Oh, Rati - Oneshot (2/5)

[annafeu]

Title: Oh, Rati
Chapters: oneshot
Pairings: Sehun/Luhan
Rating: NC-17
Genre: AU, romance, angst
Warnings (SPOILER WARNINGS! highlight to see): explicit content, violence, incest, character death
Summary: Sehun leaves his land in search of adventure, and finds a little too much of it in a neighbouring village where he meets a veiled enchantress that has hips too sinful to be legal.
a/n: i'd really advise against reading the warnings if you want to enjoy this thing at all lol. set in some fictional time/place idk where they have kingdoms and such.
this is a rati and it’s a metaphor for sehun’s dick. nah i’m just kidding. or am i.
45,000 WORDS LONG have fun



“It’s alright," Luhan assured him, and it sounded like he was being sincere. "I know what other people think of us. Our history has been long and hard for just that reason.”

“We don’t!" Sehun jumped in. "I mean, we do think of you, but we don’t think badly of you, I prom--”

“It's okay; you don't have to gloss things over. I'm flattered you don't think badly of us, anyways. That's nice." Luhan's smile was so annoyingly warm and genuine, that Sehun felt the cramped feeling he had turn into a mild outbreak of claustrophobia. Sehun definitely felt like he'd more than offended the boy, but Luhan only seemed to be mildly amused.

"I think your people are talented," Sehun said, equally genuine now. "The meals I've had have been like nothing I've ever experienced before, so innovative and unique, and your dancing yesterday..." he closed his eyes briefly and shook his head from side to side slowly, getting flashes of still images in his head from what he remembered of the performance. "Just wow. You're incredibly skilled, if not the most skilled dancer I've seen so far in all my life."

"Thank you," Luhan said, bowing forward slightly and grinning to himself. "Flattery will get you everywhere."

Sehun stilled, shaking his head quickly. "But I mean it."

"I know, don't worry." Luhan reached forward and rested his warm hand on top of Sehun's, sending an unwavering gaze his way. "I'll take my leave now, though; I have to prepare myself for the day to come. It's been lovely chatting with you."

And with that, Luhan was gone, headed out the flaps of the tent without another look back, his burgundy attire swaying behind him with the currents of air. Sehun stared at that exact spot for a good five minutes before he actually decided to move, sweaty and parched from the floor.

*

The village, when he stepped out, was almost exactly like it had been yesterday, except without the alluring firelight and the veil of darkness, it was now a bright and bustling place with clear infrastructure and an air of hard work. Even just as he got out, Sehun could see a few women sitting on a carpet on the ground not too far from his hut, grinding grains and sowing cloths, working diligently and silently with no prompt or command from a position of power.

Sehun wasn't very used to the image. It was fascinating, really, because back at home people didn't set to work until they were being yelled at by the officials, beaten if they took too long to get started. Sehun had visited the flanks of the city one day to see the people his family ruled over but never got to interact with, and had stayed hidden in the shadows while he watched babies be searched from mother's who didn't work fast enough, sons that had been hidden inside cots dragged out to work in the manual labour camps or train for the army, and men that were too old to work diligently being obliterated on the spot, nothing left of them once the Royal Force were done with them; disappeared without a trace, though specs of blood could be seen saturating a few spots on the muddy ground.

There was an air of liberty in Luhan’s village; of effortless freedom and democracy, and Sehun drew it all into his lungs and basked in it, because the likes of it had never graced his lungs before. He couldn't believe that with only that one goal in mind, to find exactly all of that, he'd found it in the first village he'd come by, spread everywhere and to every person. At least from what Sehun could see, there was nobody directly suffering from the hand of oppression. As he walked through the open areas and passed by family tents, he saw rowdy kids running around while playing games, their laughter contagious and loud enough to make Sehun sigh and chuckle, dragging his sore feet further across the ground to wherever he was headed.

He'd rested quite well that night. He'd awoken invigorated, powerful, and ready to take on any challenge. He'd been slightly set back, however, when he’d realized that his first challenge was to talk to the pretty dancer he'd humiliated himself in front of last night. For a smooth talker like him, it had gone quite terribly, though not enough for him to brood over like he brooded over falling asleep while in the middle of an enchanting dance. God, who knew where that night could have lead? He'd been getting so cosy with Luhan, the dancer boy, and he'd definitely thought they would end up together somewhere, excluded from everything else and merely enjoying the silence alone. But lo and behold, his own weakness had led to his demise, which he hadn't expected. If anything, he would have thought he might pass out from that strong wine, but not while standing, and definitely not while entertaining a pretty villager.

He concluded that not all the villagers were as pretty as that one while walking through to the common area where the market was located. Except for maybe a couple of girls, Sehun hadn't seen any remarkable appearances so far. He didn't know what he had expected; a foreign village with inexplicable beauties that stood in line to feed him grapes from a tray maybe, but that was nothing more than a tasteless fantasy that he'd conjured up in his bedroom while trying to finish one of his many morning speeches. He shouldn't let himself think he'd stumbled upon some sort of exotic paradise; that would be losing touch with reality, but he had entered the realm of a world that was vastly different to his own, and there were elements of paradise here and there, in his opinion. In the crooks and corners as well as laid out in front of him.

Sehun sighed, reaching a small stall that sold warm goat's milk and some form of wet oats, and he was reminded that he had yet to try the milk Luhan had spoken of and attempted to 'sell' him. The man selling it there sat on the ground under the cover of a large, dark green cloth, shaking on containers and yelling out melodic and rehearsed phrases that Sehun suspected were calls for people to come and purchase what he had to offer. It couldn't hurt to experience it, right? He was starved, after all, and he didn't want any of the villagers to feel pressured to cook for him when they had done so many times already. It was lovely, but feeling like a burden wasn't Sehun's favourite thing in the world, even if he'd grown up burdening servants and maids and peasants alike with his mere existence. But that was all his father's doing; Sehun hadn't known any better, so he liked to think he wasn't that lowly.

