Archive of Our Own

Donghyun doesn’t really remember it happening. That moment where his parents decided he must not be their son anymore. He just knows the thought has always been there. As long as he can remember an interaction with his parents there has been a hesitation, a distance they kept between them that isn’t there with his older sister. The word used to be whispered but at some point it was spoken aloud and has been since.

Changeling

They noticed every odd behavior of his, every time he wasn’t interested in the same things a kid his age should be or his mannerisms were too fidgety, and it became evidence. Evidence that he is something that is not quite their son, something that is not to be loved or cherished or protected.

He’s used to being expected to take on the majority of the chores no one else wants to do. He has found an escape in it. Getting up early to feed all the animals and clean the stables is time that he doesn’t have to endure their suspicious glances. Besides, the animals don’t care what he may or may not be, only that he is kind and gentle with them. Time spent gathering firewood or herbs in the forest means he doesn’t have to move through the world how anybody else expects him to in order to not make them uncomfortable.

Going into the woods was the best. No one else dared to go too far in so Donghyun never had to worry about running into anyone and giving them a fright like doing errands around the village always led to. There’s so much to see in the forest, beauty all around that everyone else seems to walk right past.
Donghyun loves noticing the natural beauty all around him. Everybody else will pass by a patch of the tiniest flowers tucked away on the side of the path while Donghyun will be crouched down admiring them. Maybe the way he will smile down at them is part of why everyone thinks he’s so odd. Oh well, Donghyun thinks they’re pretty. Right now he has let a line of ants marching along proudly lead him to a clearing in the woods. The ant hill they come to is large and normally Donghyun could sit for hours watching the way they move but some bright colors in his peripherals catch his attention. Closer inspection reveals brightly colored mushrooms he’s never seen before that seem to form a line. He’s so entranced that he startles when he hears a voice.

“What are you looking at?” Donghyun’s head snaps up and the surprise makes him fall back from where he was crouched. Now he’s sitting in the grass eye level with a stranger sitting crossed legged on the other side of his pretty mushrooms. The stranger seems like he could be Donghyun’s age and he’s very confused why he doesn’t even look familiar. They have a very striking face, the first thing Donghyun notices is how sharp their features look. The second thing is his peculiar hair. It's mostly jet black except the hair by his ears seems to be a stark white.

“Who are you?” Donghyun says it like an accusation. There are no other villages nearby except his own and this stranger is intimidatingly handsome. Donghyun definitely would have remembered seeing him before. “And where did you come from? You definitely weren’t sitting there before.”

“I’ve been here the whole time, you just had your nose to the ground.” The stranger completely ignores Donghyun’s first question, choosing to tease him instead.

“Isn’t the saying usually ‘head in the clouds’?” Donghyun’s lips form a pout as he jabs back.

“What do you mean?”

“You know, the phrase people usually use when someone is lost in– oh whatever” Donghyun cuts himself off as the other’s lips curl up a bit into a smirk. Donghyun is fully pouting now but the stranger just smirks, seemingly getting enjoyment out of Donghyun’s annoyance.

“Were you looking at the mushrooms?” The stranger seems to have his fill of watching Donghyun sulk “They’re pretty right?”

“Yes, I’ve never seen anything like them.” Donghyun visibly brightens as he is reminded of the reason he was drawn into this stranger’s space in the first place.

“There’s more, you can see them over here.” He points vaguely over his shoulder and beacons Donghyun closer. Donghyun sits up on his knees to get a better view. It doesn’t take much looking to spot more behind the strangert. Seeing them he’s able to confirm that they do form a line, not a straight one though. The line curves around connecting to the ones Donghyun’s knees are almost touching, then right back around again, forming a complete circle with the stranger at the center. Something in Donghyun’s head pings, this is odd. There’s something he feels like he should be remembering.

“This is a fairy ring!” He suddenly cries out.

“No it's not.” The stranger responds immediately with a pout of his own.

“Yes it is and you’re trying to trick me!” Donghyun rises to his feet, pointing at the man. The stranger has his arms crossed now.

“Okay maybe it is.” He looks up at Donghyun with big round eyes and lips still stuck out in a pout, then reaches his arms up to him. “Will you help me out, I can’t leave.”

