Luhan flutters nervously through his tiny cottage, tending to his flowers with quivering fingers and singing to them with a shaky voice. He touches their petals and whispers a small prayer, watching the flowers bloom and flourish underneath his fingertips. Outside his window, he can see other fairies doing the same exact thing. It's with unspoken dread that they flit around doing what they used to love most with weight hanging off their shoulders. Today is the dreadful day, and every fairy knows it.

 

It's been a gradual thing. When Luhan was born, his parents had already told him that their city was halfway between the sky and the ground, in a weird limbo between the fairies' sanctuary and where the humans dwell. They had warned him that every day, gravity is slowly pulling their precious city down, centimeter by centimeter by centimeter, and one day, it will meet the ground, their magic and the thinning atmosphere unable to hold it up any longer. And Luhan has always, always, feared this day.

 

The 20th day of April in the year 2015.
 

 

 

 

Luhan has a policy that he will always make the most out of the day. He's one of the more optimistic fairies, always smiling, always friendly, always willing to be out and about. So it's rare to see him cooped up in his cottage, and even today, when he wants nothing more than to stay within his cottage saying goodbye to his flowers, he still flits around the village, giving his well wishes to fellow fairies. Luhan even decides to pay a visit to his friend, Kyungsoo's, cottage.

 

“I don't understand how you can be so happy right now,” Kyungsoo sighs as he packs dirt tightly around his flowers.

 

Luhan shrugs, kicking his feet back and forth, and looks out the window. The sun is climbing higher in the sky now, and there's only so much of the day left before the expected crash. Some fairies are flying about outside, making last minute preparations so they can survive the crash. It's a far stretch but all the fairies have been hoping and hoping that maybe they can make it. It's why every fairy has put protective magic on their house, why every fairy tried to act like it was just any other normal day, why every fairy still tended to their flowers. It was hope that kept them going. But as the day wears on, Luhan sees the hope wither away and exhaustion bloom in their eyes instead. Even Kyungsoo, who cares so much about his flowers, half-heartedly flies between them, waving a defeated hand over the plants. His lack of enthusiasm almost makes Luhan's own wings droop and his smile fade away, but he tries not to let it dampen his mood.

 

Turning away from the somber sight outside, Luhan slides off the window ledge where he was perched and finally says, “We all just need a sunflower right now.”

 

 

 

 

Luhan leaves Kyungsoo's house in the afternoon, deciding that he should best be going back to eat something for lunch. Kyungsoo had offered, but after seeing him almost spill his milk twice, Luhan declined, making up some lame excuse that he wanted to tend to his flowers. Kyungsoo believes him, simply because fairies can't lie, and bids him goodbye and a hopefully safe rest of the day.

 

He skips down the path to his cottage and hums a little tune his parents had sang to him years before, a wordless but hopeful melody. He had been told that it was traditionally sung so that luck would be brought upon all that hear it, and right now, Luhan believes he needs all the luck he can get. When he finally reaches his front door though, he stops singing, the next few notes stuck in his throat. His skin prickles, and the feeling of impending doom stops him in his tracks. Then, the screams and panicked shouts reach his ears. There is lots of noise all of a sudden, and he hears flower pots crashing to the floor and sees fairies clambering out of their houses. Something sears his back and heart, like something important has been taken away from him, only leaving a gaping hole in its wake. There are more screams, and he realizes one of the many voices adding to the ruckus is his own. The pain of whatever was taken from him leaves him gasping for air and unable to process anything.

 

The last thing Luhan is aware of when the ground slips from beneath his feet is that the sky is unbelievably beautiful that day.

 

-

 

Luhan is rudely awakened from his slumber by... absolutely nothing. He pouts as he stares up at the ceiling, upset that he had to wake up from that wonderful dream about butterflies finding their mates in a field of sunflowers and falling in love and- he rolls over and throws the covers over himself, desperately wanting to return to his dream. He's just drifting back to dreamland when he jolts awake. The last thing he remembers is falling, not the soft material of a bed and blanket. He pats himself and his surroundings only to find that they are, in fact, real.

 

What the heck? He scrambles to sit up and rest against the pillows. Maybe he's dreaming. The impact of hitting the ground should've killed him, even if he is a fairy. He pinches himself just to make sure and only gets two nail marks and raised, angry red skin. A shiver runs through him. Something's not right. Out of fear, Luhan bunches the blanket around himself and buries his face into it, trying to create a protective barrier. Maybe if he keeps still and stays silent enough, nobody will notice him.

 

Luhan sits in tensed silence for a few minutes before he hears the sound of footsteps. Immediately, he's on his guard (by that he means he shrinks into the blanket more) and fears what's going to happen next. The footsteps grow louder before he hears them stop. With wide eyes, he peeks out of his blankets just to see the doorknob turn and then a head sticks in.

 

From when he was a young fairy, Luhan has been conditioned to think that all humans are terrible beings. They either treat fairies like scum and want to capture and kill them or even conduct a few experiments on them to prove their wickedness, or they were curious about them and believed that capturing them will bring magic and good things to themselves. Either way, fairies end up trapped and are forced to live their lives miserably until their last breath. Fairies are free creatures after all, and keeping them confined in tight spaces doesn't exactly bring out the good in them.

