A/N: I didn't update for quite a long time, because actually...this is the last chapter and I didn't want this to end ._.

                Spring opened out soon in the valley, and with it came the first flowers and green vegetables. Since the villagers had realized the kills had stopped and thus decided to trust Sehun – relatively – Luhan had gone back to work, at the farm then in the fields, and Sehun had done the same. It was an extremely pleasant sensation to be working with friends again. But the best was something else, slightly strange. While the others were only friends, he had Sehun, who shared a really tight bond with him. So basically, he was insanely happy and proud to be in love and to show it. So was Sehun.

                Something weird happened one day, though. Baekhyun, who was – although he tolerated it now –  still not very supportive of their relationship, had seemed to be hiding a secret for quite long. And indeed, a moment came when everyone heard about the huge crush Chanyeol had on him. The huntsman had opened up to him almost a year earlier, but of course, Baekhyun was Baekhyun. No need to say more. Even though Luhan was really, really sad for Chanyeol, it amused him to see Baekhyun like that, glaring at everyone, surely ashamed. It amused him, because in the end, the one who’d criticized his and Sehun’s relationship, ended up being loved by another man. And most of the villagers were surely thinking the same.

                Anyway, life was going on. Luhan learnt that Sehun’s birthday was in fact only a few days before his own. On both days, they threw little parties in the evening with Kyungsoo and Tao, with cakes and presents. For Sehun’s birthday, Luhan cooked his favourite meal, which was pan-fried partridge. The four of them drank champagne. Tao had got Sehun several great books about fairies, and Kyungsoo had baked a delicious cake. “I’ll give you your present later on,” Luhan said shyly. They laughed and stayed up late at night, until Tao and Kyungsoo went back home.

                Then, Luhan quietly led Sehun to the bedroom, where he handed out a box to him. Sehun was beaming when he opened it. It contained several things: a beautiful knife with a leather case, a little purse, a flower-shaped silver ornament, a delicate bracelet, and an envelope with a drawing and a letter inside. “Don’t read it aloud,” Luhan mumbled, blushing. Sehun chuckled but he did as he was told. “I thought you’d like to have your own purse to go to the Fountain,” the blond boy explained. “The flower is a lucky charm. And…I have a bracelet like that too, so I think it’s – cute…” he stammered, showing his wrist to Sehun.

                “It is. It’s more than cute,” Sehun said. He pulled Luhan into a tight hug. “I love it. I love your presents. Thank you, Luhan. So much. I love you, you know that, right?” he said low. Luhan nodded timidly. “Sometimes I feel like I don’t deserve you,” Sehun said with a smile.

                Luhan looked down. “Don’t say such a thing.”

                Sehun laughed joyfully. “Can I have my last present? The most wonderful one?” he asked.

                “What is it?” Luhan said, feeling a little silly.

                “You.”

                Eight days later, Tao and Kyungsoo came back to celebrate Luhan’s birthday. He got a pretty flute from them. Luhan could play the flute, but he hadn’t got any to practise, and he was really happy because it would allow him to keep his hand in. That time, it was his own birthday and he drank a little more, and Sehun seemed to have imitated him somewhat, as around midnight, he started touching him in places that were quite inappropriate when there were friends over. Fortunately, Tao and Kyungsoo didn’t get offended, and they even got the message, leaving the two of them to each other soon after. Sehun lovingly gave Luhan a present, which was a jewel that was worn on the hand, and circled the wrist too. It was very thin, very silvery, very beautiful. It was shaped like the tip of an arrow, pointing towards his middle finger, with ornaments around it.

                 “It’s not just a jewel,” Sehun smiled. “I made it. I was taught how to do it, long ago. I’m warning you, it’s magic. If you wear it right now, you might feel tired, but that’s because it’s going to take some of your vital force to stock it. It’s quite useful. When it becomes warm, it means it’s full. And also…” he began. He gently grabbed Luhan’s extended fingers and folded them into a fist. The jewel seemed to grow longer and sharper – until Luhan had a silver blade on the back of his hand. “You can use it like that, it’s pretty solid.”

