The first thing Kyuhyun noticed when he awoke was that he was lying down on something soft instead of slumped over against a cold wall, his wrists didn’t have cold metal wrapped around them, and he was warm. But he felt a pair of hands moving over his skin, without opening his eyes yet, he wondered who it was and where he was. This wasn’t the warehouse he’d been in, those two vampires never would’ve treated him this well to give him something soft to sleep on nor would they have let him out of his bindings.

“I know you’re awake, angel,” a voice interrupted his thoughts; it was a different voice, one he hadn’t heard before. A soft but deep voice.

Slowly opening his eyes, Kyuhyun saw a light brown pair of eyes scanning over his neck and down his chest belonging to a brown haired man with slightly tanned skin. From the sounds of a soft drum beating filling the air around Kyuhyun, he realized that the man was human. He started to sit up in the bed until the man carefully pushed him back down.

“Not yet, I’m still analyzing your wounds so I can heal them. Please, stay still.”

Kyuhyun couldn’t do much else but nod, lying perfectly still again. This human could heal him? How exactly? Humans didn’t have those kinds of powers.

A chuckle caught him off guard, “I can see the questions in your eyes, yes, I’m a human and yes, I can heal. It’s just a gift I was born with, not sure where it came from.”

Kyuhyun’s mouth formed an ‘o’ as that information processed, then it dawned on him the events that happened, what he believed to be, last night. The demon, Yesung, traded souls for him, rescuing him from the torture of being a living blood bag for those two vampires. Yesung had promised to have him healed once they reached his home. He looked around the dark room that was only lit by the faint light of candles, and guessed that this must be part of Yesung’s home, and perhaps the human was one of his servants.

“Well, the damage isn’t too bad to your body since your body healed some of it while you were asleep; I’ll start healing the other cuts and bruises one by one. But I have to ask, if they tortured your body like this, how are your wings?” the human asked. “I know that due to intense pain that an angel’s wings would tend to release themselves to try to serve as protection; did they harm those as well?”

The angel hesitated at first, even though the vampire Seunghun was only interested in his blood, the other vampire, Chungho, loved to torture him, and when his wings did release, those suffered the worst. He nodded as memories of the pain flooded his mind. Could the human heal his wings as well?

“Try to turn over on your stomach and release them, if the damage is too great then it may be awhile before they heal but if not, then I’ll try to do what I can,” the human instructed, stepping back to give the angel space.

Kyuhyun slowly turned over onto his stomach, wincing when his cuts met the silk sheets and under the pressure of his weight. He focused, his shoulder blades bowing up as the remains of what used to be two white wings released themselves causing Kyuhyun to cringe. The low whistle coming from the human told him that it wasn’t a pretty sight.

“Dear gods,” a low, husky voice came from behind the human. Both Kyuhyun and the human looked towards the direction to see Yesung in the doorway. His eyes were glued to Kyuhyun’s wings, his mouth gaping as he took in the sight.

“I know that vampire did a lot to them, but is it that bad?” Kyuhyun asked.

He had passed out from the pain once the vampire started plucking his feathers out handful by handful, and by the time he’d woken up, the wings had already receded, leaving a dull pain. He didn’t know what else the vampire had done to them, and he wasn’t going to risk releasing them again while in that place to check on them because he didn’t want a repeat of the vampire’s actions.

The human walked over to a small desk and started searching for something from one of the drawers. Yesung snapped out of his shock and quickly closed the door, edging closer to the bed to examine the wings closely, he clutched at the bedpost to keep from reaching out to touch what remained of the wings. Kyuhyun noticed the demon’s hold tightened on the bedpost and if he applied anymore pressure, he was sure the bedpost would snap, he looked up to see Yesung’s features had darkened.

He jumped when the demon finally spoke, “I can’t believe those two would do something like that. If I hadn’t already sent Eunhyuk with the souls, I would’ve delivered them myself and ripped their throats out before leaving. Contract be damned.”

Kyuhyun’s eyes widened, was the demon really that upset over what happened to him? Wasn’t the demon going to torture him as well? They were all evil beings, it’s what they do!

The human sighed as he finally found what he was looking for, stepping up beside Yesung, “You can’t expect anything less from vampires, and even demons would’ve probably done the same.” The human angled a small squared mirror over the angel’s back so that the angel could turn his head slightly and see the damage. “Not everyone’s as kind-hearted as you either, Yesung.”

“The humans that sold their souls to me would beg to differ with that statement, Hankyung,” Yesung muttered.

Kyuhyun gasped at the sight he was greeted with in the mirror. Tears welled up in his eyes as he stared at the two charred remains of his wings; almost nothing was left of them. No wonder he couldn’t feel any of the pain from where the feathers were plucked out, there was nothing left to feel anything of them.

