Archive of Our Own

Once upon a time, a little girl was living happily with her parents. Her papa was tall and soft and always playing with her, and her mama was strong and kept her safe and she knew she was so so loved.

One day, the little girls parents fought. And when they were done screaming, her papa took her to a house far away, with a small garden with sunflowers growing along the fence. Her mama didn't stay in the house, but she visited often and when she did, she spent the whole time with the little girl.

They still loved her so so much. But... she didn't think they loved each other anymore.

“Yejun-ah, stop!” Harin was giving her little cousin a stern look which only prompted him to flop down on his butt and start whimpering. She was looking over to the grown ups, but Yejun's little sister was also making a fuss which distracted her parents, and Harin's papa didn't seem to pay them any attention. Contemplating her options, Harin sat down as well. She couldn't leave him alone, her papa would scold her, and she was a little tired after walking the whole morning. Yejun and Yunseo were still too small for playing properly, but her papa had told her that she shouldn't be mad at others for not being able to do the same things she could do, so instead she accepted that they would play in this spot now.

The rough ground was uncomfortable, but it was fun ripping out the grass around them, poking tiny sticks against Yejun's knobby knees until he giggled and... Harin's eyes fell on a flower that was blooming a few steps away. It wasn't very pretty or very colorful, bigger than her hand and a soft blue, but she couldn't take her eyes away from it. Throwing away the stick she had been holding, she crawled over to the flower. It was glowing, but when she blinked it was gone. Harin looked around, trying to figure out where the glow had gone, but everything looked the same. Her papa was talking with her auntie and uncle, still not paying much attention to Harin. He was smiling, but Harin knew better. His eyes were always sad. Harin wasn't sad. She liked the house they were living in now better, she liked having her auntie and uncle and her cousins around, and when she saw her mama they were only doing fun things. She didn't understand why it didn't make her papa happy as well.

Her eyes fell back on the flower, swaying softly from side to side and without thinking she whispered: “I wish my papa wasn't sad anymore.” Then she ripped off the flower, pulled Yejun up from the ground and ran over to her papa.

“Harin-ah, are you hungry?”

Her papa was smiling, and she wanted him to keep doing that so she gave Yejun to her auntie and showed her papa the flower. “For you.”

“For me?” He took the flower, carefully, and inspected it. “It's almost as pretty as you are, Harin-ah.”

“You have to keep it.” She tried climbing up her papa's legs until he lifted her up onto his knees. “You have to keep it. It will make you not sad anymore.”

Her papa thought about it for a moment before he nodded and put it softly on his bag. “I'm not sad, baby, but I will keep it safe, I promise.” He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before he grabbed a container out of his backpack. “Now, are you hungry?”

If he was honest, he should've been more concerned about the turn of events. It was quite a deviation from his regular afternoons, after all. On any other day, Taehyung would be flying around a few flowers in the woods, trying to avoid birds, big insects and foxes. He hated foxes. He would eat some pollen, maybe rest in one of the trees, say hello to his neighbors and go back to his little nest in the big oak tree, not far from the small stream that lulled him to sleep.

There weren't many humans in these woods. There was a path they used, but it was only a few at a time and their arrival was predictable. If they came too close, Taehyung and his neighbors flew away. Humans couldn't see them, but they had to be cautious. Taehyung didn't know why exactly, but it didn't matter. It was common knowledge to stay away from the humans so they did.

In retrospect, he figured he didn't fly away this time since he wasn't sure if the small thing staring at him was even a human. It was so tiny, and it had big eyes and small hands and Taehyung thought it was too adorable to do any harm. So he sat down on his flower and smiled at the human-like creature. Maybe it could see him. Some humans could. Or so he was told. It had been a long time ago that any fairy had been in contact with a human. None Taehyung knew, and none his neighbors knew and no one ever visited from outside the forest.

And then the little creature talked, something that made Taehyung's heart ache when she wished to make her father feel better and for some reason... the moment she had said it, he had felt an urge to stay by her side. It had to be the tiny hands. Still bigger than Taehyung's whole body, but so so tiny for a human. He had held on when she had ripped the flower off, he had wrapped his wings around himself to not get crushed when the flower was wrapped up and put somewhere dark and when it got bright again he was still grabbing a petal until the flower stopped shaking. He opened his eyes carefully, and the flower had been put into water that was floating in air and the forest was gone. The father of the little creature was looking at him though, putting the flower into a better position and when he did that, he accidentally pushed against the petal Taehyung was holding and he fell back onto the soft center of the flower. The little thing had been right. Taehyung could feel sadness emanating from him, an undercurrent of all other emotions. He was content, tired, a tiny speck of happiness, but it was all fleeting.

“So you're making sure I'll be happy, hm? Good luck with that.” He leaned down and smiled at the flower.

Taehyung stared up at him, frowning in determination. “I will.” He flew up, until he was hovering right in front of the father's face. “I will. I promise.”

He didn't know how. But that didn't seem all that important right now.

Taehyung had never left the woods. His days had been very similar and they all blurred together a little but he couldn't remember a time he hadn't flown around the familiar trees. And when he was lying in his new nest at night and thought about it, he did miss it. There was a comfort in knowing a place so well he could fly through it with his eyes closed. Knowing how it worked. Knowing its purpose.

Here... everything was different. The humans were weird creatures. He had learned that the little girl was called Harin and her father was called Kim Seokjin, but Taehyung hadn't quite figured out why he had two names. Harin didn't call him that. It was probably a title. He remembered the stories his mother had told him, and humans always had titles in those. They loved that.

Their nest was big, and it had lots of closed off sections, and Harin's dad spent a lot of time in one of them, staring at a changing mirror that didn't reflect, talking to some kind of rock and generally looking displeased while he was at it. His emotions were mostly calm during that time, interrupted by short flares of anger and happiness and satisfaction. Then there were times he spent with Harin, and it was during those times that the sadness was weakest, when love was so strong that Taehyung felt himself relax, wondering why he was even needed. Until the father went away to the part of his nest where he slept, and the sadness was so overwhelming that Taehyung had cried the first time he had felt it.

His neighbor had always said that fairies didn't have strong emotions since they could sense it from everyone else. If you were feeling too strongly you couldn't handle being near a distressed bird. His other neighbor had said they were too tiny for that, insects didn't feel much and they were just as tiny as them.

Taehyung didn't know if any of that was true, but he knew that he had never felt anything so strongly in his life and being around the humans was at times too much. He couldn't comprehend how they could live their lives while they had to handle all of that all the time, even if it was positive. Too much joy was distracting, too much love made drowsy, too much anger made his head hurt, too much sadness his... heart.

And then the little girls mother visited, and waves of resentment and anger and disappointment crushed over Taehyung, with only a few rays of love peaking through.

The humans had a mirror that showed them peeks of other humans lives. The father liked to watch it, and the little girl did, too. Taehyung thought it was fascinating, getting to know so many other people without actually talking to them, and learning from what they've been through. A lot of them were about love. As so many things, love was much more difficult for humans than it was for fairies, and it was in the big mirror that he learned why the girl's mother was so full of negative emotions and why the girl's father was so sad: the love was long long gone.

“I don't know why I even bother...” the father mumbled to himself. Taehyung hovered nearby while the father put a new flower in the container. He had found out that the water wasn't floating in air, but that it was put into a container that was almost invisible. The flower from the mountain had wilted, and the father had cut one from the garden and put it in its stead. He couldn't see Taehyung, he had tested it, but for some reason he still made sure that Taehyung was comfortable. When the new flower was arranged to the father's satisfaction, Taehyung sat down on it and ate a little of the pollen. He liked the garden, he had built his nest on one of the sunflowers. It wasn't home, it was... better. More flowers. He didn't miss it as much anymore.

