#tcfficlets

He enjoys the nice weather outside and decides to keep slacking like this - this is the life - and one day he looks up to see a leaf sprouting from his hand.

”Hm,” he says before he closes his eyes again.

There’s something nice about being a tree whose only obligation is to provide oxygen.

Cale breathes; Cale works.

By breathing.

Truly this is the best.

He doesn’t know why the nearby town’s children decide to climb his branches and make him little flower wreaths, especially not why that black-haired little boy with black eyes, a cloak and a wooden sword keeps hugging his trunk but whatever.

It’s probably not important.

The little boy is back again.

”You should just go back to where you came from!

”Monster-eyes!”

The other little boy with red hair and a self-satisfied look scampers off though not before the black-haired boy throws a fistful of dirt toward his head.

It lands accurately, hitting its target with a squelch.

The red haired little boy turns and looks murderous and Cale sighs internally. He isn’t heard - he isn’t audible. He is a tree.

Hooking a root around the little red haired boy’s middle and tossing him gently toward the direction of the nearby town is easy enough, and does the trick.

The red haired boy goes, shrieking up a fuss and loudly.

The black haired boy of course, turns to look at Cale the Tree and after a moment he hugs him again.

Cale sighs, again inaudibly.

“Tree-nim.

”Tree-nim, are you my friend?”

Cale reaches out a branch, dragging a nearby cloak which has gone tattered but it’s the only thing available over the little black-haired boy’s slumbering form.

“I’ll protect you, tree-nim.”

Cale decides to leave well enough alone.

Synopsis:

- Cale saving CH from the bullies in town, who bullies CH because his coloring is off, he’s the only child they know with black hair omg

- Cale saving CH and CH considering more and more that the tree is his only friend. His salvation.

- foreign lumberjacks getting hired to cut down Cale-Tree

- CH chasing lumberjacks away

- CH getting his head almost cut off in the process and Cale-Tree rearing his slacking head and chasing the lumberjacks away all the way to the next state over

- CH saying again, “I’ll protect you, tree-nim. I’ll keep you safe.”

- Hm, guess you’re useful to keep around after all

- Cale chasing away CH’s bullies

- Cale bridging the distance between town and CH

- Cale gifting CH with a magical scabbard formed from one of his branches and when CH pulls his sword from it after having stored it for thirty seconds it lights up with an otherworldly power and glows

- CH getting an amulet in the shape of a never-wilting leaf and which protects him

- CH finding bowls of fruit and leaves wherever he goes

- CH officially making Cale-Tree a treasure of the state and going on to become a hero, he’s got a protagonist’s fate, and it’s inevitable

- CH being drafted into war

- CH becoming the greatest hero the now peaceful kingdoms of the world have ever known

- CH, older and wiser and more world-weary than Cale-Tree has come to recognize, slipping back into the town that started it all, visiting Cale-Tree.

- CH pressing a palm to Cale-tree’s trunk like he did many years ago

- Cale slacking and not answering his call, just napping

- CH, unknowing of what’s happening in Cale’s mind, slipping down to kneel between Cale-tree’s roots and pressing his forehead to the bark like a prayer and just breathing how it’s over. He can rest now.

- “Thank you for everything, Tree-nim. Tree-nim… I wouldn’t have made it without you. Tree-nim -“

- CH slumping against the tree and Cale’s attention finally turning its head because excuse me? Sir are you dying? Sir you can’t die here who do you think you are, don’t bring me drama -

- CH closing his eyes and murmuring, “ - I have no regrets. Well…“ CH smiling to himself and looking rueful, “Maybe there’s one thing.

- “ - but I think it’s too late to find love, don’t you? I’ll try again in the next life.”

- CH jerking when he feels something moving

- CH whipping up his head and tensing in preparation of an attack, and CH’s eyes widening and his breaths freezing in his chest and his face twisting into confused suspicion as he sees a face that shouldn’t feel familiar somehow does

- “Are you going to sit there all day?” “Who-“ “Follow me.”

- “I’m not going anywhere with you.“ “I think you will? You’re hungry, aren’t you? Come - I’ll feed you.”