                “Wow,” Luhan breathed. “That’s something”

                “And this,” the young man went on, “should be nice when you write in your diary,” he said, handing out a thin pen to him. “When you write, some words will be coloured, will glow…do things. It’s pretty,” he chuckled. “Jongin made it for you, I asked him to. The ink is sap from a fairy tree.”

                “Thank you so much,” Luhan beamed, and he placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

                “Happy birthday…” Sehun slipped the silver jewel off his hand and took the pen from him.

                It was really a wonderful thing to have celebrated their birthdays together. They made love both times afterwards. Luhan was happy. Dizzily happy.

                May came, and as soon as the first week began, Luhan knew what he wanted to do with Sehun. He’d thought about it once, but it had been too early to do it, and he’d soon forgotten. But now that their relationship was what it was, it was the perfect time. They’d already been to the Tree once. Sehun had loved it. But there was a sort of custom, a ritual, whatever it was called, linked to it. This tree was magic, of course. Couples, when they were in love, would often go to it and spend time there. Luhan had never done it. And he wanted to, because he was sure something special would happen. On the second day of May, Sehun and he left early in the morning, hand in hand. Luhan was wearing the jewel. It was quite impressive and useful, since it allowed him not to feel tired, for example at work. He just had to wear it when he was in great shape or at night, and the silver ornament would stock up his energy. He’d also brought his diary and Sehun’s pen – he couldn’t wait to use it.

                Sehun was humming a soft tune. Luhan was smiling; the forest was now green again, whispering in hushed tones with the wind. It took them a while to reach the Tree for they walked slowly. When they arrived, Luhan found himself looking up admiringly as always. The Tree was greater than ever, thick and solid, with all the fairies perched in his branches. “What do you want to do?” Sehun asked.

                “Let’s sit down,” Luhan smiled. They walked to the big trunk and leaned against it, butts in the moss. Luhan looked up. The sky was almost fully hidden by the foliage. He’d brought mint and salt, Sehun as well, and they were giving some to the fairies from time to time.

                “Write a little, I want to watch you,” Sehun said softly. Luhan took his diary out of the bag and opened it at a new page. Grabbing the pen, he put the nib on the paper. A word, another one, and another one. A sentence. I’m sitting against the Tree with Sehun right now. At first, nothing happened and the ink remained dark. But then, slowly, it started moving. Tiny, tiny green dots appeared next to the capital T, as well as brown lines. The letter was slightly distorted. Within a minute, it had turned into a miniature ink tree. Meanwhile, the word ‘Sehun’ had begun to shine softly, in light grey and white tones, with discreet hints of smoke emanating from its five letters. Small flowers appeared here and there. The sentence Luhan had written was still dark and could be read perfectly, but the little magical details made it really pretty.

                “It’s amazing,” he giggled. Enthusiastically, he started writing more. He’d always loved doing that. The pen was running over the paper, the ink was flowing smoothly. Luhan enjoyed forming his letters, thin and dynamic. Sehun’s head was resting on his shoulder, and the subtle fragrance of his hair was caressing Luhan’s nostrils. Fairies were fluttering around them. He hadn’t felt so peaceful in days. Every now and them, he would stop writing to watch the magical ink work, and a smile would form on his lips. “Everything is just so perfect,” he said softly.

                Sehun kissed his cheek. “Are you talking about the page of your diary or your life?”

                “Both,” Luhan chuckled.

                “You’re right,” Sehun smiled. “Can I take a look at it? I’ve never read it from the beginning,” he said, pointing at Luhan’s diary. The blond-haired boy flushed but he still handed it to him. Even though it wasn’t particularly big, it was quite thick, and that was because here and there, Luhan had included dried flowers or leaves. Sehun looked at the first page. It was from three years before. The handwriting was clumsy; the drawings, messy sometimes. But as he slowly turned the pages, not missing a single word, it got much better. Organized, neat, colourful. Luhan was quite proud of the little field he’d drawn on a whole page. It was divided into four parts. Each one of them contained all the vegetables that could be gathered during one season: winter, spring, summer or autumn. A few pages further, there was a drawing of Kyungsoo and a cake. Then, a long paragraph about Minseok that Sehun read carefully. Soon, he reached the day he’d arrived in the village, and the following ones. “Stop reading,” Luhan said, attempting to hide the words with his hands. Sehun laughed and pushed him away. Luhan bit his lip. This was embarrassing.