“You know, for some reason I think it works. Harin was right, you make me less sad.” The father poked the flower and Taehyung held on to not fall off, and he felt the sudden calmness wash over him, the content, and he waved his wings in enjoyment. The father's eyes glazed over and at that moment, Taehyung knew what he wanted. He had been with the small family for so many days and after learning so much it was obvious.

“I wish I could do more for you.”

The moment his words had left his lips he felt a tingle running over his body, and he was squirming to make it stop but it got stronger and stronger and then it hurt so much he squeezed his eyes shut until he felt something hit his hip before he landed on his butt. When he opened his eyes, wincing, the father had jumped up from his chair, eyes wide and fear billowing like a thunderstorm around him.

“Who are you? How did you get in HERE?”

Taehyung's eyes widened. The father was staring right at him and when he looked down, he... he looked at his hands, his big human hands, and he tried to flap his wings, but... they were gone.

He was a human. And Kim Seokjin could finally see him. So he smiled as wide as he could and said: “I will make sure you won't be sad anymore.”

When the book was thrown at him and connected painfully with his forehead, all he could think was that it was weird a human would be afraid of a little magic, when all they did was much more magical than whatever had happened with Taehyung. But when the second book flew, he decided he had to get out of the line of fire first.

“Please stop! Kim Seokjin!” Taehyung crawled over to the small shelf next to the door that lead out into the garden and protected his head from more hits, while the father continued screaming at him.

“How do you know my name? I will call the police, you thief!”

That made Taehyung startle for a second before he jumped up and screamed: “I'm not a thief! I'm a fairy!”

The next book was very heavy and landed flat on his face. Everything... went a little dark after that.

When he woke up again, softly touching his aching forehead and carefully not touching his aching nose, Kim Seokjin was looming over him, another big book in his hands and... Taehyung frowned, trying again, but he couldn't feel the father's emotions and that was disconcerting.

“A fairy? Try harder, asshole.”

Taehyung slowly moved his hands in front of him, trying to calm the father down. He didn't want to get squished by that book. “At what, Kim Seokjin? Explaining? I'm... not quite sure myself, but I was just sitting on that flower...” He pointed to the desk without losing eye contact with the scary book, “and then I was just BAM here!”

The father didn't lower the book still, but he had looked away shortly which Taehyung used to sit up and scramble out of reach of the weapon. “I didn't do it on purpose, I didn't want to scare you.”

Finally the book was lowered and the father was giving out a long sigh. “That's the biggest bullshit I have ever heard.”

“But it isn't, it was just magic! Your little daughter was in the woods, some time ago, and you were there I think...” Taehyung tried to remember but he hadn't paid much attention back then. “She picked up the flower I was sitting on and you took me here and put me into that invisible container. That's what happened, I promise!”

He didn't need to read emotions to know that Kim Seokjin was distressed and sad and exhausted and now that Taehyung was big and visible to humans he wanted to hug him, but the book was still in reach so he stayed where he was. To be safe.

“That's just... how is that possible?” Kim Seokjin looked up, desperately holding on to the book. “Fairies don't exist! How did you just appear in my office out of THIN AIR?”

“Well... magic?”

Kim Seokjin groaned, for what reason Taehyung wasn't sure. It had been magic, that was a fact. Taehyung didn't know he could do that, but he had never tried either, so. Not that complicated. Huffing out a short breath, Taehyung decided enough was enough and he crawled over to Kim Seokjin, touching his shoulder lightly, and said: “I'm Taehyung. I will help you.”

“Maybe I'm just dreaming... I have been having weird dreams lately... why do I have to dream that I've been at work though...”

Taehyung touched the shoulder a bit harder, and started pushing. “You're not dreaming. Kim Seokjin. Please, let me help you.”

He looked up, so, so exhausted. “Can you please just go away and we forget about it?”

So Taehyung thought he was a gentle person. Most fairies were very calm and maybe a little playful, and even then Taehyung was kind of unperturbed by most things even for fairy standards. But he had limits. And he just found one. “Stop it, you weird, sad human! I said I will help you! Your little daughter is worried and you are giving me headaches with all that negativity, so someone has to do something about it! I transformed into a human to do it, so stop being so dramatic!” He pushed Kim Seokjin again, and he fell back on his ass, eyes big and surprised.

“Excuse me?”

“No, I won't! You use magic all the time, stop pretending as if this is all so unbelievable for you! I am Taehyung and I will not leave until you are happy again!”

With that, he crossed his arms and stared Kim Seokjin down. If he wanted to act like a baby he would treat him like a baby.

“I can call the police.”

“So what? I'm not a human, your rules don't apply to me.” He was kind of happy the father had watched humans who were from the police species the previous evening. The human world was so weird, and he was determined to get to know it anyway just to help, so he should better stop being so ungrateful!

“I don't think it works like that, Taehyung-ssi.” Kim Seokjin sighed, rubbing his hands over his face and when he moved them down again, he shrugged. “I have never seen you before and no one except for my daughter knows that I had a flower from our hiking trip standing on my desk, so you are either a weirdly dedicated stalker or I'm going insane.”

“Neither. And now get up, the floor is uncomfortable. Do you have some human food, though? I'm kind of hungry and I don't think I can eat flowers anymore...”

He did get up and he did lead Taehyung into the section with the food and he heated it up with one of his magic utensils and... watched Taehyung struggle with the chopsticks as if he was watching a dumb bird. When Taehyung was ready to give up and use his hands, Kim Seokjin handed him a spoon. He couldn't help the dirty stare, a tingling thought in the back of his mind that he had never felt so much in such a short period of time. But it wasn't important right now, all that magic he'd used and his new body had made him starving.

“So, Taehyung-ssi...” Kim Seokjin finally sat down, eyeing Taehyung gulping down the tasty human food as quickly as he could swallow. “Let's say for a minute this is not a weird fever dream... and you turned from a tiny invisible creature sitting on a flower into a... person.”

“I was a person before!” Taehyung shouted indignantly, spraying the table with specks of food.

“A man, then. Where are your pointy ears? Shouldn't you have, like, wings? And you're wearing jeans and a T-shirt.”

Taehyung swallowed quickly, almost choking from the big bite. “My ears were never pointy, I've never heard of that, and I turned human. The magic made me human. Humans don't have wings, and humans wear these things.” He looked down, pulling on the fabric covering his chest. It was kind of bland, gray and boring. “I hope I don't stay like that...”

That made Kim Seokjin perk up. “You don't have to! Just turn back and fly home! With your little... fairy wings.”

“Do you have a problem with my wings?”

“Of course not, I haven't even seen them. But you see, my daughter will be back from kindergarten soon and I don't want her to see you. I can't explain this to her. And I'm sure you are missing your family, aren't you? The other fairies, sitting on other flowers in that forest?”

He was smiling, and it was so pretty but so obviously dishonest.

“No, I'm staying. I got used to it and I can go back when I'm done here. And your little daughter already saw me, so that shouldn't matter.” He smiled his own dishonest smile and continued eating, while Kim Seokjin's face turned into a grimace.

“She didn't say anything about seeing a strange man!” Kim Seokjin hissed.

“She looked at the flower and asked for help!” Taehyung shouted back.

“What would she need help for?” Kim Seokjin shouted even louder.

“WITH YOU!”

They were both panting, and only then they noticed the audience that had gathered, the tall man who always brought the little daughter home, and the little daughter staring at them with big eyes.

“Are we interrupting?” the tall man asked, but Kim Seokjin immediately jumped up with a fake smile plastered on his face.

“No! Sorry, it's fine, just a little argument. Namjoon-ah, you were so quick today!” He laughed and Taehyung tried not to roll his eyes, instead he looked at Harin and waved. She waved back, curiously.

“Not really, but I also can't stay, sorry. Yejun and Yunseo are waiting in the car.” He looked over to Taehyung, and back to the father, questions written all over his face. “Didn't know you had guests over.”