 

So, Luhan has developed quite a chronic fear of humans. And when a male human, of all beings, pops out from behind the door, the first thing Luhan does is scream.

 

The human looks startled at his outburst, and he stumbles back and hits his head on the doorway, eliciting a surprised squawk. Usually, this would be amusing for Luhan, but there are more pressing matters on his mind, like the fact that he's going to die. He isn't ready for this; he's too young and he's going to be trapped here forever, and all he ever wanted to see from Earth are puppies, that mysterious circle humans call pizza, and the magical force that powers their objects.

 

The human recovers from his meeting with the doorframe and holds his hands out, palms facing Luhan, looking wary. “Sorry if I startled you.”

 

Startled him?! Luhan thinks. Was he supposed to be sleeping before the pain sets in or what? He pulls up the blankets around himself and hopes the human won't take another step towards him.

 

“I couldn't find anything with your information on it so I hoped that you could tell me where I can send you back. I mean you were knocked out for quite a while,” the human explains, waving his hands around.

 

The human seems nice enough, Luhan thinks. Maybe he won't kill him after all. But then, the human makes a grave mistake. He moves towards Luhan again.

 

Luhan's brain short-circuits and all previous thoughts about how nice the human is are thrown out the window. “What are you doing, who are you, and why have you captured me?”

 

The male puts his hands up in surrender yet again. “I'm just getting a glass of water so you can drink,” he nods towards where the innocent cup sits, “And I'm Oh Sehun, freshman in college. I haven't captured you, I found you passed out at a park and I don't know where to send you back home yet.”

 

He walks forward again, and Luhan is still one hundred and ten percent convinced he is going to die.

 

“Don't move, human!” he yells, pointing a shaky finger at this Oh Sehun.

 

At this point, the human looks more confused than startled. “Are you saying you're not human?”

 

Luhan doesn't know whether to be relieved or shocked. The human has obviously not captured him for his magic nor does he seem like he is going to poke at him with various sharp objects, which is good because Luhan still has a chance to live. But then, he also wishes his parents had told him how stupid humans are. It may just be this human in particular but Luhan is sure anybody can see his wings-

 

Wait a second. Luhan grapples at his back. The familiar texture of his wings has disappeared. Horrified, he twists and turns to get a good look behind him and finds that his wings are indeed gone. Luhan's mind goes blank, and he sits in stunned silence for a few moments, mouth agape.

 

The human has the decency to leave him in his peace before he interrupts quietly, “Are you okay? Did you hit your head really hard? Do you need to be sent to the hospital? I promise I'm not trying to hurt you or anything.”

 

Luhan laughs nervously, “Yeah, yeah, I'm fine,” he laughs some more and the sound is starting to grate on his eardrums. He’s not even sure if he’s trying to convince the human or himself anymore. “I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm totally fine.”

 

The human looks at him funny but doesn't say anything else. The male walks forward slowly, as if testing Luhan – and Luhan may or may not be holding in a scream bubbling at his throat – and retrieves the glass on the nightstand next to Luhan and hands it over to him. Everything the human does is gentle and calming, and Luhan finds that he actually doesn't mind him, his chronic fear of humans aside.

 

When Luhan takes a big gulp of water from the cup, the human – no, Oh Sehun, that was what he said his name is – sits cautiously on the edge of the bed. Luhan is grateful that Sehun doesn't prod or invade his personal space, and he lets the male take the glass from his hands and place it back on his nightstand.

 

“So, you have any address to go to? I can't exactly send you there by car or anything, but I do know the bus system like the back of my hand,” Sehun says, when he settles himself on the edge of the bed again.

 

Luhan has no idea what an address or a car is, let alone this bus Sehun speaks of, so he hesitantly shakes his head, a little wide-eyed. Silently, he prays that he answered the question correctly. The only answer he gets is a pitying look from Sehun – dear god, he answered wrong, didn't he – before the other male gets up and walks towards a door in the side of the room.

 

Luhan fidgets with his blankets and watches as Sehun rummages through the little room. When he comes back out, there is a shirt and a pair of blue pants in his hands. Luhan stares curiously at them, not recognizing the material, but when he looks at what Sehun is wearing, he recognizes the clothing style immediately.

 

“I'm assuming you're not...” Sehun his lips, trying to find the right words to say. “As fortunate to have a home so you can stay with me for now.” He stands next to Luhan and awkwardly hands him the material in his hands. “You can change into my clothes since you don’t have another set. Bathroom's over there,” Sehun scratches his head and nervously smiles.

 

The human world is strange, Luhan thinks as he eases himself out of the bed. There are so many new terms and they have a weird combination of words. He knows what a bath is and what a room is but he would never think about ever having a bathroom. He took baths in the spring near the big willow tree, not in some confined space. How could you fit all those fairies? Gravity is much stronger here too because right after Luhan slides out of the bed, his knees buckle, and he finds himself falling forward. There are no wings to save him from an ungraceful tumble, and if it weren't for Sehun who caught him in his arms right away, he would've had an early meeting with the floor.