“M-my wings… they’re… they’re gone!” A sob ripped through his throat, squeezing his eyes shut, he buried his face into the pillow.

How was he going to get back home now? Surely, his wings couldn’t regenerate from that amount of damage. He was stuck here, wherever Yesung’s home was. He would never see his brothers and sisters again, he wouldn’t be able to return to the land of everlasting sunshine, nor would he be able to guide souls home. He was stuck here with a demon and his human servant.

“Kyuhyun?” He heard the demon call his name before he felt a hand run through his hair, “Your wings aren’t completely gone. They’ll grow back; you just have to give them time.”

The angel looked up at the demon, tears still pouring down his cheeks, he shook his head, “But they’re gone! There’s nothing but burnt remains! That vampire ruined them…” his voice trailing off as more tears fell, those vampires took more than just his blood, they had taken his life. He was nothing without his wings.

--

Yesung looked over at Hankyung, who seemed to be on the verge of tears as well as he stared down at the weeping angel. It was heartbreaking to see something of divine goodness falling to pieces. But instead of wanting to shed tears, the demon wanted to destroy the vampires that did this to Kyuhyun.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and shook Kyuhyun’s shoulder, “Kyuhyun, they’ll grow back, I’ve seen an angel have their wings ripped completely off and within months, they grew back just as white and pure as before.”

The angel’s cries slowly ceased as he thought about what Yesung just aid. He was about to respond but the door swinging open, hitting the wall caused the three to jump and look towards the direction. Standing in the doorway was a bright red haired demon cloaked in all black with a black and silver robe, Heechul. Yesung stood up, both Hankyung and himself bowing out of respect for the older male, however, Kyuhyun stared at the red haired demon in fear.

“I guess the rumors were right about an angel’s scent. Yesung, you found another angel?” He closed the door and stalked over to the bed, Kyuhyun shrank back into the bed out of fear of the piercing black gaze running over his body. “A wounded angel at that.”

“Yeah, I traded a few souls for him from some vampires.”

Heechul gaped at the demon, “How did that kind of filth end up with an angel?” Before Yesung could answer, he turned towards the human, “Hankyung, love, go ahead and start healing him. I don’t want him down here long; it’s only a matter of time before every other demon realizes there’s an angel here.”

Hankyung nodded and began his task, his hands moving over the angel’s wounds after Kyuhyun allowed the remains of his wings to recede back beneath his skin. Sniffling and wiping away his tears, he figured that he’d trust Yesung’s words that they’d grow back. He looked over at the two demons speaking and wondered what they were discussing. The red haired demon seemed to be troubled while Yesung looked annoyed.

“…Hankyung?” He called the name that he heard Yesung use to address the human, drawing his light brown eyes to meet Kyuhyun’s eyes in question. “Who is that?”

Hankyung glanced over his shoulder, a smile pulling at his lips, “That’s Heechul, the prince of demons.”

The angel’s eyes widened, “The prince? We’re in the Underworld?”

Hankyung nodded, moving his hands to another wound, healing it, “Yes, Yesung brought you here for me to heal you, don’t worry though, you’ll be taken back to the human world in a few days after you’ve rested up.”

“Oh… alright.” He was quiet for a moment before he voiced the question that he wanted reassurance on, “What Yesung said, is it true? Will my wings grow back?”

“Yes, they’ll grow back. It may take a little time but they’ll be good as new soon.”

Kyuhyun remained silent after that, allowing Hankyung to heal him without any more distractions. His eyes kept moving back forth between Yesung and Heechul. He was curious about what they were talking about.

--

“You realize that you’re setting yourself up for heartbreak, right, rabid dog? Another angel?” Heechul questioned, eyeing his dongsaeng.

“You forget that I don’t have a heart to break,” Yesung scowled, “Besides that’s not even the reason why I rescued him, you should’ve seen how pitiful he was, and you saw what those vampires did to him. How could I leave him like that?”

The demon prince peered over at the angel, their eyes meeting momentarily until the angel looked elsewhere. Heechul took in the messy brown hair, those brown orbs, the pale skin, those lips, and the glow radiating off the angel. “He is beautiful…” he said, absentmindedly. He shook his head, and replied to Yesung, “I could’ve left him there.” At the younger demon’s glare, he sighed, “Fine, I would’ve had hell to pay with the angels’ leader but I could’ve done so. I suppose I’ll have to try and contact him to tell him where one of his angels are.”

“Please do so; he won’t be able to go back to the angelic realm on his own with his wings in that condition.”

“Alright. I’m guessing it was the two vampires that you deal with that did that to him?” Yesung nodded, Heechul continued, “Of course, how else would you have gotten him without resorting to slaughtering the two. You’re more than welcomed to still do so, you know. No laws against demons killing scum.”

