Chapter 28 : Dress up

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Sehun was delighted. His home, that day, was lively, bright and full of laughter. Ever since he had came to life, a crowd of people had come to greet him, and play with him. He had met lots of nymphs, all far taller than he was, and a couple of other fairies. He had even seen the Lord of all nymphs, Baekhyun, who had spend two days with him, playing around and telling him all kind of wonderful stories. Spirits came and went to take a glimpse of him, and all of them congratulated him on being such a gentle, lovely soul. It made the young nymph incredibly happy. On the few days where no one actually showed up, Junmyeon, his favorite fairy of them all, was still there to indulge in all of his wishes.

Ever since his awakening, Sehun had learned a lot. The thing he had showed the most interest in, was faerish, so he could talk to that little creature who never left him; and by now, the nymph was already fully capable of conversing with him.

But on that day, almost all of his favorite people were here. Jongin, the very first nymph he had ever seen, had came to keep him company. He had soon realized that Jongin didn't like to come when there was anyone other than Kibum, and a couple of fairies. But that didn't matter to Sehun, not in the least. He'd rather have only Jongin next to him, than a whole group of other creatures. Because Jongin was funny and knew the best games Sehun had tried.

A little bit earlier, Jongin had explained to him yet another extremely funny game of riddles, that they ended up playing with Jinki. And Sehun really adored Jinki too, because the fairy was hilarious.

Further away, sitting on a round rock that Sehun had chosen and installed especially for Junmyeon, three fairies were having tea. Jongdae had come all the way from the castle, and Kyungsoo had simply followed Jongin. It was unusual, not to see Jongdae play with Jongin, but rather sit down with the oldest fairies who were chatting over a broad range of diverse subjects.

"I'm not interested in talking about the new sewing workshop in Hazelbarrow," Jongdae snorted, with a raised eyebrow. "I simply have questions to ask you two."

Junmyeon had sighed, trying not to get offended by the rude young fairy, as Kyungsoo simply rolled his eyes.

"You ask an awful lot of questions lately," Junmyeon pointed out.

"Somebody has to take care of the important matters," Jongdae only answered, swaggering a little.

He felt a tiny pebble hit the top of his head and turned to Kyungsoo with a gasp, only to see the fairy take an innocent look as he sipped his tea.

"Stop being a brat," Kyungsoo murmured.

Jongdae pulled out his tongue at him, but kept silent. Junmyeon looked at him, as Sehun and Jongin's laughter could be heard resonating through the whole area.

"So?" Junmyeon blurted. "What are those questions?"

He didn't miss the satisfied little smirk blooming on Jongdae's lips, but decided not to pay attention to it.

"I talked to Lord Baekhyun," Jongdae said, with an overly proud expression. "He actually came to me to have a little chat because he thinks I'm smart."

He was waiting for surprised looks and incredulous gasps, but only got two frowns. Kyungsoo shrugged, pinching his lips.

"What mischief did he have lurking in his mind this time?" he asked.

And it made Jongdae pout. Both because he had wanted some kind of envious or astonished reactions, and because he had developed quite a tender liking to the nymph.

"It wasn't like that," Jongdae said, his voice fading a bit as he got serious.

"What do you mean?" Junmyeon asked.

"Do you really see him as a manipulative, calculating spirit?"

Junmyeon widened his eyes, and slowly turned to Kyungsoo, suddenly taken aback. The oldest fairy only tilted his head at Jongdae.

"Those are quite strong words," he simply stated, "but indeed, I do think he is cunning."

"That's not really nice," Jongdae protested.

"But it is as it is," Kyungsoo insisted. "Most of the time, he's considerate, but he can devious, trust me. You've even seen it, once, how his detachment from things around him can be hurtful. I've come to be wary of his intentions. You should be careful."

Jongdae lowered his gaze to his feet, as he breathed deeply. He knew that Kyungsoo knew Lord Baekhyun far better than he did, and probably ever will. It frustrated him, in a way.

"It's not his fault," Jongdae said, almost defensively. "It's because of all those things he constantly sees. You'd be the same if you could see them."

"I'm not saying otherwise," Kyungsoo continued. "It doesn't mean that I don't like him. I appreciate him immensely. I just mean that you should try not to follow him blindly, because you can't even begin to imagine where he could lead you."

