Summary:

Four times the boys realized they love Soobin; and the one time he realized he loved them back.

[platonic/friendship]
[birthday gift for aribi]

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1.

If anyone wanted to know where Yeonjun was, all they had to do was go to the library.

In their small colony of fairies, there was a library that they had built underground. Yeonjun, being a fairy of knowledge, spent his spare time when he wasn't working perusing the many books that adorned the walls of the vast library.

Unlike others, he had not got the job from his parent fairy, who was a blessing fairy. As a whole, reproduction of fairies was much different than human reproduction and only 1 fairy was enough to give birth to another. So every fairy had 1 parent normally, with the rest of the colony considered as a close family.

Seokjin, Yeonjun's father, should have had a blessing fairy as a baby (because that's how reproduction worked in them) but by some sort of a twist of fate – Soobin refuses to call it anything other than “a miracle, hyung!” – Yeonjun had turned out to be a knowledge fairy.

Knowledge fairies tended to be shy and kept to themselves. Even then, Yeonjun stuck out because he had taken on his father's excitement and overflowing love and was one of the loudest and brightest fairies in the Hive colony. And the feeling of being the odd one out always followed Yeonjun wherever he went.

Eventually, that had pressed the enthusiasm out of him and he just stuck to doing his work and reading quietly in the library that was currently overlooked by Jeongguk, the older knowledge fairy of the colony. On a normal day, Yeonjun just had to go and read up on various topics so he could get ready to start work when he finally grew old enough.

Knowledge fairies went around and cast affinities for certain things onto newly born human babies. When those babies grew up, they usually found themselves excelling in those fields and the task of choosing what to assign to them was a knowledge fairy's.

"Yeonjun?" Jeongguk's voice startled the young pink haired fairy that was staring at one of the bookworms working on the higher shelves. "You okay there? You never space out and I'm worried."

The frown on the older fairy's face was enough to snap Yeonjun into an automatic reassuring smile as he immediately replied, "I'm fine, hyung. Just thinking about whether I'm prepared enough for my first job next week."

"You won't be alone," Jeongguk said encouragingly, his doe eyes softening even more than usual as he looked at Yeonjun fondly. Really, fairies had only one parent by nature but Yeonjun had been raised by both Jin and Jeongguk so he found himself considering both of them as his parents in his head. "I'll be there overlooking it. Don't worry, I taught you myself and I know you're ready."

"Of course, hyung," Yeonjun just smiled, not being able to convey why he was feeling nervous. He knew he was ready, he knew he could do it without any problems… but there was still an inkling of doubt somewhere in the back of his mind that told him something is going to go wrong.

"Now, I have to go and deliver some of the books to the Sweet Maple colony," Jeongguk said apologetically, "so can I entrust you with taking care of the library?"

"Wait," Yeonjun's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why are you going to deliver them yourself? Isn't there a worker fairy who can do it?"

"They are unfortunately all swamped with fixing the houses that got broken because of the recent picnic those humans did," Jeongguk said sadly. "I couldn't bother them with something so simple that's why I'm going over myself. I'll be back by midnight, just watch over the register and keep track of who comes and goes. You know how everything works, I don't need to tell you."

With a pat on the back, the older fairy flew out of the wide hole that connected the underground library to the colony outside. Yeonjun just stared at the hole for a few seconds before flying over and plopping himself down on Jeongguk's seat.

He could take care of the library for once.

Taking care of the library was hard on the days a lot of fairies came in. With the need for new charts, maps and blueprints for building the homes again, the worker fairies had had to come and borrow a lot of things. It kept Yeonjun busy straight through the evening and by the time it was silent again, night had fallen outside.

Even the bookworms had left, wanting to go home after a day of work. Yeonjun couldn't close the library until Jeongguk came back so he stayed alone behind, making sure everything was in its right place. Even though the library was underground, it was still bright as day because of the fairy lights that were placed there by the light fairies of their colony.

Yeonjun flew inside the maze of the library, knowing it as well as his own house. To the other fairies, it was confusing and they often got lost in there but Yeonjun having grown up there knew it well enough to navigate it close eyed. He went deep inside because he wasn't expecting anyone else; it was late and everyone knew that the library was closed now. Only Jeongguk would be coming so Yeonjun decided to borrow a book home for some night reading because the nervousness was back.

He couldn't settle down until he felt like there was nothing that could go wrong.

So when there was a concerned shout of his name echoing from the other end of the library, it startled the pink haired fairy. The voice was familiar, one that Yeonjun could recognise in his sleep– he had, after all, grown up with Soobin.

What was Soobin doing here?

"I'm here!" Yeonjun shouted back. He paused for a few seconds, hoping for a response but realised his mistake. Soobin sounded worried– in such a case, he would try to find Yeonjun in the library. And he would get lost because Yeonjun was too far in. "Soobin!! Don't come here, I'll come out, stay where you are!"

