Little Gifts
Title: Little Gifts
Rating: PG-13
Length: 6,087
Summary: Forest spirits cannot fall in love with humans, but no one ever said anything about bringing them flowers.
Warning(s): Character death
Author Notes: I believe in happy endings. Thank you, Dani and Harmoney for looking over this story for me. Also this was written for maknaerulez.
"One day, you two will become fine young men maintaining the balance of this world," a woman said. Two young boys with an innocent glint in their eyes looked up at her in admiration and wonder.
"I want to be just like you, Mommy!" one of the boys piped up. His hair shone silver and a slight breeze blew around him.
"That's the spirit, Sehun," the woman laughed and patted her son on the head. "But there's one thing you two must remember. Do not, at any circumstance, directly interact with the humans."
The other boy, with honey blond hair, tilted his head to the side and asked, "Why, Mommy?"
"Because, Luhan," the woman started to explain and stopped patting Sehun's head. "It is our rule as forest spirits. We are meant to protect the humans from the sidelines, but we must never, ever, directly interact with the humans. Otherwise bad things will happen."
Sehun's eyes widened with terror. Tears started to rim his eyes. "What kind of bad things?" he stuttered out.
The woman brought her two sons close to her chest. "Bad things," she said distantly. She combed her fingers through Sehun's silver hair. "Very bad things."
--
Sehun skipped through the woods excitedly, blowing swirls of wind in all sorts of directions. It was his first day as the wind bringer and he was not going to mess it up. He moved his hand away from his body and a breeze hit a large oak tree, its branches and leaves rustling in the wind. He swung his arm in a different direction, hitting another tree with wind and making a flock of birds shoot out into the air.
"Whoops," he silently chuckled. He started to dance through the woods. Trees and flowers alike swayed with his movement.
As he reached the edge of the woods, he stopped dancing. Satisfied with a job well done, he started to head back home when something caught his eye. Outside the edge of the woods was a garden, not as lush or as beautiful as the one he grew up in, but lovely nonetheless. At the end of the garden path was a tall structure made of something that Sehun learned was called brick. A large window on the brick structure loomed into a dark room surrounded by shelves and shelves of books. In the middle of Sehun's view into the room was a wooden table covered in maps, books, and other miscellaneous papers. Sitting behind the table was a young human boy. His hair was a dark chocolate color, his complexion a healthy tan color, and his eyes tired. The young human boy was reading a book and scribbling notes on one of the many sheets of paper around him.
"Either humans are weird, or it's just him," Sehun muttered to himself. He sat down underneath an old oak tree and continued staring at the human. Another human, an older one, stepped into the room and talked to the young human. Sehun decided that it was time to head home.
The next day and the day after that, Sehun would finish his duties and walk over to the human garden. He would sit underneath the oak tree and watch the human read his book or write something on his paper. Sehun noticed that sometimes the older human would be there, but majority of the time it was just the younger one.
--
One day when Sehun was walking along the dirt path of the woods after his duties, he saw a yellow flower growing among a group of rocks. He bent down and plucked the flower from its stem and stored it gently in his pocket. When he arrived at the human garden, he walked straight through the garden path to the window where the human was. Making sure he wasn't in sight, he pulled out the flower from his pocket and placed it on the ledge of the window. Satisfied, he smiled and walked away toward the oak tree so he could continue watching the human from afar.
The next day he noticed the flower was gone. Sehun placed a pink flower in the empty spot and ran to the oak tree to observe the human. The human opened the window and picked up the flower Sehun placed on the ledge. He walked away and grabbed one of his many books. The human opened the book and Sehun saw the yellow flower from the day before pressed between the pages. He placed the pink flower from today next to the yellow flower and closed the book. He closed the window and sat down to read.
Sehun smiled and continued watching the human.
--
Years and years passed, the young boy grew into a fine young man. Sehun still placed flowers on the window ledge every day and he still watched the young man save his little gifts and pour over books. Somehow, Sehun's brother Luhan found out about his daily routine.
"You can't continue doing this, Sehun," he lectured. "What if he notices you?"
"Calm down," Sehun brushed him off. "He's not going to notice."
--
Sehun walked over to the window with a handful of purple flowers. Positive that he was out of sight, he placed them down on the ledge. Thinking that the young human was immersed in his studies, he decided to peek through window only to quickly realize that the human was staring at him from his desk. The human stood up and started walking over to the window, making Sehun panic slightly and return to his position out of sight to the human.
He needed to get out of there, but if he were to run now, the human would definitely see him. His heart raced as the human stood near the window for a seemingly long period of time.
The human opened the window and picked up the flower Sehun left. He grabbed the book in which he puts his flowers in and placed it between two pages in the middle.
When the human walked away, Sehun exhaled the breath of air he didn't realize he was holding in and ran back to the forest.
--
Sehun placed pink flowers on the window sill when a voice called out to him.
"So you're the one who brings me flowers every day," the young human said. Sehun jumped in shock. He swore he had his back turned to the window. "I'm Jongin. What's yours?"
Sehun, still in shock, stuttered out, "S-sehun."
The human, or Jongin, smiled and said, "Let's be friends."
"Friends," Sehun pondered. He liked the idea of that. Jongin seemed interesting, hence the reason why Sehun visited every day. "I like that."
--
For the next few weeks, after Sehun would finish his wind duties, he would knock on the window to get Jongin's attention and spend the rest of the afternoon with him in the garden before going home. Sometimes Jongin would have to study, but he would still go outside and read while Sehun watched him. And as always, Sehun would bring Jongin flowers.
"Why do you bring me flowers?" Jongin would sometimes question him. "You don't have to bring me flowers. I'm not a girl."
"I know," Sehun would reply and then grabbed Jongin's wrist and opened his palm. He would then place the flower on Jongin's palm. He actually brought flowers because Jongin would always save them, but instead he would answer, "It's just something I like doing."
Jongin would then laugh at him and proceed to press the flower in the book he was reading.
--
"What are you exactly?" Jongin asked Sehun one day as they lay in the grass next to the pond in the garden. "You can't be human, because no human has silver hair."
"I'm what you humans called a forest spirit," Sehun answered. Jongin sat up and looked at Sehun quizzically.
"I thought those only existed in myths," Jongin said.
"Well we can't really interact with humans, so I guess it's fair for you to guess that," Sehun absentmindedly replied while playing with a blade of grass.
"Wait, why?" Jongin asked, brows furrowing in curiosity and confusion.
"You know, I'm not sure," Sehun remarked and sat up on his elbows. "My mother always told me something bad would happen, but I'm not entirely sure what it was that's so bad."
"Hm, weird," Jongin muttered. "You're a forest spirit, right? Does that mean you play tricks on us, or..."
"What do you think I am? A troll?" Sehun scoffed. Jongin realized he just offended a forest spirit. "I'll have you know, before I see you I have a set of things I do. Us forest spirits let nature take its course on you humans. For example, I specialize in wind." Sehun blew a strong gust of wind in Jongin's face. "I bring wind to the humans."
"Woah! Okay! I get it!" Jongin quickly said. "But that's pretty neat. You're a neat person... forest spirit... I don't know!" Sehun chuckled and Jongin's face turned red. "The point is you're neat!" he shouted.
"Thanks," Sehun giggled. "You're pretty neat, too."
--
"Why are you always in that room?" Sehun randomly decided to ask Jongin one cloudy day. He dipped his feet in the water of the pond. "It looks so boring."
