Chapter 15 : The middle of Nowhere

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"It's gonna rain soon..."

Jongin turned his head, his cheek brushing the soft snow on the ground, to look at his best friend. Kibum had his eyes closed, and a small smile on his lips.

Jongin stayed silent, observing him for a few seconds as the water nymph was breathing deeply, and then reported his attention on the sky. It was all white, with a faint brightness. They couldn't really try to find shapes in the clouds, as the sky was completely covered, but they still enjoyed looking at all the shades of grey.

It seemed too peaceful to Jongin's eyes, but Kibum was the one made of water. If he was saying rain was about to drop, then he surely could be trusted with that.

They had been making snowflakes all morning. Or rather, Kibum had been making snowflakes and Jongin had eaten half of them and played with the others. Then the water nymph had grew bored of it, and they laid on the ground, enjoying the calmness around.

It seemed like a good moment for a talk. That's what Kibum thought, as he opened his mouth to tell everything about his last encounter with Jonghyun, to Jongin. He wasn't sure why he hadn't drown his friend in excited cries yet. Maybe some part of him wanted to keep this precious memory all for himself. Last night had seemed so special. But as he was about to speak, Jongin suddenly sat down, turning his head away.

"What's happening?" Kibum asked instead.

Jongin got up, his body shivering with restlessness.

"Mhm... My willow is talking to me," he said lightly.

Kibum blinked a couple of times, sitting down in turn and looked over at the old tree.

"Everything's alright?"

Jongin was bouncing from one foot to the other as he bit his bottom lip. The delighted and eager expression on his face reassured Kibum enough, despite the lack of explanation his friend was giving him.

"Yeah, but uh-... I have to go?" Jongin chirped.

Kibum frowned, tilting his head to the side.

"What? Where? Why? Now?" He stammered, scrunching his nose.

Jongin closed his eyes, trying all he could to hide the large smile that threatened to break his lips as he could still hear Taemin's voice quietly calling for him. He really couldn't explain everything to Kibum right now, and he also didn't want his friend to get worried or ask to come with him. But he needed to get away as fast as possible, before Taemin would grow tired of calling him, and leave.

Jongin tapped his fingers against his forehead and gave an apologetic pout to the other nymph.

"Kibummie! I'm sorry I have to go. I forgot... something? I uh-... I'll be back later. I really-... I really need to go now."

Kibum stood there, unable to speak or stop Jongin as he saw him trot away to the nearest tree and disappear in it. His jaw slowly fell open and he turned to the majestic willow tree further away.

"What the wizzle just happened?"

Neither the trees, nor the wind, nor the water answered him.

Any slight remorse Jongin had been feeling got swooshed away quickly as he ran through trunks and roots, listening to the soft and hesitant voice of Taemin. He could hear the slight uncertainty in his whispers which grew more irregulars, and Jongin's heart clenched in his chest. An yew tree murmured him where to find his elf, as the calls stopped. Jongin swirled even faster, unable to contain himself as the glee of seeing Taemin again was making fireworks explode in his mind. He eventually spurted out of a trunk and looked around himself with wide eyes, his breath short and jerky. His eyes fell on white hair and chapped lips and he heard Taemin gasp.

"Jongin," the elf whispered with a shaky smile.

Jongin hesitated only for a split second before he came forward and wrapped his arms around Taemin's smaller frame like he had dreamed of doing for a bit too long. He closed his eyes with relief and felt his heart hammer wildly in his chest.

They had been apart only for a few days, but the nymph couldn't express with words of any language how much he had missed the scent of Taemin's skin. He felt Taemin's cold hands press against his waist in return for his crushing hug and smiled.

"Taemin," he purred as he held him close.

Taemin had been quite anxious of calling Jongin out. Even if it was the nymph himself who told him to do so. He had pondered about it a lot, hoping he wouldn't call at a bad timing, wondering after how many times he should stop, in case Jongin just couldn't make it or didn't want to see him. But any thought of disturbing the spirit disappeared with the strength of that embrace around him. Maybe Jongin had missed him just as much as Taemin had been longing for him.

Neither of them realized the small droplets that were starting to fall on them, because both of them were too busy wondering when the other would grow tired of the hug.

Jongin ended up loosening his tender lock, albeit reluctantly.

"He-llo Taemin," he said, and pressed his index on Taemin's nose.

Taemin still wasn't completely used to Jongin's almost total . It was even harder to deal with when they were so close and he could feel the warmness radiating from every inch of the nymph's skin.

"Hello," he answered in a chuckle.

He was very curious to know which elvish words Jongin might have learned since last time.

"Ho-wre you?" Jongin stammered with a pout, his eyes never leaving Taemin's face. "Ho-... ho-w-r' you?"

Taemin thought it was a good thing that Jongin was still holding him because he was feeling his knees go really weak.

"I'm fine. I'm really great. And you, how are you?" he answered with a large smile.

Jongin frowned a bit, but finally his lips and nodded. He was practically sure he understood those words. Taemin was smiling anyway, so it probably meant that he was quite alright.

"Jon-nin is ha-ppy see Taemin a-gain."

Taemin's hands squeezed a bit on Jongin's waist as he had troubles to stop himself from cooing.

A rain drop fell on Taemin's cheek and the nymph pursed his lips, blinking a few times as he let go of the elf. His hand slipped all the way to Taemin's and he intertwined their fingers.

