Chapter 38: Interlude

~ Oh, what happiness! Oh, how glad I am! ~

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When Kyungsoo had heard word that Jongin was back in his clearing and done with his little trip through the forest with his lovers and his friends, he immediately asked if Chanyeol would like to join him as he would go meet his nymph. He hadn't seen him in weeks and the fairy missed him dearly. He was also extremely curious to know how their adventures had gone, although he would probably not admit it that easily – Kyungsoo truly disliked admitting his intense desire to know things at times, thinking that someone (who? Nobody knew for sure, but it was probably Jinki that Kyungsoo was so concerned about) might and call him nosy.

He also had to make sure that Jongin wasn't dramatically moping because he missed his elf too much. That was, actually, the perfect and very legitimate excuse he could give to mask his terrible curiosity.

It was quite obvious that, as soon as he had been asked, Chanyeol had agreed to accompany Kyungsoo to the nymphs' clearing. First and foremost because he would follow Kyungsoo anywhere at this point. But also because he was extremely happy to see Jongin again, along with all of their other friends.

They left the fauns' valley together, discussing their new neighbor, a young faun who had asked Chanyeol for harp lessons in exchange for some of the peaches he had harvested on his property – sort of, he simply had a few peach trees next to his den. It was quite an important subject of conversation for Chanyeol because he had never managed to get along with his kind; so the prospect of another faun seeking his company and knowledge was astonishing, to say the least. Thus, Kyungsoo let him stammer and babble about it for as long as Chanyeol felt like it – which was a long time. Kyungsoo didn't mind.

Actually, Kyungsoo had found himself, against all possible odds, not minding Chanyeol's babbling more often than not. Even more unanticipated, he genuinely liked to hear Chanyeol's thoughts, even when they were nonsensical and didn't follow each other in a clear, understandable pattern.

Something was soothing about Chanyeol's joyful voice and his amazement for everything around him that often reminded Kyungsoo of Jongin when the nymph was far younger. And Kyungsoo was so captivated by Chanyeol's story of that time he welcomed a family of squirrels into his home because their nest had been destroyed by a wind too strong (how Chanyeol had gone from the peaches and the harp lessons to a family of squirrels, Kyungsoo wasn't sure he could explain without getting lost), that he didn't realize they had already reached the nymphs' clearing.

Chanyeol halted both his steps and his story, and sighed contentedly. They were facing the small path in between trees that lead to the hidden meadow. With the arrival of summer, it was even more flowery; all the little spring buds had opened, joined by a new myriad of seasonal blossoms. As Chanyeol passed through the first tree arch, they finally perceived the distant, loud laughs of their friends.

"Oh, Jongdae is here too," Kyungsoo hummed as he squirmed, sitting on Chanyeol's hair.

Chanyeol had never seen the meadow so colorful. All the trees were still in bloom, casting long, moving shadows on the ground covered in flowers. Little clumps of snow-in-summer flowers scattered around like white clouds, making the poppies and marigolds detonate even more with their bright colors, even among the pink geraniums and purple alliums.

There were too many flowers for Chanyeol to count or recognize but the sight of the nymphs' clearing caused his heart to swell and soar, overwhelmed in beauty. Sitting among the flowers as one of them, was Jongin. Next to him, Kibum was floating and swimming in his pond covered in waterlilies and sending droplets of water toward Jongdae and Jinki, who were flying in the air trying to avoid the attacks.

Jongdae was the first one who noticed the newcomers and his second of inattention costed him to be hit in the face with water, causing him to cry out and cough.

"It doesn't count," he screamed. "It doesn't count because I got distracted!"

"You bet it counts," Jinki snorted as he dodged yet another droplet as if his life was on the line.

Jongdae was so outraged that he didn't realize he was Kibum's target once more and got hit by another drop on his face. Both Kibum and Jongin laughed at his misfortune and Jongdae scowled.

"But wait! Chanyeol and Kyungsoo arrived!"

Kibum immediately straightened up in his pond and his arm fell back against the water while Jongin turned around, his face brightening impossibly as soon as he caught sight of the little fairy who was racing to him.

"Kyungsoo?!"

