Chapter Text
“You came back, and here I thought you’d be scuttling back if you were to pass by this area again.”
Aesop froze in place. It was that familiar gruff voice again. It was clear that it came from the makeshift shrine he created. It was emanating a cloudy, grey aura akin to thick dust. It wasn’t a long time ago when he stumbled across an umbrella in the middle of his stroll. It was worn out and dirty, but it wasn’t broken. He opened it out of curiosity, and the talismans that existed past their expiration stuck on the panels had finally broken loose and dissipated as if they were smoke.
Little did he know that it completely unsealed two souls in the umbrella, not that he would’ve figured out either. The talismans just looked like a bunch of odd scribbles to him, nor did he even know what talismans were, to begin with. He never really went out to experience the world and preferred to be in the confines of his greenhouse that he inherited from his late foster father.
That same umbrella was the one that he had propped up in the centre of the shrine.
“I just wanted to pay my respects.”
Aesop kept his head lowered, opening his glass bag that revealed white roses that he recently removed the thorns off. He didn’t know if these entities that materialised could injure themselves with the flowers, but he did feel the coldness of their bodies during their first encounter which meant they could interact with the material world.
“Pay respects? You hardly even know us.”
The gruff voice responded again. Aesop frowned beneath his mask. Where was that gentler voice when he needed it more? At least with that gentler entity, he wouldn’t sound this resentful. He couldn’t say that though. What if the other man were to shove him down and beat him up? It was clear that they were military officials in the past, just that Aesop didn’t know where they came from. He shook his head to ease his nerves and took a deep breath. He brought out the bouquet from his bag to arrange it in a vase that he had brought to adorn the shrine.
“Why won’t you just—”
“Wujiu, enough.”
There he finally is. The gentler one, the one that dusted off Aesop when he stumbled down when they both materialised for the first time after centuries. The aura around the shrine was much brighter now. His presence somewhat lifted some of the remaining tension in Aesop’s body as he adjusted the vase in the shrine.
“Thank you for the flowers, Aesop. They’re beautiful.”
The gentle voice spoke again. Aesop could feel that he was caressing his cheek, but they weren’t materialising at all.
“You’re welcome. I’ve always grown white roses in my greenhouse… I don’t mind sharing them with people at all.”
Aesop responded. Truth be told, this was the first time he had ever given anyone flowers for a while. The other people in town always viewed him as some sort of eccentric. It wasn’t like this before, however. He lived a fairly normal childhood when his mother was still alive. He didn’t live in this town at the time and was more used to the urbanised lifestyle until his mother’s odd passing. Then, he was brought to this town ever since his foster father took him in and everything changed since then.
“Do you have plum blossoms? Wujiu and I would walk through a trail of plum blossoms every spring. To experience that again… would be nice.”
Plum blossoms? Like Chinese plums?
“No wonder they looked so different.”
Aesop thought and pondered. He had quite a variety of plants that he would cultivate, but not once had he ever grown a single plum blossom—more like it was nearly impossible to even bring one to life regardless of season. He shook his head to the gentle voice’s question.
“No, they don’t grow here. Even if they could, it wouldn’t be in season at all. It’s autumn already, and winter is coming afterwards. It’ll be a while before spring comes again, even then, plum blossoms will not grow.”
“How come? Has time passed so much that the world could no longer care for plum blossoms?”
“Xie Bi’an, we’re no longer in our dynasty. Look at his clothes, no one would wear those at all.”
Fan Wujiu, the one with the rougher voice spoke up again.
“We’re in the Far West. I can’t even recall how we even ended up here.”
The grey smoke became much thicker now. Aesop covered his face out of reflex and coughed everything he inhaled. When he opened his eyes, Wujiu was standing right behind him. This time, he could finally have a better look at the man whose gruff voice belonged to. His skin was completely grey, a complete contrast with his white locks and eyes. He looked far from human at all.
“I can hardly remember the events before we were even sealed in the umbrella. If I tried to remember, all I could feel was sorrow.”
