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On some days, Xu Minghao can probably say he had a fairly decent job. There wasn’t anything remotely hard about piloting a spaceship through the galaxy, drifting among the many planets and doing his best not to collide with other spacecraft. Whenever he got a report about a fugitive on the run, the chase was exciting and the recognition he got for catching criminals were rewarding enough. Most of them were petty thieves, anyway. It was alright, really, on some days.
"Come on, at least let the binds loose and I swear I'll be helpful! I know the ins and outs of the galaxy better than anyone, I’ll be great at navigating! You look like you need a partner—”
Minghao scowled as he cut him off, having heard the same pleas nearly a dozen times, "not a chance. I know all about your slippery escape tricks, Wen Junhui."
"How about just calling me Junhui? Maybe even just Jun? I think it's about time, captain, I'm sure my full name is a mouthful—"
"Enough," the captain of the ship said more sternly, cutting him off again, which surprisingly managed to shut the other up. Usually nothing got him to shut up, no matter how strict Minghao got himself to sound. Still, despite not speaking, Junhui still managed to get under his skin; watching him with those sparkling ruby eyes, a stark contrast against the alien’s cool coloured skin and—currently—bright, purple hair.
Aliens.
Minghao hated them.
On most days, he had to deal with aliens—or was it just an alien, seeing how his problem was really just one specific being—that just got on his nerves.
Sure, space was full of them, that was a given by now, but the human had never really taken to liking them despite being around for a few years now. Most were nice, but some were too conniving for their own good, which was why the police force was even created. Humans that were tasked to capture aliens, ironically by aliens who just so happened to be of better social status. He was pretty sure they had their own share of dirty money, but that’s off topic.
Wen Junhui didn't exactly fit either side of the coin though, balancing instead on a thin line. It's some kind of Robin Hood-esque kind of work; steal from the rich, give to the poor, that kind of thing that made him beloved by the masses and hated by the rich. It just so happened that Minghao had to work for the wealthy parts of the galaxy, otherwise he probably wouldn't be doing this. For the nth time, since the alien always manages to escape, always after Minghao would begrudgingly agree to let go of the binds around his wrists.
Always with a twinkle in Junhui's eyes when he realizes what's happening, but that's beyond the point.
"Minghao," Junhui spoke again only after a moment of silence, turning his hair a bright shade of turquoise to get the other’s attention. He smiled, cool and easy, which Minghao could really only describe as charming despite himself. "We really have to stop meeting like this. You know, you capturing me while I’m on the run and holding me captive. Always so short lived, too! I know a great cafe on this one planet that we could go to and—"
"The only place you're going is the galaxy's holding cell," Minghao cut off without missing a beat, hoping his now longer than usual hair managed to cover the tips of his ears that were surely red. Another thing he hated about dealing with Wen Junhui would be all the flirting that seemed to just come natural to their kind. Ruby eyes that enticed and bright hair that changed colours at will, which was considered attractive where he was from. It didn't help that regardless of the odd colours, Junhui could pass of a regular human.
He would have been called handsome back on Earth.
Despite doing his best to ignore the other, Minghao could hear the smile in Junhui's voice when the thief spoke again, "I really enjoy our little talks, Minghao, really, but I did have an appointment before I was caught. Have you ever gotten a Zutherian mad? Not a pretty sight. Hope you don't mind."
If he was a second too late when it came to turning away from the ship's controls to face his captive, Minghao certainly didn't mean to do so; missing out on hitting the ship's alarm button, maybe, then again the only two crew members he had would have preferred that, too. He looked back just in time, at least, to see the bright grin on Junhui's face as he held up his now free arms, wriggling his fingers for extra measure. Honestly, Minghao did do the binds tightly, but then again was there really anything too impossible for an alien thief?
He opted to sigh loudly instead, "you couldn't have waited until we were nearer the Imperial City? Let them see your face at least before your escape trick?”
Surprisingly, Junhui really did look apologetic, "I really do have an appointment somewhere, love, I'm sorry. Maybe next time."
"L—lo—" Minghao sputtered, ears heating up again at the sudden pet name as the other boy merely waved cheerfully good bye before vanishing into one of the escape pods. Finally shaken out of the daze, he slammed the red alarm button and wasn't even offended to see his shipmates waltz in and fake shock at the disappearance.
"It happens all the time, captain," One of the guards, Jeonghan, said with a slight drawl, poking at the now empty escape pod area with his speargun for emphasis. "Let me know when the next capture is."
"This really shouldn't be a regular thing," Minghao deadpanned.
Jisoo shrugged, "at least he allows us to even capture him. It's something. The other ships can't even manage that."
"It's almost like he likes being here," the other pink haired guard said with a teasing grin, before catching the serious look on Minghao's face and quickly tacked on a 'sir' at the end of his statement. Minghao waved him and Jisoo away soon after that, regretting even pressing the alarm when he already knew the outcome anyway. He sent a quick message to the main city about how Wen Junhui had escaped capture—again—which wasn't met with that much complaint and even a few 'good luck next time, captain' here and there.
After sending the message, Minghao looked outside into the great, vast galaxy and immediately spotted the tiny silver escape pod floating right beside the ship, where Junhui was grinning and waving at him, hair now a bright pink. He made a quick 'call me!' gesture before speeding off. It took a few seconds for Minghao to realize the light flare from crazy, rapid flying was meant to spell out numbers, with an additional heart at the end.
Aliens. He hated them.
(But maybe they’re not all so bad).