A World Without - Chapter Five
Name: A World Without
Fandom: SS501 (appearances by Super Junior)
Pairings: KyuMin, 2HJ, 2YS, friendship!KyuSaeng, friendship!MinSaeng
Total Word Count: 33, 000
Chapters: 5/7 + Epilogue
Rating: PG-16
Warnings: Post-Apocalyptic themes, violence
Genre: Adventure, Romance, and a bit of Crack stirred in
Prompt: "A kiss is a lovely trick, designed by nature, to stop words when speech becomes superfluous."
Summary: 40 years after humankind was deemed to have lost one chance too many, the world is still struggling to recover from the effects of the Last War. With humans now exist after being systematically wiped out, and the powerful Order overlooking all, it looked like they would finally be able live in peace. That was before a small caravan of Healers discover something in the ruins that will turn their views on atonement and suffering for the sins of the past upside down.
A/N: This is for my bestie forever, ziippers <3 Originally a one-shot, that idea kinda...died. I'm so sorry, it hardly even relates to the prompt or anything anymore @.@;;; Hope you still like it anyways? <3 /sheepish/ Updates will be every two days. Thank you to the always amazing curionenene for betaing, ILYBB~~~ <3333
Stiffening when KyuJong stood, the griffin scrambled backwards until he hit a tree. The human had to bite back a watery laugh. Only JungMin would back himself up into a tree like that.
Heart hammering in his chest, KyuJong slowly stepped forward, unsure what to do. JungMin was a griffin. Could he still understand him like this? Could he still speak?
He must have come too close, because JungMin flared out his wings again as though to lift himself into the air.
"Min ah," called YoungSaeng's voice. The hamadryad leaned against the caravan, eyes sad as he watched them. "Don't run away."
The griffin froze, wings still outstretched, and keened again.
KyuJong swallowed thickly. "Can you...can you understand me?" he asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking.
The griffin looked at him, golden eyes piercing, but KyuJong didn't flinch away this time because there was a deep pain present in that gaze.
"Of course I can."
JungMin's voice was inside his head, the griffin's beak never moving. There was a strained note to it, like he was choked up.
Staring at him, KyuJong drew in a deep breath and stepped forward.
The feathers ruffled instantly.
"Don't come near me!"
KyuJong paused at the frantic tone, then took another step forward. JungMin backed into the tree once again.
Another step and the griffin hissed at him, trying to scare him, and it was so totally JungMin that KyuJong couldn't help but smile. The pain in his eyes wouldn't leave the human alone, chest tightening.
So it was possible for JungMin to be afraid.
Taking a breath, KyuJong stepped forward again and reached out to lay a gentle hand against the griffin's beak, feeling JungMin flinch back.
"It's okay," the human whispered, and took a final step, wrapping his arms securely around the griffin's neck and burying his face in the soft downy feathers.
There was no response from JungMin for a long minute, his body stone still. "Why aren't you afraid of me?" When the question came, it was quiet, barely audible even in his mind, and KyuJong got the strangest feeling that he was the only one who could hear JungMin now.
"This is you, right? I can't be scared of you," KyuJong replied quietly, running his fingers through the feathers he could reach and feeling the tension slowly leaving the griffin.
"You're a crazy human," JungMin said, sounding choked again, and KyuJong felt the large wings curl around him like a loose hug. Smiling, he burrowed further into the feathers, his pulse steadying again.
Then he remembered of JungMin's injury. "How's your leg?" KyuJong asked, then stopped. "Er...arm. I think."
The griffin snorted and let his wings fold up again so KyuJong could look at the wound. The human crouched down and winced. "Ouch."
"It'll heal."
"Only if you stay in that form," YoungSaeng replied, and KyuJong realized JungMin must have opened up the conversation again. "If you change back, it'll take longer."
KyuJong looked back at JungMin. "Are you changing back?"
The griffin hesitated, then nodded.
"Not yet. JungMin, can you scout the area a little?" They turned to see HyunJoong walking to them, HyungJoon cradled in his arms and unconscious. The gashes across his chest were covered by new, pink skin. "We need to know if we're going to be ambushed again and how far this forest stretches."
JungMin nodded, a strange sight on a griffin, before nudging KyuJong in the back with his head, making the human jump. "Move before I knock you over."
Smiling, KyuJong retreated to beside YoungSaeng and watched as JungMin unfurled his wings again and leapt into the air, circling over them before disappearing behind the trees.
As HyunJoong went into the caravan with HyungJoon, KyuJong turned to YoungSaeng. "Why wouldn't he tell me what he was before?" He asked quietly.
