We will never be here again

The earth was aging. Green had turned into orange and the orange into gray. When the winds blew across the spaces and planes of the world, the leaves, flowers and fruits fell into decay. Rainclouds covered the sky and soaked humanity with hurt and misery. People were suffering.

“This is bad,” Tao stated simply, his brows furrowed as he looked out of the glass window.

“Always so articulate,” Kyuhyun teased. He looked out of the window as well. “If you ask me, I think this is a good thing.”

“How is people starving and dying a good thing?” Junmyeon retorted in almost a panic, glaring at him.

“How come you always forget who you’re talking to when you’re talking to Kyuhyun? You, of all people,” Kai sauntered in, hands in his pockets. Junmyeon opened his mouth to retort then closed it again, making a face in defeat. Kai stopped by the window and frowned. “This is a bad thing, Kyuhyun. Not even you want this many deaths. Especially since this isn’t a part of the plan.”

Kyuhyun stuck his tongue out at them. “Fine,” he gave in. “This is a bad thing.” He paused for a bit then looked at Kai. “How’s Kyungsoo doing?”

“Oh he’s fine, just panicking,” Kai relayed lazily. Junmyeon shot him a look. “He’s doing everything he can,” he amended sheepishly. “His efforts are pointless, of course, since there’s only so much he can do. And then there’s Zhoumi, who’s depressed, which is just making everything worse.  All the flowers are just wilting. Baekhyun’s tried to help alleviate or slow the problem down, but without—.”

“Baekhyun can’t do anything,” Tao said. “I can’t even do anything. He’ll just make things worse, drying things up and all that. The earth is practically dying.” He let out a frustrated growl, his fists clenched. “And of course Taeyeon is refusing to do anything about this,” he guessed. He shook his head when they all exchanged an annoyed look. “Something has to be done about that girl.”

“I like Taeyeon,” Kyuhyun announced. Both Tao’s and Kai’s elbows connected to his ribs, making him groan.

“I’m sure Qian’s going to be happy to hear that,” Tao muttered.

There was a pause then Junmyeon asked Kai, “How’s Wu Fan doing?”

Kai sighed, rather sadly. “How do you think he’s doing?”

“How can something like this happen? To Cupid of all people,” Junmyeon criticized, shaking his head.

“I think he prefers to be called Eros, which I’ve always thought sounded like a star name, but whatev—,” Kai babbled.

“Why are you here?” Kyuhyun interrupted, suddenly curious and alert. Kai only appeared when he needed to convey something to them. He usually just hung out in dance studios and taught dance to teenagers. “Is there a message for us?”

Kai met Tao’s gaze. “He’s been asking for you.”

Tao nodded. Without so much as a goodbye to the others, he was gone.

Φ

Baekhyun sat on the edge of the large bed, swinging his feet as they barely touched the marble floor. On an ordinary day, he would be smiling like the sun and usually shined like a bright light to everyone around him. But today, there was a frown on his beautiful face and wherever he looked the surroundings just seemed to dim a little bit.

Zhoumi, meanwhile, who was seated on the plush chair across from him, looked hysterical. He stared at the wilting flowers by the bedside. At the moment that a purple petal fell, he let out a cry and dashed out of the room, his hair in his hands.

Baekhyun looked after him and sighed. “Wu Fan, c’mon,” he gently shook the male form bundled in blankets on the bed. There was no answer, not even movement, from him.

Baekhyun stood up and walked out into the balcony, despite the rain. He made sure not to get wet and merely surveyed the atmosphere. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. April was just ending and the sun was supposed to be out, the flowers in bloom. He suddenly felt even sorrier for Zhoumi. But if there wasn’t anything Kyungsoo could do, all they could do was just stand back and wait for all of this to be over. At least he hoped it was going to end. Except that, with the rate things were going, with how Wu Fan refused to even try to move on, the ending of this slow death was far from sight. He turned around and his eyes tried to find a sign of movement in the lump of blankets. He was disappointed to find none.

“How is he?” Tao slowly approached, his eyes on Wu Fan.

“He’s not listening to anyone,” Baekhyun said, gesturing towards him. “I’ve tried everything.”

Tao climbed onto the bed, peeled the covers back and joined Wu Fan under it. He turned to his side, facing him, and placed at arm on his waist. Baekhyun relegated himself on the other side of the room to give them some privacy.

“Hey,” Tao whispered.

Wu Fan opened his eyes. “Hey.”

“You know what I’m going to ask, don’t you,” Tao said after a moment, his eyes intent on his.

“I can’t just…” Wu Fan took a deep breath. “I can’t. I won’t.”

“Wu Fan,” Tao implored.

“Zitao, please don’t force me,” Wu Fan entreated in turn. “I can’t work when I’m feeling like this.”

Tao bit his lip and nodded. “But, just so you know, no one is happy with Taeyeon with what she did. No one wanted this to happen. No one wanted your heart especially to break.” He paused. “We feel your pain, Wu Fan, we love you, but your heartbreak is breaking everyone else’s hearts as well.”

Wu Fan closed his eyes as a form of apology and Tao knew that he had been dismissed. He got off the bed. Baekhyun took a hopeful step forward, but when Tao shook his head, he frowned and the room just got dimmer once more.

There was a thundering sound by the door. Baekhyun and Tao turned with a start and found Kyungsoo stomping towards the foot of the bed, destroying the marble flooring. There was a murderous glint in his eyes that Baekhyun found disconcerting. He looked up once more when he noticed there was someone trailing after him. He sighed in exasperation at the new presence.

“Sungmin, what did you do?” Baekhyun demanded.

Sungmin blinked innocently. “What? I didn’t do anything,” he said. Tao looked at him in disbelief. “I merely said that if he wanted to get Wu Fan to do something, he should battle him out for it, like a face-off. Or something.” He frowned and took a step back at the blinding glare and the murderous look that Baekhyun and Tao gave him.

“You’re such a war freak,” Baekhyun spat.

“Well, I am Ares and—,” Sungmin started to reason.

“That’s not going to do any good and you know it,” Baekhyun stood beside Kyungsoo and placed a hand on his shoulder. “We’ve tried talking to him but—.”

Sungmin’s lower lip then jutted out, his big and earnest eyes staring imploringly at them. Baekhyun blinked helplessly, Tao groaned and Kyungsoo almost forgot what he was going to say.

“I don’t understand how you became the God of War,” Tao murmured, looking away.

“His face is his biggest weapon,” Baekhyun muttered, staring at his feet.

“WU FAN! GET UP!” Kyungsoo roared, shaking Sungmin’s cuteness out of his head. Sungmin snatched Baekhyun away from him in case he got violent. Tao stood his ground.

“That’s not going to make him do anything, Kyungsoo,” Tao calmly said.

“GET UP!” Kyungsoo violently grabbed the comforter.

“I don’t think you want to do that. He might not be wearing anyth—,” Sungmin hurriedly warned him, but Kyungsoo had already thrown the article across the room. Everyone was relieved to find that Wu Fan was perfectly dressed, as he always was.

“I was just in there with him,” Tao stated, rolling his eyes. Sungmin side-eyed him suspiciously.

Wu Fan slowly sat up on the bed, his eyes bleary with sleep. Kyungsoo opened his mouth to yell once more, but Wu Fan beat him to it.

“Leave me alone.” Wu Fan said it calmly. But it had undertones of anger that was bursting at the seams.

“Wu Fan, please,” Kyungsoo begged him with irritation. “You have to stop this.” He gestured out of the window in reference. “This isn’t helping anyone.”

