Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Jeongguk wakes to a light tap on his window.

As soon as his brain registers the sound and connects the dots, he’s out of the bed with a jump, scrambling to open the small window of his room.

The white dove waits patiently for Jeongguk to untie a little bag from its leg. Inside there’s just a little silver charm shaped as wings. No note, but Jeongguk doesn’t need an explanation. He knows pretty well what this means.

Finally, he’s been summoned. Finally, he’ll become a guardian.

Taking a deep breath to calm the rush inside his chest, Jeongguk closes his eyes and composes himself. Being so eager is not proper for someone who will be trusted with such a great responsibility. He has to show that all his time in the academy was worth something.

Still, Jeongguk presses his lips together to suppress a smile. It’s hard to act composed when his dream is finally coming true. Well, maybe dream is too big of a word, but his entire existence since he woke up to the afterlife has been leading to this moment.

He's about to become a guardian angel. He’s going back to earth to look after a soul.

With another deep breath, Jeongguk looks around his simple room. It’s nothing more than a bed, a desk and a chair, all made of light wood that matches the floor and complements the cream color of the walls.

He probably won’t see this room again, but he doubts he’ll miss it. He’s not particularly attached to this place. On the contrary, he can’t wait to leave.

Jeongguk fixes his clothes and pins the wings charm somewhere visible on his chest.

Pride is not proper for an angel either, but Jeongguk can’t help the puff of his chest as he leaves his room.

Ignoring the surprised looks of the angels he crosses paths with in the hallways, Jeongguk enters the common space, where most aspiring guardian angels are lounging.

The place resembles a library, both in shape and ambience. The ceilings are high, and the walls are covered by bookshelves. He has no idea what the books are about, he’s never taken one, never seen anyone reading either, but there they are. Most of the space is taken by tables and comfortable sitting areas, there are big windows that let natural light in, and silence hangs in the air like dust would, if it existed in this place.

Jeongguk looks around, but Taehyung sees him first. His mentor gasps and barely contains excited jumps as he approaches him, pointing at the silver wings on Jeongguk’s chest.

“Congrats, Jeonggukie,” Taehyung whispers, bright eyes showing how hard he is trying not to be more effusive.

“It was about time,” Jeongguk says and lets the happy grin he was holding back finally take over his face.

Taehyung hugs him with the clear intention of spinning him around, but an indignant scoff interrupts him. They separate and walk out of the common room with their eyes low and serene steps.

Once they leave the oppressive silence of the common room, Taehyung takes his hand and pulls him towards one of the many gravel paths that enter the garden that surrounds the academy building. They are walking as fast as the judging looks of the angels roaming the garden allow, both making poor attempts to contain their excitement.

Jeongguk turns cheerful eyes to the sky. It’s bright blue, turning a fuzzy white where it touches the tops of the greenery. There is no sun, but the sky is clear as if there was.

The sky is always clear here. Jeongguk doesn’t have personal memories of Earth, yet he misses the different colors he knows the sky can take. This place is beautiful, but it’s like a picture. Still and unchanging. It makes him yearn for something he doesn’t really remember.

Something he soon will see again.

The sky looks a more vibrant blue, the green of the garden is fresher now that Jeongguk is finally leaving. He can’t wait. Jeongguk has never seen what’s beyond the garden, what’s on the other side of that fuzzy white in the border, but he’s about to find out.

It’s exciting. As if he had been asleep and finally been awaken, set in motion.

Taehyung leads them to their favorite spot under a massive willow tree, boughs dipping into a stream of clear water that goes around the whole garden. It is only after they are covered by the curtain of green that Taehyung hugs him again, tighter this time.

“I’ll miss you,” Taehyung says softly against Jeongguk’s shoulder, as if he was telling him a secret. “But I’m so happy for you. You’ll be a great guardian.”

“You think so?” Jeongguk can’t help the speck of anxiety in his voice.

He can’t remember a time before being in the academy. He’s not supposed to, and maybe that’s for the best. His name is the only memory he has of his human life, that and a feeling of warmth he was told meant he lived a good life. He had lived a fulfilling life and died with no regrets. That’s why he qualified to become an angel, and after the proper training, a guardian angel that would help other humans live fulfilling lives too.

He doesn’t know how much time he has spent in the academy. It’s hard to keep a record of time in this place. What he does know is that Taehyung has been with him every step of the way.

Taehyung is a support angel. After successfully guiding many human souls through their lives, Taehyung was assigned to the academy to guide aspiring guarding angels through their learning process. Jeongguk couldn’t have wished for a better mentor, although Taehyung is more like a friend than a teacher to him.

“I know so. You’ll do your best,” Taehyung says earnestly and pulls back to squeeze Jeongguk’s face between his hands.

For a moment, Jeongguk thinks there is something else Taehyung wants to tell him, but in the end the other angel just smiles, wide and warm, and starts ushering him towards the gates.

“Off you go. You don’t want to be late for your first assignment.”

Right. He’s about to be assigned a soul to guard.

Jeongguk nods and pulls Taehyung into a final hug. “They’ll kick my ass right back to the academy and you’ll have to put up with me for a while longer.”

“Language!” Taehyung admonishes but he’s giggling. “Say hi to Jiminie for me.”

Taehyung waves him goodbye, and Jeongguk finally turns to leave, breaking into a run that he soon has to slow down when he comes into the main path and other angels look at him reproachfully.

Jeongguk walks the rest of the way out of the garden with calm but determined steps.

*

Leaving the garden is a bit disappointing.

On the other side of the fuzzy white, there is just more fuzzy white, like stepping into thick clouds.

At the gates, he’s instructed to follow the path. Jeongguk nods and steps outside the garden, swallowing the question at the tip of his tongue. What path? There is just white. The ground under his feet is solid but it seems to swirl around his ankles like smoke and it’s no different from what he sees in every direction. But Jeongguk walks forward as instructed, because he has learned to trust what people say in this place.

His steps don’t make a sound and the faint murmur of voices and movement coming from the academy get farther and farther away with every step he takes. Soon, the sounds behind him are replaced by the sounds coming from ahead: the pleasant clacket of footsteps on a hard surface, voices speaking above whispers, life.

Speeding up a little, Jeongguk walks until he finds himself in front of a different set of gates. The angel guarding them takes one look at the wings charm on Jeongguk’s chest and lets him in with a little bow of his head that Jeongguk returns.

He enters a wide, bustling square of cobblestone floors, beautifully decorated with marble statues, and a big fountain that occupies the center of the space, enclosed by three tall buildings. Jeongguk tries not to gape too much but fails. He was used to the gentle lines of the two-story academy building. These buildings are imposing, made of clear stone and golden details, Jeongguk has to tilt his head back to see the top.

But it's not just the construction that makes him feel overwhelmed. There are angels coming and going from one building to the next, in every direction. Some rush past him in a hurry, others stand around, talking amongst each other. Laughing. Something other than muttered and collected voices can be heard in this square, and Jeongguk has to reorder in his head everything he has learned about angels so far.

These angels are livelier, less uptight than the angels at the academy. No one is throwing judging looks at those standing out. These angels are more like Taehyung. Jeongguk always thought that Taehyung was the exception to the rule, but it seems like the academy was in a bubble. He can’t be sure, but this feels more normal, more like it’s supposed to be.

“Welcome, newbie!” An angel with long hair and a sweet smile claps his back and nudges him softly towards the center building. “You have to go through the revolving doors. Someone will be waiting for you there,” they say and leave with a wave.

“Thanks,” Jeongguk waves back at the helpful angel, but they’re already gone. He was gathering courage to ask someone where he was supposed to go, but thankfully, the long-haired angel approached first.

With a deep, calming breath, Jeongguk heads toward the main building. He can do this. He’s ready. This is what he’s been waiting for since he woke up as an angel.

Going through the revolving doors is just a matter of jumping in at the right moment. Once inside, the frantic activity tones down a little, but there’s a lot of movement anyway. Angels consulting at the different information desks of the giant atrium, going up and down the stairs. Jeongguk can even hear someone yelling somewhere in the distance.

“Jeongguk-ssi!”

Jeongguk turns to the voice calling his name and smiles. Taehyung described him well. Jimin is very much like the image Taehyung painted with his words. Blond hair and round cheeks, just as Taehyung described him, but his voice is ten times sweeter.

“Jimin-ssi.” Jeongguk bows to the supervisor angel. “It’s nice to meet you at last. Taehyung has told me so much about you.”

Jimin’s lips purse at the mention of Taehyung and maybe there’s a bit of pink dusting his cheeks.

“Yeah, he… does that.” Jimin clears his throat and beckons Jeongguk to follow him. “This way, please.”

They go through a few hallways, upstairs one floor until they enter an office too messy compared to Jimin’s pristine appearance, but judging by the way Jimin navigates it, he knows perfectly well where everything is.

“Sit down, Jeongguk-ssi.”

Jeongguk takes the chair in front of Jimin’s desk, while the angel rummages through the mountains of folders and papers over the desk.

“Right,” Jimin says when he finally finds what he was looking for. “Congratulations on your promotion, by the way.”

Jimin smiles at him and Jeongguk nods, a bit shy at the sudden attention.

“Thank you. I-I’ll do my best as a guardian.”

“Of course,” Jimin says, and there is something strained in his smile when he looks at Jeongguk.

Jeongguk is about to ask him if there is something wrong, but then Jimin hands him a thick folder after pulling a file out of it.

“Kim Namjoon. Your assignment.”

Jeongguk takes the folder and opens it. The first document is a picture of his assignment and a paper with basic information.

