Chapter Text
The small staircase creaks as Yeosang hoists his suitcase to his floor with one hand, clutching his potted plant in the other arm. He’s renting a small studio near his college, all the villagers chipped in to allow him to pay for it. Eventually, and not without struggle, he reaches his door and types in the code the agency gave him. It opens with a chime and Yeosang takes a minute to look around the small room.
A big window is letting in soft sunlight, and it has dusty wooden floors, a small fridge and a microwave… the space holds all the basic necessities, and is quite charming too. He rolls his heavy suitcase near his bed and carefully sets his plant down on the windowsill. His birth flower is a small rose bush he named Wumuti. All fairies have a birth flower that is a physical representation of their well-being. It reflects their mental and physical health, as well as their magic. Yeosang watches with a smile as Wumuti happily absorbs the sunlight.
"You happy here, Muti?" he asks the flower, letting some of his magic flow out towards her. Wumuti shines a soft pink light in response, silently thanking Yeosang. He can sometimes hear her voice when he focuses enough, but unlike older fairies, this still asks for a lot of effort from him.
When he’s done admiring his plant, Yeosang takes his brand new computer out of his backpack. It was once again a gift from the other fairies in his birth village, one to encourage him to study well. Yeosang really hopes he can make them proud, he’s the first ever fairy among them to go study in the big city.
He sets the computer down on the small kitchen table and logs into his email account. The university sent him a lot of e-mails over the last few weeks. He received his schedule, the university’s map, as well as more general information on his classes. Yeosang carefully reads it again, taking in the information. Tomorrow will be his first day, he wants to be ready.
Just as he reads over an e-mail explaining the campus’ different sports associations, a new one arrives in his inbox. The e-mail’s subject is "WELCOME TO FAUK" and it makes Yeosang pause.
He opens it and is greeted by a bright pink font that says "The Fairy’s Association of the University of Korea welcomes you!"
That’s a really unfortunate name, Yeosang thinks. A small smile tugs at his lips as he reads over the e-mail. The FAUK is inviting him to a last minute meeting tonight at 7pm. Clearly this is an email only addressed to fairies, and Yeosang is happy he won’t be the only one of his kind. It’s always nice to meet other fairies, especially since he kind of grew up isolated. He hopes the fairies that show up have different magic than his. He checks the time, it’s only 5pm, he has plenty of time to prepare.
He quickly unpacks some of his stuff to change into a better outfit. If he’s going to meet fairy friends, he can’t look like a mess. He chooses light blue denim overalls, a pink sweater and a matching beret. He decides to wear his usual pink converse shoes as well. He puts on his carefully selected clothes and heads to his small bathroom, checking over his reflection. His blond hair falls in soft curls, the beret making it look even cuter. It also hides his birthmark, which he’s happy about. He notices a light pink sheen on his cheekbones, probably some fairy dust that escaped him when he painstakingly carried the suitcase up the stairs. He whines to himself, knowing how hard it can be to wipe away the stuff. He tries by dabbing some makeup remover on a cotton pad, but he’s unsuccessful, most of it clings to his cheeks. If someone asks him, he’ll lie and say it’s just highlighter.
Humans don’t hate fairies, but they usually find them strange and tend to stay away from them. Yeosang also thinks humans are odd, too materialistic and selfish, showing no care for what really matters. Fairies have strong links to nature, mostly because the environment’s health reflects on theirs, and because they draw their magic from it. Taking care of all living things is second nature to fairies like him.
He grabs his tote bag and heads to the campus. He has no doubt he’ll get lost, the university site being gigantic, so he decides that leaving early is probably wise. He runs down the creaking stairs and makes it to the street. The campus is only a 5 minute walk away, very convenient for someone like him who hates public transport.
The city’s noises are completely unfamiliar to Yeosang as he grew up listening to birdsong, smelling the soft scent of wildflowers… He is just not used to cars and their noisy engines, to air pollution or concrete being everywhere. Still, he manages to find his way to the campus’ gates and takes the time to read over the drawn out map on a sign.