"For the same reason you hide your existence as a human," the hamadryad replied. "To avoid persecution, hatred and fear. As you can imagine...griffins haven't been on friendly terms with humans since your race first appeared."
Nodding slowly, KyuJong sighed and leaned against the caravan.
"If you hadn't had the chance to get to know him," YoungSaeng started hesitantly. "Would you have feared him?"
KyuJong was silent for a long time. "Maybe," he said finally. "But it's only human to be afraid, right? We're powerless in this world sometimes...and I was afraid of him at first." He paused. "But at the same time, he's..."
"JungMin," YoungSaeng finished with a smile, and KyuJong laughed.
"Yeah. He's JungMin, and no matter how temperamental he gets sometimes, I can't be afraid of him. Even if that beak looks a little too sharp for my liking."
"He's more likely to bite you in his human form than he is as a griffin," the hamadryad chuckled. "No matter how much he teases."
Smiling wider, KyuJong rested back against the caravan and waited for JungMin to return.
*******************************
When JungMin came back, he announced the forest stretched all the way to the dead zone that used to be the North Korean capital, which was still three days away. He also let them know the stretch of forest ahead of them seemed to be clear...at least of larger, more troublesome creatures.
It quickly became clear that there wasn't much room on the narrow path to accommodate JungMin's wings, and the griffin shifted back into a human shortly after discovering that, grumbling that if he couldn't even stretch them out there was no point in staying in that form.
But KyuJong caught the glance the griffin sent him, and knew JungMin was shifting back into his human form for other reasons entirely. He also knew from the way YoungSaeng curled up in his corner of the caravan and JungMin shot repeated glances in the hamadryad's direction, that they were arguing mentally about something.
YoungSaeng must have won, because the hamadryad smiled smugly when JungMin entered the caravan in his human form, shot the other man a glare, and after shuffling for a moment settled down next to KyuJong rather than his usual corner.
KyuJong blinked at the redhead, not exactly sure what to say. Finally his gaze landed on the bandaged arm. "How is it?"
JungMin looked at him, then down at his arm. "It doesn't really hurt. It's just annoying."
Nodding slowly, the human shifted nervously. Why was conversation so awkward now? Or was it just him imagining things?
"How are you able to talk in our minds?" He asked finally.
The redhead stiffened a little, before relaxing. "It's a trick we pick up when we're 50...which is usually when the fledglings tire of squawking at each other and want a different method of communication. Most nonhumans who don't have the proper voice box for human speech are able to speak through minds, and even limit who can hear them if they want. Generally it's more draining to encompass large numbers of people."
KyuJong nodded, somewhat amazed. "How old do you have to be to assume human form like this?"
"100 usually."
"How old are you?"
"..."
The human perked up at the silence. "Tell me!" he grinned.
"No."
"Please?"
"I said no."
KyuJong pursed his lips, mentally demanding the griffin tell him his age. After a minute of silence, JungMin glanced at him and snorted at his expression.
"Because I know you're trying it, I said I can talk into your mind, not read it."
"I want to know!" KyuJong protested.
"And I'm not telling."
"He's 325," YoungSaeng piped up from the corner, and KyuJong burst out laughing as JungMin turned the same color as his hair.
"You're old!" The human laughed, and yelped as JungMin's foot planted into his chest and pushed him onto his back.
"I am not," JungMin hissed. "That's like a teenager for us. YoungSaeng and HyunJoong are older."
"Ajusshi~," KyuJong teased, and yelped as JungMin started tickling him.
"Take it back!"
"Never!"
YoungSaeng laughed from his corner as the two rolled around on the floor, nearly crashing into the walls, pots, and a still unconscious HyungJoon before finally coming to a stop.
To the hamadryad's surprise and amusement, JungMin had somehow ended up on the bottom, a fact the griffin quickly realized. He glared up at KyuJong.
"Get off."
KyuJong grinned cheekily back down at him, his weight carefully distributed so that the griffin was unable to get up.
"No."
"KyuJong, get off me," the redhead growled in his mind.
"Not a chance," the human replied, watching with amusement as JungMin flushed even more , glaring up at him. After a moment, KyuJong's focus shifted a little lower than his golden eyes, and YoungSaeng's eyes widened as he watched the human lean down slowly.
Then the caravan hit a bump, shaking everything, and KyuJong faceplanted into the griffin's neck with a muffled yelp.
"Sorry!" HyunJoong called from the driver's seat, and YoungSaeng facepalmed.