Jongdae huffed in annoyance, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"He's very lonely," Jongdae puffed.

"Is he?" Junmyeon asked carefully.

Jongdae nodded, throwing a glance at the two fairies in front of him.

"When we talked... he looked really sad. It felt like he had no one around him, and I thought-... aren't you supposed to be his friend?" his tone went a little bit accusative as he turned to Kyungsoo.

"I am," Kyungsoo exclaimed, his eyes widening.

"It doesn't feel like it."

Kyungsoo opened his mouth, eyebrows furrowed in hurt, but Junmyeon interrupted them before they could start to truly bicker.

"What is this?" he grumbled, looking at Jongdae. "A trial?"

"I just-...," Jongdae whined, defeated. "He really sounded so melancholic, it broke my heart. He told me about his wizard friend, the one who went away... That's what I wanted to ask you. Do you know this person? It felt like Baekhyun misses him since forever. And I felt like an idiot because I don't know him that much and I can't understand why nobody is taking better care of him."

Junmyeon put down his cup of tea next to his knee, tilting his head at Jongdae.

"The wizard? You mean the one who lived in Nowhere?"

"Yes, exactly. Don't you know him? I don't think Lord Baekhyun even planned to tell me that much... It just came out and he kind of broke down in front of me. It was really strange. For a moment, I saw so much sadness in his eyes..."

Junmyeon looked bewildered, as he turned to Kyungsoo.

"I'll go visit him," Kyungsoo simply said, and Jongdae could suddenly see a strange determination burning in his eyes.

"Will you?" he asked, kind of skeptical.

Kyungsoo nodded. He fidgeted on his , as if he was even considering leaving right this instant, but he finally stopped, and sighed.

"I don't know this wizard," he confessed. "He left before I was even born..."

That simple sentence made Jongdae's whole body stiffen in horror. Kyungsoo was one of the oldest fairy he knew. His friend was a bit over 500 years old. And Jongdae suddenly realized that Baekhyun had truly been missing someone so important for him for what seemed to him like an agonizing eternity.

"But after Baekhyun mentioned him all of a sudden when we first went to Nowhere, I did some researches. There aren't many people around who still remember him..."

"What did you learn?" Junmyeon asked.

"I found a fairy's journal... They didn't even mention his name, only things about his healing abilities and then, they narrated every attempt they made to find him again. I think Baekhyun and him... they might have been intimate."

A small silence fell between the three fairies, until Kyungsoo scratched his forehead, visibly bothered.

"I should have been more cautious, I suppose. I'll go see Baekhyun soon."

"That's what I'm saying," Jongdae still complained, albeit more quietly. "Take better care of him!"

Kyungsoo threw him a bothered look, but actually kept quiet, his lips pinched into a thin line. It brought a satisfied feeling to Jongdae.

"We'll try to be more present," Junmyeon assured, with a tentative smile.

"Ah," Jongdae grunted. "I'll be there for him from now on anyway. We also talked about his fairy... Can you believe that this person decided to take a nap for a few decades?! Really? And leave his nymph all alone like this, that's unbelievable! Apparently, he told Baekhyun to wake him up when something interesting would be coming around... but I told him, oh, I told him to go wake that snail right this instant!"

Jongdae was so caught up in his story that he didn't realize the way both Junmyeon and Kyungsoo suddenly paled and froze in front of him. Kyungsoo had widened his eyes impossibly, until he looked like a fish out of a water. He seemed ready to explode any second.

"Jongdae, don't-...," Junmyeon whispered.

But Jongdae didn't hear him.

"Heechul, that's his name. Do you know him? Oh, I'm going to roast him like a chestnut when he comes back!"

Junmyeon jumped to press his hand against Jongdae's mouth, as Kyungsoo gritted his teeth, an expression of pure dread painted all over his face, but it was too late.

"What? What, what, what?" came an excited, buzzing voice. "Heechul? Who's talking about Heechul? What's with him?"

Jinki was flying right to them, having abandoned Sehun in the middle of his riddle, to land next to them with the most ecstatic expression that Jongdae had ever seen him.

"Is he back?" Jinki yelled, turning on himself, as if he was searching the mentioned fairy around. "Is he?"

"Jongdae!" Kyungsoo thundered.

He screamed so loudly that it made him splutter, and Jongin and Sehun both flinched.

