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The sunlit meadow in the woods was overflowing with the scent of colourful wildflowers and the cheerful songs of birds hiding in the lush greenery.

Laying in the middle of it all was a slim figure, golden hair and smooth skin shimmering under the touch of the golden rays. His eyes were closed. The pleasures of springtime were something he rarely experienced, therefore he cherished and enjoyed them to the fullest whenever he had the chance.

Idly he wondered when the other guardians would arrive. Their faces came to his mind, swirling in rhythm with various lively thoughts. Gentle Spring: warm and caring, his face adorned with a loving smile and his usual kind gaze. Soothing Autumn: sometimes brooding but always supportive, his booming laughter as cheerful as one could possibly be. Aloof Winter: quiet and disinterested, he remained impassive during their meetings and kept his distance.

Naturally, the guardian spirit of winter was the polar opposite of himself, the spirit of summer: overmotivated, emotional and usually carefree. Therefore they didn't mix well - but still. A light flutter erupted in his chest when he imagined the one who had captured his attention ever since the beginning of time.

A soft touch on his cheek pulled him out of his daydreams and even without opening his eyes, solely based on the warmth of the sensation, he already knew that the guardian of spring had arrived in the clearing. He sat up to greet the spirit he was closest with, their seasons mixing well due to their common traits. "Seokjin," Summer said with a wide smile, "it has been too long since I've last seen you."

Spring was still as gloriously beautiful as he remembered him to be. His rose coloured hair was pushed back, a flower crown delicately placed on it, and his creamy skin seemed to glow in contrast to his silky clothing, dyed in various shades of green. The same loving smile Summer had imagined just moments ago played on his rosepetal lips.

"How have you been, Jimin?" he asked, his voice tinkling like water flowing from a fountain. "I'm glad you could make it." The guardian of spring sat down on the soft grass next to him and the flowers that had started to wilt due to Summer's heat fully revived to their former colourful glory.

Jimin smiled at the fascinating sight and ignored the little sting in his heart. He loved flowers but not many were able to withstand him. "I'm fine, as always. And I would never miss the meeting, you know that." Seokjin gazed at him knowingly and Summer could feel heat rising in his cheeks. "It's the only chance to see you," he exclaimed defensively but he was painfully aware that Seokjin knew better anyway - Spring was the epitome of love and new beginnings after all.

Fortunately, the other guardian got distracted when the blooming bushes at the end of the glade parted and the guardian spirit of autumn stepped through.

"Namjoon," Seokjin breathed with sparkling eyes, his smile getting even brighter. He immediately got up and ran towards the other, leaving a laughing Summer behind. Autumn looked up after hearing footsteps and a wide grin lit up his face at the sight of his lover. Stretching out his arms, he caught Spring mid-run, twirled him around once and poured all his longing into a single sweet kiss.

The crown of colourful leaves on Autumn's auburn hair was slightly crooked when he walked towards Summer, hand in hand with his dearest. "Jimin," he said in his deep, smooth voice and directed his smile towards his fellow guardian, "it's a pleasure to see you. Did Yoongi arrive already?"

"Likewise, Namjoon. No, not yet, but I'm sure he will be here soon." Summer couldn't hide a little grin at the slightly annoyed expression on the leader's face. Namjoon hated tardiness and Yoongi had always been chronically late to their gatherings.

Autumn carefully sat down, trying not to wither too many flowers with his touch, but fortunately the sunny presence of Spring snuggled into his side reversed his effects. Jimin took a seat in his former spot on the meadow, across the couple, observing the quiet content in their small, loving gestures. The pure joy Seokjin and Namjoon radiated just by holding each other seemed to fill the whole clearing, making it even more beautiful.

How he yearned for this kind of relationship. Jimin knew that it was not easy to only see each other only once a millennium but at least they had this day to look forward to in the meantime. Of course, Summer anticipated it as well; meeting his friends always brought him great joy, but he desired to experience the happiness of mutual love. Just when his thoughts had drifted off to Winter once more, the guardian stepped out from the shadows of the woods in all his glory.

