there’s something about the way the waves crash into the shore as the sun rises from them that makes sehun feel oddly at peace. he doesn’t know why but he always finds himself on the beach at some ungodly hour in the morning, waiting for the sunrise. when it’s over, he drags himself back into his house, which rests just on the edge between civilization and ocean, and crawls back into bed to sleep a few more hours.

 

sehun had moved to this quiet beach town years ago, when he was 18. he’s 21 now, and having the time of his life. the bright lights of seoul had been pretty, but the city moved too fast for him; he preferred to meander through the flow of people, pondering his existence. sehun steadfastly believed that there was no place for him in that flood, where everyone was in a race against time. so he packed up his bags, got on a bus, and left the day after his high school graduation.

 

he’s never regretted his decision.

 

here, he can see the twinkle of stars, blinking at him once the sun sets. he can hear the crashing of waves against the shore, reminding him that there’s always something else out there. he knows that if he walks into any store in the town square, he will always be greeted by a familiar face. everyone knows each other here, and it’s a breath of fresh air from seoul, where he always felt like he was struggling to remain afloat in a sea of strangers.

 

like all other beach towns, this small town relies on tourism. sehun helps out at the smallest inn; he doesn’t earn much, but he’s content. during those months where business is slow, he spends his time on the beach, strolling through the waves.

 

life trickles by, just how he likes it.

 

april 12

 

sehun blinks away the sleep from his eyes and rolls out of bed. it’s still dark outside the window, and the rattling glass lets him know that it’s storming outside. he sighs but shrugs off his pajamas anyways, changing into warm clothes. he stuffs his feet inside a pair of boots and throws on a raincoat. pushing open his back door, he traipses out onto the sand, revelling in the feeling of raindrops pitter-pattering against his face.

 

today’s sunrise is a lonely affair, the sun barely visible from behind the dark thunderclouds. the ocean is restless this morning, the waves bigger and the crashes louder than they normally are. sehun sighs. “happy birthday to me,” he whispers before turning to make his way back indoors.

 

before he starts the trek up to his house, he spots what appears to be a pile of plastic bags amid a mass of seaweed. “look what the storm brought in,” he sighs before walking over to pick the trash up. he never did like it when people littered.

 

as he nears the lump, though, it soon becomes clear that it is not a pile of plastic bags, but a human being. he quickens his steps and stops at the unconscous man’s side. he’s dressed in all white, has pale skin, and even has white hair. sehun cautiously prods him in the chest and falls over when the man groans and raises a hand to rub at his eyes.

 

“oh, hello!” the man greets brightly, as if it were perfectly normal to spend the night on the beach in the middle of a storm. the raindrops don’t seem to bother him, and the waves lap at his bare feet.

 

“hi,” sehun says slowly.

 

“i’m luhan!” he smiles, pushing himself up into a sitting position. “who are you?”

 

“sehun.”

 

“hi sehun! where am i?” luhan blinks owlishly as he observes his surroundings.

 

“uh, korea... how much did you have to drink last night?” sehun asks.

 

“drink? i didn’t drink anything,” luhan says.

 

“where are you from, then?” sehun tries again.

 

“the ocean! i’m normally sea foam, but for my birthday, i’m allowed to spend time on land.”

 

“okay,” sehun replies. he sits and waits for what luhan just said to sink in. “uh, why don’t we get you out of the cold.”

 

april 13

 

“maybe i should go out and buy you clothes,” sehun frowns as luhan walks into the kitchen. he’s practically swimming in one of sehun’s long-sleeve shirts, and sehun’s shortest pair of pants are pooling at his feet.

 

“no, don’t do that,” luhan chides. “i won’t be here for much longer, that’s just waste of money.”

 

sehun nods brusquely and goes back to cooking.

 

april 14

 

sehun returns from watching the sunrise and busies himself boiling water. when it finishes boiling, he makes a pot of coffee for the two of them. the smell attracts luhan, who had previously been sleeping in their shared bed.

 

“what’s this?” he asks as he reaches a finger in to poke at the brown liquid. sehun swats his hand away.

 

“coffee, it’s good for you.” it’s not entirely a lie, he tells himself. the truth is that he’s addicted to coffee and can’t survive a day without it.

 

“is this for me?” luhan grabs at the second mug on the counter. sehun nods. luhan’s eyes crinkle in delight and he brings the mug up to his lips. “ooh,” he moans, “this is so good!”

 

sehun laughs. “i agree.”

 

“i want to have this every day now!” luhan chirps. sehun frowns.

 

“i don’t think that’s a good idea...”

 

“but you said it’s good for you,” luhan states in confusion.

 

“uh,” sehun responds intelligently. “never mind.”

 

“okay.” luhan smiles again and sits next to sehun on the couch. “can we go to the beach today?”

 

“yeah sure, what do you want to do?”

 

“nothing in particular, i just miss the waves,” luhan frowns. “what day is it?”

 

“go check the calendar,” sehun says, “i make a slash after every day is over.” luhan stands up and makes his way to the calendar hanging in the kitchen.

 

“what’s this red circle for? on the 12th?” luhan asks.

 

“oh,” sehun coughs awkwardly, “that was the day i found you, it was also my birthday.”

 

“really? happy belated birthday!” luhan puts his mug down and claps. “how old are you?”

 

“i’m 22 now.”

 

“ah, i’m 25,” luhan smiles, “i’m turning 26 soon though.”

 

“you’re sea foam... how do you know your birthday? or age?” sehun tilts his head in interest.

 

“just because i’m not completely like you doesn’t mean i’m entirely different either,” luhan laughs, “how do you know your birthday or age?”

