Jihyun pushed her specs up on the bridge of her nose. She’s been sleep deprived for almost 2 days, and she has been awake for more almost 48 hours already, with the reason that she needed to submit her drawing project (--or plate, as what architecture students call their drawing projects) in a few hours. She glanced at her wall clock. It says it’s almost 4:30am. Her plate is due in 6 hours. And thankfully, she’s almost done. She’s just doing finishing touches.

She raised her arms above her head and stretched her stiffed limbs. If she hadn’t let her childhood best friend dragged her down to their high school reunion party, she wouldn’t be cramming her school requirements like this.

‘Oh well, no point blaming Suzy.’ Jihyun told herself. She missed that kid too, and seeing and hanging out with her had been refreshing. Suzy had convinced Jihyun that she needed a break. She almost has zero social life!

Well, that’s not true. Jihyun has friends from her major too. Well, there’s Lee Hoya, Kim Sunggyu, Nam Woohyun and the rest of their gang. They would hang out, and drink a few beers right every after their plate submissions, just to relax and unwind from the immense stress brought to them by their major.

Suzy would just shook her head disapprovingly at how Jihyun would just hang out with the guys, and not actually date them. Since college, Jihyun had given up the idea of dating, and almost forgot that she’s also a girl, because she’d always claim that she’s always too busy to date. So there’s no need to prettify herself for anybody.

*ping*

Jihyun checked her phone upon hearing that tiny sound.

‘From: Nam Woohyun

Jihyun baby, are you almost done? I’m having trouble with my section drawings. And Sunggyu hyung won’t help me!!!!TT_TT  If you’re done, do you think you can come over here and help me? *puppy eyes* Please, my love?’

Jihyun playfully rolled her eyes at Woohyun’s cheesiness. Of course. Typical NamGrease. She’s almost done with hers anyway. So she quickly sent him a message.

‘To: Nam Woohyun

Sure. Let me just do the finishing touches. Then I’ll be right there.’

Jihyun and Woohyun both lived in a dormitory near their university, with a mere 10 minutes walk. From other students’ perspective, it would seem strange that a girl would come up to a guy’s dormitory at this hour, but Woohyun is Jihyun’s oldest friend from university. He’s one of the few friends she trusts, and she knows he’ll never make a move on her. Hell, sometimes he can be even such a girl; girl-ier than her even.

‘From: Nam Woohyun

Thanks baby. ;) I knew I could count on you. I owe you a date then. ;) Anyway, Sunggyu hyung and Hoya are here too. They said you can bring your work too, so we can check and compare.’

Jihyun bit her lower lip. Sunggyu and Hoya are one of the top students, and she’s not confident enough to show her works to them. What if they find it all wrong? What if they tell her everything is incorrectly planned? What if they tell her she needs to revise everything?

She shook her head. Of course, her drawings aren’t perfect. ‘At least there’s Hoya. He’d totally be gentle about pointing out mistakes,’ she told herself.

So, after quickly saving her files to her flash drive, she quickly whipped up a black hoodie, her favourite one. It has little wings at the back, and is definitely one of the warmest she got. She pulled up a pair of gray trousers over her cute hello kitty boxers and swung her black bag over her shoulders.

She glanced at her sleeping roommate and left a note for her that says she’s gone out and might not come back until later that morning.

She sighed, finally feeling the exhaustion creeping in. She tied her shoelaces, and went out of her room right after checking if she got her keys.

It was just one of the normal all-nighters she has, once again, pulled. But just like her whole life, it has always been unpredictable.

She didn’t know that this time, someone was following her suit. Not that she noticed it, really. But she just got this feeling of being watched and followed.

She casually turned around. Woohyun’s dorm is just a 10 minutes’ walk, but why does it feel like she’s been walking for almost half an hour already?

The street looks emptier than usual. And strangely, she can hear the faint buzzing of the street lamp. She sighed and tried to push away that weird gnawing feeling, fishing out her ipod from her hoodie’s front pocket. But just as she was about to plug her earphones to her ears, she stumbled in the dark, and every single lamp post has been extinguished.

She held her breath, her eyes wide in panic.

‘What’s happening?’ she pushed herself up from the ground. The silence around her was deafening. She tried to yelling for help, but as if some unknown force was keeping her down, she couldn’t utter a single cry.

She swallowed. She can barely breathe now.

And that’s when she saw a dark silhouette approaching her. She didn’t know if she’s losing consciousness or the surrounding seems to be getting darker as the silhouette nears her.

She reached up her hand, for help, but stopped midway. She can hear the silhouette sneered.

‘Jihyun!’ She can hear faint voice calling for her.

‘Woohyun! Hoya! Sunggyu!’ she screamed in her head. She was not sure if she’s dreaming or not. But everything felt so real. She can even feel the sting on her now bruised knees. But how would she explain the frightening darkness enveloping her? Is this some kind of new techniques thieves’ do to mug students at night?

‘Oh !’ she suddenly panicked. What if they didn’t intend on just mugging her? But also…. !

