Eternity

It’s a typical morning. Still dark, but people are already rushing around, work, school. Sehun is a statue on the bench, the light from the lamppost casting shadows onto his face. His long nimble fingers flex, and air folds beautifully into his lap, invisible, save for the pale luminous effect due to the light striking from an angle. Sehun unravels it, smoothing it with his fingertips. He has an audience, even though it’s so early in the morning, and his eyes dart up to glance sideways at the watcher and a ghost of a smile flickers across his face. His fingers fly, twisting and weaving air, until he has a luminous flower in his hands. A gasp of awe escapes the watcher and Sehun fixes a gaze on the boy who looks down, swinging his feet. Sehun gently twirls the stem of the flower in his hands before he hands it to the boy.

“For you.”

The boy looks back up at him, bambi eyes wide and his cheeks are flushed pink. Beautiful is what Sehun thinks. The boy looks barely sixteen, but Sehun knows better, that his actual age is a good seven years older. His blonde hair is pale, like spun gold in the moonlight, and Sehun’s eyes flicker over him. Leather back pack, bowler hat, pale blue shorts with a navy coloured shirt. All blue, and Sehun knows it’s cause once upon a time, he had once told him he looked amazing in blue. He just doesn’t remember.

“So… What are you waiting for?” The boy asks, and Sehun doesn’t smile or react. His face is expressionless and the boy nervously shifts, wondering if he shouldn’t have asked when Sehun stirs.

"A miracle." Or you.

"The world sure needs a lot of those." The boy agrees, taking out a map and a big leather book. Sehun bites back a bitter laugh when he sees the leather journal, the spine of it labelled with a simple gold bolden 'LS'. The boy looks up just in time to are Sehun's smouldering gaze on him before turning his attention back to the engraved initials on the book, his heart beating erratically. Luhan doesn't know why, but there's something about the stranger that pulls him. Something is linked together, hit Luhan can't remember, no matter how much he tried. And there's that longing at the pit of his chest, aching and needy.

"My name is Luhan, funny how the initials are LS though." Luhan finally blurts out, only to flush as he realises how weird that sounds. The stranger seems to think otherwise though, shaking his head as he laughs, eyes disappearing. He has a lively smile... Luhan thought, slightly dazed, not even realising that the stranger had pulled his hands away from the leather journal, and was whispering into his ear.

"My name is Sehun. You know what I can do, so what can you do?" Luhan shivers at the close proximity. He doesn't understand why, but it's nerve wrecking to have Sehun so close, lips almost touching his ear, breath fanning across his neck. His fingers pull the hem of his shirt, twisting it tight as his heart stutters. Without thinking, Luhan levitates the leather book, and his cheeks burn at Sehun's pleased look, and he swears that right at that moment, his heart stops before it's starts again. He's transfixed by those eyes and lips, and he wonders what it would be like to kiss him. As quick as that thought comes, so does the mortification, and the book drops back onto Sehun's lap, while a blush finds it's war into Luhan's cheeks. Sehun says nothing, picking up the book and placing it back on Luhan's lap. It's just a brush of fingers on his knee cap, but Luhan's body jerks, sparks are flying and his mind is completely blank.

"LUHAN! YOU-Sehun." Sehun turns, his eyes meeting Minseok's and Minseok pales. Striding forward, Minseok jerks his head towards the house while he hauls Luhan up from his dear, much to Luhan's shock and annoyance. Sehun falls in step with Minseok, distracting the slightly dazed but ruffled Luhan. Bambi alluring brown eyes follow his every step with great alertness, memorising the war he moved. Or are you? A voice whispers at the back of Luhan's mind. Because it all seems too familiar, too easy, like falling back into an old routine. Sehun is tall, and Luhan likes the way he moved with grace, long limbs completely in synchronisation. Unlike himself, Luhan thought, stumbling through the door as Minseok pushes him in. He's everything Sehun isn't, and every part of him burns to be close to this particular blonde haired boy. Sehun catches him by the wrist and Luhan's knees buckle at the touch. Just as he thinks he's going to crumple to the floor, Sehun sweeps him up princess style, and Luhan's senses go on overload.

