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Donghyuck and Renjun stood in front of a tall building. It’s one of many surrounding the area, and this, according to the newspaper in Donghyuck’s hands and the people on the streets who were kind enough to not ignore them, was the one that would hopefully give them a place to stay for the time being.
Highlighted in bold, the words "LOOKING FOR A ROOMMATE" was written on the clipping. They had found it on a bench in a park nearby and spent the entire morning asking for directions to the building. They would’ve called the number written on it, but they didn’t have a “phone”, nor did they know how it worked.
“Are you sure this is the place?” Renjun asks, looking around. “This doesn’t look like a house to me.”
Donghyuck reads through the newspaper in his hands once more before nodding. “It’s definitely this one… I hope.”
“You hope?! You’re not even sure! I knew this was a bad idea.”
Not letting his friend complain any longer, Donghyuck entered the building and went up the stairs. He finds the door he’s been looking for and knocks. A minute passes without any response from inside, and for a second Donghyuck’s hope to stay in the human world vanishes. Renjun was close to convincing him to leave this place when the door finally opened.
Standing there was a man. Probably around their age or a bit older, holding a cup of coffee in his vacant hand. He’s wearing pants and a shirt that seemed way too big on him, with his hair all over the place, looking like he just woke up from a nap.
“Can I help you?” He questioned.
Donghyuck stands up straighter. He hears Renjun snicker from somewhere behind him but ignores him. “We saw in the paper that you’re looking for a roommate…”
The man knits his eyebrows in confusion before jumping slightly and murmuring profanities under his breath.
“Oh my God, I'm so sorry for this, I thought you were one of those salesmen coming to talk to me about your newest products. You know how they are, I almost didn’t answer the door at all!” He rambles, ushering them inside. “I’m Na Jaemin. you can call me Jaemin or Jaem, I don’t really mind either.”
The two friends sit by the lounge in the middle of the room, there’s some sort of rectangle box in front of it and fire below, trapped behind glass.
“I’m Donghyuck… and this is Renjun. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir.”
Jaemin waves them off and shakes his head in disapproval. “No, no need to call me Sir, just my name is fine. Anyway, you guys saw my ad in the newspaper. I thought no one would ever see it and that I probably just wasted my money.”
“How will this work?” For the first time since they’ve gotten here, Renjun speaks and crosses his arms.
“You guys don’t know how rent works?” Donghyuck looks at his friend and then back at Jaemin, he tilts his head in confusion in response.
“No. We’re new around here.”
Jaemin nods and sits down on the chair beside them. “Okay then, whoever is staying will have to pay half of the rent for the place.”
“Pay?” Renjun asks, confused.
“Yes, pay. Nothing’s for free around here anymore, you know?”
None of them speaks after that, and Jaemin is more confused. “Do neither of you have any money? Like at all?”
They look at each other and shake their heads while turning back to look at Jaemin.
“Well then what are you doing here? Go back home.” Donghyuck then looks up, his eyes wide and frantic.
“Please don’t. Please let us stay, we’ll do anything. We’ll try to get money, just please…” Jaemin looks at them in pity. These two don’t want to go back home, and Jaemin knows that feeling all too well. He sighs.
“Alright, you can stay here… But you’ll have to work and pay when you have the money, okay?” Donghyuck cheers and goes to hug Jaemin.
“Thank you! Thank you so much! We promise to help out as much as we can.”
Renjun stands up and bows. “Thank you.” Jaemin returns the bow and smiles.
“Although…. I only have one room extra as of right now. The other one is kind of… occupied? I could take my stuff out but they’re one of my sources of income. Are the two of you going to be renting?”
They both nod. Jaemin thinks about what to do. They need someplace to stay but he can’t just clear out his art studio. Maybe he could-
“AH! I know! My friends are also looking for a roommate. They’re just in the apartment above. Would one of you mind staying there?”
“I think that would be great,” Donghyuck says, but even he can’t ignore the frown on Renjun’s face.
“Your Highness, I can’t leave you alone.” Your Highness?
Donghyuck rests his arm around his friend’s shoulders. “Relax, Renjun. I’ll be fine, trust me. We’d only have different sleeping quarters. We’re just a floor away.”
“Okay… I’ll trust you.” He says, still a bit hesitant to agree. “I’ll stay with your friends, I do hope they’re as kind as you are”
“Oh don’t worry about them, I'll talk to them about this!” Renjun smiles timidly and follows Jaemin up to where he was staying, leaving Donghyuck alone in his apartment.
Looking around, Donghyuck already feels cosier than he did back in the castle. It didn’t feel so empty and cold. Instead of dark hallways and big empty spaces, every inch of the house was filled with knick-knacks and little things Donghyuck was sure Jaemin cherished.
The place was colourful, bright, and new, and it felt so nice.
Just as he was about to get up and explore the area, Jaemin enters the apartment once again. This time, he didn’t have Renjun with him.
“Your friend is fine. He’s upstairs. You can visit him later if you’d like?” Jaemin says, walking towards Donghyuck. “Nice to meet you, roomie.”
Donghyuck nods and smiles. “Nice to meet you too.” Jaemin chuckles and heads for one of the rooms, signalling Donghyuck to come with him.
“Okay, let’s go. I’ll show you to your room. It’s as big as the master, which is the one I'm sleeping at. It doesn’t have a balcony or windows, so I hope you’re okay with that.”
“This is beautiful, thank you.”
“No need to say thank you. Just.. don’t be too loud. We don’t want neighbours complaining. That’s my only rule… Oh! and clean up after yourself, I’m not here to babysit you. That’s all, I’ll leave you be now.” Jaemin finishes and closes the door behind him on the way out.
Donghyuck silently drops his small suitcase by the bed and sits down. This is his place for however long he plans to stay here and he’s quite happy with it. Tomorrow, he’ll start trying to earn money. If that’s the only way Jaemin will accept a thank you, then he’ll work hard.
For now, he’s tired and it’s been a long day and sleeping is his main priority. He’ll worry about everything else once he wakes up.
It’s been a month since Donghyuck moved in with Jaemin. A lot has changed and he’s not used to many of the things that were happening yet, which was expected. All his life he has been a fairy. It was only fair that he would need time to adjust to living as a human. Despite this, he doesn’t regret his decision of leaving.
In that time, Donghyuck also learned a lot.
Probably the most significant one is that Jaemin doesn’t believe him when he says he’s a fairy. Apparently, humans can’t see their wings so it’s a bit easier to move around without trying to hide. It also means that Jaemin just looks at him weirdly when he says he is a fairy, especially when he mentioned it for the third time.
It happened last night during dinner. Jaemin had cooked for both of them and shared stories about his life. Having someone to talk to about his predicament and his life besides Renjun felt good, and Donhyuck was more than eager to share his own stories with his new friend.
But when he finished, Jaemin just nodded and tilted his head as if he was waiting for him to continue the joke and was wondering if Donghyuck was serious.
“You know, you don’t have to lie if you’re not comfortable enough telling me. I understand. It’s the second time you’ve talked to me about being a ‘fairy’ in two weeks.”
“What do you mean?” It was now Donghyuck's turn to give him an odd look as he said, "I'm telling the truth.”
“You’re telling me that you’re a prince from a fairy kingdom and you’re supposed to become king but then you ran away? With Renjun, who also happens to be a fairy?” Jaemin asks as he places his dish in the sink and turns to face his roommate.
“Yes. What’s wrong with that?” There’s a pout on his face now, eyebrows knitted together, arms crossed and his back pushed to the chair, obviously annoyed.
“Just because you’re pretty doesn’t mean you’re a fairy!” Jaemin puts his hands up in surrender and laughs when he sees his face grow sourer.
Donghyuck, oh sweet Donghyuck, blushes at the remark. It’s not every day your hot roommate calls you pretty. To hide it, he turns around and goes to his room. Jaemin chuckles at the scene but rushes after hearing his door shut.
“Hyuck! Come on, talk to me.” Jaemin has been standing outside his door for the past 5 minutes, and Donghyuck has yet to open it. He wasn't angry with him; rather, he was embarrassed Jaemin saw him blushing. Although he admits it does hurt a little bit that he doesn’t believe him, there isn't much he can do about it.
He does, eventually, open the door, when he makes sure his face is neutral and the loud beating in his chest subsides. Jaemin was still standing there and Donghyuck felt his face heating up again when he was met with the warmest yet most teasing grin he’s ever seen in his life.
“Hey, I’m sorry,” says Jaemin. “What do you think about going to the park tomorrow as an apology? I can introduce you to my boss too on the way there.”
“For what?” Donghyuck tilts his head in confusion. He seems to be doing it a lot lately.
“He needs to see how you do first, but if you do well, you’ll have a job.”
“Really? You’ll help me find a job?” When Jaemin nods, Donghyuck thanks him profusely, eyes bright and the biggest smile painted on his face.
“I’ll meet you back here around lunch. I have to go to the library in the morning.”
“Okay, I’ll come with you.”
Jaemin shakes his head. “You don’t have to… Go to sleep Hyuck, good night.”
