Chapter Text
“I can’t believe it...” Felix whispered, his wings limp against his back.
“Mortal time is so strange.” Jeongin muttered, crossing his arms but not meeting anyone’s eyes. Minho and Jisung sat by the pond, their feet in the water and their sides pressed against one another.
“We knew this was coming.” Chan tried to reason. Everyone slumped.
“Are you sure there’s no way for you to stay?” Seungmin asked softly, nibbling at the hem of Jisung’s shirt. The rabbit was scooped up into the human’s arms, letting him snuggle his cheek against his soft fur.
“I have to figure out housing for school,” Jisung said sadly. He had been so excited when he first found out, but then the reality of the situation hit him - in order to get everything settled for school, he would have to leave the farm almost a week earlier than planned. “My mom said something about finding an apartment off campus but... I dunno. Living with one roommate that I don’t know sounds sucky but I would need a few roommates to afford an apartment.”
Minho was quiet. He just leaned against Jisung’s side, his eyes burning painfully. He had spoken with his mom the night before while Jisung was showering, but it didn’t lessen the weight on his chest.
No one wanted to see Jisung leave. Even though several weeks ago they were all vying to be the one to drive the boy off, time really does heal all wounds. The fairies had grown as fond of Jisung as they had of Minho, and for the first time in their immortal existence, they had to experience the pain of losing someone close to them.
“Jisung, sweetie! Your mom’s asking when you’ll be heading home!” Minho’s mom called from the back porch of the house. The fairies instantly popped back into their animal forms even though they all knew you couldn’t see the pond from the house because of the small hill that separated them.
“Fuck,” Jisung whispered, his face twisting in an attempt to hold back his tears. He cleared his throat before calling back. “B-before dinner!”
“Are you going to be alright driving at night?” She called back.
“Yeah... I’m used to it.” He trailed off, tears clinging to his lashes as he took a trembling breath. Minho reached over and pulled Jisung into his arms, trying to memorize the feeling of his boyfriend against his chest.
Jisung would be leaving in just a few hours. His bags were already mostly packed and his car had been pulled around in front of the house already. If he left right before dinner he would make it back to the city in two hours, three if rush hour traffic bled into the night. He started crying quietly against Minho’s chest, his tears soaking into the older boy’s shirt. No one knew what to say - for once, the fairies were completely silent.
“Come on, we should get you packed...” Minho said after a moment. The cicadas seemed to scream louder than usual, trying to drown out the unnatural silence that had been crushing the eight of them since the sun rose that morning.
“We’ll leave you to... spend time with one another.” Chan murmured, giving Changbin a knowing look. Changbin shrunk down, clearly having been preparing to follow the humans towards the house. The fairies stayed in place as Minho helped Jisung stand, the cut grass sticking to their wet feet as they made their way back to the house.
Minho’s mom gave them a strange look as they slunk into the kitchen, their cheeks clearly tacky but the woman seemed to sense the mood and didn’t comment on how the boys seemed to clung to one another.
“Baby, when Jisung leaves I have somethin I wanna talk to you about,” She said. “It’s nothing bad, I promise.”
“Mm, alright...” Minho mumbled, unable to meet her eyes.
Walking up the stairs, the two walked past Minho’s room and went into Jisung’s. It looked so empty now that the boy’s things were packed in suitcases, which were stacked neatly next to the standard desk. The only things really left in the room were the furniture and the bedding - the bookshelves held books and knick knacks from Minho’s childhood. The walls had pictures that Jisung and Minho drew together when they were younger. Despite how homely it seemed, it felt empty and cold. Just the day before it had been covered in clothing and random items that Jisung had thrown around over the weeks of his visit, but now everything he owned was packed away.
“Hyung...” Jisung whispered, his voice tight.
“I- I don’t know what I’m going to do when you leave.” Minho admitted softly. He heard Jisung let out a trembling breath - Minho had been the strong one. He had been the one that comforted Jisung. What should they do if Minho was the one breaking down?
“We- we still have phones, yeah?” Jisung said, parroting Minho’s words from all those weeks ago. “And- and I can come visit... the campus is closer to the farm than my apartment in the city is.”
