Part 1

            L.Joe stood at his lover’s grave, holding a bouquet of white roses — the symbol of purity.  He set it softly in front of the crumbling stone, practically smothered by some hedges.  L.Joe reached out for the gravestone, touching it gingerly, and let his power course through his veins and towards the stone, feeling his fingertips tingle as the stone slowly renewed itself to a rather new looking one.  A smile tugged at his lips as he traced the letters of the name engraved on it, biting his lower lip when he finished tracing the last letter.

            “Today’s going to be the day, Ricky,” L.Joe said, his voice barely audible.  “Today, you’re coming back to me.  And I’m going to make you immortal before you can go once more.”  Then, with a gentle sigh, he got up and ran a hand through his light pink hair, staring up at the gray sky.  Somewhere above, his lover was waiting patiently, still as young and as beautiful as the day he left the earth.

            A short, dry laugh escaped his lips as he thought about what he and Ricky would do when the younger boy came back to life.  Well, for one thing, Ricky would be amazed by the new technologies in the recent eras and will definitely like to look through all of that.  L.Joe also thought that Ricky would very much love his reunion with Changjo, who’s lover, Niel, had turned him immortal before he could catch the disease that took away L.Joe’s Ricky.

            Now, let’s pause for a moment and explain a little about the characters.  As you may already be able to guess, L.Joe and Niel are not your average humans.  They are, in fact, wizards, and good ones at that, mind you.  Their kind is known for being kind, forgiving, helpful, and also loving.  Once a wizard of their kind falls in love, they never fall out of it until their long lives come to an end.  However, there are explicit cases in which a wizard forgets about his former lover for his true soul mate, but that rarely happened.  Most of the time, wizards like L.Joe and Niel turned their lovers into immortal beings, although by immortal, they meant until the wizard died.

            Now, the humans that fall in love with wizards are born to do just that.  Their main purpose is to love and tend for the wizard, helping them until the end of their time.  Once they meet their wizard — either by accident or on purpose — they cannot end up loving someone else.  That is, unless, as explained before, the wizard and the human aren’t true soul mates.

            Then comes L.Joe.  Why doesn’t he have a lover yet after living over two-hundred years?  That would be what most wizards of his kind would think when they learn about him and his personal life.  L.Joe is a powerful wizard, possibly the most powerful of them all along with his friend Niel and some other one named CAP.  To be completely honest, L.Joe did have a lover.  However, before he could turn his lover immortal, his lover fell ill, and the next day, the human was deceased.

            That brings us to now, and L.Joe, who was so determined to bring back his lover to life, found a way to do so.  Yet, the preparation took many years, and finally, after about fifty years of gathering bits of information, he finally found a way to bring his lover back.  And today was going to be the day.

            “Ahh, why is it raining so hard?” L.Joe grumbled as he ran out of the cemetery.  It had started to rain not too long ago, yet it was pouring buckets on him.  His feet splashed and sloshed through puddles and mud, and a few times his boots got stuck in a rather thick glop of mud.  When he finally reached his mansion, his boots were caked with mud and he was soaked to the bone, although he didn’t feel cold at all.  He just simply snapped his fingers and he was dry again, and his boots were clean as new.

            L.Joe stepped through the oak wood doors, jumping in surprise when he saw Niel and Changjo sitting on the couch, watching some cartoon on TV.  The pink haired wizard scratched his head, approaching the couple on the couch before greeting them with a light wave.  He seated himself next to Changjo, knowing that if he sat to Niel, Changjo would keep glaring daggers at him.  The human was so protective of his wizard lover, although it was supposed to be the other way around.  Rolling his eyes, L.Joe made himself comfortable on the couch before cupping his hands and creating a small ball of light.  When he succeeded, he grinned, letting the ball disappear into thin air before leaning back and watching the cartoon.

            He sat like that for a while, gathering his powers inside himself as his heart started to dance.  His lover, his lovely Ricky, was going to comeback today.  A grin split his face and Changjo glanced at him with a weird look before turning back to the television.  L.Joe got up from the couch, informing the other two that he would be in the work room.

            L.Joe’s work room wasn’t exactly a room.  It was about the size of a storage closet, although perhaps a little larger.  It was crammed with a table, a stove and a shelf, and a whole bunch of spell books and random potions and powders were scattered everywhere.  It was definitely not the neatest, but hey, who keeps a work room clean?  Definitely no one that L.Joe knew of. 