A few children next to him were talking rapidly to the seller in their native tongue, the one everyone there spoke when they weren't trying to be polite and include him, and the man was making clicking noises with his tongue, shaking his head and snapping his fingers. It looked like the children were trying to cut the price, bargaining with the seller because their mothers hadn't given them enough money to meet the asking cost.

Sehun chuckled, very intrigued by the exchange. They all looked so serious, the kids, two of them with their arms folded and one of them waving his hand at the blabbering seller, his little voice loud and firm and he shouted what Sehun presumed were numbers at the man, waving a few coins in front of his face all the while. The coins looked to be made of copper, dirtied and dulled in the boy's hand, as if he'd carried them for years.

He decided he would treat the boys. He couldn't just accept all the hospitality in this place and not give anything back, could he? Besides, it wasn't much to ask, it was only a few cups of milk.

Sehun reached his hand out in front of the boy was talking with fiery passion, and the boy stopped running his mouth at a mile a minute, staring up at Sehun in surprise. It didn't take long before everyone was. Even the seller's suspicious eyes were on him now, squinting as if trying to see something that wasn't very visible.

"I'll pay for them," Sehun said, smiling down at the boys, who were still doing nothing but staring at him rather quizzically. He felt a little bit like a saint where he stood, being heroic and such. He'd never had the chance to be before, so why not attempt it there, with those nice people? "How much?"

The man scrunched his face up, as if he had something foul smelling right under his nose. He raised his hand in the air and shouted a few words than Sehun couldn't recognise, snapping his fingers together all the while and getting louder and louder. Sehun had forgotten that not everybody spoke his language, and that probably only the most educated of the bunch did, like the ones he'd encountered last night who were in the Chief's close circle.

"Hold on," Sehun assured him, raising his finger up and reaching around for his bag that he'd slung over his shoulder on the way out of the tent, opening it and sticking a hand in to rummage around. When he pulled out the money, surely the man would understand what he wanted to do. Money spoke volumes on its own, and he would be able to pull through with what he'd aimed for.

Two pieces should be enough, Sehun thought. In his homeland, two pieces of gold were enough to buy out even a whole bar, not to mention a few cups of milk. He held out the metal pieces to the seller kindly, crouching down on the ground to reach him better. The man stared at what he was holding out to him, squinting his eyes even more to get a good look, but after a few seconds he brought his hand up and hit the money right out of Sehun's palm, making the coins clatter to the ground.

"Crazy foreigner!" The guy shouted, surprisingly in Sehun's language, but then the rest of his words were incomprehensible to him, and Sehun just sat there crouched while the man yelled at him, his bearded face almost turning red with effort.

The kids he'd been trying to buy milk for were laughing at him, pointing and hitting each other on the shoulders, like they'd never seen anything so funny in their life. No matter how hard Sehun tried to figure out what was happening, he couldn't, and rubbed the back of his head in distress. He hadn't counted on meeting stubborn salesmen and being humiliated so much in such a short period of time. In his own kingdom he was respected, if not feared. His act of kindness would definitely not have made him into a laughing stock; it would have had people throwing themselves to the ground in gratitude to his benevolence. Once again, it was a strange experience.

A soft voice spoke up beside him, and Sehun turned around to see a white-clad male standing there, jumping in to converse with the seller, who quieted as the person talked. The person in question, he noticed as he lingered his eyes for a few more seconds, was none other than Luhan; a lot more covered up this time around, however. His midriff wasn't showing, and his arms were covered too, with white cloth and a waist sash. His hair was still showing since Sehun had asked him to take the headdress off, and the gold jewellery was still there too.

Sehun was so caught up in watching him that he almost didn’t notice Luhan had started talking to him. "Fool," Luhan said in reprimand, but still he was smiling and his voice was like a gentle breeze against his ears. "I told you your money was of no use here, remember?" Sehun groaned internally as he recalling being informed of exactly that not too long ago. Well this was beyond embarrassing. As if he hadn't been humiliated enough.

"Sorry..." he offered, lowering his head slightly in shame. Perhaps he'd gotten a little ahead of himself, like he tended to do.

The kids to his left were still snickering, but almost trying to hide it now that Luhan was there.

"Don't worry. It's cute that you wanted to treat the kids," he glanced over at the bunch of children, his glance making all their faces straighten and their murmurs die out in an instant. "They're not poor, though. Only stingy. Isn't that right Tao?" Luhan asked with a raised eyebrow, and the kid with the strong gaze and dark, black hair raised his head, looking pleadingly up at him. The dancer mumbled some words in his own language to the boy and he nodded obediently. Sehun wondered if maybe they were related somehow, because the little boy had seemed to shake in his boots as soon as Luhan had appeared, the slick amusement wiped right off his face. Perhaps Tao was Luhan's little brother, even if they looked nothing alike. Tao and his friends eventually backed away, then sprinted from the spot as soon as they could, heading for the cluster of tents down south.

Sehun watched them go, feet clacking loudly against the ground, then was brought back to the present situation when he heard a yelp, and realized that the impatient salesman had yanked Luhan by the upper arm so that he fell forward, knocking over a few cups of milk as he was pulled almost into the man himself. The seller was yelling again, right in Luhan's face this time.

Sehun sprang to action, but Luhan held his free hand out to stop him, not struggling in the slightest against the man's iron grip and instead just placing a gentle hand over the thick wrist.

"He's asking me to pay up for the commotion," Luhan reasoned calmly, keeping his eyes locked with the seller who had turned quiet, as if there was a silent language the two were speaking between themselves. "It's hurting his business, he says."

"Look, Luhan isn't going to give you anything," Sehun started, reaching forward and squeezing his own tight grip over the man's built arm, trying to get him to back away, which he didn't. "It was my mistake," he accentuated, at the very least managing to get the man to shift his gaze from Luhan to him for a few seconds. He couldn't have Luhan come to harm for whatever he himself had caused; he'd rather give this salesman whatever he asked for. "I'll fix the problem, whatever it is you want for it."

