I wrote this for Jikook Cottagecore 2022 fest. This is completed and is now revealed on AO3 to read. I'll update the chapters here on my free time. If you can't wait for updates here, pleae head to my AO3 page. Link available on my bio in Wattpad profile.

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Disclaimer: The places used in this fic are fictional.

Dear prompter, I told myself no more fests because how tight my work life was, but when I came across your prompt I couldn't help it. Hope you like it.

Thanks to my baby Sana for coming up with a beautiful and cute title. Moodboard by Jikookcottagecore admin :)

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"Congratulations, sir. It's all yours now."

"Thank you so much." He shook hands with the middle-aged man, accepting his congratulations with a slight incline of his head.

Jungkook proudly took the papers, brimming with joy. It wasn't just joy, but he was proud of himself for being able to get something he wanted the most.

Finally.

He exited the small town office with a beaming smile, throwing his face up to greet the sun and admire the clear skies. Fresh air filled his lungs. This place was just so peaceful. Though it was hard to get his fill of caffeine to his heart's content like in the States or back home in Korea, where every corner of the street had a café, Jungkook loved it here.

He didn't know how to explain this in mere words. For the first time in their life, he felt like he had found a missing part of himself here in Avalon. He found like he found a connection to this place unlike any other. A place that tempted him to stay a little longer. A place that finally fulfilled this unknown longing in his heart. A place that felt like a real home.

Jungkook's discovery of the beautiful medieval stone cottage was a chance encounter while taking a detour from his usual route from work on a beautiful winter evening. He has moved to Avalon all the way across the country to work on a new project. The small country town was tucked away from the modern world, blanketed by nature.

The young architect had fallen in love with the small town at first sight. The refreshing fresh air, and colorful sceneries made his heart sing for the first time in years. So used to the mechanical life in the city, this was refreshing and a nice change to his otherwise hectic life.

When he was presented with this opportunity by his company, he hadn't thought twice because the project itself was challenging. Their client wanted to build a small cottage where he could retire with his family in a few years. It wasn't anything like Jungkook had designed before, so he was hyped.

However, after a rain storm and a resulting landslide caused the main roads to close, he was forced to take an alternate route from the cottage he rented to his workplace. And that was how he stumbled onto the medieval stone cottage that looked so different from all other cottages and homes in the area.

It had small windows and wooden doors. Red flowers and grape vines covered most of the building. He identified the old French architecture and deduced the house must be at least a century old because you just don't see that architecture around anymore.

Soon he found himself taking a detour every morning and evening just to get a glimpse of the quiet cottage. It was a week later when the thought struck his mind.

What if he could buy the cottage?

So he headed to the cottage one evening after work, finding it empty. After several unsuccessful attempts to contact the owner, he inquired around, only to find that the cottage owner died several years ago.

Jungkook, however, wasn't someone to give up that easily. So he contacted the local town office, and after two months of going back and forth with everything, he finally ended up buying the cottage all for himself.

His friends and family were surprised when he announced his decision, but Jungkook always had been a wandering soul, never known to settle in one place for too long. At twenty-eight, he had lived in four countries and had visited several for work.

So the surprise was mostly about his decision to buy a place for himself.

"Really?" Hoseok had stared at him for a long moment before repeating the question. "You really bought a cottage?" He shook his head with another surprised laugh. "I can't believe you're settling down, especially in a place like that. I mean, you raved about Paris for years before you went there to work. So I honestly expected you to settle there, but Avalon?"

Jungkook had only smiled in response. They wouldn't understand. It was hard to explain. He just knew this was where he belonged.

On a weekend that marked the end of Winter, Jungkook finally moved into the space he could call home. The stone cottage was even more beautiful on the inside. It was small and cozy with two rooms, a living room and a kitchen in the ground floor and one room with an attic in the first floor.

Jungkook was ecstatic when he found the small glass panel on top of the attic ceiling that was perfect for stargazing. It was more than enough for a single man like him. The small garden surrounding the cottage with the wonderful view of a pond in his backyard was a bonus. There was even an old stone well to add to the aesthetic.

The pond was big and housed several swans and other birds. It connected the edge of the forest that looked so mystical during mornings. If possible, Jungkook fell even harder for this place. It was straight out of fairytales. The only thing that was missing was the little fairies or talking animals.

It didn't take long for Jungkook to settle in the town after that. He redecorated every room, preserving the architecture with utmost care. Now, after two weeks, the cottage looked every part that was his.

"Jungkook-ah, your place looks great!" Hoseok cheered from the other end of the line as he walked around his house, giving them a virtual tour. "Wow! You totally changed it from what you have showed me earlier. It's warmer and inviting now."

"It's small but so you," commented Seokjin.

"Ah, I can already imagine spending my vacation in your backyard, reading to my heart's content," chimed Namjoon. He was the only one who wasn't even slightly surprised when Jungkook announced the news. He was more excited about the place and everything there.

Jungkook chuckled. "Can't wait to have you all here. It's getting lonely."

"Soon, Jungkook-ah," Hoseok assured. "We will plan a few days trip as soon as we can. What do you guys say?"

"I'm in," Namjoon agreed. "It's been a while since we got together."

