Archive of Our Own

Sunwoo has fallen.

Quite literally, at that. He would definitely prefer if it happened in the metaphorical sense, because anything, really, anything would be better than this. The drop was high enough that if Sunwoo were human, he wouldn't have survived it. The thing is, Sunwoo is far from human.

So, he's fine. Sort of. Every single part of his body aches, because even though the fall wasn't fatal, it still hurt enough to bring Sunwoo close to tears. If he still had full control over his wings, maybe he could have done something about this whole getting exiled from Heaven situation. Unfortunately, that's not the case, as he's stuck in his corporeal form from the moment he heard of his fate.

So, no wings. A human body. And the knowledge that he fell all the way down from Heaven and there's no going back.

Ouch.

He'd like to make light of the situation and say that he's tough and had been through worse, except that wouldn't really be the truth. This time, he had majorly fucked up in a way that cannot be undone. He literally just hit rock bottom. Ha.

At least his sense of humor is still intact.

He would laugh, if not for the fact that moving even a single muscle burns and he's slowly losing his grasp on reality. That, and his consciousness. Good God (whose existence remains unconfirmed even to an angel like him), Sunwoo has never even considered the possibility that he could fall, and now that he did, he has absolutely no idea what to do.

So in the end, he closes his eyes and hopes that by the time he wakes up, his body will heal enough for him to get his shit together.

The ironic thing is, all the fallen angels Sunwoo has heard about lost their wings because they've committed sin, usually a great one at that. What Sunwoo did was nowhere near that; at least, he didn't consider it as sin. He knows for a fact that Changmin didn't, either, though he didn't dare ask anyone else.

The reason behind Sunwoo's fall was simple—he befriended a human. Really, that's all there is to it. He didn't even reveal his wings to the boy in question; if that were the case, maybe then he would understand why such an innocent thing as friendship could be frowned upon so vastly. Sunwoo didn't even try to meddle with his fate. So what if he was tempted to, just a few separate times, if he didn't end up actually doing so? He genuinely didn't see anything wrong in his actions, so his Fall was, well. Unexpected, to say the least.

It hasn't even been that long since Sunwoo got promoted to an Archangel; the pair of wings that once donned his back right between his shoulder blades has grown larger, before it got joined by a second pair, somewhat smaller, located at his lower back. He'd spent a long while admiring his new set of wings, caressing and preening the feathers with gentle fingers. It was his first promotion after all, so it's no wonder how fascinated he was with both the addition, and the feathers that suddenly seemed to glow, reflecting the light in a way that surely shouldn't even be possible.

Sure, maybe his wings weren't as beautiful, or as magnificent as Sangyeon's—the one and only Virtue who ever spoke with Sunwoo despite his rank—but they were his, and that made them special in his eyes.

It's a shame that he doesn't really have them anymore.

Well, technically speaking, no angel actually loses their wings unless they're cut directly from their body, but it sure feels like Sunwoo did lose his own when he's now perpetually stuck in his corporeal form with no control over it.

He's not even sure if he's ever going to see them again. Sure, he's aware of the way changes in weather can mess with an angel's form, as the line between Heaven and Earth seems to fade whenever it just as much as rains, but Sunwoo has no idea whether that's still the case for the fallen ones or if he has lost his wings for good. He never interacted with anyone who fell, after all—to his knowledge, at least—so it's not like he has any way to check.

And now he's one of them.

How funny.

With that thought he blinks awake, though while he peers up, there's a nagging thought somewhere at the back of his mind insisting that something is off. He doesn't feel the warm sunlight tickling his skin, and what sight welcomes him isn't that of the blue sky; it's a bland, grey ceiling, with a couple glow in the dark stars glued to it.

It's a cheap replacement, and confusing enough that for a moment, all Sunwoo can do is stare blankly at it, because as far as he's aware, that's not what the night sky looks like. Even if he never witnessed it from all the way down on the surface of Earth, he won't be fooled. Not so easily.

"Oh, you're alive."

The sentence startles him, but he tries to act as if his soul hadn't almost just up and left his body. How observant of you, he wants to say, just to bite back at the sarcastic comment. One thing stops him from doing so.

That voice; Sunwoo knows it well enough to recognize it immediately. For a brief moment he wonders if the higher ups are playing some ridiculous prank on him, as this voice belongs to the sole reason he's here now. Here, as in, kicked out of Heaven here, not—whatever this place is, here.

He lifts his head with a stifled groan, because even that small movement was enough to cause a pang of pain, then huffs out, "yeah, unfortunately."

This time, when Eric speaks again, he sounds so much closer than he did before, enough so Sunwoo whips his head around to face him, just to make sure that he's actually there. Before, his voice was quieter due to the distance, but somehow he creeped up on Sunwoo without him even noticing.

Though, on a second thought, maybe it isn't such a hard thing to do when all he can focus on is the dull ache that's unfortunately still present—but at least slightly subdued now—compared to the moment before he'd lost consciousness.

"Arguable," Eric replies. The boy is standing by the other side of the couch now, as if he's trying to be mindful of Sunwoo's personal space, and he squints at Sunwoo with… something, whatever it may be, in his gaze, "it would be a shame if you died and didn't even bother taking me with you."

Sunwoo blinks, processing his words. And then he snorts. Like he always does around Eric, for some weird reason; maybe it's his human charm, or maybe Sunwoo is just ridiculously fond of him, or something.

He just didn't expect that to lead to his Fall, is all, "ah, shut up."

So, one thing he can be sure of: he's at Eric's place. Probably in the living room. For whatever reason.

He's never actually visited him before, they haven't been friends for long enough, and even if they knew each other for a longer while, Sunwoo thinks it wouldn't be a wise idea to become so close with a human. Not that Sunwoo's judgement could be trusted, apparently, considering his situation and all.

Looking on the bright side, maybe now they could get to know each other better. There aren't any higher ups that would stop him from doing so, not anymore. He would just have to get used to being on his own first, though.

If he even could get used to that.

All that he truly knows was left behind the moment he Fell, and even though he's vaguely aware of how life works on Earth, there are a lot of aspects to it that he knows will inevitably puzzle him. It would take a lot of patience and determination to try and stay on the surface instead of giving up and wandering to Hell; even if he's an angel—no, used to, emphasis on used to—Sunwoo isn't sure if he's got what it takes. He can attempt to understand this world, but will that work? Only time will tell.

For now, all he can do is sit up and meet Eric's eye, act as if everything is alright. As if his entire life hadn't been flipped upside down, changed for better… or worse. Most likely, worse.

He watches as Eric blinks slowly, the action reminiscent of a relaxed cat. Is that how Sunwoo makes him feel? Relaxed? He hopes so. There's no way to truly know apart from straight up asking, which Sunwoo definitely isn't planning to do, but at least he can hope.

"You know, I found you lying on the street right in front of my flat," Eric speaks up, gesturing somewhere behind him, probably where, behind the walls of this building, Sunwoo had apparently landed, "you're damn lucky that no car hit you, considering the hour. Anyway, what happened?"

Sunwoo's eyebrow twitches.

Of course he fell specifically where Eric would find him. Of course. If Sunwoo wasn't sure whether Fate was playing a twisted joke on him, now he knows it has to be. Because what are the chances? When Eric is, quite literally, the reason that he lost his wings, it couldn't be a coincidence. Fate doesn't work like that, and Sunwoo would know, he spoke with her more often than any angel of the lowest rank needed to—that is, before he got promoted. And kicked out, soon after.

Cursing the higher ups in his mind, Sunwoo wonders if this situation would be considered good or bad luck. He can't tell just yet, but soon he will, depending on Eric's reactions and Sunwoo's point of view.

Now, being an angel meant that, back in Heaven, Sunwoo couldn't lie. Although he had been banished, the fact that he never lied before doesn't really help in figuring out a reasonable explanation other than a deadpan yeah, so, kinda had a bad day, I got exiled from Heaven and all, you know, the usual, so what he settles on instead is being vague. It's as close to hiding the truth as he could without getting tongue tied, and it's a way of bending the rules he figured out while still up in Heaven.

...Okay, maybe he can see why he got thrown out.

"I fell."

Eric looks like him, but like, really looks; he takes his time dragging his gaze up and down Sunwoo's body, as if searching for some kind of clue about what he might be talking about, and Sunwoo thinks, this is it. Eric realized that he's not human. But maybe, just maybe, that's not a bad thing. Maybe Sunwoo could understand Earth easier if Eric knew of his origins and would steadily explain it all to him.

Yes. That actually sounds like a good plan, Sunwoo deems. He's going to come clean and reveal who—or rather, what—he really is. This is his chance.

Except Eric clicks his tongue and replies, "huh. Didn't take you for some parkour fanatic but whatever floats your boat."

Nevermind, then.

Sunwoo holds back a sigh. So, back to acting human it is. Damn, he doesn't even know what this 'parkour' thing is—he just hopes it's not something stupid, because that would be pretty embarrassing.

He clears his throat, then coughs, because he's apparently a failure and somehow he managed to choke on his own spit. In turn, Eric looks a bit concerned, his hand outstretched as if he was going to pat his back, but Sunwoo waves him off. He's okay. Kind of. His pride is a bit wounded but Eric doesn't need to know that.

Then, he gets an idea.

"Actually, I… I got kicked out."

Again, that's not exactly a lie. He did get kicked out. Not from a house, and definitely not by his nonexistent parents, but Heaven used to be as close to a home as it possibly could be to any angel, so he doesn't have to fake the hurt in his voice.

Eric's eyes widen for a moment, and Sunwoo feels a bit guilty for not being completely honest with the other, but he reasons with himself that he's already as truthful as he can in this situation.

"Is your family, uh… not very accepting?" Eric asks, taking his time to find the right words as he does so, and he sounds so gentle; the fact makes Sunwoo feel even worse. Even though he doesn't really understand what Eric means, he decides to go with it.

He's silent, but he nods, and Eric winces in sympathy, though it doesn't take long until he looks worried again, "shit, do you have a place to stay? Uh, it's okay if you don't, you can… you can stay with me, for a while. I have a flatmate—his name is Kevin—but I'm sure that he won't mind much."

Sunwoo tilts his head, taking the information in. He's never heard Eric mention said flatmate before, so Sunwoo doesn't know what to expect of him, but if Eric is friends with him then he can't be too bad.

So Sunwoo says, "that's—wow, that's very kind of you, thank you," and this is how his life down on Earth begins.

The first time Sunwoo met Eric was also the first time he stepped down on the surface of Earth.

Back then, he wasn't sure what to expect, given all the stories of the life below that Changmin and Chanhee would share with him every time they visited Earth. He's heard of different types of art, of growing society and time passing by, and even of a charming yet entirely clueless human that Changmin took under his wing—both metaphorically and literally. Unlike Changmin, Sunwoo wasn't a guardian angel, so there really wasn't a single reason for him to descend from Heaven.

Until one day Chanhee showed up at his doorway and told Sunwoo that he needed a second pair of hands for his duties.

He didn't exactly ask for Sunwoo's help, per se, because they both knew that Sunwoo wouldn't pass up an opportunity to witness the life below, so there really was no point in asking—even though Sunwoo had no idea what a Ruler could possibly need from an angel of the lowest rank.

He had a slight suspicion that Chanhee didn't necessarily need any help and this was just his way of offering Sunwoo a chance to leave Heaven for a while, but he didn't voice that thought. Just in case. If Chanhee got snippy, he could easily take it back, and that would be the last thing Sunwoo wanted to happen.

So, he agreed. A bit too fast to seem casual, but there really is no point in acting cool in front of the other after they've known each other for so long.

Unsurprisingly, the work turned out to be fairly easy. Which was good. Great, even. It meant that instead of fully focusing on the task at hand, he could look around freely, observe his surroundings and discreetly people watch.

Chanhee warned him to keep an eye out for any Hellspawns and then disappeared soon after, but so far, Sunwoo hadn't noticed even a single one, so it's cool. Maybe, if luck was on his side, Chanhee would finish his task sooner rather than later and it would all be over without any interventions from the Underworld.

It was a sunny day, not a single cloud in sight. Maybe the weather wasn't perfectly to his liking, as it was just a bit too cold, but honestly, Sunwoo was too star-struck to complain. He tipped his head back as he perched on a bench, in front of the building that Chanhee might have, possibly, headed into—it's not like Sunwoo actually witnessed him doing so, so he wasn't sure—and he held his breath for a moment, staring up at the sky.

He never even imagined it could be such a clear shade of blue. At least, up in Heaven, it wasn't.