"Too late hyung, I have no clue where you or I are!" Soobin's voice echoed. Even Yeonjun couldn't tell where it was coming from but for some ridiculous reason, laughter bubbled up his throat. Yeonjun giggled as he flew through the shelves, shouting for Soobin to sing so he could try to find him. "This isn't funny hyung, stop laughing! I can hear you all the way from here."

It was a whine but even like this, Yeonjun didn't miss the laughter in Soobin's voice. He just flew harder, faster when he heard Soobin start singing shyly. It was one of his favourite voices in the world and if he closed his eyes, he could feel where it was coming from. Eyes closed, Yeonjun flew on until the singing paused to scream a, "HYUNG, STOP–"

Yeonjun flew right into Soobin, the two of them tumbling into the shelf. The books fell and they fell along with them– reflexively, Yeonjun reached out to protect Soobin from the fall but even before he could, he found himself being wrapped in large gangly limbs and a whisper of, "Hold tight."

Somehow, that seemed to make the fall hurt less– or maybe it was because Soobin protected him. Yeonjun doesn't know, but as he lay on top of the books that had fallen down with Soobin next to him, murmuring about Yeonjun's bones being the worst creation on earth, he just found the giggles erupting again.

"I'm starting to get concerned again," Soobin mumbled, side-eyeing him. Yeonjun just shook his head, pausing in his giggles to smile warmly at the ceiling.

"I just, I feel very light right now," Yeonjun confessed. "Why did you come here right now?"

"You are usually home by now," Soobin said, red rushing to his cheeks in embarrassment. That made Yeonjun turn his head to look at Soobin curiously.

"How did you know?"

"I, uhm, I always check on all of you before I go home," Soobin admitted, his entire face resembling the tomatoes he helped grow in the field next to their colony. He refused to look at Yeonjun and just said, "It worries me when you're not there. I had to come and check on you."

"I'm fine, Binnie," Yeonjun said warmly, looking back at the ceiling as he slipped his hand into Soobin's. "Waiting for Jeongguk-hyung to come back."

"What were you doing inside?" Soobin asked, squeezing his hand in a show of comfort.

"Looking for a book for reading when I go home," Yeonjun replied.

"Night reading?" Soobin paused, looking at Yeonjun for the first time since they fell. "What's wrong? You don't do that unless you're nervous…"

"My first job is next week," Yeonjun said, knowing that Soobin knows this already. "I just, I don't feel ready."

Soobin didn't say anything, just squeezed his hand and hummed. They lay there in silence looking at the ceiling and Yeonjun wondered why Soobin wouldn't say anything.

"Are you scared you will mess this up?" Soobin asked, his voice as gentle as it could ever be. "Are you thinking that you won't be able to do even this?"

Yeonjun's breath hitched. How could Soobin read him so well?

"I know you act like you're unfazed by others' opinions, hyung," Soobin said carefully. "But I also know how much it affects you. I know you have points where you doubt yourself."

"I do," Yeonjun admitted, trying to slip his hand out of Soobin's hand but the plant fairy held on tightly. "Soobin…"

"Do you know who's the coolest person I know?" The question was aimed at the ceiling, but Yeonjun knew that Soobin was expecting an answer from him.

"Me?" He joked, looking at Soobin with an amused grin.

"Yes, you," Soobin tilted his head to look back at him. Yeonjun had meant it as a joke, he didn't really think Soobin would say his name. "Do you know why?"

"I mean, I didn't even know I am the coolest person you know until two seconds ago," Yeonjun fumbled.

"It's because you're so different, hyung," Soobin started drawing circles on Yeonjun's palm and it tickled but the words coming out of Soobin's mouth were the only thing on Yeonjun's mind at the moment. "You're one of a kind and unashamedly so. You're different but you look good being that different. It's beautiful to watch you be you. It's inspiring. And that's why, when you lose that confidence in you, I just don't get it. How could this amazing person I know think of himself as something less?"

It was like Soobin was squeezing his heart. Yeonjun didn't know when a tear slipped his eyes until it ran down the bridge of his nose to reach the other eye. Soobin just wiped it, giving him a small smile.

"To you, you might be a failure but to me," Soobin cupped his cheeks and brought his lips to Yeonjun's forehead before continuing in a whisper, "To me, you're the person I could never, ever trade. For nothing and no one. With all your successes and your failures, I accept you for you. So, no matter what happens next week, you can always come to me, hyung. You know you're always welcome in these arms."

The younger fairy sealed it with a kiss on his forehead. Yeonjun didn't know when he clasped his hands around Soobin's shirt or when he mumbled a thank you in his neck. He just let himself be held there, telling himself that it was okay. It was okay to fail, it was okay to not be normal. It was okay because he had Soobin. He had Jin, and Jeongguk. And Beomgyu, Taehyun and Kai. And all his family would support him no matter what.

"Oh my god, what happened here?!" Jeongguk's screech from above was met with two frozen fairies that stared at each other, finally reminded of the fact that they were lying on top of precious, priceless books. "What happened to you two?!! Are you okay?"

