From the stone;

178…179…

The whoosh! of mountain-top wind whips around Luhan’s lanky figure when he comes to a stop at the upmost step of the stone stairway. Before he can catch his breath, though, it is taken away by the open view of rolling hills before him. Rise and falls like fallen giants cloaked in moss seem to tumble on forever.

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He feels the essence of clean air rejuvenating his body and he savors the vast variety of scents of wild flowers below as diverse as the shades of blue of his eyes. Morning birds chirp merrily from nearby trees.

When all his body had absorbed as much of the nature around him as it could hold, he opens his eyes again and looks around. He catches sight of the nearby statues of gods and goddesses standing solemnly and kneels before each one in turn, murmuring his thanks and prayers.

The back of his neck is burning from the high sun by the time he finishes paying his respects to each one. Looking out at the rolling hills again, he smiles.

I chose a good day to come, he thinks happily. Sunshine and spring… Jongin would’ve loved this… There is a sharp pang of pain from the thought and it mixes in the waves of love and Luhan bites back a whimper. It still hurts even though it had been a day. He wonders how he would face Jongin after yesterday.

How lucky these statues were, he thinks, his fingers trailing over one of the minor deities, that people would climb mountains just to see them.

Before Jongin is all cold and dark.

Then he came and lit Luhan’s world with a thousand firework lights, teaching him that loving others is a way of loving yourself.

So Luhan gave back the only way that he could—he became perfect for him.

But…

But I changed myself for you.

Why wasn’t it enough?

All I wanted you to do was fight for me…

Am I still not… good enough?

“I knew you’d be here.”

Luhan looks up to see Jongin standing beside him. He had always a way of appearing when Luhan thought of him most.

“How…?”

“You’ve always had a thing for high places and religion,” he says simply.

“If you knew me so well,” Luhan says, each word heavy. “Then why didn’t you want me?”

Jongin doesn’t respond right away. When he does, it’s distant, but deeply sincere.

“They say there was once a sculptor who carved the most beautiful statue in existence from a block of stone that no other person could even chip. But when people asked how he managed to complete such a feat, he simply replied that the statue was already there, inside the stone— he had just set it free.”

Jongin turns to face him now and Luhan almost forgets to breathe. Wordlessly, Jongin closes the distance between them, reaching to gently cup Luhan’s face.

“I never made you, Luhan,” Jongin murmurs, thumb sliding over the ridges of Luhan’s cheekbone. “You were who you were, always, just under the stone. I was just your sculptor, giving you a chance to shine, but only you can breathe life into yourself. But,” he stops. “I can promise that I will be there for you, beside you if you’ll have me forever.”

Luhan lets out a small sob, but it never completely leaves his lips because Jongin steals it with his lips, passion filling Luhan’s nerves with fire that leaves his burning and banishing all doubt from his mind of what lay between them.

Though no one could love a statue as they loved a human being, they could work on their masterpiece together.

One piece at a time.

Wow, it’s been a long time since I did a Greek myth-inspired piece, huh? It’s so nice to do them again, I forgot how much I loved them. As usual, I’ll be posting the myth in the next chapter because I’ll never learn to be concise OTL

As I said, this was inspired by a visit to the Hong Luo Temple in Beijing. It’s an absolutely gorgeous view if you are up for lots of exercise. I had the unfortunate experience of doing the trek in black jeans in 35˚C weather long story don’t ask

Also, the story that Jongin mentions at the end is a mix of the Greek myth and the legend of Michelangelo and his creation of David.

Thank you so much again LALULALIDO for giving me such a good prompt, being so patient, and always supporting me. I hope I didn’t disappoint you.

And thank you to all of you for reading this~