Like this, he could still feel the weight of his wings, but that's all. He couldn't see them, couldn't move them, nor touch them. The corporeal form of angels always sounded confusing to him, and now that he wore it for the first time, it only perplexed him further.

As angels of the lower ranks tend to resemble the looks of a human (with the obvious addition of wings), the human body itself wasn't too off-putting to him. It was the remaining weight on his back, of his seemingly nonexistent wings. Why could he still feel them? Was it just an illusion? That could, technically, make sense, but Sunwoo still felt sceptical.

Maybe he wasn't paying as much attention to his surroundings as he should have, or maybe he just wasn't fit for the job that Chanhee assigned him—but when he lowered his head again, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure sitting on the opposite end of the bench.

And Sunwoo's blood ran cold.

How didn't he notice anyone joining him?

"The sky looks really pretty today."

It took him a moment to realize that one, the words belonged to the stranger, and two, they were directed at him, specifically. At Sunwoo. Even though they didn't even know each other, the stranger made an attempt at conversation with Sunwoo, an angel, of all people. Now, this certainly wasn't something that Sunwoo expected to happen today.

Unsure what to think, he turned to face the other.

At first glance, Sunwoo almost mistook him for a demon. In his defence, how could he not? The sole reason he was even there was so he would look out for them, and keep them as far away from Chanhee's business as possible. Most people passed him by without looking back, and if they did notice him, they seemed too embarrassed to meet his gaze again. Probably due to some weird ethereal intimidation, or something.

So it's not really his fault that his first thought was that of alarm, that is, before he did a double take, taking in the stranger's curious eyes, the small smile—the proximity, even. No demon would sit this close to Sunwoo, at least, not if they were aware of his status.

Yet this boy didn't seem scared, nor offended by his presence; instead, he looked interested in whatever Sunwoo had to say, and that's when he realized he was taking too long to reply.

No human has ever made Sunwoo flustered before.

Not that he met a single one before, but, the point still stands.

Glancing momentarily up, he nodded, fumbling for a nice—and, good Lord, hopefully not suspicious—response, "it… really is," the sky was clear, still the same shade of blue that Sunwoo never really got to witness up in Heaven, so he added in, albeit slightly awkwardly, "the weather is a bit fascinating today."

As it turned out, maybe it's kind of a weird thing to say, because the stranger stared blankly at him for a moment, before huffing out a laugh. Sunwoo really didn't get what about his statement could be so amusing, so he waited, silent, for the other to speak up again.

"You're funny," and the thing is, usually Sunwoo would agree. He would like to think he's the comedian of his friend group.

But then again, in this case he was probably just as confused by the boy's reaction as the boy was… by his choice of words, probably? Either way, the stranger's smile reached his lips, and the sight made Sunwoo feel some type of satisfaction. For whatever reason. He couldn't dwell on it too much, though, because the human continued, "you must find a lot of things fascinating, huh? That's cool. It's good to have a positive mindset," with that, he paused, glancing down at his hand before extending it to Sunwoo, who peered at it curiously, "my name's Eric. And yours is…?"

It's probably by luck that Sunwoo remembered the few things he's heard of human beings and their habits, because the last thing he'd want in this situation to come off as rude. Instead, he took Eric's hand, shaking it lightly before replying, "Sunwoo. It's nice to meet you."

Eric's smile seemed to widen, "likewise."

And just like that, silence fell over them again.

Sunwoo had no idea what he was supposed to do. Would it be socially acceptable for him to simply let the conversation die like this? Should he try to keep it going instead? But he really didn't know enough about the life below to do so. What if he said the wrong thing and the other would realize that Sunwoo isn't, actually, even the slightest bit human?

Sunwoo shivered. Even though he wasn't sure what kind of punishment he'd get for revealing his identity, he had enough common sense not to test it. The last thing he wanted to happen was to get exiled before he even received his first promotion.

(In hindsight, maybe the promotion wasn't all that important. It's not like it actually matters after one's Fall.)

Despite his best attempts at ignoring Eric in the kindest way possible, the human decided to speak up anyway.

"So. What are you doing here, Sunwoo? Do you work there?" with that, he pointed towards the skyscraper they were sitting in front of. Honestly speaking, Sunwoo didn't even realize until then that it must have been some sort of a company building—what business Chanhee could've had inside, he had absolutely no clue. Before he could reply, though, Eric added, with a smile that looked slightly mischievous, despite his warm gaze, "more importantly, do you come here often?"

Sunwoo was pretty sure he had missed some social clue here, though for the life of him, he couldn't tell what it may have been.

He squinted.

He couldn't reply that he did, considering the fact that it was literally the first time he'd ever stepped on the surface—but being completely honest was out of the question, too. Man, he really has no idea how the ethereal ones working down on Earth had the energy for this kind of thing.

"No, I'm just waiting for a friend," he stated carefully, and, well, technically he was. On one hand, oh Lord, he really hoped that Chanhee would come back soon, because speaking with a human made him nervous, and he was worried that this, in turn, would make him break character—but on the other hand, Eric seemed… friendly. Cool, maybe, for a human. If Sunwoo wasn't so scared, he thought he wouldn't mind spending some more time with Eric.

"Oh, I'm meeting up with a friend too," his eyes lit up as he said so—it's a cute sight—and for a moment Sunwoo wondered if Eric was truly as mortal as he seemed. But no, he was positive that the person sitting next to him was entirely human, "actually, Juyeon should be here soon—you know what, I think you two would get along."

Taken aback, Sunwoo only blinked back at him at first. The human didn't even know him, so he could only guess what Eric was basing his assumption on. Thinking back on their interactions so far, he couldn't pinpoint a single thing he's done that could, possibly, leave such a strong impression on Eric.

But hey, it's not like he was an expert on human behavior, so maybe his intuition wasn't exactly reliable.

"Oh, really?" he ended up saying, careful.

Eric's eyes scrunched up as he smiled. It resulted in a glint, something not unlike glitter or gold sprinkled on his eyelids, Sunwoo noted. At the time, he wasn't aware of what makeup was, or anything similar to it for that matter, so he could only continue to stare in amazement.

"Yeah!" Eric chirped, and Sunwoo desperately tried to focus on his words instead of the eyeshadow, "you two have a… similar vibe."

The words made Sunwoo pause. Similar vibe… with an angel, huh. He wasn't sure whether he should consider that fact interesting or straight up suspicious.

Or maybe it was just a coincidence.

Yeah, it was probably just that.

Before he could form a response, from the corner of his eye, he noticed Chanhee exiting the building—still in his corporeal form it seemed, pink hair appearing even lighter in the sunlight, his face twisting into a scowl the moment he saw Sunwoo interacting with a human.

In his defense, it wasn't his idea. The human walked up to him first, Sunwoo had nothing to do with that. Leaving the stranger would have probably been even more suspicious than trying to keep up with him, so, Sunwoo made a face right back at Chanhee, hoping to convey that thought with his frown alone.

In response, Chanhee only picked up his pace as he made his way over, and Sunwoo almost missed Eric's amused glance, too busy trying to look casual—and not like his friend slash higher ranked angel wasn't heavily contemplating kicking his ass even in front of a human. Scratch that, Sunwoo was convinced that Chanhee would actually try to do it if only that action wouldn't guarantee him a punishment of his own, in turn.

"Is that your friend?" Eric prompted, and Sunwoo could feel his shoulders inching upwards, getting ready to defend himself.

"Yeah," he bites back a snarky comment about Chanhee, knowing full well that the other would hear him from such distance—and would inevitably try to choke him, Heaven rules be damned.

Prying his eyes from Chanhee's approaching figure, he turns to glance at Eric for the last time.

(If only Sunwoo knew.)

"Ah, that's a shame. You won't get to meet Juyeon, then," the boy said, pursing his lips. If Sunwoo didn't know better, he'd think that Eric was pouting, "anyway, it really was nice to meet you. I hope we'll see each other again."

With that, Eric smiled once more, the sight punching the air out from Sunwoo's lungs. Dumbfounded, Sunwoo could only say, "me too."

Even though he was sure that was going to be their first and last meeting.

It's not like he could have said so, though, so he only mirrored Eric's wave before standing up and jogging to meet Chanhee halfway. Surprisingly, the Ruler didn't berate him for acting foolishly—casually speaking with a human, really? Sunwoo had exactly one job—but his silence was more confusing than anything he could have said.

Despite the teasing remark that Chanhee eventually greeted him with right before they returned to Heaven, for some reason, the emotion clearly reflected in his eyes was pity.

Sunwoo meets Kevin.

Though it was obvious that they would run into each other at one point, given the fact that they now live in the same house, Sunwoo still ends up surprised when he wakes up on the couch and the first thing he sees is a stranger peering curiously down at him.

Sleep—now, that's a part of human life that he never got to experience before his Fall. Angels simply don't need to sleep, nor do they pass out, unless they're in the corporeal form—probably working as a better disguise, he guesses—so of course the whole losing-consciousness thing leaves him a bit confused at first.

His neck hurts from the awkward angle and he's still a bit groggy from sleep but the most perplexing thing is seeing a stranger's face directly above his.

It's a good thing he doesn't yell, because he really, really fucking wants to. So what if he gets scared easily? Heaven is, mostly, far from being a spooky place, so he just isn't used to getting frightened.

Even if it feels like his entire being almost left this plane of existence, he does not scream. He doesn't.

Or maybe, just maybe, he did, going by the way Kevin winces, leaning back to give him some space, like he didn't even realize just how close they were in the first place. Honestly, Sunwoo prays for the human's earbuds. He's got no idea what their sound limit is and he dearly hopes that he didn't just surpass it. It wouldn't be too nice of a first impression, after all.

Though it's probably already bad. Sunwoo did scream right in his face. Oh man.

"Sorry," Kevin says almost immediately, rubbing the back of his neck, "didn't mean to startle you."

"It's alright," is all that Sunwoo replies with, too busy trying to stifle his fight or flight response. Yelling was already a bit inconvenient, but straight up decking Kevin would be even worse, so he tries his best to calm down and huffs out an exhale that's sharp enough to probably sound annoyed.

He's not, by the way, annoyed—okay, maybe slightly, but that's just his stupid lizard brain speaking—so he lifts a hand to signal that he's okay and hopes the other will get the message.

He does.

Kevin's shoulders visibly relax, and he takes a seat on the armchair facing the couch, and, by extension, Sunwoo. The man doesn't even sit in a particularly proper way, but there's something about him that intimidates Sunwoo. Which, technically, should be the other way around, given the fact that Kevin is very much human and Sunwoo is definitely far from that—but, well, it's him that ends up overly conscious of the fact that he's still lying on the couch so he sits up while avoiding the other's gaze.

It's not even like Kevin is trying to intimidate him. The way he's staring at Sunwoo is purely curious, nothing else than that, and yet Sunwoo feels like he's facing a Heaven superior again, waiting for them to decide his fate.

Okay, maybe the human isn't that scary, but Sunwoo is aware that even though Eric lives here, this place also kind of belongs to Kevin, so if he gets on the other's bad side, he'll probably end up kicked out. Again.

What's with Sunwoo and getting banished all the time? He's not even a demon. This makes no sense.

"You're Sunwoo, right?" once more, Kevin speaks up first. And Sunwoo is glad for that, honestly, he doesn't really know what he would say otherwise.

So he nods, and after a second he asks, just to be completely sure, "and you're Kevin? The flatmate?"

Something about his question must amuse the other, as Kevin clearly tries to muffle a snicker (it doesn't work) before he replies, "you've got that right," then, as an afterthought he adds, "Eric talks about you a lot. I can't believe I finally got to meet a cryptid."

The remark flies right over Sunwoo's head because he's still trying to process the first sentence—besides, it's not like he'd understand what Kevin was referring to anyway. He blinks, mind replaying the same words again and again. Eric talks about him? Is Sunwoo even interesting enough for that?

Oh, God. Eric talks about him. Why is that fact making him feel so flustered? They're friends, right? Friends talk about each other sometimes. It's completely normal. So why is Sunwoo feeling this way?

All he manages to reply with is a (nervous) chuckle. Man. For an extrovert, he can get really shy sometimes.

Fortunately, Kevin carries most of the conversation at first, and soon enough, Eric walks into the living room, looking the exact opposite of Kevin's composed state—Sunwoo briefly wonders if he's had a rough night, or if he's just not a morning person to begin with—and it gets easier from then on. Kevin makes breakfast, makes sure to introduce himself more thoroughly for Sunwoo's sake, and Sunwoo makes mental notes about the other.

One, he's supposedly older than Eric and Sunwoo themselves. It's not like Sunwoo could have told them his actual age, if he was even aware of it (one simply stops counting after long enough) so he'd blurted out the first thing that came to mind—which, as it turns out, was the same age as Eric. He could work with that.