The seller looked from Luhan to him, and then back again, his eyes trailing down Luhan's white cloth and up over his face, like he was trying to figure out who he was. Or did he already know who Luhan was? Most of the people there seemed to know him, so it would be strange if this man in particular didn't. He was concentrating for a very long time on Luhan's face anyways, glaring at him while Luhan looked back in silence, his demeanour so calm and collected that Sehun almost found it eerie.

Just as he was about to step in again, he heard someone call him name, and turned around to see a man rushing over to the stall, his arms waving wildly. When he reached them, he bent over and clutched his knees, out of breath and coughing, and Sehun got up and touched the man's shoulder.

“What's the matter?”

“Mister Healer sir, please. My daughter, she’s not well. I’m begging you, please come and see her. Her face has turned blue and her skin is growing cold, I...I-I don’t know what to do.” The man’s face was distraught, clear worry shining in his eyes, with alarm prominent on all his features. “I’ll do anything...please...”

Sehun only stared at him, his mouth falling open. What now? He had feared this. His white lies would catch up to him in the end, in the most gruesome way. Oh Lord, would he be the cause of some poor girl’s death? And if he couldn’t prove himself, would he be thrown out? Or would they expose his lie and punish him for it? They seemed like such peaceful people, but everyone had their limits, didn't they? His thoughts were buzzing, and all the while the man was staring at him pleadingly, his hands clasped together. Sehun glanced back at Luhan, remembering that they were in the middle of something.

The salesman next to Luhan had frozen, staring at the commotion but still grasping onto the dancer’s upper arm.

"You can do it, Sehun,” Luhan assured him from the ground, giving him a supportive nod. “I'll stay here and pay for you."

“But--”

“I’ll take care of it, it’s okay. Go do your thing.”

Sehun gulped. He couldn’t say no. These people believed in him, so he should do what he could and give them what they wanted. The ancient, ritualistic healers these villages usually had weren’t much help anyways, so maybe Sehun’s limited knowledge of medicine and first aid would do some good. It couldn’t hurt to try.

He left with Luhan getting smaller and smaller in his rear vision, staring after him apologetically as he was rushed away to the man’s house. He wondered how Luhan would pay the salesman, and how much would be demanded of him. In truth, it didn't sit well with Sehun at all that Luhan had to tidy up for him, and at the very back of his mind was the persistent thought that he'd rather stay with Luhan than help the child, but he shook it. No good would ever come from such selfishness, and Sehun didn't like to consider himself selfish.

The man who had asked for help ran in front of him, looking back almost every other second to check that he was still there, and beckoned him forward with his hand, continuously saying, “It’s right this way, sir. Right over here.”

It took a little longer to reach the place than Sehun had thought (no wonder the man had been so out of breath upon arrival), but once he got there he could tell in an instant, because there was such a commotion going on. Many people had already gathered outside, some peeking in to get a glimpse of the suffering girl and others clasping their hands together in prayer. It was incredible the sense of community they had there; it overwhelmed Sehun in a positive way every time. It was such a force on its own.

He followed the man into the hut, who was shoving people away violently as he tried to lead Sehun to his little girl. Sehun saw her once they were inside, lying on a low bed with a thin sheet over her. Like the man had said, she was turning blue, her lips pale and sweat gathering on her forehead.

He walked forward and bent down by her side, laying a hand on her forehead. Normal temperature. What was he to do now? Dozens of eyes were on him, women and men alike, one of them perhaps the mother of this child, and all Sehun could do was try some guesswork, running his hands over the child’s body to check for abnormalities.

But everything was fine. Her heart was still beating. There were no bumps or bruises that would signify fractures or internal bleeding. She was still warm, still alive.

He bit his lip, reaching for his bag and pulling a few things out. He had some herbs and remedies that he used to survive for his trip there, but he didn’t know how much help they’d be for the child. He dropped them again as he changed his mind, trying to think fast. Something more drastic had to be done, because it wasn't normal for people to be turning blue.

“Did this happen suddenly? Or did she gradually become like this?” He asked the father, who was standing by Sehun’s side.

“Suddenly. She started tugging on my pants in panic and then she dropped to the floor, unconscious.”

Sehun nodded, looking over her once more. She was unresponsive, but he could see her eyelids fluttering. Hadn’t he seen these symptoms somewhere before?

He realized at that moment that he hadn’t checked the most important thing yet. He hadn’t checked if she was breathing. Sehun leaned down, looking for the rise and fall of her chest. He saw none. But she was still alive, so she had to be breathing somehow. He reached his hand up to her face, holding it under her nose and waiting to check for air. She was hardly breathing, but she was. With difficulty. Minimal air was flowing out from her lips, and when he looked closer at her, Sehun noticed a slight bulging of her oesophagus.

“There’s something lodged in her throat,” he whispered to himself. He could be wrong, easily, but it was the best conclusion he’d drawn so far, and they didn’t have much time. There had to be something stuck in there.

Without thinking twice about it, Sehun pulled the girl up from the bed, turning her back towards his chest and getting up on his knees. A few of the villagers gasped, but he ignored them, focusing on trying to save the girl instead. He bent her over slightly and gave a few sharp blows to her shoulder blades with the heel of his hand, waiting to hear coughs or sputters that signalled the obstruction was dislodging, but nothing of the sort came. He bit his lip. Everyone was watching him in complete silence with wide eyes, his every move followed. The father was especially attentive, covering his mouth with his hand while Sehun worked.

Sehun sighed and moved his arms around her instead, giving a quick squeeze in the middle of her abdomen. The squeeze sent a quick, powerful burst of air from the girl's lungs upwards, shifting the problem object and sending it flying out of the her mouth and to the floor. He heard the girl gasp and scream, clutching onto his arms as she came to, shaking and wheezing. He held her tight, trying to calm her down.

Then he heard people cheering, clapping and hollering as they pointed to the black thing that lay on the floor. The father came forward quickly and pulled the girl into his arms, stroking her face in disbelief and kissing her head. Then he switched his eyes up to Sehun, smiling broadly.

“You saved my daughter from the evil spirits!” The man cried, tears of joy swimming in his eyes. “Bless you. Mighty healer, bless your soul!”

