Chapter Text
It has been more than a few minutes, Jeongguk is sure. He stares at the horizon, at the setting sun. He has been sitting at the rooftop of his brother's dance studio building for more than two hours now. His eyes are puffed at the edges and his head hurts from all the crying he has been doing for a day now.
After waking up in a messy bed of golden dust that morning, Jeongguk had gone through about his daily routine assuming it would help him to sort out his jumbled thoughts about Taehyung. But he was wrong about it. Despite trying his best, Taehyung was present in each and every single one of his thoughts and all Jeongguk could do was to cry and cry some more. Jeongguk's mental peace was unsettled after he had realised that Taehyung, Kim Taehyung - his soulmate, was back. Very much alive and perfectly fine unlike what it was believed of him for all these years.
Jeongguk gets up from his position and moves towards the elevator door, thoughts still a jumbled mess. It does not take long for Jeongguk to collect his thoughts when his phone starts ringing. He sniffs and clears his throat before answering the call.
"Hey, Guk. Can you come to my studio?" He hears Hoseok.
"I'll be there." He mutters into the phone and locks it before pressing the button and walking into the elevator to get down to Hoseok's studio.
"Hey hyung..." Jeongguk says softly as he enters the studio, staring at the floor, ashamed to show his flushed and puffed-up face to his brother. He is met with silence, though. Hence when he looks up, he is surprised to see Hoseok right in front of him, staring him down with a frown. He opens his mouth to explain only to stutter out random words. A moment later he feels himself being dragged further into the studio. He complies and lets his brother drag him to the couch lying in one of the corners, by the lockers.
Hoseok urges him to sit down and he does so without a complaint, tired to the bone after all the crying he had done. "So you were here all the time?" Hoseok asks him, voice gentle and careful, all the while caressing his back. Jeongguk nods lightly and leans forward to rest his head on Hoseok's shoulder. He sighs, trying to find a comfortable position to sit while leaning over the other when Hoseok pulls him closer and hugs him.
"Mom wants to talk to Taehyung and his -" Jeongguk looks up at him with alarm to which Hoseok pats on his shoulder gently and says - "I know I know... It's too much too soon. I told her that. She wanted the fairy to be in the safe walls of our community. But-" Hoseok is cut off with Jeongguk's bitter snort.
"He is not just a random fairy. He is the Protector and yet his entire family was annihilated right inside this supposed safe community hyung..." Jeongguk mutters. Hoseok notes how bitter those words sound, sadness and maybe a little anger coating them. Though he was not here when all those events conspired, he has heard gruesome tales of the cursed day.
"Hyung, I heard it was the vampires who attacked me... does that mean, Taehyung is still under danger?" Jeongguk stares deep into his eyes, pupils a little dilated with slight wariness '- or is it fear?' Hoseok wonders. He takes a deep breath, tightening his hold around the younger before uttering a small, hopeful, "hope not...".
***
When Jeongguk finally musters the courage to go back to attending classes, it has already been a week. After crying some more and thinking about his soulmate day in and day out, he finally gathers his thoughts and decides to go with the flow.
"You know that going with the flow will only bring you back to your soulmate right?" Hoseok had asked to which Jeongguk had passed a small smile and nodded. When asked why he was not making an effort to get to know his soulmate better, whom he was forced apart from, he only smiles, a little sad, if you ask Hoseok and goes back to whatever he was doing.
Jeongguk enters his classroom, holding his brand new camera in front and walking with his head lowered down, unsure why he was unable to meet the eyes of his classmates. He feels the stares of his classmates, probably envious of his outfit or maybe his limited edition shoes. He hurries off to the corner, a seat reserved for him by his group of friends.
"YO! JK!" "Feels like it's been a month dude" "How are you man" are the different exclamation from his friends, making him smile and forget his worries from the past week.
The classes go on with ease, nothing much to catch up on except for a few assignments that are to be completed by the end of the month.
In the lunch break, he wanders off to the terrace of the cafeteria, suddenly wanting to be away from the crowd which he never minded before. He does not know what it is, but something tells him he has to go there; so he does. He goes to the edge of the terrace, eyeing the long stretch of trees lining the cobblestone path into the science centre and research blocks. He feels an odd aura, he can not pinpoint it, but he knows where to look between the trees.
It hardly takes a few seconds for Jeongguk to spot a bunch of lightning bugs and a very confused Kim Taehyung wandering into the stone path, wings fluttering rapidly. His eyes widen with worry.