The two were still for a moment, then JungMin pushed KyuJong off of him, face completely red. "Clutz," he grumbled, trying to look anywhere but at the human. After a moment, the griffin escaped the caravan muttering something about fresh air.
KyuJong scooted back against the wall and buried his burning face in his hands. Watching him, YoungSaeng sighed and got up to join HyunJoong in the front of the caravan.
There was a loud yelp as the hamadryad thwacked their leader off the head. "Your timing needs work."
*********************************
Things were awkward inside the caravan for a bit, KyuJong and JungMin avoiding being in each other's immediate vicinity. The other three left them be, HyungJoon still recovering from his injuries and HyunJoong soon crashing after using all his energy to heal him. YoungSaeng was left to guide the caravan, which he took in stride, singing quietly to himself or talking with whoever was next to him that hour.
Finally, two days in, HyungJoon decided to do something about the very obvious space between the human and griffin.
"No," JungMin told him flatly, and darted away before HyungJoon could try fastening the ropes around his shoulders.
"Come on," the magnae whined, following after him. "Kyu's never been flying before, and you're always going on about how great it is. Have some compassion for those of us stuck on the ground."
"You take me flying, Min ah," YoungSaeng pointed out from where he was watering the horses by a nearby stream, amused despite himself.
"That's..." JungMin scowled. "Stop taking his side!"
"Don't I get any say in this?" KyuJong asked uneasily from the caravan bench. He wasn't so sure about the idea of flying, despite HyungJoon informing him that was how they'd gotten him out of the ruins in the first place. Besides the fact that griffins flew very high and this was JungMin...if HyungJoon got the griffin into a temper beforehand, KyuJong didn't want to be the one JungMin dumped in mutiny.
"No one gets a say the first time," HyungJoon replied cheerfully, and made a grab for JungMin again, missing.
"...How is that even going to work?" KyuJong asked, shivering. "He's in his human form, flying won't be very easy if he doesn't show his wings."
HyungJoon's grin turned mischievous, and suddenly KyuJong felt very sorry for JungMin.
"Kim HyungJoon, you try it and I'll tie you to the horses tails," JungMin growled.
Suddenly HyungJoon disappeared, and JungMin shrieked when the halfling reappeared out of the shadows behind him and securely the rope around his waist.
"It actually takes a lot of control for JungMin to hold this form," YoungSaeng's quiet explanation was nearly drowned out by the shrieks and yells as the two fell to the ground, JungMin fighting to get away. "He usually has it set up so that even if he loses focus he can hold the form, but there are ways to make the control snap completely...and tickling usually does it."
A loud tear ripped through the clearing as JungMin suddenly shifted back into his real form, clothing reduced to shreds as he flailed to get up. HyungJoon, after shadow teleporting to avoid being caught by a sharp beak, reappeared to secure the ropes around the griffin's neck and chest. "Tada~," he exclaimed, looking too happy for someone who was supposed to be recovering from near fatal chest wounds.
"You little brat," JungMin growled, snapping at him again as he tried to get up, but his back paw became tangled in the loose end of the rope and he fell again, shrieking as one wing was bumped roughly.
Wincing at how that must have hurt, KyuJong found himself moving forward to help the griffin before he even realized it. "Don't gut me," he told JungMin as he crouched beside him and carefully disentangled the rope.
He was so preoccupied with the task that a shriek of his own left his lips when arms wrapped around him and hoisted him up onto the griffin's back between his wings. He hadn't even known HyunJoong was awake. "HEY!"
JungMin wasn't too happy either, and quickly scrambled up to dump KyuJong back on the ground. Sliding off slightly, KyuJong heard the drow say something in a language he didn't know and suddenly he was locked in place, unable to move from the griffin's back.
"Get him off of me!" JungMin hissed.
Their leader simply smiled, and hit the griffin's rump the same way trainers did to horses. Shrieking again and instinctively moving to get away, JungMin unfurled his wings to their full length. KyuJong buried his face in the downy feathers at JungMin's neck and shut his eyes as his stomach lurched.
There was a rush of wind, a dizzying sensation in the pit of his stomach, and a sharp pounding in his head...then nothing.
Slowly opening his eyes, KyuJong gaped at the clear sky all around them. Slowly he pushed himself up onto his elbows, the most allowed to him by whatever spell HyunJoong had placed on him, and peered over the griffin's shoulder at the ground below them.
They were flying.
"Oh...dear." They were also far up. He quickly buried his face again.