"You mean the library?" Jongin teased. Sehun pouted slightly. Jongin then laughed and answered, "Well I don't choose to be there all the time. I'm the only son, so I have to study to become the king."
"Oh! You're a prince then?" Sehun asked excitedly.
"Isn't it obvious?" Jongin said somewhat cockily.
"I don't know what you humans do," Sehun brushed him off. "But that's cool. You're like Luhan then."
"Luhan?" Jongin asked.
"My older brother," Sehun answered. "He's always so serious about everything because he's in charge of our village in the forest. I swear he has a stick up his ass. But you're not like him. You're interesting and you don't have a stick up your ass." Jongin laughed at the last comment.
"I'm glad I don't have a stick up my ass," Jongin said, smiling. "But it's not as cool as you think. It's all rules, studying, and boring meetings. I'm also getting married off to a princess sometime in the unknown future."
Sehun's face turned into a serious expression as he nodded in understanding.
--
When Sehun returned home that day, Luhan approached him at the door.
"With the human again?" Luhan scolded moreso than asked.
"Yes," Sehun replied.
"How many times have I told you to not directly interact with the humans? It's dangerous," Luhan continued.
"But Jongin's not dangerous," Sehun argued back.
"Jongin?" Luhan raised his eyebrow.
"Yeah! Jongin!" Sehun said excitedly.
"Sehun, you fucking know his name?!" Luhan screamed. "You're getting attached to him! You need to stop seeing him now!"
"I'm not getting attached to him. Jongin's just a friend," Sehun attempted to reassure Luhan. "Plus he's getting married."
"I don't care if he's getting married," Luhan snapped. "I care if you continue seeing him.”
For the next week Sehun didn't visit Jongin, partially because of Luhan and partially not because of Luhan. Sehun would have visited, but Luhan increased his daily workload by so much that he couldn't find the time. When Sehun finally did have the time, he made sure to run over to the garden, flower in hand. As he entered the garden, he was about to walk up to the window when he saw an unfamiliar figure with Jongin.
Sehun couldn't see her face, but he was able to tell she was wearing a pink dress and that she had long, black hair that was styled neatly. The unfamiliar woman turned her head and Sehun could see her profile. She was a pretty, young woman.
She was Jongin's fiancée.
Jongin smiled and wrapped an arm around the woman's waist and Sehun felt an ache in his chest. He turned around and left toward the forest, dropping his flower in the grass.
--
The next day Sehun habitually walked to the edge of forest with a flower in his hand. When he exited the forest, he saw Jongin by their usual hangout spot near the pond resting. He stared at Jongin for a while and felt a need, a want, to be by his side. He missed his friend and so he started walking over.
When he neared close, Jongin noticed his presence and sat up immediately.
"Where have you been for the past week?" Jongin asked as Sehun walked closer. He looked different; he looked tired. Sehun saw the dark circles under Jongin's eyes along with a small amount of stubble on his chin. "A lot has happened in the past week."
"My brother decided to pile on more work for me to do," Sehun sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I had trouble balancing that, but I think I can handle it now. What's up with you?"
Jongin grumbled, "My fiancée is here now."
"Oh yeah? Is she pretty?" Sehun said a bit too quickly. He already knew the answer though. She was.
"Yeah, Yeji's pretty, I guess," Jongin answered absently. Sehun could see he didn't look enthusiastic.
"What's wrong?" Sehun asked. Jongin sighed.
"I don't want to get married," he started. "I don't like her, Sehun! She's all prim and proper and it drives me crazy. I'd rather get married to someone cool and fun, like you."
Later that evening Sehun figured that he wouldn't mind getting married to Jongin at all.
--
Sehun closed the door and walked to the flower patch by his home when Luhan approached him.
"Sehun, you look fucking dead," Luhan remarked. "Like more dead than usual. I haven't felt the wind blow in a while. Are you slacking off?"
"You're just imagining things," Sehun brushed his brother off. He picked a blue flower from the flower patch. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going to see Jongin."
"It's that human, isn't it?" Luhan bitterly said. "Stop seeing him. He's draining your energy."
"I don't see how that'd be the case," Sehun replied to his brother and then walked off.
--
Sehun arrived at Jongin's garden and saw him and his fiancée holding hands. The woman laughed at something Jongin said and Jongin smiled back at her. They looked happy and Sehun didn't know why he felt empty.
When Jongin's fiancée left, Jongin noticed Sehun and gestured for him to come over. Sehun walked over and handed him a yellow flower.
"Didn't I stop telling you to give me flowers?" Jongin joked still taking the flower.
"Yeah," Sehun replied back, slightly tired but not enough to Jongin to notice. They walk over to an oak tree and sit underneath it. Sehun winced at the rough bark cutting into his back, but ignored it when the heat from Jongin's arm pressed against his. He looked to his friend and saw him staring blankly at him. "What's up?"
"I'm getting married in a month," Jongin explained. He took a deep breath. "My parents started making preparations already."
"Oh," Sehun commented somewhat awkwardly. "I hope it goes well then."
"I hope so, too," Jongin said. "Hey. I'm not sure how this whole forest spirit thing works, but can you come to my wedding? As a friend?"
"Of course," Sehun replied.
Later when he left Jongin, he kept on repeating the words "of course" as he walked home through the forest.
--
Sehun bent down to pick up a flower for Jongin. He looked at the flower and suddenly the image of him standing in the audience of Jongin's wedding popped into his mind. He would watch Jongin bend down and kiss his pretty to-be wife. He shook the thought out of his head and plucked the flower. He stood up and walked slowly away from his home feeling slightly empty.
--
"Sehun? Sehun, are you okay," Luhan called from the foot of Sehun's bed. Sehun opened his eyes barely.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just need to get up," Sehun replied. He attempted to get up but was unable to. He could barely move at all. His arms and legs felt weak and his chest felt like it would burst out of his chest. He tried again without success. Frustrated, he gave up and called for his brother. "Lulu, can you get me food?"
"Yeah, sure," Luhan told him. He walked over and brushed Sehun's silver hair from his eyes. "I'll call the Elder over here to check on you, too."
"Okay. Thanks, Luhan," Sehun drifted off to sleep and Luhan walked out of Sehun's room.
--
Luhan knocked on the door and then walked in with the town elder.
"Sehun, I brought the Elder here. He's going to check on you," Luhan said. Sehun woke up and shook his head. "I also brought you something to drink." Luhan walked over and handed Sehun a drink.
"Jongin," Sehun called out crying in a state of delirium. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it."
"Jongin?" the Elder questioned. "Isn't that the... oh no." Luhan looked worried.
"What is it?" he asked the Elder, concerned about the well being of his brother.
"Has the boy had any interaction with humans?" the Elder asked.
"Yes," Luhan admitted sighing. "I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen to me. Why do you ask? Did the human drain his energy?"
"No, Luhan. Listen to me, because you may have to deal with this when you take over," the Elder told him. Luhan leaned in to listen. "He's suffering from the fate of interacting with humans."
"What is that exactly?" Luhan asked politely.
Luhan and Sehun were sitting in the garden with their late mother.
"It is our rule as forest spirits. We are meant to protect the humans from the sidelines, but we must never, ever, directly interact with the humans. Otherwise bad things will happen," their mother explained.
Sehun's eyes widened with terror. Tears started to rim his eyes. "What kind of bad things?" he stuttered out.
The woman brought her two sons close to her chest. "Bad things," she said distantly. She combed her fingers through Sehun's silver hair. "We must conceal ourselves because of that. We cannot get too close to them... or else we'll fall in love."
