The fat Santa almost toppled over when it began to shake from the violent ringing. That was what you got from too much Christmas stress, Taehyung thought when he let his palm fall onto Mr. Clause's head to silence him. He should probably exchange the ramshackle big boy with something else Christmassy, a blinking Rudolph maybe, or a sparkling Christmas tree. The cocaine-wide eyes of Santa were slowly creeping him out anyways.

Lazily he rolled out of his bed, determined to sooth the shrill after-ring of the alarm with some soft Jazz because nothing could calm your mind better than some playful saxophone tunes. But when he reached the sound system and let himself fall on his butt to examine the colorful collection of CDs, his drowsy eyes met a rather unexpected sight.

He had placed Jimin's little bed on the shelfs between his CDs because the Easter fairy had told him that he would like a place next to the music box, but what he saw now was not just a pink mop of hair, but also a black one. The raven's arms were slung around the Easter fairy protectively, while the latter drooled on the black shirt of the taller, face squished against the wide chest, and an untraceable soft snore erupted from the pair.

Taehyung could practically feel how his good-mood-battery got filled up at the sight of those two tangled in one another, so he decided to stare a little longer for health purposes. Maybe he should glue the two bed's together? But then again, he was almost sure that one side of a bigger bed would stay empty anyways. And who knew, maybe one day another fairy would find its way here and would take up Jungkook's empty bed on the kitchen's windowsill.

Bubbly jazz sounds followed him through the apartment while he toddled from the living room to the bathroom and finally into the kitchen, robed in his silken Batman pajama because he found the motif to be fitting for today, hips wiggling to the beat and determined to prep Halloween breakfast for everyone. He had decided on the loved-by-everyone pancakes combined with pumpkin jam and juice. It was not much different from the normal weekend and holiday breakfast except for the pumpkin in it, but he was not sure if gummy worms, vampire dentures and jelly eyeballs would be appreciated for a full meal.

When his eyes grazed over the room on the way to the life-giving coffee machine, they ghosted over the (thanks to Jimin) no longer dying cactus and got tangled in the sight of a counter-filling heap of rather fairy-sized pumpkins of all shapes and colors. This one must be on Yoongi. Since the Christmas fairy had discovered the internet with the help of Jungkook, he apparently had googled every existing holiday and its traditions. So, it looked like they would carve pumpkin head's today. And at least fifty of them. He should have a word with Yoongi about measures.

Still, he was curious about how Yoongi's pumpkins would look like. Jimin's would probably be the cutest ones while Jungkook would try to make his look extra scary, but the Christmas fairy was not as easy to predict as the other two, probably caused by the short time he had spent on earth. Being oblivious to most things made him act strange in the most unexpected ways, what for the bigger part of it caused Taehyung and the other two fairies to have belly aches from giggling like crazy. The blue-haired was just too cute.

Like when he had tried to cook coffee with whole beans, or when he had been fascinated by how the flushing of the toilet worked, what had caused Taehyung and the other fairies to break into laughter every time they had heard the gargling sound from the bathroom (or break into tears once the water bill arrived), or whenever he demanded of Taehyung to do something again and again until he understood how it worked and would try by himself like doing shoe laces (Jungkook had not been particularly fond of giving up his boots for five days in a row).

On the other hand, a rather frightening experience had been when the blue-haired had come too close to the vacuum out of curiosity and had been sucked in. Taehyung had not been able to stop crying and apologizing to the crumpled fairy with the tear trails on the little dusty cheeks. He had made up with the blue-haired by allowing the small man to sleep inside his pajama jacket on top of his chest, a place Yoongi seemed to like very much, albeit it crinkled his wings.

"Morning," a husky voice rasped from the cupboard above the coffee machine and messy blue hair stuck from the gap. "It smells good."

"Morning," Taehyung cheered at the sight of the blue-haired. He had learned that albeit Yoongi's frightening and sparkly experience with drinking coffee, the small man liked the smell very much, and he liked it even more when it mixed with the scent of pancakes. "I make pancakes," Taehyung stated the obvious. "Want to try?" He gestured at the plate with steaming fresh samples.

