It was quiet, the leaves of the surrounding trees swaying in the gentle breeze that blew through the small forest. Shadows danced upon the forest floor with each sway of the pink covered branches above. The forest creatures scurried about, chasing one another in a playful game of take while others scrounged the forest floor for food to feed their awaiting families. Within the serenity of nature, a single person aimlessly roamed around a single tree that sat within the middle of the forest. His hair was as pink as the sakura blossoms that danced over his head. He wore the traditional male hanbok, the jokki a soft pink, jeogori white and the baji a dark navy blue. He looked so innocent yet his eyes held an endless amount of knowledge, some would call him an old spirit or wise for his young age. 

As he walked around the tree, his hand trailed along the rough bark of the trunk. Its branches were bare and stood out among the pink flowers that rested upon the branches of those that surrounded it. The single tree seemed lanky and dry in appearance, lifeless in appearance even though it was just as alive as the living green foliage around it. Despite being very much alive, it had yet to blossom just like the other trees around it. It was even uncertain if it ever would blossom at this point. 

A sad sigh slipped from the male in pink, his hand slipping from the trunk of the tree as he walked away slowly. 

The male made his way through the sea of sakura trees, his eyes following two birds flitting by. He watched as they disappeared into the flowery sky above, continuing their game out of the view of any watchful eyes. 

He stepped out of the trees moments later into an opening with a crystal clear stream that had cut through the center of this place of solitude. The male would usually sit and watch the water flow over the rocks, smoothing their rough edges. Normally, he would have sat alone, the animals avoiding him as if he were a predator waiting to attack them. It was the complete opposite though, he wouldn't have hurt a fly no matter how annoying they could get. It had been that way since the first day he had awoken from a long slumber. 

Today, however, was a different story. Someone else was there by the very stream he would keep company, staring into it just as he would, watching the water flow away to its next destination. 

Upon closer observation, the pink haired male could see a sadness resting in the stranger's eyes, a sadness that added to his already alluring beauty in a strange sort of way. His hair was as dark as the bark on the tree that refused to blossom. His eyes, though sad, held such an innocence in them that pulled the pink haired male towards him. 

As the brunette's gaze lifted from the stream, it turned onto the pink haired boy. Their eyes meeting, his breath stolen straight from his lungs. Looking at the brunette straight on, he could see the beauty for all it was worth, he was breathtaking. Just like that, though, the pink haired male watched as the other male's eyes widened in surprise upon seeing him. 

"Ah, wait. . ." 

The male in pink had called out as the stranger quickly rose to leave. When he stopped, a breath escaped him as he gave an apologetic glance towards him. 

". . .I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I was just surprised to see someone here." 

It was the partial truth, the other half was, he had been stunned by his beauty and attractiveness. Never had he seen such beauty that not even the sakura blossoms around them could compare to it.  The brunette seemed to be contemplating what he had said, deciding if he could believe him or not, which he understood fully. 

"You. . .come here often?" 

"To this stream? Frequently, it helps me think." 

The pink haired male smiled kindly. 

"May I ask your name?" 

The male in pink asked curiously. It would be easier to address the brunette and possibly make things less awkward and tense between the two of them. The wait seemed like it would take forever, but finally, the other male gave up his name as he returned to his spot near the stream. 

"Minhyuk, my name is Minhyuk." 

Minhyuk gently pat the spot beside him, a gentle smile masking the sadness that was once in his eyes. 

"May I ask yours?" 

Slowly, the male in pink made his way over, sitting in the soft grass beside Minhyuk. An awkward silence sat between them as the pink haired male worked up the nerve to answer that question. No one had asked for his name before. 

"Kihyun. . .it's Kihyun." 

"It's very nice to meet you." 

"Likewise. Can I ask you something?" 

Minhyuk frowned curiously, nodding slowly at the sudden question that was presented to him. 

"I'm sorry if this comes across as overly blunt, but, why were you crying earlier?" 

Taken aback, Minhyuk averted his gaze and fiddled with the sleeve of his shirt. He hadn't realized that Kihyun had noticed him crying, then again, he hadn't expected to see anyone else out here. The forest itself was supposed to be vacant aside from the animals and the beautiful blossoming trees that made up the forest. This was the first time he had ever seen anyone else within the forest itself, at least another human being. 

"There's no need to apologize, everything was just getting to me. Things these days are just overwhelming, family, the world. . .even something as simple as working. I needed to get away from home and just. . .well, you know, let it out." 

Minhyuk glanced over towards Kihyun, the honesty swirled within his kind gaze. Along with that honesty a natural curiosity swirled deep within making Kihyun wonder what was going on his mind. 

"You know, you shouldn't feel guilty for crying. It's a natural emotion that everyone goes through, if you must cry then do so." 

A smile formed upon Kihyun's lips as he turned to look towards the stream, watching as a couple of fish swam passed. 