And then Jeongguk was flying down the next second, looking over them for any injuries as he wheedled out what happened from Soobin. Yeonjun just watched them, picking up the books and closing the ones that had opened in the fall.

He felt lighter, better, no longer nervous. And it was all thanks to Soobin. Yeonjun paused in his work to stare at the younger fairy, who was bowing in apology to Jeongguk and hissing for Yeonjun to do the same.

He knew at that moment; he loved Soobin with all his heart.

—

2.

In fairies, love was a little bit of a different concept to what humans thought of it. Humans categorised love into types like platonic and romantic and brotherly, and all different sorts. But in fairies, there was only ‘love’ and all love was the same. They didn't have a concept of romantic love because they didn't need it; for them, friends and colony and work was enough to live a perfectly happy life.

Beomgyu considered himself a very, very lucky fairy. He had grown up raised by someone who was packed full of love; and in doing so, had raised Beomgyu to be full of overflowing love too. The dark haired fairy loved his large family, loved his colony, loved himself and his work. But sometimes, he couldn't help the seed of doubt that entered his mind…

Did they all love him back the way he loved them?

To fairies, love was after all a very deep and big thing. You don't just go around claiming to love another fairy unless there was a deep bond between you and them that you felt. Beomgyu felt like he could trust them with his life, that he could live a happy life if he just had them. He loved them to bits, but sometimes, insecurity made him wonder if they loved him back.

On one such day of bad thoughts, Beomgyu just quietly set out for work, not wanting to burden any of them. His friends and father and uncles would be okay even if he didn't meet them for one morning and said a bright, "Good morning!", right?

The dark-haired boy was an animal fairy, a complementary magic to Soobin's. Because of that, the two had become really close friends, and he considered the older fairy as his best friend. Perhaps the one he loved the most after his father, Taehyung. Taehyung, who was also an animal fairy, had shown Beomgyu the ropes of his work and decided that he was old enough to set out and work on his own now.

So Beomgyu flew beneath the tall field that lay next to the forest that housed the Hive colony and set for the human houses that littered the other side of it. There was a human village next to their forest and that's where Beomgyu was sometimes sent to work. Other times, he worked in the forest but Thursdays were for domestic animals.

The young fairy flew right into the first house when he reached the village. He wanted to get the work done quickly so that he could get some time off for himself and watch the sunset later on by himself on top of the tallest tree in their forest.

Humans couldn't see them, so Beomgyu just had to make sure that he didn't run into anything because while their sight was blinded, their sense of touch certainly wasn't. They could feel the fairies and thus harm them with their sheer size. Beomgyu, despite being one of the tallest fairies in all the colonies around, was just barely the size of a human hand. One accidental thwack from a human could very well end up crushing his bones and breaking his wings forever.

He carefully made his way through the rooms, looking around for humans. There didn't seem to be any at the moment so he smiled in relief. Then he made his way to where their house cat lived, the basket next to the large bed that lay in the biggest room of the house. The cat was very big and fluffy and Beomgyu always loved meeting her.

"Seori!" Beomgyu shouted in glee, putting all the sad thoughts in the back of his mind as he flew right into the white ball of fur that was sleeping in the basket. Seori let out a yowl upon feeling the force of Beomgyu's hug. "Sorry, sorry, I was just excited to see you."

"As if you didn't see me just last week," Seori rolled her eyes, settling down into his basket comfortably again. Beomgyu rolled onto her back, hiding beneath her fur and revelling in the softness. "I am not your bed."

"Nope, you're my friend," Beomgyu said, giggling at the pretend whine that Seori let out.

"Who even sleeps on their friends," Seori muttered, wiggling her back to get Beomgyu off her. Beomgyu rolled down and fell on her soft cushion mattress with a ‘floof’.

"So, do you need anything?" Beomgyu asked, sitting up and dusting the large cat furs off his body. They were nearly half his size, he observed.

"Freedom from you," she replied immediately but there was no bite to it. The familiar act made Beomgyu smile who just gently ran a hand through her fur.

"You want them to come home and give you cuddles, okay~," he said in a sing-song voice. Seori froze for a second then relaxed.

"How do you always just understand what I'm thinking?" She grumbled but her eyes softened at the magical touch of Beomgyu's hand. It made her feel warm, just like when her owner cuddled her. "Thanks, Beomie."

"Love you, Seori," Beomgyu mumbled back, sure of the animal's love even when he wasn't sure of the others'. She nuzzled back in her silent way of saying ‘I love you too’.

When it was time to leave for the next house, Beomgyu said a loud goodbye and flew up and into the rooms outside. Just as he was passing the large grandfather clock that rested in front of their door, he saw something glint on the face of the clock that made him pause and look at it with squinted eyes.

Something sparkled again and as if he was entranced (like he always was with shiny things), the animal fairy hovered close to the face of the clock, wondering what it was that was shining and if he could take it home with him. He liked to take the shiny free estates home like a hoarder, so if it was something that wouldn't matter to the humans, he could take it!