"Sehun's in love with the human," the Elder told Luhan.
"Wait. So all he has to do is fall out of love with Jongin and everything's solved," Luhan said partially relieved. "We can just wipe his memories."
"It doesn't work that way, Luhan. Sehun's in too deep. Even if we were to wipe his memories, the heart still remembers," the Elder explained. "There's only one way to fix this."
"What is it?" Luhan asked desperately.
"Make the human reciprocate."
"What?" Luhan stated more than asked in disbelief for many reasons.
"Our kind suffers from this case when we fall in love with a human with one sided feelings. It can only be solved if the feeling is reciprocated," the Elder told Luhan. "Sehun has to basically feel like the human loves him back and then in twenty-four hours he'll be better."
"Elder, I think you and I both know that's easier said than done," Luhan piped. "Love is a complicated matter. Plus I think I remember Sehun saying something about this Jongin," he shuddered at the name, "getting married."
Sehun started thrashing in his bed. Tears prickled his eyes as he screamed "I have to go to the wedding! It's today. I have to see Jongin." Luhan looked at his brother and then at the elder nervously.
"Luhan. I think you're old enough to understand that people who get married aren't always in love," the Elder explained. "If you didn't know already, the Jongin I think Sehun's talking about is the next heir to the human kingdom we reside in. People like that usually get married for convenience. If that is the case, perhaps we can save Sehun. Do you know of the ambrosia flower?"
"Yes. Why?" Luhan sat at the edge of Sehun's bed curious about what the Elder had to say.
"Well if we found the ambrosia flower, preferably if the human happened to bring us the ambrosia flower since it's somewhere in the human world, we can make an antidote and save Sehun," the Elder explained. He placed his palm on Sehun's forehead and petted his head.
"But that's practically extinct!" Luhan exclaimed.
"Exactly the case," the Elder replied calmly. Luhan gave him a polite, yet incredulous, look. "If one is willing to go on the journey for the flower, that means he loves him. If he doesn't, then that's an issue I cannot help you with."
--
When the Elder left, Luhan groaned in frustration at the entire situation. Sehun was still thrashing in his bed and he looked like he was in pain. It was all that human's fault. If Sehun hadn't spent time with that human he wouldn't be in this situation. He wouldn't be in so much pain.
"Lulu..." Sehun called out. Luhan rushed to Sehun's bedside.
"What is it Sehun?" he asked patiently.
"I want to see Jongin," Sehun pleaded. Luhan pulled his hair out on the inside. He patted Sehun's head and helped him out of bed.
"I'll take you to Jongin, okay Sehun?" Luhan told him with a weak smile. He slung Sehun's arm around his shoulder and dragged him out the door.
--
A day passed since Jongin and Yeji were married and only a few hours passed since Jongin and Yeji were supposed to celebrate their joyous matrimony. The day of the wedding after sharing the ceremonial wine and the party that came afterward, Jongin bid her good night and retired to his room. The next day he woke up early and locked himself in the library, making sure to tell the servants that he was not to be bothered. He read over his books and studied the maps, but every so often he would stare out the window of the library in hopes of seeing a familiar fluff of silver hair.
He missed Sehun.
Sehun hadn't stopped by in a while and it was kind of lonely. During his wedding, his eyes kept on scanning the crowd to see his friend, but Jongin figured Sehun was busy with his forest spirit duties.
Jongin sighed and stared blankly at his book of world politics and then looked out the window again. He saw two figures emerging from the forest. One of the figures had honey blond hair and had the other had the familiar fluff of silver hair.
Jongin stood up quickly and opened his window, bolting outside. He ran and stopped in front of the two figures. Sehun looked sick and seemed to be struggling to stand. The person with him was holding him up.
"Sehun! Where have you been? Are you okay? You look like shit," Jongin sputtered words wildly from his mouth. The young man with honey blond hair and a youthful, pretty face stared at him intently as he held up Sehun.
"You're Jongin?" the honey blond spoke in an authoritative voice.
"Yes," Jongin replied wondering why this stranger knew his name.
"I'm Sehun's older brother, Luhan," he introduced himself. He eyed Jongin up and down. "You're not too bad, I guess."
"Okay," Jongin said warily. "But what's up with Sehun? He looks like death."
"He's dying," Luhan told him curtly.
"What?! How is he dying? Are you sure? I can have one of my doctors take a look at him. I'm sure we can prevent this," Jongin freaked out.
"Your human medicine is useless to us," Luhan spat. He took a deep breath. "We went to our town elder to see what's up. There's not an easy cure. Sehun just wanted to see you before he died."
"I'm sorry, Jongin," Sehun suddenly spoke. Jongin looked at his face and saw that he got paler. There were noticeable rings under his eyes and his cheekbones looked more defined. Jongin wanted to hug him, but he looked so frail that Jongin was afraid he would break him. "I wanted to go to your wedding yesterday, but I couldn't. I hope you and your wife are happy."
"Don't worry about that! I don't care about her!" Jongin cried and grabbed Sehun from Luhan's hold. He wrapped his arms around his best friend and held him tight. Jongin pressed his face close to Sehun's and noticed that Sehun smelled of spring. Whispering in his ear, Jongin said, "Please get better, Sehun. I can't have you leaving me so soon."
Jongin felt Sehun blow a small whiff of wind in his ear. A small breeze blew across the garden, barely moving the blades of grass and the strands of Jongin's hair, but it was there.
"I love you, Jongin," Sehun told him shyly and quietly. "I love you so much. I hope you're happy."
"Do you know happen to know about the ambrosia flower?" Luhan suddenly asked. Jongin's confused face answered his question. "Never mind. You're useless."
"Wait, why?" Jongin asked back. Luhan let out an irritated sigh.
"Our town Elder says that we can save Sehun with the ambrosia flower," Luhan explained. "But since you have no idea what the hell that is, there's no point in you finding it."
"You can just tell me what it looks like," Jongin reasoned.
"The only way to describe it is that it's purple."
"But a lot of flowers are purple!" Jongin exclaimed. He had a feeling that Luhan didn't like him very much.
"Exactly." Luhan huffed and calmed down. His faced turned into a serious expression as he looked Jongin dead in the eye. "How much do you care about my brother?"
"What do you mean?" Jongin asked.
"I mean exactly what I said. You heard him, right? He said he loves you. What are your feelings toward my brother?" Luhan stared at him expecting an answer, his intense stare never faltering. Jongin nervously swallowed and after an awkward silence he finally replied.
"I don't know." And he didn't.
"Well then. That was useless," Luhan snapped. He took Sehun from Jongin's hold. "C'mon, Sehun. Let's go back." The two of them walked back into the forest, leaving Jongin behind.
--
Jongin's wife, Yeji, entered their shared bedroom and saw Jongin staring blankly out the window on their bed with a dead look in his eyes. She padded over and sat on the edge of the bed next him, placing her hand on his back.
"What's going on with you, Jongin," Yeji asked him quietly. Jongin grunted "nothing" and pushed her hand away from him. Yeji frowned and furrowed her brows together. She then pestered, "I know you don't like me romantically, and I don't like you that way too, but at least talk to me."
Shocked at his wife's outburst, Jongin turned his attention to her and stared in disbelief. His mouth opened and stayed that way until he finally spoke, "I don't know."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know feelings," Jongin sighed and stood up. "I like you, kinda, but I know I don't love you." Yeji raised her eyebrow. "What defines loving someone? I mean, I like him, but I don't know if I love him."