Wu Fan got out of bed and walked to his vanity table. “Maybe you should talk to Taeyeon instead, not me. This is her fault,” Wu Fan directed. “I’m not going to do anything about it until she fixes what she’s done.”

“There’s nothing that can be done. Yixing is gone, you know that,” Kyungsoo said, his voice softening. “It’s been two months—.”

“Kyungsoo, stop,” Tao began.

“I’m sorry,” Wu Fan cut them off with a stare so terrifying that even Sungmin looked away. “There is nothing I can do.”

“Fine,” Kyungsoo grumbled, walking out. “Let’s all just watch the world die then.”

“Wu Fan, if you’ll just—,” Baekhyun tried again. Tao touched his arm just as Wu Fan spoke again.

“Get out,” Wu Fan ordered sharply.

Wu Fan walked towards the balcony as soon as Tao, Baekhyun and Sungmin had left. He breathed deeply and tilted his face towards the sky, his eyes closed.

It continued to rain.

Φ

The rain was relentless. The skies rumbled with thunder and flashed with lightning. It had been cloudy and dark for weeks and it didn’t seem like it was going to let up any time soon. Weather forecasters predicted the rain to last for several months more.

Luhan looked up at the sky, his nose wrinkled as if disgusted with the weather conditions. While he actually liked it when it rained, too much of anything was just horrible. He let out a breath, his cheeks puffing out. If he was ever going to make it to class on time, he was going to have to run and pray that he didn’t get too soaked. But before he could even move a foot forward, a hand clamped on his arm.

“That’s a bad idea,” a tall, handsome, but stern-looking stranger told him. Luhan was tall himself, but this guy was half a head taller than him and he found himself looking up.

“I think it’s the best idea I’ve had in the past 40 minutes I’ve been waiting for the rain to stop,” Luhan said, a smile finding his face.

“What about an umbrella?” the stranger offered. “What about that idea?”

Luhan looked sheepish. “I don’t have one,” he admitted. “I left it at home.”

“With weather like this, you still forget to bring an umbrella?” The stranger looked at him like he was stupid and Luhan decided that he wasn’t so handsome after all.

“Yes, well, it’s just rain,” Luhan retorted.

“Just rain,” the stranger repeated blankly.

“Yes, just rain,” Luhan emphasized. “There are more important, much happier, things. So, if you’ll excuse me.” He slightly bowed at him. “I really have to get to class.”

“Here, take our umbrella,” a guy, way shorter, beside the tall stranger offered, smiling rather stiltedly. “I’m sorry for my friend. He forgot to offer you our umbrella. He normally means well.”

Luhan stared at him then at the umbrella then at the taller male. “If you’re sure…” He slowly took the umbrella and opened it.

“Of course,” the smaller male pressed. “We’re in no hurry.”

“Thank you,” Luhan said, bowing once more. Then he was off to university.

“You could’ve been nice, you know,” Junmyeon rolled his eyes as Wu Fan glared at him.

“I was being nice,” Wu Fan interjected.

“No, you weren’t,” Junmyeon corrected knowingly, looking up at the sky. “You were being grumpy and obnoxious and just…depressing. So unlike you.”

“Now how are we going to get back in this rain?” Wu Fan changed the subject. “I blame you for this. You know I hate getting wet.”

Junmyeon practically glowered at him. “Are you forgetting who you’re talking to? I control water.”

Wu Fan smirked. “At least I don’t forget who Kyuhyun is.”

“Just take my hand,” Junmyeon grunted in exasperation.

Φ

“Is that new?” Jongdae asked as soon as Luhan stepped into the classroom. He eyed the sea blue umbrella that seemed to shimmer in the light.

“Huh, oh, it’s not mine,” Luhan told them, taking a seat beside Sehun, who was busy pouring over his textbook, his bottom lip in between his teeth. “Some guy gave it to me on the way.”

Sehun’s ears perked up at this and he looked up. “Was he handsome?”

“Go back to studying,” Luhan rolled his eyes. He put the umbrella down on the floor, along with his bag. He took his books out.

“So…” Jongdae turned in his seat, which was in front of Luhan’s, to look at him. “Was he handsome?”

“Guys, seriously,” Luhan pleaded. “Are you going to throw every guy who comes my way at me?”

“Yes,” Sehun and Jongdae chorused without missing a beat.

“I’m not that desperate,” Luhan snapped.

“Oh but we are,” Jongdae instantly replied. He chuckled sheepishly and turned around to face front just to avoid Luhan’s death glare.

“We just want you to be happy, Luhan,” Sehun told him like a mother would talk to her child. “It’s been almost three months since Minseok and—.”

“Professor’s here,” Luhan cut him off, relieved to have an excuse to do so.

He knew his best friends meant well. His break-up with Minseok had brought on one of the lowest points in his life, where he resorted to living in his bed and only in his bed, without any food or water or any form of sustenance. He just refused to do anything. When he finally did decide to get up and start living again, his friends had never stopped introducing prospects to him, wanting him to date, hoping he would never want to destroy himself again.

He slightly shook his head and leaned back on his seat just as the professor stopped writing on the board. Professor Yunho walked a little ways to the front, his hands on his back, eyes surveying the room. After a moment, his eyes found his.

“Luhan,” the professor called him. Sehun and Jongdae shifted in their seats. “What can you tell me about Greek Mythology?”

Φ

Yunho nodded at the students who called out their greetings to him as they exited the classroom, while he packed his things in his bag. Class had been very satisfying that day. At least now they have moved on to Greek Mythology and the students had seemed rather interested in learning about it, although they didn’t really have a choice in the matter.

“You’re cheating, you know that, right?”

Yunho looked up. One of the students, a petite girl, with short brown hair and a pretty eye smile had sauntered up to his desk. He glanced around to make sure there was no one around before responding.

“Sunny, what are you doing here?” Yunho hissed.

Her chuckle tinkled around the room like a beautiful melody. “You know I’m always in school. How can I impart wisdom if I don’t continue to learn?” She smiled at him. “Does Taeyeon know about this?”

“She’s not doing her job properly,” he gave in hastily, hurriedly finishing packing his things, “and if no one does something, there will be nothing left for us to look after.”

“You’re rather brave, going against Taeyeon,” Sunny remarked. “Seeing as how she’s practically shattered Wu Fan, no one’s daring to go against her.”

“Wu Fan will be fine,” he declared.

“If Taeyeon finds out that you’re interfering with her work,” she told him, a warning lilt in her voice.

“What’s she going to do about it?” he challenged, snickering. “Will she dare fight me?”

“She is the Goddess of Love and it is her job to do whatever it is you’re trying to do,” she reminded him, moving towards the door. “Besides, I don’t think Wu Fan would like it if he found out about this as well. Does Tao even know about this? What about Boa? There’s a consequence for every unplanned action of ours, Yunho. I hope you remember that.”

Yunho looked annoyed. “I really don’t like being lectured. I’m not the king of the gods for nothing.”

Sunny’s smile was wide and cheerful. “You’re God of the Sky and Thunder. The king thing is just for the humans’ understanding. They like hierarchy and power. What they don’t know is that all gods and goddesses are equal.”

“You may leave now,” he directed. “I’ve decided that I don’t like you very much.”

“So petty,” she rolled her eyes. She turned to walk away but stopped. “Seriously, though, I think you should tell Boa at least.”

Yunho scoffed. “Whose idea do you think this was?”

