Everything is dark, even with his eyes opened he can’t see. He tries reaching out for something, but there’s nothing he can hold on to.

Suddenly there’s a bright light covering the space, and everything he thought was darkness was now gone. It feels warm.

There’s a laugh, a deep and melodic laugh that moves Jongin’s heart.

There’s a hand holding his.

Black wings.

Lips against his cheek, his neck, his shoulder…

The warm feeling increases, it’s… nice.

Then there’s darkness again.

…

Jongin woke up sweating, and with an uncomfortable feeling rising in his stomach. He ran a hand through his wet hair, brushing it off his forehead as he tried to identify what’s making him feel like this. He doesn’t know. Jongin sat up in his bed, there’s light peeking through the curtains, he could hear his TV in the background and suddenly when he remembered the other person that was supposed to be in his apartment, he identified what he was feeling.

He was… .

And not just slightly but very.

Jongin stood up, opening the door of his room, and walking into the living room where Kyungsoo was sleeping on the couch. He seemed uncomfortable but Kyungsoo refused anything else. Jongin grabbed a pillow, holding it against his body and proceeded to try to wake him up.

“Kyungsoo,” he called, shaking his arm at the same time. His voice came out too raspy for his liking. Jongin cleared his throat and tried again. “Kyungsoo.”

The man in question finally opened his eyes, one at a time, and looked around confused, until his eyes landed on Jongin. He mumbled an equally raspy good morning more than likely because he had been sleeping and he stretched a bit.

“Uhh, good morning,” Jongin scratched his chin, feeling a stubble under his fingers. “I don’t know how this works, but do you mind not using your powers right now?” Kyungsoo stared at him for a moment until the realization came to him.

“Oh, sorry,” he said, sitting up on the couch. He shook his head, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes gently. Jongin instantly started to feel better, there were still things he had to take care of, but it wasn’t as intense as before. “This happens when I dream sometimes.”

“That’s okay, thank you,” Jongin smiled, “I’ll go take a shower now.”

Kyungsoo nodded, not taking his eyes off him as he made his way into the bathroom, still holding a couch pillow. He chuckled, shaking his head.

Jongin came out of the bathroom feeling a lot better and fresh. Detecting the delicious smell of pancakes, so he followed it into the kitchen to find Kyungsoo and Chanyeol sitting there. He was kind of surprised at first, but he figured Chanyeol had been watching over them during the night.

“Good morning,” Jongin greeted, with a small smile. He still wasn’t sure what kind of relationship he used to have with him and Jongin had the feeling Chanyeol wasn’t very fond of him.

“Morning,” Chanyeol replied, he glanced at Jongin with a half-smile. Maybe he didn’t hate him as much as Jongin thought. Kyungsoo placed a plate filled with pancakes in front of Jongin and the syrup in the middle of their plates.

“Thank you,” Jongin smiled down at his plate, holding his laughter as best as he could. Each pancake had a different shape, his favorites were the bear-shaped ones. He glanced at Chanyeol’s plate, but they were all the typical round pancakes. “You’re a very skilled man.”

Kyungsoo smirked. “Pancakes is one of my many skills,” he winked. “Enjoy,” Kyungsoo grabbed a plate for himself sitting across from them. They ate in comfortable silence and Jongin had to admit the pancakes looked as good as they tasted. Once Chanyeol was done, he stood up, putting his plate on the sink.

“Minseok should be here soon,” he said, grabbing his jacket. “He’ll do rounds and if he sees anything, he’ll tell you.”

“Sounds good, Jongin doesn’t have classes until the afternoon, so we won’t be doing much today,” Kyungsoo informed and he got a look from Chanyeol, to which Kyungsoo only responded by lifting an eyebrow.

“How do you know that?” Jongin asked when he realized he never told Kyungsoo his schedule.

“Jongin, do you think I haven’t been paying attention to your classes or would figure out your schedule considering the circumstances?” was Kyungsoo’s only response.

It made sense.

“Well, I’ll leave you guys to it.” Chanyeol cleared his throat, making a smooth exit out of the apartment.

And then there were two.