He can not be found with those bugs and the wings! The initial surprise of seeing the fairy on his campus wearing off within seconds, replaced with a worry of him being discovered with lightning bugs that change colour and of course the unmissable fairy dust and the shiny wings.
Jeongguk runs. He runs down the stairs as if his life was dependent on it. He skips through steps, climbing down two at a time, wishing very badly that he was allowed to open his wings. By the time he reaches the other fairy, he is gasping for breath, his shirt completely soaked with sweat. But he does not stop for too long for the fear of the other fairy being spotted. He takes the other's hand and walks back into the man-made forest, walking past a fountain and finally exiting the campus and hiding in a constricted alley between buildings.
"What are you doing here?" Jeongguk asks, not stopping to catch up his breath and making the other flinch a little. "Taehyung, are you crazy? Why would you come to my campus? That too with the wings open, the bugs and the dust... fuck! Why are you here?" Jeongguk asks again, which makes the other look down and uncomfortably play with his fingers.
Jeongguk sighs and runs his palms on his face, trying to calm down. The urge to hold the other's hand again is strong, but he ignores it. "I am sorry. I just got worried. It's okay. Calm down, alright?" Jeongguk says, trying to bring his breathing back to normal as he asks the other to calm down as well.
It amazes Jeongguk how Taehyung calms down and brings control over his emotions so easily. Suddenly there are no bugs flying around and no such thing as fairy dust; no shiny open wings either. He brings it down to the other being the most powerful fairy and tucks the information away in a corner of his brain.
"Shall we go and have some coffee?" Jeongguk asks.
"Coffee is not good for your health..." Taehyung trails off, biting his lower lip. Jeongguk wants to get lost in his deep voice and forget everything, but he berates himself and speaks up. "You can have tea or some milkshake if you want." and urgently pulls the other out of the alley and into the nearest shop.
"So, tell me. Why were you roaming around my campus?" Jeongguk asks. They are sitting in a private booth, Taehyung nursing a glass of green tea and Jeongguk has bought himself a black coffee, not that he likes it. But it helps him keep up the image.
Taehyung takes a sip of his tea and looks up at Jeongguk, passing a small smile. "I just... wanted to check on you, I guess?"
Jeongguk sighs. "You could have called, you know. Your wings were on full display. You can't roam around like that..." Jeongguk trails off.
Is this really him? The protector; my soulmate?
Jeongguk can't seem to come to terms with it. It has to be him, he is sure. But having believed him to be dead for all these years, it is quite difficult for him to accept all of this at once.
Over the two hours of talking they do, Jeongguk comes to know that, in fact, Taehyung came looking for him just to make sure he was alright and fully recovered. Jeongguk had been very sure that the other fairy had some ulterior motive, but to know that he does not is a shock to him. Jeongguk also learns that Taehyung attends the same college as him but has classes on the other side of the campus that Jeongguk never visits.
"That still doesn't explain why you had your wings open in public. You do know that we are different from humans that attend this college right?" Jeongguk looks at the other disapprovingly, making sure no one overhears him.
There is a small frown adorning Taehyung's face which does not sit well with Jeongguk. "I don't see why that would be a problem, Guk..." Taehyung trails off.
We are on a nickname basis now? Jeongguk wonders to himself.
"What do you mean, Tae?" The nickname brings a flash of painful memories from his childhood, but Jeongguk wills the tears away that are about to be spilt and continues, "If you have your wings open in the public where anyone can see you, it IS going to be a problem!" Jeongguk whispers, a little aggressive this time around; probably frustrated that the other fairy is taking this ordeal very lightly and is being careless.
"They can't see my wings, Guk. Don't worry." Taehyung passes a bright, boxy smile his way, confusing him beyond Jeongguk believes to be possible. Taehyung frowns when Jeongguk's frown does not ease and looks at him a little weirdly. "Why are you telling me this as if you don't know? What is going on?"
"What is going on? I should ask you that!"
Taehyung continues to frown at Jeongguk and grows serious at Jeongguk's reaction. "Wait, hold on. I think we are both missing something here..."
In the next half-an-hour of their discussion, Jeongguk goes through something called an existential crisis. No, it's not the kind of crisis where he is mesmerised at his celebrity crush's photos. Jeongguk, as a fairy, goes through a crisis and questions all the things he had been taught about their kinds since his childhood.
