Archive of Our Own ^beta

“And then on Tuesday, it’s the first day of the month, which means it’s tax day, so in the meeting with the top 20% representatives, you have to figure out what that money will be going to this month. This part is easy. It’s usually all the same people, and we’ve already decided that you’re going to push for helping to rebuild the west forest after that controlled burn got a little out of bounds, and they should know by now that they can’t walk all over you even if you’re – even if. You’re not. Taemin, you’re not paying attention.”

“Am too,” Taemin pouts. Leaf is totally paying attention to what leafs sibling is saying. Leaf is listening and absorbing all of the information that leaf needs to be in charge for 2 weeks while Taesun is out learning how to do big sprout stuff like talking to neighboring communities and connecting with the forest spirits and everything. Leaf gets it. Leaf needs to learn how to be a good representative and do leafs best for the forest and blah blah blah just in case something happens to Taesun. It’s important. Taemin gets it. Leaf is paying attention.

Taemin is just also, at the same time, paying attention to Kibum. Leaf doesn’t know how leaf is supposed to not when Kibum looks so good. He always looks so good when he’s dressed up all pretty and proper for work. With his little glasses and his little notepad and his pushed back little flip in his short black hair and his fancy little library scholar uniform. If Taesun doesn’t want Taemin looking at him then stem should have hired someone else to be stems scribe.

Taemin also doesn’t think that all of the blame can be placed on leaf when Kibum is the one that’s been making eyes at leaf the entire time. Little glances while he’s writing. Little smiles. That one glance at Taesun behind leafs back and then the ticking of his eyebrows up and down once that made Taemin smile and cover leafs laugh.

Although Taemin thinks that all of the blame is going to be placed on leaf anyway, because when leafs sibling turns around, Kibum is innocently scribbling this conversation down in his notepad, prim and proper and completely focused on his job. Taemin grumbles at him, even more when Taesun turns back around and Kibum immediately has that smirk back on his lips.

“I get it,“ Taesun says. "It’s hard being a weird little plant creature and it’s hard being one of the chosen ones and it’s hard knowing that you might have to represent an entire forest one day when you didn’t even ask for it and all you want to do is be gay and photosynthesize. But if I have to deal with this shit, then so do you.”

And now Taemin is even grumpier, because that’s it exactly, and leaf can’t even complain anymore because leaf knows that leaf got the easy road, being the younger sprout and everything. Leaf sighs deeply, brushing leafs fingers through leafs red hair. A stray flower comes out with them and leaf ties the stem around leafs finger absentmindedly. Leaf looks at the veins on the back of leafs hand, running thick and green with chlorophyll, and then back up at leafs sibling.

“I’ve been to the meetings with the tax people before,” Taemin mumbles. “I know how to do it.” just because leaf doesn’t want to know how to be in charge doesn’t mean he doesn’t take it seriously. When he’s not flirting.

It’s just that there is hardly ever a moment in time when leaf’s not flirting.

As soon as Taesun starts running through everything Taemin will need to remember again, Taemin lets leafs eyes wander behind leafs sibling. Kibum is smiling at leaf, eyebrow with the scar arched, mouth hooked up more to one side. He taps his pen on his bottom lip between writing, even going so far as to poke it against his left cheek and push his right cheek out with his tongue. Which, of course, makes Taemin blush so hard that leaf is sure that leafs sibling can tell something is up even though Taemin is suddenly giving leafs full undivided attention.

Taemin also thinks it’s a little unfair of Kibum to tease leaf like that when he’s going to be gone for 2 weeks soon, same as Taesun. There will not be time enough for the two of them to get together and for leaf to get leafs dick sucked before Kibum is gone. Secretly , while Taesun isn’t looking, Taemin flips Kibum off.

That makes Kibum snort so loud that he gets reprimanded as well, so Taemin thinks it was worth it.

And then, later, once they’re done talking and Taesun is leaving, Kibum following stem, Taemin following him, Kibum stops in the doorway. He turns around, holding his gay little notebook to his gay little chest with his gay big hands, and he kisses Taemin softly.

“I’m going to miss you, my little gremlin,” he says between pecks.

Taemin kisses him back in a way that is much less than soft, because Taemin is going to miss him too. Leaf is going to miss him not more, but harder, because Taemin is baby and he gets lonely easy and he has big emotions and no one that lives inside leafs little green heart has ever left leaf for more than a few days at a time.

They stand there in the doorway kissing, holding on to each other, smiling against each other, until Taesun’s exasperated voice calls Kibum’s name, and then they stay there for a few kisses more.

