Yixing slowly drew back the string, eyes fixated at one point in extreme concentration. A breath escaped his lips before his thumb and index finger gently let go of the long fiber cord, sending the arrow nocked to the bow string soaring through the sky. 

The timing was flawless, the arrowhead penetrating its target without any distractions coming along its path. As soon as the metallic sharpened edge hit its designated mark, square in the object's back, the arrow dissolved into the air in a cloud of white smoke.

Yixing watched with dull eyes how the person turned around, met his friend's eyes before immediately kissing him. It was the same farce over and over; the whole process was more or less expected than surprising. The boy, Kyungsoo he remembered briefly, didn't hesitate as he kissed his best friend Jongin back. 

"Mission accomplished, as always." Yixing heard a soft voice, softer than his own; speak up behind his crouched position.

He stood up with a turn, effectively facing the other man standing in front of him. His mentor and guardian, Joonmyun, was smiling a small smile at him. Yixing rolled his eyes at his statement, it wasn't as if he succeeded all the time, he'd just gotten the hang of it after too many years.

"It's not as if I haven't learnt anything for the past decades." He voiced out loud, brushing past Joonmyun whose smile changed into a bright grin. "Stop bringing the sun in."

"Zhang Yixing, did you just make a joke?" 

Yixing rolled his eyes once again at Joonmyun's usual teasing. "It's called seeing things from a realistic perspective."

"So that means my smile radiates like the sun?"

"Yes."

Joonmyun smiled even brighter at him. "Why thank you, I appreciate that." 

He diverted his eyes from his student and looked down at the two boys. They were smiling shyly at each other while walking hand in hand; Yixing followed his gaze, watching with a blank face at the scene below him. That exact scene had happened for such a vast majorities of times Yixing wasn't even sure if he could round it down to an even number. 

He stretched his limbs and joints; the parts cracking with satisfaction and tension disappearing with each sound after having been in a crouched position for too long. Joonmyun quirked an eyebrow at him as he began flexing his wings, the white feathers ruffling and letting a couple fall to the concrete ground at the same time.

"You know that's not necessary," Joonmyun said in an amused tone. "It's not as if our wings will crack or break if we don't tend to them."

"I guess old habits die hard." Yixing stated simply while brushing past his mentor.

He ignored the frown appearing on Joonmyun's face, ignored the heavy sigh filled with sympathy aimed at him. Yixing kept on walking, flexing his wings one last time as he neared the edge of the roof he'd occupied. Without hesitating, Yixing gracefully rose off of the concrete. His wings flapped steadily as he waited for Joonmyun to accompany him. 

They flew through the sky, quietly observing the sceneries beneath them. Yixing wanted to stay longer, take some time and embrace the view under his feet. But he knew they had to report back to base, every mission needed a call to the higher ups to reassure them everyone where doing what they were required to do. Fortunately, Joonmyun always took care of that. He was lucky to have him as his guardian; he’d rather go solo if he was paired with someone else.

Picking up speed, his wings began to beat with steadily growing ferocity. They soared forwards, the vicinity turning into a blurry mixture. Blue and white clashed together as Yixing flew through a cloud in rapid speed. An apartment complex towered in front of them, run-down and made out of withering brick stones. It lay not too close yet not too far away from a bustling city, right at the outskirt. Yixing liked the place; more than he showed to Joonmyun who most likely thought he hated it with the way he frowned or sighed whenever they were close-by the building. But he genuinely enjoyed their shelter; it was close to the city whenever they needed to perform any missions although not close enough to let any passerby’s see them or any roaring noises from the highways disturb them.

“I’m going to bed.” Yixing immediately said as he touched ground, not even waiting for a reply as he stalked off towards the front door.

He was sure Joonmyun was having an amused smile across his lips; he’d known the man for too long not to be able to sense his actions even if they were only composed of happiness and concern. The door creaked open, almost falling off of its hinges. Dust slowly drifted down the wooden bars, as well as all around the empty hallway. Large flakes that Yixing swiftly dodged with inhuman agility, walking up the staircase in front of him. As soon as his feet touched the top of the floor, he sprinted to his room and closed the door with a soft thud. His room was immaculately clean compared to the rest of their base, apart from Joonmyun’s own room. The area was too small to be called a place where one could find inner peace, but it was enough for Yixing. A simple bed shoved close to the wall, with deteriorating wallpaper hanging over it, nothing more nothing less. He lied down on the bed, trying to make his position as comfortable as possible on the hard mattress as well as the rock like pillow.

It was surprisingly the most furniture room in contrast to the rest of their apartment floor. But all that was composed of it was a simple battered front door leading through a hallway with cracked wooden floor and up a staircase close to breaking apart. After that there was a tiny foyer barely capable of fitting two grown men within its space and two aging doors nailed against its walls, standing opposite across each other.

Yixing had never been inside Joonmyun’s room, which surprised even him. But he knew that it must’ve been the same size as his own, but without any furniture. When Joonmyun reported back to the higher ups about their latest mission, he usually wrote it using the windowsill as a makeshift table. Other than that, his mentor never slept. That Yixing knew, because he had made Joonmyun go through hellish nights when he still was in denial over his fate. The kindhearted mentor had stayed up as long as possible, even after Yixing had dozed off, watching and supporting him with a gentle spirit.

Denial, fear, hatred, anxiety, pain… Yixing had felt all of those horrid emotions in one sitting, not one at a time but all of them at the exact moment. He had died when he was sixteen years old, and he had stayed as sixteen years old after death. The ones who die, they stay the age they died at. At least that was the most trustworthy explanation, because he’d been sixteen for the past ten years now and also because Joonmyun had described the process in his own theory. Yixing was a weak child from birth, weak heart they told him, passed on from deep roots in the family tree. Either way, it meant one definite conclusion; he wouldn’t live on after his twentieth birthday. But even so, he had a positive outlook on life, smiled and wore a bright aura around himself that usually made his mother cry and let him be on the receiving end of sympathetic looks.

But why would it make a difference if he just stayed around and acted depressed for his inevitable demise? It wouldn’t bring him any satisfaction, nor would it for his parents. Yixing had made a promise, to live his life to the fullest until the moment arose. But then it happened, the shock when his heart began to pump in a weaker beat, when he began to feel more and more exhausted to the point he couldn’t stand upright nevertheless walk. He was put in a wheelchair, against his own wishes, and brought to the doctor only to hear that they’d lied to him. His parents, his friends, everyone had lied to him. He wasn’t going to die after his twentieth birthday.

