An angel’s Kiss is a powerful thing. It has the ability to fix all things broken, undo wrongs in the past, bring back what was already lost. Such great power it held and as the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. Only angels could ever be trusted with something of this magnitude of supremacy.

With that said, Jinki knew that he had just landed himself in a heap of mess, for the matters of the Kiss never went over smoothly up in heaven.

Jinki pulled back from the kiss that had just breathed life into his human, he himself feeling drained to the bones, a feeling he was only beginning to get used to as of late. He gazed at his human’s face with not even a minute sense of regret for breaking some important rules that he was supposed to abide as a guardian angel.

Minho did not wake up. He remained in a state of slumber after he had inhaled his first breath following his rebirth. There was no particular moment that it all happened but in just a matter of seconds, Minho’s neck was no longer bent in an awkward angle, allowing him to breathe shallowly and steadily like he was right now.

Jinki cried even more tears of relief, not even caring to stop and think that he was feeling so emotional over a human. Then again, Minho was not just another human to Jinki. He didn’t know in what way, but all Jinki could bravely admit to himself was that Minho is special to him somehow.

Jinki tried and failed miserably in using his powers to take them both back to Minho’s room, away from this horrible dark alley. He knew that it was because he was drained of all his strength for the moment. This level of miracles, one that involved reuniting a soul to its body, came with its consequences and while God made Jinki immortal, he did not make him invulnerable. Like all beings in existence, Jinki too had his limitations and what he had done is just barely within that limit.

Looking down at his white robe, Jinki realized just how much the Kiss had affected him as well. His once white robe was stained red from Minho’s blood and brown from the dirty ground. If he were to leave the alley like this, he knew that other humans would be able to see him and that in itself was breaking a whole lot of other rules.  But he simply could not leave Minho down there by himself.

They were calling for Jinki. They have already found out about it. This kind of news spread very quickly. The Gatekeepers were never very keen of angels getting in their way in leading souls into the afterlife. And on the rare occasion that it happened, history had the proof that the Gatekeepers were never tolerant about it. Jinki could already imagine the angels and the Gatekeepers locking horns over this and it was only a matter of time before the Elders stepped in.

“Ji…Jinki…”

The raspy voice brought Jinki’s attention back down onto the person he had been clutching to his chest the whole time. Minho was just beginning to open his eyes, blinking in confusion and a little discomfort. When his eyes had been open long enough to focus, he had immediately fixed his gaze on Jinki’s face, peering into the very essence of him with just that one look.

“I’m dead, aren’t I?” Minho asked, moving a hand up to cup Jinki’s face. Again, without even thinking, Jinki leaned into that one touch that had been engraved in his mind since the first time it happened.

“You’re alive, Minho,” Jinki replied him softly, moisture clouding his perfect vision.

Minho frowned. His thumb caught the tears before they fell and wiped away the few that escaped anyway.

“You were scared. For me….” Minho stated and the way he said it, it seemed like he himself did not know what he was talking about.

Jinki opened his mouth to answer when he felt that tug in his subconscious again. They really wanted Jinki up there. But he was not going to go before Minho was safe.

“We have no time, Minho. We must get you back home…” Jinki said, making a move to stand, assisting Minho up slowly. Minho would be able to walk by himself because all his wounds would have healed by now. However, he would still need someone’s support since his body would be weak from having experienced such a miracle.

