[PG-13] We will never be here again [EXO] (1/2)
Title: We will never be here again
Author: airplanewishes
Fandom: EXO
Characters: Kris/Luhan, some Kai/Kyungsoo, Baekhyun/Chanyeol, SM Town
Genre: Romance, Life, Angst
Rating: PG-13
WC: 11,342
Summary: Rainclouds covered the sky and soaked humanity with hurt and misery because Cupid's heart is broken.
Thank you to scrapedheart. I forced her to beta this for me.
We will never be here again
The earth was aging. Green had turned into orange and the orange into gray. When the winds blew across the spaces and planes of the world, the leaves, flowers and fruits fell into decay. Rainclouds covered the sky and soaked humanity with hurt and misery. People were suffering.
“This is bad,” Tao stated simply, his brows furrowed as he looked out of the glass window.
“Always so articulate,” Kyuhyun teased. He looked out of the window as well. “If you ask me, I think this is a good thing.”
“How is people starving and dying a good thing?” Junmyeon retorted in almost a panic, glaring at him.
“How come you always forget who you’re talking to when you’re talking to Kyuhyun? You, of all people,” Kai sauntered in, hands in his pockets. Junmyeon opened his mouth to retort then closed it again, making a face in defeat. Kai stopped by the window and frowned. “This is a bad thing, Kyuhyun. Not even you want this many deaths. Especially since this isn’t a part of the plan.”
Kyuhyun stuck his tongue out at them. “Fine,” he gave in. “This is a bad thing.” He paused for a bit then looked at Kai. “How’s Kyungsoo doing?”
“Oh he’s fine, just panicking,” Kai relayed lazily. Junmyeon shot him a look. “He’s doing everything he can,” he amended sheepishly. “His efforts are pointless, of course, since there’s only so much he can do. And then there’s Zhoumi, who’s depressed, which is just making everything worse. All the flowers are just wilting. Baekhyun’s tried to help alleviate or slow the problem down, but without-.”
“Baekhyun can’t do anything,” Tao said. “I can’t even do anything. He’ll just make things worse, drying things up and all that. The earth is practically dying.” He let out a frustrated growl, his fists clenched. “And of course Taeyeon is refusing to do anything about this,” he guessed. He shook his head when they all exchanged an annoyed look. “Something has to be done about that girl.”
“I like Taeyeon,” Kyuhyun announced. Both Tao’s and Kai’s elbows connected to his ribs, making him groan.
“I’m sure Qian’s going to be happy to hear that,” Tao muttered.
There was a pause then Junmyeon asked Kai, “How’s Wu Fan doing?”
Kai sighed, rather sadly. “How do you think he’s doing?”
“How can something like this happen? To Cupid of all people,” Junmyeon criticized, shaking his head.
“I think he prefers to be called Eros, which I’ve always thought sounded like a porn star name, but whatev-,” Kai babbled.
“Why are you here?” Kyuhyun interrupted, suddenly curious and alert. Kai only appeared when he needed to convey something to them. He usually just hung out in dance studios and taught dance to teenagers. “Is there a message for us?”
Kai met Tao’s gaze. “He’s been asking for you.”
Tao nodded. Without so much as a goodbye to the others, he was gone.
Φ
Baekhyun sat on the edge of the large bed, swinging his feet as they barely touched the marble floor. On an ordinary day, he would be smiling like the sun and usually shined like a bright light to everyone around him. But today, there was a frown on his beautiful face and wherever he looked the surroundings just seemed to dim a little bit.
Zhoumi, meanwhile, who was seated on the plush chair across from him, looked hysterical. He stared at the wilting flowers by the bedside. At the moment that a purple petal fell, he let out a cry and dashed out of the room, his hair in his hands.
Baekhyun looked after him and sighed. “Wu Fan, c’mon,” he gently shook the male form bundled in blankets on the bed. There was no answer, not even movement, from him.
Baekhyun stood up and walked out into the balcony, despite the rain. He made sure not to get wet and merely surveyed the atmosphere. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. April was just ending and the sun was supposed to be out, the flowers in bloom. He suddenly felt even sorrier for Zhoumi. But if there wasn’t anything Kyungsoo could do, all they could do was just stand back and wait for all of this to be over. At least he hoped it was going to end. Except that, with the rate things were going, with how Wu Fan refused to even try to move on, the ending of this slow death was far from sight. He turned around and his eyes tried to find a sign of movement in the lump of blankets. He was disappointed to find none.
“How is he?” Tao slowly approached, his eyes on Wu Fan.
“He’s not listening to anyone,” Baekhyun said, gesturing towards him. “I’ve tried everything.”
Tao climbed onto the bed, peeled the covers back and joined Wu Fan under it. He turned to his side, facing him, and placed at arm on his waist. Baekhyun relegated himself on the other side of the room to give them some privacy.
“Hey,” Tao whispered.
Wu Fan opened his eyes. “Hey.”
“You know what I’m going to ask, don’t you,” Tao said after a moment, his eyes intent on his.
“I can’t just…” Wu Fan took a deep breath. “I can’t. I won’t.”
“Wu Fan,” Tao implored.
“Zitao, please don’t force me,” Wu Fan entreated in turn. “I can’t work when I’m feeling like this.”
Tao bit his lip and nodded. “But, just so you know, no one is happy with Taeyeon with what she did. No one wanted this to happen. No one wanted your heart especially to break.” He paused. “We feel your pain, Wu Fan, we love you, but your heartbreak is breaking everyone else’s hearts as well.”
Wu Fan closed his eyes as a form of apology and Tao knew that he had been dismissed. He got off the bed. Baekhyun took a hopeful step forward, but when Tao shook his head, he frowned and the room just got dimmer once more.
There was a thundering sound by the door. Baekhyun and Tao turned with a start and found Kyungsoo stomping towards the foot of the bed, destroying the marble flooring. There was a murderous glint in his eyes that Baekhyun found disconcerting. He looked up once more when he noticed there was someone trailing after him. He sighed in exasperation at the new presence.
“Sungmin, what did you do?” Baekhyun demanded.
Sungmin blinked innocently. “What? I didn’t do anything,” he said. Tao looked at him in disbelief. “I merely said that if he wanted to get Wu Fan to do something, he should battle him out for it, like a face-off. Or something.” He frowned and took a step back at the blinding glare and the murderous look that Baekhyun and Tao gave him.
“You’re such a war freak,” Baekhyun spat.
“Well, I am Ares and-,” Sungmin started to reason.
“That’s not going to do any good and you know it,” Baekhyun stood beside Kyungsoo and placed a hand on his shoulder. “We’ve tried talking to him but-.”
Sungmin’s lower lip then jutted out, his big and earnest eyes staring imploringly at them. Baekhyun blinked helplessly, Tao groaned and Kyungsoo almost forgot what he was going to say.
“I don’t understand how you became the God of War,” Tao murmured, looking away.
“His face is his biggest weapon,” Baekhyun muttered, staring at his feet.
“WU FAN! GET UP!” Kyungsoo roared, shaking Sungmin’s cuteness out of his head. Sungmin snatched Baekhyun away from him in case he got violent. Tao stood his ground.
“That’s not going to make him do anything, Kyungsoo,” Tao calmly said.
“GET UP!” Kyungsoo violently grabbed the comforter.
