Ryeowook's bday fic: Our love will span an eternity.
Title: Our love will span an eternity
Pairing: Yewook, slight!Kyumin
Genre: Romance, Friendship, humor
Rating: PG
Summary: In which Ryeowook the giraffe meets Jongwoon the turtle, and they question the meaning of love for eternity.
Warning: Un'betaed!!
A/N: Happy birthday darling Ryeowook! <3 (: Stay the cute, adorable eternal maknae that you are, and always be happy! And please, more Yewook fanservice and selcas. :D Also, I would like to thank my friend Adelle who very wonderfully helped me to draw this cute cartoon after I told her about my ridiculous Yewook dream. <3 I hope that you all will enjoy this story!
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Year 1900, Seoul
"Freedom!" The little giraffe squealed as he practically dashed out of his family's territory. He had been wanting to venture out of his comfort zone, his curious little mind wondering what was there in the large outside world. It was their family's rule that one was only allowed to wander alone in the wild upon reaching the age of three.
"Be sure to be back by evening, wook-ah!" His brother, Jungsoo called from where he was taking a nap.
"Yes, hyung!" The giraffe replied cheerfully. He set off at a fast pace, admiring the trees. It was a wonderful sight, the sea of green trees and the sound of insects carrying out their daily activities. He came across a pretty butterfly, immediately running after it with glee.
After half an hour of playing, the little giraffe felt exhausted. He had never ran so much in his life. As he panted slightly, a patch of blue caught his eye.
Water!
The little giraffe finally got up enthusiatically, heading towards the spring. As he got closer, he realised it was a waterfall. The sound of the rushing water was melodious to his ears as he quickly bent his head towards the water, drinking up the cool liquid quickly.
Satisfied, he decided to take a nap near the waterfall. Taking a few steps back, one of the giraffe's hooves stepped upon a rock with a weird texture. It seemed to be filled with patterns, and he moved his hoof tentatively on the rock, trying to decipher what kind of rock it was.
"OW!"
The giraffe looked down, surprised to see that it wasn't a rock, but instead a shell of the turtle. The turtle looked squashed; its four feet were sprawled in all four diretions and its head had disappeared back into its shell.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!" The giraffe squeaked, petrified by what he had done.
"It's no worries, I'm fine." The turtle's head emerged from its shell, peering at the giraffe quizically.
All the giraffe could do was to stare at the turtle, mesmerised by how his head managed to pop out from its shell so magically.
"I haven't seen you around before, young lad." The turtle asked.
"Oh, I'm Ryeowook! I just turned three today, so mom allowed me to venture out myself!" Ryeowook grinned at the turtle.
The turtle smiled. "Oh, I see. How's Jungsoo doing? I haven't seen him since he was a little kid just like you."
"You know my brother? Wow. You must be OLD!" Ryeowook said without hesitation.
The turtle narrowed his eyes. "Yeah well, turtles do have a long lifespan than giraffes."
Realising that he had hit a sensitive issue, Ryeowook flushed with embarrassment. "Sorry!" He apologized.
The turtle shrugged his shoulders. "Well, they say the older you grow, the wiser you get. Besides, I'm not that old, I'm the youngest in my turtle clan."
Ryeowook nodded in agreement, afraid of insulting the small turtle. It was pretty funny, seeing how a large animal was fearful of a much tinier one.
The turtle suddenly broke into a wide smile. "I'm Jongwoon. It's very nice to meet you, Ryeowook."
As the two beamed at each other, it could be seen that a Budding friendship was about to begin.
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"Why is the sky blue, Jongwoonie-hyung?"
For the next few times Ryeowook headed for the waterfall, he had bothered Jongwoon immensely with his inquisitive mind.
"I don't know. And don't call me Jongwoonie-hyung."
"Then why is the sea blue-green? And why can't I call you Jongwoonie hyung? it's such a cute name." Ryeowook said defensively.
"I'm not cute! And for your information, I may be older than you, but as the youngest in my clan, I'm not that knowledgable yet, alright?" Jongwoon frowned.