The white smoke followed, but this time it circled Aesop rather than passing through him. Xie Bi’an made his appearance next. He had pale skin and black hair, a direct opposite of Fan Wujiu’s appearance. Aesop felt rather out of place with the presence, making him slump his shoulders with his head still lowered. Xie Bi’an took note of this and immediately reached out to raise his head.
“You appear a lot more melancholic than the two of us, what is it truly that brought you back here? Wujiu and I would’ve fared well with the shrine you made for us, but I’m very grateful that you came back to provide us with flowers.”
Xie Bi’an leaned down to place a kiss on Aesop’s forehead. A rosy pink tint dusted over his cheeks from the sudden intimate gesture, but he didn’t pull away. Xie Bi’an felt cold, but the area he left a kiss on felt so warm. Aesop could notice the crease on Fan Wujiu’s eyebrows, but he was surprised that he didn’t even protest at the gesture.
“It must’ve been lonely being sealed in an umbrella for years. I somewhat… sympathised.”
Aesop wasn’t the type to talk about his feelings so easily, but in front of them felt so easy. Was it because Xie Bi’an and Fan Wujiu could hardly be called human? Or was it because they never truly knew Aesop’s story, unlike the townsfolk? Either way, he didn’t feel like he was being looked down upon.
“It just felt like a slumber, but I understand where you’re coming from.”
Fan Wujiu’s tone appeared a lot more mellow this time. Seeing Aesop like this somewhat reminded him of how Xie Bi’an could easily empathise with the common folk back in the days when they were still on duty. He also felt guilty acting too harshly on the guy who unsealed them, without him, they would’ve been left sealed for who knows how long until they are found again. His statement was merely a lie though. He didn’t want to put any more of an emotional burden on Aesop if he learned that the two of them merely wandered in an empty dark void throughout those years of being sealed in an umbrella. Feeling one another’s presence kept each other from insanity, but they couldn’t interact at all, that is until they were finally thrown out.
…
Turns out that the shrine Aesop made wasn’t necessary at all. It didn’t take a month before he decided to invite Xie Bi’an and Fan Wujiu to live in his residence. It was more of an impulsive decision on his part, enthused at the idea of finally having people—well, ghosts, being his friends. It was out of character of him to do so, but deep inside, it was frustrating to interact with people who made it clear that they didn’t enjoy his presence at all. At least with these two, they didn’t know anything about him aside from the fact that he had freed them from the umbrella that they were sealed into.
Another thing that occurred ever since they lived together is the budding affection that Xie Bi’an expressed towards Aesop. The forehead kiss he received the last time he visited their shrine was the first gesture that would soon spiral down to more. Aesop wasn’t used to any sort of intimacy at all, especially physical intimacy, which was what Xie Bi’an provided the most, followed by his smooth words that easily turned Aesop into absolute mush in his hands.
Xie Bi’an grew bolder through the times. From the forehead kisses, he proceeded to pamper Aesop with cheek kisses whenever he could—and by that, it was usually when he felt like it. He loved seeing Aesop shatter from his calm exterior and then turn into a flustered mess where he struggled to utter a proper word. It was even worse when he decided to steal Aesop’s first kiss. He didn’t even know that it was Aesop’s first kiss until he was told. He thought that someone had already taken it considering how adorable Aesop was. It only made things much more special for him though.
Fan Wujiu was no different, although he was a lot more reclusive when it came to expressing affection but he made it up with acts of service. He made use of his skills to take care of both Aesop and Xie Bi’an. Aesop grew to like his cooking. It was far from what he was used to. He used to be so scared of trying it out until the food was forced into his mouth, only then did he realise his love for Fan Wujiu’s cooking. Aside from cooking, Fan Wujiu also took in housework ever since he noticed how run down Aesop’s residence came to be aside from the common area and the greenhouse—the two areas that Aesop frequented. Of course, before he put himself to work, he gave Aesop quite the earful.
Aesop knew that the two of them only grew more affectionate towards him after centuries of loneliness. Yes, they sensed each other’s presence, but they couldn’t interact with one another during those times. He was their saviour and practically the first one they’ve talked to ever since they were unsealed. He wonders if these feelings would eventually fade, but for now, he’d rather revel and make the most of it.