Autumn ; ;

Dead leaves flew with the gentle, yet cold wind, dancing around the trees of the park and fluttering around with something akeen to pride; as a peacock ruffling its feathers, they gracefully left the branches they spent months in and with the utmost gentleness landed on the ground.

Unfortunately, a sight Minseok would never be able to see; not that, nor the way the sun sets with beautiful splashes of orange painting the sky, or how the leafs change colors from Summer to Autumn. He was able to feel and hear, however; and that was a small comfort that kept him sane, sure that he was not completely disconnected from the world surrounding him. He felt the cold breeze chilling his skin and bones, he heard the rustle of the leaves.

A particularly icy gust of air brushed past Minseok and he shuddered, tugging the scarf around his neck closer to the milky skin; the blond heaved a sigh, his unseeing, opaque eyes fluttering shut, long eyelashes caressing the smooth skin of his cheeks.

It was time to go back to the center soon, he thought sadly, the beeping of his alarm reminding him that his time outside was up and that soon enough one of the center’s staff would be here to bring him back. Minseok relished in those moments, when he was allowed to sit at the park and forget about his... imperfection, his defect; to relax and let his mind drift to happy memories; even if he had been blind all his life, he still managed to be very happy sometimes.

Of course those moments in the park never lasted as long as he wanted and instead  of mopping around in the center, he’d try to keep positive and motivated for the next visit to the garden. At least the staff trusted him enough to simply stay on the bench for the two hours they let him visit the place, and he felt grateful for that.

As Minseok stood and unfolded his white cane, he felt something hit the tip of the latter and then heard a loud thud; his heart promptly started beating frantically at the thought that he might have made someone fall and his cheeks immediately flushed with embarassement.

“H-Huh... Are you alright?” The blond asked nervously, hesitantly, fidgeting with the string of his cane before crouching down on the floor and trying to search for the fallen person; he warily reached forward and to his relief a warm hand, a bit bigger than his and more calloused, grip his own. Minseok did his best to help the other up without losing his own balance and he heard a soft chuckle, along with the rustle of clothes.

“Yeah, no worries; not even a scratch. It’s my fault for not looking where I’m going, anyway.” Came a velvet voice with a slight accent and an apologetic tone. And it was so beautiful, such a rich voice with a nice timbre, so fluid and light, comforting; it made Minseok’s heart beat faster, louder, playing all the right cords and strings on his heart, enveloping it in warmth.

And Minseok fell just a little bit in love with that voice. Which wasn’t very natural for Minseok; after all, he didn’t know if the other was a dangerous person, or not, or how old he was—but in that moment, he couldn’t care less; completely enchanted with the other’s voice.

But sadly, their moment was broken when the staff member arrived, gently tugging the blond away without the opportunity to ask for the other’s name. It made Minseok’s heart plummet to the ground; the prospect of never hearing the stranger again was truly depressing and it kept Minseok in a moody state for days – to the point that he didn’t answer any of the staff members; whereas on other days, he is usually cheerful and rather happy for someone that has never seen anything in all their life. But the other’s voice stayed on his mind, perfect and clear as water, as if he heard it everyday—it has been said that the voice of other people is the first thing that is forgotten, but just like some people never forgot a face, Minseok never forgot a voice. Specially that particular voice.

It only made matters worse that whenever he visited the park for the following couple weeks, the stranger didn’t show up again; or at least, if he did, he had ignored Minseok – but the blond did not want to think of that option. It was heartbreaking and he avoided that thought as much as he could.

Three weeks later, Minseok was sitting, as usual, on “his” bench in the park, all heavy sighs and fidgeting fingers; the blond was getting ready to leave and give up, when a hand rested on his forearm. It was much too soon for the staff members to arrive, even if the center was close to the park, and panic immediately started clouding Minseok’s mind, his body freezing, unwilling to move—

“Hey, hm—I didn’t get to ask your name last time.” And that familiar voice was all it took to calm Minseok’s racing mind and heart; in a surprisingly small amount of time. The blond’s cheeks flushed with a light, beautous pink, and he managed to offer a small smile. “Ah, I don’t even know if you remember me, I mean, you can’t—well...”

“It’s alright.” Minseok immediately intervened, his usually pale cheeks turning into a bright red. “I remember your—your voice.” He added timidly, embarrassed that he admitted such out loud. “Hm—I’m Minseok. Kim Minseok.”

“Well, Kim Minseok, my name is Lu Han. Han for short.” The other offered in a friendly tone and Minseok could almost imagine the bright smile that adorned his lips; Lu Han gently took Minseok’s hand and shook it, his voice and touch sending a pleasant tingle traveling throughout the blond’s nerves.

On that day, Minseok fell a little bit more in love with Lu Han’s voice.

(Also a tiny bit with his hands.)