As the Lord of Time, Tao governed everyone's limit of their stay on Earth.

He watched as his living quarters - a large fortress that is hostile to strangers but warm to those who are welcome - darken as night loomed across a part of the Earth on which he stayed on.

His walls camouflaged against it by reflecting the darkness of the clouds and its stars are the names of every mortal that is currently alive on Earth with their remaining time ticking away beside them.

Tao sighed as another day passed and a number of names of people located from across the globe faded from his walls as their time on Earth has passed.

Every minute, Tao thought, sadly, as he reviews their lives that's flashing through his very eyes and there was nothing he could do to prevent it.

Shaking away the feeling of depression, he strolled out of his fortress, he jumped from cloud to cloud - wearing his usual black t-shirt and black shorts with matching black sneakers that has silver linings on them. He twirled his platinum steel stick as he stared down as civilization evolved beneath him, one single decision from affecting another greatly.

Then, he felt himself being pulled near the main temple of the sun god, a bright and energetic man named Chanyeol, and frowned. Why was he here? Why was there a sudden force stirring him to come here?

This only means one thing, the Fates were calling out to him to do something he'll found out in time and he was once told that every decision is best to do at the break of dawn for a new day signals a new life, new decisions to make and new actions to take.

As the god of time, he holds a dangerous power. He was the god who's most sought after even by the major gods to beg and plead to extend a mortal's life for the sake of love, revenge and etc.

They don't understand how he has his limits.

He can only slow down people's time, not make it last forever for that means cheating death, and enabling someone to cheat death means asking for a war from the god of the underworld, a surprisingly gentle soul named Su Ho, because it goes against their rules that they built for their kingdoms during the Beginning.

Being the time god is hard. It is choosing which soul to recycle for another life for he or she still has something left undone in this world or for another person. It is the soul that is immortal, not the body for it is only a container.

And as the a new day begins, Tao sits there, on a cloud overlooking the Sun Temple, and watches as Chanyeol gets out of his dwellings and overlooks his servants readying his Sun Chariot for him to ride across the whole day until sunset.

Spotting someone by the gardens, near where the sun chariot's rays are beginning to brighten, Tao figures that he isn't the only one watching silently by the sidelines as everything takes place.

Byun Baekhyun was a mere mortal, a servant of the sun temple and living under Kyungsoo's wing.

His eyes snapped open at scheduled time he proposed to himself to wake up to. Silently, he pushed away his blanket and sat up. As quietly as he could, he tip-toed towards the door, leading him to the courtyard, and he was already half-way across when he heard a sudden clearing of throat.

"Where do you think you're going?" Kyungsoo asked, brow raised and arms crossed. He clearly just woke up, judging from the disgruntled expression on his face, the messed up hair and the crumpled tunic.

Oh no. Baekhyun thought in panic.

He put on a sheepish smile. "Um, going to do my morning duties?"

"You have no morning duties, Baek," Kyungsoo said, scowling.

"They changed it. Someone became busy so I volunteered to take his shift," Baekhyun answered immediately.

Kyungsoo looked unimpressed. "I've think I've been with you for a long time now to know that you're not the type to volunteer for another because, 1.) You're a lazy lad, and 2.) I'm not that oblivious to your continuous disappearances in the morning, you know."

His gaze turned downwards, to the floor. Of course. He's not exactly the most gifted person by Jongdae, the god of thieves, when it comes to stealth. He was bound to be found out by his sharp companion-in-arms sometime.

Seeming as he did not utter a word, Kyungsoo continued. "Now, let me ask you this: what are you doing? Why are you getting up in ungodly hours of the morning even before Lord Chanyeol does?"

At the mention of their Lord's name, Baekhyun did all of his best to control the upcoming blood rushing towards his cheek-

-and runs out of their shared dwelling within the temple, ignoring Kyungsoo's shrill screams for him to come back.

Being a free spirit, he let out a laugh at the adrenaline of running and running so early in the morning when there's still no sun when he bumps into someone. He turned around and his throat becomes as parched as the desert where the said sun god before him as it its highest peak of riding his chariot.

"Lord Chanyeol," he manages to stutter out.

Chanyeol flashed him an awkward but sunny smile. It was what charmed Baekhyun first when he had come to serve to the temple. He expected the sun god to have the perfect, blinding smile but here comes Chanyeol with all the awkwardness in the world could offer and can provide literal and metaphorical sunshine in your life with his funny, witty and talented ability to make people feel better.

"Haven't I told you to stop calling me that?" Chanyeol pouted, making Baekhyun almost coo at him like he does to an adorable baby bud blooming against the daylight whenever he does his gardening duties surrounding the temple.

Baekhyun flashed him a strained smile. “Lord, you may not take offense in me calling your name, but other gods will for I am just a mere mortal and I’m born to respect you.”

