Work Text:
»»————- ☆ ————-««
Aaron is in the middle of gathering up a handful of souls –little pearls of light that shine through his delicate fingers– when the wind suddenly changes and caresses his hair. Curious, Aaron lifts his head, starry eyes looking up to the bright moon. She shines brighter than usual today, painting an iridescent aura across the dark streets. It’s like she’s calling for him, singing a soft tune for his ears only. No human being has ever heard her voice but to him, it sounds like a mother calling her child to hurry home for dinner. “I’m coming”, he promises and closes his bag, ready to lift off and get to her. His work is done.
It is then that he notices a flickering light in the corner of his eyes. It’s bright but twinkling, almost stumbling, trying to get up again as it fights its way through the dark night. Something unknown stirs inside him and before he knows it, he scoops the light into his hands. “Where are you going, little soul? It’s best for you to stay with me. Come, I’ll keep you safe.”
But as if the little pearl of light was bitten by his touch, it jumps out of his hand and he loses it.
“Hey, come back!”, Aaron cries and follows the flickering light that fled from him. He’s moving with such grace only divine beings like angels possess too –and butterflies jealously dream to have as they’re dancing through the air, twirling from flower to flower.
“I don’t want to leave. I’m not done yet”, the soul’s voice is barely a whisper, sounding as pure as a wind chime in the warm summer’s breeze.
“Not done with what?”, Aaron asks when he finally catches up to the little source of light.
“They still need me. I can’t go.”
Aaron looks past the light, at three guys who sit together and cry. They’re leaning against each other, violent sobs shaking their bodies. But despite all their mourning, Aaron can see that they have a long and prosperous time on earth ahead of them.
“There’s nothing you can do, you know? You have to come with me now.”
He reaches out his hand towards the light again and waits for it to come to him. But it still doesn’t move away from the three boys.
“If it helps, I can see that they will have a happy and flourishing future. And they will never forget you. They really love you a lot.”
Love. A concept Aaron never really understood. He’s immortal, he doesn’t need love. But he knows some souls do.
“Promise? Promise they’ll live a happy and good life?”
“Promise.”
Slowly and hesitantly, the little pearl floats back into Aaron’s hand after a while, as if still unsure what to make of all this, unsure if it can believe Aaron so blindly. Though, what choice does it have, really? Aaron is right, there’s nothing the soul can do. Sadly, its time on earth has come to an end. As a collector, Aaron doesn’t know love or regret and even though he can feel grief, he still can’t seem to understand what’s so important about these boys. What a stubborn little soul, Aaron thinks to himself and an amused smile dances over his lips as he puts the soul into his bag to the others. He will do his best to keep it safe, like he always does, for holding onto the living only brings unnecessary sorrow.
»»————- ☆ ————-««
Every soul has its assigned place on the firmament. It is Aaron’s duty to make sure they get there safe and sound. And when he’s not searching the mortal world for more lost souls, he watches over them in the sky.
Oftentimes, he listens to them talk. They talk about their lives on earth, about love and friendship and heartbreak and happiness. Aaron doesn’t really understand the meaning of these words but he enjoys listening to their stories nonetheless.
“Are you an alien?”
“………What?”
“I met aliens before. Are you one of them?”
Aaron blinks at the boy who sits not far away from him. His blonde bangs cover half of his eyes but they can barely conceal the warm golden brown behind them. He’s the soul Aaron almost lost a few moons ago.
“You have a wild fantasy, soul.”
“Are you?”
“No. I’m not.”
Silence.
His answer must have disappointed the boy because he doesn’t say another word for a long time. Aaron’s gaze wanders over the firmament again, counting all the souls he has gathered and turned into stars.
“By the way, my name is Minhyun. Do you have a name too?”
Minhyun. Affable dazzle. What a fitting name for a bright and cheerful soul like him.
“I’m Aaron.”
“What a cool name! Sounds like the name of a superhero! If you’re not an alien, are you a hero? Like in those comics and movies? I watched a lot of superhero movies!”
This soul sure talks a lot.
“I am not, what you call, a superhero.”
“Mhhhm, too bad.”
Aaron can see Father Sun go down in the distance. His warm light paints the soul’s hair in soft hues of orange and red, making them bloom with the freshness of spring. Aaron chuckles and shakes his head as he gets up and shoulders his bag.