Φ

The Olympians liked to hold meetings in the evenings. It was cooler and it was more enjoyable to drink wine than during daylight. Whenever Yunho sent Kai to the gods to deliver the invite of the meeting, each of them prepared their most lavish garments and ts because these meetings usually ended up to be parties. Especially since Key always attended. He always made sure that there was an endless supply of wine.

But this particular meeting had a somber mood. The world was in pain; the people suffering and therefore, the gods knew that they weren’t doing their job well. For all of their immortality, if the world ended, they would have to live with that failure forever.

“Is everyone here?” Yunho called out from his seat.

Each one raised their hand as they mentioned their name. Boa, Queen of the Gods; Junmyeon, God of the Waters; Kyuhyun, God of Death; Kyungsoo, God of the Earth; Tao, God of Time; Sungmin, God of War; Baekhyun, God of Light; Sunny, Goddess of Wisdom; Zhoumi, God of Growth and Flowers; Chanyeol, God of Fire; Luna, Goddess of the Moon, the Hunt and all animals; Key, God of Wine and Celebration; Eunhyuk, God of Wealth; Qian, Goddess of the Underworld.

There was silence.

At that moment, Taeyeon, Goddess of Love and Beauty, walked in, her white robes billowing gorgeously behind her. She took her seat in between Sungmin and Chanyeol and spoke her name out loud for purposes of attendance.

“Wu Fan isn’t coming,” Taeyeon then shared unconcernedly.

“I wonder why,” Tao shot back.

“We’ve had this discussion. I did what I had to do, okay,” Taeyeon snapped, eyes blazing. And, even in anger, she was just as beautiful as she was when smiling.

“He’s your brother,” Tao retorted needlessly. “How could you take someone he loves away from him and break his heart?”

Tao stared at the empty seat beside his. While Wu Fan wasn’t the most cheerful god in Olympus, he was happy in his own way, albeit lonely. Being in Olympus was lonely. But he shoved that all back down and was selfless, showering love to those who truly wanted it and deserved it. But with this heartbreak, Tao was afraid that it would change Wu Fan and that his work would change with him.

He wholeheartedly blamed Taeyeon for what was happening. Her decision had spiraled into an uncontrollable domino effect of desolation and pain everywhere. No one was falling in love because Cupid was heartbroken. This was bringing serious problems and it wasn’t something that the gods can just overturn. They needed Wu Fan.

“I don’t expect any of you to understand, but I did what I thought was best for him and for all of us,” Taeyeon stated obstinately. “Yixing was a human prince and we all know the consequences of such a union. It wasn’t meant to be.”

“There’s always a way around things, a compromise,” Qian piped in. She glanced down at her hand when Kyuhyun reached for it, squeezing it gently. She lifted her eyes up to him and gave him a small smile.

“No, it wasn’t—,” Taeyeon began again.

“It wasn’t meant to be because you made it so,” Sunny calmly responded, pinning her with her gaze. “There were other ways you could have handled it and those other ways wouldn’t have resulted to a broken heart, which then wouldn’t have resulted to the earth aging faster than it should. If Wu Fan doesn’t get his act together, the world will be littered with broken hearts, no love and no children, and we won’t have anything to say for it.”

Taeyeon bit her lip and averted her gaze, staring at the stone floor.

“I vote that Wu Fan be sent to stay more often on earth for the meantime,” Chanyeol suggested uncharacteristically. Baekhyun looked at him with a start. Kai raised an eyebrow. He grinned.

“What good will that do?” Key asked languidly.

“He’ll be on earth,” Chanyeol answered.

“And he’ll see the effects of the absence of his work,” Luna finished for him. She looked at Boa, who exchanged a look with Yunho.

“Sounds like a good enough plan,” Boa agreed. “Someone will have to be with him.” She glanced around at the gods.

“We all go down to earth at one point or another anyway,” Eunhyuk stated with a half-shrug. “Wu Fan will be fine. It’s not like he hasn’t stayed there for long periods of time.”

“I’ll do it,” Taeyeon sighed.

“I’ll go,” Tao then interjected.

“I’m his sister,” Taeyeon spat.

“Like that did any good for him,” Tao shot back.

“That’s enough!” Yunho’s voice echoed and all the gods sat up straighter in their seats. “We will all be with him at one point or another. But yes, Taeyeon, you should go and straighten up this mess that you have created. You will go as well, Tao. With any luck, Wu Fan will go back to normal and all will be back to normal soon enough.”

“And the flowers will bloom again?” Zhoumi asked hopefully.

“Yes,” Boa answered with a nod. “And the animals will mate and multiply,” she turned to Luna. “The sun will shine again,” she smiled at Baekhyun, who beamed, “and the earth will be well,” she assured Kyungsoo. “When love is restored, everything will be in its rightful place.”

There was silence as what Boa said sunk in and the hope of a better earth resurfaced.

Key cleared his throat after the silence stretched on. “So… can we party now?”

Φ

Greek Mythology, Luhan decided, is a lot harder than it seemed. While he thought that it would be just about memorizing names and stories, it turned out to be so much more than that. The gods and goddesses that ruled all planes and spaces of the world led so much more complicated lives than he had expected. There was too much detail in every person, in every deed, in every lifetime.

Lifetime.

That was what fascinated Luhan the most: the thought of immortality, the endless service to a people who didn’t even know that they existed, or even believed that they were around. He leaned back on his seat and wondered what it would be like to live and serve for hundreds—no, thousands, probably millions of years and never having to hear a single form of appreciation for it. He wondered if it was lonely. He wondered if it was worth it.

“You’re going to grow more heads with all the thinking that you’re doing,” Jongdae’s voice crept into his thoughts. “It’s not a good look on you.” Sehun agreed with a nod.

Luhan almost sneered at him. “I actually study, unlike you who just ogles at all our professors then smiles at them when you fail exams,” he shot back. “And you,” he pointed at Sehun, “who just stares blankly at everything. I don’t really know how you guys go through life.”

“Hey, I pass, don’t I?” Jongdae sweetly retorted. “And Sehun manages. He’s cute enough to survive.” This shut Luhan up and he begrudgingly went back to his work.

“So,” Sehun started to speak, putting up the sea blue umbrella that Luhan had started to lug around, “I was thinking about this umbrella.”

Luhan looked at him. “You don’t know how happy I am to hear that you actually think, even though it’s about something as stupid as an umbrella,” he relayed with a smile. Jongdae tried to hide his sniggers behind his hand.

Sehun ignored him. “You should find the owner and give it back to him,” Sehun pressed. “That way you get to meet again.”

“I don’t even remember who handed that to me,” Luhan muttered. He tried to focus on the words in his book and not on the tall, handsome and stern-looking stranger in the waiting shed.

“See, if I had a penny for every time you forget things, or lied,” Jongdae added under his breath, “I’d be really rich. I’d have enough to live on forever.”

“What would you even do with that kind of money?” Luhan asked him, unknowingly agreeing with Jongdae. “And forever? Really?”

“I want to be able to see and experience everything,” Jongdae interestedly shared. “Humanity is only at the cusp of innovation and there’s still so much more to discover. There’s still so much more to be found.”

“Hmm,” was Luhan’s only response. He wasn’t sure if forever would be worth it just for that.

Φ

There was a bakery that Luhan liked to frequent. During the days when he didn’t have much studying to do or when he just wanted to get away from Jongdae and Sehun (there were a lot of days like these), he went there and bought a pastry, along with some hot choco. He would curl up on the plush couch by the window, reading a good book, to pass the time.