Donghyuck watches his friend walk out. “Good night.” He whispers to himself. When the door closes, Donghyuck falls back to his bed. All he could feel was exhaustion and the rapid beating of his heart. He eventually falls asleep to the sound of Jaemin’s piano playing in the other room.
The next morning, Donghyuck wakes up earlier than Jaemin. He was already dressed up and ready to go while Jaemin was still struggling to wear his slippers because of how sleepy he was.
“Good morning,” He greets. “Why are you already awake? It’s like 6 in the morning.”
“You promised we’d go out today, remember?”
“Yeah, but that was supposed to be in the afternoon. I told you I have to go to the library today, exams are coming up and I’ve learned nothing.”
Donghyuck sits on the couch, unbothered. “I also told you that I’d come with. I don’t see the problem here, Jaemin.”
Jaemin begins preparing their breakfast after realising he had no other option because he was the one who screwed up the previous night.
They’ve established a routine while living together. Donghyuck was in charge of cleaning, and Jaemin was in charge of cooking and laundry. Donghyuck was more than happy to help. The latter was still looking for a job but if everything goes well today, he’d be getting one soon.
“We’ll go to the library and then to the park. Then, We’ll meet my boss.” Donghyuck’s face lights up. He’s determined to get this job, even if he has no idea what it is. The thought of being able to help Jaemin in more ways than right now makes him happy.
“I’ll do my best!” Jaemin hums and sets the food down on the table.
“I know you will. Now eat, you’ll need the energy for later.”
“You really didn’t need to come with me, you know.”
The two roommates were now in the town’s public library. It was open every day and to everyone. There were a lot of people around, something Donghyuck was used to when his family attended and hosted parties and balls of their own. Despite that, the place was still quiet and it was obvious that people here were in their own world.
“I wanted to come,” He says, straightening his back and following Jaemin through the aisles of books. “I love libraries, and I’ll be quiet.”
Jaemin just nods, picking out the books he’ll need for today. He’s not planning on studying as much because of Donghyuck but he still needs the essentials.
“If you wanna do anything while I do this, you can. I’m not gonna force you to stay.”
“I’ll stay here. I like it better when you’re here.” Jaemin coughs in his hands and laughs off the blush that’s creeping up on his face. That was… huh.
“Okay... But if you do get bored then…”
“Don’t worry about me, go study!” And so he does.
Jaemin stretches his body from his seat. He just finished studying and hasn’t been paying attention to anything since his and Donghyuck’s conversation, completely lost in the things he needed to do.
In front of him, he sees Donghyuck sleeping. His head was covered by the hood of his jacket and he used his elbows as a pillow. Beside him was an opened fantasy book, and he was quietly snoring. Cute, Jaemin thinks.
It’s not often he gets to see his roommate in such a state, but it’s adorable.
Jaemin mirrors Donghyuck’s position, resting his head on the table and looking at how peaceful he seemed to be. Jaemin’s nothing but a weak man and his heart fluttering at the sight of Donghyuck’s plump lips, soft cheeks, and long eyelashes were there to prove it. But he ignores it, it’s way too early in their relationship for anything above friendship.
Soon, his body catches up to how tired his mind was, just barely missing Donghyuck finally waking up.
When Donghyuck does wake up, he’s not any better at hiding his growing admiration towards Jaemin. It was inevitable. With how gentle and kind Jaemin was to him, and how good his cooking was, Donghyuck was bound to be infatuated sooner or later. Not to mention his physical features, which were a bonus. Donghyuck hates it when Jaemin wears tank tops, showing off his broad shoulders, and perfectly toned body. Truly a menace to his heart.
A strand of hair falls on Jaemin’s face. It’s not a big deal but Donghyuck brushes it away. It covers the details he’s yet to memorise on his friends’ faces. However, he immediately regrets it when Jaemin stirs awake right after Donghyuck has tucked his hands back in.
“Good morning, sleepyhead.” He says, a small smile on his lips.
“Hey… What time is it?” Jaemin checks his watch and suddenly stands up, surprising Donghyuck and everyone who was sitting near them. He sits back down after apologising silently. “It’s almost noon. We have to go, Taeyong is probably waiting for us at the shop.”
“Taeyong?”
“He owns the coffee shop I work part-time in. I told him you needed a job and he was kind enough to consider it. Come on, we can’t keep him waiting. We’ll go to the park right after.”
Jaemin gets up from his chair carefully now to avoid further scary gazes from the librarian. Donghyuck followed suit and soon enough they were out of there.
It’s not unusual for the coffee shop to be closed on Sunday afternoons. There were no classes in any of the schools nearby, most people weren’t really up to stay in the cafe for more than a few minutes in the morning, and it’s when the manager is out, family matters and all that.
Although today was an exception. Taeyong, the manager, was in because of the favour Jaemin asked of him. He was his best employee even with his busy schedule in school so he gave it a shot. They needed more people in the shop anyway.
“Hello, Taeyong hyung!” Jaemin chirps, walking inside the shop with Donghyuck tailing behind him. “Sorry to keep you waiting, we were at the library.”
“Good afternoon, Jaemin.” Taeyong greets and leads the two towards the counter. “I’ll have to borrow Donghyuck from you, Jaem.” He turns to face Donghyuck who’s smiling up at him and looks back to wink at Jaemin and whisper, “He’s a cute one.”
Jaemin chuckles awkwardly before sitting down on the one table that’s set up. He watches as Taeyong tries to teach Donghyuck how the coffee machine works. He looked so cute trying to snap the handler into place, Taeyong guiding his hands and giving him a high five when he got it right. It wasn’t even an hour since they got there but Donghyuck already looked so comfortable, chatting with Taeyong and actually having fun.
He sits upright when he sees Donghyuck walking towards him, holding two cups of coffee and wearing a smug grin on his lips. Donghyuck hands Jaemin one and sits down in front of him while Taeyong excused himself to go to the back.
“How’d I do? Does it taste good?” Donghyuck asks, sipping his own cup. Jaemin pretends to think about it but nods.
“You did better than I did when I made my first coffee in that machine. It’s good, thank you Hyuck.”
Donghyuck shakes his head. “Thank you, Jaemin. I wouldn’t have had the chance to do this if it wasn’t for you.”
Just then Taeyong walks back into the room heading directly for the two who were now sitting in silence. It was quite cute seeing them like this. It reminds him of the good old days with crushes and secret admirations you’d swear to bring with you to the grave.
“Well, Good news Donghyuck. You’re hired! I’m happy to have you help out with us.” Taeyong says while Donghyuck hugged him tight.
“I won’t let you down, Sir.” Taeyong pats him on the back. They let go and Taeyong bids the both of them goodbye and tells Jaemin to close the shop.
Soon, Jaemin and Donghyuck were on their way to the park. Their last stop for today before heading home. Donghyuck was excited, to say the least. This was the first place he ever went to when he and Renjun came to the human world and it was a pleasant experience. Despite some people ignoring them, there were the kind ones who gladly helped them out. He wouldn’t have met Jaemin if it wasn’t for this park. If they didn’t end up here, they would have probably had no choice but to go back home.
But here he was, on his second visit and the place looks better. There were little kids playing, people on the benches relaxing or feeding the birds, and dogs running around. The fountain was as beautiful as the last time he saw it, the grass cut neatly, and it felt peaceful even though there were a lot of people around.
Jaemin puts his arms around Donghyuck playfully, putting a lot of his weight on Donghyuck. “Come on, I’ll treat you to some ice cream!”
“Ice cream?” Donghyuck asks, confused.
Jaemin looks at him weirdly before laughing it off. “Yes, ice cream! Let’s go before they close.” Still confused, Donghyuck lets himself be dragged to wherever.
Ice cream was… Interesting. It was cold, his teeth hurt when he tried biting it and there were colourful little candies on top that tasted sweet.
“We have to get one of those.. those things,” Donghyuck excitedly hops around while they walk home. He’s been going on and on about the little decorations on top of the ice cream for a little over 5 minutes now and Jaemin finds it absolutely endearing. “They’re so cute, Jaem!”
“I’ll get you some sprinkles tomorrow, I promise.” He will. Especially now, seeing Donghyuck even happier than he was a few seconds ago.
“They’re called sprinkles?! Oh my, even the name is adorable. They are gonna be the death of me.” He says, dramatically. “Thank you!”
Today was definitely one of the best days of Donghyuck’s life. He has never been more excited to learn about new things in his life and that’s coming from a Prince. He hopes there will be more days like this in the future; Just him and his new roommate, having fun to the point where he forgets it’s not just them around. Being with Jaemin was fun. He wishes it stays like that for a long time.
A year passes easily just like that. Donghyuck learns to live in the human world with Jaemin guiding him. It’s hard to say he misses the kingdom, this new world is such a sight for him. And Jaemin is just the kindest. He’s helpful and funny and everything anyone would want in a friend - or more.
