Fred spends the rest of the night feeling slightly jittery and far too energetic for having just mascotted an entire university game. His body was physically exhausted, but his mind was racing at a million miles an hour and he couldn't find a way to slow it down, no matter how hard he tried. Hot shower, putting on his comfiest pajama pants, trying to read The Sorcerer's Stone while lying on his bed-none of his usual methods were working. If he wasn't worried about the side effects, he might have tried knocking himself out with some cold medicine. But he knew how loopy he got whenever he took it when he actually was sick. Right now being even more loopy than he already was was the last thing that he needed. Beyond that, he didn't want to be so knocked out that he couldn't wake up in the morning. He had no idea what time would be too early for going back to see Tadashi, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to keep himself away for long after the sun came up, so getting some sleep in before then was very important.

The fanboy finds himself hugging his pillow to his chest as he pictures the fairy he'd met earlier that night, a grin crossing his face in spite of himself. Tadashi was… amazing. It was pretty much the only word that could describe him. The fanboy knew that it was ridiculous to have a crush on someone he'd only just met, and he felt a bit shallow because he knew that the crush was based mostly on aesthetic attraction and the fact that Tadashi was a mythical being (something which was pretty much any nerd's dream come true). But he was determined to try to make things deeper than that-to actually get know Tadashi and see if maybe they could become friends before trying to take it to the next step.

Eventually the adrenaline coursing through Fred's veins starts to ebb away, and slowly but surely he finds his eyelids growing heavier until finally they slide shut. His last thoughts before falling asleep were of the face of the beautiful fairy boy he'd met in the park, and his dreams were filled with much the same.

When Fred finally wakes up the next morning, it's hard to convince himself that last night hadn't all just been a dream. In the light of day, his memories of meeting a fairy seemed like the product of an exhaustion caused by his over exuberance at the game. The very idea that he'd actually met a real fae seemed completely impossible. And yet…

The image of Tadashi's face was as clear in his mind as he was looking at him at that very moment. And the fanboy doubted that even his vivid imagination could have dreamed up something so realistic..

Heart racing eagerly in his chest, Fred sits up to check the clock on his bedside table. He could only assume by the fact that the sun was up that it was late enough to get up and head back to the park to see if his adventure from last night had been real or not, but it didn't hurt to make sure. His mood plummets when he finds that it was already 1 pm-how had he managed to sleep in that late? He must have been more exhausted from the game than he'd thought, which explained why he'd passed out for so long.

As he gets out of bed and starts stumbling around getting ready for the day, his brain decides that maybe it was a blessing in disguise. Hopefully his sleeping in had given Tadashi a chance to rest up from his injury (gosh, he really hoped that it wasn't anything serious.) All the same, Fred makes it through his morning routine in record time (in spite of the fact that he spent a little more time on his wardrobe choices than he usually would have), and, as dressed and as groomed as he was going to get, the fanboy feels ready to head to the park to see how his newfound friend was doing.

He was just heading towards the door to start his journey when a thought pops into his head that causes him to stop and frown thoughtfully. Wasn't there some sort of tradition about bringing gifts to fairies if you wanted to curry favor with them? Of course presents were always a good way to make a favorable impression on just about anyone, but he distinctly remembers reading stories about leaving gifts out for fairies, and, as he was visiting the home of a family of fairies for the first time, it seemed like a good idea not to show up empty handed. What were those things you were supposed to leave out for fairies again? He vaguely remembered something about milk and honey, but that didn't seem quite right for the fairies that he'd met last night. Maybe they would like milk and honey-he'd have to ask-but he'd feel extremely stupid if he showed up with either item and it turned out the legends were wrong and the fairies thought he was strange for showing up with basic food items. What to bring them, then?

After a few minutes of pondering the question, finally an idea pops into his head and, grinning, he exits his room and makes his way up the stairs to the upper level of the house and from there up into the attic.

It was clear from the thick layer of dust covering everything that no one had been up here in awhile, but at least it was well organized so it didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. He smiles as he approaches the familiar sky blue dollhouse that had once been his mother's and had been passed on to him once he'd been old enough to know how to properly handle the tiny treasures it contained (many of the items inside were antiques that his grandfather had collected from all over the world and needed to be treated with great care.)

Over dinner a few years ago Fred's mother had admitted to him that, when she'd been unable to have any children after him, she'd been rather sad thinking about how the dollhouse wouldn't have another little girl to love it and spend hours playing in it like she had when she'd been young. But, as a child, Fred hadn't cared at all about the fact that most people thought dollhouses were "meant for girls"-he'd been absolutely fascinated with the tiny rooms where he could play out any number of fantastical situations created by his vivid imagination, and his mother had been quite pleased that her son loved it as much as she had.