~

The blackberry sheep are especially cute today, Taemin thinks, smiling down at them as they crowd around leaf. They nip at leafs loose clothes, at leafs fingers, baaing contentedly. Ever since leaf became a chosen one, leaf has not been able to figure out if they like leaf so much now because of the spiritual connection or because leaf just smells and tastes like grass. Leaf likes either explanation, depending on how silly leaf is feeling that day. And either way, leaf is glad that they’re even interested in leaf. They never were back when leaf was still a human. They were always much more interested in –

“Well hello, little prince.”

Taemin is bright and beaming the second leaf hears leafs favorite drawl , looking up from the berry bush sheep and around until he finds its owner. Jonghyun smiles back, hands held up around his waist as he wades through sheep to get to leaf. There he is. There’s Taemin’s favorite little shepherd. Sunkissed skin, thick stocky arms, hair as pink as the strawberry sheep get in the spring, eyes as warm and brown as the soil that Taemin could stick leafs fingers into and play with all day long. If leaf wasn’t tragically tied up by being in charge for the next week and four days still.

“Don’t call me that,” Taemin pouts. It’s funny on a regular day; pretending Taemin is an awful royal goblin on purpose instead of just a weird little chosen one. But now it hits different. Now he actually has a little bit of power and it feels too close to a real insult. Jonghyun chuckles, coming to a stop in front of Taemin with one hand in his overalls pocket and the other hand gentle on top of one of the bushes.

“Aw, is someone grumpy leaf has to be in charge?” Jonghyun coos. He cups Taemin’s chin and kisses leaf through leafs whine, firm but gentle.

“Yes,” Taemin grumps. Jonghyun chuckles into the kiss, and Taemin stops being grumpy, because leaf can’t be grumpy after that. It is literally impossible.

And besides. Leaf would much rather be content and happy while leaf kisses Jonghyun than grumpy. Kissing Jonghyun is one of leafs favorite things to do. Top 4, definitely. They used to do it all the time, the two of them, little shepherds passing the time during their watches, and ever since Taemin turned into a plant, their smooch time has drastically lowered.

And it’s been even worse since Taemin has had to be in charge for the past 3 days. Leaf hasn’t kissed Jonghyun for almost a whole day! That is just so awful and unacceptable. Leaf doesn’t think that the pair of them have ever gone a whole entire day without touching their mouths together since they did it the first time. Leaf is lucky that he caught Jonghyun before the full 24 hours, or else he doesn’t know what would have happened. Maybe he would have wilted right there.

No one can prove that it wouldn’t happen.

That’s why Taemin ignores leafs own personal shepherd, the poor babe that got stuck with ushering leaf around and trying to get leaf to tend to the usual responsibilities. They’re having a tough time of it. But Taemin is pretty sure that leaf is in charge of their salary right now, so at least they’ll be getting a raise.

They clear their throat once, twice, three times, and then say Taemin’s name, and that’s when Jonghyun chooses to be responsible and breaks the kiss apart. Probably for the better. Taemin knows leaf wasn’t going to do it. Leaf sighs , tries to follow him, and laughs when he almost tips over a sheep. Jonghyun quickly catches leaf before leaf damages any of their branches, catches leaf in his strong warm hands. He smells like earth and blackberries and like home . Like the home that Taemin can find in him whenever leaf wants , no matter how busy leaf is, no matter who leaf is, no matter what.

Taking heart in that, Taemin straightens up. Jonghyun isn’t going anywhere. He loves his sheep and he loves Taemin. Taemin can come back and make out with him when leaf is done for the day. But for now, “please report on the status of the berry bush sheep, mister senior chief shepherd, ma'am,” Taemin says briskly in leafs best impression of Taesun.

And then both leaf and Jonghyun burst into giggles.

“I wish stem called me all of that fancy shit,” Jonghyun grins. “They’re all fine,” he shrugs after. He waves a broad hand over the pasture where all the other sheep are mingling around, being watched and cared for by the other shepherds. Taemin recognizes many of the older ones from leafs past in the fields, and most of the new ones from leafs new connection to them. “Strawberries are thinning out. Winterberries are just starting to bud. Raspberries are almost ready. Blue and blackberries are still going very strong. Baby sprouts are growing up nice and healthy. You know how it goes. Would you like a sample, my little berry?”

Even as he asks the question, Jonghyun reaches down to one of the sheep between them and gently sifts through their bush, picking fat little blackberries and cradling them in his palm . He picks one up and holds it out to Taemin between two fingers. It’s a simple enough offer, but his usual smirk is back on his mouth and Taemin knows exactly why. In fact, Taemin is matching it.