He stands at the south gate, and the building where the FAUK is meeting up is all the way to the north. He’ll need to walk past 5 different buildings before he finds the right one. Yeosang takes a deep breath and starts his venture.
Walking around the campus feels a lot better than walking in the street. First, the absence of cars makes it much more tolerable. He only meets a few pedestrians and people riding bicycles on his way. It’s Sunday, so the campus is pretty empty. Second, there are lots of trees and grassy areas, the campus being more like a big park than a small city. Nature seems to thrive on the site, and Yeosang loves when plants are happy. He pauses near a big oak tree, placing his hands on the trunk before closing his eyes to listen.
The oak tree he’s listening to seems pretty content, enjoying the soft warmth of the sun. He only wishes humans didn’t carve things on its bark. Yeosang opens his eyes to inspect the tree, and indeed, there’s a heart as well as “S+H” carved into the other side of the trunk. Yeosang sighs and lets some magic out to heal the tree. Its leaves bristle in thanks and Yeosang leaves, a smile on his face from a job well done.
He keeps walking and finally makes it to his destination. The building seems to be the home of all the student associations, he can hear music and laughter coming from the inside. He gingerly goes in and tries to look around. On the right of the entry hall, there’s a door left slightly open, he can tell some people are inside partying. Is this the FAUK? He can’t tell, but decides to try his luck.
There are so many people in the small room that Yeosang is able to sneak in undetected. All of the students, around thrirty of them, are loud, almost yelling over the music. He can see that it’s mostly guys, and they all tower over him. Yeosang’s not exactly a short guy, and yet he’s never felt so small before. The fairy tries to feel the air, but he can’t feel any familiar magic coming from them. He feels something, but it doesn’t seem to be magic he knows and he can’t really distinguish it. Whoops, where did he end up?
He tries to escape from the same door he came from, but is quickly blocked by a group of guys swarming by him. He sticks to the wall, trying to locate another door only to end up in the corner of the room. The more he looks at the party people, the more intimidated he grows. Almost all of them are in tank tops and shorts, including the few girls present. Are they jocks? Or so-called frat boys? They’re all so noisy and rowdy. Yeosang really doesn’t want to catch their attention, who knows if they’re nice or… not.
He tries to make a beeline for a small door at the other end of the room, but is stopped dead in his tracks when he bumps into someone’s broad chest. For a moment, he thinks he’ll fall backwards until big, warm hands reach to grab him by the shoulders.
"Whoa, steady", the guy says. "You lost? Are you new?" his voice is deep, it sends shivers down Yeosang’s spines.
The blond fairy looks up and meets the eyes of a devastatingly handsome man. He’s taller than him and much more buff, his arms bulging out of the black tank top he’s wearing. His face could be considered a little intimidating, all sharp angles and narrow eyes, but his dimpled smile looks kind. His hair is cut short and just as black as his eyes, which are currently looking down at Yeosang with concern, but also kindness.
"You’re an omega?" the man asks, brows furrowed.
"A what?" is that a university term he doesn’t know? Like another word for freshman?
The man stares at him intensely, like he’s trying to figure out what the hell Yeosang is doing here. The prolonged silence is awkward, so Yeosang breaks it.
"I’m looking for the FAUK." He blurts out.
The man looks even more confused, brows furrowing even further.
"The what? Oh, the FAUK… wait, you’re a fairy?" he looks shocked now, almost worried.
Yeosang simply nods, feeling his blond curls bounce with the movement "It’s my first day here... can’t find the room."
For some reason, the man’s straight up panicking now, looking in every direction as if he’s scared someone could notice them. He grabs Yeosang’s arm and hides him behind him, dragging him slowly to the exit. His touch is firm but it doesn’t hurt. In fact, Yeosang finds it almost reassuring.
He manages to sneak Yeosang to the door and takes him outside, back to the main corridor.
"You can’t be here, this is the UWA, it’s dangerous for you. The FAUK is over there," he says, pointing to a corridor going left.
Yeosang wants to thank him and ask him what UWA means, but before he can, the guy goes back in the room, leaving him alone.