“I have to go now, soul.”
“Minhyun.”
“Right……. I’ll be back before sunrise, Minhyun.”
“See you then, Aaron.”
»»————- ☆ ————-««
“Hey, Aaron! Aaron, look!”
Aaron just finished aligning all the new stars in the sky when he walks past Minhyun on his way back. The boy is standing on his hands, looking up to Aaron with a bright toothy smile. He can’t think of a time he has met another soul like him before. And that says a lot, considering Aaron is doing this work diligently since the beginning of time.
“Looking great~”, Aaron cheers and claps his hands. This soul is really funny.
He starts to enjoy the soul’s company a lot. And after a while, he catches himself spending much more time with Minhyun than with his other stars. Treat them equally. That’s one of his rules. But even when Aaron is watching over another quadrant of his stars, his eyes are always darting to that one light afar, Minhyun.
Truth be told, it’s not easy to avoid Minhyun. He’s loud and bubbly and even when he’s not with him, one look at the sky is enough for Aaron to know where he is. True to his name, Minhyun is a very dazzling soul, shining so brightly that he’s one of the few stars you can see at dawn when the sun just starts to set.
Minhyun swiftly lands on his feet again and turns to Aaron with a proud smile. “What did you do today?”
“The same thing I always do. I collected all the lost souls from earth and brought them here, to their rightful place.”
From the corner of his eyes, Aaron can see the boy inch a little closer to him. It’s not much but enough to make Aaron feel a little itchy. Stars are not supposed to wander around the firmament as they please. But Aaron has realised quickly that Minhyun is not like the other stars.
“That sounds like a boring thing to do. And it must be exhausting too.”
“No, it’s not boring. Sometimes, a soul doesn’t want to come with me and I have to catch it”, Aaron thinks of the time Minhyun had jumped out of his hands to stay with those guys.
“Like I did! Tell me, are there others who are not ready to go? Have you met more like me?”
No, Minhyun was the first for him. Though he heard from other collectors that there are sometimes souls like Minhyun who don’t want to leave the mortal world at first, claiming they still have something important to do. They may not be ready to leave but their time is up regardless. Aaron is only the collector, he can’t grant a soul more time or bring them back to life. No-one can.
“It happens sometimes, but not often.”
Ever since Aaron found Minhyun’s soul, he couldn’t stop thinking about the three guys who cried over him. Why are they so important to this soul that he didn’t want to leave them? It’s been ten full moons since he collected him and occasionally, he finds himself looking out for Minhyun’s friends, just to make sure they’re alright.
He was worried about one of them, Dongho is his name, Aaron remembers. He stood on the edge of a bridge, drunk and heartbroken about Minhyun’s loss. Aaron thought he might jump.
He may be able to see how much time a mortal has still left on earth, but only if they live according to their plan. He can’t foresee the unexpected. Like with Minhyun, who had died suddenly in a car accident because someone had decided it was a good idea to drive their car intoxicated and completely wasted. Minhyun’s future had looked happy until then, but not even Aaron can always be right. He’s just the collector after all.
Luckily, his other two friends had pulled Dongho away from the edge, Jonghyeon and Mingi. Since then, only good things have happened to them. Aaron has watched their little group rise in popularity and now they’re praised and loved by many people on earth.
He’d like to tell Minhyun, show him how well his friends are doing. But he can’t favour him. He just can’t.
Treat them equally.
»»————- ☆ ————-««
“Aaron? Have you ever been in love?”
What a weird question. He never experienced love. Some souls tried to explain it to him but they eventually gave up. Aaron can’t imagine what love must feel like. He’s not even sure if he’s able to fall in love in the first place.
“No, I haven’t. Have you?”
“Y-yes. But, I can’t quite remember…….”
That’s normal. The longer a soul stays on the firmament, detached from the mortal world, the more they forget how it felt to live.
“I remember…… feeling all fuzzy and light around him. But I can’t remember his face. Why can’t I remember what we did?”
“That’s just how it is here. You simply forget.”
“Ohhhh……”
Aaron can hear a light tremble in Minhyun’s voice. That’s new. Usually, Minhyun is in a good mood around Aaron. Every smile of the soul enlightens the night sky. But now, it seems like his light is slowly fading.