Donghyun falters for a moment, unsure. “I don't think that’s how that works. Actually, I think I should go now. My family will be wondering where I am.” Donghyun backs slowly away from the ring.

“Aww, but I was having fun. At least tell me your name.” The last part is shouted as Donghyun deems himself a safe distance to turn and run away back into the line of trees. Donghyun doesn’t look back and he keeps moving as fast as he can until he is clear of the woods and his house is in sight. He slows then, back to a walk to catch his breath before he runs into anybody else. His family won’t ask any questions but he doesn’t need to appear any more suspicious than usual.

His appearance is completely normal by the time he arrives. His heartbeat however, doesn’t return to normal for far longer.
____

Donghyun does not sleep peacefully that night. When he wakes he finds his blankets at the foot of the bed and his pillow askew. He also realizes it is much later than usual when he hears laughter from down the hall. He walks into the kitchen to find his mother and sister. Donghyun hesitates in the doorway, not wanting to intrude on their happy bubble. It doesn’t have the desired effect. As soon as his mother notices him she turns away and busies herself with the dough in front of her. His sister is the only one whose smile never drops when she sees him. Donghyun isn’t completely alone. His older sister has never once looked at him like everyone else. She may not see the world the same way he does but she has always loved him no matter how much farther their parents shrink away from him.

“We thought you would be at the stables by now.” His mother speaks up, still not turning to face him. Donghyun is slow to respond and his sister beats him to it.

“If you’re running behind today, I’ll go with you. Things will get done faster that way.” His mother finally turns her head at her daughter’s words. There’s a slight tension around her eyes and her mouth is pinched, as if holding back a refusal. It always makes his mother anxious when the two of them leave her sight together.

“You don’t have to Noona.”

“I want to.” She doesn’t leave him time to give an excuse. He doesn’t really want to but would have anyway for their mother’s sake. His sister knows that too which is why she doesn’t wait for a confirmation, getting up and shepherding him out of the house like the matter is settled. They make it onto the packed down dirt path starting at the two steps under the front door and past the garden then his sister slows them to a stroll using the arm she has linked with his.

“They don’t hate you, you know. You should stop hiding so much and be around more.”

“I don't think they hate me. I know they're just scared and I understand. It’ll make them uncomfortable if I'm around more, this is just easier for everyone.”

“You shouldn't have to isolate yourself to make them comfortable. You shouldn’t do that, it’ll only make them expect more of it. You’re still their son and they should have to face that, you make it too easy for them to turn away if you do it too." Donghyun gets where his sister is coming from but he knows he isn’t going to stop. He can’t stand to be reminded that his parents first thought when they look at him is of the worst parts of their own childhood. They are, after all, just the right age to remember why the forest is a place to fear and why there is a tall stone memorial in the center of town engraved with the names and ages of several young girls.

Donghyun is saved from responding to his sister by their arrival at the chicken coup. He separates from her to grab a bucket and fills it with corn kernels to scatter around the pen. Maybe it's because she knows she won’t get anymore from him right now that she doesn’t try again. Instead she picks up a basket and starts going through each nesting box for eggs. Donghyun finishes first and starts at the other end, meeting his sister in the middle.

“See Donghyun? We’re better together. You can always lean on me,” she says. But it comes with a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Thanks Noona. We should get to the horses, they're probably hungry by now.” Taking care of the horses was always Donghyun’s favorite part of the morning. Everyone else treated them like the work horses the two of them are but when they were alone Donghyun treated them like friends. They were tall beasts, with withers almost reaching the top of Donghyun’s head but they are as gentle as they are strong. With his sister there he doesn’t want to talk to them like he usually does but he is still able to sneak in some nose pets. When they're done Donghyun picks back up the carefully set aside basket of eggs and holds it up in front of him.

“All that’s left is to take the eggs to market and pick up what dad needs for the door.”

