[fic] He Smells Of Daisies
Title: He Smells Of Daisies
Prompt: Urban Legends - The Mysterious Lady
Pairing(s): Kris/Tao
Summary: It was pain. It was bitterness. It was tears. It was sadness.
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,297
It was pain. It was bitterness. It was tears. It was sadness. That’s all Wu Fan could say. That’s all Wu Fan could feel. But he kept it in.
He kept it all bottled up at the funeral. He watched the coffin be put into the ground and saw Zitao’s parents sob up a storm as they yelled at the sky and asked why they deserved this.
Wu Fan wanted to ask the same thing.
But he kept silent.
After the service, he returned back to the cemetery, staring at the endless array of sympathy flowers layered upon each other around Zitao’s grave. That’s when he let everything sink in. That’s when he realized that his love was never coming back. That’s when he put the bouquet of white daisies onto the grave and turned around. He was afraid of falling.
It’s been 6 months. If he was still alive, they would be celebrating their anniversary on this night. But instead, Wu Fan was left alone driving around the city in his taxi, watching the minutes tick by so slowly that he swore he saw the minute hand go backwards at least 4 times.
His manager told him to stay for the night round. Wu Fan was stuck in his car for the next 4 hours, waiting for people to hail for a ride. Wu Fan detested night shifts, but he knew there wasn’t much to do even if he left early, anyway.
Wu Fan sighed to himself, making a right on the intersection and drove into an empty street. The darkness was swallowing the last remaining bits of moonlight, and Wu Fan could only see a certain distance with the head lights on.
It was then when he noticed a figure on the sidewalk. Wu Fan saw the male stand there as if he was waiting for something. He pulled over and rolled down his window to look at the man closely.
And something froze in him.
Suddenly, an overwhelming amount of memories and the familiar feeling of bitterness and pain crashed into his mind. He stared and stared, unable to form coherent sentences. Wu Fan was not ready for this. Nor was he ready for the sadness to return.
But he kept silent.
It was Zitao. He knew it. He was there, right in front of him. The lookalike had only returned the gaze. He stood there in a beautiful white dress shirt that Wu Fan remembered was Zitao’s favorite top. The lookalike walked to the back of the taxi and opened the door. Wu Fan only sat there, staring through the rear view mirror. The new passenger only sat there and watched Wu Fan gaze at him.
“Where to?” Wu Fan finally choked out.
He took out a crumpled sheet of paper from his back pocket wordlessly, and handed it over to Wu Fan.
“Just take me there.” He whispered.
Wu Fan tensed, suddenly hoping that the drive would be over. It was the same. He swore it was the same voice. The same soft voice that constantly whispered “I love you” into Wu Fan’s ear on the nights they spent together. The same sweet voice that Zitao had. The same beautiful voice that Wu Fan could listen to for hours on the phone. Wu Fan felt like crying. He felt like grabbing him and telling him how much he missed him and how much it hurt to be alone at nights without him. He turned and glanced at the lookalike, who stared back.
Wu Fan still couldn’t say anything.
They spent the next 30 minutes without saying anything. The radio’s DJ was talking with a new guest. The host and guest laughed at a joke. The radio suddenly seemed so soft compared to the deafening silence. Wu Fan suddenly smelled a faint smell of daisies pass. All he could do was let that thought fade away.
“That’s a nice cologne you have on.” Wu Fan complimented, trying to keep the situation as nonchalant as possible. The lookalike seemed surprised, but smiled at the comment.
“It’s not cologne, but thank you.”
Wu Fan felt the first tears sting and form around his eyes.
He felt the silence eating him alive, suffocating him as the minutes passed. No one was there to save him from the amount of pressure he felt. No one was there to prevent him from letting tears fall out. No one was there to tell him that it was going to be okay. It was too silent.
The memories were still burning their way into his mind, surrounding him and clouding his distinction between reality and fantasy. In reality, it must have been a lookalike. In reality, Zitao wasn’t there. In reality, Zitao was gone. Wu Fan let the thoughts race to and fro. It wasn’t until he saw his knuckles were turning white from his deadly grip on the wheel that he saw they were at the destination.
It was still so silent, and for the third time that night, Wu Fan felt like crying.
