Sorry if it took a long to update!

Enjoy~

PART 2

With the precious fruit safely tucked in his pocket, Hyukjae left the Witch's den. He crept out of the underground tunnel and sneaked between the old tree's roots, crawling back to the open air. He felt with delight the fresh and chilly breeze of the night fill his lunges and he took in a long, deep breath to help clear his mind and calm his overwhelmed feelings.

Then, he carefully unfolded his little wings and flapped them twice before he took off. He sank back into the dark woods and headed North. He had decided to return home and see his beloved family and friends one last time, before biding goodbye to his homeland.

Once he crossed the borders of the Winter fairies' kingdom and found himself back among his kind, he simply wandered around, flying along with the others and joining them into their frosting games. He didn't say anything about his plans and close departure, and no one seemed to notice anything about his strange melancholy. He spent the last hours of the night enjoying their company and watching the moon slowly travelling across the starry sky, like a countdown to his farewells. And then, just before the sun began to rise, he left without a word.

He went South, heading straight to the little clearing he and Donghae now used to daily meet. As he journeyed towards the borders of the Forest, his heart didn't stop pounding in his little chest, both from anxiety and thrilling excitement.

He had already planned everything out and decided not to wait. He couldn't afford it. Half of Winter had already passed and he would soon have to go back to sleep. Before that happened, he wanted to spend as much time as he could with the human.

When he arrived to his destination, the sun was poking at the horizon, painting the sky with pink and orange colours, enlightening the tip of the trees with its smooth light. The woods were quiet, only disturbed by the gentle chirps of the birds and the soft sound of the snow creaking under some deer's paws. The air was fresh and smelled like pine, and the atmosphere was peaceful. It had a calming effect on Hyukjae, whose heartbeats slightly slowed their racing pace. 

For the first time, he didn't fly to his usual branch. Instead, he carefully crossed the clearing and went to land on the pile of wood logs amassed in a corner, ready to be taken away and sold. It was the place Donghae usually dropped his bag and his tools before starting to work.

Hyukjae sat down on the cold and slightly wet wood and began to wait. He took out the small red berry from his pocket and held it within his palm. He silently stared at it for a while, not able to fully realize the consequences of what he was about to do.  

He wasn't hesitating so much, he had taken his decision and he trusted the Witch, but he knew it was risky. Firstly because the only way for him to stay human was to make Donghae fall in love with him and receive a kiss from the man, which was easier said than done.

Secondly because it had to happen before the end of the snow season and he didn't have so much time ahead of him. Less than a month, depending on how fast the Spring would show up.

Thirdly because, if he was to turn back into a fairy, he would most likely become an outcast. He was breaking some of the most important rules of his kind, the ones that had been made to protect fairies against humans. As soon as his clan would find out about it, he would undoubtedly be banned.

And yet, he didn't feel any hesitation. Facing Donghae as an equal, spending time with the man, talking with him, just being able to be with him, even for a short amount of time, was all he wanted. Even if it meant abandoning everything else. It was worth it, he knew it deep in his heart.

He held his breath and felt his heart miss a beat as he finally heard the faint sound of Donghae's footsteps approaching. A minute later, the human entered the clearing, humming softly and adorning a small, happy smile on his lips.

His gaze went straight to the branch where Hyukjae usually sat to wait for him. His grin instantly faded as he found the spot empty and no sign of the fairy. He glanced around frantically, obviously looking for Hyukjae, and his expression turned into a discomfited pout as he couldn't find him.

From where he was sitting, Hyukjae didn't miss a single detail of the scene. Even if he never wanted to see his beloved human with such a disappointed expression, he couldn't deny that his heart swelled with sheer bliss as he witnessed the man's reaction.

He quickly flapped his wings, making them whistle in order to catch the human's attention. And sure enough, Donghae swiftly spun around and his gaze scanned the place, looking for the fairy. A wide grin tugged on his lips as he finally spotted Hyukjae sitting on the wood logs. 

"There you are!" he exclaimed, his low voice echoing in the quiet woods. He took a few steps forward and quickly closed up the distance between them. He reached Hyukjae within a couple seconds and leaned down to bring his face at the fairy's level. "I thought you didn't come", he breathed out, his voice barely a whisper. "It made me kind of sad", he admitted with a sheepish smile.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel this way."

