Chapter Text
“Come to Find Paradise”
Ricky’s gaze lingered on the sign hanging in front of the store.
The shop looks ordinary, glass walls revealing shelves and counters like any other place. Ordinary enough that someone could pass by without a second glance. Yet to Ricky, it feels as though the glass is a veil, a window inviting him to peek at something beyond the ordinary, something he cannot name but knows he must find.
The sign is simple, almost plain, and yet the question stirs inside him: what is paradise, truly?
He doesn’t remember how he came to stand here, in front of this unassuming door. He doesn’t recall walking here, or even deciding to come. And yet, deep inside, he feels it: there is something waiting for him inside. Something he cannot leave without.
When he steps through the door, there are no bell rings. No voice calls welcome with rehearsed cheer. Instead, the silence greets him—gentle, full, like morning itself. Outside, the sky is so high, so blindingly blue, that it feels as though all the greetings have already been spoken by the world.
Behind the counter stands a figure. Not entirely human, not entirely strange. Its head is covered in fur the same shade as the sky outside, soft and bright, while its body is dressed in a neat suit. Odd, yes, but Ricky doesn’t flinch. Somehow, it feels as though the world has always held such creatures, and only now has he learned to notice.
Without a word, the figure slides something across the counter: a map. Pinned to it with delicate precision is a yellow post-it, handwritten in uneven scrawl— Find Blue.
Ricky takes it carefully, fingertips brushing the paper as though it might slip away. He holds it close to glimpse at its lines and symbols. They blur, half-familiar, half-foreign, like memories he cannot reach. Where do I begin? he wonders. If I follow this, will I find what I’ve been seeking all along? Does Blue lead to paradise? Or is Blue itself the paradise?
The thought flickers— they would want to find it too.
They? Who were the others?
He steps back outside, the map pressed in his hand. The light spills across his skin, warm and unyielding. Above him, the sky stretches, endless and serene, the same shade of blue it has always been. The same shade they once loved to gaze at together, as if it could hold them forever.
And then he hears it. Voices in the distance, carried on the morning air. Familiar, achingly so. He looks up, and there—approaching and drawing closer—are two figures. Their silhouettes are steady, as if they have always been just a little behind, always near enough to catch him, always ready to walk beside him.
His lips move before thought can intervene, the names slipping free as though they were written into his very breath.
“Gyuvin… Gunwook…”
“Ricky!” Gyuvin’s voice rings across the air, bright and eager. He breaks into a run, his smile wide as ever. “Were you waiting for us?”
Gunwook follows with steadier steps, warmth written into every line of his face. His hand rises instinctively to ruffle Ricky’s hair, a gesture so familiar it feels like home. His grin is gentle, his eyes even more so—those tender eyes that always see Ricky first. “Have you been waiting long?”
Ricky lets out a soft huff, his lips curving into the smile only they can draw from him. “....Took you long enough,” he says, feigning impatience but unable to hide the relief blooming in his chest.
Gyuvin laughs, sing-song and teasing, bumping his shoulder against Gunwook’s. “He missed us.”
Gunwook smirks, low and certain. “He totally did.”
Ricky’s smile widens, amusement flickering soft in his gaze. He lifts the map, unfolding it just enough for them both to see, the yellow note still perfectly centered. “Let’s find Blue,” he says, his voice firm but laced with something like wonder, as if he already knows the answer.
“What’s in there?” Gyuvin tilts his head, curious as always.
“Paradise, maybe,” Gunwook answers, his tone certain, that old intuition stirring alive again.
Ricky looks at them both, the corners of his mouth softening into something fragile. “Yes,” he says, his grip tightening around their hands, “towards our Blue Paradise.” He steps forward, tugging them with him, as though he cannot bear to walk a single step of it alone.
“Should we run?” Gyuvin asks suddenly, a spark in his eyes. “So we can reach it faster?”
“A competition?” Gunwook arches a brow, lips curving into a grin.
Ricky shakes his head, his voice quiet but certain. “We could take it slow. We could take our time. We have eternity ahead of us.” His gaze lowers, brushing over their intertwined fingers, the silver bands glinting softly in the light. He smiles to himself—the smile of someone who has found everything he was searching for.
Then, two kisses land on his cheeks, one from each side. Startling in their suddenness, familiar in their sweetness. Ricky blinks, caught between laughter and breathlessness, and when he turns, he finds them both wearing lovesick grins—the kind that speak all the words the world could never hold.
Above them, the sky stretches wide in a breathtaking shade of blue. And in that blue, they know—they will always continue to bloom.
💙