“Hi,” the cute guy at the counter leaned towards him. “What can I get for you?”

“Strawberry waffle and hot chocolate, venti size,” Luhan recited, barely glancing at the menu hanging on top of the counter.

“Coming right up,” the guy said and started preparing his hot chocolate.

“You’re new here, aren’t you?” Luhan asked curiously.

“I’m Baekhyun,” he offered with a dazzling smile. Luhan found himself blinking, as if blinded. “My friend owns the shop and she’s been begging me to help out, so here I am.” He placed the plate of waffle with strawberry syrup and his cup of hot chocolate on the counter. “She can be very cute, and therefore persuasive, when she wants to be.”

Luhan chuckled. “That does sound like Qian,” he confirmed. He glanced at the door that led to the back of the shop. “Is she around?”

“No, not today,” Baekhyun shook his head. “She had to take care of something.”

The door bells tinkled, signaling the entrance of some new customers. Baekhyun looked up and his lips quirked up into half a smile, half a grimace. Two guys walked in and came up to the counter.

“What can I get you?” Baekhyun asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Just coffee,” the taller of the two answered. He smiled at Baekhyun then noticed Luhan. “Hey,” he greeted, nodding at him.

“Hi,” Luhan responded politely. “I’m just going to go…” he told Baekhyun and nodded towards the seat by the window.

Baekhyun smiled at him and nodded. Despite the rain, it became a tad bit bright and sweltering hot in the bakery.

“This is why no one wants you helping out anywhere in the planet,” Kai commented, snickering. “When you get too happy, your power just overextends and it becomes too humid and—."

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Baekhyun retorted, handing him his coffee. He leaned against the counter and sighed as he watched Luhan settle into his seat and open his book to start reading. “Qian never told me how many cute guys come here.”

“Careful,” Junmyeon remarked, taking a seat beside Kai. “I don’t think you want to mess with that kid in particular.”

“Why not?” Baekhyun frowned.

“That’s Luhan,” Junmyeon told them. Kai looked on in interest.

Baekhyun’s frown became more pronounced. “I hate this.”

Kai chuckled. “I keep wondering what Chanyeol’s still doing with you when you’re always looking at other guys,” he commented mirthfully.

“Apparently light and fire go perfectly well together,” Junmyeon teased.

“What are you guys talking about? Dating between—,” Baekhyun began to deny and defend himself.

“Oh please,” Kai cut him off with an eye roll. “I wasn’t born yesterday.” He tapped on the counter, signaling his exit. “Kyungsoo wants to see you, btw, and you,” he told him and Junmyeon.

“I knew there had to be some message in between all the garble that he spews out,” Junmyeon said contentedly.

“I’m still older than you!” Baekhyun called after him. Kai waved. “I hate that kid.”

“You’re only a couple of months older than him,” Junmyeon pointed out.

“Shut up,” Baekhyun snapped. He nodded towards Luhan. “What’s the plan with him?”

“I don’t know,” Junmyeon shook his head. “All I know is we’re supposed to keep an eye on him.”

“Why?” Baekhyun wanted to know.

Junmyeon shrugged. “I guess because there’s some big plan where he’s involved.”

“Yes, but why?” Baekhyun pressed.

“You’ve gotten way whinier since your last birthday,” Junmyeon observed thoughtfully.

“Thousands of millennia tend to do that to you,” Baekhyun grumbled.

Φ

Wu Fan sat down on the bench in the waiting shed, amidst the rain, and watched people come and go, waiting for their bus. Ever since he was sent to earth, on vague orders from Yunho, he normally just sat on benches and watched people walk past, hurrying to the places and people they need to be at or see.

Yixing liked riding the bus. Despite being a coddled prince, he managed to smile his way out of the stronghold that being a royal had on him and got to go around the city and the world with him. And wherever they went, they rode the bus. Yixing always said that buses always made him feel normal, and made him feel like life was simple enough. He supposed he understood him enough. The buses went on routes around the city, passing by the same stops every so often. Wu Fan rode a lot of them the first month that Yixing had gone.

He looked up at the sky. The rain was still relentless and floods had started to occur in different parts of the world. Newscasters and experts stumbled through weather reports, trying to make sense of the sudden shift or non-shift in bad weather. No one knew what to say to the people anymore.

“It’s you!”

Wu Fan looked up. It was the pretty, doe-eyed boy, who could very well pass as a girl. He nodded at him then stared at his clothes. “You forgot your umbrella again,” he observed.

“It wasn’t raining this morning and—.”

“Don’t you listen to the news? It’s always going to be raining from here on out, like it’s been these past weeks,” Wu Fan interrupted him.

He rolled his eyes and sat down beside him. He tried to shake the rain out of his hair, getting Wu Fan wet.

“Sorry,” he apologized, smiling sheepishly. He sighed and watched as the raindrops fell on the ground. People rushed to and fro, trying to avoid getting wet. “I don’t get why people are so afraid of getting wet.” He shook his head, smiling a little.

“Some people care to look neat and presentable,” Wu Fan responded, offended. “Rain messes that up.”

“You can always look presentable,” he countered. “There’s always a way. Rain is just water. Why let it ruin your day?”

Wu Fan shrugged. “Some people value how people see them, how they’re perceived and the easiest way to know a person is through their appearance.”

“Appearance isn’t everything.”

“You really think so little of rain,” Wu Fan commented.

“I just think that certain things, like something as simple as rain, shouldn’t define who you are. It’s kind of like sadness, or heartbreak. When your heart gets broken, it feels like the whole world doesn’t matter anymore and you’d rather die and not care about anything. But, after a while, you realize that the world does matter and that this heartbreak is temporary and you just move on from it.” He laughed when he saw Wu Fan’s stare on him. “I think I took it a bit too far.”

“What’s your name?” Wu Fan abruptly asked.

“Luhan,” he answered, a bit startled. “What’s yours?”

“Wu Fan,” Wu Fan responded dismissively. He gave him a closer look. “Is your heart broken?” he then asked.

Luhan chuckled a bit nervously. “That question is a bit intimate for a first meeting,” he decided, standing up to the edge of the waiting shed. The rain hadn’t stopped for a second and had even gotten stronger in the past couple of minutes they’d been talking. “I should just make a run for it,” he said, turning to face him. “It was nice to meet you, Wu Fan.” He smiled and bowed then he ran away.

“Luhan,” Wu Fan repeated under his breath.

Φ

“What are you doing here?”

Wu Fan stilled and slowly turned around, preparing his explanation. It was Luhan, hand on hip, curious and a bit surprised, and his excuse dies on his throat. “What are you doing here?” he then demanded.

“I asked you first,” Luhan stated, getting behind the counter. “Well?”

Wu Fan opened his mouth and closed it again in confusion. He suddenly wasn’t sure if he was in the right place. He walked back outside, stared at the name of the store for a good five seconds and walked back in.

“I’m in the right place,” Wu Fan said, nodding resolutely. “This is Fate & Destiny.”

It was a small, quaint shop at the end of the street. The sign was tattered, almost falling off on its hinges, but it was cozy and boasted of having withstood years of development and reorganization in the city. It sold mostly weird things, stuff that no one really needed, but found cute. They had mood rings, door chimes for good luck, books on superstitions and luck, among others.

“You’re so weird,” Luhan couldn’t help but comment. “Yes, this is Fate & Destiny as you’ve seen on the sign. Is there anything particular that you need? Some trinkets? Greek Mythology books? Do you want to have your fortune read?” He glanced at the back at Jongwoon. “Because our fortuneteller’s free at the moment.”