“I don’t think you want to do that. He might not be wearing anyth-,” Sungmin hurriedly warned him, but Kyungsoo had already thrown the article across the room. Everyone was relieved to find that Wu Fan was perfectly dressed, as he always was.
“I was just in there with him,” Tao stated, rolling his eyes. Sungmin side-eyed him suspiciously.
Wu Fan slowly sat up on the bed, his eyes bleary with sleep. Kyungsoo opened his mouth to yell once more, but Wu Fan beat him to it.
“Leave me alone.” Wu Fan said it calmly. But it had undertones of anger that was bursting at the seams.
“Wu Fan, please,” Kyungsoo begged him with irritation. “You have to stop this.” He gestured out of the window in reference. “This isn’t helping anyone.”
Wu Fan got out of bed and walked to his vanity table. “Maybe you should talk to Taeyeon instead, not me. This is her fault,” Wu Fan directed. “I’m not going to do anything about it until she fixes what she’s done.”
“There’s nothing that can be done. Yixing is gone, you know that,” Kyungsoo said, his voice softening. “It’s been two months-.”
“Kyungsoo, stop,” Tao began.
“I’m sorry,” Wu Fan cut them off with a stare so terrifying that even Sungmin looked away. “There is nothing I can do.”
“Fine,” Kyungsoo grumbled, walking out. “Let’s all just watch the world die then.”
“Wu Fan, if you’ll just-,” Baekhyun tried again. Tao touched his arm just as Wu Fan spoke again.
“Get out,” Wu Fan ordered sharply.
Wu Fan walked towards the balcony as soon as Tao, Baekhyun and Sungmin had left. He breathed deeply and tilted his face towards the sky, his eyes closed.
It continued to rain.
Φ
The rain was relentless. The skies rumbled with thunder and flashed with lightning. It had been cloudy and dark for weeks and it didn’t seem like it was going to let up any time soon. Weather forecasters predicted the rain to last for several months more.
Luhan looked up at the sky, his nose wrinkled as if disgusted with the weather conditions. While he actually liked it when it rained, too much of anything was just horrible. He let out a breath, his cheeks puffing out. If he was ever going to make it to class on time, he was going to have to run and pray that he didn’t get too soaked. But before he could even move a foot forward, a hand clamped on his arm.
“That’s a bad idea,” a tall, handsome, but stern-looking stranger told him. Luhan was tall himself, but this guy was half a head taller than him and he found himself looking up.
“I think it’s the best idea I’ve had in the past 40 minutes I’ve been waiting for the rain to stop,” Luhan said, a smile finding his face.
“What about an umbrella?” the stranger offered. “What about that idea?”
Luhan looked sheepish. “I don’t have one,” he admitted. “I left it at home.”
“With weather like this, you still forget to bring an umbrella?” The stranger looked at him like he was stupid and Luhan decided that he wasn’t so handsome after all.
“Yes, well, it’s just rain,” Luhan retorted.
“Just rain,” the stranger repeated blankly.
“Yes, just rain,” Luhan emphasized. “There are more important, much happier, things. So, if you’ll excuse me.” He slightly bowed at him. “I really have to get to class.”
“Here, take our umbrella,” a guy, way shorter, beside the tall stranger offered, smiling rather stiltedly. “I’m sorry for my friend. He forgot to offer you our umbrella. He normally means well.”
Luhan stared at him then at the umbrella then at the taller male. “If you’re sure…” He slowly took the umbrella and opened it.
“Of course,” the smaller male pressed. “We’re in no hurry.”
“Thank you,” Luhan said, bowing once more. Then he was off to university.
“You could’ve been nice, you know,” Junmyeon rolled his eyes as Wu Fan glared at him.
“I was being nice,” Wu Fan interjected.
“No, you weren’t,” Junmyeon corrected knowingly, looking up at the sky. “You were being grumpy and obnoxious and just…depressing. So unlike you.”
“Now how are we going to get back in this rain?” Wu Fan changed the subject. “I blame you for this. You know I hate getting wet.”
Junmyeon practically glowered at him. “Are you forgetting who you’re talking to? I control water.”
Wu Fan smirked. “At least I don’t forget who Kyuhyun is.”
“Just take my hand,” Junmyeon grunted in exasperation.
Φ
“Is that new?” Jongdae asked as soon as Luhan stepped into the classroom. He eyed the sea blue umbrella that seemed to shimmer in the light.
“Huh, oh, it’s not mine,” Luhan told them, taking a seat beside Sehun, who was busy pouring over his textbook, his bottom lip in between his teeth. “Some guy gave it to me on the way.”
Sehun’s ears perked up at this and he looked up. “Was he handsome?”
“Go back to studying,” Luhan rolled his eyes. He put the umbrella down on the floor, along with his bag. He took his books out.
“So…” Jongdae turned in his seat, which was in front of Luhan’s, to look at him. “Was he handsome?”
“Guys, seriously,” Luhan pleaded. “Are you going to throw every guy who comes my way at me?”
“Yes,” Sehun and Jongdae chorused without missing a beat.
“I’m not that desperate,” Luhan snapped.
“Oh but we are,” Jongdae instantly replied. He chuckled sheepishly and turned around to face front just to avoid Luhan’s death glare.
“We just want you to be happy, Luhan,” Sehun told him like a mother would talk to her child. “It’s been almost three months since Minseok and-.”
“Professor’s here,” Luhan cut him off, relieved to have an excuse to do so.
He knew his best friends meant well. His break-up with Minseok had brought on one of the lowest points in his life, where he resorted to living in his bed and only in his bed, without any food or water or any form of sustenance. He just refused to do anything. When he finally did decide to get up and start living again, his friends had never stopped introducing prospects to him, wanting him to date, hoping he would never want to destroy himself again.
He slightly shook his head and leaned back on his seat just as the professor stopped writing on the board. Professor Yunho walked a little ways to the front, his hands on his back, eyes surveying the room. After a moment, his eyes found his.
“Luhan,” the professor called him. Sehun and Jongdae shifted in their seats. “What can you tell me about Greek Mythology?”
Φ
Yunho nodded at the students who called out their greetings to him as they exited the classroom, while he packed his things in his bag. Class had been very satisfying that day. At least now they have moved on to Greek Mythology and the students had seemed rather interested in learning about it, although they didn’t really have a choice in the matter.
“You’re cheating, you know that, right?”
Yunho looked up. One of the students, a petite girl, with short brown hair and a pretty eye smile had sauntered up to his desk. He glanced around to make sure there was no one around before responding.
“Sunny, what are you doing here?” Yunho hissed.
Her chuckle tinkled around the room like a beautiful melody. “You know I’m always in school. How can I impart wisdom if I don’t continue to learn?” She smiled at him. “Does Taeyeon know about this?”
“She’s not doing her job properly,” he gave in hastily, hurriedly finishing packing his things, “and if no one does something, there will be nothing left for us to look after.”
“You’re rather brave, going against Taeyeon,” Sunny remarked. “Seeing as how she’s practically shattered Wu Fan, no one’s daring to go against her.”
“Wu Fan will be fine,” he declared.
“If Taeyeon finds out that you’re interfering with her work,” she told him, a warning lilt in her voice.
“What’s she going to do about it?” he challenged, snickering. “Will she dare fight me?”
