Kyuhyun nearly fainted, again. 

 

“E-Excuse me?” Kyuhyun stuttered out, staring wide-eyed at the picture-of-calm Sungmin. 

 

“You can ask me what you truly want, Kyuhyun. I already know how this conversation is going to go. No need for manners.”

 

“What are you?” Kyuhyun asked swiftly. He thought for a moment that if someone was told the same information as he had, they probably wouldn't have jump to the conclusion that this boy isn't human. 

 

“Well, I'm not quite human. But I'm not entirely  non-human, either.” Sungmin answered as if he could read Kyuhyun's mind. 

 

Kyuhyun had nothing to say to that, choosing to remain staring. 

 

“I hide what keeps me from being completely human. You'll see them soon, but not right now. I can tell you are getting nauseous.” Sungmin said, standing from the bed and grabbing a wastepaper basket he had nearby. Placing the trash can next to Kyuhyun's bed, he continued, “You're going to puke at some point today. Please get it in here and not the floor or the bed.”

 

“How do you know all of this?” 

 

“Like I said, I know more than you think.” 

 

“Can you explain why? What are you?”

 

Sungmin paused, staring at Kyuhyun affectionately before he began. 

 

“You think God doesn't exist. You believe that if he did exist, he wouldn't have allowed you to continue living with your abusive mother.”

 

Kyuhyun's eyes widened. 

 

“But what you don't understand is that God has actually taken a special interest in you. He was just waiting for the right time to change everything. That's why I'm here.”

 

“W-What?” Kyuhyun stuttered. He didn't even really know what he was asking. 

 

“I'm an angel, Kyuhyun. Your angel.” Sungmin deadpanned. 

 

Kyuhyun stared incredulously, until the realization that Sungmin knew things about him no one should know caused his stomach to turn and bile to rise. 

 

“In the trash can!” Sungmin screamed just as Kyuhyun retched. He got to his feet and ran to the bathroom to wet a rag. When he returned, Kyuhyun was hanging over the side of the bed, head still over the now vomit filled trash can. 

 

“Sit up.” Sungmin said gently, helping the other to sit up as best he could. Kyuhyun could barely stay upright on his own. Against his will, he rested his head against Sungmin's belly, closing his eyes to the soothing cool brought on by the wet rag being wiped across his face. 

 

“I believe you are only supposed to puke once, so try to relax now.” Sungmin said softly, continuing to run the cool rag against Kyuhyun's face and neck. 

 

“How do you know all of this?” Kyuhyun asked again, eyes still closed and head still resting against Sungmin.

 

“I told you, I'm your angel.” Sungmin said with a smile. 

 

“Right...But still, how would you know everything?” Kyuhyun responded incredulously. 

 

“Hmm...I have my ways...” Sungmin said mysteriously. When Kyuhyun opened his eyes to look at the other, he laughed. “I said before that God has taken a special interest in you, Kyuhyun. He's planned everything.”

 

“Including the nightly beatings?” 

 

Sungmin's smile fell quickly. “No. He didn't plan for those. He never intends for any of his children to get hurt, especially not by those who are supposed to love them.”

 

“Then if he's so great, why didn't he stop it? Why didn't he intervene like he is supposedly doing now?”

 

“He gave humans free will, but I don't know...I don't know why he wanted to wait, but he did.” Sungmin looked sad for a moment. “I wish he hadn't waited. It was so hard to watch and not be able to do anything.”

 

“What does that mean?”

 

“I'm your angel, Kyuhyun. I think humans call them guardian angels? Everyone assumes we can intervene whenever something bad happens, but we can't. We have to wait until we are allotted time on Earth in order to help. We see everything, but we cannot always save our prospects.”

 

“Prospects?” Kyuhyun asked. 

 

“You, the humans we protect.”

 

“You call us prospects?” 

 

“Well, yes. Because we, the angels, hope for the best outcome in the end. An angel is paired with a certain human because God knows they are the best pair...for eternity. Every angel prays for the day when their prospect can join them in heaven and remain together forever. It doesn't always happen. You are a prospect.” 

 

“So we are a perfect pair?” Sungmin nodded. “But we are both boys. Doesn't God not allow that?”

 

“That's a human interpretation.” Sungmin said swiftly and sternly, as if it was a topic of annoyance. 

 

Kyuhyun simply hummed in acknowledgment. His mind was spinning and he was barely taking any of this in. 

 

“Lay back down and get some rest. I'd made you some soup; I'll get it.” Sungmin said as he maneuvered Kyuhyun to lay down. 

 

Kyuhyun stared at the ceiling as Sungmin left. None of this could be true. He was in some psycho's house, too weak to move, and about to eat something that was made out of his sight. But this boy had saved him, hadn't he? Kyuhyun's eyebrows scrunched—he had predicted everything correctly so far...

 

Sungmin walked back into the room, trying to balance a fairly full bowl of hot soup in his hands. He placed the bowl on the nightstand next to Kyuhyun, and took his seat back on the bed. 

 

“Show me what keeps you from being completely human. Prove to me that what you are saying is true.” Kyuhyun said swiftly, staring into Sungmin's eyes to show he was serious. 

 

“You already saw them once...” Sungmin said, a tiny smile pulling at his lips. 

 

Kyuhyun cocked his head. “Huh? When?”

 

“You were almost passed out, but I think you saw them.” 

 

White, so white. Lights? No they weren't glowing.

 

“What are they?” Kyuhyun asked, staring nervously at Sungmin. 

 

Sungmin gave an all-knowing smile. “I think they are more beautiful than how humans describe them.”

 

“I want to see them.” Kyuhyun said, almost stoic in anticipation at this point—they couldn't possibly be what he was expecting. This couldn't be real.