He was going to die on his sixteenth.

The revelation had brought Yixing’s whole world to a standpoint. Everything seemed to freeze, became irrelevant in his eyes. He shut off his family, broke the connection he had with all his friends and even ignored his doctor. What was the point of taking medication when he was going to die anyways? His mother had begged him to at least eat something, his father had tried to compose himself but he too broke down at his fragile stature. Then one day his heart wasn’t able to pump enough blood, enough anything, into his veins and arteries. Everything shut down, like Yixing had done to his near and dear.

He was dead, at a death four years premature according to every lie.

But when he awoke, he was lying in a completely white room. It had to be a room, because he was sitting on a hard concrete whiteness. A person stood above him, a bright smile plastered on his face that to this day had never changed.

It was the day he met Kim Joonmyun for the first time, his future guardian and mentor. Yixing had freaked out, had embarrassingly lost his composure that he had possessed outside of the spiritual world. Because to start it off, he had never been much of a believer and secondly, his wings were scaring him to death, the irony of that thought had sent him into quite the hysterical laughter. But Joonmyun had been patient, had explained everything as clearly and as easily as he could. It was as if someone had dropped a bucket of ice water over his head, it was as if he’d been brought back to the doctor’s office in that accursed wheelchair and being told he was going to die sooner than later.

He was an angel now, Joonmyun had joked that at least he’d gotten himself a decent position. That had actually earned him a small twitch of Yixing’s lips. It still took a while though, to rid of all the conflicting emotions tumbling around in his mind. But he managed, and slowly the wall that had crumbled after his death rebuilt itself, creating an aura of apathy encircling him. He had never met any other angel than Joonmyun, the rules where one older or wiser angel that would take a new fledgling under their wings and teach them about the different standards and procedures an angel acted upon.

Yixing remembered them; even after a decade he could remember and recite every single one of them. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be around anymore. Angels faced punishment too, no one disobeyed the higher ups, and no one dared to go against God’s words. The most important one was to spread love, not hate and to open humanities eyes to diversity. As ridiculous as it sounded, it was their job. They were angels of love, resembling cupids but not fully. They saved people too, guardian angels, and made people understand their sins or faults, it wasn’t only about love but that was the most important factor.

Joonmyun had told him to never go against them no matter what; it was the second thing he’d told him after he had explained the hierarchy of Heaven, the basics of an angel’s position and the rules. Yixing didn’t trust him at first, why would he? All trust had brought him was pain and solitude, but Joonmyun had opened up so easily to him, much easier than any person Yixing had ever met. It was the first time Yixing truly felt someone was willing to trust him, the ones he met before when he was alive had all given his trust because they pitied him. They thought he needed people to depend upon to survive, but he didn’t, all he needed was someone who would relate to him.

Joonmyun could do that, he had died when he was twenty. Although they were both dead, a glaring similarity, Joonmyun had also been betrayed. Yixing remembered the pained expression flashing before his mentor’s face as he reminisced about his past, quickly being replaced with a sad smile. He had had a lover, a beautiful girl named Miyun with a sharp mind and long flowing dark brown hair. They had been dating for four years and Joonmyun was going to make their relationship official, he had brought everything that had needed to be brought and booked their important date in the park where they had first met. But it was when he got there that he had seen Miyun with someone else, another man, kissing each other. Miyun had smiled a sweet smile at Joonmyun after she broke the kiss, had walked up to him and had taken the small case with the ring out of outstretched hand before promptly letting it drop to the floor. She had smiled even brighter at him as she saw his shocked expression, four words slipping out of her parted lips.

“I never loved you.”

Needless to say, Joonmyun ran away from the park, from her and the other man’s laughter, from everything. He had found the nearest station, had stood there frozen to the ground as he heard the familiar noise telling him a train was incoming. There hadn’t been anyone there, it was during midnight after all, so when the train came Joonmyun hadn’t hesitated at all, had only breathed out a deep sigh before crossing the white line. His death had been painless, but his scars hadn’t and they would never be healed. The mental wounds he’d received would remain forever, even in the afterlife. According to Joonmyun, suicide without a cause wasn’t considered a spot in Heaven, luckily he had had one.

Yixing had felt such anger directed at the girl that he was about to search her up and give her a piece of his own mind, until he remembered Joonmyun had died a much longer time than he had. But he hadn’t been able to erase the image of his guardian’s sad smile turning bitter, hadn’t been able to erase the sound of how hoarse his voice was as he had whispered.

“I’m a fool for ever falling in love with her, and I was a coward for finding that as the easiest solution.”

It was on that day too, that Yixing decided that Joonmyun was someone to trust. The only person he would trust, because no one would let something so painful spill out no matter how kindhearted they were. Now, his guardian and mentor was the most respected person he knew and he looked up to him more than he gave out. He even loved him as a father-figure more than he had loved his own father, or family. Especially since Joonmyun saw his angel wings as a blessing and the duty that he carried as a miracle, he wanted to spread love to the right people so that no one would have to face the pain he had been through.

But although his mentor had such a clear message in what he did, Yixing couldn’t take after him. He had never fallen as deeply in love as Joonmyun had, had never experienced anything like that except for small crushes. Otherwise he had tried to be positive and happy, but now he felt anything but happy. Joonmyun was his complete opposite, he was the sun that shone wherever they went, Yixing was the fog that clouded the skies and carried all the fears and nightmares with it.

Love was mandatory business for him, an obligation. He didn’t think he’d ever understand the perspective his mentor viewed it as.

A sudden knock jolted Yixing out of his musing. He looked at door as it opened with an unsurprisingly loud screech, a bashful Joonmyun peeking out from the small creak he’d opened. He coughed slightly and Yixing gestured with his hand that he was awake, causing the older man to sigh in relief.

“I’m sorry to bother you, Yixing. But is it bothersome if you could go out on another nightly round? There’s another assignment spotted right in the center of the city, you’ll easily find it with your navigating skills! Otherwise I can go if you find it annoying but then I’ll have to-!”

“I understand, Suho. Don’t worry, I’ll handle this mission.” He stated simply, the ghost of a smile hinted on his lips as he watched Joonmyun pout at the nickname. They only used it if they were angry at one another, extremely formal, teasing, or if there was something serious going on.