Wu Fan followed his gaze and smirked just as Jongwoon’s eyes met his. He definitely wasn’t just a fortuneteller.

“If you’re not going to buy anything, you might as well leave,” Luhan said, waving a hand to his face.

“Is this how you treat your customers?” Wu Fan made a face at him. “It’s not very good customer service.”

“You’re not a customer, you’re a stalker,” Luhan corrected him. “Look, I don’t know what your deal is but I’m not interes—.”

“What’s going on here?”

A lady came out to the counter, followed by two others. The three of them were incredibly pretty, soft pink lips and dark hair of varying lengths.

“Yuri,” Luhan began to explain, eyes widening. “This is—he’s just someone who’s leaving.” He shot Wu Fan a glare that he hoped was one that signaled him to leave. But Wu Fan just stood his ground, his eyes on the three ladies.

“It’s okay, Luhan,” Seohyun, the youngest of the three, said with a smile. “You should join Jongwoon in the back for a break.” Jongwoon immediately vacated his space and waved at Luhan to follow him inside.

“But I just got back from my break,” Luhan explained, confused. He glanced at them then at Wu Fan then back again.

“Take another one,” Yoona suggested, smiling beautifully.

“Now, Luhan,” Yuri dictated and Luhan nodded, following Jongwoon to the back.

When the door was shut, Yuri moved in front of her sisters on the other side of the counter and gave Wu Fan a calculating gaze. Her back was against the counter, one of her hands steadying her, the other one on her chin. Wu Fan shifted uncomfortably in his stance. His eyes stirred towards Yoona, who smiled, and Seohyun, who remained stoic.

“I never thought I’d ever see Cupid in person,” Yuri finally spoke. “Or that you’d ever come to see us.”

“I didn’t even think that you’d recognize me,” Wu Fan replied, not really sure what to say anymore.

“Of course we recognize you, Cupid.” It was Yoona who spoke this time. “How can we not? I myself have spun and decided on your life.”

“What can The Fates do for the God of Love?” Seohyun asked, sparing Wu Fan of having to create a response for what his sister had just said.

“I…” he stared at the door behind them.

“No,” Yuri answered before he could even open his mouth to ask.

“You don’t even know what I was going to say,” he argued childishly. He immediately found himself cowering at the look that Yuri gave him.

“You know better than to ask us anything about a person’s life,” Yuri continued sternly. She had now straightened up and had crossed her arms on her chest. “No one has ever been as audacious as you to show up here and even think of asking.”

“You tell Yunho everything,” he reminded them. He bit his lip when he realized he sounded like a whiny little boy.

“We don’t,” Seohyun stated, shaking her head. “He never asks. All he does is make sure that everything is in the right place, that everyone is where they should be and that there is balance.”

“That Luhan kid is bothering me and I just want to know more about him,” he explained himself, frustrated. He hated that he had to come here to ask. It bothered him that he even had to go all through the effort and surprised that he did. For some guy he met twice.

“Luhan is supposed to bother you,” Yoona shared before she could stop herself. Seohyun and Yuri both practically glowered at her, but she merely smiled at them. “Just to keep him from asking any more questions,” she said, meeting Wu Fan’s eyes. “That’s all you’re going to get out of us.”

“But I don’t understand,” Wu Fan insisted. “He keeps on… Am I supposed to watch out for him from now on in case he pops up again?”

“What is it that’s really bothering you, Wu Fan?” Yuri asked, gently this time as she saw the distress on his face. “I’m giving you the chance to ask one question, but we may or may not choose to answer.”

Wu Fan glanced at the door once again then looked at Yuri. “Did I… Is his heart broken because of me?” Royally screwing up had been his expertise as of late, but meeting someone who got his heart broken because of it wasn’t something he was prepared to face.

The Fates exchanged looks. But it was Yuri, the eldest, who answered, almost sympathetically. “You know what they say, everything happens for a reason,” she stated simply. “And sometimes those reasons aren’t specific, they just are.” Wu Fan didn’t look satisfied so she rephrased it. “Luhan’s heartbreak is not your fault, Wu Fan.” She paused and bit her lip before adding, “Just like how it’s not Taeyeon’s why yours is.”

“Yuri,” Seohyun scolded, her brows furrowed. Even Yoona looked stunned.

Wu Fan’s eyes widened, unable to express the shock at this burst of information. “But—what? I don’t understand,” he blurted out.

“We can’t help you any further,” Seohyun announced severely. “You have to leave now and don’t come back.”

Yuri and Seohyun opened the door to the back, leaving Yoona outside. The middle sister took a deep breath before saying, “I can’t believe you’re asking us advice about things like this, of all people. You should know by now, Wu Fan,” she hastily clarified, “People’s lives—anyone’s lives, they’re planned out and if certain things that you enjoyed or certain people are taken away… Just… hang in there. Everything really does happen for a reason. But it always comes down to choice.”

With this, she bowed and left him with even more questions.

Φ

“You went to see The Fates?” Tao hissed angrily, leaning towards him. Kyungsoo sat beside him on the bed, uncaringly. In his hands was a map of the world. He looked at it like he was going to be able to stop the earth’s destruction.

“Yes, well, no one would know the answer to my question other than them,” Wu Fan defensively said, shoving Tao’s tight grip on his arm off. He stood up and walked to the balcony, stretching his arms. “They didn’t tell me anything anyway. So no harm done.”

“No one goes to see them. Yunho even avoids it as much as he can because fate is not something you mess with. You leave it alone and life happens.” Tao shook his head. “You keep on pushing your luck, Wu Fan,” he warned. “One of these days, there will be no luck to push.”

“Why are you so upset? Yunho hasn’t even called me in on it so I don’t understand why you’re angry,” Wu Fan questioned, facing them.

“He’s just jealous because you got to see The Fates in person and he didn’t,” Kai answered, startling Tao when he appeared in between him and Kyungsoo. “I hear they’re really beautiful.”

“Would you stop doing that?” Tao demanded, his lips turned up in a snarl.

“Stop doing what?” Kai blinked his eyes innocently.

Kyungsoo giggled like a girl and naturally curled towards him. Kai put an arm around him, smiling teasingly at Tao, who scowled.

Tao shot Kyungsoo a look. “You’re lucky you’re with the spoiled brat,” he mumbled. “Baekhyun and Chanyeol can’t even cuddle as openly like you guys do.”

It was no secret that Kai relished being the youngest. Yunho and Boa gave him leeway on just about everything. He was a mischievous one, always playing pranks on the gods and goddesses, switching their clothes, and turning the wine into soy sauce, among other annoying things. But even the gods needed to be entertained and Kai was only happy to do that for them.

“You’re just never around much to see them do so,” Kyungsoo poked his tongue out at him. He shifted in Kai’s arms to look at Wu Fan. “So what did they say?” he asked conversationally, his attention turning back to the map in his hands.

“Who?” Wu Fan asked.

“The Fates,” Kai reminded him, snatching the map away from Kyungsoo and making it disappear. Kyungsoo glared at him, but this glare altogether disappeared when Kai gave him a quick peck on the lips.

“OHMYGOD please get a room!” Tao bellowed. “Your room! Not this one!” he added when both Kai and Kyungsoo opened their mouths to retort.

“What’s going on here?” Baekhyun asked, walking into the room. He stopped when he saw Tao strangling Kai, Kyungsoo trying to stop him.

