Wednesday, December 18th

Seunghyun wasn't big on Christmas.

He wasn't a fan of the lights, the lack of parking when he went to get his groceries, or those ridiculous carolers that seemed to find it necessary to come to his door and force him to stand through a rendition of Silent Night with a forced smile across his lips. He hated the crowds at shopping centres, he hated the fact that everybody was always so insistent on Christmas cheer and the spirit of giving, and the fact that no matter where he went, there was tinsel and people maxing out their credit cards and making plans to see people they never paid much mind to at any other time of the year.

He found it so very... hollow.  

"You're a grinch," his best friend would jeer, poking him in the ribs and trying as he did every year to convince Seunghyun that being invited to lunch at his place was the greatest honour he could be bestowed.
"I may be," Seunghyun would shrug, swatting his blonde friend's fingers away playfully, "But you should know by now, Ji, that I'm not as keen as you are for me to sit around and watch you play Betty Crocker for the day and bat eyelashes at Bae."
Jiyong flushed at this, and took a particularly aggressive jab at Seunghyun's side, as the elder chuckled to himself.

"I do NOT bat my eyelashes at him, you ," Jiyong huffed, straightening up and tugging his beanie tighter over his ears, his breath puffing out in clouds of steam as they stood out in the cold and waited for their bus to arrive.
"You do. It's enough to put the others and I off our meals half the time," Seunghyun continued to tease, and Jiyong rolled his eyes, his cheeks still flushed as a smile at his lips.
"That's an outright lie. Nothing stops your fat from enjoying a meal," Jiyong teased right on back, and Seunghyun took the opportunity to snatch the younger's beanie and toss it over his head, Jiyong whining a complaint all the while.

He'd spent most of the day at work, eyes straining along page after page of documents, because even the holidays couldn't stop The Weekly Word from printing, as loathe as Seunghyun was to admit it. His head ached, his mind was fogged with the still lingering efforts of proof reading, his eyes were strained, and Jiyong wasn't making it any better. The blonde continued chattering away in Seunghyun's ear, and Seunghyun did his best to pretend to listen, but... his eyes must have been more strained than he'd thought, because as he gazed out across the road and pointedly blocked Jiyong out, his eyes settled on something.. out of the ordinary.

It was a young man, probably only a few years younger than Seunghyun himself, with soft platinum blonde locks and a round face, donned in a white suit and smiling brightly even as a fresh snowfall began to drift from the skies above. That wasn't the unusual part, though, and Seunghyun was struggling to clear the fuzz from his mind that was allowing him to see a stretch of wings extending from the man's back and reaching out behind him in a gentle cascade of feathers. He reached up and rubbed at his eyes, pressing his fingers against them tight enough to cause spots when he opened them again, but the man still stood there, wings still fluttering behind him. The blonde then looked over at him, and dark brown eyes met his own, the smile faltering briefly, before only growing wider. As the pair exchanged gazes, the man offered a small laugh, his wings ruffling behind him as he did so, and Seunghyun was paralyzed. He stuck an arm out beside him and clutched at Jiyong with more force than he'd been intending.

"Ow! What the , Seun--"
"Tell me you can see that," Seunghyun breathed, the words rushing from his lips as Jiyong wriggled in his grasp.
"See what?" Jiyong huffed in annoyance, looking across where Seunghyun's gaze was still focused on the figure across the road.
"The guy... with the wings?" Seunghyun prompted, suddenly feeling as if everything he was saying was a little more absurd, only feeling it further increase when he turned to find Jiyong eyeing him like he was insane.

"You okay?" He asked quietly, clapping a hand on Seunghyun's shoulder as the bus approached. Seunghyun looked out across the road once more, only to find that the figure was gone.
"You need to sleep more, man," Jiyong laughed quietly, concern still rife along his features, as he herded Seunghyun onto the bus. Seunghyun agreed with him, but it didn't stop him arguing with his friend out of habit, even as they took their seats and pulled away from the curb.

Seunghyun could have sworn that as they did so, he could see a solitary white feather resting on the pavement.
 

Jiyong got off a few stops before Seunghyun, insisting he get some rest and pressing once more for Seunghyun to attend Christmas lunch. Seunghyun had shrugged non-commitally, before the bus had continued its trip and dropped him off at the stop a few doors down from his apartment.  The entire time, he hadn't stopped thinking about the ang-- No. He wasn't even going to refer to the figure as that.. It was insane. Angels weren't real. He was losing his mind, was what was happening. He ran a hand through messy brown locks of hair as he opened the door to his apartment and hung up his keys, pressing his fingers to his eyes and deciding to postpone Jiyong's wishes of sleep before heading to the coffee maker instead.

He still had a few pieces of work to go over before the Christmas edition of the magazine went to press, mainly light and fluffy bull about Christmas miracles and the joy of giving, and his boss would have his neck if he didn't have everything ready in time. He glanced at the calendar on the wall and inwardly groaned. December eighteenth. He had a few more days, but it didn't seem enough.

He let out a small sigh and filled the coffee machine with the only real Christmas miracle he needed, before stifling a yawn behind his hand. Christmas. He bit back the immediate wave of bitterness and hurt that the very word itself gave him, and instead, focused on digging his mug out of the cupboard. It was his favourite, for no other reason than how excited Jiyong had been to hand it over to him as a gift. He refused to admit it was because of the bunch of puppies crowded into a tacky photo print across it. Nope. Not because of that.

As he turned to place it on the bench, it fell swiftly from his fingers in surprise and shattered across the floor, as the winged figure from before stood before him, eyes bright and smile even brighter.

Seunghyun's heart froze in his chest, his lungs struggling for oxygen, as he backed up against his counter and tried to make himself appear as non-threatening as possible. There were about five thousand questions shifting through his mind, and he couldn't settle on any given one, so he merely stood and gaped. The figure offered a small laugh of very apparent enjoyment, before covering his smile behind his hand, wings ruffling behind him as they had earlier. Seemingly, it was a tell of amusement.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," The intruder offered, as Seunghyun's heart seized further.
"You're not real," He blurted, and the blonde figure laughed again. Despite every fiber in his being telling him to panic, the sound was a comfort, and Seunghyun willed a little calm to wash over him as the figure took a step towards him.

Seunghyun leaned further back, the counter digging into his waist as he eyed the stranger off apprehensively. The blonde then stooped down, the tips of his wings brushing the floor as he did so, and touched one of the shards of Seunghyun's mug. Much to Seunghyun's terrified surprise, the mug appeared whole once again. The blonde stood with it in his fingers, offering it towards Seunghyun, who couldn't seem to pull his hands from their white knuckled grip on the counter.
 "I am real, I promise," The blonde smiled in amusement, "And I'm not going to hurt you. I probably should have knocked or something, I guess."

Seunghyun extended a shaky hand and took the cup from the stranger's fingers, before placing it on the counter, his eyes never shifting from the blonde's gaze.
"How did you get in here?" He asked, alarm still pulsing through him, as the blonde leaned against the opposite counter. He tucked his wings behind him and cocked his head as his eyes disappeared into crescents, his smile positively beaming.
"I flew here," he shrugged simply, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world, and Seunghyun pressed his fingers to his eyes again.

"I'm hallucinating. This is a really bad hallucination. Or... Or maybe I fell asleep. Maybe I'm at my desk," He murmured to himself, and even with his eyes closed, he heard a laugh from across the room.
"You're really hell bent on me not being real, aren't you?" the stranger asked, and Seunghyun reluctantly opened his eyes to find that yes, the blonde was in fact still there.
"How... I mean who... What ARE you?" Seunghyun stammered, and the blonde smiled wider.
"How? With these," He extended his wings briefly, before tucking them back behind him, Seunghyun's eyes following every subtle movement as they went, "As for who, my name is Daesung, and the what is part of my title. I'm an angel, but I think you already knew that, somewhere."

Seungyun's grip on the counter went slack, and his knees buckled in the lack of support, before he found himself slumped against his cabinets, much to the stranger's-- Daesung's -- apparent concern.
"Are you alright, Seunghyun?" Daesung asked, frowning slightly, as Seunghyun struggled with the pounding beat of his heart momentarily, before realising that this stranger, this supposed angel, had just referred to him by name.
"I... how do you know my name?" He asked, and the blonde smiled, this time, something softer and even a little... bashful?
"I've been watching over you."
Seunghyun let out a small bark of borderling hysterical laughter, before pulling himself back to his feet.

An angel. A guardian angel.

Watching over HIM?

Right.

"Definitely hallucinating," He muttered, before moving to the couch in the living room and falling back onto it, clenching his eyes closed and pinching at his thighs in an effort to wake up or snap out of whatever the hell was going on.
"I just need more sleep. I need to sleep more, that's what this is," He nodded, collecting himself and offering another small nod of personal reassurance. He'd stop burning the candle from both ends if this kind of wouldn't happen in future.

Maybe he could set out a proper schedule for once. Maybe he could offload more work to his assistant or something.

"You do need more sleep, yes, but you're not dreaming," a voice offered quietly, and Seunghyun resolutely kept his eyes closed.
"As a part of my dream, I'd expect you to say that," Seunghyun nodded, and another huff of amused laughter could be heard.
"Maybe you should go to bed?" The angel suggested, "You'll probably feel better about me being here in the morning."
"Yeah sure," Seunghyun nodded, seeing no point in arguing with a hallucination as he groggily pulled himself to his feet and headed for his bedroom, pointedly ignoring the soft rustling sound which he now knew was associated with the blonde's wings.

He clambered into bed, not bothering with getting changed, and pulled the covers up to his chin, burying his head into his pillow. He heard more rustling and the soft shuffle of footsteps, before realising that the angel had seemingly taken up position at the chair in the corner of his room.
"Keep the rustling down, I'm trying to sleep. Or... wake up, I dunno what happens when you fall asleep in a dream," Seunghyun muttered, and Daesung laughed again, a light, tinkling sound that brought a small smile unbidden to Seunghyun's lips. For a figment of Seunghyun's imaginaton, Daesung was somewhat pleasant.
"We'll chat in the morning, Seunghyun," Daesung offered softly, his voice suddenly much closer, and before Seunghyun even had the chance to suspect the angel's motives, he felt a gentle touch to his forehead, and then everything went black.
 