She thrashes her arms and legs, in hope to finally make them move, and to get her senses back to normal. She opened her eyes again, hoping to see a glimpse of her attacker. But when she opened them, the black silhouette was just a feet away from her. And from what her eye sight can make out, he has the most beautiful face she had ever seen. But he was sneering at her. She couldn’t see anything else, but a lump over his right shoulder; as if a large knapsack was slung over his right shoulders. But then, it also looked like a T-Square, a drawing instrument that freshmen architecture students often use. Is it a student then?

Jihyun felt herself losing it. She suddenly feels herself falling unconscious. But just before she closes her eyes, from the small cracks of her eyelids, she saw a blinding flash of light. And then just as she finally closed her eyes, she felt herself light, as if she is featherweight.  And with the sudden lightness and calmness she feels, she let herself succumb to it.

-

Suho was tasked, once again, to look for Baekhyun in the earth. That child had lurked too much on the human world once again. And with his wings tucked and hidden, they’re not very easily tracked by the other guardians. So Suho just have to use his extraordinary instincts and skills to find Baekhyun.

Suho had landed gracefully on earth. It was a good thing that it’s close to midnight already. There are barely people outside to see Suho’s landing. Before he can tuck his wings safely on his back, he usually have his wings outspread and he would be glowing and impossibly beautiful, that humans would find it hard to turn their gazes away from him. Suho would always find this troublesome, because he’d always have to flick his arms a little, and shower them little sprinkles of his magic. He needed to erase a few seconds of their memories of him.

Suho frown a little, making small creases on his perfect forehead. He sighed in relief when he caught a whiff of Baekhyun’s scent. He’s not that far. Suho just can’t understand why Baekhyun hasn’t come back up yet. It’s time for humans to sleep and rest, surely Baekhyun wouldn’t find anyone who’s willing to play with him awake at this hour.

Suho blinked, and in an instant, he adjusted himself fit in the human world. He was no longer barefoot, and his feet were covered in a pair of trainers. He looked like a normal college student, but then again, if he’ll be walking in the same street in day time, he’ll look abnormally handsome to human eyes. Of course, Suho isn’t usually aware of these. And his top priority now is to find Baekhyun and drag his arse back to the Guardian’s Haven, before the Head Guardian would punish his poor dongsaeng again.

“Baekhyun-ah?” Suho called. As faint as his voice seems, he knows that Baekhyun would hear it.

And true enough, he saw Baekhyun a few meters away from here he was standing. And he seems to be following someone. But just before Baekhyun could turn around and wave his arms at him, everything around them was enveloped in darkness.

-

Baekhyun bid his new human friend goodbye. It was a little past dinner time, and everyone else is bidding everyone goodbye. Baekhyun hates this time of the day. Because it means that he needed to get back to the Guardians’ Haven again. It’s not that it’s boring there, but he just finds the human world more interesting and colourful.

So Baekhyun lurked a little bit more, walking alley by alley, watching late night students make their way to their dormitories from late night studying from the library, or perhaps, from a good night drinking with their friends.

Baekhyun had met a few students from the university, and they all thought he’s handsome and hot. Baekhyun would just laugh with them. He never tried smoke, but he had tried drinking beer. Hell, their Head Guardian found out, and he had kept Baekhyun’s wings for a couple of weeks, so he couldn’t fly down to the earth. So Baekhyun made sure never to try drinking nor smoking again.

He had probably lost track of time, when he finally emerged from his seat. But when he saw a female student in black hoodie, with little angel like wings on her back, he perked up.

‘Another friend! And she has wings too!’ Baekhyun excitedly claimed, but immediately stopped. What if it’s another guardian? But then, if it’s a guardian like him, then she’s also in trouble for staying out this late?

Baekhyun followed her nonetheless. As he watches her from afar, the more he convinced himself that she’s no guardian. Her movements are quite hasty, and ungraceful. He then giggled at the thought of her little wings behind her back.

Suddenly, she looked behind her.

Baekhyun quickly glide behind the bushes. He continued giggling. From where he was hiding, he can see her face.

‘Whoa, she’s beautiful!’ He breathed. Suddenly, he wasn’t sure again if she’s human or one of them . Her beauty seems to be too much for a human; she would pass as a heaven’s guardian. Amidst his own thoughts, he heard her shuffling her feet and started walking again. He started following her, this time much discreetly. That’s when he heard his name being called.

‘Baekhyun!’

Baekhyun turned around and saw Suho meters away from where he was. He raised his arms to wave at his hyung, but as soon as he lifted them up, everything was swallowed in darkness.

Baekhyun felt his throat dry. It’s as if he was in a dejavu. He whirled around and saw the girl he had been following kneeling down the curb. She was shaking badly, but remained stiffand unmoving. Baekhyun released his wings and regained all his guardian senses, and almost immediately Suho was infront of him, covering him from something which he didn’t know of.

“Stay back.” Suho told him, his voice calm, but at the same time alarmed.

Baekhyun’s eyes turned to the girl on the ground.

