"I wouldn't do that." A playful voice said behind Minho and he almost dropped the razor out of his hands. He couldn't decide if he's gone mad in the last seconds in his life but when he looked up to the mirror where he saw next to his dead eyes with black bags under his eyes, was a boy. A boy actually levitating with his head down.

Minho must went crazy.

"I've heard it hurts pretty much. And the blood, gosh. It looks horrible." Even though the things the boy said- Minho still couldn't decide if he was real or not- he smiled brightly, eyes came out like two little crescents. "I don't like blood. It's just too gross. Sticky and-well, red. I don't like red."

Minho listened to the rambling of the boy as he was always looking straight into his eyes. While he spoke the flying boy turned himself around and began flying around with legs crossed.

"Ah, insanity came pretty late." Minho mumbled. The boy looked so real, flesh and blood and lively. Was he the metaphor of Minho giving away his life? Or he unaware started to stop himself? Maybe he didn't want to die?

The boy perked up on the others soft whisper and flew closer to him- so close so their nose almost bumped and Minho felt the breath of the other's. He wanted to praise his own imagination to make the boy look like a living, excising one. No wonder, he was an art student after all.

"Insanity?" The boy talking was like laughing out the word syllables by syllables. Minho didn't answer- why would he answer to an imagination after all? When the flying boy saw the other won't answer him, he continued disappointedly. "It's not insanity dear."

"Then what?" Minho asked indifferently, not really caring about the answer. Okay, maybe a little he did.

The boy started laughing. Even though the boy was a beauty, he couldn't romanticize his laughter. It was just full of snorts, was loud and incisive. But he couldn't help but like it- because yet it wasn't like little bells jiggle but a dying pig's last snorts, it was real laughter. He didn't hear that long ago.

"It just the world, Minho. As cruel as it is." Minho had to notice that the boy said kind of sad things but always with a handful laughter next to it. He was like a wrongly programmed robot that switch emotions up.

"And then if it just the big, bad world then who you are?" Minho was mocking him but the other just ignored it. The boy hold out his hands for a shake, the bright smile never leaving his features.

"Taemin. I'm the one who bring people up and down." While he explained the cause of his existence, he made wild gestures to make sure Minho understands everything well, but he wasn't direct enough.

"Up and down?" Minho didn't understand why would his imagination create a flying boy who thinks he's an elevator.

"To the Heaven and to the Hell. Your kind is calling me grim reaper."

"Are you serious? You look like a twelve year old kid." it was beyond his imagination. He always thought- well, in first place, he didn't think there is grim reaper at all- it would be a dark figure at least. Not a bubbly, blonde boy.

"Don't judge by appearance."

"I wouldn't do that." A voice said smile hiding in it as Minho stood on the roof of a very tall building. A very, very tall building. "A tree can catch you while jumping. It would just make you paralyzed, not dead."

"You, again?" Minho sceptically turned to Taemin who cheekily smiled. He prayed that he won't appear again like the last time but it seemed like his prayers found deaf ears. Good. ing good. "Can't you just leave me alone?"

"Nah, I don't want to."

"Don't you have work? I mean you must be very busy taking people's souls up and down." Minho wanted to be reasonable- as reasonable as he could, standing in the top of a skyscraper and if he wasn't careful, his last words could be cursing at the levitating boy- to make Taemin leave but the other just shuddered his shoulders.

"There are others to do it. I rather spend my time with you."

"Isn't laziness is one of the seven deadly sins? Won't you be closed out from Heaven because of it?" Taemin slowly clapped and laughed on of Minho's reasoning.

"I like your logic, Minho." the boy petted the other's shoulder proudly. "But I don't belong to Heaven nor Hell. I'm closed out pretty much."

Minho stared at the boy who spoke so nonchalantly about his after-life. The human boy was pretty confused about Taemin telling him so intimate things in his life even if they don't know each other. Taemin threaded him like they were the closest friends ever- and Minho would like to ran away from him and his too talkative, too optimist, too happy self because all Minho wanted to die. He didn't need this. He didn't need this boy to stop him, he already decided everything in himself.

"What's wrong?" Taemin asked, inching closer to Minho- and why he had to floating in front of him, it scare the out of Minho. The boy just sighed and turned away from a levitating one.

"Just go away."

"I wouldn't do that." Minho didn't even have to turn back to see who was talking to him. He knew that there was Taemin probably flying with his head down and legs up and Minho didn't have the spirit to look at him. "You'll probably throw everything up and if you're not, I, personally going to call the emergency and you'll get a gastric lavage. You won't enjoy it, I can guarantee it."

Minho listened his rants and bit down a smile. How long was it since he last smiled?

"Just to inform you, I got cold." Minho explained simply, still trying to hide the smile that was preparing to broke out as he popped a little pill out and showed it to Taemin. "See? It's just Aspirin."

"Oh?" Taemin leaned closer- this boy didn't know the meaning of personal space- to read the caption on the little box. He narrowed his eyes like he was suspected Minho to lie. "Really?"

"Really." Minho said as he popped the little pill into his mouth with a big glass of water. Then he walked towards his bedroom, knowing well that the boy will follow him around.

"Then, sorry for disturbing you." Taemin curiously looked at him as Minho laid down on his bed. The ill boy waved to him to go, and a little prayed in himself that the reaper didn't just getting his hopes up about his leaving. He did. Taemin turned back and held up one finger. "One more thing."