Two, Kevin is apparently a decent cook. That's good, because Sunwoo has never even seen the thing they called a 'stove' before, so he's reluctant to even attempt to make food. Angels don't even need to eat anything, anyway.

Stupid corporeal form and stupid human urges. If only Sunwoo could turn back, he would never need to learn how to use it, ever. Even like this, he refuses to do so.

Three, he's in a relationship. Neither Kevin nor Eric explain it any further, which, admittedly, makes Sunwoo extremely curious about the mystery partner, but he lets it go. If they deem it important information to tell him, they will. Eventually.

The list goes on. He remembers Kevin talking about something called digital design (which, Sunwoo has no clue what it may be, but he made sure to sound impressed anyway) and some internship or something, he isn't even positive he'd heard that right. Unfortunately, these are Big Words that Sunwoo hears for the first time in his entire life so it's not that surprising that he ends up zoning out a bit when the conversation stirs into territory that he doesn't understand in the slightest.

At least, neither of them ask him any questions. Maybe they're trying to give him some space. Even if that's not what they're doing, Sunwoo feels thankful regardless—he doesn't need to make up anything and hope that they'll believe him, so. That's a plus. If he doesn't have to think too much, that's good. Great, even. He's been overthinking too much lately, so a break is nice.

After breakfast, he's reminded that unlike him, who's basically jobless now, the other two both have lives of their own and possibly studies or jobs, so even though Kevin has to leave early, Eric would have to eventually do as well. Sunwoo will have to ask them for their schedules, or something. He's not sure how that works if he's being honest—angel ranks are far different from human jobs, after all.

Before Kevin leaves, he catches Sunwoo alone, making sure that Eric isn't around so they have some privacy before saying, "for the record, I'm not sure if you wanted me to know, but Eric told me the reason why you're staying here for now, and—I just wanted to say, I'm sorry that you had to go through that, man. And, um, if you need anything else, just… let me know, okay? I know that you don't know me well and for now I'm just the flatmate to you, but, you're Eric's friend and—I mean, we have to stick together, yeah?"

Sunwoo has a feeling he gets what Kevin may be referring to towards the end, though he's not completely sure. Either way, he agrees, and Kevin smiles, even pats his shoulder comfortingly right before exiting.

Instead of one human friend, now he's got two. That's a good start, Sunwoo deems.

The second time Sunwoo met Eric was by accident, he swears.

Well, at least it was on his part. Knowing Fate, he's pretty sure she may have meddled in, but that doesn't change the fact that the event wasn't planned by him.

This time, it wasn't Chanhee that dragged him below in guise of heavenly work. After their last mission together, Sunwoo got the feeling that Chanhee actually tried his best to prevent him from going back, for a reason completely unknown to him.

He still vividly remembered the pity in his eyes, and he spotted it again when they met up with Changmin and Sunwoo excitedly shared his first experience of the Earth's surface.

So perhaps Chanhee knew something. Or maybe he just thought he did. The Ruler couldn't predict the future like Fate did, but he was awfully observant, so Sunwoo has learned to trust Chanhee's intuition. It's a shame that for the first time, Chanhee chose to keep it a secret from him—this, whatever it was that he was scared would happen.

(Thinking back, present Sunwoo finds it kind of ironic. Surely, what Chanhee's intuition was telling him couldn't have been worse than the upcoming reality of Sunwoo getting exiled.)

It was Sangyeon, actually, who ran into him by chance and decided on the spot that Sunwoo was perfect for the kind of job he had in mind. At the time, Sunwoo could only gape at the Virtue, but soon enough he found himself sent off with the only explanation being blend in and make sure the demons behave nicely. Which was, well, not very comforting—quite the opposite! Sunwoo was pretty sure this night would turn out to be his end.

The logic behind Sunwoo being a 'perfect fit' was questionable as well. As most angels of the lowest rank are Guardians, only few don't get assigned a human to care for—and Sunwoo was a great example for the latter, though not the only one. He knew of so many low rank angels that would have done a better job at this than Sunwoo, some aspiring to become one of the Powers or those who had more experience down on Earth.

Honestly, Sunwoo had a hunch that the only reason Sangyeon chose him was because he happened to be in the right place at the right time. By that, he means literally in Sangyeon's way what the fuck he could have gotten tackled into the flattest and most unrecognizable angel pancake anyone has ever seen and—

Yeah. You get the point.

The higher ranked the angel is, the more terrifying he becomes in Sunwoo's book. So obviously he listened without a single objection.

And that's how he ended up dressed up in some probably fancy suit (at least, he thought so. He didn't know enough about human fashion trends to tell) at a definitely not as fancy club that absolutely reeked of Hellspawns to the point that he had to hold himself back from pinching his nose closed.

Well, okay, the mission didn't necessarily start at the club. The place Sunwoo found himself in at first seemed almost obscenely rich, hence the suit, and it didn't take him long to figure out what was going on. Even though he couldn't pinpoint what type of event it was, he did know that it was influenced by demons, and Sunwoo was here to make sure it wouldn't get out of hand.

He did his best at acting naturally, as if the Hellspawns wouldn't be able to smell a heavenly being just as easily as he could identify them; but the crowd helped. Even if they were aware of his presence, they couldn't pinpoint him in between so many people, so that part of Sangyeon's plan—that is, blending in—wasn't that hard. The problem was, if any of them actually tried to wreak havoc, Sunwoo had no idea how to stop them. He just hoped that none of them would realize that the angel among them was all bark and no bite.

It was only by good luck that the entire time he was there nothing bad happened.

He did whiff out a group of demons leaving early though, so, naturally, he tailed after them—just to make sure they wouldn't try anything funny on unsuspecting people. Just like angels, demons don't need to feed on food or drinks while in their real form; but the moment they become corporeal, hunger and thirst follows.

Based on the demons' uneven step pattern, alcohol worked on them just as well, too. It made Sunwoo's job easier, honestly speaking. Even though he had sipped on a glass of what he supposed must have been wine in order to blend in, it was probably nothing compared to what the group had consumed. They're lucky they don't have to worry about alcohol poisoning, he thinks—not exactly bitter, but getting there.

Either way, it would have been easier to fight an intoxicated swarm of Hellspawns rather than a sober one. If it were necessary, that is.

What he didn't expect was for them to enter a club. But then, maybe it was obvious. Maybe it's simpler to find willing prey at a place like this.

Regardless, after only a moment of hesitation, he entered after them—hopefully at a distance that wouldn't make him appear suspicious.

As his gaze bounced off the crowd in order to find the demons again, something else caught his attention. Something, or rather—someone. Someone, who caught his stare, whose eyes lit in recognition before he waved wildly at Sunwoo in greeting, and Sunwoo? He found himself unable to look away.

Sunwoo is an angel, an ethereal being; Eric's painfully short life, his entire existence is almost nothing compared to Sunwoo's own. Yet out of the two of them, it's Eric, a human, that seems to have some kind of power over him; because, before he even knew it, he was already making his way towards the boy, pushing through the crowd with apologetic nods and sounds that didn't exactly form into words. He was too distracted to even do so.

When he finally ended up standing next to Eric, it felt like a dream—which means a lot, given the fact that Sunwoo has never slept before, much less dreamed about anything. But there were no other words that would describe the sight of the human in front of him, the—much bolder than last time—glittery makeup on his eyelids reflecting the lights of the club in such a way that Sunwoo found himself nothing short of enthralled.

"Hey," was all he could bring himself to say, almost breathless. At the time he didn't understand what the human made him feel, but maybe that's just Eric's own, special kind of charm.

Instead of a greeting, Eric leaned closer to easily be overheard by Sunwoo before complaining, "you're late."

Despite the words, there was a smile on his lips. Sunwoo had no idea what Eric may have been referring to, so he blinked, then very eloquently replied, "huh?"

Eric laughed; they didn't know each other well just yet, but at this point, Sunwoo was starting to think that Eric finding him questionably amusing would be a part of their usual interactions.

"Juyeon just left," Eric elaborated; as if that was an explanation enough, "I told you you two would get along well, right? But you just missed the chance to meet him. A shame."

"That way I got to meet you, though," he said without much thought. Mind somewhere else entirely, he didn't get to see the other's reaction to his words.

Recalling their first encounter, he realized that Eric was right; he did mention a Juyeon before. Though it's weird, as Sunwoo hadn't noticed anyone leaving the building as he'd entered—wait. The Hellspawns.

Standing straighter, he tried to search for the flock of demons in question. His height made the task easier, and yet, despite the Neathly smell filling the club, he couldn't spot even a single one of them—but considering the fact that no great chaos was unfurling, then maybe Sunwoo didn't have to worry too much.

Another chuckle filled the space between them.

"Juyeon may be tall, but I don't think you're going to spot him here if he already left the building."

The comment served as a reminder that despite his mission, he wasn't alone anymore, and should, probably, at least try to keep up the conversation. If he wanted to keep up appearances, of course. No ulterior motives.

Turning to face Eric again, he sent the other an apologetic smile, blissfully unaware of the way the human froze for a moment too long for it to not be important. Distracted. He was so distracted. Whether it was by his mission, or Eric himself; Sunwoo had no idea.

"Not that you don't look great in this suit," Sunwoo couldn't help but feel his face burn, once again focusing on one part instead of the entire sentence, "but if you don't mind me asking, why are you wearing one here? That's kind of, um. Isn't that inconvenient?"

With that, Eric gestured vaguely towards him, and he squirmed under the human's gaze. He didn't even think of changing his clothes—all he knew was that he had to follow the Hellspawns, and now? So much for blending in, all thanks to the stupid fancy suit. At least it gained him a compliment. If it could be counted as one.

He was aware that he was the only one inside in such an outfit—not to say that no one else wasn't dressed up, obviously, but it was a different kind of 'dressed up'. Sunwoo saw crop tops, ripped pants and fishnet stockings; a far cry from something so formal. Eric was no exception, and that made it even harder for Sunwoo to focus. He's never even seen anything like what Eric was wearing—a combination of shorts and half of a skirt, it seemed. Briefly, Sunwoo wondered if it was comfortable to wear. If it is, he might just try it out himself one day.

"It's for the aesthetic," he ended up replying, earning himself yet another chuckle from the human. Smooth. Perhaps he was getting better at coming up with excuses.

The other considered the words for a moment, settling on, "you do look aesthetically pleasing," which may be a tad more complicated way of saying that someone looks pretty, but Sunwoo would take that over any other compliment—simply because it came from Eric.

It's weird. He couldn't even pinpoint a single thing about the other that intrigued him so much. Maybe it wasn't just a detail, maybe it was his entire self that came off as so interesting.

Or maybe it was because Sunwoo never had a human friend before.

But that night, despite not being a Guardian, he decided then and there that he would take Eric under his wing.

It's the fourth day since Sunwoo crashed right in front of Eric's flat, the fourth day since he decided to live on the surface of Earth instead of heading to the Neath; a Saturday, to be exact. The weekend, something that Sunwoo has learned to be a break from work or studies for a certain amount of people, Eric and Kevin included. Two whole days to do whatever they want to do. Sunwoo finds the concept of it pretty nice.

Kevin leaves the moment the clock strikes noon; for a date he'd explained. With his boyfriend, as Eric put it.

Sunwoo had only blinked at that moment, confused why he'd uttered the word in such a way, why the two stared at him, as if waiting for some reaction. He ended up just saying, "cool. What's his name?" and for some reason the other two visibly relaxed. Maybe Kevin's boyfriend was a touchy subject. It could have been, for all that Sunwoo knew.

As it turns out, the mystery partner is called Jacob, though the duo still seemed reluctant to tell Sunwoo more about him. Even after Kevin left, the name Jacob is still repeating in Sunwoo's mind. There could be many reasons why they're hiding something from him—something about Jacob, his identity, maybe. It could be many things, yet Sunwoo immediately thinks of heavenly smiles and numerous wings; though it only takes a moment until his thoughts stray into a more dangerous territory, imagining horns instead of feathers.

It couldn't be, though. There's no way Kevin or Eric would know of their existence, not when they took Sunwoo for a human when he couldn't make it any more obvious that he was, well, far from that.

So he forces himself to stop overthinking it and easily agrees when Eric offers to have a movie night.

Now, here's the thing. There's no such thing as a TV or computers or even movies up in Heaven, so no matter what Eric would choose to watch, Sunwoo would have no way of knowing what it's about anyway, so. He lets Eric pick what he wants, assuring him that he really doesn't mind. Really.