"Taemin with Jon-nin. Come. P-lease. Yes?"

Jongin looked at him very seriously, tugging a bit at his hand as he saw the rain quickly growing thicker.

He was so glad Kyungsoo had showed him that hidden house, lost in the forest. He really couldn't wait to take Taemin there, where he would be warm and protected.

"Yes, okay," Taemin murmured.

Jongin beamed with relief and turned away, starting to walk around trees and pulling his elf with him. He was with Taemin again. He was holding Taemin's hand again. Everything was really wonderful in that moment.

Taemin was trotting really close to him, trying to keep up with Jongin's long legs as they walked up and down narrow paths. But Jongin abruptly stopped and hit his forehead with his free hand.

"Ah! We have to get lost!" he grunted at himself.

It was difficult for him to think with his heart going crazy and his mind being filled with every little part of Taemin. He looked back at him again and tensed as he noticed Taemin's already wet hair. But his elf looked at him ever so patiently, waiting for his instructions on where to go, as if he didn't even care about the rain making his clothes stick to his limbs.

"Are you okay?" Taemin asked.

Jongin squinted at him and decided that if he had to get lost, it would be in those pretty eyes. He breathed out a small giggle as his hand let go of Taemin's. Taemin's eyes widened a bit with confusion, but Jongin rested his palms on both his cheeks and brought their faces closer. Taemin had to lean his head backward just a little bit to make up for their small height difference. Jongin took one step backward and Taemin absentmindedly followed him, not even realizing they were walking again.

Jongin really had the most beautiful eyes and he was drowning in them, their almond form, the hints of green sparkling in them. His irises had those hazelnut color that looked quite yellow around his pupils.

Taemin's mouth had fallen open. Every step Jongin took backwards, Taemin mimicked it forward, and they went on, as if sleepwalking, diving into each other's gaze.

Taemin blinked everytime a raindrop fell on one of his eyelid, but he didn't give the weather much more attention. Maybe Jongin's steps were growing smaller, or Taemin's one were bigger, but it looked as if the space between them was decreasing, very slowly. And Taemin's breath became shakier. He could have gone up to the end of the world like that.

With each flutter of Taemin's eyelids, Jongin's mind went further away. He wasn't paying attention to where he was putting his feet anymore. He wasn't listening to the soft sound of the rain falling, or the wind going through branches. All his thoughts were about Taemin, and the smoothness of his cheeks against his palms, the warmth of his breath tickling his nose, and the deep, breathtaking tenderness in his eyes.

Jongin forgot about everything else. He forgot they were in the forest. He forgot they were walking. He forgot about the house in the middle of Nowhere.

Eventually he stopped, and their noses bumped. The nymph laughed and Taemin's heart threatened to explode.

Jongin came back to his senses and broke their eye contact, looking around them with a satisfied little smirk. They were standing on a small hill, and the steady sound of the rain didn't completely cover the faint melody of a river running nearby. His hand found Taemin's again, and he guided him down a path and to the familiar house.

The door opened by itself and Jongin entered, unfazed, missing the bewildered look on his elf's face. The nymph squirmed a bit and ruffled his wet hair before he smiled at Taemin. 's when he realized just how wretched Taemin looked. His hair was stuck to his head, the long cape he wore was completely drenched, as well as his sleeves and down his pants. His shoes were forming a little puddle at his feet. Taemin blinked awkwardly, trying to swipe the rain off of his face with his wet hands but not managing a lot.

Jongin frowned, alarmed and looked around them with distress, before he remembered the fireplace, further in the house.

"Come," he stuttered.

Taemin nodded faintly and took his shoes off, leaving them by the door and tip-toeing his way behind Jongin. Little lights went on as they moved up inside the room and Taemin was turning on himself to get a glimpse at everything. The house was so filled with odds and ends at random places, it made Junmyeon's office look organized. Taemin gasped as he bumped into Jongin who had suddenly halted.

"Oh, sorry," he said with an apologetic frown.

Jongin simply smiled at him and shook his head. Then he reported his attention to the fireplace, and a fire ignited the halfway burnt logs. Taemin jumped slightly at that but was quick to come closer, letting a little breathe of relief at the warmness that caught his fingers.

Jongin next to him was almost dry already, if not for a few strands of his hair.

"Is this your house?" Taemin suddenly asked as he relaxed in front of the fire.

Jongin tilted his head and looked at him for a while, before he answered.

"Jon-nin don't un-der-stan' ye-t."

Taemin bit his bottom lip and nodded, searching for another way to ask. He looked around them for a while, noticing the large bed right behind them. It was quite an odd place for a bed, in his opinion. There were a couple of armchairs and a small sofa next to a window, and he wondered why those weren't in front of the chimney instead. That would make a bit more sense to him.

"This," he tried again, making a large move of his arm to show everything around, "this is Jongin's house? Jongin lives there?"

Jongin nibbled at his bottom lip, but finally moved his head slightly.

"No?" he said, unsure. "F-rien-d."

For some unknown reason, it was so different to be with Taemin in this house compared to just sitting next to him under a tree. It was a bit intimidating to Jongin. He wasn't sure what to do from here. And Taemin looked so beautiful with the fire light dancing on his face that he felt helpless for a moment.

