The Prince and the Fox
Pairing: Luhan/Xiumin
Rating: G
Words: 1,232
Summary: Luhan travels the universe to learn things. A fox teaches him how to learn.
A/N: Happy birthday, ddankkoma! Inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's Le Petit Prince and this photoset. Also a fill here at exopromptmeme. Three birds with one stone :) Translated to Spanish here.
“Hello,” came a voice.
“Hello,” Luhan replied politely, but he didn’t see anything as he turned around, looking for the source of the elegant voice.
“I’m here, under the apple tree,” the voice came again. He turned around, and lo and behold, a fox appeared.
He was beautiful, with bright red ears poking out of his glossy hair to match. He had pale skin otherwise, sharp eyes that were a shade of amber.
“Hello,” said Luhan. “You’re gorgeous.”
“I’m a fox,” the fox said. Luhan nodded, realizing the fox was not a fox but rather a fox-boy, like he’d heard about. And the fox-boy was beautiful. “Call me Xiumin.”
Luhan smiled at him. “Come play with me. I’m so very sad and lonely.”
“I can’t play with you,” Xiumin said, shaking his head. His beautiful red locks flipped into his face. “I’m not tamed.”
“Oh! I’m sorry,” Luhan apologized. He thought for a moment, and then he asked another question. “What does it mean to be tamed?”
Xiumin looked at him curiously, smiling as he sat beneath the apple tree. “You’re not from around here, are you?” he asked. “What are you looking for?”
“I’m looking for people,” Luhan replied right away. He recalled his loneliness and his exhaustion from traveling to and from the asteroids, dealing with kings and pompous men. And his rose. He couldn’t forget his rose. “What does it mean to be tamed?”
Xiumin looked thoughtful for a moment. “People have guns and they hunt. It’s annoying! And they raise chickens. That’s their only concern. Are you looking for chickens?”
“No, I’m looking for friends,” Luhan amended his statement. “What does it mean to be tamed?”
Xiumin sighed, flopping on his back. “It’s something too often forgotten. It means to create bonds.”
“Create bonds?” Luhan asked.
“Of course,” said the fox, “To me, you’re nothing but a boy who’s like a hundred thousand other boys. I don’t need you. You don’t need me, either. To you, I’m nothing but a fox who’s like a hundred thousand other foxes. But, if you tame me, we’ll need each other. I’ll be unique to you and you’ll be unique to me.” He looked at Luhan for a moment, his beautiful eyes wide and Luhan for a moment forgot about everything around him.
“Well,” Luhan said slowly, but Xiumin had an idea.
“Please, tame me!”
“I want to!” Luhan replied quickly, “but I have friends to find and lots of things to learn.”
“You learn things when you tame!” Xiumin assured Luhan. “Men don’t have time to learn anything anymore. They just buy everything premade! And...and I could be your friend, if you tamed me!”
Xiumin looked hopeful and desperate and Luhan saw potential in those eyes, in that philosophical tone of voice. He was lovely and sweet and Luhan did want a friend.
“What do I have to do?” Luhan asked, and Xiumin’s eyes lit up.
“Well, you have to be very patient,” Xiumin explained. “You should first sit a little far away from me, like that, in the grass. I’ll watch you out of the corner of my eye and you can’t say anything. Language is the source of many misunderstandings. But, every day, you can come a little closer…” he looked shy, as if this was something he’d said to many people.
So Luhan did what he was told. He sat far from Xiumin, looking at him, but not speaking. And Luhan didn’t mind looking. Xiumin was beautiful and sweet. His red hair glinted in the sun and his ears twitched if Luhan made a sudden movement. And his eyes. He didn’t look out of the corner of his eyes at all, rather, he stared at Luhan overtly. He had bright eyes that were full of hope and Luhan wanted nothing more than to tame the fox.
Luhan returned the next day.
“It would be better to come at the same time every day,” Xiumin explained. “See, if you come at four o’clock, I’ll start to get happy at three o’clock. The closer the time comes, the happier I’ll become. At four o’clock, I start to get worried and agitated. If you come at whatever time you want, I’ll never know what time to start preparing my heart. We need a schedule.”
“What’s a schedule?” Luhan asked.
“It’s something too often forgotten,” Xiumin sighs. “It’s what makes one day different from another day, one hour different from other hours. For example, the men who hunt me have a schedule. On Thursdays, they dance in the village. So Thursdays are great! I can go wherever I want. If they danced in the village whatever day they wanted, I wouldn’t be able to take my little break.”
Luhan understood. Xiumin was good at explaining, even if his reasoning sometimes didn’t make sense. He liked the fox. He liked listening to his lilting voice and seeing in his eyes just how much he wanted to be trained.
And so Luhan tamed the fox.
