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The city was drowned in pitch black shadows, as red lights flashed on and off. Searching for any supernatural being to kill. Searching for anyone who went against the rules.
Jungwon stood in the alleyway, and poked his head to inspect the sidewalks. As always, it was empty of people but filled with swiveling cameras, and drones buzzing through the air.
His heart pounded and he gulped. If he were alone, it would be much easier to get back home. But it wasn’t. Not when his boyfriend was with him; his boyfriend being a supernatural that the government would see as a target to slaughter. And especially not when his boyfriend also happened to be his soulmate, which meant fate had (cruelly?) connected them so that they could feel everything the other felt.
Jungwon was not prepared to witness his soulmate dying, and definitely was not ready to feel his boyfriend’s pain with it.
I’d rather die myself than let Ni-ki even get touched by the filthy government’s hands. He thought fiercely, gritting his teeth.
“Won, your heart. It’s too fast.”
A soft voice hoarsely whispered from the shadows, and Jungwon whipped around. Ni-ki had made his halo glow dimmer, but his pale face was still shimmery.
“Hm?” Jungwon asked.
Ni-ki pointed to his heart.
“When your heart beats fast, so does mine.” Ni-ki whispered urgently. “Our hearts are connected, remember?”
Jungwon nodded, clenching his teeth together. “I know, I know. I’m just nervous. Sorry.”
“…It hurts when my heart beats this fast. I don’t think angels are supposed to have hearts beating this fast.” Ni-ki added on thoughtfully, pressing his palm against his chest above his heart. “Not like humans. It’s interesting though.”
Jungwon winced, and intertwined his fingers with his soulmate’s.
“Not interesting when you’re in pain. I’m so sorry, Ki. I can’t help that my heart beats this fast. I don’t mean to hurt you. It’s just…” He trailed off, his eyes darting towards the sky where drones were scanning the grounds. He ducked back into the shadows.
“I understand, Won. Stop frowning. It’s okay.” Ni-ki soothed, smoothening the furrow of Jungwon’s brows. “Just calm down, Wonie.”
“Calm down? Now?” Jungwon said, sounding a little hysterical— even to himself.
“For me? Please?” Ni-ki asked softly.
“I want to. But I just… I need to protect you! If I don’t who will? I can’t— They will— You’ll—” Jungwon stammered.
“I can protect myself, Won.” Ni-ki sighed.
“I know. But—”
“But nothing. Not right now.” Ni-ki pressed his lips against Jungwon’s in a quick kiss. “Just calm down so both of our hearts slow down. Then we’ll get back home.”
“Did you have a precognition? Of us getting back safe?”
Ni-ki hesitated. “Not… really…”
Jungwon closed his eyes. “I know you can protect yourself, but I’m just so afraid. It’s so easy for them to kill you in one shot, and I’m just so afraid of it.”
Ni-ki leaned his forehead on Jungwon’s.
“I know. I’m scared too. Terrified, actually.” He admitted. “But I know my brave soulmate will protect me, and I’ll protect him… so I think that’s all that matters for right now.”
Jungwon let out a soft laugh. “You know how to make me feel better. How do you do that?” He asked.
His heart was starting to slow down to a more normal pace, rather than pounding furiously in his chest.
Ni-ki smiled. “I just know. I just do what I do.”
“Well, it’s amazing.” Jungwon gently brushed a strand of Ni-ki’s blond hair behind his ear.
Ni-ki’s cheeks glowed brighter, his wings fluttering behind him in pride.
“Check. In. The. Alley.”
Jungwon’s terrified eyes met Ni-ki’s wide eyes of surprise.
A government drone.
“Quick, hide!” Jungwon hissed in panic, half shoving Ni-ki into the nearby box. He hastily covered it with a tarp and then grabbed his satchel, pretending to be busy as he took out the empty cardboard boxes in it.
Just in time.
The drone flew into the alleyway, right into sight of Jungwon. It was one of the solider drone; made with black metal and shaped like an angry face attached to a flying drone with four identical propellors.
