Chapter Text
The balcony was Namjoon’s pride and joy. He loved his plants and he had worked hard on creating and taking care of his little haven. It wasn’t large by any means, the fact that he even had a balcony at all was a miracle itself. Most apartments in the city didn't have them, so he had gotten lucky. It was his oasis of green in a drab concrete jungle. Especially now at the start of summer when his little garden was flourishing.
The balcony was framed on both sides by walls, making it quite secluded. There was a wooden rail along the length of it near the ceiling, where he had hung up some hanging plants, wind chimes, and sun catchers. It created a wall of green, combined with the pots and planters in front of the railing, which had a string of fairy lights twined around it and planters hanging off the edge on the outside.
Whenever he saw his balcony from down on the street, a sense of joy spread through him. Even in winter, when it was significantly less green and blooming, the knowledge of what was to come in spring made his heart warmer. Many of the plants (that lived through the cold months) were then squeezed into his living room instead. It was crowded but worth it for Namjoon's wellbeing. He needed to be surrounded by plants.
Right now though, the balcony was in full bloom, in its prime. Recently he had set up a new small garden bed with flowers to attract bees. Most people probably preferred keeping the bees at a distance, but Namjoon was not most people. Bees were important for the ecosystem and he enjoyed the buzzing life it brought to his little oasis. He was happy to do his part to ensure the bees survival and prevent them going extinct. Sometimes there were pretty little butterflies fluttering about as well, with wings of all sorts of colours, and he even saw the rare dragonfly at times. He always enjoyed when he got little visitors and was glad that the insects also liked his balcony.
One day, after a tiring day at work, Namjoon was out on his balcony watering the plants, when he discovered something odd. Among the flowers, in a pot holding a pink zinnia, was a small creature. It looked like a tiny human with wings. A fairy, Namjoon's brain provided helpfully. It sat in a corner curled up with its arms hugging its knees, shaking slightly. Was it crying? Namjoon could see that one of its delicate-looking white wings was oddly bent and crumpled. It looked as if it might be broken.
“Um.” Namjoon said intelligently, staring at the tiny creature. The fairy (because that must be what it is, there is no other explanation) suddenly raised its blonde head, a look of surprise and perhaps fear in its eyes. It let out a tiny squeak and scrambled into a standing position. Namjoon wondered how it had not heard him up until now, it was not as if he had been keeping quiet while watering and checking everything on the balcony. It stared up at him, standing completely still and silent. Waiting.
"Hi there, little friend. My name is Namjoon, and this is my balcony." He threw his arms out in a sweeping gesture. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise." He moved so he was right next to the pot, and bent down to get a closer look. The fairy's wings were a shimmering white with faint veins all over, and the edges were lined with gold. They also had several small dots and circles on them, like the markings of butterfly wings. It was clad in what looked like leaves and flower petals stitched into miniature clothing. It was very cute.
Namjoon had always had a weakness for tiny, cute things.
"What happened to you? How come you're here, on my balcony, all beat up?" he asked. He had no doubt that the fairy could understand him. They were magical creatures after all. Even if they didn't speak the same language and couldn't understand each other normally, he was sure that magic would take care of it. Somehow. That was how these things worked, right?
The fairy considered him for a while, and apparently deciding that it could trust him, began to speak. “I come here often, especially now when so many flowers are in bloom. Everywhere around here is so grey and cold, you humans made it very boring, you know. I don't like it at all. But this place here is warm and colourful, like it should be." Namjoon nodded in response. That made sense. "I was on my way here, flying around and enjoying the sun, when a mean bird attacked me out of nowhere. I almost fell out of the sky, and barely even made it onto the balcony. It's not easy to fly with a broken wing, you know." The little fairy gave a huff in exasperation and crossed its arms.
"Oh. Uh- does it hurt? Your wing?"
"What do you think? Of course it does." It said with a pout. Dejected, it continued, "And I can't fly, I can barely even move the wing at all.. without it, I'm finished."
"Maybe I could help you? Mend your wing somehow? I have a first-aid kit in the bathroom."
The fairy regarded him silently and for a moment Namjoon thought, feared, that it would say no to his offer. But then it nodded in agreement, and Namjoon held out his hand so the fairy could climb into his palm, making sure to not move too hastily so that the fairy would fall, he made his way back through the balcony door into the living room.
The inside of Namjoon’s apartment was also very green, though not quite as overflowing. He had some plants in his living room and bedroom, he grew herbs and chili in his kitchen window, and he even had a few pots in the bathroom with plants that preferred the dark and humid air.
"Wait, I haven't even asked your name yet. I'm sorry, you must think I'm so rude." The fairy let out a small giggle at that and Namjoon's heart melted just a little bit at the tinkling sound. It was adorable.
"Took you long enough. But it's okay, you're only human. My name is Jimin, I'm a flower fairy."