“She is the Goddess of Love and it is her job to do whatever it is you’re trying to do,” she reminded him, moving towards the door. “Besides, I don’t think Wu Fan would like it if he found out about this as well. Does Tao even know about this? What about Boa? There’s a consequence for every unplanned action of ours, Yunho. I hope you remember that.”
Yunho looked annoyed. “I really don’t like being lectured. I’m not the king of the gods for nothing.”
Sunny’s smile was wide and cheerful. “You’re God of the Sky and Thunder. The king thing is just for the humans’ understanding. They like hierarchy and power. What they don’t know is that all gods and goddesses are equal.”
“You may leave now,” he directed. “I’ve decided that I don’t like you very much.”
“So petty,” she rolled her eyes. She turned to walk away but stopped. “Seriously, though, I think you should tell Boa at least.”
Yunho scoffed. “Whose idea do you think this was?”
Φ
The Olympians liked to hold meetings in the evenings. It was cooler and it was more enjoyable to drink wine than during daylight. Whenever Yunho sent Kai to the gods to deliver the invite of the meeting, each of them prepared their most lavish garments and trimmings because these meetings usually ended up to be parties. Especially since Key always attended. He always made sure that there was an endless supply of wine.
But this particular meeting had a somber mood. The world was in pain; the people suffering and therefore, the gods knew that they weren’t doing their job well. For all of their immortality, if the world ended, they would have to live with that failure forever.
“Is everyone here?” Yunho called out from his seat.
Each one raised their hand as they mentioned their name. Boa, Queen of the Gods; Junmyeon, God of the Waters; Kyuhyun, God of Death; Kyungsoo, God of the Earth; Tao, God of Time; Sungmin, God of War; Baekhyun, God of Light; Sunny, Goddess of Wisdom; Zhoumi, God of Growth and Flowers; Chanyeol, God of Fire; Luna, Goddess of the Moon, the Hunt and all animals; Key, God of Wine and Celebration; Eunhyuk, God of Wealth; Qian, Goddess of the Underworld.
There was silence.
At that moment, Taeyeon, Goddess of Love and Beauty, walked in, her white robes billowing gorgeously behind her. She took her seat in between Sungmin and Chanyeol and spoke her name out loud for purposes of attendance.
“Wu Fan isn’t coming,” Taeyeon then shared unconcernedly.
“I wonder why,” Tao shot back.
“We’ve had this discussion. I did what I had to do, okay,” Taeyeon snapped, eyes blazing. And, even in anger, she was just as beautiful as she was when smiling.
“He’s your brother,” Tao retorted needlessly. “How could you take someone he loves away from him and break his heart?”
Tao stared at the empty seat beside his. While Wu Fan wasn’t the most cheerful god in Olympus, he was happy in his own way, albeit lonely. Being in Olympus was lonely. But he shoved that all back down and was selfless, showering love to those who truly wanted it and deserved it. But with this heartbreak, Tao was afraid that it would change Wu Fan and that his work would change with him.
He wholeheartedly blamed Taeyeon for what was happening. Her decision had spiraled into an uncontrollable domino effect of desolation and pain everywhere. No one was falling in love because Cupid was heartbroken. This was bringing serious problems and it wasn’t something that the gods can just overturn. They needed Wu Fan.
“I don’t expect any of you to understand, but I did what I thought was best for him and for all of us,” Taeyeon stated obstinately. “Yixing was a human prince and we all know the consequences of such a union. It wasn’t meant to be.”
“There’s always a way around things, a compromise,” Qian piped in. She glanced down at her hand when Kyuhyun reached for it, squeezing it gently. She lifted her eyes up to him and gave him a small smile.
“No, it wasn’t-,” Taeyeon began again.
“It wasn’t meant to be because you made it so,” Sunny calmly responded, pinning her with her gaze. “There were other ways you could have handled it and those other ways wouldn’t have resulted to a broken heart, which then wouldn’t have resulted to the earth aging faster than it should. If Wu Fan doesn’t get his act together, the world will be littered with broken hearts, no love and no children, and we won’t have anything to say for it.”
Taeyeon bit her lip and averted her gaze, staring at the stone floor.
“I vote that Wu Fan be sent to stay more often on earth for the meantime,” Chanyeol suggested uncharacteristically. Baekhyun looked at him with a start. Kai raised an eyebrow. He grinned.
“What good will that do?” Key asked languidly.
“He’ll be on earth,” Chanyeol answered.
“And he’ll see the effects of the absence of his work,” Luna finished for him. She looked at Boa, who exchanged a look with Yunho.
“Sounds like a good enough plan,” Boa agreed. “Someone will have to be with him.” She glanced around at the gods.
“We all go down to earth at one point or another anyway,” Eunhyuk stated with a half-shrug. “Wu Fan will be fine. It’s not like he hasn’t stayed there for long periods of time.”
“I’ll do it,” Taeyeon sighed.
“I’ll go,” Tao then interjected.
“I’m his sister,” Taeyeon spat.
“Like that did any good for him,” Tao shot back.
“That’s enough!” Yunho’s voice echoed and all the gods sat up straighter in their seats. “We will all be with him at one point or another. But yes, Taeyeon, you should go and straighten up this mess that you have created. You will go as well, Tao. With any luck, Wu Fan will go back to normal and all will be back to normal soon enough.”
“And the flowers will bloom again?” Zhoumi asked hopefully.
“Yes,” Boa answered with a nod. “And the animals will mate and multiply,” she turned to Luna. “The sun will shine again,” she smiled at Baekhyun, who beamed, “and the earth will be well,” she assured Kyungsoo. “When love is restored, everything will be in its rightful place.”
There was silence as what Boa said sunk in and the hope of a better earth resurfaced.
Key cleared his throat after the silence stretched on. “So… can we party now?”
Φ
Greek Mythology, Luhan decided, is a lot harder than it seemed. While he thought that it would be just about memorizing names and stories, it turned out to be so much more than that. The gods and goddesses that ruled all planes and spaces of the world led so much more complicated lives than he had expected. There was too much detail in every person, in every deed, in every lifetime.
Lifetime.
That was what fascinated Luhan the most: the thought of immortality, the endless service to a people who didn’t even know that they existed, or even believed that they were around. He leaned back on his seat and wondered what it would be like to live and serve for hundreds-no, thousands, probably millions of years and never having to hear a single form of appreciation for it. He wondered if it was lonely. He wondered if it was worth it.
“You’re going to grow more heads with all the thinking that you’re doing,” Jongdae’s voice crept into his thoughts. “It’s not a good look on you.” Sehun agreed with a nod.
Luhan almost sneered at him. “I actually study, unlike you who just ogles at all our professors then smiles at them when you fail exams,” he shot back. “And you,” he pointed at Sehun, “who just stares blankly at everything. I don’t really know how you guys go through life.”
“Hey, I pass, don’t I?” Jongdae sweetly retorted. “And Sehun manages. He’s cute enough to survive.” This shut Luhan up and he begrudgingly went back to his work.
“So,” Sehun started to speak, putting up the sea blue umbrella that Luhan had started to lug around, “I was thinking about this umbrella.”
Luhan looked at him. “You don’t know how happy I am to hear that you actually think, even though it’s about something as stupid as an umbrella,” he relayed with a smile. Jongdae tried to hide his sniggers behind his hand.
Sehun ignored him. “You should find the owner and give it back to him,” Sehun pressed. “That way you get to meet again.”