The choked cry that resonated in the clearing caused Kyungsoo to freeze amid his flight and only the force of his momentum allowed him to plop close enough to Jongin for the nymph to catch him expertly. Jongin looked down at his disoriented little fairy with a happy smile but before he could say anything, Heechul had raised from the begonia he had been sitting on, sunbathing calmly, to plow into Jongin's hand as well.

"Kyungsoo-ya! At last, I find you," Heechul screeched, as dramatically as he could.

"Oh, bother," Kyungsoo whispered.

He let himself fall on Jongin's fingers like a lifeless doll, accepting his fate as he saw Heechul hover above him with a large grin.

Chanyeol had come closer, wobbling on his legs until he could kneel next to the wood nymph and softly greet everyone.

"Hi, are you Heechul?" he asked the red-haired fairy.

Heechul turned around to stare at the faun seriously for a couple of seconds before he broke into another grin.

"At your service. Have you heard of me? Did Kyungsoo spoke about me?"

"Yes, he did," Chanyeol nodded.

"He told you only good things, I hope," Heechul chirped.

Kyungsoo snorted.

"You wish."

"Kyungsoo, are you alright?" Jongin asked gently.

The fairy glanced at him and smiled.

"Yes, I am fine, Jongin my dear. I'm so very happy to see you again," Kyungsoo said before he turned a dark glare to Heechul and grumbled. "Even though I had to see this individual as well."

"Now now, Kyungsoo," Heechul sighed, "is this a way to treat very old friends?"

Kyungsoo huffed in a bad mood.

"It's very nice to have everyone around," Kibum said as he pushed around the waterlilies where Jongdae and Jinki had decided to sit. "Should we get something to drink? Is anyone hungry?"

"I am always hungry," Jinki simpered.

"I'd like something to drink," Chanyeol said timidly. "Kyungsoo was-... We were hoping you'd like to tell us about your trip."

Kibum didn't give enough time for Chanyeol to get any shyer about his request, far too excited that he was to be given a chance – and even better, to be asked – to rhapsodize about his elf and narrate their wonderful trip down to the very last detail.

"But of course," Kibum exclaimed, "I will tell you everything! Everything! Jongdae, why don't you make tea? Jongin has a tea set in his nest, I believe. I must have some cakes left..."

For a moment, a terrible agitation shook the clearing. Jongin and Jongdae went away to make tea, thus the nymph had to put down the fairies in his hands and left them under a couple of daisies. Chanyeol got up to help Kibum fetch the little cookies he had stored between some rocks of his waterfall, protected by both a tiny chest and Jinki's magic so they wouldn't waste. Jinki busied himself making room for their snacks and bringing little rocks around with magic to serve as tables.

So much so that Kyungsoo had nothing left to do but sit there waiting, next to Heechul. In other words, he was left alone doing the only thing he precisely didn't want to do. So he stubbornly looked away, hoping that if he ignored the other fairy well enough, Heechul wouldn't want to bother him. And to his utmost surprise, it worked. Heechul sang to himself and didn't even try to speak to him until everyone was back.

Jongin sat back close to Kyungsoo with a happy grin and offered him a hand that the fairy immediately flew into, and the nymph gently his head and back with one finger.

"I've missed you a lot," Jongin whispered as Kibum was already started on to their epic, wonderful, enchanting peregrinations.

"I've missed you as well," Kyungsoo smiled.

For a couple of hours, the seven friends sat together, ate, drank, and joked. And Heechul watched closely as Kyungsoo relaxed and fluttered around between Jongin and Chanyeol.

Kibum was doing most of the talking, narrating endlessly every little thing that they saw and Jongin only chirped here and then, commenting on which places Taemin had loved the most. Eventually, Kibum's tale came to the end of their journey and their visit to the heart of the forest, and the water nymph threw a pointed look at Jongin, inviting him to continue in his place.

It took the wood nymph a moment to understand where his friend was going with that but ultimately, he gasped and his face brightened in glee.

"I uh-... I have an announcement to make," Jongin said softly.

Kyungsoo, who was sitting in one of Chanyeol's big hands at the time, looked at him with blatant curiosity.

"What is it?" Jongdae asked joyfully.

Jongin took a long inhale to give himself some courage and his glance fell onto the ground, on the small pink flower next to his foot. It would be far easier for him to talk to a geranium rather than to face everyone. He cleared his throat before he finally spoke.