                “December, the eighth,” Sehun read aloud. “Sehun and I played in the snow today. Oh, the snowman you drew is so cute. He threw a snow ball at my neck so I punished him and hit him all over his face. He was all white! Then he asked me to kiss it off. I ended up kissing him, of course. I can’t even say how happy I was afterwards. He told me he loved me… I love him. I love him so much…”

                Luhan coughed quietly. Sehun cleared his throat. “See? I write…things,” Luhan muttered.

                “Hey. It’s adorable,” Sehun replied, leaning in to kiss him on the lips. Luhan didn’t protest. He discreetly closed the diary and put it away, then wrapped his arms around Sehun’s neck, deepening their kiss. But after several minutes, he remembered the main reason why they were there. He fidgeted slightly nervously.

                “So, there are stories saying that two people in love should sit there and the Tree would do something. Well, I guess we have to stay there, close our eyes, or…yeah,” he says hesitantly. Sehun smiled mischievously and he took his hand, squeezing it affectionately. They both leaned against the trunk again and closed their eyes. Even in case the Tree did nothing in particular, they could have a rest. However, Luhan quickly felt there was something going on. As he was getting used to the calm in the forest, he started hearing muffled thumping sounds. Thu – thump. Thu – thump. It sounded like a heart, but much slower. And the most disturbing part was that it came from the Tree. Luhan didn’t dare say it, but he knew Sehun had noticed the noise too as he held his hand tighter. Does that mean the Tree is alive? Luhan wondered. Of course it’s alive. It’s a tree. –  – No, alive, like…it…he has a heart?

                Luhan only realized his mind was drifting away when he noticed the sensation of the trunk behind his back and the moss under him was gone, as well as Sehun’s hand. In fact, all his sense of touch seemed to have disappeared completely. But there was something new. He wasn’t – alone. His body wasn’t there, but his spirit was, and Sehun’s as well. Not next to him…inside him. Or was he inside Sehun? They were interlaced so tightly mentally he couldn’t tell. He felt strangely strong and peaceful. Magic. That was when Luhan knew where they were. They were inside the Tree. Not inside the trunk – inside the Tree’s soul. Because he did have one. Oh yes he did. Luhan didn’t have bodies to compare, but if his own mind had a size, then the Tree’s was a trillion times bigger. It embraced everything. He had the feeling he was above all the trees in the world. And he was Sehun. And Sehun was him, and they were the Tree.

                Luhan went back to reality quite suddenly, but he didn’t feel dizzy, and in fact, he felt rather well. Sehun opened his eyes next to him. He looked puzzled and slightly disoriented. “What happened?”

                “I…” Luhan said. He couldn’t really find words. “I think…” He stopped speaking when he spotted something fluttering in front of him, barely a metre away. A mirror in the air, a fragile mirage. He smiled and extended his fingers towards the fairy. He’d expected her to dart away, but instead, she got closer to him. Sehun was looking closely at both Luhan and her. Luhan frowned and took his hand back. The fairy was flying lightly and slowly around him. He followed her with his eyes, until she was just, just in front of him, a few centimetres apart from his head. He could almost feel her wings brushing his forehead. So beautiful…

                The fairy touched him and everything became dark.

~

                Luhan opened his eyes. He didn’t know where he was, nor did he know how long he’d been unconscious. Above him, the leaves were rustling. He was lying in the moss. He turned to his right. Sehun was next to him, hands on his forehead. “Are you okay?” he asked, concerned. Luhan frowned. He felt weird. Not uncomfortable, but weird. Everything seemed different. But only slightly. Just enough to make him wonder why.