But then Taemin moved a bit. He winced and started to twiddle at something on his collar, and finally detached his cape. He rolled his shoulders with a sigh to relax his tensed muscles and searched for a place to put his cloak on and let it dry. He let it hang on one corner of the immense fireplace, careful to not leave it too close to the fire, and then took his soaked socks off too. His feet were cold and wrinkled from the water and he rubbed them for a second. He debated with himself if he should take his wet long sleeved shirt off all the same, as he had another light blouse underneath anyway, and decided to remove it as it was far too uncomfortable to stay like that.

When he was finished with his little business, he turned to Jongin, only to find the nymph looking at him intensely, as if captivated by his every moves. Then Jongin came closer and pinched at his pants. He tugged at it and looked at Taemin expectantly.

"What is it?" Taemin asked gently.

Jongin gave him a confused look. He pointed at each and every wet clothes Taemin had laid next to the fire, then squatted down and pressed down his pants again. Taemin could feel the wet fabric against his ankles, and he suddenly connected the dots, a furious blush creeping at his cheeks.

"You want me to take my pants off?!" he squeaked

Jongin let himself fall on the ground, sitting on his , and stared at him.

"Jon-nin don't un-der-stan' ye-t."

"Sorry," Taemin immediately murmured.

His heart was beating a bit too wildly in his chest and he suddenly felt stupid. Jongin was sitting right there next to him with no clothes on whatsoever, except for those sort of roots covering his hips, and seemed worried for him. It was stupid to cling to his own pants as if it meant anything. But he still felt terribly shy as he took them off slowly and clumsily sat on the ground. This was the barest anyone had seen him in a long time, and he somehow felt self-conscious.

But Jongin wasn't looking at his legs at all. He wiggled closer to him, his tender eyes never leaving Taemin's face, and his smile was back on his full lips.

"Taemin o-kay?" Jongin asked softly.

His hand came to put one strand of Taemin's hair behind his ear and the elf felt his heart melt into a little puddle.

"Yes, Taemin is okay. And Jongin?"

"Jon-nin is happy," the nymph giggled.

But he stopped himself and suddenly frowned as he looked closely at Taemin.

"Taemin say Jon-nin again?"

Taemin raised an eyebrow, not sure he understood that correctly, but still obeyed.

"Hum... Jongin?"

Jongin deflated in a long sigh, his head falling low on his chest. Taemin's eyes widened and he put one hand on the nymph's shoulder, a bit alarmed.

"Jongin? What is it?"

He was met with Jongin's very famous and very adorable pout.

"Jon-nin don't say goo-d," he whined, one of his hand coming to scratch his head. "Jon-nin... Jon-... Jong-... Jong-in?"

What was so terrible with his own name? Why couldn't he remember and pronounce it decently on the first try? It was so terribly frustrating. It sounded so easy and nice when Taemin said it, yet he couldn't for the life of him repeat it correctly.

"It's okay," Taemin said gently as he poked on Jongin's nose. "I understand you. 'Jon-nin' is cute."

Jongin knew that word. Cute. He had learned it already, and somehow, hearing Taemin use it for something he did, albeit not on purpose, was making him giddy.

Still, it wasn't enough to erase that feeling of failure he felt. The pout on his face made Taemin quite aware of the fact he hadn't convinced his nymph that not saying his name correctly wasn't such a big deal.

"You want an easier name?" He asked gently, a small smile playing on his lips.

Jongin apparently took it to heart to speak as perfectly as possible, if the hits he gave himself on the head when he did wrong were any indication. And Taemin definitely didn't like to see him so frustrated with himself when the nymph was actually working so hard and doing so well.

The nymph tilted his head at his question and squinted his eyes.

"What?"

"My friends call me Tae," Taemin continued. "Taemin, Tae. It's easier."

He used two fingers to show Jongin by some means that Tae was a shorter version of Taemin. After a few seconds of frowning, Jongin's face lightened up a bit as he nodded. He did that with Kyungsoo, when he called him Soo. This wasn't some obscure, foreign concept.

"So, for you," Taemin mused, remembering that broken little 'Jon-nin' Jongin kept saying. "Jon', maybe?"

Jongin's face immediately darkened.

"No," he whined, as if Taemin offended him greatly.

It didn't sound cute at all when Taemin was saying it, so there was no way he would roll with this. Jon' was weird and he didn't feel like a Jon'. His prompt refusal made Taemin chuckle, but the elf didn't seem that bothered by the fact his proposal had been rejected so quickly.

Jongin was staring at him, sulking, and was visibly waiting for more suggestions.

"Then, what about... Nini?"

Taemin could barely contain a smile as he offered that idea. For some unknown reason, as soon as the nickname left his lips, he thought it fitted Jongin perfectly. It wasn't as cute as the nymph himself, but close enough. And it would be simple enough for Jongin to say.

"Nini?" Jongin repeated lazily, as if testing it.

"Yes. “Nini” is very, very cute," Taemin insisted.

Jongin avoided his eyes, looking purposely at the floor as pink colored his cheeks.

"O-kay," he murmured.

"And Nini can call me Tae," Taemin suggested joyfully.

But Jongin raised his head at once with displeasure.

"No," he grumbled. "Nini lov- say Taemin."

Taemin blinked a few times and hid his smile behind one hand.

"Oh my, Taemin it is, then."

Jongin nodded sharply.

