Around the time Chanyeol turns five he starts being more adventurous. He was always a bit curious, but his desire to explore was beginning to grow out of hand. He had long since mastered the art of flying and the fairies were having a harder time keeping an eye on him when he went off into the forest.

           On a particularly sunny day, Chanyeol decides to search for a cool place to relax. He had already taken a dip in his favorite fishing hole, but now he wanted something new. He travels north, away from the kingdom and into uncharted territory. He darts between trees, occasionally perching on branches to take in his surroundings but always deciding to move further on moments later.

           Luhan is following along worriedly, struggling to keep up with Chanyeol’s quick moves. He alone has the task of watching Chanyeol for the day because Baekhyun’s being punished by their father for skipping out on prince lessons during the past week. Luhan’s mentally beating himself up because he actually let Chanyeol talk him into an “exploration adventure” as he called it. They were supposed to be looking for a new pond, maybe even one with a waterfall for Chanyeol to cool off in. This little adventure, however, had quickly turned into Chanyeol dragging Luhan through the forest on a wild goose chase.

           “Chanyeol!” Luhan calls as they continue further north. “You’re going too fast! Slow down.” Chanyeol pauses for a moment, landing on another tree as he waits for Luhan to catch up. The fairy lands on his shoulder, panting heavily. “I think we should go back. We’re not supposed to be here.”

           “Stop being such a worrywart.” Chanyeol suddenly jumps, flying forward and leaving a stunned Luhan to catch himself midair.

           “Chanyeol!” Luhan cries. “This place isn’t safe! We’ve passed the barrier to the kingdom.” His wings had sensed a change in the atmosphere, something new and unnatural that told him they were no longer in the protection of the magical barrier surrounding the fairy kingdom. Chanyeol senses it as well, slowing his progress through the woods. Luhan perches tiredly on Chanyeol’s shoulder again, quietly trying to convince him that they should turn back. “We really should go home,” Luhan whispers. “This place is out of bounds.”

           “Where are we?” Chanyeol asks, curiously scanning the trees. There’s something different about them. They’re starting to look and feel ragged, some growing crookedly, others drying out and brittle. Even the leaves are changing. It’s like the forest has suddenly shifted from summer to winter instantaneously.

           “I think this is the Grieving Woods. I’ve never been here before and the other fairies that have don’t like to mention it.” Luhan crouches down, limps shaking as Chanyeol ventures further in. “This is a place of death, Chanyeol. It’s forbidden.” His voice pitches up in fear as rustlings sound in the brush ahead and to their right.

           Chanyeol freezes, holding the trunk of a thin tree as his eyes focus on the forests floor, looking for the cause of the sound. They remain silent as the noise sounds again. It’s growing closer and closer until finally a rabbit reveals itself. The boys sigh in relief before Chanyeol’s moving again. Luhan nearly weeps in fear.

           Smoke appears in the distance, drawing Chanyeol in giving him a destination. They draw closer, reaching a small clearing in the forest only to find it occupied by beasts as the fairies call them.  There are four of them, huddled around a low burning fire, roasting what looks to be a large rodent of some sort. Chanyeol eyes them curiously, drifting much too close for Luhan’s comfort.

           “What are they?” Chanyeol asks, peering down at the creatures.

           “Beasts,” Luhan replies. “They’re evil, Chanyeol. We should leave before they see us.”

           “But…” Chanyeol tilts his head curiously, noticing similarities between himself and these so called beasts. “They look like me,” he whispers. “Only, they’re very dirty.”

           “You’re not like them.” Luhan pulls at Chanyeol’s ear to get him to look at him. “You’re nothing like them. They’re bad, very, very bad.”

           “But look.” Chanyeol leans outward, trying to get a closer look, his childish curiosity getting the best of him. “They’re shaped like me. They’re big like me. See, look,” he points. “They don’t have wings either.”

           “Chanyeol, please,” Luhan pleads. “Let’s go home before they see us.”

           It’s too late though because the smallest of the group spots Chanyeol, huge bulging eyes glaring with intrigue before he’s yelling and pointing wildly. The others turn, eyes wide and leering as they spot Chanyeol, who’s stuck in place like an animal when spotted by prey. Chanyeol’s suddenly terrified as the group shouts in a language he doesn’t understand, jumping to their feet and running towards him, wielding makeshift weapons. They let out screams that can only be classified as battle cries. A large stone hits the trunk of the tree, just beside Chanyeol’s head causing him to jerk away, nearly falling in shock. He snaps into action, jumping from the tree to fly clumsily back in the direction they came from with Luhan clinging to his hair as they go.

           The beasts follow, flinging stones and sticks towards Chanyeol in an attempt to knock him from the sky. Luhan screams when a rock whizzes past Chanyeol’s left ear, much too close for comfort. This is not how he planned on spending his day with the boy. They were supposed to relax and enjoy the warm weather. They were supposed to stuff themselves on sweet fruits, maybe even collect some nectar to store for later. They were not supposed to go into forbidden territory and they were definitely not supposed to be pursued by beasts.

           “Chanyeol! You have to go faster! We need to lose them so they don’t follow us back to the kingdom!” Luhan yells, desperately clinging to thick locks of Chanyeol’s hair.

           “I’ll try! They’re too fast and I’m running out of energy.” The heat’s weighing down on little Chanyeol and he’s starting to feel dehydrated. This isn’t good and he knows it’s his fault if something happens. He won’t forgive himself if Luhan gets hurt by these creatures, so he forces himself to pick up the pace, depleting his energy levels quickly. “I don’t think I can get away.” Chanyeol’s beginning to worry as they make their way closer to the safer part of the forest.

           Just as he feels himself collapsing, a blinding ball of light zooms past them, catching the beasts’ attention, drawing them back into the Grieving Woods. The light flits around them, just out of reach and enough to tease them to chase after it. The distance between them quickly widens and Chanyeol drops onto a tree branch to rest for a moment.

           Luhan’s on his shoulder again, the swirls on his body glowing bright red as he stomps he feet and yanks roughly on Chanyeol’s ear. “You see what happened. We could have been caught. They could have eaten us!”

           “I’m sorry,” Chanyeol whines, rubbing his ear soothingly. “I didn’t know.”

           “What do you mean you didn’t know? I told you it wasn’t a safe place. I told you we should leave. You never listen you big idiot!” he shrieks before sinking down on weak limbs. “I was so scared.”

           “I’m sorry,” Chanyeol repeats, a little more sincerely this time. “I won’t do it again. I promise.”

           Luhan slumps down, trying to catch his breath before he squeaks, jumping up and flying a few feet forward in the direction the beasts disappeared in. “That ball of light was Baekhyun! That was definitely him. What is he doing here?” He seems conflicted between waiting for his brother to return or going after him to make sure he’s safe. He wrings his hands, fluttering in circles completely distraught in the situation.

           After some time, Baekhyun appears alone in the distance, having successfully led the beasts away then evading them to come back safely. Luhan sighs heavily in relief, flying forward to hug his brother gratefully. “I was so worried. I’m so glad you’re safe.”