A loud bang outside the house startled Beomgyu and he flew inside the glass doors that housed some showpieces beneath the clock. In his haste, he didn't realise that he accidentally clicked the door shut. Beomgyu listened carefully to see if any of the humans were back but it remained silent for a few minutes and he deemed it safe enough to step out.

Except, when he pressed at the door, it refused to open. It was stuck strongly to the magnet and Beomgyu was too tiny, too weak to actually push it open without handles. Panic seized him the moment he realised that he was stuck in there with no way out unless someone opened it from the outside.

He banged on the glass, yelling to get Seori's attention but he knew that she was already asleep and he had closed the bedroom door before leaving. She wouldn't hear him for hours until she got out to get her lunch.

"Oh no," Beomgyu whispered to himself as he stared around at the stationery showpieces that were turning creepier to look at the more he stared at them. Deciding that it was better to not look at them, he just turned to face the outside of the glass. He slumped against it and sat down, staring outside with despairing thoughts.

Would anyone come to save him? His father would notice his absence for sure, but that wasn't until it had gotten dark! It was still morning, so Beomgyu would be stuck here until then. Even if Seori found him, she could hardly put her paw around the handle and pull it open now, could she? Would his friends come? The ones he so loved? Did they even love him back enough to notice his absence and silence by the evening?

It looked more and more hopeless as the minutes passed.

After what seemed like hours (really, he was bored out of his mind and scared at the same time), he heard a shout of his name coming from somewhere. Something loosened in his chest and Beomgyu realised it was hope. Hope that he would be found any minute now, that he would be free.

A familiar figure sped in through the cat flap on the door and Beomgyu started banging the glass again in hopes of getting his attention. Soobin's eyes zeroed in on his position and he immediately flew right up to the glass and placed his hands right opposite Beomgyu's.

"Beomgyu!" Soobin's voice was muffled by the glass and barely audible but it was enough to make tears run to the dark-haired fairy's eyes. Soobin came looking for him. Soobin will help him and get him out. He was gonna be saved and everything was going to be okay. "What are you doing in there?!"

"I am stuck," Beomgyu mumbled. Soobin's perplexed look and shout of, "What did you say?" made him shout back, "I am stuck, hyung!"

"Oh," Soobin paused and looked up at the handles that were there on the glass. He flew to it and grabbed hold of it with both his hands and started tugging like his life depended on it. The older boy wasn't quite the strongest fairy around and Beomgyu knew that; he couldn't leave it all in Soobin's hands. So Beomgyu started pushing the door too.

The door finally propped open and Beomgyu nearly fell if it weren't for Soobin immediately swooping it and grabbing him by the waist before flying them to the top of the clock. The two of them sat there, panting after all the energy they had exerted into opening that tough door.

"How did you even end up there?" Soobin huffed, leaning over the edge to give a glare to the door. "Stupid magnet doors."

"I saw something shiny there," Beomgyu explained, guilt seeping into his voice. "There was a loud noise and I thought the humans were coming back so I just jumped in but I accidentally closed the door behind me."

"Why didn't you call your friend?" Soobin asked, his eyebrows furrowed in what looked like displeasure and anger. It made Beomgyu feel guilty and he looked down in shame.

"She's asleep, she couldn't hear me," he mumbled, staring at his own lap. He heard Soobin sigh and wondered if he had disappointed him. Soobin would never love him back like this…

"You worried me," Soobin said, wrapping his arms around Beomgyu in a warm hug. "You didn't wish me good morning and I thought you were sick so I went to your house, I even checked with the others. Nobody had seen you and I know that you only do this on your bad days. I didn't want to leave you alone."

Oh.

"So I came looking for you," Soobin finished, patting Beomgyu on the head gently. "Only to find you stuck here like this."

"Sorry about that," Beomgyu smiled, feeling like his heart just got free from the heaviness that held it hostage. "Hyung… Will you always come for me like this?"

"Of course, you dumbass," there was no bite to his words, just pure warmth and comfort and what Beomgyu realised belatedly, love. "I will always come for you. No matter what goes wrong, I care about your well-being and I want to be there for you."

"Thanks, hyung," Beomgyu couldn't help the tear that rolled down his cheek as he gripped tightly onto Soobin's shoulder in an attempt to ground himself. The older boy hummed in response and let himself be held onto tightly.

"Not just me," he said after a few minutes of them sitting there in silence. "Yeonjun-hyung, Taehyun and Kai too. They were all worried about you and told me that if I need help finding you then I just had to tell them. But you're my other half. I can sense you from miles away, y'know? I just knew where to find you."

"Stop lying, I just described Seori's house ten thousand times to you, that's why you could find me," Beomgyu slapped his arm but the wide smile on his face gave him away. Soobin giggled and helped him stand up.

"Come on, let's go home."

And as they flew out of the house, Beomgyu realised that it was okay. It was okay to love them all and consider them a family because they loved him too. Even if they didn't realise it yet or said it out loud.

—

3.

Taehyun wasn't really a fairy of words. He rather showed his love and care through his actions, through listening to their words. And through holding hands! That was his favourite way of showing his affection; silently taking the other person's hand and just sending comfort through it. He loved that a lot more than he would admit.

