Jinyoung was on his way to the back of the cafe to retrieve more coffee beans when he was suddenly yanked into a nearby storage room. He gasped, startled by the door shutting quickly behind him as he whipped his head around to see who was responsible.
Jaebum released his arm, receiving a puzzled look when Jinyoung finally recognized him.
"Hey, quick question." He began, his face masked with concern that definitely wasn't there earlier. "Any update on Youngjae?"
Jinyoung's face immediately darkened, his eyes dropping to the floor. "No... last time I heard, he was still locked up."
Jaebum clicked his tongue, cursing under his breath. "Jinyoung if I knew that helping us would've gotten him into that much trouble, I wouldn't have dragged him into it-"
Jaebum's mouth was shut with Jinyoung's finger suddenly pressed against it. "Shh. Don't you dare blame yourself. It's my fault any of us were affected."
"No it wasn't— look, shifting blame won't help. I feel awful, I'm worried, and it's not like you're allowed to fly up to Heaven and check on him." Jaebum retorted.
Youngjae had disappeared just a few days after Jinyoung came back to Earth after receiving his sentencing. They had gotten a call from him alerting them that he'd been taken back to Heaven to face his own punishment for defying the council and assisting Jinyoung, and nearly a month had passed ever since that last call.
"If we get any updates he'll contact us. For now, let's just hope he's fine..." Jinyoung mumbled, though they both equally felt horrible about the situation that they'd innocently dragged Youngjae into.
"You two are not allowed in the storage room together! God knows what you're doing in there!" A muffled voice called from outside of the storage room, interrupting the crestfallen mood.
"Relax, nothing's happening!" Jaebum responded, his eyes shifting back to Jinyoung and doing a quick body scan of him in his cute cafe apron and nametag. "Though I wish it were..."
Jinyoung scoffed, punching Jaebum in the arm. "Get back to the register."
The two tried pushing Youngjae out of their mind for the rest of the day, but ever since his disappearance it was a constant thought hanging over their heads.
That night in bed, Jinyoung had woken up from his slumber to take care of a small problem that arose, though the tough part was slipping out of Jaebum's arms unnoticed. He was awful at that part, since jaebum was always wary of his whereabouts, and he held onto Jinyoung so tight that it was practically impossible for the ex-angel to go anywhere without waking him.
"Baby don't leave me." A deep muffled voice pleaded against the nape of his neck, sending a chill down his spine.
"Can't I piss?" Jinyoung asked, tugging at Jaebum's arms that only wrapped tighter around his waist, making a worse problem for his bladder.
Jaebum huffed, grunting out his response. "No."
"Please?"
Jaebum groaned, and Jinyoung could practically feel the pout he wore on his neck. "When you ask so cutely it's hard to say no..."
Jinyoung chuckled, shifting his body around just enough to give him a chaste kiss. "I'll be back, I really gotta go."
"You owe me a lot more kisses when you come back." Jaebum mumbled as he finally let his lover free from his arm shackles.
The latter rolled his eyes at the familiar demand as he stood and adjusted his boxers. "You always say that, when will I not owe you kisses?"
"Whenever I die. Then you'll owe me more kisses in the afterlife... is that even real?" Jaebum questioned, now half awake and most likely not going back to sleep until Jinyoung returned.
Jinyoung shrugged as he stepped through the threshold of their shared bedroom. "I don't know, never really learned about life after death... but I'll be back with a lot of kisses just for you, let me go pee."
"Hmph, okay." He muttered. "Hurry back."
Jinyoung felt his heart flutter, a smile working onto his lips. Jaebum always said that whenever he left, and if he was gone for too long he'd get a call complaining about it. Even through his annoyingness, Jaebum was the cutest.
Jaebum stared at the ceiling as he waited for Jinyoung to return, listening to the floorboards creeks and the soft sound of fabric rubbing together as Jinyoung made his way to the bathroom. A few minutes passed of just staring into the dark, the elder already impatient and planning on complaining to Jinyoung for being too long when he got back.
"Jaebum!"
Jaebum jolted up out of his bed, fully awake to the sound of Jinyoung's voice. He always remembered back to the moment Jinyoung called out for him and he wasn't there in time to help, and regrets that moment even after Jinyoung's repeatedly told him to forget about it. He refused to let those events repeat themselves, so everytime Jinyoung called, even if it was for a minuscule thing, Jaebum came running.