Taemin shook his head slightly and joined his hands on his lap. That's when Jongin noticed the faint shiver that ran down his elf's spine. He turned his head, his eyes searching for something behind Taemin and he crawled on all fours to the bed, snatching the blanket that laid there to bring it back to where they were sitting. He unfolded the comforter and wrapped it around Taemin's shoulders with a satisfied grin.

Taemin stood still as he witnessed Jongin do as he pleased, and only moved when the nymph sat back on his legs, winding himself better into the soft fabric.

"Thank you," he whispered.

He could feel his heart get filled with fluff at Jongin's little attentions towards him.

But now, Jongin was weirdly immobile. He was staring at Taemin's shirt, with a look of utter confusion.

"Jong-... Nini, are you okay?"

Jongin didn't answer. When Taemin had moved, his shirt had shifted too, and Jongin had seen something very very strange. He wasn't even sure what he saw. Slowly, he reached out with one hand and gripped at Taemin's blouse to raise it up a bit. And he gasped. Taemin had a little hole in the middle of his tummy. That was quite unheard of. He surely didn't have any hole on his belly. Neither did Kibum. Or Chanyeol. Did every elf had one, or was Taemin the only person on the entire world to have this? Why was it here? Did it hurt? Jongin had so many questions.

"What is?" He asked, breathlessly.

He held out his hand and one finger came to poke at the hole. Taemin's belly shivered and his elf moved away just a tiny bit.

"Wow!" Taemin hiccuped, surprised.

Jongin looked completely captivated by his discovery. He kept pushing his index in there with awe.

"Nini, don't do that. It tickles!" Taemin exclaimed, one hand coming to grip at Jongin's wrist to make the nymph stop abusing his navel.

"I-ti-ckle," Jongin repeated, mesmerized.

He raised his head to meet Taemin's eyes and a smile bloomed on his lips.

It had seemed weird, for Taemin, the first time he noticed how flat Jongin's belly was. Taemin had wondered why, before he remembered the nymphs were spirits, children of the forest. Jongin didn't have a mother. He didn't came from a womb. Thus, it was quite logical for him to not have a navel. But Taemin had never imagined Jongin would be so enthusiastic about discovering belly buttons.

"No no," Taemin tried, swallowing hard.

Jongin's eyes were back to stare at his belly and it was starting to make him uncomfortable.

"No?" Jongin asked, raising one of his eyebrow.

Taemin sighed and pointed at his navel.

"That's my navel. Navel."

Jongin's mouth rounded up with understanding and he brought the hand Taemin wasn't holding, back to his obsession, poking at him once more.

"Nav-el," he said.

Taemin's belly trembled again and the elf jumped a bit. The whole thing was mirthful to Jongin. But Taemin gripped his other hand all the same and looked at him with big round eyes.

"Enough," he breathed out.

"What is i-ti-ckle?" Jongin chirped, not caring in the least about Taemin's red cheeks and upset pout.

Jongin surely wasn't able to threaten him with the very few words he knew. His expression was anything but dangerous. Still, Taemin could feel from the twinkle in the nymph's eyes that Jongin would get exactly what he wanted, or else Taemin's navel wasn't about to know peace for a while. But he was also aware that the second Jongin would understand what a tickle was, he'll be under attack. Thus, he'd had to strike first.

Taemin hummed aloud and slowly let go of one of Jongin's wrist to put his hand between them and wriggle his fingers.

"Tickles," he said.

Jongin's face became somber with disappointment. Taemin freed his other hand and now wriggled his ten fingers in the air.

"This is tickling," Taemin murmured.

Jongin was now giving him a very puzzled look and Taemin only answered with a smirk. He put his hands on Jongin's waist, and attacked. The nymph jumped in surprise and squirmed next to him with wide eyes. His laugh was quick to explode, and bounced in the room as he fell backward, dragging Taemin along with him. They rolled on the floor, and just as Taemin had been expecting, Jongin hands came under his shirt and assailed his ribs and belly.

They were a mess of limbs on the ground and Taemin found himself unable to breath from the laughs Jongin was drawing from him. Unfortunately, Jongin had excellent reflexes and Taemin was soon the only victim left. He desperately tried to escape but he couldn't even reach his nymph's torso anymore to give him some pay back and he had to surrender.

"Please! Nini, please! Stop!" He yelled between two giggles.

Jongin's hands stood still against his ribs and Taemin took a long breath in, finally able to open his eyes again. Jongin was hovering above him, his head tilted to the side as he did so often, a mischievous smile dancing on his lips and Taemin felt his heart jolt to his throat.

"What is ha-ha-ha?" Jongin asked gently, imitating a laugh.

"You mean a laugh? Laugh?" Taemin wondered in between two inhales.

Jongin sat back correctly, his hands Taemin's belly before they left him.

"Nini lov- Taemin lau-f," he confessed with a smile.

Taemin bit his lips harshly. He was overwhelmed by the tenderness he saw in Jongin's eyes. And it felt like he was starting to comprehend the depth of his crushing feelings for that boy with flowers blooming in his hair.

Jongin turned away, looking at the low table next to them. As Taemin was slowly sitting back, he saw two cups appear out of nowhere right where Jongin had been staring, and an exclamation of surprise left his mouth. But the nymph didn't pay that much attention to his shock. He just took one of the cup and held it out for Taemin to grab.

"Taemin lov- tea?" he asked.

A sweet smell of linden was starting to spread from the mug and Taemin grinned as he took it, wrapping his hands around to warm his fingers up.