“Perfect, I was also planning on going into town today.” She links their arms again and sets a quick pace for town. His sister might not have been specific but Donghyun knows what it means when she says it with that smile. His sister’s plans involve less chores and more visiting a certain someone. It isn’t long before they are arriving, just long enough for Donghyun to have his fill of teasing his sister over her romance with the local cobbler’s apprentice and for her to update him on everything that’s happened between them recently once she’s done pouting about said teasing. Once they part at the market street and Donghyun has watched his sister disappear into the crowd his own happy bubble is popped. Their town isn’t very large but the road where most people sell and trade their goods is always busy this time of day. When his sister walked away she had to slip through the crowd, brushing shoulders with people. When Donghyun looks around, there is a gap between him and everyone that walks by him. It's a small enough town that the rumors about him spread quickly and people are careful not to get too close.

Donghyun used to be excited to go to the market as a child. It was like a new world from the quiet and same three people at home everyday. He loved his family and living outside of town where nature was at his doorstep but he also loved meeting new people and talking to each and every one of them. Back then little Donghyun’s big wide eyes and intense eye contact were still cute, he grew out of that description at some point. He walked along the cobblestone street now and let the familiarity of his routine comfort him. Almost every stall at the market was the same as they had been for Donghyun’s entire life. The butcher at the start of the road with an actual storefront and the faded red tent that went up every day next to it where you could take the meat to cook on skewers that could be carried down the rest of the street. A stall that sold shining jewels set in the intricate jewelry pieces that Donghyun often couldn’t resist after a stray sparkle catches his eye. Farther down the road is a brightly colored stall advertising several varieties of candied fruits. Passing this stall means Donghyun has almost reached his destination. Being one of the busiest stalls on the street, it doesn’t come into sight until Donghyun navigates through the cluster of people trying to get a look at what is available. There are two people working behind the busy tables, a father and daughter duo. The closest to Donghyun is a girl his age that he went to school with when they were both younger. She wears an easy smile and chats with customers while they make their decisions. She’s friendly and has been working at this stand since she was old enough to count, so when she turns to the next person her bright smile and greeting are automatic.

“Hello! What can I help– What can I help you with?” She freezes for a moment at the realization that the next person is Donghyun but to her credit that slip up is the only indication that she recognizes him at all.

“I have eggs to trade for these hinges and some nails.” He points to what he wants on the table in front of him.

“Sure thing, I just have to check the eggs.” Donghyun pulls the egg carton from the basket and places it in front of her. She is silent while she turns over each one. Donghyun wishes he could chat with her as easily as the others did, maybe in another life she would ask what they were for and Donghyun could talk about the rusty hinges on the back door that eventually broke so bad they can’t open it. And maybe in that life his father would want his help to fix it. Instead, she keeps her eyes down while she checks the eggs then counts out the nails from a large basket under the table as her father inches closer to be within earshot, casting glances over as he works with his own customers.

She slides the items towards him when she’s done and by the time he has them in his basket the girl has turned to another customer. Instead of trying to say goodbye he saves them both another awkward encounter and turns to go. He walks briskly, trying to leave the busy street behind as soon as possible. He knows his sister won’t be leaving anytime soon so he heads back on his own.

Stepping out of town frees Donghyun of the people and also the noise. The way home is nothing more than a dirt path cut through tall grass. The path isn’t used often and is mostly maintained by his own family’s cart on days they set up their own stall in the marketplace. But the path is a bit winding, making a large arc in order to not go too close to the forest. A while ago Donghyun found the remnants of an older, mostly overgrown path that cuts closer to the forest edge. Donghyun takes that one as a shortcut now that he is alone. He’s never really shared his family's fear of the forest or what is in it but now, walking along that old path, he finds himself repeatedly peering into it every time movement catches his eye. Each time when it turns out to be a branch moved by the wind or a small animal, he can’t really tell if his heart races with relief or disappointment. He really should be scared, everything he knows tells him that stranger is the most dangerous thing he has ever encountered but… he had talked to Donghyun more normally than anyone has since he was a child.

Now that his mind is on the stranger he can’t help but wonder what it would have been like if he had been the one at that little stall they traded with so often. If he would avoid his eye like everyone else and keep their interaction as short as possible or if maybe… he would tease him like before and try to get him to stay a little longer like he wanted Donghyun there.