Jinyoung's voice sounded frantic, so he took no time to rush to the bathroom to check up on him. "What? Are you okay?"
"Look..." Jinyoung pointed towards the mirror, Jaebum's eyes following the path of his finger. He gasped as he didn't see his own reflection, but instead Youngjae's face filling the glass.
"Youngjae?" Jaebum called, the younger waving in response. He must've been projecting himself to Earth through some device like he did that one time before. Jaebum didn't even know what to say, his mouth just leaked out the first question that came to mind. "H-How are things?"
It took the angel a while to answer, he let out a long sigh, his gaze focused on something off screen. "Things are... okay?"
Both Jinyoung and Jaebum could tell his response was off. He wasn't as chipper as he usually was.
"What does that mean?" Jaebum questioned.
Youngjae shifted around on whatever surface he was sitting on, his face taking up most of the screen so the two couldn't exactly see what kind of room he was in. Another small sigh left his lips, a beat passing before his response. "I've been downgraded... I'm no longer an Elite class angel."
Jinyoung's brows rose, his jaw falling open a little. "Then... w-what are you now?"
"...Heles class..." Youngjae mumbled out, trying to hide the embarrassment he felt but unable to.
Jaebum looked over to Jinyoung, his brows knitted together. "What's that?"
"The lowest class, lower than me even... they live in the worst conditions." Jinyoung answered, his face gone dark with guilt after hearing the news.
Jaebum had no idea how to react either. He felt his chest tighten; how could he deserve to do this to a friend? "Shit, Youngjae I'm so sorry-"
"It's okay... it's gonna take some time to build my status up again but... I'll promise to visit you guys." Youngjae tried to speak with confidence, but Jaebum could easily tell that he wasn't in the right mindset at the time. He was probably still processing things, he wasn't even totally focused on the call despite him being the one to start it.
"When do you think that will be?" Jinyoung asked.
Youngjae looked away, shrugging as he stared off into the distance. "A few... years... probably..."
Jaebum clutched his chest, immense guilt stabbing him in the heart. Youngjae didn't deserve this, and he sacrificed himself for their sake. Him and Jinyoung wouldn't be happy without him, but it was hard to remain happy knowing that they've practically thrown a good friend under the bus. "Fuck, I feel like shit. Why did you help us knowing you'd get punished? I would've never wanted you to help if I knew-..."
"I told you we're friends. I liked seeing you two happy, even if... I suffer a bit..." Youngjae answered, little to no hesitation present when he said that. He was sure about helping them, and was obviously proud that he did it. But the consequences he faced was the part that made him second guess if it was worth it. Though looking at the couple before him, so perfect together and happy all because of his help, he couldn't sit there and be miserable no matter how much he was forced to give up and sacrifice for their sake. Youngjae looked away from the camera for just a moment, seeming as if he were trying to keep himself together, and when he turned back a bright smile was on his face. "Well, nothing to be sad about! I'm alive, and I'm a free angel now, no more jail time for me! Just a hard couple of years ahead, but I'll be fine, no worries!"
Jinyoung glanced at Jaebum, the look in his eyes expressing just how bad he felt for causing such a disruption in their friend's life. There was nothing much they could do or say, what was done is done. "Look, if you need anything, we're here for you..."
"I'll be okay, really." Youngjae assured with the small nod of his head.
"I'm so sorry Youngjae." Jaebum added, though sorry couldn't fix much of anything, apologizing was the only thing he could do.
Youngjae clicked his tongue, waving away the apology. "I said I'm coming to visit you guys, right? I'm not giving up until I see my happy couple together in person! And by then, you two better be fricken married!"
Jinyoung lifted his hand, the one with his ring finger gleaming with a silver around it. He grabbed Jaebum's too and lifted it to show Youngjae. "We've got promise rings... halfway to marriage I guess."
The angel brightened up, his smile widening at the sight of the two's relationship working out well. "I might cry if you guys get anymore adorable..." He squealed as he leaned in closer to get a better look. Suddenly his gaze shifted up past the camera, his smile quickly fading. "Well uh, I gotta go now, I'll keep in touch."
