Work Text:
“Hello? Did it work?”
“…Hello?”
“Oh my god, you can speak Japanese?”
“Japanese? This is Lunaxfan?”
“Oh my god, I’m speaking martian?”
“….”
The very first communication made with extraterrestrial creatures from the planet Earth was done in a small apartment on a busy street in Tokyo, done by a college student majoring in computer science and astronomy. Yamaguchi Tadashi was nothing more than your average, broke student in university, trying to carve a living for himself. However, when one is more obsessed with messing around with computer parts rather than finding a job that would let him do it for money, the living he was trying to create was slow in the making.
Yamaguchi had an affinity for parts. Any kind of parts. Starting from when he was young, his room was filled to the brim with electronics of all sorts ranging from your typical radio to things like thrown out prosthetic limbs. He had accumulated quite the collection and even when he moved out, almost all of it came with.
He was also in love with the night sky. Whenever he wasn’t fiddling with a piece of technology, he was staring up at the moon, watching it sit stationary among the stars. Sometimes he sat outside of his apartment, on the tiny balcony, putting things together under the light of the moon. It calmed him, honestly, knowing that even if the world was whirring rapidly around him, at least the moon stood still.
One of his projects was a radio transmission. Something small, something simple, but with huge goals in mind. In class he was always learning about the universe and every lecture had a discussion on extraterrestrial life. Some were skeptical, others were intrigued, but Yamaguchi was a believer.
It was a simple concept, really. From outer space, Earth looked frozen, like a still giant. Yet on its surface, humanity was anything but. If Earth was like that, who’s to say other planets weren’t?
He knew it was a foolish project, one that certainly did not require so many hours invested into it. He didn’t even have his degree yet but almost every waking hour that did not consist of homework or school itself was dedicated to creating this radio. To others, Yamaguchi knew that he was probably considered a freak, an outsider. His hair had grown out, thrown messily into a ponytail that lay at the base of his neck to stay out of his face as he worked. He spent most of his money on fast food and oversized-but-comfy sweaters, his go-to outfit for practically anything. But he knew that it’d pay off in the end. Things always did.
When he finally connected to something out there, after two hours of solid determination, the elation he felt was unreal. The moment he got a reply in return, however, had left him in a state of shock so intense that he had missed three days of school.
And that was how he met Lunar resident T5VKK1, also known as Tsukki. Also insisted as the Earthen alias, Tsukishima Kei.
That was also how Yamaguchi found himself holed up in his private world even more, the only thing on his mind during class was hopping on his radio and talking to Tsukishima afterwards. Tsukishima didn’t go by Earthen age years but the way he spoke and sounded made it seem like he had Yamaguchi’s mentality. He was sarcastic and his words were blunt, but Yamaguchi learned that many creatures from the moon were apparently like that. ‘Feelings’ weren’t really a concept. Because of the earth and moon’s synchronous rotation, Tsukishima ‘slept’ when Yamaguchi did, allowing them to have conversation times that matched up pretty nicely.
Their story wasn’t your typical ‘moon boy’ and human’s. At least, not in Yamaguchi’s point of view. There’s was different, just a bit more special…
---------
“Tsukki, Tsukki!” Yamaguchi called out quickly, kicking off his shoes as he stumbled into his apartment after coming home from class. He swept the long bangs away from his eyes as he barreled straight for his small couch, falling onto it and staring eagerly up at the ceiling. There was a crackling sound that could be heard from all over the room. He had set up speakers and microphones so that he could talk into his apartment from any location and Tsukishima would be able to hear as well as reply. “Guess what happened today!”
The crackling soon stopped. “Did you do well on your examination?” came the voice.
“Ah,” Yamaguchi hesitated. “No. That’s not it.”
“Did you do well on your examination?”
The human pouted up at the ceiling, grabbing the blanket that held residence on the couch and draping it over himself. “You’re changing the subject, Tsukki. And I did okay on the test. I got a…a sixty-three.”
“I see,” Tsukishima said, and it sounded like he was nodding. “Good job.”
Props to talking to a lunar alien? They didn’t understand school grading systems.
“So what happened today?”
Yamaguchi rolled over, smiling. “My professor in my astronomic technologies class said my lunar prototype was really good and that one day, if I tweak it enough, I could patent it!”