Worried, Aaron scoots a little closer to the boy and sits down next to him. For a moment, he considers reaching out his hand and patting the boy’s back but he decides against it.
“Don’t worry. You don’t need such feelings here anyways. That’s why you forget. Everyone here forgets about their mortal life.”
“I don’t like this. I don’t want to forget.”
Before Aaron could do anything, he can feel Minhyun’s long arms wrap around him and Aaron freezes in motion.
He has never been this close to a soul before. Well, except when he gathers them all up, but they’re just little pearls of light then. They only turn into the silhouette of their old mortal bodies when Aaron puts them in their assigned place.
Minhyun’s body emits a comfortable warmth. For a moment, Aaron thinks Father Sun has drifted too close to them but no, it’s Minhyun who feels so warm and welcoming.
“If you want to, you can tell me how your life was and what it felt like. I won’t forget. I can tell you about your life when you can’t remember it anymore.”
“You’d really do that?”, Minhyun asks with big warm eyes.
No, treat them equally.
“Yes.”
And so, Minhyun tells him everything he remembers. About his family and friends, about his childhood and the future he had hoped for. He had an older sister, Sujin, who loved and spoiled him a lot. Aaron finally finds out that the three guys he found Minhyun with were his band mates and that they were working hard for their dream to become a popular boygroup. His voice sounds sad when he tells Aaron that they didn’t make it big yet and Aaron would like to tell him otherwise. He’d like to tell him that his band members are doing great and that they’re finally famous and loved by many people all across the globe.
But he shouldn’t. Minhyun is not part of their lives anymore, Aaron shouldn’t tell him about the mortal world.
Treat them equally.
»»————- ☆ ————-««
“Why did you insist on taking me with you?”
“Mhhm?”
Aaron and Minhyun are lying next to each other, surrounded by the shimmering lights of the other stars around them. Aaron is resting his head on his crossed hands while Minhyun rolled onto his stomach to watch him.
“The day you found me, I didn’t want to come with you. Why did you say I have to come with you? What would have happened if I didn’t?”
A little sigh leaves Aaron’s lips. So many questions. So much innocence only a soul can possess.
“Something bad would have happened”, he simply states and hopes that’s enough of an answer for Minhyun. But of course it’s not.
“What bad thing would have happened? Tell me.”
There’s a reason Aaron has to collect all the lost souls and bring them here. If he’d lose a soul, or if it wouldn’t come with him, it would turn into a wicked ghost that only brings destruction and pain. It would be lost forever and no collector would be able to save it from itself or the people.
It rarely happens. He only heard stories from other collectors of the few times it has happened in the past. It often resulted in catastrophes; earthquakes, floodings.
“Aaron……”
Aaron can’t help but smile when he feels Minhyun’s index finger poking his side. Ever since Minhyun has opened up to him and told him about his past, cuddled close together, Aaron started to enjoy this. Being close to this soul feels very refreshing and nice and…… comfortable. He doesn’t want their closeness to end.
“Would you believe me if I told you that you would have brought the apocalypse upon earth if you didn’t come with me?”, he says jokingly and opens one eye to peek at the dazzling boy next to him.
“Of course not! That only happens in movies!”, Minhyun beams and hits Aaron’s stomach lightly.
“Hey~~ careful, careful! I still have to collect later”, Aaron warns and catches Minhyun’s hand in his. They look at each other. Aaron hasn’t noticed the soul coming this close to him. Their faces are only a few inches apart and Aaron can feel Minhyun’s warmth on his cheek. They’re so close that Minhyun can see Aaron’s deep eyes shine in the colours of the universe, pulling him in like a black hole.
“Don’t act like I could actually hurt you. I know I can’t”, Minhyun giggles and frees himself from Aaron’s grip.
Soon, Father Sun will set again and Aaron will have to go back to earth to gather up some more lost souls. But for now, they keep enjoying each other’s company.
»»————- ☆ ————-««
Aaron slowly drifts through the night sky, with the brightness of the full moon as the only source of light visible to the human eye. But when Aaron lets his gaze wander over the firmament, he can see all the little stars sparkling and gleaming, enlightening the night sky. He has just finished to guide the souls to their places and turned them into twinkling stars. Aaron should feel happy or at least content at the sight of his finished work, but there’s something heavy laying on his chest tonight. Something that makes it hard for him to breathe. Looking for reason, his gaze wanders to the comforting light of the moon.
