SHINee: Red Bark Tree [AU, G]
Red Bark Tree
Prompt: Minho finds Onew somewhere and Onew is some kind of...pixie/fairy
OnHo │ Pre-Slash │ G │ 3k~
Warning: It sucks, in that I wrote it in one go and didn't proof read it. There was also no plotting beforehand, it literally is written on the spur.
I was bored, high on sugar and sleep deprivation, and a friend of mine pulled me back into old FEELS. Have a minifill, even if this thread is long forgotten. I have no idea where I'm going with this so keep that in mind. Also, I haven't written OnHo in ages, so OOC be abound.
.~'~.
There's a folk tale in Minho's village that speaks about something called the summer solstice, a time when the doors to the other worlds are open. Minho's mother once told him that he shouldn't go wondering around during the peak of that day because he could get lost and never return. Minho doesn't really understand what she means even when he's old enough to figure out the Tooth Fairy isn't real. That's also the age where he's stopped believing in bedtime stories so he puts no credit in them. What's more, he doesn't even know when 'the peak of the summer solstice' is supposed to be so naturally the warning is forgotten as easily as the folk tale.
He doesn't know it, but the evening he decides to take a walk in the woods beyond the fields of his home is the day the summer solstice is about to peak.
.~'~.
When Minho finds...it, he thinks he might've entered the twilight zone. Or maybe Narnia, because as far as he knows one-foot tall, winged, fey creatures don't exist back on Earth.
He blinks and the tiny person blinks back.
"I'm dreaming, aren't I?" asks Minho.
The odd little creature stares up at him and then its cheeks puff up in what is apparently offense. Minho's not sure if he should compare it to a hamster or a pork bun.
"Are you saying you think I'm a figment of your imagination?" it squeaks indignantly.
Minho tilts his head at it. "You can talk," he says with some awe.
His response is a berry bonking off his nose. He flinches in surprise and then abruptly recoils when the creature zooms out from the bush it's been peeking from. It flies straight up to his face and Minho's so surprised by the proximity that he jerks away so hard, he ends up falling on his ass. He stares up at the sky, trying to make sense of the world in an attempt to distract himself from the ache of his rear end.
Then a little face is hovering above his and Minho freezes.
"Hey, are you okay?" the fairy/pixie/tiny flying human thing says, sounding worried. "Did you hit your head? Does it hurt? You aren't answering!"
Minho stares at it.
"Oh my God, are you dying?" it frets in clear distress. "Please don't die, I didn't mean to make you fall."
Finally regaining his senses, Minho slowly -- very slowly because ow -- heaves himself up into a sitting position. The flying creature gasps and zooms back. Minho rubs his lower back, wincing but making sure his eyes track the thing hovering in front of the bush.
"Are you okay?" it demands, tiny hands stretched out entreatingly.
"Um, yeah." Minho stares. "I guess this isn't a dream."
The creature frowns. "Stop saying that. I'm real, thanks. It's kind of rude of you to say I'm not."
"I don't exactly meet creatures like you on a regular basis."
"I'm a fairy," it stresses.
"Whatever. I don't meet 'fairies' all that often."
"Well, I don't meet humans all the time either, but I didn't say you weren't real."
Minho blinks. He's not sure, but the little creature looks like it's pouting.
"Um," he says, feeling entirely out of his depth. "Sorry?"
It brightens instantly. "That's okay!" it says cheerfully and zips closer.
Minho leans back purely in reflex, and it stops in front of him.
"You don't have to be scared," it says, eyes huge on its round face. "I wouldn't hurt you even if I could."
"I'm not scared," says Minho defensively. He sits up a little closer and he's not sure to feel smug or embarrassed when this action causes the little fairy to flutter back in its own surprise.
"Okay." It gazes at him with utter fascination written all over it's tiny face.
Minho's surprised to note that its eyes are brown. Hesitantly, he raises a hand and then pauses, unsure of what he'd meant to do in the first place. The mystery is solved when the fairy glances down and easily settles itself onto Minho's palm like it does this everyday. Minho looks at in wonder and it only looks back, a bright smile spreading over the little face.