Sehun knew his success should make him happy, hell, he'd saved the precious life of another human being and managed not to expose himself as a fraud. But he was left feeling even more cautious than before, in a way, only half smiling back at the man to signify that it was no trouble. It had been pure luck, and nothing else.

Once, when he was eight years old, his older brother Kai had choked on a gold coin. It had been stupid; really foolish, but Sehun had sort of expected it because Kai was greedy, and had insisted that if he swallowed the gold coin, his insides would turn into pure gold and he'd be worth more than any other living human being in the world, including their father, the King. So he'd shoved it into his mouth, sending it straight down the hatch, and then he'd started paling, clutching his throat and staring at Sehun with wide eyes. Sehun hadn't known what to do, so he'd called their father, begging him to save the dying Kai, even though he was sure that in a similar situation, Kai wouldn't bother doing the same for him. His father had arrived and fixed the problem with the same procedure Sehun had just performed for the girl. But instead of laughing at Kai or being angry with him, he'd patted him on the back and congratulated him on coming face to face with death and not succumbing to it. Their mother probably wouldn't have approved of that, but she'd disappeared by then, so his father was the only adult they had to follow for guidance.

When Sehun tuned back into reality, he realized he was walking away from the hut already, staring at his shoes as he trudged the dry ground. Everybody had thanked him, some even bowing to him and getting to the ground before him, waving their hands in some gesture that Sehun had never seen before.

He didn't stop until he reached some sort of small well by a cluster of parched-looking trees, and sat down on it slowly, his eyes blank as he stared at nothing in particular, trying to process what had just happened.

He'd saved someone's life. He'd saved a little girl's life with some god sent streak of luck. Some god must be on his side, because he had never expected to be able to perform so well. He'd thought he'd have to resort to mumbling ancient prayers or something similar, maybe feed the girl some herbs, and then the whole population's regard of him would sink as they realized the girl's condition wasn't improving in the slightest.

He sighed, gripping the brick well and closing his eyes. If he'd wanted excitement and adventure, he sure had gotten it. That was the positive aspect of it all. Except he was probably going to grow a few early gray hairs now because of the whole ordeal.

"I knew you would save her, Mister Healer," said a voice from right in front of him, and Sehun opened his eyes to see Luhan standing there, his arms clasped together just like everyone else's had been. "I had faith in you."

Sehun frowned. For some reason it irked him that Luhan was as easily mislead by his lie as all the other villagers. He didn't know what he'd hoped for; that Luhan would be a bit more perceptive and sceptical, maybe? But that was ludicrous. Hell, Sehun would probably have believed his own lie if he were in Luhan's place.

"Please, just call me Sehun," he insisted, his tiredness evaporating slightly as he stared up into that glowing face. With his white clothing and pale skin, Sehun could easily have mistaken him for an angel. He still had problems processing the fact that Luhan was a real human, and not simply a character drawn out of one of the fairy tales that his mother used to read to him. You weren’t supposed to cross paths with people like that in real life.

"Sehun," Luhan said, with amusement evident on his face. He said it one more time, a little more slowly, and Sehun could see how intrigued he was with the name, even if he already knew it. "Even your name sounds majestic."

Sehun shook his head with a huff. "I'm not majestic. It was only luck that let me save that girl today."

"I think you should give yourself more credit," Luhan insisted, walking over to sit next to Sehun on the well. His legs were shorter, so they dangled above the ground. "You saved someone's life today, and that's an achievement no matter how it came about. Wouldn't you agree?"

Luhan was turned towards him, his entire body twisting, and Sehun saw the stunning smile there, directed straight at him. It was getting hard to breathe again.

"I suppose..."

Luhan's hands came out of nowhere and pulled at his sheepskin vest, seemingly fixing his shirt underneath that had come loose and moved around as he was running. It felt almost like a mother’s touch, except Sehun didn’t have very many memories to look back on to compare.

"The Chief wants to see you," Luhan said, his eyes fixed on the creases of the shirt as he tried to straighten them out. Sehun watched his concentrated face, liking the way he bit his bottom lip and crinkled his nose. His hands were soft and gentle too; Sehun could feel his fingers through the thin material. "I think it's to thank you personally for saving one of our people. The Chief is a very grateful man. You wouldn't mind, would you?"

"Of course not," Sehun heard himself say, even if he was thinking about nothing but how he wanted to stay with Luhan for as long as possible, even just sit next to him on the stupid well. Luhan's presence was relaxing, familiar almost, and he wouldn't be anywhere else if he had the choice. It might sound ridiculous, but he felt like Luhan filled a small gap in him that had been somewhat empty for the past however many years. He was kindness and serenity and reason, and there had been none of that back at home.

But alas, Sehun did leave. He went to the Chief's tent just like Luhan had asked him to, and there he was greeted with the Chief's loud, boisterous voice and the smell of good food. They had prepared a feast for him again, all sorts of delicacies spread out over a table there, and Sehun politely accepted everything they offered him. He received blessings and gifts and well wishes from everyone in the tent, snacks and desserts and small musical performances. The Chief kept talking about how he'd known it, how he'd known from the very second he'd seen Sehun that there was something special about him, something great that could only benefit their society.

"Your arrival has been a blessings for us, truly," the man said in his deep, comforting voice. Sehun liked to taste those words in his mouth and believe them as much as he could. He'd never received so much praise in his life. Praise was foreign, and by now, almost addicting. "You already know this, but you're welcome to stay for as long as you want. We're honoured to have you here, and your presence in itself can only bring good things." The Chief chuckled, clinking his blood-red wine with Sehun's glass, whose wine almost spilled out at the unexpected collision. He leaned a little closer to Sehun, an in a lowered breath, he added, "Plus, you seem to have caught the interest of our dear, little Luhan. That takes quite some skill, because he's usually rather lofty and indifferent towards everything else."

