Work Text:
"There's no other way, I prayed to the gods let him stay"
Memories- Whitin Temptation
In the old antique store that Kyungsoo works in there's this mason jar, its been there since he started workinhg there three years ago, it has a gray butterfly inside and no matter how much time and years passed by, the jar always look as if it's brand new.
For Kyungsoo this jar represents mystery, not only because of it apparent immunity to time, but there's something about it that gives a feeling to the boy, it's a feeling of belonging, like the jar is his or as it was made for him, either way he has grown attached to the jar and the butterfly inside this one, he keeps the jar on the back of the store where almost no one but him can see it, he could buy it, but then the feeling comes again telling him "Why buy something that's rightfully yours" so he just keeps it there safe from the others.
Today it's a rather slow day, but then again every day seems slow when you work in an antique store, the attendant boy is about to fall sleep out of boredom when a tingling sensation eliminates every sense of sleep on his body, it has become habitual, the sensation that something or rather someone its staring at him, every time he has this feeling Kyungsoo searches everywhere possible for the source of it, only to found the absolute nothingness, it's uncalming to say the least, specially when Kyungsoo doesn't feel threatened or creep out by the feeling, he feels curious and he feels this need to find the person (it has to be a person, how embarrassing would it be if he been feeling this way over a stray dog or cat just staring at him looking for food) that has been staring at him.
Kyungsoo thinks that whoever has been staring at him really doesn't want to be discovere, its clear they're looking at him from distance, he knows that this person has never entered the store, he would have felt it something in his core tells him that.
Kyungsoo sighs when the feeling as sudden as it came is gone, he wishes the person staring at him would just come out of their hiding place, he really wants to know this person now.
Kyungsoo turns around and once again as it been happening since not long ago his hand reaches for a point above his head, like he's trying to grab the shoulders of someone much taller than him, he frowns, he never really met someone as tall as his hand unconsciously reaches so he doesn't understand why he does that, and why now out of the nowhere and most importantly why at the same time the staring started, there's this feeling that there's something incomplete about his life now, but he hasn't lost anything, he still has his parents, his brother and his friends hell he even still has the same boss, so why does it feels like he's missing something.
He sighs once again, too many weird things been happening to him, maybe working on an antique store has taken its toll on his mental health.
"I hope there is a way, To give me a sign you're okay"
Chanyeol fights the tears pooling at his eyes as he walks away from the antique store where Kyungsoo works, Kyungsoo, Do Kyungsoo, his Kyungsoo, the Kyungsoo he lost from his life in exchange of keeping him alive, he thought it would be fine as long as Kyungsoo was still alive and breathing, but it still hurts so much, to be reduced to absolute nothing to the person you used to be everything, to the person that is still your everything, but he made the right choice didn't he? Kyungsoo is still alive and at the end of the day that's all that matters.
Chanyeol arrives at his home and sighs loudly, he removes his shoes and leaves them at the door, next to the pair of shoes that belongs to him, to Kyungsoo, to the love of his life, to the only person he could ever love and the person he lost.
Its bittersweet, how he still has his memories, how some of Kyungsoo stuff are still in his house, how the photos of them together still exist, solid and palpable, but only for him, for Kyungsoo this photos doesn't exists and the things that are in his home, for Kyungsoo they just mysteriously disappeared, but them again is nice that he still has them, he would rather to be the only one able to see and know them than to have to forget about them too.
Have to forget about them like Kyungsoo did, have them disappear into thin air as if they never existed like he did on Kyungsoo's life.
His house is his solace, there he can cry and sob and scream all that he wants and needs to, he cries for the things he lost, he cries for the things he'll never have he cries but he doesn't regrets, he would never regret keeping Kyungsoo alive, even if this have cost him his lover's memories of him.
"Kyungsoo-yah, Kyungsoo, I love you Kyungsoo, you don't know that Kyungsoo do you? You used to, you used to tell me that and that there was no need for me to repeat it every second" he chokes a sob as he speaks to one of Kyungsoo's photo he has "I think you were wrong Kyungsoo, maybe I should've have told every second we spent together that I love you, maybe I should've said it a million time while I had the chance, cause now I can't tell you this, and it kills me Kyungsoo, it kills me, but it's fine, it's fine because you are alive, it's fine cause you are still breathing and your heart is still beating and I'm not really necessary in your life Kyungsoo, but you're necessary in mine my love, that's why i can't stay away, that's why I keep going to the store to stare at you and make sure he kept his word and that you're still safe and sound" he caresses the photo and smiles lightly at it.
"Kyungsoo, what would you do if you found out, if you found out about what I've done, would you thank me for keeping you alive or would you hate for erasing your memories of me, would you understand that I had no other choice, would you Kyungsoo? Would you take me back? Even without your memories, would you be able to love me again like you did before? Or would you met someone else, and love them instead, would the love we shared finally died and live just here in my house and in my memories, I keep my memories well Kyungsoo, I do, I wish i could transplant them to you" he chuckles lightly as tears keep coming down, anyone would think he run out of tears after all that he has cried since the incident, but somehow he still has plenty of tears to shed.
Ahh yes, the incident, it happened two weeks ago, but for Chanyeol it might as well happened years ago.