"Hey, your hand's really comfy!" it comments happily. "I'm Jinki. Or at least, that's what my name sounds like in your language. What's yours?"
"I...um." Minho gives his head a little shake. "I'm Choi Minho."
"Is it Choi or is it Minho?"
"...Minho."
"Hi, Minho!" 'Jinki' greets, smile growing even wider. "Wow, it's the first time I've ever talked to a real human."
"I--well, you're the first fairy I've ever met," Minho replies awkwardly.
"Really? Cool!" Jinki beams up at him. "What are you doing in this part of the forest? Humans never come here."
Minho scratches the back of his head with his free hand. "I was taking a walk," he confesses after a moment. "But then I got last and just...wandered around, I guess."
Suddenly the fairy looks distressed again. "That's terrible!" it cries. "Are you still lost?"
Minho raises an eyebrow at it. "Well, I'm sitting here with you, so it's safe to say I'm still lost."
Jinki's wings flutter erratically behind him but he stays put in Minho's palm. Minho shifts, allowing his other hand to cup the one holding the fairy and he lowers them both so he can sit comfortably. Jinki looks up at him, looking anxious.
"I didn't know creatures like you existed," Minho tells it.
Jinki abruptly scowls. "That's because you humans are ignorant," it retorts.
Minho can't help but grin. "You're not exactly in plain sight. I only saw you because I was picking out the berries and I accidentally pinched you."
"That hurt, by the way," Jinki complains. "You're lucky you didn't pluck my wing off. Do you know how annoying it is to regrow one?"
"You can regrow your wings?"
"Obviously."
"I've never met a fairy," Minho reminds it, although he's amused.
"Right." Jinki suddenly looks ashamed. "Sorry, I'm not used to this. I've never had any contact with humans. But I know a lot about them!"
"Really? Like what?"
"I know you've got a thing down there that makes you different from females."
Minho gapes. "You--what?"
Jinki blinks up at him innocently. "Is something wrong?"
Minho says the first thing that occurs to him. "Don't you have it?" he says incredulously.
"The thing between your legs? No, I don't."
"Then how do you...you know?"
Jinki looks at him with a puzzles expression. "Are you asking how I reproduce?" he says.
Minho nods, because he feels ridiculous answering verbally.
"Uh, we don't reproduce the way you do," says Jinki, rubbing its neck self-consciously. "We don't 'reproduce'. You won't really understand the mechanics of it, but we're born from the flower of a very special tree."
"Born from a flower?" Minho repeats flatly.
"Yes. I can't really explain it. It's a rare occurrence, you know."
"Of course it is." Minho shakes his head. "What do fairies do?"
"We sing life into plants," Jinki informs him cheerfully.
"...No kidding," Minho deadpans.
He's beginning to rethink his conclusion that this isn't a dream after all.
"So, are you really lost?" Jinki asks him.
"Pretty much," Minho confirms. "Usually I get around the forest pretty well but I don't know, I guess I took a wrong turn or something because suddenly I was off the path and I didn't recognise anything."
"You just happened to wander in? You know, it's pretty dangerous to be walking around here alone. The forest isn't exactly empty. You shouldn't stay here past sunset."
Jinki's looking at him with an earnest expression but Minho somehow gets the feeling that's not all there is.
"Well, yeah, I wasn't planning to," he says slowly, "It just happened that way."
"Don't you want to go back?" Jinki asks next.
Minho shrugs. "Obviously," he says, "but I'm lost. I don't know where I'm supposed to go to get home."
Jinki chews on its bottom lip. "I could...I could show you the way."
"Really?"
"Of course!" Jinki shoots from Minho's palm, wings beating too fast to see. "C'mon, you can follow me and I'll lead you out."
Minho looks up at the flying creature with some uncertainty but he truly is lost and Jinki's right, the forest isn't exactly empty. He doesn't really want to know what will come out after sunset. He's heard rumours of jackals roaming hereabouts and he doesn't fancy returning to his mother in pieces. Guess Jinki's his best bet of getting out safe and sound. He stands, dusting off his pants.