“I don’t even remember who handed that to me,” Luhan muttered. He tried to focus on the words in his book and not on the tall, handsome and stern-looking stranger in the waiting shed.
“See, if I had a penny for every time you forget things, or lied,” Jongdae added under his breath, “I’d be really rich. I’d have enough to live on forever.”
“What would you even do with that kind of money?” Luhan asked him, unknowingly agreeing with Jongdae. “And forever? Really?”
“I want to be able to see and experience everything,” Jongdae interestedly shared. “Humanity is only at the cusp of innovation and there’s still so much more to discover. There’s still so much more to be found.”
“Hmm,” was Luhan’s only response. He wasn’t sure if forever would be worth it just for that.
Φ
There was a bakery that Luhan liked to frequent. During the days when he didn’t have much studying to do or when he just wanted to get away from Jongdae and Sehun (there were a lot of days like these), he went there and bought a pastry, along with some hot choco. He would curl up on the plush couch by the window, reading a good book, to pass the time.
“Hi,” the cute guy at the counter leaned towards him. “What can I get for you?”
“Strawberry waffle and hot chocolate, venti size,” Luhan recited, barely glancing at the menu hanging on top of the counter.
“Coming right up,” the guy said and started preparing his hot chocolate.
“You’re new here, aren’t you?” Luhan asked curiously.
“I’m Baekhyun,” he offered with a dazzling smile. Luhan found himself blinking, as if blinded. “My friend owns the shop and she’s been begging me to help out, so here I am.” He placed the plate of waffle with strawberry syrup and his cup of hot chocolate on the counter. “She can be very cute, and therefore persuasive, when she wants to be.”
Luhan chuckled. “That does sound like Qian,” he confirmed. He glanced at the door that led to the back of the shop. “Is she around?”
“No, not today,” Baekhyun shook his head. “She had to take care of something.”
The door bells tinkled, signaling the entrance of some new customers. Baekhyun looked up and his lips quirked up into half a smile, half a grimace. Two guys walked in and came up to the counter.
“What can I get you?” Baekhyun asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Just coffee,” the taller of the two answered. He smiled at Baekhyun then noticed Luhan. “Hey,” he greeted, nodding at him.
“Hi,” Luhan responded politely. “I’m just going to go…” he told Baekhyun and nodded towards the seat by the window.
Baekhyun smiled at him and nodded. Despite the rain, it became a tad bit bright and sweltering hot in the bakery.
“This is why no one wants you helping out anywhere in the planet,” Kai commented, snickering. “When you get too happy, your power just overextends and it becomes too humid and-."
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Baekhyun retorted, handing him his coffee. He leaned against the counter and sighed as he watched Luhan settle into his seat and open his book to start reading. “Qian never told me how many cute guys come here.”
“Careful,” Junmyeon remarked, taking a seat beside Kai. “I don’t think you want to mess with that kid in particular.”
“Why not?” Baekhyun frowned.
“That’s Luhan,” Junmyeon told them. Kai looked on in interest.
Baekhyun’s frown became more pronounced. “I hate this.”
Kai chuckled. “I keep wondering what Chanyeol’s still doing with you when you’re always looking at other guys,” he commented mirthfully.
“Apparently light and fire go perfectly well together,” Junmyeon teased.
“What are you guys talking about? Dating between-,” Baekhyun began to deny and defend himself.
“Oh please,” Kai cut him off with an eye roll. “I wasn’t born yesterday.” He tapped on the counter, signaling his exit. “Kyungsoo wants to see you, btw, and you,” he told him and Junmyeon.
“I knew there had to be some message in between all the garble that he spews out,” Junmyeon said contentedly.
“I’m still older than you!” Baekhyun called after him. Kai waved. “I hate that kid.”
“You’re only a couple of months older than him,” Junmyeon pointed out.
“Shut up,” Baekhyun snapped. He nodded towards Luhan. “What’s the plan with him?”
“I don’t know,” Junmyeon shook his head. “All I know is we’re supposed to keep an eye on him.”
“Why?” Baekhyun wanted to know.
Junmyeon shrugged. “I guess because there’s some big plan where he’s involved.”
“Yes, but why?” Baekhyun pressed.
“You’ve gotten way whinier since your last birthday,” Junmyeon observed thoughtfully.
“Thousands of millennia tend to do that to you,” Baekhyun grumbled.
Φ
Wu Fan sat down on the bench in the waiting shed, amidst the rain, and watched people come and go, waiting for their bus. Ever since he was sent to earth, on vague orders from Yunho, he normally just sat on benches and watched people walk past, hurrying to the places and people they need to be at or see.
Yixing liked riding the bus. Despite being a coddled prince, he managed to smile his way out of the stronghold that being a royal had on him and got to go around the city and the world with him. And wherever they went, they rode the bus. Yixing always said that buses always made him feel normal, and made him feel like life was simple enough. He supposed he understood him enough. The buses went on routes around the city, passing by the same stops every so often. Wu Fan rode a lot of them the first month that Yixing had gone.
He looked up at the sky. The rain was still relentless and floods had started to occur in different parts of the world. Newscasters and experts stumbled through weather reports, trying to make sense of the sudden shift or non-shift in bad weather. No one knew what to say to the people anymore.
“It’s you!”
Wu Fan looked up. It was the pretty, doe-eyed boy, who could very well pass as a girl. He nodded at him then stared at his clothes. “You forgot your umbrella again,” he observed.
“It wasn’t raining this morning and-.”
“Don’t you listen to the news? It’s always going to be raining from here on out, like it’s been these past weeks,” Wu Fan interrupted him.
He rolled his eyes and sat down beside him. He tried to shake the rain out of his hair, getting Wu Fan wet.
“Sorry,” he apologized, smiling sheepishly. He sighed and watched as the raindrops fell on the ground. People rushed to and fro, trying to avoid getting wet. “I don’t get why people are so afraid of getting wet.” He shook his head, smiling a little.
“Some people care to look neat and presentable,” Wu Fan responded, offended. “Rain messes that up.”
“You can always look presentable,” he countered. “There’s always a way. Rain is just water. Why let it ruin your day?”
Wu Fan shrugged. “Some people value how people see them, how they’re perceived and the easiest way to know a person is through their appearance.”
“Appearance isn’t everything.”
“You really think so little of rain,” Wu Fan commented.
“I just think that certain things, like something as simple as rain, shouldn’t define who you are. It’s kind of like sadness, or heartbreak. When your heart gets broken, it feels like the whole world doesn’t matter anymore and you’d rather die and not care about anything. But, after a while, you realize that the world does matter and that this heartbreak is temporary and you just move on from it.” He laughed when he saw Wu Fan’s stare on him. “I think I took it a bit too far.”
“What’s your name?” Wu Fan abruptly asked.
“Luhan,” he answered, a bit startled. “What’s yours?”
“Wu Fan,” Wu Fan responded dismissively. He gave him a closer look. “Is your heart broken?” he then asked.
Luhan chuckled a bit nervously. “That question is a bit intimate for a first meeting,” he decided, standing up to the edge of the waiting shed. The rain hadn’t stopped for a second and had even gotten stronger in the past couple of minutes they’d been talking. “I should just make a run for it,” he said, turning to face him. “It was nice to meet you, Wu Fan.” He smiled and bowed then he ran away.
“Luhan,” Wu Fan repeated under his breath.
