-

 

The climb up the palace stairs is long and tiring, and Luhan is huffing and puffing by the end of it.

 

He stops at the top, and, leaning on an extravagant gold pillar, swipes a hand across his forehead and wipes it off on his shirt, making a face as he does so.

 

“I must be more out of shape than I thought, and you’d think I be used to this by now,” he mutters to himself, straightening up. He looks down at his silken clothes and sighs with annoyance. The arduous trek has apparently also caused little specks of dust to stick to his shirt, and now that he thinks about it, also his face.

 

“This is disgusting.”

 

There’s no way he can show up looking like this to the emperor, so with a long-suffering grimace, he starts to flick off the dust motes one by one. When the majority are finally gone, he smoothes down his shirt, fixes his hair in the pillar’s reflection, and strides up to the two door guards, who have been watching with some amusement.

 

Luhan takes one look at their faces and rolls his eyes. “Shut up. You know how the guy gets. Honestly, he needs some mess in his life.”

 

Now it’s the guards’ turn to roll their eyes as they pull open the gate. When they stand aside, Luhan is treated to the view of opulent, velvet covered hallways and gold flower highlights embedded tastefully in the walls. Long-used to the sight, he only walks confidently down the main hallway, where the emperor’s audience chamber awaits.

 

-

 

“Honestly, Jongdae, get a life. You’re the emperor! There’s so much you could but doing, but instead you just sit here and try to play matchmaker.” Luhan, sitting back casually in a comfortable armchair, faces the emperor, a slim, sharp-eyed man about his age who is currently situated on an uncomfortable looking throne.

 

Jongdae snorts, looking affronted. “First of all, that’s Your Majesty to you, Luhan. Second of all, I don’t try to play matchmaker. I am a matchmaker.” He pauses, trying to remember his point. “And how dare you suggest I don’t have a life? I could have you punished for that!”

 

Luhan only watches with an amused twitch of his lips. “Okay, Jongdae. We both know you’re not really going to punish me. God knows how many times you’ve threatened me with that.”

 

“You’re so aggravating, you know that?” Jongdae groans and slumps back in his chair, only to suddenly bolt upright.

 

“Is that... is that dust?” He looks at Luhan’s shirt with a horrified gaze and tries to subtly inch back.

 

“Yes, it’s dust, Jongdae. I tried my best to clean it off, though I doubt you’ll believe me. But can we get to the point here? I know I’m of marriageable age. I know the girls can’t get enough of me. But I don’t want to marry. Okay?” Luhan tries to make it sound more like a statement than a question.

 

Jongdae, regaining his composure, looks Luhan over carefully. “I get it, Luhan. I really do. But I think it would be good for you. You always seem so lonely all the time, living by yourself and staying shut up in your apartment all day. Don’t you want a companion? It doesn’t even have to be a girl.”

 

Luhan’s expression softens. “Look, I really appreciate you looking out for me, and I know that with your power and position, you could easily find someone for me. But I don’t mind being alone. It’s peaceful and calm, and I can do whatever I like. I would prefer a guy, in case you were wondering. But most of all, I would prefer no one.”

 

He runs a hand up and down the soft velvet covering the arm rests, keeping his gaze on his feet.

 

Jongdae watches him pensively. “Well, okay, then. I don’t want to force you into anything you don’t want to do. I just really want you to be happy. I hope you know that.”

 

Luhan looks up now, sensing defeat in Jongdae’s tone, and smiles gently. “Yeah, I know. And I’m really thankful.” He stands up and hugs Jongdae, who hugs him back, momentarily forgetting about the dust.

 

“Well, I guess it’s about time for me to go.” Luhan says. “Bye, Jongdae.”

 

“Bye, Luhan.”

 

Luhan heads for the exit, stopping to wave, and is soon out of sight. Jongdae just waves back with a sigh, a smile lingering on his lips, as he watches the lonely boy walk away.

 

-

 

The door opens with a light tinkle as a young dark haired man walks in. Sehun looks up from his position behind the counter and welcomes him briefly, but the man only murmurs a soft ‘hello’ in response, already engrossed in the shelves of interesting paraphernalia. As Sehun watches, he wanders among the stacks aimlessly, touching this, looking at that. It’s clear he’s been here before, though Sehun doesn’t remember seeing him.