They finished the rest of their breakfast quietly. Jongin was feeling a bit more cheerful after the events of the previous night. Other than the fact that there was something about Kyungsoo’s presence that was calming to Jongin, unlike what he felt when he was around Baekhyun. It was quite different, Baekhyun made him feel calm, Kyungsoo made him feel safe.

Like nothing would happen to him.

Jongin took his plate to the sink. “Well, I feel relieved that it doesn’t look like Chanyeol hates me after all.”

“You thought he did?” Kyungsoo chuckled.

“He always glared at me; I don’t know why.” Jongin’s bottom lip was sticking out slightly, bringing a smile to Kyungsoo’s face, which he looked away to hide.

“He doesn’t hate you, he’s just overly possessive with Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo shrugged, helping Jongin to clean the dishes. “His sin is wrath, so he gets upset easily.”

“So, your virtue or sin affects you or other people?” Jongin seemed to not get the hang of it just yet.

“It can do both if you let it,” Kyungsoo replied. Jongin bit his bottom lip, curiosity now taking over.

“Do you let yours affect you or just other people?” Jongin noticed Kyungsoo stopped washing, he turned to look at Jongin, and Jongin couldn’t help but do the same. They gazed at each other for a while, their eyes connected in a stare.

“What do you think?” Kyungsoo whispered, and Jongin’s heart stopped beating for a second.

“I’m not sure,” he answered. Jongin was very aware of the space around him, of the air entering and leaving his lungs, of his elbow slightly touching Kyungsoo’s. Kyungsoo chuckled, breaking their stare, and going back to the dishes.

“Let’s keep it that way then,” he responded. Jongin blinked, unsure of what just happened between them, his mind was completely blank for a moment and then he just went back to their dish task. It was kind of difficult to fully understand Kyungsoo and this world, and for a moment, he wished he could get his memories back. He wanted to remember his friendships, moments he spent with them.

Good things.

But that also meant he was going to remember the bad things too.

…

Getting out of his last class, Jongin got a text from Yifan. He was asking to meet at the library for their project, as always Kyungsoo was with him so after saying goodbye to Minjoon and Jongwoon who also had things to do, they walked together to the library. Jongin spotted Yifan’s blond head among the other students so he walked over to the table he’s sitting in, with Kyungsoo waiting for him a few tables away.

Jongin was surprised when he realized that Yifan wasn’t alone this time. Another guy was sitting next to him, significantly shorter than Yifan, although a lot of people were. He had blond curls covering his head and such a sweet smile that Jongin returned.

“This is Luhan,” Yifan introduced. “I hope you don’t mind him joining us today.”

“I also had some work to do, so I thought it would be fun to join you guys,” Luhan pulled some books out of his bag and Jongin nodded.

“Sure, I don’t mind,” Jongin sat down across from them, smiling while he pulled out his things as well, he slightly glanced at Kyungsoo, but he was busy with something on his phone. “What should we start with?”

They worked on their project for a few hours, going back and forth with information. Jongin caught Luhan looking at him a few times, but the guy only smiled whenever their eyes met. He seemed to be nice.

It was only when he felt his stomach growl that he realized it was getting late. A quick look through the library windows confirmed that it was already dark outside and that he should get something to eat. Kyungsoo was probably hungry as well.

“What if we stop here,” Jongin offered, there was only so much he could do on an empty stomach. “I should go get dinner or something.”

“You’re right,” Luhan stretched, putting all his things back into his bag.

“Do you have anywhere to be tonight?” Yifan asked, taking Jongin by surprise… again.

“Uh, not really.”

“Then we should go to eat something. There’s this really good place nearby,” Yifan said all of this with a straight face, but Jongin already knew he didn’t smile much.

“Well, I would have to take my friend with us, if you don’t mind,” Jongin pointed at Kyungsoo and they both look at him for a moment.

“We don’t mind,” Yifan replied, and then it was settled. Jongin packed his things and walked over to tell Kyungsoo, with the other two right behind him.

