ii. the boy who could fly

the boy who could fly // morinozuka

“You’re lying,” Minseok petulantly said as he pouted.

His reaction caused Minho to be bewildered. Minseok loved all the stories Minho told him and this was the only story that Minseok despised.

“He grew up, Minseok. He realized life wasn’t all fun and games. He had to grow up.” Minho tried convincing the small boy but Minseok wasn’t buying it. He refused to believe whatever Minho said after he told him the dreadful story. 

Minho knew lying wasn’t a good thing to do. He knew that fact very well but he wanted all of this to stop. Besides, people lie all the time. Like that one time when his father promised to buy him a new uniform — up until now, he never received the uniform. His mother lied a lot too. He remembered when she lied to him about her not missing Japan. Minho saw tears in her eyes and that was how he knew she lied.

He had to lie.

“If I was him, I don’t want to grow up,” Minseok sulked, crossing his arms. “I won’t grow up.”

“Someday, you will.”

“I won’t.”

Without the brothers knowing, someone had been listening to their conversation and the stories that were told by the older. A boy no bigger than Minho was floating outside of their window, his eyes were watching them while his ears were listening to them. Yes, it was no other than Taemin — who was better known as The Boy Who Could Fly. His brows furrowed as he listened to them speak.

Taemin turned to Joy, his fairy companion. If you were not to take a look closely, all you would see is only light floating beside Taemin. However, that wasn’t light if you take a closer look. You will see a fairy; no longer than your hand. And Joy was beautifully gowned in a skeleton leaf.

Taemin had been trying to block Joy from being visible to the boys’ eyes and so far he was doing a good job. But Joy insisted that she wanted to listen to them and look at them too.

“Joy, quit making yourself noticeable!”

Joy answered him with the loveliest tinkle as of golden bells. You see, that was actually the fairy language. You ordinary young kids can never hear it, but if you were to hear it you would know that you had heard it once before. Perhaps when you were younger. Perhaps when you were still heartless and thoughtless.

“No, Joy,” Taemin replied, frowning. “I’ll be the one who listen to it because he is telling a story about me.”

Joy’s lips turned upside down as she answered.

“Yeah, you’re in the story too but you don’t appear much.”

Joy rolled her eyes.

Taemin had lived in Neverland ever since forever and there, he had often visited the Kensington Garden – where the fairies lived – and there he met Joy. He had also learnt the fairy language thus explaining why he understood whatever Joy said. And when Joy spoke to him again, Taemin frowned.

“They are the only ones who still believed in me,” Taemin answered when Joy asked why he was visiting them.

It wasn’t Taemin’s first time visiting them. In fact it had been years, even before Minho’s grandmother died. Now, kids, I want to let you in for a secret. The Sunyoung in the lead character of Minho’s grandmother’s story was actually her. It had been his grandmother’s all along.

She was the one whom Taemin brought to Neverland.

Joy shook her head.

Taemin continued to listen to their conversation when out of the blue, an idea popped in his head. He was offended that the older of the two had told the younger that Taemin had grown up. God, he hated that word. Grown up. So disgusting.

“I ought to bring them to Neverland! And show the boys that I am still a boy – an unordinary boy!” he suddenly said.

Joy’s eyes widened in horror as she realized what Taemin had said. Joy hated Sunyoung, the last girl Taemin had brought to Neverland and Joy wasn’t going to deal with a boy who didn’t believe in Taemin anymore. Joy shook her head viciously as she pulled on Taemin’s hair.

Taemin whined in pain. “Joy! Stop!”

When Minseok heard a commotion outside while Minho was talking, his lips curved into a smile so wide it could’ve reached his ears. “They’re back!” Minseok exclaimed happily, got out of his bed and ran to the window and opened the curtain widely.

Minho was dazed for a moment – thinking that it might be just one of Minseok’s hallucinations but you wouldn’t believe the look on his face when he saw a boy struggling as he float in air. There was a bright light too, which seemed to pull his hair and Minho assumed that was the reason why he was struggling.

Minseok gasped in excitement. Taemin didn’t run like he usually did and it made Minseok happy. In fact, Taemin couldn’t even fly away and it was all because of Joy.  

Albeit astonished, Minho managed to slowly walk towards Minseok and stared at the boy outside. Minseok was tugging on his pajamas, entreating him to open the window and let Taemin in. Minho bit his lower lip and gently, he unlocked the window.

Taemin flew inside the room while wriggling in air, his hands were grabbing on his hair. No longer after that, he managed to grab a hold of the small light and threw it to the blue bed, causing a sparkling dust spread all over the bed.

“Whew. Bad fairy!” Taemin yelled.

Minho didn’t do anything except for standing there and trying to process whether what he was seeing was real or perhaps he was just hallucinating. But Minseok kept on giggling and laughing in excitement and Minho knew it was real.

“You’re the Boy Who Could Fly!” Minseok squealed in delight as he ran towards Taemin.

Taemin looked down towards the boy and his lips slowly curved into a smirk. Now, kids, Taemin was a very conceited boy. He was loveable, really, but he was conceited. Taemin then began to float in air and do a few tricks that managed to make Minho’s jaw to drop down the floor while Minseok was watching excitedly.

“Of course I can fly!” Taemin replied as he gently slowly got down to the floor with his both his hands on his hips, standing proudly on his small feet.

Minho still couldn’t believe his eyes.

He was exactly the same as how his grandmother had described him. Taemin wasn’t any taller than Minho; in fact he was a few inches shorter. Taemin was blonde of hair and he was a skinny boy with chubby cheeks. His grandmother always mentioned that Taemin had a dagger in his pocket and Minho’s eyes immediately travelled to his shorts and oh, yes, there it was. What else did his grandmother had told him? Oh yes, Taemin only wore skeleton leaves to cover his body (and it wasn’t even properly covered, his arms and chest still can be seen) and on his chest, there would be a small scar that indicates that Captain Sooman had once placed his hook on Taemin’s chest when he caught Taemin somewhere in a cave in Neverland all because he wanted to save the indian princess.

The lad in front of him was, undeniably, the Boy Who Could Fly. 

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