But not being one for words didn't mean that he didn't have his own opinions, or that he didn't express them. It was just that, sometimes, in understanding the big picture, he just let those opinions… stay with him himself, rather than let them out there.

And one of the recent developments of his life had taken such a turn that he was once again unsure of whether to speak up or not.

"You're growing up too fast," Yoongi, his father, said through soft tearful eyes. "I still remember the day you came out of your chamber… It felt so magical, seeing my seed turn into something so beautiful and precious–"

"Dad!" Taehyun whined, the splotchy reds of his cheeks giving away how embarrassed he was. It just made Yoongi chuckle wetly before he wiped away his own tears.

"Yah, forgive me for being so emotional so early in the morning," he murmured. "You're making me feel old."

"Are you sure you aren't old by yourself?" Taehyun teased, having inherited his savage sense of humour from his father. His comment made Yoongi give him a playful slap on the shoulder. "Jokes and emotional feelings aside, why did you call me like this today?"

"Ah yeah, I nearly forgot," Yoongi's face took on a more serious expression and Taehyun waited with bated breath to hear what he had to say. "As I was saying, you're growing up. And it's nearly time for you to start work."

"Oh," Taehyun breathed, not sure what to feel about that.

"And… I came across this human the other day and I think he would be perfect for you to guard," there was a hopeful tinge to Yoongi's voice as he spoke that Taehyun didn't miss. "So if you plan to become a human guardian, you're all set! I will also be relieved if you go for him because I know you will be okay."

"Of course, Dad," he had said the words before he even realised them. It only made Yoongi give him a gummy smile and pull him in a hug.

"I'll miss you so much," Yoongi said softly in his ear. "Come meet us when you can, yeah? Don't forget about us."

"Never," Taehyun promised.

That had happened in the morning but now as the day had trudged on and the sun was about to start its descent, Taehyun wasn't sure of what he had said anymore.

It wasn't like his father was forcing him– if Taehyun spoke up, his dad would definitely understand and he knew that. But speak up about what? He himself didn't know what was wrong.

"Taehyun?" The voice of his fellow guardian fairy, Sujin, made him startle out of his thoughts. She gave him a concerned look. "You okay? You never zone out this much at work."

"Oh, I just have a lot on my mind," Taehyun told her, rubbing the back of his head.

"Is it because you're going to become a human guardian?" She asked, a smile playing on her lips. That surprised Taehyun; he hadn't told Sujin about what had happened.

"How did you know?" He asked before he could help himself.

"Your dad came in the morning rushing to inform the head and pretty much all of us guardian fairies know it now," she grinned, nudging him with her elbow in a teasing way. "Never thought our prodigy would end up leaving the colony so soon."

"Ah," Taehyun just looked away shyly at the compliment but her words rang in his head. His dad was very happy with his decision and had already told the head of the colony. He couldn't break his heart like that…

"I think you should talk with someone," Sujin said casually, as she pointed towards the honeycomb chambers and asked Taehyun to join her in inspecting. He followed her, curious about her words.

"What do you mean?"

"You clearly have a lot on your mind," she shrugged. "Just get one of your friends and talk to them. Speaking out what you're feeling helps. Even if you don't know what's wrong, the other person might be able to understand."

"You're right," Taehyun nodded. "Thanks, Sujin!"

"What are friends for?"

It had to be Soobin.

Soobin was very perceptive and understanding, and he would definitely give good insight on what to do. Even if he didn't, Taehyun liked talking things out with him because Soobin was so reliable, it felt comforting to know that he had his back.

So after he had handed his shift to the next guardian fairy, he flew to Soobin's house. All their houses were made of wood, looking akin to birdhouses. Soobin, being a plant fairy, had designed his with vines and petals in a way of customising but it only helped to make it stand out.

Taehyun knocked on the door, wondering if Soobin was back home already or still at work. It had become pretty dark so he should be home…

"Taehyun?" Soobin's voice came from behind him and Taehyun turned around to find the elder having just come back from work. He was obviously tired and Taehyun could wait until tomorrow to talk…

"I just wanted to talk but we can do that tomorrow," Taehyun assured him. "You get some rest hyung."

"I'm fine, what's wrong?" Soobin looked concerned and selfishly, Taehyun thought that he could take Soobin's help for once.

"I was wondering if we could go to our usual spot and talk?" Taehyun asked in a small voice.

"Of course," Soobin nodded immediately, grabbing Taehyun's hand and quickly flying them to the top of the tree. On the highest branch that overlooked their colony, he sat Taehyun down and settled next to him. "Everything okay?"

"Not quite," Taehyun sighed, looking out at the colony he so loved, that was being lit up with fairy lights by the light fairies. "Did you hear?"

"About?" Soobin's confusion was evident so Taehyun decided to explain.

"You know that guardian fairies can work two ways, right?" Taehyun asked, not sure where to start. "There are those who stay and guard the colony and those who choose a human to guard for their entire life."