 

Seeing that his help will not be needed, Sehun looks back down at his book and continues reading. It’s only when a soft, embarrassed cough sounds right in front of him that he realizes the man, who has slightly feminine features, is standing right in front of him holding a music box, looking flustered and staring at Sehun’s silver hair.

 

“Oh,” Sehun mutters. “Sorry. Did you need anything?”

 

The customer clears his throat and redirects his gaze from Sehun’s hair to his face. “Yeah. I’m interested in this,” he says, holding up the music box. “It doesn’t have a price tag attached, though. Would you happen to know how much it is?”

 

In fact, Sehun doesn’t know, but with all the years he’s been working here, he can probably give it a fair price.

 

“Let me check for you. It’ll be just a second.”

 

He slips off his chair and takes the box, handling it delicately between long, slender fingers. This music box features a young boy on a pedestal cradling a star in his outstretched palms. It’s funny, but he’s always liked this particular one. He’ll be sad to see it go.

 

“Can you show me where you found this?”

 

The man nods, pointing to a shelf directly on the opposite side of the room. Sehun frowns.

 

“I wonder how it got there? We usually keep our music boxes on a different shelf.” He hands the box back.

 

“Well, I don’t see the price written anywhere, but this should be about 150 yuan.”

 

The man looks startled. “150 yuan?”

 

“Yes,” Sehun says. “I know it’s a bit pricey, but it’s a lovely piece. Will you be taking it?”

 

He looks regretfully at the box, but to his surprise, the customer shakes his head. “No, I’m sorry. I would like to, since this is just the sort of thing I love, but I’m afraid it’s a bit too much. Maybe I’ll be back for it one day.”

 

Sehun nods doubtfully. “Maybe.”

 

The customer replaces the box, gaze lingering sadly on it, and then leaves the shop with another accompanying tinkle. Within seconds, Sehun is back at his book again.

 

-

 

To Luhan, the water lily garden is most beautiful at night. He likes to come when the moon is already late in the sky, because that way he can be all alone. He’s alone at home, too, but this is a different kind.

 

Technically, he’s not supposed to, but Luhan always sits down, kicks off his shoes, and dangles his feet just above the water. Besides, if he ever gets caught, he can always depend on Jongdae to get him out of it.

 

The lilies are most popular during the day, where flocks of foreigners come see them, but it’s at night when the moonlight makes the petals luminous with her pearl touch.

 

He sighs happily and gets up, slowly putting his shoes back on and basking in the serenity of the moment. Once he’s done, he ambles down the path to his apartment in no particular hurry.

 

As he approaches the edge of the garden, though, his eyes crinkle in confusion. There’s a dark figure slumped on one of the stone benches. And it’s not that Luhan dislikes other people being in the garden so late. It’s just that he’s never met anyone else who stays as late as he does.

 

When he’s closer to the bench, he sees that it is indeed a person. The guy is hunched over, head in his hands. It’s his hair that really stands out, though, because it’s bright silver, the color Luhan imagines stardust to be. Luhan’s only seen hair like that once, and he’s fairly certain this is the store worker he met in the little trinket shop who seemed really uninterested in everything.

 

Luhan sighs. As much as he’d like to get home and settle into bed with a nice book, it’s clear that this guy needs help, so he plops himself down next to the man and taps him on the shoulder.

 

“Hey, Silver-hair, are you okay?”

 

Silver-hair looks up. His face briefly expresses recognition at Luhan’s face, but quickly settles back into its disinterested self.

 

“Actually, I’m not,” he says flatly. “And my name is Sehun, not Silver-hair.”

 

At least Luhan has something to work with now. “Okay, Sehun. What’s wrong, then?”

 

Sehun grimaces. “I usually wouldn’t tell a complete stranger-”

 

“Hey! We met once!”

 

Sehun ignores him and continues. “-but I’ve been kicked out by my landowner for showing up drunk last night and disturbing her kids. So, if you don’t mind, I really need a place to stay.”

 

“Um,” Luhan blinks, “are you asking to stay at my apartment? Because forget what I said before, we are total strangers, and I don’t like when people get drunk, and also I’d like to know the reason you were drunk? Because if it’s a normal thing, then my answer is definitely no.”

 

Sehun groans and hides his face in his hands again. “I don’t get drunk usually, I promise. But I can’t tell you the reason. It’s... a long story.”

 

Luhan considers.