"You talking about that friend of yours? You probably love him more than you love me," Yeji muttered audibly. Jongin's ears perked up and he gave her an incredulous look.
"How do you..."
"How do I know about that silver haired kid? You were with him all the time. I saw you with him. You looked happy, or at least happier than when you're with me." She gave him a look. "What?"
"Nothing," Jongin told her. "What should I do then? I just found out he's dying."
"Well you go see him before he dies then," Yeji said frankly. "Don't let me hold you back from your happiness. Go get him."
"Thanks, Yeji," Jongin told her and stood up from the bed. "I think I will." He ran out the door, leaving Yeji behind in their shared bedroom.
Jongin ran to the library, practically burst out the window, and ran through the gardens to the forest. He ran blindly, forgetting his surroundings and simply focusing on getting to Sehun. When he slowed down and calmed down from his sudden adrenaline rush, he stopped in the middle of the forest and wiped the sweat on his forehead off with his shirt sleeve. He finally looked around him and realized how stupid he was for running into the forest blindly. He didn't even know where the hell Sehun lived. Sulking he looked down at the dirt path of the forest and saw a deep purple flower near a pebble. He kneeled down and plucked the flower from its stem.
"I guess it's my turn to give you a flower," he laughed to himself as he examined the flower. He placed it in his pocket, planning to give it Sehun later, if he saw him. He stood up and started walking along the forest path in hopes of finding Sehun.
--
After a couple of days of walking and eating edible plants, Jongin encountered a thick fog in the deep pit of the forest. Jongin took a deep breath and swallowed his spit before walking through the fog. Surrounded by white, Jongin kept on walking forward hoping that he wouldn't step in something dangerous. For Sehun, he thought. For Sehun.
When he emerged from the fog, the first thing he saw was what looked like a village. The buildings all looked the same being made of stone and leaves. Jongin swore there was never a village in the middle of the forest when a voice called out to him.
"Human!" a loud voice sounded. Jongin whipped his head toward the voice and saw an elderly man in a grey robe. Confused Jongin opened his mouth to speak but was cut off. "You're here for Sehun?" Jongin simply nodded. "Follow me," the old man commanded and started walking. Jongin ran to catch up with him.
The old man led him into one of the many structures. When Jongin walked inside, he saw Sehun and his brother Luhan on a bed. Sehun was wrapped under his blanket and Luhan was feeding him something. Jongin rushed immediately to Sehun's side.
"Sehun. I missed you," Jongin exclaimed. Sehun smiled at him.
"I missed you too," Sehun replied weakly. Jongin fished out Sehun's hand from underneath the blanket and placed the flower he found earlier in his pale hand.
"I brought you a flower," Jongin said quietly. "You always gave me flowers whenever you visited me. I thought I should give you one." He closed Sehun's hand around the flower.
"Young man," the elderly man called. "What is the flower you brought?" Sehun opened his hand to reveal the purple flower in his hand. The man picked the flower up and brought it close to his face. Jongin looked to Luhan who seemed just as confused as Jongin was.
"It's the ambrosia flower!" the elderly man exclaimed. Luhan's expression changed to one of surprise and relief and Jongin was even more confused. "We can save Sehun! I need twenty-four hours to prepare the medicine." The man rushed out of the building with the flower in his hand.
--
Luhan assigned Jongin a place to sleep for the night, but Jongin chose to stay with Sehun instead. After he ate and bathed, he sat on the edge of Sehun's bed and played with his silver hair.
"Remember that time you thought I was a troll," Sehun joked weakly. He laughed softly, but it was obvious to Jongin that laughing was painful for him.
"Yeah, yeah. Very funny. But I know better now," Jongin replied back. His hand stopped playing with Sehun's hair and instead cupped his jaw. He adjusted Sehun's head to face him and look him straight in the eye. The air around them fell silent as their stared at each other.
"I know you have a wife," Sehun broke the silence. "But I want you to know that I love you." Jongin bent down and kissed Sehun's forehead.
"I love you, too," Jongin said. Their faces were inches apart and Sehun smelled nice despite being sick. Jongin leaned in again and touched his lips to Sehun's. Jongin took off his shoes and climbed into the bed next to Sehun, not caring if Sehun was sick. He wrapped an arm around him and kissed him again.
Jongin and Sehun both fell asleep together happy and content.
--
Jongin woke up the next morning with his arm resting on Sehun's torso. He smiled at Sehun's sleeping face. The boy looked so peaceful Jongin couldn't be bothered to wake him up yet. He instead he reached down and laced their fingers together. Expecting a pleasant warmth to press against his palm, Jongin was met with a shocking coldness.
Jongin bolted out of the bed and started shaking Sehun awake. When he saw no sign of Sehun waking up, he started calling his name.
"Sehun! Sehun! Luhan come over here!" Jongin panicked. "Sehun you can't leave me!" Luhan walked in slightly irritated, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Sehun! Don't do this!" Once Luhan realized the situation, he left to call the Elder over.
When Luhan returned with the Elder, Jongin was sobbing on the bed while chanting Sehun's name like a mantra. The Elder approached the human and rubbed soothing circles into his back while Luhan stood awkwardly by the doorway.
"Do not worry too much about Sehun, young human," the Elder reassured Jongin. "He is no longer suffering now. Let me tell you something." Jongin looked to him with puffy eyes. "If you really care for him, Sehun will come to you in the future. He won't be the same Sehun you know, but he will still be the Sehun who cares for you."
--
Fifteen Years Later
"Your Majesty," his head servant alerted Jongin. Jongin acknowledged his servant's presence on his throne. "We got new servants from the neighboring country." The head servant motioned for two people to enter the throne room.
Jongin noticed a familiar face enter the throne room and kneel down with his head facing the ground.
"Sehun?" Jongin called out loud. The boy with the familiar face lifted his head up in acknowledgement to the name. He recalled the words said to him long ago.
"If you really care for him, Sehun will come to you in the future. He won't be the same Sehun you know, but he will still be the Sehun who cares for you."
Yes. It was Sehun, or at least a Sehun look-alike. His hair was a soft brown color instead of silver and he held a scared look in his eye rather than that of amusement, but it was still the same person. Jongin was sure of it.
"Jongin?" the servant boy called back skeptically. He seemed to not know why he called the king by his first name.
"Head down!" his head servant barked at the Sehun look-alike and smacked him in the head. "How dare you raise your head in the king's presence?"
Without thinking, Jongin rushed down to the new servant's side and started kissing his face. He inhaled the scent of spring and smiled. He was finally reunited with his Sehun.
"Y-your majesty?" the servant boy stuttered. Jongin stopped his actions. His eyes widened as he realized what he had just done to a total stranger and his let go.
"Oh, sorry," he apologized to the clueless servant boy. "I got carried away. You look like someone I knew a long time ago."
"Sorry I'm not that person," the Sehun look-alike servant replied sheepishly. He gave Jongin a small smile that made his heart flutter.
"It's not your fault," Jongin told him. He cupped the boy's face and looked down at him with a gentle expression. "What's important is that you're here now."
This boy wasn't Sehun. He wasn't the Sehun who was a forest spirit. He wasn't the Sehun who used to bring him flowers every day. He wasn't the Sehun who was able to do crazy tricks with the wind. He was a different person.
He may be a totally different person, but Jongin could sense similarities within him. He may not have the same memories, but Jongin could sense that he was still the Sehun who loved him as well as the Sehun he loved. And to Jongin that was enough.
