WooHyun woke up from tremendous pain shooting through his right-upper arm. He had never felt such pain before as angels lived high above all pain and misery on earth and torment that was presented daily in the fiery lands of the Devil. He had never experienced anything like that and it was ripping his whole being apart.

He looked down at the cause of the pain to find a blood soaked bandage wrapped around an obvious wound. His eyes then fell on his bare torso and lower body and he sat up with a launch in the primitive bed, built like a nest from pillows and blankets.

Pain shoot through his head even more and he grabbed his head, pulling a thin sheet over his lower half the same time. The heat that radiated through the room made sweat to break out on his forehead and his head to spin, breathe to get caught in chest.

WooHyun took a few breathes of the boiling air and looked around. The heat was no surprise when he saw the walls that were built from still red-hot lava stones and fire pits placed around the room, a gigantic one flaming wildly in the middle of the cave like space. The ceilings were high, stalactites hanging from the ceiling, stalagmites poking out of the floor here and there.

“Am I in hell?” he whispered and continued looking around a room until his eyes stopped a figure slouching against a wall opposite to the bed WooHyun was in. His hair were as red as the dancing tongues of the fiery pits; gigantic wings of a dragon were folded behind his back; his bare, toned torso eye-catching with no denial – a tool of seduction for pure souls -; plates of similar built to armor were covering his shoulders and similar ones formed his pants from knees down, the upper part being of black leather. He has holding one of the white feathers of WooHyun’s wings in his fake metal claw covered fingers, twirling it lightly.

“You…” WooHyun breathed out and the demon, definitely a demon, looked at him. “You did this to me? You mocked me?” he asked, his voice growing louder. “How dare such dirty, such sin stained creature lay its hands on a heavenly one?” he near yelled and stood up only then realizing his bare state and quickly covering himself with a sheet.

“Where are my clothes?” he demanded and the demon continued looking at him and if not knowing better, WooHyun would say he was heartbroken. But since when demons had hearts?

“There.” The demon said and nodded toward a small flat stone next to the bed where, indeed, WooHyun’s clothes were laying. He grabbed them and for second trying to ignore the demon staring at him he pulled on his light linen slacks and plain white cotton shirt. He checked his surroundings, trying to find a place where he could feel fresh air coming and as soon as he found it he headed towards it, stopping at the cave that led away from this room.

“Why haven’t you tried to stop me? Why haven’t you killed me?” he turned around and looked at the demon, who was still where he was before, again looking at the feather in his hand.

“Just fly, fly away from here, WooHyun,” he spoke not even looking at the latter and WooHyun did not wait for any explanations and departed immediately. He flew through the narrow cave labyrinth until he saw a hole that led up and shot up without thinking twice. How nice it was to feel fresh air again, but at the same time he felt strangely torn away from something vitally significant and the higher he flew to reach his home, the more his heart hurt from the loss.

“Hyung!” his younger angel brothers cheered when he walked through the gates, the soft cloud cover feeling odd against his bare feet after the hot stones of underground. He was now home, but the pain he saw in demon’s eyes was still vivid in his head as well as the way how he had pronounced WooHyun’s name. How did he knew his name? Had WooHyun told it himself?

“I knew we could trust him, that he would take care of you.” One of his youngest brothers, the blond MyungSoo, said hugging him tightly.

“Indeed, he is honorable and kept his word.” SungYeol, a tall dark-haired angel, spoke joining in the hug.

“What are you talking about?” WooHyun asked when both of his brothers stepped away. “Who is ‘he’?”

“Don’t you remember?” MyungSoo asked and WooHyun shook his head in denial. “We had flown out to look around when suddenly a crazed angel slayer attacked us. His tail hit you, one of his stings going through your wing and arm, piercing in your side as well, and you begun to fall right above the abyss that leads to underworld.” He begun telling and scenes slowly dawned in WooHyun’s head. He remembered the angel slayer – a dragon as large as a mountain, covered in poisonous spikes. A single touch could cripple and angel permanently and a larger dose of the poison could kill one.

“We couldn’t get pass the dragon and if we wouldn’t control it, it would go after humans in his enraged state. So we could just watch how you fall in the abyss, but a demon suddenly shot up and caught you. He couldn’t reach us to hand you over, but he promised to nurse you to health and then let you to return. He sounded and looked so sincere we agreed and proceeded with the dragon.” MyungSoo finished his story and WooHyun looked at him shocked.

“The demon… with large wings, armor on his shoulders and legs?” he asked, silently praying that the answer would be ‘no’. He hoped for a negative answer as that would stop the growing pain in his chest – the same he felt from being torn away from something significant only now stronger.