It’s just past noon when Jaemin wakes up. Donghyuck watches from the couch as he trudged out of his small bedroom, hair a mess and clothes all wrinkled. Donghyuck tries not to grin at how comfortable Jaemin looks.
“Good afternoon Jaem!” Donghyuck greets him with a cheery smile and Jaemin looks at him with eyebrows raised.
“Why are you up so early?” Jaemin grumbles out, voice low and scratchy. Donghyuck smiles at that, giggling when Jaemin stares at him.
He pats the space next to him, inviting Jaemin to sit and he follows, dragging his feet before dropping to Donghyuck’s side, letting his head fall on Donghyuck’s shoulder. Donghyuck holds his breath for a second, staring at the still-sleepy Jaemin on his shoulder. He feels his heart ramming against his chest, loud and fast and he bites his lip to keep himself from smiling too widely.
Jaemin is so attractive, even when his hair is a mess and half asleep on his shoulder. Donghyuck places a hand in his black hair, combing through it to neaten it out a little. Jaemin hums as he does and Donghyuck feels his heart leap. He lets Jaemin lay on his shoulder while he switches through channels on the TV, trying to find a nice show to watch.
“You know,” Donghyuck starts and Jaemin’s eyes flutter open. “It’s your day off from work and class, I planned out an awesome day for us.”
Jaemin hums, a small smile creeping on his face. “Did you?”
“Yeah!” Donghyuck says with a grin. “I thought maybe we could watch a movie together. Or if you feel like going out, we could go to this cute dog cafe I found on… the internet. And maybe we could get some ice cream too! With sprinkles!”
Jaemin’s head is off Donghyuck’s shoulder now, smiling sweetly at him. It makes Donghyuck chuckle nervously at him, biting his lip as he looks away from him. “Unless you don’t want to, that’s okay.”
It’s not okay. Donghyuck has been waiting for Jaemin to get a free day from class and work, wanting to spend an entire day with him just having fun. If Jaemin says ‘no’ he’ll respect the decision but he’ll be sad about it. He’ll sit in his room and sulk because he really wants this.
Jaemin chuckles at him, ruffling Donghyuck’s bright pink hair. It makes Donghyuck’s ears burn, and he really hopes Jaemin doesn’t see him blushing like this.
“I would love to, Hyuckie,” he says and Donghyuck has to physically stop himself from screaming and squealing. Maybe he was too excited. He knew his wings were fluttering out of control and he was so glad Jaemin couldn't see them.
He hopes Jaemin doesn’t notice how his eyes sparkle as he gets excited. He hopes he doesn’t hear how fast and loud his heart is beating from how close they are, or how the nickname causes his ears to redden even more.
Donghyuck is already pulling out his phone to show Jaemin his fantastic plan that he spent all night thinking about when a knock comes on their door. Donghyuck freezes as Jaemin stands from the couch to walk to the door. It’s not Renjun, he can sense when Renjun’s around. It’s not Chenle and Jisung, the senses of a human are different from that of a fairy. And Donghyuck recognises Chenle and Jisung's life essence, having spent way too much time in their apartment playing video games.
But the person outside their door, Donghyuck, doesn't recognise him. Not immediately until he steps closer and realises he senses a fairy. A fairy that isn’t Renjun, a fairy that he does recognise. There’s a fairy outside his door. And he knows exactly who it is.
Donghyuck runs before Jaemin can open it, eyes wide with panic. Jaemin places a hand on Donghyuck’s shoulder when Donghyuck grabs the door handle, and Donghyuck has to bury the fluttering feeling of his heart. When he opens the door, Donghyuck sees a face far too familiar. A face that he hoped to never see again.
“Doyoung,” he breathes out quietly.
Behind him, Jaemin is confused, eyebrows furrowing and his protective hand drops to his side. Donghyuck really has to work on concentrating on not being upset that Jaemin isn’t touching him anymore.
“Your Highness,” Doyoung bows, his hand placed in front of his heart. “You have hidden well. But nowhere I cannot find.”
Donghyuck doesn’t say anything as his eyes shake. He doesn’t even want to know why Doyoung, his right-hand man, the person who stood by him until he ran away with Renjun is at his doorstep. He doesn’t want to know how he’s found him.
“Your Highness?” Jaemin’s voice comes out in a whisper and Donghyuck can recognise the confusion. Fuck, this is really not how he wanted Jaemin to find out. “Hyuck, what is he talking about–”
“Really cute of you to have made a friend here, Haechan. It’s nice that you’ve managed to adapt to a foreign place. You’ve made friends and even found somewhere to live. By the way, where’s Renjun? I need both of you back in the kingdom,” Doyoung says with a polite smile, arms placed by his side.
Donghyuck opens his mouth to speak but gets interrupted by a pull on his arm. He turns his head to see Jaemin staring at him, eyes filled with worry. Donghyuck gulps.
“Donghyuck, this is probably some trick. Don’t listen to them, they’re just trying to hurt you. I’ll handle this okay? Go to the kitchen and stay there until I handle this, okay? Don’t worr–”
Donghyuck cuts him off, taking his arm and holding him tight. “Jaemin, this isn’t some trick. I know this guy. And he isn’t lying about anything.” Donghyuck drops his head, staring down at the floor between them as Jaemin frowns. “I wanted to tell you everything before but I didn’t get the chance to. Please let me explain everything–”
“Haechan,” Doyoung calls out, “Your Highness, we need to leave. Now. Your kingdom needs you.”
Donghyuck turns around, eyes glaring into Doyoung and he feels the energy in the room drop. The tension grows in the air when he sees Renjun standing behind him, frozen in fear. “It’s not my kingdom anymore. I left, remember?”
Doyoung is as calm as ever when he replies, “Your Highness, you need to go home. The kingdom is in ruins and it needs a leader. You as its rightful leader must return home. Your people and kingdom need you.”
Donghyuck’s wings flutter, the hues of yellow, light purple and pink glowing behind him, a show of his power. “I’m not going back and neither is Renjun. We’re staying here.”
It’s silent and Donghyuck feels Jaemin’s hand still on his arm, his heart beating out of his chest.
“We are going,” Doyoung says firmly. “May I remind you of the consequences of running away from the kingdom? I’m sure you wouldn’t want your dear human friend to suffer death he doesn’t deserve,” he says while smiling at Jaemin, still standing tall and protective behind him.
Donghyuck doesn’t say anything as he ponders over Doyoung’s words. He wasn’t going to let Renjun or Jaemin be killed. Not because of him. He would never let them suffer the consequences of his actions. Donghyuck lets out a breath slowly, eyes glancing over to Renjun over Doyoung’s shoulder.
He wishes he had a choice. A choice to stay with Jaemin, to stay in the city with them. To live freely, away from the responsibilities of a king. But he knows he doesn’t have that. Renjun nods his head and Donghyuck knows what to do.
“Jaem,” he turns around, frowning at Jaemin. “I’m sorry. I wish I could’ve told you earlier. I wanted to tell you– I never wanted you to find out like this.”
“I don’t understand anything. Prince? King? Kingdom? Hyuck, what is he talking about? Who even is this guy and why is asking you and Renjun to leave?” The words leave Jaemin’s lips so quickly, he almost misses them.
Donghyuck sighs, mumbling apologies as he reaches his arms around Jaemin’s neck, hugging him and whispers in his ears, “I’ll explain everything when I get back. I’m so sorry for keeping this from you, I promise I’ll answer all your questions later.”
Jaemin’s arms snake around his waist, pulling him close. “You’re really leaving?”
Donghyuck doesn’t realise he’s crying until Jaemin pulls him away and wipes his tears. “I have to. You don’t need to get hurt because of him. I’m sorry. I wish I didn’t have to but… I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Jaemin doesn’t say anything, looking at Donghyuck before his eyes glance at Doyoung still standing by the door. His eyes go stoic before letting go of Donghyuck. He watches Jaemin nod at Renjun before he’s looking back at him.
“I’m so sorry, Jaemin.”
Jaemin doesn’t say anything, avoiding his eyes before Doyoung takes Donghyuck by the arm, pulling him towards him. His eyebrows furrow, glaring at him. “Don’t touch him.”
Doyoung gives him a tight smile, bowing his head slightly. “Don’t worry. Your Highness will be in safe hands.” He looks behind him, delighted to see Renjun standing there. “Let’s go back to Elysia, Renjun,” he turns to Donghyuck, “Your Highness.”
Jaemin doesn’t know what to expect, doesn’t know what’s about to happen but he watches Donghyuck, tears burning his eyes. He gives Donghyuck one last look before he calls out, “Will you come back?”
Donghyuck hesitates, pressing his lips together. He doesn’t know. He wants to. He wants to come back to Jaemin. He doesn’t want to leave.
“I will.”
Doyoung raises an eyebrow at him but Donghyuck doesn’t say anything more. He glares at Doyoung, chin held high. Donghyuck steps toward Renjun and before Jaemin knows it, the three of them are gone as if they were never there and Jaemin is left with nothing but Donghyuck’s empty promise.