What is he doing? He should really tell his sister, cut this whole thing off so he doesn’t have to face any more strange temptation to go back. Well, maybe he shouldn’t, what would it really accomplish? His sister would go straight to their parents, who would then be even more sure he is not right. Because they both believe it’s impossible to walk away from one of those things. He feels guilty calling the stranger that even in his head, he really hadn’t tried that hard to trick him. It kind of just seemed like he wanted to talk to Donghyun. His sister doesn’t go into the woods anyway, maybe he’ll keep this to himself for now. He shakes the thoughts out of his head and quickens his pace, determined to leave the forest in his peripherals until he reaches home.

This day was normal, that should be good. That is what he has been trying to be since he learned what that word meant. But why is he suddenly wanting more from it, from other people? He thought he grew out of that feeling a long time ago. And why is he still thinking about that stranger in the forest. He can never go back, it's dangerous. He repeats that thought like a mantra until he falls asleep that night.
____

The next day Donghyun finds himself back in the woods. Not to go see the stranger. Today’s chores just include collecting wild herbs and if that brings him near the clearing it’s a coincidence. Walking the rest of the way to the edge of it however, not a coincidence. That was all thanks to Donghyun’s reawakened curiosity. When he peers between the branches hiding him he sees the stranger, this time laying in the grass looking up at the sky. Donghyun expects some kind of greeting when he steps through the treeline, for the stranger to acknowledge his presence in any way at all. Instead, Donghyun is left awkwardly standing a few steps from the trees as the stranger doesn’t act like he’s seen him at all. Maybe he isn’t close enough. He moves another couple steps forward then takes a breath in to speak.

“You might as well come all the way in.” So now the stranger wants to speak first.

“I’m not really sure I want to.” Donghyun takes on a bit of a childish tone but he comes closer anyway, walking right up to the mushroom circle before dropping down to sit cross legged on the ground. Why continue to kid himself, he wants to talk to the stranger again as much now as he did as he was walking away the first time. The stranger pushes himself up and mirrors Donghyun on the other side of the ring. “Who are you? I asked you last time but you didn’t answer and it’s getting a bit annoying to keep calling you ‘the stranger’ in my head.”

“You were thinking about me while you were away, am I that handsome?” He has that same annoying smirk from before at Donghyun’s rather embarrassing phrasing. “Don’t worry, you’re handsome too. You can call me Taesan.” The stranger, Taesan, laughs at Donghyun’s blush and speaks up again.

“Can I have your name, in case I want to think about you too?” Donghyun opens his mouth to respond without thinking but the sound catches before it leaves his lips. All of his parents’ fears about him are because of what he knows Taesan is. All of the anxiety they can’t quite let go of is because of the trickster nature of his kind. Growing up so close to the forest his mother watched so many friends disappear into means she made sure he and his sister knew about them.

“You can call me Leehan.”

“You’re no fun.” Taesan grumbles his mouth forming a pout through the words.

“I’m not that easy to trick but at least you tried harder than last time.” Donghyun lets his sense of accomplishment carry him to his feet, deciding to leave while he has the upper hand. This was a satisfying enough interaction, he doesn’t need to start a habit of lingering. He even throws in a little wave that Taesan doesn’t return as he turns to walk away with a bounce in his step. He almost feels like skipping. Donghyun thinks he hears the other get to his feet but he is determined not to look back, and he doesn’t all the way up to the edge of the forest itself.
____

After that Donghyun doesn’t try to pretend he doesn’t want to talk to Taesan again. It may be risky but it was fun. He’s never met anyone who will talk to him the way Taesan does. Everytime he finds himself doing a task in the woods he goes by their little clearing, staying longer and longer each time. Donghyun is naturally curious and Taesan seems willing to indulge most of his questions even if he does tend to answer them in roundabout ways that sometimes distract more than they actually answer. They talk about the differences between Donghyun’s world and Taesans, which he calls the fae wild, and somehow conversations about Taesan’s childhood become about Donghyun’s family. Donghyun asks questions about how traveling through the ring works which leads to him finding out that Taesan hasn’t actually been waiting around for Leehan to come back to the clearing. It turns out that when someone comes close to the ring he can sense it. The way Leehan will slowly make his way closer. as if pretending that he hasn’t had a destination in mind as soon as he entered the forest, has always given Taesan enough time to pose himself casually, as if it’s a coincidence they’re in the same place again.