Yixing swiftly rose from the bed, hand diving beneath it and pulling out a whole quiver filled with specialized arrows. There were different arrows for everything, but only one specific bow. The bow had a special bond with the owner, which meant that they were connected through the heart and soul. He had snorted though when Joonmyun had explained it to him the first time, the stupidity of his description too unbalanced. But Yixing had later on realized how vital the bow actually was when he’d accidentally gotten it struck out of his hand, the extraordinary material colliding with an incoming train and sending his whole body into tremors. It hadn’t killed him, but the pain was still evident and as real as if he was alive. He plucked out a couple feathers from his wings and fastened the white softness as the fletching of the three arrows, one on each of the two sides. He emptied the rest of the arrows on the bed, filling the now hollow quiver with the three prepared arrows.

The wings of an angel which was the basic design of the arrow, Joonmyun had taught him, were used for spreading love. When angels had to fight against the tides of fate, they used arrows where the metal arrowhead was coated in small amounts of their own blood, when the target needed to realize their sins the angel’s feathers had to be coated with droplets of their blood too. Yixing never took on any assignments where he had to be a person’s guardian angel nor did he take on missions where he had to make them see their own sins. Even though he didn’t believe in love, the love missions were far easier than the former two.

“What’s happening though?” Yixing asked in mild curiosity, stopping from exiting the battered front door and glancing back at his mentor. “You always report back to headquarters, and then we’re done. What’s going on today?”

Joonmyun bit his lower lip, seemingly deep in thought. He scrutinized Yixing’s face until he finally looked like he’d made up his mind. “There might be signs of a Code A case again, and it is closest to our camp. Don’t worry; I’ll check it out. Just focus on your mission, if I need anything I’ll call for backup.”

Yixing narrowed his eyes, but he nodded curtly and obeyed the request. He ran out, spreading his wings as they picked up speed from his quickened acceleration. They began to beat in a more balanced pace as he ascended through the cold midnight air. Yixing tried to focus more on the mission at hand than on Joonmyun’s previous spoken words, or the fact that his guardian might be in for a rough night. They had been receiving notions about a Code A case at least once a day for the past month, and no matter how much he tried to pry Joonmyun wouldn’t give out any information except the general ones. He decided to concentrate at the assignment he had, the faster he got it done the faster he could get back and assist Joonmyun. He had even brought with him three arrows instead of only one; naturally Yixing was quite confident in his abilities as well as his fine marksmanship, but he had to admit that during nighttime’s his aiming skills weren’t at their maximum capacity. His mind now cleared from distractions, Yixing bolted through the sky and got to the center of the city in record time.

He glanced around, wings lazily flapping to soften his descent on to the nearest roof. He stepped down on the concrete, wings folding themselves inwards as he neared the edge. It gave him an overview of the whole center, neon lights shining all over the place, cars honking and rushing through the roads to either party or get drunk and people roaming across the streets even at this late hour. Yixing took out his bow, when a sudden thought hit him. He almost bashed his head with the bow, he didn’t know who his target was and he didn’t know how the person looked like, he didn’t even have a name! He could fly down and mingle amongst the busy crowds, he was dead after all no one would sense his presence or see him, but that wouldn’t help him in any way since there were too many people.

Sighing, he grabbed his bow and removed the quiver from his back, placing it back inside. Yixing was about to jet back to the apartment when he saw a small piece of paper folded at the bottom of the quiver. He hurried to pick it up, unfolding it and reading it by using the bright neon sign nailed to the wall beneath him.

Ah, sorry for forgetting to tell you about the person. I didn’t get enough time to explain properly, but it’s a boy of sixteen years named Luhan. He has a darker shade of blonde hair; he is around your height and resembles a baby deer. I’m guessing he’s cute? That’s so unfair! Why do you always get the cute ones? Guess that’s my luck, I’m getting to old aren’t I? Hah, but make sure you aim well! He’s already with his counterpart so don’t worry about that part. Zhang Yixing, fighting!

Kim Joonmyun, favored guardian and mentor.

The neat scribbling of Joonmyun’s writing read clearly and Yixing scoffed indignantly at his choice of wordings. Trust his mentor to be way off of his own age, but that was what made Kim Joonmyun the Joonmyun that had patiently taught him about life’s different perspectives, and Yixing wouldn’t have him any other way. He folded the paper back to its original state, taking out his bow from the quiver once again. Yixing decided it’d be much easier to go down to ground level than to fruitlessly search for this Luhan person, since he had the complete description of him even though there were no pictures attached he would have an easier time finding him on solid terrain.

The flight to ground went faster than he imagined, landing softly at the hard concrete he spied after his target. As predicted, no one saw him as he walked amongst the thickening crowd. There perks of being dead, Yixing thought dryly as he went through a person without causing any collision between the two. If he wanted to, he could interact with people as if he was a ghost. It was amusing on boring days, randomly poking someone in the side and watching their shocked expressions as they jerked back from whatever had touched them. But Yixing only used that ability for inanimate objects, like crouching on a concrete roof searching for his next point. His life as an angel and the life he had experienced beforehand had made him somewhat antisocial to the humans roaming around Earth.

His gaze zeroed in on a particular tuff of dark blonde hair standing a couple meters away from him. Yixing hurriedly made his way through the people in his way, coming to a halt as he saw the back of the specific target. A darker shade of blonde hair, around his own height but no resemblance of a baby deer, not that Yixing could see that from the angle he was standing at. He quickly flew out of the throng of people, landing on a statue depicted as a hand placing a ring onto another hand’s ring finger standing not too far away from the supposedly Luhan person. He angled his bow, drawing an arrow from his quiver with practiced expertise and positioning himself into his usual stance.

The Luhan person still had his back to him, making Yixing unable to get a clear view of his face. But he was with someone else, a skinny boy taller than the target with dark brown hair and eyes that formed into crescents when Luhan told him something presumably funny. The other boy was most likely the person’s counterpart, which favored well for Yixing. If he wanted to make sure the procedure went smooth, he needed to aim well. The arrows spreading love, upon hitting their targets the target would fall in love with the first person they laid eyes upon. Yixing edged closer, trying to tune out the incessant chattering around him and divulge into the conversation the two were having.