There was a pause of silence and Yamaguchi imagined that Tsukishima was hopefully smiling, proud of his accomplishment. For months he had wondered what the other creature looked like. He had asked but Tsukishima didn’t know how to describe it at all, giving him very vague sentences that could not help Yamaguchi string together a visual at all. But one day, if this lunar prototype worked…
“I think that’s good,” the alien said, his voice sounding just a tad more excited over the com. Yamaguchi felt glee fill his chest. Ever since they started speaking, Yamaguchi had been slowly teaching Tsukishima how to express emotions in his words. It was slow going but it was there and every time Yamaguchi could hear it, he felt successful. “There is another word…”
“To describe what?” He asked eagerly. Apparently his com translated languages because when they first spoke, Tsukishima had sounded like he was speaking Japanese just fine. But to the alien, he was speaking their language, which meant that there was still a type of language barrier. He had been helping Tsukishima learn different words since the start.
“To describe the sense of joy I am experiencing in regards to your achievement.”
Sometimes Yamaguchi didn’t need to hear an outright word because Tsukishima’s explanations were more than enough.
Giddy, he chuckled quietly. “Pride. Are you proud of me?”
“I suppose. You said that the prototype can do things such as take photos and videos with a storage unit up to 168 gigabytes so far?”
“That’s right.”
“That’s something to be proud of, then.”
Yamaguchi felt his cheeks warm at the praise. “Thanks, Tsukki. You think I’ll get to see your face one day, then?”
“It doesn’t sound fair that you get to see mine before I get to see yours.”
The human grinned, sitting up on his couch, wrapping the blanket around his shoulders. His stomach was growling and he debated leaving to get food or just ordering take out again.
Tsukishima spoke once more. “It’s kind of idiotic how you say your race is the most technologically advanced when you’ve been alive for centuries yet still haven’t seen us yet.”
“Tsukki, we’re technologically advanced within ourselves. Not many people know you guys exist enough to compare ourselves to you.”
“That’s idiotic.” Tsukishima had quickly taken a liking to that particular word. “Why compare yourselves to each other?”
Yamaguchi sighed, as this had been a conversation that had cropped up numerous times before. “Because we’re all different, Tsukki. Every person is unique and sometimes we can’t help but compare ourselves to different people. Everyone has something we want and vice versa.”
“What concepts about you are different from others, Yamaguchi?”
The human smiled faintly. “It’s called ‘traits.’ And I don’t know…I’m not very special.”
“…You just said-“
“I know, I know. Sorry, Tsukki.” He laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. “What I meant to say is that I am different, but I’m not really…remarkable. Or have traits that stand out very much.”
“I think that’s a lie.”
Yamaguchi looked at the closest speaker, wanting to glare at it but unable to, settling on a dumb smile. He tried to sound mad, however. “It’s true. I’m just a student who never leaves their room.”
There was a moment of silence before Tsukishima spoke. “Well, why are you always in your room?”
“To talk to you, of course.”
Crackling was heard for a few seconds before the com quieted once more.
“Of course.”
----------
“Happy birthday, Yamaguchi.” It sounded as if literal explosions were going off through the speakers but the human simply grinned and released his own confetti canon, watching as some fell onto the small cake he had bought himself.
“Thank you, Tsukki! Did you get me anything for my birthday?” He asked teasingly, grabbing a fork, ready to dig in.
There was hesitance on the line. “…If you’re being serious then I think I have to apol-“
“I’m joking,” Yamaguchi said quickly with his mouth full of cake, yet he was chuckling anyway. “I’m glad you’re here to spend it with me, at least.”
“Why wouldn’t I want to spend it with you?”
Yamaguchi blinked at the question, ducking his head even though he knew the alien couldn’t see. “W-Well, don’t you have like, other lunar friends or something?”
“…You’re more interesting than they are.”
There had never been a happier birthday in his life.
----------
“What’s it like on the moon? Is it as barren as they always say it is?”
“Your satellite images and lunar explorations only touch the surface. I’ve already told you we live underneath because solar winds are powerful near the top, due to lack of atmosphere.”
Sometimes Tsukishima sounded more like his planetary science professor than the professor did.
“Right. What’s it like underneath the surface of the moon?”
“We have no grass-like organisms that you have.”
Yamaguchi nodded. He knew that scientists were still trying to find proof of life on the moon. However, he had yet to find the courage to share his finding of Tsukishima to the world. Tsukishima was his friend, the closest person to him. Giving him up to scientists sounded like a nightmare.
“Do you have mountains other than the highlands?”
“Not really. But we have a lot of wind because of the vents that reach the surface.”
“Oh? Is it really windy under the surface?”
