First Life //Ateez

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The eight lovers were sitting, trying to think of a way to not make Seonghwa feel excluded. It was difficult.

"Do you think we could maybe bring some objects here?" Jongho spoke after some time, the idea being stuck to his head.

"What do you mean?" Yunho asked, baffled by the boy's thought. Bring something? And especially here?

"Well, like, what if in our lives we had an object so dear to us, that even after our death we can take it here with us?" He explained, waiting to hear their thoughts.

Truth is that, this wasn't a necessarily bad idea. They hadn't tried to do anything apart from what they were supposed to do.

" I mean its not bad. Maybe we can try it next time. I dont know if we'll remember it there, but its worth a try" Hongjoong spoke, liking the suggestion.

"Besides, it would be a good opportunity for Seongie to see other things. Maybe, maybe we can bring him a book or something like this" Yunho's enthusiasm was evident, thanking Jongho for his suggestion.

"Really? You'll go all this trouble for me?" Seonghwa, who stayed quiet for the most part said. It warmed him to know that the rest would do something like this just for him.

"Of course love. What did you thought? That we will leave you like this? We should have thought that earlier" San placed a hand on the boy's thigh, as if to reassure him.

"I really hope we can do this. It would be so much better. Imagine if everyone got a small thing with them"

Seonghwa smiled at the thought. If this was possible, it would be great. For everyone. And especially for him. Having something that the rest treasured so much in their lives. He couldn't wait. This would make his time here way more enjoyable.

And that's exactly what happened.

When the rest had to leave again, leaving Seonghwa alone, he was actually not bothered by it.

They gave him all a sweet kiss, and after saying their goodbyes, the started walking towards the endless sea of white, until they were gone.

And Seonghwa wasn't feeling down or sad at that. The simple image of them getting back, and having something with them was enough to make him excited.

He was looking forward to it, that he didn't mind the silence or the bright white of where he was. He was sitting there patiently, with a smile on his face, awaitng the arrival of his lovers.

~~~~~

Footsteps running was what made Seonghwas head to shot up. He saw from away the rest approaching, or again, rather running.

He didn't have time to stand up and a body came crushing on him, sending them on the floor.

"We did it Seongie! We did it!" Jongho screamed, unable to contain his excitement at this point.

Seonghwa was baffled for a moment, not understanding what the boy was speaking about. But when he saw the rest trying to hide something, his eyes light up, filling with tears again.

They didn't waste time and sat down all of them, ready to show Seonghwa what they had managed to get him. Who would've though that it would be so easy? Definitely not them.

First was Jongho, who placed a small, delicate flower on Seonghwas palm. He looked at it in awe, the vibrant Color and intricate shape got his interest.

"What is this?" He asked, full of curiosity with this mysterious thing.

"That is called a flower. Specifically it's name is forget-me-not. For some reason, I was really drawn to it"

And that was true. Jongho happened to be a florist, and he was familiar with all this. And that meant that he was accustomed to different types of flowers and their meanings. And it was this specific flower that got his attention. Back then he didn't know, but how he understood why.

Forget-me-nots were used to sympolise rememberance. Both during a parting or after a death. It was used to sympolise a connection that endures all challenges and measure of time. That could be a friendship or any other kind of loyalty they may have. It could also be used to represent a reminder of your favorite memories with someone, or the growing affection between people.

Jongho didn't tell Seonghwa all of this, he kept them to himself, wanting to surprise him when they would talk about it. Besides the rest were waiting happily to give their own gifts to him.

"That is really beautiful Jongie. Thank you so much" Seonghwa replied, squeezing Jongho into his arms. That was the most precious moment.

Once they seperated, Seonghwa brought his hand and touched the small petals, feeling the smooth texture under his fingers. He was going to treasure this.

"Ahh finally. Now its my turn!" Yunho interrupted the moment to show his own small thing.

"What is it Yunie?"

"Its a small ring. Here, let me put this on you" He said, and taking Seonghwas hand, he placed the small silver band on his finger.

Seonghwa looked at it, seeing it shine every once in a while.

"Its really pretty Yunie. Thank you"

"You're welcome. I think someone gave it to me, saying to take good care of it. I really hope you like it"

"I love it! Its really amazing"

And soon, every one was able to show Seonghwa their gifts.

Yeosang managed to get him a book, and promised to teach him how to read, since Seonghwa didn't have a clue about this.

San brought him a poster of a puppy, a Shiba inu breed, as he called it. This must have been his pet, before it ran away. San took the photo they took to find him to Seonghwa, wanting to show him. But back there, they didn't find the dog in the end.

Hongjoong had brought with him, what he called a nail polish, saying that he loved to watch his sister painting her nails, and that he himself did it secretly. And now he was ready to paint everyone's nails at this point.

Mingi brought him a rather unusual gift. It was a stick of cinnamon. He loved cinnamon back then, and everything he made was based off it. He would put it on his food, make crafts or decorate his house. He had a huge infatuation with it, and he managed to give it to him.

What drawed Seonghwa to this was its smell. It was sweet and strong and he started coughing, not having used to different kinds of smells. The flower had a more soft smell.

Wooyoung on the other hand had brought him a small sea shell. Back in his house it was on a necklace, but he broke it, wanting to keep only the shell. Living near the sea had given him many opportunities to search for them, and his house was full of them.

Seonghwa couldn't get enough of them. He hadn't left them from his hands, not even for a moment. He was ecstatic to say the least and he couldn't wait to hear the story behind their gifts.