“Luhan, let’s take a break!” The skinny boy said with a surprising lisp to his voice. “I’m tired; we’ve been walking for hours!”

“Fine, Sehunnie,” Luhan said in a calming tone as the two made their way towards the statue Yixing sat perched atop. “You may be skinny, but your condition is horrible.”

The skinny boy whipped his head around to glare at Luhan, a scowl present. “Don’t call me that, it’s Sehun, not Sehunnie... And what do you mean by that? I’m much healthier than you’ll ever be.”

Luhan laughed, and Yixing found to his own bemusement that his lips quirked upwards at the sound. It was rather infectious. “Tch, you wish Sehun.”

They sat on top of a thin, rock ledge connected to the foot of the statue, bickering at one another. Yixing found his current position to be quite complicated when it came to getting a steady aim at the two; he could only get their two heads in front of his view and narrowed his eyes at the small setback. Wings folding outwards, he dropped to an even lower base level, right in front of his target and its future affection. Yixing landed precisely on a patch free from the pushing crowds, head bent low as he readjusted the bow and arrow before looking up at the two while bringing his bow to an aiming position.

Yixing felt his breath hitch in his throat, felt his grip on his bow loosen as it slowly slipped out of his hands. His connection with the wooden weapon faltering for a second as time seemed to stop, eyes widening and mouth going dry at the sight in front of him.

Since when did angels roam on Earth?

Luhan, Joonmyun had thoroughly underestimated his target in the description. He wasn’t similar to a baby deer, he was far from it. A baby deer would’ve been put to shame next to this creature, this entrancing being with soft luscious looking lips, warm chocolate brown eyes, a perfectly shaped button nose all applied onto immaculate milky white skin. The smile he wore showed off pearly white teeth with such intensity it rivaled Joonmyun’s, and the intensity of it was enough to put the sun to shame.

Yixing felt the impact of this beautiful person, how by just looking at him sent a warmth spreading its way throughout every vein and artery in Yixing’s once dead body. He felt alive.

How was he able to feel something like this? It was if his own arrow had pierced through his walls of apathy and unemotional mindset. As if he had fallen in love. But that couldn’t be true, he didn’t believe in love, had never experienced love. Although what he was feeling was exactly what Joonmyun had told him when he explained his love for Miyun that to this day still burned passionately, albeit it was more bitter than joyful. Yet, it couldn’t be true, Yixing refused to believe in it.

Angels did not fall in love with humans; the dead did not fall in love with the living beings.

He tried to breathe properly, calm his speeding heart that seemed to almost burst out of his chest as he picked up the discarded bow lying on the ground. Yixing winced as his fingers made contact with the bow, sudden guilt enveloping his whole body. He shook it off though; he would redeem himself to his trusted counterpart by carrying out the mission. Nocking the arrow onto the bow string, Yixing flexed his fingers before firmly holding the nock between his thumb and index finger. He pulled his arm back, bringing the arrow with him as the string tensed. He stared at the two, eyes focusing on Luhan who was talking animatedly about something that Sehun seemed absolutely engrossed in. Luhan’s chocolate brown eyes had a certain glint to them as he used his hands to gesture about whatever he was telling Sehun, who laughed in response. They both looked like a couple just by watching them from afar; did Yixing even need to fire the arrow at Luhan?

Did he want to fire it?

As he stood there, whole body angled in the correct posture, Yixing’s hands were visibly shaking. The thought alone, that he would lose focus during a mission, appalled him. He never lost his composure, not even when he had found out his parents and everyone around him had lied to him about his inevitable death. Certainly he’d been surprised, angered and betrayed, had felt his whole body freeze but never in his life had ever felt so helpless as he did in this moment. He gulped, trying to steady his aim but it didn’t work, the tension of the bow string was at its fullest. Yixing wasn’t able to let it go, he had to fire it. Without thinking, he regained his stance, angling his aim sideways and firing off into the distance.

The arrow connected with a dull clunk against an older man’s back, a person of monstrous height with dyed dirty blonde hair who stopped in his movements. A shorter man with black hair and various ear piercings looked at his friend with worried eyes, but it was quickly replaced with surprise as the taller man grabbed him and kissed him square on the lips. The black haired man sighed in pleasure as he angled his head to further deepen the kiss as the taller man wrapped his arms around his slender waist.

Yixing didn’t care that he had broken an important rule, he didn’t care that his spotless record had received a small stain and he didn’t care that he hadn’t carried out the mission. Because Luhan wasn’t kissing his friend Sehun, because he was still free and would remain so if Yixing had a say in it, which he did. Luhan stood up, brushed some dust off of his pants and waited for Sehun. They hugged, a modest action yet it caused Yixing’s heart to constrict painfully, before bidding each other goodbye. Yixing watched as Luhan walked the opposite direction of Sehun and couldn’t help but let a small smile cross his lips.

Luhan followed the rest of the massive sea of people, stopping as they too stopped in front of a red light at the pedestrian crossing. The boy took out a pair of earphones and plugged them into his ears, bobbing his head to what was most likely the beat playing through the two pieces. Yixing’s smile grew bigger as he took in the scene; Luhan’s actions were too cute. The boy ran a hand through his hair and Yixing had to fight the urge to touch it himself, the dark blonde strands seemed so silky. The light suddenly hit green and the mass of people began to walk in an even pace, Luhan following without missing the bob to the beat from his earphones. The lights shining from the buildings hit his face in the right angles, making him look angelic and from a different world, as if he didn’t belong on Earth. Yixing wouldn’t be surprised if he was actually an angel sent to the surface, even if it was impossible.

All at once, Yixing grew cold to the bone. His breathing quickened, the air around him turning incredibly frosty as a strong gust of wind blew past him. He recognized this feeling, only angels felt this. It was the calling of death. Someone was going to die, he had only felt this once and that was when he had accompanied Joonmyun on a guardian angel mission. It was the exact same feeling as the time he had been hospitalized for the first time when he was four years old, cold and lonely. That was another reason to why Yixing never picked missions requiring a guardian angel, it was too painful. Somehow, people acquired this special sense after death or a little before their death. Joonmyun had told him that it was like the sixth sense, hidden yet there. But now, the person who was going to die, who could it be? The only one who Yixing had been watching was Luhan, but that meant that Luhan was about to die.

Luhan was about to die.