Φ
Part 2
Author: airplanewishes
Fandom: EXO
Characters: Kris/Luhan, some Kai/Kyungsoo, Baekhyun/Chanyeol, SM Town
Genre: Romance, Life, Angst
Rating: PG-13
WC: 11,342
Summary: Rainclouds covered the sky and soaked humanity with hurt and misery because Cupid's heart is broken.
Thank you to scrapedheart. I forced her to beta this for me.
We will never be here again
The earth was aging. Green had turned into orange and the orange into gray. When the winds blew across the spaces and planes of the world, the leaves, flowers and fruits fell into decay. Rainclouds covered the sky and soaked humanity with hurt and misery. People were suffering.
“This is bad,” Tao stated simply, his brows furrowed as he looked out of the glass window.
“Always so articulate,” Kyuhyun teased. He looked out of the window as well. “If you ask me, I think this is a good thing.”
“How is people starving and dying a good thing?” Junmyeon retorted in almost a panic, glaring at him.
“How come you always forget who you’re talking to when you’re talking to Kyuhyun? You, of all people,” Kai sauntered in, hands in his pockets. Junmyeon opened his mouth to retort then closed it again, making a face in defeat. Kai stopped by the window and frowned. “This is a bad thing, Kyuhyun. Not even you want this many deaths. Especially since this isn’t a part of the plan.”
Kyuhyun stuck his tongue out at them. “Fine,” he gave in. “This is a bad thing.” He paused for a bit then looked at Kai. “How’s Kyungsoo doing?”
“Oh he’s fine, just panicking,” Kai relayed lazily. Junmyeon shot him a look. “He’s doing everything he can,” he amended sheepishly. “His efforts are pointless, of course, since there’s only so much he can do. And then there’s Zhoumi, who’s depressed, which is just making everything worse. All the flowers are just wilting. Baekhyun’s tried to help alleviate or slow the problem down, but without-.”
“Baekhyun can’t do anything,” Tao said. “I can’t even do anything. He’ll just make things worse, drying things up and all that. The earth is practically dying.” He let out a frustrated growl, his fists clenched. “And of course Taeyeon is refusing to do anything about this,” he guessed. He shook his head when they all exchanged an annoyed look. “Something has to be done about that girl.”
“I like Taeyeon,” Kyuhyun announced. Both Tao’s and Kai’s elbows connected to his ribs, making him groan.
“I’m sure Qian’s going to be happy to hear that,” Tao muttered.
There was a pause then Junmyeon asked Kai, “How’s Wu Fan doing?”
Kai sighed, rather sadly. “How do you think he’s doing?”
“How can something like this happen? To Cupid of all people,” Junmyeon criticized, shaking his head.
“I think he prefers to be called Eros, which I’ve always thought sounded like a porn star name, but whatev-,” Kai babbled.
“Why are you here?” Kyuhyun interrupted, suddenly curious and alert. Kai only appeared when he needed to convey something to them. He usually just hung out in dance studios and taught dance to teenagers. “Is there a message for us?”
Kai met Tao’s gaze. “He’s been asking for you.”
Tao nodded. Without so much as a goodbye to the others, he was gone.
Φ
Baekhyun sat on the edge of the large bed, swinging his feet as they barely touched the marble floor. On an ordinary day, he would be smiling like the sun and usually shined like a bright light to everyone around him. But today, there was a frown on his beautiful face and wherever he looked the surroundings just seemed to dim a little bit.
Zhoumi, meanwhile, who was seated on the plush chair across from him, looked hysterical. He stared at the wilting flowers by the bedside. At the moment that a purple petal fell, he let out a cry and dashed out of the room, his hair in his hands.
Baekhyun looked after him and sighed. “Wu Fan, c’mon,” he gently shook the male form bundled in blankets on the bed. There was no answer, not even movement, from him.
Baekhyun stood up and walked out into the balcony, despite the rain. He made sure not to get wet and merely surveyed the atmosphere. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. April was just ending and the sun was supposed to be out, the flowers in bloom. He suddenly felt even sorrier for Zhoumi. But if there wasn’t anything Kyungsoo could do, all they could do was just stand back and wait for all of this to be over. At least he hoped it was going to end. Except that, with the rate things were going, with how Wu Fan refused to even try to move on, the ending of this slow death was far from sight. He turned around and his eyes tried to find a sign of movement in the lump of blankets. He was disappointed to find none.
“How is he?” Tao slowly approached, his eyes on Wu Fan.
“He’s not listening to anyone,” Baekhyun said, gesturing towards him. “I’ve tried everything.”
Tao climbed onto the bed, peeled the covers back and joined Wu Fan under it. He turned to his side, facing him, and placed at arm on his waist. Baekhyun relegated himself on the other side of the room to give them some privacy.
“Hey,” Tao whispered.
Wu Fan opened his eyes. “Hey.”
“You know what I’m going to ask, don’t you,” Tao said after a moment, his eyes intent on his.
“I can’t just…” Wu Fan took a deep breath. “I can’t. I won’t.”
“Wu Fan,” Tao implored.
“Zitao, please don’t force me,” Wu Fan entreated in turn. “I can’t work when I’m feeling like this.”
Tao bit his lip and nodded. “But, just so you know, no one is happy with Taeyeon with what she did. No one wanted this to happen. No one wanted your heart especially to break.” He paused. “We feel your pain, Wu Fan, we love you, but your heartbreak is breaking everyone else’s hearts as well.”
Wu Fan closed his eyes as a form of apology and Tao knew that he had been dismissed. He got off the bed. Baekhyun took a hopeful step forward, but when Tao shook his head, he frowned and the room just got dimmer once more.
There was a thundering sound by the door. Baekhyun and Tao turned with a start and found Kyungsoo stomping towards the foot of the bed, destroying the marble flooring. There was a murderous glint in his eyes that Baekhyun found disconcerting. He looked up once more when he noticed there was someone trailing after him. He sighed in exasperation at the new presence.
“Sungmin, what did you do?” Baekhyun demanded.
Sungmin blinked innocently. “What? I didn’t do anything,” he said. Tao looked at him in disbelief. “I merely said that if he wanted to get Wu Fan to do something, he should battle him out for it, like a face-off. Or something.” He frowned and took a step back at the blinding glare and the murderous look that Baekhyun and Tao gave him.
“You’re such a war freak,” Baekhyun spat.
“Well, I am Ares and-,” Sungmin started to reason.
“That’s not going to do any good and you know it,” Baekhyun stood beside Kyungsoo and placed a hand on his shoulder. “We’ve tried talking to him but-.”
Sungmin’s lower lip then jutted out, his big and earnest eyes staring imploringly at them. Baekhyun blinked helplessly, Tao groaned and Kyungsoo almost forgot what he was going to say.
“I don’t understand how you became the God of War,” Tao murmured, looking away.
“His face is his biggest weapon,” Baekhyun muttered, staring at his feet.
“WU FAN! GET UP!” Kyungsoo roared, shaking Sungmin’s cuteness out of his head. Sungmin snatched Baekhyun away from him in case he got violent. Tao stood his ground.
“That’s not going to make him do anything, Kyungsoo,” Tao calmly said.
“GET UP!” Kyungsoo violently grabbed the comforter.
