Chapter 33: Honey, carrot cakes and Elvish sayings.

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The beginning of the trip was awkward, slightly annoying, even, if Kibum were to be asked. Surely, Taemin and Jongin must have known that they weren't being discreet in the slightest. Surely, Jongin knew that Kibum could hear them. Surely, he was perfectly aware of how unfair and, thus, irritating it was to have to listen to the two giggling to each other and whispering sweet nothings in each other’s ears. And, worst of all was to hear them kissing constantly, little pecks left all over each other as they snuggled close and cuddled on Chinua's saddle. But they didn’t stop. Kibum sighed and rolled his eyes jealously for quite a while after he unintentionally overheard Jongin whispering to Taemin to stop tickling him before they kissed again.

Meanwhile, Jonghyun was quiet behind Kibum, and the water nymph remained stiff, not daring to move when his prince's arms were around his waist with his hands holding onto the front of the saddle, right next to Kibum's fingers. The nymph feared that if he moved, everything would vanish as if it had all been a dream.

Then everything unexpectedly changed for the better as the sun grew higher in the sky. Tahca and Chinua were moving slowly through the trees with no hurry as the day grew warmer. At some point, Jonghyun began to move. Kibum felt his heart panic, at first, wondering why those arms were withdrawing, moving away, taking away the very soft, loving embrace around him. Then he felt the elf shifting behind him.

"Sorry," Jonghyun said softly, "I'm getting a little hot."

Kibum turned around, just enough to see his lovely prince take off his jacket and clumsily fold it to put it in one of the bags tied to the saddle.

It was a rather wonderful turn of events, indeed, partially because Jonghyun looked even prettier in his loose, light green shirt, but also because when he replaced his arms around the nymph, he also set his hands on top of Kibum's and them with his thumbs. It was a very tender move that made Kibum's eyes widen in disbelief before he smiled brightly.

"Jeon-gyun want a wind?" Kibum asked, tilting his head toward the prince even though he couldn’t draw his eyes away from their, somehow, intertwined hands.

"Oh, could you do that?"

"Of course!"

Kibum huffed, and Jonghyun smiled at the offended tone of his voice. He felt a soft breeze on his face that made his hair float behind his head.

"Thank you," Jonghyun smiled.

"You are welcome."

Jonghyun straightened a little, and the nymph could feel him turn his head to the side, his nose brushing Kibum's hair.

"It's very peculiar to see the forest so... empty... without passing any animals on our way."

His tone was soft, and if attempting small talk made him nervous, Kibum didn't notice.

"What is 'pecu-iar'?" Kibum asked.

"Oh, it means strange or unusual, at least in this context."

Kibum stole a glance at his prince, showing off a bothered pout, and Jonghyun smiled sheepishly.

"It means strange."

The nymph nodded before turning his head to look around. He didn't think the forest was empty, or quiet, or calm. To him, the melody of the breeze rushing through branches and the murmurs of water running down rivers and streams was always there. The fact that no animals were around didn't make it barren.

"Maybe," he mused. "It is pecu-ia for Jeon-gyun."

Jonghyun then asked him if he knew of Mistburn already, and Kibum had to admit that he would only be able to answer once they were there. Even if he did know the place, there was no way for him to know its Elvish name. That answer made Jonghyun a little bashful until Kibum hastened to keep their conversation going by saying that he'd be happy to go anywhere anyway, as long as he was with Jonghyun. Plus, the forest was always beautiful to him. He would love any corner of it they'd end up in.

At some point, Kibum stopped noticing Jongin's and Taemin's obnoxious kissing. Instead, he babbled to Jonghyun about his favorite areas in the forest like the best place to take a bath, the best spot to find wild strawberries, and other lovely such things. He had just finished explaining to Jonghyun where he could see the most beautiful waterlilies -Jonghyun wasn't sure he had understood everything, but he felt too shy to mention it- when Taemin interrupted them.

"Jonghyun, shouldn't we take a break to eat?"

The forest prince turned around, stealing a glance at his fiancé, who was riding behind him, before looking up at the sky, finally noticing how high the sun was.

"Oh right," he mumbled breathily. "We should."

He tried to situate himself to see if there was a place nearby where they could take a break and relax.

"Kibum?" Jonghyun whispered gently.

"Yes?"

"Can you tell Tahca to turn right?" he asked, gesturing with one hand to their right, just in case Kibum didn't know that word yet.