Thursday, December 19th

Seunghyun blinked somewhat wearily, sunlight streaming in through the open curtains, and he suppressed a groan. He must have been wrecked if he'd forgotten to close them. He couldn't even remember falling asleep. He stifled a yawn with the back of his hand, before suddenly, the memory of a blonde haired angel rushed through him and had him sitting bolt upright, his legs becoming tangled in his sheets. He looked over at the seat in the corner of his room and let out a breath of relief to find it empty, not a feather in sight. His dreams had always been a little on the strange side, but never like that before.

He rubbed at the crease forming on his forehead and let out a soft sigh, before panic rushed through him again. It was too bright. He turned to the clock plugged into his wall and muttered out a string of cuss words. He should have been at work half an hour ago. He threw off the covers and snatched for his phone,  before swinging his legs over the side of the bed and flinging open his bedroom door.

"Ah, good morning, Seunghyun!" A voice called cheerfully, and his blood froze in his veins as Daesung stepped from the kitchen with a frypan in his hands, wings casually flexing behind him.
 "I couldn't remember how you liked your eggs, but something told me sunny side up," Daesung shrugged, smile soft and inviting, and despite the absolute absurdity of every bull thing that this was, Seunghyun felt a pulse of warmth in his chest.

There was an angel. In his kitchen. Making eggs just how he liked them.

There was an angel in his kitchen.

He fell into one of the chairs at the dining room table, resting his elbows on the tabletop and cradling his head in his hands as he tried desperately to will the panic away. Maybe he was still dreaming. He had to be. This was way too messed up. He stewed over it for a few moments more, before a distinct rustling sound had him lifting his head and finding Daesung placing a plate of breakfast before him, along with a mug of coffee from the damn puppy cup. He let out a long, steadying breath, as Daesung shy chewed on his lower lip and offered a timid smile.
 
"You still think you're dreaming, don't you?" He asked quietly, and Seunghyun chanced meeting the angel's eyes. They were a deep brown, maybe a little too deep, and they shone with something a little more than the brightness of joy.
"Well, don't dwell on it too long, or your food will go cold," Daesung beamed, taking a seat opposite from Seunghyun and tucking his wings behind him once again.

Seunghyun tried taking it all in. The food smelled real. It smelled real, and he certainly hadn't cooked it, and the coffee cup was warm from its contents that he certainly hadn't poured.
"So..." he said slowly, as Daesung patiently waited for him to get the words out, "You're an..."
"An angel, yes," Daesung continued smiling softly, patiently, and Seunghyun picked up his mug and took a long swig of coffee.
"An angel. You're an angel," Seunghyun nodded, trying to will himself to move past the inner screams of 'YOU'VE LOST YOUR MIND!' and maybe start accepting that his life really is just this unusual to, you know, throw something like this into the mix.

Daesung merely nodded, and Seunghyun eyed him off for a few more moments, before picking up a piece of toast and taking a bite. It was just how he liked it, and the eggs and bacon accompanying it were right on par too.
"An angel made me breakfast..." He murmured, and Daesung nodded again, merely offering a small smile of amusement and waiting for Seunghyun to take it all in.
"Thank you, I guess," He offered, and Daesung's smile creased across his entire face once again.
"You're welcome!" He beamed, and Seunghyun felt a tiny smile at his own lips. The blonde seemed so inadvertently proud of his breakfast achievement, even though he'd done Seunghyun the favour in making it for him in the first place.

Thankfully, after that, Daesung sat quietly while Seunghyun ate his breakfast (his angel made breakfast) in silence and tried to prepare his questions for the being before him. His mother had told him when he was young, that every person had an angel looking over them, and while it had been a nice thought, he'd passed it off as a load of crap ever since God had spat in his face all those years ago and taken her and his brother from him.

His father had tried telling him that it was a part of God's plan, as if that would make his grief any more tolerable, and eventually, when he'd started dating Annabelle, he'd forcefully tried to make himself believe the same. She'd always been a firm believer in the bigger picture, in fate, in people having their time simply 'be up'. She'd tried spouting the same when she'd ended their relationship, that God had a bigger plan for her, or so must have been the case, or she wouldn't have fallen pregnant to the man she'd been sleeping with behind Seunghyun's back.  
 
He scowled into his eggs, and Daesung must have noticed, as he offered a small frown and leaned forward across the table, his wings drooping slightly.
"Does it taste bad?" He asked, and Seunghyun shook his head, forcing a feigned smile, so as not to hurt the angel's feelings. And well... that was a thought he never thought he'd be having in a serious context.
"No, I'm just... thinking," Seunghyun offered, finishing the last of his meal and setting his knife and fork down, mentally preparing himself.
"You must have a lot of questions," Daesung nodded, sitting back straight and offering a small smile, "You can ask me anything."
"Okay," Seunghyun nodded, clasping his hands together and resting against the table, trying not to focus too hard on the angel's wings or the ethereal shimmer to his eyes, or that damned smile.

"You said you're my guardian angel, is that right?" Seunghyun asked, and Daesung nodded, "So why can I only see you now? How long have you been guarding me for?"
"Oh, I've been watching you for years," Daesung smiled, before his cheeks flushed deeply, "Wait, that sounds really creepy... I didn't mean like... Well, I have, but I should probably explain myself a bit better."
Seunghyun felt the corners of his lips twitch once again, and he fought back the smile that threatened to burst forward.

Daesung was nothing like the stereotypes they aired on TV. He was awkward, and bubbly, and cheerful, and he knew his way around a kitchen, and none of this was what Seunghyun had expected. When Seunghyun still hadn't said a word, Daesung let out an embarrassed little laugh and his entire face lit up again, as a smirk at Seunghyun's mouth.
"Don't do that!" He laughed, "I know you're making fun of me. Don't. I'm not a creeper."
"Sounds kind of like you are," Seunghyun shrugged as nonchalantly as he could muster, and Daesung briefly buried his face behind his hands, shoulders shaking slightly with laughter.

Seunghyun shouldn't be this comfortable with a complete stranger, but Daesung's happiness was infectious. He was still struggling to wrap his mind about the fact that he had an angel in his house, casually sitting at his dining table, but Daesung's persona was making it a little more bearable at the least. The blonde then pulled his hands away and fixed Seunghyun with an intense, and sad smile.
"But to answer you, I've been looking over you since you were fourteen. I think you know why," Daesung said softly, and Seunghyun bristled, the good mood dissipating as quickly as it had arrived.

The words were like a bucket of water being dumped over his head, and Seunghyun dug his thumbnails into his palms as he subtly chewed on his lower lip and pointedly avoided Daesung's gaze. He could remember one night in particular, through all of his time as a teenager, that he'd knelt beside his bed in anger and in pain, the leaflet from his father's funeral clutched in his hand. He'd cried harder than he could ever remember crying before, and he spoke words of anger, words of hurt, as he cursed God and his actions. As he'd cursed God for his father's decisions in drinking his grief away until it killed him. He'd cursed the words of the preacher that afternoon in saying, once again, that it was all a part of God's plan.

He could remember his hurt, remember his words, as he asked God what his plan was NOW? Jiyong's parents had agreed to take him in without a second thought, and they were willing to provide him a family in the loss of his own, but he'd still cried to the heavens above. He'd said that it shouldn't have been up to the Kwons to care for him. He wanted his parents, and it was God's fault that they were gone. He felt God had owed him, and he'd said as much. The one sentence that stood out from that memory circled in his mind, settling heavy in his chest.
"If you really have angels to look after us, then now would be a good time to give me mine."

"So... Heaven? Is it real?" Seunghyun asked, not willing to dwell any further on that piece of information.
"Yes, but probably not as you'd expect," Daesung said softly, "It's real, sure, but it's different for everyone. Everyone has their own idea of what heaven is. It's not clouds and golden gates though, if that's what you're asking."
"Okay," Seunghyun nodded, his mind struggling to keep up with the new information, "So... what about, you know..."
"Hell?" Daesung prompted, before shaking his head, "That I don't know."
"But you're an angel, I thought you were meant to be all knowing," Seunghyun said skeptically, and Daesung laughed.

"What's your favourite coffee shop in Europe?" the angel asked suddenly, and Seunghyun blinked dumbly.
"My... what?"
"Your favourite coffee shop in Europe. You drink coffee a lot, right?"
"I-I... guess," Seunghyun spluttered, "But I've never been to Europe, I wouldn't have a clue what my favourite coffee shop is."
                            
Daesung sat, smiling knowingly, and Seunghyun realised that the seemingly odd question was the angel making a point.

"You know what you have experience on, but if you haven't been there, you're as clueless as I am," Seunghyun prompted, and Daesung nodded.
"I've travelled the Earth, and I've spent many many years learning all about humanity and what you all have to offer," He explained, "But I still have much to learn, and there are many things I do not know."
He paused for a few moments, offering an amused smile before leaning across the table.
"By the way, mine is in Denmark," He grinned cheekily, and Seunghyun let out an amused huff of laughter.

"So why have you shown up now?" Seunghyun asked, and Daesung leaned back in his chair, suddenly very interested in the hem of his shirt, as he plucked at a loose thread. He was chewing his lower lip, and Seunghyun watched as the blonde became steadily more awkward.
"Well," Daesung began finally, "You seemed... sadder than usual this Christmas. It was troublesome to me."
Seunghyun frowned and turned his attention to his now cold cup of coffee, choosing not to respond to Daesung's guilty gaze until he'd taken a few sips.
"If you've been watching me for as long as you say, then you know the reason for that," Seunghyun said a little more bitterly than he'd intended, "In that Annabelle left on Christmas Day last year."

Daesung's feathers ruffled quite violently then, and the blonde's expression was suddenly fiery, his lips drawn into a tight line.
"Yes she did," Daesung nodded, feathers standing out in a way that may have been comical, were Seunghyun not so concerned, "And she was... She was a for doing so!"
The blonde then clapped a hand over his mouth, and Seunghyun let out a small snort of surprised laughter.