           “What were you two doing out here?” Baekhyun asks once they separate.

           Luhan glares accusingly at Chanyeol. “He wouldn’t listen to me,” Luhan pouts. “I kept telling him it wasn’t safe, but you know how stubborn he can be. I was so scared Baekhyun.” He shivers, nearly collapsing as he remembers the sight of the beasts rushing after him.

           Baekhyun frowns, unhappy with his brother’s discomfort. Flying forward, he hurtles towards Chanyeol’s face, stopping close enough to leave Chanyeol cross-eyed as he stares at the fairy. Without a word, Baekhyun kicks the boy in the nose as a form of scolding him before going back to Luhan’s side. Hooking their arms together, the twins leave quietly with Baekhyun managing most of Luhan’s weight. Chanyeol can only follow in silence, knowing he’ll be punished again later because out of everything he could have done to get on Baekhyun’s bad side, he did the worse. He endangered Luhan and that’s something Baekhyun has a very low tolerance for. Everyone knows he’s overprotective when it comes to his brother, even if he’s done his fair share of getting Luhan into dangerous situations, but then again, isn’t that what brother’s do. Still, it’s unacceptable for anyone to make Luhan feel so shaken.

           “After the incident,” Chanyeol concludes. “It took almost a week before Baekhyun would talk to me again and that’s a long time for Baekhyun to go without speaking to someone because everyone knows Baekhyun’s a chatter-bug.”

           Baekhyun huffs, darting up from Chanyeol’s hand towards his face. He stops just a hair’s breadth away before flicking Chanyeol’s nose with his foot. Chanyeol swats at him playfully as Baekhyun teases him by pulling his hair and swishing his wings annoyingly against Chanyeol’s face.

           “I surrender. I surrender,” Chanyeol laughs, trying to get away from the flying pest.

           Baekhyun stops, hovering just in front of his face. He places his tiny hand on the big guy’s nose, leaning in to give him a tiny kiss before fluttering back to his brother’s side. Luhan’s says something so soft he barely hums causing Baekhyun’s starbursts to glow a golden-orange before he hides his face behind his half-eaten strawberry.

           “What was that?” Chanyeol asks, leaning down inquisitively. Luhan giggles, shaking his head while Baekhyun stays hidden. “Are you two hiding something from me?” Luhan grins, reaching for another peach cube offering it to Chanyeol as a distraction.

           “I bet you three were always getting into trouble,” Joonmyun says, pushing his empty dessert dish across the table before crossing his arms and resting them in the now empty space before him.

           Baekhyun nods rapidly, pointing to Chanyeol while speaking to Joonmyun. Chanyeol frowns before translating. “He says, ‘I’m a giant moving accident and that I always make big messes.’”

           “I agree.” Joonmyun chuckles. “He’s always breaking things. I don’t think he realizes how big he is.”

           “Well what do you expect,” Chanyeol scowls. “I grew up with a bunch of fairies.”

           Baekhyun shakes with laughter, calming enough to speak. “He says, ‘I broke their house with my enormous .’” Chanyeol shakes his head. “That wasn’t my fault though. I was startled by the storm that night. It was dark out and you know how much I don’t like the dark and it’s not like I could see where I was going. I was scared and you two left me alone in my room.”

           Baekhyun stomps his foot against Chanyeol’s palm and points up accusingly. Chanyeol doesn’t translate what he says; instead, he replies, “You were supposed to be taking care of me. Besides, I helped fix the house didn’t I?”

           Baekhyun leans back, shocked for a moment before throwing the end of his strawberry at Chanyeol’s head causing him to jerk back, overturning his arm and startling poor Luhan. The two continue to bicker until there’s a high pitched screech and Luhan’s standing between them, hands on his hips as his swirls grow red as he chastises the two of them. The two fall silent, heads bowed in remorse. Luhan hums, the sound feeling very final to the two who can’t understand him.

           Chanyeol pouts before saying, “I’m sorry.”

           Baekhyun stands stubborn, arms crossed in defiance. Luhan steps gracefully towards him with all the air of a prince. When Baekhyun doesn’t acknowledge him, Luhan yanks his wing, enough to hurt but not damage it. He then points at Chanyeol, face stern. Baekhyun whimpers, hugging himself with his wings before apologizing to Chanyeol very quietly. Luhan seems pacified by his brother’s actions, deciding to give him a hug in his own silent apology for pulling his wing.

           “Are you two always like this?” Joonmyun asks, resting his head in his hands.

           Luhan turns, finally speaking to him. “He says, ‘You have no idea. They never stop. They both act like children.’”

           “You’re right,” Joonmyun agrees. “I don’t think Chanyeol will ever be able to fully grow up. But I guess that’s not a bad thing. I like his innocence.”

           “But Uncle Chanyeol said he lost his innocence, that’s why he doesn’t have anymore fairy magic in him. That’s why he can’t fly anymore.” Jongin swirls his spoon in his empty dessert bowl absentmindedly.

           Chanyeol stiffens in his seat, dropping his hands off the table and into his lap. He looks rather forlorn as he fiddles with his fingers under the table anxiously. Luhan and Baekhyun make no move to comfort him, both sporting sad faces as they watch from a distance.

           “Sorry,” Jongin says a bit too late. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

           “It’s okay,” Chanyeol whispers. “It’s part of the story, a very important part.”

           His brother reaches across the table, resting a hand on his arm comfortingly. “You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to.”

           “I know.” Chanyeol smiles sadly. “But I probably should.”

           Chanyeol keeps growing, fast. Even though the fairies haven’t kept track, they now he’s around nine in human years and for a boy of nine he’s rather large, at least in terms of fairy to human size conversions. His tree house room is almost too small for him now. He has to duck his head low when he stands and apart from the makeshift table inside, there’s just enough room for him to lay down and sleep at night. But that’s okay because Chanyeol doesn’t spend much time in his tree house room anyway.

           With his maturation, he’s becoming much more independent and less reliant on his fairy attendants, which is a great relief to the attendants. He also doesn’t rely on the princes as much either, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t enjoy their company, especially at night. If there’s one thing that Chanyeol hasn’t grown out, it’s his fear of the dark. The lack of light still scares him. He feels very alone when he’s in the dark, terrified of the things he can’t see, the unknown before him. That’s why, when it’s time to sleep, Chanyeol whines until Baekhyun and Luhan agree to stay with him even though they are supposed to be staying in the main residence with the rest of the royal family.

           “You know we can get in trouble staying here with you,” Luhan says, standing on Chanyeol’s forehead looking down at him. Chanyeol’s resting his head in his hands as he lays on his back, sprawled across his tree house floor, bed of leaves and moss and other such spongy forestry creating a makeshift nest for him. “Father already thinks we spend too much time with you.”

           “It’s fine,” Baekhyun says from his spot on Chanyeol’s exposed tummy. He’s sitting with his legs spread out, resting back on his hands as he faces the others. His little body is lit up, glowing enough to illuminate the space around Chanyeol’s top half. He’s grown accustomed to this task, staying lit long enough for Chanyeol to fall into a deep sleep before powering down so that he doesn’t use up all of his fairy energy. “Chanyeol always ends up doing something to take father’s attention away from us. He could climb on of the village trees or something and scare a bunch fairies into think he’s a beast coming to eat them.”