“He's not a guest! I mean, that's... Taehyung, the new housekeeper.”

There was an awkward pause, until Namjoon said: “Okaaaay. Hope you get along well. Hi Taehyung-ssi!” He also waved, said goodbye to Harin, and left. Harin immediately ran over to her father, completely unperturbed by his state of distress, and hugged his legs.

“Papa, is he staying with us? Why? Can I call him uncle? Papa?”

Kim Seokjin sighed, and it sounded very tired, but then he swooped off his daughter into his arms and said: “That's Taehyung, he'll...” He glanced over to Taehyung who tried to convey with his face that he wasn't going anywhere and that Seokjin shouldn't think he could change anything about it. “He'll stay with us for a while. He's helping around the house a bit.”

“Is it because I didn't clean my room?”

Kim Seokjin laughed and it sounded incredible, like a dying weasel. It only strengthened Taehyung's conviction to stay with them, just to make sure Kim Seokjin would laugh his silly laugh more often. He deserved to be happy. That moment, Harin looked over and there was a glint in her eyes. She knew. She had to. So Taehyung smiled and Harin giggled and burrowed her head in her father's shoulder, a little shy, and that was it. They would do this together.

The rest of the day went by in a whirlwind. Kim Seokjin had to get back into his room to look at his magic mirror, but this time he could do so in peace since he had someone to look after Harin. It had only taken a few minutes for him to realize that Taehyung could manage and now they were sitting in Harin's room and he was getting an introduction to all of her toy friends. She had just finished her long tale of how her fluffy crocodile had survived alone in some place where you could win toys and he had swam through all the oceans until her auntie had won it for her and was now best friends with her fluffy koala. She had just put it into Taehyung's lap for some petting when her gaze became calculating again and she looked up and said: “Uncle, are you here because of the flower?”

“Do you remember it?”

She frowned, pouting adorably. “The flower was glowing and I asked her to make my papa happy again. You... feel like the flower.”

“Hm. I can't tell you. It's a secret.”

“I can keep secrets!” She immediately jumped up, her pigtails wagging around her face. “I will not tell anyone ever!”

“Oh if that's the case...” Taehyung giggled and Harin stomped her foot, exclaiming again and again that she was trustworthy until Taehyung fell on the floor laughing while Harin pushed him.

“You're a mean uncle, mean! Don't make fun of me!”

“I'm not, I swear! I was on the flower, Harin. But...” He put his finger on his lips. “It stays between you and me, okay?”

She nodded vigorously and flopped back down on the floor, taking Taehyung's face into her tiny, chubby hands. “But you're not tiny anymore.”

“Easier to make your papa happy that way,” he said with a cheeky smile.

She contemplated it for a moment but in the end she nodded, satisfied. “Okay. I need to practice my hangul or papa will be unhappy, can you help me with it?”

As it turned out, it was the first time Taehyung ever looked at the signs that were all over the human world with more than mild curiosity and Harin explained to him that they were used for messages. It was an interesting concept. And maybe... he should learn it, too.

When Kim Seokjin came into the room a while later, seeing them sitting on Harin's desk and practicing their hangul, he had a weird expression on his face. Something between fondness and despair. Taehyung only wanted to see one of those and he smiled brightly and Kim Seokjin fled.

So much work to do...

When he was lying on the couch, the room barely lit by the soft light from all the machines around him, Taehyung felt... content. A little overwhelmed and definitely tired, but satisfied with the day's outcome. Kim Seokjin didn't seem too happy to have him around, but he didn't actively try to kick him out either, so that was a win. Though he would've liked to get back into his fairy form, just to clear his head a bit. All the emotions he suddenly felt made his head ache, but he was afraid that he couldn't get back to his human form after the change. He didn't know how. He wasn't sure if it was something he had always been able to do or just because he wanted to help so badly, but he didn't dare to try it out.

So he turned around on the couch, barely big enough to fit him, rolled into a blanket that smelled somewhat flowery but in a weird way, dressed in clothes that Kim Seokjin had lend him that smelled a lot... better. Soothing. Soft. Nice.

And when he woke up the next day, he learnt what back pain meant.

Taehyung was still eating while Harin had already left to play in the garden and Kim Seokjin sat opposite him, looking at him with a thoughtful gaze. Taehyung didn't bother much with it, he was way too hungry and if Kim Seokjin wanted to say something he would do so eventually.

"So you can do magic, hm? How come no one knows about it, then?"

"You can't see us. And some know! Harin showed me the stories you have about us. But you can't see us so you figured we aren't real."

Kim Seokjin didn't seem very convinced. "But it doesn't make sense! Magic is against the fundamental laws of nature!"

"Maybe you just haven't figured it all out then." He shrugged and shoved another spoonful into his mouth. He had never minded eating pollen or nuts, but human food... was really tasty. And his new body really needed so much more to eat.

"Okay. Okay, let's say I believe you... isn't anyone going to miss you? Your family? Shouldn't you go back?"

Taehyung shrugged. "I don't think so. I love my neighbors, we get along well. They are probably a little sad when I don't come back but we don't... feel that much. Like you."

Kim Seokjin looked even more confused and opened his mouth for the next question when Taehyung interrupted him.

"Kim Seokjin, I won't leave so stop trying to make me. Harin and I talked and we need to make sure you're happy again. That has priority."

"Harin and you. My four year old daughter. And you. The fairy." He sighed, rubbing his hands over his face while Taehyung finally finished his bowl. "Why are you calling me Kim Seokjin anyway?"

"Isn't it... your name?"

"Yes, but you don't call anyone by their full name! How do you do it, where you come from?"

"Well my name is Taehyung and people call me Taehyung." He looked at Kim Seokjin expectantly. "You can just tell me. I don't know much about your people, either."

"It's... Seokjin is my first name. Kim is the family name. Usually people are getting called by their first name or a title or..."

"Okay Seokjin. Are you planning on looking at the magical mirror all day again or do you want to play with Harin and me?"

Seokjin sighed again, rolling his eyes exaggeratedly and Taehyung felt the sudden urge smack him and it was so weird that he abruptly stood up and left, trying to clear his head. All these new emotions... were horribly annoying.

As it turned out, Seokjin did have days when he didn't have to sit in his room and since he couldn't think of an excuse fast enough they ended up sitting in his car later that day, an experience that was incredibly exciting. Taehyung's face was smushed against the window, looking at all the people and homes running past them. He had never traveled this fast and he couldn't get enough of it.

Seokjin had told them that he needed to buy groceries before he would play with them, an activity he wanted to do alone but Harin insisted that they tag along. Taehyung wasn't sure what it meant, but as long as they could do it together he was willing to try it out. As it turned out, the humans were collecting their food from a shared place, but they had to exchange something for it. That was made abundantly clear when Seokjin became increasingly exasperated when Taehyung put everything that looked interesting into their cart.

"Listen, I have a list and we don't need all of that, so can you please just push the cart? I guess you don't have supermarkets in fairy land..."

"No we don't, we eat pollen and nuts." Harin giggled but Seokjin sighed again and Taehyung wondered if that was some kind of illness. Maybe he had trouble breathing

They did eat ice cream afterwards, though, which was cold and delicious and Taehyung even caught Seokjin smiling softly before the scowl was back on his pretty face. Well. Not bad for the first day.

"What are you doing?"

Seokjin stopped the chopping and turned around, his eyes wide. "Cooking?"

"Hm. But we already got the food." Harin was taking a nap and Seokjin had been busy in the kitchen and unwilling to let Taehyung help, so he had decided to just watch him. He didn't have anything better to do anyway.

"Yes, but if we don't cook it it won't be so tasty," Seokjin said with a small smile on his lips and Taehyung figured that this had to be something that made him happy! A good start.

"So you need to do this every day?"

"Yes."

"And you like doing it?"