Taehyung clears his throat, bringing Jeongguk out of his trance and speaks, "So, you are telling me that, a fairy's wings are very much visible to humans and can't be hidden when opened. Is that what you are telling me now, Jeongguk?"
Jeongguk nods a little, gulping down his saliva and waits for Taehyung to talk since his tongue feels heavy on his mouth and he is sure he cannot move it to form proper words. He chokes on plain air when Taehyung decides to open his wings without warning in the middle of the cafe, filled with humans.
"Tae, what-" Taehyung just cuts him off and calls a waiter to bring him a glass of water. When the waiter approaches, Taehyung thanks him and asks, "Hey, do you see anything weird? Like, my face or something on my body?" The waiter despite being confused nods negatively. "Ah! Thank you for confirming that I look presentable. My friend has been staring at me weirdly for the past half-an-hour and I thought I have something on my face!" Taehyung exclaims and giggles as the waiter whispers a not so inaudible 'I think he is lost in your beauty' and rushes off; Jeongguk's face red with embarrassment.
"See I told you. Humans can't see my wings unless I wish for them to see them. It's all according to my wish, Guk. Isn't that the same for you as well?" Jeongguk looks one word away from panicking and Taehyung sees him starting to shed golden fairy dust. When Jeongguk starts shedding more and more, Taehyung grabs him by the wrist and drags him out of the cafe from the back-door, leading him through a narrow street, until they reach a part which looks like nobody uses the road.
Jeongguk is yet to speak up and Taehyung waits patiently, trying to calm him down by rubbing thumbs on Jeongguk's knuckles.
"How..." Jeongguk whispers.
How is this possible? The question is very clear to Taehyung.
"Jeongguk, listen. I don't know why you are not capable of doing this but are you sure the other fairies can't do this either?" Jeongguk nods, confirming that the other fairies are not capable of this power.
Taehyung sighs. "Okay. This is really new to me. I might be a fairy but I know nothing about my own kind because I have never been around you all. So let's take this slow, okay? This is all way too much information for me to digest." Taehyung murmurs to which Jeongguk whispers back an 'it's too much for me too'.
When they part ways, it's with the promise of another meeting between them during the weekends, insisted by Jeongguk, who does not want to part with his soulmate.
This still feels like a dream. My soulmate is back. My Taehyung is back.
Jeongguk calls Hoseok and asks him to come back home sooner that day. When Hoseok drops his backpack and enters his brother's room, Jeongguk speaks right away.
"Hyung, don't tell mom about Taehyung. She should not know that he is alive. Let her think it's a random fairy who went missing during the festivals. Please!"
Hoseok raises a brow and goes, "Not even a 'hi', Guk?"
"Hyung, I am being very serious. I can't lose him again. I don't want anyone to know about him. Please, hyung. Promise me you won't tell her!"
"She just wants him safe within the community walls..." Hoseok mutters to which Jeongguk scoffs and whispers, "Told you, hyung. I will repeat, just for you. We call the community safe yet this is where his family was brutally murdered..."
***
Hoseok, as promised to Jeongguk, does not reveal any detail about the fairy to Mrs Jeon.
"He does not wish to part from his parents for now. I think we should just let him be and respect his wishes." Hoseok had said, making sure there would be no more discussions about this matter and then he exits the room, shooting a text to Jeongguk - 'It's done. They won't bother Taehyung anymore.'
***
When they are all in the same college, finding excuses to meet each other accidentally is quite easy and Jeongguk takes full advantage of it.
It has been a month and the heart that Jeongguk had closed off years ago opens up slowly once again to his soulmate, who happens to be the sweetest fairy he has ever met in his lifetime. Jeongguk cannot help but let go of his control and slowly fall for the amazing fairy that has a boxy smile and a pair of shiny eyes.
As the soulmates grow closer with each day, their brothers happen to form a bond too. The protectiveness Namjoon and Hoseok exhibit for their younger brothers brings them closer. As it is, Namjoon had a massive crush on Hoseok from the start. It wasn't helping his case when the fairy kept asking him to meet up at cafes and parks to discuss things about their brothers. With frequent meetings which Namjoon heartily considers as unofficial dates, their friendship grows.
"Namjoon-ah~ Can you buy some sprite cans on your way to the studio? The vending machine here is broken." Namjoon can clearly picture the pout that adorns the fairy as he speaks this into the phone. He mumbles a 'sure, anything for you' into the phone and cuts off before his voice could do that weird thing where it goes squeaky and a little high-pitched due to embarrassment.