He watched as the nymph tilted his head to the side and smiled.

"You tell Ta-ca."

"But I-..."

"You tell," Kibum insisted with a little nod.

Jonghyun sighed softly and leaned back against the nymph, making Kibum’s eyes widen as the elf brushed his hand against Tahca's neck.

"Would you go to the right, please?" Jonghyun asked, his voice wavering with how stupid he felt.

The deer stilled, turned his head, and then made his way through the trees and down a path leading to a clearing. Jonghyun gasped, blinking stupidly as he turned to look at Kibum who was grinning at him.

"It is easy!" Kibum said joyfully.

"Dear Light," Jonghyun exclaimed.

"Now," Kibum said, "no... no..."

He fumbled, searching for the word he couldn’t remember, and tapped his fingers on his teeth, gesturing awkwardly to try to make Jonghyun understand that he shouldn't use a bridle anymore.

Jonghyun smiled softly and caught Kibum's fingers in his as he scrunched up his nose.

"No more bridle," he said. "I promise."

They arrived at a very small clearing that Jonghyun knew from spending countless evenings there with Minho, eating sweet food around a small fire and talking until they fell asleep under the stars. Tahca stopped by himself, and Jonghyun got off the saddle before he helped Kibum do the same, both hands gently pressing against the nymph's waist. It made Kibum shiver.

But Jonghyun's hands retreated, too soon in Kibum’s opinion, to fumble around in the bags attached to Tahca's saddle as he took various things out. Kibum heard him talking to Taemin, too fast for him to understand everything, and the nymph simply sighed, turning toward Jongin with a pout.

"Jonginnie... Can you understand them when they talk like that?"

Jongin looked back at him with a frown.

"Not at all."

"It's very bothersome."

Jongin only shrugged before he moved closer to Taemin, helping him carry a bag that his elf had almost dropped and earning himself a bright smile in gratitude. Kibum almost wanted to complain that having to watch them being so enamored with each other was also bothersome, but he decided to stop being bitter. After all, if he ever had a chance to act so annoyingly ridiculous with Jonghyun, he would probably be even worse than Jongin and Taemin. So, he figured it would be better to use his energy to work on getting to that point, rather than to whine at his very happy best friend. Thus, he quickly went back to Jonghyun.

There was a small circle of logs and stones in the center of the clearing, and Jonghyun pushed a few together, trying to arrange them into something resembling a table. As soon as Taemin sat down, Jongin clung to him like a lost child, and Jonghyun made sure not to sit in front of them, just so the nymph wouldn't feel observed and uncomfortable.

The two elves had packed quite a lot of food, and Taemin had kept wondering if anything he packed was something Jongin wouldn't know of. As he sat there, carefully opening a package of fried eggplant and zucchini, Taemin felt Jongin press even closer to him, sniffing loudly before he let out an appreciative little hum.

"What is it?" Jongin murmured.

Taemin didn't even notice that Jonghyun was showing Kibum how to eat with the cutlery he had brought with them. He paid no attention to the way the water nymph was completely enthralled with forks and knives and was doing his best to use them with a look of pride and dignity on his face. Instead, Taemin looked only at Jongin's eager face and the way he was his lips as he eyed the eggplants on the elf's lap. Taemin couldn’t help but grinning at the adorable sight. He picked up a bit of fried zucchini with two fingers and held it in front of Jongin's face.

"Here," he said softly. "Eat."

Jongin immediately opened his mouth, brushing his lips against Taemin’s fingers as he took the bite. He kept his eyes on Taemin, wide and intense, as he chewed and swallowed. Then, without a word, he opened his lips again, waiting.

"Oh dear," Taemin giggled.

Taemin fed him a few more pieces before he started to eat himself, but he stopped when he saw Jongin timidly pick up some food to put to his elf's mouth.

"I do it," Jongin murmured with a sweet smile.

Taemin obliged.

It didn't take long for Jongin to start playing around, withdrawing bits of eggplant from Taemin's opened mouth to eat them himself before giggling. He continued teasing Taemin until his elf retaliated by kissing him.

Flowers were blooming on Jongin's head when Taemin leaned back to give him a smug look.

"You're cheating," Jongin whispered, but Taemin couldn't hear him and thus, he kissed him on the nose.

An abrupt cough startled them both, and Taemin suddenly seemed to remember where they were and with whom. He turned his head to Jonghyun and Kibum, who were looking at them awkwardly, and had the decency to blush a little.