What matters to him is that they're spending time together, bonding over a movie. That, and wine, apparently. As it turns out, neither of them actually like wine all that much but this one is strawberry flavored so it tastes just fine.

And the movie itself isn't too bad either. It's not exactly the type of thing that Sunwoo would willingly watch on his own, but Eric seems to find his endless comments funny, and he counts that as a win.

So it's all fun and games until the pick-up line gets used by one of the characters and Sunwoo can't hide the way he groans.

"You know," he says, immediately catching Eric's attention. They're sitting on the same couch that Sunwoo has crashed the last few nights on, sitting close enough for them both to comfortably watch said movie from the laptop lying on Eric's lap.

Maybe it's the wine that loosens his tongue, or maybe he's just feeling a bit sentimental tonight, because he doesn't even consider the consequences his words may bring when he speaks.

"It's funny how people like to joke about it all the time, they even made a pick-up line about it," with that, he gestures vaguely towards the laptop and Eric nods for him to go on. For some reason, he feels slightly flustered, and so Sunwoo doesn't meet Eric's eyes as he lowers his glass, placing it on the table just an arm's reach away. The remaining wine inside sloshes around with the motion, but fortunately doesn't spill, "but… it did. It did hurt, when I fell from Heaven."

It's the closest thing to admitting he's not human that he's said before. Time seems to stop—or maybe it's just the movie, preceded by the flick of Eric's hand.

Then, the words sink in, and Eric stils next to him, but whatever reaction Sunwoo expected, it doesn't come. Instead, the human snorts, "you? From Heaven? Sure," he pauses, turning to face the other; he takes his time sizing Sunwoo up, then adds, lips brushing against the edge of his wine glass as he speaks, "and I crawled my way up from Hell. It's awfully hot down there. Not very convenient, wouldn't recommend it."

Sunwoo barely stops himself from rolling his eyes, manages to mask it with a scoff, "as if you could ever be a demon."

He ignores the responding whine—Eric doesn't even really try to defend himself. At least he's self-aware.

The movie starts playing again; Sunwoo can't really focus on it, not while he's still thinking about Eric's previous words. Of course a human would say something as ridiculous as this.

The entire idea that Hell is scorching hot—he'd never understand how people even came up with it. How could they get it so wrong? It's damn freezing out there. Sunwoo would know, he even visited a few times. For work-related purposes, of course, not that he'd ever befriend a demon.

So what if he's on a first-name basis with a couple of these fiends? That's only because Sunwoo never bothered to correct them, nothing more than that.

Sunwoo shakes his head. No, that's not right. He doesn't have to be in denial anymore, he's nothing more than a fallen angel now. He's lost the privilege to enter Heaven ever again, so the Neath might just as well be his next home, after he grows tired of staying on the surface. If he grows tired of it.

He can't imagine growing tired of being with Eric. His funny, charming, sadly human friend, Eric.

Although he's aware that this friendship won't last forever, he's happy for having what he has now. Even though Sunwoo has the entire infinity before him, Eric hasn't been granted unlimited life. He doesn't have forever like Sunwoo does.

It's a happy evening, slowly blending into the night, as they continue watching the romantic comedy on Eric's laptop which has seen better days, yet all that Sunwoo suddenly can think about is just how much he's going to miss Eric.

Sunwoo never had to worry about such things before.

Back in Heaven, his best (and only) friends used to be Changmin and Chanhee. As all three of them are angels, their lifespans overlay; spending forever with each other was basically a given, so there really was no point in pondering about it.

Until Sunwoo Fell.

Their friendship was supposed to last an entire infinity, yet it was cut short by something irreversible. As Sunwoo lies on the beaten up couch at night, he lets himself wonder; what do they think of him now?

On one hand, he knows how much he cared for them, and how much the two cared for him as well; he wants to believe that his banishment didn't change their opinion of him, that at least the memories of their times together remained happy instead of bitter. But on the other hand, Sunwoo is scared.

He's scared that they're disgusted by him now. He's scared of ever seeing them again, just to notice hatred in their eyes.

If they'll ever get to meet again, that is.

Even that, Sunwoo isn't sure is possible. He could only hope.

Getting exiled left him confused, lost on the surface of Earth; despite Eric's—and by extension, Kevin's—warm welcome, this world is still foreign to him. Who knows, it might even take him years to truly get used to life below.

All that, on his own. Surrounded by people that he doesn't actually belong to—it's a scary thought. He never pondered much about the fallen ones, not before his own Fall, but now that he's one of them, he can't help but feel sorry for every single one: for all the confusion they must have gone through before finally finding their own place.

It takes Sunwoo a whole week of living on Earth before he realizes just how afraid he truly feels. He'd never cried before, never felt so many emotions at once, either, but before he even realizes it, he's lying in the dark of the flat that he should have no right to live in, trying to muffle any sob that spills. He can't even bring himself to feel intrigued by the fact that tears apparently taste salty, something he would have never even imagine.

And it's tiring, he finds out. Crying is exhausting. Logically, he thinks it shouldn't be, yet by the moment he stops, his head starts to hurt and he finds that he can't spend the rest of the night alone, so he ventures out and knocks on the door of Eric's bedroom. Quiet, partly hoping that it won't wake Eric up, as it would make him feel guilty—but he knows he needs the comfort right now, so when he heard the muffled, puzzled hum from inside, he opens the door and peeks in.

"Can I sleep here?" he asks, voice a bit strained, then thinks how pathetic he must look, standing in the doorway of Eric's bed like a little kid would after having a nightmare.

Eric doesn't seem to share his opinion, though. He leans up on the bed, squinting at Sunwoo's face, "were you crying?" he mumbles before clearing his throat, and he sounds so genuinely concerned that it throws Sunwoo off for a moment. Fortunately, Eric lets it go when he doesn't answer. Instead, the boy shuffles back, making some space on the bed that he pats lightly, "come here."

And what else could he do but listen? Obviously, Sunwoo does as he's told, no questions asked.

It doesn't even matter if Eric invited him to sleep on the bed out of pity, or if he was actually trying to comfort him, he deems.

What matters right now is that he can feel the warmth of Eric beside him, the human hesitating before reaching out and playing with Sunwoo's hair—it's surprising, how calming a simple gesture like that can be. It's enough for Sunwoo to melt into the pillows, distracted by the feeling of Eric's fingers running through his hair, and he only gets to murmur a vague thanks before he drifts off.

He isn't sure if it really happens or if he's already dreaming, but he hears the responding whisper of, "you're welcome."

(They don't talk about it. Neither in the morning, nor the next time he wanders into Eric's bedroom, too fidgety to spend the entire night alone. At one point, even, it's Eric that drags him out of the living room with the excuse of nightmares—and this, this entire thing they have going on is the sort of intimacy that Sunwoo has never experienced before.

When one simply doesn't ever sleep, the thought of trusting someone enough to rest in their presence doesn't even come to mind—so it's no wonder that this… this feels special to him. Precious.

Even though they don't really talk about it; maybe they don't need to.)

The day Sunwoo meets the local cryptid—that is, the so-called Juyeon, whose actual existence he has slowly began to question—Eric can't even contain his excitement.

"Juyeon's coming over today," he'd announced that morning, tugging at Sunwoo's hand, ironically way happier about this entire situation than Sunwoo himself—and he's the one that Eric wants to introduce to a friend, not the other way around, so it's both amusing and maybe somewhat cute to watch.

Sunwoo had eyed the party hat on top of Eric's head (the boy was convinced this called for a celebration, as if this was something utterly important and not just… two of his friends getting to know each other) and, unable to hold himself back, he had tugged at the string lightly, letting it slide out of his grip and snap at Eric's chin. The responding whine was truly hilarious, in Sunwoo's opinion.

Eric thought better of wearing the hat after that.

Sunwoo has to admit though, he's intrigued. If the other is this happy to have his two friends finally meet, then Juyeon must be really important to him.

At one point, Sunwoo even lets himself wonder if he's Juyeon level important to him, too.

The day seems to pass strangely quickly after that.

They end up baking muffins. Well, it's mostly Kevin doing all the work and both Eric and Sunwoo hovering around, heavily tempted to steal some batter.

Fortunately, they don't, though it's not because they're smart enough not to, but due to Kevin stopping them in time. Sunwoo's fingers sting for the next five minutes, but at least Kevin starts playing some music to distract them—Sunwoo doesn't recognize the artist (though, let's be honest, it's not like he'd recognize any, coming from Heaven and all), unlike Eric, who mouths the lyrics when he thinks neither of them are looking. It's kind of… adorable.

Watching as Kevin shimmies in front of the oven, Sunwoo thinks, baking seems quite fun, if one knows what they're doing. Though he wouldn't attempt it alone, just in case.

By the time the muffins are done, Eric tries to wipe the flour off his hands—Sunwoo doesn't even know when he managed to get so dirty when he wasn't even helping—before he gives up, shuffling up to the sink and sticking his palms under the water. It's cold, Sunwoo assumes, going by the way the boy shudders and quickly turns the handle the other way. He isn't even sure why, but Eric reminds him of a startled cat at that moment.

While still washing his hands, Eric speaks up; though he doesn't actually look at Sunwoo. He's pretty sure that Eric isn't even looking at anything in particular, zoning out with a small smile, "you know, Juyeon has been really busy lately, so I haven't seen him in a while—it happens sometimes, like, there are times that we don't get to see each other for weeks, even months at a time. I guess that's why whenever we do meet up, it feels a bit special, something worthy of a party, you get what I mean?"

Sunwoo doesn't. He nods anyway.

Even though Eric isn't facing him, he must see it from the corner of his eye, because he goes on, his smile stretching into a full grin, "but now you'll get to meet him, too. Isn't that cool?"

"Yeah," Sunwoo replies at the same time as Eric turns off the tap. If he makes you happy, he thinks but doesn't dare say, then I'm happy, too.

Then Eric flicks his hands at Sunwoo, spraying the remaining water on his face and the sappy thoughts flit away. He yelps, then scowls at Eric, who doesn't even try to hide his laugh. Sunwoo's vaguely aware of Kevin's gaze on them, but he can't tell whether he's exasperated or amused by their antics.

"If you two haven't forgotten my presence yet," Kevin starts, and they both turn to face him (Sunwoo, feeling confused by what the other may be talking about, while Eric seems… flustered? Perhaps? For a reason unknown to Sunwoo), Kevin gestures towards the muffin tray currently cooling on the wooden counter, "here's your reminder to wait for your guest before you heathens try to devour these. I'm looking at you, Sunwoo."

Called out, Sunwoo retracts his hand from where it was inching closer towards the muffins.

Food, he had deemed long ago, may be a human invention but it can taste heavenly. The angels up there are missing out.

After that, it doesn't take long until the doorbell rings; only half an hour passes, give or take a few minutes. Eric springs up, and Sunwoo follows after him towards the front door; Kevin, on the other hand, seems content to stay in the living room. Either that or he doesn't feel like getting up. Honestly, Sunwoo has a suspicion that he could be dozing off, but Kevin spends a lot of time outside the flat (more than Eric, that is. Sunwoo has no one else to compare, really) so he thinks it's better to let him catch that twenty minute nap instead of waking him up so soon.

Something is off, though.

The moment Eric opens the door, Sunwoo's hit with a smell that he can't quite place.

Maybe it's because it blends with the scent of freshly baked muffins, that throws him off—but it's vaguely familiar, and he's pretty sure he's felt it before. He just can't tell where.

It's not even a bad smell, per se, it's just… off-putting, somehow.

Sunwoo's eyebrows furrow, though his train of thought is interrupted by Eric's cheerful greeting, followed by a quieter, but just as happy, "hey."

Whatever the guest was going to say next gets cut off by a confused wheeze as Eric immediately pulls him inside. Even though Sunwoo's still a bit wary, he can't stop himself from huffing out a snicker. The sight of Eric dragging inside a man who's tall enough to easily tower over him is, well, a bit comical.

To be fair, Juyeon recovers pretty quickly. He joins in with a chuckle of his own, says something along the lines of it's been a while, and Eric's reply doesn't quite reach Sunwoo's ears as he's too busy observing the newcomer, trying to figure out why something about this entire situation doesn't feel right to him.

Juyeon looks as normal as one possibly could, though. He's actually so normal that it's suspicious by default—though maybe it's just the fact that Sunwoo's feeling on edge, so he's projecting his suspicions on the unfortunate victim at hand, in this case Juyeon.

Taking a calming breath, he thinks, that's kind of a shitty thing to do. He shouldn't feel so sceptical about Eric's friend—for Eric's sake, but also to be a decent person as well.