“Oh.”

It’s a man. A twenty-six years old man, Jeongguk reads and frowns. Assignments are usually newborn babies. Humans are supposed to have only one guardian angel during their life. If he’s being assigned a grown man, it means something happened to his previous guardian.

“Yeah, there was a bit of an emergency,” Jimin says, as if he could see the questions rushing through Jeongguk’s mind. “We pulled you a bit earlier from the academy, because we were a bit short of personnel, um… willing to take him.”

“Oh,” Jeongguk laughs nervously. That’s odd. “May I ask what happened to his previous guardian?”

“Sure, um…” Jimin frowns and scans through the file he took from Kim Namjoon’s folder. “Yeah. Obliterated in the line of duty.”

“O-obliterated?”

Jimin chuckles and waves a hand to dismiss Jeongguk’s scared expression. “It’s just a manner of speaking.”

Jeongguk is about to ask what that means exactly, but Jimin is standing up and clearly waiting for him to do the same.

“This human needs you, Jeongguk-ssi. You can’t leave him alone much longer.”

Jimin ushers him to the door and practically pushes him out of his office.

“See those elevators at the end of the hallway?” Jimin doesn’t wait for Jeongguk’s answer to continue, “Take any and use the card inside the folder to make it move.”

“Um, Jimin-ssi—”

“Good luck, Jeongguk-ssi.” Jimin squeezes his shoulder and pushes him towards the elevators.

Maybe Jeongguk heard wrong, but he thinks Jimin muttered a very ominous you’ll need it.

*

When the elevator begins its descent, Jeongguk takes a good look at the profile in the folder Jimin gave him.

Kim Namjoon, second son of a traditional family: doting mother, strict father, two siblings. He has an older brother he looks up to, and a younger sister he doesn’t want to disappoint. A few other close relatives. His strongest bond is with his best friend and roommate, Min Yoongi.

Namjoon graduated from university a couple of years ago and has a stable job in a slightly different field. Neither his major nor his job are what he dreams to do with his life, which is sad but common.

Kim Namjoon’s heart belongs to music and composing. That’s interesting, Jeongguk thinks, he could work on that.

Other additional information is listed, like his blood type and allergies, likes and dislikes in terms of senses. The rest of the folder has a detailed recap of Namjoon’s life, files on his medical history, different aspects of his identity, hobbies, fears, and expectations. All there is to know about him as a human being is in the folder.

Jeongguk goes back to the first page and looks at the picture. It shows Namjoon in a natural landscape, headphones on. He’s smiling softly, the kind of smile born from peace of mind. The ghost of a dimple shyly shows on one of his cheeks.

Kim Namjoon seems like an ordinary human being. He has a seemingly regular life, and a fairly predictable future. What could have he done to get his previous guardian obliterated?

The elevator dings and the doors open. Jeongguk shakes the thoughts of his antecessor out of his head and focuses on the task at hand. Strictly speaking, it doesn’t matter what happened to Kim Namjoon’s previous guardian. Jeongguk has to do the job as best as he can regardless.

Kim Namjoon needs him.

Jeongguk steps out of the elevator and greets a lady angel behind a counter right beside a big, ominous door. Jeongguk smiles back at her welcoming, wrinkly face. Angels usually look the same age, somewhere on their twenties, young but not childish, regardless of the age they had when their human life was over. Jeongguk wonders why this angel looks like a granny. But considering how reassured she makes him feel right before heading to Earth again, maybe he knows why.

“Jeongguk-ssi?”

He nods and takes what she’s handing him. A messenger bag, a tablet, and something that looks like a fountain pen but bigger and thicker.

“Use this only as a last resource,” she says, opening the cap just a little. A bright light comes from within, and Jeongguk understands, as he takes the pen, and it fits perfectly in his hand.

A flaming sword. In case he needs to slay any demons. Of course.

“Everything okay, darling?”

“Y-yes.” Jeongguk puts everything, including the folder, inside the bag and straightens up. “I’m ready.”

“Peace be with you,” she says, and the door opens.

A bright light envelops him and Jeongguk has to close his eyes.

Suddenly, Jeongguk feels like he’s floating in the air. He can see only white, or maybe his eyes are still closed. Sounds swirl around him, like thousands of people whispering all at the same time. It’s overwhelming, Jeongguk is not sure if this is how it’s supposed to be, he tries to open his eyes, but he can’t, or maybe he does but there’s nothing to see.

A voice starts to stand out over the other sounds. It’s a nice, low voice. Jeongguk reaches for it, and suddenly the world around him finally settles.

He is in a small living room. A pair of windows let in the cold, early morning light over the clean but lived-in room.

“Yoongi.”

Jeongguk turns to the voice. It’s Namjoon, right there, in the flesh, knocking on a closed door at the beginning of a short hallway. Namjoon sighs, giving up.

“You’ll find something, okay? Don’t worry too much, rent is covered this month.” Namjoon looks ahead, right through Jeongguk. He seems like he wants to say something else, but in the end, he just walks away. “I’ll get going. See you later.”

Jeongguk moves aside right on time to avoid Namjoon walking through him on his way to the front door.

Right. No time to get cozy. Namjoon is starting his day, so Jeongguk’s job as a guardian is also starting.

He follows Namjoon out of the apartment and feels the chill that runs through the human’s body. It’s colder than he expected.

“Go get a jacket,” Jeongguk mutters.

Namjoon hesitates with his hand over the doorknob, but after a quick check to his phone screen, he decides to go as it is.

Jeongguk sighs. First task failed.

This is what makes a guardian angel’s job so hard. Namjoon can’t see him, can’t really listen to him. Jeongguk can’t meddle in his decisions directly, except for little suggestions that present to Namjoon like flashing ideas or common sense. Jeongguk can whisper all he wants, but the final call is always Namjoon’s.

A guardian angel’s main goal is to preserve their human’s soul, so they can reach their true potential. Everyone has the potential to do good and live a fulfilling life, but not everyone can reach this potential due to physical or psychological impediments. An angel's most important task is to keep the human soul full of hope and self-love so they can follow the best path for them. Their minor tasks are to keep the human safe from the danger they put themselves through, like bad habits, clumsiness, or bad choices.

Sometimes angels are so busy keeping their human alive that they can't work on their souls. That’s when troubles begin to pile up and then there’s little the angel can do.

And then there’s the demon problem.

Jeongguk snaps back to the present when he hears Namjoon muttering a curse.

A drizzle starts falling, light but consistent, as Namjoon rushes to the bus stop. At least he’s on time for the bus that’s turning the corner.

The bus is packed, but Jeongguk notices that at least half of the passengers are wearing white clothes like him. Jeongguk nods his head at the other angels that acknowledge him. Most of them are focused on their humans or typing notes on their tablets. He sees an angel sleeping shoulder to shoulder with their human.

Angels don’t have physical needs, but sleeping is something most of them mimic. It’s not the same as human sleep, of course, they don’t get tired, so it’s more like staying motionless, with their eyes closed and minds cleared of thoughts.

The bus starts moving and Jeongguk gasps as he watches Namjoon stumbling in the aisle. Before he can do anything, another angel nudges her human and the man catches Namjoon’s arm and helps him regain balance.

“Thanks,” Namjoon and Jeongguk say in unison.

“No problem,” the angel says. “You’re new?”

Jeongguk watches Namjoon taking a seat behind the man who just helped him, so Jeongguk deems him safe enough to turn his attention to the other angel.

“Yeah,” he sighs. “Jeongguk.”

“Dahyun,” the angel says, shaking the hand Jeongguk is offering. “That happens to him at least a couple of times a week. This is not the first time we help him,” she says with a giggle. “You have to keep your guard up.”

Jeongguk nods, smiling at the friendly advice, and for a moment, he considers asking Dahyun if she knows what happened to Namjoon’s previous guardian, but then a clatter and another muttered curse makes him whip his head back to Namjoon. He dropped some change. Jeongguk hurries to catch as many coins as he can so they don’t roll farther. It’s not much and with the help of some people around him, Namjoon recovers his change quickly.

“Eyes wide open,” Dahyun says and claps his shoulder as she walks with her human to the door when the bus stops next.

Jeongguk thinks he will need to do more than that as he carefully pushes Namjoon’s phone, sliding out of his pocket, safely in again.     

*

Despite his outstanding clumsiness, Namjoon doesn’t need much of Jeongguk’s help to be a good person and make the right choices. He’s polite and generous, he opens the doors for the old ladies and smiles at babies. He bows at the security guards at the entrance of his company building. He left a good tip for the barista at the coffee shop, where he actually bought a banana smoothie. Jeongguk will wait until lunch to fully judge his eating habits, but so far, it’s looking good.

They’re heading to the elevator. Namjoon works at the finance division of a tech company. He does desk work mostly and fills in sometimes for accountants. Jeongguk checked on the bus ride, Namjoon is overqualified for the job, but the stability makes him stay. Jeongguk guesses he doesn’t really want to work in something more suitable for his international business major. In the regrets section of Namjoon’s file, it’s clearly stated that he followed that major to please his father. He guesses taking a more definite step onto that path would make him feel farther from his dream.

Anyways, this job isn’t very stimulating for Namjoon, but it isn’t a big pain either. Not yet at least. Jeongguk guesses they still have time to do something about it, so for now he will just get used to Namjoon’s routines and see for himself what the folder so clinically describes.

They climb into the elevator with a couple other people and their angels. A woman presses the button to close the doors, but Namjoon puts his hand to block them when he sees someone rushing to catch the elevator.