"Hm."

"Do you... want to show me?" Taehyung had already gotten up. Seokjin's hands were moving fast, chopping up a zucchini into tiny cubes.

"What for? You're going back to eating pollen and nuts anyway."

"Well we could do it together. Isn't that more fun?" Taehyung smiled encouragingly and Seokjin started to waver. "Did you show Harin?"

Now the soft smile was back. It was... exciting, seeing if he guessed right and got a rewarding reaction. Kim Seokjin with all the sad thoughts had so much joy trapped inside, he just needed to let it out.

"She's a little too small for cooking, but we did bake together. She tried to eat the butter, though." He laughed, a little chuckle but stopped when Taehyung didn't join. "Do you know what butter is?"

"Not yet. But you can show me."

Taehyung was highly satisfied with his first cooking lesson, even if it ended with Seokjin freaking out when Taehyung cut his finger and Harin waking up from all the screaming and in the end Taehyung was banned to the kitchen table with a tiny band-aid with cute little animals on it wrapped around his finger, but it was fine. Seokjin hadn't mentioned once that Taehyung should go home, so... they were doing fine.

He watched them, Seokjin holding Harin on his hip, rocking her softly while he stirred their dinner. She had started crying when she'd seen the blood, even though Taehyung tried to tell her that it barely hurt. But Seokjin knew what to do and she was asleep in his arms in no time. He knew how to be happy, how to do well. They just needed to remind him. He would be done in no time and then he would fly back home. A good plan, he thought, rubbing over his band-aid. Just reminding him what is right in front of his nose.

Living with the humans... was a lot of work. Seokjin had grudgingly accepted his presence, and Taehyung thought they would all play together and cook together and look at the magic mirror together and work in the garden together and maybe visit the beautiful meadows surrounding Seokjin's home, together, but as it turned out, after two days of doing exactly that Seokjin had to go back to his room and Harin had to go to a place where she was playing with other children. A place that Taehyung wasn't allowed to visit and all of a sudden he had no idea what to do.

"Seokjin..."

Seokjin looked up from his magic mirror, a computer as it was apparently called, annoyance written plainly over his face. "Taehyung, I need to work. Just go watch some TV or, I don't know, go play.”

“You know,” Taehyung said, walking over to Seokjin's desk, “I like playing with Harin but I'm not a child.”

That made Seokjin stop for a moment and look at Taehyung with a thoughtful expression. “How old are you, anyway?”

“I don't know.”

“You... don't know?”

Taehyung shrugged, his fingers playing with one of the papers on Seokjin's desk. “We don't track that. It's not important. I never thought about it.”

“But you're an adult, right?” Seokjin sounded a little anxious, so Taehyung put on his most soothing smile and said: “Yes, of course. You don't need to worry about Harin.”

”I worried about you,” he muttered before he cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable.

“You could show me some cooking again, Seokjin. I bet that's more fun than... whatever you are doing.”

Seokjin laughed, a little giggle. “Sure, but I kind of have to do it. We can cook together later, if you want?”

Humans were so weird. One second they were angry and dismissive, the other second they were nice and kind and it was giving him whiplash. “Okay.” Taehyung didn't immediately leave, he kept standing there while Seokjin went back to his work, looking at him as he had done before, on all those days he had spent on the flower. It was still standing on the desk, a little sad and wilting. He would need to replace it soon.

“You kept the flower,” Taehyung finally said, barely a whisper.

Seokjin's head shot up, looking at the flower in confusion. “Yes? Of course? It was a gift from Harin.”

“But it isn't even the same one. You swapped it.”

“You know Taehyung-ah, looking at it made me... I don't know, this sounds stupid.” His ears were turning red and he stared back at his computer, obviously embarrassed, but suddenly Taehyung needed to know.

“What? What happened?” He had been sitting on the flower the whole time. Had he... sensed him? Was that possible?

“I felt better looking at it. That's all.”

And when Taehyung smiled this time, Seokjin's ears burned so brightly they rivaled the sun.

In the end Taehyung was practicing his writing. He carried Harin's low table over to Seokjin's room and even though Seokjin was about to complain he... didn't. Maybe he felt it as well, that it was nice just spending time with another person, even if they didn't talk, even if they were both focused on their own work. But he had felt it, when Seokjin's concentration wavered and he looked at Taehyung, with a faraway gaze. Taehyung didn't react, biting back the smile that threatened to appear on his face. If his presence made Seokjin calmer, than he didn't want to disturb it.

And if he was completely honest with himself... it made his chest feel so so light.

There were a lot of humans coming and going to the house. Every few days a nice woman came over and tidied the place. She instantly got along with Taehyung and even though she didn't want to let him help she showed him what she was doing. They weren't so different, after all, the humans and the fairies. Eager to connect and to share and to be kind.

There was the man who brought papers, and he was always dressed in blue. He never stayed long, and he had been a bit grumpy at first, but when Taehyung handed him some homemade Kimbap one time he mellowed out. He had two daughters and a dog and he liked sports which was something Taehyung had to look into. Just so he could follow along better.

Of course he had met Namjoon, the one with the two babies. As Taehyung had learnt, Namjoon and Seokjin worked together and since they both had small children they helped each other out with bringing them to the play place that Taehyung wasn't allowed to visit. Which was fine. Namjoon was pleasant, he had a soothing voice and his children were adorable, but Taehyung was also... slightly wary. Namjoon had never outright asked, but he often gave Taehyung long and thoughtful looks, as if he could read his mind. It made Taehyung a little nervous. He wasn't well versed with humans, but one tale that every fairy knew was that they couldn't be trusted. He figured that no human needed to know who he was if not strictly necessary. Namjoon wasn't included. So Taehyung smiled, gave out the newest food creation he had managed to make and ignored the stares vehemently.

But one human... one human that came over was the one Taehyung wasn't sure he had needed to get to know. Harin's mother.

“Who are you?” She was pretty, tall and slim and her brown hair was shiny and she radiated irritation so strongly Taehyung could feel it even in his human form.

“Kim Taehyung, hello.” He bowed a little, but she didn't reciprocate. Rude.

“Are you one of Seokjin's cousins? What are you doing here?” Her nails were painted, dark red with gold tips. It looked beautiful, but he didn't dare point it out.

“No, I'm a friend. I take care of Harin.” He smiled politely, but it was definitely the wrong thing to say, judging by the wave of anger that was thrown at him.

“Oh, a babysitter? He's at home all day, doing his shit job and he needs a BABYSITTER?” She pressed against the doorbell again, a few times. It made Taehyung's head hurt.

“Yes, I'm coming! Oh...” Seokjin came to a halt, and Taehyung suddenly understood his sour mood. He'd been grumpy at breakfast, even though Harin had been excited and giddy and talked about her mama visiting later. “You're early.”

“I can't predict the traffic, can I? If you didn't live at the fuck end of civilization I wouldn't have to drive two hours to see my daughter! Where is she anyway? Shouldn't your babysitter know?” She gave Taehyung a disdainful stare and he slowly moved to the side. All this negative emotions were making his chest hurt and watching Seokjin slowly turning red from anger only made it worse.

“In the garden. Maybe you can temper down your mood? You know she thinks it's her fault when we're fighting.”

“We're not fighting, I don't know what you're talking about.” She was crossing her arms, looking at him with raised eyebrows and with his lips pressed into a fine line Seokjin turned around to get Harin. Usually, Taehyung would try to chat a little with the new human at the house, make friends, give out food, but this woman was like a fox. Ready to bite his head off.

“Are you a friend or a boyfriend?” She finally broke the silence, not even looking at Taehyung.

“Isn't that the same?” He answered, an insecure smile on his lips.