"Yes?" he questioned in a small voice.

"Would you like some dumplings?" Jonghyun asked, holding out his hand with a little container filled with still-warm dumplings.

Taemin nodded quietly and took the box with one hand, reaching for a fork on the table with his other hand as he settled back down.

"Thanks."

"I think we'll reach Mistburn soon," Jonghyun said.

It took Taemin a moment to figure out that his friend was trying to start a conversation. He finally noticed the way Jonghyun kept glancing over at Jongin, softly and quickly as if he didn't want to bother him.

It reminded Taemin that they were on this trip together, all four of them, and maybe it would be a good time for him to get to know Kibum. Maybe. He still wanted to spend most of his time with Jongin, though. But he indulged in Jonghyun’s silent wish and replied. Kibum was quick to ask them to speak slower because they tended to talk faster when they weren't specifically addressing the nymphs. And if Jongin had at first seemed tense against Taemin, he soon relaxed, resting his cheek on Taemin's shoulder as he listened and ate most of Taemin's dumplings.

"Who wants some carrot cake?" Jonghyun asked once Kibum had finished his plate.

The elf prince didn't have the heart to tell him that that wasn't a very polite thing to do. He didn't mind anyway.

At his question, Jongin straightened up; he knew the word 'cake'. It was a very important word to know, after all. At the same time, Kibum gasped, a large smile promptly appearing on his bright face.

"Carrot cake? Kibum want! I want carrot cake!"

"I want too!" Jongin chirped. "Please."

Jonghyun blinked, staring at the wood nymph in surprise before he quickly nodded.

"Alright, one moment please."

He rummaged through his bag, taking out the box filled with cake slices and letting the two nymphs take most of them as they piled them up on their laps.

"What are you doing?" Taemin asked with a laugh.

"It is my cake," Jongin pouted. "Mine."

"I won't eat your cake, Nini, but you haven't even tried it before taking them all. Maybe you won't like carrot cake."

Jongin mumbled something inaudible, a frown on his face, before he started munching on a piece of cake.

"Isn't it one of the best things ever?" Kibum asked, already chewing on his second slice. "It's my favorite! I think that's why Jonghyun brought it. He knows I like it, you see... It was very sweet of him."

Jongin nodded along with his friend’s speech, not wanting to waste time answering when he could be eating instead, and he barely heard the two elves whispering to each other about greedy, sweet-toothed nymphs.

All of a sudden, Jongin stopped eating and sighed before he stole a glance at Taemin.

"Taemin..." he called.

"Yes, Love?"

Jongin couldn't help the smile blooming on his lips.

"Taemin look my cake, please?" he asked. "But you eat not!"

Before Taemin could answer, Jongin started piling his eight remaining slices of cake on Taemin's lap.

"Oh? Well, okay," Taemin stuttered. "But why?"

"I come again. Taemin wait. You eat not!"

Jongin gave him a very serious look, and Taemin nodded quickly, the shadow of a smile playing on his lips.

"I promise, I won't eat them."

Jongin bent down to press a soft kiss to Taemin's lips before he straightened up, grabbed an empty metal box off the table, and climbed over his seat, quickly disappearing through trees.

"Where are you going?" Kibum yelled after him.

"I want honey!"

"Oh," Kibum gasped.

And while Jonghyun and Taemin were laughing about how adorable nymphs were, Kibum was thinking that Jongin really did have the best ideas sometimes.

It took Jongin a little while to find a beehive, long enough for Taemin to frown and wonder where his lovely nymph had gone. He kept glancing between the spot where Jongin had disappeared and the pile of cakes still on his lap as he squirmed on his seat.

"Where did he go?" Jonghyun asked.

Taemin looked up at him and shrugged.

"I have no clue."

"Jong-nin want... uh-... he want a-... I do not know the word," Kibum admitted pitifully.

The frown on Taemin's face faded into a soft smile.

"It's okay, we'll see when he comes back," he said.

It was probably silly but hearing someone else pronounce that cute 'Jong-nin' made Taemin want to laugh. He didn't but only because he was scared that he might hurt Kibum by making him think he was making fun of him. Immersed in his thoughts, Taemin didn't hear when Jongin snuck up behind him.

"Taemin did not eat!" Jongin exclaimed, feeling satisfied as he peeked over his elf's shoulder and saw the right amount of carrot cake slices still waiting for him.