                “What happened?” he croaked.

                “The fairy touched you. But then…she – entered your head. You sort of cried and you fainted,” Sehun said slowly.

                Luhan narrowed his eyes. “How long was I away?” he asked.

                “About an hour,” Sehun answered. He was looking at him in a curious way.

                Luhan was at a loss. “What is it?”

                Sehun shook his head. “You should look at yourself,” he replied low. Luhan was starting to feel frightened. He looked around. What was the matter? Was there something strange on his face? Even Sehun had no words for it, apparently. Luhan glanced at him. Although he was silent, a soft smile had spread on the young man’s lips. Luhan was looking for a mirror. Of course, there was none around. But he found something quite similar. A second fairy was fluttering on the spot, unmoving, as if to tell him to look at his reflection through the glow produced by her flapping wings. Luhan slowly walked to her. Sehun followed him. The blond boy sat back down. The fairy didn’t move. Hesitantly, Luhan looked at himself. And his heart skipped a beat.

                Silvery, glittering, curved lines at the edge of his eyelids. Tiny shining lights in his irises, just like diamond stars in the night. And in his hair, several strands had taken on a silver hue. “Oh.”

                “You look so beautiful,” Sehun breathed.

                “This isn’t possible,” Luhan stammered. It was a dream. A strange, shining dream surely caused by weariness. Everything was shimmering and he was dizzy. Sehun wrapped his arms around him and placed several kisses on his lips. Luhan didn’t get it. Had the fairy stayed inside him? Was he a fairy now? No, that was silly. He was human! Luhan breathed in shakily. The jewel on his hand was burning. It had never felt so hot. Luhan clenched his fingers. “Did she get out of my head?” he asked difficultly.

                “She did not,” Sehun said. “You just fainted and after a while, your skin started to glow in weird…places. Your eyes, your hands… Your hair turned silver and you were smiling,” he added. Luhan blinked. There were several curvy lines on the back of his hands as well, that formed simple but hypnotic patterns. “I bet you’re a fairy now,” the young man softly.

                “I’m not, dummy,” Luhan muttered with a smile. “I’m not flying and shining. I just look like an elf bride.”

                “Ever seen an elf wedding?” Sehun asked.

                “Never,” Luhan admitted embarrassedly. “I just assume they look like this.”

                Sehun chuckled. “Are you feeling well?”

                “I think I am,” Luhan said.

                “Want to go back home?”

                “Sure.”

                As soon as they reached their house, Luhan went to the bathroom. He had a violent urge to shower. After undressing – Sehun had offered to stay in case he didn’t feel fine, but Luhan had declined – he stepped into the shower and closed his eyes, letting his mind wander freely while the hot water ran over his body. He was strangely nervous, as if he’d drunk coffee, but peaceful at the same time. Impossible mix. There he was, yet. Luhan cleaned himself thoroughly, then stepped out and grabbed a towel. He could hear Sehun outside the bathroom. “Are you okay?” Luhan replied yes. After he was done, he put the towel away and slowly walked to the wide vertical mirror on the wall to look at himself again.

                The silver lines weren’t running only on his face and his hands, but on his whole body, or almost. One on each arm. A weird pattern on his chest. One going up and caressing the right side of his neck, then weaving its way behind his ear. Another one was tracing a circle over his lower stomach, then twirled around his left leg; on both his ankles, silver bracelets seemed to have been drawn. “Sehun,” he called, surely too low for the young man to hear him. But barely a second later, the door of the bathroom opened and Sehun stepped in. He went to Luhan and stood behind him, hands on the boy’s shoulders. Silently, he gazed at him through the mirror for a really long time, a gentle smile on his lips.

                “Gorgeous,” he said.

                Luhan blushed. “It’s not my real body.”

                “Of course it is,” Sehun replied. “Come here,” he said, opening his arms. Luhan snuggled up to him. “I love it. Both with and without the silver lines. I’m in love with you.”

                “I love you,” Luhan said, holding him tight.

