forever ; hyungwonho

13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

AFTER trudging over mountains and through forests for a few weeks, hoseok finally made it back to the safe place.

the journey would have been a lot quicker, but hyungwon wanted to admire the scenery one last time. which hoseok was completely okay with, because the world outside of the town they used to live in was beautiful. yet, he didn't exactly think the beauty was on earth, it was more in his mind- a memory of a person he loved so much. knowing that the boy was never going to come back, even if it was possible, just made everything turn more real.

hoseok was really going to do it. he was really leaving his life behind to be somewhere better.

somewhere in the stars, with hyungwon right next to him.

right then, hoseok was sitting down on the grass at the safe place, looking out onto the horizon. the sky was still blue, fading extremely slowly into an orange.

he muttered, "sorry i'm giving up."

shaking his head, he felt the tears building up, only making him feel pathetic. he couldn't stay alive, so, why did he feel so quilty?

"don't be," hyungwon spoke softly. "it's your choice."

maybe the reason was that he never had the chance to be with hyungwon. to tell him he loved him, while he was still breathing. when both of them could had potentially avoided the situation they were currently in.

shifting his gaze, hoseok's blurry eyes were now fixated on the piece of fruit in his hands. thumb grazed over it, so gently, knowing all too well that it was poisonous. he remembered how his parents' used to warn him, saying it could kill a human within a matter of moments. being a child who was terrified of everything in the world, the thought of simply being anywhere near the fruit made his skin crawl. so now, holding it between his fingers, it only made his decision into a reality.

"will you hate me for doing this?" hoseok questioned, uncertain if hyungwon would actually want him to do it.

"i could never hate you."

he let out a deep breath.

"i love you, you know?" his lips pulled upwards, knowing it was the last time he'd ever say those things. "and i'm glad it was you who i fell in love with."

gold covered the sky now, earth lighting up in its glow.

the spirit's voice warmed hoseok: "i love you. so much. i just wish i told you sooner, then maybe-"

"don't say it," hoseok stopped hyungwon from staying the exact words that were always on his mind, constantly teasing him, saying things could had been different if he just told him. "we'll be together again, i promise. and i know this promise will come true."

"pinkie swear," hyungwon's voice mixed with happiness and hurt.

hoseok cracked a smile, letting out an airy chuckle. he held up a hand, stretching his pinkie out into the air. "pinkie swear," he said.

warmth spread throughout his entire body and he was sure it was hyungwon.

then, without hesitation, hoseok brought the fruit to his lips, looking down at it, before he bit into it. it was sweet. which kind of confused him at first, he just presumed a fruit that was that poisonous should be disgusting; bitterness stirred with death, he would had imagined. but it wasn't. and the older boy even took another bite out of it, just to make sure it would kill him. throwing it somewhere far away, he could only wish to be with hyungwon already.

hoseok let his body fall, feeling the earth and his back collide.

"happy ending, huh?"

hyungwon didn't respond.

hand up to they sky, fading sunlight shining past his fingers, "i guess they're really only in fairy tales."

the breeze felt cold on his skin, making him feel tired. hyungwon's calming words swam around in his mind, gently telling him everything was going to be over soon, that he loved him more than anything else. the spirit talked about how once they're both together again, they would live in a castle amoungst the stars, the place filled with strawberry tarts.

hoseok tried to laugh with the other, but it felt like all the air in his lungs were almost gone.

knowing it was time, he took in the last moments of the sunset, letting his eyes screw shut. the remaining heat from the sun kept his body warm, until all he felt was an icy coldness. hyungwon's spirit slowly, very slowly, began to disappear, and hoseok could fell himself slipping away, too.

he opened his mouth, whispering one last thing to the love of his life, "see you soon, hyungwon."

"see you soon, hoseok," voice merely an echo in his head.

that was it before everything turned into a bright pink, clashing with lavender, taking hoseok to the galaxy above him.

their happy ending was supposed to turn out differently. nothing in the world they used to live in would had given them a chance, they had realized that now; now that they were with each other. it was kind of strange, possibly even incredibly bizarre, but the two soul's found their way to one another. even after being separated, then reconnected again, they managed to stay together all the way through life and death. perhaps, it wasn't strange at all- just, a love story that didn't turn out how the fairy tales usually portrayed them.

now, sitting happily beside each other, hoseok could finally tell hyungwon how he truly felt.

hyungwon could finally hold hoseok's hand, entwine their fingers, tell him the exact same words, but so much more. there was always more.

in fact, it didn't even matter, because they had all the time in the universe with each other then. they no longer needed to sit in an uncomfortable silence, expecting something to happen. the two were never uncomfortable, however; only deeply in love. that was what they were, and forever would be.

their forever was with each other, and in the end, that happened.

THE END