As Fred had grown older, the dollhouse, like many things from his childhood, had fallen by the wayside, and eventually it had been carefully tucked away into the attic until someday when another child would bring it back to life with their own imaginings. As the fanboy looks the toy house over with fondness, he can't help but feel a wave of nostalgia, and just a hint of yearning for the future when maybe he'd get to see a little one of his own playing with the house. But right now wasn't the time for that, and he shakes his head to clear away the thoughts. He'd come up here in hopes of finding a fairy sized gift in order to try to make a good impression on Tadashi's family, and that's what he needed to focus on.

He didn't want to bring anything too fancy, and he couldn't take something from the dollhouse that his own mother would miss if she ever came up here for a visit. He felt a bit bad about taking anything from it at all, but technically the house was his so it wasn't exactly stealing, and, furthermore, he was doing this for something he considered to be a very important cause.

What he finally settles on for bringing as a gift was a small porcelain vase that he remembered his mother telling him as a child had come from Japan. It was patterned in blue and white, and there was a painted peacock that curled all the way around it. Fred had always loved it growing up, and it seemed like something a fairy could actually use, whether for holding flowers or storing other things. Beautiful but practical-it was a winning combination.

The matter of the gift settled, Fred carefully slips the vase into a lower pocket on his cargo shorts (he felt it would be pretty safe there where he wouldn't accidentally sit on it) and then makes his way back downstairs, his heart fluttering in his chest as if it had suddenly grown fairy wings of its own at the idea of finally getting to see Tadashi again. He had no idea how things would go at the park, but all he could do was try to put his best foot forward and hope for the best.

Like the day before, the fanboy decides not to ask Heathcliff drive him to his destination. Not only was the park a short enough distance away that he could easily walk to it by himself, he didn't know how to explain to the manservant that he wanted to go to the park to visit a family of fairies. Not that it was likely Heathcliff would have asked the reason for his visit-usually the butler just went about his duties while using as few words as possible. Still, Fred liked the idea of having some anonymity today and drawing as little attention as possible to what might be considered by many of the house staff as rather eccentric behavior seemed ideal. After all, if no one knew where he was going or when he left, no one would be waiting for him to come home, so he could spend as much (or as little, depending on how things went) time as he wanted to visiting the fairies without raising any suspicions.

He did make a quick detour by the kitchen on his way out the door to grab a sandwich (he hadn't eaten since last night, after all), but soon he found himself walking down the street and doing his best not to break out into a full on run. He didn't want to look crazy or accidentally knock an innocent passerby over, so he was trying to avoid going too fast in spite of his excitement. Still, his feet seemed to have a mind of their own and so in trying to restrain them he found himself doing an awkward sort of skip-hop as he made his way down the sidewalk.

It took what felt like an eternity to reach his destination, but once the park finally came into view he felt his eagerness growing as he realizes just how close he was. In only a few minutes he'd finally get to see Tadashi again!

Just as he was about to step into the forest, though, a horrible realization dawns on him. What if he wasn't able to find the fairies' house again? After all, it had been very dark last night, and he hadn't really been able to see where he was going. Tadashi had been the one doing most of the navigating. How was he supposed to even know which direction to head in? Beyond that, Fred has the sudden revelation that maybe the fairy's house was enchanted so that humans couldn't find it on their own. That might explain why the fairies hadn't been discovered yet-after all, there were people exploring these woods all the time, and even though the crate was a pretty good disguise at some point someone probably would have tried to investigate it or cart it away as junk. It made sense that the little family would need to protect themselves, especially after Fred had seen how other humans treated fairies last night. Still, it was dreadful thinking that he might never be able to see Tadashi again because of that reason…

Before the feelings of dread can completely overwhelm him, the fanboy forces the negative thoughts out of his head. He had to think positive! Even if it took all day and even all night, he was going to comb every part of these woods until he found the house again.

His logical side suggested starting at one end of the woods, canvassing it in small chunks until he either located the fairies' home or reached the other side. But deep down in his gut he had a different, stronger feeling that, if he just started walking, he would find what he was looking for. Fred had always been a stronger believer in intuition than logic, and so, after a moment of indecision, he decides to go with his gut and begins making his way through the forest, following the feelings that were guiding him like a compass, telling him which direction to head and where to turn. The farther he walks, the stronger the feelings grow, until, finally, he ends up in a clearing where, to his great delight, he finds the crate hiding beneath the shade of a large cherry blossom tree.