"I do, thank you."

Jongin seemed delighted. He took the other cup and immediately drank from it as he wiggled closer to Taemin all over again, making their knees touch.

It was far too hot for the elf to drink, and he found himself wondering how much Jongin could feel the temperatures around, and if it ever bothered him. But before he could dive deeper into those thoughts, Jongin was talking again.

"What lov- Taemin?"

He was looking at Taemin with such eagerness. This was it. This was the moment he had been waiting for. He was about to learn things about Taemin, hopefully.

"Humm... I love to read."

Jongin smiled with fascination. He had no idea what Taemin was talking about, but it sounded absolutely fantastic.

"What is toor-ead?"

Taemin never looked annoyed or bored by all the questions Jongin was constantly asking. This time again, he simply smiled at him, that grin that made his eyes wrinkle and his cheeks go round. It was Jongin's favorite. Then he asked him to wait as he got up and walked around the house for a moment. He came back with a book in his hands. Jongin knew about books. Kyungsoo had plenty of them in his tiny house. Jongin had never learned to read faerish, and he had never heard of a book written by nymphs; but Kyungsoo had read to him a lot of books, ever since he was young. And Jongin really liked stories. It made him happy to think Taemin liked stories too.

"This is a book," Taemin kindly explained. "Book."

"Boo-k," Jongin repeated immediately, his eyes fixed on Taemin's lips to mimic them.

Taemin nodded with a proud glint in his eyes, and opened the volume. He turned the pages absentmindedly and showed the gesture to the nymph, pointing at the handwriting.

"I read the book. You understand?"

He wasn't sure if Jongin knew about writing, and he was a bit worried about having to explain to him the whole concept, but the nymph nodded energetically.

"Y-es. Nini un-der-stan'."

Taemin closed the book and let it rest on his lap. His eyes caught the little bud that was forming in Jongin's hair, slowly opening into a blue flower.

"And you?" He asked, his index coming to press against Jongin's button nose. "What does Nini love?"

The nymph was radiating with glee. He was apparently delighted that Taemin had returned the question. Because it meant that Taemin was curious about him too and it was great.

"Nini lov-... love slee-p," he started with pride.

That made Taemin chuckle and Jongin gave him a cheeky grin.

"An' Nini love dan'-ce," he continued, enumerating all his hobbys. "Nini love ea-t."

Taemin took a sip of his tea, his eyes never leaving Jongin. The nymph seemed to hesitate for a second, and then his mouth twisted a bit.

"Taemin un-der-stan'?"

He might have been worried about the way he was pronouncing words, and Taemin nodded.

"Yes, I do."

"Goo-d," Jongin sighed with relief. "Nini love fla-wer."

"You mean flowers?"

Jongin bit his bottom lip and hummed.

"Ah... Ye-s. Fla-wer," he repeated, not realizing he still said it wrong.

Taemin didn't correct him again. Because he didn't want to upset him, and he understood him just fine. And Jongin was too precious to be interrupted.

"An' Nini love Taemin."

Taemin choked on his tea and put the cup back on the table as he looked up to his nymph. Jongin was smiling innocently at him. Taemin's heart was beating like crazy inside his chest and he had to focus to force himself into calmness. Jongin meant he liked Taemin, certainly. He liked Taemin the same way he liked flowers and naps. He couldn't realize the word was too strong to be used that way, and Taemin wasn't sure how to explain that to him, he wasn't sure he even wanted to.

"Taemin?"

Taemin blinked his way back to reality and met Jongin's shy face. The nymph was tapping his fingers against his cup of tea anxiously, his eyes locked on his feet.

"Yes?" Taemin inquired, bracing himself for the imminent roller coaster his heart was surely about to make.

Nothing calm and safe could come from Jongin looking this adorable.

"Taemin rea-d for Nini? P-lease?"

Taemin hadn't been expecting this small request at all. But there was no way he could deny Jongin that simple wish. He wasn't sure if Jongin wanted to actually learn new words, or just listen to him, but either desire was good with him. As soon as he agreed, he was rewarded with Jongin's delighted face and the nymph made them move to the loveseat by the window where they could rest more cozily. Taemin sat cross-legged and Jongin was quick to glue himself to him, snuggling his side as if it was perfectly natural for him to do so. He threw the blanket over their laps and cuddled Taemin's arm, leaning his head in the crook of his elf's neck. Then he waited, looking at the book expectantly.

Taemin had been quiet through his whole preparation, a fond smile gracing his lips. He had kept the book he had picked up randomly earlier, and as he looked back at the title, he chuckled. It would actually be perfect for them. He was sure Jongin would love it.

Taemin propped his head on top of Jongin's fluffy grey hair and opened the book. He flicked through the introduction, and showed the first interesting page to Jongin.

It was a Herborium, filled with stunning paintings of flowers and plants, along with explanations and anecdotes upon their specificities. He heard Jongin gasp immediately. The nymph held out one hand to touch at the picture with disbelief. He knew that flower. And then it was there on the book, drawn so well it looked real. This was magical.

"This is a Wood Anemone," Taemin explained calmly, for Jongin to understand each word. "Wood Anemone."

Jongin's breath got caught up in his lungs as he shifted his head slowly to look at Taemin. His elf glanced back at him with a smile.

"Wood Anemone," Taemin said again, waiting for Jongin to say it back.