“Human. What. Are. You. Doing.”
Jungwon looked up with what he hoped was a casual expression. His heart thudded wildly in his chest.
“Oh, sorry, I know it’s a bit past curfew. I had to make sure all my boxes were secure before I treked back home.” He explained.
The drone stared at him with dead, unblinking red eyes.
Jungwon took another box out, pretending to inspect it carefully.
“What. For.”
A whirl and a click, then a buzzing noise.
Jungwon shrugged. “Oh, you know… to make sure they don’t have any dents on them. Very fond of my boxes.” He replied, trying not to sound so shaky like he felt internally.
“Very. Well.”
The drone began to fly away, and Jungwon let out a soft breath of relief. He began to put the little boxes back into his satchel, still crouched down on one knee. He finally stood up, sighing with a lightened mind.
“Traitor. To. Humanity.”
The drone buzzed, whirling around with clicking metal eyes.
Jungwon’s heart dropped, and he scrambled backwards, tumbling to the cobblestone ground. The drone shot forward with unblinking red lights for eyes, its propellors whirling and clicking together.
“Traitors. Must. Be. Punished.”
Something shot out of the drone’s side, whishing through the air and headed straight towards Jungwon.
He gasped, but his legs were stiff with fear.
Sulve. I can’t move. Sulve! SULVE! Jungwon thought, cursing. His eyes drifted to the cardboard box where Ni-ki was hiding.
I’m so sorry Ni-ki. I hope the pain you feel from mine isn’t too bad.
He closed his eyes, awaiting the inevitable fate.
Then there was a clatter of cans and a box being thrown open.
“Jungwon!” Ni-ki shrieked, throwing himself over Jungwon. His feathery, white wings wrapped around the human boy in a tight, fluffy cocoon. Jungwon’s eyes were wide in surprise.
Ni-ki’s arms were wrapped tigthtly around him and his face was smushed into the angel’s shoulder. It was a tight, fierce hug and Ni-ki’s skin glowed a bright golden color.
But more importantly, red was starting to seep in through the white feathers. It began to paint the white red and soak everything dark pink.
“Ni-ki…” Jungwon gasped, his voice choked. “Your… wings… are… are…”
He couldn’t get his words out. The sentence wouldn’t come out properly.
Jungwon could feel the tremble in Ni-ki’s arms and torso, and the wetness that started to soak his own shoulder.
Ni-ki was shaking and crying… and his wings were bleeding.
And I can’t even tell what happened. Jungwon cursed. What did the drone do?!
It was silent, especially from the drone, and it terrified Jungwon.
“Angel. Detected. Supernatural. Being. Detected.”
The most terrifying words that Jungwon could ever have heard, came out of the drone’s sound systems. Then there was a clicking noise. Then silence.
Jungwon pushed Ni-ki away, and weakly the angel collapsed to the ground. A poisonous dart was stuck— stabbed directly in his left wing, spreading webs of inky black poison across his white wings. Blood spurred as the poison burned his feathers and wings.
“No, no, no!” Jungwon shakily breathed. He could start to feel the pain in his own skin, although not real for him. It felt like thousands of needles stabbing his skin directly, and it hurt.
But not as much as his heart.
Jungwon’s eyes were welling up with tears, and he sobbed as he clutched at Ni-ki’s wings, trying to stop the poison. His hands were starting to smear with red, but he could care less.
He glared up at the drone.
“It’s all your fault!” He screamed. “You and your stupid government! Your stupid rules! Slaughtering all the supernatural beings!”
The drone only stared back with red eyes.
Jungwon glanced back at Ni-ki, his tears spilling onto the angel’s wings and face. The angel’s halo glow was starting to fade dimmer, and his eyes were fluttering close.
“Ni-ki, please stop dying and wake up! Please!” Jungwon begged. “I can’t loose you. I’ll die without you.”
Ni-ki’s lips parted to utter softly, “Don’t cry. Please live for me.”