"Tell me you didn't tell Baekhyun to wake this lunatic up!"

Jongdae froze on his spot, trying to shrink on himself as much as possible, and cowered behind Junmyeon when he saw the threatening look on Kyungsoo's face. But Jinki suddenly put himself between the two of them, looking at the youngest fairy with a large grin.

"You did?" he asked. "You really did? So Heechul is coming back? That's wonderful! You did so great! When will he be there? Did Lord Baekhyun tell you already? Did he?"

Jinki took off flying before he could even hear any answer, screaming, cackling and yodeling in happiness in the air as he made large loops all around Sehun's home.

"What is going on?" Sehun asked, suddenly a bit timid.

"Jongdae is ruining my life, that's what's going on," Kyungsoo dramatically cried out.

Jongin immediately came forward to catch his fairy before Kyungsoo could jump on Jongdae and try to pull at his hair. He watched his usually calm and collected little friend throw his feet and fists in the air as he tried to break free to fight Jongdae.

"Let me go!" Kyungsoo grumbled.

"Soo, don't be mean," Jongin pleaded, the fairy's hair to calm him down.

Sehun watched the scene in incredulity, captivated by all of this agitation. Jongdae was still trying to disappear somewhere, but Junmyeon pushed him away to shake his head at him.

"Who's Heechul?" Sehun asked.

Kyungsoo turned to Jongin and crossed his arms over his chest with the grumpiest pout he could muster.

"Well, he's a fairy," Junmyeon sighed. "A very loud, nutty, eccentric fairy. He's completely bananas. He's Jinki's best friend. We've been living in peace for a few decades now... I was hoping we could have a couple more years of silence before Baekhyun would remember to wake him up but now..."

He interrupted himself to look darkly at Jongdae who lowered his head, with red cheeks.

"I had no idea," Jongdae whispered, pettishly. "I couldn't have known!"

Jinki came back to them after flying around the ruins five times at super speed, and still bounced on his feet.

"This is great! This is the greatest thing that happened in a while," he chirped, before turning to Sehun. "You're gonna love Heechul, he's the best!"

"Oh really? I can't wait to see him," the nymph smiled.

"Hold on," Junmyeon immediately screeched. "Who says they're going to meet? Sehun is far too young, he-..."

Jinki interrupted him.

"Of course Sehun is going to meet him! Heechul will want to see him! I'd like to see you try to prevent him from doing what he wants."

Junmyeon opened his mouth, his lips trembling in distress, before he finally turned to Jongdae with a frown.

"This is all going to be on you!"

"If you had taken better care of Baekhyun," Jongdae finally yelled, "this wouldn't have happened! Besides, I'm sure this Heechul isn't even half as bad as you make him out to be!"

Kyungsoo scowled at him and Jongdae shut his mouth, shriveling again.

"Well, to you he might not be," Kyungsoo complained. "You're not the one he'll come to in the middle of the night to ask why blueberries aren't blue! It's gonna be me again, it's always me!"

Jongdae opened his mouth, but no sound came out as he blinked in disbelief.

"What do you mean?"

Jinki started laughing like a maniac.

"Kyungsoo is Heechul's favorite person to annoy," he tried to say between two giggles. "Once-... Once he followed him around all day pretending to be his shadow."

Kyungsoo let out a low whine of despair as the memory came back to him, and Jongdae tried his best not to laugh. That would put him in even more trouble than he already was.

Jongin loosened his hold on Kyungsoo as he finally felt him calm down, and the fairy flew all the way to his head to hide himself in his hair. The nymph heard him mumble and grunt, but Kyungsoo's words were too muffled for him to understand anything.

"Are you okay?" Jongin asked softly, one of his finger gently poking on the fairy.

"Yes," Kyungsoo sighed. "I just have to come up with a plan of some sort... Don't mind me."

Jongin kept silent, and stole a glance at Sehun, who was now asking Jinki to come back to their riddles.

"I should-... Maybe I'll just go back to the castle," Jongdae coughed.

Junmyeon let out a long, deep breathe, scratching his neck awkwardly as he nodded.

"Thank you for letting us know that Baekhyun needs a bit more consideration," he frowned.

It made Kyungsoo snort loudly.

"Thanks for nothing," he mumbled.

Jongdae shrugged and got up, dusting off his clothes with nervous little moves.