Waiting for his heart to calm down, KyuJong slowly became aware that JungMin was angrily ranting to anyone who would listen about stuck-up elves, meddling shadowfolk and smug hamadryads who did absolutely nothing to help the situation.
Eyes crinkling and lips curling upwards, KyuJong started to chuckle until he was laughing loudly, clutching his stomach with one hand and holding onto the griffin with the other.
JungMin ceased his ranting. "What in the world are you laughing about?"
"I...I don't really know," KyuJong admitted, another burst of laughter escaping him. "Do they do this often?"
"Far too often for my liking."
Now that they were flying straight and even, KyuJong tried looking around again. The world moved below them, and he seriously hoped JungMin knew how to find the caravan again because he was absolutely lost.
Once that thought had been processed and discarded, he let his eyes take in the absolute beauty around them, voice constricting. "Wow..."
"Quite something, isn't it?"
Attention brought back to the griffin, KyuJong watched the powerful wings on either side of him move to catch the wind. The motion wasn't as fluid as he'd noticed from the ground, JungMin probably unused to having a passenger, but it wasn't any less amazing. He ran his fingers through where the soft feathers turned into fur.
JungMin twitched. "If you tickle me I will dump you."
"Sorry," KyuJong chuckled. He didn't really want to test the strength of the spell HyunJoong had placed on him.
They flew in silence for a moment, KyuJong slowly working himself into a sitting position when he found only his legs were spelled. The wind blew through his hair, and despite his reservations about this it really wasn't all that bad.
When JungMin started to circle around back the direction they came, the human figured out what the ropes were for as he nearly slipped off, trapped legs or not. After a moment he tried leaning in the direction he was turning and found he had greater balance that way. Maybe with practice he would even be able to tell which way JungMin was going to go next by how the griffin's muscles bunched under him.
It seemed all too soon when JungMin started to descend, aiming for a clearing in the forest below. KyuJong had no idea how long they'd been in the air, only that he had actually been enjoying himself. "I can see how you'd never want to come back down," he said quietly.
"Lie down before you lose your head on a branch," was JungMin's reply, but the almost gentle note in the griffin's mind-voice made KyuJong smile as he obeyed.
Touching down was just as rough as the take off despite JungMin's care, making KyuJong thankful for the spell that kept his legs in place. Carrying someone along seemed to really mess up the griffin's flight, making the human think about how JungMin had said he was only a teenager in griffin years.
Once they were on the ground and still, he thought of a completely different problem. "I can't get down with the spell on my legs."
They were in an empty clearing, the caravan nowhere in sight.
JungMin sighed, lying down. "Try moving around a bit. There's usually a chink in the spell if you pull from a certain angle. It's just to keep you from sliding off, not from getting off me completely."
Doing as JungMin suggested, KyuJong tried moving his legs from side to side, then up, then at an angle. It was more than a little awkward with how he was laying down on top of the griffin, but after a minute of squirming his legs pulled free and he slipped off the griffin's back with a yelp, landing in the grass. JungMin flinched as his wing was nearly crushed, but to KyuJong's surprise didn't snap at him, verbally or otherwise.
After a moment, JungMin had his wings folded neatly at his sides and KyuJong had settled down beside him, leaning lightly against the griffin's shoulder and trying to be discreet about it. "Where are the others?"
"About 15 minutes away. They're heading this way, so I just let them know where we are so they don't overshoot the clearing."
Nodding in understanding, KyuJong looked up at the white clouds overhead. "I've never flown before. It was actually...nice."
The griffin's feathers ruffled slightly, JungMin nodding as well before resting his head on one paw.
KyuJong yawned after a moment, eyes slowly closing. The warmth of the sun and the quiet hum of insects was lulling him to sleep. The steady heartbeat of the griffin beside him helped as well. It wasn't long before he was fast asleep, curled up just above JungMin's wing and resting his head against the griffin's shoulder.
Looking at the human after a moment, JungMin sighed and slowly shifted one wing, draping it loosely over the sleeping man like a feathery blanket before turning his attention back to the sky.
The serenity was destroyed only by a slight rustling in the tall grass, going unnoticed by both human and griffin.
A small head poked out, staring at them. The sprite grumbled to herself about strange people taking up camp in her part of the forest before cutting off sharply.
Her gaze locked on the sleeping man, half-hidden underneath a feathery wing. And the small sprite knew without even getting a close look at his face.
Human.
Pureblooded human.
A small squeak left her lips before she disappeared into the grass, the blades rustling with her passage for a moment before the only thing moving them was the soft breeze.
