"So...you are not a fairy or the spirit of these woods..." Minho swallowed, having stopped leading his horse in effect of the explanation Taemin had uttered, “You were born with this magic that heals and restores...which comes out in the form of those silver light spots...” He paused, “Well...and it comes out when you are happy, a lot more when you sing?”

Taemin laughed at the way Minho was responding with absolute befuddlement. He patted Minho’s shoulder playfully, “Believe it! I believed your story now, did I not?”

The bewilderment of Minho’s face finally faded and he smiled, thinking a bit, “Since I saw it...I can believe it. Magic did exist during the old times, after all…” He grew quiet for a while, thinking as he began to walk again, making Taemin walk as well, "So...your mother keeps you at home all the time...because she fears someone may take advantage of your magic and may end up harming you?"

Taemin nodded, pausing before deciding to reveal it all, "She keeps me in a tower where no one can either enter or exit. It is hidden behind a waterfall...secluded from the world." He hesitated before adding, "And you can remember my address."

Minho looked to him with surprise.

"I am compelled to trust you. You saved my life twice...and you have not yet tried to harm me after knowing about my magic." Taemin paused, "Although my mother visits often...I feel tired waiting for her to return...and now that I have a taste of your...company...I think I quite like it."

Minho smiled, “Then I may just drop by your tower often.” Taemin looked to Minho with wide eyes and Minho laughed, “Don’t tell me you meant otherwise.”

“Come by when my mother will be away.” Taemin replied softly, looking away.

Minho spotted a silver speckle in the air and he swore Taemin shooed it away, which made Minho smile to himself, “Understood.”

They walked in utter silence until Minho suddenly halted, tying his horse to a tree trunk before dragging Taemin with him discreetly ahead, pushing Taemin with him into the bushes, placing a palm on the boy’s mouth before he could protest.

“A baron’s set to pass by the edge tomorrow. They say he’s gone all out to impress His Highness.”

“What’s he bringing?”

“A gold sculpted torso. Sapphire eyes just like the King’s, rubies everywhere else.”

“Oooh that’ll be worth a lifetime of luxury, pal!”

Minho listened a while more before looking to Taemin, “A detour?”

Taemin tried to reply and Minho realized his palm was still on his mouth. Removing it, he looked at the boy apologetically, who replied, “I have a week to waste. I do not mind unless you keep me safe.”

Minho grinned, “Deal.”

The very first thing Minho did was head to Kibum’s pub, carefully sneaking in through the back door. Taemin waited awkwardly in the kitchen while Minho spoke with Kibum, returning with a key and signalling Taemin to follow. He led him to a room above, asking him to sit while he left and entered after a couple of minutes, carrying a bucket of warm water.

He handed him a pair of clothes, “Your outfit is quite the rage in the forest.” He explained, earning a chuckle from Taemin.

Minho left after showing Taemin the garderobe, returning after having washed up himself, wearing a proper-sleeved black shirt with a short collar in-shirted in beige pants; boots, daggers and his hat in his arms. He turned after closing the door, his eyes settling on the lean figure of Taemin, head stuck in his shirt. He chuckled, dropping his belongings on the desk before heading towards the boy.

“You don’t wear it like this.” Minho spoke softly, remembering that Taemin had worn a funny shirt devoid of buttons before. He ed a few of them and the shirt slid down easily and Minho straightened it, creasing the wrinkles, “You it and then put your arms-” The moment he looked back to Taemin’s face, he lost his words, his eyes wide at the face before him.

Oh, it was so, so, so more handsome than the picture he had.

There was no hideous frame obscuring his face, no cloth funnily tied around his head.

Moist violet hair fell upon his eyes and Minho finally blinked, having spotted the shade of his orbs, one silver, the other violet.

But more than his skin, more than his hair, more than his eyes, it was the spark in those eyes, the innocence on his features  that struck him, making his heart thump wildly. “Oh bother…”

Taemin blinked at Minho’s voice, suddenly panicking, reaching out for his glasses and shoving them onto his face, soon realizing his hair wasn’t concealed as well, fretting as he began searching for his cloth, his one arm trying (very hard but failing) to conceal his hair. Silver specks began flitting the air which Taemin tried to conceal as well, chiding himself in his mind for having no control over his emotions.

Minho grabbed his hat from the desk and grabbed Taemin next, making him stand in place. He pushed back his violet bangs and placed his hat on his head, tying it’s leather string at his chin, “There you go.”

Taemin fidgeted with the frame over his eyes, “...thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Minho pondered a while, watching Taemin, “But...crooks are looking for a young boy eccentrically dressed in purple and ivory with a face like this.” He unfolded the sheet and showed it to Taemin, “That sketch does you no justice...and they aren’t looking for a boy with odd eyes and violet hair…” He gently removed the glasses from his eyes, frowning on finding it unfit for seeing through, “So relax. Anyway, I said I’ll protect you.”

Taemin reluctantly watched Minho discard his frame and sighed, defeated, “Alright.”

“Need help with the pants?”

Taemin looked below, finding them ed, his face flushing with embarrassment, “No, thank you.” He turned away to put on the rest of his attire, and Minho chuckled on finding a few silver specks still rotating around the boy (which he extinguished by blowing on them, grumbling), while he struggled to get the buttons into the holes.

After a while, with a brown waistcoat sitting snug on his cream shirt and brown pants properly buttoned, Taemin headed to Minho, who looked to him, “One last thing.” He grabbed his extra pair of boots and extended them to Taemin who just looked at them with a lost expression. Minho chuckled, “Fine, sit down.”

Taemin obliged and he watched Minho gently put his feet into the boots, tying them properly and buckling them, asking him with every pull if they were tied too tight or not.

Taemin got on his feet hesitatingly after Minho was done tying them for him and walked a couple of steps, his eyes wide. He walked a bit more, liking their comfort, the soft noise they made against the floor. He looked at himself in the mirror for a while in awe, smiling, those silver wisps back, bouncing around him. He looked to Minho after that, who just stood looking at him, smiling. “Come on now, we hav