 

Luhan looks up at his savior and thanks him quietly. Sehun only smiles sheepishly, “I forgot you probably didn't walk in a while. You slept for at least six hours here but god knows how long you spent out in the park. Here, let me help you.”

 

Arms hoist him up so his feet can touch the floor, and then Sehun leans Luhan against him, tucking an arm around his waist. The human is a little taller than himself, since Luhan's chin only comes up to his shoulder. Obviously, then, Luhan rests his head on Sehun's shoulder and flops against him, considering the human had practically offered to drag him to the bathroom. Sehun glances at Luhan and laughs at his slight vegetative state.

 

“That weak?” he asks, even though he probably knows Luhan is just being lazy. Hey, not having wings is taking a toll on Luhan (not that Sehun knows that, of course).

 

“Mmhmm,” Luhan hums in response. Sehun smells nice, he notes. Sehun is nice, actually.

 

Maybe humans aren’t as bad as he’s been told.

 

-

 

They fall into a routine for the next two weeks. Luhan wakes up bright and early, right when the sun rises. Back in the city, this was perfect time for him to take care of his plants, and even though Sehun has barely any plants in his dorm (that's what Sehun called his cottage) and Luhan doesn't have much magic left, Luhan spends his time slowly reviving the plants. Luhan learns that Sehun wakes up around 10 for his classes and isn't exactly subtle with his morning routines. He stomps around noisily and grumbles a lot and sometimes runs straight into things, giving Luhan enough time to finish whatever spell he's casting before Sehun is anywhere close to where Luhan is.

 

Sometimes, Sehun stumbles into the room with half-lidded eyes and messy bed hair, squinting at Luhan and asking who he is. Sometimes, he has a toothbrush in hand and is rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Sometimes, he's whining about how he doesn't want to go to class and just wants to stay home and sleep some more. Whichever Sehun it is that day, Luhan greets him calmly, presenting him with a little breakfast of the foods he can identify, and tucking away yet another image of an adorable, half-awake human into his memories. It's hard not to become fond of the kind human, after all, especially if said human radiates cute in the morning.

 

Despite Sehun's grumpy mood when he heads off to his classes, he always leaves Luhan somewhat friendly reminders like please don't turn on the lights during the daytime and yes, those are real people in the TV set and they're not trapped there (Luhan had almost cried the first time he the box called the TV) and Jesus Christ, don't call me during class (Luhan sheepishly remembers that day: Sehun bursting into the apartment, looking frazzled as he yells for Luhan, only to find out nothing has happened to the latter, and he left his important lecture for nothing; Sehun didn't exactly speak to him for the next hour).

 

Sehun usually returns to the dorm at around 3 in the afternoon – or if he has later classes, around 5 – to find Luhan sitting on the couch without a single thing disturbed. Of course, that's the calm before the storm because Luhan always finds something (human objects are strange but efficient) he wants to ask Sehun about.

 

Luhan's grateful that Sehun doesn't ask him too many questions about himself because A) he doesn't want to reveal what he actually is (because god knows what monster Sehun will become when he finds out Luhan is a magical being) and B) he honestly doesn't even know how he's going to respond to his questions in a unsuspicious way. Like really, what is a cell phone and why does it have a number? He asks that to Sehun one day and gets a strange look but still, no questions. Sehun just patiently explains the terms to him.

 

They sleep at weird hours in the night, ranging from 11PM to 5AM, depending on what Sehun is doing that day. Oddly, Luhan has seen him sleep at midnight with an important assignment due in about two day's time, but when it comes to the shows (they're the moving pictures on the television) he wants to watch, he goes all the way, even staying up to 5AM to wait for a new episode to come out. Luhan doesn't mind since he doesn't need much sleep anyways. Besides, Sehun's sleeping face is well worth the while, and whether Luhan is throwing a blanket onto Sehun slouched over his desk or staring up at the human in the dark when he's curled up on the futon, he finds his gaze lingering on the male for a few more seconds before he turns away. He doesn't exactly want to admit it, but he has developed quite a crush on the kind human. Luhan tries to bury this thought, but it remains in the back of his mind, always nagging, always reminding him.

 

-

 

The first time Luhan meets Park Chanyeol is on a Friday night, when Sehun is in the shower and Luhan is sitting on the couch admiring how the plants have flourished under his care. Chanyeol bursts in like a raging storm, all flailing limbs and bright smiles. Luhan, having not met another human yet, almost screams but manages to suppress it behind two hands. He does fall off the couch though, and the loud thump stops Chanyeol in his tracks. The human turns and stares down at him, and Luhan feels small under his gaze.

 

“Hi,” he squeaks.

 

The human frowns at him and Luhan uncomfortably shifts, the unsettling gaze on him giving him shivers. But then the male suddenly smiles. “Hi, I'm Chanyeol and I hope you're not robbing my friend or anything.”

 

Luhan doesn't speak, completely frozen in terror (it's not possible somebody can smile that much) but luckily, Sehun emerges from the bedroom, towel in hand, and answers for him. “Yeol, you're scaring him.”

