Luhan’s used to having peace and quiet when he wakes up. He’s used to the sun beaming in his room and warming up his cheeks to wake him up. He’s used to hearing faint sounds of birds outside and maybe the air conditioner. Even at home, it’s always been quiet in the mornings. Instead of peaceful birds to wake him up, he’s woken up by a loud crash and what sounds like a splash. Luhan shoots up in his bed, hands gripping at his blanket, holding it against his chest. He doesn’t see anything at first and he quickly rubs the sleepy from his eyes. Could someone have gotten in to his apartment? Could it be Baekhyun? No, Luhan didn’t give him the passcode or anything.

“Hello?”

When there’s no answer, Luhan decides he needs to get up and see who it is. If there’s someone in his apartment he wants to know who and if he needs to call the police. His feet press against the rug gently. His hands are shaking and he frowns when he realizes he doesn’t have any kind of weapon. He scrunches his nose up and rubs his fists. Baekhyun and him did take a karate class in college once. Though Luhan quit after the first class because he realized he was pretty uncoordinated and fell too many times. Fists would have to do.

He doesn’t hear any more noises as he makes his way over to the kitchenette. He does however, see that the light blue bowl he got for Sehun has been knocked on the floor. Luhan frowns and leans down, picking up the poor bowl. The water had gotten everywhere and Luhan was thankful he picked up a small rug to go in front of the sink because it was soaking up a good amount of it. As he stands back up, he sees familiar pink wings fluttering quickly behind a few boxes of tea.

“Sehun,” Luhan asks quietly. Could it have been him who knocked it over? Was he not happy with the water?

Luhan moves the tea boxes to find a shivering Sehun. His knees are being held up to his chest and his hair is soaking wet along with his body. He has a rather scared look on his face and Luhan can see that his knees are a bit red.

“Sehun, what happened?” Luhan gasps and leans down so he’s at Sehun’s level. “Are you okay?”

Sehun only curls against himself more, hiding his face in his knees. Luhan bites at his lip, not really knowing what to do. He decides to see if he can dry Sehun off. The last thing he wants is for him to get sick on the second day. Luhan searches around for something small to dry him off with. A normal towel would be too large and it would be probably scary for him. He decides on grabbing one of the washcloths out of the bathroom, hoping that it won’t be too rough on his skin.

“Sehun let me dry you off, okay? I’m not gonna hurt you. Promise.”

Luhan tries to sound as gentle and as friendly as he can. He thinks it works because Sehun lifts his head up and looks at him. Luhan gives a bright smile and even sets the washcloth down on the counter for Sehun to step on himself. It takes a few minutes of Luhan smiling and promising not to hurt him before Sehun stands up. His legs are a bit wobbly but he makes it over to the washcloth without falling.

Sehun kicks his little leg at Luhan when his fingers go to grab the washcloth. His plan was to dry Sehun off but apparently Sehun could do it himself. He watched as the fairy grabbed the edge of the washcloth and rubbed it against his legs. Sehun’s hands looked so small holding the fabric. Luhan could usually bunch the whole washcloth up in one hand if he wanted to. He watches in amazement as Sehun dries himself off. Halfway through however, Sehun sends him a glare before turning his back on him. Luhan takes it as a sign to leave him be for the time being and maybe start on some breakfast.

He’s never been a big breakfast eater. He’s the type that will stop by a cafe ten minutes before class and grab a bagel which gets eaten throughout first period. So he decides to make some toast and have a small fruit bowl on the side. Only he realizes that he doesn’t have a toaster or conventional oven to make the toast in. Luhan sighs and peeks at the clock. It was almost nine which meant Baekhyun was already on his way to work. With Baekhyun at work he doubted that Chanyeol would still be lounging around his apartment.

“What to do..” he muttered to himself, putting one hand on his hip and the other running through his hair. Fruit definitely wouldn’t be enough for him considering he only had a container of strawberries and an apple. Should he order something? No, no. Baekhyun’s cafe was only about a minute’s walk from the apartment building. He didn’t want to be lazy and lock himself inside all day.

Sehun’s drying his hair off when Luhan comes out of the bathroom with fresh clothes and a fresh face and mouth. He’s not one for getting showers when he first wakes up. He likes them at night so he can feel fresh and clean when getting into bed. He sprays a bit of cologne on his neck and pats it lightly, making sure it’s not too wet or powerful. Sehun makes a small noise and Luhan looks over to see him struggling to dry his wings off. The woman at the pet shop wasn’t lying when she said Sehun had good personal hygiene considering he’d been drying himself for about fifteen minutes.