Time slowed down again for Yixing as he glanced to the side, seeing a driver desperately trying to regain power over the vehicle while honking at nearby pedestrians to make them move out of the way. The crowd would hear, but not Luhan, Luhan was too engrossed in his music to pay attention to his surroundings. Yixing saw the car, it was coming closer and he was frozen, wings weakly flapping to keep him upright but nevertheless he was unable to move. He could already imagine the scene, the car making impact with Luhan’s waist, sending him hurling against the pavement before stopping, cold and bleeding on the ground. But what scared Yixing the most was the look that would flash across Luhan’s eyes, how his chocolate brown orbs would realize the impossible was about to happen and how the glint of life in them would slowly diminish. Yixing didn’t want to see that, out of all the things he did not want to see Luhan accepting death in a split second before it actually became real.

He didn’t even hesitate, drawing out an arrow from his quiver in lightning fast speed and cutting his forearm with the metal arrowhead, effectively coating it with small droplets of his blood. Yixing had never done a process at such a rapid speed, he usually wanted to take his time to make sure everything was perfect but time right now was quickly running away and he needed to be fast. Nocking the arrow onto the bow string he pulled the cord back and with all the strength he could muster fired it at the speeding car’s driver. The arrow shot through the windshield, penetrating straight into the man’s throat before disappearing in a flash of gray and red smoke. The driver regained his control, stomping down on the brake pedal. The car that was about to hit Luhan stopped right in front of him with an earsplitting screech as the tires screamed out in protest as black soot later emerged underneath them.  

Luhan’s eyes widened, dropping to his knees. The earphones dangled limply besides him, having fallen out when he’d jerked his head towards the flashing car lights.  His breathing accelerated as cold sweat began to run down his forehead. People crowded around him, helping him up on his feet and asking if he was hurt, some even taking out their phones to call an ambulance but Luhan stopped them. Even though he himself was shaking like a leaf at the scene that could’ve happened, at what could’ve been his death.

The driver stumbled out of his car, running with weak legs towards Luhan. He began to bow multiple times, apologizing profusely. Traffic had begun to form behind his car and the crowd slowly dispersed one by one. Luhan looked rather uncomfortable, but put on a smile as he told the man he was fine and that there was no need for worrying. The man seemed torn between wanting to stay; he apologized one last time though before reluctantly returning to his car. Luhan sighed out loud, returning his earphones to his pocket alongside his phone.  He glanced up to the sky, a small smile playing on his lips as he began to walk across the crossing once again.

“I seem to have a guardian angel,” Luhan whispered with a glint in his eyes, Yixing felt as if his gaze bore right through him even if that was impossible. “Thank you.”

He faced forwards and threw a glance at a nearby clock, cursing under his breath as he quickened his pace. Yixing followed after him, not bothering to stop and think about the actions he was taking for this sole person. Luhan’s voice was soothing and had a surprising deepness to it, he had spoken with such warmth that Yixing felt his heart skip a beat. The feeling was ridiculous though, he didn’t have a beating heart anymore. He watched as Luhan almost tripped while crossing a well, chuckling when Luhan did the same mistake after just another couple meters. It was a strange feeling, this happiness that embraced him when he usually felt nothing but apathy. This whole thing was wrong, Yixing should turn back now and report to Joonmyun about the mission, ask him for any advice on this problem. He remembered Joonmyun’s mission, stopping from his comfortable hovering and mentally berating himself. His mentor was out there, on a dangerous Code A case which could need assistance.

But just as Yixing was about to, reluctantly, leave. He saw Luhan turn a corner and head through a dark alley. His interest was piqued, as well as another troublesome clench around his heart. His wings seemed to have developed a mind of their own, willingly following Luhan. But Yixing didn’t halt their movements as he too turned the corner and saw Luhan squeeze through intricate pathways that seemed to connect to different shabby mazes in the darkened neighborhood. If it was even worth to call neighborhood, the various apartments looked almost equally or worse than the one Joonmyun and he stayed at. The buildings of falling concrete were all mashed together, creating a barricade around the whole alley pathways, enclosing off other civilization. If Luhan didn’t walk in here, Yixing would never have realized there were people living here.

Luhan breathed out deeply while nearing a cracked door, broken glass shards from it scratching against the soles if his shoes. He opened it with reluctance, drawing in a breath as he stepped into a murky lounge. Yixing gently let his feet touch ground, hurrying to follow the boy as he carefully stepped in to an aging elevator. The elevator lurched into action after Luhan had punched in the floor number, sending Yixing almost toppling against Luhan. But he managed to catch his footing before falling through the boy, cursing in his mind at his inability to stay balanced. The thought made Yixing think deeper, he seemed to lose his cool easier around Luhan compared to ever. Even when he was a child, he hadn’t made a fool out of himself this easily, it hadn’t even happened when he realized he was an angel.

Strangely enough, Yixing didn’t feel scared. For the first time, he felt human.

The elevator stopped after quite the rocky path up and Luhan walked out with heavy steps. The whole atmosphere was suddenly tense, the gentle aura that had surrounded Luhan before quickly transforming into one of fear and despair as his once calm expression turned sour. He looked miserable; Yixing hadn’t felt such need to show affection to someone ever since Joonmyun had told his unfortunate story, that was ten years ago. He almost wanted to materialize his limbs, wanted to reach out and touch Luhan or comfort him in any physical way. But his logical part of his mind took over, retracting his hand that somehow had outstretched by itself towards Luhan’s soft hair back and letting it fall limply by his side. It wouldn’t do any good if he scared the boy; he already looked pale in complex.

They stopped in front of a battered old door, the hinges almost coming off of it. Luhan fished out a key from his pockets, but the metallic material wouldn’t have been needed. The door looked like the smallest gust of wind would’ve been able to tear it apart. Unlocking the door took longer than necessary; Luhan’s hands were shaking as he himself took deep breaths before he finally managed to open the door. He quietly tiptoed inside, making sure he removed his shoes when he arrived at the molding wooden threshold. Yixing watched as Luhan slowly maneuvered his body away from what was supposedly the kitchen and with deliberate steps walked to a door on the far corner of an abandoned hallway, it had to be his own room.