 

Chanyeol's eyebrows furrow, as if he had just found out that he had this kind of effect on people, and Sehun laughs before he says, “Luhan, this is my best friend, Park Chanyeol. Chanyeol, this is Luhan, my roommate.”

 

Chanyeol whistles and wiggles his eyebrows. “Damn, he's cute. Are you sure you're roommates? Not something more? It's not possible that somebody so cute could be living with you and not be... you know.”

 

Luhan has no idea what the words that had just left Chanyeol's mouth mean nor does he understand the actions that followed, so he watches in blank amusement as Sehun turns red and throws the towel at his friend’s head while Chanyeol roars with laughter.

 

“What are you here for, ?” he splutters out.

 

At this, Chanyeol pouts and a puppy dog look takes over his face. “Awwwww, how could you forget, Oh Sehun? Too busy doing naughty things that you can't remember old traditions with your best friend?”

 

Sehun looks like he's going to throw something else at Chanyeol, and he glances nervously at Luhan, but Luhan isn't paying much attention. Instead, he's staring at Chanyeol in bewilderment. When he had pouted, the human had the cutest puppy face ever. Luhan didn't even know humans could look like puppies, but Chanyeol's face is proof enough.

 

Seeing Luhan's dazed expression, Sehun calls him cautiously, “Luhan?”

 

“Puppy,” Luhan murmurs, pointing at Chanyeol. Chanyeol dissolves into peals of laughter once again because of Sehun's disgusted face.

 

 

 

Apparently, Friday nights are specially reserved for Sehun and Chanyeol to play video games, yell at each other and talk about stuff going on in their lives. Luhan is invited anyways, only because they couldn't kick him out.

 

Luhan spends the first ten minutes just watching them play a strange game with cartoon people and weird cars (but then again, Luhan thinks cars are weird in general). They rant about school and stress and the tons of projects they've procrastinated on or the ridiculous amounts of homework piled on to them. It's only when there's a lull in the conversation and Sehun is smashing buttons does Luhan lean over and ask him what he's doing.

 

Sehun's used to his random, out of the blue questions now so he explains the controls as best as he can while keeping his eyes on the TV, sometimes cursing in the middle of his sentence when he makes a mistake. Chanyeol, however, seems unsettled by Luhan and throws him a long side glance. The fairy feels like he's going to be dissected with the way Chanyeol is staring at him. Thankfully, Chanyeol's character crashes into something, so he returns his attention to the screen, finally taking his eyes off of Luhan, and all the fairy hopes for is that he forgets about the whole thing.

 

Chanyeol obviously doesn't because immediately after he crosses the finish line on the race, accompanied by Sehun's curses for placing second again, he turns to Luhan and narrows his eyes at him. “You've never heard of Mario Kart before?”

 

Luhan laughs nervously and the sound is loud and grates at his ears. Thankfully, Sehun saves him once again from intense questioning when he mutters for Chanyeol to shut up and play him again. Luhan kind of wants to hug him right now but he settles with digging his nails into his thighs so he doesn't do something weird like that.

 

For the rest of the night, Chanyeol still looks at Luhan weird but doesn't say anything much to him. Instead, he immerses himself into the game. Besides, in about twenty minutes' time, Sehun and Chanyeol have moved onto another topic to talk about, and Luhan sits back, feeling as if he had just escaped some serious danger.

 

 

 

 

It's around 2 in the morning and Luhan can't sleep. Chanyeol's skeptical stare burns in his mind, and he realizes that although humans can be nice, they can't all be as understanding as Sehun. Luhan did enjoy Chanyeol's company; he was funny and made tons of bad jokes and laughed real loud and treated Luhan kindly, but that didn't mean Luhan could let his guard down, especially since Chanyeol looked at him like he was going to pick him apart.

 

Sehun shifts from somewhere above him, and then his quiet voice cuts through the still air. “Luhan, you're still awake, right?”

 

“Yeah. Sorry, did I wake you? I just have some stuff on my mind.”

 

Sehun doesn't say anything for a few moments, and Luhan almost thinks he imagined the previous conversation until he hears the rustle of blankets. Sehun's head pops right over the mattress to stare down at Luhan lying on a futon. “You didn't wake me. But do you want to talk about whatever's bothering you?”

 

Luhan turns to face Sehun, wrapping his blankets around himself. Of course Luhan has a lot of questions to ask and plenty of information to spill, but he finds that he can't say anything of relative importance (and definitely not anything about Chanyeol looking at him weird the whole time he was over) so he finds himself mumbling, “I kind of miss my friends.”

 

He’s relieved when Sehun doesn't laugh. “Do they live far away?”

 

Luhan thinks about his old home in the city in the sky and thinks of his fairy friends (especially Kyungsoo, who he considers his closest friend) and wonders if they had survived the crash like he has and are now living among humans. Or maybe they weren't that fortunate and- no, he couldn't think like that right now.

 

Luhan buries his face into his pillow and says, “Yeah. I miss them a lot. There was a huge accident before you found me and I haven't seen any of them since.”