Slowly, keeping leafs eyes locked with Jonghyun’s, Taemin closes leafs lips around not just the berry, but Jonghyun’s fingers as well. And leaf sucks a little bit. Uses leafs tongue to draw the berry into leafs mouth, but not without letting it curl around Jonghyun’s fingers first.

Jonghyun bites his lip, his pupils dilating just the tiniest amount. He pushes his fingers further into Taemin’s mouth. Taemin closes leafs eyes, humming quietly.

Leafs guide clears their throat louder than they have all day.

Laughing, Taemin steps back. Leaf chews and swallows the berry, appreciating its sweet, tart taste, the nice texture. Good berry. Good quality. Good little sheep. Good official check up. Leaf can’t wait for next week’s check up. Leaf is sure it will be just as good, if not better.

~

Taemin’s hand hurts. Leaf shakes it out, rubbing leafs other palm into leafs temple. Leafs clumsy drawing of a sunflower and all of its parts looks back up at leaf, halfway finished.

Garbo. Taemin cannot believe that this has to happen to leaf. Leaf has not been able to believe it for the entire year and a half leaf has been a chosen one. The one thing leaf was really, really, really super excited about – being able to heal plants – and all it did was get leaf here. Anatomy class. Advanced anatomy class. Taemin slept through regular anatomy class when leaf was a young little bub still trying out school, dropped it entirely before the second semester even started, and now leaf is right back in it, but worse.

Leaf chances a glance at Jinki. Leafs tutor is quietly focused on his work, researching whatever it is that nerds like him research when they’re alone in the library while the younger chosen one struggles through leafs lessons. His glasses halfway down his nose, his long brown hair framing his face, his jaw serious and set, focused on his work. Taemin can’t bother him. Leaf bothered him, like, 10 minutes ago. And leaf had gotten sympathy, yeah, but not reprieve.

Leaf wishes Jinki wasn’t such a good tutor. It would be so easy to be rude to him, to disobey him, to blow off his tutor sessions, if Jinki was a dickhead like all of the tutors before him. If he gave Taemin the just choose to focus , the it’s just taking notes and memorization, the your sibling does this everyday on top of stems chosen duties so you can too, that everyone else gave leaf. But Jinki doesn’t. He’s not a tool. He listens to Taemin, and he believes leaf, and he doesn’t compare leaf to Taesun , and he understands that Taemin learns differently . He makes Taemin feel seen and heard in a way that no one else does.

But that doesn’t mean Jinki is going to give leaf another break already so soon. And that extra sucks now, because now that leaf is thinking about how good Jinki is, and how nice Jinki treats leaf, leaf is also thinking about how well Jinki treats leaf when they’re not in a tutor session. How gentle his hands are. How warm his laugh is. How soft his mouth is. He always tastes like honey.

Taemin follows that train of thought , staring at the bookshelves in front of leaf, chewing on the eraser of leafs pencil, for so long that leaf almost gives leafself a boner, and then, blushing, readjusts leafself from sitting with one leg beside leaf and the other leg bent at the knee and resting against the table to a position where leaf can cross leafs legs. Shaking leafs head when Jinki asks if leaf wants help, ignoring the knowing smirk that leaf can see out of the corner of leafs eye, Taemin focuses back on leafs work.

For another 15 minutes. Long enough to finish the drawing and start labeling, but then Taemin can feel leafs focus slipping once again. Leaf blows a big puff of air through leafs lips, putting leafs head down on the table.

“Jinki,” leaf whines, and when Jinki hums back in question, says, “I’m abusing my spiritually given authority to declare that chosen ones no longer need to take anatomy lessons.”

“Hmm,” Jinki says, not looking away from his work. “That’s not one of the ways you can abuse your power.”

“No?” Taemin pouts, looking up. Jinki shakes his head.

“No,” he repeats. “You would have to take that up with the environmental protection committee. But I don’t think they would agree to let you work on healing plants without ever learning how to in the first place. Unless you want to give up healing plants?” Finally he looks up, fixing Taemin with raised eyebrows over his glasses.

Taemin grumbles, putting leafs face back down. No, leaf doesn’t want to give that up. Awful. Awful and garbo and unfair. Leaf grumbles more, and then slaps leafs hands on the desk and pushes leafself up straight.

“Well,” leaf says. Leaf stands up and puts leafs knee on the table, starting to clamber on top of it. “I’m abusing my power as an autonomous weird little plant creature with free will to say I’m done studying today.” Leaf is done with it. No more.