“Thank you.” The passenger whispered before exiting the car. Wu Fan didn’t hear the last sentence the passenger uttered. He was too busy trying to recollect his thoughts.
But he could make out “I miss you.” as the last sentences.
--
The 40 minute drive that felt like eternity ended up with Wu Fan losing $120. His manager wasn’t exactly pleased to hear the news, and it resulted with forcing Wu Fan to drive back to the house he dropped the passenger off at. Wu Fan felt weak, almost veering off course several times once he let fear take the best of him.
He was going to meet him again.
He knocked on the door, wondering how he should start off the conversation after so long. But he didn’t answer. Instead it was someone Wu Fan knew. The hairs on the back of his neck rose up as he stared in disbelief.
“I haven’t seen you in a long time.” Zitao’s mother smiled, gesturing for Wu Fan to come in.
They sat in the living room, both looking at Zitao’s.
“It’s still so bitter, isn’t it.” His mother sighed.
Wu Fan could only nod, letting the gears in his mind turn furiously. He saw the bouquet of white daisies placed next to Zitao’s picture. Everything was connecting with each other. The puzzle pieces began to fit perfectly next to each other one by one. He took minutes before finally reluctantly putting the finally piece to make it into whole.
“I saw him.” Wu Fan whispered out. He stared at the picture, and he could see Zitao come alive again. The beautiful smile and the way his eyes turned into crescents were so real that Wu Fan could practically feel his heart pounding. He was too scared to meet eye contact with Zitao’s mother, but finally mustered up the courage and prepared for the worst. His mother only stared with calm eyes and smiled.
“When?”
“Yesterday. I saw him. I swear I did.”
Zitao’s mother looked at him and smiled.
“I did too. He came back home yesterday, didn’t he?”
Wu Fan forced himself to reply with a “yes”, but only a choking sob came out. Zitao’s mother watched him and managed to reply slowly, fighting back the tears.
“He really loved you.”
And that’s when Wu Fan cried. That’s when he let the dam break and all the tears he held in for 6 months cascade down. That’s when he suddenly felt the silence dissolve.
He was gone.
And it still felt so painful.
Prompt: Urban Legends - The Mysterious Lady
Pairing(s): Kris/Tao
Summary: It was pain. It was bitterness. It was tears. It was sadness.
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,297
It was pain. It was bitterness. It was tears. It was sadness. That’s all Wu Fan could say. That’s all Wu Fan could feel. But he kept it in.
He kept it all bottled up at the funeral. He watched the coffin be put into the ground and saw Zitao’s parents sob up a storm as they yelled at the sky and asked why they deserved this.
Wu Fan wanted to ask the same thing.
But he kept silent.
After the service, he returned back to the cemetery, staring at the endless array of sympathy flowers layered upon each other around Zitao’s grave. That’s when he let everything sink in. That’s when he realized that his love was never coming back. That’s when he put the bouquet of white daisies onto the grave and turned around. He was afraid of falling.
It’s been 6 months. If he was still alive, they would be celebrating their anniversary on this night. But instead, Wu Fan was left alone driving around the city in his taxi, watching the minutes tick by so slowly that he swore he saw the minute hand go backwards at least 4 times.
His manager told him to stay for the night round. Wu Fan was stuck in his car for the next 4 hours, waiting for people to hail for a ride. Wu Fan detested night shifts, but he knew there wasn’t much to do even if he left early, anyway.
Wu Fan sighed to himself, making a right on the intersection and drove into an empty street. The darkness was swallowing the last remaining bits of moonlight, and Wu Fan could only see a certain distance with the head lights on.
It was then when he noticed a figure on the sidewalk. Wu Fan saw the male stand there as if he was waiting for something. He pulled over and rolled down his window to look at the man closely.
And something froze in him.
Suddenly, an overwhelming amount of memories and the familiar feeling of bitterness and pain crashed into his mind. He stared and stared, unable to form coherent sentences. Wu Fan was not ready for this. Nor was he ready for the sadness to return.
But he kept silent.
