[Minho’s POV]

It was way too bizarre for me to imagine. I picked this boy at the foot of my door, who had butterfly wings and had a tongue that was the length of probably my leg. I was freaking out.

I decided it was just hallucinations. Probably a really weird dream.

I woke up, no butterfly boy sleeping on the bed. I sighed in relief. It was just my imagination.

Or was it? A nagging voice at the back of my head kept chattering into my ears, urging me to go downstairs to check.

Sighing, I got up, still groggy from sleep. I half walked, half staggered down the stairs.

That was when I noticed every single flower in my house blooming.

It was amazing. They were so filled with color, so filled with life. Only my mother ever managed to make plants grow to flowers, but never as beautiful as this.

The beautiful stone fountain I had by the entrance of the garden had never been so pretty, ever in my life. Gorgeous Frangipani blossoms floated on the surface, in shades of creamy white and pink. By the door, some flowers buds of Four o’clocks were waiting for the warm light from the greenhouse light to be . Their sharp colors of fuchsia, yellow and white mixed together, giving me more energy.

But the most amazing, were the roses that were by the window. They seemed to completely ignore the cold of the blizzard, blooming with strong ambition as they grew to a rather large side, precious colors of fading pink and cream yellow. The aroma of flowers made me smile.

“Good morning!” I looked around, and saw the boy. His large pair of wings fluttered gracefully, as he landed in front of me. Seeing him more clearly, I could see his wings reflecting rainbow colored light. He was probably a Glasswinged butterfly.

“Y-you can s-speak?” I was in a moment of stupor. He shrugged.

“Took me a little time and practice. I had to get used to having a short pink tongue. Sorry.” His voice was sweet, just like the aroma that was now hypnotizing me.

“You…..you’re real right?” He rolled his eyes at my question.

“Do I look like I’m made of plastic? Please. Oh and don’t worry, I still can’t speak all fancy right now cuz’ I don’t know much words. Just relying on some words I read from that.” He pointed towards the book I had been reading last night.

“Y-you can read?”

He nodded.

“Surprised a butterfly can read?” He giggled, his laughter like the tinkling of bells in my ears.

“Did you eat yet?” I asked, thinking of my own grumbling stomach.

He cocked his head to one side.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

I stared blankly at him, till he gestured towards every single flower around the house.

“My appetite’s grown a little too much. You might have to buy a new bunch of flowers for me. Or get honey from the bees.”

I gazed more closely. Every flower was blooming brilliantly, probably what the butterfly boy did.

“Do you have a name? I don’t think I can call you butterfly every time I see you….or….”

“Or Mariposa?” He smirked at me. “That’s a pretty girly name if you asked me.”

“Well, any ideas? Did you ever have a name to start with?”

He blinked slowly as if in thought, before he brightened up.

“I want to be called Taemin. I may be a butterfly, but that doesn’t mean I’m a fragile little thing.” He glared at me, as if challenging me to make any comment. I sighed, standing up, and his hair.

“It’s fine with me. It’s a beautiful name.” He gladly bent his head a little more for me to , his wings whirring so fast a soft hum came from it.

The peaceful moment was disturbed when the grumbling of both our complaining stomachs made us burst out laughing.

“You may have eaten nectar and all, but I don’t think you can stay on a liquid diet like you used to. You’re human right now. Or half butterfly or….” I sighed in frustration, scratching my head. “You know what I mean!”

Taemin smiled and nodded sadly, sinking to the ground and sitting cross-legged on the beanbag chair.

“I don’t really have a choice.” He pouted, sticking out his bottom lip and making his eyes watery and glittering. I found it hard to hold myself back from hugging the life out of that boy.

“Can you do something about those wings though?” I glanced worriedly at him. Nodding, he stood up, then I suddenly noticed his wings fluttering so quickly it was nothing but a blur. Then, it was gone.

“How….?”

I stared, open-mouthed while he chuckled.

“I’m a butterfly, Minho. I’m practically at the bottom of the food chain. Camouflage is the only thing I can rely on to stay alive.”

With a soft sigh, he picked up a pair of scissors, holding the clothes I had offered to him originally, if not for his wings.

“I’ll work this out. Hopefully I’ll be able to work something out to keep myself warm. You go change.” He shooed me upstairs, and the last I saw was his intent look focused on my shirt.

********

I really had no idea how he managed to do it. It was amazing with how quick he could do it.

Taemin was wrapped up from torso up to chest with my shirt, thick silk wrapped around his arms in comfortable, black sleeves that became broad at the end, reminding me a bit of kimono ones. A silk scarf was on his neck, and I put a purple beanie on his head.

He was more than glad to know I had a down jacket that I wasn’t using anymore. He carefully folded his wings downward, making sure they were hidden as he wore it, carefully. I could tell his wings were very sensitive, and he flinched every time the jacket came in contact with the wings. But slowly, he seemed to get used to it.

“Why not wear a normal shirt then?”

“My wings stick too close to my skin. I really can’t get used to that.” Taemin shuddered, while I shrugged. He knew what was best for himself, anyway.

And with that, we headed out into the white world.