“Hi! Thanks,” the man slips inside and flashes a smile to Namjoon, who smiles back.

Jeongguk can only watch as the demon throws a cheeky wink his way. He looks at the other angels around, but no one is paying attention to the demon that just entered the elevator.

Not that Jeongguk should care, though. Demons walk the Earth as normal human beings with jobs and bills. Well, some of them at least. They can see angels, and angels can only identify them by their lack of guardian angel and this sort of heavy energy they carry. This is Jeongguk’s first time being in the presence of a demon and he can’t really describe it. What he senses is not precisely evil, but it’s concerning in a way that makes him want to look away.

His heart constricts a little when he sees Namjoon friendly talking with the demon.

Jeongguk was taught that demons can incite different feelings in humans. Their intentions are not always clear, but some are attractive, some are scary, others are just indifferent. Some are even encouraging, and Jeongguk thinks he should be wary of all of them the same.

The elevator dings when it reaches Namjoon’s floor, and thankfully the demon stays in the elevator, but Jeongguk’s relief is short-lived.

As they enter Namjoon’s work space, he sees, as if they had a neon sign above their heads, many other demons peeking over their cubicle divisions to wave at Namjoon and even smirk at Jeongguk.

Jeongguk draws in a shaky breath. This can’t be normal.

In the academy, he was told to be wary of demons, but he was also told that it was possible that he never had to cross paths with one. Demons are chaotic beings. They don’t have a system like angels, they don’t stick to one human at a time but walk around spreading their harmful influence on anyone they see fit. Chances are a human bumps into a demon once or twice in their entire life, some aren’t as lucky and have one as a constant figure in their lives, but this… After a quick look around, Jeongguk counted at least six demons on Namjoon's floor, and he talked with the one in the elevator, so who knows how many more are in this company alone.

Does this have anything to do with Namjoon’s previous guardian’s… obliteration?

As Namjoon gets comfortable in his desk, Jeongguk drops to the floor and sits at a corner of his cubicle. He might as well do some work too.

He pulls out the tablet from his bag and turns it on. Taehyung told him that since humanity has delved into the informatic dimension, angels too had to get into the world wide web. Social networks are too a part of Namjoon’s life, so as his guardian, Jeongguk has to stay updated. He scrolls through most of his profiles and creates some for himself. He drops a follow here and there, not everywhere at once or it would be suspicious. He wonders if a direct message would be breaking the rules.

An angel cannot, under any circumstance, interact with their human. Jeongguk always wondered why such rule existed, since humans can’t see them. Granted, angels have limited control of the material world around them, but not enough to properly interact. Now, online interactions are in a debatably gray area.

He will think about it. Jeongguk feels weird following Namjoon around without even letting him know that he’s here somehow.

Is that selfish? Selfishness is not proper of a guardian, and Jeongguk wonders how prepared he is for this job if he has to remind himself of these things so often.  

*

It’s a long, tiring first day.

Jeongguk can’t feel physical exertion, but all those hours looking over his shoulder left and right, trying to keep an eye on the demons took its toll on Jeongguk’s peace of mind.

At least not everything was stress. Namjoon does eat healthily. It’s on his file, but it’s nice to see it in front of his very eyes. He says no to smoke breaks, which is another win. But the truth is that he says no to most breaks, and that is both relieving and concerning. Relieving, because he didn’t spend any more time with the demons that were so suspiciously friendly with him. And concerning, because it shows an incipient workaholism.

It’s not in Namjoon’s nature, according to his files. He cherishes his free time, and generally, he doesn’t let work consume him, but maybe something is changing, and Jeongguk will have to look into that.

There are no incidents during the trip back home. Maybe Namjoon is sleepy. Thankfully, rain never really picked up, but it’s quite chilly now that the sky is getting dark. They briskly walk the few blocks from the bus stop to Namjoon’s building.

When they enter the warm apartment, they let out twin sighs of relief. Finally, Namjoon is back at the safety of his home, it smells like his roommate is cooking something delicious, and Namjoon has at least twelve hours to be at his leisure and away from demons—

There’s a demon in the house.

Right there, in Namjoon’s kitchen, there’s a demon laughing with Namjoon’s roommate, standing way too close to be just a recent acquaintance.

“Hey, Hoseok!”

Namjoon pulls the demon into a quick hug and peeks over Yoongi’s shoulder to see the contents of the pot he’s stirring.

Jeongguk stays there, outraged, watching the demon cackle at something Yoongi grumbled and cling to Namjoon’s shoulder for support. This is too much. This is overstepping the boundaries. This is absolutely unacceptable.

He takes a deep breath, ready to tell the demon off, kick him out, whatever, but a hand grabs the back of his shirt and tugs him out of the kitchen and all the way to the hallway outside the apartment.      

“Breathe, think a little and don’t lose it.”

Jeongguk shakes the grip on his clothes and turns around, frowning at the other angel, whose face is scrunching in a frown.

“They sent a rookie?” The angel groans. “Who was it? Tae?”

Jeongguk can only gape at who surely is Yoongi’s guardian. The angel is tall and has broad shoulders, he’s beautiful even with the scowl currently on his face. He looks tired, but not at all alarmed.

Jeongguk ignores the angel’s tantrum and what comes out of his mouth is what they really should be worrying about. “There’s a demon in their house!”

“Yes, fuck.” The angel sighs and rubs his forehead. “You’re fresh out of the academy, aren’t you…?”

“Jeongguk,” he says, still frowning at his colleague.

“Okay, Jeonggukie, look.” The other angel puts a hand on Jeongguk’s shoulder and leans down a little as if he were talking to a kid. “Here in the real world, things are not exactly how they painted them in the academy, okay? There’s no black and white, so—”

Jeongguk straightens up, not at all pleased with being talked so patronizingly. “That sounds like a lame excuse to justify why your human is hanging out with a demon.”

He shrugs the angel’s hand off his shoulder and looks away from his eyeroll.

“If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go do my job.”

“Oh, yeah?” The other angel snorts as Jeongguk turns around, heading back into the apartment. “And what are you gonna do exactly, baby angel?”

Jeongguk ignores the other angel and gets his hand into the bag, looking for… Ah, yes, the sword. As he pulls it out and proceeds to unsheathe the flaming sword, the other angel stops him and pushes him away from the door.

“For fuck’s sake, put that away!” The other angel stands on his way to the door with a hand raised. “I told you to fucking breathe.”

Jeongguk feels tempted to mimic Taehyung’s “language”, but he doubts this angel would mind.

“Demons have been around my human all day. I can’t let him be disturbed in his own home!”

The other angel breathes out and his shoulders relax a little. “That’s a serious problem, but Hoseok is not, okay? He’s harmless.”

“He’s a demon! Why do you let him into their house?”

“He makes my human happy.” The angel shrugs and hesitates a little before adding, “And sad sometimes, but that’s good for him. Keeps him inspired. And Yoongi is good for Hoseok too, which is a plus.”

“What?”

“Yoongi is healing his soul—” The angel closes his mouth, as if regretting his words. “Anyways,” he clears his throat and offers his hand. “We started with the wrong foot. I’m Seokjin, nice to meet you.”

Seokjin smiles all polite and maybe a bit nervous. Jeongguk looks at the other angel with suspicion for a few more seconds, but in the end he shakes his hand. Their humans live together, Jeongguk reckons he has to at least try.

“Look, as a peace offering, I’ll get rid of Hoseok,” Seokjin says and smiles a bit wider.

Jeongguk is about to ask him how he’s planning to do that, but Seokjin is already taking his wings charm off his shirt and turning around to knock on the door.

“What are you doing?” Jeongguk looks between the angel and the door. He can hear steps approaching on the other side. “Seokjin-ssi!”

Namjoon opens the door, but instead of looking confusedly to the empty air that should be all he can see, he’s smiling at Seokjin, open and friendly.

“Oh, Jin-hyung, it’s been so long! How have you been?”

“What—?”

They’re shaking hands. Namjoon, his human, with Seokjin, Yoongi’s guardian angel, they’re touching. Jeongguk feels a bit dizzy.

“I’m fine. Busy, as always, but you know, I like it that way.” Seokjin smiles.

“Come in.” Namjoon opens the door a bit more and steps to the side, clearly inviting Seokjin in. “Yoongi-hyung is making those ribs you like.”

Those ribs you like. If the familiarity wasn’t enough… Seokjin clearly interacts with the humans quite often if Namjoon knows what the angel likes to eat…? What?

“Oh, not today, sorry,” Seokjin excuses himself, and he sounds sincerely regretful. “I just came to drop some stuff at Hoseok’s place. I have to go back to work right away.” He makes an eloquent pause and tries to see into the apartment. “Hoseok’s here, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll go get him,” Namjoon says. “It was nice to see you, hyung.”

“Likewise, Namjoon-ah.” Seokjin sighs when Namjoon is out of sight. “Hold it just a little longer, Jeongguk-ssi.”

Jeongguk throws his hands up in exasperation and rubs tiny circles on his temples. If he was human, he’d be going down with a massive headache. Maybe stress transcends mortality, Jeongguk thinks, because when the demon comes out, he feels a very real pang of pain.

“I told you not to come today!” Seokjin starts as soon as the demon closes the door, and his wings charm is back on his chest.

“Ah, come on, Jinnie… I wanted to see the new guy.” At this the demon looks at Jeongguk up and down with an annoyingly knowing smirk on his lips. “A rookie?”