It's all Fred can do not to sprint the final stretch of his journey, but, before he can, common sense kicks in and he quickly realizes that the sound of a human running near their home would only serve to unsettle the fairies. So, difficult as it was, he forces himself to walk as softly as he can through the tall grass, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. It was with great relief that he finally reaches the house, and he gently starts to lower himself to the ground in front of it, only to suddenly remember the tiny vase in his pocket. Not wanting to risk it getting smashed by accident, he carefully pulls it out and sets it down next to the tiny door before kneeling the rest of the way down.

It strikes him as he considers the tiny door that he has no idea how he was supposed to announce his presence to the occupants of the house. There didn't appear to be a doorbell of any kind (not even an old fashioned bell pull) so knocking seemed like the next best option. But how was he supposed to knock on a door that small? Did fairies even have custom of knocking on doors? If they didn't and he attempted to knock, would they think that he was trying to break the door down? That wasn't the kind of first (or was it second?) impression that he wanted to make on them.

Not knowing what else to do to alert them of his presence, the fanboy finally calls out softly, "Hello?"

When he doesn't receive an immediate response, he continues, "Um, hey, I don't know if you guys can hear me, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm here? And I know Tadashi said I could come back, but if this is a bad time for you I totally get it! I just-I could really use an answer one way or the other so I know if I should wait or if you guys want me to go away? So I guess I'll just sit here for a few minutes in case you're kinda busy and can't get to the door. If you don't answer, I'll take it as you guys wanting me to leave and I'll try coming back later! But, um… An answer would be nice. Just so I can know for sure what you want me to do…"

Fred trails off, folding his hands awkwardly in his lap as he settles in to wait. He had no idea if he was actually going to get a response or not. He thought that he could hear soft noises coming from inside of the house but they were too quiet for him to be able to tell if he was actually hearing them or just imagining them.

Five incredibly long minutes later, the fanboy was just about to give up and leave, thinking that the fairies were making their thoughts on him visiting their home abundantly clear by just ignoring him, when suddenly the tiny door creaks open. Fred's heart leaps up into his throat, anticipating finally getting to see Tadashi again. But instead of Tadashi, the fairy who came out of the house was the other fairy that he'd seen the night before, the one with the dandelion fluff hair.

"Oh, um, hey!" Fred greets the boy who he was pretty sure he remembered Tadashi calling Hiro, trying to sound as friendly as possible in spite of the fact that the fae was practically scowling up at him, tiny arms crossed over his equally tiny chest. It might have been adorable if the fanboy wasn't so worried that he was about to be sent away for good.

"Aunt Cass says you can come in," the boy finally says after almost a full minute of silence, not looking any too happy about what he was saying. "I don't know why she trusts you, but I guess Tadashi's somehow convinced her that you're not as evil as every other human we've ever encountered so she's making an exception for you."

"I, uh… Thanks, I think?" Fred answers weakly before Hiro's first words sink in. "Wait, come in?" He looks down at the crate doubtfully. "I-I don't think I'm going to fit…" He was starting to wonder if all fairies had a hard time understanding size differences considering Tadashi had already made that comment last night about him seeing the inside of the house.

"Hold out your hand," Hiro snaps, rolling his eyes like Fred had just said something completely idiotic.

"My hand?" Fred repeats in confusion.

"Yes, your hand." Hiro was now tapping his foot impatiently on the ground as if this whole process was taking much longer than it should be and the blame for that lay completely on the fanboy's shoulders.

"A-All right," Fred agrees, feeling a bit stupid as he finally holds his hand out to the fairy but not daring to argue with him at this point. Hiro's fingers felt featherlight but surprisingly firm as they wrap around the tip of his index finger, and the fanboy was wondering if this was some sort of customary greeting, like shaking hands (only the fairy was having to improvise because of the size difference), when suddenly he feels a tingling rush of what could only be described as magic racing through his body, starting from where Hiro's hand was touching his finger and then quickly spreading through the rest of him. Before he could even try to figure out what was happening, he had the sensation of being pressed and compacted down, like one of those toy lightsabers he'd used to play with as a kid that could be collapsed down in on itself, and he closes his eyes to try to stave off the intense feeling of dizziness that came with it.

Finally everything seems to settle again, and Fred tentatively opens his eyes to try to see if the world had finally stopped spinning around him. What he finds, through, almost sends his head reeling again, but this time for a very different reason.