           Luhan covers his mouth shocked by the idea. “That’s not something you should even joke about,” he scolds.

           Chanyeol tips his head up, causing Luhan to lose his footing. “But I don’t want to be a beast. Beasts are scary.” His body shudders.

           Luhan hovers over Chanyeol’s face, giving him a tiny peck on the nose. “You don’t have to be a beast if you don’t want to be.” He then moves to Baekhyun’s side. “It’s getting late. We should all get some sleep.”

           Chanyeol lays his head back, mumbling a sleepy “good night” before dosing off. The twin princes curl up on the little boy’s chest as they reply in unison with a simple “sleep well Chanyeol.”

           They aren’t in dreamland for long when they’re startled awake by screams of fear and panic rising throughout the kingdom. Fairies everywhere are glowing yellow with fear as they fly high into the trees and away from whatever enemy has frightened them. Baekhyun and Luhan are perched on either side of Chanyeol’s shoulders as they stare out of his tree house window.

           “What’s happening?” Chanyeol asks, eyes straining through the darkness, seeing only the lights of the fairies and the dull shapes of trees and bushes in the moonlight.

           “We should probably stay here,” Luhan suggests, wings and body trembling against Chanyeol’s skin. He feels a vague sense of déjà vu wash over him.

           “They need our help,” Baekhyun says, standing strong preparing to fly forward and fight.

           “Let’s go.” Chanyeol quickly turns, moving to the makeshift door of his home, dropping swiftly to the ground below. He would fly but he doesn’t want to risk hitting a tree in this dark. His fear of the dark is masked by the adrenaline rushing through him with his desire to assist the fairies in some way. Baekhyun flies before him as a guide. Luhan keeps his spot on Chanyeol’s shoulder and the boy runs through the forest towards the source of the chaos.

           A loud cracking sound cuts through the air before a large branch falls to the floor only feet away from Chanyeol. He flinches before continuing forward. Baekhyun collides with a frantic fairy, clutching onto her so that she doesn’t fall. “What’s happening?” he asks loudly.

           “Beasts!” the girl yells. “Beasts in the kingdom!” She pulls herself away to continue her frantic flight to safety.

           “Beasts?” the three whisper in shock. They’re each met with a mental image of bulging eyes, sharp teeth, and dirty fingers that clutch and grab.

           “How did they get into the kingdom? Do you think the magical barrier is down?” Luhan asks, hands trembling as they hold Chanyeol’s hair to keep him steady. “Only fairies are supposed to be able to pass the barrier.”

           “This is bad.” Baekhyun looks to other two before propelling forward once again, much faster than before. Chanyeol struggles to keep up, feet catching on roots and twigs along the forest floor.

           They’re almost to the center of the kingdom when a large figure launches itself from behind a tree, hands clutching at the fairies before it. Chanyeol’s frozen as the beast sets eyes on him, realizing that the boy’s different. The beast can sense the fairy magic within him and is intrigued by this new mysterious creature before him, not exactly a fairy nor a beast. Chanyeol doesn’t move, weighed down in his spot by fear.

           Luhan practically screams in his ear. “Run Chanyeol! Fly away!”

           The beast slowly steps closer, body hunched as he prepares himself to attack his newfound prey. Just as the beast is about to attack, Luhan surges forward to distract him. The poor fairy prince is not a fighter, but he can’t let anything happen to Chanyeol. As Luhan darts around the beast’s body, he miscalculates a move and ends up snatched out the air by a grubby hand. The beast chuckles with delight at his catch, preparing to devour the fairy on the spot when Chanyeol finally snaps into action. He lunges forward, tackling the beast to the ground successfully knocking Luhan free from his clutches. He quickly grabs Luhan, flying upwards into the trees only stopping when he’s reached the top most branches. He sets Luhan down safely on a firm branch.

           “I’m going to find Baekhyun,” he says with urgency.

           “Wait,” Luhan calls weakly. Chanyeol hovers before him with concern written on his face. “You have to save them. Only you can save us, Chanyeol.”

           “What?” Chanyeol’s scared. He just wants to find Baekhyun and get out of here. He doesn’t think he can fight the beasts. They’re all so big and strong and he’s just a boy.

           “Protect the kingdom, Chanyeol. Save us,” Luhan slumps against the trunk of the tree tiredly. “Go!” He shoos him away.

           Chanyeol drops back down through the trees, feeling pressured and unsure of himself. Branches claw at his bare limbs as he finds his way through the dark woods. His heart is pumping adrenaline through his petrified body, pushing him forward almost robotically. He knows he needs to move faster, to figure out a way to outwit the beasts below, but his mind is shutting down in fear. The sounds of fairies screaming as their lights go out rings in his ears as the grunts and growls of beasts devour them. He doesn’t like the way the stars in the trees are slowly blotting out, casting his world into almost total darkness.

           Soon enough, Chanyeol’s in the thick of the chaos, eyes trying to take in what little he can see of the beasts mentally calculating how many there are and what to do to fight against them. One hunches at the bottom of his tree, ball of flickering light in hand. Without thinking, Chanyeol drops down landing square on the beast’s back, crushing him to the ground. He jumps, pushing his weight down in hope of making sure the creature is knocked out. Prying the beast’s hand open, Chanyeol frees the frightened fairy telling it to fly up and away to safety.

           To his left there’s a particularly large beast, maybe four times his size with a huge, bulging form silhouetted from the dim light of the fairies and the moon. The creature is reaching into a tree Chanyeol hadn’t recognized at first but soon understood that it’s the hallowed tree of the fairies. There are a few fairies hidden within but their lit bodies are giving them away, probably to terrified to dim their lights.

           Chanyeol creeps forward as quietly as possible so as not to catch the beast’s attention. Before he reaches his target a fairy flies into the beast’s face, light blinding in all the darkness as it attempts to distract the beast from his tree of hostages. He immediately recognizes the light, realizes that Baekhyun is bravely fighting to save the fairies of his kingdom and it’s working because he has the beast backing away, stumbling over roots as he swats at Baekhyun. It’s only takes one lucky swing for the large beast to connect with Baekhyun’s small form, flinging him harshly across the forest. Chanyeol watches with terror in his eyes as Baekhyun connects with a tree in the distance, light immediately extinguishing. The possibility of him surviving such a strong blow is minimal and Chanyeol instantly thinks the worse.

           Rage ignites in mind and heart, surging through his veins as he lifts himself up from his crouching position. Without a thought to his actions, Chanyeol rushes forward hitting the beast with the full force of his body. It hardly knocks the beast a step or two to the side, but Chanyeol doesn’t hesitate as he flies upward, dropping down on the beast’s head with precision. He flies up again when the beast doesn’t fall, this time pulling at a particularly thick branch. He hears the crack of wood just before the weight of branch comes crashing down and he dodges sideways so the branch can hit its intended target. This time the beast goes down hard, but Chanyeol isn’t finished. He’s angry. He’s absolutely enraged. He wants to do more, to get even for what this beast has done to Baekhyun.