Rating: PG-13
Length: 6,087
Summary: Forest spirits cannot fall in love with humans, but no one ever said anything about bringing them flowers.
Warning(s): Character death
Author Notes: I believe in happy endings. Thank you, Dani and Harmoney for looking over this story for me. Also this was written for maknaerulez.
"One day, you two will become fine young men maintaining the balance of this world," a woman said. Two young boys with an innocent glint in their eyes looked up at her in admiration and wonder.
"I want to be just like you, Mommy!" one of the boys piped up. His hair shone silver and a slight breeze blew around him.
"That's the spirit, Sehun," the woman laughed and patted her son on the head. "But there's one thing you two must remember. Do not, at any circumstance, directly interact with the humans."
The other boy, with honey blond hair, tilted his head to the side and asked, "Why, Mommy?"
"Because, Luhan," the woman started to explain and stopped patting Sehun's head. "It is our rule as forest spirits. We are meant to protect the humans from the sidelines, but we must never, ever, directly interact with the humans. Otherwise bad things will happen."
Sehun's eyes widened with terror. Tears started to rim his eyes. "What kind of bad things?" he stuttered out.
The woman brought her two sons close to her chest. "Bad things," she said distantly. She combed her fingers through Sehun's silver hair. "Very bad things."
--
Sehun skipped through the woods excitedly, blowing swirls of wind in all sorts of directions. It was his first day as the wind bringer and he was not going to mess it up. He moved his hand away from his body and a breeze hit a large oak tree, its branches and leaves rustling in the wind. He swung his arm in a different direction, hitting another tree with wind and making a flock of birds shoot out into the air.
"Whoops," he silently chuckled. He started to dance through the woods. Trees and flowers alike swayed with his movement.
As he reached the edge of the woods, he stopped dancing. Satisfied with a job well done, he started to head back home when something caught his eye. Outside the edge of the woods was a garden, not as lush or as beautiful as the one he grew up in, but lovely nonetheless. At the end of the garden path was a tall structure made of something that Sehun learned was called brick. A large window on the brick structure loomed into a dark room surrounded by shelves and shelves of books. In the middle of Sehun's view into the room was a wooden table covered in maps, books, and other miscellaneous papers. Sitting behind the table was a young human boy. His hair was a dark chocolate color, his complexion a healthy tan color, and his eyes tired. The young human boy was reading a book and scribbling notes on one of the many sheets of paper around him.
"Either humans are weird, or it's just him," Sehun muttered to himself. He sat down underneath an old oak tree and continued staring at the human. Another human, an older one, stepped into the room and talked to the young human. Sehun decided that it was time to head home.
The next day and the day after that, Sehun would finish his duties and walk over to the human garden. He would sit underneath the oak tree and watch the human read his book or write something on his paper. Sehun noticed that sometimes the older human would be there, but majority of the time it was just the younger one.
--
One day when Sehun was walking along the dirt path of the woods after his duties, he saw a yellow flower growing among a group of rocks. He bent down and plucked the flower from its stem and stored it gently in his pocket. When he arrived at the human garden, he walked straight through the garden path to the window where the human was. Making sure he wasn't in sight, he pulled out the flower from his pocket and placed it on the ledge of the window. Satisfied, he smiled and walked away toward the oak tree so he could continue watching the human from afar.
The next day he noticed the flower was gone. Sehun placed a pink flower in the empty spot and ran to the oak tree to observe the human. The human opened the window and picked up the flower Sehun placed on the ledge. He walked away and grabbed one of his many books. The human opened the book and Sehun saw the yellow flower from the day before pressed between the pages. He placed the pink flower from today next to the yellow flower and closed the book. He closed the window and sat down to read.
Sehun smiled and continued watching the human.
--
Years and years passed, the young boy grew into a fine young man. Sehun still placed flowers on the window ledge every day and he still watched the young man save his little gifts and pour over books. Somehow, Sehun's brother Luhan found out about his daily routine.
"You can't continue doing this, Sehun," he lectured. "What if he notices you?"
"Calm down," Sehun brushed him off. "He's not going to notice."
--
Sehun walked over to the window with a handful of purple flowers. Positive that he was out of sight, he placed them down on the ledge. Thinking that the young human was immersed in his studies, he decided to peek through window only to quickly realize that the human was staring at him from his desk. The human stood up and started walking over to the window, making Sehun panic slightly and return to his position out of sight to the human.
He needed to get out of there, but if he were to run now, the human would definitely see him. His heart raced as the human stood near the window for a seemingly long period of time.
The human opened the window and picked up the flower Sehun left. He grabbed the book in which he puts his flowers in and placed it between two pages in the middle.
When the human walked away, Sehun exhaled the breath of air he didn't realize he was holding in and ran back to the forest.
--
Sehun placed pink flowers on the window sill when a voice called out to him.
"So you're the one who brings me flowers every day," the young human said. Sehun jumped in shock. He swore he had his back turned to the window. "I'm Jongin. What's yours?"
Sehun, still in shock, stuttered out, "S-sehun."
The human, or Jongin, smiled and said, "Let's be friends."
"Friends," Sehun pondered. He liked the idea of that. Jongin seemed interesting, hence the reason why Sehun visited every day. "I like that."
--
For the next few weeks, after Sehun would finish his wind duties, he would knock on the window to get Jongin's attention and spend the rest of the afternoon with him in the garden before going home. Sometimes Jongin would have to study, but he would still go outside and read while Sehun watched him. And as always, Sehun would bring Jongin flowers.
"Why do you bring me flowers?" Jongin would sometimes question him. "You don't have to bring me flowers. I'm not a girl."
"I know," Sehun would reply and then grabbed Jongin's wrist and opened his palm. He would then place the flower on Jongin's palm. He actually brought flowers because Jongin would always save them, but instead he would answer, "It's just something I like doing."
Jongin would then laugh at him and proceed to press the flower in the book he was reading.
--
"What are you exactly?" Jongin asked Sehun one day as they lay in the grass next to the pond in the garden. "You can't be human, because no human has silver hair."
"I'm what you humans called a forest spirit," Sehun answered. Jongin sat up and looked at Sehun quizzically.
"I thought those only existed in myths," Jongin said.
"Well we can't really interact with humans, so I guess it's fair for you to guess that," Sehun absentmindedly replied while playing with a blade of grass.
"Wait, why?" Jongin asked, brows furrowing in curiosity and confusion.
"You know, I'm not sure," Sehun remarked and sat up on his elbows. "My mother always told me something bad would happen, but I'm not entirely sure what it was that's so bad."
"Hm, weird," Jongin muttered. "You're a forest spirit, right? Does that mean you play tricks on us, or..."
"What do you think I am? A troll?" Sehun scoffed. Jongin realized he just offended a forest spirit. "I'll have you know, before I see you I have a set of things I do. Us forest spirits let nature take its course on you humans. For example, I specialize in wind." Sehun blew a strong gust of wind in Jongin's face. "I bring wind to the humans."
"Woah! Okay! I get it!" Jongin quickly said. "But that's pretty neat. You're a neat person... forest spirit... I don't know!" Sehun chuckled and Jongin's face turned red. "The point is you're neat!" he shouted.
"Thanks," Sehun giggled. "You're pretty neat, too."
--
"Why are you always in that room?" Sehun randomly decided to ask Jongin one cloudy day. He dipped his feet in the water of the pond. "It looks so boring."