"Ah, Jongdae," Junmyeon continued, and the youngest fairy perked up, "how is Minho?"

Jongdae straightened up completely, eyes wide, before he smiled gently.

"Oh, he's doing alright, I suppose. He misses you a lot, though. He keeps asking about you."

Junmyeon twisted his own fingers, biting his lips as he twiddled from one foot to the other.

"Really? I-... Well, I miss him too. But I have to stay here... Can you tell him I said hi?"

"Of course, I will," Jongdae nodded with a grin.

"Why do you have to stay here, though?"

Junmyeon turned around, puzzled, looking at Jinki who was flying upside down only to make Sehun laugh.

"Well, because I have to take care of Sehun," Junmyeon sighed, matter-of-factly.

"It seems to me like Sehunnie can take care of himself for one day if you want to go see your little hybrid lover," Jinki rolled his eyes, before he winked at the small nymph, who nodded.

Junmyeon flinched, his cheeks growing a bit red.

"I can't leave him alone," he protested, his voice going acute.

"Why not?"

"Because!"

Jinki himself to look at Jongin, then at Sehun.

"Sehunnie, would you be scared to be alone?"

The nymph shook his head and glanced at Junmyeon with a pout.

"I told you 'Myeon, if you want to see your friend, it's okay."

"I could stay with him," Jinki offered, "if you're really scared of him sneezing while you're gone."

"And that's supposed to reassure me?" Junmyeon taunted, with a snort.

Jinki finally put himself back up, flying to land on Sehun's shoulder with a smirk.

"I'd like to remind you that I took care of Kibum," he said, pointing his thumb at himself, "I can handle baby nymphs just fine."

Sehun nodded, a smile blooming on his face at the sudden prospect of staying a whole day playing with Jinki.

"But-..."

"It would make Minho really happy," Jongdae overbid, grinning as he saw Junmyeon's face twitch.

"Well-..."

Jinki clapped his hands together, bouncing on Sehun's shoulder.

"It's decided then, you're going back to Melalhil."

"No but-...," Junmyeon panicked, his eyes bulging out of his head.

"If you wait more, you won't even be able to recognize your boyfriend."

Junmyeon visibly tensed at that and tried to pretend he didn't hear Jongdae laugh, and didn't see Jongin snicker behind his hand.

"Fiddlesticks! He's not my boyfriend-...," Junmyeon choked, and then stopped. "What do you mean I won't recognize him?"

"Well," Jinki shrugged, "I've heard he cut his hair recently. Apparently, baldness suits him. Who knows what else he might change by the time you finally get there..."

Jongdae stopped laughing, looking over Jinki, clearly confused, but he saw the oldest fairy wink at him discreetly and he kept silent.

"He what?" Junmyeon squalled. "What did he do?"

"You didn't know?" Jinki sniffed, his eyes shining with malice.

Junmyeon was vibrating, his face white in horror, lips quivering as he looked over Sehun.

"I-... I'm-... He-..."

"You can go," Jinki sighed, as if he was doing him an immense favor. "I'll look over Sehunnie here."

Junmyeon nodded quickly and took off before anyone could even realize, disappearing in a buzzing sound. And Jinki started cackling.

"I can't believe he fell for that," Kyungsoo said.

Sehun turned to Jongin, asking what exactly happened, and before Jongin could even try to find what to say, Jinki began to explain to him the concept of a shameless lie. It made the wood nymph pout, as he looked over the path where Junmyeon had disappeared in a hurry. The fairy really wouldn't be happy with Jinki.

But then, Jongin thought, Jinki did educate Kibum alone. And his friend hadn't turned out so bad, had he?

Kibum was sitting on the shore of the large river that passed through the forest, from north to east. He was resting on the grass, his feet moving slowly in the cold water, as his eyes followed the lazy streams. The nymph was waiting, with a small, excited smile playing on his lips.

Absentmindedly, he started to hum the song stuck in his head. If he focused enough, he could still hear Jonghyun's warm voice floating around him. His fingers twitched, grasping the grass under his palms as he straightened up.

He heard footsteps, coming closer, then his name, being called. Kibum jolted; he turned around, his feet drawing back from the river, to greet his friend with a large grin.

"Mino!" he exclaimed.

He saw the elf appear from between trees, smiling brightly at him as he came forward. He was carrying a large bag over one of his shoulder, and Kibum immediately wondered what could be inside. But before he could voice any question, Minho waved at him, and shifted to look behind him.

