Lingering remnants of a dream clung to his thoughts as Daehyun scrunched his brow and exhaled plaintively, feeling the soft cushion of the greenery beneath him through his thin clothes.  He didn’t really want to wake up yet, since it was a good dream after all, but it was nigh on impossible to ignore the feeling of someone watching him…  Never mind who it had to be.  Making a face, he pried open one brown eye to peer at his observer, opening the other in short order to grin at the young man leaning over him, his head blocking out the sun and the blonde hair forming a pseudo halo in the light.

                “Morning,” the deep voice greeted, gummy smile accompanying the words as the blonde peered down at Daehyun with tender brown eyes.

                “Morning,” Daehyun chuckled, curling his fingers around the ones already threaded through his left hand as he reached up with right to trace his fingertips over Yongguk’s scalp.  “Have I been sleeping long?” he asked, filled with contentment when the older boy closed his eyes and leaned into the caress.  The sun indicated it was right around midmorning so it was infinitely longer than usual but he felt so well rested, it didn’t matter.

                “Only a little while,” came the unhurried response before Yongguk placed his free hand on Daehyun’s chest, palm pressed warm and flat against his shirt.  “You were dreaming,” he chuckled, opening his eyes so he could lean down to press his lips against Daehyun’s, lingering longer than necessary as they savored the exchange.  “Of me I hope,” he winked, pulling back slightly as he stared into the other man’s eyes.

                Daehyun snorted and rolled his eyes, giving the other man a skeptical look.  “In your dreams?” he teased with a mischievous smile.

                “All the time,” Yongguk responded with quiet sincerity, shifting his hand up to cup Daehyun’s cheek.

                Daehyun grabbed it and brought the smooth palm to his lips, kissing it softly.  “Sap,” he teased with fond warmth, the word obscured just a bit.

                “Only when it comes to you,” the blonde agreed without complaint, simply peering at his lover over their connected hands.

                “Ack!” Daehyun cringed, pushing Yongguk away just enough to sit up as he laughed at the comment.  Taking a deep breath, he ruffled his silver hair with his right hand, sending messy strands in every direction, and glanced around.  The sun was warm overhead, its heat tempered by the occasional fluffy cloud that cast shadows upon the field around them.  “Do you think Taliefernel might look like this place?” he asked happily, taking in the field of white Morning Glories with a sigh of delight, smiling at the way they blossomed opened in the sun’s light.

                “It’s possible,” Yongguk conceded, shifting closer to wrap his arms around Daehyun, hugging him tight as he rested his chin on the slender shoulder.  “Though even paradise would have no meaning without you, Daehyunnie.”

                Humming under his breath, Daehyun leaned back into the embrace and gripped the arms with his hands, grinning happily.  “You are so…” he trailed off, searching for the right word without trying to come off as entirely derogatory.

                “Handsome?” Yongguk prompted with a smile.

                “Well, yes, but no,” Daehyun replied with a smile in his tone.

                “Charming?” the blonde tried again, placing his lips against the pale skin of his lover’s neck in a chaste kiss at the comment.

                “When you want to be,” Daehyun admitted, nudging the other male’s ribs lightly as he shrugged his shoulder, trying hard not to giggle.

                “The best?” Yongguk offered, resetting his position slowly.

                “Jester maybe,” Daehyun scoffed with a turn of his head, glancing out of the corner of his eyes to peer at the older man coyly.

                “Ouch,” Yongguk pouted.  Not really, but it was close enough to be considered one and it worked almost every time.  A pout on his face was practically unheard of and damn near unbearable.

                “Ayah,” Daehyun sighed, planting a quick kiss on the nearest cheek fondly.  “You are hopeless,” he finally shook his head, grabbing both hands and curling them up under his chin, folding his knees closer so he was balled up in contentment.

                The deep chuckle that rumbled through him made Daehyun smile, hiding his expression behind their hands.  “But dependable,” Yongguk reminded him, placing a tender kiss on the silver hair.

                “I can always count on you,” Daehyun nodded in agreement, reaching his left hand around to clasp Yongguk behind the neck gently, scratching ever so lightly with his fingertips.

                “Always,” the other promised quietly, failing to suppress the shudder that ran through him.  “Which means we should probably be going so we can find you something to eat,” he prompted in an effort to alter their focus, shifting slowly so as not to alarm his companion.

                “Already?” Daehyun whined, grumbling under his breath as he allowed his lover to pick him up and hold him close, following the direction he pointed.