The blue-haired shook his head and sat down on the toaster, rubbing on his sleepy eyes.

"One day, you'll burn your ass by sitting on that thing," Taehyung murmured concerned.

"I'm not stupid," the fairy disagreed and yawned.

Taehyung huffed but said nothing, so they spend the next twenty minutes in mutual silence, listening to the sizzling pan and the gargling coffee machine and chasing their own thoughts, or rather staring holes into the pancakes.

"Morning!" Jimin's sweet voice startled them out of their trance. The Easter fairy flew into the kitchen, followed by a rather tired-looking Valentine's fairy with a big wet spot on his chest and bunny slippers on his feet. Something about the shorter days and the lessening of sunlight made it unbelievably hard to get up and left everyone in a weird morning mood. Jungkook wearing the white plushy slippers he had declared to find awful was the best evidence that this weather was playing them nastily.

"Pumpkin pancakes for Halloween," Taehyung announced when he placed the plate of hot cakes on the kitchen table and turned towards the fridge to get the jam and juice (being slightly relieved not to find more pumpkins stuffed in there).

The raven's eyes opened a little wider at the mentioning of the sweet food and Jimin stopped his efforts of straightening Yoongi's ruffled hair to sit down instead. Fairies truly were obsessed with pancakes.

"What are we doing today?" the Easter fairy asked happily when they began to munch on the breakfast. The pink-haired seemed to be the only one fully awake.

"Pumpkins," Taehyung answered and pointed at the heap of fruits. Yoongi nodded frantically. "But you'll have to wait until I'm back from work."

All the fairies growled. When he once had explained to them that he needed to go to work to provide them with pancakes, they had offered to magically make the ingrediencies appear, plus everything else he needed, but after they had admitted that they could not make money to pay for electricity, the argument had been over and three frowning faces had looked after him when he had left the apartment.

Unfortunately, today as well he would have to abandon the coziness of his apartment for a while to retrieve to the mundane world without fairy dust and pancakes.

But he absolutely would not allow the fair folk to handle knifes while he was not around, no matter how pouty they looked!

~

Warmth embraced him like a soft blanket when he opened the door of his apartment to escape the early dawn and to find his friends on the carped making it... snow blossoms? What a weird mix of magic.

"Welcome back," Jimin cheered and flew across the room to greet him and settle on his shoulder once he had gotten rid of his coat. Lazy Yoongi only settled on his knee once he had sat down on the rug with them, and tough Jungkook played it cool like always, pretending to not be excited that the human was home and they would finally start with the pumpkin carving. The wiggling bunny slippers on the Valentine's fairy's feet said otherwise.

"We finally managed to mingle our magic," Jimin reported proudly, "We just couldn't find out how Jungkook can mingle with us. It seems his magic is too different from ours. Maybe because Yoongi and I control nature and Jungkook feelings, or ..."

Taehyung nodded understandingly, and the pink-haired rambled on.

"Hungry?" Taehyung asked about one rug-hour later during one of the brief pauses in Jimin's endless musings about their magic, and the blue and black mop bobbed longingly. "What do you want?"

"Pancakes?" a doe-eyed Jungkook asked, supported by a puppy-eyed Yoongi.

Taehyung snorted. Why was he even asking? This seemed to be the universal drug for fairies of all kinds, and he would not object. Pancakes were delicious. And he was not able to withstand those eyes anyway.

"Wevafafeonouwinfow," Jungkook mumbled twenty minutes later over a mouthful of food.

"What?" Taehyung asked while Yoongi followed the raven's pointing finger towards the kitchen window and Jimin mumbled something that sounded like 'don't talk with a full mouth'.

The Valentine's fairy swallowed. "We have a face on our window."

Now, Taehyung turned around as well. Having a face pressed against your window when you live on the fifth floor was not exactly normal. Except when it was combined with shimmery dragonfly wings and sparkles much as this one. If he continued cooking pancakes, would his apartment someday be plastered with fairy beds? Musing about the idea of a fairy hostel, he stood up and shifted Jungkook's bed and the cactus out of the way.

