Chapter Text
Ever since high school, Namjoon has had a kind of "guardian angel". Well, truth be told he wasn't entirely sure if that was an accurate description. He only referred to him as such because it seemed like he always rescued him from death. Pushing or pulling him out of harm's way at the very last second. But the man's presence didn't feel "angelic". It felt...unnatural. Like the man wasn't supposed to be there. And yet he was. His mysterious and elusive savior.
As soon as Namjoon was rescued, the man wouldn't linger, dashing away immediately and disappearing behind the nearest building or into a crowd. He was never able to chase after the man due to how he was still processing his close encounter with death. By the time he unfroze, the man was long gone. Namjoon tried asking around and conducting research to find the man but there was nothing. It was as if he didn't exist until Namjoon was in danger.
The man was tall with broad shoulders. He always wore a cap and a mask to hide his features when performing his rescues. His clothing mostly consisted of jackets, sweaters, and jeans. A very conspicuous look. He clearly didn't want to draw attention to himself.
It's only natural to jump to the conclusion that this person must be a supernatural force stalking Namjoon. But the boy didn't think so. As a matter of fact, Namjoon was convinced he was a normal human being. Maybe not completely 'normal', but definitely human.
He knew because he remembered the first time the man had saved him from death.
It was all the way back in Namjoon's senior year of high school. He was walking back home from his poetry club meeting. His eyes were glued to his phone screen as he analyzed and admired poems posted on the club's group chat. As he approached the familiar crosswalk, he reflexively glanced up from his phone to see the 'safe to cross' sign before continuing on his way. But, his concentration on his phone made him miss the car hurtling towards him.
Namjoon didn't have any time to react. For a split second, he looked at the car in terror before he felt hands grab and pull him out of the way mere moments before the car could collide with his side. The boy could feel the vehicle wisp by his body, grazing his school uniform in the process.
His eyes followed the car down the street until it collided with a lamp post a block away. It was a gruesome sight. The entire front of the car was caved in, likely crushing the driver and passenger. The vehicle was traveling with enough speeds to dent the steel lamp post to the side. The horn was blaring meaning the driver's head was probably pushed up against the steering wheel.
As Namjoon watched the scene unfold, people running over to asses the situation and tend to the unfortunate passengers, he felt paralyzed. He questioned what would have become of him if he wasn't pulled out of the way. Namjoon's eyes fell on the lamp post...thinking about his lifeless form pinned to it. All mangled and broken. His life snuffed out in mere seconds...
But the sound of someone sighing next to him snapped Namjoon out of his daze. He turned to see an older boy clinging to his uniform. He had silky brown hair that looks soft to the touch. His eyes were a deep brown color that stared at him with fear, worry, and something else Namjoon couldn't identify. And his plump lips were in a slight pant as if he had just run a few miles.
The man stared directly into Namjoon's eyes, his adamsapple dipped for a nervous swallow. If Namjoon wasn't in shock, he would have blushed at how cute the older boy looked. For a few more seconds they just stared into each other's eyes before Namjoon finally remembered he had a voice.
"Than-...Thank yo-"
But before he could finish, the older boy released his uniform and ran the opposite direction down the street. He disappeared behind the corner of a building, the whole time Namjoon was still frozen in place trying to process what just happened. Looking back on it now, he cursed himself for not chasing after the boy.
Later on, it was discovered that the driver had passed away while driving. With their foot still on the gas, the vehicle traveled 6 blocks at full speed before crashing into a lamp post. Nobody was injured in the crash.
Since then, the man would reappear in Namjoon's life to save him from death before disappearing again and again. Most of the time never saying a word to the younger man. As time went on, the stranger appeared to become more proficient at saving him. And each time, he would make it more and more difficult for Namjoon to see his face or keep him from running.
Most of Namjoon's near-death experiences were car related. But some of them have reached as far as him nearly burning alive. And yet his "guardian angel" was there to break into his smoking apartment and carry his body out to the paramedics. Namjoon remembers that encounter quite vividly, seeing the tears streaming down the man's face. His sweet voice telling Namjoon was going to be ok as the young man fell in and out of consciousness in the older man's arms.
Now just as a side note, Namjoon didn't have these near-death experiences often. Their frequency was such that he could go months without it occurring. He had even gone a year without seeing the man once. But even so, every time it happened, Namjoon's mind would dwell on the man for weeks. Who is he? How does he know when to save him? Why does he always run away?
Well, Namjoon never would have thought that he would be staring into the man's eyes once again. Just like their first encounter, his eyes filled with fear, worry, and something else unknown.
But the only difference is that Namjoon had finally caught him.