She huffed and a few moments later, Harin was running through the hall towards her mother. At least she did try with Harin, hugging her tightly and complimenting the new hair, the cute little dress she was wearing, how much she had missed her. Not that she bothered with another look at Seokjin or Taehyung, taking Harin's bag while Harin was waving goodbye to them. When they walked to her car, Taehyung felt a burst of panic, ready to run out and take Harin back, but Seokjin only sighed and closed the door, his eyes so so tired.

“Is she coming back?”

“Who? Harin? Of course. She spends a weekend a month with her mother, that's all.” He huffed. “Well, now you know Hayoon. Isn't she a pleasant person to be around?” He smiled weirdly and walked away and Taehyung... didn't quite know what to make of it all.

Taehyung had to jog to catch up to Seokjin. He had been working in the garden, the part with the vegetables, and he pulled on his gloves with a tight face. Taehyung wasn't sure if he should bother him, but... he didn't understand. He didn't understand how Hayoon and Seokjin had a daughter and were still so mean to each other. It just didn't make any sense!

“Why does she hate you?” He finally asked with a waver in his voice and Seokjin smiled tightly.

“Hate is a little harsh. I just think she's a bitch.”

“But... why? I don't understand. You have a daughter.” The anguish was starting to make him jittery. He had never been surrounded by so many negative emotions, and most of them were his own.

“Mhm. Sure. And doesn't everyone think that's enough for love .” He stabbed the ground in emphasis after every word, finally throwing it away when he sat down hard on the little gravel walkway. “Taehyung-ah, what's the matter? You knew we were separated. Didn't you pop up so that I'm not sad anymore?” He giggled, but Taehyung didn't feel like laughing, barely holding back the tears.

“I didn't know it means you hate each other. Where I'm from, most of us find someone and have a child and go their ways afterwards, but they are still friends!” He rubbed at his eyes furiously, wanting the tightness in his chest to go away. It was starting to make him  angry.

Seokjin was quiet for a while, his eyes wandering around the garden. “It sounds nice. It must be so peaceful at your home.”

Yes, it was. But that was because they didn't have so many feelings. And for the first time since he arrived, he desperately wanted to have a reprieve from all this mess taking hold in his chest. “How can I help you, Seokjin? How can I make it... better again? Please, I want to help you!” Taehyung kneeled down, grabbing Seokjin's hands and they were so warm, a little dirty, and they felt... safe. Why couldn't Hayoon feel that?

Seokjin smiled again, but it was so sad. “I don't know, Taehyung-ah.” He squeezed Taehyung's hands before he let them go and got up. “I still need to finish here. Would you mind taking care of lunch?”

Seokjin didn't even notice Taehyung's answer, he simply grabbed his little shovel and went to another part of the garden. The tomatoes were looking beautiful. At least they were having a good time.

It was late in the afternoon when Seokjin came into his office and sat down next to Taehyung. He had been painting, something that Harin had showed him and besides loving that he could put his many many feelings and impressions on a piece of paper it also calmed him down. Seokjin didn't say anything so Taehyung continued, a stormy meadow, and all the insects were clinging to the tall grass. But the sun was already starting to pop up again. It was going to get better.

“Taehyung-ah... I don't know what you already know. I think I just assumed it wasn't so different where you are from.”

“It's not. But I learn fast.”

“I know,” Seokjin said, his fingers playing over the table. “Do you want to know what happened with me and Hayoon?”

Taehyung finally put his brush down and looked at Seokjin who seemed so tired. “Yes.” It was an admission, of course. Seokjin had never talked about it, Taehyung hadn't even known the name of his former partner. He always seemed so reluctant to talk about himself, even though Taehyung could feel it, how it was weighing him down. He knew he shouldn't feel happy about it, but if Seokjin was willing to share, maybe it meant... he was finally trying to let Taehyung in? He hadn't quite figured out what else he could do, but it was a first step. So he directed all his attention to Seokjin, and he relaxed, at least a tiny little bit.

With a sigh, Seokjin leaned back, eyes wandering over the room. “Ah, humans love to be in love, and it so often makes us blind to what we want and need. If fairies don't have that you're lucky.” He giggled. “So Hayoon and I, we thought we were made for each other. That we were destined and would stay together forever and we got engaged so young... I think it's funny that the time when we got along best was when I was away for my draft.” He looked at Taehyung but he shook his head. He had no idea what Seokjin was talking about.

“It means... I was away for a few months. I had to. And we wrote so many texts and had all those yearning phone calls and it was exactly what we had expected love to be. As if fate had pulled us apart to test us or whatever. Well, I came back and we married and we found an apartment and that was the first big mistake. Never marry someone before you lived with them. We had so many fights in the beginning...” He laughed again and it sounded a bit softer already. Taehyung had learnt what marriage was, and he knew it was so important to humans. Hayoon had been someone important. How... could that stop?

“But we got the hang of it, and it helped that I had just started to work and was staying late most of the time, and she was staying late as well and we barely saw each other anyway. Not much time to fight and on the weekends we were too exhausted to blame the other about not doing the dishes or not cleaning the toilet. But then it mellowed down and we had more free time that we tried to spend together but we realized... that we didn't have much to say to each other. We didn't have the same hobbies, we didn't watch the same movies, we didn't have the same friends and in the end we didn't even like the same things in bed.” Another giggle, and Seokjin's ears turned adorably red.

“But we were still the destined couple, right? My mum had been so happy, and she really likes Hayoon. They still talk. It's kind of weird, but...” He shrugged. “So we just continued to live together, doing our own thing, making sure everyone does their part and finally we figured we should start having children. I thought it would be a good opportunity to find a common interest, Hayoon didn't want to wait longer and we both thought everything would finally go back to how it had been. But Hayoon got pregnant and finally stayed at home and I went to work and she was going crazy with doing nothing but baby care and she blamed me, told me that I was selfish and didn't care and tried to avoid any kind of duty... it wasn't true, Taehyung-ah.”

He looked at Taehyung with eyes that were swimming with so much sorrow that Taehyung involuntarily grabbed Seokjin's hand.

“When I... first held Harin, I knew what it meant to be destined for each other. I knew that... Hayoon and I weren't. But we got along, and it meant that I could have this beautiful, tiny little human, and I wanted nothing but to love her and make her happy. And Hayoon made it out as if I was pushing it all on her! As if I had a choice! I would've gladly stayed at home! Well, my mother intervened and we managed to get over it, but it wasn't the same afterwards. She started blaming me for everything and I started disliking the time I had to spend with her and I was so glad when she went back to work... but I didn't like that Harin was at the daycare so much and I had been at the publisher for a while and managed to get more home office time. That's when all hell broke loose. That's when Hayoon decided that I didn't care for her anymore and had left her all alone on purpose and I said... I said that she doesn't even love our daughter.”

Taehyung's eyes widened. He couldn't imagine Seokjin saying something so horrific.

“It's not true, of course, but I was so angry... we tried to mend it, but it didn't really work. So we decided to get divorced and... well, I bought this house, it's closer to Namjoon and that was the selling point to my manager so that I could continue to work from home. I was so glad to get away from it all, after the divorce, after fighting about who would get to keep Harin...” He took a deep breath. He looked at Taehyung for a long time, his hand still holding on. He looked out of breath and Taehyung wanted to hug him, but...

“Does that help? To understand?”

Taehyung hesitated. “A little. You all have... so many emotions. It's hard to grasp.”

“And you don't?” Seokjin asked, a tiny smile on his lips.

“I do, since I became like this. I'm still getting used to it.” He squeezed Seokjin's hand and Seokjin... squeezed back.

“I guess being a human must be exhausting!”

Taehyung nodded vigorously and Seokjin finally laughed genuinely.

“But you know, love is not all it is made out to be. You should be careful with that.”

“I don't even know if I would know the difference between liking someone and loving them. But I'm not here for that, I'm here to make you happy. Do you... want a new partner? Would that make you happy?”

