It was silent again in the house this morning, save for the sounds of Minho’s mother moving around in the kitchen downstairs, doing god-knows-what because she was sure as hell not preparing breakfast. Not for Minho, at least. She might have proven herself to be different to what Minho conceived of her at first (no, she wasn’t the heartless, cruel woman he thought her to be). But she wasn’t on the running to be world’s best mummy either.

Things have changed a little since Minho’s father left them the other day. His mother had a real job now, a part-time sales assistant at the local supermarket. Minho was still not accustomed to her work times yet but somehow they made it work by briefly telling each other where they would be at a particular time. Otherwise, the woman left Minho to his own business, not interfering in his things until absolutely necessary. They barely even spoke to each other besides the basic greetings and the information sharing. Minho didn’t complain. He felt like this was what they needed- some space to figure things out before they tried to resolve any real problems.

It was mostly silent in the house these days, but today it was a different kind of silence for some unknown reason.

Minho glanced at the reflection above his right shoulder on the mirror before him. Jinki sat there, swinging his crossed legs as he always did, a smile too bright seemingly etched permanently onto his face. He raised an eyebrow, questioning Jinki’s glee once again because the angel has been evading the question all morning. Jinki simply shook his head as an answer. Minho straightened up at that, sticking his tongue out at the other to show his dissatisfaction, putting his comb down after he thought the bird’s nest on his head was somewhat under control.

He turned around, heading for the foot of his bed where his shirt for today laid. He picked it up and swung it around to pull his arms through the sleeves, momentarily blinded by the fabric. When he regained his vision again, he was blinded instead by Jinki’s thousand-watt smile in close proximity. The angel took hold of his collars and pulled him a little lower with strong arms (because Minho’s height was a bit of a national crisis in Korea), placing a playful kiss on the tip of his nose.

Minho was smiling like a bloody crushing teenage girl when Jinki pulled back and began to button the shirt up casually.

“I’ve not seen the beach since I began to feel. I’ve always wondered what it would be like…” Jinki remarked, finishing up with the last button but not really moving away from Minho. Minho took advantage of the proximity to reach up into Jinki’s hair and run a hand through the silky threads.

“I’ll take you some day. But first, you must tell me what the Elders told you…” Minho bargained, trying to get Jinki to reveal whatever it was that they had said to him yesterday to make Jinki so gleeful.

“Never!” Jinki answered with a fake stern voice that lost its effect the moment he smiled again.

Minho pouted, knowing that the action is not one of his stronger points. Then again, Minho had never had the reason to pout his way into getting what he wanted. Jinki stared at Minho’s lips for a while, as though he was trying to work out the mechanics of jutting one’s lower lip out to have their way. Then, his head tilted to one side as he hesitantly copied the action.

Minho almost had a mental meltdown at that moment. Jinki pouting should be made illegal everywhere on this planet Earth and possibly in Heaven too! How could someone look this adorable? That shouldn’t be humanly- oh wait, he’s an angel- angelically possible!

Minho leaned down, eager to kiss the pout away before he was really brain dead.

“Jinki, never ever do that again, you hear me?” Minho muttered breathlessly after, Jinki smiling in victory at that.

Minho pulled back from Jinki then to get his backpack ready for school, the wide grin still stuck on his face.

“You know, I saw a past life in which you were a hunter and I, a farmer. I saw that I liked to make you climb apple trees to pluck the ones at the top for me and you would do it without a question. You were a cheesy romantic then, you know?” Jinki said, coming up behind Minho as he was chucking needed books into his bag for school today.

Minho hadn’t seen that particular life but the thought of it made him smile even wider. Jinki’s hands wrapped around his waist loosely. Minho began to have this hunch, a bad feeling if you will, in the furthest corner of his mind as to why Jinki was acting so evasive and vague today. But he chose to ignore it for the moment, because he liked Jinki being the more touchy one, initiating all kinds of physical contacts between them.

“You were just as sappy, Jinki. There was one life that I saw in which I was a girl and you used to read ridiculous sappy poems outside my house every morning…”

Jinki chuckled at that, his chest vibrating against Minho’s back.

“I didn’t see that one and I don’t think I want to…” Jinki muttered, nudging his nose into Minho’s shirt. Minho laughed at that, intertwining his fingers with Jinki’s on his stomach. They stood like that for a while or perhaps an eternity, neither could really tell.

“You went hunting one day. To find the fox that was harming the farmers’ chickens…“ Jinki’s grip tightened into Minho’s shirt, his voice dropping to a very grim tone. “You never came back…”

Minho swallowed slowly, turning around in Jinki’s hold to take the angel’s face in his hands.

“You were the girl in another life, Jinki. The rich girl. The one out of my league…-“this time Minho’s hold tightened in rising guilt, “-I you…”

Jinki’s reaction to this was an odd one. He laughed darkly, covering Minho’s hands with his and caressing the skin on the back of his hands with his thumbs.

“You were killed for that, Minho. I brought about your death in that life…” Jinki said, having seen the life Minho was referring to. He looked almost guilty to be saying that when it really hadn’t been his fault at all.

“You saved me in this life…” Minho reminded the angel, watching him perk up a little at that.

“Yes, I did….” Jinki said, smiling again, the expression small and sad.

Minho found it strange once again, that the angel would bring up something so sad so suddenly. He wanted more than anything to know what had happened up in Heaven for Jinki to be acting like this. He wished that he could read the other’s mind so that he could know everything that was bothering him or making him happy or anything at all, really. Minho just wanted to be there for Jinki even if the latter refused to give him the chance to.