He slightly regrets not asking for his name, he was kind and handsome… Yeosang quickly shakes the thought away, he didn’t come here to get a boyfriend. He needs to study well to make his village proud and save them from their impending doom. He’ll find himself a nice fellow fairy to fall in love with later.
He heads for the corridor the guy pointed out to him and sees a door with a “WELCOME TO FAUK” banner above it. Honestly, it looks like a DIY project gone wrong, but it adds to its charm.
Anyways, it’s pretty clear to Yeosang that he's reached his destination. He knocks softly and opens the door. Instantly, he’s met with a bright, well decorated room with couches, armchairs and fairy lights. There are multiple posters and paintings on the walls, mostly of flowers and scenery, but also of various animals. The room is also full of potted plants, giving it a pleasant, slightly herbal, smell. There’s a big sliding glass door leading to a small terrace and garden. It’s very cozy and Yeosang can definitely tell it was decorated by fairies.
He’s met with two guys lounging on the couches, both of which startle at his entry. One of them is so surprised that he almost falls off his seat, which is a little dramatic of him considering Yeosang is far from threatening. Now, they’re both looking at him in surprise.
“You came!” the least dramatic of the two yells. He looks very pretty, Yeosang thinks. His hair is silver, almost white, and his skin has golden undertones to it that makes him look ethereal. He has pitch black eyes that remind Yeosang of a bunny’s from how round they are. His full lips are stretched in a smile as he looks at Yeosang.
“Hello…” Yeosang tries, his shyness seeping through.
The silver haired man stands up from his seat to greet him. His clothes are very fairy-like and highlight his tall and thin silhouette. He’s wearing flowy black pants and a white lace shirt with billowing sleeves that shift every time he moves. Yeosang notices a silver necklace glinting against his skin, a simple moon pendant attached to a thin, elegant chain. The fairy looks like he’s stopping himself from hugging him, only to end up taking his hands in his instead..
“I’m Seonghwa! The FAUK’s current president.” he explains. “We’re very happy you’re here, Yeosang? Right?”
Yeosang nods, a bit confused “Yeah, that’s me… How did you–”
“We were immediately told a new fairy was enrolling this year. There aren’t many of us here after all. Just Wooyoung and I,” he explains, pointing to the other fairy who’s still half on the floor from his earlier startle.
Said fairy, despite his current sulking state, is very pretty too, Yeosang thinks, though in a different way than Seonghwa. He has pitch black hair that falls on his forehead haphazardly. His ears are full of piercings, glinting in the light when he moves. His facial features are the most striking part of him, he's got a strong nose and fierce brown eyes. He’s dressed in simple blue jeans and a University of Korea varsity jacket in green as well as red converse shoes. Wooyoung didn’t look like a fairy in the cliché way that Yeosang Seonghwa kind of did, but Yeosang could feel his magic.
“Nice to meet you…” Yeosang says politely, wanting to make a good impression.
“You’re adorable…” Seonghwa almost shrieks, admiring him from head to toe. “What kind of magic do you have?”
All fairies are linked to nature, but their magic differs depending on their ancestry. Some fairies, like Yeosang, are sensitive to plants and flowers. Others like animals or insects… There were almost endless magical predispositions. All fairies have a birth flower, though, like Wumuti for him.
“I’m a plant and flower fairy.” Yeosang simply answers. His magic isn't rare or original, but he loves it nonetheless.
Seonghwa’s eyes sparkle at his answer, as if it’s the best news he heard all week.
“Woo! Maybe he can help with Haru…” he starts.
“No, no one touches Haru.” The other fairy answers, voice firm. Haru is probably Wooyoung’s flower, most fairies are very possessive over it. Yeosag wonders if perhaps his flower is unwell.
Seonghwa sighs at Wooyoung’s quip, but doesn't insist and turns to Yeosang again.
“Don’t mind him. By the way, I’m a fairy of the moon.” he informs him.