"Yeah," Soobin said carefully, encouraging him to go on with the way he held Taehyun's hand.

"My dad found a nice human and he thinks that he would be perfect for me to guard," Taehyun sighed.

"So what's the problem?" Soobin asked.

"That's the thing, I don't know!" Taehyun pouted, looking down at his own lap. "You know me. Ever since I was a child, I wanted to become a human guardian. I thought I would be excited, or just, y'know, sure about this. But I feel like the land has slid from underneath me."

Soobin hummed, letting there be silence for a few seconds as he took in what Taehyun had just said. "Do you not want to become a human guardian anymore?"

"I, I don't know?" Taehyun confessed. "It's like, I still like it, but I feel like I like the idea of it. Because going away from here, away from all of you and being with a human that I haven't even chosen… Like, I trust my dad to have the right choice, that human will be good and amazing. But it still feels like someone else's limb is getting attached to my body."

"I think…," Soobin paused, "you are already getting homesick."

"Huh?"

"The idea of going away from home, going into something so unknown," Soobin explained, "it's making you feel helpless and like you have lost a bit of control."

"I do?" Taehyun voiced it out but inside, he realised he did. He really did feel like that.

"Do you feel ready to leave?" Soobin asked patiently.

"No," Taehyun realised the moment he said it. "I don't. I don't feel mentally prepared. I don't want to leave yet."

"Then don't," Soobin's simple answer wasn't that simple though.

"My dad is happy that I said yes," Taehyun said, anguished at the thought of breaking his heart. "I don't think I can tell him that…"

"You think your dad would be happy seeing you so scared and tense?" Soobin squeezed his hand, weaving in their fingers together. "He would be happier if you just come clean out to him and tell him that you don't feel ready. That you need some time."

Taehyun didn't say anything, just took in the words and thought them over. Soobin was right. His dad definitely cared more about his thoughts than his own. Taehyun was really lucky with his dad– and friends, it seemed.

"Thanks Soobin-hyung," Taehyun said quietly, pulling him in for a hug. It surprised Soobin but he quietly hugged him back. "I'll go and tell him now."

That night, Taehyun went to his father's home and told him the truth. Yoongi accepted it with a wide smile and took him in his arms;  he said that he was proud that Taehyun spoke up, that he just wants his baby to be happy.

And as Taehyun tucked in his bed and closed his eyes, he thanked the universe for giving him his Soobin-hyung that he loved to pieces.

—

4.

Kai loved children. He loved the fairy babies and found his energy rejuvenating whenever he played with them. As a result, growing up, he had often been asked to overlook the young ones that were all over the colony. Kai didn't mind, he enjoyed it a lot even though that wasn't quite the work he was assigned to do by nature.

By birth, Kai was a worker fairy– that meant that he had the strongest physique of all fairies and could carry heavier weights than the rest. Worker fairies often helped around the colony in things that didn't even require strength; so it was quite normal for Kai to help babysit the fairy babies.

"Kai-hyung!!"

The twin babies flung themselves into his arms the moment he appeared at the tree that housed the smaller fairies under the age of 3 years. 1 human year was equivalent to 2 years for fairies' growth so in 3 years, the babies turned 6 years old in fairy calculations.

"Ju-yah, Myeong-ah!" Kai giggled, scooping the two into his arms. Their wings hadn't fully developed yet so they couldn't fly. Kai carried them over to the soft play spot made out of petals and set them down. These two were close to completing 5 fairy years and Kai almost felt like a parent because he had been babysitting them since they were barely 1.

"Hyungie, do you have a best friend?" Dongju, the younger of the two, asked him with wide eyes.

"Of course I do!" Kai laughed, the mere thought of Taehyun clinging onto his arm tightly in protectiveness popping into his head.

"I do too!" Dongmyeong, the older twin, said proudly.

"You do?" Dongju's voice was small as he looked at the other with a sad, betrayed look.

"You!" Dongmyeong tackled him and the two started play-fighting on the ground.

"Be careful!" Kai called out, the smile never leaving his face as he watched the two of them.

"Kai?" It was Baekhyun, one of the honey fairies. Honey fairies were usually the ones who helped the babies birth and raise them on behalf of the colony as well. "Could you come with me here?"

"Yeah, of course, Baekhyun-ssi!" Kai followed him to the corner of the room. The worker fairies had looked up a really thick trunked tree and carved out its insides to make a large, high room in it for the baby fairies. "Is something wrong?"

"The thing is," Baekhyun started, "There's a large batch of babies this time that we need to help develop. On top, there have been some complications with two of the seeds and we need to get as many honey fairies as we can. A few of us will not be here tomorrow because of that and I don't want to burden you with looking after all of them… I know that you have to go on later to work on the broken houses too. So, I just wanted to ask if there's any friends of yours that might be able to help us out? I need to at least have one person who can take my place for one day."

"I see," Kai nodded. "I will ask them and get them here tomorrow! Please be free and save those seeds."