"Lead the way," he says, gesturing with an encouraging smile.
Jinki flails in the air and then zooms away. Minho blinks and quickly takes off after him. Keeping up is a nightmare. Jinki's tiny and he's clad in green leaves that blend in rather easily with the nature around them. Minho follows using only his ears because he's lost sight of the fairy, and he has to jog along for fear of losing Jinki entirely. Still, it takes him only a few more minutes before that happens and he has to stop. He sets his hands on his knees, regaining oxygen as his mind races, trying to figure out what he should do now.
A thrumming in the air makes him look up and he's relieved to see the little fairy heading his way.
"What's the matter?" says Jinki anxiously, when he's before Minho.
"You're small, you know?" says Minho, panting lightly. "It's easy to lose sight of you through the trees."
"Oh," says Jinki, hovering uncertainly. Then his face brightens. "Well, I can use my human form if that's easier."
"You have a human form?" Minho asks incredulously.
"I don't use it much because there's no reason to. It's just sometimes I need to do certain things that require a larger size. Would that be easier for you?"
"Uhh." Minho gestures vaguely. "Sure, yeah. I'd be able to see you, at least."
Jinki doesn't look all that different as a human compared to his fey form. With this size, however, Minho takes notice of pale, freckled skin, surprisingly fit arms and bright brown eyes. Jinki appraises him in return, as if his human form makes the sight of Minho different from before.
"You're tall," says Jinki.
His voice sounds different, too. Fairy-size Jinki had sounded distinctly squeaky, but human-sized Jinki has a mellow, deep baritone. "Um, thanks."
Jinki smiles. His teeth are perfectly white, and his cheeks bunch a bit at the corner of his lips.
Minho's heart gives an odd thump. "W-where are your wings?" he asks, bewildered with himself.
"Are you coming or not?" Jinki calls.
Minho shakes his head. Get a grip, he scolds himself and follows after.
Jinki's a lot less graceful on his feet than he is in the air. The fourth time Minho has to help him up from tripping over a root or a twig, he pushes Jinki down to sit and examines him. Miraculously, there's not a single bruise or scratch on the pale skin.
"How are you so clumsy?" Minho says in disbelief.
"I don't usually walk, you know," says Jinki in a sulky tone. "I'm not used to it."
"How aren't you hurt?"
Jinki shrugs. "I was," he reveals, "but they heal rather fast."
"So, what, you sing life into plants and you're indestructible?"
Jinki misses the sarcasm entirely and beams up at Minho, sulkiness a distant memory. "Something like that," he says happily.
Minho shakes his head and lets him up so they can continue on their way. Jinki chatters to him the entire time, pointing out various trees and flowers that he's apparently 'nurturing'.
"Do you really sing to them?" Minho asks once, sceptical.
Jinki smirks, which is strangely fitting on his face, and reaches out to a random bush. He plucks something and holds it out. Minho sees a bud nestled in Jinki's palm.
"Okay," he says, looking up into Jinki's amused eyes.
Jinki winks. "Watch," he says, and then focuses on the bud. He opens and, without further ado, begins to sing.
It's a song of no words Minho can understand, or even attempt to recreate. The melody flows around him like water through a creek and he can hear nothing else. He's amazed. At the risk of a pun, Jinki's singing is magical. And it seems a literal description because before their very eyes, the bud slowly opens, tip parting into petals and plain brown peeling back to expose a deep purple inner core. The blooming flower spreads itself in Jinki's palm, growing larger with every second. It's bizarre growth only ceases when Jinki stops singing.
"Well?" he says, grinning.
"Um," says Minho, slightly dazed. "Wow."
Jinki laughs and Minho can't help but think that if there's any other sound to combat the singing, it would be that laugh. He stares at the fairy, his heart racing oddly fast, until Jinki reaches forward and takes his hand. Minho tenses in shock.
Soft, is the only thought running through his mind at that moment.