When the time came for Luhan to leave for good, he could hear Xiumin sniffling.
“Ah!” Xiumin pouted, “I’m going to cry.”
“It’s your fault,” Luhan said gently. “I didn’t mean you any harm, but you were the one who wanted to be tamed.”
“Of course,” Xiumin sniffled.
“But you’re going to cry!” Luhan exclaimed, walking over to the beautiful fox. He didn’t want to see Xiumin cry.
“Of course,” Xiumin said again.
“But then you’ve gained nothing,” Luhan said quietly. He reached out his arms and Xiumin allowed himself to be pulled in close.
“Of course I have,” Xiumin said softly. “Go back and see the roses. You’ll discover that your rose isn’t just like any other rose, just like I’m not any other fox and you’re...you’re not any other human.” Tears were seeping out of his eyes and Luhan didn’t want to leave. He couldn’t. But he had a task to do. “When you’ve seen the roses, come back to me and say goodbye for the last time. And I’ll tell you a secret.”
And so Luhan got into his airplane and flew to the roses.
His rose was different, and Luhan loved that, because his rose was unique and different from the other roses.
But there was something he just couldn’t leave behind.
He flew back to the fox.
“Did you discover what I told you you would?” Xiumin asked.
“Yes,” Luhan replied. “Goodbye, Xiumin.”
“Goodbye,” Xiumin whispered, as if it was painful to say. “I’ll tell you my secret: we can’t see well without the heart. There are some things that are invisible to the eyes. Men have forgotten this very important fact.”
But Luhan hadn’t forgotten at all. “Xiumin,” he said, “you’re right. And I’ve realized that...you’re not just unique among foxes. You’re unique among everything. You’re important to me.”
“But your rose…” Xiumin trailed off, his red ears pricking up as his cheeks turned the same color as Luhan’s rose.
“A rose is a rose, and she’s unique. But you’re more important, Xiumin. She has her other roses, but I’ve tamed you. And you taught me so much.” Xiumin scampered into Luhan’s arms and let Luhan kiss him ever so softly, innocently.
“There’s a word for that too, you know,” Xiumin said when Luhan finished kissing him. “It’s called love.”
“What’s love?”
“Something too often forgotten,” Xiumin smiled.
+ happy happy birthday, beth! i hope it was lovely and sorry that this is coming during my september 4th and not your september 4th~
+ come say hi on twitter or tumblr or ask.fm
Rating: G
Words: 1,232
Summary: Luhan travels the universe to learn things. A fox teaches him how to learn.
A/N: Happy birthday, ddankkoma! Inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's Le Petit Prince and this photoset. Also a fill here at exopromptmeme. Three birds with one stone :) Translated to Spanish here.
“Hello,” came a voice.
“Hello,” Luhan replied politely, but he didn’t see anything as he turned around, looking for the source of the elegant voice.
“I’m here, under the apple tree,” the voice came again. He turned around, and lo and behold, a fox appeared.
He was beautiful, with bright red ears poking out of his glossy hair to match. He had pale skin otherwise, sharp eyes that were a shade of amber.
“Hello,” said Luhan. “You’re gorgeous.”
“I’m a fox,” the fox said. Luhan nodded, realizing the fox was not a fox but rather a fox-boy, like he’d heard about. And the fox-boy was beautiful. “Call me Xiumin.”
Luhan smiled at him. “Come play with me. I’m so very sad and lonely.”
“I can’t play with you,” Xiumin said, shaking his head. His beautiful red locks flipped into his face. “I’m not tamed.”
“Oh! I’m sorry,” Luhan apologized. He thought for a moment, and then he asked another question. “What does it mean to be tamed?”
Xiumin looked at him curiously, smiling as he sat beneath the apple tree. “You’re not from around here, are you?” he asked. “What are you looking for?”
“I’m looking for people,” Luhan replied right away. He recalled his loneliness and his exhaustion from traveling to and from the asteroids, dealing with kings and pompous men. And his rose. He couldn’t forget his rose. “What does it mean to be tamed?”
Xiumin looked thoughtful for a moment. “People have guns and they hunt. It’s annoying! And they raise chickens. That’s their only concern. Are you looking for chickens?”
“No, I’m looking for friends,” Luhan amended his statement. “What does it mean to be tamed?”
Xiumin sighed, flopping on his back. “It’s something too often forgotten. It means to create bonds.”
“Create bonds?” Luhan asked.
“Of course,” said the fox, “To me, you’re nothing but a boy who’s like a hundred thousand other boys. I don’t need you. You don’t need me, either. To you, I’m nothing but a fox who’s like a hundred thousand other foxes. But, if you tame me, we’ll need each other. I’ll be unique to you and you’ll be unique to me.” He looked at Luhan for a moment, his beautiful eyes wide and Luhan for a moment forgot about everything around him.