"Holy shit…" he breathes as he stares around at his surroundings with a mixture of trepidation and awe. Either the rest of the world had gotten a lot bigger, or he had just gotten a lot smaller. Was that even possible? Had Hiro somehow shrunk him?

"Come on. If you actually want to see Tadashi, don't just stand out here looking like a bullfrog with your mouth open."

Hiro's words are enough to bring Fred back to the present, and he finds himself nodding silently in response, still too shocked to be able to form a coherent sentence. Now that he could get a good look at Hiro, he realized that the boy was actually more of a teenager, in spite of what his frame (petite even for a fairy) suggested. The teen's wings were dark with white and red splotches on the front, but as he turns to head back into the house the back of his wings were revealed to be mostly royal blue with black and white around the edges. Fred had to wonder if fairy wings were patterned after actual types of butterflies or if they just magically came with their own designs. It was a question that he'd have to ask later-for now, he needed to focus on keeping up with Hiro.

The fanboy had had no idea what the inside of the crate would look like (hadn't even really anticipated on actually getting to see what it looked like), but what he found was surprisingly pleasant and homey. The walls were stained a soft green, and the floor of the crate was filled with fairy sized pieces of furniture, all of them looking hand made from either pieces of nature or discarded human items, like the little kitchen table that had been cobbled together from two spools of thread with a playing card over it and the four chairs woven together from twigs and grass that sat around it. There was also an upper floor to the crate, a sort of loft where a plank of wood had been fastened to the wall, and from down here it appeared to be a bedroom of some sort. For a moment Fred was stumped trying to figure out how anyone could get up there with no ladder or other sort of climbing instrument present. But then the truth dawns on him and he feels foolish for even wondering in the first place-of course. Fairies had wings, they could just fly up there.

He was just trying to figure out what might be behind the curtain made of a pink handkerchief in the back corner of the house (another bedroom, perhaps?) when he hears a familiar voice calling out, "Fred!"

"Tadashi?" Fred glances around the room, trying to find the source, and grins when he finally spots the fairy lying on what appeared to be a couch made of spongy moss, the fae's legs and part of his upper body covered in a blanket made of stitched together cherry blossom petals.

"Hey!" Tadashi grins and waves to the fanboy as he sits up on the couch, adding a bit shyly as he reaches him, "I was worried you weren't actually going to come..."

"Of course I came! I wouldn't miss this for the world!" Fred answers, grinning back, although he couldn't help but feel a bit worried by the fact that Tadashi wasn't actually getting up. Was the fairy so injured that he couldn't even stand? Trying to be tactful, he asks softly, "Are you okay? I know you were hurt pretty bad last night-did it turn out to be something really serious?"

"No, I'm fine," Tadashi reassures him, looking almost flattered by the other's concern for his well being. "I'm a bit bruised up-my legs got the worst of it since my wings didn't cover them as well as they did my upper body-and Aunt Cass thinks that one of my wings is sprained, but she used all her best healing spells on me last night, and as long as I don't move around too much for a couple days I should be back to normal in no time."

"That's great!" Fred was extremely relieved to hear this. "I'm so glad that those kids didn't hurt you worse than they did."

"Me too," Tadashi agrees, although there was something of a strained look underneath his smile.

"I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?" Fred asks, wondering if he'd said something to offend the fairy.

"No, no, you didn't!" Tadashi answers quickly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you! It's just…" The fairy lets out a long sigh and grows silent for a minute before continuing so quietly that that other man almost can't hear him, "After what happened last night... Aunt Cass thinks that it isn't safe for us to live here anymore..."

"W-What does that mean?" Fred asks slowly, already having a pretty good idea but desperately hoping that he was wrong. It made perfect sense that the fairies would feel unsafe given everything that had happened last night, but they couldn't really be-

"We're moving," Tadashi answers miserably, confirming his worst fears. "As soon as my wings are well enough to fly again. Aunt Cass has already started packing everything up…"

"Oh my gosh…" Fred breathes. No, this couldn't be happening! They couldn't be leaving when he'd just found them!

"W-Where are you guys moving to?" the fanboy asks, grasping at straws for any bit of hope-maybe it wouldn't be too far away and he could still visit them!

"I have no idea." Tadashi shrugs helplessly. "But she says that she wants it to be somewhere as far away from humans as possible so that nothing like this ever happens again…"

Fred's heart plummets. Well, so much for optimism.