“Mm...” Minho hummed with a nod. After a beat his face twisted. “It’s not enough... I don’t want you to leave me again-”
“Oh hyung, I’m not-” Jisung rushed over, cupping Minho’s cheeks just in time to feel hot tears dripping against his palms. “I’m not leaving you. I mean, physically I won’t be here but- but I’ll always be here. I love you, hyung. I’m- I’m never going to leave you alone again.”
“Please don’t leave me,” Minho whispered brokenly, sobbing against Jisung’s hands. He had promised himself that he would stay strong - this wasn’t about his own happiness. This was about Jisung’s - this was about Jisung finally getting into the program of his dreams. This was about Jisung finally being able to pursue the one thing that meant the most to him after so many years of being told he wasn’t allowed to. He had promised himself that he would stay strong because he knew it was going to be hard enough for Jisung without him making the younger boy feel guilty about having to move on with his life. “Please-”
Jisung didn’t say anything. Instead of words, he pushed Minho onto the freshly made bed, slamming their lips together in a desperate, wet kiss. Minho let his mouth fall open, letting Jisung take whatever he wanted from him. Their kiss deepened, panting against each other’s lips as hands wandered under clothes. Clothes being strewn across the clean room until their bare skin was touching intimately.
Minho tried to hold back his tears but they made his moans weak and heart breaking. He and Jisung had tried different positions - both in bed and in their dynamic - but this felt different. This wasn’t like the other times Jisung took the lead.
His fingers were trembling as he prepped Minho, their tears mixing in with their spit as they kissed, trying to be as close to one another as physically possible but it seemed no matter what they did it was never enough. They could never be close enough when the timer was counting down to when they would be ripped apart.
Minho bit down on Jisung’s shoulder. He didn’t want to cause his boyfriend pain, but he couldn’t bare the thought of his marks fading from Jisung’s pretty tanned skin, the younger boy too far away for him to remake the bruises and scratches and bite marks that shows the world that Jisung was Minho’s.
The taste of iron made him freeze but it only seemed to spur Jisung on more. He begged him to bite him again - to mark him over and over until he would be able to feel the ache for days after. Minho could do nothing but comply, sinking his teeth into Jisung’s chest and shoulders and neck as he was folded in half. Neither seemed to care about orgasiming - all that mattered was feeling connected to one another. They stayed missionary, needing to see one another’s faces for as long as possible.
Far too soon they were laying bonelessly on the bed, their chest rising and falling in time with their thundering hearts. Jisung hid his nose against Minho’s pulse, his breath scalding against the older boy’s flushed skin.
“I don’t want to leave,” He whispered, the confession burning itself into Minho’s throat. “I wish- I should have told my mom no... I don’t want to go to college anymore-”
“No,” Minho sat up, making Jisung tumble away from him. “Little one... you can’t talk like that... this is what you’ve been wanting for years. You’re finally getting the chance to do what you love... you can’t give that up for-”
“Don’t say ‘for you’,” Jisung cut him off softly. “I’d give up everything for you... I- I lost you once. I don’t think I can survive losing you again.”
“You’re not l-losing anyone, idiot,” Minho scoffed, his throat tightening dangerously. “You know you’re stuck with us. You... you can’t leave even if you wanted to... even if you’re far away, you’re still stuck with us.”
“I don’t want to wake up alone,” Jisung started crying earnestly, his entire body shaking as he covered his face. “I don’t- I don’t want to move in with strangers and go to class with people I don’t know! I don’t want to have to make new friends... I don’t want to have to go to bed alone and- and be by myself when I have panic attacks and have to learn to fucking be alone again-”
“Shh... you’re gonna be alright baby,” Minho breathed, gathering Jisung into his arms. They were sticky and sweaty but neither of them wanted to move. Minho wanted to promise that everything was going to be okay - that Jisung would never have to be alone again and that Minho would always be there for the younger boy - but he couldn’t. He couldn’t promise that because Jisung was going to be an hour away. Jisung was going to be focusing on classes and his career while Minho was stuck on the farm, never going anywhere. “We’re gonna be alright.”
