(unedited............)

‘It’s already almost 8:15…where is he?’ thought Jinyoung as he waited by a large tree near the gate. In any other situation Jinyoung wouldn’t be this impatient, but the fact that he had snuck out of his house not even ten minutes ago is making him anxious. It’s only a matter of time before one of his parents visits his room only to find him gone. He felt bad leaving his parents, but they would understand, right? He left a note in his room explaining why he left, but Jinyoung could only hope that his parents respect his decision and refrain from sending an elite search party down to Earth.

As he was beginning to think that maybe he should go looking for his friend, he hears a whispered shout of his name. Pushing himself away from the tree he was leaning on, Jinyoung turned around and was met with Jaebum’s sweaty face.

“Jinyoung! Sorry I’m a little late. I had to sneak into my dad’s office to get his keys. Damn, that was stressful…” explained Jaebum, panting as he tried to catch his breath.

Smiling at his friend’s explanation, Jinyoung gave him a hug and said “Thanks, Jae. You’re really helping me out.”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. Are you ready? You better hurry up…”

“I’m ready. Jae, I’m really gonna miss—”

“You’re gonna miss me, blah, blah, blah. I get it Jinyoung. I’ll miss you too, but as much as I’d like to exchange sappy goodbyes, we can’t risk you getting caught now. You gotta go.” said Jaebum with a soft smile.

Biting his lip to suppress any tears, Jinyoung gave his friend one last hug before making his way towards the broken gate. It was odd that there would ever be a defect in the gate surrounding Heaven, but Jinyoung was too overwhelmed with relief that he never really thought about it. It looked as though one bar was smashed to the side, leaving Jinyoung with about two feet to squeeze through.

“Jinyoung, be careful…”

Looking back at his friend, Jinyoung gave the boy a reassuring smile before saying, “Don’t worry, Jae. We’ll meet again, I’m sure of it…”

“Yeah, I’m sure we will.” said Jaebum, as he watched the other boy fit his way through the broken gate.

Suddenly, a blaring alarm went off in the direction of the station and red lights began to flash from all directions.

“ Jinyoung, you need to go! Now! You crossed the threshold…” yelled Jaebum, while looking behind him frantically incase the officers had gotten out sooner than expected.

Peering over the edge of Heaven, Jinyoung closes his eyes in an attempt to calm himself. He’ll be one of only several angels to fall from such a height and Jinyoung is just now realizing how high up he actually is. Taking a deep breath, Jinyoung opens his wings before saying, “I love you, Jae. Wish me luck.”

Looking at his friend with a slightly pained expression, Jaebum says, “I love you too. Good luck, Jinyoung…”

With those last few words, Jinyoung releases his grip on the bars and dives head first off the cloudy edge of Heaven.

The wind whips past his hair and clothes as his downward speed increases and Jinyoung begins to worry if his wings will be strong enough to break his fall. As he continues to pass through layers and layers of clouds, Jinyoung can finally see the place he’s been so eager to visit. From such a distance, Earth looked so peaceful and calm. Daylight was gone wherever it was that he was to land, but Jinyoung was confident that Earth would be beautiful no matter if it were seen in light or dark.

Once he was able to see the outline of the streets below him, Jinyoung opened his wings in an attempt to slow his speed. He could feel them straining against the wind and the incredibly fast speed he was falling, but Jinyoung ignored the ache in his back as he did his best to land safely.

The rough surface of the concrete sidewalks was approaching quickly and Jinyoung soon realized that his landing might not be as smooth as he was anticipating. With no way to steer his decent, Jinyoung was forced to land in some random alleyway. This of course was not his preferred choice, but Jinyoung was left with no other option.  Falling closer and closer to his destination, Jinyoung steadied his posture as he fit through the walls of the old brick buildings.

Landing harder than he would have liked, Jinyoung was forced to tumble in order to break his fall.

Pain…

Physical pain would be Jinyoung’s first experience on Earth. Rolling and skidding across the dirty concrete of the alleyway brought him immense pain. Having never been hurt physically or emotionally before, Jinyoung was shocked with the realization that he was in fact, hurting. Once he had finally come to a stop, Jinyoung did his best to stand despite the soreness he was feeling.