           Chanyeol breaks off another branch, this time much smaller, something he can wield as a weapon. Its tip is pointed enough on the end where it snapped to serves as a makeshift spear. On instinct, Chanyeol points the spear downwards, aiming it at the prone figure of the beast as he descends from the tree. With one quick the spear goes right through the beasts back, killing him on the spot. But Chanyeol isn’t satisfied. The other beasts are still terrorizing the kingdom, other fairies are dying, and their homes are being destroyed. Their land won’t be safe until the beasts are dead.

           Chanyeol snatches his spear free, standing on the large limp form beneath, knowing what he needs to do. Luhan told him to save their people, that only he could do it. With a foreign shine to his eye and a devilish grin on his face, Chanyeol flies to the trees searching for his next target. With each passing kill, his eyes grow a little darker, his mind losing some of its luster, his body slowly succumbing to the animal instinct within. He doesn’t realize it, but with each kill, he’s becoming more and more like the beasts he’s fighting against. He’s loosing bits of himself, his innocence long forgotten as he rids the kingdom of its enemies.

           “I don’t know how many I killed. All I can remember is the terrified look on Luhan’s face when he finally found me. I had ended up in a tree on the outskirts of the kingdom’s forest. A group of fairy guards found me and I was fighting against them, grabbing at them, acting just like the beasts I was afraid of.” Chanyeol stares at the table feeling wretched. “I actually grabbed at him when Luhan arrived. The other fairies had sent for him in hopes of getting me to calm down. I actually chased him with the intent to kill. I remember having thoughts of wanting to…” Chanyeol shudders. “Eat him.” He buries his face in his hands, hiding in shame at the memory.

           Joonmyun and Jongin are at a loss for words, unsure of how to comfort Chanyeol, wondering if there are appropriate words to use as consolation in this situation. Joonmyun pats Chanyeol’s arm in silence, reaching for Jongin’s hand with his other.

           “I hated myself when I finally came around. I hid away in my tree house for the longest time. I was scared of being around any of the fairies. I didn’t want to hurt anyone.” Chanyeol drops his arms on the table, head following soon after as he cushions his chin on his arms. His face is much closer to Luhan and Baekhyun who are still standing in the same spot from the time Chanyeol started recalling the events of how he lost his innocence.

           “It wasn’t until Baekhyun was well enough to come see me that I allowed myself to be around them. I was so shocked to see he was actually alive. I thought he had died and I couldn’t face myself with that reality. I was so upset with everything that happened that I hadn’t even grieved for his loss and then to see him right in front of my eyes, I lost it.” Tears begin to well in his eyes as he looks at his tiny friends. “I was so happy and relieved but I was still very afraid. I didn’t want to be like that ever again.” Chanyeol buries his face in his arm, tears spilling over as he loses control of his emotions.

           Luhan and Baekhyun stumble forward, burying their faces in Chanyeol’s hair as they hug his head with their tiny arms. Jongin sniffs, rubbing a balled hand over his eyes trying not to cry because seeing Chanyeol so upset isn’t something he’s experienced before and he finds he really doesn’t like it. Joonmyun stands, rounding the side of the table to run his fingers through the back of his brother’s hair soothingly. Jongin jumps up, running around the table to hug Chanyeol from the other side, wrapping his arms around his uncle’s waist then burying his face in Chanyeol’s back.

           Eventually, Baekhyun crawls under the gap between Chanyeol’s arm and the table. His wings tickle Chanyeol’s cheek. Small hums can be heard by the others and soon enough, Chanyeol’s sitting up, laughing lightly as he rubs his face. Baekhyun grins secretively as he stands beside his brother.

           “I’m sorry,” Jongin apologizes. “I didn’t mean to make you remember something so bad. I’m sorry,” he frowns before hugging his uncle tight around the neck.

           “It’s okay,” Chanyeol smiles sadly. “I needed to talk about it. It’s not good to keep things bottled up for so long.”

           Joonmyun smiles fondly at his brother, patting him on the shoulder. “Thank you for telling us. I had no idea. You can always talk to me if you need to, you know that right?”

           “Yeah, I know,” Chanyeol smiles.

           They talk a bit more, Jongin trying to secretly get closer and closer to Baekhyun and Luhan in an attempt to see them better. He’s dying to ask them questions, but it’s tough not understanding them and they’re still a bit shy with his presence, choosing to never stray too far away from Chanyeol. They wash up the dishes, cleaning up the kitchen, chatting a bit with Chanyeol translating for Baekhyun and Luhan.

           Joonmyun eventually tells Jongin that it’s getting late and Jongin needs to be getting to bed soon because he has school the next day. Jongin whines about having to leave, which is a first in all of the times that he’s come to his Uncle Chanyeol’s house. Chanyeol just laughs, giving him a tight hug playfully ruffling his hair as he says, “Come back soon. I’ll tell you some more stories.”

           Joonmyun hugs Chanyeol too, just as they make it to Chanyeol’s front door preparing to leave. “Call me if you need anything, okay. It was nice to finally meet you two.” He smiles at Luhan and Baekhyun as they hover behind Chanyeol, watching the three say their goodbyes. The twins wave in unison, both glowing a calm blue as they smile towards Chanyeol’s family.

           After Joonmyun and Jongin leave, Chanyeol and the fairies go back to his room to spend some time together before the princes have to leave for home. Chanyeol’s resting on his bed, lying on his side facing Baekhyun and Luhan as they rest on the adjacent pillow.

           “Why’d you decide to show yourselves tonight?” he asks because they had always been so cautious about letting anyone other than Chanyeol see them.

Luhan glances at Baekhyun before looking meaningfully at Chanyeol. He sits up, resting on his knees as he places his hands on his thighs facing Chanyeol, wings widening out before pulling back together. “There’s something we need to tell you,” Luhan says very seriously causing Chanyeol to prop himself up on his elbow. “You see,” he pauses. “Well, Chanyeol, I’m going to become king soon. Father wants me to take over the throne and…” He lowers his voice, fearful of it shaking as he says, “I won’t be able to come visit you anymore. I’ll have too many responsibilities. It won’t be safe for me to leave the kingdom.”

           “What?” Chanyeol sits up fully now. “What are you saying?”

           “I’m sorry, Chanyeol. I really wanted to meet your family and this will probably be my last chance to do so.”

           “You can’t leave me,” Chanyeol nearly cries in panic. “You can’t just say you’re not going to visit anymore. It’s not fair.”

           Baekhyun’s body starts shaking as he balls his tiny fists to calm himself. Soon he tenses, reaching out to touch Luhan’s back gently. In a sudden movement, he hugs Luhan, whispering something Chanyeol can’t hear before shooting off the bed and darting out the room.