Taemin jumped in fright with a startled yelp before he turned toward the nymph.

"Dear Light, you scared me!" he exclaimed with wide eyes.

Jongin was quick to bend down, catching the cake that almost fell in Taemin's sudden movement, before he sat down next to him with a sheepish smile.

"I scared Taemin? Sorry."

"I just didn't hear you come back," Taemin pouted.

Jongin leaned in to kiss him once, then twice, and again and again until Taemin was smiling softly against his lips.

"So, what have you got there?"

Taemin pointed at the metal box in Jongin's hand, and the nymph straightened up to show him all of the honey he managed to get from the bees in the cherry tree a few miles away. He was very proud of himself.

"What is it?" Jongin asked with a tilt of his head, hoping that Taemin would teach him the Elvish word.

Taemin peeked at the golden liquid and smiled brightly.

"Oh, that's honey, Nini."

Jongin blinked a couple of times, then looked down at his honey pot.

"Ho-ninini," he repeated.

Taemin burst out in laughter so loud that it was Jongin's turn to jump on his seat, looking at his elf in confusion before he realized that Jonghyun was laughing too, though much more quietly.

"What is it?" Kibum asked, turning to Jonghyun with wide eyes. "What is it?"

"Taemin?" Jongin whined with a pout, not understanding what his lover found so amusing.

Did he mispronounce it that badly?

Taemin hid his smile behind one hand and tried to calm down enough to articulate an apology.

"I'm sorry, Love. I meant... this is honey. Only 'honey.' Nini is you, right?"

Jongin stared at him for a few seconds before he nodded slowly with an understanding hum.

"Ho-ni. And Nini is Nini."

"I'm sorry," Taemin whispered as he moved closer to kiss Jongin's cheek. "You're too cute sometimes."

"Am I?"

Taemin nodded, his eyes sparkling with tenderness, and Jongin relaxed against him.

"I don't get it," Kibum complained. "I do not understand!"

"'Nini' is just my nickname," Jongin sighed with red cheeks. "Honey is 'ho-ni' in Elvish. I got confused."

"Oh. Oh, I see."

It was quite something for the two elves to witness the nymphs talking to each other. They mostly knew the two were speaking because of the few Elvish words they randomly heard, and yet, as he looked between the two of them, Taemin could feel something. Something that he couldn't explain with words without sounding insane, he thought. Something that twinkled a little bit, something like a whisper of the wind, something he could acknowledge with all of his senses. He wondered if Jonghyun felt it too, but he didn't dare to ask.

If by any chance, this feeling came to him the same way he was able to hear Faerish miraculously, he didn't want to rub it in Jonghyun's face.

"Taemin?" Jongin called him softly, taking him from his thoughts.

"Mhm?"

Jongin pushed his little honey pot closer to Taemin and, without another word, gestured for him to eat it. He dipped his own carrot cake inside, then brought it to his mouth, marveling at the sweetness before he looked at his elf expectantly.

"That's brilliant," Taemin smiled as he mimicked him. "And delicious. Oh, that's really good."

Taemin put one hand to his lips as he off some honey that dripped on his chin. He blushed slightly when he realized how Jongin was looking at him, with a half-lidded stare that Taemin had learned to recognize. It sent a shiver down his spine.

"Can I have some?"

Jongin blinked, then frowned and looked over at Kibum, who was leaning toward him and eyeing his honey pot with bright eyes. The wood nymph pouted, quite displeased to have been interrupted in his contemplation of how absolutely gorgeous Taemin was.

"What?" he groaned.

Kibum scooted closer and hopped over the bench between them, holding out his carrot cake toward Jongin's honey pot.

"Can I have some, please?" he repeated.

Jongin immediately withdrew his pot from reach while looking at his best friend with round eyes.

"No, it's only for me and Taemin!"

"What?!"

"You can go get your own honey!"

Kibum glared at him, his mouth open in outrage. It took all of Jonghyun's self-control not to laugh at the sight.

It was cute, he thought, how he could perfectly understand what was going on without hearing a single word of the conversation apparently happening.

"That's so mean," Kibum cried out. "I'm going to tell Kyungsoo that you won’t share your honey! I'm going to tell him! Right now!"

"I will share it," Jongin simpered. "Only not with you. It's for Taemin."

"That's very rude, Jonginnie."

Jongin snorted and looked at his honey pot. He might have a lot of honey in there, but still... he had a lot of cake too, after all.