"But oh! You look so cute when you scrunch up your face like that, hyung!!" Ryeowook continued his chatter. Jongwoon groaned.
It was going to be another long day...
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"Hyung~" Ryeowook mustered up the best aegyo he could, staring at the small turtle with his large, innocent eyes.
"Don't give me that look, Ryeowook." Jongwoon fought the urge to chuckle as his face formed into a pout.
"Jongwoonie-hyung, talk to me. Play with me." Ryeowook whined.
Jongwoon sighed. "The woods is so big. You should venture out to learn new things instead of coming here. Why do you always visit?"
Honestly, Ryeowook didn't know. He wondered what Jongwoon's reaction would be if his reply was along the lines of because I really like you, hyung. There was something about the turtle that was so utterly fascinating and special that it made Ryeowook want to come back and see him everyday.
"You mean... you don't want to see me?" To Jongwoon's horror, Ryeowook's large eyes shone with tears. One trickled down his face, landing on the turtle's head with a plop.
Ryeowook could be really sensitive at times.
"No! No... I didn't mean that, Ryeowook-ah." Jongwoon cried out as another large tear drop landed on its shell, making it wet.
Ryeowook sniffed. "You don't like me, that's why you don't want to play with me."
"Of course not! I like you, Ryeowook-ah." Jongwoon mentally slapped himself. Indeed, though the giraffe's presence could be annoying at times, he had grown somewhat accustomed to his presence and was beginning to enjoy his company immensely. Who could resist such a cute giraffe?
"Really?" As soon as Ryeowook heard the turtle's words, his tears stopped immediately and shone with happiness.
"Yes, yes, don't cry anymore, alright?"
"Ok! As long as Jongwoonie-hyung still likes me, I won't cry. Hyung, play with me~" Ryeowook used one of his hooves to prod Jongwoon's head gently.
"And he never learns." Jongwoon muttered to himself in amusement as he watched Ryeowook skipping around.
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"Hyung! I saw this beautiful flower nearby! Its yellow and bright! Come with me, hyung!" Ryeowook squealed as he ran towards Jongwoon's home breathlessly. "Come quick!!!"
"You seem to have forgotten that I'm a turtle and my fastest crawling pace is a millionth of your slowest walking pace of yours." Jongwoon replied dryly.
"I know! I remembered! That's why Jungsoo hyung helped me make this." Turning his body around, Jongwoon was surprised to see a small basket made out of twigs on Ryeowook's back, secured by a few vines.
"I can see that Jungsoo has improved his craftsmanship skills trememdously." Jongwoon laughed, remembering how Jungsoo used to fail terribly and how Jongwoon had fallen off Jungsoo's back when the flimsy vine broke.
Ryeowook giggled. "That's why I reminded hyung to check that it was safe and secure many times! Come on up, hyung." Ryeowook bent his neck low, allowing Jongwoon to crawl onto the top of his head before sliding down Ryeowook's neck, landing nicely in the basket with a soft thud.
"Hold on tight, Jongwoonie-hyung! Let's go!" With that, Ryeowook took off, Jongwoon laughing along as the wind whipped through the trees, carefree and happy.
"Upon reaching the bed of flowers, Ryeowook gently helped Jongwoon back on the ground. Jongwoon grinned at the sight.
"They're sunflowers, Ryeowook-ah. My favourite. Though they're so much bigger than me." Jongwoon joked.
"JONGWOON-HYUNG!!!!!" Before Ryeowook could react, a tiny white furball had appeared out of nowhere, throwing itself at Jongwoon.
"Wha- Sungmin-ah! Hi!" Jongwoon's face broke into a wide smile, hugging the white bunny tightly. Ryeowook watched as Sungmin practically latched himself onto one of Jongwoon's feet, feeling an uneasy feeling in his heart.
"Jongwoon-hyung. I missed you so much! You didn't come visit." The bunny pouted.
Jongwoon laughed. "Yah, how am I supposed to crawl all these miles to visit you?"