"You mean the library?" Jongin teased. Sehun pouted slightly. Jongin then laughed and answered, "Well I don't choose to be there all the time. I'm the only son, so I have to study to become the king."
"Oh! You're a prince then?" Sehun asked excitedly.
"Isn't it obvious?" Jongin said somewhat cockily.
"I don't know what you humans do," Sehun brushed him off. "But that's cool. You're like Luhan then."
"Luhan?" Jongin asked.
"My older brother," Sehun answered. "He's always so serious about everything because he's in charge of our village in the forest. I swear he has a stick up his ass. But you're not like him. You're interesting and you don't have a stick up your ass." Jongin laughed at the last comment.
"I'm glad I don't have a stick up my ass," Jongin said, smiling. "But it's not as cool as you think. It's all rules, studying, and boring meetings. I'm also getting married off to a princess sometime in the unknown future."
Sehun's face turned into a serious expression as he nodded in understanding.
--
When Sehun returned home that day, Luhan approached him at the door.
"With the human again?" Luhan scolded moreso than asked.
"Yes," Sehun replied.
"How many times have I told you to not directly interact with the humans? It's dangerous," Luhan continued.
"But Jongin's not dangerous," Sehun argued back.
"Jongin?" Luhan raised his eyebrow.
"Yeah! Jongin!" Sehun said excitedly.
"Sehun, you fucking know his name?!" Luhan screamed. "You're getting attached to him! You need to stop seeing him now!"
"I'm not getting attached to him. Jongin's just a friend," Sehun attempted to reassure Luhan. "Plus he's getting married."
"I don't care if he's getting married," Luhan snapped. "I care if you continue seeing him.”
For the next week Sehun didn't visit Jongin, partially because of Luhan and partially not because of Luhan. Sehun would have visited, but Luhan increased his daily workload by so much that he couldn't find the time. When Sehun finally did have the time, he made sure to run over to the garden, flower in hand. As he entered the garden, he was about to walk up to the window when he saw an unfamiliar figure with Jongin.
Sehun couldn't see her face, but he was able to tell she was wearing a pink dress and that she had long, black hair that was styled neatly. The unfamiliar woman turned her head and Sehun could see her profile. She was a pretty, young woman.
She was Jongin's fiancée.
Jongin smiled and wrapped an arm around the woman's waist and Sehun felt an ache in his chest. He turned around and left toward the forest, dropping his flower in the grass.
--
The next day Sehun habitually walked to the edge of forest with a flower in his hand. When he exited the forest, he saw Jongin by their usual hangout spot near the pond resting. He stared at Jongin for a while and felt a need, a want, to be by his side. He missed his friend and so he started walking over.
When he neared close, Jongin noticed his presence and sat up immediately.
"Where have you been for the past week?" Jongin asked as Sehun walked closer. He looked different; he looked tired. Sehun saw the dark circles under Jongin's eyes along with a small amount of stubble on his chin. "A lot has happened in the past week."
"My brother decided to pile on more work for me to do," Sehun sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I had trouble balancing that, but I think I can handle it now. What's up with you?"
Jongin grumbled, "My fiancée is here now."
"Oh yeah? Is she pretty?" Sehun said a bit too quickly. He already knew the answer though. She was.
"Yeah, Yeji's pretty, I guess," Jongin answered absently. Sehun could see he didn't look enthusiastic.
"What's wrong?" Sehun asked. Jongin sighed.
"I don't want to get married," he started. "I don't like her, Sehun! She's all prim and proper and it drives me crazy. I'd rather get married to someone cool and fun, like you."
Later that evening Sehun figured that he wouldn't mind getting married to Jongin at all.
--
Sehun closed the door and walked to the flower patch by his home when Luhan approached him.
"Sehun, you look fucking dead," Luhan remarked. "Like more dead than usual. I haven't felt the wind blow in a while. Are you slacking off?"
"You're just imagining things," Sehun brushed his brother off. He picked a blue flower from the flower patch. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going to see Jongin."
"It's that human, isn't it?" Luhan bitterly said. "Stop seeing him. He's draining your energy."
"I don't see how that'd be the case," Sehun replied to his brother and then walked off.
--
Sehun arrived at Jongin's garden and saw him and his fiancée holding hands. The woman laughed at something Jongin said and Jongin smiled back at her. They looked happy and Sehun didn't know why he felt empty.
When Jongin's fiancée left, Jongin noticed Sehun and gestured for him to come over. Sehun walked over and handed him a yellow flower.
"Didn't I stop telling you to give me flowers?" Jongin joked still taking the flower.
"Yeah," Sehun replied back, slightly tired but not enough to Jongin to notice. They walk over to an oak tree and sit underneath it. Sehun winced at the rough bark cutting into his back, but ignored it when the heat from Jongin's arm pressed against his. He looked to his friend and saw him staring blankly at him. "What's up?"
"I'm getting married in a month," Jongin explained. He took a deep breath. "My parents started making preparations already."
"Oh," Sehun commented somewhat awkwardly. "I hope it goes well then."
"I hope so, too," Jongin said. "Hey. I'm not sure how this whole forest spirit thing works, but can you come to my wedding? As a friend?"
"Of course," Sehun replied.
Later when he left Jongin, he kept on repeating the words "of course" as he walked home through the forest.
--
Sehun bent down to pick up a flower for Jongin. He looked at the flower and suddenly the image of him standing in the audience of Jongin's wedding popped into his mind. He would watch Jongin bend down and kiss his pretty to-be wife. He shook the thought out of his head and plucked the flower. He stood up and walked slowly away from his home feeling slightly empty.
--
"Sehun? Sehun, are you okay," Luhan called from the foot of Sehun's bed. Sehun opened his eyes barely.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just need to get up," Sehun replied. He attempted to get up but was unable to. He could barely move at all. His arms and legs felt weak and his chest felt like it would burst out of his chest. He tried again without success. Frustrated, he gave up and called for his brother. "Lulu, can you get me food?"
"Yeah, sure," Luhan told him. He walked over and brushed Sehun's silver hair from his eyes. "I'll call the Elder over here to check on you, too."
"Okay. Thanks, Luhan," Sehun drifted off to sleep and Luhan walked out of Sehun's room.
--
Luhan knocked on the door and then walked in with the town elder.
"Sehun, I brought the Elder here. He's going to check on you," Luhan said. Sehun woke up and shook his head. "I also brought you something to drink." Luhan walked over and handed Sehun a drink.
"Jongin," Sehun called out crying in a state of delirium. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it."
"Jongin?" the Elder questioned. "Isn't that the... oh no." Luhan looked worried.
"What is it?" he asked the Elder, concerned about the well being of his brother.
"Has the boy had any interaction with humans?" the Elder asked.
"Yes," Luhan admitted sighing. "I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen to me. Why do you ask? Did the human drain his energy?"
"No, Luhan. Listen to me, because you may have to deal with this when you take over," the Elder told him. Luhan leaned in to listen. "He's suffering from the fate of interacting with humans."
"What is that exactly?" Luhan asked politely.
Luhan and Sehun were sitting in the garden with their late mother.
"It is our rule as forest spirits. We are meant to protect the humans from the sidelines, but we must never, ever, directly interact with the humans. Otherwise bad things will happen," their mother explained.
Sehun's eyes widened with terror. Tears started to rim his eyes. "What kind of bad things?" he stuttered out.
The woman brought her two sons close to her chest. "Bad things," she said distantly. She combed her fingers through Sehun's silver hair. "We must conceal ourselves because of that. We cannot get too close to them... or else we'll fall in love."
