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As Jongin strolls around Between, a trail of vibrant flowers follow behind. His skin glows in the sunlight that never fails to follow him wherever he goes. A crown of rainbow of blossoms sit over his golden hair. With a smile, he waves to the souls that pass by, as they trudge toward a glowing portal a few feet away. “Have a safe trip! See you later- wait. . .isn’t that. . . ? Oh, goodness. . .”
He shuffles away from the line awkwardly, and walks toward his favorite space in Between. A small pond appears a few minutes later and Jongin grins causing a few birds to sing. He sits criss-cross(applesauce) at the edge of the pond basking in the warm light. He waits patiently.
“Prince Jongin?” he shifts in the cool shadows. “Are you okay?”
“Huh?” he opens his eyes with a flutter like butterfly wings. “Oh. . .I must've fallen asleep. . .”
“It seems so,” the latter chuckles before standing up and blocking more of the light with his tall stature. He can’t quite place the familiar voice though. “Well, I’ll be on my way.”
“Oh! Uh, okay,” he fumbles over his words as cotton candy paints his cheeks once he realizes who it is. You can do this, Jongin! “Wait! When did you get here? Did you come from Tennessee?”
“Uh wha-”
“‘Cuz you’re the only ten I see!” Jongin shoots finger guns at Sehun with a grimace on his tomato face.
“I’ll be leaving now,” the latter plasters a smile on his angular features and shuffles away from Jongin. “Also, we supernatural beings just appear in Between. So, I’m not from Tennessee, but I appreciate the compliment.”
The Prince of Life turns scarlet before the Prince of Death strides away. The dark-haired prince doesn’t look back and walks with confidence. Until, he trips and face plants onto the grass unceremoniously with his crown of raven feathers a few inches away from his head.
“Prince Sehun!” Jongin cries out and rushes toward the fallen prince. “I'm so sorry that happened! I-”
“It's not your fault,” he blushes completely embarrassed. He grabs his crown and poofs away in a cloud of smoke much to Jongin’s displeasure.
Jongin visits the pond with his usual entourage of pretty daisies and tulips marking his every step. He brought a basket of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies in hopes that the handsome Prince will show up again. Giggling to himself, he crosses his legs and basks in his sunlight. Jongin munches on a few cookies, as he watches the fluffy clouds move across the cerulean sky.
“Hello, Prince Jongin,” he voice calls from behind as usual. “How are you today?”
“I’m okay,” he grins and Sehun looks away to watch the line of souls trudge along. His smile falters, but it doesn't deter him from his mission. “You want a cookie?”
“Wha-”
“Try one! They’re no fortune cookie, but you'll be fortunate you had one!” he pushes his woven basket to Sehun with sparking eyes. The latter looks on pain, as if he's trying to hide something. He holds his hands up in defense.
“Ah, thanks for the offer, but I gotta-”
“Please? I made them myself!” Sehun forces a grin and gently plucks the baked treat from the latter’s outstretched hand. Tentatively, he takes a bite and smiles almost immediately.
“Wow, these are amazing,” Jongin stares in awe, as the taller continues to grin while getting crumbs everywhere.
Prince Jongin takes a stroll around the small town of Between. His woven basket hanging on his arm with a few dandelions and daisies dangling off the edge. Flowers bloom in his presence, as he waves to the mindless humans walking toward the glimmering portals. With one thought in mind, he picks the most vibrant blossoms with a blinding smile.
Skipping a rock on the surface of the pond, a string of souls appear in Between; Jongin watches the ripples in disdain. “Oh no.” Poof!
“What are you doing?!”
“Prince Se-”
“What are you doing?” his eyebrows are furrowed, as the cloud of smoke hangs onto the tail ends of Sehun’s cloak. His eyes are pitch black, as he glares at the other prince. “Did you forget that this pond controls calamities in the human-”
“I’m sorry it won't happen again!” he looks down toward the pond, as it continues to ripple.
“Don't let it happen again,” Sehun huffs before leaving as quickly as he appeared. Jongin falls back onto his robes with a frown on his face. The basket of flowers wilt right next to him. An overflow of souls stand in three lines, as another portal opens; he can hear Sehun groaning from wherever he is.
Lounging on his flower bed, Jongin stares up at the canopy of trees while sunlight streams through the openings. They scatter across the forest floor like shards of a stained glass window. He breathes in the earthy scent of his dwelling space and sighs deeply. Thinking about his previous encounter with the Prince of Death, he sits up and plays with the vines that tangle around his legs mindlessly. Jongin sighs deeply; the plants around him turn a tinge of brown and droop like his shoulders.
