Chapter 8 : Flowers blooming on rainy days

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The last few days had been incredible. It had rained a lot over the forest, making the ground squishy and the fairies grumpy. It was apparently a lot harder to fly straight with so much rain and such a strong wind. But Kibum was in a charming mood, and so was Jongin. They both loved the sensation of the watered earth between their toes as they walked and the raindrops on their skin. Their clearing was filled with the sweet scent of petrichor that Jongin adored and it made him happy to just inhale deeply the smell of his willow's roots getting moist.

They spend the first rainy day running to the swamps and sitting on trees to see the breathtaking view of the thick mist and heavy rain swallowing the trees. There was no other sound than water falling and hitting rocks and wood; the light was so faint it gave off a feeling even more eerie than usual to the area. What they both loved most was waiting for the will-o'-wisps to come out and dance with the fireflies. It kept them entertained the majority of that day.

Another day, they went on a mushrooms hunt with Kyungsoo and Jinki. Then, Kibum had met Chanyeol when Jongin had invited the faun over to their clearing, so he could play music for them as they danced around. Jongdae had gone missing from their little gatherings after a failed attempt of skipping his classes once more. Junmyeon and Kyungsoo -who was initially the one supposed to be in charge of the rebellious fairy but gave up on the task because Jongdae was far too loud for him- had then decided to take into actions. Thus, Junmyeon's threat had become Jongdae's sad reality and he was forced to stay in the elven castle to read his books.

One morning, Kibum had prepared meticulously. He had asked Jongin to make him a small basket of roots and leaves so he could carry his treasures with him as he was about to meet Choi Minho in the valley of the white birches. He had been ranting on and on about all the things that he wanted to ask his elf friend, and would use every opportunity to actually repeat that he was friends with him. His main goal was to somehow persuade Minho to teach him elvish, in the hopes that he would someday be able to understand everything his prince said.

On his side, Jongin had a very important plan for the day. Once Kibum trotted away from their clearing while singing, he took off on his own to meet with Jinki. They had decided to go up to the high gardens over the swamps and find the first pumpkins of the season. The leprechauns actually grew some in their village and they were undoubtedly the best you could find in the forest. Thus, Jongin needed someone who would do the transaction for him as there was no way on earth he would get out to the market himself and get some pumpkin casually. But he also loved pumpkins very much and Kyungsoo knew how to make very delicious snacks with them. So there he was, on his way to Jinki.

The air was getting colder and the sky was a very nice shade of grey. The forest itself was calm and quiet as Jongin walked down some twisted paths. He had seen his fairy friends put some more leaves over their heads and hide their feet in cottony fabrics to stay warm. It was always a strange thing to see for Jongin; creatures needing to stay warm. Cold or hot weather wasn't a bother to nymphs; every day of the year, he would walk around with roots and leaves covering his round behind while the rest of his body was . The concept had been quite hard to explain to Jongdae. Jongin could feel the temperature, but would never feel an actual unpleasantness over it. He enjoyed the warm feeling of the sun kissing his shoulders in summer, but also adored the fresh and tickling whisper of icy wind on his calves in winter.

"How convenient it must be, to never fear a running nose..." Jongdae had grumbled when Jongin had tried to clarify his situation a few years ago.

Now, Jongin could feel the yellow and red leaves covering the ground brushing his ankles as he walked. The wind made his hair go in every directions on his head. As he jumped over a knot of roots, he greeted a raccoon who tilted its head at him. All that was on Jongin's mind were the delicious pumpkins that were awaiting him and how incredible they would be with cinnamon on them.

Then the wind changed. He heard the trees murmur to him to be careful. He didn't notice any sound of squirrels hurrying up on branches anymore. It was silent and it made his heart go a bit faster. Then, there was a howl. A long, loud howl. The kind that he had heard very rarely, and definitely not in that part of the forest.

"A wolf? Why is a wolf there? Is he lost?" Jongin muttered, turning around to look at the trees, trying to pinpoint where the sound came from exactly.