           Luhan watches him leave, eyes watering before he turns to Chanyeol. “I’m sorry. I can’t neglect my duty just to come play with you. As much as I wish things could stay the same, I know they can’t. I have a responsibility to keep.” He flits his wings, lifting himself up to hover in front of Chanyeol’s face. “I’m going to miss you so much Chanyeol. I’m going to think about you every day. I’ll never forget you.” He reaches out placing his hands on Chanyeol’s forehead trying to smooth out the worry lines that are imbedded in his skin. “I love you Chanyeol. I want you to remember that.” One flick of his wings brings him forward enough to plant a kiss right between Chanyeol’s eyebrows.

           Chanyeol’s on the verge of tears again because he can tell Luhan’s upset even though he’s pretending to be so strong. Neither of them wants to let the other go. They don’t want to think about not being able to see each other again. Chanyeol will never be able to go back to the fairy kingdom and he understands that Luhan has a job to do, but he feels that this is so sudden and devastating. He’s not prepared to give Luhan up like this. He wants a little more time. He’s not prepared to say goodbye just yet.

           “Where’s Baekhyun?” Chanyeol asks trying not to let his tears fall.

           “He’s not good with goodbyes. You know how he gets.” Luhan drifts back slowly.

           “But he can’t leave without saying goodbye. It’s not fair. That’s too cruel,” Chanyeol chokes out, tears flowing down his flushed cheeks. “What am I supposed to do without you two?”

           “You’ll be fine. It won’t be so bad, I promise,” Luhan whispers, voice low so as not to betray his emotions. “Don’t forget about me, okay?”

           Chanyeol nods, eyes hazy with tears. Luhan’s slowly flying across the room, trying to make a quick escape. He doesn’t like goodbyes and he’s scared of drawing this one out because he doesn’t think he’ll be able to leave if he hears and sees Chanyeol fall apart. He knows Chanyeol can take care of himself, knows he’ll be fine without Luhan there to take care of him. Chanyeol’s an adult and he’s not going to be alone; he has a nice family who loves and adores him, a family that will take care of him.

           “Goodbye, Chanyeol,” he murmurs before fleeing. A clean break, that’s what he needs.

           “Luhan? Luhan!” Chanyeol stills, breath catching as the concept of never seeing Luhan or Baekhyun again sinks in. It hurts. Everything hurts and Chanyeol can’t breath, can’t think. He falls back covering his face with his arm as the tears flow freely. He’s sobbing, body shaking with each shudder of shallow breath. He feels like his lungs have been crushed, heart slowly puttering out of energy as his body shuts down, mind closing itself off. He doesn’t want to think, doesn’t want to feel, doesn’t want to hurt. “Please don’t leave me,” he cries. “Please, I don’t want to be alone. Please stay.” His voice cracks at the end as his chest heaves painfully.

           At some point, Chanyeol’s breathing evens out and he drifts into a restless sleep. He doesn’t understand how everything was going so well at one moment with all the people he loves by his side supporting him and now, he’s suddenly so alone, feeling helplessly abandoned. He thought everything was going well. Baekhyun and Luhan had opened up to his family, allowing themselves to be seen, trusting in them enough to do so. They can’t just leave so suddenly like this; it’s just not fair. He thought they would be together forever, that they would always stay by his side. He never thought that at some point Luhan and Baekhyun would have to leave him completely and now that it’s happening he doesn’t think he can’t handle this kind of abandonment again. At least when he was left at the orphanage, he could still see Luhan and Baekhyun occasionally but not seeing them ever is too much for his fragile psyche to handle.

           He’s afraid, so very afraid of being alone and of someday thinking his time with the fairies was only a vivid dream from his childhood, that it might not have been real. He doesn’t want his memories to fall into the imaginative parts of his mind, doesn’t want to wake up one day feeling like every other person, like every other human with their lackluster, boring lives.

           Around midnight, a loud crash permeates through Chanyeol’s nightmarish sleep, causing him to wake groggily, finding that he’s mentally exhausted. Another crash sounds and Chanyeol’s jumping out of his bed with thoughts of robbers ransacking his house. He leaves his room, attempting to find the source of the sound. With hesitant steps, he makes his way down the hall towards his bathroom. Rustling sounds leak through the parted door and into the darkened room. Chanyeol shudders, his fear of the dark rearing its ugly head just when he’s trying to be brave. For a moment, he considers calling someone, but he thinks maybe that’s a bit excessive and he’s just being a bit paranoid. Maybe something just fell off of a shelf and there’s really nothing to worry about.

           Another sound, much quieter this time, but no less disconcerting creeps into the hall. He cautiously reaches for the door, ing it open and quickly switching the lights on. The room brightens and there before Chanyeol’s eyes is a man, sitting awkwardly on his bathroom floor, hands clutching at the toilet and the bathroom counter while the light green shower curtain that was once hanging before the bathtub is now draped across his bottom half. He squeaks as he spots Chanyeol, eyes squinting because of the blinding bathroom light.

           Chanyeol’s first response was to run, but it took him less than a second to recognize the man before him. That deep auburn hair, those inquisitive eyes, and that innocent grin are all images planted so far back in the depth of his memory that he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to truly forget it.

           “Baekhyun? Is that…is that really you?” Chanyeol holds onto the doorframe to steady himself because there’s absolutely no way that Baekhyun would be in his bathroom, especially not in human size.

           The man smiles wider, teeth practically sparkling the same way that Baekhyun’s does when he’s being mischievous, as if he’s done something he shouldn’t have and would very much like not to be punished for it. He drops his arms to his lap, legs crossing beneath the shower curtain. “Hey Chanyeol,” he says, eyes shining in the light of the bathroom.

           Chanyeol leans against the doorframe, slowly sliding to the floor staring unblinkingly at Baekhyun. His chest is uncovered, starbursts still visible against his pale skin in tiny lines of red that no longer glow. “It’s really you. How’re you so…big?”

           “I’m like you now.” Baekhyun laughs, the timbre is the same as always but much louder now to match his new size. “I’m human.”

           “What? I don’t…how is that even possible?”

           Baekhyun shrugs. “Fairy magic.”

           “This isn’t a dream is it?” Chanyeol gawks trying to comprehend the fact that Baekhyun’s actually sitting in front of him.

           Baekhyun sits up crawling forward before reaching out and pinching Chanyeol hard on the cheek. He flinches away, grabbing his cheek rubbing harshly to sooth the pain. “That hurt!” He grins, arms flying forward to grab Baekhyun and pull him into a hug. “You’re really here. I can actually hug you. Oh my god, you’re really here!”

           Baekhyun laughs again, wrapping his arms around Chanyeol’s neck and burying his face in his chest. “I like hugging you. You’re warm.” After a moment, they separate. “Hey Chanyeol, can you give me some clothes? It’s really cold in here and I’m kind of….” He blushes, shyly pulling at the shower curtain to keep himself covered as he sits up.

           Chanyeol’s eyes travel down and back up. “Oh! Okay…I’ll be right back.” He eagerly hops up, rushing back to this room to grab some clothes. When he returns Baekhyun’s still sprawled on the cold tile floor, shivering a bit from the chill it sends up backside. He hands the clothes over, watching as Baekhyun tugs the oversized t-shirt on. He looks up realizing that Chanyeol’s eyes are still on him.