With winter coming soon he finds himself there often to stock up on the things they won’t be able to find after the first freeze.

This is how he finds himself sitting face to face with Taesan once again. One wrapped in a thick winter cloak and the other in the same kind of lighter clothes he had been wearing since the first time they met. They were still lighter than what Donghyun had been wearing back then but he hadn’t thought much of it until now.

“Do you not get cold, or do your clothes have some kind of magic to keep you warm?” At the question Taesan, absolutely not to Donghyun’s surprise, looks amused. He seems to find Donghyun charming whenever he asks questions that show how little he really knows about how Taesan’s kind work.

“There are no charms. Because the inside of the ring is still connected to my realm, it’s as warm in here as it is back home. You can probably feel the temperature change if you put your hand close enough.” Donghyun’s curiosity responds right away and he reaches a hand out just in front of him without thinking. Taesan reaches his own hand out too, palm up and beckoning him closer. The slow movement draws Donghyun’s eyes. His hand does look warm, and soft. Donghyun notices how smooth they look compared to his own. Donghyun is about to bring his own hand to hover over Taesan’s when his eyes flick back up to find Taesan’s gaze fixed on where their hands are about to touch. Something in Taesan’s eyes seems too serious to be a good imitation of casualness and it stops Donghyun’s hand just before the edge of the ring.

“I think I’ll just take your word for it.” Donghyun drops his hand back to his lap. Taesan hesitates a second before curling his own hand into a loose fist and doing the same. Donghyun doesn’t know if he is more disappointed that he didn’t get to test the softness of Taesan’s hands or with the realization that he was just trying to trick him over the line of the ring again. “I should go, I need to get home before dark.”

Donghyun tells himself then that he’ll stop going to see Taesan, or at least do it less often. He’s starting to mix up his own feelings too much. He’s not really sure when he started to feel so safe around Taesan but he never should have allowed it to happen.
____

Donghyun tries to get back to his regular routine but the pretending is harder to bear than it was before. He hadn’t realized how much time he was spending off in the woods avoiding everyone until he cut himself off from it. He gets done with his chores without lingering to make them take longer like he did before Taesan too. He decides being alone all the time must be what made him cling to Taesan and starts spending more time around his family. His sister is delighted at first that he seems to be making an effort to fit in finally but Donghyun can feel the building tension. It seems like no matter how hard he tries to downplay his own mannerisms or match his family members facial expressions and tone or participate in their kind of small talk, he always missteps. His parents will look at each other like they’re having a silent conversation while his sister gives a small smile and pats his shoulder as if to say ‘better luck next time’.

The next time Donghyun tries to start a conversation about the way the bees always present in the warm seasons seem to prefer the purple flowers over any others, his father sighs heavily before looking up.

“You’re going to need to grow up one of these days, Donghyun.” Embarrassment fills Donghyun first, his face becoming warm despite the chill in the room. It makes him want to run away, to retreat to his room and not have to face anyone again. He was starting to get used to not masking himself and now that he has to again he can’t stand how exhausting it is and how exhausting always seeming to do the wrong thing is. It's like it’s all crashing in on him at once. All of the pressure pushing on him from every angle to press him into something he isn’t and can’t be. Something he is finally thinking he doesn’t want to be.

“Why is everything I do wrong to you?” The words come out before he can think about it. The whole room seems to freeze. The shaking in his hands turning to anger that bleeds into his voice. But his father doesn’t respond, just continuing to look at Donghyun with that same disapproving look. Donghyun is usually so calm and level headed but this time it all just boils over until he is shouting. “I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. It feels like all I have to do is exist around you and you sigh and look at me like I’ve disappointed you.”

“Don’t raise your voice with me, you’re like someone I don’t even recognize. Why should we have to explain everything to you, you should just know what to do.” His father’s temper has always been quick. It’s one reason Donghyun’s isn’t, he always felt like it was on him to manage his father’s emotions. It becomes apparent to Donghyun at that moment that his father doesn’t care to actually listen to or even try to understand him. The anger drains even quicker than it came leaving him feeling blank, he’s sure his face is too.

