Work Text:
There was once a young leafy tree growing near a street. It was not so different from any other trees planted meters away. It was a happy, healthy tree that loved to bask in the sun and watch all the people and cars passing by. Spring and Summer went by quickly and they were enjoyable. Even autumn, the time of falling leaves and merciless rains couldn't beat the optimism out of the tree. But then winter came.
It wasn't the chilly weather or snow, which was an additional weight on the branches. On the contrary, the tree thought that these little white snowflakes were truly charming even if it sometimes got hit with a misaimed snowball.
No, the true problem was... a neighbour. When people started to decorate the street with Christmas lights and humming carols, some workers of the municipal greenery brought a large bowl with... another tree. A conifer.
At first the leafy tree was friendly and curious. It was used to being around only the concrete pathway surrounding its small square of soil. They were silently enjoying each other company. Until…
A season of north winds came. It was cold and unpleasant but both trees were adapted to endure tough weather conditions. It wasn't easy to see from the beginning but… the conifer was slowly leaning towards the leafy tree.
Of course, there was nothing unusual for two trees to touch when the wind was blowing. But when the air was still, trees should go back to their previous upright positions. Leafy tree had a trunk thick enough to resist the power of the wind, yet the conifer came closer and closer.
I can't emphasise enough the fear which leafy tree felt from the deepest root to the highest tip of its branch. From the bark to the core it was absolutely terrified. It was impossible to escape when you couldn’t run and you can’t fight when you couldn’t move on your own. And the tree knew nothing about the conifer's intentions, so it waited every night, wide-awake, watchful for the thread, even if it could do nothing to prevent it.
Leafy tree wanted to avoid being paranoid all the time, so it tried to bring its attention to other things, like watching passing cars and people. Then, one peculiar day, the tree noticed that more passersby were holding hands and they were clingy to each other. It was pleasant to watch and helped to forget about the inevitable danger. Suddenly one person from a pair pointed at two plants and said: "Look, today love is in the air! Even trees are hugging!"
And in mere seconds everything changed. Fear was gone. Threat was gone. There was only a warm, delicate feeling, tingling through all the branches. And it felt so right.