"If you feel like crying, you can always find me here in the forest. I'm usually near the only tree in the forest that hasn't blossomed. I can be that shoulder you can cry on, a friend to rely on or talk to if you'd like."

He stated as he turned his attention back onto Minhyuk. The brunette looking at him in utter disbelief, like it was something foreign to hear someone say. That disbelief had slowly changed into a gentle smile, a small laugh bubbling out from Minhyuk. Kihyun blushed a soft pink, thinking that the other was laughing at him for what he said. Embarrassment was something new to feel, especially when you were always alone, so Kihyun shyly looked down and chewed on his lower lip. 

"Thank you, that's very kind of you." 

Minhyuk said as he flashed a bright and thankful smile in Kihyun's direction. Looking up, Kihyun gave a slight nod of his head, momentarily letting the calming silence blow around them with the breeze. His smile remained upon his face as he leaned back on his hands and looked ahead of him to the other side of the stream. Trees extended further out, but on the other side of the stream, the pink flowers turned into green groves creating a stark contrast between the two. 

The remainder of the day, Kihyun and Minhyuk sat talking about the world and all it's darkness and beauty. They talked about families and their frustrations, their dreams for the future and the events taking place in the world. 

They sat and talked straight into the twilight hours, the sun casting a beautiful orange glow across the sky as it began to fall behind the horizon line. The soft chirp of the birds could be heard in the trees as they turned in for the evening, gathering up their chicks for the night to come. Squirrels and other ground creatures were finding their way to their burrows to keep themselves safe from predators, and the night animals were all starting to come alive for the evening fun. Fireflies blinked, lighting up the darkening world around them to give off an artificial light for them to see within the growing shadows. 

"I should probably be getting home." 

Looking over, Kihyun nodded with a softened sigh. He didn't want Minhyuk to go, he was so kind and caring. He was honestly having an amazing time just talking with him about this and that, about everything going on. Of course, he didn't know how to explain the whole thing surrounding family, but the conversations were light and just came naturally between them. He couldn't wait for the next conversation that they would have, where it would lead. 

"Yeah, it is getting pretty dark. Would you mind if I walked you home?" 

A curious look crossed over Kihyun's face as he looked towards Minhyuk. For a split second, Minhyuk contemplated the question and then nodded. 

"Sure, you can walk me back." 

Both Kihyun and Minhyuk rose from their seated positions, dusting themselves off and Minhyuk leading the way back to his home. It wasn't too far from the forest, in fact, his home was right around the corner from the very forest he himself called home. How coincidental was that? However, with such a short walk it also meant that their time together for that evening was about to end. He didn't want it to end, but there was always the next day. 

As they approached the front door of the house, Kihyun and Minhyuk faced each other. 

"I had fun today, thank you for giving me someone to talk to." 

"Oh no, thank you. You're the first person who's given me the time of day like this. I had a lot of fun myself as well. I hope we can continue to see each other and hang out?" 

Kihyun looked worried that this was a one time thing, that he wouldn't be able to see Minhyuk anymore after this. He worried that he would no longer be able to have long conversations like this anymore, that his one friend would no longer be there after they parted ways. The smile that shone on Minhyuk's face reassured him that this was not just a one time meeting. In fact, he was even more reassured when Minhyuk confirmed it with his words. 

"Of course, tomorrow morning then?" 

The question made Kihyun smile with pure delight. He would just have to make it through the night and then would be able to see his new friend come the next morning. Excitement coursed through Kihyun as he nodded. 

"Tomorrow morning, same spot? Or I can meet you here?" 

"We'll meet at the stream. Goodnight, Kihyun." 