           “Turn around,” he squeaks, fiddling with the sweatpants in his hands.

           “What’re you being so bashful for? It’s not like I haven’t see you before.” Chanyeol guffaws as Baekhyun kicks at him with legs too short to reach him.

           “This is different. I wasn’t so visible before and we were kids. Just turn around,” he huffs, positioning the pants at his feet and preparing to tug them on. Once Chanyeol averts his gaze, he slides into them still sitting on the floor. “Can you help me up?” he asks once he’s fully dressed.

           Chanyeol turns around, reaching a hand out as Baekhyun struggles to pull himself up. “I’m not used to being this heavy. Why are humans so heavy? How do you even walk with all this weight?”

           Chanyeol slips an arm around his waist, keeping the fairy turned human on his feet. Baekhyun’s clutching at his sweats to keep them at his waist, the legs much too long for him as he tries to take a step forward only to catch his toes on the hem causing him to slip against the tile. “You get used to it,” Chanyeol’s saying knowing all too well what it’s when you’re no longer lifted up by fairy magic. “You’re limbs just need some practice.”

           They slowly make their way back to Chanyeol’s room. Baekhyun makes himself comfortable on the bed, happy to be off his feet again and on a much softer and warmer surface than the bathroom floor. Chanyeol crawls up on the other side facing Baekhyun, staring at him mesmerized by his mere presence. Tired of holding himself up, Baekhyun falls to his side curling up, getting even more comfortable with Chanyeol following suit.

           “I thought you left me without saying goodbye,” Chanyeol’s whispers, hand crawling up to touch Baekhyun’s arm as if to make sure once again that he’s not staring at a mirage.

           “I’m sorry.” Baekhyun frowns, reaching down to take Chanyeol’s hand in his. “My change was beginning to happen and I wanted to surprise you by walking in as a human, but I couldn’t control my legs.”

           “Are you here to stay? I mean, you’re not going to change or anything, right?” Chanyeol curls his fingers around Baekhyun’s. It’s the first time he’s ever been able to hold his hand and he loves how soft they feel even if they’re a bit cold at the moment.

           “I’m here to stay. Just like you, I can’t go back to the fairy kingdom. I’m human now.” Baekhyun smiles, bringing his free hand up to comb his fingers through Chanyeol’s hair, curling locks of it around his finger.

           “How is that possible?”

           “Luhan and I begged father to let me change. I had to get permission from the elders and everything. They’re the only ones who know the deep magic and I had to prove…myself to them.” He pauses at the end, thinking over his word choice. “There’s only one thing that can change a fairy into a human.”

           Chanyeol eyes him curiously. “What’s that?”

           “Love,” he whispers, hiding half of his face in his pillow.

           “Love?” Chanyeol whispers just as quietly.

           “I told them that I loved you and that I couldn’t bear being separated from you. I know that you love me too. Even if it might not be the same, I know you truly care about me.” Baekhyun blushes and Chanyeol’s sure that if his starburst could glow they would be a nice pink to match his face. “Chanyeol.” Baekhyun drops his hand from the other’s hair, tracing his cheek with the backs of his fingers, trailing all the way down to his jaw. “A broken heart can kill a fairy, that’s why we only fall in love once. I think I only loved you as a brother when we were growing up, but after you left, I knew it was different, I knew I wouldn’t be able to leave you one day like I was supposed to.” Letting go of Chanyeol’s hand, Baekhyun drapes his arm around him, sliding in close to hug him even closer, to hold onto him like his life depends on it. “I don’t ever want to leave you again,” he mumbles into Chanyeol’s chest.

           Chanyeol hugs him back, eyes watering as he smiles to himself. “You’re right,” he says feeling choked up. “I do love you. I always have.” He squeezes his arms, pulling a breathy laugh from Baekhyun. “I don’t ever want you leave. I don’t think I can handle that again.”

           “I know.” Baekhyun had heard Chanyeol’s heart breaking when he thought that they had both left him for good. He felt the pain of Chanyeol’s sobs, the fear of abandonment, and he wished that he could come to Chanyeol’s aid but he was still dealing with his transformation. He doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to forget those horrible sounds, much worse than anything he’s heard before, even the screams of his people as their kingdom was attacked. A broken Chanyeol sounds even more agonizing than that. “I won’t leave you,” Baekhyun reassures him. “I’ll never leave you.”

           Chanyeol smiles, face buried in the crook of Baekhyun’s neck, filling himself with the scent that can only be described as Baekhyun. It’s comforting, warm, bright, and happy; everything that Chanyeol’s ever felt in the presence of him.

           They pull apart, meeting each other’s eyes, silently reading each other’s emotions. “What about Luhan? Won’t he be sad that you’re not coming back?”

           “He’ll be okay. He knew this would happen a long time ago, he just never said anything.”

           “Really?” Chanyeol looks surprised. “He knew we’d fall in love with each other?”

           “He can see the future, remember?” Baekhyun pushes his feet between Chanyeol’s calves, his cold toes seeking warmth. “He knew I would leave one day and that I would be happy with you. He was the one who asked for permission from father and the elders. More than anything, I think he wants us to be happy, even if that means we’re separated.”

           “He’s always putting on a brave face and taking care of others, isn’t he? I’m going to really miss him.” Chanyeol sighs wistfully. Even if he has Baekhyun, there’s still going to be a huge gap in his life where Luhan’s supposed to be. “I really hope he isn’t too lonely by himself. He looked so sad when he left.”

           “Trust me, he’ll be fine. I think he’s found someone he’s fond of. Recently he’s been spending a lot of time away from me and I know it wasn’t because he had princely duties to attend to.” Baekhyun smiles at the thought of his brother being happy with someone, as happy as he is with Chanyeol. As much as Luhan loved Chanyeol, it was never in the same way that Baekhyun did and he was always just a tad bit jealous of the way Chanyeol looked after Baekhyun. It was different, more affectionate than the way he treated Luhan, especially after the incident with the beasts and how Chanyeol responded when he found out Baekhyun was still alive after believing he him to be dead. They were inseparable for a while after that and Luhan knew then what the future held for his brother and their human friend.

           Over the past few weeks, when the kingdom was preparing for Baekhyun’s departure, Baekhyun had noticed the way Luhan placed distance between them so that he could handle the separation better. During that time, he began to spend more time with the other fairies of the court, one in particular who was kind and caring with a smile to match. He was a rather gifted fairy in the art of healing whether it is the physical or emotional sort. Baekhyun could understand why Luhan had been so charmed by him, why he felt so comforted in his presence of such a talented fairy. Baekhyun had also felt comforted in the way Luhan laughed and smiled so easily when he spent time with his new friend; glad that his brother’s heart had found someone to heal the loneliness and pain he would feel after permanently saying goodbye to his brother and their best friend.

           “You’re smiling,” Chanyeol’s says pulling Baekhyun out of his reverie. “What are you thinking about?”

           “Luhan and his crush,” Baekhyun chuckles, “and how cute they are together.”