Was he? Sehun couldn't be sure. He'd spent too much time focusing on Luhan's appearance and general intrigue that he hadn't noticed much else. Luhan was kind and calm, selfless too, but Sehun really ought to get to know him better. He wanted to know everything about him. The things that made him angry, what made him cry, smile, gasp. He didn't know whether he wanted to believe that he'd caught Luhan's interest or if it was only something the Chief was saying to him to convince him to stay, but regardless, he wanted to test out those waters more.

He went to bed that night feeling conflicted. He was nervous because he didn't know what to do if another incident occurred and he wasn't able to fix the person like he had that day. He was excited because he was in a foreign town with this intriguing dancer boy walking around, who was more reason than anything else to stay some more before he moved on to the next place. And he was relieved. He was relieved because he had yet to find gloom here. He'd thought he would carry with him the gloom from his kingdom, the little omniscient cloud of rain and thunder, but this little village was like a shield that wouldn’t let itself harm. Everything here was safe and optimistic, even the flowers were growing outside despite the extreme heat. Trees and bushes and shorter plants, they all got enough energy from somewhere to be able to spread their roots and grow without withering.

*

The next day he decided to take the initiative to search for Luhan himself, because the boy seemed to always come up to him when he was lost or in need, and he wanted that to change.

To his surprise, Luhan was easy to find. He'd thought he would be ephemeral and fleeting like some fairy that was hard to catch, but he hadn't walked for long before he found Luhan standing by a group of brown horses, stroking one of them and talking to it. The horses were very different to the ones Sehun was used to, who were all dressed up and had proper saddles and everything. These horses had nothing on them; they were bare. He wondered how the people here rode on them. Perhaps they put the saddle and reins on right before they needs to go somewhere. Again, cultural differences. He'd come across quite a lot of it so far, and it was intriguing.

"Luhan," he said with a smile as he approached the blond boy, who was wearing red today, putting a hand gently on his shoulder.

Luhan jumped and turned around, clutching his hand to his chest like he'd just been given a heart attack.

"Oh," he said, once he noticed who it was. "You scared me."

"Who did you think I was?" Sehun asked with a cocked eyebrow, removing his hand.

"...Nobody." Luhan straightened his clothes out, even if they were perfectly fitted already. "People don't come up to me that often."

"Really?"

"Well, they do...actually, never mind. What was it you came here for, Mister Healer?"

"Sehun."

"Se-hun. Fine."

"First of all, I wanted to thank you for helping me out yesterday,” he said quickly, cringing at the embarrassing memory. “You really didn't have to; my ignorance was inexcusable, but you still found it in your kind heart to help me. I'm forever grateful."

"It was nothing," Luhan insisted, suddenly seeming a little shy, and fumbled with his fingers. "Really, it was my pleasure."

"Well, I'd like to repay you, if you'd let me," Sehun said, holding Luhan's gaze until the boy looked away, seeming confused.

"Repay me?"

"Yes. Just a small token of my appreciation. If you wouldn't mind." Sehun felt like for the first time since he'd arrived, it was Luhan's turn to be flustered. Colour crept into his cheeks, and he pulled at the hem of his top.

"There's really no need--"

"I insist," Sehun pressed, settling a hand on his hip. These people were insufferably humble, to the point where it was almost a burden. But Sehun had decided that morning that he would pay Luhan back no matter what it cost him.

"Alright, I suppose..." Luhan stood still and looked at Sehun questioningly, looking like he was trying to figure out how Sehun wanted to pay him back. It seemed like the boy was pulled out of his comfort zone when people tried to do nice things for him instead of the other way around. And considering how the people in this village were innately altruistic, he could understand that.

He cleared his throat and got down on the floor, sitting cross legged and beckoning Luhan down by holding his hand out to him. Luhan hesitated, glancing from Sehun's hand and back up to his face, his whole being at that point the embodiment of a question mark.

"I'm going to read your energy," Sehun said calmly, still holding his hand up. He smiled warmly at the boy to try and coax him down, and Luhan seemed to be very close to accepting.

"Are you sure? I don't know if I'd be a very exciting read..."

"You don't have to be exciting, it isn't a contest," Sehun laughed, and Luhan looked like he loosened up a bit, his shoulders lowering.

Though apprehensive and hesitant, Luhan accepted Sehun's hand in the end, letting Sehun pull him down gently to the ground. They sat opposite each other now, Luhan on his knees with his head parallel to Sehun's, looking him in the eyes curiously.

"Will it hurt?"

Sehun laughed. "Not in the slightest," he assured him, reaching for Luhan's other hand and holding them in his own, his thumbs resting in Luhan's open palms. He almost felt offended that Luhan would think Sehun was going to repay him with any form pain. "I'd never hurt you."

Luhan just smiled, lowering his head while Sehun held his hands, adding pressure every now and then with his fingers. Now, of course, Sehun couldn't read energy in the slightest, even to save his life. But he wanted to see Luhan smile again, magnificently and truly, and this was the only way he knew how. And he also hoped Luhan couldn’t tell the difference between a healer and a fortune teller.

"You're tense," he mused, moving his hands up to Luhan's wrists and massaging the thin skin there, rolling his fingers over the smooth warmth. He was exceptionally warm, just like Sehun was by default, except his hands weren't so clammy.

"Sorry," Luhan mumbled, taking a deep breath and staring down at his arms like he could force him muscles to relax that way.

"No need to be sorry," Sehun said. Luhan seemed to be taking the whole ordeal very seriously, concentrating his eyes one hundred and ten percent on every move Sehun made. Sehun wasn't doing anything in particular, he was kind of just massaging Luhan's arms, pretending to feel for the energy that was flowing under his skin, right through his very veins.

"Have you found something?" Luhan asked, and Sehun could hear the piqued curiosity play at his words. It made him sound so innocent and at the same time gullible. Taking advantage of the fact that the villagers were very superstitious and easily convinced was probably a bad thing, but Sehun thought he'd let it slide this once.