Sehun's arms were slim but strong, and he could feel the muscle, the warm but firm hold, albeit tense muscle. Sehun’s chest was firm and skin smoothm, his hands leaving behind goose bumps on Luhan’s neck. He could smell the scent of shampoo and a faint bit of sea breeze, hear the steady beat of the heart in Sehun, almost taste something sweet andf sugary, but icy cold too. Luhan’s eyelids fluttered, his eyes drinking in the hjandsome perfect face of Sehun.

“You’re here one week early.” Kris said quietly, appearing in front of Sehun, his dark eyes flickering at the compromising position they were in. Tao stumbled in after him, eyes widening as he spotted Sehun. All six of them were here now, Jongdae, Minseok and even Yixing.

“It started early this time. Jongdae hyung, Junmyeon hyung wil be coming tonight. We all are. I just needed more-”

“Time.” Tao interrupted, his gaze understanding and soft. Sehun nodded numbly, glancing down to look at the blonde boy who was staring at him with a look of deliriousness. A lump forms in Sehun’s throat as the older presses himself closer. For a second, his vision blurs, and his line of sight is unfocused until he blinks. The room is back to normal, but the doorway looked slightly fuzzy, and he swore he almost thought there were to Minseoks in the room. The heat from Luhan suddenly feels like a furnace, hot and pressurizing. Sehun’s mouth goes dry as he realizes the implications.

“Set him down on the couch.” Yixing quickly spoke, pushing Sehun who jolted at his touch, scrambling to place Luhan on the couch. Minseok has a look of concentration on his face, along with Tao as they try to help Luhan, slowing time and lowering the temperature of the room. Jongdae and kris are outside, both busy trying to contact the other group.

“Luhan, look at me.” Yixing’s voice is sharp as Luhan turns to him. Yixing grabs his wrist and Sehun watches with relief as the clouded gaze in his eyes are lifted, those beautiful bambi eyes once again clear and alert as Yixing rounds on Luhan.

“Luhan, I need you to listen quickly. I’m keeping the heat at bay but it won’t last forever. LISTEN, I’ll be putting in some memories for you to understand got that? I need permission to enter your mind Luhan. LUHAN!” Yixing shakes him and Luhan’s glazed look is gone and he nods his head vigorously, bambi eyes trustful on Yixing as Yixing places his hands, fingers curving around his wrist. Then, soft blue white light began to flow, pulsing into Luhan’s wrist.

“I love you Sehunnie…” Luhan murmurs as Sehun presses kisses onto his neck, sighing contentedly.

“I love you too Lulu.” Sehun replies, brown hair sticking to his forehead as his hands skim down his back, slightly lifting the shirt-

Luhan shudders, his body shaking vigorously as Sehun watches.

“We’re made for each other…”Sehun whispers into Luhan’s ear, breathing harshly as fingers skim over skin and limbs tangle together with others. Luhan gives a muffled reply as a chastle kiss is pressed to his lips, lost as Sehun rolls on top of him in the dark.

Luhan hugs himself, fingers trembling and clutching for an invisible hand.

“Don’t, I don’t want you to touch it.”

“Sehun, I have to. I need to find out what’s wrong with the tree. Yixing and Kyungsoo are out cold and I’m the next keeper. I don’t have a choice.” Luhan whispers, kissing Sehun gently on the forehead before pulling away from Sehun’s protective embrace.

“I love you.” Sehun whispers and Luhan smiles.

“We have forever Sehun-ah.” He laughs, giving his lover one more promising smile before he touches the tree. But all he feels is pain, hammering in his skull, like he’s being torn from inside out. Luhan thinks he;s screaming, and all he knows is that it hurts, and he has to see Sehun. He has to keep his, his…

Luhan whimpers, covering his ears as Sehun clenches his fists, unmoving.

“Luhan? Luhan?” He feels groggy and groans, sitting upright justr as someone envelops him into a crushing hug, mumbling comforting words. The smell of sea breeze wafts up his nose as he doesn’t move, still frozen in shock as the stranger pulls away, face expectant.

“Who are you?”

Luhan’s lashes are clumping together, and Yixing sobs as he continues on.

“Luhan… You don’t remember… Anything?”

“What did you do Yixing? Stop holding my head already!” Luhan swipes Yixing hands away and the room goes dead quiet, until Sehun steps forward.

“I’m Sehun. Nice to meet you.”

Luhan’s breaths come out in uneven puffs as tear tracks mark his face.