"Ahem." Unable to contain his jealousy, Ryeowook had no choice but to interrupt, glaring at the bunny fiercely.
The bunny seemed unfazed. "Hi!" He bounded over to Ryeowook excitedly, hopping and waving a tiny paw. "I'm Sungmin, Jongwoon's favourite dongsaeng! Are you Jongwoon's friend?"
"Jongwoon's favourite dongsaeng? I'M JONGWOON'S FAVOURITE DONGSAENG!" Ryeowook whined, stomping his feet.
"Nope, I am!" Sungmin turned to look at Jongwoon accusingly. "Tell him I am, Jongwoon-hyung!"
"What is all this racket?" The three heads turned to see another bunny bounding over to them, looking extremely disgruntled. "I was trying to sleep!"
"Kyu! Tell Jongwoon to tell this giraffe that I'm Jongwoon-hyung's favourite!" Sungmin immediately hopped over to Kyuhyun's side, hugging him tightly.
"Oh? But I heard that this Ryeowook is Jongwoon's lastest love interest." Kyuhyun replied cheekily. "Sorry, Min, you're mine forever." He nuzzled the other's cheek lovingly with his paw.
Ryeowook's jealousy disappeared in an instant. If these two bunnies were together, it meant that Jongwoon was all his. He grinned happily at the thought.
"Mind your manners, Kyuhyun-ah." Jongwoon laughed. Turning to Ryeowook, he spoke.
"Ryeowook, these are my two closest friends, Kyuhyun and Sungmin. They used to come over quite often when they were babies, but they moved away a few years ago." Jongwoon looked at the bunnies fondly.
"Ohh... hi! Its nice to meet you." Ryeowook smiled cheerfully at them, and they beamed back. Within that day, they had become close friends.
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Year 1910, Seoul
On Jongwoon's 50th birthday, a now ten-year old Ryeowook thought hard on now he could celebrate his hyung's birthday. Remembering the fact that he loved sunflowers, he headed to the meadows, plucking the largest and most beautiful sunflower with his mouth, heading quickly back to Jongwoon's small home by the waterfall.
As he approached, the rustle of leaves caused him to tense immediately. As he heard a low roar, he spun around in fear, coming face to face with a lion that was staring at him with a predatory gaze.
Ryeowook squeaked in fear.
This was it.
He was going to die.
He was going to-
"Heechul-ah! Stop scaring the poor lad. He's going to cry any moment." Upon hearing Jongwoon's voice, Ryeowook immediately sighed with relief. His saviour had arrived! Ryeowook quickly ran over to Jongwoon's side as he crawled out of his hole.
"Jongwoon! Long time to see." The lion commented excitedly. "Nah, I was just having fun teasing this poor giraffe."
Jongwoon laughed. "Ryeowook, this is Heechul, my friend for the longest time. He may seem scary, but rest assured! He only enjoys frightening the younger animals in the forest. He's harmless."
Heechul laughed, sounding gentle for once. "Yeah, I was going to scare you and all you replied was: Hi, I think your teeth my break if you tried eating my shell. I was so tickled I almost died laughing! Anyway, happy birthday, my old friend." He extended out a paw, patting Jongwoon's head.
"Thanks, Heechul-ah!" Jongwoon grinned in reply.
"Jongwoonie-hyung! Happy birthday. This was the best present I could get." Ryeowook noticed how Jongwoon's expression became even brighter as Ryeowook placed the bright yellow sunflower in front of him.
"Ryeowookie-ah, this is beautiful. Thank you, I love it!" Jongwoon crawled over to Ryeowook, hugging Ryeowook's front hoof with his two front feet.
"Awww... the two of you are so sweet together!" Heechul interrupted them, a wicked grin on his face. "He's a good catch, Jongwoon. Hold onto him!"
"What?" Jongwoon sputtered, his face turning red. Ryeowook could feel his own face heating up too.
"Oh, don't deny it! Hey, young one, do you love Jongwoon hyung?"