The plants were insisting on him to go, but the nymph couldn't help but feel worried for the poor animal who was probably disoriented. Then, there was another sound that made him freeze: feet, running as fast as they could. It wasn't the wolf, it wasn't a deer. It was bigger than a leprechaun, and definitely not a centaur. Jongin leaned against a nearby tree and disappeared in it, going through roots and feeling an strange adrenaline running through his core. He reappeared a bit further and his blood turned to ice in his whole body, making him suddenly feel cold.

An elf was leaning on a tree nearby, trying to catch his breath. He had his eyes closed and a slight frown between his eyebrows. Jongin recognized him immediately. How could he not? His elf, the one he had seen all those weeks ago, the one that gave him this soft and warm and familiar feeling in his belly, turned around. The wolf howled again, not so far away from them and Jongin trembled. He didn't notice the slight smirk on the elf's face, but he saw him suddenly jump away from the tree and resume his course through the forest. Then a disastrous cacophony burst in Jongin's mind, shaking him violently. He couldn't order his thoughts correctly anymore, but his elf was running, he was out of breath and a howling wolf was right behind him. Suddenly, it wasn't a matter of an unfortunate lost animal, all that mattered was protecting his elf. Jongin ran after him. He ran without thinking, his feet flying off the ground as his heart connected to his Willow tree.

"Please give me a shelter," he cried out.

He held out his hand, his fingers closing on the soft cloth on the elf's back and he pulled him to the side. He heard a strangled noise coming from the small figure and everything went yellow, red and brown in a whirlwind of leaves. Jongin took a few steps back as he witnessed the elf falling on the ground and rolling with his momentum, finally stopping with his shoulders on the ground and his legs up. The nymph immediately hid away, looking frantically around himself in an attempt to recognize where they ended up.

The forest had opened him a path to his oak tree. The most majestic one. The one that was so especially funny to climb on. As soon as he identified his well-known place, Jongin calmed down just a little bit and closed his eyes. He could hear the elf sitting down and rubbing his head.

For a second, Jongin thought about going away right this instant. Now that his elf was safe from the wolf, he could probably find his way back to the elven city on his own, couldn't he? But it made the nymph feel nauseous in his stomach. It was even worse than the crippling anxiety that would come if he tried to look behind the tree again and let the elf see him.

Also, there was this very bizarre wish, deep into his heart. The peculiar curiosity and the desire to look at him again. His elf. Jongin scratched his neck, deep in thoughts. He had forgotten about Jinki, the leprechauns and the pumpkins.

He heard a voice. His elf was saying something that Jongin couldn't understand, but he sounded uncomfortable and lost. Jongin hid his face in his hands and tried to remember everything Kyungsoo and Kibum ever told him, about how elves weren't scary. How they wouldn't hurt him. How the forest wouldn't let them. Then, he turned around and very slowly, very carefully, he tilted his head.

His elf was still sitting on the ground, his back turned to Jongin. He was scratching the top of his hair and looking around. When he moved a bit, the nymph saw his confused frown and swallowed with some difficulty.

Finally, the elf got on his feet and spun around. It took every single ounce of courage Jongin could find within himself not to jump and run. Then, their eyes met and the nymph felt his legs growing so heavy that he couldn't move anymore even if he had wanted to. Taemin's eyes widened in recognition and his mouth fell open with a startled little sound.

Jongin's hands were shaking against the trunk and he waited, still as a rock, to see what the other would do. The elf talked again, and Jongin liked the sound of his voice.

"It's you..."

A soft smile bloomed on the elf's face, and very slowly, he sat back on the ground, as if to show Jongin that he shouldn't feel threatened by his presence.

"You don't have to be scared," Taemin faltered, as gently as he could.

The nymph pouted, feeling a bit bothered that he couldn't understand what the other was saying. Still he took a deep breath before ever so slowly moving around the tree, coming up to view. He immediately felt the elf's eyes detailing him from head to toes and his heart went up to his throat painfully. It was beating like crazy and his cheeks warmed up with discomfort.

Taemin's eyelids fluttered a few times as he took in the sight of the nymph standing so shyly in front of him. He was tall, probably more than him, with broad shoulders and impossibly long legs, still he looked so fragile and nervous.

"Who are you?" Taemin inquired in a murmur.