"I always share everything with you," Kibum kept going, his voice becoming acute.

"That's not true..." Jongin started, but Kibum interrupted him with a sigh.

"Are you going to mention the apricots again? It was one time, and it was... maybe... when I was this tall!"

Kibum put his hand a little too close to the ground because he had never actually been only 20 centimeters tall. Jongin just scrunched his nose and rolled his eyes.

"After that, I always shared everything and now, you don't tell me your secrets, and you don't share your honey, and we're here on this trip together but you make it only about Taemin and you as if I don't exist anymore, and I only wanted a little bit of honey after all. I don’t think I'm asking for a lot..."

Kibum stopped himself in the middle of his sentence when Jongin finally looked back at him with wide, guilty eyes. The wood nymph suddenly felt quite terrible. He had only been thinking about honey, truly; he hadn't meant for things to go that far. He hadn't meant to hurt Kibum or make him feel neglected. He had only wanted to eat honey with Taemin.

"Oh..." Jongin only whispered. "I'm sorry."

"Can I have some honey?" Kibum grunted.

Jongin slowly squirmed closer to Kibum and held out his honey pot with red cheeks in a silent apology.

"Here."

"Thank you. That's very kind of you."

Kibum dipped his cake inside and brought it to his mouth with a content smile before he made his way back to Jonghyun who was looking at him with something like pride and tenderness in his eyes.

Jongin looked down at his honey pot, glanced at Taemin who was smiling gently at him, glanced at Kibum who was happily nibling on his carrot cake, and then sighed. His hands tightened around his little pot as he got up and timidly made his way to Jonghyun before he shoved the honey right into Jonghyun's lap without a word.

The forest prince gasped in surprise and looked up to see Jongin looking at the ground, shifting on the balls of his feet. Jonghyun turned to Taemin, who looked just as surprised, then to Kibum, who looked completely taken aback.

"Um," Jonghyun coughed softly. "Is this for me?"

Jongin looked at him quickly before averting his eyes again.

"Jeon-gyun can eat ho-ni," he murmured. "With cake. It is good."

Jonghyun slowly brought his cake into the honey pot, dipping it in a little before he took it back and smiled at the wood nymph.

"Thank you, Jongin. That's very generous."

Jongin tilted his head but didn't dare ask for him to explain what he just said. Instead, he quickly went back to Taemin, leaving the honey pot on the table between them all before he cuddled into Taemin's side and let his elf feed him carrot cake slices soaked in honey.

Jongin thought that it was quite nice, in the end, to share his honey with everyone. Jonghyun even let him have one more carrot cake slice, and it wasn't that difficult to be kind to someone who gave him cakes. It was still a little hard to look at Jonghyun for too long, but he soon realized that Jonghyun wasn't looking at him either. The elf prince was far too busy looking at Kibum instead, which was very nice. It made it easier for Jongin. He was even able to stutter a few words in reply when Jonghyun talked to him while they were riding Chinua and Tahca after lunch, making their way to Mistburn. And Jongin was very proud of himself.

They arrived at Mistburn in the middle of the afternoon when the sun was still pretty high in the sky, and Kibum made sure to blow a soft breeze toward the two elves to help them bear the warmness of the day.

The water nymph had realized what place they were heading to half an hour before they even made it there. He heard the soft, running water from afar; he felt the air becoming light and misty as they drew closer; and he couldn't hide his excitement. It had made Jonghyun laugh.

Jongin had wanted to sit behind Taemin after lunch. He had tried to explain that he wanted to hug Taemin and that Taemin was the one who should be looking at the forest as they walked, and the elf had let him do as he pleased, as he always did. It had been a very lovely and comfy ride, in Jongin's opinion. He could rest his head on Taemin and doze off gently as the two elves talked with Kibum chirping between them; he could press a lot of little kisses on Taemin's neck and shoulders, and thread his fingers through the elf's hair to leave behind a few flowers.

When they finally arrived at Mistburn and moved around the trees hiding the place, Jongin was holding Taemin tight with his cheek resting on Taemin's shoulder, so he felt as much as he saw his elf gasp in surprise. Jongin immediately shifted and bent to see Taemin better as his lover’s beautiful eyes widened in disbelief, but Jongin still couldn't see him that well.

"Taemin?"

"Goodness gracious, that's magnificent..." Taemin whispered.

Jonghyun turned to him with a gentle smile; he looked excited.

"This is our precious Mistburn."

