A few minutes later, they saw a small object in the distance. As it approached, they identified it as Zelkova, the fairy council leader. She approached them and immediately went to Jaejoong.

“Why did you summon me like this? The council will be angry if they find out that we told you where to find the boy. I take it you found him, then?”

Jaejoong nodded solemnly, “Yes. We have tried to restore his memories by bringing up his past, but they’re not strong enough. He needs to hear something so true that he can’t deny it, even in this state.” Jaejoong looked around at the others and locked eyes with Kai. “You need to tell him about when he was born.”

Onew and Minho collectively stared open-mouthed at the council leader and the chief.

The fairy flew up to the boy tears in her eyes as she moved up to him and began her tale. “You already know of the time that Hook sought to destroy Peter Pan. Peter fled to your world in an attempt to keep Hook from annihilating us to get to him, but it didn’t work. The Captain knew that we fairies had helped him to that world through a portal so he started destroying the fairies in order to find the ones who made the portal. We endured a year of tribulation, and there seemed to be no end to his destruction, so I jumped through a portal searching for Peter. We fairies are able to take human form in that world, if we choose, and in order to find him, that’s what I did. I was still adorned with the glitter that made me fae, but it was easily concealed with garments. It took me several weeks to pinpoint Pan, for he had assumed another name, and by the time I had found him, he had grown to be about twenty-five years of age. He was a man then, and when he and I were reunited, we fell in love, and well, you know how the story goes from there.

“What’s important is that after Peter died and merged with the Pool. I found that I was--”

“Mother, are you done yet? I already know this,” Taemin interjected rather rudely.

All eyes widened and jaws dropped, including Zelkova’s, “You knew?” she asked, abashed.

“When you people exiled me, I found my father’s journal, which had been edited after he died and placed in his home. So try again, Mommy Dearest.”

Onew looked at her, “Why did you take him to that world while you returned here?”

Jaejoong stepped up, “It’s my turn to answer that. Zelkova knew that relations between fae and humans should never be more than platonic, and when she fell for Peter, she broke one of the most sacred of their rules. When she started to display the belly of pregnancy, she came to us for sanctuary, which we granted her, under the premise that she was going on a mission to find the remnants of Hook’s crew. She carried and delivered Taemin here, and when she saw that her baby was healthy, she returned him to your world to be raised there.”

“But he was never raised there, he was put through several foster homes, and he was never allowed to be adopted. He fell into stealing to stay alive, if you ask me, that is bad parenting.” Minho’s voice cracked as he yelled.

“I know. If there was anyway for me to have kept him here, I would have, but it was too dangerous.” Tears streamed down her cheeks as she confessed.

Kai walked up, his face plastered with nonchalance as he approached. He looked at Jaejoong, “You said he needs to hear a truth that he can’t deny? I’ll give him just that. Something undeniable.” He walked up, his face still as a stone statue. “Taemin.”

The boy looked at him. He seemed bored, but he knew that he couldn’t go anywhere anyway, so he humored Kai and looked at him.

“In my old age, I am one of the few members of the tribe who has not married or been betrothed to anyone. I tried to fall in love, believe me I tried, but there is no one for me. At least that’s what I thought.”

The younger raised his eyebrow in curiosity.

“You showed up to this world with no knowledge of who you really were. You had no idea that this was your home. To tell you the truth you and I have met before, for it was through me and my father that you were born. We delivered you in our tent, and we held you day and night while your mother recovered. When you returned, I knew right away who you were. I couldn’t believe that that small baby was standing before me as an attractive, powerful young man.” He had moved closer to Taemin by now. Kai’s body only mere inches from the white-haired boy. “You started something in me Taemin, something that I had long since buried deep down.” He grabbed on to the younger’s shoulders.

Taemin’s features had turned confused, his eyes more focused, more mature.

Kai leaned closer to the younger, “You Taemin, you are perfect. You are beautiful. No matter if this whole truth thing works or not, I will, now and forever more, love you Lee Taemin.” He sealed his words with a deep, passionate kiss against the other’s lips.

Taemin tried to pull away, to shake his head, but Kai was larger than him. The elder had grabbed the back of his neck and deepened their kiss.

Kai poured his heart into this kiss. He expressed everything that he felt toward the glittering boy in one connection. He felt the other try to struggle, but he wouldn’t let up. He wanted Taemin back, his Taemin. After a couple of seconds he felt the younger still beneath him. Startled, and afraid that he may have smothered Taemin, Kai let up and looked at the other.

Taemin’s eyes were closed, and his breath was shallow.

“Taemin?”

“Why’d you stop? I didn’t say you could stop.”

“Taemin!” Kai felt his heart leap out of his chest as he recaptured the boy’s lips with his own.

Taemin tasted salt on his lips and when he pulled away, he found that Kai was crying. “What’s wrong?”

“I thought I had lost you.”

“Nope. I’m still here. Can we undo the rope? I’m suffocating over here.”

Once Taemin had been untied, he approached the rest of the group cautiously. “Um, I’m sorry about whatever you guys had to go through back there. I was kind of under a spell the whole time.”

Jaejoong looked at him, “Do you remember anything?”

Taemin looked at Zelkova, “So, you’re my mom, then?”

    The fairy smiled shyly and nodded.

    Taemin beamed, “Nice to meet you.”

    He noticed Kai’s face turn red as he was talking with his mom.

    “So, Taemin, you… remember… everything I said?”

    The younger leaned over and whispered into Kai’s ear, “Only… all of it.”

~

Jonghyun woke up and headed in the direction that he saw the fire the previous night. It only took him about an hour of walking before he heard voices. He approached them with haste, “Hey guys I’m sorry for--”

He stopped talking as he noticed that these men were not the natives. They wore scraggly clothes, and, strapped to each of their hips, were long cutlasses.

One of the taller men, walked up to Jonghyun. He wore an eyepatch, and he carried himself as though he were in a place of authority. However, the things that Jonghyun couldn’t stop looking at were the man’s feline features. His angled catlike jaws, and his narrow eye drew the shorter in. He couldn’t stop looking at the other even if he had wanted to.

“Who are you?!” The aforementioned asked. His voice held no malice, if anything, it was curious. He seemed as though he held interest in the intruder.

“M-M-My name is Jonghyun.”

“Well, Jonghyun, why don’t you join us on the ship, and tell us all about the people you thought we were,” his smirk spread across his face into a -eating grin.

Jonghyun felt two hands on his shoulders as the crew escorted him to the Jolly Roger.