“Hey! Did you just see that?”

Slowly lifting his head up, Jinyoung looks around to find the owner of the husky voice and when he does, he’s immediately scared. The sun had already set, but due to the street lamp on the sidewalk Jinyoung could spot two large and dirty men crouching by the back of the alley who had no doubt witnessed his fall. Feeling his heart rate begin to increase, Jinyoung ignored his aching and leaned against the wall for support as he slowly made his way towards the street.

“Hey, kid! I just saw you fall from the ing sky, so you can bet your you’re not going anywhere…” said the same man as before.

“, he’s pretty…” said the other taller man before taking a puff of his cigarette and walking towards Jinyoung.

“He fell from the ing sky! Did you—”

“Yeah, I saw it.”

“Then—”

“Maybe he was sent to us. I’ve been needing a good …” said the taller man before catching Jinyoung’s arm and pushing him against the brick wall of the building.

˚  ₊  *  ❀   ✧  ‧₊   ✿   ₊‧  ✧   ❀  *  ₊  ˚

While texting Jackson with one hand and holding a bag of groceries in the other, Mark made his way down the street. With everything he’s carrying, it’s times like this when Mark appreciates the fact that he lives only three blocks away from the bus stop. He had chosen the location due to price and the short walk to his university, but it had been a major bonus to have the nearest bus stop be so close.

As he continues on his way home, Mark suddenly hears a shout coming from one of the alleyways a few meters ahead of him.

“Stop! Let me go!”

Hurrying towards the panicked voice, Mark finds himself staring down a dimly lit alley and seeing a boy about his age being pressed against the wall by an older man.

“Yah!” shouted Mark, capturing the attention of the two men. The boy in white seemed to be struggling to get a look at his savior, but the larger man had him pressed face first into the wall.

“Let him go.”

The two men exchanged humored looks before laughing at Mark’s command. “Leave us alone, boy. There’s nothing to see here.”

With that comment, Mark dropped his bags and confidently stepped into the alleyway. “I said let him go.”

“Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do if we don’t?” said the shorter man as he took a step towards Mark with a smirk on his face.

This man seemed to be the definition of sleazy and Mark would rather refrain from touching him, but it seems as though he has no other choice. Before the man in front of him could even react, Mark had sent a solid kick to his side. Faltering in pain, the man staggered before lurching at Mark, aiming a punch to the boy’s handsome face. Sidestepping the attack easily, Mark brought his leg up once more before slamming his foot into the mans jaw, knocking him down.

“H-Hey! Quit it!”

Turning towards the man who still had the boy pinned against the wall, Mark stepped over the beaten man by his feet and stride towards him.

“W-Wait! I’ll leave! D-Don’t hurt me!” said the man, releasing the boy in white and pressing himself to the back wall of the alley.

Mark first brought his attention to the boy who had been the victim of this whole situation and saw that he was leaning against the wall with his head in his hands. Deciding that he could spare another twenty seconds or so, Mark sent a few hard punches to the man who had probably traumatized the poor boy and was pleased only when he had rendered him unconscious.

Taking a deep breath, Mark turned around and approached the boy cautiously, not wanting to frighten him any more. “Hey, are you okay?”

Hearing the soft and gentle voice spoken to him, Jinyoung hesitantly lifted his head from his hands before looking up at the boy with unfocused eyes.

‘Woah…’ thought Mark as he took in the beautiful sight before him. As if in some kind of trance, Mark could only stare at the boy and marvel at his delicate features. Mark has always known that he preferred boys to girls, but never has he felt this attracted to someone before. His big brown eyes, fair skin, and plush lips; Mark was mesmerized by this boy.

“Y-Your head, it’s bleeding…” Bringing a hand to the boys head, Mark brushed away some of his fringe to get a better look only to see a small cut on the boys forehead.

With his head pounding and eyes refusing to focus, Jinyoung could only reach out in Mark’s direction before all of his energy was lost.

Seeing that the boy must have passed out, Mark ran a shaky hand through his hair and he contemplated what he should do. After silently debating with himself, Mark took a strong grip to the boy’s bicep before lifting him up and carefully hoisting him onto his back. Taking a deep breath, Mark carried the boy out of the alley, grabbed his bags, and walked the last two blocks to his apartment.