Instead, leaf crawls over the table, carefully pushing Jinki’s work to the side, until leaf can sit directly in front of him, legs spread on either side of him. Jinki looks blandly back at leaf. He’s not doing a good job at all of hiding his smile. Taemin can see it playing at the corners of his lips. He puts his hands on Taemin’s knees, but he doesn’t push leaf away. He just holds leaf, gently, warmly.

“Yeah?” He asks. Taemin slides a little closer to the edge of the table, smiling down at him full power. Leaf knows that Jinki is especially soft for leaf when leaf smiles.

“Yeah,” leaf says. Leaf pushes Jinki’s glasses further up his nose, then pushes leafs fingers through his long hair. It’s always so soft. Jinki’s hands didn’t move when leaf inched forward, so now they’re on leafs thighs.

“What are you going to do instead?” Jinki asks, tilting his head like that will make anything about his smirk or his arched eyebrows or his pulling fingers seem innocent.

“Ideally?” Taemin says. Slowly, carefully, partly because leaf wants to be dramatic and seductive and partly because leaf doesn’t want to hurt Jinki, Taemin lowers leafself down into his lap. Close, cozy, arms wrapped around his neck. “You,” leaf says, and pushes their mouths together.

Jinki hums into the kiss, just as amused and stern as his usual hums. “I don’t know if you’ll get that far, my little scholar,” he says, but he kisses back anyway. Which, all words aside, makes Taemin happy as can be.

So happy, in fact, that even when Jinki breaks it 10 minutes later and hands leaf back leafs pencil, Taemin doesn’t mind. Sure. Sure, yeah. Leaf rearranges leafself to sit across his lap so they can both go back to their work. Leaf finishes labeling his diagram, asking Jinki for help once, and gets partway through defining before leaf once again starts losing the threads of focus. And when leaf does, Jinki lets leaf kiss him again for just as long.

This time, Taemin breaks the kiss first. Halfway. Just enough to ask a question: “so, would you happen to know, what abuses of power I can commit? While I have the chance?” Leaf is curious. And leaf likes Jinki’s voice.

“Hmm,” Jinki says. Taemin kisses him again. “Let me think,” he says. Taemin lets him think while their mouths move together. “You can absorb all of the power of the forest, and if it doesn’t kill you, take over the world with it.”

“Mmm. No.” That never works out. It always kills the chosen one when they try to do that. And taking over the world sounds so mean and boring, especially if Taemin would have to kill the entire forest to do it.

“You can use your spiritual connection to the forest and all of the crops and livestock to coerce and blackmail the rest of the town into doing whatever you wanted.” Jinki says it with a hopeful upturn at the end of his voice, inviting, like that would be a fun time, but Taemin scrunches leafs nose. That’s so much more work than Jinki is making it sound like it would be. First of all, Taemin would have to be sneaky, and leaf is far too impatient for that. And even if leaf did manage that. Leaf knows that leaf wouldn’t be able to keep it up. Leaf would get found out and then everyone would be mad at leaf and then leaf would shrivel up and perish. Jinki laughs, warm and soft, and noses against leafs cheek. “You could commit a crime and then say that the forest says that someone else did it and no one would be able to prove you wrong. You can declare your own national holiday. You could refuse to let any of the livestock for the vegetables that you don’t like reproduce so you won’t have to – ”

“Wait, I can what?” Taemin asks. Leaf shakes leafs head, crashing back into full focus with excitement blooming in leafs chest. Originally leaf just wanted to listen to Jinki talk, but that was actually interesting. “I can make a holiday?” leaf asks. “Just like that? I’m allowed to?”

“I think so,” Jinki shrugs. “Why?”

~

“Happy Kiss A Plant Day!”

“Fuck yeah!” Taemin thrusts leafs arms in the air, beaming at the lovely citizen that wished leaf the happy holiday. They wave at leaf as leaf walks past and leaf waves back with both hands. Then leaf laces leafs hands behind leafs head, looking forward. Leaf is on a very important tour through the west forest, surveying the reconstruction and new growth from that fire the other week. Leaf has very important duties to attend to.

Like every time Taemin has responded to a holiday wish today, leafs guide puts their face into their hands. They’re different from the one that was guiding him around the other day, but they’re just as exasperated, and Taemin is just as indifferent to that exasperation. Leaf is not here to be prim and proper and stuffy and put together. That’s Taesun’s job. Taesun is the cool and intimidating chosen one; Taemin is the fun and casual chosen one. The people need someone like leaf.