'anything for you' bit was a little too corny Namjoon! He cries silently to himself.
Hoseok's dance studio is Namjoon's favourite place to sit and research. The duo hangs out in the dance studio whenever possible, chatting and mulling over trivial things.
But between the blossoming love, the secret about the protector remains covered.
'Not yet... The time isn't right.' Jeongguk mutters whenever Hoseok brings up the topic.
***
"Tae, is Namjoon hyung in the university by any chance?" Jeongguk asks, interrupting Taehyung's story of how he had to stay all night to finish a piece of painting because "inspiration strikes at odd hours!"
Jeongguk was sitting on a bench, waiting for his next class to start and talking to Taehyung to pass the time. Jeongguk's friends had decided to skip the last class for the day, leaving him alone. Jeongguk was hardly interested in the next class, but it would be a great time pass for him while he waits for Taehyung's session to end. Hence the excuse 'I have missed too many classes in the past week' when his friends bugged him to go out with them.
"Ahh, you found him! Stop him and take him to the college cafeteria. I asked him to come to the Art Section but he has been roaming around everywhere." Taehyung sighs on the other end, making Jeongguk smile.
Half an hour later Jeongguk finds himself seated on the far end of the couch in his brother's studio, Taehyung huddled close to him and Namjoon on the other end of the couch munching on a toffee.
"Gukkie, I thought you were going to attend Mrs Cha's session. Why did you skip?" Taehyung asks as he hums to the song that Hoseok is dancing to, catching Jeongguk off-guard and causing him to choke on saliva.
Suddenly the song stops and Hoseok turns to them, "Are you guys really going to sit there while I teach my students? It's so awkward. Find a better place to hang out!" he exclaims, pointing to Taehyung and Jeongguk, Namjoon conveniently left out.
Hoseok proceeds to chug down water, still looking at the two young fairies accusatorily to which Taehyung scoffs and comments, "Of course, you mind us two. You enjoy Joon hyung's company on a daily basis anyway..." effectively knocking the breath out of Namjoon's pitiful lungs and making Hoseok spit the water all over the mirror.
"What... w-what do you m-mean... I d-don't come h-here at - at all... haha" Namjoon stutters out after recovering and Hoseok nods aggressively.
Taehyung and Jeongguk both make a disapproving face at Namjoon for the blatant lie. "Yeah yeah..." He mutters sarcastically. "Hyung, you post your selfies on Instagram all the time, come on!"
They both later walk out of the studio, grumbling about the hyungs being mean and many other things.
***
Just like Jeongguk, Taehyung is finding all sorts of excuses to meet him during college hours and also after college hours.
Excuse #1: My parents wanted to check up on you. Maybe, come home?
Jeongguk's phone beeps for the tenth time, if his friend is counting it right, hence the name 'Tae <3' does not budge from his screen.
Tae: 'Guk!' The first message reads.
Tae: 'Gukkie', follows it.
Tae: 'Jeonggukie~~' being the third one and next seven messages are variations of his name just like the previous ones.
'What is it, Tae?' He texts back, trying to not get caught by Mrs Jung.
Tae: 'Can you come to my place for dinner?' Comes the response, Jeongguk losing his breath all at once and coughing out loud, scaring his friend for a moment.
This is going too fast... he is taking me home before the first date... Jeongguk's brain is a little off the track. This has been going on ever since Taehyung came looking for him wings fluttering and fireflies buzzing about, though invisible.
You are reading between the lines, Jeongguk. Don't overdo it. He berates himself.
'Anything special?' Jeongguk asks.
Tae: 'Hahaha... nothing like that, Guk... haha'
'My parents were wondering about how you were. So I offered to call you for dinner...'
is the response he receives.
He looks around to make sure Mrs Jung isn't going to catch him and sends out a quick 'okay' to Taehyung.
Excuse #2: My friends dumped me. Can we have lunch together?
It's a half-hour break to Jeongguk and according to him it's best spent with Taehyung. However, the other fairy is at the Art Block which takes at least 10 minutes to cover by walk. Which means 20 minutes to go and get back, which leaves him with only 10 minutes to have a chat; not even enough for small talk - according to Jeongguk. Taehyung is neck-deep in painting, trying to complete an important piece (Jeongguk is convinced his soulmate is neck-deep in paint) and hence cannot make the trek to his Photography Section. Hence, they decide to make a call and have a small chat.