Jongin moved, kneeling on the ground and coming a few centimeters closer to the elf. They were still five meters apart, or so. He would have to go there step by step.

"I don't understand you," Jongin pouted, in faerish.

A part of him hoped that for some reason, his elf would speak faerish, just like Choi Minho. If not, then maybe he would get that Jongin didn't speak elvish either.

Taemin wrinkled his nose when he saw the creature's lips moving without a single sound to be heard. Was that faerish? Another spirit's language? He couldn't know. A sudden feeling of helplessness overtook him. He couldn't believe that after all this time, he would see the pink-haired spirit again only to not be able to reach him. He was still completely shaken by the fact that the other hadn't disappeared suddenly and was now waiting in front of him, still staring at him intensely.

"I don't hear you, I'm very sorry," Taemin admitted in a pained voice.

They looked at each other, eyes full of hope that maybe, the other would suddenly speak their language. But after a few seconds, they seemed to both understand the situation and Jongin's face crumbled into an expression so sad that Taemin felt his heart breaking.

The elf still didn't dare to move. He couldn't get up. He couldn't go away. As long as the nymph would stay there and look at him there was no way he would move an inch. Those big eyes were keeping him anchored deeply into the ground. He saw the nymph biting his lips, before shifting his knees to crawl closer to him. He came a few centimeters at a time, moving forward slightly, then stopping to look suspiciously at Taemin, then progressing towards him a bit more. The elf felt his heart beating faster at every small advance the nymph made.

Jongin stopped less than a meter in front of him. His fingers were trembling on his thighs and his insides were a terrible mess, but everything shut down when he finally looked at his elf's face up close. His eyes traveled from his thin chin to his plump, plushy, weirdly shaped lips. He looked over the small dot on his nose, that Kyungsoo called a beauty mark. And then there were those very round cheeks that seemed as soft as an apricot's skin. Jongin looked into the elf's black eyes and blinked surprisingly when he realized the other was inspecting him with an interest at least as intense as him.

"Your eyes...," Taemin whispered.

Jongin frowned, reminding him that he couldn't comprehend what he was being told, but he then realized that the elf didn't seem to have been addressing him. He was talking to himself.

When he had first saw the nymph, so far away, Taemin had been convinced that the spirit's eyes were dark. Now that he was so close to him, it seemed his whole world collapsed in those hazelnut orbs, shining with gold and deep green sparkles. They were beyond magnificent.

Jongin started to feel his face heat up with how troubled the elf looked, how immersed in observing him he was. The nymph rubbed his fingers on one of his ear and wiggled a bit, finally sitting on his and playing with the grass next to his ankles. Strangely, he didn't feel that sick, even if he was so close to his elf that he could hear him taking deep breaths. It made him oddly happy, the fact that he could stand with him alone, without even a fairy to back him up, and still feel okay. He straightened up, his eyes searching for the elf's face again, and smiled at him. He wondered if the other felt it too, that calm and serenity. The feeling that he belonged there.

Taemin's heart exploded at the sight of that beaming grin. He couldn't help but to smile back.

Jongin put his hands between their two bodies and turned his palms to the sky slowly. For a second, Taemin wondered if he was asking something of him, but then he saw a sparkle. Out of nowhere, Taemin noticed a bud form in the glowing tanned hands, and it bloomed with a soft sound into a large red flower. It turned and twisted and leaves joined it. Another blossom arose and the nymph's hands were soon covered in bright colors and wild flowers.

Taemin's breath got caught up in his throat as he looked a few times between the smiling face and the flowery hands.

"Oh dear," he whispered, "that's beautiful."

He chuckled when he discerned the pout back on the nymph's lips.

"I still can't understand you," Jongin sulked, moving his lips just so Taemin would remember it.

The elf hid his smile behind his hand and bowed quickly as an apology. Then he held out his hand tentatively to touch the flowers, stopping just before the contact to see if Jongin was okay with it.

The nymph lowered his hands before Taemin could touch them, turning around to put his flowers on the ground. He bustled on them for a few seconds, working his way so their roots would join the mud and they would continue growing beautifully from now on. He then reported his attention back on the elf and took a deep breath that got the other to raise an eyebrow.