Ryeowook nodded immediately. Heechul smirked. "Well, there we have it!"
"Have what?" Jongwoon asked, confused.
"You've found the one for you."
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It was getting closer to Ryeowook's dreaded day.
"Ryeowook, you're turning fifteen. Its time for you to find a mate." His father commented as they were searching for food.
"What?" Ryeowook stared at his father in disbelief.
"You'll have to find a mate to spend the rest of your life with. Jungsoo left three years ago with Youngwoon, that nice giraffe. You know? That one whom always brought food for you."
"I don't want to find a partner." Ryeowook rolled his eyes.
"You've been spending too much time with that turtle, haven't you?" His father replied angrily.
"He's Jongwoon-hyung, appa." Ryeowook said. "You know him, don't you?"
"He's older than me, wook-ah." His father laughed saracastically.
Ryeowook stomped his hoof. "Its not funny, appa! I like Jongwoon-hyung."
Ryeowook's father frowned. "He's a turtle, wook."
"So? He's very important to me. You can't stop me from loving him." Ryeowook glared.
"Enough, Ryeowook! You are going to find a mate, and that's final." His father snapped, glaring back at his son so fiercely that no more words were spoken after that.
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Year 1915, Seoul
Closer to the date of Ryeowook's fifteenth birthday, Ryeowook noticed that Jongwoon was spending less time with him. Ryeowook waited and waited by the waterfall, but Jongwoon never emerged from the hole like he usually did. And he didn't appear the next day. And the next.
On the day of his birthday, Ryeowook couldn't hold his worry in anymore.
"Jongwoonie? Jongwoonie-hyung?" He called softly by the turtle hole.
There was no reply.
"Hyung? Are you mad at me? Why are you ignoring me? Don't be, please. Jongwoonie~" Ryeowook's voice cracked as he fought a sob. Tears were already streaming out of his eyes.
A shuffling sound caught his attention, as a turtle finally emerged from the hole, with a tiny turtle on his back.
"Jongwoonie?" Ryeowook spoke uncertainly. Jongwoon looked up, smiling at Ryeowook with tired eyes.
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"I'm sorry I haven't been out for days, Ryeowook-ah. This is the newest addition to our family. Say hello to Jongjin!" Jongwoon explained. He had been busy taking care of him.
"Ohh... he's so cute! He looks just like you, hyung." Ryeowook smiled as the tiny turtle blinked slowly at him.
Jongwoon nodded. "Why are you here, Ryeowook-ah?"
"Why am I here? Of course I'm spending my birthday with you!" Ryeowook exclaimed.
Jongwoon sighed. "You're fifteen already. You're big enough to venture on your own."
"Yes, and that's why I'm here! Are you pushing me away, hyung?" Ryeowook stared at the turtle incredulously.
"I'm... I'm not. Its just that you are still young, you should be finding a mate and starting your own family, not staying around with me-"
"But... but I want to be with you, hyung. You mean you don't want to be with me?" Tears shone in Ryeowook's eyes again.
"No, no that's not what I meant, Ryeowook-ah. I... I shouldn't drag you down. I'm fifty-five, Ryeowook. You're fifteen." Jongwoon sighed.
"So? I love hyung and I want to be by hyung's side forever! Why can't we do so?" Ryeowook cried out, exasparated.
Jongwoon kept silent.
"Hyung?" Ryeowook spoke more quietly. "I love you, hyung. And that's what it takes for me to want to be with you forever."
When Jongwoon looked up, Ryeowook noticed how his tiny eyes shone with affection. "I... I love you too, Ryeowook-ah. We'll make this work, won't we?"
Ryeowook squealed with happiness, bending his head down to kiss Jongwoon on the top of his head.
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Their relationship wasn't perfect, but it was all that they ever wanted.