"Oh, that's absolutely right. Mr Nam definitely has a stick up his ass!" Jeongguk hisses into the phone.
"Have you seen the way he walks? That's exactly how one would walk, if they had things up their ass, you know!" Jeongguk snorts, thinking about the way his professor walks; like a penguin.
When there is silence from the other end, Jeongguk frowns and clears his throat, asking - "hey, are you still there? What's wrong?"
There is a very unclear noise of paint can (!?) hurtling to the floor, a faint 'fuck' muttered out frustratedly and then follows the deep voice - "Uh yeah. Everything's fine. Hey, by the way, um... it's like... um my friends kinda dumped me. So, do you wanna get lunch with me, maybe?"
Jeongguk is so surprised, he gasps and tries to let out a breath at the same time. The weird combination getting him into a fit of coughs.
That sounds like he is asking me out on a lunch date! Jeongguk thinks as he recovers from the coughing fit. This is what he thinks every single time Taehyung asks something of him and then goes about berating himself.
"Yeah, sure. I'd love that!" He responds a little while later.
Excuse #3: Had an argument with Mrs Min. I am not feeling good. Can you come to the cafe?
Like every other day, Taehyung is late for Mrs Min's class and he gets told off for being late every single time. And just like every other day, he argues saying how he has scored the highest in her subject despite being late and how he has completed the assignment perfectly on time and that he deserves to be excused for being a little late.
This is his daily routine - arguing with Mrs Min and he is not that upset over the matter. But anything to get his Gukkie's attention.
"You sound very dull. What's wro - oh my god are you crying?" Jeongguk exclaims from the other end.
"Gukkie, I don't feel good. I had an argument with Mrs Min. She is so harsh all the time... *sniff sniff*. Can you come to the cafe, please?"
And he sees Jeongguk's worried self on the door five minutes later, panting hard, bent over and a hand clutching at his stomach.
This continues on for many weeks to come and Jeongguk realises what is going on with the sixth or seventh excuse put forth by Taehyung. So, on a Friday evening, just before their classes end, when he receives a text from the other fairy, he smirks to himself and responds immediately, waiting for the next message and see what excuse there is going to be.
Tae: 'You know... actually Namjoonie hyung had promised to come with me to this cool pastry shop... but he just told me he is busy with his papers and can't come. So... would you come with me?'
The text reads. The smirk on Jeongguk's face is a little triumphant for some reason and his friends cannot help but point that out to him. He shrugs them off and shoots back an 'I'll text you back in a while'.
Jeongguk feels giddy with excitement. He just got asked out on a date, by his soulmate. Even though the word date was not said out loud, he would like to consider it so. But then, confirming that fact would do wonders to his heart and mind because he has been in conflict regarding this matter for a while now.
So he confronts Taehyung over the call - "So, you said you wanted to go to the pastry shop with me?" He asks, tongue on the cheek.
"Uh yeah, if you would like to go with me, that is..." Taehyung trails off on the other end.
"Hm... So you are asking me out on a date?"
There is a loud crash he hears from the other end. He can hear Taehyung apologising to someone and later thanking someone and apologising again.
"Are you alright?" Jeongguk asks.
"Huh? Yeah yeah. I'm fine. I just... lost grip over... my things..." Taehyung mutters.
"So... you didn't answer my earlier question. Did you ask me out?" Jeongguk asks, his heart thumping hard in his ribs; he is afraid it will leap out of his chest or a lung of his will get punctured from breathing so hard to calm down his erratic heart.
There is a long silence from the other end. "Taehyung?"
"Do you want me to ask you out on a date?" It's whispered, but he hears it crystal clear.
"Yes..." He whispers back.
The said date... they do not speak about it to anyone or bring it up anytime after that. The courage the duo had mustered up had ended with that phone call and actually going to the pastry shop and stealing shy glances at each other. On Monday, everything returns to normal.
Not exactly normal, when the flirting has increased about ten times, but making it official seems like such a scary task to them.
The fleeting touches, heat-of-the-moment cheek kisses, hands circled around each other's waists, whispering lowly into each other's ears...
Hoseok smiles brightly as he sees the soulmates huddling together on his worn-down couch, sharing a blanket all set to watch a movie.
"Ah, young love!" Namjoon whispers from somewhere close behind him. His smile grows wider at that.
"I can not agree more..."
***