“Well,” Luhan said slowly, but Xiumin had an idea.
“Please, tame me!”
“I want to!” Luhan replied quickly, “but I have friends to find and lots of things to learn.”
“You learn things when you tame!” Xiumin assured Luhan. “Men don’t have time to learn anything anymore. They just buy everything premade! And...and I could be your friend, if you tamed me!”
Xiumin looked hopeful and desperate and Luhan saw potential in those eyes, in that philosophical tone of voice. He was lovely and sweet and Luhan did want a friend.
“What do I have to do?” Luhan asked, and Xiumin’s eyes lit up.
“Well, you have to be very patient,” Xiumin explained. “You should first sit a little far away from me, like that, in the grass. I’ll watch you out of the corner of my eye and you can’t say anything. Language is the source of many misunderstandings. But, every day, you can come a little closer…” he looked shy, as if this was something he’d said to many people.
So Luhan did what he was told. He sat far from Xiumin, looking at him, but not speaking. And Luhan didn’t mind looking. Xiumin was beautiful and sweet. His red hair glinted in the sun and his ears twitched if Luhan made a sudden movement. And his eyes. He didn’t look out of the corner of his eyes at all, rather, he stared at Luhan overtly. He had bright eyes that were full of hope and Luhan wanted nothing more than to tame the fox.
Luhan returned the next day.
“It would be better to come at the same time every day,” Xiumin explained. “See, if you come at four o’clock, I’ll start to get happy at three o’clock. The closer the time comes, the happier I’ll become. At four o’clock, I start to get worried and agitated. If you come at whatever time you want, I’ll never know what time to start preparing my heart. We need a schedule.”
“What’s a schedule?” Luhan asked.
“It’s something too often forgotten,” Xiumin sighs. “It’s what makes one day different from another day, one hour different from other hours. For example, the men who hunt me have a schedule. On Thursdays, they dance in the village. So Thursdays are great! I can go wherever I want. If they danced in the village whatever day they wanted, I wouldn’t be able to take my little break.”
Luhan understood. Xiumin was good at explaining, even if his reasoning sometimes didn’t make sense. He liked the fox. He liked listening to his lilting voice and seeing in his eyes just how much he wanted to be trained.
And so Luhan tamed the fox.
When the time came for Luhan to leave for good, he could hear Xiumin sniffling.
“Ah!” Xiumin pouted, “I’m going to cry.”
“It’s your fault,” Luhan said gently. “I didn’t mean you any harm, but you were the one who wanted to be tamed.”
“Of course,” Xiumin sniffled.
“But you’re going to cry!” Luhan exclaimed, walking over to the beautiful fox. He didn’t want to see Xiumin cry.
“Of course,” Xiumin said again.
“But then you’ve gained nothing,” Luhan said quietly. He reached out his arms and Xiumin allowed himself to be pulled in close.
“Of course I have,” Xiumin said softly. “Go back and see the roses. You’ll discover that your rose isn’t just like any other rose, just like I’m not any other fox and you’re...you’re not any other human.” Tears were seeping out of his eyes and Luhan didn’t want to leave. He couldn’t. But he had a task to do. “When you’ve seen the roses, come back to me and say goodbye for the last time. And I’ll tell you a secret.”
And so Luhan got into his airplane and flew to the roses.
His rose was different, and Luhan loved that, because his rose was unique and different from the other roses.
But there was something he just couldn’t leave behind.
He flew back to the fox.
“Did you discover what I told you you would?” Xiumin asked.
“Yes,” Luhan replied. “Goodbye, Xiumin.”
“Goodbye,” Xiumin whispered, as if it was painful to say. “I’ll tell you my secret: we can’t see well without the heart. There are some things that are invisible to the eyes. Men have forgotten this very important fact.”
But Luhan hadn’t forgotten at all. “Xiumin,” he said, “you’re right. And I’ve realized that...you’re not just unique among foxes. You’re unique among everything. You’re important to me.”
“But your rose…” Xiumin trailed off, his red ears pricking up as his cheeks turned the same color as Luhan’s rose.
“A rose is a rose, and she’s unique. But you’re more important, Xiumin. She has her other roses, but I’ve tamed you. And you taught me so much.” Xiumin scampered into Luhan’s arms and let Luhan kiss him ever so softly, innocently.
“There’s a word for that too, you know,” Xiumin said when Luhan finished kissing him. “It’s called love.”
“What’s love?”
“Something too often forgotten,” Xiumin smiled.
+ happy happy birthday, beth! i hope it was lovely and sorry that this is coming during my september 4th and not your september 4th~
+ come say hi on twitter or tumblr or ask.fm