 

The silence that falls between the two of them is not uncomfortable but Luhan still finds himself fidgeting. He hadn't revealed too much about himself or his true identity, but for some reason, Luhan feels bare, like he's told Sehun every little secret about himself. And after that realization, Luhan feels something hot forming in his eyes. He brings up a hand to wipe at them only to find his hand damp after. Luhan's aware that Sehun is still peering down at him in the darkness, but he can't stop sniffling.

 

Finally, Sehun says, “Did I ever tell you that one time Chanyeol was almost run over by a car because he was too busy drooling over somebody else?”

 

“What?” Luhan chokes out.

 

“Yeah, I yelled at him at least five times to watch where he was going, but he just didn't listen. He only stopped because he was trying to see the other person in a crowd of people but couldn't. I almost lost five years of my life watching him almost die right across the street.”

 

Despite the rather unfortunate incident and his current tears, Luhan finds himself laughing really hard. He can only imagine Chanyeol's face as he dumbly stares into the distance while Sehun screams and screams at him. That only makes Luhan laugh harder, and his tears of sadness turn into tears of mirth. When he finally settles down enough so that he can breathe and speak properly, Luhan tells him a funny story about Kyungsoo and it's Sehun's turn to laugh so hard he can't breathe.

 

At around three in the morning, the two are still exchanging stories and laughs. The fatigue of the early hour eventually gets to Sehun though. Luhan thinks he's pretty good at reading Sehun's body language now so when the human starts tapering off and humming to show he's listening instead of responding with actual words, Luhan nags him to go to sleep. It's not hard for the human to do because in about a few minutes, he's out like a light.

 

Luhan lays on the futon, staring up at the dark ceiling for a few minutes before he decides to go to sleep too. Right before he falls asleep, he turns over and watches Sehun shift in his sleep, smiling softly when the human whimpers a little. Somehow, the problem with Chanyeol's growing suspicion and him missing his friends had been pushed to the back of his mind after the past hour. And he knows that it's all because of Sehun, who makes him feel welcomed in this strange world, who helps him without question, who stays up to help cheer him up, and who makes him feel warm and fluffy inside.

 

-

 

“Remember you can turn with that thing.”

 

“Press A. Press A. Press A. Luhan, press A.”

 

“No, no, hold A now. Luhan, Luhan, Luhan.”

 

Luhan squeaks as his character is yet again rammed off the road. Sehun rubs his forehead tiredly but still tries to coach him, gently telling him to press and hold A, dear god and that he needs to turn, turn, turn, turn. It's hard doing so many things at once, and Luhan pouts when his character finally crosses the finish line, a huge eight displayed on the screen.

 

“I don't get how you play this game,” Luhan says, exasperated. He throws the controller down and glares at it, as if it ruined his chance at winning.

 

“It was your decision to learn how to play Mario Kart. You'll get it eventually.”

 

Luhan pouts. He hadn't thought Mario Kart was this hard when he watched Sehun and Chanyeol play it a few days ago, which was why, earlier that day, he had begged Sehun to teach him how to play. It's a mistake and misjudgement on his part, really, but he still glares at the controller like it's the reason why his life is so difficult.

 

Sehun exhales slowly and with a small smile on his lips, places the controller back into Luhan's hands. “Just try again.”

 

It takes Luhan another five rounds of shouting at the TV, Sehun's gentle coaching and encouragement (that might or might not have helped; Luhan isn't sure because he's too busy cursing the game), and intense button smashing before he gets a decent fifth place in the game.

 

“Oh my god,” Luhan mumbles when the five flashes across the screen, feeling accomplished. “I did it. I did it. I did it.”

 

Sehun, having left the room to get some snacks, doesn't expect an armful of Luhan when he returns. Scared he might drop the food, he raises his arms while Luhan hugs him, yelling something inaudible on the top of his lungs.

 

“What are you so excited about?” Sehun asks, amused.

 

Luhan pulls back and looks up at him, still not releasing Sehun from his hold. His eyes are shining with happiness, and Sehun's heart stutters at the sight. “I got fifth place!”

 

It's not much but Sehun doesn't tell Luhan because the smaller male's practically radiating happiness and he's not about to ruin that. Instead, he nods and congratulates him with a smile.

 

Luhan's own smile grows wider and he hugs Sehun again, murmuring numerous 'thank you's. Speechless, Sehun hugs him back, adjusting the bowl he's still holding so it doesn't dig into Luhan's back, and pretends he isn't turning red because Luhan's hugs are nice and he may or may not want to hug Luhan all the time now.

 

-

 

Sehun is up late again, staring down at a textbook, head in his hands. He grumbles and curses under his breath every once in a while, but mostly keeps muttering the information on the page to himself. The pencil in his hand knocks against his forehead at a steady rhythm. At one point, he hits himself too hard, lets out a string of curses and then flips to the next page. Occasionally, he writes something down in the margin of his textbook or in his notes. The coffee cup next to him is almost empty already, and he'll probably fill it up a few more times before he even finishes reading over all the material.