Fandom: SS501 (appearances by Super Junior)
Pairings: KyuMin, 2HJ, 2YS, friendship!KyuSaeng, friendship!MinSaeng
Total Word Count: 33, 000
Chapters: 5/7 + Epilogue
Rating: PG-16
Warnings: Post-Apocalyptic themes, violence
Genre: Adventure, Romance, and a bit of Crack stirred in
Prompt: "A kiss is a lovely trick, designed by nature, to stop words when speech becomes superfluous."
Summary: 40 years after humankind was deemed to have lost one chance too many, the world is still struggling to recover from the effects of the Last War. With humans now exist after being systematically wiped out, and the powerful Order overlooking all, it looked like they would finally be able live in peace. That was before a small caravan of Healers discover something in the ruins that will turn their views on atonement and suffering for the sins of the past upside down.
A/N: This is for my bestie forever, ziippers <3 Originally a one-shot, that idea kinda...died. I'm so sorry, it hardly even relates to the prompt or anything anymore @.@;;; Hope you still like it anyways? <3 /sheepish/ Updates will be every two days. Thank you to the always amazing curionenene for betaing, ILYBB~~~ <3333
Stiffening when KyuJong stood, the griffin scrambled backwards until he hit a tree. The human had to bite back a watery laugh. Only JungMin would back himself up into a tree like that.
Heart hammering in his chest, KyuJong slowly stepped forward, unsure what to do. JungMin was a griffin. Could he still understand him like this? Could he still speak?
He must have come too close, because JungMin flared out his wings again as though to lift himself into the air.
"Min ah," called YoungSaeng's voice. The hamadryad leaned against the caravan, eyes sad as he watched them. "Don't run away."
The griffin froze, wings still outstretched, and keened again.
KyuJong swallowed thickly. "Can you...can you understand me?" he asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking.
The griffin looked at him, golden eyes piercing, but KyuJong didn't flinch away this time because there was a deep pain present in that gaze.
"Of course I can."
JungMin's voice was inside his head, the griffin's beak never moving. There was a strained note to it, like he was choked up.
Staring at him, KyuJong drew in a deep breath and stepped forward.
The feathers ruffled instantly.
"Don't come near me!"
KyuJong paused at the frantic tone, then took another step forward. JungMin backed into the tree once again.
Another step and the griffin hissed at him, trying to scare him, and it was so totally JungMin that KyuJong couldn't help but smile. The pain in his eyes wouldn't leave the human alone, chest tightening.
So it was possible for JungMin to be afraid.
Taking a breath, KyuJong stepped forward again and reached out to lay a gentle hand against the griffin's beak, feeling JungMin flinch back.
"It's okay," the human whispered, and took a final step, wrapping his arms securely around the griffin's neck and burying his face in the soft downy feathers.
There was no response from JungMin for a long minute, his body stone still. "Why aren't you afraid of me?" When the question came, it was quiet, barely audible even in his mind, and KyuJong got the strangest feeling that he was the only one who could hear JungMin now.
"This is you, right? I can't be scared of you," KyuJong replied quietly, running his fingers through the feathers he could reach and feeling the tension slowly leaving the griffin.
"You're a crazy human," JungMin said, sounding choked again, and KyuJong felt the large wings curl around him like a loose hug. Smiling, he burrowed further into the feathers, his pulse steadying again.
Then he remembered of JungMin's injury. "How's your leg?" KyuJong asked, then stopped. "Er...arm. I think."
The griffin snorted and let his wings fold up again so KyuJong could look at the wound. The human crouched down and winced. "Ouch."
"It'll heal."
"Only if you stay in that form," YoungSaeng replied, and KyuJong realized JungMin must have opened up the conversation again. "If you change back, it'll take longer."
KyuJong looked back at JungMin. "Are you changing back?"
The griffin hesitated, then nodded.
"Not yet. JungMin, can you scout the area a little?" They turned to see HyunJoong walking to them, HyungJoon cradled in his arms and unconscious. The gashes across his chest were covered by new, pink skin. "We need to know if we're going to be ambushed again and how far this forest stretches."
JungMin nodded, a strange sight on a griffin, before nudging KyuJong in the back with his head, making the human jump. "Move before I knock you over."
Smiling, KyuJong retreated to beside YoungSaeng and watched as JungMin unfurled his wings again and leapt into the air, circling over them before disappearing behind the trees.
As HyunJoong went into the caravan with HyungJoon, KyuJong turned to YoungSaeng. "Why wouldn't he tell me what he was before?" He asked quietly.