Seokjin shook his head. “No, I don't think so. I have Harin, and now I have you. I think it's quite alright.”

“But Hayoon...”

“Yeah but that's over and done. Maybe the resentment will lessen with time, but that's nothing you can change. You don't have to do anything, Taehyung-ah. You are so... different from everyone I know, it feels good having you around.” And after a second of hesitation, Seokjin looked him right in the eyes, squeezing his hand again. “Thanks for being here.”

He got up after that, but Taehyung looked at the closed door for a long while. He wasn't sure he knew the human version of love. Fairies loved, but they didn't differentiate it so much. The way you love your neighbors is the same as the way you love your children or your parents or your partner. So what kind of love was it that made it hurt so much? Which kind was it that made it feel as if his heart was bursting when he couldn't make sure the other one was well? Which one was it... that wanted to stay with Harin and Seokjin forever?

A tiny tear dropped on his painting and when he tried to wipe it away, he smeared the colors of the grass. He threw the painting away, after a moment of consideration. Instead, he started a new one. A brilliantly blue bird, sitting on a bird feeder, looking over a lush garden full of sunflowers.

Harin came back, talking a mile a minute and Taehyung could barely hold back how happy he was. He let Seokjin hug her first before he stole her and held her in his arms until she got too sleepy to stay up. The talk with Seokjin... had been disconcerting. He had mulled it over, analyzed every bit of information, and one piece had frightened him to the core. They had fought about who would keep Harin. Taehyung hadn't known how to ask Seokjin if that was still a possibility, if Hayoon could take her away and Taehyung would never see her again, but Seokjin seemed completely unbothered so he tried to calm down as well.

It wasn't easy. And deep down, in the parts of his mind that he didn't consciously frequent, he had banished the thought that it would make Seokjin happy again if he went back to Hayoon. But that would mean that Taehyung had to leave and... he wasn't ready for that. He had so much to learn and... he put Harin down on her bed, carefully tucking her in and when he went to the living room he stopped at Seokjin's office, watching him fiddle around on his magic mirror. The light was dimmed and he had a look of deep concentration on his face. There was this short time in the morning, when the sun barely started to rise and everything was cast into a soft glow. When the world looked magical and otherworldly and you could just stop and listen and hope it would treat you nicely this day. He wondered if he could ever show it to Seokjin, if he could tell him about it. If he even wanted to know.

That moment, Seokjin looked up, slightly startled.

“It's late. Don't stay up too long?” Taehyung said with a smile, and the tension drained from Seokjin's shoulders. If he couldn't do anything else, at least he could do that.

“Sure, Taehyung-ah. Good night.”

Taehyung waved and went back to his spot on the couch.

Something had changed, after that. Seokjin was still rather quiet and didn't talk too much about himself and didn't ask Taehyung much either, but there was a certain sense of ease that made Taehyung perk up. The whole house seemed lighter, so much so that even the cleaning lady made a remark. Taehyung had only beamed with pride. His efforts were paying off.

And the biggest concession was the one time Seokjin asked him if he didn't want to tag along, when Seokjin was meeting his friends. Taehyung had screamed and giggled and Harin had joined him, even though she didn't really know what it was about and in the end they drove over to Namjoon to leave Harin with Namjoon's wife and walked to the restaurant they were going to meet up. Namjoon was still shooting him weird looks but was also still too polite to ask and Seokjin simply ignored it anyway. And Taehyung... Taehyung was way too giddy to care. He wanted to get to know the other humans that were friends with Seokjin, maybe they could give him a clue how to make Seokjin happy and... he liked getting to know more of them. Maybe he could cook for them. He was getting better and better each day!

The restaurant itself was quite empty, but a group of people was loudly talking at the far corner.

“This sounds like home!” Taehyung finally said to Seokjin, barely keeping himself from jumping up and down.

“Really? Must be nice,” Seokjin said with a soft squeeze on Taehyung's shoulder.

Taehyung could feel the weird stare from Namjoon, but it didn't matter. There were four new humans he hadn't met yet and...

Seokjin had barely said hello when Taehyung stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes zoomed in on the one with the beautiful smile. He tugged on Seokjin's arm and Seokjin stopped talking abruptly, looking at him in surprise. “Everything alright, Taehyung-ah?”

“You said you don't know anything about fairies!” He was so angry. There hadn't been enough time to get used to it and he felt hot and cold with the intensity of the feeling. Seokjin's face went white with shock, but Taehyung shook Seokjin's arm. “You told me I'm a liar! Your friend is a fairy!” He pointed at him, and all eyes wandered between them, until the other fairy coughed and said: “Maybe we should sit down? We haven't even introduced ourselves yet.”

Taehyung wasn't sure if he wanted to run away or scream or cry but the decision was taken from him. Namjoon pushed lightly against his back and said: “Come on, let's sit down, hm?”

So he did.

To be fair, half of them hadn't known that Jimin was a fairy. It felt good knowing that he hadn't been lied to but Taehyung hadn't apologized to Seokjin or Jimin for his accusation. He still felt his outburst had been justified. Namjoon and Yoongi, the other dad in the group, didn't know though. Jungkook did, and Hoseok, Jimin's boyfriend. Hayoon had said the same word, and this time Taehyung figured he should find out what it actually meant.

All in all... the humans had taken it in strides. They hadn't thrown books. And the reason Jimin had become a part of their group had been rather heart warming. Jungkook had been lonely as a child and Jimin had been an adventurous fairy and flown to the humans often and when he heard Jungkook talking to his toys he decided he wanted to stay. And Hoseok... became the second reason after a while. They all worked in a place like the one Harin visited, a place where children could play while their parents had to look at the magic mirrors and even though Taehyung was happy for them that it had all worked out so well he also felt a stab of jealousy. He wondered if he... would ever fit in.

It was on their way back, when Taehyung sat in the car, quieter than usual, when Seokjin said: “I'm sorry I didn't know. I've known Jimin for so long...”

Taehyung waved, a soft smile on his lips that vanished quickly. Maybe he should face it. Seokjin didn't really need him. He had everything to be happy, only a soft push was all that was necessary. Since the first time he arrived in the human world he realized how naive he was. He wasn't an explorer, he couldn't blend in and ultimately, he couldn't stay with them. He was only... tolerated until it was safe to send him away.

This evening, when he was lying on the couch, he couldn't hold back the tears, and he had never cried like that in his life. The sobs were shaking his whole body up and he felt as if his soul wanted to escape until only and empty shell was left. It didn't quite work, unfortunately.

Taehyung didn't react when the doorbell rang. He sat on the couch and watched something on the magic mirror, barely paying attention. Seokjin and Harin had noticed that he wasn't in a good mood and had tried to cheer him up, with food and games and cuddles and even though it made him feel somewhat better to have Harin in his arms it didn't take away the feeling that he shouldn't even be with them in the first place, wish be damned. He started to doubt the wish had even worked.

Seokjin finally answered the door and there was some shuffling and some talking, but Taehyung didn't care. Until the door to the living room was pushed open and a loud voice said: “Taehyung-ah, hello!”

Taehyung had barely time to react before Jimin flopped down on the couch and pulled him into a hug and even if he tried to struggle away... Jimin felt different. He felt like... like home. And Taehyung melted.

“Taehyung-ah... everything had been so chaotic a few days ago and I thought we should hang out, just us two. What do you say?” He leaned back, his pretty smile and his kind eyes, and Taehyung tried not to cry.

“Oh no, what's wrong?”

“I don't know. Everything just feels so much.” He gestured to his chest, where the pain sat the deepest.

“Why don't we go to your nest, then? To calm down a little?”

Taehyung startled at that, looking at Jimin with utter confusion. “I sleep here? I can't visit my other nest. I'm... a human now.”

“Ah, Taehyung-ah, barely two months as a human is such a short time and so so long, isn't it?” And then... he disappeared.