Donghyuck marches to his room the second they get back to the palace, Doyoung following closely behind him. He feels like a kid again, being reminded specifically of the time of his parents' passing. The doors to his room were closed shut, he didn’t talk to anyone aside from Renjun, and nobody could catch sight of the orphaned prince. There were distant and close relatives that came by his quarters every day, offering various things Donghyuck did not want. Arrays of guards and helpers standing outside, Donghyuck hearing all the gossip about himself.
He expected it, really. When your prince, soon-to-be-king suddenly disappears and comes back a year later, he’d be surprised if no one talked about it. He’s curious about how they’d react when they find out he was in the human world. Funny.
Doyoung, however, does not seem to find it funny at all. “Your Highness, you are to stay in your room until I notify the council of your return,” He sighs and drops his head a little before composing himself. “Please don’t do anything rash, I have my eyes on you.”
Falling back to his bed, Donghyuck closes his eyes and thinks about the mess he’s about to go through. If he wasn’t royalty maybe he’d be able to escape fully, but he knows what he left behind and he feels guilty over the lives of his people that he gave to the hands of… he doesn’t even know.
He takes a deep breath and tries to calm himself down. Suddenly, regret starts building up in his chest right after he remembers his friend. Renjun, who is not royalty. Renjun. who got forced into joining him in his irresponsibility. Renjun, who he left alone as soon as they got here. No.
Donghyuck immediately gets up and sprints out the door, ignoring all the guards running after him. He has to find his best friend right now and he’d be damned if he let them stop him from finding out where he was. He gets to the ballroom in record time but he doesn’t see Renjun anywhere.
The guards stand around him trying to get close, “Your Highness, plea-” Donghyuck pushes through them and goes to the kitchen next, where he knows Renjun’s mom works.
“Is Mrs Huang here?” He asks the staff, who were staring at him wide-eyed like he was a ghost. “I asked, is Mrs Huang here?”
“N-no, Your Highness She hasn’t been working here since last year. The royal council thought his son took you away and was punished.”
Donghyuck’s ears start ringing. He truly has messed everything up, for the people of Elysia and for the people he loves most. He considers Renjun and his family his own and to hear that what he’d done caused them this much has his heart breaking all over again. He has to fix this. All of it.
“I need to talk to Renjun,” Donghyuck walks into the assembly room, head held high and looking directly at Doyoung who was sitting at the end of the table. Was he supposed to barge into the meeting of the council? No, but at this point, he didn’t care. “Where is he?”
Doyoung stands up and goes to lead Donghyuck outside. “Now is not the time, Haechan.” He nudged his head to the people in the room who were now staring at them. “This is important business, I’ll come to you later.”
“No! I need to see Renjun, now.” Seeing as the prince wasn’t going to stand down anytime soon, he sighs and calls for one of the guards by the door.
“Please take him to the dungeon, he’d like to see his friend.” Dungeon? Haechan whispers. “He’s the newest inmate, I assume you’d know where to go.”
He follows the guard down to the dungeon. His heart is beating out of his chest as he feels his knees get weak. Renjun was there in the first cell next to the doors. He was on his knees, crying while his hands were tied together using magic.
“Renjun! Thank God I found you. I’ll get you out of here, I’m so sorry.” Donghyuck rambles. Renjun looks up at him with bloodshot eyes, sniffling.
“Hyu- Haechan? What are you doing here?”
Haechan wastes no time and opens the cell with his own magic, the guard goes to stop him but Donghyuck turns around and glares at him, “I am your Prince.” The authority in his voice is clear, the guard steps back.
When Renjun is out, Donghyuck takes a hold of him and cries on his shirt. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. This is all my fault, I’m so sorry,” Renjun rubs his back, his head resting on top of his friend’s hair “You shouldn’t have come with me, now you’re in trouble, your mom isn’t working in the palace anymore, and I don’t even know where your dad is. I'm so sorry.”
“We’ll be fine, It’s not your fault. Come on, let’s go home.” Renjun says, wiping the tears off his face. Donghyuck’s powers in the fairy world are the strongest among everyone; One second he’s crying, and the next he’s whispering to the wind, disappearing right before the guards’ eyes.
They end up in front of Renjun’s house. It hasn’t changed since the last time they went, just a few days before they left. They see the lights open and Renjun can’t help but run inside. He first sees his mom in the living room, reading and next to her was his sleeping father. She looks up from her book and gasps.
“You’re here?!” She exclaimed, quickly getting up from the chair and pulling his son into a tight hug. His father wakes up from all the noise and joins them. “I was so worried about you, my darling. I’m so happy you’re safe.”
“We didn’t know where you’d gone. We couldn’t find you anywhere” His father adds.
Behind them, Donghyuck starts tearing up. He’s never been the emotional type but seeing what he took away from his friend makes him feel guilty. Mrs Huang notices him standing by the doorway and smiles at him.
“Haechan, you’re safe.” She whispers, walking to him with her arms open. Donghyuck sobs and cries the last of his tears.
Apologising was something that came to Donghyuck easily. He thinks that he's messed up more than the whole population of Elysia and the human world combined. Still, he finds it difficult when it’s in front of Renjun’s parents. The people who took care of him ever since he was a child, up until his parents died and they ran away.
They have always been so kind to him and it isn’t any different now. They were offering him tea and pastries, giving him comfy blankets telling them stories of everything they missed while they were away. Haechan was starting to get confused, why weren’t they mad at him? After everything, why did they still treat him like he didn’t take their son away?
Sensing the dilemma in his head, Mrs Huang chuckles quietly. “Haechan, come here,” she says, patting the seat beside her. Donghyuck follows absentmindedly. “You don’t need to be sorry for what happened to us. Renjun told us everything in the letter he gave before you left. We understand.”
Donghyuck turns to look at his friend who was busy in the kitchen with his father. “Your mother was a free spirit. She did whatever she wanted whenever she could… no one could stop her even if they tried. She was a force to be reckoned with” Mrs Huang smiles at the memory. “Her biggest dream was to explore the world outside of Elysia, and so she did.”
“When she went to the human world a month before her coronation just like you did, she came back a different person. She was always locked up in her room, wherever she went the royal guards were with her, and she hated everything that had to do with the people who took her back and that included your father who, at the time, was one of the royal guards in training. She didn’t go out into the village anymore, didn’t ride out into the forest at the most random of times, she wasn’t the happy fairy we all used to know.
She eventually got crowned and fell in love with your father, and soon, you and your brother were born. She had responsibilities now as a queen and as a mother but her dreams of one day coming back to the human world did not leave her mind; she told me so.”
Donghyuck could do nothing but listen. He’s heard stories from his mother about the human world, it’s why he wanted to go in the first place but it was the first time he’s heard someone else talk about it.
“I guess that’s where you got it from.” Mrs Huang continues. “You’re a kind soul, Haechan and I know you didn’t mean to cause harm by leaving. You’re not selfish for choosing yourself, you’re not selfish for wanting to get away. I don’t blame you for anything, but I also know it was very irresponsible of you.”
“I’m sorry, I really am,” Donghyuck says, looking directly at Mrs Huang. “I’ll do everything I can to make it all better again, I’ll make it up to you and to the fairies of Elysia.”
Mrs Huang smiles at him and rubs his back comfortingly. “I know you will. I trust you, Haechan.”
“Jaemin hyung, you need to take a break,” Jisung says, leaning against the stonecold counters, watching Jaemin pace around the cafe, wiping tables that didn’t need to be wiped. “You’ve been working and studying nonstop for days– almost two weeks. You’re going to get yourself sick.”
Jaemin doesn’t answer him, wiping down another table right by the window. He’s already cleaned that one. Twice. He ignores Jisung, continuing to clean the cafe. It’s pretty empty inside, with only a few students and other adults on the other side of the cafe, a typical sight for a late afternoon. He walks past Jisung, and goes back behind the counter, cleaning there.
“Hyung, will you listen to me?” Jisung pouts.
Jaemin sighs, turning around to face him. “I’m working.” He doesn’t say anything more, neatly arranging the biscuits and cakes on display, again.
“You are not even supposed to be at work today. It’s not your shift,” Taeyong adds in, walking past the both of them before walking to the backroom.
“Exactly! You don’t need to take more shifts. You’ll just tire yourself out. And then after this, you’ll go to the library to study and you’ll be there too late. You’re going to get sick,” Jisung says, eyes pleading Jaemin to listen to him.
Jaemin stays silent, staring up at Jisung. “I’ll be okay, Jisung. Don’t worry about me, okay? I’m just making the most of my time. I can take care of myself,” he says with a wide grin, reaching out to pinch his soft cheeks while Jisung grumbles under his breath.
“Do you and Chenle need anything? Do you guys want to come over for dinner later? It’s been a while since I’ve cooked for you two,” Jaemin asks, a small smile on his face.
“Yeah. You’re always cooking for Donghyuck hyung.” Jaemin’s smile drops at Jisung’s words, and Jisung frowns. “Hyung, is it why you’re always out late nowadays? Because Donghyuck hyung isn’t… home with you anymore?”