“Yes. The wind is pink.”
Yamaguchi blinked rapidly, looking up at the speaker. “What do you mean, ‘the wind is pink?’”
Tsukishima sounded like he was shrugging. “I mean that the wind is pink. The vents bring in the lunar dust from the surface and when it mixes in with the air underneath, it turns pink. It’s very…” He sounded like he was struggling for a word.
“Pretty?”
“…Sure.”
Yamaguchi grinned. “Say ‘pretty,’ Tsukki.”
“…Why?”
“Because you sound so stoic all the time that I want to hear you say a floofy kind of word.”
“I understood about half of that sentence.”
The human sidled closer to where he knew a microphone was hidden. “Tsukkiiiiii, say preeetttyy for me, pleeease.”
Tsukishima was silent on the other end for so long that Yamaguchi thought he left. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence, Tsukishima simply disappearing for a bit, since he always came back. Yet the human still felt bad.
However, there was a sound that was like someone clearing their throat, as well as a softly muttered sentence.
“Huh? What was that? Tsukki?”
“I said your vonnmmm-“
“Tsukki, I really don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“Your voice.” A pause. “Is pretty.”
A fluttering in Yamaguchi’s chest made him go silent for a bit as he leaned away from the mic to think about what he heard. When he spoke after a bit, he tried not to sound winded. “You think so?”
“Yes. It’s far more pleasant to listen to than the ones here.”
“I think your voice is really interesting too, Tsukki.”
“Interesting?”
Yamaguchi smiled. “Pretty. Your voice is pretty too.”
---------
Many years had passed and among them came a kick in the face. Yamaguchi was forced to get a job when rent decided it wasn’t going to pay itself and though his daily conversations with Tsukishima lessened, the alien was still there for him every day, welcoming him home after his shifts. They talked about everything, they talked about nothing, and Yamaguchi had found himself in love with the idea of Tsukishima Kei, a lunar extraterrestrial that was just the right amount of sassy, intellectual and fascinating.
It wasn’t anything strange or weird, not like Yamaguchi was confession his undying affection to this creature who had no clue what the concept of love even was. He was simply enjoying the presence of Tsukishima in his life to the point where a significant other didn’t even matter. Truthfully, he guessed that Tsukishima felt the same.
The years came and gone, graduation and applications whizzing by in a blur. Soon, Yamaguchi found himself amongst prestigious astronomers at NASA, a place he had never even dreamed of finding himself in. Tsukishima had been very proud of him when Yamaguchi ran into his house, screaming about the employment and since then, they had excitedly worked on perfecting Yamaguchi’s lunar rover.
Today was the long-awaited day.
To Yamaguchi’s coworkers, they placed his excitement on the fact that it was his creation finally landing on the moon. It was a given that the man was practically jumping around the command room, excited and eager for what lay in store.
To Yamaguchi himself, however, he was excited for something far more than just a simple landing.
Yes, the landing was successful and elicited many happy cheers from his team at the base. But it was coming home that was the best part of it all.
Yamaguchi sprinted towards his study, nearly falling into his chair as he started clicking on everything, his monitors, radios and camera. Visuals began filling every single screen and with shaking fingers, he reached for the volume and made sure it was at its loudest setting. He adjusted his camera once more, rubbing the lens to make sure it was clear.
“Tsukki!” he called out, hearing silence on the other end. “Are you there?”
Slowly, like a dream, the blackness of the screen began to fade into colour. First it was grey, a shaky and pixelated image, but eventually a face began to fill the screen.
Yamaguchi gasped openly. Fair skin that looked nearly moon-grey and a mop of pastel yellow hair that seemed to contrast every other colour on the screen filled his vision. Brown eyes that were pinched in concentration were behind shards of glass-like objects connected by wire that Yamaguchi realized with a start were an imitation to glasses. At his sound, the face blinked and Yamaguchi could guess as his own face was probably appearing on the screen in front of the alien, blurry, but there.
They stared at each other in silence for what seemed like hours, taking in every detail they could. This was the voice they had been speaking to for years, the face that they had longed to see.
Tsukishima opened his mouth and Yamaguchi watched in fascination as his lips seemed to form odd syllables, yet came through the speaker as the ever-familiar voice and Japanese that he had been listening to for such a long time now.
“Hello…Yamaguchi. Greetings from the Moon.”
“Tsukki,” he breathed, excitement and elation colouring his tone. “Hello from Earth.”
“It’s nice to see you, finally.”