"Hi there, Kibum," he blurted, "look who I brought with me!"

The nymph blinked. His heart missed a beat, and for a moment, a sudden distress fell on his shoulders, making him widen his eyes in fear. But his anxiety melted away as soon as it arrived. And he gasped.

Kibum hurried up, stumbling on his feet before he rushed towards the elf, who was rubbing at his neck awkwardly, his cheeks red in embarrassment. He stopped right in front of him, with shining eyes and a bright smile, wiggling on his feet as he didn't know what to do with himself.

"Prince Jeon-gyun!" he chirped. "You come! Hi!"

The nymph heard Minho sneer behind him, but he didn't pay him any attention.

"Hi," Jonghyun coughed, with a tentative smile.

"I told you he wouldn't mind you coming," Minho simpered.

Kibum finally tore his eyes away from his prince to look back at his friend, and nodded quickly. He went back to stare at Jonghyun, hesitantly catching the elf's shirt between trembling fingers.

"Yes, I don' mind. Don' mind. How are you, Jeon-gyun?"

"I'm alright," Jonghyun said. He picked Kibum's hand from his clothes, holding on it gently. "I didn't want to bother you, if you had planned a day with Minho."

When Minho had come to his room, asking if he was interested in meeting Kibum with him, Jonghyun had felt all kinds of contradictory feelings clawing at his heart. The mere idea of seeing the nymph again was filling him with excitation and happiness. But the thought to be intruding had worried him. What if Kibum didn't want to see him? What if the nymph asked him to leave? And what if Jonghyun ended up being the third wheel?

It had all vanished into thin air the moment Kibum dashed so cheerfully to him, looking at him with stars in his eyes.

The nymph stole a glance at Minho, who made a show of looking around, as if the river was particularly interesting to him that day, and then tiptoed closer to Jonghyun.

"I am always happy see Jeon-gyun," he whispered, as if he was letting him in on a secret.

Jonghyun scrunched his nose, unable to contain the smile on his face.

"I am always happy to see you too," he murmured back.

Kibum straightened up in excitement, and hopped all the way to where Minho was now sitting, bringing Jonghyun with him. But then he stopped, blinking a few times, and went further on the side once more. He approached Jonghyun's face again, leaning against his side, putting his hand over his own mouth.

"Jeon-gyun," he kept whispering.

"Yes?"

"You can not sing song with Mino, yes?" Kibum asked quietly, his voice suddenly turning sad.

Jonghyun took a deep breath, trying to calm down the thundering beats of his heart inside his chest as he turned a bit to glance at the nymph. Kibum was observing him calmly, the shadow of a pout on his lips.

"No, I can't," Jonghyun sighed, as silently as he could.

Kibum's shoulders slouched.

"Oh."

"We'll have to meet again," Jonghyun murmured. "Is that okay? Very soon."

Kibum nodded a couple of time, delight and contentment back on his soft features.

"Yes," he said in a giggle.

"Are you done with your little secrets? I feel a bit unwanted," Minho sighed dramatically.

Kibum let go of Jonghyun, straightening up and holding his hands behind his back as he trotted back to Minho, sitting next to him.

"Sorry," the nymph smiled, coyly.

Minho rolled his eyes at him and pretended, once more, not to notice the way Kibum squirmed closer to Jonghyun as soon as the prince elf sat. Despite the nymph's innocent face as he attempted to be discreet, Jonghyun did see him. He realized there was no way his heart would calm down in the slightest.

"You don't look sorry at all," Minho said.

Kibum tilted his head, and frowned at him.

"We shouldn't talk in faerish," he immediately pouted. "That's not nice. Jonghyun can't understand."

Minho bit his lip, but nodded sheepishly.

"Alright. But will you be okay to only speak in elvish?"

"I try," Kibum said, raising his nose in the air. "I learn with fairy and nymph friend. Not only Mino, now."

Jonghyun looked between the two of them, suddenly a bit confused with the turn of the conversation. He saw Minho pout.

"Now, I really feel rejected."

Kibum leaned closer to him, his arm gently in a way that he hoped was soothing.

"Because with Mino, I learn... elf trad- tradition. Ah. More often, with friends, I can learn elfish. You explain best elf tradition."