“Is this a new game?” Chanyeol piped in excitedly. “Are we trying to kill Kai? Fire can help, you know.”

Baekhyun grabbed his hand to stop him from unnecessarily setting Wu Fan’s room on fire. “Have you been outdoing us on the PDA again?” he demanded offensively from Kai and Kyungsoo.

“Why are you all here?” Wu Fan wanted to know in exasperation. There were too many people in his room for his liking. “The last time I checked this wasn’t the Olympian lounge.”

Despite what Wu Fan said, Baekhyun climbed onto the bed, squeezing himself easily in between Tao and Kai. Chanyeol sat on the edge, looking at Wu Fan expectantly.

“So what are we here for?” Chanyeol asked.

“Wu Fan was just telling us about The Fates,” Kai filled them in, pulling Kyungsoo closer to him to keep him from falling off the bed.

“The Fates?” Baekhyun and Chanyeol chorused, eyes bulging out.

“But no one goes to see them,” Baekhyun stated, sitting up. “What did they say?"

“What did you ask?” Chanyeol asked instead.

 “Just stuff,” Wu Fan vaguely answered. He moved towards the bed and single-handedly pushed the four people off it, Tao first. After four thumps sounded on the floor accompanied with groans, he clambered on and rested his head on the pillows.

“That wasn’t very nice,” Baekhyun stoutly declared, dusting his clothes off. He then climbed onto Chanyeol’s lap, who was more than happy to have him.

“Yeah, and you’re the God of Love,” Kai scoffed.

“I’ve done worse things so I’m not really sorry,” Wu Fan responded with a smile that looked threatening instead of comforting.

“So are you really not going to tell us anything about The Fates?” Chanyeol asked disappointedly. He pouted and Baekhyun just went on and kissed it off his face.

“I’m surrounded by…” Tao trailed off and muttered obscenities under his breath.

“You’re just jealous because you’re single,” Baekhyun stuck his tongue out.

“For like a hundred years now,” Kyungsoo added.

“Will you guys get out of my room?” Wu Fan requested tiredly. “This isn’t a park.”

“The Fates didn’t say anything worrying, right?” Tao then asked, seriously this time. He was by the door.

Wu Fan shook his head. “They didn’t really say much of anything,” he honestly told them. He spotted Chanyeol and Baekhyun getting comfortable on his bed. “Get out. Seriously,” he dictated.

Chanyeol and Baekhyun scampered off and rushed towards the door, leaving after Tao. Kai and Kyungsoo leisurely followed.

“I have to get going, though,” Kai then told Kyungsoo apologetically. “I have some work.” Kyungsoo nodded and smiled as Kai gave him a kiss. He gave an awkward wave to everyone before disappearing.

“What did they really say, Wu Fan?” Kyungsoo inquired as Wu Fan sat on his now empty bed.

“I’m not really sure,” Wu Fan realized.

Φ

“When is this damn rain going to stop?” Jongdae complained, shaking his leg in an attempt to shake off water from his shoes and jeans.

They had just run from the dormitories to the waiting shed to get some rest from the rain. Sehun had clung onto Jongdae the whole time, which made him get the brunt of a lot of splashed puddle water.

“Doesn’t even matter if we bring umbrellas or not,” Sehun whined. “We’ll get wet either way.” He looked up at the sky. “God must be angry at us or something for making it rain so much.”

“It’s just rain,” Luhan patiently told them, brushing off raindrops on his jacket. He was transferring his backpack to the other shoulder when, suddenly, his books fell out, splashing on the ground. Cursing, he bent down the gather his things. Sehun and Jongdae both bent down to help him, but Luhan shooed them. “You guys go ahead. You’re going to be late.”

“But,” Sehun began.

“Sehun,” Luhan insisted, “go ahead.”

Sehun nodded and grabbed Jongdae’s hand. They sprinted into the rain under one umbrella.

Luhan picked up his books and sat down on the bench, putting them on his lap. The covers were wet and the edges had unraveled due to the water. He frowned. It was his last year in university and he’d made sure that all his books were new, paid from his very own pockets. It wasn’t easy working different jobs in order to fund his schooling and now his books were ruined. But, instead of being irritated, he just took a deep breath and started drying them with the small towel that he always had with him.

“You’re going to be late for school.”

Luhan looked up and was only mildly surprised when he saw Wu Fan sitting beside him. He was starting to get used to seeing him randomly. “This is starting to get really creepy,” he commented, raising an eyebrow at him.

“I was here first,” Wu Fan defended himself, looking offended.

“Do you hang out at bus stops now?” Luhan replied amusedly.

Wu Fan ignored his question and nodded towards his books. “You’re going to be late for school,” he repeated. “Just stuff them back in your bag.”

“If I do that, my books will just get even more ruined,” Luhan pointed out. “Books are really expensive these days, you know.”

“Fine,” Wu Fan replied, handing him a light blue cloth. “Just wrap them with this then.”

Luhan stared at the cloth then looked up at him, mirth in his eyes. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he managed to get out.

“I never kid,” Wu Fan stated with a straight face. He shoved the cloth in his hands.

“Is this what you bought at Fate & Destiny last week?” Luhan asked, smiling a little. “You do know that it’s just a shop for mythology fanatics, right? That there’s no such thing as magic, or cloths that dry stuff instantly?”

“You humans have so little faith,” Wu Fan commented with a wry smile. “How you manage to get through life without it is beyond me. Just wrap your books in the cloth. You’re really going to be late now.”

Luhan wrapped his books with the cloth just to make him shut up and put them back in his bag. “Happy?” he teased as he shrugged on his backpack.

Wu Fan gave him a stilted nod. “Do you have an umbrella?” He glanced at the dark sky and bit his lip when Luhan shook his head sheepishly. “Why do you always forget? Where’s the one that we lent you?”

“My friends have it,” Luhan said, looking apologetic. “I’ll give it back to you, okay? I really have to run to class now.” He turned to go, but Wu Fan clamped a hand on his arm.

“Just wait a second,” Wu Fan said.

Luhan stood by the edge of the waiting shed, eyes on the angry sky. Wu Fan, meanwhile, glanced around before his eyes found a girl and a guy seated awkwardly side by side on the other bench, waiting. He shook his head, irritated at what he was about to do, and muttered some words under his breath before two arrows shot towards them. The girl and guy looked up at each other and smiled.

Suddenly, the rain had turned into a light drizzle, the clouds moving to show some rays of the sun.

“Oh,” Luhan exclaimed happily. He turned to Wu Fan with a bright smile, disarming him. “I guess I won’t need to run for it. I’ll see you around.” With that, he left the waiting shed, skipping towards university.

Wu Fan sat back down on the bench, trying to ignore the giggles of the couple he had just helped get together, and watched as Luhan disappear from his sight.

“So this is how Cupid falls in love,” Tao remarked, appearing behind him.

“Shut up,” Wu Fan retorted.

“You can’t tell me to shut up,” Tao said, taking a seat beside him. “I just tampered with time just so that pretty boy won’t be late for class.”

“Yeah yeah,” Wu Fan replied helplessly. He couldn’t help but think it was worth getting teased by Tao just to see Luhan smile at him like that.

“So that towel from Fate & Destiny really does work?” Tao asked in amazement. “I didn’t know that the stuff they sold there were actually useful.”

“They’re not,” Wu Fan agreed. Tao raised an eyebrow. “I had Junmyeon fix it up.”

Tao snorted. “Of course you did.”