                “You can’t tell me you’re not hungry,” Yongguk murmured dryly, leaning forward just enough to peer into the shorter male’s face with a knowing look in his eyes.

                Daehyun glared at him, slightly miffed.  “I am not always hungry…”

                “Since when?” the elder teased, grabbing his companion’s slender waist with both hands, just barely tickling his sensitive sides.

                “Yah!” Daehyun yelped, jumping forward and yanking himself free.  “You!” he pointed, glaring at the blonde though his frown didn’t last when met with the guileless expression.

                “What?” he shrugged innocently, giving a gummy grin in response.

                Daehyun just shook his finger at him and then paused, taking a deep breath of the floral scented air as he looked up at the sky, flickering petals drifting on the wind catching his gaze here and there.  The sun was so warm and the day so peaceful, it almost felt like a dream.  He raised his hand up to the glowing orb and watched the rays flicker between his fingers like magic, feeling as if there was something else he should be able to remember.  His brow creased slightly, the thought just beyond his reach.

                “What is it love?” Yongguk asked, stepping close to ease his arms around Daehyun’s waist again, bracing the shorter male’s back against his chest.

                Taking a moment longer to search the sky, Daehyun blinked and shook his head, threading a stray strand of hair behind his ear absently.  “It’s nothing, Gukkie,” he assured his lover, patting the hands around his waist comfortingly.  “Come on,” he urged, gripping one hand as he pulled free and tugged the older male along in turn.

                “Yah!” Yongguk gasped, laughing as he let himself be drawn after Daehyun.  “Where are we going, Daehyunnie?”

                “Anywhere but here!” the silver haired male laughed delightedly, kicking petals aside with abandon as he ran, feeling the gentle breeze on his face while he picked a direction at random.  Reflexively, his hand tightened around Yongguk’s and he looked over his shoulder long enough to meet the warm brown eyes that peered back at him.  “So long as I’m with you, it doesn’t matter.”

                “Tch.  And you say I’m the sappy one,” Yongguk teased, catching up with a burst of speed to draw abreast of his companion.

                “You are!” Daehyun confirmed with a wink.  Yongguk didn’t argue as they continued on, neither one noticing the small mound of raised flowers they bypassed without a second thought.  Daehyun’s leg brushed the outermost ring, disturbing the quiet veil the open petals presented.

                In their wake, a gentle breeze rustled the stems even more, parting the flowers just enough to reveal the remnants of a gravestone, worn by time and mostly covered by greenery and overgrowth.  A particularly delicate flower on the center of the mound trembled in the breeze and a single petal tugged free, riding the wind up, tumbling gently in the sunlight.  Iridescent colors fluttered across the pale surface as the light played upon it, shifting at every turn while the petal swirled higher and higher.

                At last, it collided with the surface of something, disappearing into the air as if it had never been.  The barest shimmer of an outline appeared in the sky, tracing the figure of a massive tree that existed on the edge of the realm.

                Be happy, little brother, Himchan smiled warmly, watching from afar as his younger sibling ran to whatever future awaited him with a restored and vibrant Yongguk at his side.  That is all I want for you, dear one, he sighed, watching the pair run from the place it had all started, completely unaware of what they were… what they had given up to finally be together.

                Mortality.  Such a fleeting existence.  And yet… at the end of it, Himchan would see them there too.  In the fields of Taliefernel where they might join Jongup at last.  And he would watch them from afar.  For all eternity and beyond.

                Live for us… Daehyunnie…

(a/n: And it's finally finished!  Like I said, short but relatively sweet.  hehe

For any that might be confused, no there was no time travel at the end.  Daehyun simply sacrificed his Valkyr status to become a mortal and restart his existence at the field of Sleeping Lilies, hence changed to Morning Glories!  Yay!  It's sort of like pushing a reset button only they're restarting at an altered starting point.  The world is exactly like it was when he made his choice, it's just several decades since Ragnarok happened.  Daehyun's no longer a Valkyr and Yongguk isn't an Einherjar anymore either.  It's sort of like they never lost those six years after Daehyun died as a mortal in the very beginning of the story.

And while the three brothers can never truly be reunited, Himchan will be able to watch over his siblings and keep them safe (to the best of his abilities) as he always wanted to.  ;)  So, if you have any further questions, please feel free to send them my way.  Otherwise, I would love to hear from you guys.  What did you think?!  But if nothing else, thank you very much for sticking with me this far and for reading along.  I finished it in just under a year so yay!  And now on to other works!  Huzzah!  <3  You guys are awesome!)