"Coming?" bids Jinki, gesturing to the undefined path. He tugs at Minho's hand.
Minho swallows under the gaze of those bright brown eyes. "Yeah," he says. "Lead the way."
He has no idea how long they've been walking but he estimates it could be nearly half an hour. He's pretending to be engrossed in the nature around him when, really, he's entirely wrapped up in the feel of Jinki's hand in his. It should be strange but he doesn't find it so. It actually feels rather amazing, and he has no idea why. He's stealing little glances at Jinki who really is engrossed. He's resumed his narration of the life growing around them and Minho compares Jinki's proud tone to that of a parent talking about his son. It's an endearing sight but it also makes him blush because he doesn't understand why he thinks so.
It's at the moment he's questioning his own reactions that he misses when Jinki stops talking. He only notices the sudden silence when Jinki's hand leaves his, and he realises they've stopped walking. He turns just in time to see Jinki snatch his hand away from a tree that Minho is sure wasn't there before.
"What are you doing?" says Minho suspiciously.
Jinki gives him an innocent stare. "What?" he asks.
Minho peers at the tree Jinki is standing next to, noting the bright red bark. It's weird that he hadn't seen it; it sticks out like a sore thumb against its brown and green brethren. Jinki isn't looking at it but Minho's sure he saw him touching it before.
"What kind of tree is that?" he asks, eyebrows furrowing.
"Just a regular tree," Jinki replies, voice perfectly nonchalant. "Like any of the others."
"It's red."
"You've never seen red bark before?"
"Not here," says Minho pointedly.
"It's pretty common, Minho."
Minho knows that's not true but he's not sure what else to say. Whatever Jinki is trying to hide, he's doing it perfectly and Minho has no idea what this red tree has to do with anything. He gives Jinki a look, hoping to convey that he at least knows something is going on here. Jinki appears utterly unfazed by this.
"Come on," says the fairy, beginning to walk again.
Minho follows but he keeps glancing back at the tree. He only stops when they round a bend and it disappears from sight. He turns back forward to find Jinki once again stationary.
"Here we are," says Jinki, smiling at his companion.
"We are?" says Minho, blinking.
"Look."
Minho looks and sure enough, through the trees he sees the field that backs his farm house.
"You're right," he says, surprised. He turns to the fairy that had led him here and is met by a gentle, somewhat regretful smile.
"It was nice meeting you, Choi Minho," says Jinki. "You're a very nice human. Thank you for the company."
"Company?" Minho repeats, confused by the choice of words, but Jinki's already walking away. "Hey, are you leaving just like that?"
"The plants need someone to sing to them," Jinki tosses over his shoulder with a wink. "I can't be parted from them for too long. Goodbye, Minho."
Minho frowns a little. Things are going by a little fast for comfort. "Hey," he calls.
Jinki turns to look at him, expression inquiring but brown eyes bright with something Minho feels he should recognise but he doesn't understand it within himself, let alone someone else.
"Will I see you again?" Minho asks.
"See me again?" Jinki cocks his head, apparently thinking about it, before he smiles once more.
Minho's heart gives that thump again.
"If you get lost again," Jinki tells him, "then don't worry. I'll find you."
What?Minho opens his mouth, intending to demand a clearer explanation but he makes the mistake of blinking. Jinki disappears.
"Wha--hey!" Minho darts forward but when he rounds the bend not only is Jinki gone but so is the strange red tree. Minho casts about, calling Jinki's name and going so far as peering under bushes, but neither fairy nor tree is anywhere in sight. He finally gives when he notices that his surroundings is becoming less familiar the more he searches, and retraces his steps until he's reached the mouth of the forest again.
He turns back and gazes through the trees. Still, he sees nothing. He waits, hoping, but finally he gives up. Jinki's not coming back. Minho exhales and turns around to leave.
"If I get lost again, huh?" he mutters as he heads off into the field. "Shouldn't be too hard."
The wind breezes by and Minho smiles when he realises it sounds exactly like Jinki's laugh.