"That wasn't very nice of me, sorry," the angel murmured, and Seunghyun only laughed harder, as the blonde's cheeks flared.
"No, you're right, she's a ," He nodded in agreement, and Daesung let out an embarrassed laugh, his feathers smoothing back down.
"It still doesn't really explain why you're here," Seunghyun pressed, and Daesung nodded, his smile softening.
"Christmas didn't always used to be sad for you, Seunghyun," He said quietly, and Seunghyun felt another pang of hurt ache through him. No, it hadn't always been, but it hadn't been easy either. Not for the longest of times.

"Christmas is meant to be about family, Daesung," Seunghyun explained, "I don't have a family any more, so it doesn't mean the same as it used to."
"But you do have family," Daesung pressed, holding Seunghyun's gaze with a hope filled one of his own, "And that's one of the reasons I'm here."
"So wait, if I'm playing the role of the scrooge, which ghost are you meant to be then?" Seunghyun scoffed, and Daesung creased his brow in apparent confusion.
"I'm not any ghost, I'm an angel," He offered, and Seunghyun shook his head.
"It was just a... You haven't seen that movie, I guess," Seunghyun sighed, and Daesung blushed slightly, offering a murmured apology. Seunghyun shook his head, before the ringing of his cell phone pulled him from his musings. He checked the caller ID, and his heart caught in his chest. He had time to murmur a quick '' before answering.
 
It turned out that his boss wasn't impressed with Seunghyun not showing up for work, and even less impressed with not having received a phone call. Seunghyun bullted his way through the phone call, side eyeing the angel at his table as he did so, and watching as Daesung's amused smile steadily grew wider. After a little bit of kissing, because he'd likely be fired otherwise, Seunghyun had the rest of the day to recover from his fake bout of gastro, and was expected to call tomorrow if he still wasn't feeling any better. A long time ago, Seunghyun had realised that once you started telling people about your bowel movements, they weren't so keen to want too many more details, and figured that it was the easiest way to call in sick as a result. Once he was off the phone, Daesung was smiling widely at him again, and despite the blonde not having moved from the kitchen table, Seunghyun's breakfast plate was gone.

"My plate-"
"Cleaned and back in the cupboard," Daesung interrupted with an eye smile.
"But you didn't even leave the table!" Seunghyun spluttered, and Daesung actually rolled his eyes.
"Ya, Seunghyunnie, I am an angel," He sighed, and well, Seunghyun was seemingly on a slow path to finding out all about what that actually entailed. He said nothing, and instead went to get changed, re-emerging in casual wear as he grabbed his keys and wallet, Daesung still seated at the dining room table.
"Since I have the day off, I may as well grab a few things from the store while it's a little quieter," He explained, and Daesung stood, stretching his wings slightly as he did the same with his arms.

"I'll come," He grinned, rocking slightly on the bolls of his feet, as Seunghyun felt anxiety rifle through him.
"Can... can other people see you though?" He asked, and Daesung laughed.
"Yes, but only if I want them to," He explained, and Seunghyun eyed off the expanse of feathers behind the blonde with mild apprehension.
"Oh, these?" Daesung tilted his head towards his wings, stretching them and folding them back again, "Only you and the other angels can see these."
"Why me?" Seunghyun asked, and Daesung eye smiled once again.
"Because I belong to you," The blonde answered simply, before seemingly realising what he said and flushing red once again, "That is, I'm your angel. I mean, I'm the angel that was assigned to you."
Seunghyun bit back his smile, and merely gestured for Daesung to follow, as the blonde awkwardly scratched at his head.
 

The drive to the grocery store was amusing, to say the least. Daesung had kept his wings as closely tucked to him as possible, and even then, had given up on getting a seat belt over them, instead opting to ask about different lights and buttons on Seunghyun's dashboard. Seunghyun answered what he could, but when it became too much, he reached into the glove box and handed Daesung the owner's manual. For the rest of the journey, Daesung had scoured the text with his eyes, making odd little noises of understanding or surprise, and flicking his gaze from the book to the corresponding parts of the dash in the process. When they got to the store, however, it only got better.

Most things, Daesung was more than aware of what they were and their purposes, but the blonde still found a large amount of delight in novelty Christmas decorations and a reindeer that lit up and danced in time to music if you plugged it into a USB port. Seunghyun ended up buying one on impulse, and the car ride to the mall was spent with Daesung switching the radio stations and plugging the reindeer into the charging port, seeing which songs the little guy could rock out to the best.

After growing frustration at the mall, and finally finding a car spot after ten minutes of looking, Seunghyun huffily made his way inside, Daesung in tow. As they passed people, the brunette couldn't help but notice that the pair of them, or Daesung more specifially, was getting more than his fair share of glances and stares.
"Are you sure they can't see your wings?" Seunghyun murmured quitly enough for only Daesung to hear.
"I'm positive, why?" He asked curiously, and Seunghyun subtly gestured at an elderly woman who stared at the blonde with something akin to awe as they passed.
"You're getting us a lot of attention," Seunghyun offered, and Daesung smiled, wide and disarming as he shrugged.
"They're avid believers," the blonde offered in explanation, "They cannot see my wings, but they are more susceptible to seeing some of my grace."
"Your... grace?" Seunghyun asked, and Daesung nodded, meeting the brunette's gaze and stopping Seunghyun in his tracks.

"I likely... glow a little bit, to them," Daesung explained, "That's usually how grace manifests itself to believers. You can probably see it too, but not with the glow."
"How would I see it th-" Seunghyun began, but he froze, still holding Daesung's gaze. The deep brown of the blonde's eyes weren't the only thing reeling him in, he quickly realised, as his attention was drawn to the angel's pupils. As he watched, they dilated a little further, and the dark depths were suddenly so much more than a pit of darkness. There were flecks of light, of colour, of movement. Colours that swirled, that span, flecks of white that glowed from within, and Seunghyun was knocked speechless.

He gaped slightly, and Daesung's cheeks flushed pink, before he turned his gaze away, effectively breaking the spell that Seunghyun had been trapped in. He blinked a few times, and the blonde offered a small laugh as Seunghyun let out a long breath.
"That's your grace?" Seunghyun asked, and Daesung nodded.
"Part of it, yes. My grace, but also everything that my grace is made of. It's all connected back to where I came from," Daesung explained, and upon seeing Seunghyun's confusion still across his face, he lowered his voice and spoke even softer. "The stars, Seunghyun. The stars, the planets, the galaxies around them. I'm made of them."

Seunghyun's breath escaped him in a waver, the enormity of that answer rattling through his bones and prickling along and under his skin. Stars. Angels were made of stars.

"I'm a portal to heaven, to the universe around you," Daesung continued to explain, as Seunghyun took slow steps backward and sat down on a bench outside of a shoe store, "I'm a little bit of everything you've ever known or ever will. I'm kind of like a big buffet of everything that humanity could have set their eyes on or ever will, I guess you co-"
"Stop," Seunghyun urged, holding a hand up and causing Daesung to offer a puzzled expression and obediently fall silent, "just... It's a lot to take in."
Seunghyun thought he was being modest with that statement, the words still skittering over him and through him, and he should not be receiving these kind of revelations whilst seated on a rickety old bench outside of a Rebel Sports.

Daesung seemed to understand, nodding and sitting silently next to Seunghyun, tucking his wings behind him as the brunette leant his elbows on his knees and stared out at his shoes. After a few long moments, the blonde placed a cautious hand onto Seunghun's shoulder and softly spoke the man's name. Seunghyun looked up then, to find a concerned frown across the blonde's face.
"I sometimes forget these things," Daesung offered by way of apology, "Are you okay?"

Seunghyun let out a small huff of near hysterical laughter, before running a hand along his face.

"I guess so," Seunghyun shrugged, "What, with an angel by my side, and the knowledge that angels are made of the universe. I'm as alright as I guess I can be." Seunghyun met Daesung's gaze again, and offered a small, almost stunned smile, which Daesung returned with a blush. "Made of the universe, Daesung. There aren't words to... There just isn't."
Daesung nodded again, returning his hand to his own knees as he stared at his own shoes.

The silence extended for some time, although not uncomfortably, and the next time that Seunghyun turned to face the blonde, Daesung had his eyes closed and was facing the ceiling, his wings curled around the front of him and crossing at his chest. With every new fact he learned about Daesung, still, one of the most captivating features would always be the blonde's wings. He wondered how they felt, if he could feel them at all, and curiousity hummed through him. Seeing an opportunity, Seunghyun cautiously reached a hand out and tentatively brushed his fingers across the upper arch of feathers.

Seemingly startled out of his reverie, Daesung then snapped his wings outward and clipped Seunghyun squarely in the face, knocking the brunette back into the bench with a gasp.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Daesung floundered, his cheeks flushing bright red as he hastily tucked his wings back, and Seunghyun tenderly pressed a finger against his nose, wincing from pain where the wing had collided with the bone.
"It's fine," Seunghyun reassured as Daesung helped him sit back up, "I guess you don't like people touching them."
He said it jokingly, but Daesung only flushed darker, twisting the hem of his shirt again, as he stared at his hands.
"It's actually... it's really good. I just wasn't expecting it," He offered in explanation, and Seunghyun offered a soft smile as Daesung cautiously extended a wing towards the brunette, "You can... you know, you can touch them, if you like."

Seunghyun reached a hand out hesitantly, before pressing his fingers to the feathers and holding back the surprise that threatened to cross his face. They weren't as he'd expected. He'd assumed soft feathers, perhaps softer than the regular bird variety, but instead, it was almost as if his fingers were skimming across water. Even then, maybe that wasn't the right description, as the feathers beneath his fingers almost buzzed, crackled, as if rife with static, sending tingles through his fingers as he combed through them.

A soft, pleased sound escaped Daesung's lips then, as Seunghyun slid his fingers through a clump of feathers, and the brunette became aware then that the angel had his eyes closed and his lips parted slightly. It was at that moment that he realised Daesung perhaps enjoyed the gesture a little TOO much, and even with that discovery, he couldn't seem to still his fingers. It was addictive, pleasing to Seunghyun himself, and the fact that Daesung enjoyed it as much as he did wasn't all that alarming.