But Jongin's throat was too tight. His heart was hammering too wildly in his chest. There was a whirlwind of emotions in his chest and mind. Taemin was teaching him flowers' names and it meant so much to him he couldn't possibly explain it in elvish. Taemin was there, ever so patient and wonderful in everything he was doing, showing him stunning flowers and Jongin couldn't imagine anything more extraordinary than that.

Taemin's eyes widened as he saw a dozen little buds forming in Jongin's hair, exploding in wild flowers everywhere.

"Than-k you," Jongin whispered in a tight voice.

"You're welcome," Taemin answered with a slight frown.

He wasn't sure what he had done exactly to make Jongin so happy, but he was glad he did. The nymph giggled and snuggled even closer to him, if it was even possible.

"Woo'-an-e-mon," he finally repeated.

Taemin ruffled his hair gently as a silent praise and his other hand turned another page.

"This one is a Gardenia," he continued. "Gardenia."

"Ga'-de-ni... Ga'...hum," Jongin tried.

"Gardenia," Taemin said once more.

Jongin scrunched his nose and brushed his cheek on Taemin's shoulder.

"Ga'-de-nia."

"Very good," Taemin congratulated him.

Jongin's fingers started to draw little patterns on his elf's arm in a soft caress as Taemin continued to show him flowers and teach him their names. And Jongin wished the day would never end.

The sun had setted down and the moon was already up in the sky, but the two souls hidden in their house in the middle of Nowhere hadn't noticed time passing, at all. At some point, Jongin had summoned some food and they had stuffed their faces with sweet bread and cakes. They had finally stopped their reading in favor of some talking, or stammering. Taemin had asked Jongin if he could ever see him dance, eventually. And Jongin had answered that he would definitely dance for Taemin, another day. He would introduce him to Chanyeol, and his friend would play music for them, and then Jongin would dance and Taemin could watch and he could even join him and it was going to be absolutely wonderful. At least, it was Jongin's plan. All Taemin understood was that they would see each other again, a friend would be involved in some way, and Jongin would dance. It was good enough for him.

Then Jongin dozed off a bit and rested on Taemin's lap as the elf was his hair. It had been so natural, so instinctive that Taemin struggled with his feelings all over again when he realized in which position they were.

It came to a moment when both of them had completely forgotten everything about the world outside their little house, lost in the forest. They had no idea what time it was, and none of them actually cared. So when a sudden knock on the door resonated inside the room, they both jumped out of their skin with fright.

They stood on the loveseat, wide eyes looking at the door, motionless. Whoever was outside knocked again and Jongin winced. Anxiety clasped at his heart. Kyungsoo had assured him that nobody ever came here anymore; Lord Baekhyun had promised.

When a third knock occurred, Taemin suddenly got up and Jongin immediately caught his wrist to stop him.

"Nini," he murmured. "Nini go."

He was the one who brought Taemin here, and it was his responsibility to go check what was happening, even if the idea wasn't that appealing to him. He swallowed hard and left the small couch to go to the front door. Maybe it was Kyungsoo. Maybe it was just one of his friend worried for him. Who else could it be, actually?

As he opened the door, Jongin's eyes fell on the tiny silhouette of Junmyeon, smiling sheepishly at him.

"Good evening, Jongin."

Jongin blinked a few times, but let the fairy come in.

"Hi, Mister Junmyeon," he stammered. "What are you doing here?"

Junmyeon pulled a face and scratched his neck.

"Well I-... I'm searching for the prince. And I was wondering if he was here with you."

Jongin immediately shook his head with horror. He had no idea why Junmyeon would think he would be with Prince Jonghyun because it made no sense whatsoever.

"No, he's not here."

"Oh? Really?"

Junmyeon twisted his fingers, apparently confused and very concerned.

"Damn, where did he go then...," Junmyeon whispered.

"Junmyeon?"

The fairy jumped and turned around, relief washing over his face at the sight of Taemin, who was back into his clothes. He put one hand over his heart and breathed out deeply.

"Dear Light, thank you. I found you!"

Taemin came closer, standing next to Jongin but still looking at the tiny fairy who seemed ready to cry.

"Is everything okay?" Taemin asked.

"What? No it's not! Do you know what time is it? Do you know how worried we've all been? You disappeared for hours and didn't came back for your appointments. Prince Jonghyun is going crazy in the castle and I-... I was sick with worries. Prince Jonghyun is actually ready to raid the entire forest in the middle of the night to find you back. What were you thinking?! I thought you were hurt in a gulch, waiting for help!"

Taemin stared at him in awe, only now realizing how inappropriate what he had done was. But before he could mutter a single excuse to his behavior, Jongin moved in front of him and frowned at Junmyeon.

"What is happening?" The nymph asked.

Junmyeon had never seen this harsh frown on the nymph's face and it unsettled him a bit.

"Jongin, dear, I'm very sorry. I have to take the prince back home. It's not your fault, but he has to come back."

"But I'm telling you he's not here. I'm only here with Taemin. Don't yell at him. We don't know where the prince is."

Junmyeon's eyes widened and he fell down a few inches before he remembered to flap his wings. His mouth opened, and closed several times but he wasn't sure what to say.

Taemin put one hand on Jongin's arm and smiled at the nymph. He wasn't sure what was happening between the two of them, but Jongin didn't have to stand for him when he had been the one making mistakes.