            The wizard walked up to the shelf and tugged out an old book, feeling the familiar rough leather before his hands brushed over some of the gems embedded in the cover.  L.Joe liked older books, because they were a lot fancier and a lot more interesting.  With a soft smile, L.Joe then grabbed some potions and set a pot above the stove, turning on the fire to heat it up a little.  Finally, he set the potions and book on the table, flipping it to a certain page before following the directions written thoroughly on how to bring his lover back to life.

            As he added a pinch of that and a dash of this, L.Joe had no idea that there was someone else on the other side of the same town doing the same exact thing.  He also had no idea that because of that, his plan was slowly starting to become ruined.  So, of course, he continued making the mixture that was supposed to bring back his lover, and then finally created a medium sized ball of light in his hands before dropping it into the bubbling mixture.

            L.Joe stared blankly at it as the contents of the pot started to glow, and a smile split his face when he saw the shape of a human slowly starting to form.  As the minutes wore on, L.Joe slowly became impatient.  He tapped his foot and stared as the shape of the human started to become more defined, and L.Joe found that the shape was a lot skinner and lankier than how he remembered Ricky to be.  Nonetheless, L.Joe grinned.  Ricky was coming back.  That’s all that mattered.

            Then, suddenly, he felt lips crashing against his own and blinked before frowning.  Those lips weren’t Ricky’s.  They didn’t belong to his lover!  L.Joe pushed the human away, frowning while touching his lips.  The human also seemed to be thinking the same thing, because he also pushed L.Joe’s shoulders and pulled away with a frown.  That was when L.Joe noticed what the human that came out of his pot looked like.

            The human had purple hair that was tossed in different directions, cut in short, almost unnoticeable layers.  His face was small and his body was thin, and he was also taller than L.Joe.  The pale skin glowed in the soft light coming from the lantern hanging from the ceiling, and his large eyes just simply stared at L.Joe, confusion showing clearly inside them.  The pink haired wizard was confused, too, but he did know two things.  One, this guy definitely wasn’t his Ricky, and two, this guy was actually rather cute.

            Then the human’s soft, meek voice cut the silence, startling the wizard out of his thoughts.  “Who are you?” the purple haired boy asked, trembling a little.  “Y-you’re not CAP hyung.  Who are you?”

            L.Joe’s ears perked up at the mention of the one wizard he’d heard of but didn’t know personally.  “You...you were CAP’s lover?” he asked cautiously, examining the boy.  “CAP, as in one of the greatest wizards of all time?”

            The purple haired boy’s eyes darted around before he spoke again, his voice trembling.  “Y-yes, I am.  I died before he could make me immortal.  Now, who are you?”  The human stood with his shoulders slumped and his hands balled into his fists at his sides, probably resisting the urge to curl up on the ground and just cry.

            “I’m L.Joe, one of the greatest wizards of all times as well,” the pink haired wizard said in a soft voice.  The last thing he wanted the human boy to do was to scream and cry, because that would mean that Changjo and Niel would barge in, and things would probably get worse. 

            The human boy blinked before saying, “I’m Chunji.”

            L.Joe smiled kindly, showing his pearly white teeth.  “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Chunji.”  Then he scratched his head, his smile faltering.  “Now, where did you come from?  I guess I should send you back and try to bring Ricky back this time....”

            Chunji cocked his head before shaking it furiously.  “No, don’t send me back!  It was terrible there!  It was so boring, and everything was white, and...and....”  The boy trailed off, biting his lip.  “Just...maybe your ‘Ricky’ is at CAP hyung’s place!  Maybe, just maybe, we might be able to find him — er, them — and then we’d be...fine?”  The look Chunji gave L.Joe was too hopeful and kind of cute that L.Joe had to nod in agreement.

            “Okay, but for the time being, you stay in here, okay?  I’ll be right back.”  With that, L.Joe hurried out of the room, leaving Chunji inside the dimly lit area.

            The pink haired wizard quickly walked into the living room, telling his friends to get out of the house.  The obeyed instantly, knowing that if they didn’t, L.Joe would lose it and that wasn’t very nice.  As soon as the two boys left his house, L.Joe went back to his work room to find Chunji about to touch a rather dangerous object.