"Isn't there somewhere safer in the city that you guys could live?" he asks desperately. "Somewhere not so far away as out in the middle of nowhere?"

"Not unless you know of a forest where it's guaranteed no other humans will come," Tadashi answers, looking completely defeated.

"I… I don't…" Fred admits, wondering if it was idiotic to feel like he was going to start crying over never getting to see someone that he'd only just barely met ever again. But what could he do? It wasn't like he had a private forest that he could offer them where they'd never be disturbed by any harmful humans…

Wait. Wait just a second. Maybe he did. Not a forest, exactly, but it might be close enough to work!

"I think I might know a place!" he cries, startling Tadashi out of his dismal contemplation of the imminent move.

"Y-You do?" The fairy looks up at him in disbelief. "How-?"

"My family has a really big walled in garden!" Fred explains eagerly, his words starting to stumble over each other in his excitement. "Like, a really freaking huge garden! There's almost never anyone there except for the gardener, and if I asked him to stay away from a specific corner of the garden, he'd do it, no questions asked! If we could move you guys into a back corner away from the house, even on the rare occasion that my parents actually use it for their parties and stuff no one would bother you! It would be perfect-you guys could live there and be totally safe, and it would still be kind of like a forest! And the best part is that you guys wouldn't have to move that far, so you'd still be somewhere familiar, and you wouldn't have to spend a lot of time traveling around trying to find someplace new!"

And you'd be right in my backyard so we could see each other whenever we want! he adds mentally.

"I… That actually could work," Tadashi agrees slowly after thinking it over for a moment, his eyes growing wide and excitement starting to show in them. "I mean, we'd have to clear it with Aunt Cass, of course. But she might just be willing to go for it, especially if I made the argument that this way I wouldn't have to stop going to my classes at SFIT!"

"Your-what?" Fred blinks at him in surprise. Wait, Tadashi was a student at SFIT? How was that even possible? Fred would have noticed him if he'd seen him around campus-even though the fairy could grow to the size of a human, he'd stick out like a sore thumb with those wings.

"O-Oh…" Tadashi ducks his head, looking embarrassed. "I guess I should explain that… Please don't think it's weird?"

"Never," Fred promises, itching with curiosity to find out what he meant.

"I-I know it's kind of stupid, but I've always been fascinated by the technology in your world," Tadashi admits quietly. "Aunt Cass taught me and Hiro the basics here at home, like reading and writing and math. But I always wanted to know more than that, and a couple of years ago I discovered one of your human universities. I kind of accidentally flew into one of the classrooms while exploring, but after just sitting through one class out of curiosity I was completely hooked. I realized that there was so much that I could learn from the teachers there, and I found that if I just sat on the windowsill and listened then no one even knew I was there. Aunt Cass wasn't too happy about it at first, but she finally came to accept it when she saw how happy it made me. I can't help it-it's fascinating learning about how you humans use your technology to help you function in the world without any magic to help you. It's almost like a form of magic all its own!"

"Wow…" Fred breathes. "So, you, like, sneak into college classes to learn for fun?"

"Yes?" Tadashi answers hesitantly, looking a bit worried by the other man's tone. "Is that weird to you?"

"What? No, of course not!" Fred cries, hurrying to reassure him. "I think it's amazing that you're so dedicated to learning that you're doing it because you want to, not because you have to!"

"Really?" Tadashi offers him a small, hopeful smile.

"Definitely!" Fred answers firmly. He was almost tempted to tell Tadashi that he actually had some connections at SFIT thanks to being the mascot who were as into technology as he was and to offer to introduce them. But sadly he has to quickly squelch the idea. Maybe someday he could make that offer, but for right now if he mentioned even the idea of letting other humans in on the secret that fairies existed he might end up overstepping his bounds and make Tadashi decide to stop trusting him completely. So, at least for the moment, he'd just focus on trying to make sure that the fairies didn't actually move away and maybe someday work up to offering to introducing Tadashi to his connections.

And speaking of people he needed to talk to in order to keep said move from happening...

"Oh, Aunt Cass!" Tadashi suddenly looks over the back of the couch, and Fred follows his gaze to see a fairy coming out from behind the curtain that he'd noticed on his way in. She was almost as petite as Hiro, with nut brown hair and the orange and black wings of a monarch butterfly, and the fanboy swallows a bit thickly as he realizes who she is-Tadashi's guardian and the person he has to convince if he's ever going to have any sort of future with the fairy. As she starts to make her way over, the fanboy can only hope that maybe, just maybe, he'll be able to actually convince her to go along with his plan.