There was so much sincerity, and candor in Kibum's eyes, that Minho couldn't even find it in himself to a little bit.

The water nymph sighed deeply, and rested back, unconsciously, against Jonghyun's arm. He smiled, oblivious to the prince's sudden turmoil, and pointed Minho's bag with his chin.

"What is this, Mino? Is a gift for Kibum?"

"Ah, yes, it actually is," Minho smirked. "It's a gift I promised you some times ago, already. I'm sorry it took me so long; I had to find the perfect pieces and size."

"What is size?" Kibum asked, getting extremely curious.

He couldn't remember what gift Minho had promised him and it sparked his interest. He watched in wonder as the elf opened his bag without any explanation, and took a large fabric out of it.

Kibum immediately came closer, holding out his hands to touch it, and gasped.

"Oh!" he chirped excitedly. "It is clothe! Elfen clothe, yes?"

"Yes," Minho smiled, handing him the cream linen trousers that he was still holding.

Kibum let out a little sound of pure joy, reaching out before he turned to Jonghyun with clear, bright eyes.

"Look, Jeon-gyun! I have clothe!"

"You really do like clothes, don't you?" Jonghyun fondly teased, remembering how happy Kibum had been to try on his shirt when he had appeared in his office.

"Yes," Kibum nodded, reverently, as he over the pants laying on his lap. "Because elfen clothe is very pretty."

He saw from the corner of his eyes Minho pulling up another piece from his bag, and his whole body started to tremble in happiness.

"There's more," Minho winked.

He had prepare a whole outfit for the nymph, that he had actually ordered custom-made for him. He had longly hesitated over the colors, wondering what would Kibum like best, what would suit him, and had tried to visualize his size so his present would fit the spirit. He couldn't exactly bring the water nymph to the little workshop in Melalhil to get his measurement taken.

Kibum admired the different clothing in adoration, feeling their softness under his fingers, wondering how he would look like in each of them. There was a teal tunic adorned with cream embroideries the same shade as the pants; it slipped in the nymph's fingers like water. Then he found a large belt in a soft leather, in a light brown color. There were socks and underwear, fluffy in his hands, and then a heavy, warm cloak, a little darker than the tunic.

It took Kibum a few minutes before he could mumble a few words, fascinated as he was with everything under his eyes.

"It is lot! All for me?"

"Of course, all is for you," Minho nodded.

"Thank you!"

Kibum kneeled on the ground, going through each piece one more time, sighing in glee.

"How I do?" he asked, turning to the two elves to observe their clothes.

He remembered the struggle he had faced when putting off Jonghyun's shirt, and hoped he wouldn't end up stuck in some clothing once more. For now, he wasn't even sure what he was supposed to start with and how to attach everything correctly.

Jonghyun leaned closer, pointing at the underwear with a tight smile.

"You have to start with this one," he said. "Then, you go with the pants."

Kibum nodded, grabbing said piece, and let the seaweeds around his hips vanish. He saw Jonghyun jump with a gasp, and the prince elf span, one hand over his widened eyes, a heavy blush covering his cheeks, forehead and neck.

"Son of a biscuit," Jonghyun squeaked, closing his eyes in mortification when he heard Minho cackle.

And Kibum, seeing Minho look up to the sky with a grin, suddenly remembered the discussion they actually had when the elf first told him about clothes, and how elves didn't go around in front of each other.

"Oooh," he said. "Sorry."

He hurried to put on his underwear, and wiggled his from left to right, marveling at the sensation of such a soft fabric.

"It is okay, I have clothe now."

Jonghyun slowly turned around, peeking warily through his fingers, and tried to contain the little sob that threatened to escape his lips. It wasn't okay. The underwear was far tighter on Kibum's hips than his usual seaweeds.

"Nymphs don't associate with intimacy," Minho clarified, looking at Jonghyun as he gave Kibum his pants. "He explained that to me."

"Yes," Jonghyun mumbled, "I can see that."

Kibum squatted down, shyly pawing at Jonghyun's shoulder with a bothered pout. He hoped he hadn't offended his prince, or made him feel embarrassed. That would be terrible.

"I am sorry, Jeon-gyun."

The elf let out a nervous laugh.

"It's alright. Don't worry."