END
Ok, so it sucks. I'm sorry, I haven't written TofuHo in years. ><
Prompt: Minho finds Onew somewhere and Onew is some kind of...pixie/fairy
OnHo │ Pre-Slash │ G │ 3k~
Warning: It sucks, in that I wrote it in one go and didn't proof read it. There was also no plotting beforehand, it literally is written on the spur.
I was bored, high on sugar and sleep deprivation, and a friend of mine pulled me back into old FEELS. Have a minifill, even if this thread is long forgotten. I have no idea where I'm going with this so keep that in mind. Also, I haven't written OnHo in ages, so OOC be abound.
.~'~.
There's a folk tale in Minho's village that speaks about something called the summer solstice, a time when the doors to the other worlds are open. Minho's mother once told him that he shouldn't go wondering around during the peak of that day because he could get lost and never return. Minho doesn't really understand what she means even when he's old enough to figure out the Tooth Fairy isn't real. That's also the age where he's stopped believing in bedtime stories so he puts no credit in them. What's more, he doesn't even know when 'the peak of the summer solstice' is supposed to be so naturally the warning is forgotten as easily as the folk tale.
He doesn't know it, but the evening he decides to take a walk in the woods beyond the fields of his home is the day the summer solstice is about to peak.
.~'~.
When Minho finds...it, he thinks he might've entered the twilight zone. Or maybe Narnia, because as far as he knows one-foot tall, winged, fey creatures don't exist back on Earth.
He blinks and the tiny person blinks back.
"I'm dreaming, aren't I?" asks Minho.
The odd little creature stares up at him and then its cheeks puff up in what is apparently offense. Minho's not sure if he should compare it to a hamster or a pork bun.
"Are you saying you think I'm a figment of your imagination?" it squeaks indignantly.
Minho tilts his head at it. "You can talk," he says with some awe.
His response is a berry bonking off his nose. He flinches in surprise and then abruptly recoils when the creature zooms out from the bush it's been peeking from. It flies straight up to his face and Minho's so surprised by the proximity that he jerks away so hard, he ends up falling on his ass. He stares up at the sky, trying to make sense of the world in an attempt to distract himself from the ache of his rear end.
Then a little face is hovering above his and Minho freezes.
"Hey, are you okay?" the fairy/pixie/tiny flying human thing says, sounding worried. "Did you hit your head? Does it hurt? You aren't answering!"
Minho stares at it.
"Oh my God, are you dying?" it frets in clear distress. "Please don't die, I didn't mean to make you fall."
Finally regaining his senses, Minho slowly -- very slowly because ow -- heaves himself up into a sitting position. The flying creature gasps and zooms back. Minho rubs his lower back, wincing but making sure his eyes track the thing hovering in front of the bush.
"Are you okay?" it demands, tiny hands stretched out entreatingly.
"Um, yeah." Minho stares. "I guess this isn't a dream."
The creature frowns. "Stop saying that. I'm real, thanks. It's kind of rude of you to say I'm not."
"I don't exactly meet creatures like you on a regular basis."
"I'm a fairy," it stresses.
"Whatever. I don't meet 'fairies' all that often."
"Well, I don't meet humans all the time either, but I didn't say you weren't real."
Minho blinks. He's not sure, but the little creature looks like it's pouting.
"Um," he says, feeling entirely out of his depth. "Sorry?"
It brightens instantly. "That's okay!" it says cheerfully and zips closer.
Minho leans back purely in reflex, and it stops in front of him.
"You don't have to be scared," it says, eyes huge on its round face. "I wouldn't hurt you even if I could."
"I'm not scared," says Minho defensively. He sits up a little closer and he's not sure to feel smug or embarrassed when this action causes the little fairy to flutter back in its own surprise.
"Okay." It gazes at him with utter fascination written all over it's tiny face.
Minho's surprised to note that its eyes are brown. Hesitantly, he raises a hand and then pauses, unsure of what he'd meant to do in the first place. The mystery is solved when the fairy glances down and easily settles itself onto Minho's palm like it does this everyday. Minho looks at in wonder and it only looks back, a bright smile spreading over the little face.