Carefully, Jongin offered his hand to Taemin, moving it cautiously so the elf would understand what he was waiting for. Taemin mimicked him silently. It startled Jongin, how small the other's hand was next to his. Did all elves have small hands? It was so tiny. He held it preciously and heard the brief intake of air Taemin took when their fingers touched. The elf's hand was soft and cold in Jongin's big and warm one.

Jongin wondered briefly is the weather was too chilly and windy for his elf to be comfortable outside. Then his attention was back on their intertwined hands and he let his magic go freely through them. Taemin gasped when he saw a very small bud appear in his own palm. It grew a lot slower than the previous ones Jongin had made alone, but it finally bloomed into a tiny buttercup flower.

The nymph then withdrew his hands with a satisfied smile and Taemin could only sit there, immobile, moved beyond words. He still didn't know a lot about spirits, but he could feel deep in his soul that he had lived a very precious moment just now. He wondered if the buttercup would live on perfectly just like the magnolia he had picked up from their first encounter.

He laid his very precious little flower on his thigh, his fingers gently brushing over it. Then he looked back at the nymph and smiled at him.

"Thank you," he said, bowing subtly to him and hoping the spirit wouldn't pout this time and would understand what he tried to express.

Jongin looked at him closely, and finally smiled widely, nodding a few times as to show that he got it. His fingers itched to touch the elf again. He wanted to hold his hand a bit more but wasn't sure how to manage it. He often held Kibum's hand but he had no idea if elves held hands sometimes or if it would be weird. He didn't want his elf to think of him as weird.

Taemin chuckled when he caught him staring; the nymph's eyes moving rapidly from his own hands to Taemin's ones in a repetitive motion. The elf offered him a hand and Jongin grabbed it immediately and kept it. Taemin's skin was so incredibly soft under his slightly rough fingers, it mesmerized Jongin.

"I'm Taemin."

The nymph blinked, looking back at his face, his eyes full of questions. Taemin grinned and used his other hand to point at himself.

"Taemin," he repeated.

Jongin raised a puzzled eyebrow at him and surely, Taemin saw the well-known pout already forming.

"Taemin," he said once again, pointing at himself for a moment with a knowing smile.

Jongin's mind suddenly clicked and he wiggled even closer. The sound was terribly foreign to his ears, but this was his elf's name, apparently. It sounded so nice and round and warm and soft. Exactly like him. It was a perfect name and Jongin loved it. He motioned for him to say it again, and Taemin obeyed.

Jongin focused his eyes on the forms the elf's mouth was making and how it resonated in his ears. He tried to mimic it, but no sound came out loud enough for Taemin to hear it.

The elf shrugged with a compassionate smile, but he discovered that Jongin wasn't the type to give up so easily. Kibum already managed to produce elvish sounds and repeat words, so Jongin would too. He would say that foreign name just right. He coughed a bit and tried again. After a few minutes, Taemin could hear muffled noises coming from the nymph. He was struggling so hard, frowning deeply and putting his whole heart to the task. Then Taemin could hear it.

"Ae... -ae..."

The elf looked at him, bewildered and so touched to see him insist that much.

"Taemin," the elf repeated. "Tae. You almost got it..."

Jongin tightened his hold on the elf's hand as he did his best to reproduce the movements of Taemin's mouth. Once he had found the correct sonority to speak so Taemin could hear him, it became easier.

"T-... T-ae. Ttt. Tae," Jongin stuttered.

His lips broke in a gigantic smile when he realized that he made it. Taemin excitedly shook their hands together.

"Yes! That's it! Tae!" He laughed

But Jongin was looking at him, waiting, his mouth still open and the elf understood that he wasn't about to stop halfway.

"-min," Taemin continued. "Mmm. Min."

Jongin copied him the best he could.

"Mmm. Mi. T-ae-m-i. Tae-mi."

Taemin's heart was beating so loudly, it felt like he was running for dear life. In reality, he was just trying not to scream out of how adorable and moving it was to see that shy nymph trying so hard to say his name correctly.

"Mi-n," Taemin repeated slowly. "Nnn. Mi-nnn."

Jongin sighed and straightened up before he looked his elf in the eyes and put his whole focus on it.