Taemin looked amazed by the snowflakes that gently caressed his cheeks, his nose, his pink lips. He held up his palms, where the snow disappeared in a second.

“Is this the first time you saw snow?” I chuckled, gently Taemin’s head.

Taemin sighed, watching the snow white landscape.

“Usually, we have already migrated before we even saw it. Or if we do see it, we have to fly away real quick before we’re squashed to death, or frozen to death by it.” Taemin’s eyes darkened a little, and I gulped as I realized I had probably reached a touchy subject.

“So….do you really eat nothing but liquid as a butterfly? Like only nectar and stuff?” Taemin shrugged a little.

“On bad days we usually make do with mud puddles.” Taemin gagged, his face turning green (or was it my imagination?) for a moment.

“No puddles today.” I smiled, opening the door to one of my favorite cafes. I watched as he shivered from head to toe, as the warm air swept over him.

Sitting down in a secluded corner of it, Taemin took off his jacket. His wings unfolded, appearing only for a moment before it quickly vanished as it became identical to its surroundings.

“What do you usually eat? I mean, I see you humans always eating big and colorful things, then you bite down and….” He puffed his cheeks, pretending to chew. I had to hold myself back from bursting out in laughter at his ridiculous face.

“Anything that’s good. Do you want to try this?” I pointed at a platter of flapjacks. He cocked his head to one side.

“Those big golden round things look like the sun. Are they nice and warm like it too?” His eyes shone with wonder, his fingers slowly running over the picture as if he expected it to emit warmth already.

“Perhaps.” I chuckled lightly, as a waiter took our order.

It wasn’t long till a stack of steaming hot pancakes were put in front of Taemin and me.

I picked up a knife and fork, swiftly cutting it and about to eat when I noticed Taemin looking lost. I could see that his fingers weren’t very nimble, and he kept dropping the metal knife constantly, the fork slipping from his fingers not long after.

I gently took his plate away, replacing his with mine, which was already cut up.

“Use your fork like this, then poke it into the pancake, dip it into the maple syrup, then eat it.” I showed him slowly, blowing it to cool it down, before holding it up to his lips.

He eyed me warily, tentatively biting down on the piece. Then his eyes suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree. He picked up a spoon, seeming to gain control over his hand as he scooped a spoonful of maple syrup, pouring it over the pancakes. Then opening his mouth, his tongue extended so long as it wrapped in a circle around the pieces, before pulling them into his mouth in one gulp.

I was just glad there was nobody around to see that.

“I have got to teach you some table manners.” I sighed deeply, making a mental note to myself.

He simply gazed up at me, his tongue already stuck halfway into the tiny pitcher of syrup, draining all the sweet liquid in a split second, his eyes questioning while I face palmed.

*******

“Now that you’ve finished eating, I’ll show around the city in a human’s point of view.” I took Taemin’s hand, leading him through the busy streets. He dodged nimbly, cleverly choosing clear paths in between the crowds.

A sweet aroma made him stop in his tracks, his hand holding tightly to mine, jerked me to a stop.

“What’s that?” His eyes suddenly began to glaze over, a maniacal smile over his face. I sniffed, a scent of really strong Givenchy hitting my senses full on.

“That’s perfume!” I coughed, gagging at the overwhelming aroma as I tried to pull him away. But he wouldn’t let go, as he took slow steps towards the shop.

I managed to grab him around his torso, and pull him away. I had seen that expression before, at around midnight, worn by some people on the streets, I think.

He looked like he was drunk.

When we were a considerably good distance away from that shop, I was more than glad when his eyes cleared up, and he was back to his curious self, staying close to my side and not daring to stray anywhere far.

Mental note number two; Never bring butterflies, or butterfly boys to be exact, near any perfume shop. Otherwise, they’ll get drunk on the scent.

*******

After the Givenchy episode, I carefully skirted around shops that sold strong perfumes and really sweet soap. I didn’t want to try my luck around those.

It was that new, dark haunted house that caught my eye. People were lining up, screams heard as soon as they went through the entrance.

Taemin shrugged, not looking the least bit fazed as we stepped in line.

I could see so many couples hands held tightly together, probably in fear of getting lost in the dark, or just wanting to hold hands. I sighed. Were we the only pair of friends?

Then again, I don’t have to be disappointed. Taemin was clutching onto my arm like his life depended on it; he had been doing that ever since we came out of the house. Wait a sec, he’s no girl…..

When we finally stepped in, I found the dark more intriguing than scary. I was never afraid of haunted house to begin with anyway. Taemin didn’t seem to mind much either. His eyes began to glow from the light it absorbed, glowing luminous blue orbs like that of a cat’s. I suppressed a shiver as I found myself feeling more afraid of his eyes than the supposedly scary haunted house.  

A sudden rustle made me whip around quickly. A rather (fake) headless horseman galloped out, the horse’s movements stiff and its light-bulb eyes wide open and one blinking out of technical problems. As it hobbled past, I could only roll my eyes at its lame attempt to scare people. Someone must’ve forgotten to fix it.

“What’s over there?” Taemin didn’t even bat an eyelash at the headless horseman, very conveniently ignoring the monster as he held my hand and pulled me in another direction.