"You're hard to read, Luhan. Fascinating, but hard," he mumbled, and rejoiced at the way Luhan's eyebrows rose and his mouth opened to form a small 'o'. He looked like he was waiting in anticipation, his body tensing even more than it had before. If Sehun were a real healer, this would perhaps frustrate him, but to the Sehun sitting on the ground massaging a dancer's arm, it made no difference. "I can see a strong will here. You're a hard force to contain." He dragged his thumbs up to the inner side of Luhan's elbows, leaning in closer to the boy. Being closer to him wasn't something he minded in the slightest, that was for sure. Luhan was just sitting there very still, staring back with wide eyes in constrained anticipation. "Ah, and here," he was back down near Luhan's palms, tracing his fingers over the back of one of his hands that was turned up. "This place tells me all your hard work will pay off," he pulled the hand up to his lips and kissed it briefly, eyeing Luhan's reaction as he did so. Luhan was still sitting there with his open mouth and equally open eyes, unmoving. "Good things will come to you. The energy in your hands is strong." He lowered Luhan's hand again, chuckling inside himself because he was pretty sure Luhan wasn't aware that he just wanted to kiss him there, and wasn't sure what kind of energy Luhan's hands really hand. But they were warm, so he couldn't be far off. "I think I can conclude that you'll make some big discoveries soon, and that they'll all change your life for the better. It looks like Luhan's future is a bright one."

Finally Luhan cracked a smile, his whole face drawn into it, even his eyes. He looked happy, little creases appearing by his eyes as they turned into small half-moons again. Ah, his eyes were so bright. His most stunning feature. Sehun loved them; he could see so much in them.

The discoveries he'd spoken of was Luhan realizing he was enamoured with Sehun, because in the back of his selfish mind Sehun was really hoping that would happen. It would be nice, wouldn't it? Goodness, wouldn't that be great. An ideal future, if he had to settle for anything. He could see it already; settling down with the gentle boy in this village and learning more about him as every day passed. Laughing with him, learning with him, eating with him, and even eating him. Luhan would be perfect in every way. At least from what he could see right now.

And Luhan seemed impressed with his work, his eyes still full of wonder and his lips carrying a quirk that gave away his glee. He bowed his head down to the floor, putting his hands together in front of him.

"Thank you," he said, warm gaze meeting Sehun's as he came up again. "I'll treasure what you've told me forever."

Sehun shrugged. "My accuracy is a little off and my words are meant to be guidelines more than anything." He had to break Luhan's gaze because he looked so happy and so hopeful. Sehun prayed he hadn't done wrong in trying to ‘read his energy’. He really had just wanted to lift his spirits a little, nothing more than that. But it seemed to have worked, because the Luhan in front of him was bustling with cheerfulness, warmth oozing out of every orifice of his body, and Sehun felt proud that he was the one who had rendered him so.

"That's quite alright," Luhan got up from the ground and Sehun followed, watching the other sway in a sort of daze. Luhan stayed like that for a while, leaning against the horse behind him, who seemed accustomed to the treatment, and just looked around himself slowly. Sehun watched him, saw his nose inhaling deep breaths and his throat clenching as he swallowed. Even in all this heat, Luhan didn't sweat. It wasn't surprising, because his people must have adapted to living in such extreme weather, but he looked so clean and kept it was almost ridiculous. Sehun felt so filthy compared to him. He'd taken a bath in a barrel of water yesterday, but already his hair was greasy and his skin was catching sand and dust particles. He was pretty sure Luhan was immune to filth or something, at the very least all the dust. He looked clean as a whistle next to the dark horse. Pristine and proper, like a doll made of porcelain.

"You should go now." Sehun focused in on Luhan again and felt his stomach sink at the words that came out his mouth. Luhan looked very self-aware again, and his demeanour had changed.

"Why?" Sehun asked, straightening up where he stood. He hadn't expected to be cast away. He had hoped after his little gift that Luhan would perhaps be coerced into staying with him the rest of the day, at the very least bless him with his company a while longer, but it didn't seem so.

"I'm leaving," Luhan just said.

"What?" Sehun looked to the horses wildly and then found Luhan's eyes again with displeasure caught in his own. He frowned deeply.

"Not permanently," Luhan assured him over his shoulder with a small smile, pulling what Sehun assumed was a headdress out of his skirt waist. He unfolded it and started tucking it over his head, stroking the side of the horse while he spoke. "I'm heading after the caravanners for vengeance. They're coming by this route today, and I'm going to surprise them."

Sehun blinked. Luhan? The graceful little dancer? Surprising bandits? He really didn't see the gist of it.

"Well...can I come with?"

"Come with?" Luhan asked, his eyebrows furrowed as he regarded Sehun behind him. "What for?"

"To help you, of course."

Luhan shook his head apologetically. "Look...this is my fight, not yours. But I do appreciate the offer."

"Your energy told me you were stubborn," Sehun tried, sighing loudly and clicking his tongue. "Not accepting help offered to you isn't going to do you any good, you know. I'd advise you to accept my offer if you want to stay in good fate."

The Chief had said something about Luhan being lofty and indifferent, but Sehun couldn't see it. At least not now. Either the Chief didn't know Luhan well enough, or this wasn't Luhan who he was talking to, because there was a fire in his eyes, and at the same time something very heavy and grave, that indifference was the last thing striking Sehun about Luhan's persona.

"I don't want to put you in danger." Luhan was hauling a bag over the horse, pulling at it and tying it around the horse's neck. "They have deadly weapons and merciless minds. While I have a weapon of my own, the bandits outnumber me. My horse is fast and I have experience with riding it, so I manage to steal from them before they catch me. With another person by my side, however, I don't know how well I'd do."

“You seem to have a lot of hate for those caravanners...” Sehun remarked, watching Luhan pull himself up on the horse, still with bare feet and wearing only a skirt and cloth. The horse was still unsaddled, and Luhan didn't have anything to hold onto other than its mane and neck.

“They take things that aren’t theirs," Luhan said, looking out over the horizon from where he was sitting. His eyes were sharp now, his body as tense as Sehun had felt it being before. Did the caravanners make him tense? "They’re filthy scumbags with no morals and no mercy. They deserve whatever comes their way.”