Reluctantly, Seunghyun pulled his fingers away, and watched, captivated, as the blonde's eyelids fluttered open and he closed his mouth, his cheeks flushing once he realised that Seunghyun was watching him.
"I havent ever had a human touch my wings," He murmured, and Seunghyun failed to hide the surprise that flitted across his expression.
"Not ever?" He asked in disbelief, and Daesung shook his head shyly, "How long have you been around humanity?"
"I'm quite young," Daesung explained, "So only a few hundred years."
Seunghyun spluttered at this, and the blonde awkwardly scuffed his shoe along the ground.

"The humans I took care of previously didn't really get to see me," Daesung shrugged, and Seunghyun watched the blonde carefully.
"Daesung, am I the first?" He asked, and if the blonde's cheeks flushing darker was any indication, Seunghyun was taking that as a yes.
"Why wait until now?" Seunghyun asked, and Daesung let out a nervous little laugh.
"Because I didn't care more for them than was necessary,"  He explained, and Seunghyun suddenly felt a little trapped, a little constricted.
"Are you saying that you do for me?" He asked, his voice as tight as his chest felt, "Care more than necessary?"
"Yes," Daesung said simply, honestly, and Seunghyun was floored.

He didn't know what that meant, exactly, and truthfully, he was terrified to ask. The angel had spent years watching Seunghyun, and he assumed that the blonde probably knew more about the brunette than Seunghyun would ever have shared otherwise. He'd seen Seunghyun go through good and bad, and had likely kept watch over him through the darkest of times, and still, he treated Seunghyun like he was worthwhile being around. Seunghyun couldn't fathom the thought of the blonde caring more for him than was necessary, and yet, here he was. Whether it was admitting to friendship, or for something more, Seunghyun wasn't ready to find out.

"We should go shopping now," Daesung nodded suddenly, standing and stretching his wings as he rolled his neck, "Jiyong won't let you live it down if you don't purchase him a gift."
Daesung grinned cheekily at this, and Seunghyun couldn't help but return a smile, pushing everything else to the back of his mind other than the task at hand.

He could worry about mind blowing revelations and angel feelings later, but for now, Daesung had a point.
 

Jiyong was a nightmare to shop for. It was a common fact. He was fussy with everything from colour to texture to smell, which made shopping for him a journey of senses beyond anything else as menial as an in and out visit to the local Walmart. Not that Jiyong would let you gift him anything from there anyway.
"This is impossible," Seunghyun muttered, pulling out the sleeve of a jacket which Jiyong might have liked, if not for the red collar. Jiyong apparently didn't do red.
"Didn't he have an eye on those navy blue shoes over there at one point?" Daesung chimed in, and Seunghyun reminded himself for the hundredth time this afternoon that with the amount of time the angel had spent watching over Seunghyun, he'd learned a fair amount about the brunette's friends while he was at it.

"You're right, actually," Seunghyun admitted begrudgingly, picking up a pair of the shoes and relishing in the quiet self satisfaction that Daesung was radiating at having found them.
"He'll love them!" Daesung beamed, and Seunghyun rolled his eyes affectionately.

Despite having only known the angel for a day, the blonde had grown on him quickly, and he wondered how he'd ever gone so long without the positive presence in his life.

Usually, when people were overly cheerful, they grated on his nerves, like Jiyong's little brother Seungri often did. Daesung was a breath of fresh air though. He knew Seunghyun enough to know when to keep quiet, when was an okay time to softly hum to himself, or engage in conversation. He knew already when Seunghyun felt like talking, or when it was a time for joking, or for more serious discussion. Merely by being around him, Daesung calmed Seunghyun, settled him, and it was dangerously addictive.

Not to mention the fact that was at hand, in that he was out shopping with a heavenly being.

Everything was suddenly a lot more out of the norm for Seunghyun, and regardless of this, Daesung seemed to keep him grounded. He made the normal a little more extraordinary, and the more stressful suddenly seem a little less important. It was placating, comforting, and he was already hoping that his new friend may stick around for longer than the holiday season. Not that he was prepared to admit this out loud.

"Well, Jiyong was the last to buy for," Seunghyun shrugged, grabbing the shoes and heading for the register, Daesung walking beside him and carefully ensuring his wings didn't knock anything off of the racks.
"Are you going to Christmas lunch this year?" Daesung asked, and Seunghyun felt a familiar crease in his brow.
"I'm not sure," He admitted, and Daesung let out a soft sigh.
"Ya, Seunghyunnie," the blonde offered quietly, "It would mean a lot to Jiyongah if you went. Any time you don't show up, he feels it. You're as close to a big brother that he has."
"He has Youngbae," Seunghyun countered, and Daesung snorted, his cheeks flushing once again.
"I don't think what Jiyong feels for Youngbae could be considered brotherly," Daesung mused, "At least, not legally or morally."
At this, Seunghyun snorted in surprise, nearly dropping the box in his hands in the process.

If even the angels had noticed, Jiyong really was nowhere near as subtle as he'd hoped he was.

"You noticed?" Seunghyun asked, and Daesung nodded, hair flipping over his eyes in the process, before he swept it behind his ears again.
"Anybody can notice Jiyong," Daesung explained, "I just find it odd how infrequently people realise that Youngbae reciprocates."
This caught Seunghyun's attention, as Youngbae and Jiyong had been his friends for pretty much his entire life, and he'd always thought Youngbae was merely oblivious to their friend's affections.
"He does?" Seunghyun prompted as they approached the checkout, and Daesung laughed a little.
"Ah, you're all so blind," He teased, as Seunghyun handed the cashier the shoes and ignored her stunned expression as she gave Daesung a once over. Daesung, however, turned and gave her a wide smile.

"Hello," He offered, leaning forward to peer at her name tag, "Jennelle. How are you?"
"I'm... I'm good," She stammered and his eyes all but disappeared with his smile.
Seunghyun handed over the money needed for the shoes, and Jennelle took it, still staring at Daesung as she passed Seunghyun his change.
"Are you... Do I know you?" She asked, and Daesung shook his head, reaching over the counter and taking her hand, before offering a softer smile.
"No," He said simply, "Merry Christmas, Jennelle."
At that, she smiled, bright and beautifully, and wished them the same in return.
 
Seunghyun was more than a little rattled, and as soon as they were out of ear shot, he was questioning the angel.
"What was that?" He asked, and Daesung offered a small smile and a shrug of his shoulders.
"I gave her a gift when I held her hand," Daesung explained, and Seunghyun merely raised a brow, causing the blonde to laugh. "Hope, Seunghyun. I gave her hope."
"You can do that?"
"Yes," the angel nodded, but as if pre-empting the next question, shook his head.

"But not for you, Seunghyun," Daesung smiled, "There are few powers I have over you."
"Have you ever used any of them?" Seunghyun asked, and Daesung laughed, his wings ruffling once again.
"I thought you might remember, but I guess not. You didn't fall asleep on your own last night."
Seunghyun could vaguely recall the touch against his forehead before the world faded to black the night prior, and felt, if anything, a little violated. Grateful, because it was the most well rested he had been in months, but violated nonetheless.

He didn't bother asking for the others, and Daesung was more than happy to keep himself entertained on the quiet trip home with the dancing reindeer in the car charger, before unplugging it to bring with them inside. Seunghyun flung open his apartment door and carried his bags inside, dumping them unceremoniously on the floor, and Daesung seemed to take that as a cue to do the same, before the blonde began idly wandering around Seunghyun's apartment, looking at the photo frames on his wall and on his tables. Daesung curiously looked over the various writing and publishing awards that had stacked up over the years, and offered a congratulatory smile Seunghyun's way when the blonde caught Seunghyun watching him.

"I remember when you graduated," Daesung nodded, his eyes lingering over Seunghyun's Bachelor of Communications, and Seunghyun let out a soft noise. He could remember too. Going up to the podium and receiving his certificate, stepping off stage, Annabelle's arms looping around his neck and her lips pressed softly against his, murmured encouragement and praise between them.

He could remember well.

"I was going to ask her to marry me," Seunghyun murmured, and Daesung turned sad eyes to face him.
"I know."
It was all he said, before he moved further down the wall, and a soft laugh escaped the angel's lips. Seunghyun knew exactly what picture he'd settled his focus on, and moved to stand at Daesung's side, trying to shake memories of the harder times away.

It was a photo of Jiyong and Youngbae back when they were teenagers, both dressed in costume for Seungri's birthday party. They'd taken it to a crazy extreme and dressed as Bonnie and Clyde, due to the fitting nickname that the pair of them had received throughout their schooling years. Due to his more masculine figure and manly looks, Youngbae had of course, gone as Bonnie.

"Youngbae is very pretty," Daesung remarked, and Seunghyun laughed, nodding as he stared at the photo before him.
"They both are," Seunghyun teased, and the soft smile Daesung gave him almost made his heart jam in his chest. He watched the blonde for a few moments, until Daesung shyly averted his gaze and a flush crept along his neck.

It was incredibly distracting.

Seunghyun cleared his throat then, and turned to the sofa, falling back onto it and turning the tv on, as Daesung wandered quietly for a few moments more. He then came into the lounge, standing awkwardly by the sofa before Seunghyun looked up at him.
"I'm required back with the Host for the evening," Daesung explained, "The other angels have a gathering and I need to be in attendance."
"Oh, uh, yeah, of course," Seunghyun nodded, sitting up straighter as the blonde offered a small smile.
"I'll be back tomorrow. Today was fun. Four more sleeps, Seunghyun," the blonde grinned, and Seunghyun returned it easily, before the blonde disappeared in the blink of an eyelid, the only sign of his being there a solitary feather drifting to the floor.

Seunghyun let out a long sigh, and after several minutes of unsuccessful attempts at focusing on the television, resigned himself to bed.
 

Friday, December 20th

Daesung didn't show up the next morning, nor on Seunghyun's drive to work, and he was starting to wonder if the blonde had been an extremely persistent, extremely vivid hallucination. He was stuck at work, and his boss had seemingly slugged him with about thirty other tasks on top of his regular workload, which Seunghyun could see as nothing more than punishment for the day prior. There was a light tap at his office door, and he called for his visitor to step in, only to find Jiyong giving him a cheshire grin as he stepped inside. Seunghyun groaned inwardly, as his pest of an adoptive little brother strolled casually in and perched on his desk.