So he could change back. He could change back into a fairy and the moment he did he felt the burden lift completely from his heart and his mind was finally, blissfully content. He couldn't even remember why he had been so agitated by Jimin, not when they were both sitting on Taehyung's sunflower, cuddling in the setting sun and just existing.

“I needed some time to figure it out as well. All those emotions were making me insane!” He giggled and it was so light and soothing that Taehyung immediately curled deeper into Jimin's arms. “We all need a little break from time to time, hm?”

Taehyung nodded. “I was jealous.”

“Hm?”

“Of you. You have all I want. Your humans want to stay with you and you blend in. I can't do that. I can't stay.”

Jimin stroked his hair softly, and for some reason, a little of the pain bled back into his chest. He wondered if that was something that wouldn't go away ever again.

“Of course you can. Seokjin hyung likes you very much. He's always a little shy with new people and he was still talking so fondly of you.”

Taehyung didn't answer, and Jimin didn't press. When the sun set completely and it started getting a little chilly, Taehyung finally moved. “Jimin, you've been here so long... does the ache in my chest ever go away?”

Jimin looked at him, a little puzzled. “Where does it hurt?”

“Right here,” he says, pointing to the middle of his chest. “It doesn't stop,” he whispered.

And then, with the softest and loveliest smile, Jimin said: “When does it hurt the most?”

Taehyung thought about it for a moment while Jimin draped the blanket over them that Taehyung had made out of dandelions when he first arrived. “When I think about leaving Seokjin and Harin.”

“Hm. It will go away. But you have to do something for it.”

“What do I have to do? Tell me!” Taehyung shook Jimin's shoulders, desperation on his face, but Jimin didn't seem bothered.

“Ah, I think that's something you already know, deep down. But you need to let yourself admit it. It's about love, Taehyung. Humans have so many ways to love.”

“Yes? I know that, but I don't understand it! Can't you just tell me what to do?”

But Jimin didn't say another word on the subject, no matter how much Taehyung begged. Instead he told him of his time with the humans, that he had been a stupid little child himself when he arrived, how Jungkook and he had grown up together, how Jimin sometimes feared he was more human than fairy, and how he had found Hoseok. “It had hurt as well, you know? So many emotions hurt. But...” He took Taehyung's hand, playing with his fingers. Jimin's hands were so tiny, even as a fairy. But he was happy, happier than he should be able to be. Maybe not all of him was a fairy anymore. Maybe Taehyung wasn't either. He didn't feel like it.

”...But Taehyung, it is so worth it.” He pressed a tiny kiss on Taehyung's forehead and when they fell asleep together, his mind could barely stop racing.

Being able to revert back into fairy form was freeing. He changed back a lot for a few days, enjoying the calm in his mind, and the way he could experience the world so differently. He tried the human food as well, but it tasted weird, almost toxic on his sensitive tongue. But he never stayed in his form when Harin and Seokjin were at home. Maybe it hurt, but somehow he knew he didn't want to loose the hurt.

He did... research. He could read well enough to at least search for videos, and he watched so many about all kinds of love, but he was still unsure if it actually applied to him. He didn't see a lot of difference in loving someone like a family member, like a friend or like a partner. For him, it was all the same. He only knew that the pain hurt the most when he watched Seokjin and Harin, in those moments when they were lost in their own little world, but they always remembered to look up, to invite him in. In those moments, his heart was beating so fast that it should burst. He didn't want to leave them. Not yet.

Hayoon came back, with the same disdain on her face. Her nails were a dark, stormy blue with a white border. Still beautiful. He still didn't dare to mention it. But Harin was happy and that was what counted, so he smiled and waved and ignored the piercing gaze from her mother.

And on Saturday evening, when they were sitting on the couch, the magic mirror blaring senselessly in the background, Taehyung's mind started working. He missed Harin, even if it was just for two days, and it made him needy. He wanted to feel safe and reassured and he inched closer and closer to Seokjin, until he was almost touching. He wanted nothing more than to hug him, so he finally sat up, startling Seokjin from the abruptness and said: “Please hug me.”

He held out his arms while Seokjin stared at him with wide eyes. “What?”

“You always keep a distance and that's okay but Harin isn't here and it makes me sad and I really need you to hold me.”

“I... are you sure? I don't want you to feel uncomfortable.” He looked hesitant, but he also held out his arms, tentatively. And Taehyung delved right into them with no hesitation, burying his face in the crook of Seokjin's neck and... he was so warm and he smelled just right and for once... the pain stopped.

“Seokjin...”

“Hm? What is it?” He sounded so concerned that Taehyung pressed closer, as close as he could, until he felt as if nothing could take them apart again.

“I love you so much. I don't know which kind it is, all the definitions are so confusing, but I want to stay with you.”

He felt Seokjin stiffen underneath him, and warm, big hands pushing gently but firmly against his shoulders until Taehyung let go. Seokjin's face was red, and there were so many emotions running across it that Taehyung couldn't pinpoint it.

“Taehyung-ah, what are you talking about? Who is going to send you away?”

“You don't need me,” he said, and he felt the wetness in his eyes that was utterly unwelcome. Seokjin reached out and wiped one of the tears away and it was so soft that only more of them followed.

“Says who?”

Taehyung shrugged.

“Says who, Taehyung? This?” Seokjin pointed at Taehyung's brain. “Or this?” He pointed at Taehyung's chest and Taehyung said with tear-heavy voice: “ This says I need to stay. It hurts to make me stay.” He points at his chest again. “But I don't belong, do I?”

Another wipe. More of them were drizzling down on his shirt. Seokjin had bought him some, but he still preferred to wear the ones he grabbed from Seokjin's closet.

“I... I'm not so good with feelings, Taehyung-ah, but I want to apologize if I ever made you feel as if we don't want you here. It's been a little rocky in the beginning, I admit, but...”

Taehyung hiccuped almost a laugh. “You threw a book at me.”

Seokjin shoved him lightly. “That doesn't count! But... you looked up love? Is it different from the way you do?”

Taehyung nodded. “Yes. So many ways...”

“And... what way... is it for Harin?” Seokjin asked so so carefully. He took Taehyung's hands, weighing them in his own.

“I just... I feel sad when she's not here. I love to hear her laugh, she's so smart and kind and she taught me so many things and... I want to make sure she's safe.”

“And...” Seokjin pressed his lips together. And even though he felt like bursting, Taehyung waited patiently for Seokjin to organize his thoughts. “And what about me?”

“When we sit in your room and we are both working, the pain almost stops. I know you're happy and I can be near you and that is all I want.” His voice was barely a whisper in the end, but the shine in Seokjin's eyes tells him he understood perfectly well.

There's a small smile tugging on his pretty face, and this time it is Taehyung's turn to wipe the tears away.

“Taehyung-ah... I want you to know that... that I don't know much about human love either. Because I had the same pain and didn't know what to do about it.”

His eyes were so big and sincere that Taehyung involuntarily leaned forward and Seokjin met him halfway.

And when they kissed... the pain finally stopped.

This time, when Harin came back Taehyung had barely noticed how the time had passed. They had spent most of the weekend on the couch, between soft kisses and soft talking and even more kisses. It was the first time Taehyung had slept in a bed since he became a human, and although his back wasn't protesting anymore from the couch, the change still felt heavenly.

...maybe the fact that Seokjin had hugged him tight against his chest had helped with that.

Harin noticed, that something had changed, by the way that Taehyung couldn't stop smiling, so wide that his face hurt, and the fact that Seokjin was glowing, barely holding back his giggles when Harin told him what she had done with her mama.