"What is it?" Minho asked eyes closed. He hoped the boy will get the signals that he wanted to sleep because speaking-too-much Taemin didn't help with his headache.

"Why do you want to kill yourself?"

"I have a better question. Why don't you want me to kill myself?" Minho mumbled and felt so clever for saying a good comeback despite his sickness. Taemin sat down on Minho's bed- watching closely, the boy was really beautiful with his flawless skin and deep eyes- and looked like he was deep in his thoughts. Maybe Minho could use this as an opportunity to rest his eyes.

Just when he was about to fall asleep, Taemin spoke up.

"I just don't want you to die. It would mean I can't hang out with you. And you're a good guy, I don't want to bring you to the Purgatory for killing yourself." the boy seemed very satisfied with his answer. "Your turn. Why are you sad?"

Minho sighed, giving up on his nap. He turned to his side and elbowed up.

"I'm not sad. I'm not happy either. I just feel nothing. Literally nothing."

"Don't lie. I was honest with you." Taemin pouted and started levitating around again, laying on his stomach.

"I'm not lying!" Minho raised his voice, totally indignant that he honestly tell Taemin everything, yet the other look at him with such a disappointed face and tell him he was lying. That wasn't how he expected the boy to reply.

"See? You're annoyed now. A minute before you were smiling. Before that you was excited."

"When was I excited?" Minho looked at Taemin with confusion.

"When I arrived."

"I wouldn't do that." Minho felt a tender touch on his shoulders and saw a curious boy looking over it to see what was Minho doing.

"What? I'm just chopping some vegetables." he turned to Taemin who while Minho spoke, stole a piece of carrot and happily munched on it.

"Then you should do it." the blonde boy sat down on the table and watched Minho doing- whatever he was doing. He watched him closely here and there almost yelping as he saw the big knife nearing to the other's fingers. "Just don't chop down your arm, total accidentally."

In the first time in years, Minho laughed. He didn't know why, it wasn't even funny looking at the situations he was in before but the way Taemin said it, made it so hilarious. The boy himself laughed along with Minho- not really on what he said but because Minho laughed, too.

"Happiness." Taemin mumbled but Minho heard it well. He turned back to the blonde.

"I don't need you commenting on my emotions. I know them very well, thank you."

"Really? Should I quote you? 'I feel nothing. Literally nothing.'" he purposely acted on it and Minho knew it well.

"Yeah, but then you came and opened up my eyes." he said so easily, even though it was rather a life-changing experience. It's not like everything changed so soon but he tried hard to see the world from for example, Taemin's point of view.

"I'm just that awesome." Taemin said cheekily, the smile never disappear from his lips. He flew closer to Minho and leaned to the food that was boiling on the stove. "What are we eating?"

"Aren't you shameless?" Minho couldn't believe the boy just invited himself to dinner. Taemin is really something else.

"Nope. So?"

"Spaghetti." maybe, once he could treat Taemin a dinner. For being here for him.

"Cool."

"Not tonight please. Just stay at home." Taemin pleaded as he appeared behind Minho.

Minho sometimes felt like it was Taemin silently saying 'I got your back.' but then he says something stupid again and Minho instantly reject this idea. But all in all, it always scare the out of Minho when he's spacing out.

"Where is the 'I wouldn't do that.'?" Minho said jokingly. He quite accustomed to Taemin being with him almost every day, even if he wasn't close to die. Taemin started hang more in Minho's apartment and shamelessly cuddle with him, saying that he's freezing because both Hell and Heaven has warm weather and Earth is horrible, especially the countries with four seasons.

"I'm not joking Minho. Don't go out tonight." it was weird seeing Taemin speaking seriously. There was no sight of his usual bubbly self.

"I'm just going to the grocery's." Minho explained, putting on a coat until Taemin took both of his hands.

"That's the problem." he said, laying his head to Minho's hands. "Don't go. Stay home."

"You're making a big fuss about it. But okay, I stay home."  Minho put on a half smile and he didn't really understand why was the boy so worked up on something so little like going down to buy some stuff.

"Promise me." Taemin furrowed his eyebrows and held out his little finger.

"I promise." Minho took his little finger and laced them together. "Can I ask why are you making me stop from buying you candies?"

"You wanted to buy me candies? You're sweet." the blonde boy smiled and pinched the other cheeks for what he got a yelp. "Anyway because someone would kill you."

"Aren't you doing this, right now?" Minho asked in a joking tone and he earned a slap for it. This was one of those rare times when their characters mix up and Minho is the cheerful one and Taemin is the serious. The blonde must feel comfortable enough with Minho because it turned out the cheerfulness wasn't there all the time- most of the time there was but everyone feel down sometimes, right?

"You wouldn't find it funny because someone planning on robbing out that grocery's where you were about to go. With gun and all." he explained with wild gestures and wide eyes like he was a children- and not a grim reaper. "Minho, you're important for me, you know?"

"I know." Minho smiled unaware.

"Won't you say anything like 'you too' or 'I like you'?" Taemin pouted and turned away from the other. "I wanted something cheesy. Minho, you disappointed me."

"You want something cheesy?" the blonde nodded and Minho back hugged him. "You saved my life."

an/ ah, i don't know how to feel about it. i don't really like it. :(