Φ

Each raindrop retreated back to the clouds with each smile and glow of happiness that was restored back into Wu Fan. With each moment that he saw Luhan smile and laugh, his doe eyes twinkling with delight, he couldn’t help but feel the warmth within him, couldn’t help but smile and laugh along.

“He’s gone crazy, hasn’t he?” Kyuhyun nudged Sungmin. He nodded towards Wu Fan, who was smiling by himself.

Sungmin looked skeptical then shrugged. “It’s possible,” he concurred.

“Will you two stop it?” Luna shushed them, rolling her eyes. “Wu Fan hasn’t been happy like this in a really long time. Leave him alone.”

“A couple of months isn’t that long of a time so I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kyuhyun corrected her.

“But I’m not talking about a couple of months,” Luna said.

A couple of seats away, she met Taeyeon’s eyes. She was sure that she had heard their conversation. Luna gave her a small, encouraging smile. Taeyeon averted her gaze to look at her brother. He really hasn’t smiled that way in a very long time.

Φ

“How did you do it?” Zhoumi wanted to know, walking in. Chanyeol was currently lighting the candles littering the room on and off with a flick of his hand, while Baekhyun watched with unmasked delight.

“How did I do what?” Baekhyun responded distractedly, blinking when he saw that there was a wreath of perfectly placed flowers Zhoumi’s head.

“The sun is out,” Zhoumi reminded him, hand on hip.

Baekhyun rolled his eyes at Zhoumi’s dramatics and stood up towards the nearest window. He froze and immediately turned back around to face him after confirmation. “The sun is out,” he blurted out. Chanyeol stopped playing around at the sound of Baekhyun’s stunned voice and looked out of the window.

The sun was there, not in full glory, but it was out and shining and bright.

The rain had stopped.

The look on Baekhyun’s face told Zhoumi that the smaller male didn’t have anything to do with the sudden change in weather. “Then who’s responsible for this? How can the sun shine without your—?” His eyes widened.

“Wu Fan.”

Φ

Wu Fan and Luhan met up everyday. The bus stop became a safe haven of sorts for the both of them. Luhan would arrive every morning two hours before his class started and would find Wu Fan there, already waiting for him. They exchanged stories about mirth and melancholy, vivacity and weariness, passion and apathy.

Words exchanged were never enough. Soon, they found themselves talking even long after Luhan’s classes were over, going deep into the night in never-ending stories.

Meanwhile, the sun had begun to shine longer into the day, putting a pause to the rain showers that had aded the earth and the people’s lives. Flowers were blooming in a multiplicity of reds, blues, pinks and purples. Gray had slowly transformed back to orange, with hopes of becoming fully green.

The world had begun to fall in love again.

Φ

“Where are you going?” Taeyeon asked, watching as Wu Fan fussed about his room, putting his jacket on and preparing his bag.

“Earth,” was Wu Fan’s simple answer. “Where else?”

“To do what?” Taeyeon pressed.

“Work,” Wu Fan answered. He stopped when he saw Taeyeon’s worried expression. “What?”

“Just…” she hesitated. They hadn’t talked about what had happened, what she had done. Although she knew that Wu Fan’s anger towards her was starting to dissipate, she wasn’t sure if it was the right time for her to step in again. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” she finally expressed.

Wu Fan dropped whatever it was he had in his hands, grasped both of Taeyeon’s shoulders and looked into her eyes. He searched for whatever it was that she was holding back, whatever it was that she wanted to say but seemingly couldn’t. When he found it, he took a step back.

“You can’t do this to me again,” he said when he finally found his voice. “You can’t.”

“Wu Fan,” she started to speak.

“Taeyeon,” he interrupted. “Why can’t you just be happy for me? Why can’t you leave this alone?”

“I want to be happy for you, Wu Fan,” she asserted, trying to make him see that she was looking out for him. “I want for you to have everything you want. But you have to understand—.”

“What, that he’s human and that I can’t have him?” he angrily interjected. “You can’t just curse everyone I fall in love with.”

“So you are in love with him,” she confirmed, eyes wide.

“You can’t stop me,” he persisted.

“That’s not what I’m trying to do,” she maintained, reaching for his hand.

Wu Fan pushed her hand away and continued preparing to leave. “I’m not going to let you do this to me again, Taeyeon,” he declared. “Not again.”

“But, Wu Fan, you don’t—.”

Wu Fan was gone before she could continue.

Taeyeon stared at the empty space that Wu Fan had previously been standing on. How she wished she could make him understand.

“Taeyeon, you’re making things too hard for yourself,” Qian spoke as she walked into the room. Taeyeon turned to her. Qian’s hair had flowers in it and her baby pink dress sparkled under the rays of the sun, just like everything about her sparkled when spring was in season.

“You don’t understand,” Taeyeon said, an irritated smile on her lips. “None of you have any right to judge me for what I’m doing now or for what I’ve done months ago. Yixing’s life wasn’t in my hands. I didn’t kill him. The Fates decide how long a person has to live so I don’t understand why I’m being blamed for his death. Besides, Yixing didn’t even know the truth about Wu Fan. He didn’t know Wu Fan at all.”

“But you cannot tamper with love,” Qian gently responded.

Taeyeon scoffed. “What do you know about love?” She pointedly gazed at her. “You, who only stay with Kyuhyun because you have to.”

“Love can be learned,” Qian stated in a frown.

“While that may be true,” Taeyeon replied, “I’m telling you that love can’t be forced. It can’t be against a person’s will. It can’t be given under the pretence of a truth.”

“All I’m saying, all everyone wants is for Wu Fan to have a choice in his life, for him to choose who to love,” Qian explained.

“It’s not just Wu Fan’s choice,” Taeyeon elaborated in vexation. “That’s what you’re all forgetting.”

Φ

Luhan flipped through a page in his book, his bottom lip in between his teeth in concentration. He looked so serious and so cute that Wu Fan just wanted to lean forward and kiss him.

“You really give off the stalker vibe when you stare at me like that,” Luhan said, looking up at him.

“But I’m not a stalker,” Wu Fan reminded him.

“Of course not, we’re friends,” Luhan agreed. “Just…you always stare at me, why?”

“I…” Wu Fan wasn’t sure how to explain himself without sounding even creepier.

“It’s like you’re afraid I’m going to disappear any moment,” Luhan added thoughtfully.

“What if I am?” Wu Fan replied jokingly, watching his reaction carefully. If only he knew how close he was to the truth.

Luhan chuckled. “I’m not going anywhere,” he assured him. He then pointed at something in his book. “Cupid, the God of Love,” he voiced out. “Do you think he had a great love story? Being the god who gave love to everyone else, I keep thinking that he had so much love in his life. I mean that’s the only way you could give so much love away in turn.”

“It’s his job to give love to people,” Wu Fan shared before he could stop himself. Luhan’s lips were starting to form a frown so he amended himself, “I mean, it doesn’t have to be that he’s happily in love to be able to give others love.”

“But how can you give something away that you don’t have?” Luhan mused.

“Maybe it’s innate in him,” Wu Fan suggested. “It doesn’t have to be that he’s also in love.”

“That’s depressing,” Luhan sighed. He leaned back on the sofa and pouted. “He’s the God of Love. How can he not be in love? It would be deeply and hurtfully ironic to see everyone falling in love through his hands and him not being able to take part in it. And I would imagine that he’s lived for thousands and thousands of years and to be all alone…”

Wu Fan leaned back on the sofa as well and kept silent. He understood Luhan’s sentiments. He’s lived it all his life. Being immortal was almost, very nearly equated to loneliness. Though there were some gods who found love, there were others who never found it. They seemed powerful, but at the same time, they were also powerless. Love wasn’t something that one just got. It was earned and it was destined and the people who had it were chosen. When he found Yixing, he thought that he finally had it. Now he realized that it just wasn’t meant to be.