Hearing the soft crunch of leaves and the clearing of a throat, he turns his attention toward the sound with mild disinterest. “Prince Jongin, I wanted to apologize for my behavior before. I just- I-sortingsoulsisboringandcreepyanditsucks-soherearesomecookiesigotfromthehumanrealm!”
He sits back in a daze while watching Sehun’s pale cheeks turn a dainty cherry blossom pink. “Sorry, what?”
“These are for you,” he walks to where Jongin is sitting with a charcoal-esque basket in his hand. “Baked goods from the Human Realm as an apology for snapping at you. . .”
The moment the handle touches Jongin’s hand, the plants surrounding them return to their vibrant hues; he smiles as bright as the sun. “Thank you.”
“Would you like to sit by me here. . . ?”
“I’m afraid I have a job to attend too,” he sighs and looks up to see Jongin’s pout. “Maybe next time. . . ?”
“I’d like that- ALSO, this is for you! I was going to give them to you the last time we met, but. . .” he holds up the basket of blossoms with a small smile. “Anyways, I hope you like them!”
“Oh, uh,” Sehun turns red like the peonies. “Thank you, I’ll treasure them.”
He grasps the handle and smiles at the variety and vibrancy of them. “They’re beautifu-Oh.” The flowers turn gray and their velvet petals turn brittle and scrunchy. “Oh. . .I. . .uh. . .thank- sorry?”
Jongin laughs sheepishly. “It’s no problem! Well, they were pretty while they lasted. . . ?”
“Hah. . .yeah. . .”
He walks over to the basket. “Here. . .I’ll give them some vitamin me so they always stay vibrant.”
“Thank you,” Sehun chuckles softly while watching the blossoms swell under Jongin’s glowing, tender touch.
Prince Sehun appears most days in order to greet Jongin with a small smile before leaving to do his job. The times he doesn’t appear only leaves Jongin with more time to think up “clever” pick-up lines and puns like the brilliant Tennessee and vitamin me.
While plucking flowers, he makes a new crown for himself. He hums to himself as Prince Sehun appears a few feet away in a cloud of dark smoke. His tunic is loose fitting compared to his usual stiff attire, but it accentuates his broad shoulders and pale skin. He takes a few strides toward Jongin with a trail of decrepit grass and flowers. “Hello, Prince Jongin. How are you?”
“I feel great,” he grins.
“No cheesy line today?” Sehun laughs while he sits down next to Jongin. “Usually you’re quick to have one out before I can exchange formalities.”
“You’re so beautiful, I forgot my pickup line,” Sehun’s eyes crinkle and his porcelain skin flushes to a cotton candy pink; Jongin can’t help but stare. Once their eyes meet, he returns his focus to the vibrant colors in his hands.
“What is that?” the latter leans over to take a better look which only causes Jongin to blush.
“It’s a crown. I’m making a new one since the seasons are changing in the human realm,” he smiles holding it out for Sehun to look at. “I like my given crown, but making new ones is a lot of fun!”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah!” Jongin smiles and Sehun’s expression changes to a grimace before he turns away. “Uhm. . .err. . .people say I’m a flower child, so I make flower crowns! Ha. . .haha. . .haaa. . . . .”
“That didn’t make any sense,” Sehun chuckles lowly. “And you just used flower in two different ways. . .I guess you could say it was anything bud funny. . .”
“You’re pollen my leg, Prince Sehun,” he giggles.
“Prince Jongin, you’re a dandylion person to be around.”
“Thanks,” he smiles at the latter, who turns around with flushed cheeks against a pale canvas. “But that pun didn’t really work.”
“It was a bouquet pun though, right?”
“I budlieve so,” he laughs and his heart swells with joy.
“Well, I have to leaf,” Sehun sighs. “I'll see you tomorrow. . . ?”
“YES- I mean, yeah, I’ll be here,” his face turns into red roses.
“I’ll see you then, Prince Jongin,” he smiles and leaves a cloud of smoke in his wake.
Jongin falls back onto the emerald grass giggling to himself. He holds his new crown above his chest, as bright blue forget-me-nots outline his form.
The next time Jongin and Sehun meet, there’s an overflow of souls entering Between. “Ugh!”
“Prince Sehun?”