But his cheeks were still red, and Kibum felt miserable. He got up again, squirming and hopping into his pants. Maybe Jonghyun would feel better once Kibum would be completely dressed. As he tried to put his trouser correctly, he noticed two little strings, the same he had seen on the top of Jonghyun's shirt, and sighed.

"It is difficult," he mumbled.

He kept his head lowered, fumbling with the cords to try to attach them together. And Kibum missed the way Minho pointedly stared at Jonghyun, mouthing for him to help the nymph, as the prince elf looked sternly back at him. When Kibum whined and groaned, Jonghyun winced at Minho and finally got up. He pretended not to see Minho's triumphant smile.

"Here, let me help you."

His cheeks were growing even redder, as he made a little knot on Kibum's pants. The nymph was looking at him with such a tender smile at the corner of his lips, that every coherent thought left Jonghyun's mind. He really wasn't sure that his heart would ever come back to a steady rhythm.

"And now?" Kibum asked.

Jonghyun bent down and picked the tunic up. He folded the fabric in a way that would help Kibum to get it on, and slowly, gently made it fall nicely on the nymph's thin frame. He kept quiet as he gathered the belt to tie it up on Kibum's waist, and then kneeled in front of him, as he took one sock.

Kibum widened his eyes, his lips trembling, as he felt Jonghyun's hands on his foot and ankle, silently asking him to lift his leg so he could put the sock on him. He put one of his hand on the prince elf's shoulder, to keep his balance, and blinked nervously.

"Thank you," he murmured.

He felt his face heat up, and wondered if Jonghyun was as red as him because his heart was burning too. Maybe it was.

Jonghyun put the cloak on Kibum's shoulders, buckling it under his chin, and finally dared to look at him. His eyes were timid, but so warm that the nymph felt something twist inside of him.

"There you go," Jonghyun said, his cheek with a little nod. "All dressed up."

Kibum's eyes were so bright, they seemed translucent.

Jonghyun suddenly was grateful for Minho, sitting next to them, otherwise he might have done something stupid. Something he shouldn't do. Something he shouldn't even think about.

He took a step back, as if to admire his work, and Kibum lowered his head to look at himself.

"I am pretty?" he inquired in a tiny, acute voice.

Jonghyun closed his eyes in defeat and Minho decided to spare his best friend's heart. So he answered.

"Yes, you really are. I'm glad everything fits you so perfectly."

Kibum himself to look at his reflection in the river and laughed happily.

"Thank you, Mino. Thank you. I am very happy."

"You're welcome. Next time, I'll try to get you some shoes."

Kibum fidgeted in impatience, falling on his knees on the ground to stammer a dozens of questions to his friend. Would the precious accessories Minho already offered him look good with his outfit? What if his clothes got wet? What if they got stained? What if Kibum damaged them inadvertently?

Jonghyun pressed his palms against his cheeks, and sighed longly as he looked over the water nymph chirping like a little bird and listening to Minho in awe. He noticed his own sweaty palms, his thundering heartbeats, and that tight knot in his throat. He was in trouble. In so much trouble.

He felt an itch in his fingers; all he wanted to do was to sit next to Kibum and hold his hand, or his hair, eventually. Maybe just rest their arms against each other again.

Kibum might have felt his longing stare detailing him, because he glanced at him, offering him a smile that completely blinded the elf prince.

He really was in trouble.

Kibum tilted his head at him, as if he had sensed his inner chaos, but before he could say anything, they heard a loud cry.

"Minho!"

Minho immediately straightened up, shifting to look at the little ball of fury who flew to him at incredible speed and crashed against his chest.

"Junmyeon...?" he breathed out, round eyes widening in disbelief and happiness.

The fairy, who had fallen in the folds of Minho's shirt, tried to break free and shook his head quickly, raising his face to look at his friend in fear.

"Minho! Your hair! Your hair!" Junmyeon cried out, taking off once more to fly around Minho's head. "Oh dear Light, it's here! All of it. It is here. Thank you."

Minho let out a nervous chuckle as he frowned.

"Well, yes, my hair is here. Where did you think it went?"

Junmyeon landed safely on Minho's thigh, closing his eyes in relief as he pressed one hand on his chest. He tried to find his breath back and caught a strand of his friend's precious hair in his other hand.

"Someone told me you had it cut... He actually told me you were bald. I got so scared."

Kibum burst out laughing, and Junmyeon suddenly opened his eyes, looking at the nymph, and then the prince elf, in disbelief.