 

“Okay. You can stay over. As long as,” he waves a finger threateningly, “this isn’t a permanent thing.”

 

Sehun looks up in surprise. “Wait, really? Look, I’m really sorry. I don’t want you to do this just because you feel pity for me, or you feel like you have to. And it would only be for maybe a couple weeks, maximum. Just until I get a new place to stay.”

 

“It’s really alright, though.” Luhan pats his shoulder consolingly. “And I’m assuming you still have that job at the shop, so it’s not like we’ll be seeing each other much anyways. I do have one condition, though.”

 

“What is it?” Sehun asks, eyes wary.

 

“One day, you have to tell me your story.” Luhan ignores Sehun’s flinch. “Can we please go now?”

 

Sehun stares at the ground for a second, eyes hard and filled with an unexpressed emotion, and then stands up.

 

“Okay. I agree.”

 

-

 

Sehun can’t believe Luhan’s lifestyle. Luhan, apparently, sleeps at about three every night - or wait, morning. When Sehun gets back from work, Luhan still looks dozy, and there have actually been times when Luhan is still asleep. It’s like he lives in a whole different time from everyone else, one that’s shifted over a couple hours.

 

Sehun’s original fears about intruding on Luhan turn out to be unfounded, and have for the most part gone away, since there aren’t really any chances for him to intrude. He gets up early, makes himself a small breakfast, and then cleans up completely. That’s another thing he’s found out: judging from the lack of real food in the cabinets, Luhan evidently survives on instant ramen and unhealthy snacks.

 

Sehun can’t figure out what Luhan does, either, as he doesn’t have a job or anything even remotely close to a job. It appears that he just stays home the whole day, occasionally takes walks late at night, and repeats the cycle the next day.

 

He’s intrigued to find, though, that scattered all around Luhan’s apartment are pretty trinkets and random pieces of interesting junk. Sehun can see why Luhan would have wanted the music box.

 

-

 

Luhan is pleasantly surprised to realize that Sehun’s presence has no effect at all on his own life. As promised, Sehun does not ever come home drunk, though Luhan has yet to hear the elusive story from him. By the time he gets up in the morning, Sehun has already left for work. When Sehun gets back, they’ll eat a quick, informal dinner together in silence. Sehun will head off to bed shortly after, and Luhan will stay up doing whatever he does.

 

It suits Luhan quite well, as he prefers to just pursue his interests alone; namely, reading and sleeping. Jongdae provides quite willingly for his good-natured, solitary friend, and Luhan is happy with what he has.

 

It’s only during Sehun’s second week in residence that Luhan starts to feel a little bad for neglecting his guest, even if Sehun did sign up for it himself, so he resolves to take Sehun out for tea when the weekend arrives.

 

-

 

On Saturday, Sehun wakes up to Luhan’s cheerful face, which he can just make out through bleary eyes.

 

“Rise and shine!” Luhan trills. “We’re going to do stuff today!”

 

Sehun groans and buries his face in his pillow. “What time is is? And are you actually up early for once? I don’t believe this.”

 

“Well,” Luhan begins, looking at the clock, “It’s about noon right now, so it’s not too early, to be honest. You must have slept later than usual, to be tired, since you’re usually up so early. I might be able to sleep a lot, but I can wake up early when I want to.” He finishes with an affronted look, wrinkling his nose.

 

“Now let’s go!”

 

So, feeling like he owes it to his host, Sehun drags himself reluctantly out of bed and gets dressed. Luhan is already waiting by the door and humming a disgustingly cheerful song. Sehun groans again.

 

-

 

The place Luhan brings them to turns out to be a quaint little tea shop set near the edge of the city. The dark red veneer wall panels and traditional atmosphere all make for a peaceful and warm atmosphere, one that Sehun enjoys. Currently, he and Luhan are chatting casually over steaming cups of chrysanthemum tea.

 

“This place is surprisingly nice,” Sehun remarks.

 

Luhan beams. “It is, isn’t it? I found it when I was taking a short night time walk.”

 

Sehun’s face becomes thoughtful. “It reminds me of older times... the way the whole shop is arranged, and the decorations, and the tea. It’s a really homey feeling. I... like it a lot. Thank you for bringing me here.”

 

Luhan studies Sehun’s face. He can’t quite put his finger on why, but somehow Sehun seems distantly sad.