"Sehun's in love with the human," the Elder told Luhan.
"Wait. So all he has to do is fall out of love with Jongin and everything's solved," Luhan said partially relieved. "We can just wipe his memories."
"It doesn't work that way, Luhan. Sehun's in too deep. Even if we were to wipe his memories, the heart still remembers," the Elder explained. "There's only one way to fix this."
"What is it?" Luhan asked desperately.
"Make the human reciprocate."
"What?" Luhan stated more than asked in disbelief for many reasons.
"Our kind suffers from this case when we fall in love with a human with one sided feelings. It can only be solved if the feeling is reciprocated," the Elder told Luhan. "Sehun has to basically feel like the human loves him back and then in twenty-four hours he'll be better."
"Elder, I think you and I both know that's easier said than done," Luhan piped. "Love is a complicated matter. Plus I think I remember Sehun saying something about this Jongin," he shuddered at the name, "getting married."
Sehun started thrashing in his bed. Tears prickled his eyes as he screamed "I have to go to the wedding! It's today. I have to see Jongin." Luhan looked at his brother and then at the elder nervously.
"Luhan. I think you're old enough to understand that people who get married aren't always in love," the Elder explained. "If you didn't know already, the Jongin I think Sehun's talking about is the next heir to the human kingdom we reside in. People like that usually get married for convenience. If that is the case, perhaps we can save Sehun. Do you know of the ambrosia flower?"
"Yes. Why?" Luhan sat at the edge of Sehun's bed curious about what the Elder had to say.
"Well if we found the ambrosia flower, preferably if the human happened to bring us the ambrosia flower since it's somewhere in the human world, we can make an antidote and save Sehun," the Elder explained. He placed his palm on Sehun's forehead and petted his head.
"But that's practically extinct!" Luhan exclaimed.
"Exactly the case," the Elder replied calmly. Luhan gave him a polite, yet incredulous, look. "If one is willing to go on the journey for the flower, that means he loves him. If he doesn't, then that's an issue I cannot help you with."
--
When the Elder left, Luhan groaned in frustration at the entire situation. Sehun was still thrashing in his bed and he looked like he was in pain. It was all that human's fault. If Sehun hadn't spent time with that human he wouldn't be in this situation. He wouldn't be in so much pain.
"Lulu..." Sehun called out. Luhan rushed to Sehun's bedside.
"What is it Sehun?" he asked patiently.
"I want to see Jongin," Sehun pleaded. Luhan pulled his hair out on the inside. He patted Sehun's head and helped him out of bed.
"I'll take you to Jongin, okay Sehun?" Luhan told him with a weak smile. He slung Sehun's arm around his shoulder and dragged him out the door.
--
A day passed since Jongin and Yeji were married and only a few hours passed since Jongin and Yeji were supposed to celebrate their joyous matrimony. The day of the wedding after sharing the ceremonial wine and the party that came afterward, Jongin bid her good night and retired to his room. The next day he woke up early and locked himself in the library, making sure to tell the servants that he was not to be bothered. He read over his books and studied the maps, but every so often he would stare out the window of the library in hopes of seeing a familiar fluff of silver hair.
He missed Sehun.
Sehun hadn't stopped by in a while and it was kind of lonely. During his wedding, his eyes kept on scanning the crowd to see his friend, but Jongin figured Sehun was busy with his forest spirit duties.
Jongin sighed and stared blankly at his book of world politics and then looked out the window again. He saw two figures emerging from the forest. One of the figures had honey blond hair and had the other had the familiar fluff of silver hair.
Jongin stood up quickly and opened his window, bolting outside. He ran and stopped in front of the two figures. Sehun looked sick and seemed to be struggling to stand. The person with him was holding him up.
"Sehun! Where have you been? Are you okay? You look like shit," Jongin sputtered words wildly from his mouth. The young man with honey blond hair and a youthful, pretty face stared at him intently as he held up Sehun.
"You're Jongin?" the honey blond spoke in an authoritative voice.
"Yes," Jongin replied wondering why this stranger knew his name.
"I'm Sehun's older brother, Luhan," he introduced himself. He eyed Jongin up and down. "You're not too bad, I guess."
"Okay," Jongin said warily. "But what's up with Sehun? He looks like death."
"He's dying," Luhan told him curtly.
"What?! How is he dying? Are you sure? I can have one of my doctors take a look at him. I'm sure we can prevent this," Jongin freaked out.
"Your human medicine is useless to us," Luhan spat. He took a deep breath. "We went to our town elder to see what's up. There's not an easy cure. Sehun just wanted to see you before he died."
"I'm sorry, Jongin," Sehun suddenly spoke. Jongin looked at his face and saw that he got paler. There were noticeable rings under his eyes and his cheekbones looked more defined. Jongin wanted to hug him, but he looked so frail that Jongin was afraid he would break him. "I wanted to go to your wedding yesterday, but I couldn't. I hope you and your wife are happy."
"Don't worry about that! I don't care about her!" Jongin cried and grabbed Sehun from Luhan's hold. He wrapped his arms around his best friend and held him tight. Jongin pressed his face close to Sehun's and noticed that Sehun smelled of spring. Whispering in his ear, Jongin said, "Please get better, Sehun. I can't have you leaving me so soon."
Jongin felt Sehun blow a small whiff of wind in his ear. A small breeze blew across the garden, barely moving the blades of grass and the strands of Jongin's hair, but it was there.
"I love you, Jongin," Sehun told him shyly and quietly. "I love you so much. I hope you're happy."
"Do you know happen to know about the ambrosia flower?" Luhan suddenly asked. Jongin's confused face answered his question. "Never mind. You're useless."
"Wait, why?" Jongin asked back. Luhan let out an irritated sigh.
"Our town Elder says that we can save Sehun with the ambrosia flower," Luhan explained. "But since you have no idea what the hell that is, there's no point in you finding it."
"You can just tell me what it looks like," Jongin reasoned.
"The only way to describe it is that it's purple."
"But a lot of flowers are purple!" Jongin exclaimed. He had a feeling that Luhan didn't like him very much.
"Exactly." Luhan huffed and calmed down. His faced turned into a serious expression as he looked Jongin dead in the eye. "How much do you care about my brother?"
"What do you mean?" Jongin asked.
"I mean exactly what I said. You heard him, right? He said he loves you. What are your feelings toward my brother?" Luhan stared at him expecting an answer, his intense stare never faltering. Jongin nervously swallowed and after an awkward silence he finally replied.
"I don't know." And he didn't.
"Well then. That was useless," Luhan snapped. He took Sehun from Jongin's hold. "C'mon, Sehun. Let's go back." The two of them walked back into the forest, leaving Jongin behind.
--
Jongin's wife, Yeji, entered their shared bedroom and saw Jongin staring blankly out the window on their bed with a dead look in his eyes. She padded over and sat on the edge of the bed next him, placing her hand on his back.
"What's going on with you, Jongin," Yeji asked him quietly. Jongin grunted "nothing" and pushed her hand away from him. Yeji frowned and furrowed her brows together. She then pestered, "I know you don't like me romantically, and I don't like you that way too, but at least talk to me."
Shocked at his wife's outburst, Jongin turned his attention to her and stared in disbelief. His mouth opened and stayed that way until he finally spoke, "I don't know."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know feelings," Jongin sighed and stood up. "I like you, kinda, but I know I don't love you." Yeji raised her eyebrow. "What defines loving someone? I mean, I like him, but I don't know if I love him."
