merry go round of life - howl's moving castle (joe hisaishi)
standing outside for the first time in two weeks felt certainly refreshing, an early august sun shining upon them. junhui and minghao stood at shore, their feet at a safe distance from the rising water as they stared over the crystal clear surface of the lake. an astonishing sight in their opinion where they were able to lose themselves in the sparkling depth of the mysterious gigantic natural phenomenon.
"i don't think i'll ever be able to get used to this view." junhui sighed, entirely caught up in the beauty of the abandoned valley. its mountains that kept them safe from being discovered by noisy tourist and its evergreen meadows with daisies and countless sheep's that grazed far in the distance.
"you've managed to even convince me what a beautiful place this is, that means it has to be quite special." minghao giggled, drawing a smile on junhui's face on hearing the specific heartwarming sound. if minghao only knew how much ecstasy rushed through junhui's body on the singular sound of his giggles.
"i only did that so you would be able to feel more at home here." junhui explained, knowing that minghao's stay would be far more difficult when he looked at it as a hospital residence. "it would've been great if we could take a magnet back home from this valley. it would have looked pretty on the fridge don't you think?"
there it was again, back home. that odd sense of hope that junhui found hard to hold onto, as his life didn't guarantee him any certainty at all. yet knowing that it assured minghao in some sort of way, junhui continued promising him the home he deserved. the apartment back in his town, which would belong to both him and minghao once they were fired from the lake house.
"we did take a lot of photo's here though." minghao emit a happy sigh, finally finding relieve now they were outside.
"i think they would look good on the fridge as well." junhui draped an arm around minghao's shoulder and pressed a long lasting kiss against the younger's temple. "i feel like dancing."
minghao lifted his gaze and gave junhui a puzzled look. "that sounds ridiculous." was the only thing he was able to say in return, being aware that dancing was barely even physically possible after all the attacks that had encountered throughout the past few days.
"i know." junhui only said in reply, smoothing out the wrinkles of his white sweater and tugging his black pants a little higher up his waist. "but isn't being ridiculous way more fun than being normal and boring. heck, what even is supposed to be normal?"
"i have no clue, but isn't it wise to stay calm? who knows what will happen to your body when you put too much effo-" minghao let out a surprised gasp when junhui scooped him by his waist, swirling him around and leading him into the field. "-jun!"
"hao!" junhui repeated him, carelessly moving his body along on an imaginative beat. "come on hao, dance with me!"
"you're an idiot, i hope you know that." minghao grumbled, though he wasn't able to restrain the tiniest smile from creeping up his face, giving away that he secretly admired junhui and his spontaneity.
"and you love this idiot." junhui chuckled, pressing a tiny kiss on minghao's nose before he grabbed a tight hold of both of their hands and guided them through the grass, simply swirling rounds as far as their feet could carry them.
it felt as if they were floating through the air, so free. as if they were dancing on the thinnest ice in the most humongous ballroom they could imagine, being surrounded by royalty and golden chandeliers, sparking magic to the atmosphere. the valley around them seemed to disappear when they kept spinning on their feet, keeping a tight grip on each other to refrain themselves from losing balance or making a wrong step.
"i feel so free!" junhui yelled at the top of his lungs, hearing his voice echo through the valley at least three times. and minghao soon followed his example, yelling along with his boyfriend, careless of the fact that one might hear them. "i feel happy jun!"
hearing minghao scream something like that voluntarily with the brightest and most genuine smile plastered to his face, his eyes squinting and his pearly white canines shimmering in the sun, gave junhui an even bigger boost of serotonin. his feet kept carrying him further and further, ignoring the ticklish sensation of the grass that reached his exposed ankles.
it was pure euphoria they felt in that moment, knowing that they were infinite. if only a moment could last forever, so there wouldn't be any strange diseases burdening junhui, or panic attacks seasoning minghao. if they could just stay in this lucid dream for a little longer, to keep experiencing the overwhelming sense of freedom by just simply spinning rounds on their feet, dragging each other through the field, dancing as if it was their last time.
"i'm happy too hao!" junhui yelled in return, hearing his own voice echo in the distance, which they imagined to be heard in the big imaginative ballroom their minds were in, echoing against the high ceilings and the marble floor.
minghao's eyes sparked a certain sense of joy that left junhui in wonder as to how a person could be so beautiful. it was as if in those sparkling almond eyes, his entire future lay ahead. despite his disease, junhui felt lively; alive almost. like his time of suffering was finally over.
and so they kept dancing through that field for what felt like forever before they both collapsed in the grass, panting loudly to catch their breath. though it didn't take long for junhui to roll over and capture minghao in an unexpected kiss. and though the younger would've always panicked on an instant, he now wrapped his arms around junhui's neck to increase the proximity and pull him closer to his body, greedily moving his lips along with the elder's guidance.
it was an afternoon magical and worth treasuring. perhaps even their last they were able to spend like this..