"Hyung, I heard you took the day off yesterday," Jiyong began, and Seunghyun rolled his eyes, turning his attention to the papers in front of him.
"Get to the point, Jiyong, or so help me God, I will-"
"Bommie saw you at the mall buying gifts," Jiyong grinned, "And she said you were with another man."
Seunghyun bit the inside of his gums so hard, he thought they may bleed, but instead, chose to ignore the gossip starved expression across Jiyong's features.
"I was," He said simply, dismissively, and Seunghyun  could almost hear the younger's pout.

"You're not gonna tell me anything, are you?" Jiyong sulked, and Seunghyun met his eyes once again, offering a dimpled grin.
"Nope."
"I hate you," Jiyong said quite convincingly, and Seunghyun fixed him with a raised brow, before the younger snorted and playfully bat at the elder's arm.
"Alright, I don't hate you. Still, you're a . You know I love gossip," Jiyong leered, "Especially when it's about you. I need all the blackmail I can get."
"Jiyong Kwon, writer of one of the most popular gossip spreads in the country, a fan of gossip?" Seunghyun feigned shock, "I don't believe it."
"Alright, alright, you're a prick," Jiyong laughed, "One of the interns is getting coffee, did you want one? My shout."
"Alright," Seunghyun nodded, "But don't come back in here until you have caffeine or donuts."

Jiyong ed a little more before disappearing, and Seunghyun was left to his thoughts once again. It wasn't for long, however, because another knock sounded at his door, and he called to come in. When he looked up from his desk, however, he hadn't expected to see an array of feathers appearing through the door, alongside a platinum blonde with a smile to rival the sun itself. On top of that, he most definitely did not expect said blonde to be carrying a cup of coffee. Seunghyun spluttered slightly, as Daesung shut the door behind him and awkwardly shuffled his wings to cling to his back, beaming all the while.

"Afternoon, Seunghyunnie!" Daesung grinned, handing over the cup in his hand to Seunghyun, "I heard you were after coffee, so I told the intern not to worry about yours. Mine is better."
Seunghyun raised a questioning brow, before raising the cup to his mouth and taking a long sip.

Daesung was right, undoubtedly, in that it was possibly the best cup of coffee he had had.

"Where did you get this?" Seunghyun asked, holding up the plain cup to inspect.
"Denmark," the blonde grinned, and Seunghyun nearly inhaled his coffee in response.
"Denmark?" Seunghyun repeated, and Daesung rolled his eyes.
"Angel, Seunghyun. I'm an angel," He teased, pulling up the chair across from Seunghyun, "Stop being so surprised."

Truthfully, Seunghyun didn't think that NOT being surprised was an option, but instead, he shut up and drank his coffee, as Daesung fidgetted with his wings in the chair.

He scribbled down a few adjustments to one of the articles before him then, before his office door burst open, this time with no knock, and he looked up to find a beaming Jiyong.
"Seunghyun, Sandara told me that you had a cute guy visi-- Oh," Jiyong  froze, his eyes settling on Daesung as the angel offered a wide smile and a little wave of his hand.
"Uh, Jiyong, this is Daesung," Seunghyun offered, "Daesung, this is Jiyong."
"Pleasure to meet you," Jiyong offered casually, side eyeing Seunghyun with a more than obvious leer, "I don't believe Seunghyun has mentioned you before. Are you a fellow writer perhaps?"
"Actually, I'm his angel," Daesung said simply, smile still wide, and Seunghyun most definitely choked on his coffee, as Jiyong's eyebrows shot into his hairline.

"His angel, you say?" Jiyong grinned, scandal written plain across his face as he then turned to grin at Seunghyun, "You sly dog."
Seunghyun resisted the urge to groan, and Daesung merely continued to smile sweetly, much to Jiyong's delight.
"Well it's a shame that he's kept you hidden from us," Jiyong offered sympathetically, the smile still threatening to envelope his entire face, "If you're free Christmas afternoon, you should come to lunch with him."
"That sounds lovely!" Daesung grinned, eyes disappearing, as Jiyong offered an equivalent smile in return.
"Great! It's settled. We'll see you both then. It'll be good to get to know our Seunghyunnie's angel, after all," Jiyong stared pointedly at Seunghyun, who merely waved a hand dismissively in the hope that Jiyong would at least once listen to him and get the hell out of his office.  

The door shut behind his colleague, and when it did, Seunghyun pressed his fingers into his eyes, in the hope that it woud help alleviate some of the tension that had built behind them.
"Do you think I gave a good first impression?" Daesung asked nervously, breaking the silence that had fallen, and if Seunghyun weren't on the verge of hiding under his desk for the rest of the day, he may very well have laughed.

The rest of the workday was relatively normal for Seunghyun. Or, as normal as it could be with an angel perched on your desk, or walking around looking at your certificates, or reading your books whilst curled up on the window ledge. It was around three when his boss came in, and Seunghyun had tensed all over. The guest policy was pretty strict, but his boss seemed to pay Daesung no mind as he picked up a few files and asked for progress on some others. After he'd left, Daesung offered a soft smile and shrugged, offering the few words of 'he couldn't see me' as explanation.

Despite having company, Seunghyun worked just as well, if not better, than he did on any other given day. He had a feeling that the same familiar, placating effect that Daesung usually held over him was actually positive to his working manner, and for that, he was grateful. From time to time, the angel would ask questions, mainly about the people that would keep popping in, or about something he'd read in one of Seunghyun's book, but otherwise, the blonde seemed happy to remain silent.

On the drive home, Daesung rode up front with Seunghyun again, and the brunette was loathe to find that Daesung had brought the damned reindeer along for the ride and was delighted with its moves to Katy Perry. Seunghyun rolled his eyes, but couldn't help the smile at the edges of his lips as Daesung sang along. It seemed that the saying 'a voice like an angel' wasn't a glorified statement, and Seunghyun found the blonde's voice curling around him in a way he hadn't quite experienced before. It only made him feel closer to the angel somehow, and the blonde seemed more than pleased with their bonding process.

When they got back to Seunghyun's, Daesung decided not to take the stairs, and disappeared in a rustle of wings, and by the time Seunghyun made it into his apartment, Daesung was already watching television on the sofa, a thoughtful expression along his face as he watched some old Christmas special.

"Why don't you have a Christmas tree?" He asked, and Seunghyun felt his chest seize. He wasn't ready for these questions. Not for Daesung. Not for anybody.
"I don't want one."
"Why?" Daesung asked, and Seunghyun swallowed back the multitude of sadness that crashed over him. He didn't want to answer, but Daesung's face was so open, so honestly curious, that he found himself talking anyway.

"As a little kid, my parents would help me set up and decorate the tree. When they... when they were gone, I lived with Jiyong and he helped, and when I moved out of there, I had Annabelle," He shrugged as nonchalantly as he could muster, "I just... I don't think I need one this year. They're too much effort anyway."
It was a feeble excuse, and Daesung seemed to know that just as much as Seunghyun did. Still, the angel only smiled softly and shook his head.

"You have someone to set a tree with this year too, Seunghyun," Daesung said quietly, "Plus it'll be fun. I've never decorated a tree before."
"Alright, you can do one then," Seunghyun shrugged, "The tree is in the linen closest at the very top. The decorations are in the box beside it."
Daesung frowned, clearly not liking that answer, before begrudgingly dragging himself to where Senghyun had directed.

He returned after a few moments, placing both boxes on the ground and staring at them in a mixture of excitement and apprehension, before dropping to his knees beside them, his wings fluffing up almost comically. He opened the tree box, and Seunghyun pretended to watch tv whilst sneaking glances at the angel while he struggled with the base. Once that was done, he put in the main stick for the tree and started pulling out the smaller branches, confusion apparent across his features, before he started haphazardly sticking branches into holes. It was almost painful to watch as the tree teetered and wobbled, overbalanced on both sides as Daesung stuck his tongue out slightly in concentration.

Seunghyun let out a soft sigh.

"The bigger branches, the ones labelled 'F' all go at the bottom," He murmured softly, moving to kneel beside the angel, taking one of the branches from Daesung's hand and moving it to the lowest tier.
"That makes sense," Daesung flushed, clearly embarrassed, as he offered a small smile and glanced at Seunghyun, who affectionately rolled his eyes and wordlessly began fixing up the branches Daesung had already crammed into the higher tiers. As they put it together, the pair chattered about menial things, and Daesung was more than curious about some of the Earth cuisines he was yet to try and whether or not they would be at Jiyong's Christmas lunch. By the end of it, they had something resembling a Christmas tree, and Daesung was visibly delighted.

"Can we hang things on it now?" He asked, excitedly tugging at Seunghyun's shirt sleeve, and the brunette couldn't help the amused laughter that bubbled from his chest. The angel was like a five year old with his enthusiasm, and it was somewhat... endearing.  
"Go crazy," He nodded, and Daesung chewed shyly on his lower lip, an excited smile still shining through.
"Will you help?" He asked softly, and Seunghyun felt a near uncomfortable warmth blossom in his chest at the trusting and eager look across the angel's face.

How could he say no?

Fifteen minutes and a boxful of accumulated decorations later, and Seunghyun was knelt beside the powerboard, the cord to the lights gripped in his hands.
"Okay, I'll count down," Daesung grinned, "Three, two, one, go!"
Seunghyun plugged it in, and the room was awash with the twinkling of fairy lights and reflected fragments of tinsel. Seunghyun wasn't sure whether the lights were the brightest thing in the room, or Daesung's smile, but in either sense, he was glad of where they were and what they'd done. He stood by the angel then, and the blonde let out a shaky breath, seemingly mesmerised by the tree before him, as he flicked a gaze to Seunghyun.
"It's beautiful," Daesung breathed, slipping his fingers into the brunette's and offering the barest of squeezes, which Seunghyun had no hesitation in returning, even though a part of him insisted he should.

For once in his life, with the soft glow of lights across Daesung's face, the warm touch of the angel's fingers, and the soft brush of Daesung's wings against his shoulder, Seunghyun completely blocked the negativity of the past out and merely enjoyed what he had in the present.