 

“I’m glad you like it. We can come here more often, if you’d like, on the weekends. I must apologize, I’ve been a terrible host. I’ve never really had anyone live with me before, is all.”

 

Sehun smiles, but once again, he seems to be far away. “I’d like that, and there’s no need to apologize.”

 

They finish the rest of their tea in silence, and just before they leave Luhan finally gathers up the courage to ask Sehun a question.

 

“Sehun, are you alright? For some reason, when you mentioned the shop, you seemed kind of sad, almost.” He hesitates. “Does this have anything to do with, you know, your long story? Because I’d still like to hear it, if you don’t mind.” Luhan waits tensely for the reply, but sags when Sehun shakes his head.

 

“Sorry, Luhan. I know I promised you I’d tell. But I can’t. Not now, at least.”

 

Luhan lets it go. “Okay. Well, we still have some time to kill. I’d like to visit the library for some new books, if you don’t mind. It’s been a while since I’ve been there.”

 

“I don’t mind at all,” Sehun replies. He gestures to the street. “Go ahead.”

 

-

 

It turns out that Luhan completely forgets the time in the library, and it’s only when he looks up from his book as night is falling that he realizes how long they’ve been there.

 

He finds Sehun sitting in the corner, staring at the rising moon.

 

“Sehun,” he exclaims, “I’m so sorry! I got completely lost in my book. Let me just get this one and we can go.” At Sehun’s nod, he hurries off to get the book stamped.

 

Once they’re back outside in the crisp night air, Luhan turns and faces Sehun seriously.

 

“Have you ever been on a walk during dusk?” He gasps when Sehun shakes his head.

 

“Okay, we have to go on one right now, then! We’ll just walk back to the apartment but you’ll get the full experience. It’s really nice.” He flashes Sehun a smile, which Sehun returns, and then they set off.

 

The walk is a thing scattered with bursts of Luhan chattering away and sudden silences. Although Sehun listens, he’s worried about something else, so when they’re almost at the apartment he puts a hand on Luhan’s shoulder.

 

“Luhan,” Sehun starts slowly, “I’m afraid I’m being a burden to you. I was looking around last week, and I found some suitable apartments. I think it might be time for me to move out.”

 

Luhan opens his mouth and then closes it, then opens it again.

 

“Sehun, I’m really sorry if it came across that way, but you’re not being a burden at all! I’d really like you to stay longer, if it’s possible. Look,” he continues desperately, “if it’s my nosiness that’s putting you off, I’ll stop asking you about your life. It’s your own business and I shouldn’t have made that a requirement of moving in, that was horrible of me.”

 

Luhan isn’t sure why he wants Sehun to stay so badly, but he suddenly realizes that he does. Sehun is kind and wonderful and doesn’t try to change Luhan’s lifestyle. He’s sufficiently independent to have his own interests and isn’t clingy at all. It’s nice to have someone else in the house, and he groans internally when he realizes that Jongdae was probably spot-on about him being lonely all along. He could use someone else in his life.

 

That bastard Jongdae’s always right, isn’t he? I should listen to him more.

 

Sehun is quiet for a really long time.

 

“It’s not anything about you, Luhan.” He sighs, sticks a hand in his pocket. “I really just don't want to be a bother. But I think it’s time for you to hear my story. You deserve to know it, anyways.”

 

“Sehun, you don’t have to-”

 

“It’s fine,” he cuts off. “I want you to know. It’s only fair if I’m going to be staying with you longer.”

 

Luhans face almost breaks out into a grin when he hears the last part, but he manages to restrain it as Sehun takes a deep breath and begins.

 

-

 

I was twenty years old, a hot-headed youth that thought I could do anything. I was always looking for trouble, looking for ways to prove myself doing reckless things... my family was very well-to-do, and they kept me on a loose rein, so I did whatever I wanted. There was a girl, a pretty young thing that I was convinced I was in love with. Thinking back now, I can’t fathom why. She had a nice face but was a perfect airhead, always talking about what she had worn the other day, and what she wanted to wear the next. I can’t even remember her name. She twisted me around her little finger, there’s no doubt about it. She was never deceitful or malicious in the least, and I doubt she was even aware of doing it; it’s just that she always turned me down and told me she was only looking for the bravest man who could prove himself to her. So one day, I slipped into her room at night and told her I was off to explore and bring something magnificent back for her. She clapped her hands in delight and sent me off with her blessings. I never saw her again.