Kyungsoo and Chanyeol had been dating for two years now, they met at the store where Kyungsoo works, Chanyeol was looking for an old pick for his guitar, he said to the shorter boy that he wanted an old one instead of a new one because "All things have soul, specially old ones" and soul is the most important part of music,they bonded about music, since they shared the same taste and soon Chanyeol learned that Kyungsoo owned an angelic voice that mixed perfectly with his own low one, romantic feelings too didn't take long to take place between the two boys,it seemed like they were made for each other, whatever the other lacked the other had to spare, to themselves and everyone else they were the authentic couple goals, for everyone else, except fate.It happened one cold night when they were walking on the park in front of Kyungsoo's work, they often hang out there to just look at the stars or other people rushing past them,when Kyungsoo realized that he had forgotten to close the store,he told his boyfriend to wait for him for a minute, who would've thought that a minute could become forever.
Kyungsoo didn't saw the car coming at him, Chanyeol didn't saw his life change in a second, he did heard the commotion and when he went to see what happened he was met with the most awful image he could ever think of, his boyfriend, the love of his life laying there shattered and bloodied on the concrete, he felt as if another car crashed on him, the next moments happened in a flash for Chanyeol, one moment he was on the park about to ask his boyfriend to marry him and the next he was a crying mess at the hospital, the doctors just told him that Kyungsoo's chances of living were few,he was losing all hope when an strange tall man (almost as tall as himself) wearing a suit seated next to him, the man placed a hand on his shoulder and told him "My child, you must not lose hope, for there's always a way" the man said grinning at him, Chanyeol looked at the man and said, "Thank you sir, but right now there's no where to grasp hope from" the man tightened his grip on the boy's shoulder and said "Oh perhaps I can help with that, I can make the boy you love live, normally and healthy without any type of sequels after this, if you of course are willingly to give me something in exchange" Chanyeol widened his eyes at the words coming from the mans mouth, he had nothing left to lose but Kyungsoo so yes, if he can help him he's going to give anything, "What do you want from me" he said with hopeful eyes, the man smirked at him "I want your memories, see I am a spirit and I am feed by memories, so I want the memories your dear boy has of you, and only you can give me them" Chanyeol backed out of the grip the man had on his shoulders and looked at him " B- but how, I mean doesn't his memories belong to him I can't give them to you, why not take mine instead?" He said closing his fist tightly " His memories do belong to him, but not the ones with you, those belong to you, same as your memories with him belong to him, and for me really is easier to take his memories since his in the middle of life and death now, I could take yours but I'd have to put you on the same state as he is" the man said shrugging, Chanyeol sighed and looked at the operation room where Kyungsoo was in, "Okay, I accept if you promise he really would be living healthy and without any sequels after this" the boy said with tear running down his face, "I always keep my words my child, I pleasure making this deal with you,now if you excuse me I need to eat" the man said smiling as he got up from the seat and walked straight to the operation room as if nothing.
Ten minutes after, Do Kyungsoo came alive and out of danger of the operations room, the only relatives that were there to notify were his parent's even though Chanyeol hadn't left the hospital, the deal was successfully made, for now on there was no Park Chanyeol on Do Kyungsoo's life.
Chanyeol cries himself to sleep that as he has done ever since Kyungsoo's accident, he can't keep going on like this, tomorrow he's going to get in store he needs to hear Kyungsoo's voice before he goes completely insane.
Made me promise I'd try, To find my way back in this life.
Tomorrow becomes today, and Chanyeol finds himself in front of the store where Kyungsoo works, in front of the street where he lost everything, he sucks his breath in and steps inside.
And there he is, the boy he loves, loved and will always love, looking as beautiful as ever, he can't believe its only been two weeks since he last saw him this close, it feels like ages to him, his hand itches with the need to touch him, to reach to him and embrace him, because he's alive and he's fine and he's beautiful.
"I'll help you in a moment sir, just need to finish organizing this and I'm with you" Kyungsoo said to him, he has his back at him, so he can't really see Chanyeol and all Chanyeol can think of, god I missed your voice, unconsciously he walks closer to the store attendant boy, so close till he's right behind him, then Kyungsoo turns around and stubbles holding himself on Chanyeol's shoulders and widens his eyes when he looks directly to Chanyeol's sad ones.
"It's you" he said breathlessly, "you're the person that had been staring at me"
"Yo-you noticed that?" Chanyeol said as blush creep in on his face.
"Yeah, I did, w-who.. Who are you? Why have you been staring at me? Why does " he gulped then continued "Why do you fit in perfectly with the height I've been reaching for since two weeks ago? Why do I feel like I know you and that i- I need you?" The short boy said with tear in his eyes as he reached to touch the taller boy's face.
"Kyungsoo, Kyungsoo" all that Chanyeol could think of and speak of what's his loves name, he griped the shorted waist and it felt so right, that's were his hand should be, always.
They didn't notice they started moving back to the shelf, until Kyungsoo's back collapsed against this and startled it, this causing the mason jar to fall to the ground, breaking into thousands of pieces, setting the butterfly free (how is it still alive?), the butterfly found her way to Kyungsoo's head and once seated there,she disappeared into a flash of light and then.
"Chanyeol" Kyungsoo said and then looked at the boy in front of him, "Chanyeol it's you, it's you, how could I, how could i ever forget about you, how did everyone else did, how" the boy was shut by the lips of the boy he loved and missed so much even though his mind refused to remember him, his soul and his body could never forget him.
"Marry me" was the first thing that came out of Chanyeol's mouth after they kissed.
Kyungsoo gasped and then a beautiful smile (oh god how much Chanyeol missed that smile) appeared on his face as he said "Yes, always, you know I'll love you till the end of time".
The couple smiled at each other and shared yet another sweet kiss.
Outside the store a tall man wearing a suit was staring at the couple inside with a smile on his face.
Fate really does works in mysterious ways, or maybe sometimes he's just bored.