So he musters up a smile when Juyeon turns to face him, surprise then curiosity flitting through the other's gaze, and he offers his hand.

"This is Sunwoo," Eric says, making some grand gesture towards him, before Sunwoo can even open his mouth to introduce himself. Juyeon tilts his head, clearly recognizing the name, and Sunwoo briefly wonders what kind of things Eric might have said about him for Juyeon to react like that.

Their handshake is brief; Juyeon's touch is gentle, he might have even described it as warm if not for the fact that… his skin is literally the exact opposite of the word. On one hand, that could be simply because of the cool weather outside, but… Sunwoo still finds the detail a bit weird.

He ignores it in order to mirror Juyeon's smile, though.

The least he could do for Eric is try to get along with this important friend of his. Which probably shouldn't be too hard, going by everything he's heard about Juyeon from Eric; that, and the fact that they apparently share a 'similar vibe'. He doesn't really see it, at least not yet, but he trusts Eric's opinion, so.

They waltz back into the living room, rousing Kevin by accident as they do so, and the boy in question still seems a bit groggy from his quick nap but he greets Juyeon by pointing finger guns at him, nonetheless.

The three chatter easily while Sunwoo stays mostly silent, busy observing Juyeon for any sign that his intuition might be right and there's actually something off about him—but nothing weird happens. It's just three friends catching up, joking around and once in a while turning to Sunwoo, inviting him to join the conversation by asking his opinions on songs that he's never heard or new trends or… all kinds of things, really. It's almost too hard to keep up with, but eventually, Sunwoo does end up sitting right next to Juyeon, butting into their chat with his own comments.

It isn't until an hour later that the conversation slowly drifts off, and they collectively decide to watch a movie. Juyeon, being the guest, receives the privilege of picking one, and Sunwoo actually, truly wants to get along with him—ignoring his doubts to deem the other a Good Guy, uppercase and all—so even though he doesn't recognize the title, he claps at Juyeon's choice anyway. The action is awarded with the others' amused glances, so he counts that as a win.

Only then do they remember the previously made muffins, and being the nice friend that Sunwoo likes to consider himself as, he offers to go get them. His freshly thought up plan to munch on a few while doing so gets thrown out the window as Eric calls him out, noticing the poorly disguised mischief on his face—so Juyeon volunteers to come with, to keep Sunwoo in check. Or something.

Sunwoo doesn't really mind, so when Juyeon isn't met with any objections, the two stand up, already a couple steps in by the time that Eric yells after them.

"See!" he boasts, pointing at the duo proudly, "Sunwoo, I told you that you'd get along!"

Pausing, Sunwoo snorts. So maybe Eric was right, but Sunwoo doesn't want to give him more reason to brag (he can already imagine Eric coming up with some friendship matchmaking rights or whatever) so he keeps his back to him, instead sharing a glance with Juyeon.

And Juyeon smiles back at him; the funny thing is, as he does so, his eyes shimmer gold. Almost immediately, shivers crawl up Sunwoo's spine.

Of course.

He should have trusted his intuition. He was right, after all, because Juyeon—

Juyeon is a demon.

In retrospect, it's actually a bit comical. Eric must be an otherworldly-beings-magnet, or something, given the fact that he manages to make friends with both a fallen Archangel, and a demon; two opposites of the scale.

Sunwoo can't bring himself to laugh, though.

Even though he'd been banished from Heaven, his perception of Hellspawns hasn't changed that much; subconsciously, he still labels them as danger, even if logically he knows that they aren't, technically, mortal enemies anymore.

Usually it's angels that are the ones guarding human beings; mostly from demons, too. So it's not really his fault that he grows a bit defensive, his opinion of Juyeon so far flipping upside down.

He has no idea what the demon could want from a human besides probably getting a taste (if not a bite out) of their soul, so obviously, in a state of panic, he does the first thing that his mind tells him to: he corners Juyeon in the kitchen, before either of them even get close to the tray of muffins.

Fortunately, Eric and Kevin already started the movie—assuming by Sunwoo's reaction that he'd already seen it, and probably knowing that Juyeon did as well—so if things don't get out of hand, the two humans should remain none the wiser to what's happening between him and Juyeon. Good.

Sunwoo may be a lot of things, but he's not the one to beat around the bush, so standing right before the demon, he levels Juyeon with a look that he hopes comes off as intimidating, and he hisses out, "what do you want from him?"

Clearly, Juyeon hadn't expected anything like this from Sunwoo, especially not under such circumstances; he blinks, dumbfounded, like he can't quite believe what he's seeing—that is, Sunwoo glaring at him with as much murderous intent as he can possibly muster—and he shrinks back slightly. Sunwoo had to admit, it leaves him a bit satisfied.

Just like he did before, Juyeon tilts his head; though this time, it's out of confusion, and a few beats pass before he replies, "what do you mean?" then, like an afterthought, he adds, sounding even more puzzled, "from who…?"

Despite being the shorter of the two of them, Sunwoo tries his best to look down on him. Juyeon can play dumb all he wants, but he already saw through his feigned innocence.

"Eric, obviously," he bites back, narrowing his eyes. He's sure that Kevin isn't who Juyeon is after, not if he's seemingly way closer with Eric than the other human. The thought of Juyeon deceiving the two just to rid Eric of his soul makes him, frankly, disgusted, "what game are you playing, huh?"

It's exactly what he's wondering—what Juyeon may be trying to achieve. He'd already befriended the two, so swiping a soul at this point would be almost laughably easy. Is he just toying with them, for the sake of his own satisfaction?

What's even more infuriating, Juyeon takes his sweet time to reply, too. His lips part, but no sound comes out, as he gapes at Sunwoo like he's trying to understand what he means; a deceptively good actor, huh. He must have a lot of experience, being a demon and all.

"I'm not—what?" he stutters, blinking a few times again, then he scrambles to continue with, "what are you talking about?"

Sunwoo clenches and slowly releases his fist. he doesn't want to throw a hissy fit, doesn't want to yell and risk getting overheard by Eric or Kevin—but it's hard to keep his cool. He's never been good at controlling his anger, especially not when the matter concerns someone close to him. To his heart.

"I asked you a question," he ends up saying, voice threateningly low, "stop trying to dodge it."

That's when something in Juyeon finally seems to snap. His face changes from concerned and maybe even a bit scared to defensive, and he looks almost just as irritated as Sunwoo feels.

"I really don't get what you're implying. Eric is my friend," he replies, quiet, dangerous, carefully pronouncing every word. If Sunwoo wasn't so furious, he may have paid more attention to how honest Juyeon sounds; but it flies right over his head, because he's wary and pissed off and maybe he's grown a bit protective of Eric because right now, if Juyeon even attempted to lay a finger on the human, Sunwoo wouldn't let that happen.

Juyeon exhales, tad harshly, through his nose. It's easy to tell by the tremble in his voice that he's trying his best to keep calm, "why do you hate me so much? We literally just met, I didn't even do anything to you—"

Before he could go on, Sunwoo cuts him off, and even he's surprised by the volume of his voice when he nearly yells, "because you're a Hellspawn!"

The words throw Juyeon off for a moment. He frowns, leaning back a little, like he can't fully believe he heard Sunwoo right, "I—I'm literally not?"

Sunwoo scoffs.

Right. He already knows that's a lie. He witnessed Juyeon's eyes turn gold, even if the other wasn't aware of it. Last time he checked, that wasn't a human trait.

"I'm not an idiot, Juyeon. I've seen your eyes," he taunts, and it takes the demon a good few seconds before he realizes what Sunwoo is referring to. Just as he'd expected—it's a subconscious kind of thing. Sunwoo should be a detective.

But instead of admitting it, agreeing with Sunwoo for once since this entire conversation started, Juyeon falls silent.

He watches Sunwoo, suddenly way too attentive for Sunwoo's liking. He doesn't even blink, just stares, before sniffing the air as subtly as one can. Only then, does the realization settle in, and, to Sunwoo's surprise, Juyeon's shoulders relax, like he's relieved.

What about being in a fallen angel's presence could possibly be relaxing to a demon?

But then Juyeon speaks up, "I used to be one of the Powers, you know. That is, before I Fell," he pauses, considering Sunwoo for a few more beats, "just like you did, I'd assume."

Right then and there, Sunwoo's entire world seems to flip.

Juyeon? One of the Powers?

Suddenly, it clicks; the smell that hit him right as Juyeon came in, why it was vaguely familiar yet not quite right—he may be a demon, but that doesn't equal to a Hellspawn. The line between a fallen angel and a demon is a narrow one; some would even say, nonexistent. Their origin still isn't Hell, though.

It's almost comical, how quick Sunwoo was to assume such a thing about Juyeon, when even Sunwoo himself is one of the fallen. Sure, Juyeon may still be a demon, but… that fact changes things. Makes Sunwoo trust him a bit more. Maybe it's gullible of him, but… Juyeon is just like him.

Juyeon is just like Sunwoo.

And he seems like he's already made peace with it, too. Sunwoo could learn a thing or two from him; though, most importantly, at that moment he realizes—Juyeon is able to understand him like no other, because he'd gone through the same exact thing.

That's all that Sunwoo needs before all the fight leaves his body, and his entire posture slackens. Now, standing in front of Juyeon, he feels like a little kid. Defenseless, and in need of comfort that only someone who's got everything figured out for themself is able to give.

So, he takes a deep breath, overwhelmed with this sudden surge of emotions.

He hesitates before his next question, unsure if it's a touchy subject or not. In the end, he guesses, it's suitable to ask, since they shared the same fate, "why did you Fall?"

Juyeon smiles; though it's more bitter than anything. He looks like he'd already expected to hear that, "I fell in love, you see," and the words feel familiar, almost too familiar for Sunwoo's liking.

There's an edge to Juyeon's voice, as if remembering his own banishment still hurts to a degree. Sunwoo has no idea how long ago it must have happened, given the fact that he's never encountered Juyeon before, especially not up in Heaven—and he's been alive for a long while now, so that has to mean something. Juyeon's lips quirk up even higher before he adds, "with a demon, of all things."

Sunwoo stops breathing for a beat, "a demon?"

Sure, he's heard a few tales of the fallen ones while still in Heaven, though most of the reasons varied. None of them even resembled Juyeon's case, so he thinks he has every right to feel shocked, even if his reaction isn't very tactful.

But Juyeon doesn't seem to take any offence, simply shrugs, before his bitter smile turns into something a bit more sincere, "yeah. It's a bit ironic, I know, but… I couldn't stop myself from feeling that way about him. I still love him to this day."

Suddenly concerned, Sunwoo prods, "but does he love you back?"

At first, his heart drops when he sees Juyeon hang his head, as if too embarrassed to meet his gaze—but then, still facing the floor, Juyeon nods, once, with a dopey grin that Sunwoo can see even from such an angle.

At least, unlike him, Juyeon seems to have found his place in the Neath. Sunwoo is happy for him, if not a tiny, just the slightest bit jealous—but that's barely a whisper in his mind, nothing more, so it's easy to ignore it, relaxing against the kitchen counter and smiling back at Juyeon, silent.

Looks like he doesn't have to worry about the demon preying on Eric's soul.

Moreover, he can bond over his Fall with some who shares the same experience.

Maybe things are going to be okay for Sunwoo.

(They talk some more, completely forgetting the reason behind their presence in the kitchen in the first place; though it doesn't take much time until Kevin and Eric notice their prolonged absence.

Having paused the movie, the two peek into the kitchen, teasing both Juyeon and Sunwoo for getting distracted—but Eric seems really happy, probably because they're actually getting along this time. Just as Sunwoo expected; when Eric smiles, he finds himself feeling even better too.

He really must have some soft spot for this human.)

It's raining.

Obviously, Sunwoo knows what rain is. He's heard of it, be it from Changmin or Chanhee, or even Eric or Kevin—he's seen rain scenes in movies, read some stories that mentioned it in passing, that kind of stuff. The thing is, all of that is nothing compared to the real thing.

It starts off lightly; barely a drizzle, one that's hard to even see. But Sunwoo noticed it almost immediately on his spot next to the window, squinting at the few raindrops staining the glass.

His first thought was, wow, what the fuck, followed closely by I hope Kevin took an umbrella with him today, before the realization actually settled in—it's raining, for the first time since Sunwoo started living on the surface of Earth, and that fact stuns him for a moment.

Focused on a stray raindrop sliding down the glass, his eyes follow the movement before he snaps out of it, inching closer to the window to look up at the sky, at the dark clouds above; the rain is unfurling surprisingly quickly, nagged on by the strong wind.