"Hello, you," he greeted their guest when he opened the window.

The brunette fairy apparently had not been prepared for this and stumbled over the window frame, lacking something to lean against. "Oh, uhm, I'm..." the little figure stumbled and tried to climb back outside, albeit trembling worse than the fat Santa clock.

With a flash of pink all the pitiably helpless efforts came to a halt because Jimin was holding onto the unknown fairy's wrist. A scared face looked back at them, and especially at Taehyung, but it softened a little bit when Jimin smiled brightly. Jungkook and Taehyung called the Easter fairy's disarming cuteness the Jimin-effect, and the little trembling guy in the earthy-orange dress shirt seemed to experience that effect full force, judged by how defeated he looked after some seconds.

"Don't run away. We have pancakes," the Easter fairy argued as if that was all the scared fairy on their windowsill needed to be convinced.

But as contradictive as the expression on the newcomer's face was, the argument worked, and the autumnal looking guest stepped back inside, so that Taehyung could close the window and shut out the sticky darkness.

How could some sugar, flour, eggs and milk be enough to make someone obviously frightened stay? Absurd. Or were they just the smaller evil in the decision between darkness and facing a human? The side glances towards the window indicated so.

"He looks like a horse," Yoongi said from behind Jimin, staring at the new fairy curiously.

"You look like a turtle," Jimin growled back at the Christmas fairy, defending their guest.

"Jungkook looks like a bunny," the blue-haired stated matter-of-factly with a finger pointing at said raven, who just lifted one eyebrow in confusion. Yoongi obviously was not familiar with the game of insulting and defending. It was refreshingly funny.

"Jimin looks like a mochi," Taehyung added to the statement stack, curious of what would happen.

"You look like a cleaning mop," the raven shot back while Yoongi looked like he considered the mochi-idea.

A weird sound made all of them look back at the brunette fairy. The little man was bent over and puked sparkles onto the cheap plastic windowsill in what looked like a nervous breakdown.

"Oh dear!" Jimin said and steadied the shaky figure.

"Horses can't puke," Yoongi stated with a pensive look of scientific interest at the growing heap of orange sparkles. The ways of the internet..., Taehyung thought and turned around for a cloth.

Once Jimin had cuddled their guest into a state of maintainable calmness (under Jungkook's tense gaze) and Taehyung had wiped away the sparkle puke (It had left a clean spot on the dirty fabric. Apparently, the cloth had once been white.), they seated the brunette on the empty fairy bed to feed him crumbs of pancake. And bite by bite the autumnal fairy's face color became healthier.

"I'm Taehyung," Taehyung tried to start the introductions and held out his pinky for a fingershake. Their guest looked slightly confused at his digit before he decided to take it, and the small body jumped in shock when Taehyung began to shake his finger up and down. Not a fairy that was used to being around humans, it seemed.

"I'm Jimin," the Easter fairy continued with a beaming smile and hugged the newbie once more (much to the raven's disliking). "And this is Jungkook."

The brunette fairy skeptically looked at the Valentines fairy that stood above him with crossed arms, clothed in all black and bunny slippers. Jungkook's bad boy credibility suffered greatly from those slippers, Taehyung noticed with a grin.

"Why's he angry at me?" were the first words from the new one and everyone's eyes widened in delight, except for Jungkook's. The raven looked pretty unhappy with the Easter fairy practically slung around the brunette. At some point their autumnal guest seemed to understand and freed himself out of the pink-haired man's hug to bring some space between them.

"I'm Yoongi, a Christmas fairy," the blue-haired said into the tense silence and the attention shifted towards him.

The newcomer's eyes brightened. "A Christmas fairy indeed," he said with wonder in his voice. Well, it was much too early, or rather way too late for Christmas fairies, so Taehyung could understand the amazement.

A longer pause followed this sentence, in which they all stared at their guest expectantly.

"Oh, uhm, I'm Hoseok. I'm a Ha-Halloween fairy," the brunette said and lowered his gaze onto his fiddling hands.