“Yes,” SungYeol nodded. “As you are gone from his cave now and he has been hiding you for this long, he will soon probably receive punishment. We are allowed to help whoever is in need, but a demon should never do that. He was indeed sincere.” He nodded slowly.

“Your gratitude is a great thing to hear as last before death.” MyungSoo added. “Honorable death for the demon SungGyu – saving an angel and letting him free before the Devil would find out.”

“SungGyu…” WooHyun said in half whisper and all his lost memory returned as if a switch was pulled.

It was a regular patrol and nothing was supposed to go wrong, at least that was what WooHyun thought. All he and his brothers had to do was to fly a circle around the abyss of hell and then return. It all went well until a dragon – the angel slayer - came roaring at WooHyun and his brothers. Being the oldest he flew in front of the dragon to block him and give his brothers time, but his reflexes were too slow and sharp pain rushed through his right side. He was hit off balance and began to lifelessly fall in the abyss where demons would feast on his fallen flesh.

He didn’t regret his decision to save his brothers, as he knew how much they loved each other and losing one of them would mean to lose the other too. WooHyun was alone, he didn’t love anyone yet and no one loved him – he could leave as a sacrifice.

For his surprise strong arms wrapped around him, catching him mid fall and securely pulled him against a firm chest. He heard the distant voices of his bothers and a voice so smooth, so calm right next to him he couldn’t help to close his eyes, letting the voice to wash over him. Death with such heavenly sound being the last to hear was not a bad one.

“Hey, don’t sleep. You can’t pass out yet.” His savior spoke. “Look up at me and keep your focus.  You will get to sleep soon, I hope.” WooHyun nodded weekly at the instruction and looked up.

His savior had strong jaw, a bit chubby cheeks, rounded nose and narrow eyes. His hair was as red as flames, dancing in the wind like the most powerful holder of that color. He was beautiful and strong, and if not the pitch black leathery wings on his back, he could have been a fellow angel.

WooHyun’s vision went foggy when his savior carried him deeper in the darkness of underground caves. His breath got caught in his chest from the suddenly rising temperature and only a light squeeze on his shoulder from the demon carrying him kept him conscious.

“Carefully…” the demon said as he laid WooHyun down in a nest like bed. “That flying bastard got you bad and I have no doubt the poison has begun to spread. That’s bad, but I can save you, I think.” He spoke and carefully touched WooHyun’s wing and then his arm.

“The wing will heel fast, the sting just went through, the arm – not that fast, especially if you will be awake.” He moved away and returned with white fabric in his hands. He ripped long pieces from it and first put them on the wing before turning to the arm. “I will pull the remains of the sting out and then remove the poison as well as I can. It will hurt a lot, but just for this while, stay awake.”

“I can’t… it hurts so much.” WooHyun breathed out. He had been keeping his cries of pain to himself all this time, but he could not do that any longer. The heat was affecting him and he felt the pain more. He had never felt such pain before as angels lived high above everything that caused pain, so coping with this was hard.

“What’s your name?” the demon asked hovering above WooHyun. His deep brown, near black eyes looked straight in WooHyun’s and it could have been the pain or the heat or this strange presence of light in his demonic savior, but looking away was something WooHyun didn’t want to do.

“WooHyun,” the latter breathed out, wincing in pain, feeling how the poison slowly spread out from the wound.

“I’m SungGyu,” the demon said and WooHyun let the name to wander around his head. He wanted to remember the name of his beautiful savior as long as he could drag his life out in such state, as he could feel the venom more and more.

“Listen to me, WooHyun,” SungGyu spoke and placed his hot hands on WooHyun’s cheeks, “I will pull the sting out and take out as much poison as I can. What will be left in you will have to be fought by you. You will have fever and nightmares, but I will be here and make sure you’re fine.” He said and WooHyun nodded.

“When the fever will be over, you will fall in a long sleep, letting your wounds to heal, and when you will wake up, you will probably not remember who I am and what happened. You will blame me and think I did something bad to you.” He continued and WooHyun now shook his head, not wanting the last words to be true. How could he accuse his savior, whose eyes, despite belonging to a demon, showed a pure and beautiful soul, soul WooHyun could love, a souls that could love him back?

“That will happen, I know. I won’t explain you anything and won’t hold you back when you will want to leave, because you wouldn’t believe me anyway. I’m a creature of eternal darkness, so even though you words will later hurt me, I want to save you now.” SungGyu said and looked straight at WooHyun.

“I won’t forget my savior. I swear.” WooHyun said and raised his left hand to rest on SungGyu’s cheek. “But can you indeed save me?”