Ryeowook had made his home near the waterfall and within crawling distance from Jongwoon's turtle hole, so that Jongwoon would be able to spend time with Ryeowook and take care of Jongjin at the same time. They treated Jongjin like their child, playing with him during the day, and at night, Jongwoon would crawl his way to a sleeping Ryeowook, using all his four feet to hug Ryeowook's leg as they slept peacefully. Kyuhyun and Sungmin often visited, while Heechul would drop by every now and then, cooing at how sweet and cute the turtle and giraffe were.
They did have fights sometimes, where Ryeowook got extremely jealous as Jongwoon spent his time staring at Donghae, a pretty-looking swan as he swam by. On other days, Jongwoon would be cross with Ryeowook if he got too clingy or fought with Sungmin over who was the better dongsaeng. But mostly, the couple got along fine, with sweet hugs and kisses along the way.
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Year 1920, Seoul
Five lovely years passed, till a twenty year old Ryeowook finally realised how his body was starting to age. It was harder and more tiring to travel long distances. He finally realised that they were getting older and older.
And it scared him.
"Hyung?" One night, as they cuddled beside each other on the bed of grass, Ryeowook plucked up his courage.
"Hmmm?" Jongwoon replied sleepily.
"I'm scared."
"Of?"
"Death." Ryeowook admitted.
Jongwoon opened his eyes. "What's there to be afraid of, Wookie?"
"Hyung, giraffes barely live beyond twenty years. Turtles can live to a hundred. I... I don't want to leave you."
Jongwoon sighed. "Ryeowook-ah... Death is something we can't avoid. We'll just have to make the most out of it, won't we?"
Ryeowook nodded, and they fell into a deep slumber.
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Year 2021, Seoul
Several months after Ryeowook's twenty-first birthday, Ryeowook knew that it was time.
"Hyung?"
"Yes, wookie-ah?"
"I love you, hyung. Promise me that you'll always love me?"
"Forever, and for eternity." Jongwoon replied firmly, a tear escaping his eye.
"I hope... I hope that... we'll be able to meet and be together in heaven... I love you so much, hyung..."
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Several years after Ryeowook's death, Jongwoon continued life like it was, taking care of a now much older Jongjin.
One day, he too knew that it was time.
"Hyung? I'll miss you, hyung." Jongjin sobbed.
Jongwoon laughed. "Jongjin-ah... be strong, alright? Take care of yourself."
"Hyung... I miss Ryeowookie-hyung." Jongjin admitted. "I will miss you too."
"I'll meet Ryeowookie-hyung in heaven, Jongjin, and we'll protect you from above." Jongwoon smiled faintly at Jongjin, who nodded as he received a kiss on his cheek from his brother for the last time.
When Jongwoon finally breathed his last breath, Jongjin gently lifted his elder brother, placing him near the spot where Ryeowook was, Jongwoon's four paws attached to Ryeowook's hoof.
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Year 2005, Seoul City
"I'm going to be late!" Ryeowook squeaked as he dashed out from the school gates. It was his first day as a trainee in SM Entertainment, and he was already late.
Twenty minutes later, Ryeowook flew up the steps of the building, panting heavily as he entered the practice room.
It was silent.
Thank goodness the rest of the members of his new idol group, Super Junior, had not arrived yet. Being the youngest, Ryeowook was worried of the impressions the hyungs would have on him. Ryeowook heaved a sigh of relief, and took a step backwards.
"OW!"
Turning around, Ryeowook was horrified to realise that he had stepped on an older male's feet.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!" Ryeowook immediately turned red, bowing profusely.
"It's no worries, I'm fine." The male replied.
All Ryeowook could do was to stare back at him, mesmerised by his good looks, black jet hair accentuating his heart-shaped face.
"I haven't seen you around before, young lad." The male replied.
"Oh, I'm Ryeowook! I'm going to be the maknae of Super Junior." Ryeowook immediately bowed.
The male laughed. "I'm Jongwoon, and I'm probably one of the older ones." He placed a finger on Ryeowook's philtrium, startling Ryeowook. "You're really cute." He said.
Ryeowook turned a brilliant shade of red.
It was the start of a beautiful friendship that could turn into so much more.