The Angel (One-shot)
Title: The Angel
Rating: G
Characters: Donghae and others (see if you can guess)
A/N: This was something I wrote awhile back. It's probably as close to crack as I can get. Erm, I noticed that I tend to shift tense a lot, but I'm too lazy to go back and fix it all. So I hope that won't throw everyone off.
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I was in the prime of my life. Body healthy and mind sharp. At the tender age of seventeen, I found the person who made my young heart pound and my hormonal teenage self wither with absolute desire. He was perfection personified! A living and breathing tribute to all things beautiful on this earth. Large eyes, small body, sweet voice, tender heart…so many things to attract and yet nothing to scare away. Like I said: Perfection.
I remember the day he walked into my English classroom, his head bent shyly and his face graced with the softest of blushes. I felt myself falling into the oblivion of love the moment I saw him. His name made my heart sing, and suddenly the only thing I could hear, the only thing I could think, was Lee Donghae.
He was sadly seated near the front, seeming to be nations away from me. I envied and cursed the people who got to sit so close to that pure angel. Oh, had I been so lucky to sit near him, my heart would have stopped dead in my chest, too overwhelmed with the beauty to beat a moment longer.
The class seemed a blur as I watched him, my mind full of images of his sweet and tender smile, his graceful stride and tender voice. How I longed to wrap my arms around him and take in his exotic scent -for such a beauty could smell nothing but amazing.
Ah! So kind and tender-hearted! My heart gave a jump as I watched him lean over and gracefully pick-up a pencil that had been dropped by one of his classmates. What I wouldn’t have given to be the pencil on the floor, or the hand of the classmate who received the pencil. His skin looked so smooth, without blemish and the perfect shade of creamy tan. It looked so beautiful when next to his silky locks of pure black, which were cut in a jagged fashion around his child-like face.
The teacher called out his name, sending my heart pounding away in my chest. I watched as he blushed and tripped over his words, obviously thrown by the teacher’s sudden attention. I felt indignant that the teacher would place such a creature of beauty and perfection on the spot in such a fashion. I had the longing to run and wrap him in my arms, the longing to protect him from the harsh realities of the world.
It seemed all too soon before the bell was ringing across the school, seeming to laugh at me as I realized I might not see the beauty for the rest of the day. The very thought made my heart ache painfully! How could I stand another moment alive if he wasn’t there with me?
He lingered at his desk, giving me a chance to approach him. I stood on shaking legs, my hands clammy and my head spinning. What would I say? How should I act? Should I confess my love for him? ‘Certainly not!’ Cried a voice in my head, ‘Such a forward action would surely scare such a timid creature!’ I could not ruin my chance to speak to the person who had become the center of my universe.
Alas, before I had even approached four steps, my spot was taken by the accursed monkey of the classroom. How could such a blathering dunderhead dare to speak to such an angelic person? He would poison the beauty and purity of my love.
“Welcome to the school.” He gave an impish smile, his head cocked to the left as he tried to catch the innocent gaze of the smaller boy.
I loathed him with the greatest passion! He was so far below the status of the wonderful Donghae, how could he even imagine himself worthy of conversing with that angel? I hoped that his punishment for such a crime would come quickly and last decades. I could not afford to have anyone else distracting my beauty from finding me (his true love).
“Thank you.” Came the muttered reply from Donghae, a blush spreading across his cheeks as he glanced towards the desk-top. He’s obviously flustered by the conversation, poor boy, and I long to run and fight off the attacking animal that would dare to tempt fate by injecting himself in the path of me and my lover.
He then leans forward and whispers his name to the boy, reaching out to offer the other boy a handshake.
I felt my heart thunder in my chest as angelic skin was tainted by the dirty hand of my rival. How could he dare to touch him? He would pay ten times for the crimes he committed at that moment!
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Lee Donghae.” He responds in a soft voice, the most beautiful smile whispering across his face as he speaks. I could feel my heart shattering as he bestowed that angelic look upon someone else. We were destined to be together, of that I was sure.
“Would you like me to show you around the school?” He questioned, his hand still clutching the smaller boy’s in a firm grasp.
“That would be great.” Again, there was a smile for the undeserving monkey before Donghae rose from his seat and gathered his bag, his hand now free.
“Should we eat lunch first?” A cocky smile, a straightening of his shoulders as if he’s just won some great prize. I would die before letting him take away the love that was destined for me and Donghae. From that moment on, we would be rivals till the day we died.
There was a simply nod and smile from the smaller boy before they both meandered out of the classroom. I would have to follow to make sure that absurd animal didn’t damage or put my love in danger. There was no other way.
So I followed, watching as the monkey drew laughs and smiles from the boy. Had I not possessed such control over my violent, teenage anger, I might have run and tackled him at that moment. Thankfully, we reached the lunch room before my anger became too great to be handled. Now would be my time to act.
We moved slowly through the lunch line, my eyes never leaving the small form of my love. To look away from him would be to doom my soul to the darkest pits of hell. He was the light that brought happiness and joy to my heart.