Jaemin shakes his head, a quiet “no” leaving his lips. Of course that’s a lie. It’s been days since Donghyuck disappeared right in front of his eyes. 11 days since Donghyuck was taken away from him. He tried not to think about it. But it’s hard to forget the sunshine presence of the other boy.
“He had to leave. I understand that. I’m just… making myself busy,” Jaemin gives him a tight smile. “It gets boring being at home alone.”
It’s not the whole truth but Jaemin can’t tell Jisung that everywhere Jaemin looks he’s reminded of Donghyuck. The mug he uses every morning sitting unmoved on his shelf, the pint of strawberry ice cream sitting in his freezer untouched. Donghyuck’s room that’s as neat as ever, the bed made like he does every morning before he leaves for work. He hasn’t entered since Donghyuck left but he keeps his door slightly open, in hopes that one day Jaemin wakes up and realises Donghyuck never left and he’ll be there ready to greet him with a warm, bright smile.
But it doesn’t happen. Donghyuck really left that day without a real promise of coming back and Jaemin just goes back to living like Donghyuck was never there.
He doesn’t think about it. Doesn’t think about the secret Donghyuck had kept from him the entire time. But the more he thinks about it, the worse his headache gets and he really isn’t looking to make it harder for himself to study.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Jisung asks, bottom lip between his teeth and Jaemin nods his head.
“I am. I’ll be fine, I know my limits. Come over for dinner with Chenle?” Jaemin asks. A customer enters the cafe, walks to the counter and Jisung just gives him a nod before letting Jaemin do his work. He watches from the side and Jaemin catches a glance of his worried eyes. He sends his most convincing smile before work and class occupy his mind once again.
When Jaemin steps into his apartment, Chenle and Jisung are already waiting for him on his couch, watching his TV.
He ignores them, walking towards his kitchen to drop off the bags of groceries. He glances at them, watching as they laugh to themselves, not even watching the show on the screen. It reminded him of when he and Donghyuck watched movies on the weekends.
He shuts the thoughts off, concentrating on cooking dinner for the three of them. Jaemin doesn’t mind the two being loud in his living room, able to distract himself with cooking. He thinks about what Donghyuck is up to, what he’s eating and who cooks for him. Except Donghyuck is a prince, he supposes he has enough chefs and servants to take good care of him and cook him good food.
“Hyung.” He hears Jisung call him and he turns around to see Chenle and Jisung standing by him. “Hyung, you’re probably tired. Chenle can cook for us, it’s okay.”
Jaemin looks at Chenle who just smiles at him. “You said you would come at 7. It was 7:47 pm when you came home.”
Jaemin rolls his eyes at that, putting his hands on his hips. “I just finished up my study session a little later than usual but I can cook perfectly fine.”
Chenle snickers at him. “You were zoning out on carrots. And you look like a zombie. You could end up hurting yourself.”
Jaemin doesn’t say anything and sighs instead. He feels fine. Maybe a little bit tired but that shouldn’t stop him from cooking for them. He can do it. He needs to do it. Or he’ll never stop thinking about Donghyuck and he’d rather ignore the pain than let it in.
“Hyung, let yourself rest,” Jisung says, cautiously placing his hand on Jaemin’s arm.
Jaemin shakes his head, tears forming in his eyes and he doesn’t even know why.
“No, I can’t. I have to do something or I’ll think about—” Jaemin doesn’t finish his sentence, the words dying in his throat. He lets out a dry sob and shuts his eyes.
He doesn’t need to finish the sentence. They already know why Jaemin busies himself with work and school. Knows it’s the only way he can stop thinking about Donghyuck and Donghyuck leaving. The only way he can distract himself from the memory of Donghyuck disappearing that plays on replay in his mind. Because if Jaemin was too busy to think, he wouldn’t need to remember that the person he cares about, the person he grew fond of, not only left him but lied to him.
He’s not even sure if Donghyuck will ever come back.
Donghyuck was taken away without any warning and he might never come back. The only thing he had was the promise Donghyuck made and he held onto it.
Jaemin doesn’t want to think about it any longer than he can. He opens his eyes, the tears unable to blur the worry on Chenle and Jisung’s faces. Jisung holds him steady with one hand while Chenle guides him out of the kitchen.
“I’ll cook. You rest,” Chenle says, seating Jaemin on his couch. “You can watch a show with Jisung. And then after dinner, you sleep.”
Jaemin doesn’t say anything. He still has some lesson notes to cover but he nods his head to keep Chenle and Jisung from nagging at him any further. He sags onto the couch right next to Jisung as Chenle starts cooking in his kitchen.
He feels Jisung put a comforting hand on his own, interlocking their fingers together.
“Donghyuck hyung will be fine. He’ll come back. You know how I know?” Jisung asks, his voice soft and gentle. “Because Donghyuck would never want to be away from you for too long. He likes being with you, hyung. He’ll be back. And maybe Renjun will be back too.”
Jisung leaves out the “I hope” at the end of his sentence but Jaemin knows even he isn’t sure of anything. All he can do is wait and try not to think about it all. It’s all he can do.
“You left and the kingdom was in shambles. Your older cousin had to take over which, obviously, didn’t turn out well.” Doyoung has been scolding him for the past hour.
When he came back from the Huangs, Doyoung was on top of the stairs signalling him to follow wherever he was going. They ended up in the library, where the older man was still having a go at him.
“Be grateful you’re still alive. Heaven knows what would happen to everyone if you weren’t. The last remaining son of the Lees, dead, somewhere. I will never understand it. your life is perfect here and yet you decide to run away! To the human world, of all places. You know how dangerous it is for us fairies to be out there, Haechan. You even promised to come back for that guy!”
Haechan stands up, the chair grating across the floor. “My life is far from perfect, Doyoung. I understand the weight of my actions and I know what I’ve done. I don’t need you telling me. I know I messed up. I know it’s selfish of me to want to go back, but I have a life there now too.”
“I found a family in that place. I have friends there, people who I can trust with my whole life and people I can laugh with without feeling forced. I found my purpose in the human world, and I want to stay. Whatever you decide on, I will stay. But I’m not leaving before I make things right.”
Doyoung shifts his weight and crosses his arms. “And how do you plan on doing that, Haechan? You can’t leave without someone capable of taking over your place.”
“I know someone. He’ll be perfect.” Haechan grins and sits back down, staring at nothing. Doyoung looks at him weirdly. Kids these days.
There's a knock on Donghyuck's door. "Your Highness? You called for me?" He hears from behind it.
"Renjun, I told you not to call me that. Come in."
"I can't. If anyone heard me, they'd have my head." Donghyuck laughs dryly. Renjun walks towards him and sits beside him.
“What’s up? How have you been?” He asks, nudging his shoulders.
Donghyuck sighs and faces Renjun who’s now frowning. He can sense something isn’t right. “Renjun. I know I already asked you for so much… I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t there with me every step of the way. In a way, you know more about me and the kingdom more than I do.”
“Okay, what is this all about?” Something definitely isn’t right. They never say things like these to each other, and hearing Donghyuck go on about their friendship felt weird… he can’t decide if it’s a good or a bad thing.
“The royal council, including Doyoung, has allowed me to go back to the human world.” Renjun tilts his head and looks at him in confusion.
“Shouldn’t you be excited about that?”
“I am, I am! But I only get to go if I find someone else to take over and…” No. No.
Renjun gets up and starts walking backwards. “Don’t tell me.” Donghyuck follows him and pleads.
“You can say no. I don’t want you to feel like you have to say yes to another one of my crazy ideas. It’s just that..” He pauses for a second before taking a deep breath and continuing. “You were with me when I was learning how to be a king. You know all there is to know about leadership, responsibility, and all the things I still struggle to do. I’ve seen how capable you are and I know you will do amazing, miles better than I would.”
Renjun walks back to the bed, dazed. “Hyuck.” He looks at his friend who’s now holding onto his hands.
“Renjun, I know how much you love Elysia. I suggested you because I know you’ll take care of the kingdom and– I’m begging you, please consider it. I can help you with everything you need, I’ll come back here every week so I can watch over you. I’ll do anything, just, please. I need to go back to Jaemin.”
“Your Highness, It would be my honour.” He finally answers, “But I need some time to think about it.” Donghyuck nods frantically, forcing back the tears that were threatening to fall down his cheeks.
“Thank you. Take as much time as you want, I know this is a lot. I’m sorry for dumping my responsibilities on you just like that. I’m ashamed of myself.”
Renjun shakes his head and sits back down on the bed. “I don’t blame you. I’ve come to love the human world as well, but this is where I belong; It would be foolish of me to leave it all behind.” Donghyuck winces, feeling guilty again. “Don’t you dare blame yourself for me coming with you, that was my choice.”
“Are you sure you’re not feeling forced to do it?” Donghyuck asks seriously. If Renjun didn’t want it to happen, then it won’t.
“I don’t have much of a choice when the Prince asks me to do it,” Renjun chuckles and sighs, “But I don't feel forced to do it. Serving my kingdom as its new ruler would be the best way to thank it for everything it has done for me and my family,”
“… excluding the last year, maybe” He manages to joke.