The sight leaves him so intrigued that he can't tear his gaze away, even as he sees the first lightning, startling at the crash of thunder that follows. It's pouring outside, simple as that, yet Sunwoo is glued to the window because there's no such thing that one could consider as 'weather' up in Heaven, so the sound of the rain angrily pelting at the window is… fascinating, somehow.

It reminds him of something he's heard even before his first heavenly promotion, though.

The corporeal form that he's currently stuck in isn't an exact copy of a human body, as much as angels would want their disguise to be a perfect one. The wings aren't actually gone, at least that's how Sunwoo understood it when he'd first heard of it, words like 'pocket dimension' or 'illusion' coming through one of his ears and out the other—that's why he can still feel them, the ever-present weight on his back.

Brisk changes in weather can mess with the so-called human form, though. When it rains, it's easier to accidentally slip from Earth to places like Neath or Heaven, places that don't usually remain on the exact same plane of existence as Earth. It's a time when ethereal (be it heavenly or neathly) traits are easier to spot by a human, when it's harder to keep up a disguise; when a demon's horns and an angel's wings show.

Juyeon warned him about it on the day they met, right before he had to leave; to pay attention to sudden weather changes, and to rain in particular. He'd trusted Juyeon's experience, so he'd made a mental note back then.

He recalls it a bit too late, it seems.

It's his reflection in the window that does it; the realization comes just as he locks eyes with himself, accompanied by two outstretched pairs of wings. The fact that nothing in the room gets knocked over by them is probably just by luck.

Sunwoo's breath catches in his throat.

It's weird, seeing his wings for the first time in what feels like ages, and for a moment too long, he forgets his whereabouts, and the fact that he's in a flat which belongs to two of his very much human friends which means—he should probably try to hide them. Or something.

Sunwoo is distracted, though. Distracted by the familiar pale shimmer of the feathers, the way the light his wings reflect compliments his skin when he reaches out to touch them, just to make sure that what he's seeing is actually real.

The weight of his wings always accompanies him no matter what form, so there's really no way to confirm their existence other than by touch; and as he lays his palm flat against one of his wings, letting it slowly travel down, he preens at the familiar texture. He's missed it. He's missed this.

It's pouring outside yet despite that, all Sunwoo wants to do is run out of the flat and take to the air.

Then his thoughts are interrupted by someone clearing their throat, and he turns around to face the sound, smile slipping off his lips.

Eric is standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

He's been caught.

For a few terrifying seconds, neither of them speak. The tense silence doesn't help Sunwoo's arising nerves—Eric is his friend, someone he quite literally trusted with his life, and yet in that moment Sunwoo is so scared that he wants to step back, to run and hide; yet he remains frozen, unable to move as Eric's eyes trace the outline of his wings. His gaze remains unreadable to Sunwoo, which only fuels his anxiety even further.

And then Eric says something that diffuses it completely.

The corner of his lips quirks up, an emotion flicking through his face, something not quite convinced, before he comments, "fake wings? Really? That's a weird kink, but okay."

Sunwoo isn't sure whether to laugh or cry. So, he compromises, parting his lips just to huff out a short wheeze, something between a snicker and a sob. If Eric looks concerned, that's his own damn problem. Sunwoo is literally having a crisis and what does the other do? Try to kinkshame him? Who even does that? Is this some kind of a joke?

Eventually, Eric seems to realize that something feels wrong about this entire situation. The small smile falls off his face and he takes a step closer, then a few more, hurriedly making his way over just to stop right in front of Sunwoo, hand trembling as it hovers by one of the wings. Like he's waiting for Sunwoo's permission.

Wordlessly, he nods.

Apparently, Eric doesn't need to be told twice, as he doesn't even as much as blinks before reaching his arm forward, fingers burying into the white feathers with ease. He sees it, the moment Eric's face morphs from disbelief into awe; it's a sight that he's sure will commit to his memory for a long time.

"Wait, it's not—" fake, he doesn't say, but Sunwoo can hear it just from the tone of his voice. He clears his throat then tries again, "is this real? Are those real? Like, actually? Or am I just dreaming?"

Sunwoo takes a steading breath. He's stalling, and he's aware that he's stalling, though logically, he knows that there's no getting out of this. They're already past the point of no return, so even if he tries to prolong the silence that fell between them, it won't change anything. Besides maybe making everything more awkward than it needs to be.

So, Sunwoo makes up his mind.

Lifting his head to fully meet Eric's gaze, so that the other is sure he's being serious—he replies, "they're as real as they can be."

A moment passes where all Eric does is stand there, his gaze back on the wings as his hand travels upwards. It tickles, just a bit, but Sunwoo suppresses any giggles that threaten to fall past his lips, scared that it would somehow break the moment; if Eric would even notice. He's so transfixed that Sunwoo wouldn't be surprised if he didn't.

Eventually, after the silence stretches out for almost too long, Eric turns to face him properly. His face is serious, the emotion in his eyes unreadable; or, at least, Sunwoo can't quite tell what it could be. It's something he's never witnessed before.

Then, slowly, Eric's face breaks into a grin, "an angel, huh?"

The remaining sliver of anxiety swirls in Sunwoo's chest, and he clears his throat, desperately hoping for its departure, "...an Archangel, to be precise. If I'm still even allowed to call myself that," the last part he adds after just a beat, suddenly self-conscious.

To spare the other any confusion, he explains, "I kind of got banished from Heaven after befriending you, so, uh. Yeah. Remember that time I landed right in front of your house? That's because I did actually fall, but, from a place that's much higher than any buildings could ever reach."

A part of him is scared that Eric's opinion of him will change after hearing these words; there's a wide gap between the seemingly 'human' Sunwoo he knows and the real Sunwoo standing before him, and even though Sunwoo can't imagine just how impactful this revelation may be, he's sure it must come with a great shock.

And yet, despite everything, Eric's smile only widens.

"Then… you could say that you fell for me, yeah?"

Sunwoo blinks. It only takes him a few seconds to process the words before he snorts. It's probably not a very attractive sound, but given the circumstances, he can't bring himself to care.

If Eric's sense of humor is still present, then it couldn't have been too much of a shock. Good. He really has no idea how he could deal with a different outcome.

Now, it feels almost natural to mirror the other's smile.

"So… angels are real?" Eric asks again, as if he still has trouble believing all of this despite the proof being right in front of him, in the form of Sunwoo. Then, his eyes flicker with interest, and he adds, "what about demons, then? Heaven? Hell?"

Sunwoo raises a hand, "woah, slow down. One question at a time," he pleads, and Eric looks a tiny bit embarrassed for a split second before he's peering at Sunwoo curiously once again, "but, yeah, it's all real. Kind of. Like, Heaven isn't literally located in the clouds, it's just… on a different plane of existence, I guess? Divine stuff tends to not make much sense, anyway."

"Wow," is all that leaves Eric's mouth for a good minute. Sunwoo would laugh at his expression, if the circumstances were any different. Then, "can you describe it to me?"

Well, he certainly can. There's no threat of heavenly punishment stopping him from doing so, not anymore, not when he'd already experienced the worst of them all. So it really doesn't take him much contemplation before he starts speaking.

"Okay… let's start from the basics. So. Heaven and Hell exist, yeah?" Eric nods, though he still looks a bit overwhelmed, "beings of that origin are called angels and demons respectively, though there are also more specific names, like Hellspawns or different angel ranks—all that funky stuff."

He pauses, thinking of the right way to explain it all to Eric in the easiest way possible, "uh… Heaven is… probably not what you imagine it to be. It's permanently night there, the 'sky' is always pitch black yet it's not actually a very dark place? It's infinite, and no matter how far you walk, the pale ground never changes. People got one thing right about it, though. The clouds—I mean, they're not clouds, per se, but that's the closest word to describe it, I think. Apart from maybe, uh, mist, or whatever. Wait, you look confused—you know what, nevermind. All you need to know for now is that it's not what you expect it to be."

Giving Eric a moment to absorb the new information, he nibbles on his lip, before continuing, "Heaven is a different temperature to everyone, so it's, like, what you consider to be 'comfortably warm'. Hell, on the other hand, is a freezing place—hence why demons seem unusually cool to touch. Although you may call it Hell, to ethereal beings, it's actually better known as the Neath. It's—not as terrifying as the common portrayal of it, and you don't usually get to see any suffering souls unless you specifically look for them—"

"Oh God," Eric butts in, eyes wide with his sudden realization, successfully shutting Sunwoo up, "it's called the Neath because it's beneath."

And Sunwoo just. Stares at him for a moment. Silent. He doesn't want to comment, knowing that the only thing that would come out of his mouth would be woah there, slow down, Captain Obvious, so he bites his tongue in order to keep quiet.

Eric seems oblivious to his internal struggle. He puffs out his chest, utterly proud of himself, "wow, I'm such a genius."

Breathe in. Breathe out.

It's enough to stop Sunwoo from replying. His main way of showing affection is through being playfully mean, and he's well aware of that, but this is (supposed to be) a serious conversation and he doesn't want to make Eric feel bad, either, so. He takes another deep breath, then exhales, and continues his explanation as if the other didn't interrupt him at all.

"As you can see," with that, he moves his top right wing, just enough to catch Eric's attention without accidentally knocking something down, "my wings are white. Kind of like the stereotypical angel in the media, as inaccurate as these interpretations are."

Eric nods, eyes still glued to the shimmery feathers. It makes Sunwoo a bit flustered, for some weird reason—he'd rather not think about it, though, "but that's not the case for most angels. We all have our individual colors, the shades growing more saturated the higher the rank that one gets promoted to is."

Pausing, he waits for Eric to show that he's still listening. Only when the other hums for him to go on, does he continue, "there's… a couple of angels that I was very close to. Chanhee and Changmin. My… best friends," mentioning them hurts, just a tiny bit, because even after this much time, he still misses them just as much. But he'll manage.

So, he drops his gaze and elaborates, "Changmin is a Guardian. At least, last time I checked he was—anyway, that's not a very high rank, it's actually… the lowest one, really, so. Even though his individual colour is brown, it's not very visible. It's actually very light. Caramel, almost. It suits him, I think."

He fidgets with his hands as he speaks; he really didn't think it would be this hard to talk about them again, but at the same time, it's relieving, somehow, to share this with someone else, "Chanhee, on the other hand, is a Ruler. They're, um… a bit like Guardian angels, but turned to the extreme—instead of taking care of a single human, they protect places like towns or cities, or larger groups of people, sometimes even entire nations. Chanhee's designated city is the one we live in, actually. You might remember him from our first meeting."

He sees the moment Eric's eyebrows furrow, the boy clearly trying to recall it. Their first meeting—it feels like it's been so long ago now, but Sunwoo still remembers it clearly.

And it seems like Eric does, as well, because it only takes him a few more seconds before he says, "wait, the pink dude?"

Sunwoo holds back a snicker, "yeah, that one. His wings match his hair, if you were wondering," he thinks he hears Eric mutter something among the lines of that's so cool, but he's not entirely sure, "since his rank is actually, like, important—well, more important than mine was—his wings are a pastel colour, and you can easily tell that it's, like, truly pink. But. That's nothing compared to a Virtue."

Eric tilts his head, "a Virtue?" he repeats, clearly intrigued. Sunwoo nods.

"They're the ones behind miracles and divine stuff like that. They oversee the universe and keep it in check, so. You could say that they're a bit badass," the last part he adds in teasingly after noticing Eric's awed look. The other doesn't even react, still trying to process it, "I only personally knew one Virtue, Sangyeon. Five pairs of vibrant yellow wings. Holding his gaze almost felt like staring at a fucking disco ball," with that, he pauses, rising his head, "oh God, I hope he didn't hear that. I meant no offence, it's just a bit intimidating."

From the corner of his eye, he notices lighting flashing outside, closely followed by the booming thunder. That doesn't really clear up whether or not the Virtue may have heard his (somewhat rude) comment, but it does scare him enough to believe so.

Clearing his throat, he decides to ignore that, and to quickly change the subject; though he's surprised to find out that he's running out of things to tell Eric, of what a human could possibly understand.

He could mention Juyeon, the black wings that he apparently never lost, now accompanied with the obvious addition of horns—Sunwoo couldn't even hide his awe when Juyeon showed him his real form, even if only for a couple of seconds, in secret and inside the flat's kitchen, of all places—but he feels like this isn't his secret to tell. If Juyeon wants to reveal his divine identity to Eric, he will, and Sunwoo shouldn't have to force him into doing so.

It's surprisingly easy, explaining it all to Eric, though. Especially when he doesn't have to worry about getting punished for it; other angels have no real control over him now. After all, he's not one of them anymore.

