Curled on the art stool sat Taemin, Amber’s book in hand. He was mumbling the words under his breath, the sun high in the sky. Taemin was done with his morning classes for the day and had decided to get his artistic ideas on canvas. But Amber’s book had caught his attention and he had started to read.

He placed the book down after reading a few segments and stared at the far wall blinking. Taemin was in absolute awe. It wasn’t a novel, this book that he held in his hands. It was a collection of short stories dealing with the four elementals that were created on Earth before mankind even existed.

Taemin closed his eyes and imagined it.

A goddess, from a realm filled with violence and war, was cast out accused of the worst crime. She was to never return to her realm, destined to wander the cold universe forever alone to think of her actions and atone for them.

And so she wandered, anger and resentment filled her core for being alone was the worst punishment.

She had happened upon a planet that glowed blue and green like a jewel in her realm. And with peaked curiosity she had visited it to find a world of such precious quality. Oceans and skies that seemed to stretch forever into the horizon, land that grew green in the presence of running water, winds that blew sandstorms in the distant deserts and gently ruffled the leaves on trees, molten fire that spewed in isolated places building mountains and black lands.

It had reminded the goddess of her realm. And she had liked that.

Without a second thought, she created beings from parts of her soul. They were the embodiment of water, fire, land, and wind. All of the elements that reminded her of home. These entities were dutiful beings, they fathered their elements with utmost grace, working together to have the world thrive.

But she had noticed that there was something missing. In the place where it was so very cold, the land that was of white instead of greens and blues ruled no elemental. The land that reminded her not of her realm, but of her whole being, her entire existence that wanted nothing more than to be held and kept warmed by another. The epitome of her loneliness.

She took half of what was left of her soul and made a deity that would rule this land. An entity that would thrive in the company of the other elementals. An entity that would want nothing more than peace and love and the need to belong.

The goddess had left the planet soon after, wandering the universe to find her atonement. Hoping that at least parts of her soul would be quelled with the interactions between her creations and find the happiness that she so desperately wanted since the very beginning.  

Taemin opened his eyes his mood now heavy, eyes downcast. There was more to the folklore but Taemin had settled with just this much. It hurt to know that if such a being did exist and did what the goddess had done, than sadness and loneliness must have been her only companion.

What would it feel like, he thought, to be cast out of your home and never return? A bitter smile fell on his lips as flashes of his parents and his baby brother appeared in front of his mind.

Oh, yeah. He did know.

Taemin picked up his brush after making his pallet of colors, and took a deep breath eyes close. The feeling he had felt needed to be expressed. He opened his eyes and began to paint. of color spreading across the plain surface of the canvas.

Taemin was washing his brushes when Minho opened the art room door. He had his hands in his pockets, bookbag slung on one shoulder shaggy black hair nearly reaching his shoulders, jacket ped.

“You’re finished?”

Taemin gathered the brush in his hand before shaking them, his hands now of different colors. He looked back and smiled, “Well, half way anyway. I figured you were coming soon so I finished what I could.”

Taemin returned to cleaning up. A silence filled the air, before Minho glanced at the covered painting, “Can I see it?”

Taemin shook his head, “Of course not. It’s not finished, remember?”

Minho watched Taemin as he loaded his brushes into his saddle bag. He wrapped his scarf around his neck after pulling on his jacket and walked to Minho.

He smiled, “I’m ready, hyung.”

Minho stared at Taemin before reaching out and brushing the hair from his cheek, “Are you okay, Taemin?”

Taemin eyes widen before he looked down, his cheeks now red. His heart beat so fast in his chest. It was so weird how Minho could do that.

“I’m fine, hyung!” He looked up and shook his head, “You worry too much. I’m fine.”

Minho watched him before sighing and turning to leave. They walked in silence towards the gates of the campus.

“ We were interrupted yesterday with Jonghyun. You said you had something to show me. What is it?”

Taemin stuffed his hands in his pockets, “Oh yeah.” After Jonghyun had left Minho had grown quiet. When Taemin asked him questions, Minho didn’t pay attention and apologized when Taemin took notice of it. It ended up being a silent trip home.

Taemin sighed, white puffs escaping his breath, “Well recently Amber had lent one of her folklore books to me. I actually wanted to tell you about it. That’s all.”

Minho glanced at him, “But it doesn’t seem as if you were as enthusiastic as you were yesterday.”

Taemin smiled lamely, “Well, it’s not that my enthusiasm left. I mean I really like it. It just gives me a weird feeling. Like I can relate to it somehow.” He sighed, “I don’t know.”

Minho watched as Taemin’s bottom lip pouted and his eyes casted to the ground. He looked back to the street before asking, “Was that what you were painting? You’re feelings on the folklore?”

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Taemin’s face turn a bright red before he retorted, “I’m not telling!”

Minho chuckled before reaching out and ruffling his head. Minho pulled Taemin close to him before murmuring, “Don’t hide anything from me, Taemin. I care about you, okay?”

Taemin looked up to see Minho who was looking straight ahead before he looked down. The warmth of Minho’s hand in his hair resonated throughout his entire body before he nodded, “Yeah.”

When they stood next to each other at the train station Taemin imagined the world in which the goddess had seen. It was perhaps filled with tranquility, he thought, the trees and grass never greener. The wind and air that smelled so very pure. The fire the hottest of flames, and the all the warmth it had provided. Taemin glanced at Minho, before taking a step closer to him. Despite the distance, Taemin could feel the heat resonate off of Minho. Like a furnace that never stopped burning.

Taemin asked, “Do you want to come over tonight?”

Minho looked at Taemin, an eyebrow raised, “What are you saying? Key doesn’t want you hanging around me remember?”

Taemin bit his lip, “Yeah. But, Key-hyung is actually taking part in a seminar for his class and it won’t end till about ten tonight. And my grandmother is actually out of town visiting her old friends in the country.”

Minho watched him. The silence a long stretch of nothing. The train was arriving, people gathered ready to board. The wind began to blow gently, running through their hair.

Taemin grasped his hand and looked at him, “Just for a little bit, Minho. I-I... that’s all I’ll ask of you.”

Minho saw the desperation there. He hid his feelings of uncertainty as he consented, a sigh escaping his lips, “Alright.”

A/N: Sorry for the wait! There are reasons but uh there you know the usual ^^;;

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