Chapter Text
A dozen crows flee from the bare tree group that stands in the middle of Hoseok's backyard. There's a commotion in the woods. The air is thick with light yellow pollen and weirdly still, like it's waiting patiently for something to happen. Maybe it's waiting for Spring to come?
Hoseok sits crouched in front of a big flat wooden bucket. He is scrubbing chalk stones clean with an old toothbrush that is still around from his childhood. The crocodile on the bottom of the toothbrush handle is one of his favorite things. He has a lot of favorite things, so many that the general person probably wouldn't classify any of them as a favorite.
When he was young and did not know how to channel his magic, it would flow into the most random items and stick to them. Tableware pieces, small nick nacks or anything really would suddenly possess a piece of him and feel like it belonged to his soul. Nowadays it honestly still happens to him when he is stressed or inattentive, it's not like he couldn't extract the magic out of things they were sticking to, but more like he doesn’t want to. They grow on him, and he develops an emotional attachment to them, so his collection just keeps on growing.
And that worries him a lot. Just a year ago he moved away from his old home in the heart of Maski - City because his apartment couldn't hold all his things anymore. The small one story house he currently resides in begins to feel a little full, and it's also always difficult to leave everything behind when he makes his journey to the small town nearby to buy necessities and to sell his charmes on the monthly market.
The most recent thing he needs to think about is the arrival of Spring on the 11th. Jimin had, like every year they have known each other, sent a letter to invite him over.
Hobi Hyung,
With spring on the doorstep, you'll need to come over.
We'll need your help with preparing for the beginning of the new year.
please bring:
-2x Windchimes
-a dozen luck charms
-the materials for an enchanting stone circle
Jin Hyung and Tae are coming too.
Don't forget your Shwal & be careful on your way
Jimin
So at the moment he is preparing the chalkstones, for the outer ring of the enchanting circle. The sand that will be laid out in the middle of the circle sits ready in two old bags that can be fastened to his broom next to his doorstep and the windchimes are already securely wrapped for damage avoidance and packaged in his biggest backpack. His collection couldn't really come with him so he packaged only the most important things.
He decided to make the lucky charms on the way, when he rests between flying periods and now with the last white stone squeaky clean he is ready for departure.
The queasy feeling in his stomach is probably due to his reluctance to fly. It's not like he is bad at it,or that he is scared of heights etc, he just doesn't like it very much, it is not his magical speciality as he is only prone to enchant things or craft magically.
While packing away the last things he watches the magpies that have claimed his backyard as their territory to nest scare away a single pigeon.
Their wings stir up the layer of pollen and spores that covers the ground.
The witch grabs an air filtering mask as a precaution for windy weather on his way out of the door.
Hopefully the flight will be trouble- free.
The flight is not trouble free. The weather took a complete turn, and now the sky is pissing
and hoseok is completely soaked, he forgot to take a waterproof charm with him. The constant frown on his face turns darker by the minute and his jaw hurts from pressing his teeth together to keep them from chattering. Its fucking cold and he is not prepared.
“SHIT”, he screams when a windboeh nearly throws him from the broom. Who even thought it was a good idea to fly with a fucking broom?
He decides to land in the middle of a few wide apart standing trees, but still thumbles into a
bush and the tree stump that is hidden behind. He keeps his eyes shut tight and curls into himself to keep the damage as low as possible.
Why didn't he make those damn luck charms before taking off for the flight?
When finally everything is still, except for the pouring rain he takes a second to just lay there and feel his body. Everything is tight with tension, and his fingers are still gripping tightly onto the wooden handle. His chest is also pressed against the broomstick and the wood keeps digging into his left breast. The backpack is still there pressing tightly into his back muscles and he thinks he can feel the light burning of scraped up knees and shins. His left shoulder also hurts. Mostly, the adrenaline does its job, and keeps him high on it.
Slowly he rolls his body over and loosens his fingers. He makes grabbing motions with them, they feel slow in their response and weirdly tight. His head begins to pound and he begins to register the cold again.
Finally he opens his eyes, it's really dim and hard to see anything through the rain. A grown leaves his mouth, deep and exhausted.
The decision to find shelter is made fast, only the execution of the needed movements turn out to be difficult. Entangling himself from the broom and his backpack is exhausting, but he manages with a few grunts. standing up happens slowly and pretty unbalanced, walking is a nightmare, picking up his things is worse. He really only draws his legs one after the other in the direction of anywhere, not really knowing where to go he follows his nose straight ahead.
It takes ages and a lot of mudd and dry leaves sticking to him, until he finds a stone ledge under which he has little enough space to curl in a ball and persist until the weather is calmer. He doesn't know when the rain stops, because he passes out sometime after listening to the pouring.
He awakens ro damp clothes, his head pondering and an ant crawling over his hand, watching it brings him piece of mind and replaces the feeling of doom that had befallen him the second he gained consciousness. At the back of his mind sits the knowledge of how uncomfortable his entire body is feeling.