 

I had this fantastical notion that I would come back a couple months later completely changed, and she would love me right away. I started at the edge of the city and worked my way out... it was much tougher than I had imagined it would be. There was old magic roaming the wild, changeling beasts... strange sorcerers and spirits. I couldn’t find anything suitable for a young girl, but I was a fool, I wouldn’t give up. One day, when I was exploring the old marshes and swamps, I wandered right into a huge palace, just in the middle of nowhere. It was breathtaking, but I should have known that anything as beautiful as that in the wilderness couldn’t be anything good. I went inside, anyways. The door was unlocked and the castle seemed empty, so I decided to look around. I went around every room, but I still couldn’t find anything that was ‘just right’. But when I tried to leave, the door was locked...

 

I stayed the night in the palace, but the next morning, I was still trapped. And then the witch showed herself to me. She had eyes of the deepest purple you can imagine, and long black hair that fell to her waist. She was beautiful and fair, and introduced herself to me as the Violet Witch, though she asked that I call her ‘my lady’. She was more than willing to let me stay, though I never realized until it was too late that she wanted me to stay forever. She would never let me go outside, only look at me with those sad purple eyes  and ask if I loved her. I think, perhaps, that I loved her once, but only briefly, as the morning dew fades. She told me over and over again that she loved me... she showered me with gifts and luxuries and insisted I take them all... but I never gave her what she really wanted, and she could tell that I only wanted to leave and go home to a girl that was waiting for me, a girl I loved instead of her. I regret the way I treated her, but after what seemed like months I started begging her to let me leave, and if not that then at least to let me look out the window and see the sky. At first, she would distract me with some magical trinket, but near the end I think she was so heartbroken that it hurt her to see me hurting.

 

So finally, one day, she unlocked the door. She could never completely let me go, though, for as I left she looked at me sadly, and telling me that she loved me one last time, cast a curse on me, so that I might never love another. I felt a great pain in my heart, and put my hand to my chest, and it was still warm and beating, but I knew something had changed. And then she shut the door... and I was free. When I looked back, the palace had disappeared...

 

At the time, I didn’t think much of it. After months, I was finally heading back home. On the way back, I picked up a pretty unicorn horn that I found in the mud and polished it. It was perfect for the girl. When the city finally came in view, a great sense of elation filled my chest, and I hurried forward, aching to see everything, everyone...

 

But it was all different. I couldn’t find anyone; not my old friends, not my parents, not the girl who set me on that fateful journey. The streets were different, the shops had all changed. The worst part was when I finally nerved up enough and asked someone the date. I was starting to suspect something horrible, but it couldn’t be true, it was not possible...

 

But it was.

 

One hundred fifty years I spent trapped in the Violet Witch’s palace, and yet it seemed only to be a few months. I hadn’t aged at all, but my friends and family had all passed away. There was nobody I knew... there were new scientific advances, new pieces of technology... the current emperor was the grandson of the one from my time... and then, when I realized the true meaning of the spell the witch had cast, that I should never love... I felt queerly as if I was detached from the world and only watching as a devastated young man returned home at long last to find the worst thing waiting for him, nothing.

 

I would be alone, forever.

 

-

 

It’s already three in the morning, but Luhan knows the light in Sehun’s room will still be on.

 

Luhan lies in bed and stares up at the ceiling. Sehun’s given Luhan a piece of himself that Luhan can’t ever really return, but only keep safe. And now, when the seemingly simple story behind Sehun getting drunk is finally told, Luhan can’t believe how layered, how complex, it turned out to be.

 

Sehun hates pity, but Luhan can’t help himself from feeling it as he tries to imagine how alone Sehun must have been.

 

“It’s been a couple years since then... I picked myself up, somehow, and carried on living. I got that job at the store and a small apartment... but the day you found me was the anniversary of my disastrous home-coming. I gave in and started drinking... it was stupid of me, but everything I’ve ever done has been stupid.”

 

How cruel, then, that the only person that’s ever made Luhan happy can never love another back.

 

-

 

Luhan takes Sehun out frequently for walks now, in the misty mornings and the veiled dusks.

 

-

 

When Luhan finally wanders into the kitchen at four in the afternoon, Sehun is sitting at the table and waiting, a smile curling up on his lips.

 

“What?” Luhan yawns, rubbing his eyes. “Aren’t you used to this by now?”