"Anyway, since I've been banished from Heaven, I'm not exactly an Archangel anymore, just a fallen one. I could, technically, become a demon over time; not necessarily, but that's the most common consequence to leaving Heaven. We'll just have to find out if I end up growing horns or not, I guess."

"But… that means that you're free now, right?" Eric eventually says, tentative, like he's afraid that any question could possibly offend Sunwoo.

It makes him wonder, though. He haven't thought of it this way.

With his gaze glued to the ceiling, slowly, he nods, "I… yeah, you could say that. I'm my own boss now."

Even though he doesn't witness it, he can hear the small smile in Eric's reply, "that's good."

Yeah. When Eric puts it like that, he can agree with that.

For a moment, silence makes itself comfortable in the space between them—but it's a comfortable one. Sunwoo's chest feels a bit lighter after telling Eric everything he'd had to hide from him for so long. It… it makes him happy, even, just a bit.

Now that he's sure that he'd explained everything he could, he glances at Eric and is startled to find the boy staring right back at him, eyes glazed over with what could only be unshed tears. Unsure whether he's seeing things right, he blinks a few times, and Eric copies the action, but, no, the glassy look remains.

Sunwoo clears his throat.

"Eric? Are you… crying?"

"...No," Eric says, you know, like a liar. Though after Sunwoo quirks up an eyebrow, Eric pouts then adds in, "okay, maybe I am. But, in my defense!" he pauses, reaching up to rub at his eyes as the first few tears finally spill out, "I'm emotional, okay."

Dumbfounded, Sunwoo can only stare at him for a moment. He's never been the best at comforting people, and this time, he isn't even sure why Eric is crying in the first place—so he extends his arm and pats Eric's shoulder in the least awkward way possible.

The other makes a noise, one that isn't quite a sob but could almost pass as one, "it's just—you're, like, an angel, uh, wait, a fallen Archangel, sorry—and, I just thought. You guys probably aren't allowed to reveal your identity to people, but, like, you actually told me and," here's another sob. Sunwoo winces, but shuffles closer, throwing his arm around Eric's back in a hug that's probably more comforting than his previous shoulder pat, "and I just—I'm just really touched that you trust me enough to do that, you know?"

With that, for the first time since he'd started explaining himself, Eric looks up at Sunwoo.

His eyes are slightly swollen from crying, cheeks wet and flushed from his attempts at rubbing the tears away, and—in that moment, Sunwoo's mind goes absolutely silent, no thoughts other than pure awe that hits him so unexpectedly that if he weren't currently holding Eric, he may have doubled over.

With his ability to form words suddenly gone, he simply gapes at Eric for a while, long enough that a laugh bubbles out from Eric's throat, and—

And Sunwoo has never felt this type of affection before.

Not towards Kevin, not towards Juyeon, not even towards Chanhee or Changmin. This, whatever it may be—it's… a lot. It fills Sunwoo's entire chest in a way that's impossible to ignore and he just… he isn't sure what emotion this is, but he does know that Eric is special.

He's so special to Sunwoo, it's almost pathetic of him. Angels aren't supposed to have weaknesses.

And yet, Eric seems to be his.

The following day is almost underwhelming in its normality. But maybe, just maybe, that's exactly what Sunwoo needed, after revealing everything to Eric.

If Eric's opinion of him changed, if the boy treated him differently from now on… Sunwoo wouldn't know what to do. Wouldn't know how to cope.

And yet, despite everything, he wakes up in Eric's bed again, something which is a routine for them at this point—Eric didn't even have to use the excuse of nightmares this time, simply gave Sunwoo a look as he was preparing to sleep on the beat up couch, and, well, what else could Sunwoo do other than listen to him?—so the first thing he saw after rousing was Eric's face, still utterly unconscious, and, well, this might just be the best way to wake up, in Sunwoo's completely unbiased opinion.

Though Kevin still sends him teasing glances every time he leaves Eric's bedroom in the morning, he's grown used to it by now. Besides, it's not like this means anything. Obviously, anyone would get tired of sleeping on the couch at one point, so of course this was the logical solution. Kevin can laugh all he wants, Sunwoo doesn't care (much).

Unfortunately, it's the middle of the week, so both Kevin and Eric leave the flat at some point, leaving Sunwoo in his own company. But he's used to this too, this is his normal now, starting before he even revealed his wings to Eric, so he finds that he's content with this.

Although he'd planned to tell Kevin of his origin, as well—it feels weird to hide it from him when Eric already knows—he hasn't figured out the right time to do so just yet, but he's determined. He's going to tell him. Eventually. But that time isn't today.

Because today, he's too busy marvelling at the fact that Eric treats him just the same. Like nothing even happened between them. Sure, he'd sneaked in a teasing comment over breakfast, one that confused Kevin to no end, but that's all. And Sunwoo… Sunwoo is glad.

Glad, that this friendship between them wasn't ruined simply because of the fact that Sunwoo isn't actually human, like Eric thought this entire time.

So it's no wonder that he's in a surprisingly good mood for the rest of the day, greeting Eric with a grin the moment the other gets back home. And Eric mirrors it, so, all in all, they're good. They're fine. Sunwoo could probably cry from relief.

"Kevin won't be back until tomorrow, so I ordered takeout," Eric says, gesturing to the paper bag he's holding, "I hope you don't mind."

With a dismissive wave, Sunwoo replies, "don't worry about it," with that, he takes the bag from Eric so the other can take off his heavy shoes comfortably. It's been getting even colder lately; when he'd asked Eric about it, he'd explained that it's natural. Autumn is blending into wintertime, or something, though to Sunwoo's disappointment, there has been no hint of snow just yet. He was excited to witness it for the first time.

Sunwoo only gets to take a few steps towards the kitchen before Eric stops him.

"Wait," with that, he'd grabbed the sleeve of Sunwoo's sweater, "we can eat in the living room, yeah? I, uh, I kinda lost a bet today and I have to watch a horror movie so I thought we could do it together. You know, to bond, or something."

Surprised, all Sunwoo can do at first is blink. Then, he nods, gesturing towards the bag in his hands, "sure. I just thought we should heat it up first. It's probably cold by now."

Eric pauses, processing his words, before huffing out a silent laugh, "oh, right. I didn't even realize," then, he turned to glance towards his bedroom, "um, I can get my laptop and you can put the food into the microwave, right? Wait, hold on, do you know how to use it by now?"

Feigning hurt, Sunwoo clasps a hand over his chest, "obviously—you think I'm too stupid to understand a human invention? I've seen you two use it, trust me, I can do this."

...And then he didn't.

So maybe his pride was a bit wounded when Eric had to explain to him how to use a microwave, of all things, how embarrassing—but a part of him was relieved, too. Because Eric didn't taunt him, or blame him for not knowing things that would seem obvious, from their point of view—but not to someone who's still learning about life on Earth.

And so, Sunwoo deems, maybe he's finally found his place. Maybe he's finally doing alright.

By the time they start the movie, both practically inhaling the takeout (Eric, because he's just that tired, and Sunwoo… because he's Sunwoo), he thinks, maybe he doesn't need a divine lifestyle, worthy of an otherworldly being like him. Maybe this is enough.

Because his home isn't even a place, but it's Eric.

It's probably not a very suitable moment to have a realization like that—after all, neither of them even look nor feel their best, not when it's so hard not to spill some of the food when one of them screams bloody murder after a jumpscare shows on the small laptop screen, not when Sunwoo inevitably ends up spraying some of his drink over the table when he gets startled—though… he thinks it's fitting, since it comes to the two of them.

As he pats Eric's back after the poor guy choked on his food, he can't even deny it anymore.

He's in love with a human.

More importantly, he's in love with Eric.

He still clearly remembers the first and last time he ever saw Changmin truly conflicted.

It's been such a long time since then, he couldn't even place an exact time frame of when it could have happened, but he knows one thing—Changmin opened up to him about something that could get him exiled if the word got around, and then they never talked about it again. Not because of Sunwoo's reaction, or anything, but because they recognized the risk that they would be signing up for.

Sunwoo kept silent, just to keep Changmin safe.

It started like this.

"Sunwoo?" Changmin called his name, in a tone that didn't even hint at the seriousness that was going to follow.

Back then, what he was expecting was something along the lines of a joke, maybe, something casual and unimportant as that. He didn't even turn to face Changmin, didn't notice the way the other stared at him with hesitation, or maybe even the barest inkling of fear in his eyes.

"Yeah?" he hummed back. Maybe he wasn't paying much attention, but they're always so comfortable around each other that he didn't feel the need to act guarded. Maybe that was a mistake on his part.

Changmin remained quiet for a while; long enough that even Sunwoo grew concerned. He finally turned around, but the other wasn't looking at him anymore. Under different circumstances, he'd say that Changmin was avoiding his gaze—but this was Changmin, after all. His best friend. It just didn't feel right.

And yet.

The prolonged silence only served to worry him further. He'd almost hurried Changmin, but stopped himself in time, just as the other parted his lips to speak.

"Why is love considered a sin between angels?"

His voice came out meek, enough so Sunwoo would have probably missed it if he wasn't currently listening for it. He's used to his best friend talking openly, laughing, yelling even, but whispering while looking so torn? Not exactly. So obviously this entire situation doesn't feel quite right.

Even the question was alarming. Why was Changmin wondering about such a thing? That, alone, would have been frowned upon, if anyone were to overhear them.

Frowning, he'd replied, "why are you asking…?"

The look on Changmin's face couldn't be described as anything else but troubled. He had shrugged, still unwilling to meet Sunwoo's gaze, "I don't know, I've just been… thinking."

But surely, that couldn't be it, if Changmin's wince was anything to go by. So Sunwoo waited. And this time, he didn't have to wait for long before Changmin cleared his throat.

"If it's really one of the purest human emotions like they say," he doesn't even need to specify who he's talking about. Sunwoo already knows, "then why is it forbidden for the purest of beings?"

To that, Sunwoo had no reply.

Finally, finally Changmin tore his gaze away from whatever he kept glaring at, this time meeting Sunwoo's eye. His face was twisted with an emotion that Sunwoo couldn't even place, at the time.

"Even demons are allowed to love."

Jealousy, Sunwoo belatedly realized. What dripped from Changmin's words was jealousy, "so why can't we?"

Why, indeed.

Back then, Changmin's stare felt piercing in its intensity, but Sunwoo couldn't even bring himself to look away. He wasn't sure what to do, what the right reply would be, if there even was one.

As much as he wanted to answer the question, all he could utter was, "Changmin, you're scaring me," and he could see something flicker through the other's eyes, something unreadable. But then Changmin's gaze softened, just the slightest bit, right before Sunwoo added, "you could get banished for saying such things."

For a moment, only silence followed. Changmin's posture slackened, as if all the fight had left his body, and he took a steadying breath before staring at Sunwoo again. Quiet. Suspicious.

When has Changmin ever felt suspicious of him?

"Well," he eventually murmured, "are you going to report me?"

The words startled Sunwoo, enough so that he flinched. It almost felt as if the other had slapped him, "re—you? Report you? Me? No, of course not—we're…" best friends, he was going to say. To this day, he wasn't sure what stopped him, "I would never."

Silence fell between them for a few more beats.

"Then the higher ups don't need to know," Changmin ended up saying, with such finalty that Sunwoo couldn't even bring himself to argue. Not that he was going to, anyway. He couldn't imagine losing his best friend, not because of something like this.

It's a bit ironic that eventually, he did lose it all. Though instead of Changmin, it was Sunwoo who ended up exiled.

The realization comes a bit late, but that's always better than never.

Maybe he wasn't banished from Heaven for befriending a human. Maybe it was actually because he fell in love with one.

So, yeah. Sunwoo is in love.

He isn't sure what to do about that fact.

He never even considered this a possibility. Coming from Heaven, he didn't even realize that he could fall in love in the first place, much less with a human. Maybe the truly lawful angels can't. Maybe it's the first step that leads to an angel's Fall. Sunwoo can only guess.

But maybe it's not such a bad thing.

Because it's Eric that he fell in love with—Eric, who makes this entire situation bearable. With him by Sunwoo's side, thinking about his past back in Heaven, and his very much unspecified future, doesn't hurt as much.

Maybe Sunwoo was never meant to live his entire life up there. Maybe he belonged somewhere else all along.

Because that's what he feels right now, as he walks through the corridor of Eric's flat—like he belongs. Here, specifically. With Eric.

Speaking of the human—Sunwoo is looking for him right now. He'd already checked his bedroom, the kitchen, the living room, even, with no result. And he knows that the other is already home, he'd yelled that he's back before walking into his bedroom, and that was a whole hour ago. Sunwoo was a bit busy at the time, but now that he's done, he feels the need for some company.

