Luhan is the light from the first dawn of the universe and since then, till now, he has had the task of painting the skies in beautiful red and orange and vermilion hues till, Baekhyun, the sun, takes over. It's not a particularly difficult job, Luhan thinks, as he paints another breaking day for mankind. He rather liked it at first, and then with time he realized that no one really appreciated his masterpieces.... He could make a million dawns for man and yet no one would look at the sky and admire it.... No they all wait for the sun anyway. But Luhan carries on, only stopping to occasionally feel pangs of loneliness that stab his heart when he sees couples stirring awake in each others arms. He tries to talk to Baekhyun, but he's too bright for Luhan to be near him for long. No he's better off with Chanyeol, the warmth from the fire. Jongdae, who brings thunder and lightening with him is too loud and too fond of scaring Luhan for Luhan to actually like him, so he stays at a wary distance every time the other approaches. Suho, the rain, who always comes with Jongdae, isn't very good at conversation, he's usually morose, telling sad stories of lost love and staring balefully down to the Earth, Kyungsoo, below the skies. Minseok, the winter, is usually chipper, but cold so Luhan can't really feel all that comfortable around him. He still likes the former, but prefers not to hold extended conversations with him for fear of frostbite.
That leaves Yixing, the light from the first star to be born. It is his duty to light up the night sky with a million points of light, every night as humans return home, to guide them back. Luhan notices him one day, humming to himself, as he moves around the sky, almost dancing, as he lights up one star after another. He waits at a distance, watching, fascinated by the performance till he he realizes that it is time for a new day to begin and he rushes forward, eager to meet the enigma behind the art.
"I'm Luhan!" He blurts out, standing right behind Yixing as the latter has only moments to turn around and smile before he vanishes into thin air. Luhan thinks its a little rude but decides the other has a nice smile so he's going to try again. But when Yixing disappears a second time, Luhan decides the star-lighter is definitely mean and says so to Minseok, who stares at him like he's a little crazy.
"He can't remain in the same place as you. He has to move to another part of the sky as soon as you arrive."
"Why....?"
"Umm.... he's the light from the stars, you're the light from the dawn, you can't coexist," Minseok says with a sorry face. Luhan decides it's time to leave because his nose is turning frigid.
The time Luhan comes across Yixing, he waves at him from a distance. Yixing looks a little surprised but waves back nonetheless and goes back to his work. Luhan looks at his back a little crestfallen, he'd at least hoped for Yixing to say something, never mind the gaping distance between them. So he continues to watch, transfixed by Yixing's fluid movements across the sky as he sets one star after another alight. It's only when he hears Baekhyun clear his throat impatiently that he remembers it's time for him to approach the skies with his paints.
The dawn seems to glow a bright, rosy pink that day.
So they fall into a pattern, Luhan waving to him from a distance and then watching as Yixing hummed his way through the dark heavens leaving stardust in his wake, before Luhan has to step his way and he vanishes; leaving behind a dimpled smile in Luhan's mind.
Soon Luhan takes to ranting while he watches Yixing work, knowing fully well that the other can't hear him. One day it's about how positively violent the humans are and how he wishes could crush them. The next day it's something to do with how underappreciated his work is and on a third he says he has had it with Suho's pining. On a fourth day he suddenly realizes he's never seen a star up close. A fifth and he's jealous about how mankind seems to be fascinated by Yixing's stars, only grudgingly admitting to be just as amazed himself. Somewhere down the line, between complaining and admiring, he falls for Yixing.
Suddenly, everything seems brighter.
Then suddenly, as Minseok's words play themselves out in his head, everything becomes dim.
"Hey Dawn-boy," calls Sehun as he blows by that morning, "who threw up over the sky?" Luhan looks at his handiwork. 'Threw up' seems like a rather nice way to put it he muses, but leaves it all the same. No one but him knows why the sky looks that pale and sickly. No one but him knows Yixing might be the cause of it.
"It's not fair you know!!" He hollers one day after a millennia of keeping Yixing out of his mind. The being in question pauses and turns to Luhan, unsure of whom the outburst was directed at. He looks around to check if he really is the one Luhan is talking to. "Oi! Over here," snaps Luhan, ignoring the confused look on the other's face. "It's not fair that you get all the popularity considering you make pinpricks of light and I can set the whole sky ablaze but yet people chose to be awed by what you've done and only look to me in annoyance!! It's not my fault Baekhyun follows me!" Yixing quirks an eyebrow, unsure of where this is headed but he crosses his arms and lets Luhan carry on ranting.
"It's even more unfair that you made me fall in love with those stars but I've never seen a single one up close!"
"I couldn't make one bright enough for you," smiles Yixing ruefully, "but thanks," he calls out.
"No!!" Yixing takes a flinching step back though there is a vast distance between the two of them. "No thanks! No thanks for prancing across the sky and making me forget myself sometimes. No thanks for returning my wave! No thanks for that stupid smile! No thanks for making me fall in love with you..." Yixing's eyebrows disappear into his hairline.
"Wait what....?"
"And I haven't even seen a star for myself....."
Yixing sighs and steps closer.
"What're you doing?! It's not even time for dawn!!"
"I can't make them all shine brighter but I can make one for you..." He points above Luhan, who cranes his neck to see what Yixing is pointing at. "That star will shine for you as long as you want for it to shine." Then he sees it, the glowing white orb, a little above his head, brighter than any diamond on earth and he realizes Yixing and his stars are more beautiful closer up. He feels something wet trickle down his right cheek and wipes it hastily, embarrassed. But when he looks forward again, he sees Yixing smile his dimpled, heart-wrenching smile and Luhan watches helpless as the star-lighter shimmers and fades away.
Everyone on earth notices and admires the beauty of the new star in the dawn.
No one notices that the dawn itself seems grayer.
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A/N- this story has been nagging my head for ages and so tadah~
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