 

“I am,” Sehun replies evenly, “which is why I thought ahead and made dinner for us instead of breakfast like I was planning to. You really need to stop eating instant ramen.”

 

“What’s wrong with instant ramen?” Luhan sits down at the table and starts to shovel fried rice into his mouth.

 

“Mmph! This is, hmph, this is good! Thanks!” He sits back and burps happily, food gone within seconds.

 

Sehun snorts and rolls his eyes.

 

“No problem.”

 

“So...” Luhan questions, “why did you make breakfast for me? Because usually you don’t mind at all if I stuff myself with junk instead.”

 

“Well,” Sehun starts, “I wanted to talk.”

 

“About what?”

 

“About you, actually.”

 

Luhan tilts his head, confused. “What is there to talk about? I’m the most mediocre person ever.”

 

“You’re not mediocre,” Sehun assures him. “I’ve never met anyone else who collects all these little things.” He gestures to clutter of trinkets that has accumulated over the years.

 

“But I’ve noticed that you always seem unhappy. I don’t mean plain, obvious unhappy. You’re actually very bright and cheerful. What I mean is,” he pauses, frustrated. “Ugh. It’s hard to describe. It’s almost as if you have a thin covering of paint over you, and it’s slowly being scratched away. You’re happy when you’re reading and whatnot, but never completely. Do you know what I mean?”

 

Luhan reflects on this meditatively. “A bit. If you mean always feeling a bit blue, that’s true, I suppose. It’s very vague. But I’ve never really noticed it until you brought it up just now.”

“That’s what I thought,” Sehun mutters. “It worries me.”

 

“There’s no need to worry,” Luhan answers, waving it off. “It’s hardly even noticeable.”

 

“Alright...”

 

-

 

After the last customer of the day makes his purchase and departs, Sehun stands and stretches his stiff, tired body. When he glances into the back room and catches the store owner’s eyes, he gets waved off with a nod.

 

As soon as he steps out onto the street, the busy noise and bustle of the city surround and wreathe around  him, and he closes his eyes and breathes in everything before setting off resolutely.

 

He’s halfway to the apartment when a silent seizure of dread grows slowly and overtakes him. A secret place in his heart darkens as he’s suddenly struck with the feeling that she is watching.

 

Sehun quickens his pace.

 

This terrible feeling I’m getting... can it really be her? What does she want from me, after all these years?

 

...No, no. It can’t be.

 

But then he’s home, and as the cheery orange light spills out from the doorway and chases away the shadows of his past, Luhan is already welcoming him back.

 

-

 

The Violet Witch is quickly forgotten in the laughs and instant ramen of that night, but for the next few days, Sehun sees sad purple eyes everywhere: on the walls, in his food, and once even when Luhan looks at him. He falls into bed exhausted from looking over his shoulder repeatedly, but doesn’t fall asleep until the sky is starting to lighten.

 

Luhan asks him if he’s okay, but he doesn’t know what to say.

 

It’s only when he comes home one evening and finds a quiet, melancholy Luhan sitting next to the window and gazing out that he realizes it’s time.

 

-

 

“Luhan, how would you like to go away to somewhere else?” Sehun brings up the question late at night, when Luhan is just finishing up his book.

 

“You mean to another city? What’s the point in that?” Luhan lies down on his bed and hugs a pillow, burying his face in it.

 

“No, I mean...” Sehun stops and curls his hand around the pale orb in his pocket.

 

“What?”

 

“To a different time, Luhan.”

 

-

 

“You’re sure this will work?”

 

Luhan inspects the orb carefully, running his nails across the pinkish veins that criss-cross it like so many abandoned railroads.

 

“Yes.”

 

Luhan hands the orb back and faces Sehun.

 

“This wasn’t in your story.”  His tone is flat, unquestioning.

 

“No, it wasn’t,” Sehun replies evenly. “I’m sorry for that. This orb brings back memories I would rather not relieve. To this day, I wonder why I have kept it when it only reminds me of the the Violet Witch and her tragic, hopeless attentions.”

 

“Are you sure there isn’t anything else you left out? Maybe, for example, a trinket that can bring back the dead? Because it sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? Just as ridiculous as a small orb that can bring us forward in time.”

 

Sehun sighs when he hears the hurt in Luhan’s voice.