Silence envelopes the whole room. Although, in a way, it’s peaceful.
“I love you,” says Donghyuck, resting his head on his friends’ shoulders. “Thank you for loving me too.”
Renjun pulled him closer until they were hugging. “I love you, too.” He will always be Donghyuck’s soulmate. Renjun was the comforting hug that was there for Donghyuck whenever he needed one, watching over him and protecting him like no one else can. Renjun's refuge was Donghyuck, a person he could turn to for solace and forget how cruel life can be at times. No person or fairy could ever compare to how much they mean to each other “Now come on, we have a lot to talk about. Did you know Jeno’s training to be a knight now? Insane!”
Oh, Donghyuck thought, what would life be without Renjun?
Jaemin should’ve seen this coming. He was warned by Chenle and Jisung multiple times about getting sick, about being worn out from all the extra work and studying he was doing.
It doesn’t help that he hasn’t been getting much sleep, mind awake at midnight wondering where Donghyuck was, if he was doing okay, if he was thinking of him too.
He coughs weakly, turning in his bed as he tries to get in a good position. It’s a good thing there are no classes and Taeyong kindly let him take a leave.
But Jaemin doesn’t want to lie in bed and do nothing, the thoughts of losing Donghyuck coming back with nothing to help distract him from it. He watches him leave in his mind over and over again, thinking of all the things they could’ve been doing. But you can’t lose someone you never had.
If Jisung didn’t threaten him by ignoring him for a week, Jaemin would get up and get his notes. He groans, opening his eyes he didn’t know he shut, a pounding headache growing as he looks around.
He feels lightheaded, feels a little like he’s dreaming and maybe he is because right by his door he sees a figure with a bright, colourful aura behind it. Jaemin squints, trying to see more clearly who it was.
The figure takes a few steps closer to where Jaemin is tucked under his comforter, and they become clearer to Jaemin’s eyes.
The dark room almost practically lights up with the fairy dust-like sparkles that surround him. The bright, colourful aura turns into a beautiful mix of yellow, purple and teal. They’re wings. Fairy wings. Jaemin recognises the pink hair anywhere and as he comes closer to view, Jaemin sees Donghyuck.
He must really miss him and must be really sick to be hallucinating Donghyuck in his room. With wings at that. Donghyuck did tell him he was a fairy prince. He wonders what Donghyuck would really look like with wings. He wonders what his wings look like and how pretty he’d be.
“Jaemin.” The voice sounds distant yet close and Jaemin blinks at the magical-looking figure. He looks so pretty, Jaemin really thinks he’s hallucinating his roommate.
“Hyuck? Donghyuck? Is that really you?” Jaemin whispers, sitting up slightly, leaning in his elbows as Donghyuck comes closer.
His pink hair looks like it’s covered in glitter, the yellow-purple wings complimenting him perfectly and the moles on Donghyuck’s face more obvious now. He shines like this, even brighter than Jaemin could imagine. He looks… like a dream. Jaemin’s starting to think he is in a dream.
“Yeah, it’s me,” Donghyuck says so quietly that Jaemin almost misses it. He stares at Donghyuck, unable to take his eyes off him. “Jaemin, are you okay?”
He hums, falling onto his back, strands of hair surrounding his head. “A little sick. I’m mostly okay.”
He feels a dip on the side of his bed and he looks at Donghyuck sitting by his side. He takes Jaemin’s hand and thumbs over his knuckles. “Oh, Jaem…”
Jaemin doesn’t say anything. He’s too glad to see Donghyuck after all this time. Even if he might be hallucinating. He stares at him, traces the moles on his face down his neck with his eyes, before glancing over the pretty pattern of his wings.
“I miss you,” he blurts out, a shy smile spreading across his face.
Donghyuck’s wings flutter behind him like the butterflies in his stomach. Jaemin watches as he looks away, a blush high on his cheeks. Cute.
“Oh. I miss you too.” He turns to the glass of water by his bed that Jisung left there for him. He gestures Jaemin to sit up, grabbing the glass to help Jaemin drink water. “Come on, let me take care of you.”
They don’t say anything while Jaemin takes a sip of the water, Donghyuck going out to their kitchen to get more water. He checks for a fever, pressing a hand on his forehead and Jaemin’s eyes flutter shut at the warmth of his hand.
Jaemin doesn’t think he’s that sick. He’s just tired and sleep-deprived and not eating as much but he’s fine. But Donghyuck is doing something with his hands, glowing with glitter and Jaemin closes his eyes at the brightness of it.
He feels Donghyuck press his hand on his forehead and his chest and Jaemin sighs, a relieving feeling swarming in his chest. Already, he feels 10 times better than before. His head wasn’t pounding and he didn’t feel as if there were claws in his throat. He felt better, felt less tired and more relaxed, like a weight lifted off him.
When he opens his eyes again, the room is darker but Donghyuck still glows in front of him. Fairy magic probably or something like that. He still doesn’t know if this is real or if it’s all a dream. Donghyuck is too pretty to be true but his touch is familiar and Jaemin really hopes it’s him taking care of him and not a figment of his imagination.
“Will you leave again?” Jaemin whispers, looking up at Donghyuck. He doesn’t say anything and it tells Jaemin enough. He wasn’t here to stay. He probably didn’t even come for him, just came and stumbled into the mess that he’s become.
“I’m sorry.”
Jaemin shakes his head slightly, giving him a small smile. “That’s okay. Why did you come back all of a sudden? Need more clothes? I haven’t been able to do your laundry.”
Donghyuck laughs, leaning closer and his wings flutter just a bit as Jaemin takes his hands. “I felt like something was wrong, so I came back to check on you.” Jaemin’s lips part at that. He felt something was wrong. With him. And came back to make sure he was okay. Oh.
“Have you not been taking care of yourself?” Donghyuck asks and Jaemin shakes his head as heat rises to his cheeks.
“Not really. Couldn’t stop thinking about you.” He’s being so honest. Too honest. But he doesn’t care. Donghyuck is here right next to him, sitting on his bed and taking care of him. He misses and he wasn’t going to keep denying that fact any longer.
Donghyuck opens his mouth to say something, mouthing words but the only thing that comes out is, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, I understand.” And he does. Donghyuck was the prince of his kingdom and he had duties to fulfil. He didn’t belong here. He didn’t belong with Jaemin. “Do you have to go?”
Donghyuck gulps slightly, frowning at him. “I wish I didn’t have to.”
Jaemin nods, unable to find it in himself to ask him to stay. “I’ll be fine. I can take care of myself.”
Donghyuck raises an eyebrow at him, sceptical of his words. He tilts his head just slightly and Jaemin pouts.
“Hyuck, I’ll be okay.”
Donghyuck laughs, placing a hand on Jaemin’s cheek. It feels so real, his soft palms holding his face, thumbing at his cheeks. This can’t be a dream. He feels too real. He’s never seen Donghyuck take care of him like this. He wants more of it. He wants him to stay.
“Okay. I trust you.” He pauses, looking at the clock hanging on the wall across Jaemin’s bed. He looks back at Jaemin, eyes softening as he smiles at him. “I have to go now or Doyoung might actually kill me.”
Jaemin nods. He knew he’d leave again but it still stings. “Thank you for coming.”
Donghyuck giggles, wings fluttering as he does. “Take care of yourself for me. I’ll be back soon.”
Jaemin slowly feels his eyelids getting heavier like a sleeping spell was put on him. He tries to stay awake to see Donghyuck just a second longer.
“You promise?” he mumbles, gripping Donghyuck tighter.
Donghyuck smiles at him, caressing his cheek softly, eyes sparkling at him. “Yeah. I promise.”
Everything becomes foggy after that, Jaemin slowly loses his grip on Donghyuck, feeling himself being pulled into sleep. He feels Donghyuck lean in closer, his lips right above his own before he hears Donghyuck whisper, “Rest well, Jaemin.”
Jaemin doesn’t remember anything else, only feels Donghyuck’s lips on his forehead before he passes out.
When he wakes up, his headache is gone and he feels new. But the sight of food in the kitchen confuses him. He knows it isn’t Chenle or Jisung, if it were them, they would have texted him that they left food.
There’s no note, no hint of who it could have been but the used yellow mug on the counter tells him enough.
“You’re out of your mind.”
Donghyuck takes a deep breath, looking at Doyoung with a bored look. “Is that really how you address your prince?”
Doyoung huffs, “You barely call yourself a prince but now that you need people to listen to you, you take back that title. You’ve been bossing everyone around here like you weren’t pretending to be human for over a year. Like you didn’t completely abandon your kingdom.” Doyoung shuts himself up when Donghyuck sends him a glare.
Donghyuck doesn’t say anything, just staring hard at Doyoung sitting in one of the cushioned chairs to the side of his. He watches as Doyoung mentally contemplates every life decision he’s ever made.
“Listen, I’m not asking for your permission. I’m just telling you. I found someone to take over for me,” Donghyuck says casually.