 

Luhan takes this all in and worriedly watches the human stress over his upcoming test. It's nearing 12:30 but Sehun doesn't even look halfway done reviewing. Luhan feels like he should offer something, anything, to help Sehun, but he doesn't want to interrupt him. Luhan eyes the now empty cup and decides maybe he'll help him get more coffee. After all, according to Sehun, coffee is the human drink that helps people stay awake, and Sehun does look like he needs as much coffee as he can get. Granted, Luhan doesn't know how to work the coffee machine, but it's the effort and the thought that always counts, right?

 

When Luhan approaches Sehun's desk to retrieve the coffee cup, Sehun looks up. He looks like he's still in a daze and Luhan feels terrible for interrupting.

 

“You're still awake?” the human asks, his voice hoarse from underuse.

 

“Yeah,” Luhan answers quietly, unwilling to disturb the silence that has fallen over the dorm. “Just wanted to get you some more coffee.”

 

Sehun's hand stops him from leaving. “Just go to sleep. I'll deal with it.”

 

Luhan doesn't know what to do nor say (and the small sleepy smile on Sehun's face doesn't help either) so he obeys and slinks away into the bedroom.

 

 

 

The silence in the bedroom is unsettling without Sehun's slow and steady breaths, and Luhan finds himself tossing and turning for much longer than normal. Finally, he sits up, not one bit sleepy, and decides he's going to go check up on Sehun. He shuffles out of the bedroom a few minutes later, after tripping over random things in the dark, and finds Sehun in the exact same position as Luhan had left him. If anything, Sehun looks even more confused and more disoriented than before, his eyes starting to glaze over and a frown taking over his features. He's so focused on his notes that he doesn't even notice Luhan shuffling out of the bedroom until he's standing right next to his desk, another chair in his hands.

 

Sehun only spares him a quick glance. “Why are you still awake? You must be sleepy.”

 

Luhan shakes his head, “Nah, I'm okay. The question is why are you still awake? You look like you're going to drop dead any second.”

 

“Can't. Math test tomorrow. Can't afford to fail it.”

 

Luhan looks over Sehun's shoulder at his notes. From what Luhan's seeing (which is a bunch of numbers and- are those letters?), even his head is starting to swim with confusion. “At least take a break,” Luhan says.

 

The fairy doesn't even give him a chance to say no before he's pressing his thumbs into his back. He hums a little tune his parents used to sing to him whenever he was scared or too hyper, and he hopes the song will soothe Sehun as well. The sigh that escapes Sehun doesn't go unnoticed, and Luhan smirks and stops singing, watching as Sehun relaxes in his hold.

 

“Better?” he asks, just for the sake of it.

 

“A lot,” Sehun groans, sliding forward so Luhan can reach his back better. He doesn't say anything else after that, and when Luhan checks, his eyes are closed and a blissful smile is on his face.

 

In the five minutes Luhan massages him, he's pretty sure the human slips into a little nap, but he focuses more on the slow, circular motions he's making rather than on whether Sehun is sleeping or not. When his hands get tired, he moves them away, pretty sure Sehun's asleep, but right when he does, Sehun blearily opens his eyes, squinting at him.

 

“Why'd you stop?” Sehun whines. He pouts, and somewhere in the back of Luhan's mind, Chanyeol gets kicked out of first place position for best puppy eyes and Sehun's sad, pouting expression replaces it.

 

“My hands were getting tired and it's around,” Luhan glances at the clock, “two now so I should go sleep.”

 

And just because he can, Luhan gently chucks Sehun under the chin and wishes him good luck on studying and his test. The quiet thank you he receives in return is enough for Luhan to sleep peacefully with a smile on his face.

 

-

 

“You know I just realized you've never left this dorm. Ever. Doesn't it get boring?” Sehun asks over lunch one Friday.

 

Luhan shrugs. “Everything's really fascinating. Where I come from, we don't have this kind of stuff.”

 

Luhan glances up and it's that look again. Luhan's become good at reading Sehun's expressions so he easily identifies this one as a look of pity (the same one he gave to that one male lead in that drama when the girl ignored him for some other jerk face guy). He can't deal with that look because he doesn't need pity. The whole fairy city was able to operate perfectly fine on traditional machinery and magic. But Sehun doesn't know that so Luhan just keeps his mouth shut and stares down at his food. They eat the rest of their lunch in tense silence.

 

 

 

It's not until they sit down on the couch and have the TV on that Sehun finally says, “Sorry about that. I didn't mean to make things weird or anything.”

 

Luhan doesn't reply, knowing Sehun has more to say; he’s scratching his neck, a sign of nervousness and that he’s trying to come up with the right words before he speaks. And just like predicted, Sehun says, “Do you want to go out for dinner instead of ordering takeout like usual?”

 

Sehun's really, really nervous, Luhan notes in amusement. He's scratching faster at his neck like that would rid the blush that's crawling up towards his face, and he's stuttering out random excuses in case Luhan tells him no. It's actually really cute.

 

Deciding to put Sehun out of his misery, he reaches over to pat Sehun on the cheek and nods. Sehun's relieved smile lights up his entire face, and Luhan finds himself smiling back.