 

“Please forgive me. I didn’t think it was necessary to share this with you. After all, I’ve haven’t told anyone else even my real story. This,” he says, looking bitterly down at the small sphere, “was just incredibly personal.”

 

Luhan lets out a slow breath, and Sehun knows he’s forgiven.

 

“Okay. I’m sorry for being so nasty.”

 

Sehun shakes his head. “There’s no need to apologize. It was unfounded of me to keep it from you.”

 

Luhan scoots over and puts a gentle hand on Sehun’s shoulder.

 

“I’m curious as to why you chose to bring this up now, though. You’ve seemed twitchy and tired for the past week. Is this related?”

 

“Yes...” Sehun admits. “I was coming back from work, and I had this familiar, horrible feeling - like the Violet Witch was closing in on me, coming to take me back. I say familiar, because, well, the presence was undeniably hers. I recognized it right away.”

 

Luhan bites his lip worriedly as Sehun continues.

 

“The other reason is that I think you would be happier in a different time. It’s been getting worse, hasn’t it? The sadness?”

 

“As much as I hate to admit it,” Luhan sighs, “yes. It’s so strange and queer. I don’t know where it’s coming from, or why, but I always feel weighed down with heaviness, and I feel as if never want to do anything again.”

 

“How do you feel now?”

 

“Better, because you’re with me... it helps having someone to talk to.”

 

Sehun feels an uncharacteristic twinge in his heart at these words.

 

“Do you agree, then? That we should go?”

 

Luhan hesitates, then nods.

 

“I guess there’s no reason not to. If we could get away from her and it’s a better place for me, I don’t see why not.”

 

Now it’s Sehun’s turn to put a hand on Luhan’s shoulder.

 

“I don’t want you to agree just because I’m asking. I’m know how much I’m asking of you. Unlike myself, you have friends, family... people you care about. I would understand if-”

 

But Luhan cuts him off.

 

“No, let’s do it. Let’s do it now.”

 

Luhan runs around collecting some personal belongings, and then holds Sehun’s hand as they stamp down on the pale orb and crush it into smithereens together.

 

-

 

Sehun’s favorite thing in the world is watching Luhan open up the shop. Luhan will wake up early, head down below, and throw open the curtains just in time to greet the sun with a broad smile. He’ll bustle around making everything neat and clean and attractive, and when Sehun gets back with the fresh flowers he always knows exactly how to arrange them so that they’re perfectly beautiful. The little personal effects - a pretty welcome sign that greets customers, the little brass plaques scattered on the walls that teach the language of flowers - they always bring smiles to the customers’ faces.

 

Sehun will look around their small, lively flower shop, and he’ll know each time that it was the right decision coming here. Luhan took to the modern day right away, and it was as if Sehun had put a wilting flower in the water; Luhan had never bloomed so brightly before.

 

It was different for Sehun, too, because as Luhan fell in love with cell phones and broad avenues and sandy beaches, Sehun fell in love as well.

 

It was a warming of his heart that began the day he met Luhan.

 

He may never know how Luhan broke the spell, but he doesn’t mind if he’s kept wondering forever, because finally, finally, he’s content.

 

-

 

“Sehun!” Luhan calls up from below. “I’ll be out for a bit to get dinner. Be back soon!”

 

“Okay!”

 

Sehun waits until he hears the door shut close, and then hurries into the living room and peers into the second shelf of the bookcase. After he moves around some books and figurines, the object of desire, previously hidden away, comes into view.

 

The music box is just the same as it was centuries ago, albeit with a couple more scratches and marks. But the tinkling tune still plays just as well, and the boy that holds the star has remained untouched by time.

 

Sehun carefully brushes away the fine dust layering the top and looks at the box with a fond smile.

 

He can’t believe that the same trinket shop has endured all the way to the present day. It’s a bit different now, a tourist place selling souvenirs, but amazingly, the box was sitting under a pile of solar-powered keychains and Sehun had bought it right away.

 

The woman at the counter was a bit sad to see the box go, but she told Sehun all the same that she was glad somebody was buying it. Apparently, it dated way back.

 

Sehun’s had the box for quite a while now, and it always sets his heart beaming when he realizes that today is the day he’s going to give it to Luhan as a token of trust, and friendship, and most of all, love.

 

The box is a suitable substitute for a ring; even better, considering the meaning behind it, and he knows Luhan won’t mind at all.

 

Sehun can’t wait for the moment he and Luhan will finally belong to each other.