“You chose Renjun,” Doyoung nearly raises his voice at him and Donghyuck twitches at the change in tone.
He squints his eyes at Doyoung. “What’s wrong with that?”
Doyoung sighs, rubbing his temples. “He’s… he’s not royalty.”
Donghyuck scoffs at his words, standing from his chair. “Renjun has been by my side since the very beginning. He was with me when I was learning to be a prince and a king. He was there to watch me during my training. I practised everything I needed to learn with him. He has the skills and the passion. He’s capable of being the King of Elysia.”
Doyoung doesn’t say anything and Donghyuck lips tremble. He might not like Doyoung most of the time but he was truly the only one who’s seen it all from the start. The only one who knows can help him with this.
“Doyoung hyung,” Donghyuck says with a cheeky smile to which Doyoung laughs in disbelief. “He cares about the kingdom as much as I do. But he would do better taking care of and ruling it than I ever could. He just needs guidance and support. I know you can be the one to give that to him.”
There’s a second of silence before Doyoung sighs. Donghyuck looks at him expectedly, holding his breath. Donghyuck hopes in his heart everything works out, for him, for Renjun and for Jaemin. For them all.
“I don’t know how the royal council is going to take this,” is all Doyoung says but Donghyuck knows he’s won.
Donghyuck smirks, shrugging his shoulders. “I believe in Renjun. They’ll trust their prince won’t they?”
Doyoung chuckles, standing up as well. “Their prince who ran away.” Doyoung places a hand on his shoulder before pulling him into a hug. “It’s okay. We’ll do what we can to convince the royal council. I think Renjun will be able to do well too. He knows how to boss you around every now and then.”
Donghyuck laughs and a sudden wave of emotions brings him to tears. He pulls away, wiping them hastily. Doyoung smiles at him. “I hope you become happy. Just like your mother was.”
Donghyuck chuckles, nodding his head. “I will be.”
There’s an awkward beat of silence before Doyoung clears his throat and bows to Donghyuck. “Enough. There is a lot we must prepare. Not only for Renjun but for the kingdom as well. But first, we must go and convince the royal council your overprotective best friend is fit for the throne.”
Donghyuck frowns. “Hey, you’ll be working with him soon too. And he’s not overprotective. He just loves like that.”
Doyoung waves his hand at him before walking out of the room and Donghyuck watches the door close before jumping and punching the air in joy, his yellowish-purple wings fluttering in celebration with him.
And happy he will be.
Jaemin wakes up in his apartment alone again. All the blinds were closed and there was barely any sunlight yet. 6:57 reads the clock on his bedside table; It’s way too early. He gets up anyway and does his usual morning routine, the one before he met Donghyuck. Today, he will move on and forget about him.
It hasn't been easy trying to live by himself again. It's funny because he's been by himself longer than he was with Donghyuck. Somehow, his impact on his life was bigger than he had expected.
It's only been around 2 weeks since those men showed up on his doorstep and asked to see Donghyuck. He still couldn't believe he lived with an actual Fairy Prince, the one they'd show in barbie movies, and he didn't know. Didn't even notice it one bit.
Jaemin didn't even get the chance to say goodbye properly. He hoped it was worth it; that their kingdom and the people-fairies?-that lived there were okay. Although, It doesn't change the fact that there will always be a part of him that hopes Donghyuck would walk in the door and greet him good morning.
On the way to the kitchen, he notices the room to Donghyuck's door is slightly open. He hasn't gone in there since the day he left and all of his stuff was still where he left them.
Everything was dusty but they remained neatly organised around the room. But that wasn't where his full attention was at right now. It was the messy bed, the open window, and the steam coming from the coffee on the vanity.
Jaemin was fully awake now. He hears quiet hums coming from the living room as he rushes out the door. He arrives in record time while his hands are shaking and his heart is racing, only to see the man he thought was just a dream. Donghyuck was standing there, sweeping the floor and swaying to the record player’s music.
Jaemin lets out a choked sob and goes to tackle Donghyuck to the ground, holding onto him tight and whispering "Are you real?"
Donghyuck smiles and nods even if it was quite difficult to do so. Eventually, still in shock, Jaemin helps them both up from the floor. “What… What are you doing here?”
“I promised I’d come back, didn’t I?” Jaemin stares at him with his mouth open, still trying to make sense of everything. “I worked everything out and I’m here. Are you not happy?”
He is. He doesn’t quite understand what’s happening just yet but he’s sure he’s happy. Now that he was in front of him, every confusing thing in his heart made sense.
“I like you.” He doesn’t mean for it to come out so suddenly but it’s the only thing on Jaemin’s mind right now. The adrenaline rush of finally having his Donghyuck in between his arms, it’s nothing like he’s ever felt before and it’s everything he ever wanted.
With the confession ringing in his ears, Donghyuck lets go of the broomstick he was still holding onto and finally goes to greet Jaemin properly. “You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for you to say that.”
“So you’ve got it all under control? How’s Renjun doing?” Donghyuck munches on his breakfast while Jaemin sits across from him. He’s been telling him all about what happened the past 2 weeks and Jaemin was more than interested in knowing what went on. He eventually told Chenle and Jisung that their friend had to go but the two were more than glad to find out their best friend is going to be a fairy king.
“Yeah, I know he’ll do great. I’ll be back next week to check up on him though.”
“You’re going back? Already?” He can hear the anxiety in Jaemin's voice; it's odd, but it’s nice to know he cares.
Donghyuck nods and puts his plates in the sink. “Don't worry, though, It’ll only be for 3 days every other week and whenever they need me.” He pretends he doesn't hear Jaemin exhale with relief, “Renjun’s still training so they need to have me there.”
There’s a moment of silence before Donghyuck speaks again, “Jaem?” He calls for him. “I’m not leaving you. Not now, not ever. Not when I finally have you.”
Jaemin stays in his chair, smiling to himself. He’s lucky to have fallen for Donghyuck. “Your promise was the only thing that kept me going while you were gone. I didn’t know if it was true, or how long it would take… I just hoped you weren’t gonna break it.” Jaemin stands up now and walks towards Donghyuck who’s looking at him with the warmest smile.
He whispers, "So thank you," as he rests his head on Donghyuck's shoulders. It’s the safest place he knows. “Thank you for coming back.”
“You make it all worth it.”
“You know, we never got to do that awesome day you planned for us,” Jaemin says as he joins Donghyuck on the couch. He grins widely at Donghyuck as he blinks a few times at him.
“I forgot about that,” Donghyuck mumbles, trying to recall what exactly he had planned for them. It’s been a while and with all the business he had to take care of the kingdom, he couldn’t really remember. But it doesn’t matter. To him, anything he did with Jaemin was special enough.
Jaemin chuckles at him, shifting closer to Donghyuck. He smiles, swinging his leg over Jaemin’s legs and slightly leans back on the armrest of the couch.
“You never asked about me being a fairy,” Donghyuck says out of nowhere and he watches as Jaemin furrow his eyebrows, biting his lips.
“So that was real huh?” Jaemin asks.
Donghyuck tilts his head at him. “What was? Me being a fairy? I thought we made that clear when you saw me literally disappear in front of your eyes that day. Where did you think I was for 2 weeks?”
Jaemin laughs, shaking his head. He places a hand on Donghyuck’s leg, smiling a little. “When I was sick. You came to me. Sometimes I still think it’s a dream.”
“A dream? I was there to make sure you were okay. I made you feel better,” Donghyuck states, proud of himself.
Jaemin hums, thinking for a bit. “Was that magic?”
Donghyuck grins, cheeks looking soft as his eyes shimmer the same way they did that day. “Just a small something so you didn’t feel so sick. And to make sure you slept well that night. You didn’t look like you were taking care of yourself and I was worried about you,” Donghyuck says honestly, blood rushing to his ears.
“Oh. Thank you. I was happy to see you again,” Jaemin confesses. “I thought I was never going to see you ever again but you came back and I was just– I really thought I missed you so much that I started hallucinating you.”
Donghyuck bursts into laughter, Jaemin pouting at him. “This isn’t funny. I’m serious.”
Donghyuck nods, sitting up to pinch Jaemin’s soft cheeks. Jaemin smiles at that, staring at Donghyuck, unable to look away at the way he shines even without all that fairy glow. Or maybe that was just natural to him. A fairy prince surely has that benefits. Either way, Jaemin thinks he looks gorgeous.
“You’re cute, Jaem.”
“You were really pretty by the way,” Jaemin blurts out. “I mean, you’re always pretty but when you were in your fairy form, or whatever, you were even prettier. You looked magical and beautiful.”
Donghyuck avoids his eyes, at a loss for words as his heart beats so fast he almost can’t feel it. “Probably just the magic.”
“You don’t need magic to look pretty,” Jaemin says and Donghyuck laughs, unable to stop blushing at his words.
“How does that even work though? You said you felt something was wrong so you came to check up on me,” Jaemin says once Donghyuck stops laughing.