“Yeah, and he’s a bit sensitive—”

“I’m not sensitive,” Jeongguk argues and he has to admit that it doesn’t work much in his favor if he wants them to stop addressing him as a rookie.

Angel and demon chuckle, but it’s not exactly mocking.

“Cute,” the demon says and offers his hand. “I’m known as Jung Hoseok, nice to meet you, little angel.”

Jeongguk tips his chin up and leaves Hoseok’s hand hanging. “Excuse me if I don’t shake hands with a demon.”

“Oh, very sensitive indeed.” Hoseok chuckles. “But maybe it’s better that way.”

Jeongguk doesn’t miss the look he exchanges with Seokjin, and he wonders if this has something to do with Namjoon’s previous guardian.

“Anyways, this is his first day. He already had a lot at Joonie’s office, so don't make it harder for him.” Seokjin nods down the hallway, a clear dismissal.

“What? You want me to leave?” Hoseok seems outraged. “But Yoongi made those ribs—! Okay, okay,” he says, holding up appeasing hands.

It’s obvious that Seokjin won’t budge, and apparently Hoseok respects him.

“Tell him to save me some leftovers.” Hoseok starts walking down the hallway and turns only to throw a wink at Jeongguk. “Fill him in soon,” the demon tells Seokjin instead of goodnight and disappears up the stairs.

“He lives in this building?”

“Upstairs, yeah. And…” Seokjin sighs and beckons him inside the apartment, both going through the door without trouble. “I should tell you right away that he’s in some sort of relationship with Yoongi. Hey…” Seokjin turns a stern glare in his direction before Jeongguk can splutter anything. “Before you start the diatribe about rules I know you’re preparing in that rookie head of yours, don’t. He makes Yoongi happy, he wants the best for him, and he’s my friend too. The sooner you get over that, the better for everyone, including yourself.”

Jeongguk sighs and drops his overwhelmed self onto the little couch in the living room.

“Ah, Seokie says he won’t be able to come back,” Yoongi informs Namjoon, pouting at his phone screen.

“Seems like you went an extra mile for him tonight,” Namjoon teases, and Jeongguk can’t hear what Yoongi answers, because Seokjin grabs his chin between his fingers and turns Jeongguk’s face to him.

“That’s none of our business. Let them eat in peace,” Seokjin says with a frown.

Jeongguk groans and buries his face in the soft blanket thrown over the couch.

“Overwhelmed?” Seokjin asks, and in his voice, Jeongguk can hear gentleness. “How bad was in the office? Did they approach you?”

At this, Jeongguk looks up and pulls a frown of his own. “You mean the demons?”

“Remember when I said not everything is black and white?” Seokjin throws a worried glance at the humans, peacefully eating in the kitchen. “That batch at Namjoon’s office is as black as it gets. You have to be careful.”

“Did they do something to Namjoon’s previous guardian?”

Seokjin looks down, and Jeongguk can’t tell if the question made him sad or uncomfortable, but it’s somewhere there.

“You could say so, yeah.” Before Jeongguk can question further, Seokjin smiles at him. “I’ll tell you all about it, but not tonight. Get used to Namjoon and this house first, and then we’ll talk about those complicated things, okay?”

Seeing the tired slump of Seokjin’s shoulders, Jeongguk thinks that maybe his condescendence stems from sympathy rather than disrespect. He nods and watches Seokjin stand up and follow Yoongi out of the apartment when the human runs out with leftovers for Hoseok.

*

After that hectic first day, Jeongguk starts getting accustomed to Namjoon’s life little by little. 

Soon he learns that Namjoon is not that terribly clumsy. Sure, sometimes he’s too absorbed by the music in his earphones to notice the red lights and things get extra fragile in his hands, but nothing Jeongguk can’t deal with. Seokjin tells him that the mood has been a bit down in the house, because Yoongi lost his job recently.

Jeongguk could read it in Namjoon’s file, but there isn’t much to do during the night while their humans sleep, so he listens from Seokjin the story of how Yoongi and Namjoon ended up together.

Despite Yoongi being a year older than Namjoon, they entered university the same year and were roommates in the shitty dorms they could afford. Seokjin remembers those times with a warm smile gracing his face.

“They were so funny back then,” Seokjin says. “They hated each other’s guts. Every day I feared Yoongi would lose it and beat the shit out of Namjoon.”

Seokjin’s laugh is squeaky and contagious. More often than not, Jeongguk finds himself laughing with the other angel.

“Namjoonie was different back then. Kinda pretentious but not really. Too confident, it drove Yoongi crazy. It went on like that for like a year, but then they found common ground.”

“Music?” Jeongguk guesses. He has caught glimpses of Yoongi in his room, curled over his laptop, head bobbing to a rhythm.

“Yeah, they were big hip-hop lovers. Well, they still are,” Seokjin says. “They bonded over that. Yoongi likes producing tracks, Namjoon composes great melodies, both of them write beautiful lyrics. They’re really good.”

Any doubt Jeongguk might have had about Seokjin vanishes into nothing when he hears the love for their humans present in Seokjin’s voice.

The demons at Namjoon’s workplace continue being suspiciously friendly with Namjoon and throwing dirty glances at Jeongguk. But it’s not until they try to get Jeongguk away from Namjoon to corner him that Jeongguk asks Seokjin about Namjoon’s previous guardian.

“They cornered you? Are you okay?”

“I— Yeah? They didn’t do anything really. They were just trying to intimidate me.” Jeongguk shrugs one shoulder, dismissing the incident.

“Oh, you’re a tough cookie, aren’t you, Gookie?”

Jeongguk rolls his eyes, not engaging with Seokjin’s silly pokes at his stomach.

“Tell me what happened to Namjoon’s previous guardian.”

Seokjin’s face turns serious in a blink, he looks awkward but after a while of musing, he nods.

“Demons have been lurking around the guys since they became friends,” Seokjin starts. “It worried us, Jiho and I… Jiho was Namjoon’s previous guardian. Back then our job was tougher. We tried to do our best, but the guys were struggling through their classes, part-time jobs, their early-twenties existential crisis. So much stress and uncertainty, we had our hands full. Yoongi was…” Seokjin shakes his head. “Anyways, we forgot about this demon problem until Namjoon got that job and suddenly they were all over the place.”

“Yoongi too?”

“No, well... You see, Yoongi’s life has always been, um, more unstable. He didn’t finish his degree and has been in and out of random jobs all this time. I never had to deal with as many demons as Jiho had to when Namjoon got into that company. And then Hoseok came around and…” Seokjin chuckles. “It seems like if you have a token demon like a fixture in your human’s life, the rest lose interest. Anyways.”

Jeongguk has noticed that Seokjin always says anyways when he wants to redirect the conversation back to focus.

“Jiho was trying to find out what they wanted with Namjoon. He got too close to them, they…” Seokjin sighs and looks at his own lap. “He started acting strange, he wasn’t the same. He neglected his job as a guardian, went out and left Namjoon alone for days. Namjoon almost got hit by a truck, it was disaster.”

Seokjin shakes his head as if trying to get the memories out of his mind.

“When Jiho didn’t come back in a week, I left Yoongi with Hoseok and went with Namjoon for a day. I confronted those demons, and they said Jiho was not coming back.”

“They killed him?”

“Don’t you know where demons come from, kid?” Hoseok’s raspy voice startles Jeongguk. The demon comes into the living room with his hands into the pockets of borrowed pajama pants. He stayed the night after an impromptu Netflix marathon with Yoongi.

Jeongguk can’t say he trusts Hoseok yet, but in his time here, he has seen him being nothing but a good friend for Yoongi and Namjoon. Well, maybe a little more than that for Yoongi, but he’s not a bad influence for any of their humans.

The demon is now looking at him with that knowing glint in his eyes, the one demons usually sport. Jeongguk thinks about his question and realizes that although they had been told a lot about demons in the academy, they were never taught where they come from. Jeongguk wonders why he never thought about that before now.

Hoseok pulls something from his pocket and walks closer, so Jeongguk can see it in the dark room.

The last thing Jeongguk is expecting to see in Hoseok’s palm is a wings charm, but there it is, albeit blackened and even rusty in some places. The center of it is as shiny silver as Jeongguk’s or Seokjin’s.

“What does this mean?” Jeongguk asks instead of letting his imagination fly.

“All demons used to be angels. Guardians that left their post,” Hoseok says and smile something sad.

The words take a while to go through Jeongguk’s brain.

What?

Jeongguk looks at the… disgraced angel under a new light and understands a bit better the heavy feeling he feels in his chest every time he looks at a demon. It’s something like pity, he doesn’t like it.

“Why…?”

Hoseok sighs and puts his pin back into his pocket.

“I thought it was unfair—”

“Hoseok,” Seokjin warns him with a stern glare.

The demon chuckles and shrugs. “He wants to know, right?”

Jeongguk nods, but he’s not too sure about it.

“Relax, I won’t turn you to the dark side.” Hoseok breathes out a laugh, but Jeongguk notices that it lacks humor. “I thought it was unfair, our destiny. You live a life and if you are good enough or whatever you become an angel, follow a human their entire life, worry about them, root for them. You try to do your best, but sometimes, even then, you fail. You’re a rookie, you don’t know what it’s like to see your human crumble. You see a baby with so many possibilities become an adult mistreated by life, turned into something they despise…” Hoseok shakes his head. “There’s so little a guardian can do. It’s unfair. The human fails to live a fulfilling life, they’re sent to live another life, but us? Who supposedly did the right thing? We’re sent to suffer a life after another.”