The sunlight reflected in the clear crystals that made up the crown on top of his silvery hair, casting glistening rainbow patterns on his smooth alabaster skin. Around him even the air seemed to shiver at the sudden coldness he brought, the lush grass he stepped on immediately encased by glittering frost. His pale blue and white clothing sparkled in the light as if it was made out of ice.

He was absolutely mesmerizing.

Summer held his breath while he got up to greet the last of the four guardians with a shaky smile. The pure charisma that Winter exuded made his knees feel weak and caused his heart to beat faster.

"Yoongi, you're late." Autumn had stepped forward and extended his hand.

"It's refreshing to see that you're still the same after all those years," Winter replied with a sarcastic little twitch of his lips while shaking it.

Namjoon moved to the side to make space for Spring, who gave the spirit a short hug and then released him with a bright laugh. "You're still as cold as ever; I can't even touch you for more than a few seconds."

Shrugging nonchalantly, Winter looked around the meadow. "I don't like people touching me anyway." He met Summer's gaze and acknowledged him with a curt nod, but before Jimin could even open his mouth to greet him properly, the spirit of winter had already averted his eyes.

Summer looked down, the smile he had worked so hard to muster for the other gone. He felt a warm hand wrap around his fingers and found Seokjin next to him, sending him an encouraging but slightly saddened smile. "Don't let him get to you, Jimin. You know how he is."

Summer followed Winter and Autumn with his eyes, the two of them walking towards the middle of the sunlit glade, seemingly immersed in an important discussion. His sigh contained the disappointment of millennia. "Yes, I know. But I can't help but feel like he resents me - or at least dislikes me more than you and Namjoon. It's probably due to the incompatibility of our seasons."

Jimin hadn't noticed the shimmering teardrop running down his cheek until Spring reached out to wipe it away with gentle fingers. "Don't cry; love will find you when you least expect it. Now show me your beautiful smile again and let us begin the meeting, shall we?" Seokmin kissed Jimin's cheek and tenderly brushed a few golden strands behind his ear. With a smile, he began walking towards the middle of the clearing, leaving behind the spirit of summer who gingerly patted his face. After too many centuries of loneliness even the smallest touches felt like sweet bliss, especially for a being as affectionate as Jimin.

Looking up, he was met with the calculating stare of Yoongi, freezing his insides but at the same time causing him to flush. The scrutiny made him feel overly selfconscious, so he hastily looked away and rubbed his sweaty palms against the soft, red fabric of his pants. His name was called by Seokjin, waving him over to finally join the group. Slowly he walked towards his friends.

The closer he got, the further away he felt. All three of them looked ethereal in the golden rays of the sun, talking and laughing like they had never been apart. Even Winter was smirking at something Autumn had said and his crystal crown was casting glittering specks of light on all of them with each movement of his head. Summer felt like an intruder.

It wasn't like him to have dark thoughts; he had always been the most positive and active one in the group - but somehow this time around he couldn't bring himself to show his usual carefree smile. Avoiding the eyes of the others, he joined the circle they had formed, tensing at the sudden silence that descended.

"Jimin, are you alright?" Namjoon asked, his tone careful but worried.

"Yes," Summer answered, his gaze still fixed on a small yellow flower in front of him, "let's begin."

Autumn started with his usual speech about their existence and duties, the one he repeated at every gathering, and after a few minutes, Jimin could already feel himself slowly drifting away. He admired the little yellow flower: even though there were so many weeds growing around it, it still managed to survive, standing not very tall but proud and showing its pretty face to the world. Summer wished he could be as brave as the small plant. It would be nice to take it with him and plant it somewhere where it could grow to its full potential, but his nature would kill the little plant as soon as he held it in his hands.

His musings came to an abrupt stop when ice started to form around it, encasing the flower in a sphere as clear and flawless as glass. Startled, he lifted his gaze, only to once again meet the intense dark eyes of Winter. Looking around, he found that they were alone in the clearing. "W- where are the others?" he dared to ask with a slight tremble in his voice.

Yoongi sat down on the soft grass, the plants around him immediately coated by glittering frost. He regarded Summer with another long stare. "They left."

