Ever since Minseok was part of his father’s root and fought to find the perfect place to actually grow and become a tuber he knew he wouldn’t be alone. He knew it as he travelled through the roots, visiting his brothers. They were of various shapes and ages. There was Kyungsoo who was as small as a baby potato and the others made fun of him but then there was Sehun. If he grew up a little more he would be a big as a sweet potato. Maybe that was the reason Minseok was so small, his father giving all his nutrients to Sehun. But Minseok was proud. The biggest potato in the farm was Minseok’s brother, well apart from that potato next to them, his father’s friend. That potato was huge, but he was old so it doesn’t count.

One day that Minseok was a little bigger than just an anomaly on his father’s roots and he could finally communicate with his brothers, he heard one of them talking to him.

“Minseokkie, do you see that tuber over there?” Jongdae, his older brother asked from above him.

“Which one?” he asked.

“The one just next to you. That small one.” Jongdae said again.

“Yes, what is it?” Minseok asked focusing one the small tuber. They didn’t have any stolon between them, any way to be connected and so to be able to communicate thus if the other wanted to talk to Minseok he or she (because Minseok hadn’t really talk to the tuber and didn’t know its gender) had to use someone else to do so. And thus Jongdae and his friend Yixing were used as an intermediate.

“He asked me if he can talk to you, form a stolon and talk with you,” Jongdae carried the message.

It wasn’t uncommon, for tubers of the same age or more accurately the same growth but Minseok was taken aback. That tuber was the first one to ever try to talk to him apart from his brothers.

“Is it ok?” he asked his older brother.

“I don’t see why it wouldn’t.” Jongdae reply. “He is just a little tuber like you and he is Yixing’s brother. I trust the little guy. Plus you will have someone to keep you company.”

“Oh ok then. If you say so.” Minseok replied tentatively. He was still unsure but he accepted nevertheless.

The next few days both of the tubers grew a little more, occasionally using their brothers to talk. Mostly Luhan, as Minseok had learned was the other’s name. He started their conversations which would end when their brothers grew bored of them and stopped carrying the messages. It turned out that Luhan was quite talkative and Minseok really enjoyed that despite that he himself wasn’t really.

Those conversations where mostly to learn a few things about the each other. Minseok had told Luhan about his brothers and Luhan had done the same. They had talked about the things they like or not and how long it had taken them to find a place to grow.

When they grew up a little more and they had the size of a baby potato they could finally form their own connection. For Minseok it might have been the best day of his potato life, the moment he ‘heard’ –or basically felt – Luhan’s voice. So soothing, so soft and calm. He could now feel on his own Luhan’s cheerful personality, how he seemed to be always happy and excited.

He loved how Luhan would talk to him at any time to tell him whatever came to his mind. Stories of his brothers or his father, or his neighbors or something that he randomly thought as he tried to fall asleep. There was this one time he had woken Minseok up to tell him about that warm family that had passed in front of them and were lost. How they had tried to ask for directions but they made the mistake to ask Tao, one of Luhan’s brothers who probably gave them the wrong ones. Minseok had found it amusing and they had started a new conversation about all the possible places Tao could have sent the poor family.

“Seokkie, Minseokkie wake up.”

“What do you want Luhan.” Minseok grown feeling like it was too early to wake up.

“It’s late you should wake up.” Luhan continued in his carefree tone.

“How can you tell it’s late there isn’t even sun light here,” Minseok huffed.

“But you have been asleep for so long and I missed you and I wanted to talk to you.” If Luhan could pout he would.

Minseok smiled at the other’s behavior. “Tell me, what is it?” he said, sleep forgotten.

“I talked to my father today about you.” Luhan started. “He says he knows yours since they were tubers like us. They grew up together but my father was harvested earlier than yours. They met again when they were brought here to be planted again.”