He would have to watch Jisung move on without him. He would watch Jisung excel in his education - of course he would, because Jisung was brilliant and talented and everyone would instantly fall in love with him. He would have to watch Jisung graduate and get signed to a label and go on tours because there was no way he wouldn’t be successful.
What if Jisung found someone better at school? Someone with similar interests and who is closer to Jisung’s dorm and could be with Jisung when he needed someone the most?
What if Jisung moved on while Minho was stuck at the farm, frozen in time as the world around him continues to spin and change?
“What’re you thinkin’ about?” Jisung whispered, pressing his forehead against Minho’s.
“You,” He answered honestly. “I’m... I just know you’re going to do so many amazing things... and school is just the first stop, you know? I’m- I’m going to be able to watch you get discovered by some label... you’re going to produce your music and you’re going to- to go on tour and... and I’ll be rooting for you the whole time...”
“Hyung...” Jisung’s eyes were glassy as he looked for something in Minho’s face. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“I-” Minho choked, slapping a hand over his mouth as his resolve crumbled. Jisung held him close as they both cried, their tears mixing as they tried to gather their control.
“Min...”
“Even if you- if you don’t need me anymore, I’ll still support you,” He finally managed to bark out through his tears. “I-I can’t... I love you so f-fucking much, Sung... but I can’t expect you to wait for me...you’re going to have so many people falling in love with you and I’m... I’m going to be- be here... I can’t force you to stick around for me-”
“I’m never going to leave you,” Jisung whispered against Minho’s trembling lips. “I don’t care who I’ll have to turn down... who cares about labels or tours? I have the best thing I could have ever been given right here.”
“I-” Minho gasped, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Jisung let out a wet chuckle as he nodded.
“I love you,” He whispered. “I don’t care about anything if it means it’ll take me away from you... Hell, I’d drop out of school right now if I- if I thought it meant we’d really be broken up.”
“Fuck...” Minho held Jisung tightly. He wanted to feel Jisung’s skin against his own for as long as possible. He needed to memorize the warmth that burned him or it would drive him insane.
He knew things would be okay. They had fae who considered them kin - that alone was impossible to wrap his head around. Anything could be possible after that - they would be able to teleport Minho to Jisung whenever they wanted. Chan already promised that they would do it whenever they were asked.
But that didn’t cut through the grief they felt about having to part. Even if the fairies could help them see one another, it wouldn’t be the same. They wouldn’t be able to wake up in each other’s arms because they would have their own responsibilities. They would have their own lives, miles and miles apart from one another.
“We... we should shower,” Minho cleared his throat. “And get you fed. I can feel your stomach grumbling.”
“Don’t wanna move...”
“I know, but we have to,” He smiled at the pout on Jisung’s kiss swollen lips. “God you’re cute.”
“Ya...” Jisung flushed and Minho used that moment of weakness to pull the younger boy to the bathroom.
Minho may only have a few hours left with his boyfriend and he was going to take every single moment he was given.
Jisung drove along the highway, pushing the speed limit as much as he could. He flew between cars, his music up so loud that he couldn’t hear his own soft cries. It was thanks to Minho that his bass was so heavy - it was one of the mods he managed to convince the older boy to make on the car when he had the chance. He knew he was driving like an asshole, but if he was going to have to be alone he’d rather be alone locked in his own room. He didn’t like how easy it was to think when he was driving, because all he could imagine was...
Minho feeling neglected by Jisung, who will be too focused on school to give his boyfriend the attention he deserves. Minho, turning to the fairies as his only friends after the love of his life abandoned him on that farm. Minho, slowly forgetting what it felt like to kiss him, to hold him.
Minho, forgetting what it felt like to love him.
“FUCK-” Jisung screamed, hitting his steering wheel as he pulled over into the shoulder, throwing the car into park as he sobbed into his hands. His back seat and trunk felt too heavy with his bags. Part of him wanted to leave something behind so he would have an excuse to drive the almost three hours back to the farm.
“Jisung?”
Minho’s voice came through the speakers before Jisung even realized he had answered the call.