"Hey, your hand's really comfy!" it comments happily. "I'm Jinki. Or at least, that's what my name sounds like in your language. What's yours?"
"I...um." Minho gives his head a little shake. "I'm Choi Minho."
"Is it Choi or is it Minho?"
"...Minho."
"Hi, Minho!" 'Jinki' greets, smile growing even wider. "Wow, it's the first time I've ever talked to a real human."
"I--well, you're the first fairy I've ever met," Minho replies awkwardly.
"Really? Cool!" Jinki beams up at him. "What are you doing in this part of the forest? Humans never come here."
Minho scratches the back of his head with his free hand. "I was taking a walk," he confesses after a moment. "But then I got last and just...wandered around, I guess."
Suddenly the fairy looks distressed again. "That's terrible!" it cries. "Are you still lost?"
Minho raises an eyebrow at it. "Well, I'm sitting here with you, so it's safe to say I'm still lost."
Jinki's wings flutter erratically behind him but he stays put in Minho's palm. Minho shifts, allowing his other hand to cup the one holding the fairy and he lowers them both so he can sit comfortably. Jinki looks up at him, looking anxious.
"I didn't know creatures like you existed," Minho tells it.
Jinki abruptly scowls. "That's because you humans are ignorant," it retorts.
Minho can't help but grin. "You're not exactly in plain sight. I only saw you because I was picking out the berries and I accidentally pinched you."
"That hurt, by the way," Jinki complains. "You're lucky you didn't pluck my wing off. Do you know how annoying it is to regrow one?"
"You can regrow your wings?"
"Obviously."
"I've never met a fairy," Minho reminds it, although he's amused.
"Right." Jinki suddenly looks ashamed. "Sorry, I'm not used to this. I've never had any contact with humans. But I know a lot about them!"
"Really? Like what?"
"I know you've got a thing down there that makes you different from females."
Minho gapes. "You--what?"
Jinki blinks up at him innocently. "Is something wrong?"
Minho says the first thing that occurs to him. "Don't you have it?" he says incredulously.
"The thing between your legs? No, I don't."
"Then how do you...you know?"
Jinki looks at him with a puzzles expression. "Are you asking how I reproduce?" he says.
Minho nods, because he feels ridiculous answering verbally.
"Uh, we don't reproduce the way you do," says Jinki, rubbing its neck self-consciously. "We don't 'reproduce'. You won't really understand the mechanics of it, but we're born from the flower of a very special tree."
"Born from a flower?" Minho repeats flatly.
"Yes. I can't really explain it. It's a rare occurrence, you know."
"Of course it is." Minho shakes his head. "What do fairies do?"
"We sing life into plants," Jinki informs him cheerfully.
"...No kidding," Minho deadpans.
He's beginning to rethink his conclusion that this isn't a dream after all.
"So, are you really lost?" Jinki asks him.
"Pretty much," Minho confirms. "Usually I get around the forest pretty well but I don't know, I guess I took a wrong turn or something because suddenly I was off the path and I didn't recognise anything."
"You just happened to wander in? You know, it's pretty dangerous to be walking around here alone. The forest isn't exactly empty. You shouldn't stay here past sunset."
Jinki's looking at him with an earnest expression but Minho somehow gets the feeling that's not all there is.
"Well, yeah, I wasn't planning to," he says slowly, "It just happened that way."
"Don't you want to go back?" Jinki asks next.
Minho shrugs. "Obviously," he says, "but I'm lost. I don't know where I'm supposed to go to get home."
Jinki chews on its bottom lip. "I could...I could show you the way."
"Really?"
"Of course!" Jinki shoots from Minho's palm, wings beating too fast to see. "C'mon, you can follow me and I'll lead you out."
Minho looks up at the flying creature with some uncertainty but he truly is lost and Jinki's right, the forest isn't exactly empty. He doesn't really want to know what will come out after sunset. He's heard rumours of jackals roaming hereabouts and he doesn't fancy returning to his mother in pieces. Guess Jinki's his best bet of getting out safe and sound. He stands, dusting off his pants.