“Luhan…”

“Sehun-” Luhan groans, burying his face into Sehun’s shoulder as another round of heat waves crash. Sehun laughs, holding Luhan tightly as he’s swept into the room.

“I can’t believe you finally remembered. And on the day the heat strikes.” Sehun chuckles, tugging Luhan closer, “Your memory Lulu.”

“I know, but I remember. I will never forget you.” Luhan shudders with anticipation as kisses are exchanged, along with whispered words murmured across his skin like tattoos, a fiery brand repeated like a fire.

Luhan moans, a distressing sound that sends Sehun to his side immediately.

A hand his bare neck, the touches feather light. He can smell the scent of shampoo and sea breeze, while smooth soft lips brushes the nape of his neck, lingering there. Luhan stills as he realizes that the weight off him is lifted. Rising up, blankets pulled to his chest, his voice hoarse.

“Who are you?”

Sehun tugs Luhan into his arms and rocks the elder, left and right.

“Luhan, do you-”

“I already said, I don’t!” Luhan slaps Yixing’s hands away, his eyes sparking dangerously as he hisses those words. The room is cold, silent to the core as Sehun steps forward, his voice shaking slightly.

“Nice to meet you Luhan. I’m Sehun.”

Luhan buries deeper into the embrace, even as Yixing keeps going, and going…

“Sehun please-”

“Lulu-”

It’s a fight against time as they both lock arms around each other. Fingers pull away barriers between skin, and it feels hot even though the room is freezing. Luhan traces words on Sehun’s back, body flushed against the covers. Forgotten Chinese words like 时间, 爱, 记忆 and 忘记 makes their way to the surface, his fingertips dancing, whispers of ‘I Love You’ lulling him to sleep.

Sehun hums softly, face buried in Luhan’s hair, comforting.

He wakes up to a kiss on his temple. A soft sweet butterfly kiss as arms gently lift from him, only to snake around his waist. He can almost taste something sweet, along with the saltiness of the sea. Air swirls across his arms, sending goose bumps racing up his neck and he pull away, turning to see the person next to him.

“Who are you?”

Prayers are a mumbled chant from Sehun as Luhan gives a sharp whimpering sob.

“I can’t remember, I already said I can’t remember!” Luhan practically yells aloud, tears in his eyes as Yixing doesn’t say anything, choosing to shale Luhan and to shout repeatedly about how painful it was. Luhan bites his bottom lip agitatedly, and the whole room is silent, a cutting hard edge. Sehun finally walks forward, thumb wiping away the tear that escaped Luhan’s eyes, voice a mere whisper.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Sehun.”

A pendulum, a rhythm as they rock backwards and forth for comfort.

“Lulu…”

“I love you.”

Left right right left.

“Who are you?”

“Who, who are you?”

To and fro, to and fro.

“I don’t remember.”

“I, I really don’t remember you.”

Swinging slowly, hypnotisingly.

“Nice to meet you Luhan. I’m Sehun.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Sehun.”

A bitter sob tears from Luhan as Yixing finally lets go, staggering backwards, face pale. Minseok rushes over, helping him, but Luhan doesn’t even notice. Sehun, Sehun. His mind chants and he knows what it means. He can feel the clock ticking, every second drowning and leaving. Sehun looks lovingly into his eyes, and Luhan feels as though the entire world was shattering against his will. He presses a fist to his mouth as understanding dawns on him, the truth too painful to bear.

Right now, this moment, this expense of time in which the sun and moon had aligned perfectly with the other planets for the period of heat where soulmates feel the sparks and pull to each other. This time, this short day, was the only day he could remember Sehun. Remember who he was, remember their love, remember every tiny detail, every memory. The next day, Sehun will be nothing but a stranger, not even a friend. And he would leave before the sun rises because it hurts to love someone who remembers you only for a day once every hundred years. It hurts when before that there was a time when you could have the person love you back. It hurts when other people wish for eternity, but you have it in the most twisted way possible.

“Don’t let me fall asleep.” Luhan cries softly, pulling Sehun closer, shaking his head. He didn’t want to forget. He didn’t want to forget that he loves someone. Someone who loves him enough to wait through eternity for just that one day that he could be loved back.

“It’s okay Lulu… It’s okay.” Sehun’s voice is thick with emotions. This was what he had been waiting for the past hundred years. Right now, this moment, whereby the face that haunted his dreams and nightmares would love him back. Luhan shudders against him and Sehun kisses his head, the milky white skin.