Saturday, December 21st

Seunghyun woke up with a groggy feeling of having forgotten something important. He yawned behind his hand, stretching as far as he could across his bed and staring at the clock. It was a little after ten, and he didn't have work, so it couldn't have been that he'd slept in. He rubbed at his eyes and tried to sit up, fatigue clinging to him and attempting to pull him back into bed, but he valiantly pressed forward. He showered and headed into the kitchen, slightly disheartened to find that after having gone to bed, Daesung had seemingly not stuck around, before pouring his coffee and stifling yawn number four of the morning as best as he could.  

He took to the couch with his coffee mug and curled up slightly, half focused on the morning news, and half focused on the cheerfully blinking lights in the corner of his eyes. He managed to lounge around in his pyjamas until quarter past eleven, when it suddenly hit him like a freight train, and he nearly spilled his fresh mug of coffee in the process.
"!" he hissed, placing the mug on the table and dashing into his bedroom to rifle through his shoulder bag and find his pay cheque. He'd usually cash it on a Monday, but the banks were closing early for the Christmas holidays, and if he didn't get it done today, he wouldn't be paid until the twenty eighth. And the bank would be closing in... Fourty three minutes.

He jumped into the shower and had the quickest wash of his life, knowing, just knowing, that traffic was gonna be an absolute . Not to mention the fact that there would likely be a massive queue at the bank, and he just... he didn't have the time or the patience for this .

He stepped out of the shower and got changed, before snatching up his keys, pay cheque, and wallet, and dashing down to his car, slamming his door shut behind him. The main road was almost bumper to bumper, and he leaned his forehead against the steering wheel and silently cursed how much of a Christmas was, and holy , this guy couldn't possibly be trying to change lanes here, SURELY?
"Jesus ing Christ," Seunghyun sighed, before jumping bolt upright and damn near smacking his head on his rearview mirror as a voice tutted disapprovingly.
"You shouldn't take the Lord's name in vain, Seunghyunnie," Daesung chided, and Seunghyun pressed his fingers to his eyes in the desperate hope that this wasn't really his life.
"I dont really care right now, Dae," He muttered, and Daesung offered a soft smile, whether from the nickname or from amusement at Seunghyun's frustration, the brunette didn't know. Either way, it was both somehow calming and irritating all at once, so he chose to ignore it, inching foreward with the traffic and also pointedly ignoring Daesung subtly slipping the reindeer back into the charging port.

"Why is the traffic so bad?" The angel asked innocently, and Seunghyun slumped against the steering wheel once again, a low groan escaping his chest as Daesung looked on in concern.
"Becuase it's Christmas, Daesung," Seunghyun muttered, "All these people are rushing to see their friends, their families, their ing partners, and they've all decided to go at the same time, and when that happens, this happens."
Seunghyun gestured at the traffic, and Daesung seemed to be deep in thought.

"Why are you in traffic, Seunghyun?" the angel asked, and Seunghyun let out a small laugh of frustration.
"Because I'm an idiot and didn't bank my cheque yesterday on my lunch break, like I should have."
"You're going to the bank?" Daesung asked, and Seunghyun nodded, before Daesung let out an amused little huff of laughter.
"Seunghyun, take my hand," The blonde offered, holding out his fingers, as Seunghyun eyed him warily. Despite his caution, he took the outstretched fingers anyway, and Daesung offered a sunbeam of a smile.
"Why am I hol--"

There was a rush of air, and Seunghyun's heart plummetted into his stomach, nausea creeping up as the world seemed to shift around him, and then he was still and standing in a parking lot beside his car, Daesung still holding his hand as his knees buckled a little and he promptly fell to the asphalt to dry heave a little.

Daesung knelt down beside him, wing brushing over his shoulder apologetically as he frowned.
"Seunghyun, are you alright?" He asked quietly, and the brunette spluttered slightly, finally managing to fight off the nausea enough to stand and lean against his car.
"What... was THAT?" He asked, and Daesung offered a wide smile, sweet and carefree.

"I flew us to the bank," He said simply, and Seunghyun leaned forwards a little more, resting against his knees whilst he got his breath back, before looking around and realising that Daesung had indeed... flown them... to the bank. He looked down at his watch and saw that he still had a decent twenty minutes until the bank closed. He may very well be stuck in queue that entire time, but if he was in queue, they wouldn't kick him out.

"Thank you," He murmured, "Just... pre-warning next time please."
Daesung only smiled wider, silently leading the way as Seunghyun walked on slightly wobbly feet. Upon approaching the bank, Seunghyun groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. He was about five thousand percent done as it was, and when he settled his gaze on the massive line he would be filing into, he couldn't help but feel a bit of him die inside.

When they actually got inside, however, he definitely felt pieces dying, when he took in the array of tinsel and heard the all too familiar jingle of carols from one of the speakers somewhere, even as Daesung beamed and stepped into line as if it were the greatest adventure he'd ever been and not an organised construct of despair.
"You're being dramatic, Seunghyun," Daesung teased, as the brunette huffed and groaned his way to stand beside his angel.
"I hate Christmas," He said simply, and the angel rolled his eyes affectionately.
"Lines were good for you when you were younger, don't you remember?" He asked, and yes, Seunghyun did.

He could remember Jiyong's father standing in line with the two of them as they spent the time chattering away about Christmas and what they thought would come of it, and Jiyong would ask what Seunghyun got his father, Seunghyun would ask the same, and Jiyong would swear to tell Seunghyun later because it was meant to be a surprise for his dad. Then, they would chatter some more, and if there were Christmas carols playing, the pair of them would sing with their own made up lyrics. the bank staff didn't mind, and the people in line with them seemed to appreciate it.

But that was when they were children, before they realised that lines were not fun. That in reality, they were a reminder that everywhere you went, some was guiding you in the direction they wanted you to and telling you to wait your damn turn. He told Daesung as much, and the blonde frowned.
"I don't see why it just has to be for children," Dae shrugged, "I think it's just your perspective that has changed, not the circumstance. There's nothing stopping you from singing now."
"I'm a grown man," Seunghyun muttered, "and I have a terrible singing voice."
"That's not true. I've heard you sing plenty of times," Daesung grinned cheekily, and Seunghyun flushed, knowing that he only ever sang when he thought nobody was listening.
 "I'm not singing," He huffed, and Daesung shrugged his shoulders.
"Suit yourself, Seunghyunnie," He offered, as they moved a place in line.

Daesung tucked his wings tight behind him and listened to the music playing, his eyes drifting closed slightly as he held his hands against his chest, a smile bursting across his lips as Silent Night began to play. Much to Seunghyun's immediate mortification, as the song began, Daesung began to sing along with it. Not obnoxiously loud, or anything, but loud enough that the entire population of the bank would be able to hear.
"Daesung," Seunghyun hissed, but the blonde merely cracked open an eye and cheekily met his gaze, never once stopping his singing. Once the initial embarrassment wore off and it became apparent that the angel wasn't going to stop, Seunghyun watched and actually listened, and found that every person in line who was doing the same was smiling.

Dae's voice was sweet, softly husked in some parts of his song, and more than capable of hitting the higher notes when it was called upon, and it was hauntingly beautiful as he allowed his voice to drift across the room. At a lull in the lyrical part, during a musical break, Daesung playfully tugged on Seunghyun's coat sleeve.
"Ya, sing with me, Seunghyun," He urged, and the brunette was snapped back to reality with a resounding 'nonononono' ringing through his mind.
"I'm all good, thanks," Seunghyun shook his head, and the woman behind him in the line nudged him pointedly and smiled encouragingly.

As Daesung's singing started again, the woman joined in, and oddly enough a few others, and Seunghyun inwardly groaned, because his life was not a Disney movie, and when did his life BECOME a Disney movie, and what was he even doing right now other than losing his mind? Because it was then that he opened his mouth and he let his own voice join the chorus of the others, Daesung's eyes bright and overjoyed as he did so. As one song shifted to another, the singing continued, and the other customers continued with them, and Seunghyun was smiling with them, and he couldn't help it, and God it was a little bit disgusting, but maybe that was okay just this once.  

Then they were next in line, somehow, and the teller beamed at them as they approached the window, taking Seunghyun's cheque and punching in a few keys, before letting him know it ought to be cleared by Christmas Eve. Seunghyun was thanking her, wishing her a Merry Christmas, and Daesung was beaming at all the people in queue, and they were beaming right back. As they headed out the door, there were a few claps and a few cheers, and even as the door shut behind them, the singing continued anew, and Daesung's cheeks were flushed.

And Seunghyun? He was a little blown away by it all. His cheeks hurt a little, his heart was a little lighter, and if Jiyong were here he'd make some comment about how Daesung was breaking down his walls and worming his way in, and Seunghyun wouldn't even be able to deny it.

Seunghyun paused for a moment, reflecting on the last hour or so and trying to remember why it was that he'd ever been in a bad mood to begin with.

"Are you alright?" Daesung asked, stopping in front of Seunghyun and looking up at the brunette with wide, dark eyes, and Seunghyun was staring without reserve. He was staring, because he still couldn't understand how the life he'd lead, all the trauma, all the pain, had resulted in this beautiful creature with the universe in his eyes making himself known to someone like him.
"Yes," Seunghyun breathed, a smile at his lips beyond his control, as he reached out and took Daesung's hands in his own, the blonde's cheeks flushing slightly as he beamed in response.

"They're playing Christmas movies all day today on Disney," Daesung remarked casually, although the question was as blatant in the blonde's expression as it could be, and Seunghyun chuckled low in his throat.
"I guess we should get popcorn, then," the brunette remarked, and he'd be damned if Daesung's answering smile didn't make him realise that he was maybe looking forward to it a little himself.
 

Warmth. Seunghyun felt it everywhere. From Daesung's cheek, where it was pressed to his shoulder, Daesung's chest pressed against his arm, and Daesung's breath brushing against his throat as the angel curled up beside him and stared unblinkingly at the tv. He had his fingers curled around Seunghyun's elbow, and he was trembling slightly, and the brunette was more than a little amused.