 

 

 

After watching a few drama reruns and screaming at the main characters for being so stupid, they leave for dinner at around six. They walk because the restaurant Sehun wants to bring Luhan to is nearby (plus, Luhan isn’t completely ready to get into a bus filled with other humans yet). They talk about the drama as they walk, retelling their favorite parts and complaining about the characters. Sometimes, Luhan breaks off the conversation and asks what some things he had spotted are, and Sehun, as if he had been expecting this, explains what it is to him, his voice soft.

 

They arrive at the restaurant in a few minutes and are seated at a booth near the back of the restaurant. Luhan doesn't understand a single word on the menu he's handed so he stares at Sehun and hopes he gets the message. Thankfully, Sehun does. When the waiter comes, he lists off a couple dishes and soon, they're left alone again.

 

“What's that you're drinking?” Luhan asks, pointing at the weird drink Sehun has in his hands. It's a weird brown color, and there are black circles clumped on the bottom. It doesn't look appetizing, but Sehun keeps drinking more and more so it can't be that bad.

 

“It's called boba. I got chocolate this time, which is what makes it brown. The black stuff at the bottom are called tapioca pearls,” and the straw is already in Luhan's mouth by the time Sehun says, “Do you want to try some?”

 

Luhan has no words for the drink, simply because the drink is so damn good. Fairies naturally have a sweet tooth, and this boba drink has satisfied Luhan's in just one sip. “Oh my god,” he finds himself uttering.

 

“Good, right?” Sehun leans back in his chair. “It's my favorite drink ever. Coffee's just a close second.”

 

Luhan doesn't say anything and only sips from the straw again. Sehun seems to find that amusing because he snorts and motions for it to be handed back to him. When Luhan pouts at him, he falters but still says, “I have to make sure you don't finish all of my drink because it is, after all, my drink.”

 

Luhan sulks silently, glaring at Sehun in hopes that he would succumb and let him drink some more of that amazing boba. Sehun shakes his head and laughs but almost chokes on a tapioca pearl. Karma, Luhan thinks.

 

The waiter arrives with their food right then and Luhan's momentarily distracted by the food placed in front of him. The aroma is amazing and for a minute, Luhan thinks he's in food heaven. Why didn't Sehun take him out of the dorm earlier? He's missed out on such good food.

 

Sehun nudges him with a spoon, “This is called bibimbap. And-”

 

“It's amazing,” Luhan groans. He proceeds to stuff his face and doesn't say another word. Sehun laughs and also digs in.

 

-

 

It's Friday again and Chanyeol's coming over. Except, this time, he's bringing somebody else. The name Baekhyun manages to throw Sehun into a panic, and Luhan finds himself running all over the dorm, trying to ease Sehun's mounting stress. By the time the doorbell rings, the dorm is so clean, Luhan doesn't even recognize it. He's starting to think Sehun likes this Baekhyun because the only way to explain why the dorm is so neat and tidy is that he wants to impress somebody.

 

“Hey, Lu, can you get the door?” Sehun calls from where he's trying to position a plant (which, Luhan would like to say, has thrived beautifully thanks to his hard work).

 

But, of course, just like how Luhan first met Chanyeol, the giant puppy waltzes into the dorm like it's his own place without any invitation. This time, though, another shorter male accompanies him. Baekhyun is very pretty, Luhan realizes, and he has to stop in his tracks and just stare because it's impossible that a guy can be that pretty. Maybe that's why Sehun likes him (because he's so freaking pretty).

 

When Baekhyun finally spots Luhan, he also freezes. “Oh my god.”

 

Chanyeol laughs from beside him. “Luhan, this is Baekhyun. This is Luhan, Baek. Cute, right?”

 

“Oh my god,” Baekhyun repeats. “How are you roommates with Sehun?”

 

Luhan blinks, confused, and just shrugs, not sure how to answer. “He's nice?”

 

Sehun appears right then, looking nervous. Baekhyun immediately notices his presence and launches himself at the other male.

 

“Sehunnie!” he cries. “Your dorm is clean for once!”

 

“Hey, Baek,” Sehun greets back, and he's nervously smiling. Luhan shifts back and forth, suddenly feeling uncomfortable seeing Sehun hug somebody else.

 

Baekhyun lets go of Sehun (Luhan pretends he didn't breathe a sigh of relief) and eyes him. “What are we standing here waiting for then? I'm here to beat your in Mario Kart.”

 

He darts into the other room, but not before yelling over his shoulder, “Your plant is off center. It's annoying me."

 

Chanyeol follows, cackling at Sehun's distraught face.

 

 

 

“I WIN AGAIN!” Baekhyun cheers, ing his controller into the air.

 

The number one dances across the screen almost mockingly, and Luhan sulks over his measly seven. Baekhyun, on the other hand, is too far gone. He celebrates so hard that he falls into Chanyeol's lap in his excitement. The other male smiles down at him, and Baekhyun grins back, almost lovingly. Luhan watches them with jealousy because this is pure drama material (minus the tons of tears and deadly diseases) right in front of him. Sehun snorts beside him and scrolls through the different courses, eyes focused on the screen.