The thing is, he didn't expect to find Eric in the bathroom, of all places.

Leaning on the doorway, he quirks up an eyebrow, looking Eric up and down. He's holding a makeup palette in one hand, and a brush in the other, still carefully applying it like he didn't even notice Sunwoo's presence. But he's sure that he did. He probably just doesn't bother to address it.

"What's the occasion?" he asks, and Eric, without tearing his gaze away from the mirror, grins. Just like he had thought—the other was well aware of Sunwoo's arrival. So, instead of getting startled, Eric lowers the brush, then waggles his eyebrows at Sunwoo.

"I'm going clubbing," he chirps back, and, well. Maybe Sunwoo should have been expecting that, going by Eric's dressed up state, "with Kevin and Jacob. We're supposed to meet on the way there," then, he meets Sunwoo's eyes through the reflection, and, pursing his lips, he adds as an afterthought, "you can join us, if you want to."

Sunwoo considers it for a moment.

"Sure," he ends up saying, because why not? The only time he had actually gone 'clubbing', if it even could be called that, was back when he'd met Eric for the second time, so it's not like he got to experience the whole thing.

If the others seem to like it, then why shouldn't Sunwoo? The only problem is, "I don't really know what to wear, though."

Eric stops to ponder about his words, and Sunwoo can practically see the gears turning inside his head, before he finally responds, "you can borrow Kevin's clothes. I'm sure he's closer in size to you than I am."

That… sounds reasonable, "if you help me pick an outfit, then I'm in."

Eric turns to face him this time, a small smile on his lips. It makes Sunwoo feel… things, "of course. I can doll you up too, if you want."

"Cool."

Eric hums, going back to applying the eyeshadow. It's golden again. The glittery one, probably the same he had put on the day of their first meeting. Sunwoo can't deny that he feels intrigued.

"Gold? Again?"

"Yeah," Eric replies, though he's a bit distracted, obviously. Sunwoo waits for him to explain further, "I think it suits me. Other people seem to think so, too, so. Yeah…"

"It does," Sunwoo rushes to say, and Eric sends him a confused glance. For some reason, it makes him a bit flustered. He just hopes that his blush isn't very noticeable, because man, he can definitely feel it, "suit you, I mean. It's pretty," like you, he stops himself from saying, thank Lord. He's already embarrassed enough.

Eric's got this amused look on his face again. Sunwoo kind of expects to feel irritated by it, but instead… despite the fact that he's still flustered, he can't ignore the surge of pure affection that he feels towards Eric.

At this point, he's more likely to be angry at his own reaction rather than at anything Eric may say—this is getting ridiculous. Sunwoo needs to get a grip.

It doesn't take too long until Eric's done. After all, Sunwoo had only found him now, so who knows how much time he'd already spent inside the tiny bathroom.

When Eric turns to face him, smiling as he gestures towards his face to show off his new look, Sunwoo tries his very best to compliment him without coming off too enthusiastic. Just because he's whipped, the other doesn't need to know that.

As the boy picks up a bunch of makeup products, most of which Sunwoo didn't even recognize, he asks, "so, where are we doing this?"

Eric only sends him a glance, then looks around the bathroom, "not here, that's for sure. There isn't enough room for me to run in case you end up looking like a clown."

Sunwoo kicks him in the shin. Lightly. Eric yelps anyway.

"Don't do that or I'll make sure to mess up your makeup on purpose," Eric warns, though it doesn't seem like he plans on following up on the threat, not when his voice has that amused lilt to it. Sunwoo does stop himself from teasing him right back anyway; just in case.

"What about… on the couch?" he suggests. It's suitable enough, he thinks. They can both sit down, so it would be easier, or Eric could even crouch in front of him if he felt the need to.

But the other winces, "no. That would be so uncomfortable, trust me, been there done that," then, he puts his thinking face on, and Sunwoo grows a bit concerned after a few seconds, "maybe we should do this on my bed. There's more space. Plus, it's comfy."

Sunwoo really doubts that Eric doing his makeup on his own bed instead of a couch would be much more comfortable, but he doesn't argue, just to hide his flustered state. Stepping back from the doorway, he says, "lead the way."

The other snorts, "like you haven't slept there more times than I could count."

Which may be true, but he was just trying to be nice, so he insists for Eric to go first and the human eventually relents, taking his makeup pouch with him.

Now, Sunwoo had been to Eric's room many times before, though this time it feels different, in a way. He can't pinpoint why, exactly, but it's making him a bit nervous.

Quickly, he takes a seat on the bed, both feet firmly planted on the floor. Eric takes one look at him before laughing, "up, up. We need to face each other for this, and there's no way I'm going to lean down the entire time."

Wordlessly, Sunwoo does as he's told, then watches as Eric sits across from him, placing the makeup pouch between them. That's where his gaze travels to, as the other searches through it before he pulls out a tub of… something. The substance is clear, from what Sunwoo can see through the glass, though he hasn't seen the other use it before.

He wrinkles his nose, "what's that?"

"Base," is all that Eric replies with. He already looks focused, so Sunwoo decides to keep quiet and let the other do his work in peace. Though it's a bit hard to do.

He pats it into Sunwoo's face with careful fingers while Sunwoo tries not to make some dumb expression, because as tempting as it is—he wants to see Eric smile again—he probably shouldn't do so with Eric's fingers this close to his eyes. By the time he's done, Sunwoo breathes out a sigh of relief and the other snickers, but doesn't comment.

Sunwoo wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it goes surprisingly quickly; the foundation that follows, Eric filling up his eyebrows with a pomade before patting in some more makeup base on Sunwoo's eyelids—fortunately, the other doesn't poke his eye like Sunwoo was partly fearing he would, so he counts it as a win.

Then, Eric grabs the same eyeshadow palette from before. He spends a good minute simply glaring at it—Sunwoo has only caught a glimpse of it, warm colours such as shades of red, orange, brown or gold, some matte and other more glittery—so he thinks it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to assume that he's trying to pick out the colours that would suit Sunwoo.

Sunwoo, specifically.

He has to admit, he's curious what Eric thinks would fit him, though moreover, he's curious of Eric's very own opinions of him in general. It's not like he's going to ask, though. That would be too embarrassing.

So he waits in silence, and only a second or two more pass before Eric dips the brush in one of the eyeshadows, and instructs for Sunwoo to close his eyes.

It tickles, Sunwoo finds out. Not quite enough to make him uncomfortable, but just enough for him to be aware of it. The flicks of the brush are careful, even when Eric has to press down more firmly; Sunwoo is thankful for that, especially since he's not used to someone doing his makeup. He's not even used to putting it on in the first place.

When the other leans back, Sunwoo cracks one eye open, peeking at the specks of colour remaining on the brush. Huh.

"Why pink?" he prods, and immediately, Eric shushes him, dabbing on some more eyeshadow just as Sunwoo closes his eye again. Despite that, he still answers the question.

"Because it's my favourite colour," he says, simple as that. Though maybe he's just too focused to say much else. A few seconds accompanied by the same tickling sensation later, he feels Eric pulling back again before continuing, "I think it's only appropriate since you're my favourite, too."

Sunwoo's heart stutters in his chest. He didn't even realize that was possible, but Eric's words… made him feel some unexplainable way. He keeps his eyes closed, because he's a coward and doesn't want to meet Eric's eye at this very moment—but he feels… happy. Content, to be called such a word.

Eric is special to him, and it sounds like he's special to Eric too. Whether it's a different type of special, though, he can't tell just yet.

For the next few minutes, all Sunwoo can focus on is the touch of the brush on his skin and his own emotions coiling in his chest. At this point, he thinks that it's a good thing that they're planning to go out—with the amount of nervous energy he's got, it feels almost like a blessing.

By the time that Eric is apparently done with the eyeshadow, Sunwoo finds it a bit hard to breathe, acutely aware of every inhale and exhale he takes; as if the sound of it was so loud that it would somehow break Eric's focus, or something. Lord, he's being ridiculous.

"You can apply some mascara later, if you don't trust me with it," Eric speaks up for the first time in what feels like ages, and Sunwoo nods, only partly paying attention to what the other is saying, "eyeliner too, though that may be harder to do. You know what, no, you'll probably mess up my entire work, I'll just do it myself."

He can't even bring himself to feel offended. Knowing his lack of experience in makeup, Sunwoo wouldn't trust himself either.

"What about the, uh," he pauses, tapping at his pursed lips and trying to recall the right word, "the… lipstick? Do you generally use it?"

For a moment, Eric doesn't reply, long enough that Sunwoo grows confused; but then he snaps himself out of… whatever that was, blinking a few times before shaking his head, "no, not really. I mean, I guess it's nice, but I prefer just applying lip balm instead."

Then, he seems to consider Sunwoo for a couple more seconds, his gaze dropping down, up to Sunwoo's eyes again, then diving once more.

Sunwoo has no idea what Eric would be observing him so closely for, but what he does know is that it's making him feel a bit flustered. Okay, maybe not even just a bit, but a whole lot.

He refuses to hide his face or avoid Eric's gaze, though, so he stays in place and hopes for this—this weird feeling to go away.

"You, on the other hand," Eric speaks up again, but this time, his voice sounds different, in a way that he can't quite place. He doesn't look Sunwoo in the eyes anymore; surprisingly, instead of calming him, this fact only makes Sunwoo even more nervous. It's a strange sensation—instead of the anxiety he expected it to lead, he feels… anticipation.

Anticipation for what, exactly? Sunwoo isn't even sure.

Clearing his throat, Eric glances away, like he has to psych himself up before continuing his thought. Sunwoo doesn't rush him; right now, at this very moment, it feels like the wrong thing to do. So, he watches Eric openly, as any excuse to look at the boy in front of him is one he'll gladly (and shamelessly) welcome. Eventually, Eric clears his throat again, then turns back to face Sunwoo.

"Lipstick would suit you just fine," is what he ends up saying, and for a moment too long, Sunwoo doesn't even process the words. When he does, he pauses. Surely he hadn't heard that right.

But Eric is holding his gaze, clearly waiting for some sort of reaction, and… Sunwoo's brain malfunctions.

"Oh, um," he stutters out, babbling to hide the fact that he can't think of a single comprehensive thing to say.

No one else has ever managed to make him this flustered. At a loss of words, he blinks, then smiles, trying to look like he's not currently losing his damn mind, "you… you too. You'd look great—I mean, um, not that I would stare at your lips or—or anything, fuck, no, no I would, but only like, to appreciate the work that you… would have… put into it?"

The last part comes out sounding more like a question than a statement, but in his defence, he didn't even realize until then that during his failed attempt to sound unaffected, Eric must have inched closer without him even noticing. And he's sure that if he saw the glittery gold on Eric's eyelids he would have paid attention—so there's no denying that the distance between them had decreased.

Sunwoo's pretty sure his soul is about to leave this plane of existence.

Because he recognizes the tiny, amused smile on Eric's face. The way the other stares at him with so much fondness, like Sunwoo is truly as special to him as he'd hinted before. His favorite.

Eric doesn't even try to hide the satisfaction from his voice when he replies, "it's okay, you can look at my lips all you want."

Which, okay, first of all, the audacity. Sunwoo can't believe this. In any other circumstances, he would have already kicked Eric's ass for teasing him.

Right now, though, all he can do is clear his throat.

He watches as Eric's smile widens. He's enjoying this way too much, the brat.

"Or," he continues; Sunwoo didn't even realize there could be more to his remark. Partly, he's scared of Eric's next words, but a side of him is also strangely looking forward to it, "you could kiss me instead. If you'd like to, that is."

This time, there's no way to interpret the sentence in any other way than… well, that. And Sunwoo is positive that he heard it right, despite his own way too loud heartbeat.

It feels like a dream. At least this time, Sunwoo knows what he's referring to, having experienced a couple of them throughout the time he's spent on the surface of Earth.

It feels like a dream, but he knows that it's real.

Dropping his gaze to Eric's lips, he nods, once, twice even. He's a bit overwhelmed, and he's vaguely aware of the other's chuckle filling the air between them, but he's too distracted by Eric's offer.

Finally, he breathes in and says, "yeah. Yeah, I could do that. Sounds good. Great. Amazing—"

Before he could chatter on, Eric raises a hand. Cradling his jaw, he leans even closer, effectively stopping the flow of words.

They can finish the rest of his makeup later, they can put off worrying about picking out an outfit for Sunwoo in time to meet their friends for just a few more minutes—right now, all that Sunwoo focuses on is the sensation of Eric's lips on his.

And not for the first time, he thinks, Eric feels like home.