Luhan walks over to the counter where Sehun now stands, arms reaching back to try and reach his wings with the cloth. “Want me to do it?” The fairy holds the cloth tightly in his hands as he looks at Luhan with unsure eyes. Luhan only smiles and nods. “I’ll be careful, I promise. I know I said I didn’t really know how to take care of you but I read how to last night.” Sehun still looks unsure and Luhan decides to show him instead.

The furthest corner of the cloth is picked up in Luhan’s fingers. He watches as Sehun stiffens, unsure what he’s going to do. Luhan takes his time and gently presses the cloth against Sehun’s leg. Sehun doesn’t move or change expression as Luhan rubs the cloth against his leg in the gentlest manner he can. Once he feels satisfied with having shown him that he can be gentle, he sets the cloth down and looks at Sehun. His face changes to something a little softer and then he turns around, wings facing him. He takes it as a signal to go ahead and wash them.

The wings aren’t like he imagined them to be. He imagined them to be like rice paper or perhaps not even something he could touch, like holograms or a projection. But he can feel them under the washcloth. He knows that they’re probably sensitive and he definitely shouldn’t be rough on them. Sehun shivers and his wings flutter quickly when Luhan pulls the cloth away.

“Better,” Luhan asks when Sehun turns to look at him. Sehun nods slowly and lets the washcloth drop from his hands. “Um, I’m going to go get breakfast. So.. I guess i’ll fill up your water bowl and give you some food too…” Luhan tilts his head and peeks at the glass box that was still on the floor. He lets out a sigh in relief when he saw that the food he had left in it was gone, not a single crumb left.

Sehun watches Luhan as he fills the water bowl up again, putting it further back on the counter this time. Luhan tilts his head and then decides to set it on the floor to avoid the mess he woke up to. He fills the other bowl up with a few more bits of fruit because most of it hadn’t been touched. Once he places it next to the water bowl, he smiles and looks up at Sehun.

“On the floor now so you don’t have to worry about it falling or anything, okay?” Instead of brushing Luhan’s comment off, Sehun nods again, wings fluttering slowly. “I’ll be back in a bit. Don’t cause too much trouble.”

“How’s your little fairy,” Baekhyun asks as he sits across the table. His hands wiggle the cup that once had tea in it but was now just tan tinted ice.

Luhan furrows his brows and crosses his arms. “His name is Sehun and he’s..” he sighs and pushes his bangs to the side. “Good I guess? He doesn’t seem to hate me too much today.” He picks up his bagel and takes the final bite of it. “But he knocked over his water bowl this morning.”

Baekhyun stretches his legs out with a groan, his hand finally setting down the cup of ice. “Wow, not even mocha hated me that much the first night.”

“I don’t think he did it on purpose though,” Luhan says, taking a sip of his juice. “He was pretty shaken and was wet. Maybe he was trying to bathe and he slipped or something? He didn’t tell me anything.”

He had hoped that Sehun would feel a little bit better today than yesterday. Luhan knows being away from home for the first time is really scary. He’s been there before. And Sehun had been taken from his real home and put into another home and now Luhan was yet another home for him. But Luhan was pretty much like that, right? He wasn’t taken away by a stranger but he had three homes. There was his original home in China. Then he moved to the dorms for University and now he was living on his own. Maybe Sehun and him could connect in that way. Luhan sighs and finishes off his juice, wiping at his mouth and stretching his arms out.

“I’ve got to go, Baekhyun. I told Sehun I wouldn’t be long.”

Baekhyun groans and puffs his cheeks out. “You’re ditching me for your fairy? Your dear friend that you’ve known for almost five years now. Ditching me for a tiny fairy that hates you?”

Luhan rolls his eyes and picks up his trash. “Your break is over in five minutes anyways. It’s not like you’d be able to hang out with me.” The other continues to groan and go on and on about feeling rejected. Luhan only hums and walks out of the cafe, ignoring Baekhyun’s complaints.

Instead of going right home like he had planned, Luhan decided to hit the small convenience store around the corner. He lets a basket rest on his arm and he swings it as he walks down the aisles. His hands picked up a few packs of ramen, not the best thing for a meal but until he got all the proper cooking things, it was another meal he could make with what he did have. Next came a small carton of milk and a handful of banana milk. There’s a bag of chips and another bag of cookies joining the basket when he exits the junk aisle. Luhan smiles at himself because he thought he would get a lot more junk food, especially since they had his favorite kinds of chocolates.

He swung the bags in his hands as he walked home. It was enough snack food to keep him fed for a few days, maybe a week depending on if Baekhyun and Chanyeol came over again. He wouldn’t have to worry about dinner because Baekhyun had promised him it tonight. Chanyeol is a great cook and Luhan feels his lips curl into a smile at the thought of what he would make for dinner. Perhaps some kind of meat. Luhan grips the bags and wiggles them against his legs as he steps onto the elevator.