"Well. It's about Taemin and me."

"I didn't see that one coming," Jinki whispered in a little snort and Kibum shushed him.

"I gave him the gift," Jongin said simply, for a lack of a better, grander, more amazing way to announce such important news. "I bounded myself to him."

Both Chanyeol and Jinki gasped. Jongdae leaned closer to Heechul to ask him in a murmur what Jongin meant by that and Heechul snickered before he explained the situation to him in an undertone, with words as simple as possible.

Jongin very timidly glanced at Kyungsoo from the corner of his eyes, hoping that the fairy wouldn't react too awkwardly. Kibum had been overjoyed for him, which had felt great, but Jongin couldn't help but wonder if Kyungsoo would be upset or would tell him that he went too fast. The last thing the nymph wanted was to disappoint his little fairy.

But exactly as Kibum had predicted, Jongin found Kyungsoo crying. He was sniffing so loudly that he brought Chanyeol out of his astonishment and both the faun and the wood nymph hovered over the fairy to make sure he was alright.

"Soo', why are you crying?" Jongin exclaimed, alarmed by the unending tears of the tiny creature bawling his eyes out. "Are you mad?"

Kyungsoo got up with the help of Chanyeol's long finger and made a few tottering steps towards the nymph, hoping Jongin would catch him – which he did.

"No-oh," Kyungsoo gasped as he tried to wipe his tears away. "But you-... Oh dear Light, you found your forever mate already. My tiny little nymph... You know, I felt it... I felt it deep down. I suspected-... Every time you kept repeating that he was yours... I thought he might be your soulmate. And here you are now. You grew up... s-so fast!"

Jongin's eyes widened impossibly and he brought his fairy closer to his face to kiss his head, glancing at their friends to see them all smiling and squirming away to give them a semblance of privacy.

"You don't think I acted too quickly?" Jongin asked quietly with a worried frown.

Kyungsoo blinked a few times to get rid of his tears and looked up to the nymph with wide eyes.

"Did it feel right?" he inquired gently.

"Yes."

"Then, I trust you, Jongin. You know better than I do what is right for you now."

Jongin's smile was blinding. He tried to fight it to press another few kisses on the fairy until Kyungso was laughing and swatting his face away playfully.

"I am so impossibly happy for you. Congratulations."

"Thank you. It means a lot."

Chanyeol timidly leaned closer to compliment Jongin as well on his union, and Jongdae used his magic to make a rain of tiny pink flowers fall on the wood nymph. They congratulated him in turns until Jongin was blushing, wildflowers sprouting everywhere around his head. Heechul asked if he would be allowed to be introduced to both Taemin and Jonghyun one day and that was when Kibum squealed about wanting to organize a gathering of some kind for all of their friends to meet properly. He was extremely excited at such a prospect, especially since Jongin had said he wouldn't mind it.

In the middle of the afternoon, Jongdae began to shake his head in jerky little moves that Jongin recognized all too well. It was Minho, trying to reach him to deal with important things in the castle, and Jongdae was desperately trying to break their telepathic bound as the nymph had seen him do so many times when Junmyeon wanted to speak to him.

It took everyone's efforts and insistence -even Jinki's gentle nudges- for Jongdae to accept with a dramatic sigh to go back to the castle and to tell the two princes that they were very loved and thought of. Jinki left after Jongdae; he had some business to attend to with three leprechauns. Something about a kazoo and a devil's ivy that no one, not even Kibum or Heechul, perfectly understood.

It grew a little quieter in the meadow. Kyungsoo flew to begin cleaning Jongin's teacups and that was the precise moment Chanyeol had been silently, patiently waiting for. As casually as he could, not to awaken his fairy friend's suspicion, the faun innocently turned to Jongin and asked about the nymph's gift and bonding, in spirit language.

Kyungsoo did look up when he realized how silent his friends were, only to find them in a conversation he couldn't hear. But he shook his head quickly and shrugged, letting them discuss whatever it was they needed privacy for.