"But your hair is auburn. I thought you were a fall fairy," Jungkook said with furrowed brows and Yoongi and Taehyung looked interested at the exchange. "Why aren't you outside right now when you're a Halloween fairy?"

The Hoseok guy shrunk further. "I... I'm scared?"

Jungkook looked startled at the simple statement, but Taehyung did not care. He would protect every of these sparkly figures, so he offered what he had offered everyone before, "You can stay with us." And it seemed to lift the unexplainable mask of shame off the Halloween fairy's face. "We're about to carve pumpkins," he added as an afterthought.

But apparently that had not been the right thing to say, because Hoseok paled again.

"Are you okay?" Taehyung asked concerned and looked at the others in need of help.

Yoongi leaned closer. "He looks like he's about to puke again," the Christmas fairy stated, not trying to change something about it. Sometimes the blue-haired was extremely unhelpful.

"Don't be scared," Jimin said and embraced their new friend once more. "We can make nice pumpkins, smiling and happy." For some reason those were the right words and Hoseok's face brightened immensely. It became even happier than before, like the fairy suddenly had an idea.

"You're a genius, Jimin!" the brunette cheered once he looked as if he would burst from beaming. Taehyung would have almost sworn that the newcomer was literally starting to glow like a lightbulb, but it could have been an illusion.

"Happy pumpkins it is," he agreed with the new family member, ignoring Jungkook's growl and Yoongi's huff, and sat down at the kitchen table again with a knife and a spoon.

Time to scrape out pumpkins.

~

Taehyung worked on what felt like the hundredth mini pumpkin while entertaining himself with watching Jungkook moping over Jimin. The pink-haired was working on a pumpkin head with Hoseok, and the raven was practically oozing jealousy from every pore what was unexpectedly funny to watch. A jealous cupid.

But at some point, he became sorry for the pumpkin that got mutilated by Jungkook's knife and was a little concerned for their newest roommate if the Valentine's fairy's gaze became even more like he controlled a family of thunderstorms with the crease between his eyebrows. Hence, he turned toward the two chatting fairies and asked, "What are you two discussing?"

To his confusion, the Valentine's fairy answered before the others could. "Halloween fairies have immense powers because their purpose is to defend the world against bad spirits." The raven looked almost accusingly while Jimin just nodded in agreement and the brunette looked embarrassed.

A protector of the world who was scared of his job. Now it all made sense. Poor Hoseok. But who was Jungkook to judge? After all, the raven was a Valentine's fairy that ruined dates.

"Jimin wants me to cut the pumpkin with my powers, but I can't use them," Hoseok elaborated shyly.

Taehyung's eyes widened amazed. "So, you're like Ichigo from Bleach?" he asked, ignoring the part about the small man not being able to handle the power.

The Halloween fairy looked like he had talked gibberish, but today's uncommonly talkative Jungkook apparently understood and answered instead, "Yes, kind of."

"Who is Ichigo?" the Halloween fairy asked.

The raven slowly shook his head in disbelieve. "You have lived the longest of all of us, but you don't know anime?"

Hoseok shook his head. "Should I know that?"

"What is anime?" Yoongi asked curiously, looking up from his silent work on a yellowish pear-shaped pumpkin with green nubs.

Jungkook huffed. "I'll show y-"

"Oh no, you won't," Taehyung interrupted the raven and shot him a look that hopefully would transmit his thoughts. The last thing he needed was a Christmas fairy that was stuck in front of the computer all day long watching anime series and eating pancakes.

"How long do Halloween fairies live?" he asked to change the topic, hoping that that was not a curious look on Yoongi's face.

Hoseok smiled softly. "We're born like humans, and we die like humans."

"They exist since the beginning of time to shield the good from the evil." Apparently Jungkook could not stop himself from blurting all the knowledge he possessed, even though Hoseok looked slightly sad whenever his life purpose was mentioned. It must be a burden not to be able to do what you have been created for.