It only took her until Monday, when she came back from kindergarten and walked into Seokjin's office, her tiny hands on her hips, Namjoon in tow. He looked sheepishly at them, waving at Taehyung. Another thing that had gotten better - Namjoon and Yoongi had been pretty overwhelmed, the only ones not knowing about fairies. But they had taken it in stride. Namjoon had told him that it finally made sense, why he had appeared so suddenly and why he had felt so off and with that hurdle gone, it wasn't hard for Taehyung to make another friend.

But Harin..."Papa, my wish worked! You're happy!"

"What?" Seokjin said, staring at his daughter with wide eyes.

"I did it! And Taehyung oppa helped!" She stopped pouting and giggled and ran to her papa to get a few cuddles, while Namjoon eyed the whole scene with barely concealed glee.

"Ah, Taehyung helped, hm?" he only said and before Seokjin was able to give a biting retort he was already out the door. Taehyung frowned, not quite sure he understood the subtle interaction that had just happened but... he didn't care anyway. Not right that moment, not when he was finally allowed to get up and cuddle his humans, his humans. He could still learn some other time. With a wide smile, he hopped over to Seokjin's desk and hugged them both to his chest, and Harin's giggles were vibrating through all of them. It felt... right.

"So how's it going?" Jimin asked while Taehyung was arranging his belongings on the sunflower. It wasn't much since he had been barely using the spot, but Jimin had brought him another, warmer blanket and a few tiny trinkets that he thought Taehyung might like. As long as the sun was still strong he wouldn't have to relocate. Maybe he could stay inside during winter, on one of the potted plants...

"What do you mean?"

"I mean..." Jimin knee-walked over to Taehyung with a sly grin on his face. "Did you solve the mystery pain? You did, didn't you?"

Taehyung kept quiet, but he barely managed to hold back the smile and Jimin squealed, throwing them both down with the force of his hug.

"Ah, I'm so happy Taetae! I told you it's worth it, I told you!" He pressed a kiss on Taehyung's cheek who tried to squirm away but even in his fairy form he couldn't deny that he felt so overwhelmingly happy that sometimes he wondered if his heart would leap out of his chest.

"He's happy again. Harin's wish came true, so..." Taehyung shrugged. "It worked out."

"Forget that crap, Taehyung," Jimin said, shoving him lightly. "I don't think the wishes actually worked. What kind of unfair system would that be? We can just do more magic than we thought. Do you know what I think?"

Taehyung shook his head, eyes wide.

"I think... you know, how sometimes fairies just disappear? It didn't happen often, and it wasn't always a fox biting a head off."

Taehyung gasped and Jimin chuckled, obviously less sensitive due to all his time with the humans.

"I think... we are supposed to fly to the humans. Find one, one that we like and who likes us and we stay here, forever. I don't think magic and wishes have anything to do with it."

Taehyung's eyes wandered, over the rough seeds that were poking through the blanket they were lying on, over the petals and the brilliantly blue sky before they landed back on Jimin's face, waiting patiently for Taehyung to sort his thoughts.

"Why, though? Shouldn't we all know, then?"

"Maybe no one ever went back. Do you think they would believe us?"

"Yes, of course. You know how it is, no one ever thinks you could be lying. Don't you... miss your neighbors?"

Jimin shrugged. "I did, in the beginning. But they will be fine and I just don't see why I should visit when I had to leave again anyway. I can't even show hyung..."

Yes. That was the one thing that Taehyung regretted as well. He could learn everything about the humans but Seokjin would never be able to actually learn what it meant to be a fairy. With a sad smile, he pulled Jimin closer.

"No, but now you have me. And you're a pretty good neighbor, if I might say so."

Jimin giggled, his tiny feet wiggling over the blanket and even if there were no wishes and magic wasn't all that important in the grand scheme of things, Taehyung still liked to think that somehow, they were meant to meet and make sure that they wouldn't mourn for what they had left behind.

“Why did you pick me?” Seokjin whispered. Taehyung was sitting on Seokjin's lap, and they were both wrapped in a blanket, soft and cozy and... safe. Harin was already in bed and they had watched the sun go down, but neither wanted to move when it became completely dark. It was... peaceful, only the sound of the insects and other small critters and it reminded Taehyung so much of home that it almost hurt. But... it was a good hurt. An earned hurt.

“What do you mean?”

Seokjin's grip tightened for a moment, and Taehyung waited until he was ready to talk. He had a temper, sometimes, but in moments like this Seokjin needed some time to think.

“I was... I was wondering if you only decided to stay with me because you had no other options.” His voice became a whisper at the end, so quiet that Taehyung almost didn't catch it. But he did, and his grip on Seokjin tightened.

“Can I tell you a story?”

Seokjin nodded softly.

“I watched you while I was sitting on the flower. I felt your... your emotions, that deep deep sadness that was bleeding through every layer and I watched you with Harin, how kind you are and how you make sure to always put a smile on your face and not to worry her and... people feel that, Seokjin. Harin was so worried for you, even though she is so tiny. Everyone did. They know you are too kind to show it so they wanted to give back some other way. I... felt it, so strongly, and I only wanted to help you.” He stopped, his chest aching again but it was the familiar pain. It would fade. “I knew you deserved it, even after the book...”

“You'll never let me forget that, hm?” Seokjin said, laughing with a heavy voice.

“No,” Taehyung simply answered, putting a small kiss on Seokjin's lips. “But, you know, you were so sure I was a liar and you still... even on that first day, you took care of me. You didn't have to. You have a good heart, Kim Seokjin. I haven't run out of options. I chose you.”

His eyes were getting wet, and when Seokjin closed them Taehyung leaned in and kissed his eyelids. “Let me take care of you.”

“I don't know if I can,” Seokjin said, almost choking up.

“Just try. It'll be easier with every day, I promise.”

Seokjin was burying his head in Taehyung's chest and Taehyung stroked through his hair, humming, until he stopped shaking, until they were both tired and sleepy and calm again.

“I wish I could see your world. I wish we could share our experiences equally. I don't understand so much about your home, I can't... I can't imagine that you have a little refuge built on one of the flowers here.” He giggled, a little squeaky and Taehyung was infinitely endeared.

“I can't make you tiny, but... we are not so different, after all. There's not that much to learn. And I can teach you everything else.”

It was already part of their night time routine, when Seokjin asked Taehyung to tell him about home, and Taehyung didn't stop with the basics as he had before, but recounted everything, what they ate, how they spent their day, how his nest looked like, every single one of his neighbors, how they loved, how they took care of their children, the tales they told, oh so many tales.

But what Seokjin didn't know was that so much of Taehyung's home bled into his new one already. How he had started collecting things he liked, a small trinket from the market, a pretty stone he found on the meadows, a few flowers he arranged all over the house. How his paintings joined the ones from Harin, how... how children and fairies always belonged together and how he would die for Harin without a second thought. How she had accepted him as part of her family, which had been the most important validation. How her little tiny heart was so much lighter with her papa finally able to smile again like he used to.

“Don't be sad about it. We make a new home. We make new traditions. And...”

Taehyung's eyes glowed softly in the dark light, illuminating the surprise on Seokjin's face when he saw it.

“Not all fairy magic is gone in this form, you know? I tried to experiment and I managed to do something.”

He wiggled the blanket off and took a deep breath, focusing on the energy running warm through his body until it burst and his wings appeared.

“What do you say?” He asked, a little shy.

Seokjin stood up, putting Taehyung on his feet with shaking hands.

“I didn't think you could become more beautiful.” There was so much awe in his voice that Taehyung covered his red face with his hands, jumping on the spot.

Love... was not so different after all. Fairies might find it easier to start, but humans knew how to love so so intensely. And when Seokjin kissed him this time, he knew he was at the one place he belonged.

Once upon a time, a little girl met a fairy in the forest and told them a wish. She wanted to make her papa happy, to play and laugh with her like he used to. She had wondered if it had been her fault.

It turned out that they had only missed a piece. Two wasn’t enough, but three... three was good. Three was perfect.

And they lived happily ever after.