"For the same reason you hide your existence as a human," the hamadryad replied. "To avoid persecution, hatred and fear. As you can imagine...griffins haven't been on friendly terms with humans since your race first appeared."
Nodding slowly, KyuJong sighed and leaned against the caravan.
"If you hadn't had the chance to get to know him," YoungSaeng started hesitantly. "Would you have feared him?"
KyuJong was silent for a long time. "Maybe," he said finally. "But it's only human to be afraid, right? We're powerless in this world sometimes...and I was afraid of him at first." He paused. "But at the same time, he's..."
"JungMin," YoungSaeng finished with a smile, and KyuJong laughed.
"Yeah. He's JungMin, and no matter how temperamental he gets sometimes, I can't be afraid of him. Even if that beak looks a little too sharp for my liking."
"He's more likely to bite you in his human form than he is as a griffin," the hamadryad chuckled. "No matter how much he teases."
Smiling wider, KyuJong rested back against the caravan and waited for JungMin to return.
*******************************
When JungMin came back, he announced the forest stretched all the way to the dead zone that used to be the North Korean capital, which was still three days away. He also let them know the stretch of forest ahead of them seemed to be clear...at least of larger, more troublesome creatures.
It quickly became clear that there wasn't much room on the narrow path to accommodate JungMin's wings, and the griffin shifted back into a human shortly after discovering that, grumbling that if he couldn't even stretch them out there was no point in staying in that form.
But KyuJong caught the glance the griffin sent him, and knew JungMin was shifting back into his human form for other reasons entirely. He also knew from the way YoungSaeng curled up in his corner of the caravan and JungMin shot repeated glances in the hamadryad's direction, that they were arguing mentally about something.
YoungSaeng must have won, because the hamadryad smiled smugly when JungMin entered the caravan in his human form, shot the other man a glare, and after shuffling for a moment settled down next to KyuJong rather than his usual corner.
KyuJong blinked at the redhead, not exactly sure what to say. Finally his gaze landed on the bandaged arm. "How is it?"
JungMin looked at him, then down at his arm. "It doesn't really hurt. It's just annoying."
Nodding slowly, the human shifted nervously. Why was conversation so awkward now? Or was it just him imagining things?
"How are you able to talk in our minds?" He asked finally.
The redhead stiffened a little, before relaxing. "It's a trick we pick up when we're 50...which is usually when the fledglings tire of squawking at each other and want a different method of communication. Most nonhumans who don't have the proper voice box for human speech are able to speak through minds, and even limit who can hear them if they want. Generally it's more draining to encompass large numbers of people."
KyuJong nodded, somewhat amazed. "How old do you have to be to assume human form like this?"
"100 usually."
"How old are you?"
"..."
The human perked up at the silence. "Tell me!" he grinned.
"No."
"Please?"
"I said no."
KyuJong pursed his lips, mentally demanding the griffin tell him his age. After a minute of silence, JungMin glanced at him and snorted at his expression.
"Because I know you're trying it, I said I can talk into your mind, not read it."
"I want to know!" KyuJong protested.
"And I'm not telling."
"He's 325," YoungSaeng piped up from the corner, and KyuJong burst out laughing as JungMin turned the same color as his hair.
"You're old!" The human laughed, and yelped as JungMin's foot planted into his chest and pushed him onto his back.
"I am not," JungMin hissed. "That's like a teenager for us. YoungSaeng and HyunJoong are older."
"Ajusshi~," KyuJong teased, and yelped as JungMin started tickling him.
"Take it back!"
"Never!"
YoungSaeng laughed from his corner as the two rolled around on the floor, nearly crashing into the walls, pots, and a still unconscious HyungJoon before finally coming to a stop.
To the hamadryad's surprise and amusement, JungMin had somehow ended up on the bottom, a fact the griffin quickly realized. He glared up at KyuJong.
"Get off."
KyuJong grinned cheekily back down at him, his weight carefully distributed so that the griffin was unable to get up.
"No."
"KyuJong, get off me," the redhead growled in his mind.
"Not a chance," the human replied, watching with amusement as JungMin flushed even more , glaring up at him. After a moment, KyuJong's focus shifted a little lower than his golden eyes, and YoungSaeng's eyes widened as he watched the human lean down slowly.
Then the caravan hit a bump, shaking everything, and KyuJong faceplanted into the griffin's neck with a muffled yelp.
"Sorry!" HyunJoong called from the driver's seat, and YoungSaeng facepalmed.