“Yes.” SungGyu nodded and moved away. He settled next to WooHyun, carefully examining his ruined arm before picking out fragments of dragon’s sting with long, metallic claws he had on his hands now. He did as it seemed for hours and when he was done, he locked his lips around the wound, out the venom, spitting the blood out further away. The process lasted for a good half hour and at the end of it WooHyun could already feel the predicted fever kicking in.

“Why is it so hot and cold at the same time?” he asked while SungGyu put bandages on his arm and shivered. “It’s too hot.” He continued a minute later, struggling his own clothes off, SungGyu deciding to help him rather than argue and let physical activity to make the remaining venom spread faster.

It didn’t take long for WooHyun to whine that it’s now cold and grab on to SungGyu’s hands. “You’re so warm. Please, make me feel warm too.” WooHyun breathed out and SungGyu’s arms soon wrapped around him, pulling him close just like when he caught him.

He held WooHyun close in complete silence through out his fever and nightmares. He hummed him melodies of songs WooHyun had never heard, told him stories of fire and darkness so wonderful WooHyun couldn’t deny their charm. He told about his dreams of touching the clouds at least once, on feeling the grass under his touch for once, and not just watch how it falls and crumbles when touched by his fire.

It seemed like an eternity clouded with fever gibberish and strong arms holding, protecting WooHyun, but the poison retreated slowly and so did WooHyun’s last strength to keep awake at least a little.

“Did you know that demons can love?” SungGyu asked and even though the fever had taken WooHyun’s strength, he managed to shake his head in denial. “We fall in love from one glance, we love passionately and selflessly and we don’t end loving even when our flesh burns in the pits of fire we used to call home, because even though we have this ability to love, we should not and we receive punishment.” He said and looked down at WooHyun, whose head was resting on his chest. The latter looked back at him in return.

“Angels love the same. From first glance and for eternity.” He breathed out, his eyelids getting heavy.

“Even though you won’t remember, please, somewhere in your subconsciousness store this – don’t return down here not matter what.” SungGyu said and pressed a light kiss on top of WooHyun’s head. “It’s time for you to sleep and forget.” SungGyu said with a sad smile and before WooHyun could protest, he leaned down and gently pressed his lips against WooHyun’s, that being the last thing WooHyun remembered till the moment he woke up.

“No, what have I done,” WooHyun gasped and run out the gate he just walked through, jumping straight down from where he had risen and almost not slowing down right in the cave that was his escape before.

What he felt he missed was SungGyu. He had unintentionally crushed the demon and now the poor one was receiving punishment for following his nature. Angels loved recklessly and that was what WooHyun was doing – being reckless.

SungGyu’s body flew across the cave through a group of stalagmites and then hit a wall hard. His one wing was torn; his torso covered in cuts and bruised of various sizes. His face was in similar state – bruises and cuts -, his lip split, and blood trickling down his temple from a wound on his forehead. Yet despite all that he let out a laugh and spit some of the blood that had accumulated in his mouth on the ground.

“Come on! Let out all of your anger on me!” he yelled at the slim figure, who was partly blocked by a bulky one, belonging to his current tormenter. “Go on! Show me how jealous you are that I had an angel for myself! Do you think I don’t know you send the dragon because you wanted a toy for yourself?”

“You are going to die and you dare to mock me?” the slim figure spoke and a young boy with large, deep eyes, dark shortly trimmed hair and rather petite bat-wings came forward. “I am the ruler of the underworld and you dare to say all that to me?”

“You’re a brat, you have always been a brat and when my bones will turn in to ashes you will still be a brat, going all out to get an angel to play with.” SungGyu smirked, “I got mine first and you will never get him.” He said and a heavy boot landed on his face, making him to hit the wall and then collapse on the floor.

“Wait, Hoya,” the Devil said and his main henchman – a short, bulky demon with large purple wings and white hair, stopped, stepping aside with a bow. “Hear this, don’t think your soul, this little fluke of you being a good boy will save you now. I will get your angel and then you will regret I didn’t get him at first. Your spirit will be held in my chambers just so you would see what I will do to him and so that you could see what you have caused.” The Devil said and turned around to leave. “Finish him,” he said and a wicked grin appeared on his face.

A sword of clear darkness appeared in Hoya’s hands and he took a cocky step forward, aiming his blade at SungGyu. He swung back and was ready for a hit, yet when he moved blade forward, it was stopped mid air. An eardrum breaking crash rang around the cave, stalactites falling on the floor, sparkles jumping around the walls.

WooHyun was standing between Hoya and SungGyu, a shield of pure light in one hand and sword of same matter in other.

“No demon is allowed to touch those who have loving soul, unless the demon is willing to face the wrath of the Guardian of the Heaven.” He spoke confidently to the demon before him, blocking SungGyu with all his body and the shield. “That’s stated in the Book and no angel and no demon can break that.”