Sehun kept silent after that, not knowing what to say. Maybe this was the opportune moment to step down; to leave Luhan be and take care of his business alone, but the thought of Luhan going anywhere alone, especially if it was dangerous, really unsettled him, and wasn’t particularly appealing. He'd thought of Luhan as more of a peaceful person, maybe a little bit of a push-over, but apparently that wasn't his nature at all. Sehun felt excited and surprised by this revelation at the same time. He wondered if he'd have to tame Luhan to get him to accept him. He shouldn't be surprised, because the creature dancing for him when he'd first met him had been wild and full of life, spontaneous and energetic. He was all kinds of things at the same time, and it seemed Sehun had to do a lot more work if he wanted to really figure him out.

But, it just so happened to be that Sehun was stubborn too. Stubborn and goal oriented, never settling for backing down from a challenge if he could help it. He could meet Luhan half way and keep up with his pace, if that was what would allow him to spend time with the boy. He could think of nothing he wanted more at that very moment, and though it was rather impulsive and risky of him, he was prepared to act on the whim.

So Sehun grit his teeth and marched over to the horse next to Luhan's, getting his feet up on the short, deteriorating wall beside it to help hoist himself up, which was easier that he’d thought it would be with his arms that had packed a fair amount of muscle recently from building shelters while traveling. Shortly after, Sehun was matching Luhan's height, if not a little higher, sitting straight on the horse's sturdy back and grabbing onto the coarse mane so as to not tumble off if it made a sudden movement.

Luhan looked over at him in surprise, so distracted he almost slipped off the side when his horse neighed and shook its head.

"What are you doing?”

“Coming with you,” Sehun shrugged, tightening the thick, silk rope around his waist. “Like I said.”

Luhan’s mouth hung open for a while, his eyes looking over Sehun so thoroughly that the prince almost felt himself flush. After a little while, Luhan shook his head, pulling the headdress a little further down.

“I guess there’s no stopping you,” Luhan just said, but Sehun managed to catch the grin hidden behind his words right before he turned to face forwards again. Luhan was fully on board with it. “Just stay behind me until you see the mesas. And don’t do anything stupid.”

Those instructions seemed effortless enough. And Sehun could ride a damn horse, alright. He'd gone hunting with Kai countless times, catching speeds that were almost humanity impossible while he searched for opulent prey, of which there were plenty in the forests. Heck, horse riding was probably the only area where his skills surpassed Kai’s, and Kai wasn’t bad at anything. Sehun had never ridden a horse without a saddle though, but how hard could it be?

It turned out that riding a horse without a saddle and rein was quite the difficult task. Nothing he couldn't handle, though. After telling Sehun not to do anything stupid, Luhan had hit his horse on the rear and they’d started galloping ahead, stirring up a turbid cloud of dust at their trail. Sehun mimicked him, clenching onto the horse’s mane as he squeezed his thighs into its sides, leaning forward slightly to he wouldn’t catch the whiplash and be wrenched off the back.

There was an open trail through the village and to the outer edges of it. Sehun could barely see any tents from where he was following Luhan, only a few tall, clustered trees and a pack of rubble to one end. He heard the hoofs below and ahead of him clattering against the ground, until it softened as they reached some sand, which meant they’d left the outer circle of the village.

Now there was nothingness. Blinding light and warm winds were at him again, and it felt like only a few hours ago that he’d been out there on his own, fighting his way through the blistering heat. But he wasn’t alone this time. Luhan was within eyesight a few yards ahead, his body bent forward, and Sehun could only conclude that he was holding around the horse’s neck, which was quite an unusual way to ride a horse. Sehun stuck to gripping at the black mane, which was long enough to tangle in his fingers and keep him from slipping off the waxy seating. The difficult part was trying to see where he was headed as grit and dry terrain blew into his face. At this point, whether it was from the winds or Luhan’s own horse stirring up front, Sehun couldn’t tell, but he clenched his jaw and covered his face with one arm, trying to clear his vision. If Luhan could gallop forth effortlessly, so could he. Luhan was only a dancer, after all. Sehun was a built prince with training in combat and war, should he ever have had to lead one.

As they passed over a small dune, Sehun spotted a trail of dark shadows that stood out against the uncultivated land. That had to be the caravan. He could see Luhan look behind to catch Sehun’s eyes, and Sehun nodded to signify that he understood. This was it. They rode a little closer, and Sehun noticed they were coming up stealthily from behind them. He could see at least five horses travelling in a line, all of them with bags hanging off the sides and their faces turned towards the other end of the barren land. Obviously Luhan had planned this well, Sehun would give him that.

Sehun heard a rapid trampling of hoofs against soft ground, and watched Luhan ride ahead on his stallion, catching the wind in at a high velocity. He went fast, flying through the air with his clothes flaring behind him like a meandering, red river, violent and snappy, the cloth he’d used to cover his face and hair with magically staying on. It was like Sehun was watching everything in slow motion from behind him, trying to keep his eyes open in order to catch every creeping action. One second they were galloping up to the tail of the caravan, and in the other Luhan had aligned himself with the last man of the trail, raising a rather large, silver sickle up and sticking the crook into the side of the horse. There was a yell to be heard as the horse doubled up and twisted, tumbling to the ground with a loud thud.

The commotion made the others turn their heads, and Sehun felt uneasiness wash over him in cold successions as they spotted Luhan riding up their sides. He made his horse go faster, trying to catch up with the boy to tell him to watch out, but Luhan was lightning and he was a creeping wave, so he only managed to align himself with the man who was at the rear end now that the other had been metaphorically flayed.

In a fleeting thought he made up his mind to shove the rider off the horse that was parallel to him, not wanting to have been completely useless while joining Luhan on this escapade, and he almost felt bad as he heard the man thump to the ground, but then remembered Luhan’s words about this group being heartless and destructive, and grabbed at the free reins of the horse before it could turn away, forcing it to follow by his side. The horses the bandits had were much more dressed, with saddles and cloths and all sorts of straps. The one he was leading had many bags hanging off its sides, and Sehun knew that had to mean something good.