Christmas movie marathon done for the day, Daesung had decided to rifle through Seunghyun's movie collection, and despite the brunette's warning, had been intrigued by the cover for The Conjuring.
"This is scary, Seunghyun," Daesung whispered, as if worried that speaking any louder would bring about death himself.
"I did warn you," Seunghyun mused, and the angel huffed slightly, before damn near jumping out of his skin when Seunghyun placed his hand on the blonde's shoulder just as a similar scene played out on the television. Daesung's wings puffed out in alarm, and Seunghyun snorted at the glare that then crossed the angel's face.
"Ya! You're so mean!" Daesung sulked, and the brunette merely raised a brow in amusement.
"It's not real, though, Daesungie," Seunghyun reassured, and Daesung eyed him off for a moment, before a look of understanding crossed his face.
"Ohhh," He nodded, "Now I know why you haven't been too scared. You think these things don't actually exist."

Seunghyun's laughter faltered, and he fixed a questioning gaze on the blonde.
"I... yeah?"
"They do exist," Daesung nodded solemnly, "They're actually a lot more common than people think. They can make deaths look like accidents, so most of the time, people don't even realise when a haunting is occurring."
"So... ghosts and such are real? Vengeful spirits? All that kind of stuff?" Seunghyun asked quietly, and Daesung nodded.
"Huh..." Seunghyun feigned nonchalance, before hitting the stop button and ejecting the disk, much to Daesung's protests.
"I didn't say there were any here, Seunghyun!" Daesung huffed, and Seunghyun waved a hand dismissively.
"If I'm ever sleeping again, we're watching The Hangover or something," the brunette offered, standing up and moving to the player to take the disk out and put the other disk in.

As the brunette sat back down, Daesung curled up to his side immediately once again, and looked up at Seunghyun with soft, reassuring eyes.
"You know, it's my job to always protect you," He spoke softly, and Seunghyun felt that warmth pool in his chest again, "I'm not going to let anything hurt you."
"I've been hurt plenty," Seunghyun murmured, and Daesung frowned, placing a hand over Seunghyun's chest.
"Those kinds of hurts I can't always stop," The angel whispered almost apologetically, "But I can make them feel a little better."
Seunghyun stared down into the angel's eyes, drowning a little and deciding that maybe he was okay with that, before curling his hand around the fingers against his chest.

The words were unspoken, but the flush on Daesung's cheeks and Seunghyun's neck was enough for the two of them to exchange the conversation regardless.

'I want to help fix you.'

'You already are.'

Seunghyun fell asleep that way, and honestly, he wasn't sure he minded all that much.
 

Sunday, December 22nd

Seunghyun woke to voices and the sound of soft laughter, before stretching casually, his shoulder joints popping uncomfortably as he rubbed at his eyes. He then seized up a little, because he could hear voices, as in plural, and when the unmistakable sound of Jiyong's laughter hit his ears, he was standing up in a heartbeat and heading for the kitchen.

There, he found Daesung by the stove once again, Jiyong leaning casually against the counter, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was very nearly tangled up in the angel's wings.
 "What the hell are you doing here?" He asked suspiciously, eyeing off his friend with growing concern as Jiyong cocked an eyebrow.
"Morning to you too, princess," Jiyong smirked in reply, "I came over to ask if you wanted to do breakfast, and what do you know, Daesung just happened to be the one to answer the door and let me in."

The angel beamed happily, and despite Seunghyun's best attempts at crankiness, a little of the fire in his belly died down.
"I thought we could save you both some money if I cooked breakfast," Daesung explained, as he prodded at what looked like a pancake with a spatula, "Plus it gave me a chance to talk to Jiyongah."
Jiyong turned and smiled affectionately at the angel, something that Seunghyun may have found slightly uncharacteristic if he hadn't known exactly the effect that Daesung had over people.
"Yeah, it's been fun," Jiyong smiled, reaching out and ruffling the angel's hair, causing Daesung's to fluff out in happiness.

"Hey Seunghyun, can I talk to you a minute?" Jiyong asked then, and the brunette felt a knot tighten in his stomach. He was half expecting the whole 'Daesung keeps mentioning angel things, is he insane?' speech, but he decided to humour his friend and they both stepped into the lounge.
"Yes?" Seunghyun prompted, and Jiyong punched him firmly in the arm, a pout clear across his face.
"Ow!" Seunghyun cried, as Jiyong glared him down.
"WHY am I only just meeting Daesung now?" He snapped, and Seunghyun held up a hand in defence, the other rubbing at his likely bruised arm.

"It's complicated. Why is it such a big deal, anyway?" Seunghyun huffed, still a little sleep hazed and not exactly pleased with his abusive friend.
"He said he's known you for years, he stayed the night here, AND he's obviously head over heels for you," Jiyong jabbed a finger into Seunghyun's chest, "Plus you seem pretty keen on him too, not to mention the fact that he is an absolute angel."
"No kidding..." Seunghyun murmured, and Jiyong got another jab in before the brunette slapped his hand away, "Alright! Enough with the abuse! I'm sorry, okay?"
Jiyong glared for a few more moments, before offering a small nod and then breaking into the biggest eating grin Seunghyun had ever seen in his life.
"complicated or not, I need details," Jiyong all but leered, "I need to know how you snagged this one. What's the secret?"

Somehow, telling Jiyong that it was a mixture of crushing despair and prayer didn't seem like the greatest response. Instead, he laughed and shook his head, clapping a hand around the blonde's shoulder and wordlessly steering him back to the kitchen instead.

Thankfully, Seunghyun only had to deal with Jiyong and Daesung chattering away together for a couple of hours before his friend was heading off to meet up with Bom for coffee, leaving him alone with his angel once more.

"Jiyongah is wonderful," Daesung gushed, eyes happy crescents as he used whatever mojo he did to clean and put the dishes away in the blink of an eye.
"He seems quite fond of you too," Seunghyun smiled softly, and the blonde flushed, seemingly delighted with the news.
"Daesungah, you didn't tell him what you are, did you?" Seunghyun asked bluntly, and the blonde seemed slightly uncomfortable.
"I thought it would be best not to, especially since he..." Daesung hesitated, his smile suddenly melancholy, "Since he doesn't believe in angels."
"Oh," Seunghyun replied dumbly, and Daesung waved a hand airily.
"He doesn't have to," He smiled softly, "The only one I need to believe in me is you."
It was a simple statement, but it sent warmth flooding through Seunghyun's entire core, and he found himself reaching across the table and taking Daesung's hand in his own, the blonde's cheeks flushing once again.

It was another one of those moments, Seunghyun being pulled into the literal galaxies that were Daesung's eyes, his heart seizing a little in his chest, and his mind offering soft whispers of needwantwarmth that always seemed to occur when Daesung was around.

Was it possible to love an angel? For an angel to love in return?

Each question his mind provided was only more terrifying and fathomless than the last, but everything shuddered to a halt when Daesung's fingers curled around his own and the tips of his wings reached out to brush over Seunghyun's shoulders. It was perfection immortalised in a single gesture, and Seunghyun felt a heady rush pulse through him.

"Daesungah, I just..." He hesitated, and pretended not to notice the way that Daesung's eyes widened slightly and his smile grew wider.
"Yes Seunghyun?" the angel offered as casually as he could with a soft tremor still floating through his voice. Seunghyun struggled for the words briefly, and just when he'd thought he found them, Daesung sat bolt upright in his chair, his wings falling rigid behind him as he stared at the ceiling.

"Daesung?" The brunette prompted, and a small frown crossed the angel's face, before he reluctantly pulled his hand from Seunghyun's, leaving nothing but a cold and empty space that Seunghyun was already regretting being able to feel in its absence.
"I'm sorry, Seunghyun," Daesung offered apologetically, standing and flexing his wings slightly, "I'm needed back in Heaven."
"How long will you be gone?" The brunette asked, hoping he didn't sound too desperate, and Daesung offered another eye smile.
"I'll be back for Christmas with you," He offered, "I promise."

Seunghyun paused, watching the blonde with mild concern and yes, maybe a little bit of sadness in knowing he was to depart, but judgement be damned, he enjoyed the angel's company.

"Alright," He nodded, and before he'd even finished the second syllable, Daesung was gone.

Seunghyun let out a soft sigh and glanced at the clock. Two pm. He glanced over at the vacuum in the corner of the room that he'd been avoiding for the better part of the last week. He figured he may as well do something to kill the time, and housework seemed as menial a task as any.

The entire time, he wondered if Daesung's housecleaning skills extended beyond dish tricks, and a smile along his lips.
 

Monday, December 23rd

Seunghyun must have been doing some horrible things in a past life, if the saying 'no rest for the wicked' was really true.

His boss had been riding his about making sure all the articles for the Christmas special were in by close of business so they could go to print that evening and be on shelves by the next morning, and whilst he was ALMOST on top of it all, he was finding that the words were all kind of blurring together after a while. He placed his pen down and pressed at his eyes, letting out a long breath and trying to convince himself that he most definitely did NOT flinch when a knock resounded at his door.
"Yes?" He called, and for crying out loud, Jiyong would really give him no peace.

"Good morning hyuuuung~" Jiyong chimed, blonde head sticking through the door as he jiggled a bag of pastires enticingly, "Croissants? Or did Daesungah make you breakfast?"
Seunghyun raised a brow and rolled his eyes, as Jiyong let himself in and sat across from the brunette, dumping the bag on the elder's desk and letting out a sigh.
"I hate when you don't give me gossip," Jiyong sulked, and Seunghyun pointedly turned his attention to the croissants and most definitely on those big brown puppy eyes that Jiyong was so fond of pulling out from his arsenal.

"Shouldn't you, you know, be working?" Seunghyun huffed, and the blonde snorted, before reaching into his coat and pulling out a half crumpled sheet of paper.
"I am. This is my revised column," Jiyong waved airily, before leaning across the wooden surface of the desk and leering wider, "Now tell me gossip. More Daesung gossip, preferably. Are you guys serious? What's the deal? How long have you been flitting around behind my back?"

Seunghyun pinched at the bridge of his nose and let out a steady sigh, before biting into a croissant and offering an exasperated roll of his eyes in Jiyong's direction. It was like dealing with a five year old.