“Oh,” Donghyuck blushes, heart tingling and ears burning. “A month after I moved in, I sort of created a bond between us so that I could tell if something was wrong. Like if you were hurt or in deep pain, or sick like you were that day. Even from far away, it felt quite strong so I secretly escaped to check on you. I’m glad I did. You were in terrible condition.”
Jaemin chuckles awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. “Sorry. I just hated the fact that I could’ve lost you.”
Donghyuck leans forward again, cupping Jaemin’s face and holding him in his palms, smiling cutely at him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you like that. You found out I was a fairy that day and–”
“Fairy prince.”
“ –I just left without being able to explain anything. I was going to tell you earlier but I didn’t get the chance to. But I promise I won’t leave anymore.”
“Do you really? You promise?” Jaemin asks, fond eyes looking at Donghyuck.
He chuckles, “Of course. I keep my promises.” And he does. He did. And Donghyuck would keep this promise forever. He wasn’t going to leave Jaemin like that ever again.
Donghyuck feels his heart almost jumping out of his chest and Donghyuck swears he feels his wings fluttering excitedly behind him, feeling the magic that still sweeps through his veins.
“What other magic can you do?” Jaemin asks as Donghyuck leans back on the armrest.
Donghyuck tilts his head, staring up at the ceiling as he thinks about it. “I can show you.” Jaemin’s eyes light up like that of an excited kindergartener and Donghyuck giggles. “You can’t tell anyone though.”
“I wouldn’t share something so special about you. You’re mine, your highness.”
Somehow, Donghyuck doesn’t mind the royal title when it’s Jaemin. But maybe, Donghyuck doesn’t mind anything as long as it’s Jaemin.
“Jaem?” Donghyuck calls out quietly. He takes a step outside his bedroom. Rain pours down on the city, raindrops hitting the windows of their apartment. It’s loud and Donghyuck shakes in the cold. He’s not sure Jaemin is even awake at this time, already nearing half past midnight but he still calls out for him.
A bright light flashes outside at the same time Jaemin steps out of his room, seeing Donghyuck slouched forward, a frown on his face. He immediately notices the terrified look on Donghyuck’s face, walking closer to him.
“Hyuck? Are you oka–”
Jaemin is cut off by a loud sound of thunder, echoing through the air. Donghyuck whimpers, closing the distance between them. His arms wrap around Jaemin’s waist, hiding his face into Jaemin’s shoulder. Another follows and Donghyuck hugs Jaemin tighter. His heart races in his chest, breathing heavily as he tries not to cry.
Jaemin chuckles lightly, Donghyuck feeling the rumble of it in his chest. He feels Jaemin’s arm circle his body, a hand running up and down his back. He feels Jaemin put his hand in his hair, petting his head causing him to lift his head and look at Jaemin.
“You’re scared of thunder?” Jaemin asks, a small, kind smile on his face.
Donghyuck nods, avoiding his eyes. “We don’t have those…” From the corner of Donghyuck’s eye, he sees a flash of lightning outside the window and he buries his head in Jaemin’s shoulders again, shutting his eyes tight. He flinches slightly when the loud sound reaches his ears.
“Oh, poor fairy. Don’t worry it’s okay,” Jaemin coos, using a hand to cover his ear while the other runs down his back comfortingly.
“It’s loud,” Donghyuck mumbles as he relaxes in Jaemin’s arms. He drowns in Jaemin’s warmth and scent, sighing slightly as he noses against Jaemin’s skin. He feels Jaemin tense under him before he relaxes again.
“I know.”
There’s a beat of silence, the only sound is the loud rain that pours down on the city. “I can’t sleep.”
Jaemin doesn’t say anything yet and Donghyuck pulls away a little to look at him. In the dark, Donghyuck can only barely see Jaemin’s face but his eyes are still bright, a reassurance that he is there with him.
His lips curl up into a comforting smile, reaching down to hold Donghyuck’s warm hand. “Come on, it’ll be alright. I’m right here with you.”
The words fill Donghyuck with warmth, a tingling feeling in his chest. He smiles giddily at the way Jaemin pulls him into his room, dragging him into his bed. Jaemin pulls the hoodie he was wearing over his head and over Donghyuck’s body, letting the hoodie keep Donghyuck warm. It smells like Jaemin, and Donghyuck is overwhelmed by his senses.
Jaemin climbs into bed with him, pulling the comforter over them. Lightning and thunder sound outside and Donghyuck hugs Jaemin, feeling his long arms wrap around his waist and he pulls Jaemin closer.
Lying here, in his bed with Jaemin next to him, hugging him, whispering sweet words in his ear as he tries to keep calm during the thunderstorm, Donghyuck is not sure his race is beating loudly because of fear anymore. Here in Jaemin’s arms, he feels safe.
Donghyuck buries his head into Jaemin’s chest, a warm hand hugging his waist as Jaemin plays with his hair, another steadily on his back. His touch, the deep voice in his ear, almost makes him completely forget about the pouring rain and the roaring thunder. Jaemin holds him close, keeps him comfortable and Donghyuck swears he doesn’t want anything else in the world than to stay here in Jaemin’s arms.
Jaemin is warm everywhere, a comforting place that holds him when he needs it. A person Donghyuck finds a home in. In his whole life, he’d never thought he’d be here. Free and with someone who cares about him. Someone who he cares about. Someone he’d sacrifice the crown for. A reason to stay here.
Donghyuck feels the world slow down, his eyes slowly closing as he falls asleep. He feels himself shift closer to Jaemin and all he remembers before passing out is Jaemin’s gravelly voice in his ear and the quiet whisper he lets out.
“Jaem, I love you.”
When Donghyuck wakes up, the space beside him is empty and he’s tucked into bed. He waits for his eyes to adjust to the light, looking around to search for the human boy. He falls back into bed when he realises Jaemin left, probably back to his room to sleep. Maybe in the middle of the night when Donghyuck was fast asleep. Maybe he stayed with him the whole night.
It takes a few minutes for him to finally get out of bed, grumbling to himself as he walks out of his room, the smell of food immediately hitting his senses. He walks to the kitchen with a small smile when he sees Jaemin in the kitchen, cooking something over the stove as he hums happily.
Donghyuck slowly walks up to him, grinning widely as he wraps his arms around Jaemin’s waist, resting his chin on his shoulder. Jaemin stops his humming, turning his head just slightly to see a newly awaken Donghyuck, hair still a mess and hoodie loosely hanging from his shoulders. Jaemin isn’t in a better state, hair ruffled to all sorts of different directions and shirt crumbled up.
“Good morning,” Jaemin says in a deep voice, almost too quiet. Donghyuck smiles, closing his eyes and taking in the scent and warmth of Jaemin so close to him. It smells like eggs in the kitchen and Donghyuck hums back a greeting.
“I have a question,” Jaemin says, far more than Donghyuck is.
He untangles himself from his hold on Jaemin, to pout by his side. “Asking questions first thing in the morning. Can’t you wait until after breakfast?”
Jaemin chuckles, smiling at him. “It’s important.”
Donghyuck sighs, nodding his head. “What is it?”
Jaemin turns to face him, putting his spatula down. He takes Donghyuck’s hands and presses a kiss on his knuckles. Donghyuck can’t help the smile that grows on his face, burning up at the sweet gesture.
“Did you mean what you said last night?”
Donghyuck’s smile drops a little, trying to recall what he said. He tilts his head in confusion before realisation washes over him. His lips part at the memory of telling Jaemin he loves him.
“Oh my god. You heard that?” Donghyuck asks slightly panicked.
Jaemin laughs, nodding his head. “Of course, I heard it. You whispered it but I was still awake. The rain might’ve been loud but I can still hear you clearly.”
Donghyuck’s eyes wander around the kitchen, not sure what to say. He didn’t think he’d say it so quickly like that, on a random night. He didn’t mean to say it all of a sudden but he couldn’t help the emotion that he felt. Everything he had done the past few weeks was for his freedom and to run back to Jaemin. Jaemin was a part of what he did and what he would do in the future.
He was just a kind stranger who had allowed him to stay and Donghyuck wouldn’t have imagined how hard he fell for him. Through movie nights and shared shifts at the cafe, all the times they went out together, the hugs that lasted a little too long. Donghyuck never realised how much he liked him. And it didn’t occur to Donghyuck until he had to leave him that he loves him. A love he wouldn’t let go of. A love he would give the crown up for. Because it wasn’t only his freedom and happiness that Donghyuck fought for, it was Jaemin. To stay by his side and to have him through everything.
He wasn’t afraid to think that Jaemin loved him back. He wouldn’t have waited every day for Donghyuck and held onto his promise if he didn’t, right?
“I mean it. I love you,” Donghyuck says shyly, pink dusting his cheeks.
Jaemin’s grin grows wider, pulling Donghyuck closer. He presses another kiss on the back of his hand, before bowing his head at him. “I think I want to fall in love with you, your highness.”
Donghyuck chuckles, looking down to hide the obvious blush on his cheeks. Donghyuck thinks he’s already nearly there.