Taemin couldn't help the slight chuckle of incredulity that escaped his mouth. A low, but very large, hill extended before his eyes, trees sprouting between large rocks that formed a multitude of little ponds. He saw small waterfalls extending from one pool to another until they ended in puddles. They seemed to go on endlessly all around the hill, and the one behind it, and the one behind that one, far beyond what Taemin could see. There was a very delicate mist hovering above the ponds in little clouds before evaporating; it made the place look even more enchanting, even more magical. It was quiet, and Taemin couldn't help but wonder if it was because the forest was protecting them and keeping other creatures at bay or if it was just always that calm there.

Taemin felt Jongin getting down from Chinua, and he finally tore his eyes away from the breathtaking view to look down at his nymph, who seemed to be waiting for him.

"Do you know this place?" Taemin asked him as he got back down to the ground.

"Yes," Jongin said with a nod.

"Can we bathe? Is it allowed?" Taemin wondered aloud.

Jongin was about to answer that they could, of course they could since nymphs could do anything that they wanted anyway, but Jongin had to think about the words he needed, and Jonghyun was quicker.

"Yes, we can," Jonghyun said with a smile.

He went over to Taemin and grabbed his hand to take him to the foot of the hill.

"This is a very special place for the forest elves, actually," he explained as he looked around happily. "We come here for the forest to bless newborns. We all take our first swim in these ponds."

"Oh, really?"

"There's a saying," Jonghyun said with a chuckle, "that if you fall asleep in a pond at Mistburn, you might be lucky enough to see a spirit when you wake up. What do you think about that?"

Taemin let out a giggle.

"I think we've already been quite lucky; don't you think? We don't-..." his voice grew faint as he turned around and saw the gloomy look on his nymph's face. "Nini, are you okay?"

Jongin sniffed then quickly moved closer and took Taemin's free hand in his, tugging on it hard enough to move his elf so that he was closer to him than he was to Jonghyun. Taemin sighed, but his eyes softened, and he let go of Jonghyun's hand with an apologetic smile.

He saw Jonghyun swallow quietly and nod without a word.

Jongin glanced at Kibum, and in the heavy silence that fell between all of them, a thousand words were spoken.

Jongin brought Taemin's hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly before he looked at him with apologetic eyes.

"Come with me, please," he requested.

Taemin agreed softly and let Jongin lead him through the maze of rocks snaking across the hills. They walked in silence for a couple of minutes, and Taemin kept his soft gaze on Jongin's neck, wondering what he was thinking, what he was feeling, what he didn't dare to say or didn't know how to.

When Jongin stopped, they were standing next to a fairly large pond that was surrounded by dense, flowery bushes. The nymph turned around to look at him and smiled weakly.

"We bathe?"

Taemin smiled softly, and he saw Jongin’s tension immediately ease in front of him.

"I would love to."

The nymph's gaze shifted to Taemin's clothes, and he slowly brought his hands to his elf's shirt to it. His heart raced as he unveiled more and more of Taemin's soft skin, and Jongin couldn't help but lean in closer to kiss from his elf’s collarbones to his arms before kneeling in front of Taemin and pressing kisses to his waist as he took off his pants. He heard Taemin gasp and looked up to smirk at him.

"Don't look at me like that," Taemin protested, covering Jongin's face with one hand to hide his own embarrassment.

"Sorry," Jongin said in a giggle.

Jongin took off Taemin's shoes and socks, then, and got back up to leave a peck on his lips. He stepped back before Taemin could lean in and deepen the kiss.

"Nini?"

Jongin laced their fingers together and pulled Taemin closer to him, slowly guiding him as they entered the pond. He was careful, making sure there were rocks for Taemin to walk on so he wouldn't fall.

The water was warm, and Taemin hummed in appreciation, sighing softly when Jongin moved close enough to hold him. They were standing in the middle of the pond, the water gently swaying around their waists as Taemin wrapped his arms around Jongin’s neck and held him tight. He felt the nymph brush his face against his neck and kiss his ear.

"Taemin?"

"Yes?"

"I am sorry."

Taemin almost pulled back to look at him, but Jongin held him tighter, pressing his cheek against his elf's shoulder, and Taemin understood that he felt too shy to meet his gaze. He had gotten used to Jongin's shyness by then.

"Why are you apologizing?" Taemin asked gently, brushing one of his hands through Jongin's hair.

"I do not know all the words," Jongin sighed. "I am sorry that I am nervous with Jeon-gyun."

