Where the Fairies Fly
Barriers
It's more than Wufan bargains for, to know that his beloved, his precious gem, his Chanyeol is dying, and it hurt. Some nights the pain is too much and all he can do is lie in bed and cry until he slips into unconsciousness. Other nights, he doesn't sleep at all, and by morning his pillow is soaked with salty tears, eyes and cheeks red and swollen.
Soon enough, his grades begin slipping and his attendance along with it, and eventually he drops his classes all together just to have more time with Chanyeol. It's not like he could focus anyway, not with exhaustion coursing through every muscle and nerve in his body, with his beloved making his way into every thought. It was better to not have anything to worry about, because there is enough to worry about with Chanyeol.
The boy's health is declining quickly, much faster than Wufan first expects, and after just four weeks Chanyeol is so thin and frail that Wufan is afraid he'll shatter with even the slightest accident. Even through the leather glove -- the glove that has become a staple in his wardrobe over the years -- he can feel how cold the boy's fragile hands are; it pains him, but even holding hands slips away from them.
They stop going out on dates and begin staying in, watching movies; Chanyeol bundles up on one end of the sofa, a small figure in a bundle of blankets, while Wufan keeps his distance on the other end. Going out at all becomes a thing of the past. When asked if he'd like to go see the stars, Chanyeol declines and Wufan can hear the hopless helplessness in his voice.
There's nothing he can do but wait. Wait and accept and learn to let go.
But no matter how much time passes, Wufan can't let go, and Chanyeol doesn't want him to. Chanyeol knows he's a burden to his parents, but it's Wufan he's most worried about. He doesn't approve of the older boy quitting school and giving up his life just for him, for someone who is going to fade away with time. Soon enough, he'll be a distant memory, something that can only be dug up with a photo or a video or a song, but even those will fade as time goes on.
***
Six months go by and each day Chanyeol becomes more and more detached. He stops eating, and as a result he sleeps all day. But none of this stops Wufan from spending every second he can at the boy's side, offering as much love and comfort as he can. Because he can see it now, the distant look in Chanyeol's eyes even as he tells him he loves him, and he knows that the time is coming all too soon.
Wufan tries to tell himself that this isn't the end, that whatever comes after death is sure to be peaceful, painless, and he'll find Chanyeol there someday. Or maybe Chanyeol will create his own afterlife where peace and beauty flourish, where you can watch the stars forever. And where there are no curses and he is free. Yes, wherever he goes he is sure to be happy. Still, Wufan had yet to accept that soon, his love would not be here with him.
That day comes all too soon.
It's dark when the elder is out running errands, picking up things for the week when a terrible feeling twists his heart in the most uncomfortable way. Wufan decides to be finished, because he can always come back tomorrow, and he heads back to Chanyeol's home, only to find that he is not there where he left him only an hour or so ago. In his place is a note, a poem, a goodbye.
Wufan, this is my goodbye.
I will rest where the fairies fly,
where I am free to join the sky
as a star that will never die.
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