"Junmyeon, listen... I'm very sorry. I never meant to-..."

But the fairy interrupted him.

"He doesn't know...?"

"What do you mean?"

"You-... You didn't tell him? He doesn't know who you are? He doesn't know you're the prince!"

There was a fire of reproaches in Junmyeon's eyes that didn't calm down in the slightest when he saw the surprise painted all over Taemin's face.

"What?" The elf croaked.

"Do not get mad at him," Jongin insisted, stamping his foot on the ground.

He had no idea what the two of them were saying because they were talking too fast for him to understand and there were too many words that he didn't know yet. But he didn't like at all the tone Junmyeon was using to speak to Taemin, or the way he was looking at him and it was making him upset.

But then Taemin was staring at him with confusion written all over his lovely face and Jongin frowned.

"What is happening now?!" The nymph whined at the fairy.

He wished Kyungsoo were there. Kyungsoo would be patient and would explain everything and he would never get mad at Taemin anyway.

Junmyeon took a long breath before he gave Jongin an apologetic look. It was time to be diplomat and deal with the matter at hands calmly, no matter how bothered he himself was. No matter how urgent it was to take Taemin back home.

"Jongin, may I speak with Taemin to clarify a problem I do not quite understand? And then I will explain to you as well. Is that correct? I promise not to be rude to him."

Jongin pouted. He pondered over the compromise for a few seconds, and decided to nod, as there wasn't much more he could propose instead.

"Thank you," Junmyeon whispered, before he turned to Taemin. "Why doesn't he know? I told him I had to take the prince home, and I meant you, but he keeps saying Prince Jonghyun is not here, as if he's not aware of the situation at all."

He was trying his hardest to keep his voice calm and not show his exasperation.

"I thought he knew," Taemin immediately answered. "I swear I do... I would never have hidden it on purpose. I-... It never came on... but we met at the ball. The ball where I was introduced as Jonghyun's fiancé. That's the first time I saw Jongin... He was there, so I thought he knew. Please, I'm sorry."

Junmyeon sighed and flew to the nearest table to sit on it tiredly. He had spent the last hours being distressed over Taemin's absence. It had been a frenzy at the castle, everybody getting incredibly troubled because they all knew Taemin didn't know the forest that well and could have been lost in the little walk he said he was going to take in the beginning of the afternoon. It was only thanks to Kyungsoo that Junmyeon had remembered the moment Lord Baekhyun had been talking about Jongin and Taemin coming to this damned house. And it had taken him much efforts to convince Jonghyun to not spurt into the forest so late and let him handle it for now because he was practically sure to be able to find Taemin. It had been so incredibly difficult and bothering to find his way back to Nowhere, and now that he finally had the prince before him, he had to deal with this nonsense. Something was telling him that breaking the news to Jongin wouldn't go well.

And the more time he stayed there, the more likely it was for Jonghyun to get impatient and too concerned, and Junmyeon knew the prince would soon hunt down the whole forest to find Taemin back.

"I'm so sorry..."

Taemin sounded so pitiful, hugging himself miserably in front of the table that Junmyeon couldn't find it in himself anymore to blame him.

"I have to tell him," Junmyeon sighed. "I don't know what's going on between you two. But he has to know. You can't even imagine how attached he is to you... Maybe I'm wrong and it won't change anything anyway. I hope for you it won't change anything. Or this whole thing is going to be sad."

Taemin nodded faintly, glancing at Jongin who was fidgeting next to them. He hadn't thought much about all of this. As long as he had believed Jongin knew that he was about to get married, everything they did didn't seem that bad. But now reality was coming to bit him and he was reminded of his afternoon on the boat with Jonghyun. It had only been the day before, but it seemed like months ago right in that moment. He thought back on how Jonghyun was constantly thinking about everything to make sure no one would get hurt, and he felt guilt trying to choke him.

"Jongin?" Junmyeon called gently.

The nymph turned to him with impatience, biting his lips.

"Yes?"

"There's something I have to tell you..."

Concern and fear flickered in Jongin's eyes but he stayed silent, waiting.

"Taemin is a prince. He's a foreign prince, actually. He thought you knew about that, because you met at the ball. You remember the ball? That's when he was introduced to the forest. He's the mountain prince, the one who's going to marry prince Jonghyun."

Jongin gasped. His bottom lip was quivering, but he was quiet. He didn't move. He didn't look over at Taemin, even though he could feel his elf staring at him. Then he shook his head slowly.

"No," he said, in elvish.

Junmyeon lowered his head and Taemin's heart broke at that faint little word.

"No," he repeated, as if he could make Junmyeon take back his words. "My Taemin."

He remembered the ball, of course he did. He remembered not paying attention to anything because it was making him too nervous. He remembered eating a lot of awesome stuff with Jongdae. And then going on a walk with said fairy. And then he had seen his beautiful Taemin for the first time, away from everyone. Taemin couldn't be the prince. Junmyeon had to be making a mistake. Taemin wasn't about to marry that other prince, it made no sense. Taemin was supposed to be his, and he was Taemin's. He was his magnolia. And Taemin was his elf. That made a lot more sense.

Jongin turned to his right and looked at Taemin. He hoped to see the same confusion on Taemin's face, he hoped his elf would reassure him it was all a big misunderstanding. But Taemin looked sad and guilty, and Jongin didn't like to see him like that. It was hurting him.