           “Who is it?” Chanyeol asks intrigued. “A fairy I know?”

           “One of the healing fairies. The one with the weird design that only covers the left side of his chest.”

           “Oh, you mean Yixing. The fairy with the really pretty smile who always used to patch me up when I got hurt.”

           Baekhyun makes grumbling noise before pursing his lips. “Yeah, him,” he mumbles before perking up. “I think he might like Luhan too. It’s only a recent thing, but they’re both really happy when they’re together. You know how attached Luhan and I are, but can you believe he actually cancelled plans with me to spend time with Yixing. I couldn’t believe it at first, but we’re finally at a place in our lives that we don’t really depend on each other anymore. I’ll never stop worrying about him, but I think we’ll both be fine.”

           “That’s a relief.” Chanyeol sighs, bringing his hand up to brush loose strands of hair out of Baekhyun’s face, tucking it behind his ear. “I’m glad he’s found someone.”

           “Me too,” Baekhyun’s says quietly, leaning into Chanyeol’s warm touch. They lock eyes. It’s the first time Chanyeol’s has been able to see Baekhyun’s so clearly with their deep honey brown color and tiny, mesmerizing gold flecks. Baekhyun’s eyes feel like home to him, grounding him in place, securing him to this world. “Hey, Chanyeol?”

           “Yeah,” he answers dazedly.

           “There’s something I’ve really wanted to do for a while now.”

           Chanyeol hums in question.

           Baekhyun bites his lip reaching up to trace the curve of Chanyeol’s cheek slowly, his fingers lightly touching his parted lips. “Can I kiss you?” he whispers, barely audible.

           Chanyeol’s heart leaps as he gives a small smile and nod in response. He slowly closes his eyes as Baekhyun musters up the courage to close the gap between them. His pulse beats loudly in his ears, ticking away the seconds as Baekhyun approaches, finally pressing his lips against Chanyeol’s in a soft, chaste kiss. Chanyeol presses back, arm hooking around Baekhyun to pulling him closer. A smile covers his face when Baekhyun gasps, reaching up to curl his fingers into Chanyeol’s hair. They kiss languidly, a simple movement of the lips between them until Baekhyun pulls back unable to stop the grin from creeping across his face.

           Baekhyun’s half on top of Chanyeol, looking down at him. “I really like being human,” Baekhyun breathes happily. “I get to hug you and feel you arms wrap around me. I can hold your hand in mine. I can actually run my fingers through your hair and you can do the same. You actually get to hold me and not just in the palm of your hand.” Baekhyun rests his forehead against Chanyeol’s smiling down as he says, “I can give you a real kiss now.” He’s pressing their lips together again, catching Chanyeol’s laugh with his mouth. “I love you,” he says between kisses.

           “I love you too,” Chanyeol replies, holding Baekhyun even closer. He never knew how much Baekhyun had wanted these things, how much they meant to him. Chanyeol had thought about it many times while Baekhyun was still a fairy, how he would love to be able to hug him, to hold his hand, to rub his back soothingly, to hold him close and feel his warmth. Growing up, Chanyeol had desperately wanted human interaction, he wanted the same touches that Baekhyun and Luhan gave each other. He had wanted real affectionate touches of love, one’s that he could feel, not the tiny one’s he received from his fairy friends.

           When he was brought back, he received brotherly affection from Joonmyun. He began to understand the love of a family. It reminded him of how he felt about the fairies, but with Baekhyun it was different. Over time it had grown to be something else, something he didn’t understand until he met Joonmyun’s wife and saw the way they felt about one another. It became clearer as Chanyeol read stories of love and witnessed couples interacting with one another. He began to understand that he loved Luhan and Joonmyun one way, but he loved Baekhyun in another. Now that he has Baekhyun in his arms, confessing to him, Chanyeol’s affections have become even clearer. He’s completely and romantically in love with Baekhyun. It’s scary and terrifying. The emotion does crazy things to him in that overwhelming way that he can only deal with one emotion at time, except when it comes to love he feels like every emotion is bombarding his body all at the same time and he doesn’t know how normal people deal with this.

           Baekhyun eventually falls asleep with his head resting on Chanyeol’s shoulder, his arms wrapped around Chanyeol’s waist securing his spot beside him. For a moment, Chanyeol wonders if he’ll fall asleep only to wake up and realize that this had all been a dream, just like his fear of forgetting about the fairy kingdom. He pulls Baekhyun closer, just in case the other decides to slip away; he thinks of it as a precautionary measure.

           When he does wake up the next morning, Baekhyun is still there, heavier than ever as his head presses against Chanyeol’s numb arm. Chanyeol doesn’t think he’s ever been this happy to actually have a numb arm before. It means Baekhyun’s really there, that he isn’t hallucinating and that everything really did happen last night.

           “Hey sleepy head,” Chanyeol teases, prying his numb limb out from under Baekhyun to allow the blood to recirculate. “Did you sleep well?”

           “I’m still tired,” he groans. “Are humans always this tired?”

           “Not always.” Chanyeol laughs. “But yeah, humans are typically sleep deprived.”

           “Oh great,” Baekhyun complains. “I’m big, I’m heavy, and I’m tired.” There’s a rather loud growling sound as he finishes his list.

           “You can add hungry to that list.”

           “I’m starving,” Baekhyun says, more alert now as his gut makes another noise.

           “Then I guess I should go make breakfast.” He sits up, pulling away from the death grip Baekhyun still has on him. “Would you like to stay here or go to the kitchen with me?”

           “Kitchen!” Baekhyun exclaims sitting up and attempting to slide off the side of the bed as Chanyeol makes his way around the giant piece of furniture. He nearly falls, catching himself by clinging onto the sheets. The sight amuses Chanyeol, who comes to his rescue by wrapping an arm around his waist steadying him.

           “Do you think you can make it downstairs?”

           “I’m not an invalid, Chanyeol.” Baekhyun’s attitude comes out, showing his true stubbornness.

           “Fine,” Chanyeol jokes, dropping his arm from Baekhyun’s side causing him to stumble a bit. He hits Chanyeol on the arm with a force Chanyeol’s not used to. It hurts and Chanyeol jerks away making Baekhyun drop to the floor.

           “Ouch!” Baekhyun rubs at his thigh and . “You’re so mean,” he whines.

           “You hit too hard,” Chanyeol counters. They glare at each other for a moment until Chanyeol relents by reaching down and offering Baekhyun a hand. He turns, bending down and pulling Baekhyun’s arms over his shoulders so that he can hop on Chanyeol’s back. “I’m hungry and it’ll be easy just to carry you downstairs. We can work on your walking once you’ve got food in your tummy.”

           Baekhyun doesn’t argue as he gets comfortable on Chanyeol’s back. He can’t count the times Chanyeol carried him as a fairy, so this isn’t really anything new.

           Breakfast goes well. Baekhyun watches, occasionally receiving small pieces of food to taste as Chanyeol cooks. He likes this. He likes being on the same level as Chanyeol, seeing the world from his point of view. Everything isn’t so big and scary anymore and he thinks the food tastes better in larger portions. The scents are overpowering and the view from his seat at the island bar is perfect for them to reach out and touch each other whenever they feel the need to.