He managed to take five steps before someone came barreling out of the kitchen. Yixing didn’t even have time to analyze the whole situation until it was too late and he was facing a terrified Luhan and a large man holding him by the collar. The boy struggled helplessly under his grip, his brown eyes wide with panic. The man appeared to be heavily intoxicated as he faltered a bit as Luhan tried to pry his hands away from his throat, but he regained his senses somewhat and slammed the boy against the wall with a frustrated yell. Luhan gasped in pain, his eyes pressed close as he tried to focus on his breathing instead.

“D-Dad,” he stuttered quietly, afraid that if he talked above a whisper he’d receive a slap or another harsh slam. “D-Dad, let’s relax for a while, okay? Just breathe, breathe in and out and let me go and I’ll help you-“

“You were out with that little weren’t you?” He roared, cutting him off. “What did the two of you do, huh? You little piece of …”

His breath, filled with the stench of alcohol, hit Luhan’s senses with such ferocity that he had to take a second to breathe through his nose. His father was drunk; again, it wasn’t a surprise but this time it felt worse than the rest of the days he was under the influence of alcohol. It would usually end up with a couple of harsh words and a slap, but never had he tried to strangle him. Was he going to die? For the second time this day, was he going to die?

“Sehun…” It was getting harder to receive any oxygen, his father’s hands constricting tighter around his throat at the mention of Sehun. “Sehun is not like that… We… We are just friends, nothing more… Don’t call him; don’t call him that, dad.”

His father seemed to have blocked out what he was trying to say, only picking up bits and pieces. The man sneered at him. “You’re no better than he is, you freak! You’re not my son, I knew I never should’ve married that -“

“Don’t talk about her like that!” Luhan screamed back, eyes snapping open and a fire burning within them. A burst of adrenaline filled his body for a moment as he kicked his father in the gut. The iron grip didn’t leave his throat, but the pain evident on his expression was enough for Luhan to continue his assault. “This whole mess is your fault! If it weren’t for you, if it weren’t for all this you put mom through then she wouldn’t have killed herself! So don’t blame her for something she had no choice over, everything is your fault!”

Luhan was roughly slammed against the wall again, his ribs shaking from the impact and making it even harder to breathe then it already was. He threw his head back as he felt his father’s fist collide with his cheek, splitting open his lip and causing him to cough up blood. He glanced at his father, the man who was supposed to be his role model, the man who he was supposed to love. The person he watched wasn’t his father, had never been, the person he saw was an aging man stuck in the past with those deep wrinkles etching his bony face and the loose strands of brown hair clinging to his sweaty forehead. The sight was horrible, his father could barely take care of himself what with his disheveled appearance and tattered clothes. The punch and the pain beforehand stung, but it was nothing compared to the hell he had had to live through because of this man, he didn’t care if he died

Luhan had had enough.

Yixing hadn’t though.

The angel had stayed shell-shocked in the background, watching the whole scene and conversation unfold in front of his eyes as he tried to make sense of it all. His body had had to be on auto-pilot, because before he could make his stunned brain wake up. The wound he had received when he prevented the car accident from happening was still there, albeit it had healed almost fully there was still blood lingering on his skin. He pulled out his bow and nocked an arrow onto the string, holding the device with one hand he let a couple droplets of blood land on the white feathers sitting as the fletching. Something resembling anger bubbled at the pit of Yixing’s stomach as he narrowed his eyes at the man and his onslaught against Luhan; never had he wanted to cause someone so much harm. He couldn’t though, but there was one thing he could do.

Angling his arm back to its familiar position, Yixing drew the string with maximum concentration even though he was standing two or three meters away from the scene. He glared at the man before he let go, the arrow whooshing through the short distance and hitting the man square in the back.

“Repent your sins.” Yixing muttered.

The man paused, dull brown eyes widening as he stared at the beaten boy in his grip. His hands recoiled away from Luhan’s throat, instead going to his face. Luhan winced at the contact, partially because it stung against his split lip and also partially because he was afraid for another beating. When nothing came though, Luhan slowly turned his gaze fully to his father and gasped in shock. His father was crying, cradling his face as if it was a fragile porcelain statue and whispering apologizes over and over. Luhan opened his mouth to respond, but felt no words come out. His father let go of his face and kneeled in front of him, placing his forehead against the cracked wooden floor and repeating the apologizes in the posture. Luhan didn’t like it one bit, as much as he loathed his father he never wanted the man to beg and certainly not in a kneeling position. He knelt down beside the man, sighing as he awkwardly patted the man on the back. He wasn’t used to comforting his father, he never had to because his father didn’t deserve it and he had never cried, not even when his mother was found dead in the bathroom from an overdose of sleeping pills. This was all unusual to Luhan, but he surprisingly didn’t mind it. Everything suddenly felt as if they were going to get better, that they were going to become a real family.

“Dad, it’s okay.” It wasn’t, but Luhan forgave and forgot too easily if he set his mind to it. “We’ll start this over, alright? We’ll do this together.”

His father lifted his head off of the floor and stared at him with tears still running down his cheeks. “I-I promise, I won’t ever do this again. I won’t ever hurt you, and I’ll support you through anything. I’m going to fix this Luhan, I promise.”

The sudden declaration sent Luhan into a state of shock, before he could stop himself he felt hot tears sliding down his cheeks too and a sob tear its way from his sore throat. His father sat up and hugged him, the gesture only making Luhan cry harder as he sobbed louder into his father’s shoulder, the man himself was crying silently as they both embraced each other.

Yixing felt a small smile tug at his lips, for once he was happy he had taken on the guardian duty. Although he was sure it was going to be his first and last, the stress it brought forth in less than a day was not worth going through on a daily basis. But Luhan’s smile was enough to wash away all the emotional fatigue, Yixing decided that Luhan’s smile was the best thing. Its radiation rivaled the sun itself, shining brightly and lighting up the darkest of days. The thought struck him with such force that Yixing had to take a step back, breathing in heavily through his nose as realization enveloped his mind and soul.

Everything that had happened this single day rushed back, shooting down at him like a lightning strike. The protectiveness he’d felt for Luhan, the shock he’d received when he saw his face for the first time and how angered he’d felt when Luhan was in pain, wasn’t smiling. He had never felt so many human emotions at the spawn of a single day; he had never been able to perceive these kinds of jabs to the heart or growing warmth blooming in his chest ever since he became an angel. Joonmyun’s words from a long time ago suddenly flashed before his eyes.

