Work Text:
Y/N POV:
“Please don’t leave me. I’m not ready for you to go” he muttered in a tone that was way to lifeless for the ethereal being next to me.
Taking his pristine soft hand into mine -- now marred by age, showing spots and wrinkles-- I shushed his worry.
“It’s my time, Hoseokie. We knew this day was coming and I’m okay with it because you gave me such a wonderful life.”
“What am I supposed to do without you?” he asked, feebly.
“You do what you’ve always done. You help people. There will always be others who need you. Help them like you helped me, Seokie.”
“Why are you so content with this? Will you not miss me at all?” he questioned.
“Of course I will miss you. I will miss you more than anything. But I have a life full of precious memories. Memories that I only have because of you”
I used my hand that wasn’t encompassed in his to wipe the stray tears falling from his eyes. He has always been so sensitive. But he was also incredibly strong of heart, especially in times when I couldn’t be. Now it’s my turn to be strong for him.
“I love you, Seokie and I love the life you gave me. The life we had together.”
“I’ll always remember you, Y/N. Always. I promise” he said, tears streaming down his face with more force now.
2nd Person POV:
He appeared before you at the lowest point in your life. Laid up in an in uncomfortable hospital bed, just 15 years old, having just woken from surgery to the news that your parents didn’t survive the car crash. A time where you blamed yourself for surviving when they didn’t. A day full of grey skies filled with heavy clouds and fog, mocking your current mood.
You were sitting on a bench in front of the hospital waiting for your aunt to arrive. The aunt who you barely knew and who you would now be living with. The urge to run away was overwhelming and you were just about to do so, picking up your bag and preparing to make a run for it when a low brontide -- the low rumble of distant thunder-- caused you to look toward the sky in search of rain clouds.
Not finding the source of the thunder above, you steeled your resolve and prepared to make a run for it. However, now in your path stood a man, no older than 22. He was so extremely delicate, light, and clearly not of this world. He was also unfamiliar, strange, and yet so incredibly marvelous. You felt no fear in the way he was staring down at you. In fact you felt calm and warm, a feeling you often felt around your late mother.
“Please don’t do it. Don’t run away” he said to you.
“W-who are you?” voice quivering, the question coming out in a stutter.
“I’m here to help. If you promise not to run away, then I promise to help you.”
You had no reason to trust this mysterious stranger, and yet you couldn’t say no to him. There was just something about him that made you want to trust him. And so you did. Even when your aunt pulled up to the curb and asked who you were talking to and realized she couldn’t see the golden haired boy standing next to you.
That night in your new room unable to sleep, Hoseok, as you came to know him revealed that he was to be your guardian angel. He was to be with you for the rest of your life, ensuring that you were always safe. You had about a million questions. You were sure you wouldn’t be able to sleep anytime soon in your new surroundings and so you asked them, all of them. Mostly because you were genuinely curious but also because even though Hoseok had just told you that he would be with you for the rest of your life, a part of you was still afraid that he would be gone when you woke up, taking his all encompassing warmth with him.
He answered all of your questions genuinely and the sound of his melodic voice eventually lolled you to sleep. You woke up under your blankets, assuming that Hoseok had tucked you in. “Hoseok!” you thought to yourself in a panic when you didn’t see him in your room. As if he could feel you thinking of him he appeared in front of you at the foot of your bed. You let out a breath you hadn’t realized you were holding.
“He was really here. It wasn’t a dream. He was still here. Still by your side.” you thought.
And by your side is where he stayed for the better part of the next seventy years. A big brother until you turned of age and a best friend for the rest of your life. Always protecting you, making you laugh, and making sure you always felt loved.
You learned that he did in fact have wings though you never directly saw them. He wasn’t allowed to show you so he had you turn around while he let them free in the sunlight, showing you the most amazing shadow of a beautiful boy with enormous wings that you had ever seen. A sight you would never forget.
Of his brute strength when cornered by a group of guys after school who clearly had nefarious purposes for following you into the alley near your home. Never had you seen him look so angry, nor had you ever seen a man fly so fast into a wall from being punched in the gut.
You also learned of his soft heart when he cried in your arms because he felt bad for hurting those boys even though he knew if he hadn’t they would have hurt you. He was always protecting you, sometimes visible to those around you and invisible when he felt the need. Appearing only with the sound of wind moving through the trees.
So many things you could learn and love about Hoseok. From his contagiously hearty laugh, to his always habitually unkempt but somehow perfect looking hair, the way he smelled like the earth after it rained, and his way of noticing the small, precise details in everything and everyone, finding the subtleties that made them unique, and the breathtaking smile that felt like you were apricating in pure sunlight whenever you were in it’s presence.
Life with Hoseok by your side was so full of joy and blessings. He was there for everything. From skinned knees, failed tests, first loves, to watching you get married, watching you raise your kids. All of it was only possible and made so much better with Hoseok next to you.
Now 85 and on your way to leaving this world, you had no regrets. You would always carry a piece of Hoseok with you. He was a part of who you were and that was why you could peacefully move on. You knew that the ever handsome still 22 year old angel sitting at your side would always be in your heart. He would always be your latibule.
Hoseok POV:
I wasn’t ready for her to leave me. She wasn’t my first charge, far from it, but she was by far the most special. I had been in this exact position with my previous charges, sitting at their bedside as they passed on, having lived their life to the fullest. But this time it was different. She was different.
From the day she was assigned as my charge I wanted to protect her. Yes it was my job to protect her but I would have done it regardless. From the moment I saw her, I knew I would never let anything bad happen to her.
At first she was like the little sister I never had who had been dealt so much pain at a young age and I wanted to shield her from ever having to feel that again.
It grew into something more for me when she started college and I watched her blossom into an amazing young woman. She became her own person. Brave, and smart and so incredibly strong. Someone who didn’t need me -- even though she often told me otherwise. I died too young to have found a love of my own in my human life. She was my first.
Of course I would never burden her with my feelings knowing that it wouldn’t be fair to her. I was immortal and she wasn’t and I was here to protect her not to prey upon her feelings. So I was okay with being her best friend and guardian for the rest of her days.
I watched her graduate, fall in love, get married, and raise a family. I watched her have the life she deserved. I watched her live her life to the fullest.
And now the day was here when she would leave this world and me behind. Today was the day she would pass on and with her passing her memories of me would all be erased. I never told her this truth. I didn’t want that to be her burden. Instead I would shoulder it on my own. I would carry her with me for the rest of my life.
Like I said she wasn’t my first charge but she was my first love. She taught me love and I wasn’t ready to let her go.
She had fallen asleep and I knew it wouldn’t be long now. Looking at her now she was still just as beautiful at 85 as she was at 15. I leaned down to kiss her cheek as I had done so many a night watching over her.
“I’ll always remember you, Y/N. Always, I promise.”