“It’s not, it’s not okay.” Luhan whispers, something blazing in his eyes as he looks at Sehun. Sehun forgets to breathe because he knows that emotion flickering in Luhan’s eyes. It was the same emotion that Luhan had looked at him with thousand of years ago. When he still remembered. Tears spark at the back of Sehun’s eyes but he refuses to let them fall. If he had one day with Luhan, it won’t be wasted like this. So he wordlessly cuddles Luhan, and they sit together, kisses easily given and voices soft. They stay like this, talking in front of the fire place, quiet and yet the love radiating from them was so obvious. It could be felt from the way Luhan never took his eyes off Sehun, and the way Sehun still manages to write Chinese characters on his arm. 我, 爱, 记忆, 你, 风…

永远

Luhan jerks at the latest word, looking at Sehun, tilting his head to meet the younger’s eyes. Sehun says nothing, but Luhan knows from the way his eyes fall to the ground what he was thinking of. Tomorrow. People say this word easily, that there’s always tomorrow for this, or for that. But they forget about the what ifs. What if there wasn’t a tomorrow, what if tomorrow didn’t exist.

Because they had no tomorrow.

“I’ll love you for eternity,” Sehun finally speaks, voice low over the crackling of the fire, “I’ll love you even if you forget, even if you only love me once for a hundred years of waiting.”

“Why?” Luhan whispers, his face stark white and tears pricking, about to fall. He couldn’t, wouldn’t, do this to Sehun. It was pure torture for both of them, knowing that the other could not love without being hurt. Sehun doesn’t reply, but inks the word eternity onto Luhan’s collarbone, the same way Luhan does fro him. It’s night time now, and they’re both sleepy, even though they try to stay awake. The last thing Luhan hears before Sehun says is, “Because you would’ve felt the same if it was me”. Before everything from bursts of colours is pitch black, fading into nothing.

Warm sunlight filters though the curtains and Luhan’s eyes open, staring at the way the sunlight casts patterns on the wooden floor. Luhan sighs, thinking about the hot chocolates and kisses he exchanged with Sehun. He props himself up, allowing his fingers to ghost over Sehun’s perfect face. Pale porcelain skin, all sharp edges and aggression, but now, now he looked harmless. Giggling a little, Luhan presses his lips to Sehun’s ear, but stops, his eyes widening as realization finally hits him.

He remembers.

His hand flies to his mouth as he stares wide-eyed at Sehun. He remembers the late night strolls along the beach, the talking on the roof. He remembers walking through the same park with Sehun in spring summer autumn and winter, while wishing to do so forever. He remembers the kisses they shared, the way they climbed into bed, refusing to sleep anywhere else but together. But most of all, he remembers looking at Sehun in the park, red gold autumn leaves swirling around him, and god he’s so beautiful that every part hurts, and he’s thinking ‘I love you’ until he’s not sure if he can feel anything else.

“Sehun, I remember, I remember!” Luhan breathes, eyes shining with tears and happiness as he shakes Sehun awake, burying his face into his chest. It smells of sea breeze and caramel. It smells like home and Luhan’s grip tightens as he feels every part of him singing. Luhan pulls away, but stops short at the expressionless face that belonged to his lover.

“Who are you?”

Luhan forgets to breathe, because all he’s actually thinking is that it can’t be. But it is, it’s happening right before his eyes. Those same loving eyes were now dull with a lack of acceptance. Close to a state of boredom, like Sehun found Luhan boring. Luhan almost flinches at that thought because that Sehun had loved him. Still was loving him. This wasn’t suppose to happen. Sehun wasn’t suppose to forget, Sehun was the one loving him for eternity, waiting regardless of time for that just one day. No, they were supoosed to be together, walking in the park holding hands through spring summer autumn winter and forever. But because he loves Sehun, Luhan takes a deep breath and holds back tears. Because Sehun was right.

So he extends a shaky hand and smiles brightly.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Luhan.”

“Because you would’ve felt the same if it was me.”

我永远爱你

Before you murder me and probably decide that you wasted a lot of tissues, I am still writing a sequel. SO DON'T HATE ME!!! >.< Please, because I hate myself too sobs, so no /cries/ Freaking Anterograde Tomorrow feels right now, and I just realised how similar the storyline is omg omg omg