Jeongguk doesn’t know what to say. It’s true, he’s been a guardian for a little more than a week, but he already fears watching something terrible happening to Namjoon. He can’t imagine what it’s like to follow a human since they’re an innocent baby, watching them grow only to see them die, and then start again with a different person. He looks at Seokjin and the empty expression on his face. Maybe he does understand Hoseok’s point of view better.

“You forget…” Seokjin says but he seems to be concealing his true thoughts.

“I mean, yeah, we can hardly remember every human we’ve guarded, but that’s worse in a way.” Hoseok dismisses the topic with a wave of his hand. “I thought it was pointless, so I took my wings off and started my own life.”

“How long have you…?”

Seokjin huffs, and Hoseok shakes his head.

“Let’s say it’s been too long,” Hoseok says with another sad smile on his lips. “When your human dies you go back up there to get a new assignment, right? When your human dies and you’re not wearing your wings, you get… stranded. You can’t go back, and you can’t move forward. You just stay.”

“No offense, but that sounds awful,” Jeongguk says, and surprisingly, Hoseok laughs.

“It is. Don’t do it.” Hoseok claps Jeongguk’s back, and Jeongguk can’t help but feel a wave of endearment for the former angel.

“I still don’t understand… Like, you wanted out of this job, I guess others thought the same. Why bother humans then? Why don’t they live their lives and leave humans alone?”

“Well, it’s different for everyone, but some are just mad, some have this twisted idea of altruism and think they’re making humans a favor not letting them become angels, some do live their lives in peace, some are not evil—”

“Like you?” Seokjin teases.

“Well…” Hoseok shrugs trying to feign modesty. “I’m not a saint, but…”

Seokjin laughs and slaps Hoseok’s shoulder. Hoseok also laughs, maybe too loud for the late hours, because soon after, they hear the soft padding of socked feet coming from the hallway, and a sleepy Yoongi enters the living room, looking around for other people.

“Sorry, babe. I was on the phone,” Hoseok lies easily and drags Yoongi back to his room, but not before he throws a cheeky wink at the angels.

*

The next couple of days are weird.

Namjoon listens to his suggestions more often than not. If it wasn’t for the demons, lurking around him, Jeongguk wouldn’t have much to worry about. He’s getting attached to Namjoon, and maybe that’s a bit worrisome, but the human is a genuinely good person. He’s kind and funny, and as days go by, Jeongguk wishes more and more that he could speak to him.

It’s a selfish wish, he knows. One of the first things angels are taught at the academy is that a guardian must be selfless, but Jeongguk has begun to question most of those things engraved in his brain. He wants Namjoon to know him and he wonders what is so bad about that.

Seokjin sometimes takes his wings off and eats dinner with the guys. He has even told Jeongguk that he could do it, if he wanted. They could say they’re cousins or something.

Apparently, there’s no problem if they take their wings off just for a little while. Seokjin told him that he learned the trick from Hoseok. The demon said that it was absolutely fine as long as he didn’t neglect his job as guardian. So, little after Hoseok started seeing Yoongi, he introduced Seokjin as his friend, and the guardian became friends with the humans too.

They invited Jeongguk to join, but he got nervous and said no. Still, Jeongguk sometimes entertains the thought.

Would Namjoon like him? Jeongguk can’t help the irrational fear of actually meeting Namjoon face to face and saying something stupid, or worse, not saying absolutely anything and making Namjoon hate him. He could not stand that. But he really wants to make contact. He wants to let Namjoon know that there is an entity in the world called Jeongguk that appreciates him.

Making contact is becoming a need with every day that Jeongguk passes by Namjoon’s side, and the reasons why he shouldn’t become every day more irrelevant.

Jeongguk looks at Namjoon, turning on his work computer with tired movements. People in the office have been talking about this time of the year being here already. Apparently, there’s more work than usual, and everyone is focused on getting it done as soon as possible. Namjoon is not the exception. He starts typing frantically as soon as the right files are open.

Jeongguk is sitting at a corner of Namjoon’s cubicle. He has exchanged a few words with the other angels roaming around, but they remind him too much of the angels back at the academy. And anyways, they are like a closed pack already, so Jeongguk sticks to himself. He’s scrolling idly through the apps on his tablet. Namjoon hasn’t updated much on his social media lately, and there is just so much of Seokjin’s bad jokes he can take.

Jeongguk opens Namjoon’s twitter profile for the hundredth time and decides this is a good moment to check the link on his pinned tweet. It’s a link to his Soundcloud page. Jeongguk has been meaning to listen to Namjoon’s music for a while, but talking with Seokjin and Hoseok at night has left him no chance.

He rummages in his bag for a pair of earphones, plugs them to the tablet and presses play.

Jeongguk listens to everything. He doesn’t even notice that Namjoon takes a break two hours later than normal for lunch, and after they’re back from the lunch break, he gives everything another listen. He’s mind blown. He read everything in Namjoon’s folder about his music, but actually listening to it can’t compare.

His early songs are a bit rough, less polished, but full of passion and raw talent, nonetheless. Jeongguk can’t remember his musical taste from when he was human and he hasn’t been in the world for long enough to get a proper grasp of what’s what in music, but his first impression of Namjoon’s music is that it’s really cool. Jeongguk listens to his early pieces and then looks at the man working a nine to five desk job and it’s kind of hilarious, but he can feel Namjoon’s essence, even though he has changed with age.

Of course, there is progression and evolution, and his latest pieces are so… for lack of a better word, Jeongguk would say moving. They’re full of sentiment and heartbreak, but they also bring hope and comfort. It’s like Namjoon’s soul made sound.

It’s heartwarming to see the comments people leave in his work. Most of them agree with Jeongguk. Some of them ask Namjoon when he plans to debut as a full-time musician. There are many ready to be his fans. There is even more fervor in the songs he has uploaded with Yoongi. People say they’re the next South Korean big duo, and suddenly, Jeongguk understands why there are so many demons around Namjoon.

There is so much love circulating for him and Yoongi, so much comfort being given to other souls, such good influence, they might as well be angels themselves. Of course the demons would want to bring them down.

Jeongguk won’t let that happen.

He goes back to twitter. Namjoon is starting to wrap things up with his work, but Jeongguk still has a few minutes for his fingers to hover over the tiny envelope icon.

He finally decides to do it. He needs to convey all the feelings Namjoon’s music elicited in him and communicate them somehow. He types quickly and reads over the message a couple of times to make sure he didn’t make any typos. He presses send before he can overthink his decision.

Jeongguk is nervous all the trip back home. He ignores Seokjin when they enter the house and follows Namjoon to his room. He usually stays out of Namjoon’s room, but today he’s making an exception because… Oh.

As soon as he closes the door behind himself, Namjoon pulls his phone out of his pocket and opens his message. He reads through it a few times, a smile spreading on his lips and making his dimple pop. The sight makes Jeongguk’s heart make a weird somersault inside his chest. He guesses if he was human, he’d be blushing to the tip of his ears.

Namjoon looks around, still smiling, and hesitates a few moments but in the end, he starts typing.

Jeongguk gasps when the tablet in his bag buzzes.     

“Thanks for your sweet comment.” He put a smiling emoji at the end, the one with teeth. Seokjin told him the other one wasn’t good.

“Oh, you were there,” Namjoon mutters, and only then Jeongguk realizes that Namjoon can see he saw his reply.

Jeongguk remains frozen in front of Namjoon, pondering if he should say something. Before he can decide, Namjoon starts typing again.

“I’m kinda cringing thinking about someone listening to my old stuff tho hahah.”

The expression on Namjoon’s face right now matches his words perfectly. Jeongguk breathes out a laugh and types, “Are you kidding? Those are really cool!!!”

Namjoon snorts. “Now you’re just lying.”

Jeongguk makes a quick tilt of his head. “I am not.” He hesitates just one second before typing, “You’re really cool. I would even listen to your shower serenades.”

He adds a laughing emoji in case Namjoon doesn’t read the joke in his words. But it seems like he does. He laughs, short and loud, and shakes his head.

“Believe me, you wouldn’t like that.”

Jeongguk chuckles. “No, I don’t,” he mutters, even though Namjoon can’t listen to him. It’s a lie though, he likes to hear Namjoon singing in the shower. He’s not a very talented vocalist but he’s very passionate. It’s cute, and it’s a sign that there is joy in his heart.

Jeongguk sends a string of laughing emojis, and Namjoon closes the chat after that. The soft smile stays on his lips, and that’s all Jeongguk needs to declare this a successful first interaction.  

*

Jeongguk is giving a relisten to Namjoon’s latest songs a couple of days after his little chat with him.

It’s late, the humans have long gone to sleep, and he’s sitting on the couch with Seokjin. The other angel is playing a game on his tablet, and Jeongguk has the volume all the way up to drown Seokjin’s grunts and wails. The music is so loud that he doesn’t notice that Seokjin is talking to him until the angel jabs his side hard.

“Sorry, what?” Jeongguk pulls the earphones off his ears and blinks innocently at Seokjin.

“I said they’re good, aren’t they?”

Everythingoes sounds loud from the earphones in the silence of the room.

“Oh, yeah.” Jeongguk pauses the music and nods. “I’ve liked everything I’ve heard so far.”

“You should listen to the tracks they have in their shared folder. If they ever released them…” Seokjin shakes his head. “I’ve made so many accounts to leave messages asking for their debut.” Seokjin chuckles. “I’m slightly aggressive, it makes Yoongi laugh.”

Jeongguk laughs. It’s nice to have Seokjin to talk about this. “I, um… I sent Namjoon a DM.”

