise against his ear.

At the cafe Suho ordered a Mocha Frappuccino and an Americano. He found humor in how different their tastes were. He prefered sweet while Jongdae prefered bitter.

“How much longer are you going to creepily stare at your coffees while laughing?” a voice behind him asked.

Suho turned around to see Sehun laughing with his arm around Yixing, who was trying not to laugh. Suho sat down his drinks to lightly punch Sehun’s arm. He then turned to smile at Yixing.

“You must be Sehun’s boyfriend that he has told me so much about! How can someone as handsome as you be with someone like Sehun?” Suho joked.

Sehun stuck his tongue out at Suho and Yixing turned to his boyfriend with a look of love in his eyes.

“Sehun is the most beautiful being that I’ve ever seen.” Yixing complimented.

Suho nodded his head in agreement; Sehun was a very handsome angel. Even though they picked on each other, they loved one another.

“And you’re Suho? I’ve heard a lot about you as well. Sehun told me that you two were friends in the human world. It must be nice to be reunited in heaven after such a long time.”

Yixing stepped up to order his and Sehun’s coffee. Suho turned to Sehun with a confused look written onto his features.

“I didn’t want to tell him who you really are, Junmyeon, so I made up a lie. Just go with it. It wasn’t easy lying to him, but I wanted to keep your secret.”

Suho thanked him silently by hugging him then picked up his two beverages.

“Well, I better get going. Jongdae is waiting for me at home,” Suho announced.

At the mention of Jongdae, Sehun raised his eyebrows. When he went to Sehun’s house a few weeks prior, he mentioned that he may have feelings for the gorgeous angel.

“Oh! So you two are living together now? Why do you never tell me these things, ? How about tonight Yixing and I come over so we can all catch up. I’d love to meet the famous Kim Jongdae.”

Suho groaned, knowing Sehun would probably only embarrass him, but he did miss his friend. He rolled his eyes at Sehun and wrote Jongdae’s address on a napkin and slided it over to him.

“I’ve only been staying there a few days and it really isn’t my place to be allowing people to visit, but I’m sure Jongdae won’t mind. I’ll see you at eight, face.”

~~~

Suho was attacked when he walked through the front door by an inquisitive Jongdae.

“Why did you take so long? You’re okay, right? I was about to go out looking for you.”

Suho sat down the two cups and took off his scarf. He stepped towards Jongdae and ruffled his hair before kissing his lips to quiet him down for five seconds so that he could explain.

“I ran into an old friend and his boyfriend. We chatted for a while and they asked if they could come over for a while tonight. I’m sorry to have worried you.”

Jongdae sighed in relief and picked up his americano and took a few sips. He realized that he probably sounded extremely clingy, but he was under a lot of stress. The last thing he wanted was something to happen to Suho.

“Yeah, of course they can come over! I’d love to meet your friends.”

Suho gave Jongdae their names and they talked about how him and Sehun knew each other. He used the story Sehun told Yixing and he wished he could feel how Sehun felt when he lied. But he’s been lying to Jongdae for so long that it seemed natural now. That realization crashed into Suho and caused his heart to ache once again.

~~~

At 7:30, Jongdae and Suho were making the last preparations for dinner. Even though Suho stressed that Sehun was no one to make a formal dinner for, Jongdae exhorted the idea. Suho, of course, gave into him. It was hard to resist any request of Jongdae’s.

Jongae pulled the lasagna out of the oven and Suho set the table. Suho attempted to help Jongdae cook, but the small man wouldn’t let him anywhere near his food. Instead, Suho was put in charge of presentation.

Wine was laid out beside each placemat that was covered with delicious looking food and expensive silverware.

The doorbell rang a few minutes before eight and Suho ran to answer it. He was beginning to become excited about getting to know Yixing and for Jongdae and Sehun to meet.

Jongdae sat down the final side dish on the table and joined Suho in the foyer. They all bowed to each other and Jongdae invited them inside to eat.  

