/Home/

Chanyeol was clinging to his hulder’s arm, still not feeling completely himself after the drink he had downed. Baekhyun allowed him, he even curled his tail around the human’s waist, to show how it was okay to hang on to him the way he did.  

It was hard to point out, it could be the changing of lightning, or the colours slowly returning to their surroundings as they walked, maybe none of them, but something had changed.

Completely blended by the blond hair, golden skin and ice blue crystals, Chanyeol had a hard time focusing on anything but the creature next to him. Baekhyun had never looked more beautiful, never this glowing, and the soft tip of his tail tickled Chanyeol’s skin in a way that easily could have him lose his mind. It could be he already had.

Luckily, Baekhyun seemed to know where to go, how to find their way back through the black forest, and so Chanyeol followed him without a doubt in the world.

Today had been kicking him around and going home was exactly what he needed. His long limbs longed for Baekhyun’s soft bed. He could picture himself falling on his back, drowning in fluffy pillows and soft sheets. The way Baekhyun had said /home/, warmed all of his insides, made his heart beat faster and his skin tingle again.

As they slowly followed a soft moss covered path, lit by tiny stars drizzled along the sides, Chanyeol’s mind started wandering. Was Baekhyun’s home his home too from now on?

How do you know what is home? Is it the place you were born? Chanyeol had never asked Baekhyun what place he called home, if it was the farm or the forest.

What If home is the place you chose to live? Chanyeol had made a choice, he wanted to stay here and was that enough for him to call this home?

Does home have to be a place at all, or is it possible to feel at home as long as you are among friends, the way you do when walking into a familiar café where the staff knows your order and your favourite spot by the window is free? Could home be in a different world even when you are human?

Trying to get his head to cooperate enough to figure out what Baekhyun meant, and what he himself thought, was hard when his skin was tingling weirdly, his brain mushy and the most beautiful creature in every world was walking next to him. Hulders really had a beauty out of the human world.

Trapped in his own string of questions, not paying attention to where they were walking, made him miss how they turned left instead of right under the big purple oak, how the path didn’t lead to caves and cabins but to green fields of clovers. He missed how a small stream slowly grew bigger until it was a fully-grown river, stones along the riverbanks covered is soft moss, all shades of green.

Chanyeol registered how they stopped half a second to late, stumbling into the other. Rumbling water quickly pulled him out of his slumber as he forced his gaze away from Baekhyun. He swallowed.

In front of them waited a beautiful horse. White mane flowing around the majestic animal felt oddly familiar. Tall and strong, sunlight showing off its muscular body and it gave Chanyeol this strong urge to reach out to touch.

“Thank you for taking us” spoke Baekhyun as he respectfully bowed for his friend. The horse nodded and kneeled down on one knee, lowered himself enough for the two of them to climb up on the strong back.

“Come on!” Baekhyun was already up on the horse and held out an inviting hand. “Kai will take us home”

/Home/ The word he had spent the last 30 minutes pulling apart in his head. With eyes bigger than the drinking bowl Luhan served his potions in, he stared at Baekhyun, not even able to close his mouth. “Home? But… I thought…”

Baekhyun’s eyes softened and he shook his head lightly. “Come on, silly. Just get up on the horse” then added a “please”. Chanyeol would never be able to resist that look on Baekhyun’s face. That beautiful, soft and loving look. He took the offered hand and jumped up. If Baekhyn wanted him to, he would follow.

They had barely found their balance before the animal started moving under them. Chanyeol yelped and quickly hid his shy face in Baekhyun’s neck. “Hold on” was all the warning he got and they were off in a whirlwind of light and leaves.

Chanyeol slowly untangled his hands from the horse’s mane, stretched his back and dared open his eyes when he was completely sure the horse was standing still. It was dark.

“We will have to walk from here” Baekhyun spoke gently. “Kai can’t be seen here” Chanyeol nodded and let himself slide of off the animal. Baekhyun jumped down as soon as he had reached the ground, steadying himself by grabbing a hold of Chanyeol’s arm.  

The other hand Baekhyun put on Kai’s neck then leaning his forehead onto the warm skin. “Thank you” He swallowed visibly, shivered a little “Please don’t take his memories with you?” It was a question Chanyeol couldn’t understand. Kai seemed to, and the horse dropped his ears a little. “Please” begged Baekhyun again as Kai pulled away from them. And then, with nothing more than a silent nod, the white horse was off, hooves sounding faintly in the distance until there was nothing.

“Is this… are we?” Chanyeol looked around in the dark, his eyes starting to adapt enough for him to map out more of their surroundings. They were standing in the end of a field, hidden in the dark shadows from tall pine treas. A path stretched out in front of them, leading to a gate. “Baekhyun… is that the Byun farm?”

Baekhyun wrapped his slender arms around Chanyeol’s stomach, stretched up to rest his chin on the broad shoulder. “I hope so, or I will have to teach Kai a lesson” He left a kiss on Chanyeol’s cheek and dropped down next to him, reached out for his hand instead. “Are you coming?”
 

“We can’t just walk up there!” Chanyeol felt frozen in his spot, eyes glued on the gate in front of them. “What will they think? We’re going to scare the hell out of them.”

Baekhyun turned to his human and wrapped his arms around his neck. “Chanyeol, listen. You’re forgetting one important detail. My people are of the underworld. They know, they probably know we are here already. I wanted to come back. I know you wanted too. The underworld isn’t a place for a human in the long run. It’s not our home”

When Chanyeol nodded, shoulders relaxing a little, he continued “And your family is worried sick. You haven’t been gone for more than an few days. Think of your parents, of Sehun. They won’t bother with details as long as you’re back”

This was it, they were home, his home, their home. Chanyeol had so many questions he wanted to ask, but he also felt really tired and as he figured, questions could wait. He offered Baekhyun a smile “Does this mean we get to sleep sometime soon? I’m really tired”

“Yes, I’m sure my mom has the guestroom made up” Baekhyun pulled on Chanyeol’s hand once more and pulled them into walk, through the gate and across the dark fields. In front of them, a group of buildings came into view, windows glowing faintly and a single stripe of smoke oozing from the chimney.

Before they walked the last part, Baekhyun stopped Chanyeol “One more thing. Kai let you keep all your memories of the other side, that’s not….” He searched for his words “That’s not recommended, but I wanted you to have them. Luckily Kai understood, he must have liked you or something.” A breathy laughter ended his speech and Chanyeol tugged at the tail wrapped around his leg.

“You know, maybe it’s about time someone rewrite those books.”

Baekhyun turned pale and Chanyeol wrapped him in his arms. “I understand, our secret, right?”

“Our secret” He smiled back, relief shining in those ice blue crystals.  

It was Baekhyun who pushed the door open, shouting a bright “We’re here” into the rooms smelling of warm bread and tea. The most familiar smell Chanyeol could think of and when Baekhyun’s mother wrapped them in her arms, hugged them closely and whispered, “You’re home”, then Chanyeol knew too.

When he later the same evening fell asleep in a big soft bed, Baekhyun tightly wrapped against his chest, his confused brain finally stopped spinning and he felt piece radiating from the body in his arms. This was how everything should be, him carrying Baekhyun’s heart in his forever.