Besides. Leaf doesn’t see why being excited about people participating in leafs cool new holiday is unprofessional. There is nothing wrong with showing appreciation to the plants of the world that give them life and sustenance and happiness. And Taemin knows for a fact that the plants already appreciate all of the extra affection as well. Leaf included. Every time one of the bolder citizens approaches leaf to smoochy leafs cheek leaf swears leaf grows another 7 flowers. Best idea leaf’s ever had.

And getting better by the second – as they’re walking, Taemin glances up into the trees and catches a flash of a familiar tiny black ponytail. Leaf is supposed to be heading to the local pollination center to check that all of the pine cone samples are healthy and seeding properly after the help of the fire, but that little ponytail has just moved to the top of leafs priority list.

Ditching leafs guide, Taemin jogs to the nearest sapling and hops on to its springy branches. Leaf makes it grow gently but quickly, lifting leaf up until leaf can reach another taller branch from another tree. Leaf half climbs, half grows leafs way all the way up, hopping from tree to tree, into the leafy canopy.

There, steadying leafself on the sturdy walkways, smiling at all of the shocked citizens, Taemin gets leafs bearings and starts jogging again until leaf finally leaps between from one healthy tree to one scorched tree and lands in the open, empty space where one of the railings got accidentally burned away.

Until, finally, Taemin leans back against the tree, crosses leafs arms, turns leafs nose up, and says, “hey loser.”

“Wow,” Minho says, not looking up from his work. He’s in his sleeveless vest like usual when he’s on the job. His toned muscles shift under his tanned, sweaty skin as he lines up a board for the new railing he’s building. His sharp features frown when he says, “I’m going to vote to abolish your right to cut the big ribbons whenever a new place opens up.”

“Nooooo,” Taemin whines. That’s like one of leafs favorite parts. Leaf gives up playing hard-to-get as soon as leaf started, uncrossing leafs arms and coming to lean against the standing railing instead. “You wouldn’t have the patience to go through all of the paperwork or whatever.” Let alone convince other people to vote with him on it. Taemin won’t be intimidated by empty threats.

“You don’t know that,” Minho says. He digs in his tool belt and pulls out a nail. He lines it up, then hammers it in nice and smooth in one, two, three loud strokes. Twirling his hammer around his fingers and then slotting it easily back into his belt, he continues, “you sat through all of that paperwork to push through your new little holiday. If you can do that, I can get something on the ballot.”

“Ah, so you’ve heard,” Taemin grins. Leaf scoots closer, trailing leafs hands along the railing. Minho has heard about the special day. It only got announced yesterday, so not everyone knows about it yet. But Minho does. Taemin leans even closer, smiling broadly, wiggling leafs eyebrows. “What do you think about it?” leaf asks.

“Get off of that, get off,” Minho says, pulling leaf off of the railing. “It’s not safe. There’s literally signs all over.” He gets ahold of Taemin’s shoulders and spins them both so he’s the one with his back to the open-air. And then, in an attitude shift so sudden that it would have left Taemin breathless if leaf wasn’t so used to it already, Minho smiles down at leaf, earnest and genuine and just like Taemin remembers. Just like he did when it was the three of them, Jonghyun and Taemin flirting with Minho, bothering him while he tried to build fences for the berry bush sheep when they were teenagers. He leans down and kisses Taemin, soft, slow, 80% smile.

“I think it’s a very good idea, my little favorite,” he says.

Taemin beams. Fuck, and leaf cannot stress this enough, yeah.

They stand there and make out for long enough that Taemin gets bored of standing. Long enough that leaf grows leafself a nice little chair from the tree behind leaf. Long enough that leaf decides to use that chair to lift leafself up so leaf can be taller. Long enough for leaf to start thinking that it’s nice and quiet and secluded up here, the perfect spot for them to maybe participate in a different kind of nailing –

Someone calls leafs name from down below, in a tone that sounds like it’s at its wit’s end. Taemin giggles, breaking the kiss finally to hide behind his hand. Minho glances down, grinning wide.

“Jonghyun told me you were giving your guides migraines,” he says, raising his eyebrows. Taemin shrugs innocently.

“They only have to put up with me for a couple more days,” leaf says. Then they can go back to doing stuff with the better behaved chosen one and Taemin can get back to leafs regular routine of photosynthesizing and kissing leafs babes. Leaf really needs to make up for lost time on that. Leaf hasn’t been kissing half as much as leaf usually does lately. It’s so hard, being so responsible.