But Taehyung did not care that their new roommate was scared of his job. For him every of the sparkling figures was a reason to be happy. And if happiness was not the cure for evil, he did not know what was. "I like you," he said determinedly and ruffled the brunette curls, making orange sparks fall onto the table.

Big shocked eyes looked at him, but it was too late for the Halloween fairy to flinch from the touch. Got ya, Taehyung thought triumphantly, but his good mood faltered when he saw a sad Jungkook slumping down again in front of his ruined pumpkin. The white bunny slippers, for some reason, made him look even more pitiable. Did the Valentine's fairy feel left out? Was it that? Was he concerned that they would give all their attention to Hoseok and forget about him?

"Kook," Taehyung started and ruffled the black hair as well before he pushed the fairy into the direction of the pink-haired and the brunette, "Show him. You're not scared of anything, so teach him how not to be scared of his powers."

The doe eyes lit up and dutifully the raven began to talk to the Halloween fairy.

Yoongi and Taehyung exchanged a knowing look before they continued their work.

Half an hour later, Hoseok was able to cut pumpkin faces under Jimin's and Jungkook's guidance, and one hour later all the pumpkins had grinning faces with many of them looking like Jimin had been the model for them with his eye-swallowing smile. The others had funny bunny teeth and looked slightly drunken.

"Wow," Taehyung huffed out at the sight of his kitchen being buried under pumpkin heads. "Ready to light them?"

Everyone nodded, but when he was about to get up to get a lighter and candles, Jungkook held him back. "Hoseok can do it." And all the eyes wandered towards the Halloween fairy who looked discouraged once more.

"I'm not sure I-"

"You can do it," Taehyung interrupted the brunette and gestured everyone towards the window. The Halloween fairy followed hesitantly, but he followed, and that meant something after the tremulant entrance from before.

Still, when Taehyung let in the sharp cold air, Hoseok became unhealthily pale again and crossed his arms over his chest in a defensive manner while staring outside into the nocturnal shimmer of the city. And when the Halloween fairy spoke, it was barely above a whisper. "Can't you see them?"

"See what?" Taehyung asked confused and looked outside.

"Them," the brunette whispered, trembling as hard as when he had stumbled over the window frame, "the dark spirits. They're everywhere outside there. Those horrible claws and teeth, can't you see them?"

Jimin and Yoongi looked like they tried to see what Hoseok saw, but apparently, they were as blind as Taehyung. For them, there was just darkness and dirty street light.

A shrill 'trick or treat' echoed through the street below and the brunette shivered.

"Don't be scared," Jungkook said, and of all the fairies the raven was the one to sling his arms around their newbie first, hugging him tightly against his chest and cradling him softly. But within the blink of an eye, Jimin was wrapped around the two as well, and after some curious glances, Yoongi joined them. It was truly endearing.

"Oh, come here," Taehyung babbled and slung his big arms around the swaying bundle.

Together they stared into the dark.

Until something tickled Taehyung's chin and he looked down at the knot of fairies.

Hoseok was gleaming. No, his hair was gleaming. And bright orange at that.

"You did it! You did it!" Jungkook cheered and the Halloween fairy looked like he could barely grasp what was happening. "Light them up! Do it!"

Hastily, Taehyung grabbed for one of the pumpkin heads and held it out for the orange-haired who was shoved forwards by an excited Jungkook. And fascinated they all watched their new friend producing a small ball of blindingly white light and placing it in the grinning fruit.

"Awesome," Taehyung whispered and grabbed more pumpkins for Hoseok to fill with his gift.

Head by head the orange-haired lit up the little army of smiling faces and placed them on all the windowsills with the help of Jimin.

Jungkook however sat down on a gawking Taehyung's shoulder and whisper satisfied, "That's why Halloween fairies are also called Hope fairies. They're the strongest and bravest of all the fairies. Humans tend to confuse them with boggarts, but they're the only creatures who can produce pure light."

Amazing, was all Taehyung could think. Who would have guessed that those fragile-looking figures protected all of them from bad spirits?

Something tugged at his ear. "Can we keep him?" a wide-eyed Yoongi asked hopefully from his other shoulder.

~ ~ ~