- Cale bringing CH to his old mansion which is now abandoned but has some preserved food lying around

- CH eating

- Cale sipping his tea daintily and CH looking at him with a dawning realization and after some unintentional - maybe some of it is intentional - flirting over the next several weeks the two finding love in each other and CH getting his wish of discovering what it’s supposed to feel like

- “Tree-nim,” “How long are you going to call me that?”

- I’ll protect you, CH thinks and secretly Cale also thinks that of CH too

The end

- “Can I turn back into a tree now your heroics seem contagious” “That’s all you, Cale-nim. That’s all you”

except he goes farther than maybe the god of death was intending bc he blinks his eyes open and a little boy with red hair and brown eyes and a scowl on his face is standing over him

the boy says, “you’re sleeping on the road. Do you want to die? It’s worse because you look like me,” and drags him over to a very familiar mansion

KRS through og!child!Cale’s eyes fixing all of og!Cale’s crises and KRS internally despairing that he won’t see the family he knew again so og!Cale sees him drinking sometimes and sometimes withdrawing into himself but he doesn’t know why

og!Cale living thru KRS’ crazy stunts and self sacrificing bullshit and paling and squawking and trying to make him take better care of himself

og!Cale and KRS saving the world

og!Cale now tall and grown, nursing a drink and reflecting on how KRS looks so much like an older version of him, how similar they look to each other

“tell me,” he demands of KRS when he hunts him down one day and KRS is looking like him and has a book open on his lap because he gave up drinking after Cale threatened to follow in his footsteps and they both knew that Cale on the glass wouldn’t pan out very well.

KRS telling og!Cale after some hemming/hawing

Cale crying for him, crying angry hot tears of indignation and wrath for a loved one’s unfair circumstances and curling his fists into balls and resolving to kill a god

”so I’m…?” “Dead, I think.” “Good to know,” and cale just balling up that information and deciding to chuck it out the window because it’s not like it can happen again. They’ve changed too much for that.

og!Cale eventually figuring out a way for KRS to return to his time, his world, his place where he’s surrounded by people he loves and who loves him back in turn and hesitating before he can put the recipe for the spell/ritual/whatever to action and actually use it

og!Cale having a chat with KRS

”if you could go back what would you do?” “Anything,”

and KRS looking mildly wistful but bored and Cale knowing he’s hiding a lot of repressed nostalgia/sadness/heartache in that expression

og!cale following through

KRS leaving, literally packing all his stuff which isn’t much but he can’t forget the overflowing pocket dimension of riches and gifts his fans have given him over the years that’s a lot of money, and turning expectantly to Cale before he leaves and Cale’s like ?? *glare glare* “get the fuck out of here already,”

KRS looking at him like he‘s lost it and “you’re coming too,” and it’s not even a question? Like wtf?

and Cale looking at KRS and KRS looking at Cale and KRS blinking and cocking his head like he’s just realized, “unless you don’t want to.” And over the years they’ve both burned and built bridges, they’ve made alliances and made allies and they’ve cultivated a web of resources, even the counterparts of KRS’ family but they never really let anyone get super close because it just felt wrong. they weren’t meant to be here.

Well, KRS wasn’t meant to be here, he’s not from this time after all but for og!cale it is his world and it is his time so he could never truly figure out why it felt like he never fit, why his own family felt like a mile away sometimes

og!cale thinking of all the people he’s met, all the people he’s attached to only in the barest sense, like they’re velcro stitched by the flimsiest threads, one strong wind and they’d be separated, divided like fhey were never joined to begin with

og!Cale thinking of them, and thinking of KRS. Thinking of all the things they’ve been through and how far they’ve come

og!Cale taking KRS’s hand

them jumping through the warp/circle/spell/whatever

og!Cale meeting KRS’ family

og!Cale giving up his name to live as Cain Henituse, long lost cousin or distant relative or random doppelgänger who just happened upon KRS!Cale and decided to stick to him like a burr

Cale introducing Cain to the people in his life and them, after some surprise and confusion and “wtf who is this is he safe,” welcoming Cain into the fold

Cain feeling like he finally, finally belongs?!?