“Please, quote more from the Book.” A voice spoke as the Devil had returned and was now eyeing the angel. “Nothing makes an angel more attractive for corrupting than him quoting the laws.” The Devil grinned.

“Be thou king of the underworld or the protector of those on earth and in heaven, thou shall not mock the Book and its laws. Thou shall obey them to a letter unless feeling the wrath of the Core is a wish made by thee.” WooHyun spoke loudly and the Devil grinned again.

“You are already so obedient. This is getting more fun.”

“This soul belongs to me. He has fallen for me and I for him and no power on earth or below it is allowed to separate that.” WooHyun ignored the Devil’s teasing. “He will leave with me and you will no longer have power over him. He has done his selfless deed of good and he is no longer a demon.” He continued and quickly glanced at beaten SungGyu, who was resting against the wall, breathing heavily.

“Fine,” the Devil replied surprisingly fast, “but remember, if any of you falls, I get both.” He looked at WooHyun and then at SungGyu. “A little goodbye gift.” He said and an arrow of lighting shot from his fingertips and went through WooHyun’s shield, piercing in to SungGyu’s side. A painful cry echoed around the cave, followed by the laugh of the Devil.

“Let’s go, Hoya.” He said and both he and the mentioned one left, leaving WooHyun with wounded SungGyu in his hands.

“Can you… save me… this time?” SungGyu breathed out and WooHyun’s chest tightened.

“Hold on, I need to get you out first.” WooHyun spoke and took all his strength, which he still didn’t have that much, to gather the ex-demon in his arms and head out of the cave. His wounded arm gave up on him as soon as he reached the meadow next to the cave and he laid SungGyu down in the grass.

“How… how can I save you?” WooHyun gasped in verge of a sob, seeing how blood poured out from SungGyu’s side, how his torn wing fluttered in the cold northern wind.

“Just stay here… while I…” SungGyu tried to speak but a seizure of cough made him to stop. The lighting must have hit is lungs as blood now covered his lips, his breathing getting shallower and shallower.

“You saved me and I can save you,” WooHyun let his tears to flow, cradling SungGyu’s head in his lap. “I need to save you. Angels love from a single glance, recklessly, for eternity and just once.” He said and leaned down, his lips brushing over SungGyu’s. “Demons are the same, right?”

“No demon has lived to moment like this to know. But I feel that it’s a yes.” SungGyu said with a sad smile, his eyes fluttering shut.

“No, no, you can’t sleep now.” WooHyun shook other’s wounded body until SungGyu slowly opened his eyes. “How… how can I…”

“Can I be of any help?” a deep voice spoke in front of WooHyun and he raised his eyes to see the Guardian of the Heaven in front of him. He was wearing the same attire as WooHyun, his wings twice as large though and in rich white gold, shining in the sun. His hair was in color of deep silver, falling freely over his forehead. His full lips were stretched in a kind smile and despite his friendly face WooHyun let out a sob.

“Save him,” he let out a scream like sob, “please save him, I can’t… I can’t do it myself. He… he is a demon but he was the one who protected me, he’s good, he is the one I love after centuries of solitude,” WooHyun sobbed and the Guardian stopped down, resting his palm on SungGyu’s cheek.

“How such beautiful soul became a demon,” he shook his head and then looked at SungGyu’s wounds. “You belong in Heaven with WooHyun and his brothers, which I know.” He said and smiled before leaning forward and pressing his lips against WooHyun’s forehead. “Kiss him. He’s yours and you are his. All power to save him is in you and not in me.” He said and WooHyun let out one last sob before pressing his lips against SungGyu’s.

A bright light embraced SungGyu’s black wings, scales falling in the grass. His wounds pulled together, bruises disappeared, his hair slowly changed into deep tone of purple. The light disappeared, the grass covered with thick layer of black scales, which the wind slowly blew away, and a pair of fog-white angel wings was in the place of torn ones.

“I will tell your brothers,” the Guardian said and smiled brightly, he already started to take off, but then flew to the cave WooHyun and SungGyu had flown out. “I win this time, my precious little brother,” he said and then let out a loud ‘hahahahahahaa’ and rose up, leaving WooHyun and SungGyu in the meadow.

The later sat up and looked back at his new wings, stretching them once and then looked at WooHyun. He didn’t wait for words and cupped WooHyun’s cheeks in hands, kissing the later. They tumbled down in the grass, laughter echoing around the meadow until both of them shot up to the sky, their joy ringing trough the clouds.

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Task: guess who was the Devil and who was the Guardian of the Heaven.