The nymph's mating ritual was a very curious thing to Chanyeol, that he had barely heard of in little whispers here and there. He was still very young, unknowing of romantic love, and he couldn't quite grasp the need to tie oneself to someone else in such a way. Even as Jongin tried to put words onto his feelings, Chanyeol only nodded, the little frown on his face never leaving for he couldn't possibly imagine the longing, the yearning, the craving that Jongin spoke of. The intense need to be united to the person he loved more than he ever thought he could.

"I don't think I've felt that love yet," Chanyeol said glibly. "Why exactly do you love Taemin so dearly?"

Jongin sighed with a content smile.

"For so many reasons, Chanyeol... So many reasons..."

"Which reasons?"

Jongin's dreamy eyes got lost somewhere in the green of his willow tree's leaves. He tilted his head and remained quiet for a moment as he tried to find the correct words to describe his passionate, tender feelings. Chanyeol thought for a moment that he wouldn't get any answer, but Jongin finally spoke, in his most gentle voice.

"I love him for his kindness. Once, when I couldn't speak Elvish very well yet, Taemin sat with me and taught me flower names in Elvish. I couldn't say them well but he repeated them until I managed. He's patient and caring... You know when I met him-... When I met him, he didn't try to follow me. He let me come to him and let me speak to him. He let me find my pace and he never asked anything of me. I love him because when he walks around the forest, he's always careful not to walk on flowers. And I love him because he shares with me everything that makes him happy. He always makes sure that I understand him and he's never upset when I don't remember a word. I feel safe when he's next to me and I feel lonely when he's not. Everything that he does is suffused with sweetness and thoughtfulness. I'm in love with the way he looks at the forest and how he always wants to learn everything about it, everything about me, everything around him. Even when he's a little annoying and pushes me away in his sleep, I still love him."

Chanyeol was looking at Jongin with wide eyes, slightly in awe. He was so lost in thoughts and contemplations that he didn't notice Jongin turning away from him to speak softly with Kibum. The faun sat there, wondering if he would ever feel such love.

He had forgotten about his sly little plan and didn't notice that it had worked as perfectly as he had hoped.

Heechul distractedly made his way to Kyungsoo – or at least, he tried to look as if it wasn't calculated, as if he happened to walk around, and had stumbled onto the other fairy by coincidence. It was perfectly silly and Kyungsoo understood his intentions right away. Worst of all, Kyungsoo knew that Heechul knew that he had seen right through him and Heechul knew that Kyungsoo knew that Heechul knew – it was a very annoying mess that was exactly the typical Heechul behavior that Kyungsoo abhorred.

"Kyungsoo-ya... It's only you and me here now," Heechul simpered while batting his eyelashes like an innocent doe.

Kyungsoo glanced at the three spirits discussing quietly a little farther away from them and sighed.

"It seems so."

"Can we talk?"

"Do I have a choice?"

Heechul's face softened. It lost most of its mischief as if a veil had fallen to the ground and Kyungsoo was left staring at old, gentle eyes.

There was a duality in Heechul that Kyungsoo had had trouble with for centuries. He had spent such a long time wondering which of his personalities was a mask and which was real. But in time, he had come to realize that it was simply the way the fairy was. Far more complex, far deeper than what the eye could see – even with the blessed sight of the sacred beings.

Kyungsoo wondered if it was the burden of long lives, if he was bound to become so secretive, so changing and incomprehensible; or if maybe, he already was.

"I think we should talk," Heechul said, with that carefree tone of his contrasting with his serious expression. "But if truly, you have come to hate me so much that you don't want anything to do with me, I will respect that decision of yours."

Kyungsoo huffed.

"I don't hate you."

It was such a strong word! Far too strong. Far too irrevocable.

"I'm relieved," Heechul chirped. "Then, can we talk?"

"Alright."

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes but eventually sat down, his arms crossed over his chest, throwing a baleful glance at Chanyeol for abandoning him to Heechul's claws like this.

"I see you've found a new protégé," Heechul hummed.

Kyungsoo eased slightly.

"I suppose I did."

"May I ask how you came to befriend a faun, out of all creatures in the forest? Last time I saw you, you were scared of them."

"I wasn't scared-..." Kyungsoo grumbled despite knowing that Heechul was very right. But then he sighed. "Jongin found him being bullied by one of his kind. He decided to befriend him and... I followed along. He's very touching, very sweet... for a faun."