“I’m done trying to shove myself into your box, getting smaller and smaller, when nothing I do will ever actually be enough for you.” He doesn’t wait for any kind of response, just turns and storms out of the house.

Donghyun doesn’t make it to the edge of the garden before the door opens again and he hears his sister is coming after him. She reaches him and grabs his arm, gently pulling him to a stop.

“Please don’t go, he just needs a minute to cool down then maybe if you apologize he will be ready to listen to you.”

“I’m not going to apologize, I’ve done enough trying to make them comfortable at my expense.”

“I’m sure if you just try harder for a little longer they’ll come around.” His sister’s words hit like a slap to the face. A realization that she might love him but she also expects the burden of keeping the peace to fall on him.

“It was killing me to live for their approval like that, every time I let them do that to me I felt less like myself” she doesn’t know how to respond and this time lets him walk away. He walks without hesitation now, there’s only one place where he has always felt like being himself isn’t a bad thing and he isn’t going to hold himself back from going there anymore.

When he makes it to their clearing Taesan is standing in the center of the ring looking straight at him. It’s the first time he has looked like he was waiting for Leehan. Taesan’s brow creases when he sees him.

“Are you okay? Leehan, what's wrong?” He didn’t know it would be so obviously written on his face but Taesan does look genuinely worried for him. It’s actually his words that bring enough of Leehan’s awareness to his face to realize he’s crying, it had been too cold for him to feel the tears when they started rolling down his face.

“It’s nothing, it’s just the cold.” Leehan wipes his face and sniffles as he drops down to sit in his usual spot. Taesan slowly drops down too in his usual spot right in front of Leehan.

“I was a bit worried you wouldn’t come back. Time passes a bit differently for us so I don’t know how much human time has passed but I know it was longer than usual.” Taesan hesitates a bit as he speaks, looking down and plucking blades of grass in favor of looking at Leehan. He speaks again after Leehan just nods instead of responding. “I kept track because I missed talking to you.”

Another first, Taesan has never been so open with his feelings or looked so nervous and Leehan doesn’t sense anything fake about it.

“I was trying to spend more time with my family.” He doesn’t add that he needed time away to figure out why he wanted to trust Taesan as much as he did, which he still hadn’t done by the way.

“I thought, maybe, you wouldn’t want to see me again, after last time. You left looking–” He cuts himself off and shakes his head, restarting. “You left quicker than usual.”

“Well I shouldn’t want to spend much time around someone that’s only trying to trick me.” Taesan flinches back and finally looks up at him.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to seem that way.” Leehan wants to retroactively make it come out less harsh at the hurt in his eyes. “It’s just, you were cute when I teased you and I liked seeing you figure it out every time. It was fun and I stopped meaning it after the first time. I’m sorry I made you think I was talking to you for any reason other than I enjoyed it.”

“I shouldn’t have said it like that, it was fun for me too most of the time. There were just moments where I felt foolish for thinking of you as… as a friend. I’ve never felt like I could be myself around anyone without judgment before you but I always worried it was an act.”

“I’ll show you it’s not. I want to be your friend and see the real you always. I think you’re cute and funny and smart, no tricks.” Leehan is the shy one now. Taesan is resolutely staring into his eyes, gaze full of determination. Leehan can’t help but notice how pretty his eyes are now, a beautiful shade with the light hitting them and framed by long eyelashes. They always seemed so sharp and catlike but now they are open wide and look so soft.

“I don’t think anyone has ever described me that way. Usually they stop at offputting or odd.”

“You might be a little odd but I like you like that.” Taesan throws in a smile and it’s the first time it doesn’t sting to be called odd. Leehan can only feel relieved that he came back as he smiles back at Taesan. Leehan is happy to be talking to Taesan again until a gust of wind comes to remind him that it’s winter and he forgot his heavy cloak in his hurry to get out of the house. Taesan notices how Leehan shivers and wraps his arms around himself.

“It’s still cold there isn’t it? And it’s getting dark, you probably shouldn’t stay much longer.” As much as Leehan wants to stay and could probably fall asleep talking to Taesan, he can’t. He knows it will get too cold, it’s almost too cold now.