"You had plenty of time to grill either of us about all of this yesterday,"  Seunghyun frowned, pointedly trying to remind himself that he and Daesung weren't ACTUALLY a couple and failing miserably against the overwhelming want for that assumption to be true.
"Yes, but that wasn't on company time," Jiyong winked cheekily, and Seunghyun laughed in spite of himself. Jiyong was a little bastard.
"Daesung went home yesterday afternoon," Seunghyun offered, as he flattened out Jiyong's work and started reading over it, "So there's nothing new, and I am not going to waste my time telling you my life story when the boss is breathing so fiercely down my neck I'm starting to feel the condensation."
"Alright, alright," Jiyong huffed in defeat, "I'll leave you to work. You ARE coming over on Wednesday though, right? Please?"

The mild desperation in the last word was enough to send a pang of guilt through the elder's chest at the thought of just how many times he had bailed on lunch with Jiyong and his friends in the past. It was more than he was comfortable admitting, and that on its own should have been a sign that he'd been an for far too long now.
"I'll be there," He said softly, a small smile crossing his lips as he looked up to meet Jiyong's delighted gaze.
"Really?" The blonde grinned, all gums and enthusiasm, and Seunghyun felt his chest fill with fond nostalgia. Jiyong used to smile like that often, in happier times. He nodded, and Jiyong's smile only grew larger.
"Anything I need to bring?" He asked, as the blonde started to back out of the door, seemingly happy enough to relent for the time being.
"Just your angel," Jiyong winked, shutting the door behind him with a click.

Seunghyun smiled softly to himself for a few moments, before shaking his head and returning his attention to the paper before him.

It was nice seeing Jiyong happy.
 

By some miracle, everything was handed in in time, and Seunghyun began the drive home with heavy eyelids and a pounding ache in his skull. He'd been alternating between staring at a computer screen and staring at sheets of paper for the entire day, and his eyes were seemingly not impressed.

When he got home, he clambered into the shower, made himself a few lazy sandwiches to quell his stomach's protesting without needing to put in much effort, and slid into bed with a drawn out and probably over dramatic sigh. He didn't care. The Christmas edition of the damn magazine was done, he was clean, warm, and full of bread. Things were cosy enough that he fell asleep quickly, tugging the covers up to his ears and letting his dreams carry him to memories of deep brown eyes, blonde hair, and the electric crackle of feathers.
 

Tuesday, December 24th - Christmas Eve

Seunghyun was expecting Daesung to be there.

For whatever reason, he'd imagined he would awake to the angel making breakfast, or watching cartoons, or even staring blankly at the Christmas lights wrapped around the tree. It was Christmas Eve, and he'd assumed that Daesung would be willing to shove as much cheer down Seunghyun's throat as was possible.

What he hadn't been expected was the hollow ache he'd felt in his chest when he realised that the angel wasn't around.

He got ready for work and dragged his sorry into the building for the annual Christmas lunch and probably the breeziest day of work in the year. The Christmas edition was out and selling well, the boss was happy, Jiyong was wearing his damn reindeer antlers, and Sandara the receptionist had dragged out the karaoke machine. Free food, free booze, plenty of laughs, and still, Seunghyun felt something was missing.

He hadn't realised until midway through festivities that his something was Daesung.

Katy Perry blared through the speakers, and he thought of Daesung's voice. Every time Jiyong would shake his to whatever tune was on at the time, he'd see Daesung's smile of delight at his USB reindeer. When half of the staff broke into carols, he could only think of the bank.

It was an odd sensation, in that every time he draw those parallels, he'd be tempted to frown at the lack of Daesung's presence, and yet, he would smile instead. They were all so very... Christmassy things, and yet, they were also now good memories. Daesung memories.

Jiyong must have caught his melancholy expression and swung by with a glass of champagne, before squeezing the brunette's arm and offering a wide smile.
"You could always call him?" Jiyong offered, and Seunghyun was suddenly struck with a brainwave, excusing himself to one of the conference rooms.

He had no idea where to start, or whether it would even work, but it was worth a try, as he looked up at the ceiling and offered a soft smile.
"Daesungah, I know you might be busy, but I was hoping that by praying to you, you may hear me," He began, his voice a little louder than he'd thought it would be as it bounced off of the walls of the empty room, "I wanted you to know that I think I understand the whole Christmas cheer thing a little more. That it's what you make of it, and you've been helping me make the most out of what I had. But also, I've realised that maybe some of the best things about Christmas have been so good because I've shared them with you."

He was quiet then, closing his eyes and running a hand over the back of his head as he let out a slightly embarrassed laugh. He had no idea what he was even doing, but somehow, saying those words out loud was almost enough.

He was just about to give up and head back to the party, when a familiar rustling sound had him snapping open his eyes, only to find a softly smiling Daesung standing before him, wings ruffled and cheeks slightly pink.
"Did you mean that, Seunghyun?" The blonde asked innocently, so very full of hope, and Seunghyun let out a low chuckle, letting it rumble through his body and fingertips as he raised his hands to cradle warm cheeks in his hands. Daesung let out a shaky little breath, before placing his hands over the brunette's and nuzzling slightly into the touch.

"Every word," Seunghyun murmured, and another burst of warmth spread through his chest as the blonde shyly averted his gaze and blushed harder, smile only growing in size. He then cleared his throat slightly and his smile became almost painfully shy, as he finally brought his gaze back to Seunghyun, the brunette rubbing slow circles against the blonde's cheeks as he rest his forehead against the angel's.
"Seunghyunnie," Daesung offered pointedly, chewing on his lower lip and glancing upwards, as Seunghyun pulled backwards slightly and followed the blonde's gaze, a snort tumbling from his lips in the process.

Daesung had arched his wings up above them, and dangling from one of the main feathers on a piece of string was what was undeniably mistletoe.

He crowded forward, into the angel's space, his forehead pressed against the heated skin of the blonde's. Their breath mingled and swirled together, before he was smiling, soft and warm, and tilting Daesung's jaw, leaning down to capture plush lips between his own. There was the barest hint of sound that escaped Daesung's mouth, before Seunghyun was looping an arm around the angel's waist and pulling him closer, coaxing Daesung to part his lips and allow Seunghyun to slowly and cautiously a path inside. It was sensual, but beyond that, there was something mind boggling about the entire experience, as an array of feelings and, oddly enough, a stream of tastes that crossed through him.  

They kissed until Seunghyun's lungs hurt and Daesung's lips bruised, heat pulsing through them with aching tendrils of want and need and, dare Seunghyun say it, love. Once the brunette pulled back, however, desire was even more prominent at just how ravaged he'd made the angel appear. Dark pupils were blown wide, lips red and kiss bruised, blonde hair mussed slightly, and a plush mouth parted in shaky breaths. He had always been beautiful, but never quite like this, and Seunghyun knew there was no longer any sense in denying it.

"I think I may be in love with you," The brunette murmured, and a slow smile bloomed across Daesung's lips and overtook his eyes as he pressed hiis forehead to Seunghyun's collarbone and allowed the brunette to pull him closer into his arms, his wings extended out past him and ruffling with obvious happiness.
"I've loved you for years," the angel offered softly, and there was nothing stopping Seunghyun from leaning down and stealing another kiss.
 

Wednesday, December 25th - Christmas Day

Seunghyun was glad he came.

They'd sat down to an incredible meal, and there was laughter, wine, and the ocassional good hearted fight amongst friends. Daesung was positively radiant. After spending the night curled up on the couch watching more Christmas movies, his fingers carding through blonde locks and lips pressed against a warm temple, Seunghyun had never looked forward to Christmas Day more, and his angel was right at the core of it.

Daesung was sweet, and Youngbae and the others had taken to him immediately, welcoming him as if they'd known him for years. Although they hadn't, Daesung had, and Seunghyun couldn't stop himself from smiling as the angel was finally free and able to interact with people he'd come to consider friends long before meeting them.

They'd spoken long into the night, even after the clock had ticked over to Christmas day, and Seunghyun had asked if Daesung's ethereal status would prevent them from being together. The blonde had shaken his head, reassuring that he would only ever leave Seunghyun's side if absolutely necessary. He'd found home, he said, and Seunghyun's heart had opened even further. They would face trials, that much Seunghyun knew, but for now, everything was perfect.

"Present time!" Jiyong called from somewhere in the lounge then, dragging Seunghyun from his musings as he took Daesung's hand and led him to sit in the lounge, Jiyong plopping himself on the floor by the Christmas tree and started handing pout gifts. Everybody loved Seunghyun's presents, and Seunghyun felt an odd spot of affection at the fact that Jiyong had also bought a gift for Daesung (A Christmas t-shirt and a pair of antlers, which the angel was beyond ecstatic with and put on immediately).

Celebrations continued for some time, and Seunghyun was both surprised and delighted when Youngbae and Jiyong got caught under some mistletoe, because Daesung had seemingly been right in his observations, if Youngbae's eager actions had been any indication. The pair had disappeared not too long after that, and the remaining guests were left snickering and giggling downstairs as they wished their farewells and season greetings as they awkwardly let themselves out.

On the walk home, Daesung's fingers found Seunghyun's, and a solitary white wing brushed against and subsequently curled around the brunette's shoulder. Seunghyun stopped them then, as a handful of snowflakes began to fall from the sky, Daesung looking up in wide eyed wonder as the white powder collected on his eyelashes. He then e of those bright eyed gazes in Seunghyun's direction, and the brunette pressed a kiss to the angel's mouth, revelling in the way that Daesung's lips curled into a smile as he did so.

When they parted, their eyes met again, snow still drifting towards them from the heavens above, Seunghyun whispered a soft murmur of 'Merry Christmas, Daesung', which the angel willingly returned with another smile filled kiss.
 

A/N: Like I said, the fluff, man. So much fluff. God, this is sooooo cheesy, but it still kinda was a lot of fun to write. XD

Happy Holidays, AFF! I hope you all have an amazing time of year, regardless of what you celebrate, believe in, or do with the time given to you. You're all wonderful. <3

Feel free to comment/upvote and let me know what you think. <3
 

~Thanks for reading!~