“H-hyung-”
“Sung! Holy shit, are you okay?” Minho sounded so worried. Jisung only cried harder, wrapping his arms around his chest to hold himself together. “Please tell me you’re not driving like this-”
“N-no...” He whimpered through his tears. “I-I p-p-pulled over...”
“Oh baby...” Minho sounded close to tears himself. “It’s okay... you’re okay. How far away from home are you?”
Jisung knew what he meant - he should have said about twenty minutes, his family’s apartment just a few turns once he finally got off the highway, but he didn’t consider the apartment as home anymore.
“Three hours...”
“What? What do you-” Minho cut himself off. There was a beat of silence before Jisung heard him suck in a sharp breath on the other end of the call. “Oh Sungie...”
“I wanna- I wanna go home,” Jisung sobbed, his head starting to ache from his crying. He had a large bottle of water next to him that he had been attempting to drink as he drove because he knew he was dehydrated. Minho had been so good at keeping him healthy and now that instant he was away from his boyfriend, he let his health slip. “I wanna go home-”
“Shh... it’s alright angel,” Minho murmured. As much as Jisung wanted to keep crying - maybe if he ran out of tears, he wouldn’t feel so absolutely destroyed - but Minho’s voice was enough to calm him. The older boy kept talking and Jisung found his cries soften into weak, wet hiccups. “You’re okay... I’m so proud of you, baby. I’m so proud of how far you’ve come. You’re so talented and I love you so fucking much.”
“I-I miss you...”
“I... I miss you too, Sung.”
“I don’t wanna go back to my parents,” He sniffled, feeling pitiful. His car rocked as the traffic sped past him. “What if they change their minds? What if- what if my dad won’t let me go anymore?”
“Like I said,” Minho’s tone was so soothing. Jisung couldn’t help but let out a breath he hadn’t even realized he had been holding. “Hypothetically, if that were to happen, we’ll steal you right back. If he changes his mind and goes back to being an asshole, we’ll come get you and bring you back to the farm.”
“Please... I wanna come back-”
“I love you, baby,” Minho hummed. “Want me to stay on the call while you drive?”
“Mm... please?”
“Of course,” Minho chuckled. Jisung heard voices in the background. “Hyunjin and Felix are trying to steal my phone. I’ll just put them on speaker - it might prevent the next world war.”
Jisung let out a barking laugh, caught off guard by the joke. He could hear the smile in Minho’s voice as he started to ramble about something stupid that the fairies managed to get themselves into in the few hours since Jisung left the farm.
His breathing was steady as he pulled back onto the road, his bass lowered to a reasonable level as he actually used his turn signal to change lanes.
“You’ve been quiet honey.” Jisung’s mom hummed. It had been two days since Jisung came back from the farm and his parents had to do a double take when they saw their son carrying his bags through the door without any struggle. He thought he would be happy at the look of pride his father gave him, but it just made him feel empty.
“Mm...” He hummed. He had barely said a dozen words since he woke up that first morning in the apartment.
“Did something happen at the Lee’s?”
“No.”
“Baby...” She sighed and moved to sit next to him on the couch. His body slid closer to hers until she was able to wrap an arm around her son’s shoulder. He winced, the deep bruises and bites Minho left twinging. “I can’t even imagine how hard it must have been to leave Minho, but this is a big step for you.”
“You know?” Jisung blinked, turning to look at his mom. She just smiled at him and shook her head lovingly.
“You think I wouldn’t talk to my best friend about our boys finally getting their heads out of their asses and accepting their feelings for each other?” She giggled and Jisung felt himself flush bright red. His mom had definitely been different since he got back - she was kinder, smiling more and laughing more. She was teasing him more. It was refreshing but made him wonder what was going to go wrong.
His dad had also been acting differently. He didn’t see the man any more than usual - only for a few minutes a day at the most, seeing how he worked overtime every single evening - but in those rare instances the man seemed... dazed almost. He was borderline gentle with his son, not seeming to notice how Jisung would flinch when he would ruffle his son’s hair. It was almost like he was...
Enchanted by something.
“Mom...” Jisung whined, covering his face.
“Have you heard from Minho recently?” She asked, her face clearly telling Jisung that there was something more than just casual curiosity fueling her question.