 

He must be hurt, seeing somebody he likes being lovey dovey with his best friend, Luhan thinks, remembering that Sehun may or may not have a crush on Baekhyun. He scoots closer and nudges the human.

 

“Hmmm?” Sehun hums. He stops his scrolling and turns to Luhan, eyebrows raised in question.

 

“No, nothing,” Luhan answers and scoots even closer, like that will shield Sehun from seeing Baekhyun playing with Chanyeol's fingers while the other smiles like mad.

 

 

 

Sehun flops down on the couch once he walks Chanyeol and Baekhyun to the door. He screams into the material, and Luhan looks at him in worry.

 

“You alright?”

 

Sehun lifts his head up. “Baekhyun stresses me out. He worries about every little detail all the time. I don't understand how Chanyeol stands him sometimes.”

 

Luhan tilts his head, surprised at the indifference, even slight disdain, Sehun is showing. Doesn't he like Baekhyun? He did clean up a whole entire apartment for him. He watches Sehun bury himself back into the couch.

 

Tentatively, he asks, “Are Chanyeol and Baekhyun... you know?”

 

Sehun visibly stiffens, and Luhan's almost worried he may have offended him, but when Sehun looks back up again, his face is stormy and he looks more guarded than anything. “Yeah, they're dating. You got a problem with that?”

 

Sehun rarely speaks harshly to Luhan so he's quite taken aback at his tone. He leans back in fright. “I was just wondering. I thought you liked Baekhyun or something.”

 

The angry expression dissolves, and Sehun laughs so hard, he almost chokes. There are even tears coming out of his eyes, and he wipes them away. “You watch too many dramas, Luhan.”

 

Luhan pouts. “They're awfully informative.”

 

Sehun shakes his head. “Whatever you like. But no, Baekhyun is just a friend. This isn't some love triangle.”

 

“But you cleaned up your whole dorm for him! You never ever do that.”

 

“Baekhyun would serve my to me on a platter if I don't have this place neat and tidy. Seriously, just a friend. Remember when I told you about how Chanyeol almost got run over?”

 

Luhan has to dig through his memory for that one late night, but when he recalls it, he lights up, laughter threatening to tear through him again. “You're saying that was Baekhyun?”

 

Sehun nods. “They were both really stupid back then and it took them forever to confess to each other.” Then, Sehun's voice suddenly becomes solemn. “But seriously, you're okay with them dating and stuff?”

 

Luhan's starting to think Sehun isn't as okay with them dating as he said he was. “Yeah, why?”

 

Sehun finally sits upright and grabs a pillow to hug to his chest. “I don’t know what they think about relationships where you’re from, but here, we don't have as much freedom to date people we want to, especially if they're not somebody from the opposite gender. Most people will look at Chanyeol and Baekhyun and think they're disgusting.”

 

Luhan makes a face. He's seen how sweet and subtle Chanyeol and Baekhyun's interactions are in the past three hours they stayed over. By no means is their relationship disgusting. Luhan had decided a long time ago that humans are weird, but he has never classified them as cruel until now. “That's mean. People should love whoever and not be called disgusting for it.”

 

Sehun quietly agrees. The silence that falls between them after is a bit unsettling, but nothing Luhan can't handle. Besides, he's wondering more about other stuff to notice the awkward silence.

 

“Sehun?” he asks.

 

Sehun, who had been dozing off a little, sits up in surprise, eyes flying open. “Yeah?”

 

“Have you ever fallen in love with anybody?”

 

The human leans back on the couch cushions and furrows his eyebrows in thought. It's not until a minute later that he says, “Yeah, twice before. Once in preschool, so I guess that doesn't count. And the other time was a few years back. I liked this one person because they were always nice to me and always supported me. It turned into something more than a crush without me knowing. Turns out they didn't like me as anything more than a friend. It was kind of hard to let that kind of love go,” Sehun kicks at the ground, staring down at his feet. He looks back up at Luhan. “Have you ever fallen in love with anybody?”

 

Luhan starts to think, trying to recall anything or anybody from the fairy city. He still remembers his friends and his family, but he doesn't recall anybody who made his heart race or made him feel like he was floating on clouds or that kind of thing. He opens his mouth to tell him that no, he hasn't fallen in love before, but then his gaze meets Sehun's, and Sehun smiles, his eyes curving into small crescents, and he nods as if encouraging him. It's something so simple yet means the world. Because then, the smile reminds Luhan of how nice and understanding Sehun has been to him, and how whenever Sehun smiles, it's like his world lights up and he can't help but smile back, and how he never pushes him to tell him things and how he's dorky and clumsy and cute and extremely, extremely handsome all wrapped into one being.

 

Luhan realizes then that he's never fallen in love. Not until now. He didn’t even realize his crush turned into something more until he actually looked at it. And suddenly, he can't meet Sehun's eyes, and he drops his gaze down to his socked feet, face feeling incredibly hot.

 

Sehun, obviously a little bit worried, reaches his leg out and nudges Luhan's foot. “Luhan?” he asks quietly.

 

Luhan finally looks back at Sehun but only for a brief moment. “Just once,” he replies simply.