“I don’t think you want to do that. He might not be wearing anyth-,” Sungmin hurriedly warned him, but Kyungsoo had already thrown the article across the room. Everyone was relieved to find that Wu Fan was perfectly dressed, as he always was.
“I was just in there with him,” Tao stated, rolling his eyes. Sungmin side-eyed him suspiciously.
Wu Fan slowly sat up on the bed, his eyes bleary with sleep. Kyungsoo opened his mouth to yell once more, but Wu Fan beat him to it.
“Leave me alone.” Wu Fan said it calmly. But it had undertones of anger that was bursting at the seams.
“Wu Fan, please,” Kyungsoo begged him with irritation. “You have to stop this.” He gestured out of the window in reference. “This isn’t helping anyone.”
Wu Fan got out of bed and walked to his vanity table. “Maybe you should talk to Taeyeon instead, not me. This is her fault,” Wu Fan directed. “I’m not going to do anything about it until she fixes what she’s done.”
“There’s nothing that can be done. Yixing is gone, you know that,” Kyungsoo said, his voice softening. “It’s been two months-.”
“Kyungsoo, stop,” Tao began.
“I’m sorry,” Wu Fan cut them off with a stare so terrifying that even Sungmin looked away. “There is nothing I can do.”
“Fine,” Kyungsoo grumbled, walking out. “Let’s all just watch the world die then.”
“Wu Fan, if you’ll just-,” Baekhyun tried again. Tao touched his arm just as Wu Fan spoke again.
“Get out,” Wu Fan ordered sharply.
Wu Fan walked towards the balcony as soon as Tao, Baekhyun and Sungmin had left. He breathed deeply and tilted his face towards the sky, his eyes closed.
It continued to rain.
Φ
The rain was relentless. The skies rumbled with thunder and flashed with lightning. It had been cloudy and dark for weeks and it didn’t seem like it was going to let up any time soon. Weather forecasters predicted the rain to last for several months more.
Luhan looked up at the sky, his nose wrinkled as if disgusted with the weather conditions. While he actually liked it when it rained, too much of anything was just horrible. He let out a breath, his cheeks puffing out. If he was ever going to make it to class on time, he was going to have to run and pray that he didn’t get too soaked. But before he could even move a foot forward, a hand clamped on his arm.
“That’s a bad idea,” a tall, handsome, but stern-looking stranger told him. Luhan was tall himself, but this guy was half a head taller than him and he found himself looking up.
“I think it’s the best idea I’ve had in the past 40 minutes I’ve been waiting for the rain to stop,” Luhan said, a smile finding his face.
“What about an umbrella?” the stranger offered. “What about that idea?”
Luhan looked sheepish. “I don’t have one,” he admitted. “I left it at home.”
“With weather like this, you still forget to bring an umbrella?” The stranger looked at him like he was stupid and Luhan decided that he wasn’t so handsome after all.
“Yes, well, it’s just rain,” Luhan retorted.
“Just rain,” the stranger repeated blankly.
“Yes, just rain,” Luhan emphasized. “There are more important, much happier, things. So, if you’ll excuse me.” He slightly bowed at him. “I really have to get to class.”
“Here, take our umbrella,” a guy, way shorter, beside the tall stranger offered, smiling rather stiltedly. “I’m sorry for my friend. He forgot to offer you our umbrella. He normally means well.”
Luhan stared at him then at the umbrella then at the taller male. “If you’re sure…” He slowly took the umbrella and opened it.
“Of course,” the smaller male pressed. “We’re in no hurry.”
“Thank you,” Luhan said, bowing once more. Then he was off to university.
“You could’ve been nice, you know,” Junmyeon rolled his eyes as Wu Fan glared at him.
“I was being nice,” Wu Fan interjected.
“No, you weren’t,” Junmyeon corrected knowingly, looking up at the sky. “You were being grumpy and obnoxious and just…depressing. So unlike you.”
“Now how are we going to get back in this rain?” Wu Fan changed the subject. “I blame you for this. You know I hate getting wet.”
Junmyeon practically glowered at him. “Are you forgetting who you’re talking to? I control water.”
Wu Fan smirked. “At least I don’t forget who Kyuhyun is.”
“Just take my hand,” Junmyeon grunted in exasperation.
Φ
“Is that new?” Jongdae asked as soon as Luhan stepped into the classroom. He eyed the sea blue umbrella that seemed to shimmer in the light.
“Huh, oh, it’s not mine,” Luhan told them, taking a seat beside Sehun, who was busy pouring over his textbook, his bottom lip in between his teeth. “Some guy gave it to me on the way.”
Sehun’s ears perked up at this and he looked up. “Was he handsome?”
“Go back to studying,” Luhan rolled his eyes. He put the umbrella down on the floor, along with his bag. He took his books out.
“So…” Jongdae turned in his seat, which was in front of Luhan’s, to look at him. “Was he handsome?”
“Guys, seriously,” Luhan pleaded. “Are you going to throw every guy who comes my way at me?”
“Yes,” Sehun and Jongdae chorused without missing a beat.
“I’m not that desperate,” Luhan snapped.
“Oh but we are,” Jongdae instantly replied. He chuckled sheepishly and turned around to face front just to avoid Luhan’s death glare.
“We just want you to be happy, Luhan,” Sehun told him like a mother would talk to her child. “It’s been almost three months since Minseok and-.”
“Professor’s here,” Luhan cut him off, relieved to have an excuse to do so.
He knew his best friends meant well. His break-up with Minseok had brought on one of the lowest points in his life, where he resorted to living in his bed and only in his bed, without any food or water or any form of sustenance. He just refused to do anything. When he finally did decide to get up and start living again, his friends had never stopped introducing prospects to him, wanting him to date, hoping he would never want to destroy himself again.
He slightly shook his head and leaned back on his seat just as the professor stopped writing on the board. Professor Yunho walked a little ways to the front, his hands on his back, eyes surveying the room. After a moment, his eyes found his.
“Luhan,” the professor called him. Sehun and Jongdae shifted in their seats. “What can you tell me about Greek Mythology?”
Φ
Yunho nodded at the students who called out their greetings to him as they exited the classroom, while he packed his things in his bag. Class had been very satisfying that day. At least now they have moved on to Greek Mythology and the students had seemed rather interested in learning about it, although they didn’t really have a choice in the matter.
“You’re cheating, you know that, right?”
Yunho looked up. One of the students, a petite girl, with short brown hair and a pretty eye smile had sauntered up to his desk. He glanced around to make sure there was no one around before responding.
“Sunny, what are you doing here?” Yunho hissed.
Her chuckle tinkled around the room like a beautiful melody. “You know I’m always in school. How can I impart wisdom if I don’t continue to learn?” She smiled at him. “Does Taeyeon know about this?”
“She’s not doing her job properly,” he gave in hastily, hurriedly finishing packing his things, “and if no one does something, there will be nothing left for us to look after.”
“You’re rather brave, going against Taeyeon,” Sunny remarked. “Seeing as how she’s practically shattered Wu Fan, no one’s daring to go against her.”
“Wu Fan will be fine,” he declared.
“If Taeyeon finds out that you’re interfering with her work,” she told him, a warning lilt in her voice.
“What’s she going to do about it?” he challenged, snickering. “Will she dare fight me?”