It was Zitao. He knew it. He was there, right in front of him. The lookalike had only returned the gaze. He stood there in a beautiful white dress shirt that Wu Fan remembered was Zitao’s favorite top. The lookalike walked to the back of the taxi and opened the door. Wu Fan only sat there, staring through the rear view mirror. The new passenger only sat there and watched Wu Fan gaze at him.
“Where to?” Wu Fan finally choked out.
He took out a crumpled sheet of paper from his back pocket wordlessly, and handed it over to Wu Fan.
“Just take me there.” He whispered.
Wu Fan tensed, suddenly hoping that the drive would be over. It was the same. He swore it was the same voice. The same soft voice that constantly whispered “I love you” into Wu Fan’s ear on the nights they spent together. The same sweet voice that Zitao had. The same beautiful voice that Wu Fan could listen to for hours on the phone. Wu Fan felt like crying. He felt like grabbing him and telling him how much he missed him and how much it hurt to be alone at nights without him. He turned and glanced at the lookalike, who stared back.
Wu Fan still couldn’t say anything.
They spent the next 30 minutes without saying anything. The radio’s DJ was talking with a new guest. The host and guest laughed at a joke. The radio suddenly seemed so soft compared to the deafening silence. Wu Fan suddenly smelled a faint smell of daisies pass. All he could do was let that thought fade away.
“That’s a nice cologne you have on.” Wu Fan complimented, trying to keep the situation as nonchalant as possible. The lookalike seemed surprised, but smiled at the comment.
“It’s not cologne, but thank you.”
Wu Fan felt the first tears sting and form around his eyes.
He felt the silence eating him alive, suffocating him as the minutes passed. No one was there to save him from the amount of pressure he felt. No one was there to prevent him from letting tears fall out. No one was there to tell him that it was going to be okay. It was too silent.
The memories were still burning their way into his mind, surrounding him and clouding his distinction between reality and fantasy. In reality, it must have been a lookalike. In reality, Zitao wasn’t there. In reality, Zitao was gone. Wu Fan let the thoughts race to and fro. It wasn’t until he saw his knuckles were turning white from his deadly grip on the wheel that he saw they were at the destination.
It was still so silent, and for the third time that night, Wu Fan felt like crying.
“Thank you.” The passenger whispered before exiting the car. Wu Fan didn’t hear the last sentence the passenger uttered. He was too busy trying to recollect his thoughts.
But he could make out “I miss you.” as the last sentences.
--
The 40 minute drive that felt like eternity ended up with Wu Fan losing $120. His manager wasn’t exactly pleased to hear the news, and it resulted with forcing Wu Fan to drive back to the house he dropped the passenger off at. Wu Fan felt weak, almost veering off course several times once he let fear take the best of him.
He was going to meet him again.
He knocked on the door, wondering how he should start off the conversation after so long. But he didn’t answer. Instead it was someone Wu Fan knew. The hairs on the back of his neck rose up as he stared in disbelief.
“I haven’t seen you in a long time.” Zitao’s mother smiled, gesturing for Wu Fan to come in.
They sat in the living room, both looking at Zitao’s.
“It’s still so bitter, isn’t it.” His mother sighed.
Wu Fan could only nod, letting the gears in his mind turn furiously. He saw the bouquet of white daisies placed next to Zitao’s picture. Everything was connecting with each other. The puzzle pieces began to fit perfectly next to each other one by one. He took minutes before finally reluctantly putting the finally piece to make it into whole.
“I saw him.” Wu Fan whispered out. He stared at the picture, and he could see Zitao come alive again. The beautiful smile and the way his eyes turned into crescents were so real that Wu Fan could practically feel his heart pounding. He was too scared to meet eye contact with Zitao’s mother, but finally mustered up the courage and prepared for the worst. His mother only stared with calm eyes and smiled.
“When?”
“Yesterday. I saw him. I swear I did.”
Zitao’s mother looked at him and smiled.
“I did too. He came back home yesterday, didn’t he?”
Wu Fan forced himself to reply with a “yes”, but only a choking sob came out. Zitao’s mother watched him and managed to reply slowly, fighting back the tears.
“He really loved you.”
And that’s when Wu Fan cried. That’s when he let the dam break and all the tears he held in for 6 months cascade down. That’s when he suddenly felt the silence dissolve.
He was gone.
And it still felt so painful.