Donghae froze and his eyes went as wide as saucers. His smile faded and a surprised expression replaced it. Hyukjae's teeth came to dig into his lower lip as he gazed the human and observed his reaction. It was the first time he let Donghae hear his voice, the first time he directly spoke to him, and his heart thumped violently. The brunet watched him for a few seconds, eyes wide open and mouth slightly gaping, which made him look quite cute.

"Oh my god!", Donghae suddenly snapped, startling Hyukjae and making him flinch in surprise. "Sorry!" the man apologized right away. "Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you", he said and lowered his voice. "It's just... Oh damn, I didn't expect you to answer. You never do."

Hyukjae stood up and slowly shook his wings. The red berry was trapped between his fingers, tempting him to be eaten right away and yet reminding him that he was about to give up on his fairy's features.

"But I'm glad to decided to talk", Donghae went on with a sweet grin. "Even your voice is cute, you know?"

Hyukjae shyly bit on his lower lip, feeling a faint blush cover his cheeks.

"Can you tell me your name?" Donghae patiently asked again, gazing at the fairy with a glint of sheer happiness in his eyes.

"I-It's... Hyukjae."

Donghae's grin widened and his beautiful brown orbs sparkled. "Hyukjae", he repeated, making the fairy shiver as his name rolled out of his lips nicely. "Such a pretty name. I like it", he cooed.

Hyukjae felt like his heart made some kind of looping in his chest and a swirl of bliss spread to his belly. He grinned bashfully.

"Really?" he softly inquired.

"Yes, of course", Donghae nodded. He carelessly dropped his bag on the ground, not averting his eyes from Hyukjae a single second. "I'm really happy right now. I've always wished to hear you speak and tell me your name. I had given up upon it, since you never said a word until now... What made you change your mind?"

Hyukjae pursed his lips, before he carefully replied. "You're a nice human. I trust you."

The words made Donghae's expression brighten, and the man ended up beaming widely, all white crooked teeth showing off in a dazzling smile. Hyukjae's guts slightly churned at the sight.

"That makes me even more happy, you know?" Donghae softly uttered, and then he shifted on his feet almost shyly. Hyukjae could feel the mortal was just genuinely happy. "Ah, I should start working", Donghae mumbled, though he was still eyeing Hyukjae with a small smile. "I don't have so much work for today, since I mostly finished yesterday", he blabbered as he finally straightened up and stepped away. 

While he bent down to pick up his bag of tools and prepare them for work, Hyukjae took a deep breath. Then, out of an impulse, he brought his trembling hand up to his lips and shoved the berry in his mouth. His teeth dug into the small fruit, mashing it up easily, and the juice spread on his tongue and inside his cheeks. He quickly swallowed the sweet liquid, feeling it go down his throat. It happened so fast, Donghae didn't notice anything.

Few seconds later, Hyukjae felt a strange pit of warmth appear in his tummy. The sensation quickly spread to the rest of his body and invaded his every cell. A feeling of burning cold fire progressively grew within him, rushing through his veins and making his heart pound so hard he could feel it to the tip of his fingers. His head began to spin, his vision turned blurry and his legs wobbled. A series of sharp prickles ran down his spine and cold sweat formed on his forehead. Before he knew it, he was a shaking mess.

He gasped as an ultimate rush of the strange warmth hit him, and his lids fluttered shut. He swayed right and left a couple times, before he felt himself fall forward. His little body hit the log harshly, before he rolled down from the piece of wood and crashed down on the snowy ground. The soft thud seemed to catch Donghae's attention, because the human suddenly cursed and the following second Hyukjae could feel his presence by his side.

"Hyukjae! What's wrong?" a gentle finger delicately poked his oversensitive body. "Are you hurt?"

Donghae's voice seemed strangely far, or was is Hyukjae's ears which didn't work properly anymore? The fairy didn't know. He was panting harshly, unable to get up or even utter a word. The sensations weren't painful, but excessively powerful and overwhelming. They crashed over him like wild waves on a cliff, and made his insides burn and churn at the same time.

He heard Donghae gasp loudly on his right, and then felt the human jerk away from him. His skin began to hitch, while his muscles tensed so hard it hurt. He moaned in pain and brought his legs up to his chest in a desperate attempt to ease the uncomfortable sensation. The warm feeling tightened inside of him, reaching its peak, leaving him breathless, and then it began to slowly fade.