"T... Tae-mi-n."

The smiles that appeared on both their faces could have put the sun to shame.

Taemin had to hold back from covering him with compliments and congratulations; it would have been to no use if the nymph couldn't understand anyway. And even though his pout was too adorable for this world, he didn't want to upset him.

Jongin was wiggling a bit, chirping the elf's name repeatedly with a proud smirk. He had made it brilliantly. For a moment he wanted to make Taemin say his name too, but the elf would never be able to mimic him if he couldn't hear him in the first place. In that moment, Jongin decided that as soon as he'll be back in his clearing, he'll call Kyungsoo and ask him to teach him how to say his name in elvish.

Taemin's fingers tightened around Jongin's hand, but the nymph didn't pay him any attention as he frowned deeply, turning around in a swift motion. He had heard something strange in the distance. Taemin opened his mouth but before he could make any sound, Jongin had put his other hand on his lips, making him freeze completely. The nymph tried to calm his own crazy heart when he recognized the soft steps of a wolf approaching and sniffing the area. Did that lone wolf followed them all the way here? They were so far away from where he had picked Taemin up! He couldn't have!

But surely, the animal appeared from behind a tree. Taemin moved around a bit but Jongin hold him in place, shielding him from the wolf's eyes. Whatever business this animal had with Taemin, he couldn't hurt Jongin. And if he wanted anything to do with the elf, he would have to go through the nymph, and thus, the entire forest. Jongin felt his body shake with obstinacy and determination.

The wolf calmly trotted to them, looking very curiously at Jongin and finally stopped a few meters away. The animal huffed at him, stirring its head and turning on itself in circles.

"Taemin!" the wolf called, looking over Jongin's shoulder as if he wasn't there.

That took the nymph completely by surprise. He felt Taemin move a bit behind him, looking at his best friend with a soft smile. He had forgotten about her in all that swirl of actions and felt a bit bad. The wolf was crying at him with reproach in her eyes.

"Hey there Chinua," the elf gently said.

Still Jongin didn't let him move. The nymph quietly looked back on his elf, then on the wolf few times, before addressing the animal. To her, at least, he could speak.

"Who are you? What do you want with my elf?"

The wolf sat, petting the earth in front of her.

"Your elf? He's my master. I'm his wolf, Chinua."

Jongin had a small gasp of surprise and relaxed a bit. He still looked cautiously at the enormous wolf.

"Really? You don't wanna hurt him?"

"I would never," Chinua yelped.

"I saw you hunting him," Jongin accused with pleated eyes.

Taemin stood there, thunderstruck, as he watched his long-time friend, a wolf, barking quietly to a spirit. The two of them seemed to somehow be deep into a conversation and the elf couldn't register that he was actually witnessing this.

"We were playing," Chinua continued, "don't you ever play? Taemin really loves to play. He caught me first. Then I had to catch him too. But he suddenly disappeared. I was worried."

Jongin blinked stupidly, his cheeks growing gradually red with shame. Was it what really happened? He had just misunderstood the whole thing.

"Oh...," he whispered with guilt making his tone acute.

It was Chinua's turn to glare at him with blaming eyes.

"Was it you who took him away?"

Jongin bit his lips and twisted his fingers.

"Maybe?" He stammered. "I'm sorry, I thought-... I thought that he was in danger."

Taemin peeked at Jongin who was blushing more and more each passing second, he saw the uneasiness on his face and wondered what on earth was going on. Chinua puffed and came closer, passing by Jongin to come nudging Taemin's leg.

The nymph moved away, feeling like an intruder and his heart tightened when he saw Taemin hugging the wolf closely, laughing in her fur and saying a lot of things he didn't understand. There was an absolutely insufferable feeling in his mouth that made him want to throw up. A terrible jealousy he didn't recognize.

Then the wolf looked back at him with mischievous eyes.

"I'll excuse you for today, nymph. If you really only wanted to protect him, that's fine by me."

Jongin scrunched his nose but said nothing. He still felt a bit awkward looking at the two of them reuniting; he wanted to push the wolf away and hold Taemin's hand again.