Holding the horse tight with his right hand, Sehun watched Luhan fly past each an every one of the caravanners, cutting off their bags with his sickle and hoarding them onto his lap. He was grinning, raising his weapon in the air and turning back to Sehun once he'd cut off all the bags. Sehun felt inexplicably proud, smiling back at the stealthy boy for all he was worth. By the last horse rider, Luhan had slowed down, and the man riding that horse saw him coming, pulling out a long sword and swinging it to his left, as if hoping it would hit him. Thankfully, Luhan ducked just in time to avoid the sharp blade, and leaned in to give the man a rough shove, sending him too flying off the moving animal. The dancer grabbed at the horse seat and pulled himself over, letting his own horse gallop away. Luhan then made the horse spin around in circles by pulling on the left rein, confusing all the other horses in the line that were following it. Soon, they were scattering, and far, far behind, Sehun could see the fallen bandits, crawling on the ground and faintly calling for their rides to return to them.

Sehun felt an exhilarating rush of adrenaline pump through him, and his vision was clearer along with his other senses. He felt fearless and ecstatic, kicking up the speed of his own horses to catch up with Luhan, who was still riding around in circles with the stolen one, laughing.

"We did it!" Luhan shouted at him, his face warm and gleeful beyond anything Sehun had seen before. "We did it, Sehun!"

Sehun felt happy and relieved at the same time. Happy because Luhan was happy and they'd just taken out a caravan of bandits, and relieved because he hadn't messed any of it up, and the little dancer he'd followed behind hadn't died like he'd kind of (regretfully) thought he would.

But no, Luhan was amazing. Everything he'd done had seemed to come with so much ease, like he'd done it a thousand times before, which maybe in this case, he really had. But honestly, he'd been so agile and fearless it had been an extraordinary sight. The dancer Luhan persona had been back; the strong, fierce person who had fire in his veins and arteries alike.

After a few more minutes of playing around, standing on his horse without falling off and making it go up on its hind legs, Luhan lead them back to the village across the dusty terrain, but this time with a load of baggage with them.

"What about your own horse?" Sehun shouted from behind him, the chance that Luhan would hear him being rather hit or miss. Luhan had let his own horse go in order to take the other's one, and Sehun hadn't seen where it had run off to, but it wasn't following them home.

"He'll come back when he's ready!" Luhan replied, waving a hand in the air as if to tell him not to worry about it, so Sehun let it go.

They trotted back into the village after some time of travelling, using the same path they'd left from, a back path of sorts, where there wasn't a single person to spot, and soon enough they were returned to where the other horses were standing, their little herd of three joining in.

“How do your horses survive in the desert?” Sehun asked, realizing they’d ridden those things out in the blazing heat, and there didn’t seem to be any better suited animals around.

“This is more of a dust bowl than a desert, Sehun,” Luhan lectured, fixing some of the bags on his lap so that they didn’t fall off. “There isn’t that much sand. Also, they never stay out in the sun too long, we only use them for short day trips; none of my people travel very far. Other than that we keep the horses at the lowest point of the village, and always keep them in the shade. They’re given lots of water too.”

“You know a lot about the keeping of animals here...”

“I’m sure if I asked you about animal keeping in your homeland, you’d know a lot too,” Luhan said with a kind smile, pulling up to the stable. Luhan was the first to halt, and got off his horse in a swift swing, almost jumping straight to the ground. How Luhan could do that so easily without getting hurt, he didn’t know.

Sehun finally let go of the new horse, his hand stiff and sore from gripping onto its rein for so long. Luhan seemed to only notice the other horse then, and widened his smile as he walked over to Sehun, petting the bandit horse's nose.

"Didn't know you'd bring home something like this," Luhan remarked, flicking his eyes up to Sehun, who was still seated on his horse rather rigidly. In truth, he didn't really know how to get down from it. He' gotten up with the aid of a short brick ledge, and there was quite a distance to the ground, even if Luhan had jumped down himself only seconds ago.

"Happy birthday," Sehun joked, staying on the horse and grinning down at Luhan awkwardly.

"Well? Come here! We have to savour the spoils!" Luhan exclaimed excitedly, holding his small hand out for Sehun to take. Sehun, out of pride, refused to take it, and instead tried to work his leg over the side of the horse so that he could jump down. The problem was that he'd forgotten how slippery the horses actually were, and so when he swung his leg over and gained a little momentum, the momentum continued after the swing, and he slid off a little too fast, landing right on top of Luhan. The impact sent both of them straight to the hard ground.

Luckily, Sehun had pushed his arm out to shield Luhan's head before it split against the unforgiving surface, and he caught himself with his other arm, spreading his knees to lessen the impact of his body over the little dancer's. Luhan had closed his eyes, blinking them open slowly only when the dust had settled, which also happened to be when Sehun was staring down at him frantically to check if he was alright.

"Wow, Mister, this is the second time," Luhan said with a small grin, and Sehun let out a sigh of relief because he hadn't killed the poor boy. It seemed he had a habit of falling on top of him in the most ungraceful way possible.

Sehun pushed himself up before things could get too awkward, straightening his clothes out and dusting himself off, hoping they could pretend that nothing had happened, when he noticed something red on his left hand that was dirtying the rest of him while he wiped.

"Of all the times you could get hurt, you scrape yourself up after we've fought bandits," Luhan remarked, laughing heartily to himself as he too got up off the ground. Sehun gave off a small chuckle to accompany him, realizing just how ironic it was, but also trying to wave off the looming embarrassment in his mind that was practically gnawing at his pride. The hand he'd caught himself with was scraped up really badly, and he felt Luhan grab a hold of it, pulling it up to his face for inspection. "This is no good. We should treat this."

"It's only a scratch." Sehun shrugged.

"Nothing is only a scratch out here; it could easily get infected," Luhan disagreed, grabbing his good hand and pulling him away from the spot they were standing in, hauling a few bags from his horse over in shoulder on the way.

"We should probably tie the horses--"

"This first!" Luhan interrupted him with, and it seemed like there was no changing his mind. He was headed straight back to the east cluster of tents, and Sehun hung at his tail, like he always seemed to do.
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