“We’ve been texting,” Jisung answered, glancing at his phone. It had been over an hour since the older boy texted him back which was strange seeing how Jisung was usually the one who got distracted. “And... and we talked last night on facetime before I went to bed.”
“That’s nice... did he say anything special?”
“You’re being suspicious,” Jisung muttered, crossing his arms. “No? We just... talked about the normal shit...”
He couldn’t mention how Minho told him all about the shenanigans that the fae had gotten into by accidentally turning Changbin into a full out boar and Minho’s father talking about needing to pull out his rifle and hunt the ‘wild animal’ before it hurt anything on the farm.
“By the way!” She perked up. Jisung’s suspicion only grew at how poor of an actor his mom was. “After some back and forth emails, the students you’re going to be housing with are free to meet up.”
“O-oh...” Jisung’s heart broke. He knew it was coming but it still scared him. He brought his anxiety up to Minho, who seemed almost distracted. Minho managed to redirect his worries and by the time the call ended, Jisung felt better.
But now reality was going to crash down on him. He would meet these... strangers that he was going to be living with. What if they didn’t get along? What if they smelled bad or didn’t do their dishes or didn’t understand that sometimes Jisung needed certain things - needed silence sometimes but at other times would go insane if there weren't at least three things happening at the same time? What if they thought he was weird and they hated him and he ended up being isolated in his own apartment, going to classes where he couldn’t make any friends and being all fucking alone without Minho or the fae-
“I have a feeling you’re going to like them,” She continued, her voice going soft when she noticed how her son seemed to tense. “They’re going to be at the coffee shop around the corner... they want to meet with you to talk about things with the house.”
“House?” Jisung’s brows furrowed.
“Didn’t I tell you?” Her smile grew. “We were able to find a perfect situation. You won’t have to worry about bills or rent either!”
“What? How is that possible?”
“It’s one of the student’s family homes,” She hummed. She could see the interest blooming in her son’s eyes which encouraged her. “They’re all friends already but I just know you’re going to fit right in.”
“Oh god, if they’re all friends already...” His stomach sank.
“Give them a chance,” His mom pushed, which he found a little strange. While she was never mean to him, she also never really pushed him. She let him do as he pleased, not wanting to step in and put her foot down when her husband already disciplined Jisung so violently. It was one of the reasons he went so wild before ending up at the farm. “Go on. Get dressed, yeah?”
“I guess...” Jisung would have preferred to stay in his bed, staring at his phone and trying not to think about how much he missed Minho, but he was also afraid of having his college used as leverage. So far both his parents seemed supportive, but it was so strange for them that he worried one wrong step would result in them changing their minds.
He shuffled back to his room and did as he was told, changing into one of his favorite outfits. He couldn’t help but frown when he realized how tight the shirt was now. Before it fit him perfectly, but now... his shoulders and arms were too big to fit comfortably.
He didn’t know how to feel about that.
He picked a different shirt that fit a little better but still ended up being a little tight. He quickly put on some make up and brushed his hair back, wondering why he was trying so hard on his appearance when all he had to look forward to was being ostracized by the people he’ll be living with.
His mom gave him an encouraging thumbs up as he left, but he could barely return the gesture with a weak smile before he closed the door. He couldn't even drive - he had to walk a handful of blocks to the café.
The walk only took a few minutes, but by the time he was pushing into the café, he felt like he was going to throw up. What if they thought he was weird? What if they didn’t like him? What if they met him and realized they didn’t want to live with him and he ended up having to withdraw from school because he couldn’t afford to dorm without taking out crazy loans and he would have to watch all his dreams crumble before they even started-
Jisung bit back a yelp as he felt arms wrapping around his waist. Spinning around, he found himself staring directly into a familiar freckled face.
“F-Felix?” He gasped, feeling lightheaded as Felix smiled brightly at him.
“You made it!” He giggled, his human form still looking a little too pretty to fit in with the somewhat grungy café.
“What are you-”
“There he is!”
“And you were worried that he wasn’t going to make it.”
“We would have just dragged him out ourselves.”
“It’s been two days! How have you already lost weight?”