A sudden gust of wind made the elf's hair swoosh in the air, and Jongin smiled as Taemin put it back in place. Then the elf gulped and moved around a bit, picking up his buttercup flower which had flown away. He carefully tucked it in a pocket of his extravagant clothing and finally turned back to look at Jongin. They just stared, both having this strange feeling in their heart that their moment had stopped, not knowing how to get back to each other.

"Tae-mi-n," Jongin murmured clumsily, wishing he could say something else. Literally anything else that would make the elf's eyes shine again.

Taemin still smiled brightly at him, easing his heart just a little bit. But his lips turned upside down in a pout when he felt a raindrop fall on his hand. He looked up, his eyes widening when he noticed the dark clouds obscuring the sky.

"Oh dear...," Taemin breathed out.

Jongin blinked a few times, looking distraught as he witnessed Chinua nudging on Taemin's legs more violently to make him get up.

"Come on! Come on Taemin! We gotta go!" She howled gently at her master.

Jongin crawled closer again, frowning at the wolf.

"What are you doing? Let him be."

His heart was beating too fast when he saw Taemin actually getting up and looking at him with sad eyes. It seemed the elf wanted to say something, but had no idea how to be understood.

"Well, we have to go. It's gonna rain soon and the castle is a very long way back from here," the wolf explained, pushing on Taemin's behind to make him walk.

Another raindrop fell. It splashed on Jongin's shoulder.

"But..."

Chinua looked at him with an authority that the nymph wasn't used to from animals. Usually, they would all always listen to him, no matter what. But this wolf had a bold personality of her own and was not about to let her master get wet and sick so easily for a spirit.

Taemin scratched her head before coming closer to Jongin, who was now back on his own feet as well, looking dejected. The elf had a deep sigh, his eyebrows knitted together. They could both feel that they had to bid goodbye even though none of them wanted to.

"Thank you," Taemin said gently, hoping Jongin would have picked up those two words from before and deducted their meaning, somehow.

But the nymph only looked back with sorrowful eyes. A few more droplets fell on them. They were thin and cold, and they soaked Taemin's hair quicker than Jongin would have thought. He could hear Chinua's growl behind them.

Taemin held out his hand and Jongin caught it at once, squeezing it.

"Thank you for everything," Taemin repeated. "Will I ever see you again?"

He knew it was no use, he knew Jongin wouldn't understand, he knew he would probably pout at him. But he couldn't help himself from whispering his hopes as their fingers intertwined.

The nymph looked so tormented to not be able to understand him.

"Will I ever see you again?" Jongin softly whined.

Chinua yelped at them and Taemin turned away to look at her, his hand still not letting Jongin go.

"If you let us go now, I'll bring him back to you another day," she growled, looking straight at the nymph.

Jongin's eyes widened with hope.

"You would? Really?"

"I promise. But we must go now."

The rain was already getting stronger and Jongin could see that Taemin was shivering in front of him. His elf was getting cold because of him.

"I must go now, I'm sorry..." Taemin muttered.

Jongin searched for his eyes and smiled at him. The rain was making his pink hair darker and stick to his forehead. And Taemin's heart was going all funny at the sight.

"You'll find me again, right?"

Chinua growled again, getting restless next to them and Jongin finally let go of the elf's hand. He pushed him gently away, and to his wolf.

Taemin shifted and approached his animal, swiftly jumping to sit on her back.

"What's your name?" Chinua asked quietly.

"Jongin."

"I'll call for you, Jongin."

She spun, barely giving them time to lock eyes one last time before she took off, rushing under the trees and into the forest to bring her master back home.

Jongin heard her long howl from afar.

For a moment, he couldn't move. His eyes frozen to the spot where Taemin's white hair disappeared from his view. He felt strangely empty and lonely all of sudden.

He looked over to his oak tree and walked to it, melting in its trunk to go home faster. He wasn't in the mood to stroll all the way there, somehow. He just wished to be in his home and lay down and think about Taemin for a while. Think about him and definitely not about all those strange emotions he was feeling. He hoped that Kibum wouldn't be back yet. It was probably one of the very first time in his life when he truly wished his oldest and dearest friend wouldn't be there. Kibum would immediately read his face and demand explanations that Jongin had no wish to share.