"Oh, hi...," he murmured.

"It is Jinki," Kibum giggled. "It is Jinki, yes?"

Junmyeon opened his mouth, but realized his mistake before he even agreed. How dumb of him. Why did he even listen to that fairy?

"Wait a minute," Minho mumbled, and he sounded bitter. "Did you just come all the way here because you thought I cut my hair? You've been away for weeks, barely gave me any news and you're here because you got pranked?"

Junmyeon pinched his lips, his eyes widening in feigned innocence as he tried to find a way to make the truth sound less terrible than it was. He didn't pay attention to Jonghyun softly calling Kibum so they could tiptoe a little bit further away to give them privacy.

"Mhmm," Junmyeon coughed, and cleared his throat. "Well..."

"Junmyeon," Minho grunted.

"I know it sounds really dumb said like that," the fairy simpered, "but actually, you know... before he said that, we were discussing how I could come back."

Minho furrowed his eyebrows, giving a stern look to the fairy.

"Were you really?"

"I didn't want to leave Sehun alone, you see."

Junmyeon fluttered his eyelashes, offering a tentative smile to his favorite elf and hoped his general cuteness would do the trick. But Minho snorted.

"I feel like you care more about my hair than about the rest of me."

"It isn't true," Junmyeon cried out. "I just got-... I can't-... You just can't cut it because I love it."

Minho rolled his eyes with an exaggerated sigh.

"So, I had made peace with the fact that I wasn't your favorite anymore, since you're the protector of a nymph now. I hadn't realized that my hair was also more important than myself."

"You're being ridiculous," Junmyeon pouted.

"Oh, am I?"

Junmyeon got up on Minho's thigh, pacing round as he twisted his hands together.

"You're still my favorite anyway. It's different... Sehun and you, it's different. It's not comparable. I just have to take care of him for now because he's so small. Oh dear, please, I'm so sorry."

Minho kept silent, glaring at him from above, and Junmyeon sighed pitifully, shrinking a bit. He felt a finger on his behind and turned around to feel Minho now poking at his face.

"Did you even miss me?"

"Of course I did," Junmyeon assured him, his voice tight and lips quivering. "I miss you all the time. I keep talking to Sehun about you. I swear I do."

Minho squinted his eyes at him, raising his nose a little bit.

"And so what, now that you saw I'm not bald, will you go back?"

Junmyeon blinked, looking around himself for a couple of seconds; Kibum and Jonghyun were looking at them, a bit further away.

"Well," he stammered. "I don't want to bother you. But if you don't mind... I'd like to stay with you for a little while."

"And what about Sehun?" Minho asked, his face softening.

Junmyeon shrugged, a smile blooming on his lips.

"I think Jinki already taught him a thousand stupid things by the time I arrived here. So... a little more, a little less, it won't make any difference."

Minho picked him up, and gently put him on his shoulder. Junmyeon sat down, gripping a strand of the elf's hair to secure himself.

"Next time you see him, please thank him for bringing you back to me," Minho asked.

Junmyeon nodded softly and pressed his face against Minho's neck.

"I will."

Kibum brought his hands to his mouth, hiding half of his face behind his fingers as he tried to muffle his laugh. He thought about Jinki, and silently thanked the little fairy for forcing Junmyeon back to Melalhil, if only for a day.

"It is cute," he said under his breath, eyes shining with tenderness.

Jonghyun kept silent. He observed Kibum's profile, and smiled. He thought of how blessed he was, to be able to stand so close next to him. For now, he didn't need anything in return. For now, it was enough. He hoped it would still be for a long time. He hoped standing so close to the nymph would never make his heart ache more than it made it flutter.

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♥♥

My lovelies!!
This chapter wrote itself, really... it hadn't happened in such a long time, I was really happy to get this feeling again. I hope you liked it.

While writing the last scene, I started humming “Dress Up” from Jonghyun, and when I went to read the lyrics again, I found myself laughing... It was really fitting to give that title to the chapter.

Please take good care of yourself & I'll do my best to bring you back to our forest soon.

(small note : if you ever want to chat or get small updates about my fics, you can find me on tumblr... my username is moonyki too... & we're having some kind of party there going on since more than a week because I keep sharing little posts over a Certain AU. … so yeah... come join us if you want uwu)