“What are you guys doing here?” Jisung was just barely holding back his tears as he greeted the fairies. All six of them surrounded him, laughing and hugging him as he struggled to find his words.
“What are you doing here?” Seungmin teased in return. Jisung raised an eyebrow as he tried to scan the café.
“I’m... supposed to be meeting with my future housemates-”
“You haven’t figured it out yet?” A painfully familiar voice said from behind him. Jisung spun around, not realizing he was crying until he felt Minho’s shirt becoming wet under his cheek.
“Min!”
“Remember when my mom said she needed to talk to me about something?” Minho chuckled as he held the younger boy tightly. Even though he was smiling, he was holding
Jisung closer than Jisung was holding him. Jisung nodded as he tried to control his sobs to no avail. The other patrons of the café watched the tearful reunion with fond smiles as Chan returned to their table with eight drinks. “Well, her and your mom have been talking for weeks about this... she sent in an application for me at the same time your mom got your acceptance...”
“What?” Jisung pulled back, his eyes wide and glassy.
“I got into the dance program,” Minho’s smile was blinding. “And the others... well-”
“We got into whatever program we wanted,” Hyunjin scoffed easily. “We have no need for applications. Mortals cannot decide if we are worthy-”
“Me and Binnie are going to be in the production program with you,” Chan cut his friend off as he handed Jisung his drink. Jisung took it, seeming reluctant to let go of Minho even though they were still pressed against one another. “Lix and Jinnie are going with Minho in the dance program.”
“I chose to go into business and management.” Seungmin said softly.
“I didn’t feel like doing this whole school thing,” Jeongin shrugged. “So I’ll just be hanging around while you all stress out.”
“Wait... wait so I’m going to be living with you guys?” Jisung could barely wrap his head around it. “Whose house are we living in?”
“We’re immortal, magical beings,” Chan giggled, his dimples flashing. “We can bend time and space - you think we can’t create a pocket of non-existence where we can build a home for us to live in?”
“This... can’t be real,” Jisung sat down heavily. “I have to be dreaming...”
“If you’re dreaming then I am too,” Minho sat down next to him and took his hand. “I told you everything was going to be okay.”
“I-I mean, you did but-”
“Shh, drink your coffee,” Minho laughed as Jisung pouted into his mug. “We can talk about the house and stuff when you’re ready.”
“Can we-” He cut himself off, his ears flushing.
“Can we what, angel?”
“Can we share a room?” Jisung muttered, the flush reaching down his neck. Minho stared at him before his face broke into a brilliant grin.
“Of course,” He laughed happily. “You think I’d let you live in a different room? I just got you back... I’m not letting you go that easily.”
“Wow...” Jisung slumped in his seat, resting his cheek on Minho’s shoulder.
“I think he’s broken.” Jeongin grinned in his familiar, cattish way.
“Please don’t break my boyfriend,” Minho scoffed. “We have to go on tour one day. How can I be his backup dancer if he’s broken?”
Jisung gasped as if the thought had never crossed his mind. Minho just raised an eyebrow before gripping Jisung’s chin and pulling him into a breathtaking kiss.
“God you’re stupid,” He said fondly, his eyes shining with so much love that everything around them seemed to fall away as Jisung stared into them. “I love you.”
“I-I love you so much,” He choked out, his cheeks aching from how hard he was smiling. “Holy shit-”
Minho had promised that everything would be alright but it seemed so far off - like it would take years before things finally settled into a life that Jisung would be able to live with. He thought it would take as many years as it took for him and Minho to finally fall in love properly before they could get a house together, live together... love each other properly.
His cheeks ached from how hard he was smiling. Just as he was about to say something else, Hyunjin started choking on his tea. Felix cackled, dancing away from where he had jabbed his friend in the side just as he took a sip, causing chaos to erupt around them. Jisung turned and looked at Chan to see what he would do but found the blonde fae watching Felix hide behind Jeongin with shining eyes, the look on his face familiar - familiar because it was the same face Jisung made when he looked at Minho.
Minho laughed next to him and Jisung felt that he was home again. He realized home wasn’t the apartment, but it wasn’t the farm either.
Home was Minho.
And he was home again.