"My Taemin," he whispered in a broken voice.

"Nini, I'm so sorry..."

Junmyeon looked away, feeling terribly out of place, and stopped breathing when he saw a plant on the table wither before his eyes. The ivy tied to the beams on the ceiling was fading as well.

"Jongin, I will have to take Taemin back to the castle soon. Everybody is very worried for him. I'll wait for him outside and let you two talk a bit, is that alright?" the fairy murmured reluctantly.

He didn't want to make it harder for the nymph, but Taemin still had to get back. And he would make sure to call Kyungsoo and tell him to find Jongin no matter what.

Jongin only nodded to him, and Junmyeon got up, repeating almost the same words to Taemin, in elvish, before he left.

Taemin came closer, calling him gently as he put his hands on Jongin's cheek. The nymph raised his arms and Taemin was scared for a second that he would be pushed away, but Jongin hugged him. He hang his head, hiding his face in the crook of Taemin's neck all over again. Here he felt safe, as if Junmyeon's words couldn't find him.

"Nini, I'm sorry," Taemin said again, as he didn't know what else to say.

"Nini see Taemin again?"

His voice was quiet, fragile, scared of what the answer would be. Taemin hugged him back, his hair gently as he frowned.

"Nini wants to?" he asked.

"Yes," was the instantaneous reply.

Jongin didn't care about Taemin being a prince. He didn't care if he had to share him with someone else. He didn't even care if Taemin didn't love him back and never would. It was just as Kibum had said. Scary and sad sometimes, but he was so happy to love Taemin that all he wanted was to see him.

"I want to see you too. Again," Taemin confessed.

Jongin let out a long sigh of relief.

"Taemin call Nini a-gain. P-lease."

"I promise. I will call you again."

Jongin tried to memorize those exact words in his mind, so he could ask Kyungsoo to translate them as accurately as possible.

Taemin's arms loosened around Jongin's shoulders and the nymph tightened his hold, not ready to let go of him just yet.

"Jongin, I'm sorry, I have to go."

The nymph suddenly regretted Chinua. When she came to take Taemin away, it was never this painful.

"O-kay."

He saw Taemin going back to the chimney and take his cloak. He threw it over his shoulders and put the Herborium back on the shelf he took it from. Taemin walked back to the front door and put on his shoes before he looked back at the nymph. His heart had never felt that heavy.

"See you soon," he said, and tried to force a little smile.

Jongin took the few steps between them, leaned closer, and his cheek fondly.

"Goo-bye."

He saw Taemin's cheeks redden a bit, before the elf left.

As he stood there alone in the silence of the house, Jongin shivered. He pressed his palms against his eyes and forced himself to breathe deeply. He tried to focus on all the wonderful things that had happened that day, on his favorite moment of them all, when Taemin taught him the names of so many flowers. But now the memory was just making his heart ache and he suddenly ran away from the house. He wanted to see Kibum more than anything. He wanted his best friend to hug him and he wanted to tell him everything that happened and all he had kept from him. He wanted to apologize for hours and cry and beg Kibum to understand and help him fix his broken heart. He wanted Kibum to assure him that everything would be okay and that he could truly be happy even if Taemin could never love him. He wanted Kibum to tell him that loving Taemin was enough and that he didn't need to be loved in return.

As he appeared in his clearing, it seemed colder than usual. It was uncomfortable. Jongin wiped away the tears that he hadn't realized he had been letting out, and he came closer to Kibum's pond.

"Kibum?"

His breath got caught up in his lungs as his eyes widened. A sob broke in the back of his throat and he fell on his knees looking with horror at the frozen pond in front of him. He saw the sleeping form of his best friend laying deep down beneath the ice, and he cried. He hadn't time to say goodbye this year. He had thought the ice wouldn't come for another few days, at least. He had never left Kibum alone when freeze was coming.

"Jongin?"

The nymph jumped slightly at the call of his name and noticed Kyungsoo flying to him in a rush. The fairy stopped right in front of him and used his two hands to wipe his tears away, distress appearing clearly on his small face.

"Jongin, it's okay. It's okay, I'm here. I'm with you. What's happening?"

Jongin really wished Kyungsoo could be tall enough to hug him, but he still held his precious friend in his palms and looked at him pitifully.

"It's gonna be alright, Jonginnie. I will help you. It's gonna be okay."

Kyungsoo convinced him to go all the way to the hole beneath his willow. He made the nymph lay on his flowery ground and tried not to get too heartbroken as he saw the lovely blossoms wither around Jongin. And he stayed up all night, listening to Jongin confess all the conflicting feelings his heart was holding.

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♥♥ hello everyone,

I'm sorry for all the Angst at the end of that chapter, ohmy. Let me be honest with you, I had planned for this to happen so long ago, I built a lot of things around it & it never seemed that bad when it was only in my mind. But as I was writing it, I started to cry & I was just whispering to myself « why am I doing this? why is it so damn sad? ». Ah. I promised you a happy story and yet I did this. I'm sorry, bear with me please.

I do hope you liked this chapter and all the Taekai softness. They're closer than ever, aren't they? ♥ This part was such a delight to write.
I love writing this story much more than I can explain, and I want to thank again and always every person who comes to read it. I hope you all still find comfort and hapiness in our magic forest.

Please look forward to the next chapter.

I wish you all a very good end of your week-end. Don't forget to smile.