“There’s so much work to do,” he huffs sitting down on the grass creating a dry and crackly area around him. “I wish my father would help, but that ol’ coot is too busy making sure that I get all the souls ready for you to revive for the Human Realm. UGH!”
“You mean getting them ready for my mother? She does all of the reviving right now. She doesn’t trust me with the ‘family business’ quite yet. She says I’m too young to work even though I turning seventeen in human years,” Jongin laughs nervously plucking out the grass in handfuls. “Which is practically an adult, right?”
Prince Sehun laughs and stretches before standing up. “Practically. Well, I should head to work. . .I’ll see you around-”
“Can I come with you? I’ve always wanted to see how lifecycle worked, y’know?” Jongin stands next to the porcelain prince.
“Erm, I guess. . . ?”
“Really? Cool!” a group of jonquils sprout nearby; Sehun smiles.
“So, uh. . .here we are,” the Prince of Death gestures to the inside of the cave. Heading inside, Prince Jongin immediately spots two pools of dark water in the center. Souls float beside the bodies of water and Sehun sighs. “This can get a little. . .wacky, so if you need a break the portal is right behind you, okay?”
Jongin nods his head nervously. “Got it.”
Sehun waves his hand over the inky water and the two pools glow a brilliant blue and fiery red. “First thing is first. . .I sort the souls by how they lived their life. If they had generally good morals, then I’ll send them off into the blue pool. If not, they go into the red pool. Make sense?”
“What does that do?” Jongin stares into seemingly shallow waters curiously.
“Well, it determines how they are reincarnated. It’s more of an influence thing, the final word is with whoever is in charge of restoring life, which would be your mother. Basically, I sort the human souls into good and bad, and your mother decides if they should live as a human or something else.”
Jongin hums in understanding. “That’s interesting!”
Sehun grimaces. “I guess so. . .this is the wacky part. . .”
He beckons toward the first soul in line, as two beam of light shoot out from where their eyes should be. A pained scream pierces the air, as the images turn violent and disturbing. The figure in front viciously stabs the victim until he disappears behind the corner. “I-is this going b-backward?”
“My father taught me that an easy way to determine a quality of life is by its freshest moments.”
“Ah,” Jongin twiddles his thumbs while holding onto a vine that curls around his neck in comfort.
Sehun waves his hand to guide the soul to the correct pool before moving onto another. “It gets pretty mundane after a while-” Another scream. “You sorta get desensitized to everything that happens, so it's not as bad as it seems- Jongin?”
“Huh?”
“You look a little. . .”
“I know, like I just came out of the oven. . .hot,” he grimaces before continuing to fidget with his hands.
“You okay?”
“A-ah, yeah, j-just peachy!” Jongin laughs forcefully in Sehun’s direction. The prince of death comes closer to inspect him.
“I dunno, you seem a little pale,” he comments. He raises his hand to feel the petals on Jongin’s flowery crown; Jongin’s face turns bright red. “The flowers are beginning to wilt. . .I think we should leave.”
“But-”
“I don’t want you getting sick because of my job.”
“Prince Sehun-”
“Sehun. Just call me Sehun,” he smiles taking hold of Jongin’s hand.
“W-well, S-sehun. . .you know we don’t get sick right? That’s a human thing-”
The prince sighs, as they leave the hell-ish cave for the green grass and warm sun. “You seem to be missing the point here, Jongin-ah. . .Omelette you in on a secret. You and I would brie perfectly gouda. Life would be feta if we were togetha. We'll be grate!”
Jongin’s face turns bright red while he squeezes Sehun’s hand. “You’re such a cutecumber.”
Prince Jongin lounges around “catastrophe” pond with a basket of fresh cookies and bunches of flowers blooming around him. He smiles at the blossoms, as he picks a few and threads them with each other. Vibrant yellows intertwine together, as Jongin forms a new crown.
A loud pop resounds throughout the area, as smoke dissipates to reveal Prince Sehun in his usual dark attire; the only difference is his beaming smile, as he walks toward the latter. “Hello Jongin-ah.”
“Sehun! Here,” he holds out the dandelion crown out for the prince. “I made this for you because you are a dandylion person to be around.”
Sehun’s cheeks turn tomato red, as he receives the crown. “Don’t remind me of that. . .”
Jongin laughs, as Sehun smacks him lightly. “Thank you for the crown, it’s beautiful.”
“Sehun, if beauty were time, you’d be an eternity.”
“I hate you.”