He didn’t push Jinki for answers though. Instead, he leaned in to peck the other’s forehead lovingly, pulling him into a bone-crushing hug after, just because he could.

“I really would like to see the beach though…” Jinki said, his voice muffled against Minho’s shoulder, making Minho smile with the child-like voice that the other used.

“We’ll go, Jinki. Soon…”

Minho doesn’t miss the way Jinki’s fists tighten on the back of his shirt, but he chooses to ignore it once again, hugging Jinki even closer to his body.

It took an hour of ridiculous calculations involving something called implicit differentiations in mathematics and another hour of learning the nature of light in physics for it to finally dawn upon Minho.

Jinki has never asked him for anything ever (not in this life, at least). It had been his first request ever to see the beach and he hadn’t even requested it blatantly. All he had said was how curious he was of the beach and then, he had left it hanging like that, leaving Minho to decipher it himself. Now, what kind of a soulmate (if one could blush in their thoughts, Minho would be tomato red just thinking that word) would Minho be if he didn’t even grant Jinki that one simple wish?

So that was when he decided, after a lot of asking around to Sohyun, Gwiboon and Taemin (Mir being a surprising volunteer for a suggestion after overhearing him talking with Sohyun) about beaches and the easiest ways to get there, Minho decided that he would surprise the angel. He would take him to the closest beach, which happened to be a couple of hours bus ride away, just in time for them to catch the sunset. It would be a perfect little experience for Jinki, to see the beautiful scenery with his own eyes and to actually drown in the overwhelming feeling of watching such beauty unfold, to taste the salty air with his own tongue, to let the ocean breeze caress his skin.

Jinki would love it, especially because he had always wanted to see it for himself. The thought made Minho feel light-headed and he simply couldn’t wait for this period to end.

The class couldn’t have ended sooner for how anxious Minho was feeling. He had checked his wallet and he decided that he had enough money to buy a two-way bus ticket for himself. Jinki could, of course, travel free of charge.

“Minho, your classes are not over. Where are you going?”  Minho heard Jinki’s voice, but he didn’t know where it was coming from. Minho simply slid his hands into his pockets and continued to walk, teeth digging into his lower lip to hide his grin.

“Ditching class…” Minho answered, knowing that he sounded like his former self that had no care for school.

“Why all of a sudden?” Jinki asked, sternly, much like how he used to before whenever Minho did something wrong. Has it already been… seven months since all of that happened? Minho hadn’t really paid attention to time and before he even realized it, a whole lot of it had passed by. Heck, he was just a couple of months away from graduating and this bit of information only now sinks on him.

“For fun. You can come if you want to…” Minho answered nonchalantly and he couldn’t see it but he knew that Jinki must be looking at him in disapproval now.

“Fine. I’ll come…” Well, Minho didn’t expect that answer. But of course Jinki would. His plan is working out well so far.

“Where are you going? Tell me before I make you!” Jinki threatened playfully, sitting beside Minho on the bus, his arms crossed and his expression stern.

“And how exactly would you make me?” Minho challenged smirking. He spoke in a whisper because there were people around him and the seat beside him was supposedly empty to them.

Jinki huffed, staring at him in disbelief. Minho began to snicker to himself, trying to be inconspicuous about it. He couldn’t hide the yelp of pain that followed though, because Jinki had reached over and twisted his right ear.

The people in the seats before his turned back to look at him curiously and Minho could only manage to smile sheepishly in answer to their questioning gazes.

This time Jinki snickered into his hand, happy that he had gotten back at Minho.

Minho frowned at the other, feigning annoyance when all he really felt was joy. Jinki looked so child-like, so pure, finding glee in the smallest things like this. Minho felt good, especially so today, because he knew that he had done the right thing to keep this child-like innocence intact. To keep this joyful soul that had so much to offer to this world smiling always like this.

Minho had tried to make a pact with God yesterday. It was funny really, that Minho would believe that God would want to negotiate with him of all people. But Jinki said that God loved everyone equally and that he always gave second chances. Well, Minho decided that he would put this theory to the test last night and he had done the one thing in his power to change the circumstances.

Minho prayed. Last night, he had knelt beside his bed for the longest time possible before he had finally plucked the courage to speak up.

“God, I am- you know who I am. I know that I have been ungrateful, that I have been unworthy of your love, that I have committed so many sins that even you probably cannot count it…” Minho began.

“I know that I defied you even when I was created to be your most faithful servant. But… But I loved him. I still do. I know, I know that I should love you above all else but when I look at him, he gives me a reason to believe that you exist. I could not give him up all those years ago and I can’t give him up today…”

Minho paused, surprised that once he had started, it was easier to talk to the big man as if he was really there listening to him. It might also be that way because Minho believed more than ever now that God existed. He wasn’t kneeling down there feeling like a fool that was talking to someone who might or might not exist. Instead, he knew that he was praying to someone who would not only listen, but also help him.

“Whatever punishment you would give Jinki, give it to me. I take full responsibility for my own sins that caused all of this. Spare him and take me instead. Give him a full and happy life, let him forget all the pain he has endured because of me. Please God. This is all I ask of you. I’m sure you would judge us fairly…”

After that prayer, Minho had gotten the most peaceful sleep he has had in a while, mostly due to the knowledge that he has done something right. God would have to accept his proposition, right? It was the most logical thing to do since it was him, the original angel that had brought about His wrath upon them.

“Hey, Minho. That lady’s still staring at you, thinking of how stupid you looked just now…