“Oh, baby steps for the baby angel,” Seokjin teases.

“It was nice. He was really nice—”

Jeongguk closes his mouth when the tablet buzzes on his lap. He looks at Seokjin, who clearly hasn’t sent him any message. He has a very dry ongoing chat with Hoseok, where the former angel sends him funny pictures from time to time, but it’s not him either.

Jeongguk sees the little envelope notification on the upper border of the tablet. It’s a twitter message.

He ponders going to Namjoon room for a hot second but decides to stay on the couch. It’s fairer like this.

He opens the message. Of course, it’s Namjoon.

“Sorry for speaking to you this late, but I wanted to thank you again. Really. I’ve been seriously thinking about quitting music lately. Your comment reminded me why I used to love it so much. So thank you, kind stranger.”

Jeongguk gasps. His eyes well with tears.

“What?” Seokjin sounds worried.

Before Jeongguk can even think about what to tell Seokjin, the three dots that indicate Namjoon is writing pop up on the screen.

“Oops, awkward.”

Jeongguk hits his own forehead, which alarms Seokjin even further.

“Are you always on twitter?”

“Shit,” Jeongguk mutters, and Seokjin chuckles.

“Are you going to tell me what’s up?”

“Namjoon sent me a message. I opened it right away, now he’s wondering if I’m always online,” Jeongguk explains. “I’ll look too eager,” he groans.

“He’ll think you’re a loser.” Seokjin nods.

Jeongguk throws a punch in Seokjin’s direction and lets his head fall onto the backrest of the couch.

“Well, answer him!” Seokjin nudges his shoulder.

“Okay.” Jeongguk shakes his head and sits straight again. He grabs the tablet and rereads Namjoon’s messages.

“Haha sorry…” He types and hesitates, not knowing how to continue. “Should I lie?”

“Of course not, tell him you are pending on his every word because he is the purpose of your entire existence,” Seokjin deadpans, and Jeongguk just glares at him.

“I’m busy during the day, so I like to unwind online at night.”

It’s not exactly a lie.

“Sorry if a was too much with the other message.” Namjoon sends an embarrassed emoji, and Jeongguk wants to either hit his head against the tablet or squirm.

“It’s fine haha I sent a whole paragraph about your amazing artistry first so…”

Namjoon sends a whole string of embarrassed emojis.

“Oh, Namjoon sends you emojis? How cute, Yoongi is so monosyllabic every time we chat—”

Seokjin is shamelessly peeking over Jeongguk’s shoulder, so Jeongguk pushes him away. Seokjin just laughs when he lands on the other end of the couch.

Looking back at the tablet, Jeongguk types with slightly trembling fingers, “I’m glad my message made you feel that way.”

I really want you to be happy, and see you make your dreams come true, and keep you safe forever.

Jeongguk is a bit taken aback by those thoughts, but it’s what he feels. Of course, he can’t say any of that, it would cross a few if not all the lines.

“Is the guy your human or your crush? The way you’re smiling at the screen right now, I seriously can’t tell,” Seokjin says and is too slow to stop the pillow Jeongguk throws at his face.   

*

In the following days, exchanging messages with Namjoon becomes a thing.

Jeongguk is surprised (and elated) that they have made it this far. The conversation hasn’t cut since it started. It just stays pending until one of them sends another message, and then the other replies, even if it’s hours later, and so on. There’s always a new message, and that’s what matters.

They don’t talk about personal things. Well, maybe mundane things is a better way to put it. Namjoon doesn’t know his name, hasn’t asked his age or where he lives either. If Jeongguk wasn’t his guardian, he wouldn’t know Namjoon works in an office and lives with his best friend. They don’t talk about their everyday lives, and in a way, that makes their conversation even more personal.

They speak straight from the heart. No filter. They talk about things he’s sure Namjoon has never spoken out loud to another soul. Jeongguk tells him things he wouldn’t dare to bring up with anyone else, not even Taehyung. Their deepest hopes and dreams, their fears and regrets. It’s incredible. Jeongguk would have thought that stripping his soul bare to someone else would be scary, or at the very least, uncomfortable, but instead, it has been liberating. And not only that, he feels like he is really doing something real to support Namjoon. And although it’s absolutely not his job, Namjoon is also helping him adjust to his new life.

Things in the apartment are getting better, too. Yoongi found a new job in a department store, so he’s not crawling up the walls with anxiety, and Seokjin as well seems more at peace. To celebrate, Hoseok arrived one day with an armful of boxes of fried chicken that smelled frankly mouthwatering. Jeongguk was very close to accepting Hoseok’s invitation and joining everyone for dinner.

All in all, Jeongguk is starting to feel at home with Namjoon, Yoongi, Seokjin, and even Hoseok. He’s starting to feel safe, which way too soon proves to be a big mistake.

As soon as he puts his guard down, the demons at Namjoon’s workplace make their move.

The day starts as usual. They leave the apartment in time for the bus. Namjoon buys breakfast at the coffeeshop a block away from the company building. They take the packed elevator, greet people as they walk to Namjoon’s cubicle, nothing out of the ordinary.  Namjoon starts working as soon as he reaches his desk and gets everything set up. Jeongguk checks their surroundings as he does every day, and after he sees the demons focused on their own screens, he sits on the floor and takes the tablet out of his bag.

Jeongguk created a note where he’s been writing down topics he would like to discuss with Namjoon. There are all kinds of topics in the list, from metaphysics to dog breeds. Sometimes Jeongguk thinks that they could talk about the weather and Namjoon still would make it engaging and expressive. He finishes adding a few ideas he got during the bus ride and opens Namjoon’s latest message.

Jeongguk saw Namjoon typing in the elevator and had to cross his arms to stop himself from taking the tablet out right away.

He asked a bold question and he can’t wait to see what Namjoon answered.

When Jeongguk reads the message, he laughs too loud for the quiet office. It’s a good thing the working people can’t hear him.

“Well, if angels do exist, I don’t think mine is doing a very good job. I’ve lost my keys eight times this month.”

“I can’t save you from your clumsiness,” Jeongguk mutters, smiling at the screen and savoring the playfulness in the message.

The break of normalcy comes when Namjoon takes a little break to go to the bathroom.

Jeongguk is busy thinking of a reply, so he doesn’t notice the missing demons. Namjoon enters the bathroom and while Jeongguk waits for him outside, two demons grab each one of his arms and drag him away and into a small storage room.

If Jeongguk had a heartbeat, he’s sure it would be racing.

Are they going to kill him? He doesn’t know what happens to an angel if they are killed. Where would he go? He’s ready, at any shift of the demons’ grip on him, he’s ready to fight—

His blood runs cold. It’s not about him, isn’t it?

Namjoon is alone.

What if they do something to Namjoon? He tries to shake the demons away, but their grip is iron tight. They’re pinning him to the wall, looking at him coldly. And nothing else. It’s obvious that they just wanted to get him away from Namjoon.

What for? What are they doing?

He knows there’s no point in reasoning with them, but he keeps struggling.

“Let me go!”

“As you wish, little angel,” one of the demons says with a nasty smile.

They release him, and before Jeongguk can pull his sword out, they’re out of the tiny room.

Cowards.

Jeongguk forgets about them and rushes back to Namjoon, fear is making him shake. When he reaches the door of the bathroom, he finds himself face to face with Namjoon, who’s smiling at someone behind him.

“See you tomorrow, then,” Namjoon is saying and waving at two other demons.

“What happened?” Jeongguk mutters, but of course, Namjoon can’t answer him.

The demons are smiling way too pleased for Jeongguk’s taste.

*

Jeongguk is restless for the rest of the day.

There seems to be nothing wrong with Namjoon, but the demons keep throwing mocking glances at him. They seem to be enjoying Jeongguk’s altered state.

Something happened. He sends the ominous words to Seokjin and isn’t really surprised when his message remains unseen. Seokjin is a notorious late replier.

Jeongguk can’t wait to be back home. He needs peace to think, and maybe Seokjin’s shoulder to cry his stress away.

See you tomorrow, then. Those were Namjoon’s words to the demons, and Jeongguk doesn’t understand anything. Tomorrow is Saturday, Namjoon doesn’t work on Saturdays, neither he has the kind of friendship with his demon coworkers to meet outside work, but maybe… Maybe that’s changing.

Why? Why now?

After the clock strikes five, the entire office starts packing up and leaving. Namjoon waves the demons goodbye, and Jeongguk is sure that when they wave back, they’re looking at him.

As they walk towards the bus stop, Namjoon receives a phone call, and after an excited exchange of words, he turns around and starts walking in the opposite direction of the bus stop.

Now what?

They walk a few blocks and meet a small group of people. Jeongguk lets out the breath he was holding. Humans. Jeongguk remembers them from a few pictures in Namjoon’s folder, they’re old friends from university.

Jeongguk sighs, a bit from relief, a bit from frustration. Namjoon and his friends go for drinks, and Jeongguk tries to see it as something positive. Of course, it is. Namjoon seems to be having a good time catching up with his old friends and unwinding with a few bottles of beer. But Jeongguk is nervous, on edge, and engaging in the small talk the other angels come up with is hard. They probably think Jeongguk is a weirdo.

Whatever, he has worse things to worry about.

The demons are cooking something up, and they wanted Jeongguk precisely like this, unbalanced, so he doesn’t see it coming.

When everyone is sufficiently tipsy, one of the girls in the group says they should go to a club and have a proper night out. Jeongguk has a groan at the very tip of his tongue, but thankfully, Namjoon says he’ll pass this time.