"Already? Why? Did we finish?" Jimin was baffled. Had this much time passed without him noticing? But the sun was still high in the sky, there were several hours left until they had to resume their duties.

"They wanted to spend some time by themselves. And there was nothing of importance to say anyway - there never is. It's a waste of time." Winter's furrowed brows relaxed slightly and he plucked at a few blades of frozen grass. "Sit with me."

The last part sounded more like a question than an order and Jimin hesitated to follow Yoongi's words. That explanation just now had probably been the longest the other had ever spoken to him and it scared the guardian, especially after his small breakdown earlier. He felt vulnerable and not the least bit prepared for an actual lengthy conversation with the ice spirit who seemed to harbour quite a bit of negativity towards him.

But millennia of infatuation were hard to overcome in a single day, hence Summer sat down next to Winter, not exactly close but close enough to feel the chill on his hot skin. The ice covering the grass in between their bodies began to melt while neither of them said a word. Jimin listened to the songs of the birds and the wind whispering in the trees and felt himself drifting again.

In his imagination he was strong: He would take the hand that was so close to his and finally meet Yoongi's gaze head on. In his fantasies he was also brave: He would look into the guardian's eyes and confess all the thoughts he had hidden deep down ever since he had seen the spirit of winter for the first time.

But in reality he was neither strong nor brave, so he just continued sitting silently next to the one he desired and concentrated on their quiet breathing.

"Why were you crying?"

Jimin jumped at Yoongi's sudden question, surprised by his velvety voice and the gentleness hidden in it. He had never heard him using that tone before, the other normally sounded either sarcastic, bored or emotionless while speaking. Summer continued to watch the trees in the distance while trying hard to calm his racing heart and suppress the hope blossoming in his chest. "I wasn't feeling very well." As soon as he had spoken the words, he braced himself for a sarcastic remark - but it never came.

"What made you feel unwell?" Winter's smooth voice had turned just a hint sharper at that question.

If Summer were to answer truthfully, it would probably destroy the last bit of sympathy the other might have been feeling for him - therefore he opted for a noncommittal explanation instead. "I've been feeling lonely lately," he said hesitantly while caressing the dewy grass between them, "and inadequate."

His depressing statement was followed by a moment of silence. Jimin looked up from his hands and marveled at Yoongi's handsome profile, whose eyebrows were once again knitted together in a frown while he was seemingly lost in deep thoughts. The spirit of summer wondered what he was thinking about when Winter snapped back to reality and caught his gaze, not letting him avert his eyes this time. "There is no reason for you to feel inadequate in any way, Jimin," he said quietly, merely a whisper.

Summer could feel his eyes water again and he bit his lip to prevent the tears from escaping. It had been so long since Yoongi had called his name; it made his heart burn with indescribable feelings. He took a deep, calming breath to contain himself before he brought his insecurities to light. "You are all just so perfect and you get along so well. Namjoon is the strong leader and Seokjin his lovely partner and he supports him through and through. And you, Yoongi, you are always calm and collected. I'm the only one getting overemotional or unnecessarily worked up before the gatherings. A-and you are all so beautiful..." Jimin couldn't stop the tears anymore, so he hid his face behind his hands and turned away from the other spirit. He was unlovable, he could see it now. A soft touch on his shoulder made him withdraw even further and the withered plants around him began to smoke at the heat he emitted in his pain.

Without warning, cool fingers wrapped around his wrists and his hands were gently pulled away from his face. Yoongi was kneeling in front of him, his coldness turning into soft mist as soon as it met Jimin's heat, bedewing the sweltering plants. His face held an expression Summer had never seen on him before, a mixture of sadness, tenderness and adoration. It caused tingling bubbles to erupt in his chest.

"Is it sappy to say that you are the most beautiful to me?" Winter asked, a pink tint spreading on his pale cheeks - but even through his embarrassment he maintained eye contact.

Jimin stared at him in shock before his heart began to race and his cheeks turned rosy aswell. "A little bit. But I like it," he admitted after he had remembered how to form words and his face turned even hotter due to the half-confession.

"Good," was all Yoongi whispered before he leaned in and tenderly connected their lips. The gentle caress felt like snow crystals melting on Jimin's heated skin.

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