“Please, Mother Moon, how can I tell him? How can I put my thoughts into words that he understands? When even I can’t wrap my head around it?”
Over the past moons, Aaron and Minhyun have grown very close. They not only spend a lot of time together, but Aaron keeps catching himself thinking of Minhyun even when he’s not with him. And it’s making him uneasy. He’s never felt something like this for a soul before. Treat them equally. That’s his most important rule. But he already broke it one too many times.
“Tell me Mother, what is this feeling in my chest? Is this what the souls tried to teach me all those millennia? When they told me about companionship and love?”
Whenever he’s with Minhyun, Aaron feels light and heavy, hot and cold, all at the same time. Thinking about him makes him giddy. He’s never felt like this before. So what if it’s true? What if he really likes Minhyun? Has this ever happened before? Aaron can’t recollect an occasion where one of the other collectors has told him about something like this. Maybe he is the first? Is that even possible? But despite his confusion about the chaos in his heart, it’s not what he fears the most.
“Mother Moon….. Do you think he feels the same?”
Minhyun has never been shy of staying close to Aaron. And if he wouldn’t know better, wouldn’t know how absolutely unlikely it is for Minhyun to feel the slightest way like he does for him, Aaron would like to believe it. It’s a selfish, greedy thought. He’s not allowed to feel hope, for an immortal being never had anything to hope for. Hope was for the mortal, for the feeling. But he’s different now, different from the other collectors for there has never been a collector before who was able to feel love. He can sense it in every fiber of his body that he has changed. Minhyun has changed him.
“Thank you, Mother Moon, for listening to me”, Aaron whispers and bows deeply before he readjusts the bag on his shoulder and makes his way home. He has made his decision. He has to break his rule one more time, he has to tell Minhyun the truth.
»»————- ☆ ————-««
“There’s something I want to show you.”
“Sure! What is it?”
The boy in front of him looks up with sparkling eyes and the sight of his happy face sends such sorrow licking along Aaron’s body that he almost drops his decision and wants to turn on his heels to leave. Instead, he bravely turns his face to Minhyun, holding his gaze.
Aaron thought about this for a long time. He thought about how he should tell the soul.
Over the past moons, Minhyun has started to lose more and more of his memories from his mortal life. And Aaron could see how much it bothered the soul. He often found him sitting with his arms wrapped around his legs, chin propped up on his knees and looking down to earth, searching for something –or someone– he couldn’t quite put his finger on.
Seeing Minhyun like this made Aaron feel uneasy. There was this constricting feeling in his chest every time he’d come back and see the soul like this. Enough is enough.
“I want you to come with me to earth. I have to show you something.”
The soul looks at Aaron, brows knitted in confusion.
“Why? You never take anyone with you. Why me? Why now?”
Because you’re losing your memory of the people you love the most!
“I just thought……. You’d like to see this…..”
Aaron is at a loss for words. How should he put this? Even if he’d tell Minhyun who he wants to show him, he’s not even sure if Minhyun will remember them. Aaron is on the verge of admitting defeat when he suddenly feels a warm hand in his.
“Okay, I’ll come with you.”
»»————- ☆ ————-««
“Aaron? Where are we going?”
Invisible to the human eye, they walk through a long corridor, past busy people who rush from one end to the other. Minhyun’s hand feels comfortably warm in Aaron’s even though they don’t really need to hold hands to stay together, it’s not like they could lose each other in the crowd anyway. But ever since Minhyun took his hand, out of reflex or of fear, Aaron hasn’t let go of it.
“That’s a surprise. It’s not far anymore.”
They stop next to a high metal construct and Minhyun wraps his arms around Aaron’s shoulders immediately when Aaron tells him to, their feet losing contact with the floor as they lift up and land on top of the construct.
“What is this place?”, Minhyun keeps asking him questions and Aaron looks at him with a light smile on his lips.
“It’s a concert hall.”
“We’re here to watch a concert? How exciting!”