Cale still pulling the same self-sacrificing false-slacker bullshit he did in cain’s original world

Cain suffering but having others to suffer with him because here they all know what Cale is like “omg let me tell you about this one time-“

KRS!Cale never getting that slacker life

Cain finding happiness

Cale and Cain and everyone else settling down, finding peace, what passes for peace in Cale’s time and world and with Cale around anyway, and Cain and Cale growing old together

Cain coming to find Cale one day,

”hey, what are you doing sleeping on the floor, old man? You wanna die? It’s worse because we look like each other- but obviously I’m the better looking.”

And Cale laughs

“Sit,” Choi Jung Soo does. “Stand.” Choi Jung Soo does that too.

“Sit,” Kim Rok Soo says again and Choi Jung Soo fucking does that too - will keep fucking doing it because he knows what he’s done.

It’s still annoying though. And really fucking chafes. But fine. Kim Rok Soo wanted a well trained dog? Choi Jung Soo would be the best damned dog on a leash he’s ever seen.

Kim Rok Soo finally, finally peels his dark eyes from the book in his lap and smirks.

“Good boy.”

a story of the protagonist getting duped by his one true love.

a tragedy where several side characters are killed off by his love interest who turns out to be a complete and utter psycho.

this was the story kim rok soo had been dropped into after going to bed at a decent hour.

"i think i'm concerned."

he thought he should be concerned... but it should be ok?

/

the man known as kim rok soo rolled in his bed, loving the comfortable soft sheets and the warmth of the sun on his head. he didn't want to get up - and vaguely he remembered it was the weekend. he had no obligations.

he didn't have to get up.

"young master, it's time to get up."

the voice that called from above was low and old but elegant. suddenly overcome by a chill sweeping up his spine, kim rok soo sat up, blinking his crusted eyes open.

"it's a pleasant surprise to see you get up with one attempt, young master."

"excuse me?"

"the master would like to have breakfast with the entire family. i see it will be possible today."

the man known as kim rok soo looked into the kind eyes of a well aged old man in a uniform, and he froze inwardly though on the outside he appeared calm, if a bit sleepy.

"master cale?"

"cale henituse?"

"that would be your name, young master. are you perhaps still a little woozy from the effects of your liquor last night?"

the man looked beyond the older gentleman who was smiling kindly to the large ornate mirror hanging above his left shoulder.

"fuck me."

/

the sounds of cutlery hitting plates rang through the dining room. a man dressed elegantly was sitting at the head of the table. to his left was a stoic women, a teenaged boy, and a younger girl.

"good morning, son."

"good morning."

it was as if the whole room took a breath but kim rok soo decided not to worry about it. he couldn't worry about little things. it would drive him crazy starting with the fact that he'd somehow been dropped into a cheesy romance novel.

"how is the meal to your tastes, cale?"

"it's fine. it's actually really good."

the teenaged boy who cale knew was basen henituse dropped his fork looking shocked.

"s-sorr-- excuse me, father."

"...it's alright. i'm glad we are here together and can appreciate this good food."

kim rok soo known now as cale nodded and polished his breakfast neatly.

"would you like a drink, son?"

"yes please, father. thank you."

the woman next to the suddenly tearful appearing man cleared her throat looking briefly surprised before reverting to a blank expression.

"how are the preparations coming, cale?"

"preparations?"

"for your school. unless you've changed your mind about attending."

she frowned but the faint concern in her eyes was as clear as day.

"i didn't change my mind. they're going well."

"good. I'm glad to hear that."

cale finished his meal quickly and said to the thoughtful room.

"father i have a request."

"of course, son. what will it be? wine? whiskey? hard liquor?"

the count henituse looked unsurprised and maybe a little relieved.

"i need money. lots of it."

"i'll have your butler bring you a check."

"thank you, father."

the room took a collective breath again but kim rok soo now known as cale only smiled into his plate and finished his food.

this would be fine after all.

Choi Han is wary—always so. He’s so careful not to intrude, not to take that first step for fear of opening a flood he won’t be able to corral, but Cale does it so easy. He smiles and Choi Han is home free.

It’s liberation.

Exultation.

There isn’t a second in Cale’s presence that Choi Han regrets, though nowadays, lying in bed at night, cold, alone, staring out at the quietly gleaming stars, he wonders if he’ll ever see the day where he’s true to himself. Will ever let these emotions rumbling up in the pit of his gut see the light.

The thought of popping open that lid is—

“Umami.”

“I’m sorry?” Choi Han asks.