Oh, that’s unexpected. Fairies of the moon, or any kind related to the night sky, are very rare, mostly because his kind usually thrives in sunlight, not moonlight. However, they tend to be very powerful. The moon especially has a lot of magic coming from it, which makes the fairies that are able to canalize it even stronger.
“That’s amazing, it’s my first time meeting one of you…”
“I’m not surprised, there are so few of us left.”, Seonghwa answers, a distant look in his eyes. The silver haired fairy shakes his head briefly and puts a smile back on his face.
“Wooyoung over here is a weather fairy, more specifically a rain fairy.”
Yeosang gasps, he loves rain fairies. Their magic is so good for his beloved plants and flowers. He rushes to Wooyoung, sitting next to him, startling him slightly once more.
“Please, let’s be friends,” he begs, eyes sparkling with excitement.
Wooyoung stares at him with a shocked look on his face for a few seconds before glancing away with a small frown.
“Sure…” he replies, and that’s all Yeosang needs to hear. He really wants to hold Wooyoung’s hand, so he does, linking their fingers easily. The other fairy glares at their joined hands but makes no move to make him let go. Instead, his face seems to relax and his lips stretch into an almost-there smile.
Seonghwa is looking at them with a mischievous look on his face, like he’s plotting something. The silver haired man keeps his mouth shut though, strutting towards them before he sits back on the couch, crossing his elegant legs. He’s wearing boots with a small heel, Yeosang notices. It suits him so well.
“So, Yeosang, what will you be studying?”, he asks.
“Ecology and biology, to help my village,” the blond answers, voice small.
Seonghwa looks at him fondly. “It’s noble of you, I’m sure you feel a lot of pressure.”
Yeosang nods, he does. If he doesn’t study well, he isn’t sure his village can survive. He needs to find a way to help the villagers…
“I study astronomy and physics, it’s easier for me because I understand the moon and space so well.” Seonghwa explains. “I also have a minor in fashion design, just because I love it,” Yeosang thinks he’s very cool, and probably super smart if he can handle such a variety of topics.
“I major in dancing…” Wooyoung mutters, looking anywhere but at Yeosang.
Dancing? Wow, Yeosang has always been super impressed by people who could dance well. He himself likes it, but isn’t anywhere near confident enough to major in it.
“That’s so cool, I hope I can watch you dance one day…”
“Oh sure you can! Wooyoungie’s class always holds a showcase a few weeks after the start of the school year.” Seonghwa informs him.
“It’s too weed out the bad dancers” Wooyoung jokes, but it probably holds some truth, a showcase so early in the year sounds exhausting.
Yeosang is really looking forward to it, though, and he squeezes the hand he’s still holding.
They chat about random things for a while, where they come from, if they have siblings, classes they look forward to attending … Both Seonghwa and Wooyoung being his seniors, they also have a lot of advice to give him. Then, they move on to the topic of students’ associations.
“Whatever you do, avoid the UWA,” Seonghwa warns. Yeosang feels Wooyoung tense at his words.
“What exactly is the UWA..?” he dares to ask, his mind going back to the guy he met earlier. He mentioned the same acronym, after all.
“The university’s werewolf association. They hate fairies” Wooyoung answers with a low voice.
Oh, so Yeosang had snuck into a room full of werewolves on his first day… Sounds just like something he would do. He isn’t exactly oblivious to all the dangers around him, but he could be… clumsy. For instance, he almost boarded a train going the wrong direction when he tried to reach Seoul, and he took somebody else’s suitcase instead of his own when his stop came. The poor woman noticed his mistake and mistook him for a thief… It was very inconvenient. So, Yeosang is kind of used to making a fool of himself, but he fears he reached unseen levels of stupidity this time.
Werewolves and fairies have always been on difficult terms. The former thought fairies were dumb, useless creatures, much too weak to defend themselves and quite lame overall. Fairies thought werewolves were undisciplined mutts who hold no concerns for beings weaker than them, on top of being stupid and unrefined.
“We’re not exactly on good terms with the UWA… They always try to prank us and when we complain, they call us names. But, this year will be different, we won’t let them walk all over us.” Seonghwa decides, sounding a bit too confident.