“But what is love, Yixing? Love is something out of the ordinary, something no one is able to expect no matter what. It hurts like a thousand stab wounds, but heals like the warmth of the sun in a blizzard frost land. Love is something no one can compare to, yet everyone can relate to. Love is simply, life’s greatest mystery.”

 He was in love with Luhan, he loved Luhan.

Yixing dropped to his knees; his sight was getting hazy, his hearing turned into static noise and his whole body felt limp. He had broken the most important rule of the unwritten holy book, the one that no angel couldn’t cross or wouldn’t cross. Even though he could recite them without fail, he had broken it, the major one that was like common sense to them, to him. It was the number one Code that no one could step over, the boundary between mankind and supernatural, the one Joonmyun had received calls of for the past month.

The dead can never fraternize with the living.

Code A, angels shall not love mortals.

Breathing in heavily, Yixing got up and dashed out the room. He immediately let his wings take him above the ground as soon as he ran out of the cruddy apartment, soaring up in the air. When he reached the top of the roof and landed rather harshly atop of it, he tried to steady his breathing, tried to make sense of it all. He had to escape, if he didn’t, they would come after him and not just him but Joonmyun too. What if Joonmyun would be in trouble because of him? He had to gather his bearings and then take off, vanish into thin air as if he’d never existed. If they wanted to come for him, then at least they wouldn’t be after Joonmyun.

Suddenly he heard footsteps echoing behind him, turning around Yixing found himself face to face with no one else but Joonmyun. The mentor was walking towards him, his expression unreadable. Yixing tried to command his body to move, to get away but he was standing frozen to the ground. Joonmyun stopped, standing with an arm’s length in-between them, his eyes showing no emotions. This was unrecognizable to Yixing, the always smiling mentor looking so apathetic. It was his job to look like that, not Joonmyun’s.

“You wasted all your arrows.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement.

Yixing dropped his quiver to the floor, staring at the emptiness of the gaping black hole as his bow clattered out from it and against the hard concrete. He gulped, eyes diverting from his guardian’s burning gaze. Joonmyun knew, Yixing never used up all his arrows.

“I can explain…” He began timidly, only to be silenced by Joonmyun’s eyes narrowing.

“Lay, what have you done?”

He had used his nickname, the names they never used if it weren’t for a serious cause. “I don’t know…”

Joonmyun sighed deeply, rubbing his forehead before returning his stare towards Yixing who flinched. “Do you really love him?”

“What?” Yixing asked without being able to control himself, his brain feeling jumbled.

“I asked, do you really love him?” Joonmyun repeated, though this time the ghost of a smile flickered across his lips.

Did he? He did, but was he willing to admit it out loud? “I… I don’t know.”

This time, Joonmyun smiled fully. “Yixing, you’ve protected this boy throughout the whole day. You’ve crossed boundaries that you never would’ve thought of crossing before, and you’re telling me you’re not sure if you love Luhan?”

At the mention of Luhan’s name, Yixing felt something warm spread itself across his chest. Joonmyun seemed to notice the sudden change of tenseness in his posture, because the smile was now a grin as he shook his head at him. The mentor removed his own quiver from his back and dropped it to the floor; he took out his bow and nocked an arrow to the bow string. Yixing froze once again, eyes widening at Joonmyun as the other got into position and his fingers drawing back the arrow. He had a casual posture, the arrow not entirely drawn back but Yixing knew what it meant.

“What are you doing?” He inquired cautiously, eyes darting from the bow to meet Joonmyun.

Joonmyun didn’t answer, although his eyes grew softer and his grip on the bow and arrow tightened. Yixing repeated the question, except it sounded more panicked. Minutes must’ve passed during their whole exchange of words and interactions, but to Yixing it felt like an eternity.

“Zhang Yixing, I’ve known you for a decade. I know what you feel and what you’re thinking about, you may not believe me but I do.” He said softly, grin turning into a gentle smile. “I can see it, the sacrifices you’re willing to make for Luhan, even though you’ve only been with him for a day I can see how strongly you feel for him. You do, right?”

He did, everything about Luhan was simply amazing. It wasn’t only his appearance, but his personality. How he could be care-free yet caring towards others, how he forgave and forgot for others wellbeing, how he seemed to see things from different perspectives, how he was everything Yixing wasn’t.

“Yes, I do.” He had never spoken such true words before. “I love Luhan.”

Joonmyun’s smile grew even gentler. “That’s what I wanted to hear. I’m giving you a chance here, Yixing; make sure you use it well. When you meet that boy, you’ll win his heart, I believe in you.”

He angled the bow into the right position, drawing back the string fully as well as adjusting the arrow all in the spawn of a second. Yixing didn’t even have time to protest before Joonmyun’s fingers let go of the cord and the arrow sliced through the small space. It hit him right in the chest, sending him tumbling backwards and falling off of the roof.

Falling down, further and further down into what seemed like an abyss. Yixing’s vision grew dim as darkness began to eat away at the seams of reality. It was a strange feeling, the impact against his chest, but it wasn’t unwanted. His senses became cloudy and he felt as if his soul had left his angel body, as if his feathers were slowly falling off.  Warmth began to spread its way throughout every piece of his soul, warmth that compared itself to the sun.

That’s all he felt before darkness finally took over.

***

“Why did you do that?”

Joonmyun casually spun around to face the person who had decided to accompany him on the roof. The look that crossed his face was one of anger and disbelief, expressions Joonmyun wasn’t surprised to see. He shrugged indifferently, still not having lost his gentle smile. The person stared at him before they took out their bow; an arrow was already placed against the string.

“Because I’ve been looking out for him since the day he was born, since the day you assigned him to me, because I care for him.” Joonmyun replied easily. “Is that answer satisfying?”

Kyuhyun scowled at him. “That’s not enough, and you know it. You broke a code far more superior than the one Zhang Yixing did.”

“But it made him happy, didn’t it? That boy has never understood the true meaning of love, and if Luhan is able to make him understand it in the spawn of a single day than its fine by me if I break a code.”

He regarded his former mentor with a small smile, eyes turning into crescents. Kyuhyun sighed, staring at Joonmyun with even more disbelief etched across his features. His halo shone a sickly yellow color and it could only mean one thing, Joonmyun had seen it once before, Kyuhyun was pissed.

“Don’t you understand?” Kyuhyun yelled at him, halo shining even more to match his emotions. “You had a shot at it, you could’ve joined us, become an archangel and-!”