 

“I love him,” Sehun whispers.

 

“You love him,” says a sad voice from behind.

 

He freezes, and slowly, slowly, turns around.

 

The Violet Witch stands there in her rags of black and purple and looks at Sehun with such an expression in her heartbroken eyes that he is reeling with guilt in the next moment.

 

“You...” Sehun breathes.

 

“Me,” she replies simply.

 

“I was a fool.”

 

“You were a fool,” she agrees, “to think you could ever run away from me, forget about me, leave me behind. I was always watching. And after all I did for you, this is what I received in return.”

 

Sehun takes a step forward, voice trembling with anger. “After all you did for me? You promised that I would never love again! And when I was finally free, I had nobody left because of those wretched, miserable years I spent with you.”

 

“You wouldn’t love me back,” she says plaintively, as if she were a child. “In the end, I let you go, though it hurt so much. But you were hurting more, thinking about your girl and your life back in the city.”

 

“Why didn’t the spell work?” she continued. “It should have kept you safe from anyone else. But this boy you love now, he broke it. I don’t know how. But it’s not fair. I love you, Sehun. Is it so hard to feel the same way towards me?”

 

“...I’m sorry,” Sehun whispers, and he means it. “Believe me, I wish I did.”

 

“But you don’t,” she sighs, and Sehun is shocked to see a tear sliding down her cheek. He has never seen the Violet Witch cry before.

 

“I don’t.” he replies sadly. “I don’t.”

 

“I’m sorry for this,” she chokes, and now she’s openly crying as tear after tear makes her skin slick and shiny. “I have to do it. You don’t understand.”

 

And before Sehun can even comprehend what’s happening, she raises her palm, and, directing it at Sehun, whispers a few quiet words.

 

Sehun only sees a dizzying swirl of pale light that spirals towards him and encircles him completely, and in the next moment he’s surrounded by a whirling confusion of dim laughter and distant, smiling faces, and all around, the pale light...

 

-

 

When the vortex of light fades away, there’s only the small music box sitting on the table, only instead of a young boy holding a star, it’s a young man with a thoughtful expression, cradling a heart in his cupped palms.

 

The Violet Witch looks at the music box expressionlessly, and finishes with a tone now quite flat and distant.

 

“You will come to understand, though. I promise you that, because you will still be able to see and hear everything your love says and does. You’ll watch as he falls in love with someone new, as he brings her home and kisses her and maybe even marries her. But you’ll never talk to him again. I made a mistake before, giving you the chance to fall in love, and I won’t do it again. This spell... it’s truly unbreakable.”

 

She smiles sadly.

 

“Goodbye, Sehun.”

 

-

 

The door opens with a click, and Luhan bounds into the house excitedly, holding a bag of takeout in one hand and a DVD case in the other.

 

“Sehun? I went to your favorite restaurant for takeout. And, I got a copy of our favorite movie! We can watch Sophie change from an old lady back into a girl again.”

 

He takes the stairs two at a time, chattering on happily.

 

“I’ve never understood why you loved Howl so much though, I really prefer Calcifer...”

 

Luhan trails off as he realizes Sehun hasn’t answered yet.

 

“Sehun?”

 

Luhan frowns, puts the bags and DVD down, and goes into the living room, which is conspicuously empty.

 

“Where is he?”

 

Luhan notices the music box, and with wide, disbelieving eyes, approaches it and runs a finger lightly down the side.

 

“This... this is that beautiful old music box I never ended up getting... that was the first time I met Sehun.”

 

His brows furrow as he stares at the figure.

 

“It looks a bit different, though. Wasn’t it a little boy holding a star, before?” He pauses, thinking hard, and then grins bashfully.

 

“Oh, I’m so stupid. Of course this isn’t the same one. It’s been years, my imagination is doing strange things. Sehun probably saw that it looked similar and bought it for old times’ sake.”

 

Luhan can’t help wondering hopefully if it’s for him, but he shakes the thought off. He needs to find the man in question first before he’ll know.

 

He searches the whole apartment, but Sehun is nowhere to be found.

 

Finally, with a sigh, he gives up and falls down dramatically onto the sofa. Sehun probably had to suddenly go out for something; it’s happened before. He’ll be back soon and then they can watch the movie together.

 

But on the countertop behind him, the figure in the music box watches quietly and holds the precious heart close.

 

-