“Mina noona said that last year too…” Wooyoung says.
“Mina?” Yeosang isn’t familiar with the name.
“A fairy who graduated last year. She was the FAUK’s president. Her magical affinity is with animals, so she tried to implement a peace treaty with werewolves. They’re kind of half animal, so she thought she could understand them. But Hongjoong and Mingi… hmph.” Seonghwa says, eyes dark. “They trampled all over her hard work.”
“Hongjoong’s the pack alpha of the UWA. It’s not like being a real pack alpha, but it’s almost the same.” Wooyoung explains.
“We thought Hongjoong was cooperating, showing interest in the treaty. But, at the last minute, he made his wolves destroy the party Mina organized.” Seonghwa recalls.
“In short, we hate werewolves, and they hate us.” Wooyoung concludes.
Yeosang contemplates telling them of his earlier encounter with the kind guy… But decides not to. He doesn't know the guy after all, maybe he was among those who hurt his new friends. Him being a werewolf changes everything, and he realizes he might have to let his crush die. He can’t help but wonder why the wolf helped him though, as he’s a fairy and they’re supposed to hate his kind.
The small get together comes to an end shortly after. They munched on cookies baked by Wooyoung and Yeosang now feels pleasantly full. They leave the club room together and head for the exit, still yapping about the wolves. Wooyoung and Seonghwa both complain about the noise they are making, their party still ongoing in the nearby clubroom. There is obnoxiously loud electronic music coming from it.
As they pass the still half-open door, it bursts open, revealing a shorter werewolf laughing arm in arm with a taller one. They are both wearing tank tops once again, and look sweaty from how much they’re laughing and partying.
Seonghwa and Wooyoung freeze in their tracks, staring offendedly at the two wolves. Finally noticing them, the two stop laughing, a bit taken aback. After a brief moment, the shorter one smirks, his eyes fixated on Seonghwa.
“Looks like the fairies are back… Can’t say I’m happy about it. What about you, Mingi?” he teases, voice surprisingly high.
The taller one narrows his eyes, “Same, Hongjoong, didn’t expect to see them again after last time.”
So the shorter werewolf is the infamous Hongjoong. He has wild brown hair cut into a messy mullet as well as strangely delicate features. Yeosang would have found him kind of cute if he didn’t know who he was.
The other, Mingi, is impressively tall but looks a bit lanky which makes him less scary than he could have been.
“Get lost, we have the right to be here, just as you do.” Seonghwa counters, raising his head in defiance.
“You do… I guess. But we don’t have to be happy about it,” Hongjoong snickers. Even Yeosang is starting to get annoyed, what the hell is their problem?
Suddenly, he freezes because Hongjoong is now glaring at him.
“So there are more of you now? Shame. We barely get rid of one fairy that another pops.”
He’s barely done with his sentence when Wooyoung’s on him, trying to punch him.
“Dont you dare insult Mina noona!” he yells, furious.
Hongjoong fights back, trying to get a hit at Wooyoung. His eyes are wild, he kind of looks like he’s enjoying this. The commotion attracts more werewolves from where the party is still ongoing. Yeosang recognizes the wolf from earlier, the handsome one with the gentle hands. He rushes to try to grab Hongjoong, pulling him away from the fight. The smaller wolf shows resistance, though. Despite his size, he looks quite strong as he resists the kind stranger’s attempt. Yeosang wants to do the same for Wooyoung, but he’s slightly afraid to get hit too.
Then, Seonghwa starts glowing silver, his eyes turning fully white. He raises his hand and lets his magic flow. The two angry guys suddenly start levitating, their feet not touching the floor anymore. Seonghwa is making them float, removing the effects of gravity on them.
With a flick of his wrist, he launches Hongjoong towards the handsome wolf. It’s a bit funny how the shorter wolf lets out an undignified scream as he lands on his friend. The other wolf cushions his fall with a grunt and they both collapse on the floor.