“I have plans for tomorrow morning,” Namjoon says, and Jeongguk wants to bang his own head on the table.

They take a taxi home. Jeongguk is ready to drag Seokjin to the couch and spill all his fears and theories onto the other guardian, but when they enter the apartment, it is dark and quiet.

Went out with Hobi. I’ll be back tomorrow.

The sticky note on the fridge feels like a personal attack to Jeongguk.

While Namjoon takes a shower, Jeongguk paces up and down the fairly short hallway, trying to organize his thoughts.

Namjoon is going somewhere with the demons tomorrow. The demons didn’t want Jeongguk knowing where it was. What for? He’s going anyway, they can’t stop him. Jeongguk’s only theory is that they want him exactly like this: suspicious, jumpy. Prone to make a mistake. Why?

Namjoon comes out of the bathroom right when Jeongguk is walking in front of it. Startled, Jeongguk is not quick enough to step aside in time, and Namjoon walks through him. They both freeze for a second, a shiver running down their backs.

“The fuck?” Namjoon mutters and tightens the towel around his shoulders, looking around, as if waiting to see a ghost.

He looks right through Jeongguk for at least ten seconds and Jeongguk can’t make his feet move.

Jeongguk shakes his head and keeps his eyes on the ground when Namjoon resumes his walk toward his room. He didn’t bother dressing in the bathroom.

Jeongguk shouldn’t care. There are troubles coming his way much worse than Namjoon’s nakedness. He should focus on what’s important. He should stay unaffected. In the academy, he was told…

Jeongguk sighs and walks towards the living room. He drops face first onto the couch and thanks the stars he can skip breathing.

Fuck, he’s a mess.

He wishes he could speak with Taehyung. He feels way over his head with this demon situation, he wasn’t ready at all. Every day he convinces himself more and more that he doesn’t know anything. Most of the things he was taught in the academy are either useless or incorrect.

Before his lessons with Taehyung, Jeongguk received basic training with the rest of the new angels. They were told how the afterlife worked, what was an angel’s mission, how they were supposed to act to accomplish said mission. Back then, Jeongguk just accepted everything because… Well, he can’t remember really. He was like asleep, it felt like a dream. Only after he started interacting with Taehyung, he came to his senses. 

Jeongguk guesses the person he used to be when he was alive came back little by little coaxed by Taehyung. His mentor didn’t police him like the angels in the basic training did, he questioned the things Jeongguk had been taught, reassured him that there was not only one right way to do this job, that Jeongguk had to find his own way. Which he’s doing. Barely.

In the academy, he was told to be impartial, selfless and sensible. Taehyung told him to follow his heart, that he would know what was right. Seokjin has told him that sometimes it’s okay to not do the right thing if it is for the right reason.

Jeongguk is not sure about anything anymore. The only thing he knows is that keeping Namjoon safe is his number one priority.

Jeongguk scrambles out of the couch when Namjoon enters the living room in his way to the kitchen. Cold water glass in hand, Namjoon sits in the couch and pulls his cellphone out of his pocket.

Jeongguk takes a deep breath and sits by Namjoon’s side.

“Do you know what you’re doing?” Jeongguk mutters and he’s not sure to whom he’s speaking.

“I’ve no idea,” Namjoon breathes out.

Jeongguk looks at Namjoon. His eyes are fixed on the black screen of his phone, lost in thought.

Jeongguk can only see one side of his face, but the downturn of his lips makes him look sad. Lonely, maybe. Jeongguk can feel it too, like a hollow in his chest, the coldness of something missing, a yearning for something he can’t even remember.

Jeongguk’s hand reaches for Namjoon’s face. He stops right before they can make contact and with a gasp, draws his hand back.

Neither of them would feel it anyway.

Jeongguk doesn’t know where the sudden need to touch Namjoon came from. He can’t understand the feelings pressing on his heart right now either.

Namjoon hums and the deep sound of his voice snaps Jeongguk back to the present.

Namjoon has their chat open.

Right. Jeongguk never answered his last message.

If angels do exist, I don’t think mine is doing a very good job.

Jeongguk reaches for his bag, thrown to the floor by the side of the couch when they entered the apartment. He turns on the tablet and opens the chat. He doesn’t care the timing might look suspicious.

“Maybe he’s trying his best,” he types and feels like shit.

Namjoon certainly deserves a better guardian.

“Oh, there you are,” Namjoon mutters. A little smile curls his lips when he reads Jeongguk’s response.

“I must be a handful.”

Jeongguk can’t help but smile too. “Not really. Not you.”

Namjoon is a lovely human being. A genuinely good person. But the circumstances and Jeongguk’s unpreparedness make everything harder than it should be.

Namjoon takes a sip of his water and leaves the glass on the coffee table. He then gets comfortable on the couch and grabs his phone with both hands.

Jeongguk looks between Namjoon, biting his lip while he types, and the three dots on his screen. He copies Namjoon's position, so they are sitting at opposite ends of the couch, with their back to the armrest and their legs crossed in front of them. If they stretched their legs, they would meet in the middle.

“Wait… he? I thought angels had no sex or gender.”

Jeongguk snorts. Of all the things he could take out of his words…

“Idk, I just said the first thing that came to my mind.”

Namjoon shakes his head, but he’s smiling.

“Either patriarchy has you by the balls or you’re projecting.” Namjoon adds an emoji sticking its tongue out.

“How do you know /I/ have balls?”

Namjoon laughs but as an afterthought, he frowns.

Jeongguk laughs at his confusion and before Namjoon can write anything he continues, “I do have them, just so you know. And maybe I was projecting a little bit too.”

Or an entire piece, whatever.

Namjoon is smiling at the screen when he types, “On behalf of my guardian angel, thanks for sympathizing with them.”

Jeongguk feels like screaming. He wishes he could tell Namjoon the hilarity of the exchange.

“You’ve been a little like my guardian angel lately, you know?”

Namjoon’s words sweep the smile out of Jeongguk’s face, and suddenly, it’s hard to look at the screen through the tears filling his eyes.

He doesn’t know what to say, so to keep the chat light he sends the angel emoji.

“If you only knew…” Jeongguk mutters, catching his tears with his finger before they can roll down his face.

Namjoon goes to bed shortly after and Jeongguk stays on the couch wondering, whishing, hoping he can be what Namjoon needs.

*

Time runs faster than expected, and Jeongguk feels like in a blink, it’s morning again.

Or well, Namjoon is preparing to go out.

Jeongguk checks the time in his tablet. It’s five in the morning. The sun isn’t even out yet, but Namjoon is filling a bottle with water and putting them in a small backpack with a bunch of energy bars. He is dressed for a trekking session, and while that is great for his health, Jeongguk fears the company won’t be as healthy.

Indeed, Namjoon takes a bus to Bukhansan National Park and meets with the group of demons from the office at the parking lot of one of the accesses.

“Ready?” asks Lee Jongsung, the sort of leader of the demon pack and actual boss of them all.

He’s asking Namjoon, of course, but the other demons are looking at Jeongguk.

They’re five in total. Jeongguk doesn’t know all of their names, but he knows Kwon Hyunki, a short guy with thick glasses who works three cubicles away from Namjoon. There’s the guy Namjoon usually greets in the elevator, who works on a different floor and Jeongguk doesn’t know his name. Seoyeon, who’s always running errands for Jongsung and flirting with everyone. And another woman, who’s like a tech assistant on Namjoon's floor and is frankly the scariest of them all in Jeongguk’s opinion. She barely talks, but her eyes are dark and lifeless.

Everyone claims to be ready, so they head to one of the medium level tracks, talking cheerfully amongst them.

It’s weird, Jeongguk doesn’t like it one bit. Usually, Hyunki is the extremely cheerful one, always smiling and cracking jokes left and right. Today, all of them seem excited. Even the scary one, though her excitement means that she’s looking at them while they talk and not utterly ignoring everyone like always.

Jeongguk has his fingers wrapped around the flaming sword in his bag, in case things go that wrong. He’s not sure how it’d look like for the humans around if he struck one of the demons with the sword, but between exposing them and keeping Namjoon safe, he knows what he’ll choose.

There aren’t many people around this early, just a few lonely joggers and people biking, but every angel he has seen so far has looked at him with concern.

Five demons, one human and a rookie guardian. Yeah, it must look terrible.

Jeongguk is tense all the way to the top. Well, not the top of the mountain, but as far up as they get before the sun begins to rise. Namjoon and the demons take a table in the little picnic area they reached and watch the sunrise together. Seoyeon brought fruit to share with everyone, and Hyunki as well shared little cups of a red tea. When Jeongguk leans in to sniff it, it turns out to be raspberry or something like that. Namjoon also shares his energy bars.

It’s a lovely gathering. Exactly what Namjoon considers an ideal trip. Too perfect to be a coincidence.

Jeongguk is waiting for the break, the moment the masks fall. He knows it is coming—

“I didn’t invite you all here just because, you know?” Jongsung says, as if he was reading Jeongguk’s mind.

“You’ll wanna hear this,” Seoyeon whispers, elbowing Namjoon and stealing a quick glance at Jeongguk.

Namjoon looks clueless. Jeongguk takes a step closer to Namjoon, almost standing right behind his back.

“Yoo Hyejin is making me head of the marketing division,” Jongsung says in that smug tone he always uses. “And she’ll let me pick my own team…”

He doesn’t say it, but it’s obvious that he already chose said team.

“What?”

“Holy shit!”

“Congratulations, boss.”