With their farewell, Minhyuk disappeared into his home while Kihyun walked back to the forest with a smile on his face. That day had been one of the best, he had found someone who reciprocated his kindness, someone who he could truly call a friend. He disappeared into the sea of pink covered trees, walking back towards where the flowerless tree sat. The closer he got, the more his smile slowly fell from his lips. He had a deep secret that he hadn't mentioned to Minhyuk, and at some point he would need to do so or risk hurting the male. 

~~~~~ **** ~~~~~ **** ~~~~~ **** ~~~~~

It was from this point on, Kihyun and Minhyuk began meeting on a regular basis. At first it was just meeting at the stream, sitting and talking about the little things. The beautiful things that made the world great, pushing aside anything that could damper their conversations. They learned more about one another, their likes and dislikes, what they loved to do in their spare time to some of their favorite places. As the days continued on, their meetings happened at other locations. Sometimes they would stay inside at Minhyuk's little home having a cup of tea and reading poems or short stories that had drawn their attention. They would spend their time singing or dancing to their favorite music. 

The more time Kihyun spent with Minhyuk, the more it wanted to be by his side forever. 

The two were sitting in Minhyuk's kitchen at the table, they had been discussing the latest tale they had just read together. A short story about a beauty and a beast and how their love had broken a spell that was on the beast. It almost reminded Kihyun of his own predicament, however, he wasn't just going to transform from a beast to a human. He almost felt more like the little mermaid from that story, having read it just the day prior. 

"Kihyun?" 

"Hm. . ?" 

Kihyun lifted his head, he had been staring into his cup of tea rather hard the past couple minutes as he listened to Minhyuk talk about his favorite part. Well, he was supposed to be listening only to end up zoning out in his own thoughts. He looked at Minhyuk with an almost blank curiosity on his face. 

"You okay?" 

Those two little words snapped him out of his thoughts, realizing what he was actually doing. Kihyun forced a smile onto his face and nodded to the very question. 

"Yeah, I'm okay." 

"Good, because I have something I want to tell you. . .well, ask you." 

Confusion suddenly surfaced on Kihyun's face quickly mixing with that earlier curiosity. 

"The time I've been spending with you, it's been amazing. You're like. . .my best friend, and I couldn't feel any luckier to have you in my life. I feel the day we met, it was fate. It was like the world trying to tell us something that day. Every day that I've spent with you has been a blessing and a joy and. . .and I really don't know how to express what I'm feeling right now. . ." 

Minhyuk paused in what he was saying, Kihyun giving a wary yet somewhat knowing look. He had a feeling where this was going and he could feel his heart racing in his chest at the very thought. 

"What are you trying to say, Hyuk?" 

For the briefest of moments, Minhyuk stayed quiet. He was biting his lip as if conflicted with his own thoughts, scared to say what was on his mind. 

"Ki. . .I guess what I'm trying to say is, will you stay with me? I don't know, at some point I. . ." 

"Minhyuk, stop. . .please." 

Suddenly halted, Minhyuk frowned, was he being rejected? 

"I know where you're going with this and I don't think I can." 

"What? Why?" 

Kihyun looked towards the window, glancing outside to the darkening world and looking upset over his thoughts. He slowly looked back towards Minhyuk, a sudden sadness forming into his eyes. 

"Hyuk, I've been keeping something from you. I'm not what you think I am, this. . ."

He motioned to himself, his body before standing from his chair and putting a little more distance between them. 

". . .it's just a spell granted to me. I'm really nothing more than a tree struggling to survive. That bare tree in the forest, the one that looks like it's dying, that's me. If I don't blossom by the end of tonight I WILL die." 

At his confession, Kihyun could see the disbelief on Minhyuk's face. The male seemed as if he didn't believe a single word that he was saying. He was scared that Minhyuk was about to yell at him, tell him how crazy he was, or worse. . .just laugh at him. 

"I'm sorry I deceived you." 

Kihyun said quickly before he ran out of the kitchen, through the house and out the door. He ran into the darkness and back into the forest where his true form stood. Tears trailed down his cheeks as he got closer to the bare tree, his human form fading from existence until he was nothing more than a lanky looking tree. What he hadn't expected was Minhyuk to run after him to try and stop him. 

Coming to a sudden halt right in front of the tree, Minhyuk glanced around before looking right at it. Tears were in his own eyes, his own heart racing not from the run he just had, but from the fear he was losing the one person he had fallen in love with. Slowly, he walked up and pressed his hands to the bark of the tree and slowly wrapped his arms around it. 

"I don't care if you're a tree, nothing changes between us. I don't want you to die, Kihyun. I want to spend the rest of my life with you." 

Minhyuk cried. That was when a light shone down from the tops of the pink flowered trees around them. A small creature that looked like something out of a fairy tale descended from above and hovered just in front of Minhyuk. He turned and looked towards the little creature, mesmerized by the thing. 

"So, you want this tree to live?" 

A simple nod was all he could offer as he was speechless at the moment. 

"You have a choice then. You can live together as mortals until the day you both pass or. . .you can merge together as one." 

Minhyuk stared quietly, taking in the sudden choices that he was given. On one hand, they could live mortal lives together, but it wasn't forever. He could give his own life up and merge with Kihyun and live for an eternity. He remembered what Kihyun had told him and looked up at the flowerless tree branches that extended from the top of the tree. Then he remembered everything they had talked about, the world around them wasn't as perfect as it could be, but it could be perfect if he made the right decision. That's when he knew what he had to do. 

"I can't live without him, I want to spend an eternity with him. Please, don't let me live without him." 

With a simple nod, the small fairy like creature, with a wave of her hand, did her magic. Minhyuk had merged with Kihyun, becoming one. By morning, the tree would have blossomed and bloomed with small pink flowers, mixing in with the ones around them. With the love of Minhyuk came the beauty that was Kihyun. Forever as one, they were able to continuously bloom and show off just how beautiful they could be together. For as together, they were perfect and able to live forever loving each other.