At first, only silence was heard. It wasn’t an awkward silence, but a silence caused by eating mouthwatering food. Suho admired Jongdae for his excellent cooking. Food was the way into Suho's soul.

Sehun was the first one to speak up. They playful boy couldn’t function during silence.

“Jongdae, how is the council?”

Jongdae finished chewing his rice and sat down his silverware.

“It’s been...confusing? Chaotic? Since the only members remaining are myself, Luhan, and Jongin, it’s been difficult managing cases. Minseok and Zitao’s opinions were valuable to us. We’ve all been apprehensive to go to work due to their disappearances. There’s talk of a cabal trying to kill off the council. It’s frightening,” Jongdae admitted.

Suho shifted in his seat. He wasn’t aware that Jongdae was afraid, and he felt stupid to not realize it before. Of course he was anxious about his own safety. He wished he could tell him that he would be okay. That he could go to work without worry. That nothing would happen to him, at least not anytime soon.

Sehun’s lips formed a tight, straight line and Yixing nodded his head with sympathetic eyes looking towards Jongdae.

Jongdae didn’t like pity, and he didn’t like showing weakness. He felt like he needed to be a leader and powerful. The only times he felt like he could show how he was truly feeling was around Suho. So he quickly changed the subject before he became emotional.

“What do you and Yixing do?” Jongdae asked Sehun.

“I don’t work besides occasionally picking up souls when asked, like Suho does. And Yixing guards the gates where the human souls are kept.”

Yixing continued, “Yes, I love my job. It’s an honor to be able to guard the gates since few are trusted to do so.”

Suho wondered how it looked beyond the gates. He was curious if Baekhyun was comfortable. If there were cartoons available to be watched. If he had the same items as he did at home in the human world. He wondered if Baekhyun ever thought of him.

He faintly heard the three angels talking, but he was more engrossed in his own thoughts. He needed to visit Baekhyun soon; he needed to tell him the truth. He was afraid Baekhyun would love him less, but it was necessary and only fair to let him know.

Jongdae nudged him with his elbow, and Suho was once again present in the conversation. The two lovers stayed for a few more hours discussing a large variety of topics, but they left once it was becoming too late.

Jongdae and Suho sent them off with hugs and requests of visiting again soon.

While the two were cleaning the night’s mess, Jongdae confessed his concern.

“You seemed distant tonight, are you okay?”

Suho thought for a few seconds before answering.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just being around Sehun brings back old memories. Some of them painful and some of them wonderful. I’m sorry I was caught up in my own thoughts.”

Jongdae thought he realized what painful memories Suho must be speaking of, so he moved to stand by his side.

“Is this about the boy you dated when you were a human?” Jongdae cautiously asked.

Before thinking of the potential mayhem his words could cause, Suho spoke the half truth. It was starting to become too much to keep all his thoughts to himself.

“Wow. You remembered that? You’re a great listener, Jongdae. But yes, that’s what it’s about. Baekhyun comes to my mind often; it’s hard to forget about my first love. It’s easier when you’re around, though. And I want to thank you for that. You make life easier to bear; I love you for that. I love you for a lot of reasons.”

Jongdae closed his eyes and leaned towards Suho’s lips. Suho’s eyes fluttered as their lips touched. They slowly moved their lips in an emotion-filled kiss. This kiss felt different from all the others. It was as if something shifted in their relationship. Something did shift; Suho told him that he loved him. And his chest felt like it was going to burst; his throat felt like it was going to let out a thrilled scream.

Jondae pulled away and rested his head against Suho’s neck.

“I love you, Suho. I need you like the way rose bushes need water; I need you like how leaves need to fall in the autumn. I need you and I love you.”

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AN:

Hello! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This is the longest update I've posted in a while omg. It took forever to write this haha. I love you guys for supporting my writing! Comments and questions are appreciated. <33

Sidenote: I'm working on a series of three Halloween oneshots. The first one should be up by Wednesday if anyone is interested! The parings will be Baekyeol, Suchen, and Kaisoo. ^^