The reactions come a fraction of a second too late to be genuine, but Jongsung smiles anyway.

“Yeah, it’s great, isn’t? Seoyeonie, you could be a manager at last. Jaehyunie-hyung, no more fishing for roommates. You’ll be able to afford your own place. Namjoonie, you could finally put that shiny degree of yours to good use.” Jongsung keeps talking, but Jeongguk stops listening.

He already heard enough.

So, this was their plan? They terrorized Jeongguk just for this? The need to roll his eyes is almost irresistible.

Namjoon can say no. The setup is compromising, but Jeongguk doubts Namjoon would accept the offer the demon is laying down. A managing position in a different division, which supposedly fits Namjoon’s degree better, only means more ties to a career Namjoon never wanted to follow in the first place. 

On one hand, there’s more money, which, he understands, is never bad, but there’s also more responsibility, which means less time, and definitely no music.

He has to give the demons some credit, though. It’s a clean way to make Namjoon give up on his dream, but it’s also too subtle to be a real threat to Namjoon’s happiness.

He can say no. Namjoon’s will is strong enough. Jeongguk can count on that. He can also push him in the right direction.

Jeongguk leans forward, lips almost touching Namjoon’s ear. “It’s not worth it,” he whispers, hoping with all his heart that Namjoon listens to him.

“So, what do you say?” Jongsung asks, smiling triumphantly. “Yes or yes?”

The other demons accept right away, with different degrees of enthusiasm. Namjoon is looking at his hands, crossed on his lap. He is considering it, of course he is. It is a tempting offer, it would be a smart decision, but not the right one.

“This is not what you want. Think about music.” Jeongguk ignores the dirty glances the demons throw his way and seats on the bench right beside Namjoon, trying to look into his eyes. “Trust your heart.”

“What about you, Namjoon-ah?”

When Namjoon finally looks up, there’s a soft smile on his face. Jeongguk holds his breath. He doesn’t bother to check, but it seems like the demons are also expectant.

“Thank you for considering me, hyung,” Namjoon starts.

Jeongguk is sure that if it was possible, his lip would be bleeding for how hard he’s biting on it. Namjoon makes a pause, but it seems like he already made up his mind.

“It’s a generous offer, but I think I can’t accept it.”

“Yes!” Jeongguk jumps out of the bench and has to cross his hands in front of him to not wrap Namjoon in his arms.

“But, Joonie…” Jaehyun, elevator guy, leans closer to Namjoon and opens his eyes wide, as if he couldn’t understand Namjoon’s decision. “We’re talking about a considerable raise.”

“Besides, you can’t leave me alone,” Hyunki says, pouting like a child. “Who’s gonna laugh at my jokes in marketing?”

Namjoon, bless his lovely soul, smiles at the demon. “I’m sure you’ll find a good audience in marketing.”

“Okay, say no more, Joon.” Jongsung shakes his hands to stop Namjoon’s words. “You don’t have to decide now. Tell me you’ll think about it?”

“Hyung—”

“At least think about it, yeah?”

Namjoon sighs and nods. “I can’t promise you I’ll change my mind, though.”

“You will, I know you will.” Jongsung smiles his self-assured smile and knocks on the table twice. “Let’s go back, my future marketing team.”  

They undo their walk, and Jeongguk can’t stop smiling. The demons are considerably less cheerful on the way down, and maybe it’s not proper of a guardian, but Jeongguk loves to see it. He tries not to look too smug, but he doesn’t avoid the demon’s scornful eyes anymore.

“We’ll talk some more on Monday, okay?”

They break apart in the parking lot where they met earlier. Smiles are a tad strained; fake warmth vanished. If Namjoon notices it, he doesn’t show it.

“Hey, Joon-ah,” Jongsung calls. “Wait a moment.”

Namjoon turns around, and Jeongguk stays as close to him as he can. Maybe he felt victorious in advance. He already swore to himself that he wouldn’t put his guard down under any circumstance.

“Let me give you my number.” Jongsung claps Namjoon’s shoulder, and Jeongguk can see Namjoon stiffen. “In case you change your mind before Monday.”

“You’re quite hopeful, uh?” Namjoon tries to joke, but he seems uncomfortable. He starts looking for his phone, rummaging through his pockets. When it’s obvious that the phone is not in any of his pockets, Namjoon checks his backpack.

It’s nowhere to be found.

Jeongguk’s heart drops to the ground.

“Maybe you left it home,” Jongsung suggests, arching an eyebrow that fails to conceal his maliciousness.

No, he didn’t. Jeongguk knows Namjoon had it when they left the apartment. He had it at the picnic ground, where he took a few pictures. Namjoon knows. Jongsung also knows.

“No, I must have dropped it up there,” Namjoon sighs. “Fuck.”

“I’m sure is still there. There aren’t many people around.” Jongsung gives Namjoon a final pat and leaves. “Send me an email then.”

“Sure, see you on Monday.” Namjoon turns back to the track, but before he can go too far, Jongsung calls again.

“Hey, Joon-ah, that track is shorter.” Jongsung points at a different path, and Namjoon takes it without looking back.

“Wait!” Jeongguk follows after Namjoon, stopping for a moment to read the sign at the beginning of the track. It is shorter, but it’s also of a higher difficulty.

Namjoon is not that clumsy on his feet, but he is out of shape for this kind of trekking course. Anything can happen.

This probably was the demon’s plan B.

Jeongguk is on full alert at every step Namjoon takes, especially when the path gets considerably steep. Namjoon is cautious, he’s not being reckless, and eventually, it becomes evident that without proper equipment, he can’t go on.

Jeongguk breathes a little easier when Namjoon starts undoing the way. It doesn’t matter he takes a little longer, it doesn’t matter if the phone is not there anymore either. It’s not worth a broken ankle or worse—

“Shit!”

It happens in a second.

Jeongguk stops breathing as he sees Namjoon lose foot and slide down a couple of meters. Namjoon jumps, trying not to fall and ends up out of the track on a little natural ledge. He recovers his balance, but he can’t move. His back is flat against the wall of the mountain. There’s no safe step out of that narrow space where he’s standing. If he loses foot again, he’ll fall at least five meters onto rocky terrain. His only chance is climbing back to the course but without someone’s help, it’s too risky.

Fantastic.

There’s no one around. Jeongguk could go look for someone, convince their angel to try to talk their human into going Namjoon’s way, but—

But Jeongguk can help him.

He can.

There’s no time. Namjoon might try something and fall. It has to be him, and it has to be now.

Jeongguk’s fingers tremble when he reaches for his wings charm. Just this once, since it’s an emergency…

Namjoon needs him.

Jeongguk takes off the pin and walks into Namjoon’s line of vision.

“Hey, give me your hand,” he says, and Namjoon startles at the sound of his voice. 

Namjoon heard his voice. He’s looking into Jeongguk’s eyes and seeing him. And Jeongguk… he’s focused on the matter at hand, as he should, but part of his brain still registers his heart, beating, pounding in his chest. The crisp air of morning, fresh in his lungs. The tepid sunlight on his skin.

“C-come on, I’ll help you out of there,” Jeongguk says, urging Namjoon to take his awaiting hand.

“Where did you come from…?” Namjoon is frowning at him.

Jeongguk smiles, his nerves interrupted by Namjoon’s suspiciousness. If he only knew Jeongguk only cares about his safety.

“I’ll tell you when you’re back on the track. How’s that?”

Namjoon eyes him suspiciously for a little longer, but then he sighs and nods.

“Okay.” Namjoon turns around carefully and reaches for Jeongguk’s hand.

Jeongguk makes sure he is firm on his feet before taking Namjoon’s hand. But taking Namjoon’s hand throws him out of balance in an entirely different way.

He has touched Seokjin, but it doesn’t feel like this. Namjoon’s skin is almost scorching against his, his grasp firm and overwhelming. Solid, present. There.

Jeongguk closes his eyes for a second to reel his mind back into focus.

“Um, take a leap and I’ll pull you up, yeah?” Namjoon nods. “At three… One.” He gives Namjoon’s hand a squeeze. “Two.” Namjoon moves a little and a few rocks slide from under his feet. “Three!”

Namjoon jumps. Jeongguk pulls. Namjoon manages to hook his leg on firmer ground, and with joined efforts, Namjoon is back on his feet.

Right in front of Jeongguk. So close that Jeongguk can feel the warmth of his body.

“Thanks, man. I think you saved my life there.” Namjoon smiles, and Jeongguk has to look up a little to take him on entirely.

His heart is fluttering, he lost his voice. A suffocating heat is raising from his neck to his cheeks. He’s a mess, but Namjoon is looking at him, waiting, so Jeongguk nods and takes a little step back. Namjoon lets out a nervous laugh and looks around, like searching for the right words.

“Shit. You’re a mess,” is what Namjoon ends up saying, and Jeongguk would laugh, if it wasn’t because Namjoon is actually talking about him.

Jeongguk follows Namjoon’s eyes, but when he notices his dusty white clothes, Namjoon is already reaching with his hand to clean him.

Something in Jeongguk’s brain goes off. Namjoon is going to touch him again and he can’t process it. In his rush for getting away from Namjoon’s touch, Jeongguk loses his balance and falls ass first.

“Careful!” Namjoon’s voice is the last thing he hears before the momentum of the fall and the steep terrain tips him back.

Jeongguk rolls down for what feels like forever, the world spinning around him in a spiral of dust, pain and dizziness.

A big rock puts an end to this monumental fuck up. The hard hit buzzes him from the back of his head to the very tip of his toes, and makes the lights go out.