After struggling a bit, he somehow managed to crack his lids open. He felt weirdly exhausted, which wasn't normal because it was a feeling he only experienced whenever the last snow melted away and made him go back to sleep again. As he tiredly opened his eyes, he immediately noticed the sparkles of white light crackling and flying all around him. His skin was shining, like a glowing star in a dark night, and the sparks were gushing out from his laying body.

He peeked at Donghae, only to find the man sitting on his bottom, a couple meters away. He was staring at him with wide eyes and a shocked expression. His tanned face had turned paler than usual.

Hyukjae frowned. It took him a few seconds to realize that something had changed. Donghae didn't seem... so much tall anymore. In fact, he looked almost smaller.

The fairy tilted his head to the side, before he peeked down at himself.

His body had changed. His skin was less sallow, a bit more rosy. His limbs had grown too. They seemed more heavy and muscular, though they still looked thin and slender. He was completely , and the snow touching his skin felt unexpectedly cold. He ran his hands on his back, along his shoulder blades, trying to feel his wings, but they were gone. He did the same to the sides of his head, only to feel that his pointy ears were now round like Donghae's ones.

A grin slowly stretched his lips upward.

It had worked! The berry had changed him into a human! He was no longer a fairy. At least on the outside. Magic was still running through his blood, even if he couldn't use it anymore. But his body was a mortal's one, tall and strong, and yet ironically more fragile.

He looked back at Donghae, his smile turning more shy and hesitant. "Donghae..." he softly called and the human gasped loudly.

"Wh... W-What? W-What happened? W-Who..." the brunet stammered.

"It's me, Hyukjae", the fairy said and hesitantly approached the man, using his hands and knees to crawl on the snow. A series of sharp shivers ran down his skin as he felt the freezing winter breeze hit his body.

"B-But..." Donghae couldn't look away from Hyukjae, with a mixture of shock and sheer fascination. He didn't back off as the fairy closed up the distance between them and came to sit by his side. "H-How...?" he whispered, gazing Hyukjae with captivated eyes.

"I really wanted to be a human, like you", Hyukjae tried to refrain himself from smiling too much, but the corners of his mouth kept curling up. "What do you think?" he inquired, looking down at his new body. "Do I look weird? For a human, I mean."

"No", Donghae breathed out, his gaze finally leaving the other's face and trailing all over his exposed body instead. He took in the sight of Hyukjae's slim frame, his milky white skin and graceful limbs. "Y-You look just fine... You look... perfect."

"Really?!" Hyukjae beamed, feeling his cheeks heat up again.

"Y-Yeah, you... y-you're so beautiful and... oh, god", he suddenly covered his eyes. 

"What's wrong?" Hyukjae's smile vanished and a pit of fear appeared in his belly. He didn't want Donghae to be mad at him, nor to be scared. Or, even worse, disgusted.

"You're ", the brunet mumbled. Hyukjae noticed how the skin of his face and ears had turned into a dark shade of scarlet red. Then, the words sank in and he tilted his head to the side. He glanced down at himself and observed his undressed condition.

"What's wrong about it?"

"H-Human don't walk around ", Donghae muttered and suddenly stood up, refusing to look at Hyukjae. He took off his thick coat and awkwardly cleared his throat. "Here, stand up."

The fairy complied and grinned widely as the human quickly tucked him inside the warm cloth. His heartbeats sped up once more, enjoying their proximity, and a fuzzy sensation bloomed in his guts. The coat smelled like Donghae and the scent filled his nostrils nicely.

"Thank you", he beamed at the human.

Donghae was staring at him again, with a mixture of different feelings passing through his brown orbs. Hyukjae stared back, blinking repeatedly as he tried not to drown once again into the other's eyes. The clearing turned silent for a moment, with none of them speaking. Then, all of a sudden, Donghae brought a hand up to Hyukjae's face. The fairy felt his heart miss a beat as a warm finger came to trace the outline of his jaw.

"How... is this even possible?" the human muttered in a whisper.

It's magic, Hyukjae thought.

"Can I stay with you?" his mouth said instead.

"Stay with me?" Donghae repeated, slowly, as if he couldn't fully proceed the words. Hyukjae nodded with a grin. "As in... stay in my house?"

"Stay with you", Hyukjae just said again. "Wherever you are."

"Why?" the human asked with his slightly dazed voice.

"Because I want to be with you. I told you, you're a nice human. I trust you.