“I would but then other vampires would take their place in my city and those two are more than enough to deal with, I’d rather not have worse. Although, if they give me any trouble once I get back to my apartment, I won’t hesitate.”

Heechul looked at Yesung as the demon watched the angel. He noticed a difference in the demon’s eyes, he knew what the demon was feeling but trying to suppress at the same time. He remembered the last time he saw that look in the dongsaeng’s eyes, which worried him, he knew that it wouldn’t end well. Yesung would end up a broken hearted demon once the angel returned back to the angelic realm just like before. Even if the demon had ripped his heart out after the first time to get rid of the pain, it still didn’t stop, the heart was just an organ, and it didn’t have control over emotions. Heechul just hoped the demon wouldn’t do anything stupid once the angel left.

“Keep your servants guarding the room while the angel stays in here for the next few days, and I’ll try to keep the other demons busy so no one will be around to try and attack the angel, alright? Once you two return to the human realm, I’ll try to contact the angel leader.” Heechul said once he saw that Hankyung was finished healing the angel.

Yesung nodded, “I will. Thank you, Heechul-hyung.”

“It’s no problem, Yesung, keep the little angel safe,” Heechul called for Hankyung and the two exited the room, leaving Yesung with the angel in the quiet and dimly lit room.

--

Kyuhyun slowly sat up on the bed; he was relieved when no pain shot through him from the movement. It didn’t occur to him until now but he was practically in the bed, quickly he reached for the blanket on the bed to cover himself. When he looked up to check on the whereabouts of the demon, he jumped back in surprise at the hand holding a pair of clothes in front of him. He found the owner with an amused smile on his face, one to which Kyuhyun scowled in return.

“They aren’t like your angelic suit so you’ll probably still get cold tonight but they should keep you from freezing.”

He eyed the clothes before taking them; he glanced at the demon to see him walking around to the other side of the bed. “I suppose I should thank you for your kindness.”

Yesung chuckled and sat down on the bed, “It’s not a problem.” He started taking his boots off, getting ready to lay back and relax on the bed.

Kyuhyun stared at the clothes for a moment; it was just a plain brown sweater and a pair of black jeans, such dark colored clothes that he wasn’t used to wearing. But what else could he expect from a demon? He looked down at his chest that was perfect again, no scratches, no bite marks, just perfect skin, and bit his lip; he raised his gaze to the demon.

“Y-Yesung…” the demon turned towards him, “I really mean it, thank you for helping me, for saving me from those monsters.”

A kind smile crossed Yesung’s lips, “You’re welcome, Kyuhyun. I just couldn’t stand to watch those two torture a divine being like that, but you are welcome.”

“But you’re a demon…” Kyuhyun was still confused as to why demons would want to help angels.

“The red haired demon in here earlier, the demon prince, has a friendship with your leader, so he tries to look out for most angels that are caught by either filth like vampires or rebellious demons. Although there’s plenty in the kingdom still, that would attack angels and kill them despite the laws that Prince Heechul made, but the ones that live in the castle abide by his laws and try not to give into temptation. Myself included,” Yesung explained before getting up off the bed, “Sorry, I almost forgot.”

He walked over to the door and opened it, “Donghae!” Seconds later, Kyuhyun heard someone reply as he began slipping the sweater and pants on. The pants ended up being shorter than his legs but the demon, himself, was shorter than him, so what could he expect? “Out of you, Shindong, Zhou Mi, and Eunhyuk, I want two of you to stand guard of my room, alright?”

“So Hankyung wasn’t lying? You really do have an angel? Are you allowed to keep it?”

“Yes, but you can’t tell anyone else. I’m guessing Hankyung told you so you’d know why I’d need you and the others, but no, I’m not keeping him. He’s going to rest for a few days and then we’ll head back to the human realm.”

“Oh, okay. No one will get passed us, hyung!”

“Good… with the exception of Hankyung or Heechul-hyung, understand?”

“Of course, hyung. I’ll tell the others.” The voice paused, “Can we come with you to the human realm when you go?”

Kyuhyun heard Yesung sigh, “To see the ocean again?” Apparently the person must have nodded as their answer, because Yesung replied with, “I’ll see about it.”

“Okay, hyung! Good night.”

“Good night,” Yesung closed the door and locked it. He looked back at Kyuhyun, “Just as a precaution. And for you to sleep a little sounder, I’ll give this back to you,” he said as he found his black coat and fumbled around for something inside it.

Kyuhyun gasped when he saw that it was his silver dagger, instinctively, he reached out for it, like a child yearning to have his favorite toy. Yesung handed it to him and he couldn’t stop the feeling of completeness that came over him at the cold metal in his grasp. Out of everything that happened to him, he had his dagger back; Yesung was right, he did feel safer with this in hands.