Jongin introduced them. “They asked us out to eat,” Kyungsoo gazed at the other two, not saying anything for a while before nodding and standing up. They walked out of the library and campus, Yifan and Luhan leading the way, while Jongin walked next to Kyungsoo. Even though this could be perceived as a group gathering, for some reason Jongin’s first thought was that it looked like they were on their way to a double date.

He smiled at how silly he was being.

The campus only had a few people here and there because of the time. They walked across the street on their way to whatever place Yifan was suggesting. Kyungsoo was silent next to him, but it wasn’t like the other two were talking either, they were just walking.

“There’s a shortcut through here,” Yifan said. There was a poorly illuminated alley in front of them, Luhan was following right behind and Jongin was about to when Kyungsoo pulled him back. He was frowning, a tense grip around Jongin’s wrist, seeing him like this made Jongin feel uneasy.

“I don’t think we can go eat with you guys,” Kyungsoo said, and he pushed Jongin behind him. “Maybe next time.”

Kyungsoo kept pushing him back, not turning his back on them as he walked backward. Jongin was about to say something when he saw it. He saw Yifan’s eyes became a bright blue, shining in the darkness of the night.

No.

It all happened so quickly, one moment they were standing on the street and the next they were shoved roughly into the dark alley. Jongin had a hand against his throat and all he could see were those bright blue eyes above him, haunting him. Eyes that couldn’t be from this earth.

“This time, we won’t fail,” Yifan whispered. Jongin heard Kyungsoo yelling somewhere in that deserted alley, the sound of fists against the skin echoing around them. He wasn’t sure of what was happening over there, but he didn’t know if Kyungsoo could handle the two of them. Pure fear started building on his system as he realized it wasn’t looking good for them.

Suddenly Yifan was pushed off Jongin and Kyungsoo was standing between them. Even with the bad lighting, Jongin could see that there was a nasty cut on his cheek, he was breathing heavily, and his eyes were also sparkling. Kyungsoo was strong, but they were two, and Jongin would not be able to help him at all. He instantly searched for his phone, texting an SOS to Sehun, before it was taken out of his hands.

Jongin looked up to see a third person, dirty blond hair, darker skin. The guy smirked as he broke Jongin’s phone in half. He grabbed Jongin by the collar only to be quickly pushed off by Kyungsoo. Jongin remembered him as one of Yifan’s friends, he didn’t remember his name.

Not that his name mattered, they were trying to kill him, and they were three against technically one. Jongin felt like this was familiar, the height, the way he stood next to them. He was Jongin’s intruder, there was no doubt in Jongin’s mind.

“There’s nothing you can do you filthy sin. You know how this is going to end,” Luhan was the one to speak, and there was nothing sweet or nice about him now. If Jongin’s thoughts were correct they were supposed to be virtues, only they were bad virtues.

Kyungsoo didn’t say a word, but it was clear in his eyes.

He wasn’t going to go through this pain again. He couldn’t.

Yifan and Luhan charged against Kyungsoo. Watching them fight, Jongin suddenly had a feeling of Déjà vu, a different image playing in his head. It was Kyungsoo fighting for him, he was always fighting, trying to save him even at the cost of his own life. Image after image came through and it took Jongin a minute to realize they were memories.

His memories.

He stared in shock, the events in front of him and the images in his head just playing simultaneously. Years and years of things he didn’t think he would ever remember coming back to him so fast he thought his head was about to explode.

Yifan managed to pin Kyungsoo against the floor, looking up at Luhan who had the most devious smirk Jongin had ever seen. They were about to kill him, he just knew.

“Zitao,” Yifan called and the guy next to Jongin chuckled. Of course! Zitao!

“I got him,” he said. “Looks like it’s your time to watch your lover die for a change,” Zitao moved closer to the other, Jongin’s heart skipped a beat. “It is only fair.”

Jongin’s heart broke into a million pieces because he remembered. He remembered a million smiles Kyungsoo had given him, every kiss, every hug, every meal they shared. The way Kyungsoo had been there for him for so long, even when it was better for him to just forget about him when it would be less painful that way.

Because he loved him.

And it hurt, even more, each time they had to say goodbye.

Jongin remembered everything.

