ghost in a flower | norenmin

to learn and tolerate

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the following days leading up to their scheduled trip to the underworld, renjun had gone up into the overworld to simply keep jaemin company. some of their days were spent quietly and boisterous on days that were exceptionally bright. (those days were the best, but then again everyday spent with renjun were the best.) getting to know renjun felt like opening a door leading to another world. it felt...refreshing.

he would talk about how magic is different for different beings. some channel it through a vessel like a wand or a staff, while others don't need that and let it flow out of the tips of their fingers. some magic distorts reality and some can even speed up a plant's growth—which really intrigued jaemin. he excitedly asked if that meant he had magic as well and renjun chuckles fondly while nodding his head yes.

"all gods have some type of magic in them. like how poseidon controls the seas and the anemoi control the winds." renjun blows on a dandelion in his hand, watching the pappi swirl around in the breeze. "i believe, magic is all around us."

jaemin's eyes then widened in wonder when he sees the small fluffy particles circle around him, then return to its path on the wind. a broad smile spread across his features.

they would usually sit around in the flower fields, filling up their time with mindless chatter and sometimes a song or two. renjun's voice is actually magnificent to listen to; he could get lost in his voice for the rest of eternity and wouldn't even be tired of it.

a few days before their little field trip, jaemin has renjun following him to a spot that brought him peace in a way that buries tranquility deep into his bones. deep into the forest lies a gigantic oak tree that towers over the others. its branches the size of trunks on normal trees that surrounded it, vines of flora emitted a sweet and earthy scent, and small animals made parts of it their home. over the years, jaemin had found solace in climbing up onto one of its branches to watch the sunset and sometimes stargaze if his mother was feeling generous that day.

the sun had yet to reach the horizon when he hoisted renjun up onto one of the thick branches of the oak tree. they climbed up a few more branches—with some added complaints from renjun—until jaemin found the perfect little alcove where they could sit comfortably in, while having a perfect view of the sun kissing the horizon.

"from what you've told me, the underworld doesn't have sunsets or sunrises. and it doesn't seem like you visit here much, so consider this a small gift for keeping me company for these past few days." jaemin says, making himself comfortable against the bark of the tree. though the alcove was technically fit for one person, renjun managed to fit beside jaemin with his shoulder and thighs pressing against jaemin's. jaemin would be lying if he said he wasn't the least bit flustered at their close proximity.

from his peripheral, he could see a small grin stretched across the other's face.

"thank you. i appreciate the sentiment a lot. it's been a long while since i've actually watched the sunset like this." renjun lets out a sigh and proceeds to lie his head on jaemin's shoulder. jaemin turns rigid at the action, but tries his best to mask it by turning his attention elsewhere.

for a while, they both sat in silence, simply listening to the rustle of the leaves and faint chatter of birds. there were a plethora of things to admire about the overworld, and the never ending dance the sun and moon partake in were one of them renjun favored. his mind then wanders to jeno, wondering when was the last time he was able to see such a sight.

for the extensive time renjun had known jeno, the god rarely came up to the overworld. he only went up if it was a necessity, and even then it wasn't for long.

he glances over at jaemin, whose eyes reflected a soft golden brown in the light.

"hey..." renjun starts and jaemin hums, prompting renjun to continue. "jeno isn't as bad as everyone makes him out to be. he's just not particularly keen on meeting new people, i guess. but that doesn't mean he can't be nice or anything—hell, he's actually way more of a sweetheart than you may think." renjun looks down to jaemin's hands fiddling with the soft fabric of his chiton and imagined those very hands interlaced with his own. a thought he never thought he'd entertain, yet here he is.

"would he even accept me? i mean, from our first meeting, he made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with me." a small pout found its way onto jaemin's lips. he found their first impressions of each other less than favorable, but it's always the first impression that sticks right? maybe jeno was just having a bad day. yeah, that could be it.

"with a little coaxing, i'm sure he'll warm up to you in no time." renjun reassured, and for the rest of that evening, they two watched as the sky faded from warm oranges and pinks to the navy blues of night.

all while a king sits in the company of glowing flora and weeping wisterias.

-

"have fun up there?" was the first thing jeno asked when renjun stepped foot into the palace gardens.

the latter was sitting in their usual spot, munching on pomegranate seeds and staining his lips bright red. renjun rolled his eyes, knowing that jeno was simply sulking because his attention wasn't solely on jeno anymore. there was another, and jeno didn't quite know how to deal with not having renjun's full undivided attention like this.

"would've been better if you were there." renjun plops himself in the spot next to jeno, leaning back onto the trunk of the tree. "what about him has gotten you so worked up anyways? he didn't do anything ill towards you. "

jeno wanted to say that it was because the boy practically had renjun wrapped around his flower adorned fingers, and left jeno in the dust, collecting whatever that was left. that he just seemed too goddamn perfect, there was no doubt in his mind that renjun would leave him for the other with a flutter of his eyelashes.

he didn't want that. he didn't want renjun to be taken away from him after everything he's done for him. not to mention that he is very much still head over heels for the latter. everything about him brought a spark of light within the darkness of his realm. renjun's smile was enough for him to start stumbling over his words like a child who was still learning how to speak; his beauty rivaled adonis', always managing to render him breathless.

for him to leave, would be the worst thing that jeno could ever experience. worse than his brothers shoving him to the side, abandoning him to rule a land fated to feed on pure loneliness and despair.

"what about him that's gotten you bending to his every whim and will?" jeno asked back, his voice cutting through their prolonged silence, and coming out much harsher than he had intended.

renjun sighs heavily, reaching over to pluck a few pomegranate seeds free from his hands. "if you gave him a chance, maybe you would know. not everyone in the overworld is going to treat you like your brothers do, trust me." after plopping the few seeds into his mouth, renjun places a gentle hand on top of jeno's. "besides, jaemin wants to befriend you too. not just me."

the naive part of jeno wanted to believe that jaemin had such pure intentions. that he simply wanted to befriend the both of them and not swipe renjun away from under his nose like a thief in the night. the miniscule part of him that was admittedly entranced by jaemin, wanted to trust renjun wholeheartedly. but he'd hardly known the god and his logical side was screaming at him to not be so easily fooled. jaemin could be as conniving and mischievous as hermes for all he knows.

"do you not trust me?" renjun asked, a flash of hurt reflecting off his mismatched eyes. and to that, how could jeno possibly say no?

and so, the two agreed on having jaemin as an honored guest of the underworld.

. * ･ ｡ﾟ☆🌺☆ﾟ. * ･ ｡ﾟ

it's short, but it's here :)
i hope everyone's doing well today!