I guess that girl was supposed to be a zombie. She jumped out, her eyes sunken and her skin pale under the effects of makeup, her arms held out. She would’ve looked pretty scary, if not for that surprised look on her face. Yup, Taemin’s glow-in-the-dark eyes seems to have that effect on people.

“Nice to meet you.” Taemin shook her outstretched hand, before pulling me again, away towards the continuing dark path. I had to hold back from bursting out in laughter, as I didn’t miss the shocked look on her face. It made me wish I hadn’t forgotten my camera. It was priceless!

A ghastly scream suddenly broke the silence, making me jump a little. Taemin didn’t even tense, his ears twitching ever so slightly and his eyes narrowed in annoyance. I carefully avoided the puddle of tomato sauce on the ground, Taemin daintily hopping over as well.

I felt surprised when I saw the exit; this haunted house was really small.

But it wasn’t too soon till a white ghost swept down to us. I blinked up, mildly amused as I watched the white sheet flap by, making whooing noises that made it sound like a person when he was sick, not trying to scare people.

Little did I notice that Taemin’s hand had slipped out of mine.

“Taemin?” I gasped as he fflew up, his wings flashing visible and invisible in the dark. He poked at the fake ghost, his luminous eyes filled with curiosity. If I didn’t know it was him, I would’ve thought there were two blue orbs floating around. Now that,  I say, would be scary.

“Arghh! Ghost! Help!” I think somebody must’ve thought exactly that. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed someone, probably the one in charge of controlling the sheet, went sprinting for the exit. He must’ve pressed something wrong out of panic, as the fake ghost gave a sudden jolt and flew forward, Taemin whipping to a side just as it swept past.

He immediately landed on the ground with a thump, not even bothering to flutter down slowly to soften his landing, as he hugged my head to his chest, and I felt his arms encircle tightly around my waist and the top of my head. There was a tremendous boom, and Taemin flinched as he tightened his embrace around me.

There was a silence after that, and I tentatively whispered.

“Are you okay?” My own voice had a slight tremor, as I took a step back. Taemin’s face was pale, one of his wings drooping rather limply.

“What happened?”

He was about to answer when I heard a rush of footsteps. Taemin quickly straightened up, his wings disappearing as workers grabbed us, leading us out of the haunted house without turning back.

Worried crowds surrounded, somebody handing me a towel or something out of the chaos. Amidst that, I caught sight of somebody helping Taemin; wounds, cuts and scrapes were all over his exposed, milky white skin. He must’ve got them while he was protecting me. I bit my lip, and stared at the ground in guilt.

“What happened?” A man stormed into the scene, judging by his clothes, the manager I guess.

“The ghost exploded.” Somebody started the first sentence, and there was suddenly a chorus of voices.

Taemin silently returned to my side, eyeing the crowd nervously.

I was glad when we were allowed to leave, not after telling the whole story, of course. The manager looked like he was about to have a cow when he heard about the runaway worker.

“Protect that child well. His body more fragile than normal, so remember to fix all his bandages daily to avoid infection.” A staff pulled me aside, her eyes worried as she watched Taemin’s unsure movements.

I narrowed my eyes, concerned for the little butterfly for his injuries. I protectively encircled my arms around his waist, gently leading him out of the crowd as they parted, muttering about the accident. Taemin walked delicately, each step careful and with a little fear.

We finally made our way home, thank goodness I lived close. Ignoring his protests, I scooped him up and scampered up the room, putting him on the bed and helping him remove his jacket. I flinched when I caught sight of his wing.

The originally beautiful, delicate wing was crumple and slightly tattered at the corner. I was way too afraid to touch it, in case it caused more harm than good. Taemin was fast asleep, so I rolled him gently to a side, hoping the position wouldn’t harm his wing too much.

Gently, I teased out the pillow from underneath his damaged wing. Somehow it straightened out, and it didn’t freak me out so much, at least.

I sighed, carefully covering Taemin’s body with the duvet.

The ring of the doorbell made my hair almost stand straight up. I hastily laid a chaste kiss on Taemin’s forehead, his tiny smile giving me a sign that he’d be fine. With a sigh, I swiftly slipped out, carefully closing the room’s door soundlessly, yet firmly.

When I flung the door open, I leapt back to avoid getting bulldozed. I raised an eyebrow at the three people who were now, very conveniently, sprawled in a pile on top of each other on the floor.

“That’s mean, Minho. To avoid our ‘We’re back’ hug!” Key wailed, pushing himself up. There was a couple of grunts and groans as Jonghyun and Onew sat up, fixing their ruffled hair quickly.

“So anyways, we’re back!” Onew smiled, giving me a pat on the shoulder, Key clinging to me like a koala. I swear Jonghyun was about to incinerate me with his eyes, from the look he was giving me.

But despite the three’s cheerful greetings, I couldn’t help but have the feeling of dread, and worry.

Because in my room, was something that should be kept secret. And I didn’t know how long I could hold on till they find out.

And it definitely wasn’t going to be easy. If anyone knew me better, it would be the four of them.

I’m doomed.