Taemin moved slowly; he cupped his nymph's face and pressed their noses together until Jongin's frown vanished.

"What makes you nervous exactly?"

"Jeon-gyun see Taemin always and talk to you always. But now, I want see Taemin and talk with Taemin. Nini and Taemin. You and me only."

Taemin smiled softly, realizing that Jongin was trying to say he was jealous and just didn’t know the right words.

"I'm the one who's sorry, then," Taemin said, and he saw Jongin furrow his eyebrows. "I'm sorry. But Nini, you know that I love you, right? I love only you."

"Yes," Jongin sighed. "But you marry Jeon-gyun. And I am sad."

Jongin stepped back and took Taemin's hands in his once more. His heart was beating too fast with the nervousness he felt at bringing all of this up; he was scared that Taemin would be annoyed with him, but it had been Jinki's advice, a long time ago, that when things got a little bit out of hand, the only way out was to talk. And Jongin had thought that it was really good advice, even from someone who liked to fly with his head down more often than up.

"I know you are friend with Jeon-gyun," Jongin whispered. "I have friend too. But when I see Taemin with Jeon-gyun and I do not understand what you say and Jeon-gyun... touch you and you smile... I am nervous and sad."

At that moment, Taemin realized just how much Jongin could say in Elvish. He felt like an idiot to notice it just then, at what was probably the worst moment. But he did. It made Jongin's explanations all the more touching to him.

He had known that their adventure would be difficult at times; he had talked about it to Jonghyun already. But sometimes, he failed to understand how upsetting it must be just for Jongin to hear about the other prince.

He wondered if there was a way for the four of them to overcome all those delicate feelings. He wasn't sure that a conversation would suffice, even with the help of one of their fairy friends who could translate for them.

As he was lost in thought, Taemin remembered something Junmyeon had told him once, months before. He had said that things just felt like a lot because they happened all at the same time and that everything would be better once the wedding was over. They would have time to settle down; they would have time to accept each other without jealousy tainting their relationships.

"Taemin?"

Jongin's voice was weak, and Taemin blinked back to reality to see his pouty nymph looking at him in dismay.

"You are angry with Nini?"

"What? No, not at all. Nini, no. I understand," Taemin hurried to answer.

Jongin nodded, but he still looked regretful.

"Nini, I understand. I promise. And I'll be more careful... I'm sorry we didn't realize how fast we speak. I'm sorry I made you feel sad. I never meant to."

Taemin quickly tiptoed forward, never taking his hands from the hold Jongin had on them, and kissed the nymph.

"I'll be more careful," he said again, between two kisses. "Don't pout."

"You love only Nini, yes?" Jongin whispered, purposely pouting even more.

"Yes, yes, yes," Taemin giggled. "I only love you. I will only love you forever."

Jongin smiled brightly, and as little golden buttercups appeared in his hair, Taemin felt like all of their worries were slowly vanishing. Suddenly, the nymph let go of him to dive into the water and swim around his elf. He left a trail of flowers floating behind him, and Taemin watched as he stayed underwater for so long that he knew he wouldn't have been able to do the same without needing air. Then he splashed water at Jongin as soon as he reappeared. Jongin huffed in surprise, shook his head, and looked at Taemin in utter disbelief before he grinned and jumped at him, giggling at the cry his elf let out.

They played around, chasing each other around the small pond until Taemin was short of breath, and Jongin had him cornered against the edge. Then Taemin fluttered his eyelashes until his nymph smiled in admiration and forgot any plans he had to annoy him further and instead dived in to kiss him. Jongin pressed Taemin between the corner of the pond and his body, his hands roaming over the elf's ribs, back and shoulders.

"Do you know what Jonghyun told me?" Taemin whispered against Jongin's lips.

Jongin frowned, wondering why Taemin had to bring the other prince back into the conversation when they had been doing just fine not thinking about him.

"What?" he muttered, the pout back on his lips.

"He said-..." Taemin simpered, "Actually, the elves here, all of them in the forest... they say something."

"What they say?" Jongin sighed as he kissed from Taemin's jaw to his ear.

It made Taemin shiver in his arms, and Jongin loved it.

"They say that if I sleep here... in the water... then I will see a spirit."

"Spiri'?" Jongin asked absentmindedly.

He thought he knew that word, but he wasn't sure anymore, and he was very busy moving his hands towards Taemin's , so it was difficult for him to focus on elvish words.