Finally we had out lunches and I watched as they found a table that sat four. Oh how lady-luck was favoring me this day.
Without hesitation -for I feared to let him alone with the beast- I made my way to the table, stopped behind one of the empty chairs.
“Would you mind if I joined you?” I asked, addressing my question to Donghae only. I would rather die than speak to that monkey on my own accord.
“Go right ahead.” The boy with the refreshing beauty of spring responded with a smile that thrilled my heart.
“Ah, by the way.” I went on to introduce myself to him, my body singing with delight as he accepted my offer for a handshake. His skin was just as smooth and delicate as I had imagined. Just like the softest velvet and smoothest silk. I could live my life simply relishing the feel of his skin against my own.
A few moments pass as I converse naturally with the boy, out topics ranging from school to family and pets. He is so delicate and graceful with his words, so eloquent and natural. Surely he could not have been born into such perfection? But how else could one attain such a heavenly glow and perfect nature?
“Excuse me for a second?” He asked the both of us, his ebony eyes drifting between the two of us.
“Take as long as you need.” I assured him, my heart already longing for his speedy return. Now would be my moment to fight off my rival in love.
“I found him first,” My rival began his tone warning. Surely he was not under the misconception that he had some claim on the boy simply because he “saw him first”? The notion is absolutely absurd! He cannot defeat our destined love.
“That gives you no claim over him.” I retort darkly, eyes narrowing in a glare. No matter the arguments he presented, there was no standing in the way of true love. He would fall in the end.
“And you have some kind of claim over him?” He questioned me, eyebrows arching as he gave him a sarcastic look. He must have been blind not to see the wonderful love that was already blossoming between the two of us!
“We are made to go together.” I replied simply, stating the facts as fate had laid them out. He could not fight fate.
“Hm, perhaps we should leave it up to Donghae to decided?” The Monkey suggested, his eyebrows arching as he sets the challenge before me.
“We will both try to win his heart, and in the end, the winner will be chosen by Donghae himself.”
“Fine.” I reply with a smirk, knowing that I will have my angel in the end of all of this.
“Sorry it took me so long.” My love apologized as he reclaimed his seat, a bottle of water clutched in his small hand.
“It’s not a problem.” Both the Monkey and myself said in tandem, dark glares immediately being shot across the table.
“You two are so funny.” He laughed, his smile glowing with a youthful exuberance that left me breathless. The embodiment of beauty!
“Seeing as how we’re both done,” the monkey began, ignoring my presence at the table, “would you like to begin the tour of the school?"
Donghae smiled sweetly at the animal, his eyes full of a kind light, “I would love to.” He responded promptly, his hands coming out to push his chair away from the table.
Just as I was on the verge of inviting myself, the angel of my dreams turned and smiled down at me, “would you like to come?” He asked me softly, eyebrows lifting and causing his smooth skin to wrinkle slightly.
“I was hoping you would ask.” I responded with my most dashing smile before I stood from the table, my tray of food in-hand. I couldn’t deny the rush of pride and self-satisfaction that I felt at being specially invited by my love. This only increased my belief that he would choose me in the end.
“How could I leave you out after you were nice enough to come and talk with me?” He responded lightly, his words edged with a light chuckle. Even his laugh sounded like the voice of an angel.
So we toured the school before the bell rung, showing Donghae his classrooms and giving him a general overview of the school grounds. I was overjoyed to learn that I would have two classes with him; however, I was crushed to find that the monkey would have three classes with him. How could I win if the monkey was getting to spend such an exponential amount of time with Donghae? I had to tip the odds in my favor whenever I could.
And so the days passed with both of us trying desperately to win the affection of the angel before us. Upon knowing him longer, I found that I loved him even more. His personality was just as I had imagined, if not better. He was gentle and soft-spoken; sweet and tender-hearted; he cared for people as much as he cared for himself, and almost never spoke a harsh word against anyone.
It was on the fifth day after Donghae’s arrival at the school that I brought a box of chocolates, intent upon giving them to the love of my life. I was imagining the smile he would give me after receiving the chocolates, when his voice pulled me from my thoughts. Having been walking towards the classroom at that moment, I stopped at the door, my heading peeking in to see the Monkey extending a box of chocolates towards Donghae. The younger boy was giving him the smile that should have been given to me.
It made me angry, and I realized I’d been too slow in this round. I had taken the monkey’s sly movements for granted, and had let my guard fall. I would learn from this and simply move faster.
I strolled into the classroom with a nonchalant gate, offering Donghae a friendly wave and greeting as I walked up to him. Now was the time, when my enemy was near, to gain the upper hand in our little battle.
“I don’t suppose you’d want to go see a movie with me this Friday, would you?” I questioned easily as I sat on the desk to his left.
He seemed to ponder my question for a moment, his teethe coming out to capture his bottom lip. I found myself distracted by that simple move.
“I’m free.” He finally responded, a smile alighting on his face. “What time?” He questioned me, pulling a planner form his bag and opening it to a page with the week laid out across it.