           After breakfast they practice walking and Baekhyun gets a chance to reacquaint himself with the first floor of Chanyeol’s home. Chanyeol wonders if this is how he looked when Baekhyun and Luhan taught him how to walk as a toddler. He thinks Baekhyun’s unsteadiness is cute and the way he clutches onto Chanyeol when he’s finally within reach feels perfect. They make progress, but Baekhyun still needs to work on muscle control.

           Chanyeol suggests a bath because he didn’t wash the night before and Baekhyun looks scandalized by the suggestion. Chanyeol just laughs and says he didn’t mean they had to take one together. He lets Baekhyun go first and the other marvels at the warm water in the tub, feeling content with just soaking in it until Chanyeol knocks on the door telling him to hurry up before the water gets cold.

           Over the week Baekhyun acclimates to life as a human. His starbursts are slowly fading away as whatever tiny amounts of fairy magic within his dies out. Chanyeol traces them each day, sad to see them go. He always liked the intricate designs and the way they glowed. Baekhyun feels a little more without them, but he thinks losing them is a small price to pay to be able to stay with Chanyeol though.

           They talk about the fairy kingdom a lot, reminiscing about old times, missing Luhan as the days go by, hoping he’s well and happy. The week passes quickly and before either of them realizes it, its Sunday again, which means Joonmyun and Jongin will be coming over for their weekly dinner. Chanyeol hasn’t mentioned Baekhyun in any of the calls he had with Joonmyun, deciding it will be more fun to surprise them in person. Of course, Baekhyun’s just as nervous as he was the first time, maybe even more so now that he’s bigger and much more visible. He doesn’t have his wings anymore and those were a great comfort to him, almost like a safety blanket.

           When Joonmyun and Jongin finally arrive, Baekhyun decides to hide in Chanyeol’s room to prolong their meeting. Chanyeol tells him to come down when he’s ready.

           “How was your week?” his brother asks as he sets a bag of groceries on the counter.

           “Very interesting,” Chanyeol says, unable to hide his grin. Joonmyun watches him with curious eyes, but doesn’t ask.

           “Did your fairy friends visit again?” Jongin asks eagerly, glancing around the room before looking back to the stairs that lead up to Chanyeol’s room.

           Chanyeol frowns, running his fingers along the lines in the granite counter top. “They won’t be coming back,” he says sadly.

           “What? Why not?” The father and son ask at the same time. “Is it because we saw them?” Joonmyun adds. “Did they get in trouble?”

           “No. It’s not because of you,” Chanyeol says quietly. “It was just time for them to grow up and take on more responsibilities. Luhan’s going to be king soon.”

           “Oh yeah, you did say they were princes,” Jongin says knowingly.

           Chanyeol nods. “They wanted to meet you last week because they knew they wouldn’t have another chance for you to see them.”

           Joonmyun pats Chanyeol’s back. “That was very kind of them.”

           “Yeah, I’m glad I got to meet them too. They were very pretty.” Jongin smiles, but Chanyeol can see the disappointment in his eyes. He probably wanted to inspect them closer, to get to know them better. It’s not every day you get to meet a fairy after all.

           “Are you okay?” Joonmyun asks, knowing this has probably devastated his brother.

           “I’m okay.” Chanyeol smiles and Joonmyun knows it’s genuine.

           There’s a loud noise at the top of the stares, followed by incoherent whining. Chanyeol steps past Jongin to see what happened only to find Baekhyun scowling as he tries to right himself on the stairs. “That really hurt,” he complains as Chanyeol climbs up to meet him. Baekhyun still hasn’t mastered the stairs just yet, but his walking has improved greatly.

           “You could have called for me,” Chanyeol says, holding onto Baekhyun’s waist.

           “You were talking to your family. I didn’t want to interrupt.”

           Chanyeol smirks knowingly. “You wanted to prove you could walk down the stairs by yourself, didn’t you?”

           Baekhyun sticks his tongue out. “I know I can do it,” he says stubbornly. “I just need some more practice.”

           “Just give it some time before you hurt yourself. Trust me, you don’t want to go to the hospital. You definitely won’t like it there.”

           They make it to the end of the stairs to meet Joonmyun and Jongin staring at them with wide eyes. “Oh my,” Joonmyun gasps, covering his mouth. “Baekhyun!” Jongin exclaims at the same time.

           The man of the moment gives a small wave in greeting, shyly hiding himself halfway behind Chanyeol. “Surprise!” Chanyeol says, guiding Baekhyun to one of the bar stools at the island.

           Joonmyun and Jongin stand across from them on the other side of the counter, still gawking as Baekhyun climbs onto the stool, keeping on hand in Chanyeol’s to make sure he doesn’t leave his side.

           “I thought you said they weren’t coming back,” Jongin states, eyes never leaving Baekhyun.

           “He never left. This one disappeared when Luhan was telling me that he wouldn’t be able to visit anymore. He scared me half to death when he showed up in my bathroom later that night. I thought he was a killer or something.” Baekhyun laughs as Chanyeol recounts the story.

           “I wanted to surprise you by becoming a human,” he says, tugging at Chanyeol’s hand.

           “I was surprised all right.”

           The two facing him gape as they find they realize they can understand Baekhyun. It’s strange after they grew accustomed to the light tinkling of his voice last week, but then again he had been palm-sized at the time sprouting wings from his back and now he definitely looks human.

           “I can understand you.” Jongin eagerly leans across the counter. “I have so many questions to ask. I want to hear everything about fairies.”

           “Okay, okay.” Joonmyun pulls him back. “Let’s not get too carried away. You’ll have lots of time to ask him questions later. I’m sure Chanyeol has a lot to tell us as well. It’s not every day that a fairy becomes a human. I’m surprised it’s even possible. How does that even happen?”

           Chanyeol steps behind Baekhyun, wrapping his arms around him giving his family a big grin. “It’s a secret,” he says, tucking his face into Baekhyun’s neck, giving him a tiny kiss causing Baekhyun to squirm.

           “Eww! Gross, Uncle Chanyeol!” Jongin covers his face in disgust. “You two can’t act all mushy like mom and dad. I can’t! My eyes! It burns!”

           The three adults laugh. Joonmyun shakes his head at his son’s antics before looking to his brother with a raised eyebrow. Chanyeol shrugs, hugging Baekhyun possessively.

           Joonmyun crosses his arms in that authoritative manner of his. “Yeah, I definitely want to hear about this later.”

           Baekhyun gives him a shy smile as Chanyeol plants another kiss on his cheek while winking at his brother before moving around to the other side of the counter.

           “So what’s for dinner? We’re starving.”

A/N: Soooooo...I was totally going to have this up sooner but it got longer than expected and my relatives came in over the weekend and I haven't seen them in like 18 years so they took precedence over everything else. But I've finally got this finished and what the heck did I write. Well...if you made it this far you are awesome and I hope you enjoyed this.

Thanks for waiting and reading and subscribing! Comments are great!

<3 Jae