He finally popped his head out from a tree in their clearing and his heart warmed up a bit as he saw the familiar place. It was quiet, and Jongin deducted Kibum might still be with Choi Minho, or on his way back. The nymph quickly went to his willow tree and let himself fall through the hole at the top of its roots.

He landed graciously on his knees and jumped at the sight of Jinki waiting here with an enormous smile.

"Hello there, friend!"

It all came rushing back to Jongin. Jinki. The leprechauns. The pumpkins. Their meeting. Guilt crashed on his face.

"Oh! I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... Jinki, I forgot! Something happened and then I just-... I forgot."

Jinki raised his hand high over his head while shaking his lightly.

"There, there Jongin... It's no problem."

He was sitting on top of a huge pumpkin and hopped off of it, dwindling on the floor.

"I thought maybe you changed your mind or were to shy to come or something... 'See? I managed to go to Spudsy O'Spuds and got us this darling," he patted the pumpkin behind him with a mischievous smile. "It was a tiny bit too heavy for me, but I met two very nice groundhogs who came to my rescue and helped me to roll it up all the way back here. I only arrived a few minutes before you... I stayed there a bit because of the rain. I wanted to get dry, I thought you wouldn't mind..."

Jongin shook his head with an apologetic smile.

"No of course, you can stay as much as you want. Thank you a lot for still bringing the pumpkin to me."

As much as he had wanted to be left alone with his thoughts, he couldn't possibly throw the little fairy out now. And he was indeed immensely happy to have the vegetable here now.

Jinki offered him a bright smile, thanking him for his hospitality as he jumped around. Jongin's home was a very nice round hole. The nymph couldn't stand up completely in it, but it was large enough to not feel suffocating in there. It was covered in grass and flowers from top to bottom, little holes coming from between the roots of his willow tree to provide light and air. It was still a mystery to Jinki how bright it could look in there when it was so dark outside. Jongin wasn't using any candle or fire; but a low light was always shining in his home. It smelled unsurprisingly like flowers and earth. The nymph had made himself some sort of bed against a wall, with softer plants as a pillow. On the other side, laid the very few objects he owned; there were the jars of jam Kyungsoo always offered him, the colorful shells from his pond Kibum had given him to decorate, and a few chestnuts and mushrooms still there from their hunt few days ago. And now, Jinki's pumpkin proudly standing in the middle.

"Are you okay, Jongin?" The fairy suddenly asked, looking at him with calm eyes.

"Yes, why?"

Jongin's tone was defensive and his eyes purposely avoided his friend.

"You said that something happened... I hope it wasn't anything bad," Jinki explained, ever so nicely.

Jongin breathed out a sigh, moving a bit to sit on his .

"It wasn't bad," he simply answered.

Taemin was back in his mind already, making everything around Jongin seem so much softer. Jinki patted the nymph's knee lightly.

"I'm glad then."

Jinki had excellent taste in food, was incredibly funny and was always up to mischief; he was also extremely caring and Jongin liked him a lot for all those qualities. They still never grew as intimately close as Jinki was to Kibum, or Kyungsoo was to Jongin. So, Jinki never pushed past the limit with Jongin as he would do with Kibum. And that was something the nymph was greatly thankful for right now. He didn't want to talk about Taemin.

"I think it's best to leave it to your place if you don't mind...," Jinki chirped. "The pumpkin I mean. It's far too big for my home. But don't eat it without me!"

Jongin had a sheepish smile.

"I promise I won't."

"I planned to ask Kyungsoo to do some pie with it or so. I'm far too bad with cooking magic. I would screw it up."

"We could also ask for some pumpkin bread with cinnamon, or the small cookies he made last year..."

Jinki's eyes widened as he peered at the nymph, a smile slowly cracking up his face.

"You, my friend, are a genius!"

He flew closer to Jongin, sitting on his thigh and they started to make a mental list of all the things they'll beg Kyungsoo to magically cook for them and how they were going to force him into it

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Hey lovelies,

I'm so very happy that I was able to find some wi-fi today and post for you! I was so eager to give that special chapter. I hope you liked it... Please don't hesitate to leave a little comment.

Take good care of yourselves & see you soon ♥