Heechul smiled genuinely. His eyes on Kyungsoo sharpened, on the lookout for the smallest signs. Of what? Kyungsoo wasn't sure he knew. Heechul's motivations towards him were blurry.

"You really can't help taking care of others, can you?"

"And what about it?"

Heechul only chuckled.

"Are you happy?"

"Yes, I am," Kyungsoo said before he could think deeply about it.

His sincere answer surprised him more than the other fairy. It had been a long time since he had asked himself such a thing, since he had last thought about it. And yet, he felt it deep in his bones. He was happy.

"I want to apologize to you," Heechul whispered.

Kyungsoo gasped and looked at him as if the older fairy had just confessed a thief.

"You do?" he choked.

Heechul had never looked as honest as at that moment and Kyungsoo found it extremely suspicious.

"Ah," Heechul breathed out, "it's really difficult to say, isn't it? I've been thinking so much about it since I came back. With everyone telling me you were avoiding me... I thought a lot. I wanted to hunt you down at first, you know, and then I didn't... And I reflected on everything we've been through together, such a long time ago. I remember when you were just tiny as an hazelnut and following me around..."

Kyungsoo gritted his teeth, ready to lie that such a thing had never happened, but Heechul didn't let him.

"I treated you badly," Heechul sighed. "After the war. After Hongshim died..."

Kyungsoo trembled. He cowered instinctively and Heechul leaned to put a hand on his thigh in a show of comfort.

"Kyungsoo-ya, I was so worried about you. I didn't know how to process your pain, I didn't know how to help you. When you told Baekhyun that you wished to abandon your immortality... It scared me more than the war, you know. I couldn't accept it. I realize now that the way I acted was wrong but you have to believe me when I say that all I wanted was to make sure you were alright. You're the one who takes care of others and I'm not good at it."

Kyungsoo let his head fall in his hands, his elbows on his knees, and didn't try to push Heechul away.

"You were insufferable," he said. "Always on my back, screeching in my ears at any time of the day or night. I couldn't hear myself think, nor grief in peace."

"I am sorry. I did the same mistake with Baekhyun when he lost Yixing. I always... want to do something and I forget that some people need calm to handle their feelings. I just needed you to get better already and I thought that as long as I was watching you, you were safe."

Kyungsoo looked up with squinted eyes and studied Heechul's calm, apologetic face.

"Ah, what to do with you?" he grunted.

Heechul's smile bloomed on his face faster than light.

"Forgive me?"

Kyungsoo had a dramatic, theatrical snort.

"Maybe I could do that," he said and Heechul brightened, "if you promise to be more considerate in the future."

Heechul brought a hand on his chest with a very pompous, silly face.

"I solemnly swear to be more mindful of your -and anyone's- feelings."

Ultimately, Kyungsoo relaxed and a very small, relieved smile stretched his lips. It felt as if a very heavy burden lifted from his shoulders after decades. As if, after all those years, the last anvils keeping him down, preventing him from moving on from his mourning had vanished.

"Thank you."

Heechul laughed and brought his head on Kyungsoo's shoulder, leaning against him and looking up to him with his round eyes. Kyungsoo thought that he had truly never seen such a dumb fairy. Even young Jongdae and foolish Jinki couldn't compete with so much craziness.

"Are you happy we're friends again?"

"I think I'll live to regret this, but yes... I'm glad."

Heechul howled and whooped with delight. He got up and flew away to the three spirits to spread the good news, ultimately disappearing into the forest in large loops, cackling to whoever could hear that Kyungsoo had forgiven him and that it was the grandest days of all.

Kyungsoo dusted his clothes and got up as well, feigning indifference to the spirits looking at him, and mumbled.

"Well, that's a good thing done."

When they left the nymph's clearing, Chanyeol was uncharacteristically quiet. Kyungsoo was sitting on one of his horns. They had grown long and sturdy in the last few months; Chanyeol was terribly proud of them and he always got very flattered when Kyungsoo decided to chill there.

Sometimes, Kyungsoo thought that he was getting too used to traveling at Chanyeol's wobbly pace, comfortably sitting on the faun's head. But he didn't care enough about being called lazy to stop. No one would dare call him that anyway.

"Kyungsoo..." Chanyeol finally said quietly.