“Around 6:30?” I offered, trying to control the wild tattoo of my heart. I could feel the waves of hate emanating off of my rival, but that hardly mattered because I had my prize in hand.
“Perfect! I’ll meet you at the theater…?” He seemed uncertain and I found it adorable.
“Of course not! I’ll come and pick you up.” I stated with ease, finding myself returning his smile.
“Should we have dinner after or before?” He asked me, his face suddenly becoming serious as he shifted his gaze back to the open planner.
“How about I cook you dinner?” The monkey jumped in, a smile plastered across his annoying face. I highly doubted that he could even cook.
I was about to offer a firm rejection when Donghae let out a happy laugh, “that would be fantastic!” He clapped his hands a few times, his gaze flickering between the two of us. “You could come with us to the movie then.” He offered the invitation in an innocent manner, not seeming to realize how much it irked me. Alas, I could not be angry at his innocent and heart-felt ways, so I simply became angry at the monkey who was there to take advantage of such kindness.
“I’d love to.”
Friday night didn’t seem to come fast enough for me, nor did I seem to be making any ground with my destined lover. Perhaps it was his overt innocence that blinded him to my affection. I knew it wasn’t the monkey, since he hadn’t shown any affection to him either.
We arrived at the movie theater after I had to sit through an hour of my love smothering my enemy with praise for his cooking. It seemed as if my innocent flower was getting sucked into the lies and false-fronts of my rival. I couldn’t let that happen.
We quickly got out tickets, the monkey paying for Donghae’s ticket before I even had the chance to produce my wallet. I would find some way to avenge myself later in the evening.
Thankfully, the opportunity presented itself when he got in line to buy our popcorn and drinks.
“I’ll pay for yours.” I quickly stated, offering Donghae a smile.
“Oh, thank you.” He offered me a sweet smile in return, a blush pooling on his perfect face. I would have given hundreds of dollars to see that smile once again.
The movie was long and pointless and I found that it irked me when I couldn’t see my angel’s beautiful face. What point was there to spending time with him if my eyes were to be deprived of his features?
I found myself too shy to reach out and take his hand and it seemed that my rival was having much the same problem, for he made no move to draw closer to Donghae. A fact that pleased me immensely.
We said out goodbyes afterward, leaving the monkey at his house before I drove my angel home. I was pleased with how the evening had turned out and was contemplating confessing my feelings to the smaller boy. Alas, I failed to work up the courage before reaching his house, so yet another night passed with my feelings still bottled up within my body.
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AH! It’s been weeks now and I can hardly make myself arise and attend school each day. My spirit is drained from the constant battle to win Donghae’s heart. He has given me no sign that he understands my feelings for him, and it troubles me slightly. What if the monkey gets to him first? What if by avoiding an outright confession, I lose my love? The thought made me shiver with dread.
Today had to be the day we asked him right out to choose one of us. I could not stand the thought of not having him even though he’s within my grasp. I had to take action before all was lost.
I arrived at the school to see the monkey waiting for me there. He looked as tired as I was, if not more.
“Today it ends.” He sighed, shaking his head sadly. “We ask him to choose the one he really wants. Try not to be too heartbroken when he chooses me.” The monkey smirked as he pushed himself off the wall and climbed the brick steps that lead to the entrance of the school. I was going to laugh at his miss-placed confidence after Donghae, my angel, chose me.
We didn’t have to look far to find Donghae. He was standing before his locker, arranging his books in his bag. There was someone I had never seen leaning against the locker next to Donghae’s but I paid him no heed. What did it matter if he was there?
When Donghae saw us his face glowed with happiness and he quickly placed his books back in the locker and closed it.
“We have to have a talk, Donghae.” I initiated the conversation, not wanting the monkey to get the upper hand by going first.
“Okay. But first I want the two of you to meet my boyfriend, Hankyung.” Donghae reached out to the stranger and took his hand to pull him away from the locker, “He’s been in China for a month or so, but he’s back and planning to transfer to this school!” His childlike glee would have made me happy, had it not been due to the fact that his boyfriend would be attending the school.
I could feel my world crashing around me as I realized that fate had cruelly tricked me into believing that Donghae was the person for me. My heart was slowly breaking within my chest as I realized I could not gain his affections no matter how hard I tried. The fight was useless.
We exchanged simple conversation, my mind too numb to really do any proper talking. After a moment Donghae and Hankyung excused themselves, saying that they wanted to walk around the school before classes started. I watched him walk away, an odd feeling building in my chest.
“Well, Yunho.”
“Eunhyuk.” I sighed back, turning to face him.
“My enemy’s enemy is my friend.” He extended a hand towards me, a cocky smile sitting on his lips.
“Once Hankyung is out of the way, we become enemies once again.” I warned before reaching out and taking his hand in a firm grip.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He laughed back at me before letting go and strolling down the hallway whistling some random tune.
Perhaps my love wasn’t so lost after all.