“B-but…”

Baekhyun’s senses tell him there’s nothing wrong but at the same time, there is. And weird enough, he senses 2 super natural beings in the area, aside from himself, of course. That’s when he saw it. His jaw hung open in shock.

Baekhyun had known failed guardians or what they call fallen angels only in stories. When he was a baby guardian, the older guardians would tell them stories about the fallen angels. They had failed to protect their human beings; they were lured and seduced by the evils of the earth and lost themselves to it. And some fallen angels, they chose to gave up their wings and powers for something no one in the Haven knows off. Baekhyun cannot think of anything he’d want so much that it’s enough to give up what he has. Well, he thought of that one time when he wanted to save someone from dying. He shook his head, not wanting to remember it. His mind then randomly thought of those delicious carp bread being sold in the university’s cafeteria.

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts from human food. What the heck? His mind is totally random. Guardians don’t eat. They don’t need food to nourish themselves. They’re immortals. They don’t need anything. They don’t need anyone. They live to protect the human beings. Guardians are needed. And ugh, he hated how he has a short attention span. First he was thinking of the fallen angels, and now, he’s thinking of food?! He scowled at himself.

From Baekhyun’s peripherals, he saw Suho’s lips curving up a little. He knew Suho can read his mind, and he’s finding it amusing. Baekhyun tried his best to think of a…. A sheep. Sheeps jumping off clouds.

Suho turned to look at him. Why would sheeps….

But a split second later, Baekhyun heard Suho’s sharp intake of breath.  

Baekhyun gasp in horror. The fallen angel was reaching towards the girl on the ground. But why?! Baekhyun looked at Suho who was frowning at the fallen angel infront of them, but not doing anything.

‘Hyung! Why aren’t you doing anything?!’ Baekhyun yelled through his mind. But Suho remained unmoving.

Baekhyun gritted his teeth as he tore himself behind Suho’s wings and flew quickly infront of the girl and a blinding flash of light clashed as Baekhyun’s wings covered both himself and the girl. The fallen angel hadn’t seen Baekhyun coming, but when its hands dipped on to Baekhyun’s wings, the contact brought burst of blinding light around them.

The fallen angel quickly retreated, glancing at Suho again. Suho’s mouth drew a perfect O. He knew who it is. That fallen angel… it was….

“Hyung!” Baekhyun’s cries made Suho broke eye contact with the fallen angel. And within a split second, he was gone. Suho tried tracking his scent, but he can no longer find him. When the heaven drops a guardian, either they’d totally strip him off his wings and powers, harshly throw him to the earth, or they’d totally impair his capabilities as a guardian and left him wandering in nowhere. For them, it’s much worse than being demoted to human beings. It’s like being half angel, half human. You’re between the two worlds. You’re not welcome anymore in the guardian’s haven, or in the human world. And it’s a depressing world out there that both worlds don’t even acknowledge of.

“Hyung! Help me!” Baekhyun cried for him again. Suho’s trains of thoughts were interrupted. He quickly swept towards the human girl and the crying Baekhyun.

“She’s not breathing, hyung! Do something!” Baekhyun grabbed Suho’s front robes.

Suho knows exactly the reason for Baekhyun’s tears. When the younger one had his first assigned human, he was so happy. He barely comes back to their Haven. Baekhyun wanted to be always there beside his human. But when the poor mortal and her family went in to an unfortunate accident, Baekhyun was so helpless, trying to revive the mortal baby. She was just 9 months old. Baekhyun almost gave up one of his wings in exchange of the child’s life. The Head Guardian was at shock. Obviously, Baekhyun doesn’t know the consequences of exchanging his wings with something so precious.

Suho then held the younger guardian, and explained to him that little Sally would be happier if Baekhyun would just let her go. Just like some of their dongsaengs, little Sally would join them, guardians, after a few years in Heaven’s time. Baekhyun would be able to met her again, this time alive and healthy, just like all the guardians. Baekhyun cried that Sally wouldn’t be able to recognize him anymore. The child is Baekhyun’s first friend, and first love. He couldn’t explain his happiness in guardian’s nor human terms everytime little Sally would cry in glee upon seeing him. He was sure that she sees him every time he’s with her. She would always reach for him every time he’d stand beside her crib.

Suho managed to calm Baekhyun then, keeping his wings intact for him. Only the Head Guardians and the older guardians have the power to give and save life, but not to revive the dead. When Baekhyun had finally released little Sally, he swore he’ll never take any human under his care. He’ll never get himself attached to them.

Suho’s eyes moved towards the girl in Baekhyun’s arms. And just like Baekhyun, he was slightly startled at how beautiful she is. Her smooth fair complexion, her long eyelashes, her small but softly looking pink lips, and even how her hair fall graciously over her face, it was too breathtaking to take his eyes off her. He forced himself to snap out of his trance.

‘Is this how human beings feel when they see their earthly forms?’ Suho thought to himself, confident that Baekhyun doesn’t hear his personal thoughts.

He then hover his hands over the unconscious girl’s face, lightly pushing strands of her hair off her face, and another flash of brightness covered them three.