The whole ride up to his floor Luhan thinks of all the possible dishes he could be having for dinner. Chanyeol was still attending culinary school so he always told him and Baekhyun about different foods and meals. Luhan sometimes thinks that it’s the only reason why Baekhyun became friends with him in high school, because he could cook. Baekhyun was all about food and would never pass up a good meal. And he normally repaid Chanyeol by flirting with him, which always seemed to make him blush and offer more food to him. Luhan sometimes felt bad for Chanyeol. Wondered if he knew that Baekhyun was just using him for food. But then he sees how Baekhyun looks at Chanyeol when the latter is turned away. It’s something that’s been in his eyes for a while whenever he’s around Chanyeol.

His home is quiet when he walks inside. Luhan hums softly, setting the bags down on the counter, noticing that Sehun wasn’t standing there anymore. He decides to put the food away first since he has dairy products. The milks go on the top shelf and the other goodies go in the cabinet below to the right.

“Sehun? You okay?”

The fairy isn’t in the kitchenette or in the living room. Luhan purses his lips and turns into the bathroom, peeking inside and is met with an empty room. Has Sehun gone back to hiding from him? Luhan frowns and rubs at his arm. He thought he was finally getting to Sehun. When he walks out of the bathroom he sees that the curtains have been opened. He tilts his head because he definitely remembers closing them last night and not opening them this morning. As he nears closer to the window though, he sees that Sehun is laying out in the sun that shines on the windowsill.

Sehun has his legs spread out and his arms behind his head. His wings lay flat against the windowsill, only fluttering at the tips. His small underwear is new and a delicate green color. His eyes are closed and he has a slight smile on his face. Luhan has to fight off the urge to squeal because his fairy looks so cute. When the sun becomes brighter, he sees that Sehun’s eyes squint. Luhan wiggles his finger and smiles, jogging quietly over to the bag of Sehun’s things that he hasn’t put away yet.

Fairies were much like dolls. They had hundreds of clothes and accessories and shoes to go with them. There were entire stores dedicated to fairy ware, though it was quite expensive, a tiny shirt could be worth up to fifty dollars. There were dollhouses, full sized ones that could go up to six feet tall. Pools, swings, play sets, much like a doll. And how could Luhan resist all those tiny cute things? While he could have gotten a lot more, he decided it would be best for Sehun to pick out his own clothes. He only purchased underwear and a few accessories for him. One of those accessories being a tiny pair of sunglasses. They were a simple black pair. Nothing fancy but Luhan was sure that they’d look good on Sehun.

He decides to announce his presence when he gets closer to Sehun, not wanting him to get startled and hurt himself. “Sehun. I have something for you!” Luhan smiles as he wiggles his hand.

Sehun opens his eyes and sits up, wings fluttering to get awake. Luhan grabs the tiny sunglasses from his palm and hold them out to Sehun. The fairy blinks and stands up, hands brushing at his thighs. Luhan bites his lip and tries to hide his laughter when Sehun reaches his little hands up and grabs the sunglasses. Sehun examines them for a few seconds before sliding them on his face. Luhan wants to scream because Sehun just looks so cute. He watches as Sehun lays back down in his original position and continues to take in the sun of the spring.

Luhan leaves Sehun alone when he goes to Baekhyun’s apartment. He lets the fairy know that he’ll be back soon and to not cause trouble. All Sehun had been doing all day was laying in the sun and sleeping. Luhan wonders if that’s all Sehun will do but the fairy nods at him when he tells him that he’s leaving. At least he’s responding now, Luhan thinks.

When he enters Baekhyun’s apartment, he’s met with the smell of steak. Luhan almost moans out because Chanyeol cooks the best steak. He sees Baekhyun already sitting at the table, chin in hand and starry eyes watching as Chanyeol chops up some vegetables. Luhan rolls his eyes, wishing that Baekhyun would just admit his feelings for the other already.

Dinner goes by great. Luhan finishes off all of his food and Chanyeol watches with wide eyes and an awkward smile when Luhan finishes his steak off in record time. He offers to make him another but Luhan kindly declines when he sees the jealous look in Baekhyun’s eyes. Luhan’s tummy is poking at his shirt when he finally leans back in the chair, plate completely empty.

“All full,” Chanyeol says laughing when Luhan’s hand rubs at his stomach. Luhan only nods and rubs at his eyes, suddenly feeling sleepy from having such a nice meal.