Jinyoung waved, a bit worried about the fast goodbye, but deciding not to ask. "Good luck Youngjae."
"And thanks for everything. Seriously, we would have lost everything if it weren't for you." Jaebum threw in, just to be sure the angel knew exactly how important he was to them and how grateful they were for it.
"Aw don't get mushy with me, go make love to each other or something. I gotta go now, bye!" Youngjae replied with a wave, obviously trying to end the conversation in a good mood with some banter.
"Bye-" The angel left with a smile on his face that was most likely forced as the mirror's surface faded back into reflective glass, barely even hearing Jinyoung's send off.
A moment of silence passed between the two, heavy sighs leaving both of their lips.
"Did it look like he was trying to hold back tears?" Jaebum asked, still clutching his chest as his heart hurt from seeing his friend like that.
Jinyoung slowly nodded, his eyes shifting over to the other. "A little..."
Jaebum felt awful — they both did— but he couldn't sit there thinking the worst the whole time. Youngjae seemed to be a fighter, and he seemed determined to get back to Earth to visit them. Jaebum's been his friends for years, and despite not knowing of his angel status, he did know that Youngjae rarely gave up on anything. "Y'know, he'll be okay. I know he will."
"You sure?" Jinyoung asked, concern coloring his features.
Jaebum nodded, trying to reassure the both of them despite not actually knowing the answer for sure. He couldn't imagine Youngjae just throwing his life away though, just that thought made Jaebum want to believe that he'd get through it. "Positive. As long as we show him that he didn't do all of that for nothing and keep our relationship strong, time will fly by and soon enough we'll be inviting him to our wedding."
Jinyoung raised a brow, the corners of his lips curling up at that last part. "We're getting married? You didn't even ask if I wanted to though."
"You don't have a choice." Jaebum replied as his hand slid around Jinyoung's waist, tugging him against himself. "In a few years, you'll be Mr.Im."
Jinyoung frowned, immediately shaking his head, "No, you'll be Mr. Park."
"...We gotta work out the whole marriage and last name situation later." Jaebum stated, though surely he knew he'd convince Jinyoung to take his last name since Im Jinyoung just had more of a magical ring to it in his opinion. "But for now... I like the whole 'make love to each other' thing Youngjae suggested."
Jinyoung's face twisted into fake disgust as if the idea repulsed him. "Ew, you were dead asleep 10 minutes ago, now you're in the mood for that?"
"Did you just 'ew' me?" Jaebum asked while cornering his lover against the nearby wall. Jinyoung chuckled as his back hit the cool bathroom tiles, shrugging his shoulders and responding with "Yeah I did, what are you gonna do about it?"
A playful smirk tugged at Jaebum's lips as he stared Jinyoung down, both of them knowing that he definitely was planning on 'doing something' about it. Before Jinyoung could register it Jaebum had bent down and lifted him off the floor, a gasp escaping him from his shock while he frantically gripped some part of Jaebum to hold on to. Jaebum gave him a reprimanding slap on the butt as he carried giggling Jinyoung over his shoulder all the way back to their bedroom, throwing him down onto the bed and climbing over him. "Alright then, I'll show you 'ew'."
Jinyoung was a fluttery mess of giggles as Jaebum leaned down to press their lips together, his arms hooking around his boyfriend's neck to keep him close. There was no place safer to be than with each other; they both knew how to make one another feel better, and they both knew they needed it after that tough conversation with Youngjae.
The only thing they could do for him was wait, and while waiting, prove that he didn't risk everything in vain. Their connection was strong, and they intended to keep it that way until Youngjae came back, and for the rest of eternity.
"I love you, Jaebum." Jinyoung mumbled against his lips, the soft spoken confession filling them both with burning hot passion that deepened their kiss.
Jaebum hummed in satisfaction, melting more and more every time the phrase left his lover's mouth.
"I love you too, angel."
🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊
(*If you couldn't t tell, 'angel' is Jinyoung's pet name now, and it's the cutest shit. I don't care if I overused it, it's fuckin cute 🥺😭❤❤ And I'm soo sorry to do that to Youngjae but, I didn't feel like he got a proper wrap up to his character in the last chapter like everyone else did, so I added an epilogue just for him. So, a bittersweet ending, sorry 😭😭😭*)