                “I love you.”

                And all afternoon, Sehun showed him how much.

~

                For about one hour after they made love, Luhan remained lying on his bed, gazing at the ceiling absent-mindedly. Sehun was following the lines on his body with his index. They had faded, but only slightly. Luhan didn’t feel as exhausted as when Sehun usually took him. In fact, he was really fine. A while later, Sehun pressed a kiss on his forehead and got up. Luhan watched him go and come back. The young man had fetched the books Tao had given him as a present. “Maybe we’ll find out what happened to you,” he said. Luhan nodded. He took one of the books and opened it; Sehun did the same. They started reading side by side in soft silence. The books were really beautiful, with grainy paper and pretty illustrations of the fairy halls. They were also very interesting. But Luhan found nothing about fairies entering someone’s head, silver lines or anything.

                However, eventually, Sehun patted his shoulder. “Luhan. I think I found something,” he said. Luhan looked up. “Silverès, also known as Silver Liners, are human beings whom a fairy chose and bonded with by penetrating their mind. They develop magical powers and have lines shining all over their body whenever their energy level is high. Humans are supposed to become Silverès when they visit a fairy hall with a person they cherish and love, truly and dearly. However, they’re said to be only legends.”

                “Silverès?” Luhan whispered.

                “Apparently.”

                “I’m – magic?” the blond-haired boy said hesitantly. If he was, this was quite cool, because now both of them were special. Sehun closed the book slowly and looked at Luhan. Then he kissed him delicately. Luhan closed his eyes.

                “You are my fairy. My own beautiful fairy. Mine,” Sehun whispered. “Mine.”

                Luhan smiled. “Yours.”

~

                Luhan quickly noticed the curious lines on his body were more than simple silver tattoos. Sometimes they would vanish, especially when he was tired. In other moments, for example when he woke up in Sehun’s arms, they would be glowing brighter than ever. But above all, they were moving. One day, he would have a line on his hand, from his wrist to the tip of his index, and the next morning, a circle. Even the books gave no explanation to this. Though he was starting to get used to them. Sehun as well (maybe even more…). The only thing was the huge amount of energy trapped inside him almost permanently. That was when Sehun’s jewel came in terribly useful. That time, not to stock energy and take it back, but to evacuate it. Once, Luhan was so hyper he just put it on and lied down, in pleasure when he felt the crazy power being out of him, bringing him release and peace. For long after that, he stayed on his bed completely knocked out.

                However, his happiness didn’t last for an eternity, as when Sehun entered the room, Luhan saw in his eyes he wasn’t going to say only ‘I love you’. The young man walked to the bed and sat down. “Can you talk?” he asked. Luhan said to himself he surely looked like he was miles away, but he nodded. “I’ve been trying to tell you something lately, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it,” Sehun said. “You know that I’ve always been travelling to kill as many monsters as possible…” He only needed these few words to have Luhan gripping the sleeve of his shirt tightly. “Luhan… You know it.”

                “You are not leaving,” Luhan said through clenched teeth.

                “I should…” Sehun said.

                “Don’t you act like a victim who has to do his duty!” Luhan found himself snapping. “You dare drop that onto me like a bomb and talk about leaving? Leaving me?” From Sehun’s shirt, he moved to his wrist. “Come on! I dare you to say you’re strong enough to leave me. You couldn’t! ‘I should go…’ You’re making me laugh!” he exploded. “You are not leaving, because your stupid creatures are nothing compared with how much I love you!”

                “Oh,” Sehun said very low. “But I’m not leaving.”

                “Oh,” Luhan said, as if he were echoing him. Suddenly he realized how abrupt and violent his reaction had been and he let go of Sehun’s arm to rest his palm on his forehead, lying back down. “What did I just do…” he moaned.