"Yes, Dear?"

"I'm glad you made up with Heechul."

Kyungsoo smiled. He leaned on the twist of Chanyeol's horn keeping him safely in place and patted the antler softly.

"You pushed me, didn't you? I saw how you swiftly made it so that I would be left to talk to him."

Chanyeol tensed under him.

"Are you upset?"

"No, I'm not. Thank you for helping me. I was really being too stubborn avoiding him to such extent."

Chanyeol relaxed slightly but Kyungsoo could still feel that something was bothering him. It was so unlike his little faun to be so quiet and pensive.

"What's on your mind?" the fairy encouraged him softly.

Chanyeol let out a sad sigh and stopped walking. They were in a quiet spot of the forest, amongst giant pine trees. Light came down in warming beams through their high branches.

"Will you go back to Hazelbarrow now?"

Kyungsoo straightened up abruptly, his eyes widening in confusion. He gasped, too surprised to speak.

"When you came," Chanyeol continued in a murmur, " you said that you needed to hide from him... Heechul. So... will you leave?"

Kyungsoo frowned. There was something odd in Chanyeol's phrasing that contradicted his shivering voice. The fairy took off to look at him better and the faun immediately extended his hand to let him land there. As they faced each other, Kyungsoo saw Chanyeol's twitching eyebrows and pursed lips. He was trying so desperately to put on a brave face.

"Do you want me to leave?" Kyungsoo asked him gently.

Chanyeol remained silent for a moment. He weighed the pros and cons of being honest and ultimately decided that he'd rather be truthful than proud. There was no use in pretending that he didn't care about the fairy staying with him or not.

He shook his head with sorrowful eyes.

"I understand if you want to go back... with your friends and your house and everything," Chanyeol sighed pitifully. "I don't want to burden you... but I love living with you and I love when we cook together and when we sing and I wish you didn't have to go. I will miss you terribly."

Kyungsoo gave him a tender smile that lightened Chanyeol's heavy heart.

"I don't have to go, though," Kyungsoo pointed out.

"You don't?" Chanyeol blinked and tilted his head.

"I don't."

They looked at each other in silence.

"Do you want to go?" Chanyeol frowned.

"I'd much rather stay with you if you'll have me."

A large, beautiful smile brightened Chanyeol's face, revealing all his pearly teeth. It might have seemed slightly frightening, but to Kyungsoo, it was only immensely endearing.

"Yes, of course! Of course! You are always welcome, for as long as you'd like! Forever, even!" Chanyeol chirped as he got back walking.

Kyungsoo laughed joyfully.

It was such a pleasant thought to picture himself staying in Chanyeol's den for a couple of decades, at the very least. The faun's company was soothing after so many years living alone, in silence. He hadn't missed Hazelbarrow that much lately or far less than he had thought he would. The village always bursting with people and magic -no matter how much Kyungsoo still loved it- was lonely to him.

And Chanyeol's, on the other hand, was lively. And he needed Kyungsoo. The fairy realized how right Heechul had been.

As he had seen Jongin growing more and more independent in the last year, his heart had searched for another soft soul to protect – to Kyungsoo's naive ignorance and denial. But he wondered if in the end, just like Jongin, Chanyeol hadn't helped him more than Kyungsoo ever could.

Chanyeol was animatedly talking about crickets and cicadas as they headed to Hazelbarrow.

With Kyungsoo's magic and Chanyeol's large hands, they extracted Kyungsoo's house from the ground and the faun happily brought it back to his lair in the faun's valley, never complaining about its weight. Kyungsoo couldn't find it in himself to whine about how all of his precious books had been thrown to the ground with the turbulent travel.

It was a beautiful afternoon. Chanyeol picked a few apples from the tree in front of his home, cut them, sprinkled them with cinnamon the way Kyungsoo had taught him to, and came closer to the little house sitting in one corner of his den to share his snack with his fairy.

"Are you happy?" Kyungsoo asked his friend.

"Immensely so!" Chanyeol answered.

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Hi there ♥

Thank you for reading. I hope you're all doing well & you all appreciated coming back to our forest for this little interlude about Kyungsoo.
Until next time, please take care of yourself.

The title of today's interlude is a quote from the Moomins. (book: The Exploits of Moominpappa)