“What do you think about immortality?” Wu Fan wanted to know, turning his head to meet his eyes.

“I think it’s very lonely,” Luhan answered honestly. “Why would you want to live forever? Unless there was something you wanted to live for.” He turned to him. “What do you think about it?”

“I think…” Wu Fan slowly began, “that it can be very rewarding when it’s with the right person.”

“Forever is an awfully long time,” Luhan articulated doubtfully.

Φ

The earth was starting to breathe easily. The flowers had never bloomed more beautifully and the sun had never shined so vibrantly. Spring had finally been restored. Butterflies and bees danced with the wind as the scent of love and beauty aded the earth.

Wu Fan laughed as Luhan ran around the park, arms wide open, and the smile on his face even more dazzling than the sun. He glided through the grass, the flowers, the air, as if experiencing something for the first time.

He stopped right in front of Wu Fan. There was a twinkle in his eyes that Wu Fan thought was familiar, but couldn’t really place.

But before he could even begin to figure it out, Luhan’s lips were already on his.

Φ

“Do you know how this is going to end?” Junmyeon pressed Yunho for answers.

“No one ever knows how things are going to end,” Yunho answered vaguely.

The oracle’s globe was something all gods can look into, to watch the world from a distance, to rule from a distance, to care from a distance. The distance is always what made things to difficult. There was a reason why a human was born a human and a god as a god. There was usually no crossing that line, unless a decision was made, a choice.

“You’re right,” Junmyeon sighed. “Because we’re never-ending. We live with everything ceaselessly.”

Φ

“What are you doing?” Luhan blinked up at him.

Wu Fan was tracing Luhan’s face with his fingers. He touched every curve, every crevice, every line of his face; the folds of his eyelids, the flutter of his lashes, the pink smoothness of his lips; the slope of his pert nose, the rosiness of his cheeks, the shape of his ears. It was a memorization of the beauty of Luhan.

“I want to remember everything about you,” Wu Fan said as he leaned down to kiss him. He closed his eyes and inhaled as their lips connected and disconnected, dissecting each other’s taste.

“You don’t have to,” Luhan giggled, wrapping his arms around his neck, his legs around his waist. “You’ll be so sick of my face. We’re going to grow old together.”

Wu Fan hoped that his kiss was enough to show him that he wanted that for them, too.

Φ

“He’s running out of time,” Tao warned them.

“Tao,” Taeyeon frowned at him.

“It’s the truth,” Tao insisted, although he knew how Taeyeon felt. “He should tell him. He should be honest.”

“Do you think he’s going to be?” Sunny wanted to know.

“He’s in love,” Kyuhyun announced. “And people lie when they’re in love, they make excuses.” He looked away when Qian met his gaze.

“Not always,” Kai interjected. “Not everyone does.”

“This is the happiest we’ve seen Wu Fan,” Chanyeol remarked. “The way he was happy with Yixing isn’t even close to how happy he is with Luhan.”

“Wu Fan’s obviously decided,” Junmyeon observed with a deep sigh. “I don’t know why he’s choosing to do this when he knows he can have him.”

“Because he loves him,” Taeyeon enlightened them all. “He knows what will make Luhan happy and he knows it’s not going to be eternity.”

“But if Luhan just knew…” Baekhyun argued.

“Then it’s all up to Luhan,” Tao finalized.

“It’s up to both of them,” Taeyeon corrected him.

Φ

Wu Fan wrapped his arms around Luhan, tightly, but not too tightly. It was always like this, as if he was supposed to hold on, but shouldn’t. Luhan leaned back against his chest and looked up at the sky. The stars were extra bright that night, shining down on them. But, somehow, there was despondency in their illumination, a reverberating cry of melancholia.

Wu Fan breathed in Luhan’s scent as he kissed his hair, his eyes closing on their own accord as the reality of the finality of their moments together beset him.

“You’re leaving me.” And it wasn’t a question. It wasn’t even an accusation. It was a statement of fact and Wu Fan found his heart aching even more because of it.

“I’m not,” Wu Fan promised.

Luhan turned around in his arms to face him, a small smile on his face. Wu Fan kissed him to taste it.

“I’ve always known you were different,” Luhan shared, looking into his eyes. Wu Fan’s eyes reflected the question he wanted to ask. “Look at you,” he continued, lifting his hand to brush his bangs away from his eyes, “so…beautiful, so surreal, so divine. You could have had anyone that you wanted.”

“I want you,” Wu Fan interrupted him, taking his hand and bringing it to his lips.

“Why would you choose to do this to yourself?” Luhan asked softly. “To fall in love with no certainty, to just… fall.”

“We all make choices,” Wu Fan said. “This is mine. You were mine.”

“Are,” Luhan corrected him. “I am yours.” He stood on tiptoe to join his lips to his.

Wu Fan picked him up to hold him impossibly closer. This was the decision, the choice. They both wanted each other, but there were some things that weren’t meant to be at that moment in time. Sometimes it was enough that you loved one another. Sometimes it was enough to know that there was someone in the world who loved you.

“I love you, you know,” Luhan whispered, his words caressing Wu Fan’s lips so tenderly that he wanted nothing more than to give in. “I would do anything you ask me to.”

“And I wouldn’t ask that of you,” Wu Fan denied, biting his lip. “There’s more to you than immortality. You have places to go to. There are things you have to accomplish. There’s a person you’re longing to be. I’m not going to take that away from you.”

Luhan gave him a pleading look, but Wu Fan shook his head. He knew better than to give in. He knew better because if he were given the choice, he would want to know what it was like to live, really live, and die.

“Kiss me,” Luhan pleaded. “Kiss me. We will never be here again.”

And Wu Fan did. For all the love that he had for him, he poured it into that last kiss.

“Yes, we will,” Wu Fan corrected, pulling away to share the promise with him. “Just not yet.”

When time had passed, years of sunrises and sunsets, of seasons changing, love gained and love lost, Luhan and Wu Fan would meet again.

But not yet.


---
1. This was all prompted by me watching Happy Camp and going "O_O Kris is a god"
2. I know there are inconsistencies with actual Greek Mythology, but I fit in everyone the best way I knew how, but the God of Light (Baekhyun) and Goddess of the Moon (Luna) actual are twins, though I never really showed this relationship in the story. Aphrodite (Taeyeon) is supposed to be Cupid's mother, but I didn't want anyone to be mother-son/daughter in this fic, so. But Persephone (Victoria) is actually Hades (Kyuhyun)'s princess/goddess of the underworld.
3. But the story about Cupid feeling angry and heartbroken with Aphrodite is true. This is lifted from the story of Cupid and Psyche. Aphrodite cursed Psyche because she was too beautiful and didn't want her for Cupid and banned Cupid from seeing her. Cupid got angry and the earth did age because no one was mating and falling in love. :D
4. And yeah, if you read greek mythology or if you watched Disney's Hercules, you would know that once you enter the Underworld, you can't get out. If we follow this logic, Wu Fan and Luhan can't actually be together. But since this is my story... LOL. Well, it's up to you how you want to interpret that. :))
5. Comments/questions/suggestions are not required, but welcome. :)