“She is the Goddess of Love and it is her job to do whatever it is you’re trying to do,” she reminded him, moving towards the door. “Besides, I don’t think Wu Fan would like it if he found out about this as well. Does Tao even know about this? What about Boa? There’s a consequence for every unplanned action of ours, Yunho. I hope you remember that.”
Yunho looked annoyed. “I really don’t like being lectured. I’m not the king of the gods for nothing.”
Sunny’s smile was wide and cheerful. “You’re God of the Sky and Thunder. The king thing is just for the humans’ understanding. They like hierarchy and power. What they don’t know is that all gods and goddesses are equal.”
“You may leave now,” he directed. “I’ve decided that I don’t like you very much.”
“So petty,” she rolled her eyes. She turned to walk away but stopped. “Seriously, though, I think you should tell Boa at least.”
Yunho scoffed. “Whose idea do you think this was?”
Φ
The Olympians liked to hold meetings in the evenings. It was cooler and it was more enjoyable to drink wine than during daylight. Whenever Yunho sent Kai to the gods to deliver the invite of the meeting, each of them prepared their most lavish garments and trimmings because these meetings usually ended up to be parties. Especially since Key always attended. He always made sure that there was an endless supply of wine.
But this particular meeting had a somber mood. The world was in pain; the people suffering and therefore, the gods knew that they weren’t doing their job well. For all of their immortality, if the world ended, they would have to live with that failure forever.
“Is everyone here?” Yunho called out from his seat.
Each one raised their hand as they mentioned their name. Boa, Queen of the Gods; Junmyeon, God of the Waters; Kyuhyun, God of Death; Kyungsoo, God of the Earth; Tao, God of Time; Sungmin, God of War; Baekhyun, God of Light; Sunny, Goddess of Wisdom; Zhoumi, God of Growth and Flowers; Chanyeol, God of Fire; Luna, Goddess of the Moon, the Hunt and all animals; Key, God of Wine and Celebration; Eunhyuk, God of Wealth; Qian, Goddess of the Underworld.
There was silence.
At that moment, Taeyeon, Goddess of Love and Beauty, walked in, her white robes billowing gorgeously behind her. She took her seat in between Sungmin and Chanyeol and spoke her name out loud for purposes of attendance.
“Wu Fan isn’t coming,” Taeyeon then shared unconcernedly.
“I wonder why,” Tao shot back.
“We’ve had this discussion. I did what I had to do, okay,” Taeyeon snapped, eyes blazing. And, even in anger, she was just as beautiful as she was when smiling.
“He’s your brother,” Tao retorted needlessly. “How could you take someone he loves away from him and break his heart?”
Tao stared at the empty seat beside his. While Wu Fan wasn’t the most cheerful god in Olympus, he was happy in his own way, albeit lonely. Being in Olympus was lonely. But he shoved that all back down and was selfless, showering love to those who truly wanted it and deserved it. But with this heartbreak, Tao was afraid that it would change Wu Fan and that his work would change with him.
He wholeheartedly blamed Taeyeon for what was happening. Her decision had spiraled into an uncontrollable domino effect of desolation and pain everywhere. No one was falling in love because Cupid was heartbroken. This was bringing serious problems and it wasn’t something that the gods can just overturn. They needed Wu Fan.
“I don’t expect any of you to understand, but I did what I thought was best for him and for all of us,” Taeyeon stated obstinately. “Yixing was a human prince and we all know the consequences of such a union. It wasn’t meant to be.”
“There’s always a way around things, a compromise,” Qian piped in. She glanced down at her hand when Kyuhyun reached for it, squeezing it gently. She lifted her eyes up to him and gave him a small smile.
“No, it wasn’t-,” Taeyeon began again.
“It wasn’t meant to be because you made it so,” Sunny calmly responded, pinning her with her gaze. “There were other ways you could have handled it and those other ways wouldn’t have resulted to a broken heart, which then wouldn’t have resulted to the earth aging faster than it should. If Wu Fan doesn’t get his act together, the world will be littered with broken hearts, no love and no children, and we won’t have anything to say for it.”
Taeyeon bit her lip and averted her gaze, staring at the stone floor.
“I vote that Wu Fan be sent to stay more often on earth for the meantime,” Chanyeol suggested uncharacteristically. Baekhyun looked at him with a start. Kai raised an eyebrow. He grinned.
“What good will that do?” Key asked languidly.
“He’ll be on earth,” Chanyeol answered.
“And he’ll see the effects of the absence of his work,” Luna finished for him. She looked at Boa, who exchanged a look with Yunho.
“Sounds like a good enough plan,” Boa agreed. “Someone will have to be with him.” She glanced around at the gods.
“We all go down to earth at one point or another anyway,” Eunhyuk stated with a half-shrug. “Wu Fan will be fine. It’s not like he hasn’t stayed there for long periods of time.”
“I’ll do it,” Taeyeon sighed.
“I’ll go,” Tao then interjected.
“I’m his sister,” Taeyeon spat.
“Like that did any good for him,” Tao shot back.
“That’s enough!” Yunho’s voice echoed and all the gods sat up straighter in their seats. “We will all be with him at one point or another. But yes, Taeyeon, you should go and straighten up this mess that you have created. You will go as well, Tao. With any luck, Wu Fan will go back to normal and all will be back to normal soon enough.”
“And the flowers will bloom again?” Zhoumi asked hopefully.
“Yes,” Boa answered with a nod. “And the animals will mate and multiply,” she turned to Luna. “The sun will shine again,” she smiled at Baekhyun, who beamed, “and the earth will be well,” she assured Kyungsoo. “When love is restored, everything will be in its rightful place.”
There was silence as what Boa said sunk in and the hope of a better earth resurfaced.
Key cleared his throat after the silence stretched on. “So… can we party now?”
Φ
Greek Mythology, Luhan decided, is a lot harder than it seemed. While he thought that it would be just about memorizing names and stories, it turned out to be so much more than that. The gods and goddesses that ruled all planes and spaces of the world led so much more complicated lives than he had expected. There was too much detail in every person, in every deed, in every lifetime.
Lifetime.
That was what fascinated Luhan the most: the thought of immortality, the endless service to a people who didn’t even know that they existed, or even believed that they were around. He leaned back on his seat and wondered what it would be like to live and serve for hundreds-no, thousands, probably millions of years and never having to hear a single form of appreciation for it. He wondered if it was lonely. He wondered if it was worth it.
“You’re going to grow more heads with all the thinking that you’re doing,” Jongdae’s voice crept into his thoughts. “It’s not a good look on you.” Sehun agreed with a nod.
Luhan almost sneered at him. “I actually study, unlike you who just ogles at all our professors then smiles at them when you fail exams,” he shot back. “And you,” he pointed at Sehun, “who just stares blankly at everything. I don’t really know how you guys go through life.”
“Hey, I pass, don’t I?” Jongdae sweetly retorted. “And Sehun manages. He’s cute enough to survive.” This shut Luhan up and he begrudgingly went back to his work.
“So,” Sehun started to speak, putting up the sea blue umbrella that Luhan had started to lug around, “I was thinking about this umbrella.”
Luhan looked at him. “You don’t know how happy I am to hear that you actually think, even though it’s about something as stupid as an umbrella,” he relayed with a smile. Jongdae tried to hide his sniggers behind his hand.
Sehun ignored him. “You should find the owner and give it back to him,” Sehun pressed. “That way you get to meet again.”