"Let's decide a date and then plan accordingly," Jin added. "I can already imagine a summer vacation by that lake. I would spend all day fishing in the lake."

Jungkook laughed. "Oh, you're in for a treat then. Can't wait, hyung."

He grabbed a beer from his kitchen fridge and returned to the living room, plopping on his comfortable couch. Even the home-brewed beer was perfection—the best he ever had. Namjoon was going to love it.

The small town had limited amenities, and he had to drive an hour to the nearest city to shop for the necessities. But it was great. He enjoyed it here and he couldn't wait for his friends to get here.

The night was still young, but he lost track of time, chatting with his lifelong friends slowly falling asleep to the lull of fire crackling in his fireplace and a happy smile on his face.

***

"Every damn time. They have nothing better to do. I don't even know why I'm even trying."

"Come on, Mimi." The little flower fairy, TaeTae flew in front of him, looking at him with big, round eyes. His pink eyes were pleading, lips curled in a pout. "Don't leave so abruptly. You promised you'd stay another week."

"I'd end up harming someone or doing something very very bad if I stayed another hour," he grunted.

"Wait at least till Yoongles is home." TaeTae tugged at his hand, silvery wings fluttering behind him. "I'll tell him everything and he will talk to—"

"No one is talking to anyone."

Yoongles was a warrior pixie who was on guard duty. He was also the commander of the pixie army and had a bit of influence with the higher-ups. But Mimi knew it wasn't going to work. He would practically be talking to a wall.

What was new? They always did this. Pulling stupid pranks and twisting the truth to make him the bad guy. To his dismay, it worked every damn time. The supervisor was too biased that he didn't think twice before telling him off. He didn't even allow him to explain.

He wasn't even anywhere near the fields when those critters attacked their flower fields, destroying their flora. He arrived just in time like any others after hearing the warning bells and tried his best to stop them. Unfortunately, they were already retreating, and there was nothing he could do.

But he was blamed for breaking the fence and letting them inside. He didn't even know the wall was broken. And others believed the complaints. No one believed him except for his best friend.

Just like any other time.

Mimi stomped his foot and puffed his cheeks as he whirled away from Pixie Hollow—his home since he was born. It was always spring in Pixie Hollow with occasional drizzles he didn't fancy. Mind you, it got his wings sticky, and it took hours to dry unlike the other fairies whose wings were water resistant.

Pixie Hollow was the best place to live in his opinion. It was warm and breezy unlike the Winter Hollow. After a curious trip that almost froze his wings and balls off, he despised that place. His precious, vibrant colored wings that were the color of spring. And of course his precious nuts...

He cleared his throat as he trudged through the uneven grassy path. His blonde hair with rainbow highlights caught the sunlight, bouncing with every step he took. Mimi sometimes wondered if it was one of the reasons he never got along with the rest of the faeries, save for the only two faeries he actually liked.

The Winter must have been over in Avalon, and he couldn't wait to return. Winters were particularly harsh in the small human town he lived. The cottage beside the lake was particularly empty after the owner died, and Mimi occupied it happily.

"Are you going back to the cottage?" TaeTae asked. The glistening sun gave him an ethereal glow, and his silver hair bobbed in the wind. Mimi thought he was the most beautiful pixie in the entire pixie hollow. Even the queen's beauty faded in comparison. "The snow wouldn't have melted fully. Stay, Mimi. You know you don't like cold."

Mimi sighed. "You know I can't." He glanced up. The look on his friend's eyes would have changed his mind of not for those nasty pixies who always messed with him. His anger was still fresh, and the hurt was raw.

Being an outcast in Pixie Hollow, his work was mostly on the mainland, and unlike the other fairies, he stayed here until Winter. When the cold became unbearable, Mimi half-heartedly traveled back to Pixie Hollow to hole up in his tiny home and counted the days until it was time for him to go back.

He did his best to stay away from trouble, but it had a way of following him everywhere he went. Maybe it was because he was clumsy. Or he was too curious for his own good. Or the fellow fairies just hated him for his origin.

Mimi was a hybrid, born to a pixie mother and a Fae father. The Fae were highly notorious and known for their mischievous evil natures. The fairies in Pixie Hollow blamed Mimi's father for seducing his mother, and there was no way he could fight off the claims because his father had clearly abandoned them as soon as he heard his mother was expecting.

As a result, Mimi was always seen as an outsider, never belonging with them. They always found a way to find mistakes in his work and complain. Nothing he did was ever enough.

So one day, he left with the group that went to the mainland and stayed there until Winter. Now the Winter was over; he couldn't wait to get back. So he just stopped trying to fit in.

"I don't belong here," he whispered, holding his dear friend's hands.

"Mimi belongs with TaeTae and Yoongles."

"Only you both." He exhaled, hiding his sadness. "You can visit me anytime. Just like you did the last time," he tried to cheer them up.

"I don't know. We are assigned to the East this time. We don't know if we could make it." TaeTae pouted. "If not, you can visit us?" he asked hopefully. "You know where to find us."

Mimi thought of telling him, no, but that wouldn't end well for the other pixie, so he just smiled. "I'll see you later then." He hugged TaeTae. "Take care."

TaeTae hugged him just as tight. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too."