"Mhmm, a spirit. A nymph, maybe..."

That word made Jongin stop kissing Taemin's neck. He tilted his head to look at him, his hands finally on Taemin's .

"Taemin do not need sleep. I am here."

Before Taemin could answer, Jongin leaned down just enough to wrap his hands around his lover's thighs and force his legs around his waist. Taemin gasped and tried to regain his balance by putting his hands around Jongin's neck.

"Nini?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing?" Taemin murmured with a smile.

The nymph was holding him tightly and nuzzling Taemin's cheek, eyes closed, lips leaving a myriad of small kisses on Taemin's skin. At the elf's question, Jongin stilled and opened his eyes to look at him. Something was shifting in his eyes, and Taemin couldn't quite pinpoint what it was, but his smile softened, and he felt his heart swell in his chest.

"I do not know the words," Jongin whispered pensively. "I want you."

Taemin exhaled loudly as a deep blush spread across his face before he bit his lip to contain a broad grin.

"Nini, when you say that... It means you want to make love."

Jongin straightened a little, blinking like an owl for a couple of seconds before he giggled and kissed his elf.

"It is good too. I want you."

Taemin pinched Jongin's nose between his fingers and tightened the hold of his thighs around the nymph's waist.

"Well," he said, unable to keep the smirk off his face when he saw Jongin’s eyes widen. "We could make love tonight."

"Tonight?"

Taemin wiggled his eyebrows with a sneaky laugh.

"I thought... that maybe... when we go to sleep… I mean, Jonghyun prepared everything to camp, but maybe we could sneak away to our home… when they're asleep..."

"Taemin," Jongin interrupted him with a pout. "Too much words."

"Right, sorry," Taemin coughed. "When Jonghyun and Kibum sleep, we can go home, right? And when we're home..."

He looked pointedly at his nymph who grinned back at him, his whole face brightening at the prospect of such a wonderful night awaiting him.

"Yes," Jongin exclaimed happily. "Yes, tonigh' we go home. And we make love!"

Jongin kissed Taemin with the same sweet devotion that always poured out of his entire being, the same sweet devotion that the mountain elf loved so dearly. The bushes around them bloomed, leaves curling and twisting and opening up while the two lovers basked in each other's attention.

When they parted, Jongin turned around to sit on some rocks, keeping Taemin on his lap as they rested and relaxed after a whole day of riding. Taemin's stiff body was slowly loosening in Jongin's arms.

"What did you want to say, earlier?" Taemin asked at one point, suddenly remembering how thoughtful Jongin had looked.

"What?"

"When you said that you wanted me..." Taemin explained, his cheeks turning red again. "What did you mean exactly? Why were you rubbing against me like that?"

As Jongin’s hands up and down his lover’s back, the nymph let his gaze get lost in the clouds reflected on the water. He didn’t know how to explain what he had felt. He didn’t know how to describe the deep longing that had invaded his heart, his lungs, his bones, and even the very core of his being. He wondered if it was something elves could feel, if it was something Taemin could feel, but he couldn’t help thinking that they probably couldn’t. His eyes flickered to where their bodies pressed against each other, so close that they melded together and emitted a soft glow, a delicate golden color that was created by their embrace.

He wanted to belong to Taemin. He longed to give himself over. He yearned for this color, wished it would always be there, shinning soft and beautiful and far more lovely than the shade he had alone.

"I want the color of you and me," he murmured.

He sounded contemplative as if he knew that Taemin wouldn't understand.

Taemin leaned back to look him in the eyes and smiled so very tenderly that Jongin could swear his heart forgot to beat for a few moments. Taemin framed the nymph's face with his small fingers, his cheeks, his jaw, his nose, and then his lips.

"Then," he said, "I will stay close to you. So you can always see it."

Deep down, Jongin knew that it was a lie. He knew that Taemin couldn't always stay close to him and that at some point, he would go back to Melalhil, and Jongin would be left with his own golden color that now seemed much duller. But it didn't matter.

Taemin's gentle promise made a soft pink magnolia flower bloom in Jongin's hair.

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Hi there!!

Thank you for reading! Thank you for still being here! Thank you for loving this story with me ♥♥

I really hope you liked this chapter. If you would be so kind as to tell me what you thought of it, I would be eternally grateful.

Now, have a very nice day, or evening, or night...

Take good care of yourself & I hope to see you soon again ♥