 

Keeping the same all-knowing smile, Sungmin didn't even move as two great wings spread and stretched out from his back. They stretched to their full wingspan, nearly touching the walls, before Sungmin pulled them back in to rest curled against him. 

 

Kyuhyun eyes were wide as he stared at the ivory feathers still visible over Sungmin's shoulders. They looked so soft and so smooth, like porcelain. And so white, they were such a pure white that it was almost blinding as it contrasted with the same all-black outfit Sungmin was wearing. 

 

Without saying anything or taking his eyes off of the wings, Kyuhyun reached his hand out trying to run his fingers over the velvet wings. He only switched his attention when Sungmin jerked back slightly. 

 

“No one has ever touched them before.” Sungmin said, a small smile still in place. 

 

“No one?” Kyuhyun questioned. 

 

“In heaven, they aren't special—everyone has a pair.”

 

Kyuhyun lowered his hand, as well as his eyes, as he took Sungmin words as a rejection. His eyes lifted when he felt Sungmin turning around on the bed. 

 

Kyuhyun gasped as both of the wings in their folded entirety were presented to him, Sungmin peaking from behind his shoulder. He watched as Sungmin experimentally stretched them a bit wider, taking care to not hit the nightstand. Kyuhyun jerked as he felt the weight of one of the wings graze over his legs as it opened. 

 

“Can...Can I touch them?” Kyuhyun asked timidly. 

 

“B-Be gentle.” This was the first time Sungmin seemed uncertain of anything he had ever said to Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun looked into the other's eyes, he saw a slight glimmer of worry. 

 

As gentle as he possibly could, Kyuhyun ran a singer finger down one of the feathers laying gracefully on Sungmin's left wing. 

 

“This can't be real.” Kyuhyun muttered, looking at his finger as if it would hold traces of paint. 

 

“They are real, trust me.” Sungmin said, still trying to watch all of Kyuhyun's moves. He tried not to show it, but in all honesty, he was nervous as to what it would be like for someone else to touch his wings. He had barely felt Kyuhyun's finger and for a moment he was disappointment that it wouldn't feel like anything when someone touches them. 

 

Kyuhyun ran his finger down a different feather. 

 

“Can you feel that?” Kyuhyun asked. 

 

“No...” The disappointment was ever-so-slightly evident in his voice. 

 

Kyuhyun eyed Sungmin to make sure he was okay with what he was about to do. With some sort of confidence, Kyuhyun ran his whole hand over the top edge of the wing. He stared at the top most curve and brought his hand down nearly the length of the wing. 

 

Kyuhyun pulled his hand away quickly when he saw an intense shiver run through Sungmin's body. 

 

“Did it hurt?” Kyuhyun asked quickly. 

 

Sungmin just shook his head as he eyed his wing. It definitely hadn't hurt. 

 

With the confirmation, Kyuhyun grew braver. He ran his fingers through Sungmin's feathers, separating a few and toying with others. 

 

“Stop it.” Sungmin said sternly, quickly tucking his wings in and turning to face the other. 

 

“Did it hurt? I'm sorry.” Kyuhyun rushed out, pulling his hand to his chest. 

 

“No, it didn't.” Sungmin mumbled, looking to his lap. Kyuhyun didn't know what to think anymore. Sungmin had been so sure and so confident in how he held himself, but now...now he seemed to have a hard time looking Kyuhyun in the eye. 

 

“Did I do something wrong?” Kyuhyun asked, trying to get the other to talk more. 

 

“No. Just...Just no one has ever touched them...” Sungmin mumbled, poking at his thighs. 

 

“But it didn't hurt?” 

 

“N-No...” Sungmin trailed off, raising his eyebrows. 

 

Kyuhyun eyed Sungmin's expression, reading it easily. With a sly smile, he continued his questioning. 

 

“Did it feel good, Sungmin?”

 

Sungmin didn't answer, only turned his head to look away from the other. He had never expected to feel a tingling sensation run through his entire body when his wings were touched—that didn't happen when he touched them. 

 

Kyuhyun grinned, closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened his eyes again, Sungmin's wings were gone; he couldn't even see them poking from behind Sungmin's shoulders. 

 

“How do you hide them?” Kyuhyun asked. 

 

Sungmin looked to the other, his previous confidence visible. 

 

“I can make the invisible to humans.” Sungmin answered with a grin. 

 

Kyuhyun scrunched his eyebrows. “How can you just make them invisible?” 

 

Sungmin shrugged. “It's just something we can do.” 

 

“Can I see?”

 

“Well, you can't see them. That's the point.” Sungmin answered.

 

“No, I mean, can I see your back? Turn around.” 

 

Sungmin nodded as he shifted on the bed, turning so his back was visible to Kyuhyun.

 

It was then Kyuhyun noticed two slits in Sungmin's black shirt. He tentatively reached out a finger and opened one of the slits enough to see the other's back. He saw a long scar. Well, it was a borderline opened wound, just without any of the blood or bruising—but not wing. It was as if the wings themselves had evaporated, but left the scars to show they existed. 

 

“Does this hurt?” Kyuhyun asked as he winced at the look of the two long scars. He had scars, plenty of them, but they didn't look like this. 

 

“Nope.” Sungmin answered.

 

Kyuhyun ran a finger firmly against the skin beside the scar, pulling his hand back quickly as Sungmin suddenly stood up. 

 

“What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?” Kyuhyun asked quickly. 

 

Sungmin took swift steps to the door, not even looking back to the other as he spoke. 

 

“Nothing, you didn't do anything wrong. Just eat the soup, it's getting cold. I'll come back in a few minutes.” Sungmin said as he took his leave. 

 

Kyuhyun was about to speak up and ask what had happened, but Sungmin was already gone. He relaxed against the bed, staring at the ceiling. He had only woken up about an hour ago...what the hell happened?