Jongin also felt everything.

Kyungsoo looked up at him, there was blood everywhere and he was all bruised. Kyungsoo didn’t utter a word, but regardless of that Jongin could understand perfectly what his eyes were saying. Jongin felt a sharp pain in his chest.

At least we’re dying together this time.

That’s what he was thinking.

No!

Jongin broke down in tears, sobbing even when nothing had happened yet, and that’s when he felt it. The energy starting to run through him. A lot of energy more than he had ever felt since he was born. He felt it flowing through his veins and muscles, filling him with the most inexplicable feeling in any realm. He glanced over his shoulder once, breaking out of this Zitao’s grip, his fist connecting with the guy’s chin as tears kept running down his cheeks. He held Zitao’s tiny neck in his hands.

The energy was building up in his body, ready to be released. The others watched with eyes wide open as he changed, his hair turning blond on one side and black on the other.

His awakening.

Along with all this energy, Jongin was also starting to feel anger.

Anger because he was tired of what they were doing to him, because Kyungsoo didn’t deserve any of this either, and he would make sure Kyungsoo wouldn’t have to go through this at all, even if that’s the last thing Jongin ever had to do.

Even if this becomes his last life.

Jongin glared at him, this was the first time this virtue was ever sent to kill him and looks like it would be his last mission ever. With all the energy rushing to his hands as the other gasped for air, and a bright white light illuminating the dark alley, within the blink of an eye he was gone. No body, not even the ashes, nothing. He was gone.

The other two just stared in shock as Jongin turned around to face them. He saw the moment they realized what was going on, the moment they realized who he was and what he was. Jongin walked over, aware of Kyungsoo’s eyes on him, aware of the fear in their eyes as he got closer.

They should be afraid.

Luhan took a step back and Yifan added pressure on Kyungsoo’s body, making him scream in pain.

“If you get any closer, I’ll kill him,” Yifan said. His voice didn’t match the desperation on his face. Luhan didn’t say anything.

Before they could even notice, Jongin was standing right in front of Yifan, lifting him up and away from Kyungsoo who took a deep breath the moment he didn’t have the other over him.

“You don’t know me,” were Jongin’s only words before another bright light engulfed Yifan, and then he had also vanished into thin air, nothing left behind to tell the story of his life except the faint scream that was starting to pour out of his lips before he was gone. Luhan of course wasn’t like the other two, he was brave enough to try to escape, displaying his white wings as he aimed for the sky. Jongin looked down at Kyungsoo. “I’ll be right back.”

It had been a while since Jongin used his wings, pulling them out, he heard the moment Kyungsoo gasped. A white wing and a black wing in full display before Jongin chased after him, soon catching on, his hand grasping one of Luhan’s wings. Jongin pulled him back bringing him close.

“I’ll let you live, only because I need you to deliver a message. Tell whoever sent you that things have changed. Tell them I’m the humility virtue, but also I’m the pride sin,” Jongin’s voice was as cold as his eyes as he spoke. “Tell them… not this time,” he let go of him and Luhan took no time in putting space between them, flying away.

When Jongin made it back to where Kyungsoo was, Sehun and Baekhyun were already there, more than likely drawn in by the exhibition of energy. They were helping Kyungsoo sit, asking him questions when they noticed Jongin’s presence. Their eyes widened when they saw him, especially because they had never seen him like this ever before.

They had never seen this side of him.

Jongin would have to explain everything to them, to all of them, but Kyungsoo came first. He kneeled in front of him, there were several cuts and bruises on his face, but he was okay. He was alive.

“Welcome back,” Kyungsoo whispered, making Jongin smile. He knew he had to be grateful to have people that cared this much for him, that tried to protect him for thousands of years, and regardless of how many times they failed, they always waited for him.

Kyungsoo always loved him no matter what.

“It’s good to be back,” Jongin reached out to hold Kyungsoo’s hand and the familiar wave of electricity that he felt was very welcomed. It was the way their souls recognized each other, after so many years, just finally finding each other again. Jongin wanted to say so many things, just three words standing out more than the others.

Words that he also wanted to hear so badly.