"Lead the way," he says, gesturing with an encouraging smile.
Jinki flails in the air and then zooms away. Minho blinks and quickly takes off after him. Keeping up is a nightmare. Jinki's tiny and he's clad in green leaves that blend in rather easily with the nature around them. Minho follows using only his ears because he's lost sight of the fairy, and he has to jog along for fear of losing Jinki entirely. Still, it takes him only a few more minutes before that happens and he has to stop. He sets his hands on his knees, regaining oxygen as his mind races, trying to figure out what he should do now.
A thrumming in the air makes him look up and he's relieved to see the little fairy heading his way.
"What's the matter?" says Jinki anxiously, when he's before Minho.
"You're small, you know?" says Minho, panting lightly. "It's easy to lose sight of you through the trees."
"Oh," says Jinki, hovering uncertainly. Then his face brightens. "Well, I can use my human form if that's easier."
"You have a human form?" Minho asks incredulously.
"I don't use it much because there's no reason to. It's just sometimes I need to do certain things that require a larger size. Would that be easier for you?"
"Uhh." Minho gestures vaguely. "Sure, yeah. I'd be able to see you, at least."
Jinki doesn't look all that different as a human compared to his fey form. With this size, however, Minho takes notice of pale, freckled skin, surprisingly fit arms and bright brown eyes. Jinki appraises him in return, as if his human form makes the sight of Minho different from before.
"You're tall," says Jinki.
His voice sounds different, too. Fairy-size Jinki had sounded distinctly squeaky, but human-sized Jinki has a mellow, deep baritone. "Um, thanks."
Jinki smiles. His teeth are perfectly white, and his cheeks bunch a bit at the corner of his lips.
Minho's heart gives an odd thump. "W-where are your wings?" he asks, bewildered with himself.
"Are you coming or not?" Jinki calls.
Minho shakes his head. Get a grip, he scolds himself and follows after.
Jinki's a lot less graceful on his feet than he is in the air. The fourth time Minho has to help him up from tripping over a root or a twig, he pushes Jinki down to sit and examines him. Miraculously, there's not a single bruise or scratch on the pale skin.
"How are you so clumsy?" Minho says in disbelief.
"I don't usually walk, you know," says Jinki in a sulky tone. "I'm not used to it."
"How aren't you hurt?"
Jinki shrugs. "I was," he reveals, "but they heal rather fast."
"So, what, you sing life into plants and you're indestructible?"
Jinki misses the sarcasm entirely and beams up at Minho, sulkiness a distant memory. "Something like that," he says happily.
Minho shakes his head and lets him up so they can continue on their way. Jinki chatters to him the entire time, pointing out various trees and flowers that he's apparently 'nurturing'.
"Do you really sing to them?" Minho asks once, sceptical.
Jinki smirks, which is strangely fitting on his face, and reaches out to a random bush. He plucks something and holds it out. Minho sees a bud nestled in Jinki's palm.
"Okay," he says, looking up into Jinki's amused eyes.
Jinki winks. "Watch," he says, and then focuses on the bud. He opens and, without further ado, begins to sing.
It's a song of no words Minho can understand, or even attempt to recreate. The melody flows around him like water through a creek and he can hear nothing else. He's amazed. At the risk of a pun, Jinki's singing is magical. And it seems a literal description because before their very eyes, the bud slowly opens, tip parting into petals and plain brown peeling back to expose a deep purple inner core. The blooming flower spreads itself in Jinki's palm, growing larger with every second. It's bizarre growth only ceases when Jinki stops singing.
"Well?" he says, grinning.
"Um," says Minho, slightly dazed. "Wow."
Jinki laughs and Minho can't help but think that if there's any other sound to combat the singing, it would be that laugh. He stares at the fairy, his heart racing oddly fast, until Jinki reaches forward and takes his hand. Minho tenses in shock.
Soft, is the only thought running through his mind at that moment.
"Coming?" bids Jinki, gesturing to the undefined path. He tugs at Minho's hand.