Jinki helped his human all the way home, not caring about being seen by other humans (it was in the midnight, after all, and no one was strolling around here anyway) with Minho leaning heavily on him. He knew trouble awaited him soon but he could not bring himself to regret his actions. Minho was definitely worth whatever it was that was coming for him, no matter how awful it would be.

~~~~~

“You’re in trouble. Because of me…” Minho found himself saying without even making a conscious decision to. He didn’t know where all of this was coming from. Every time he looked Jinki in the eye, a new thought was conveyed to him and Minho simply made connections based on it to form these sentences.

“That’s what you get for wreaking havoc in heaven over the resurrection of a human from death…” Jinki said calmly, as if he was reporting about the weather, while tucking Minho into bed after he had changed into clean clothes.

Minho stared at the angel’s beautiful features and how they appeared multiple times sadder than his usual bright demeanor. To think that he was the one who had caused it, it was painful.

Minho had made an angel cry.

“I’m glad you are here right now, Minho…” Jinki said, looking down at him lovingly like how a mother would her beloved child. He wouldn’t move a limb but Minho was pretty sure that the angel was holding himself back from touching him. Minho didn’t want that. Minho wanted the angel to touch him all he wants.

“Take care, Minho. I must go now…” Jinki said, getting up to leave. Minho immediately sat up and reached for the angel’s hand, pulling him back down.

“How am I touching you?” Minho asked, tightening his grip on the angel’s wrist so that he can’t get away and forcing him to look back at him.

“I have been drained of my powers temporarily…” Jinki explained, not meeting his eyes.

“For how much longer?” Minho asked worriedly, but also in pure curiosity. There was a thought forming in his head and it was stupid and reckless and something he should not even be thinking of and yet, Minho did not want to hold back.

“Probably less than a day. Longer if I am called for a- Hmph…”

Minho silenced Jinki by taking his lips without consent. It was the briefest, most significant kiss that Minho had ever shared with anyone. Minho had to mentally chastise himself to pull away from the exhilarating feeling of touching the angel’s lips with his.

“What in the name of-“

Minho leaned in again to kiss the now frowning Jinki, capturing those rosy, plump buds between his chapped ones. Jinki pulled his hands away from Minho roughly and shoved him back, standing up beside the bed and glaring at him for the first time ever. This was the first ever show of actual physical violence caused by anger by Jinki and Minho wondered if he was the one responsible for turning Jinki this way.

“Minho! Control yourself. Do you realize what you are doing?” Jinki scolded him although his cheeks were beginning to colour in a faint pink. He had his fists clenched on his sides and he kept pulling his lower lip between his teeth with bruising force, probably without even thinking about it.

Minho has never seen the angel this way before. So unsure and scared and like he was being overwhelmed by everything. Jinki has always been the one who knew everything, about what to expect in a given situation and how to react appropriately to them. Nothing ever caught him by surprise. Never. Now, however, Jinki simply looked lost. He looked human.

Minho pushed himself up on his knees and made his way to the edge of the bed, reaching to grab Jinki’s robes and pull him forward.

“You saved me…” Minho whispered against the angel’s lips, wishing that he could once again claim those full buds. He was reluctant in letting the angel move even a couple of inches away although said angel kept trying to release himself from the hold.

“And this is how you repay me?! By taking advantage of me when I’m at my weakest?” Jinki asked angrily.

Minho loosened his grip a little at that, feeling guilty of Jinki’s accusations. Jinki simply stood there in front of him for a few moments, stunned by the sudden action of being let go from a tight grip. Minho took the opportunity to slowly slide his hands up the silky surface of his robes and around the angel’s neck. His fingertips met the hair on the back of his neck, soft and light; just like he imagined it to be only a thousand times better, and twirled into it thoughtlessly. Minho pulled the angel close enough to lean his forehead on Jinki’s.

“Call me sick or disgusting or whatever you want. But all I want now is you, Jinki. Only you…”

Even as Minho said those words without thinking about what they implied and with no memory of ever having this particular thought, Minho realized that his words were sincere. It came from the bottom of his heart, where the world hasn’t cast its ugly shadow of doubt and hesitance yet, and where only Minho’s deepest, strongest desires still strived. It was like being brought back from death had finally unlocked his heart to reveal what he had always wanted but never dared to admit.

“I need you, Jinki…”

“Minho, you’re not supposed to be doing this… You’re not supposed to feel this way for me…” Jinki said, calmer now. He brought both his hands up to take hold of Minho’s and to unwrap them from around his neck.

“You’re confusing gratitude for something more. That is not right, Minho…” Jinki continued, looking very solemn and without a single glint of happiness left in his eyes.

‘How ironic that you would say that?’ Minho found himself thinking because while Jinki’s lips were uttering those words to keep him away, his hands were saying the complete opposite, remaining enclosed around both of Minho’s, squeezing experimentally, affectionately.

“Am I the only one confused here, Jinki?” Minho asked the angel, knowing the answer already somehow.

Jinki looked torn, undecided. Minho slid his hands that were already in Jinki’s hold to tangle their fingers together, something the angel found very intriguing apparently because he wouldn’t look away from their joined hands.

“Minho, I… This… This is wrong… What are we doing?!” Jinki asked in inexplicable frustration.

“I don’t know, Jinki. But something is telling me to hold you and never, ever let go…”

Something has definitely changed in Minho. Something huge. Because Minho has never felt so open to his emotions before. Exposed. Raw.