“You’re right, I should go. But, I’ll be back.” He leaves Taesan with one more first, his first time promising to return. The final act of not wanting to be there dropped. He heads home lighter than he can ever remember being.

When he arrives home the house is quiet. Everyone must already be in their rooms. Leehan goes to his own room and falls asleep still smiling.
____

Leehan wakes up the next morning at the same time he always does. He would linger longer to put off having to go through the rest of the house but he doesn’t want the animals to have to wait and he wants to go see Taesan again so he drags himself up and out of his quiet room. He’s surprised to find his whole family gathered in the large open room at the end of the hallway. His mother and sister are sitting down, his mothers arms around his sister’s shoulders. His sister is sitting hunched over with her arms wrapped around her stomach like a hug. His father is standing across from them next to two men Leehan doesn’t recognize, no one is talking. When he walks into the room they all turn to look at him except his sister.

“Donghyun sit down, we have something to talk about.” His father breaks the tension in the room and speaks as soon as he sees Leehan. Leehan slowly crosses the room to sit in the open chair. “These men are here from a school for… troubled youth such as yourself, and they have a spot for you if you leave today.”

“I’m not going,” he immediately responds. Leehan can’t come up with anything else to say. His brain is still trying to catch up to what is happening. The room is draped in silence, his sister still hasn’t looked up and his mother is staring resolutely out the window.

“It’s already been decided, maybe we could have discussed this but yesterday showed you can’t be reasoned with.” His father’s voice is hard, thinly veiling anger he doesn’t want to show in front of guests. One of the strangers raises a hand to hush him.

“Don’t worry, It won’t be so bad. There are plenty of kids like yourself to make friends with and we are in a beautiful, quiet location right on the coast.” He says every word with a big plastic smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. Leehan eyes the door but just makes eye contact with the man that hadn’t spoken who had positioned himself directly in front of it. His mind races trying to think of another way out of the house, the other door is still broken and won’t open even if he could beat them all to it. Leehan turns back to the other man to speak.

“Do I at least get to pack my things?”

“You can bring one bag with you.” The same unnerving smile stays and his eyes follow Leehan as he slowly gets up and crosses the room to go back to his room. When he gets there he doesn’t hesitate to slide his window open and climb out. He had never tried going out this way before so it’s a bit difficult to fit all his limbs and he ends up tumbling out blindly and landing on his butt. He stands up and brushes himself off looking up one last time at the house, at the window to the room right next to his and realizes that he’s staring straight into his mother’s eyes. He barely registers her opening her mouth before he turns and takes off running. He doesn’t turn back but he hears the door slam and the shouts of the three men running after him.

He’s heading straight for a fence before the start of the forest, stone blocks stacked almost halfway up Leehan’s torso. He doesn’t usually try to jump over it but his father was thinking farther ahead than he was and cut to the side to try to beat him to the gate. He has no choice but to go over, he veers left to get farther from the gate and tries to use his hands to throw himself over sideways. He almost makes it but his foot catches and he lands hard on his side, rolling a few feet with the momentum. The other men reach the gate and come spilling out the other side. There's a shout as they spot Leehan on the ground and run towards him again. Leehan hasn’t quite caught his breath but he has to get up and keep moving. The gap he had on them is only enough for him to drag himself to his feet and start running, then they are almost on him again as he picks up speed. Luckily for him though, they’ve reached the edge of the woods, and he knows how to move here better than anyone. He doesn't think about where he is going, just runs, dodging branches and jumping over roots and low vegetation that would trip up the feet of anyone trying to barrel straight through them.

When he breaks through the tree line and comes crashing into the clearing he isn’t surprised. His feet always seem to bring him here the fastest when he isn’t thinking about where he’s going. Taesan isn’t waiting for him this time but he keeps going and runs right up to that familiar line of mushrooms all the same. The others following him see him stop and slow down too, spreading out to circle him. That is when his father notices the mushrooms.

“Wait! It’s a fairy ring, be careful.” Every one of them freezes suddenly.