 

“fair point,” sehun concedes. “are you ready to go to the beach now?”

 

“yeah!”

 

april 15

 

sehun is normally a very closed off person. everyone in town knows this. he doesn’t like talking to others and spends most of his time at home or on the beach when he doesn’t have to work. but luhan is different. luhan is filled with so much energy, and it’s not that sehun has never seemed someone so energetic - he has, most people in the city were that way - but it’s that luhan doesn’t rush through his life despite all the energy he has. and sehun appreciates that.

 

because life is meant to be cherished and savored, and luhan does just that.

 

april 16

 

“i really like you,” luhan smiles up at sehun.

 

“thank you?”

 

“do you like me too?”

 

“...yeah.” and the scary part is that sehun isn’t even lying. he never thought that he would fall in love but here he has done just that.

 

“that’s good!” luhan plants a sweet kiss on sehun’s lips and grins. sehun freezes and luhan tilts his head in confusion.

 

“did i... misunderstand what you meant?” luhan’s face scrunches in worry.

 

sehun unfreezes and pecks luhan back. “no, i was just shocked, that’s all.”

 

“hm,” luhan nuzzles into sehun’s neck. they cuddle together under the blankets and sehun can feel the warmth emanating from luhan. “hey sehun,” he whispers.

 

“what?” sehun whispers back.

 

“i’m leaving on my birthday, that’s the 20th. i have to go home.” sehun turns around so his back faces luhan. luhan sighs and warily wraps his arms around sehun’s middle.

 

they fall asleep like that.

 

april 17

 

sehun ignores luhan the whole day despite luhan’s attempts at getting him to speak. when they finish dinner, sehun places the dishes in the sink without a word. he catches luhan by surprise and quietly carries him into the bedroom. they make love that night, despite the tears streaming down their faces. sehun knows that he will never love a person the way he has loved luhan.

 

april 18

 

sehun cooks luhan dinner. it’s his favorite, seafood, unsurprisingly. “thank you sehun, you’ve been so kind to me,” luhan smiles.

 

“it makes me happy seeing you smile,” sehun responds.

 

luhan chuckles. “i’ll miss this when i leave.”

 

“don’t say that,” sehun cuts in sharply. luhan looks surprised.

 

“you have to accept it sometime, you’ve known since the beginning that i would have to leave.” sehun says nothing but turns his face away. luhan sighs and walks over to wrap his arms around sehun.

 

“will you visit?” sehun asks timidly.

 

“i don’t know,” luhan says, tightening his grip.

 

“okay,” sehun turns around to return the hug.

 

“you won’t forget me, right?”

 

“never.”

 

april 19

 

sehun kisses luhan on the nose as soon as he returns from his daily trip to the beach, and luhan giggles. they spend the whole morning rolling around under warm covers as the storm continues to rage on outside. sehun thinks this is how life is meant to be lived.

 

april 20

 

sehun wakes luhan from his slumber when the sky is still dark. “huh,” luhan asks blearily, still half-asleep.

 

“i have something i want to show you,” sehun whispers. luhan nods and crawls out from under his blankets. he doesn’t bother throwing on a coat. sehun doesn’t bother reminding him. they both know it’s his last day on land anyways.

 

sehun pushes open his back door and steps onto the beach, luhan follows behind him. the waves are gentle today, as if they know that one of their own will be returning to them soon. sehun sits just out of reach of the tide, and pats the spot next to him. luhan gingerly lowers himself.

 

“look,” sehun points. “do you see the stars?”

 

“they’re beautiful,” luhan smiles. sehun looks at luhan’s upturned face.

 

“they remind me of your eyes.” luhan looks away.

 

“don’t,” he says.

 

“i love you,” sehun replies.

 

“no.”

 

“who are you to tell me whether or not i love someone?” sehun screams. luhan remains silent. “tell me!”

 

“i’m nobody. that’s why you shouldn’t love me,” luhan whispers.

 

“but i do, i do, so tell me what i should do now.” sehun stares beseechingly into the ocean.

 

“forget me.”

 

they quiet after that.

 

today’s sunrise is beautiful in a sad way. it has never been so perfect in all the years sehun has come out to watch. the sea is calm and the waves are tinted gold by the sun. the sky is painted an assortment of pinks and reds, and a lone seagull makes its trek across. “happy birthday,” he breathes out.

 

“thank you.” luhan manages a bitter smile.

 

“you’re the first person i’ve brought with me to watch the sunrise.”

 

“i’m honored.”

 

“do you know why i come out here every morning? it’s not only because the view is incredible.”

 

luhan shakes his head. “i don’t.”

 

“every sunrise represents hope. hope for the world, and hope for me. maybe one day i will be able to find my place. but i guess, not today.” sehun stands up. “it was nice knowing you, luhan. i won’t ever forget you.”

 

luhan rises too and dusts the sand off his pants. “it would be better if you did,” he says. sehun glances away as luhan makes to walk into the rising tide. he takes three tentative steps before turning back to look at sehun, who still refuses to face him. “sehun?” he calls quietly. sehun turns his head back slightly. “the ocean will always accept those who hold her in their hearts,” he grins knowingly.

 

“i- i don’t understand,” sehun replies.

 

“do you want to come with me?” luhan asks.

 

sehun’s eyes widen as he runs to where luhan is. he entwines their hands tightly and smiles adoringly at luhan. “what made you change your mind?”

 

“every sunrise represents hope and new beginnings; my place in this world is by your side, as yours is by mine. my place is also with the waves, but we both know your heart belongs to the ocean as much as mine does.” sehun finally allows himself a laugh of relief. “let’s go home, sehun-ah.”

 

“yes, let’s go home.”