“Oh that is amazing.” Minseok agreed more marveled by Luhan’s happiness than the information. His father had already told him about his friend, Kris when Minseok had told him about Luhan. You see Minseok’s father, Suho was very protective and he spent a lot of time talking with his kids and their worries. Minseok didn’t particularly have many but he liked to listen to his father tell his storied from his childhood. How he used to be brothers with his uncle Baekhyun and Jongin and how he uncle Siwon wasn’t that lucky and ended up as a fried potato, which made Minseok have nightmares for several nights.

He enjoyed those stories nevertheless and sometimes he would share them with Luhan and together they would make all those scenarios of how many different turns one’s life could take.

Sometimes his and Luhan’s conversations would be about their future.

“Minseokkie, what do you think will happen to us when it’s time?”

“I don’t know Luhan, I have heard a lot of things from my father.” Minseok replied seriously.

“What would you like to happen to you?” Luhan pried further.

“I honestly don’t know Hannie, I have never thought of it, I am not really sure I want to.” Minseok said bitterly, already thinking about those stories his father had told him.

“I have.” Luhan continued stubbornly. “If I could chose for my future I would chose for both of us to come here again so that I would have some more time with you.”

Minseok felt like crying at this because honestly he didn’t deserve those words from Luhan, someone so puree, so thoughtful. “Thank you Luhan.” He finally said.

Minseok couldn’t really express how thankful he was to have someone like Luhan by his side and couldn’t really express how much he loved him. More often than not he imagine Luhan as a human being or just something that could walk, laugh, talk, be and live more that they could. Because he deserved to have a better chance, a chance for something more. He imagined Luhan as someone beautiful, with the most beautiful eyes that would form small crescents like that pepper at the end of the vegetable garden and the most enchanting smile. Not that Minseok had ever seen a human or any being other than vegetables but he couldn’t help but imagine.

Other times he wished Luhan was the farmer that took care of them. This way maybe, Luhan could take him into his hands, hold him and maybe peel him. But if Minseok could blush or giggle he would at this thought.

He loved Luhan, so much, and the thought that they would separate eventually was devastating to him. He had learned that the bad way when his uncle Baekhyun, who was living at the borders of the potato area, was separated from his friend, a carrot named Chanyeol, one day when the farmer decided the carrot was grown enough to be harvested. He feared for that day and he knew that it could come at any time. His father had warned him enough but he didn’t have it in him to tell Luhan.

He didn’t know if the other was aware and he chose to ignore the information or not but he didn’t want to be the one to tell him. He didn’t want to be the one to take Luhan’s smile from him (if he had one). Minseok loved Luhan’s cheerful personality, how even under all this soil where no sun light could reach Luhan seemed like he was glowing. And he actually wished that Luhan would always do.

As they grew up his fear and anxiety never left but he learned to appreciate more the time he spent with Luhan.

When their time actually came and Minseok saw one by one his family and friends to be taken he turned to see Luhan. He still seemed peaceful, something that Minseok could feel through their connection.

“Aren’t you afraid?” Minseok asked.

“I am only afraid you might forget me.” Luhan replied. “I am a potato, I am supposed to grow, be harvested and eaten. That’s my life.”

Minseok remained silent at this.

When it was Kris’ turn to be pulled and eventually Luhan’s, Minseok tried to hold the other the best he could but to no avail.

“Don’t forget me,” was the last thing Luhan said to him still in his cheerful tone.

Then it was Suho’s and his family’s time. Before Minseok could be freed by the soil and eventually fall asleep he mutter. “I won’t.”

When Minseok was placed once again in the soil, with a pile of fertilizer above his head to give him enough energy, he felt like he could breathe again, if he actually could. He slowly came back to his senses after being ‘asleep’ for so long. He looked around desperately searching for that one potato that he craved to see more than anything. He felt so relieved when he finally saw him, just this time he was on the opposite side of him and not next to Minseok, but it didn’t matter. He was there, he was alive and Minseok was able to meet him once again and spend some more time with him.

This time Minseok didn’t hesitate and he tried to grow his stolon as fast as he could and touch Luhan. This time when he managed he said “Hannie, I didn’t forget you.”