The two were still for a moment, then JungMin pushed KyuJong off of him, face completely red. "Clutz," he grumbled, trying to look anywhere but at the human. After a moment, the griffin escaped the caravan muttering something about fresh air.
KyuJong scooted back against the wall and buried his burning face in his hands. Watching him, YoungSaeng sighed and got up to join HyunJoong in the front of the caravan.
There was a loud yelp as the hamadryad thwacked their leader off the head. "Your timing needs work."
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Things were awkward inside the caravan for a bit, KyuJong and JungMin avoiding being in each other's immediate vicinity. The other three left them be, HyungJoon still recovering from his injuries and HyunJoong soon crashing after using all his energy to heal him. YoungSaeng was left to guide the caravan, which he took in stride, singing quietly to himself or talking with whoever was next to him that hour.
Finally, two days in, HyungJoon decided to do something about the very obvious space between the human and griffin.
"No," JungMin told him flatly, and darted away before HyungJoon could try fastening the ropes around his shoulders.
"Come on," the magnae whined, following after him. "Kyu's never been flying before, and you're always going on about how great it is. Have some compassion for those of us stuck on the ground."
"You take me flying, Min ah," YoungSaeng pointed out from where he was watering the horses by a nearby stream, amused despite himself.
"That's..." JungMin scowled. "Stop taking his side!"
"Don't I get any say in this?" KyuJong asked uneasily from the caravan bench. He wasn't so sure about the idea of flying, despite HyungJoon informing him that was how they'd gotten him out of the ruins in the first place. Besides the fact that griffins flew very high and this was JungMin...if HyungJoon got the griffin into a temper beforehand, KyuJong didn't want to be the one JungMin dumped in mutiny.
"No one gets a say the first time," HyungJoon replied cheerfully, and made a grab for JungMin again, missing.
"...How is that even going to work?" KyuJong asked, shivering. "He's in his human form, flying won't be very easy if he doesn't show his wings."
HyungJoon's grin turned mischievous, and suddenly KyuJong felt very sorry for JungMin.
"Kim HyungJoon, you try it and I'll tie you to the horses tails," JungMin growled.
Suddenly HyungJoon disappeared, and JungMin shrieked when the halfling reappeared out of the shadows behind him and securely the rope around his waist.
"It actually takes a lot of control for JungMin to hold this form," YoungSaeng's quiet explanation was nearly drowned out by the shrieks and yells as the two fell to the ground, JungMin fighting to get away. "He usually has it set up so that even if he loses focus he can hold the form, but there are ways to make the control snap completely...and tickling usually does it."
A loud tear ripped through the clearing as JungMin suddenly shifted back into his real form, clothing reduced to shreds as he flailed to get up. HyungJoon, after shadow teleporting to avoid being caught by a sharp beak, reappeared to secure the ropes around the griffin's neck and chest. "Tada~," he exclaimed, looking too happy for someone who was supposed to be recovering from near fatal chest wounds.
"You little brat," JungMin growled, snapping at him again as he tried to get up, but his back paw became tangled in the loose end of the rope and he fell again, shrieking as one wing was bumped roughly.
Wincing at how that must have hurt, KyuJong found himself moving forward to help the griffin before he even realized it. "Don't gut me," he told JungMin as he crouched beside him and carefully disentangled the rope.
He was so preoccupied with the task that a shriek of his own left his lips when arms wrapped around him and hoisted him up onto the griffin's back between his wings. He hadn't even known HyunJoong was awake. "HEY!"
JungMin wasn't too happy either, and quickly scrambled up to dump KyuJong back on the ground. Sliding off slightly, KyuJong heard the drow say something in a language he didn't know and suddenly he was locked in place, unable to move from the griffin's back.
"Get him off of me!" JungMin hissed.
Their leader simply smiled, and hit the griffin's rump the same way trainers did to horses. Shrieking again and instinctively moving to get away, JungMin unfurled his wings to their full length. KyuJong buried his face in the downy feathers at JungMin's neck and shut his eyes as his stomach lurched.
There was a rush of wind, a dizzying sensation in the pit of his stomach, and a sharp pounding in his head...then nothing.
Slowly opening his eyes, KyuJong gaped at the clear sky all around them. Slowly he pushed himself up onto his elbows, the most allowed to him by whatever spell HyunJoong had placed on him, and peered over the griffin's shoulder at the ground below them.
They were flying.
"Oh...dear." They were also far up. He quickly buried his face again.