“Son, you don’t want to do this.” Donghyun turns fully to face his father, he hasn’t called him son in so long, it used to be all he wanted. He’s holding one hand out to him and taking small, shuffling steps forward, as if approaching a scared animal. “Just come here and it'll all be okay. You can still come back. We can still make it all better.”

“No, I won’t go back to that, I can’t take it any longer.” He shuffles back and his father lunges forward, both arms outstretched now. Leehan flinches back one more step and one foot crosses the line of mushrooms. He feels two arms wrap around his waist. pulling him back to meet an unfamiliar chest. The voice that follows is everything except unfamiliar to Leehan and it fills him with relief.

“Got yourself in a bit of trouble?” Leehan turns his head at the words and finds Taesan closer than he’s ever been before. Close enough that he can feel the puff of air when Taesan turns his head as well and huffs out a small laugh at whatever expression he must have on his face.

“Just my father, nothing I can’t handle.” Leehan is so out of breath still he doesn’t know where the words come from but he never really could resist responding to Taesan’s teasing.

“Not them, they’ll never touch you again. I’m talking about this,” He squeezes Leehan’s waist to emphasize.

“You're in my ring.” His voice turns up at the end, taking on a gleeful tone, he almost sounds excited. Leehan knew he was stepping over the line but he still finds himself surprised to look down and see himself a few steps away from the mushroom line and firmly inside the circle. Movement makes him look up and he sees that his father has dropped to his knees on the other side. The sound is muffled now and he can’t understand them anymore but he can see his father is shouting as he reaches for Leehan. The other men grab his reaching arm and shoulders to pull him back.

“I’m not sure that’s much trouble either, should I be worried?” He turns his back on them then, to face Taesan fully.

“You’ll never have to worry with me, you’re safe now.” They’ve never been this close before and he almost wants to forget the rest of the world and live in this moment forever. Leehan is surprised to find that Taesan is slightly taller than him. Standing this close, he has to tip his head to make eye contact. “I hope that was on purpose though because I don’t think I can give you back.”

“Don’t worry, I don’t want to go back,” is said with a smile.

“Good,” is his simple reply. Taesan pulls back a step, his arms sliding around from Leehan’s back to the arms at his side, hands curling around Leehan’s wrists. The space allows Leehan’s surroundings to come back into focus and he realizes they are not in his familiar woods anymore. Or maybe they are, just another side of them. The trees look different and everything is a more bluish shade of green. Taesan drops one wrist as Leehan turns to take it all in.

“So this is your home?” Taesan huffs out a breath of laughter, leaning in to bump his shoulder against Leehan’s.

“This is the fae wild, yes. My home is a short walk this way.” He tugs on Leehan’s wrist as he says it prompting them to start walking.

Leehan looks around as they walk. The branches of the trees have long, thin ropes of leaves hanging down like curtains low enough for Leehan to raise one hand to brush against them. They sway all together, rustling softly almost like they're whispering to each other. A small house comes into view as they near the tree line. The house is surrounded by life, tall wildflowers grow all around and the roof is covered in a layer of short grass with small flowers tucked in it. The sounds of songbirds replace the whispering trees as they move farther from the tree line. The steps lead to a little porch with just enough room for a bench swing to the side of the door they stop in front of. Taesan shifts his grip so he is holding Leehan’s hand when he turns to face him.

“This is my home, and it can be your home too if you want.” As Leehan looks into Taesan’s eyes he is filled with a feeling of fondness, his cheeks are warm and his chest is too. He smiles before he responds, they’re close enough that he has to look up again.

“With you?”

“Yeah, with me.” Taesan smiles shyly too.

“That sounds nice.” Taesan’s genuine smile is so beautiful, Leehan can’t help but let his eyes flick down to his lips. Taesan catches it and his eyes crinkle more as his smile grows. Taesan shuffles even closer and Leehan’s stomach swoopes when his free hand comes up to cup Leehan’s cheek.

“Leehan,” comes out in a whisper, “can I?”

He doesn’t get a response. Leehan just leans up and presses their mouths together in the sweet kind of kiss he never dared to dream about before Taesan came around. It’s warm and all the worries of his past life fade away leaving just the butterflies in his stomach and the smile he can feel against his own.