The dazzling boy sits down, legs dangling over the edge and keeping a close eye on everything that is happening beneath them. Aaron smiles, already seeing Minhyun’s delighted face before his eyes when he’d realise whose concert they’re going to watch. The lights dim and the people in the hall go silent. Minhyun’s anticipation is growing with every second as he leans farther over the edge to not miss anything and Aaron securely rests his hand on the soul’s shoulder, holding him in place and making sure he doesn’t fall over. Then, loud music starts playing and the fans are screaming in excitement as the concert begins.
Aaron doesn’t pay it much attention. He’s only focused on Minhyun, the dazzling boy next to him who seems to absorb everything around them in great delight and with shining eyes. Seeing Minhyun happy always makes Aaron happy too. Whenever they’re spending time together, Aaron can feel a comfortable warmth blooming inside his chest.
A slow piano tune starts playing and one of the three men steps out to the centre of the stage, the other two close behind him until they stand still where the microphones come flowing down to them.
“We dedicate the next song to a dear friend of ours, who has left this earth too early. Even though he’s gone, he will always be part of us, part of our group, forever in our hearts. This group wouldn’t exist without him and we really wish that he could see us now. So please, everyone, sing with us and maybe he can hear us from wherever he is right now. This is for you, Minhyun-ah~.”
Aaron holds his breath, waiting for a reaction from the soul next to him as the piano continues to play and the group starts to sing, harmonising as if they never did anything else.
“Aaron”, Minhyun whispers and Aaron can see the soul’s hands trembling. He immediately reaches out for them, holding and squeezing them in his.
“Yes?”
“Aaron…. they’re ….. singing about….. me…..”
Aaron smiles, circling the back of Minhyun’s hand with his thumb. “You told me about your friends Jonghyeon, Dongho and Mingi. You told me you four were in a band together and that you haven’t made it big yet. I saw how hurt you were about that. And I just wanted to show you that they’re doing well. That they have so many fans now. That you will always be part of them.”
His words come out fast and without pause. The soul’s brows are still furrowed as he seems to process what Aaron just told him.
“How did you…. How did you know?”
“I looked for them. Out of curiosity at first but then I saw how well they’re doing and I immediately wanted to tell you! But I couldn’t….. I shouldn’t….. You’re not….”
The last words die in Aaron’s mouth. ‘You’re not part of their lives anymore’, he wanted to say but then he feels Minhyun’s warm hand on the side of his cheek and he bites his tongue. He looks at Minhyun’s face and notices a glittering line of stardust run down to his chin. Never has Aaron seen a soul cry before. He’s still so human, so innocent.
“I know. It’s okay. Thank you, Aaron, for doing all this. Thank you for making me remember. I know you don’t do this for anyone, so I am very grateful.”
Before Aaron could ask Minhyun how he knows that, he feels a pair of soft lips on his. They’re warm and sweet and taste like starlight. And for a brief moment, time stands still. The kiss ends way too fast but it felt like an eternity for Aaron. He blinks his eyes open and looks at the soul in front of him, cheeks burning red from the realisation of what just happened. But instead of pushing Minhyun away, or telling him to stop, Aaron lifts his hand and caresses Minhyun’s jaw with his thumb. His lips look so soft and inviting.
“I have to tell you something else”, he begins, dragging his thumb over Minhyun’s lip and looking him deep in the eyes, “I probably broke a couple hundred of rules to be this close with you but…. if I would go back in time, I’d do it again. I….. really like you, Minhyun-ah. I didn’t realise it before but now I do.”
Aaron stands still when he feels Minhyun’s strong arms around him, pulling him close to his warm body.
“I like you too.”
His answer is simple, yet everything Aaron needed to hear. Those four words rush through Aaron with the speed of light, with the force of a supernova. Aaron never felt so empty, yet so full in his entire existence. It’s like Minhyun has told him the secrets to life and death, love and loss. He can feel the insides of his body glowing and turning with the new knowledge, making him wiser and older, yet silly and childish like a newborn. It’s like when you emerge from the water and you take your very first deep breath, when you feel the air not just filling your lungs, but your whole body with new life. And finally, Aaron relaxes in Minhyun’s embrace, closing his arms around him and resting his chin on Minhyun’s shoulder.
How could he have ever believed that he would be able to treat Minhyun equal to the others? When he has become so important to him? When so much has changed since they met? Nothing is going to be the same after today, and that’s good. Aaron wouldn’t want to change it.
Treat them equally, but treat him best.