                Sehun smiled and his cheek. “Shh. I think you’re really tired right now. I’ll come back later,” he whispered. He pressed a little kiss on the blond-haired boy’s cheek and got up. After drawing the curtains, he stepped out of the bedroom quietly. Luhan didn’t remember falling asleep, but when he opened his eyes again, he knew time had passed. He could hear Sehun showering in the bathroom. He waited patiently, awakening slowly while he was still alone. When the door of the bathroom opened, he called for Sehun. The doorknob turned, and Sehun came in. “Ah, you’re awake,” he said softly. Luhan smiled. “Are you feeling better?”

                “I am. Sorry about earlier,” Luhan said.

                “It’s okay.”

                “What did you want to tell me?”

                Sehun laughed quietly, looking up at the ceiling. He was a little nervous. “Nothing important. It can wait.”

                Luhan frowned but said nothing. “Okay. Let’s cook dinner.”

~

                June was in the air. Sehun and Luhan had chosen a Saturday morning after the market to take the garden table and chairs outside and clean them in order to have lunch in the garden. Luhan prepared a salad. It was sunny. They saw Chanyeol passing by with a flower bouquet at about half past twelve. When he walked back the opposite way, a crimson-cheeked Baekhyun was with him. They laughed. As soon as they finished eating, Sehun grabbed Luhan and pushed him down from his chair onto the grass, where he lied on top of him, tittering joyfully. Luhan burst out laughing and wrapped his legs around his hips possessively. They tickled each other in a silly way for a while, before Sehun sat up to catch his breath. He looked at Luhan for long minutes. Luhan held his gaze. Slowly, Sehun took something out of his pocket.

                “Luhan…”

                Luhan looked down at the item, which was a small box. He knew right away what was inside, and froze, petrified. He let out a strangled cry. “Ha – – – ”

                “I know this is sudden, but…will you marry me?” Sehun asked.

                Luhan dissolved into tears.

                “Oh God – sorry,” Sehun apologized in complete panic, trying to soothe him. To be honest, Luhan didn’t really know why he was crying. He just couldn’t stop. “I know I should have waited longer…” Sehun said sadly. Apparently, there was a part in Luhan’s mind slower than the others, because he just found out why he was crying.

                “We can’t marry!” he cried. “You silly – ”

                “We can’t marry? We can’t marry?” Sehun replied. “You’re half a fairy and I’m a Mistwalker! Come on! Of course we can! Nothing can stop us!”

                “R – really?” Luhan stopped crying for a second to look at him.

                “Really,” Sehun said gently. “Here.” He opened the box. “Will you marry me, Luhan?”

                “I – yes… Isn’t it obvious?” Luhan tried to say in a sulky tone, but he failed miserably as his voice cracked and he ended up weeping again. Sehun beamed. The rings were beautiful. Very simple, but very beautiful. Pure silver, of course, with strange symbols carved inside. It looked gorgeous on Luhan’s hand.

                “That’s what I was trying to ask you the other day… I said I should leave, which is true. But I’ve decided not to do it. Not yet, at least. You’re right, I love you too much to do that,” Sehun smiled.

                “Oh…” Luhan murmured. It made him so happy… He opened his arms wide and wrapped them around Sehun’s waist, pulling him into a tight hug. “You’re staying here with me?”

                “I am,” Sehun replied. He gave him a long, deep, slow kiss. “Always.”

                “You are being overly dramatic,” Luhan smiled with his eyes closed. This reminded him of something. Sehun chuckled. After a while, Luhan cupped his face to kiss him again. Sehun’s lips were fresh. His flower fingertips, gentle. The silver lines on Luhan’s body were glowing brighter than ever. The wind was blowing. He could feel the ring on his finger. Their hearts were beating close.

                And Luhan let himself go.

A/N: Here. It's done. It's over.

:)

I hope you liked this story, and thank you for reading it till the end if you did. I truly appreciated every single one of your amazing comments, you're all so sweet... This was a great story to write, especially because it was the first fantasy fic I've ever posted on this website! I'd like to know whether it was good :D

There's just one thing that would make me wonderfully happy...if you could upvote this :P Thanks!

I don't really know what to say... Well, I guess there's something.

Thank you.

♥

*gets a medal for being the cheesiest author of the year*