“Like being reunited with an old friend, isn’t it?” Yesung questioned, settling under the blanket. “That’s actually what led me to you.”

Kyuhyun stared at him, this demon. He was too good to be real, and he was a demon! What kind of demon would do that, what kind of demon would even want to do that? He’d found him, saved him, healed him, and even gave him something of himself back, “Thank you.”

Yesung waved it off, his head resting on the pillow, a yawn pulling at his lips. “No problem, I’m going to retire now, I haven’t slept a wink since I found you so I’m tired. You’re welcome to stay up and look around my room; I have a few books on my desk that might keep you entertained, not much else though.” With that, Yesung pulled the blanket up on him and closed his eyes for sleep to take him.

Kyuhyun nodded, sliding the silver dagger under the pillow on his side of the bed before he stepped out of bed, his bare feet felt the draft in the room causing him to shiver. That sensation was new to him. He walked over to the desk and looked through the stack of books; he wasn’t tired since he’d slept on Yesung’s back the entire way of their journey to the Underworld, apparently. Of course, after looking through Yesung’s book collection, he could start reading one of those and end up falling asleep a few pages in despite not being tired. The demon had no taste in literature.

He picked the book that looked the least boring and retreated back to the bed, the cold floor was freezing his feet. He buried himself under the blanket and used the candlelight in the room to start reading the book. As he read, he tried rubbing at his feet to warm them up but it didn’t seem help much. This was going to get annoying, he confirmed. How humans could bear with these kinds of things was beyond him.

After getting a few pages into the book, the sound of voices outside the door startled him out of the world in the book. He couldn’t hear what they were saying but fear slowly started filling his being at the thoughts of being taken again. Yesung did say that the demons in the castle couldn’t hurt him without breaking the demon prince’s laws but he also said that there were rebellious demons as well.

“It’s just Eunhyuk and Donghae,” the sound of Yesung’s voice almost made Kyuhyun fall out of bed in surprise. The demon chuckled softly when he saw that he had startled the angel, “Nothing to be afraid of, Kyuhyun.”

Kyuhyun scoffed, “I’m sorry but what you said about ‘rebellious demons’ earlier has me on edge, alright? How do I know that they couldn’t sneak in here and snatch me up while you’re snoring away?”

The angel half-expected him to say something about that never happening or that the two demons guarding the door are his best servants or something, but instead, what Yesung did was completely unexpected. The demon turned over to face Kyuhyun, and extended his hand. Kyuhyun looked from Yesung to his tiny hand, he marveled in how small it was, almost like a child’s hand.

“You can hold onto my hand, I can assure you that nothing would be able to snatch you up without me knowing about it then.”

Kyuhyun eyed the demon, and then sighed, placing the book he was reading down on the bedside table. “Alright, that book was putting me to sleep anyway,” he said, laying his head down on the pillow and pulling the blanket up. “Your taste in fiction ,” Kyuhyun noted to which Yesung chuckled, his eyes closing as he replied.

“You can blame Heechul-hyung for having only those books to choose from in his library. Even though the stories are boring, it’s better than reading several hundreds of books on demon research.”

“That might actually be interesting,” Kyuhyun replied, then hesitantly grasped hold of Yesung’s hand. He was amazed at how much bigger his hand was compared to the demon’s, but the hand was warm, almost sweaty even, against his cold one. “You have tiny hands.”

Yesung nodded, stifling a yawn, “So I’ve been told.” His grip tightened slightly on Kyuhyun’s hand, “Your hand is cold.”

“Yeah, my feet were too, but they’re slowly starting to warm up. I don’t see how humans can live freezing like this in the winter,” he said, pulling the blanket further up to almost cover his head, their cupped hands being covered as well, but he could still see Yesung. “Is it supposed to be this cold in the Underworld? I thought it’d be extremely hot since it’s a part of Hell.”

Yesung’s eyes opened, “Well, it used to be, but Heechul had a big part in that. He used to roam the earth a lot before being crowned and after being down here a few decades, he missed the seasons so much that he arranged a way to have this area to fall into seasonal patterns with the human realm.”

“That must’ve been a drastic change for your lifestyles then.”

“It was at first, but it’s been like this for centuries now so we’re accustomed to it,” Yesung replied, “I’m going to go back to sleep now, you can still read your book if you want, it won’t bother me.”

“Nah, that’s okay, I’m going to go to sleep too, and see if that’ll help me get warm,” with that, Kyuhyun closed his eyes, curled up under in the blanket, and sighed in contentment.

“Okay, good night.”

“Good night.”