            “Don’t!” he shouted, using his powers to transport the boy to his side.  “Aish, didn’t your ‘CAP hyung’ tell you not to touch things so ruthlessly?” L.Joe snapped, making sure to hold Chunji’s waist tightly so the human wouldn’t go off and touch another dangerous thing again.

            Chunji pouted, leaning his head back and staring at L.Joe.  “But it seemed interesting,” he said, huffing as L.Joe scowled at him.  “CAP hyung allowed me to touch a lot of things!  Mostly because he made sure to keep everything that’s dangerous out of the house or out of my reach.”

            “Well, my Ricky seems to have been a lot smarter than you,” L.Joe grumbled, tugging the skinny human out of the work room and into the living room.  There, he dropped him onto the couch and the TV, pretty much forcing Chunji to watch the stupid cartoon playing on TV.  “Do you want anything to eat?” the wizard asked, looking through his refrigerator.

            However, Chunji was too absorbed in staring at the TV, his mouth hanging open.  “What...what is this?  It’s amazing!” the human boy squealed, jumping up and down on the couch.  “CAP hyung didn’t have anything like this before!  Wah~!”

            L.Joe stared at the boy from the kitchen as he took out some bread.  He tugged out some vegetables and ham, and made a quick sandwich before he walked back into the living room, handing one plate to Chunji and setting his own one on the coffee table as he took a seat next to the hyper boy.  “When did you, you know, die?” L.Joe asked, amused at Chunji’s reactions.

            Chunji thought for a moment.  “Somewhere near 1900?” he replied, scratching his head.  L.Joe practically choked on his food.

            “What?” the wizard asked.  “And...your wizard lover didn’t bring you back for all this time?”

            “What year is it now?” Chunji asked, frowning. 

            “2013,” L.Joe replied, scratching his head.  “Man, so you’ve basically been ignored for a century or so.”

            Chunji’s jaw dropped and a sad expression crossed his face.  “Mm...,” he murmured, suddenly solemn.  “It’s fine, I’m used to it,” he said for no apparent reason.  He then grabbed a cushion and his sandwich, curling up at the edge of the couch.  “This tastes good,” the human boy added, taking a large bite out of the sandwich.

            L.Joe could only stare as the boy who had been so hyper about a minute ago suddenly fell silent.  “Hey, are you alright?” the wizard asked, staring at the skinny human.  “I’m sorry if I said something wrong.”

            Chunji smiled, his eyes turning into crescents.  L.Joe felt his heart skip a beat.  “It’s fine, really,” the purple haired boy said.  “I tend to have mood swings, though.  I guess you should keep that in mind.”

            The pink haired boy nodded slowly before turning back to the TV.  It was now playing a cartoon about imaginary friends and a boy who put his imaginary friend into a weird foster care place.  It was odd, but it was funny.  Multiple times, L.Joe heard Chunji laughing softly, and he would feel his chest kind of tighten at the sound.  This was wrong, though.  He was only supposed to feel this way for Ricky.  Shaking his head, L.Joe got up, taking his plate to the sink and washing it quickly.  He then turned back to Chunji, who was staring at him.  When their eyes met, the human boy blushed and looked away, finishing the rest of his sandwich before getting up and stumbling over to L.Joe with his plate.

            “Here, I’ll wash it,” L.Joe said, eyeing the human boy.  “You’re interesting,” he murmured, putting the newly cleaned dish on the drying rack.

            Chunji blinked before smiling.  “Thanks, I guess.”

            L.Joe cursed as he felt his cheeks heat up and his chest clench again.  He was supposed to be in love with Ricky — what was Chunji doing to him?

*~*~*

A/N: *sputters* WHY IS THIS SO LONG and I’m not even near done yet, God damn it!  GAHH I hate life, ya know?  Aish, it should be finished in the next chapter...or part two...or whatever rofl.  Yeah I’m not really laughing.  But hey, I MADE A TRIPLE UPDATE D: I mean, those who know will know.  Erm, this is extremely awkward.  I’ll go now.  Thanks for reading!  Please feel free to comment and subscribe~ (in other words, I’m demanding for more subbies and commenters.  At least I’m honest...).