 After a short elevator ride and much struggle, Mark made it to his small, but cozy apartment. Kicking the door shut behind him and dropping his belongings by the kitchen, Mark carried the unconscious boy to his bedroom. The boy didn’t seem to have any form of ID on him and his injuries weren’t too bad, so Mark had thought that bringing the boy to the hospital may only cause him more stress. Waking up in a hospital bed and being forced to answer hundreds of questions was not something that Mark wanted to put the boy through. ‘Hopefully he’ll be okay by tomorrow…’ thought Mark as he gently laid the boy onto his bed.

Quickly heading to the bathroom, Mark grabbed some ointment, bandages, and a warm, wet cloth. As he approached the poor boy, Mark saw a small area of blood seeping through the boys white shirt. After pulling out one of his own oversized t-shirts from his drawer and doing his best not to harm or startle the boy, Mark removed the dirtied shirt and examined the wound on the boy’s side. He saw a rough scrape across the boy’s lower ribcage, as well as a few bruises, but it honestly didn’t look too serious. Mark has to deal with injuries like this quite often, considering the fact that he works at the local middle school and he encounters rowdy little kids every week, so he has experience in treating them.

Bringing the wet cloth to the boy’s wound, Mark carefully cleaned the area before applying the ointment and a bandage and moving to take care of the cut on the boy’s forehead. While gently cleaning the blood from the boy’s face, Mark couldn’t help but stare at him. Call him crazy, but Mark almost feels some kind of magnetic pull to the boy lying on his bed.

Once he had properly cleaned and bandaged the boy’s injuries as well as set a glass of water on his bedside table, Mark pulled his own clean t-shirt over the boy’s chest before debating whether or not he should shed the boy of his jeans. ‘Relax, Mark. There’s nothing wrong with wanting him to be comfortable.’ said the voice in his head. He was still a bit unsure, but after deciding that a pleasant nights rest requires comfort, Mark let out a shaky breath before undoing the boy’s jeans. Once he had successfully removed the garment, Mark gently dragged the blankets over him.

‘Sleep well…’ thought Mark before grabbing a pillow and a set of blankets for himself and making his way to the couch in the living room.

˚  ₊  *  ❀   ✧  ‧₊   ✿   ₊‧  ✧   ❀  *  ₊  ˚

Snuggling further into the warm and soft sheets, Jinyoung breathed in the calming scent of fabric softener and cologne as he struggled to wake up. His body was sore, but wherever it was that he been brought to, Jinyoung had found immediate comfort.

‘Wait. Where am I?’ thought Jinyoung before sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Once he was able to focus, Jinyoung saw the he was in a clean and spacious bedroom, but what really captured his attention were the many photographs hung around the room. Breath hitching at the sight of so much color, Jinyoung forced his aching body to stand as he put on the pair of sweatpants folded on the end of the bed and making his way towards the photographs. Having only seen the color white for his entire existence, the bright colors captured in these many photos were truly a sight that Jinyoung had longed to see. For as long as he could remember, Jinyoung has always wished that Heaven could be colorful.

“Oh, you’re awake…”

Startled by the sudden voice, Jinyoung whips his head around towards the door a few feet away from him and when he takes in the young man standing there, he’s at a loss for words. Holding a steaming cup of tea in his hands as he leans against the doorframe is a boy that Jinyoung has a hard time believing is real. With his casual bed hair and strong yet soft features, Jinyoung was convinced that this boy was one of their Almighty’s special creations.

“I made you some tea. Oh, I’m Mark by the way and this is my apartment. Y-You were hurt last night, so I brought you here…I hope that’s okay…” said Mark as he nervously played with the hem of his shirt.

Feeling himself start to blush, Jinyoung did his best to seem unfazed as he replied with, “My name’s Jinyoung. And t-thank you. For saving me…”

Smiling at the response, Mark said, “It’s no problem, really. I’m just glad you’re alright.”

Gazing back at the many photos hanging around the room, Jinyoung said, “These photos…they’re beautiful…” Photos of nature, people, and everything in between littered the boy’s bedroom.

“You think so? I study photography at my university.”

“Really, they’re wonderful…” said Jinyoung, looking up at Mark with a shy smile.