"Thank you, Kai," Baekhyun bowed his head in gratitude. "I'll leave you to your two babies then."

Kai nodded and returned back only to find Dongju and Dongmyeong missing.

"Boo!"

"AHHH!" Kai screamed, his loud scream echoing in the room. Everyone turned to look at him and he flushed in embarrassment, looking at the two perpetrators who were laughing hard while clutching their stomachs.

He couldn't even get angry at them like this…

"Can you do it, hyung?" Kai asked nervously. He had already asked the other 3, but they had all had important work the next day and couldn't help him even if they tried.

"I'll let them know that I'll be taking a day off tomorrow," Soobin promised. The sentence sent relief coursing through Kai's veins and he fluttered around in happiness. That made Soobin laugh. "Cutie."

"Thank you so much, hyung!" Kai swooped in to hug him. "I'll come pick you up tomorrow morning!"

"Woah," Soobin looked impressed as he stepped inside the tree. They all just called it the 'Playhouse' because that made the babies like coming to the place. "Sometimes, I just look at the work you worker fairies do and I feel like you're insanely talented. Strength and creativity that runs in your veins…"

"Hyung," Kai flushed, more pleased than embarrassed this time. "Come on, I'll introduce you to the kid you have to take care of. Just a warning, he is very shy and might not respond to you easily."

"Relatable," said Soobin, making Kai giggle. He took the older fairy to the three babies that were playing on the soft petal mattress. The twins looked up the moment they realised that Kai was here.

"Kai-hyung!!" As usual, they flung themselves onto him and Kai rushed to catch them. Soobin watched in amazement as Kai easily lifted them both into one hand; worker fairies were really awesome.

"Calm down, I brought a friend along today!" Kai laughed, settling them down next to the third kid who was just staring at them. "Soobin-hyung, this is Dongmyeong, and this is Dongju. They are the twins I have been looking after for the past few years."

"I'm the older twin," Dongmyeong said proudly. Dongju just clutched onto his brother's shirt and looked at Soobin shyly from behind Dongmyeong.

"I'm the younger one," he said shyly, glancing at the third boy that was just silently watching them.

"And what's your name?" Soobin asked, crouching down to reach their height. He looked at the third boy patiently but the kid only stared at him without saying anything.

"This is Giuk!" Dongmyeong announced after a few seconds of the silent staring contest that Soobin had had with the kid. "He's my second best friend! Only after Ju, of course."

"Giukie?" Kai said softly, making the dark-haired boy look at him. "Soobin-hyung here will be looking after you today. Tell him if anything is wrong, okay? Or if you don't want to tell him, you can tell me too. Or you can tell Dongmyeong and he will tell us. Is that fine?"

Giuk nodded, giving Kai a small smile. The three kids went back to playing and Soobin dragged Kai a few feet away.

"This is hard," Soobin whined. "Kids are scary. I can't even tell what he is thinking! How do you get it?"

His words made Kai laugh loudly, his unique laugh that generally had everyone staring not even fazing most of the fairies inside the Playhouse.

"To be honest," Kai paused, "I don't get it either. But I know him, and he knows me. I think with kids, it's hard to get what they are thinking immediately or to be liked by them. Give it time, he will come around eventually. Just don't stop trying, yeah?"

"Okay," Soobin nodded, fisting his hand in a show of determination.

"It's time for breakfast!" One of the older honey fairies called out and all the kids stopped playing. Kai nudged Soobin and gestured toward Giuk.

"Make sure he eats everything, yeah?"

"I'll try my best, but no promises," Soobin whispered back. Suddenly, he felt something tug at his pants and Soobin looked down to find Giuk looking at him. "Are you hungry?"

Giuk nodded so Soobin picked him up and settled him on his shoulders. The small fairy held onto Soobin's hair tightly and pulled at it, afraid to fall off and Soobin winced at his mistake.

"Hold onto my ears, Giukie," Soobin said, smiling even as his eyes watered. He made sure to hold Giuk's waist so that the young fairy could switch from holding his hair to holding his ears. Once he had done that, Soobin held onto his tiny hands (they were so soft!), and carried him over to the line where everyone was getting breakfast.

He could feel Giuk shaking and decided to ask him, "Are you okay? Is it scary? Do you need me to take you down?"

There was silence for a few seconds and Giuk just tightened his fists around Soobin's ears.

"No," he finally said softly, so low that Soobin would have missed it if Giuk wasn't so close to his ears. "I like it."

Feeling a sense of accomplishment, Soobin smiled happily.

Things got a little easier after that, with Giuk at least trying to silently involve Soobin. He still didn't quite talk with him as much as he did with Dongmyeong and Dongju but that was understandable; he obviously felt more at home with his friends of the same age.

When it was time for lunch, Soobin asked Giuk if he wanted to go on his shoulders again and the younger fairy shook his head. "Uppie."

So Soobin, upon hearing Kai's translation of what uppie meant, took him into his arms and held him onto his left hand. The weight was a bit much for someone as delicate as him but he tried hard to not let Giuk know that. Turns out, the boy understood it anyway because he leaned back and said, "Shoulders are okay too."