It's the morning of the 7th of march and he does not know where exactly he is. Maybe if he treks a few miles into the woods he will find a space where he can overview the trees and orient himself?
There's a movement at the direction of his feet, and he winces internally :, please don't be a dangerous animal, he can only think. Slowly to not attract attention he drops his chin down, he's still lying on his right side and in a vulnerable position.
There by the tree seven metes away stands a tall man, a hand pressed to the tree trunk, eyes watching him alert. He is wearing light linen clothes and jewelry made out of nut shells, his feet are bare and smudged with mud. He's a Spirit, the witch notices the shimmering air around him.
The witch begins to slowly push his upper body up and to tow himself from under the ledge, while watching the spirit not make a single move. Hoseok knows to be wary but he also feels a tiny bit of hope in the pit of his heart as he stares up to him.
"Hey" it feels weird to speak out into the silence. Why hasn't the spirit said anything? Can he not speak? "Can you help me? ", he asks and hears a humming sound coming from the tall figure. Is that a yes? What does he say now? Why hasn't the spirit stopped staring him in the eyes?
There is desperation coiling in his gut and a hot knot keeps getting pulled tighter in his throat. His head doesn't stop feeling like someone keeps hitting the back of his head. "Was that a yes? I'm kind of lost, I don't know- I- " It's hard to swallow with how dry his throat is and he is mostly unsure what to say next, how to explain anything, it's just a lot at once.
The spirit stays still for a moment and then proceeds to nod, while humming again. The sound is kind of calming.
Suddenly the spirit takes a step forward and lowers himself, he reaches a hand out in the witches direction. Does he want Hoseok to take it? "Do you want me to take it?", He asks and gets a nod in response. So he does reach out with his right one and is promptly reminded how cold he is feeling, because the skin of the tall stranger is so warm he wants to fit his whole body in it and roll around in the warm softness. Without meaning to, he had closed her eyes and was leaning in the direction of the spirit, his second hand closing around the interlaced hands too. The humming starts up again and then he hears the quiet, "Are you okay?"
It takes a while to register the worlds as Hoseok slowly opens his eyes to blink at the spirit. He hears the words again"Are you okay?"and promptly notices that the spirit didn't open his mouth. Gentle eyes are watching him as he moves his head around to look for anyone else who could have spoken.
"I'm sorry I can't speak physically.", echoes in his mind accompanied by the low humming that now kind of turned into a grumbling.
It takes a while for everything to sink in, "Im- that's ok. I was just surprised" he mumbles quietly in response. Suddenly he is hyper aware that he is still holding the spirits hand and makes an attempt at letting it go, but is interrupted once again by a low voice in his thoughts that is not his own:
"I'm sorry once again but I can only communicate when we are touching. If you are uncomfortable with holding hands we could touch toes or something."
Amusement bubbles up in him as the suggestion. Touching toes.
“I don't mind it - I mean the hands- hand holding. I'm Hoseok by the way”, realizing now that they were really strangers and didn't know each other despite Hoseok feeling so comfortable around the Spirit he felt the need to lay himself bare in front of the gentle man.
“Ah my bad, Im Namjoon”, the spirit briefly squeezed his hand, “ i'm a tree spirit, and i assume you're a witch?” A short nod from the witch confirmed the question.
“I asked earlier, are you ok? You're really wet and you said you're lost?”Namjoon took his time with asking, he was not rushing him, at least it didn't feel like that to the witch.
“yesterday's storm - ”Hoseok started, but reconsidered, “I was on my way to celebrate the arrival of spring, you know on the 11th?” Namjoon nods, probably not wanting to interrupt his thoughts.
“- I was flying, the weather really surprised me, I wasn't prepared” he pauses, he runs his free hand over his face, and lets out a deep sight “I had to make an emergency landing,” he grimaces at the thought of his more likely to be called crash landing, “And I um, I kind of stayed here until the morning…, I guess I never dried? I don't really know where I am or were to go”
Namjoons second hand comes up and encloses the one he is already holding with the other, gently squeezing in ressurance, He has a tight lipped smile on his face:”” I'm
sure, I can help in some way by giving you directions but i can offer you dry clothes first? And maybe you're better to come home with me for the moment to warm up?- Only If you want to?
Normally Hoseok would be a lot more wary about strangers, but namjoon already doesn't feel unfamiliar anymore, also he can offer a shelter and maybe something warm to drink and that is all he really wants at the moment.
Tree spirits are also generally not known to be vicious so he isn't really worried about that and he needs to move forward somehow “Yeah- that would be really nice. I- thank you.” The witch smiles gratefully at the ground, as Namjoons eyes glint friendly back at him.
“Sure Hoseok, should I take your things for you?” The spirit asks while standing up.
Hoseok shakes his head yes. They are still holding hands, as Namjoon following helps him stand up, and supports him when he cant stay up. He even offers to carry him on his back, but Hoseok thinks that is too much, so they begin their journey to Namjoons home that is supposed to be just a few walking minutes away.