In a much softer manner, he makes Wooyoung float to the door, opening it with a flick of his finger. The latter is clearly not happy about it, but he lets it happen anyway. Seonghwa gently lowers him to the ground outside, Wooyoung landing with a small thud. His eyes go back to normal as he stops glowing shortly after.
“No fighting,” he says, glaring at Hongjoong.
“He started it!” the wolf shrieks, still on the floor.
“You know very well you provoked him by saying that. Not that I expected better from you. Come on, Yeosang, let’s go.” and with that, the silver haired fairy struts out of the building.
Yeosang gingerly follows, daring to throw one last look at the handsome wolf. He finds him already looking at him, a slightly sorry look on his face. Or maybe it’s disdain, Yeosang doesn’t know anymore.
They find Wooyoung sitting down on the building’s steps outside, looking at the night sky. He seems sad, so Yeosang places a comforting hand on his shoulder. He’s an unusual fairy, Yeosang thinks. Most of his fellow fairies are pacifists, or at least very tame. Wooyoung didn’t hesitate to get into a physical fight out of anger, with a werewolf at that.
“I hate him.” Wooyoung simply says, standing up. Yeosang grabs his hand, half expecting to get rejected. Instead, Wooyoung gladly accepts it. He probably needs support, Yeosang realizes.
“I know,” Seonghwa says, “I hate when you put yourself in danger, though. Hongjoong’s an ass, don’t let him win.”
“I’ll make him lose by beating him up.” Wooyoung deadpans.
“Sure… he’s a werewolf, all they do is fight.” Seonghwa reminds him.
“Then I’ll unleash lightning on him.”
“For that, you need Haru.”
Wooyoung bites his lower lip, his eyes suddenly filling with tears. Yeosang is left dumbstruck, what’s going on?
“I… it’s my flower… he’s not doing well…” Wooyoung says, voice breaking.
Just as Yeosang thought, Haru is Wooyoung’s birth flower and he’s probably sick.
“I can take a look at him if you’d like?” Yeosang gently suggests.
Wooyoung nods, a stray tear running down his face. “Please, when you have time…”
“I’ll see him tomorrow.” he promises.
“Could I ask you to look at my Rui too? I just want to make sure he’s happy where I put him.” Seonghwa asks, slightly worried too.
“Of course, it’s no problem.” Yeosang loves all flowers, but fairy flowers are always so special. They’re always a delight to chat with, not hesitating to gossip about their fairy.
The three fairies walk through the campus in comfortable silence. Seonghwa looks even prettier under the moonlight, Yeosang thinks, like he’s naturally glowing. He glances up every so often as if to soak it up.
They reach the campus gates, and it’s time for them to split up. Seonghwa looks at him slightly apologetically.
“I’m sorry you had to witness this on your first day, Yeosang.”, he says with a sigh.
“It doesn’t matter, at least now I know to avoid werewolves.” He tries to joke.
Seonghwa answers him with a small smile before he continues “We like to stretch our wings once a month. Our next session is planned next Saturday, if you want to come you’re more than welcome to join us. Otherwise, we meet up in the clubroom almost everyday. See you there?” he asks, looking a bit afraid to get rejected.
“I’d love to, Seonghwa hyung,” he smiles.
Seonghwa stares at him before putting a hand over his heart, pretending to be in pain.
“You’re too cute, it’ll be the death of me.” he chokes out.
It turns out both of his new friends are dramatic in the end.
Yeosang giggles before turning to Wooyoung. “See you later?”
Wooyoung nods, pulling Yeosang into a hug “You’re precious, I’m glad you’re here.” he says, voice weak.
Yeosang hugs him back, “I’m happy to have found you.”
The three split up and head their separate ways. Yeosang speed-walks to his studio and before he knows it, he’s back in his room. He takes the time to wash up and change into a pair of soft, fluffy pajamas. Wumuti’s already asleep, her rose buds all closed. He still feeds her a bit of his magic, just in case. A while ago, he decorated her pot with paint and stickers, including her name and his interlocked, just like their lives are.
He closes the curtains and settles in his bed. That night, he dreams of kind werewolves and sad fairies.