Minho swallows under the gaze of those bright brown eyes. "Yeah," he says. "Lead the way."
He has no idea how long they've been walking but he estimates it could be nearly half an hour. He's pretending to be engrossed in the nature around him when, really, he's entirely wrapped up in the feel of Jinki's hand in his. It should be strange but he doesn't find it so. It actually feels rather amazing, and he has no idea why. He's stealing little glances at Jinki who really is engrossed. He's resumed his narration of the life growing around them and Minho compares Jinki's proud tone to that of a parent talking about his son. It's an endearing sight but it also makes him blush because he doesn't understand why he thinks so.
It's at the moment he's questioning his own reactions that he misses when Jinki stops talking. He only notices the sudden silence when Jinki's hand leaves his, and he realises they've stopped walking. He turns just in time to see Jinki snatch his hand away from a tree that Minho is sure wasn't there before.
"What are you doing?" says Minho suspiciously.
Jinki gives him an innocent stare. "What?" he asks.
Minho peers at the tree Jinki is standing next to, noting the bright red bark. It's weird that he hadn't seen it; it sticks out like a sore thumb against its brown and green brethren. Jinki isn't looking at it but Minho's sure he saw him touching it before.
"What kind of tree is that?" he asks, eyebrows furrowing.
"Just a regular tree," Jinki replies, voice perfectly nonchalant. "Like any of the others."
"It's red."
"You've never seen red bark before?"
"Not here," says Minho pointedly.
"It's pretty common, Minho."
Minho knows that's not true but he's not sure what else to say. Whatever Jinki is trying to hide, he's doing it perfectly and Minho has no idea what this red tree has to do with anything. He gives Jinki a look, hoping to convey that he at least knows something is going on here. Jinki appears utterly unfazed by this.
"Come on," says the fairy, beginning to walk again.
Minho follows but he keeps glancing back at the tree. He only stops when they round a bend and it disappears from sight. He turns back forward to find Jinki once again stationary.
"Here we are," says Jinki, smiling at his companion.
"We are?" says Minho, blinking.
"Look."
Minho looks and sure enough, through the trees he sees the field that backs his farm house.
"You're right," he says, surprised. He turns to the fairy that had led him here and is met by a gentle, somewhat regretful smile.
"It was nice meeting you, Choi Minho," says Jinki. "You're a very nice human. Thank you for the company."
"Company?" Minho repeats, confused by the choice of words, but Jinki's already walking away. "Hey, are you leaving just like that?"
"The plants need someone to sing to them," Jinki tosses over his shoulder with a wink. "I can't be parted from them for too long. Goodbye, Minho."
Minho frowns a little. Things are going by a little fast for comfort. "Hey," he calls.
Jinki turns to look at him, expression inquiring but brown eyes bright with something Minho feels he should recognise but he doesn't understand it within himself, let alone someone else.
"Will I see you again?" Minho asks.
"See me again?" Jinki cocks his head, apparently thinking about it, before he smiles once more.
Minho's heart gives that thump again.
"If you get lost again," Jinki tells him, "then don't worry. I'll find you."
What?Minho opens his mouth, intending to demand a clearer explanation but he makes the mistake of blinking. Jinki disappears.
"Wha--hey!" Minho darts forward but when he rounds the bend not only is Jinki gone but so is the strange red tree. Minho casts about, calling Jinki's name and going so far as peering under bushes, but neither fairy nor tree is anywhere in sight. He finally gives when he notices that his surroundings is becoming less familiar the more he searches, and retraces his steps until he's reached the mouth of the forest again.
He turns back and gazes through the trees. Still, he sees nothing. He waits, hoping, but finally he gives up. Jinki's not coming back. Minho exhales and turns around to leave.
"If I get lost again, huh?" he mutters as he heads off into the field. "Shouldn't be too hard."
The wind breezes by and Minho smiles when he realises it sounds exactly like Jinki's laugh.
END
Ok, so it sucks. I'm sorry, I haven't written TofuHo in years. ><