Jungwon cried even harder. “Idiot. I’d rather die than see you leave me!”
“I’m not dying.” Ni-ki mumbled.
And then three drones came and hooked Ni-ki up with their pincer jaws, dragging him across the roads.
Jungwon helplessly watched the drones carry his soulmate, his everything, his angel, his Ni-ki away. It was unavoidable… inevitable… and there was nothing he could do except feel Ni-ki’s last moment filled with pain.
He cried and cried until his body couldn’t produce anymore tears.
BONUS! If you want to end this fic with this bittersweet, sad ending, then you can stop here. However, if you want to have this turn into a happier ending, with more hopefulness in it, then continue reading down!
Jungwon gasped awake.
His heart was pounding, his body shaking, and his cheeks wet with salty tears.
He and Ni-ki… they were running away from the government… and Ni-ki’s wings were… and he died… and Jungwon…
His eyes glanced around at the cream-colored walls and the blobby painting of a blue-green-yellow flower hung up on the wall. Jungwon shuddered, sitting up. He glanced to the side, and found his boyfriend still asleep beside him. Like always. He laid on his side, his torso rising and falling rhythmically.
Ni-ki’s white blond hair was a mess of tangled locks and curls, and he wore a black rock band shirt. And… he obviously didn’t have feathery white wings because he wasn’t an angel. Not in real life.
But Jungwon couldn’t help but brush his fingers across Ni-ki’s back. Yeah, no wings and definitely no blood.
It felt so real. It really felt like I watched him die. It felt like I could feel his pain.
Jungwon let out a quiet sniffle, burying his face in his hands. The tears were starting to make his hands all wet and gross, but his heart was still clenched tightly in mourning, tight with the feeling of great loss.
Who cares if it wasn’t actually real? I still feel like I lost him.
A warm hand made contact with his shoulder.
“Jungwon?” Ni-ki said softly, sounding groggy but worried.
The former looked up and met Ni-ki’s soft, bleary eyes which were full of genuine concern for him, when Ni-ki was barely awake still.
“Won? What happened?” Ni-ki frowned, eyes squinted but still trying to help Jungwon. His hands fluttered around Jungwon, like he wanted to help but didn’t know exactly how.
“Bad dream,” Jungwon mumbled. “You died. And I couldn’t save you or protect you.”
Ni-ki simply leaned his head on Jungwon’s shoulder, rubbing circles onto Jungwon’s back.
“It’s okay. I understand, Won.” He said in a soft, soothing tone.
The familiar words struck Jungwon with a shiver.
“I understand, Won. Stop frowning. It’s okay.” Ni-ki soothed, smoothening the furrow of Jungwon’s brows. “Just calm down, Wonie.”
“Calm down? Now?” Jungwon said, sounding a little hysterical— even to himself.
Jungwon swallowed, and closed his eyes. The image of Ni-ki bleeding on the ground with his white wings stained black and red haunted him, and he opened his eyes again.
“What… was it about?” Ni-ki asked.
Jungwon hesitated for a while before speaking.
“You were an angel and I was a human, and… and we were soulmates. Like the kind where I could feel everything you did… your pain and your heartbeat and everything. The government was trying to kill all supernatural beings like you. And I was trying to protect you. But they eventually killed you. You died trying to save me.”
Ni-ki pressed a gentle kiss on Jungwon’s forehead, wrapping an arm around Jungwon. He leaned into the blond, soaking in Ni-ki’s warmth.
“Does it still scare you?”
“A little bit, yeah…” Jungwon admitted.
“Focus on me, and the bedroom, yeah Jungwonie?”
“Okay.”
“I’m still here, right?”
“Mhm…”
“And I’m not dead?”
“Yes…”
“And you still love me?”
Jungwon looked up at that and let out a laugh.
“Always.”
Ni-ki smiled back.
“Then that’s what matters.” He uttered softly.
“Yeah.” Jungwon smiled. “Yeah. That’s all that matters.” He repeated with a grin.