“I don’t even remember who handed that to me,” Luhan muttered. He tried to focus on the words in his book and not on the tall, handsome and stern-looking stranger in the waiting shed.
“See, if I had a penny for every time you forget things, or lied,” Jongdae added under his breath, “I’d be really rich. I’d have enough to live on forever.”
“What would you even do with that kind of money?” Luhan asked him, unknowingly agreeing with Jongdae. “And forever? Really?”
“I want to be able to see and experience everything,” Jongdae interestedly shared. “Humanity is only at the cusp of innovation and there’s still so much more to discover. There’s still so much more to be found.”
“Hmm,” was Luhan’s only response. He wasn’t sure if forever would be worth it just for that.
Φ
There was a bakery that Luhan liked to frequent. During the days when he didn’t have much studying to do or when he just wanted to get away from Jongdae and Sehun (there were a lot of days like these), he went there and bought a pastry, along with some hot choco. He would curl up on the plush couch by the window, reading a good book, to pass the time.
“Hi,” the cute guy at the counter leaned towards him. “What can I get for you?”
“Strawberry waffle and hot chocolate, venti size,” Luhan recited, barely glancing at the menu hanging on top of the counter.
“Coming right up,” the guy said and started preparing his hot chocolate.
“You’re new here, aren’t you?” Luhan asked curiously.
“I’m Baekhyun,” he offered with a dazzling smile. Luhan found himself blinking, as if blinded. “My friend owns the shop and she’s been begging me to help out, so here I am.” He placed the plate of waffle with strawberry syrup and his cup of hot chocolate on the counter. “She can be very cute, and therefore persuasive, when she wants to be.”
Luhan chuckled. “That does sound like Qian,” he confirmed. He glanced at the door that led to the back of the shop. “Is she around?”
“No, not today,” Baekhyun shook his head. “She had to take care of something.”
The door bells tinkled, signaling the entrance of some new customers. Baekhyun looked up and his lips quirked up into half a smile, half a grimace. Two guys walked in and came up to the counter.
“What can I get you?” Baekhyun asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Just coffee,” the taller of the two answered. He smiled at Baekhyun then noticed Luhan. “Hey,” he greeted, nodding at him.
“Hi,” Luhan responded politely. “I’m just going to go…” he told Baekhyun and nodded towards the seat by the window.
Baekhyun smiled at him and nodded. Despite the rain, it became a tad bit bright and sweltering hot in the bakery.
“This is why no one wants you helping out anywhere in the planet,” Kai commented, snickering. “When you get too happy, your power just overextends and it becomes too humid and-."
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Baekhyun retorted, handing him his coffee. He leaned against the counter and sighed as he watched Luhan settle into his seat and open his book to start reading. “Qian never told me how many cute guys come here.”
“Careful,” Junmyeon remarked, taking a seat beside Kai. “I don’t think you want to mess with that kid in particular.”
“Why not?” Baekhyun frowned.
“That’s Luhan,” Junmyeon told them. Kai looked on in interest.
Baekhyun’s frown became more pronounced. “I hate this.”
Kai chuckled. “I keep wondering what Chanyeol’s still doing with you when you’re always looking at other guys,” he commented mirthfully.
“Apparently light and fire go perfectly well together,” Junmyeon teased.
“What are you guys talking about? Dating between-,” Baekhyun began to deny and defend himself.
“Oh please,” Kai cut him off with an eye roll. “I wasn’t born yesterday.” He tapped on the counter, signaling his exit. “Kyungsoo wants to see you, btw, and you,” he told him and Junmyeon.
“I knew there had to be some message in between all the garble that he spews out,” Junmyeon said contentedly.
“I’m still older than you!” Baekhyun called after him. Kai waved. “I hate that kid.”
“You’re only a couple of months older than him,” Junmyeon pointed out.
“Shut up,” Baekhyun snapped. He nodded towards Luhan. “What’s the plan with him?”
“I don’t know,” Junmyeon shook his head. “All I know is we’re supposed to keep an eye on him.”
“Why?” Baekhyun wanted to know.
Junmyeon shrugged. “I guess because there’s some big plan where he’s involved.”
“Yes, but why?” Baekhyun pressed.
“You’ve gotten way whinier since your last birthday,” Junmyeon observed thoughtfully.
“Thousands of millennia tend to do that to you,” Baekhyun grumbled.
Φ
Wu Fan sat down on the bench in the waiting shed, amidst the rain, and watched people come and go, waiting for their bus. Ever since he was sent to earth, on vague orders from Yunho, he normally just sat on benches and watched people walk past, hurrying to the places and people they need to be at or see.
Yixing liked riding the bus. Despite being a coddled prince, he managed to smile his way out of the stronghold that being a royal had on him and got to go around the city and the world with him. And wherever they went, they rode the bus. Yixing always said that buses always made him feel normal, and made him feel like life was simple enough. He supposed he understood him enough. The buses went on routes around the city, passing by the same stops every so often. Wu Fan rode a lot of them the first month that Yixing had gone.
He looked up at the sky. The rain was still relentless and floods had started to occur in different parts of the world. Newscasters and experts stumbled through weather reports, trying to make sense of the sudden shift or non-shift in bad weather. No one knew what to say to the people anymore.
“It’s you!”
Wu Fan looked up. It was the pretty, doe-eyed boy, who could very well pass as a girl. He nodded at him then stared at his clothes. “You forgot your umbrella again,” he observed.
“It wasn’t raining this morning and-.”
“Don’t you listen to the news? It’s always going to be raining from here on out, like it’s been these past weeks,” Wu Fan interrupted him.
He rolled his eyes and sat down beside him. He tried to shake the rain out of his hair, getting Wu Fan wet.
“Sorry,” he apologized, smiling sheepishly. He sighed and watched as the raindrops fell on the ground. People rushed to and fro, trying to avoid getting wet. “I don’t get why people are so afraid of getting wet.” He shook his head, smiling a little.
“Some people care to look neat and presentable,” Wu Fan responded, offended. “Rain messes that up.”
“You can always look presentable,” he countered. “There’s always a way. Rain is just water. Why let it ruin your day?”
Wu Fan shrugged. “Some people value how people see them, how they’re perceived and the easiest way to know a person is through their appearance.”
“Appearance isn’t everything.”
“You really think so little of rain,” Wu Fan commented.
“I just think that certain things, like something as simple as rain, shouldn’t define who you are. It’s kind of like sadness, or heartbreak. When your heart gets broken, it feels like the whole world doesn’t matter anymore and you’d rather die and not care about anything. But, after a while, you realize that the world does matter and that this heartbreak is temporary and you just move on from it.” He laughed when he saw Wu Fan’s stare on him. “I think I took it a bit too far.”
“What’s your name?” Wu Fan abruptly asked.
“Luhan,” he answered, a bit startled. “What’s yours?”
“Wu Fan,” Wu Fan responded dismissively. He gave him a closer look. “Is your heart broken?” he then asked.
Luhan chuckled a bit nervously. “That question is a bit intimate for a first meeting,” he decided, standing up to the edge of the waiting shed. The rain hadn’t stopped for a second and had even gotten stronger in the past couple of minutes they’d been talking. “I should just make a run for it,” he said, turning to face him. “It was nice to meet you, Wu Fan.” He smiled and bowed then he ran away.
“Luhan,” Wu Fan repeated under his breath.
Φ
Part 2