Blushing at the compliment, Mark thanks the boy before saying, “Umm…you must be hungry, right? I can make you something if you want.”

Remembering that humans need to eat, Jinyoung nods in response before taking the cup of tea from Mark and following him to the kitchen. In Heaven, eating and drinking isn’t necessary for angels given the fact that they’re not exactly living beings, but it’s known that angels could consume human food without risking getting sick. Thanking God for this ability, Jinyoung took a seat at the small kitchen table as he watched Mark bend down to pull out a pan from under the stove.

As the boy searched for the correct pan, Jinyoung couldn’t help but let his eyes trail over Mark’s body. The boy was thin, but lean with his muscular build. Unable to tear his gaze away, Jinyoung soon felt his body temperature rising. ‘W-What? Why do I feel so warm?’ thought Jinyoung as his eyes landed on his saviors bottom. Fully aware that he was blushing, the angel tore his eyes from Mark’s rising figure and stared down at his still steaming cup of tea.

‘I-Is this attraction? A-Am I attracted to him…ually?’ thought Jinyoung as he became increasingly more aware of his predicament. This was the first sin Jinyoung has ever encountered and if the angel were to be completely honest with himself, he would say that he’s a bit frightened. This sin known as lust seemed to be consuming Jinyoung in a way he never thought possible.

“I hope eggs and toast are fine…” said Mark as he places the pan on the stove and moves to get the carton of eggs from the fridge.

“That’s perfect, thank you.” replied Jinyoung as he tried to calm his racing heart.

As he began to break the eggs, Mark looked over his shoulder to steal a glance at the beautiful boy. There’s something special about Jinyoung that Mark just can’t put his finger on. The boy was handsome, of course, but Mark seemed to think that Jinyoung had a truly ethereal appearance. It wasn’t everyday you meet a boy so innocently enticing.

“Your wounds should be fairly healed by now. I’m sure you want to be back at home as soon as possible…” said Mark.

Unsure of how to respond to the statement, Jinyoung bit his lip in contemplation. ‘I can’t have him know the truth, but what else am I supposed to say? I really have nowhere to go…’ thought Jinyoung as he focused on the cup of tea warming his palms.

Plating the scrambled eggs and toast, Mark turned to serve the boy who still had yet to respond. “Do you live in Seoul? I can help you get back to your apartment if you want.”

Looking up at Mark and melting at the sweet suggestion, Jinyoung replied with, “A-Actually…I don’t really have a place to stay…”

“Y-You don’t? I’m sorry, I had just assumed you—”

“It’s okay, really…”

Curious as to why the boy was so alone, Mark asked him why.

“I guess you can say I ran away. Honestly, I just didn’t feel at home there anymore…” said Jinyoung before meeting Mark’s gentle gaze.

Shocked at the boy’s confession, Mark let out a shaky breath before saying, “I-If you want, you can stay here. I know that we’re practically strangers, but I trust you for some odd reason. I-I really wouldn’t mind…”

Taken aback by Mark’s offer, Jinyoung was at a loss for words. This boy, Jinyoung’s blessed savior, was now extending his generosity to an incredible extent. Never in a million years would Jinyoung have thought that kindness such as this existed outside of Heaven. And maybe it was the presence of human emotion, but Jinyoung couldn’t help but think that maybe he should stay with Mark. This boy was doing things to Jinyoung that the angel never thought possible and it was truly difficult to refuse such an attraction.

“T-Thank you Mark, but I just—”

“Please, Jinyoung. I’d rather you stay here than be forced to find some shady motel or park to sleep in. I don’t want you getting hurt…”

Blushing at the boy’s honesty, Jinyoung debated with himself before asking, “A-Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I could use some company anyway.” said Mark with a soft smile.

Overwhelmed with relief, joy, and appreciation, Jinyoung couldn’t help but say, “Okay.”

A/N: (again this is unedited, so i apologize for any mistakes) this is very jinyoung-centric but that's okay. and their attraction as well as them being comfortable with each other has to do with them MAYBE being soulmates. i haven't decided yet. and maybe hint hint to the search party reference at the beginning of the chapter (again, idk yet......) comment and subscribe! thanks :)