After he helps Chanyeol and Baekhyun wash the dishes and clean up the counters, he wishes them a good night and heads up to his own apartment in hopes of resting for a bit. He didn’t have to get up early or anything so he could take a nap at seven at night if he wanted to. It was one thing he hadn’t gotten to do since being out of college, take a nap in the evening. It made him smile to think of staying up late and maybe watch a few movies since he’ll be nice and rested from his nap.

Sehun is gone from the window and the sun is gone from the sky. Luhan yawns as he shuts the curtains, rubbing at his eyes and letting his body slide into his bed. He sees a small pink light shining from the fairy house and knowing that Sehun is safe and in there, he closes his eyes and lets himself fall asleep.

There’s a small humming in the room when the sleepiness starts to leave Luhan’s body. He hears faint laughter and then what sounds like a tiny bell ringing. Luhan yawns and stretches his legs out, wondering if he turned the tv on before going to sleep. When his eyes open, the tv is off and there’s nothing else on. He rubs his eyes and picks up his phone, ignoring the several texts from Baekhyun and checking the time. It was just after nine, meaning he’d gotten a good two hour nap. Even though he was still a bit sleepy, he could feel the energy starting up in his body.

He hears another small burst of laughter and then he sees one of the balls he got for Sehun rolling past the bed. Luhan blinks and tilts his head to meet Sehun running towards the ball before pushing it again, the bell ringing softly. He lets his body lean forward to peek down at Sehun, not wanting him to stop playing because he’s watching. Sehun laughs and Luhan’s a little surprised how deep his laugh is. He sees Sehun roll his body over the ball and tumble on the floor, landing his chest against the rug. The plan to watch Sehun quietly doesn’t work well because after getting up, Sehun looks up at Luhan.

Sehun cheeks turn a pink the color of his wings. He pouts and crosses his arms, much like he did the first day that Luhan brought him home. Luhan leans his chin on the edge of the bed, laughing softly at the way Sehun was reacting.

“You don’t have to stop playing, you know. I’m not gonna yell at you for playing.” Luhan smiles down at Sehun. The fairy slowly drops his arms from his chest and looks over at his ball. “We could go to the fairy store tomorrow and you could pick out some clothes and new toys? I didn’t really know what to get you so..”

At the mention of clothes and toys, Sehun looks up at him. His face lights up a bit and he gives a slow nod, wings beginning to flutter faster. Luhan laughs and sits up, ruffling his hair a bit. That’s what he’ll do for Sehun. He wants to make him feel as comfortable as possible. It seemed to be working already considering Sehun wasn’t ignoring him today and he was actually laughing and playing. The smaller one was probably just scared. Nervous that his new home wouldn’t be good. Like any pet, and well human, it took some time to gain trust. Sehun was practically human so he knew how bad some homes could be. How mean owners could be. It was only natural for him to be scared.

Luhan indulges in his idea from before dinner. He ends up on the floor, back against the bed as he shoves his hand in a bowl of popcorn. He had bugged Baekhyun for about fifteen minutes to give him some movies and he had just left after dropping off a bag of several movies. Most of them Luhan had heard about but hadn’t seen yet. The first movie he watches is The Great Gatsby which has him tearing up several times throughout the movie. He whines and kicks his legs at certain parts. At the party scene he decides to get up and grab a beer, or three.

During the third movie, Sehun decides to join Luhan. He had been napping a bit himself during the first and second one, a little tired after his play. Sehun settles himself on the coffee table, laying on his stomach with his head in his hands and feet hanging off the table. Luhan pauses the movie near the end to go to the bathroom, the beer having hit his bladder and leaving him having to go pretty badly.

Luhan returns to see the popcorn in the bowl moving around. He tilts his head and laughs when Sehun’s head pops out from above the popcorn. “Did you want some?” Luhan settles himself back in his spot and holds the bowl still as Sehun climbs out. “Are you allowed to eat popcorn.. I guess so.” He grabs a big piece of popcorn, making sure it didn’t have that stupid half unpopped kernel in the middle that would probably hurt his teeth.

Sehun grabs the popcorn in his arms and sits back down where he was. The movie continues and Luhan watches as Sehun bites down on the popcorn. It takes him a bit to finish it, where Luhan can shovel several pieces in his mouth and finish them in seconds. But Sehun seems to have enjoyed it and happily lays down on the table, his belly slightly swollen.

Around four in the morning is when Luhan finally decides to call it a night. He sets the bowl of popcorn in the sink, choosing to deal with it in the morning. He’s sure he would make a huge mess anyway after consuming the rest of the beer in his fridge. Sehun was rolling his ball around more, one that didn’t have a bell in it, when Luhan slides into bed. He hears the soft laughter of his fairy and sees the glow of his wings every now and then.

Sehun still wasn’t all the way warmed up to him but at least things were improving.