Waiting for his heart to calm down, KyuJong slowly became aware that JungMin was angrily ranting to anyone who would listen about stuck-up elves, meddling shadowfolk and smug hamadryads who did absolutely nothing to help the situation.
Eyes crinkling and lips curling upwards, KyuJong started to chuckle until he was laughing loudly, clutching his stomach with one hand and holding onto the griffin with the other.
JungMin ceased his ranting. "What in the world are you laughing about?"
"I...I don't really know," KyuJong admitted, another burst of laughter escaping him. "Do they do this often?"
"Far too often for my liking."
Now that they were flying straight and even, KyuJong tried looking around again. The world moved below them, and he seriously hoped JungMin knew how to find the caravan again because he was absolutely lost.
Once that thought had been processed and discarded, he let his eyes take in the absolute beauty around them, voice constricting. "Wow..."
"Quite something, isn't it?"
Attention brought back to the griffin, KyuJong watched the powerful wings on either side of him move to catch the wind. The motion wasn't as fluid as he'd noticed from the ground, JungMin probably unused to having a passenger, but it wasn't any less amazing. He ran his fingers through where the soft feathers turned into fur.
JungMin twitched. "If you tickle me I will dump you."
"Sorry," KyuJong chuckled. He didn't really want to test the strength of the spell HyunJoong had placed on him.
They flew in silence for a moment, KyuJong slowly working himself into a sitting position when he found only his legs were spelled. The wind blew through his hair, and despite his reservations about this it really wasn't all that bad.
When JungMin started to circle around back the direction they came, the human figured out what the ropes were for as he nearly slipped off, trapped legs or not. After a moment he tried leaning in the direction he was turning and found he had greater balance that way. Maybe with practice he would even be able to tell which way JungMin was going to go next by how the griffin's muscles bunched under him.
It seemed all too soon when JungMin started to descend, aiming for a clearing in the forest below. KyuJong had no idea how long they'd been in the air, only that he had actually been enjoying himself. "I can see how you'd never want to come back down," he said quietly.
"Lie down before you lose your head on a branch," was JungMin's reply, but the almost gentle note in the griffin's mind-voice made KyuJong smile as he obeyed.
Touching down was just as rough as the take off despite JungMin's care, making KyuJong thankful for the spell that kept his legs in place. Carrying someone along seemed to really mess up the griffin's flight, making the human think about how JungMin had said he was only a teenager in griffin years.
Once they were on the ground and still, he thought of a completely different problem. "I can't get down with the spell on my legs."
They were in an empty clearing, the caravan nowhere in sight.
JungMin sighed, lying down. "Try moving around a bit. There's usually a chink in the spell if you pull from a certain angle. It's just to keep you from sliding off, not from getting off me completely."
Doing as JungMin suggested, KyuJong tried moving his legs from side to side, then up, then at an angle. It was more than a little awkward with how he was laying down on top of the griffin, but after a minute of squirming his legs pulled free and he slipped off the griffin's back with a yelp, landing in the grass. JungMin flinched as his wing was nearly crushed, but to KyuJong's surprise didn't snap at him, verbally or otherwise.
After a moment, JungMin had his wings folded neatly at his sides and KyuJong had settled down beside him, leaning lightly against the griffin's shoulder and trying to be discreet about it. "Where are the others?"
"About 15 minutes away. They're heading this way, so I just let them know where we are so they don't overshoot the clearing."
Nodding in understanding, KyuJong looked up at the white clouds overhead. "I've never flown before. It was actually...nice."
The griffin's feathers ruffled slightly, JungMin nodding as well before resting his head on one paw.
KyuJong yawned after a moment, eyes slowly closing. The warmth of the sun and the quiet hum of insects was lulling him to sleep. The steady heartbeat of the griffin beside him helped as well. It wasn't long before he was fast asleep, curled up just above JungMin's wing and resting his head against the griffin's shoulder.
Looking at the human after a moment, JungMin sighed and slowly shifted one wing, draping it loosely over the sleeping man like a feathery blanket before turning his attention back to the sky.
The serenity was destroyed only by a slight rustling in the tall grass, going unnoticed by both human and griffin.
A small head poked out, staring at them. The sprite grumbled to herself about strange people taking up camp in her part of the forest before cutting off sharply.
Her gaze locked on the sleeping man, half-hidden underneath a feathery wing. And the small sprite knew without even getting a close look at his face.
Human.
Pureblooded human.
A small squeak left her lips before she disappeared into the grass, the blades rustling with her passage for a moment before the only thing moving them was the soft breeze.