“Some mortals call me by my name!” Chanyeol protested, following closely behind him as he started to walk towards the entrance of the temple where Chanyeol’s chariot was waiting.

“Those mortals were your lovers, Lord,” Baekhyun said patiently.

Chanyeol’s eyes twinkled. “Maybe I’d like you to be one.”

Baekhyun’s heart froze as he looked at his Lord with a rueful grin. “That’s not a very good joke, my Lord.”

But before Chanyeol could reply, the other servants has already seen them and called for Chanyeol's attention to get ready for sunrise. It was another adventure that will last a whole day before he goes back for sunset.

Baekhyun sighs as he watches Chanyeol run ahead of him towards his chariot, their conversation completely forgotten. He walks silently towards the garden and sat behind a bush where he leaned against a tree to oversea his Lord prepare.

Their worlds were completely different right from their birth because even if they end up as lovers, it's not as if their love will last forever since Baekhyun will die eventually and Chanyeol will find another to comfort him. So there was no choice but to watch, and watch, and watch.

Baekhyun tilted his head in sadness as he sees Chanyeol glance at the Heaven with a frown. Is it going to rain? Is there something going to happen?

He doesn't know.

After all, there's nothing he can do but watch.

So his name is Baekhyun, Tao thought as he gazes down below and sees Chanyeol looking at him.

He doesn't look happy.

Tao smiled as time ticked just in time as Chanyeol rides his blinding chariot across his skies and joined him on the seat.

"I felt your stare," Chanyeol said casually as he did his rounds steadily. "Is there something you need from my kingdom."

He looked at Chanyeol carefully for any reaction about what he's gonna say next. "Something is about to happen - and you won't like it."

Judging by Chanyeol grim look, Tao guesses he already knows what's going on and leaves him be to go back to his fortress.

Days turned to weeks and weeks turn to months as Tao sat by his cloud everyday to overlook the sun temple where Chanyeol would often shoot furtive glances at him and where he could see Baekhyun continue to watch Chanyeol do his duties all day.

At first, he thought that he only does it in the mornings until he soon comes to realize that Baekhyun does this all day. Merely following with his vulnerable human eyes as the sun shone bright against the horizon until it's reduced to a chariot again once Chanyeol returns.

Being a servant at the sun temple means being immune to the sun's brightness, therefore it doesn't bother Baekhyun.

Still, Tao watched as Baekhyun's life tick away just sitting there on the same spot obscured by greenery where he knows Chanyeol won't be able to see him and sits there. Kyungsoo was thoughtful enough to deliver him food over midday and as evening arrives, Baekhyun quietly retires from his spot and welcome Chanyeol by the entrance like nothing happened.

Tao wonders how Chanyeol didn't notice.

It took him another exact week to figure out that Chanyeol's grim expression long ago meant that Chanyeol did notice and yet, he did not do anything about it.

Thinking of Baekhyun suffering any further hurt Tao.

Somehow, the gentle and optimistic human earned him a soft spot in Tao's heart and maybe, just maybe, the death god would understand his reasons for doing what he's about to do.

Years passed and Baekhyun died at a young age of nineteen.

No one knows how he died but a few days after, a flower bloomed within the gardens where Baekhyun used to tend alone as part of his duty to take care of the sun temple.

Its stem was thick and tall and sturdy with leaves, rough to the touch, making anyone who wants to come close distant themselves from it. Its numerous petals were a golden yellow and spiraled towards it large center that offers unlimited help to the insects in the process of pollination.

They were everywhere and only Kyungsoo noticed how every plant contained a part of Baekhyun's soul. Not once did he cry in his bestfriend's funeral, but seeing him, even after death, still continue watching their sun god silently in the sidelines, made him break down.

Ever since then, it was Kyungsoo who took charge in taking care of the greenery.

"Appa! Why are there so many flowers in our garden?" Luhan asked, eyes wide in wonder as he clutches into one big, erect stem of a sunny flower that's facing the east, where the sun is currently located.

Kyungsoo's heart became heavy even after so many years has passed when he remembered a certain petite boy with chocolate brown hair that matched the most clearest mahogany eyes that he have ever seen.

He scooped the boy in his arms who, in return, let out a laugh at the sudden action. "Well, you see, son. There was once a young boy who was SOOO in love with the sun that he would just sit there in front of his temple, watching, as it crosses over the horizon. Everyday he does this, until one day, the gods took pity on him and turned him into a flower."

Luhan's mouth turned into a perfect 'o' as he gasped. "You mean-"

"Yes, Xiao Lu. It's this exact flower and even in this form, he still continues to watches and loves the sun silently as he were before when he was still alive."

a/n: unbeta-ed.

it took me, like, two days to finish so can i ask ur opinion about it? cuz i really hope u like it :)