“This soup,” Cale replies, coasting a spoon over the top of his dish. A red brow tips up. “It’s umami. A tour guide from Japan explained it to me, once. I’m fairly sure this is what he meant.”

“What’s his name?”

“Didn’t ask.”

- weres are loners, they make packs for convenience but by nature are solitary and when lock comes of age in wolf years he’s left in the safest, thickest part of their forest with a satchel of food and orders not to follow

- lock does what he can, slips in and out of neighboring packs but he’s perceptive for his age, he can tell when he isn’t wanted and so he goes

- he fends for himself - finds water and berries, and hunts small game that he can tackle himself with low risk of injury

- at some point he becomes accustomed to a baseline of hunger, cold, and loneliness, but it’s fine. Everyone else does it too.

- lock isn’t human-aversive at first, he’s a cute pup, and can pass as a homeless dog. humans pet him and feed him scraps and greet him with a smile or friendly word whenever he goes down to the closest village.

- then he meets him

- lock doesn’t like to think about him. He remembers pain and remembers bad things, and he recalls he’s wanted his sires back before but never as strongly or as desperately as he had when he’d been with him

- after him lock meets her, and after her, well, humans don’t seem so nice after that

- they’re fine at a distance but get too close and he gets hurt

- he avoids them, he brushes them off or uses teeth if they get too cozy

- they call him feral, sends guns and hunters into his forest because they think he needs to cater to their idea of safe

- lock refuses and eventually they forget about him

- he stays in his forest, eats and grows, and he copes with the loneliness by skirting the edges of the neighboring packs or playing with his food

- he sometimes feels empty, deep inside where his stomach is and someplace behind his ribs, but it’s probably hunger. Hunger is all it is.

- several years later he doesn’t think much when there’s a commotion in his woods, in the part closest to the village but also pretty separated from it

- he needs to go check it, but the humans are there. There are several, and they’ve camped out there, down where the land is flat and trees provide shelter and is… is that a house?

- that won’t do. That won’t do at all. Humans have already taken so much from him, stolen from him when he’d only offered a part of himself, and there’s no way they’re taking this part of his life too. These are Lock’s woods. This is Lock’s home.

- that night lock scopes the humans and their house - his actually because these are his woods and therefore the house which is in said forest should also be his - and then the night after that he attacks

- …ok so he doesn’t actually attack, it seems kind of unfair given they haven’t hurt lock (yet) so mostly he runs his claws through the ropes keeping their horses tethered and bites holes into the boards they’ve set aside to build the house.

- they wake the next morning and shout and from his hiding spot in some of the bushes nearby lock nods in satisfaction

- they haven’t left

- lock steals their clothes and throws bugs into their water

- they still don’t leave

”Do you know what the four leaf clover means?” the little red haired boy grins.

”Everyone knows it means luck,” pouts the black haired boy, kicking a shoe into the dust of the playground. “You aren’t making fun of me, are you? I’m not stupid.”

”Obviously,” insists the red haired boy. He pokes out a finger and snubs his friend’s nose. It makes the black haired boy go cross eyed, overbalancing as he leans back and nearly falling on his butt before his friend snatches his arm.

They nearly go tumbling, the both of them, the momentum spinning them in a circle and depositing them on the merry-go-round.

“Oof,” says the black haired boy, and his red headed friend laughs. “It’s not funny!”

The little red haired boy says, “Do you know what a three leaf clover means?” his eyes sparkle with mirth and unrepentant joy and the little black haired boy’s eyes widen, his cheeks flushing briefly for some reason.

“Will you tell me?” the black haired boy asks shyly, ducking his head.

The red haired boy smiles at his friend, hooks his arm under his friend’s elbow and says, “The three leafed clover means—“

Beep beep beep.

“Ugh,” the man says, flopping back onto his twin sized mattress. It’s small for his height, his feet poking out over the foot of the bed, dangling out from under the scrunched up comforter which is more of a rag than anything at this point.

He pushes up an arm, draping it over his eyes. He thinks he’s dreamed of something. Something that leaves him warm and somewhat melancholy.

He doesn’t recall what, exactly, but it must have been good.

His dreams aren’t usually good, not even fine, really, so this is an unexpected gift. One that isn’t exactly welcome.