"Sorry, I'm not as strong as Kai," Soobin mumbled after he had placed Giuk back on his shoulders. Giuk didn't say anything upon hearing that, just patted the top of his head with one hand while holding on his ear with his other.

Time flew and before Soobin even realised, it was time for their parents to come pick them up. It was still late afternoon but it felt like there had been no time at all. Dongmyeong and Dongju's parent came first so they left and it was just Soobin, Kai and Giuk waiting for his parent to come.

When Yonghoon, his dad, came to take him, Giuk asked him to wait and turned to Kai. He gestured for him to crouch and whispered something in his ear that made Kai's eyes crinkle into a warm laugh before he whispered something back to him.

When Giuk and his dad left, Soobin turned to look at Kai curiously. "What did he say?"

Kai grinned.

"He likes you!"

Oh.

Soobin flushed, feeling happier than he had in days. "What did you say to him?"

"That I like you too!"

—

+1

Soobin was sick. He doesn't know how it happened but he just fell really sick one morning when he woke up and felt like sleeping again.

When Soobin woke up again, it was late in the afternoon and he had a wet cloth on his head. There was someone sleeping on the chair next to his bed and when Soobin mustered enough strength to turn his head, he found the sleeping face of Jimin hanging at the head of the chair.

"Hyung," he croaked. That was enough to wake the older fairy up, who looked at Soobin in alarm before rushing to pour him a glass of water. Once Soobin had downed it with help from Jimin, the other gently felt his temperature.

"How are you feeling?" He asked worriedly.

"Like my body is made of metal," Soobin huffed, the heat going to his head as he spoke. "Where's dad?"

"Namjoon-hyung was panicking a lot because you never fell sick before," Jimin sighed. "I forced him to go to work and told him I'll take care of you."

"Thanks, hyung," Soobin smiled. "But you shouldn't. If we both take a holiday, it will affect our work rate and the plants won't do well…"

"I am not going to leave you alone when you're sick," Jimin frowned. Soobin didn't know what to say so he just kept quiet. "Now get up and have some food and medicine. Then you can sleep again, yeah?"

"Okay hyung," Soobin said, going along because he didn't want to waste Jimin's time. He should try to quickly get better…

When he woke up again, it was night-time and there was a lot of noise in his room. He opened his eyes to find a fussy Yeonjun placing a rose water cloth upon his head as he shouted for Beomgyu to stop cooking.

"Why is Beomgyu cooking?!" Soobin yelped as loud as he could but it only came out like a wounded whine.

"Taehyun thought it's okay to ask him to help apparently," Yeonjun huffed. "I'll just switch with Beomgyu, he'll place the cloth on your head instead. Once we're done with the soup, just eat it, yeah? You need the energy."

With that, Yeonjun bustled out and Kai came into his view.

"Hyung, how are you feeling?" The younger asked worriedly.

"Kinda cold but a bit better than in the morning," Soobin replied. Kai immediately pulled out another blanket and tucked it around Soobin. "What are you all doing here?"

"Taking care of you, what does it look like?" Beomgyu's voice pervaded the room as he stepped inside with what looked like a burnt spatula. Soobin knew that that was probably what made Yeonjun frustrated.

"But you all have work tomorrow," Soobin insisted.

"We don't," Kai replied immediately.

"We're taking a holiday," Beomgyu clarified.

"For what?" Soobin asked, horrified.

"For you, dumb hyung," Taehyun shouted from the kitchen.

"I'm fine!" He protested but was immediately shut down by the stink eyes that Beomgyu and Kai sent him. The room remained in silence as Beomgyu switched the cloth and Kai made sure that everything was within reach for Soobin to get.

Yeonjun and Taehyun came back with the soup in hand and Kai helped to make Soobin sit up. Taehyun started feeding him, ignoring Soobin's protests of being able to eat himself.

"You always take care of us, hyung," Beomgyu said with a small smile.

"Let us take care of you for once," Kai finished his thought.

"But I don't want to burden you all…," Soobin trailed off.

"You tell us that we aren't a burden but then say that you burden us?" Taehyun paused in feeding him so that Soobin could see the raised eyebrow he was giving him.

"We are ready to do what it takes to see you happy and healthy," Yeonjun said, his arms crossed as he watched Soobin from the foot of his bed. "We love you, dumbass."

"You guys…"

Soobin just looked away and continued eating silently. They fed him the medicine and let him fall asleep.

"Let's take turns switching the cloth for the night?" Beomgyu suggested. "I want hyung to get better faster."

"Of course, I'll take the first shift," Kai said, taking the cloth from his hands.

"I'll settle down the mattresses for us here," Yeonjun told them before going out to get them.

"Get well soon, hyung," Taehyun mumbled, pressing a kiss on Soobin's forehead.

When Soobin woke up the next morning, he felt much better. He sat up to find four fairies all sprawled around his room in various positions and the sight just made Soobin's heart full.

That's right; he loved them all just as much back.

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