"You talking about that friend of yours? You probably love him more than you love me," Yeji muttered audibly. Jongin's ears perked up and he gave her an incredulous look.
"How do you..."
"How do I know about that silver haired kid? You were with him all the time. I saw you with him. You looked happy, or at least happier than when you're with me." She gave him a look. "What?"
"Nothing," Jongin told her. "What should I do then? I just found out he's dying."
"Well you go see him before he dies then," Yeji said frankly. "Don't let me hold you back from your happiness. Go get him."
"Thanks, Yeji," Jongin told her and stood up from the bed. "I think I will." He ran out the door, leaving Yeji behind in their shared bedroom.
Jongin ran to the library, practically burst out the window, and ran through the gardens to the forest. He ran blindly, forgetting his surroundings and simply focusing on getting to Sehun. When he slowed down and calmed down from his sudden adrenaline rush, he stopped in the middle of the forest and wiped the sweat on his forehead off with his shirt sleeve. He finally looked around him and realized how stupid he was for running into the forest blindly. He didn't even know where the hell Sehun lived. Sulking he looked down at the dirt path of the forest and saw a deep purple flower near a pebble. He kneeled down and plucked the flower from its stem.
"I guess it's my turn to give you a flower," he laughed to himself as he examined the flower. He placed it in his pocket, planning to give it Sehun later, if he saw him. He stood up and started walking along the forest path in hopes of finding Sehun.
--
After a couple of days of walking and eating edible plants, Jongin encountered a thick fog in the deep pit of the forest. Jongin took a deep breath and swallowed his spit before walking through the fog. Surrounded by white, Jongin kept on walking forward hoping that he wouldn't step in something dangerous. For Sehun, he thought. For Sehun.
When he emerged from the fog, the first thing he saw was what looked like a village. The buildings all looked the same being made of stone and leaves. Jongin swore there was never a village in the middle of the forest when a voice called out to him.
"Human!" a loud voice sounded. Jongin whipped his head toward the voice and saw an elderly man in a grey robe. Confused Jongin opened his mouth to speak but was cut off. "You're here for Sehun?" Jongin simply nodded. "Follow me," the old man commanded and started walking. Jongin ran to catch up with him.
The old man led him into one of the many structures. When Jongin walked inside, he saw Sehun and his brother Luhan on a bed. Sehun was wrapped under his blanket and Luhan was feeding him something. Jongin rushed immediately to Sehun's side.
"Sehun. I missed you," Jongin exclaimed. Sehun smiled at him.
"I missed you too," Sehun replied weakly. Jongin fished out Sehun's hand from underneath the blanket and placed the flower he found earlier in his pale hand.
"I brought you a flower," Jongin said quietly. "You always gave me flowers whenever you visited me. I thought I should give you one." He closed Sehun's hand around the flower.
"Young man," the elderly man called. "What is the flower you brought?" Sehun opened his hand to reveal the purple flower in his hand. The man picked the flower up and brought it close to his face. Jongin looked to Luhan who seemed just as confused as Jongin was.
"It's the ambrosia flower!" the elderly man exclaimed. Luhan's expression changed to one of surprise and relief and Jongin was even more confused. "We can save Sehun! I need twenty-four hours to prepare the medicine." The man rushed out of the building with the flower in his hand.
--
Luhan assigned Jongin a place to sleep for the night, but Jongin chose to stay with Sehun instead. After he ate and bathed, he sat on the edge of Sehun's bed and played with his silver hair.
"Remember that time you thought I was a troll," Sehun joked weakly. He laughed softly, but it was obvious to Jongin that laughing was painful for him.
"Yeah, yeah. Very funny. But I know better now," Jongin replied back. His hand stopped playing with Sehun's hair and instead cupped his jaw. He adjusted Sehun's head to face him and look him straight in the eye. The air around them fell silent as their stared at each other.
"I know you have a wife," Sehun broke the silence. "But I want you to know that I love you." Jongin bent down and kissed Sehun's forehead.
"I love you, too," Jongin said. Their faces were inches apart and Sehun smelled nice despite being sick. Jongin leaned in again and touched his lips to Sehun's. Jongin took off his shoes and climbed into the bed next to Sehun, not caring if Sehun was sick. He wrapped an arm around him and kissed him again.
Jongin and Sehun both fell asleep together happy and content.
--
Jongin woke up the next morning with his arm resting on Sehun's torso. He smiled at Sehun's sleeping face. The boy looked so peaceful Jongin couldn't be bothered to wake him up yet. He instead he reached down and laced their fingers together. Expecting a pleasant warmth to press against his palm, Jongin was met with a shocking coldness.
Jongin bolted out of the bed and started shaking Sehun awake. When he saw no sign of Sehun waking up, he started calling his name.
"Sehun! Sehun! Luhan come over here!" Jongin panicked. "Sehun you can't leave me!" Luhan walked in slightly irritated, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Sehun! Don't do this!" Once Luhan realized the situation, he left to call the Elder over.
When Luhan returned with the Elder, Jongin was sobbing on the bed while chanting Sehun's name like a mantra. The Elder approached the human and rubbed soothing circles into his back while Luhan stood awkwardly by the doorway.
"Do not worry too much about Sehun, young human," the Elder reassured Jongin. "He is no longer suffering now. Let me tell you something." Jongin looked to him with puffy eyes. "If you really care for him, Sehun will come to you in the future. He won't be the same Sehun you know, but he will still be the Sehun who cares for you."
--
Fifteen Years Later
"Your Majesty," his head servant alerted Jongin. Jongin acknowledged his servant's presence on his throne. "We got new servants from the neighboring country." The head servant motioned for two people to enter the throne room.
Jongin noticed a familiar face enter the throne room and kneel down with his head facing the ground.
"Sehun?" Jongin called out loud. The boy with the familiar face lifted his head up in acknowledgement to the name. He recalled the words said to him long ago.
"If you really care for him, Sehun will come to you in the future. He won't be the same Sehun you know, but he will still be the Sehun who cares for you."
Yes. It was Sehun, or at least a Sehun look-alike. His hair was a soft brown color instead of silver and he held a scared look in his eye rather than that of amusement, but it was still the same person. Jongin was sure of it.
"Jongin?" the servant boy called back skeptically. He seemed to not know why he called the king by his first name.
"Head down!" his head servant barked at the Sehun look-alike and smacked him in the head. "How dare you raise your head in the king's presence?"
Without thinking, Jongin rushed down to the new servant's side and started kissing his face. He inhaled the scent of spring and smiled. He was finally reunited with his Sehun.
"Y-your majesty?" the servant boy stuttered. Jongin stopped his actions. His eyes widened as he realized what he had just done to a total stranger and his let go.
"Oh, sorry," he apologized to the clueless servant boy. "I got carried away. You look like someone I knew a long time ago."
"Sorry I'm not that person," the Sehun look-alike servant replied sheepishly. He gave Jongin a small smile that made his heart flutter.
"It's not your fault," Jongin told him. He cupped the boy's face and looked down at him with a gentle expression. "What's important is that you're here now."
This boy wasn't Sehun. He wasn't the Sehun who was a forest spirit. He wasn't the Sehun who used to bring him flowers every day. He wasn't the Sehun who was able to do crazy tricks with the wind. He was a different person.
He may be a totally different person, but Jongin could sense similarities within him. He may not have the same memories, but Jongin could sense that he was still the Sehun who loved him as well as the Sehun he loved. And to Jongin that was enough.