“…today’s gonna be a crappy day,” he sighs, and heaves to his feet.

The radio crackles on with a flick. “—on the station today, say hello, team!”

“Hi!”

“Hello, everybody!”

Through the speakers the high enthusiasm of a up and coming band bubbles out. They keep him company as he hastily makes his bed, showers.

He exits the bathroom with a towel around his neck, his feet struggling to fit his socks.

“—leave a message at the beep.”

Beep.

“Hey, dude. It’s been a hot minute. I know I said until this month is good but something’s come up. I’m gonna need the cash by Sunday. Do what you gotta do but I’ll see you on Sunday at noon, okay? Hope that’s fine. Bye.”

“—end of message. There are—one—messages in your inbox.”

Beep.

Shoving his arms through the sleeves of his button down, Choi Han drowns the sigh building in his chest before it can punch through. Another deal broken, another problem to handle, but it’s fine. He’s the one who had to ask for help.

“…the fuck was I thinking,” he scoffs, buttoning his shirt as quickly as possible.

His fridge protests as he throws open the door. He grabs the lunch he packed yesterday: some ham, two slices of bread. A celery stalk.

The door to the fridge needs to be slammed shut, if it isn’t it’ll pop back open while he’s gone, and then he’s out the front door, keys jingling as he works the lock and then speeds down the hall of his complex.

His apartment wasn’t built with an elevator.

On the first floor, he jogs for the bike rack and grabs his helmet. He swings his leg over the seat then kicks off. His bag jostles over his shoulder until he pulls his other arm through the empty strap.

“This is gonna be a good day,” he decides, swerving away from the car which merged without warning and rolling his eyes at the expletives thrown at him through the open window. He doesn’t fully believe what he said but hey, it’s worth trying anyway.

.

.

.

”—means happiness. Remember that, okay?”

Cale opens his eyes, recalling his dream in painful detail. It’s hard not to, having the same one over and over again for the past twenty odd years or so, but at least it isn’t every night.

He’s pretty sure the other kid said something in response to that, okay or sure or something to that end, but he can’t remember.

And it never features in his dreams so maybe it’s just wishful thinking.

“We used to be close,” he muses, rubbing the grit from his eyes.

“We still are!” a high pitched voice calls from the doorway, followed by an uncertain shuffle. “…aren’t we?”

Raon is still a bit unsure of himself, but as Cale recalls, the pediatric psychiatrist said he’s making incredible progress.

“I was talking about someone else,” Cale assures, getting to his feet and opening his arms so when the tiny black haired ten year old punts himself onto Cale’s body he hits his chest and not something sensitive.

Like his still healing femur. “How’s your leg, mister?” Raon asks, looking down curiously and with a fascinated expression at the cast that’s still half covered by the sheets. He squirms until he can wriggle his hand free then shoves up the sheets until he can clearly see the bold lettered name scribbled onto the green cast in childish handwriting.

It has a —has been here! :D tacked onto the end of it and Raon’s face lights up as it always does when he sees it.

He settles back into Cale’s arms and looks up, expectant.

“Still healing,” Cale replies, suppressing the snort before it can fully form and unintentionally hurt anyone’s feelings. “Have you woken the others?”

Raon begins to nod but before he can say anything a magnificent crash echoes from down the hall.

“Uh,” Raon says smartly.

“…let’s go,” Cale sighs, pushing up to his foot and then grabbing his crutch.

Choi Jung Soo unloads the rest of the bags from the trunk, carriers and groceries and everyone else’s fucking shit. There’s a lot of it - which is why he complains - but the game was fair and results square, and he’d been delegated against his will and luck to unpacking their belongings into the condo.

His summer vacation wasn’t supposed to start like this. But at least it was -

“Vay-cation,” he grunts loudly, setting the last carrier which is Lee Seung Ah’s and weighs about a goddamn ton onto the pebbled ground. He closes the trunk, pats the side of the roof until the driver flashes him a thumbs up, rolling on out and to the parking lot operated by the valet.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” he can’t help but laugh, looking around at himself where a small spring of things are pooled innocently. He fans himself, fisting his shirt and flapping away the heat. There are beads of sweating pearling up, and he whistles, finally, finally looking up to appreciate the view.