“And what exactly, exile Yixing for finding the one person that could’ve been his light in his own self-depression?” Joonmyun cut in, arching an eyebrow. “I’m sorry Kyuhyun, but you of all people should know I’m not like that.”

“Unfortunately, I do.” Kyuhyun muttered, in a harsh breath and trying to compose himself. “Is that why you lied to us?”

“Lied to you about what?”

“Tch, don’t act dumb to me. You of all people should know that I know you best. You knew all along Yixing was the Code A case, didn’t you?”

“Maybe I did,” Joonmyun acknowledged. “It’s in the past though, the damage has already been done and not even an archangel can fix it.”

“I know,” Kyuhyun mumbled and Joonmyun could see pain visible in his brown orbs. “You do realize that I’ll have to dispose of you, for breaking a regulation made by God.”

Joonmyun shook his head, his familiar smile plastered across his lips. He threw out his arms, spreading them wide and leaving his chest unprotected. “Then do so, Kyuhyun. You have to fulfill our duty right?”

Kyuhyun reluctantly lifted his bow, aiming the arrow at Joonmyun’s exposed chest. It was a black arrow, Joonmyun briefly noticed, and it was radiating with something opposite to what the arrows he and Yixing used. Kyuhyun’s features turned stone-cold, eyes narrowing once again at Joonmyun’s care-free aura.

“Why?” He asked once again through clenched teeth, grip on the bow wavering. “When this arrow hits you, when you’ve received judgment, you’ll cease to exist. No one will remember you, not God, not me and certainly not Zhang Yixing. So why did you do this?”

“Like I said before, I care for him. I view him as my own son, and if me ceasing to exist is able to bring him the happiness he deserves, then I can take it.”

The last words he uttered, before Kyuhyun fired the arrow and before everything disappeared from his mind. Joonmyun remembered his life, saw the painful moments overshadow the happy ones. But as he felt his conscious leave him, he saw two boys hand in hand, one with chocolate brown and the other with dark blonde hair standing next to him, both of them radiating with happiness. Joonmyun felt his lips quirk upwards one last time.

“They make a good couple.” He felt himself whisper as everything disappeared, forever.

***

Yixing felt warmness beat down against his body, his body that ached all over the place. He groaned in pain as he tried to force his eyes open, vaguely hearing noise in the background. The noise was surprisingly soothing and Yixing felt himself being pulled back to unconsciousness by it, he wanted to fall asleep to this voice on a daily basis. But as soon as he could feel a familiar darkness enveloping his mind, someone’s hand was roughly shaking him awake. With a gasp, Yixing jerked upwards and collided with something hard.

“Agh, what was that for?” He heard the same soothing voice yelp in pain.

He looked around, seeing a shadow tower above him and effectively block the sun. By the sound of the person’s voice, it was a boy, and as Yixing’s sight cleared he felt his breath hitch as he took in the other’s appearance.

“Great, at least you’re awake!” The boy said cheerfully with a hand covering his forehead, a grin plastered on his lips that rivaled the sun shining on them. “How are you-“

“Are you an angel?” Yixing spluttered out, eyes filled with fascination.

The boy stared at him with a look of confusion before letting a chuckle pass his lips; Yixing quite liked the sound of it. “No, but thanks for the cheesy pick-up line, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

He seemed to wait for a response, but Yixing felt his tongue tying itself up in a knot as words failed him and instead warmth rose to his cheeks. The boy laughed at his expression, the laughter sounding like a beautiful melody to his ears.

“I’m Luhan.” Luhan said simply, holding out his hand. “What’s yours?”

Yixing gulped, carefully grasping the hand and marveling at its softness. “I-I’m Yixing…”

“Yixing, that’s a pretty cool name!” He mused as he pulled the other up. “So Yixing, do you have any ideas why you were knocked out here in the middle of nowhere?”

He tore his gaze off of Luhan and took in his surroundings; he was in an alley made up of intricate mazes. The sun helped to make it look a bit friendlier, but something about the whole place told Yixing it wasn’t as nice looking during nighttime. He tried to focus on why he was lying in the middle of nowhere, as Luhan had put it, and found no answers. His mind was hazy and unclear, as if a fog had wrapped itself around every memory. He remembered gentle smiles, soft words and another ray of warmth like Luhan’s but in a different way.

“Yixing, why are you crying?” Luhan’s alarmed voice broke through his reverie. “Are you okay?”

He felt hot salty tears slide down his cheeks, but he nodded nevertheless. It wasn’t a feeling of sadness, but more like a feeling of loss. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You don’t look that fine to me…” Luhan murmured, voice turning concerned. “Um, I’ve got pancakes inside, so if that would cheer you up then you could come eat with us?”

Luhan sounded unsure of himself and the confused expression on his face made Yixing smile despite the tears still staining his cheeks. The smile seemed to brighten Luhan’s mood, the confusion quickly switching to one of happiness.

“I live here,” he gestured to a battered door behind him. “Don’t worry though, this apartment may look dingy, which it is, but our room is the best kept out of all of them!”

Yixing couldn’t help but laugh at how proud Luhan sounded over his achievements. He was met with silence though, as Luhan stopped and stared at him with wide eyes. Yixing immediately felt awkward, the laughter subsiding in the air. He was about to make a comment about something, anything, when Luhan’s broke into the most beautiful grin he’d ever seen.

“You should smile more, and laugh more, it suits you.” He said cheerfully before his fingers latched onto Yixing’s wrist. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to my dad. Be careful though, he has a habit of embarrassing me and anyone I hang out with…”

Luhan failed to notice the blush dusting itself onto Yixing’s cheeks as he carelessly dragged the other with him towards the door. He quickly paused though, almost sending Yixing crashing into his back. The boy turned around, dropping Yixing’s wrist and watching him with apologetic eyes.

“Um, that is to say, if you want to.” He said sheepishly, rubbing his neck.

Yixing smiled again, this time brighter as he grabbed Luhan’s hand and entangled his fingers through the spaces. It didn’t feel strange at all, it felt familiar and needed. Luhan looked down at their intertwined fingers and smiled somewhat bashfully at the action, Yixing didn’t know why but it felt as if he’d known this boy in another life. As if the two of them were meant to have met each other sooner than later.

“I’d love to.”