Chapter Text
It was getting colder outside. Jinwoo sidestepped a pile of snow that had been shoveled onto the sidewalk and shivered as he buried his nose further down into the heavy scarf laying across his neck. Winter was definitely in full force, and all he could do for relief was bundle up.
Myungjun didn’t mind the weather at all. Even if it was freezing, Myungjun was so happy that it had snowed. The spring was fine and summer was good and the pretty colors of fall made him excited, but his excitement was tenfold when the first snow of the year began to fall. Jinwoo always wished he could be as satisfied with the cold weather as Myungjun was.
Instead, though, he shuddered again and hurried along his way. The cafe was just ahead in the shopping vicinity, the lights on the outside turned off to indicate it was closed.
Jinwoo rushed up to the door and knocked a few times. He could see through the glass; Myungjun’s face lit up and he ran around the counter in order to unlock the door and usher Jinwoo inside.
Once the door was shut again, Myungjun gave Jinwoo a kiss, then giggled against his lips. “You’re cold!” Myungjun pointed out. His eyes twinkled with mirth and love, and Jinwoo couldn’t help but smile at him.
Their relationship was a little over a year old. Dongmin had long since claimed that their honeymoon period would only last for the first few months, and yet it continued. It hadn’t ceased, and that was due mainly to Myungjun.
Myungjun treated every date as if it was a first date. He treated every gesture as if it was something extravagant and fantastic. He proclaimed his love for Jinwoo every single day, without fail, and retained that new-couple romance that Jinwoo had only ever seen before in dramas and television shows.
Myungjun made their relationship so very special, and Jinwoo was never going to let him go.
“It’s freezing out there,” Jinwoo pointed out, and he ruffled Myungjun’s hair. “I’m going to call us a cab to get home; I don’t want to freeze.”
“I brought my scarf, though,” Myungjun said, gesturing to his outerwear that he had stashed behind the counter. “And my hat and gloves and coat. I think I will be fine.”
Jinwoo debated walking home in the cold and the snow. He knew he would be shivering again by the time they reached the apartment. He knew Myungjun would be, too. Still, Myungjun liked walking out in the snow. He liked taking pictures and frolicking and he liked winter .
Jinwoo relented easily, even without Myungjun arguing too much. He always relented.
“We’ll walk,” he said, and Myungjun let out a small whoop! Letting his boyfriend celebrate for the time being, Jinwoo peeked around the counter. “Dongmin!” he called out. “Junnie and I are going to leave!”
Dongmin came from his office. He wore glasses and looked exhausted, but he greeted Jinwoo nonetheless. “How were your classes?” he asked. “What did you have today?”
“Calculus,” Jinwoo responded. “And a physics class, and a lab for a different physics class.”
“I really don’t know how you switched from a theater degree to astrophysics . You’re insane.”
“I am,” Jinwoo agreed. He glanced over at Myungjun who offered him a smile. “But it’d be nice to learn more about space, anyway.”
“I can teach you some about space,” Myungjun stated as he put on his coat. “Especially about my planet. Anything you want to know about my planet, I can teach you.”
Jinwoo sighed and helped Myungjun with the buttons on his coat. “I wish,” he muttered. “You’re a much better teacher than my professors are. But the stuff I’m learning about is...it’s mostly equations, Jun. Very boring.”
“Space isn’t boring,” Myungjun defended. He wrapped the scarf around his neck, then stuffed the beanie onto his head. “There are lots of cool planets out there. Lots of other aliens.”
“But you need to remember, only a few of us know that you are an alien,” Jinwoo replied. He kissed Myungjun’s cheek, then passed over his gloves. “So we aren’t learning about aliens. We’re learning about distance and mass and boring stuff.”
Myungjun seemed almost offended. Once his gloves covered his hands, he said, “There’s more to space than...than equations.”
“Yes, but that’s what I will learn as I continue my studies.” Jinwoo yawned, then hooked arms with Myungjun. “Let’s go home. I still have some work to do before we go to sleep.”
Myungjun brightened, as if Jinwoo never implied space was boring. “Oh, me, too!” he exclaimed, and then he grinned widely at Dongmin. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning! I’ll buy some more milk on my way in, don’t worry!”
Dongmin pursed his lips, hiding a smile, but otherwise wished them both good night. As they left the cafe, Jinwoo asked, “Did you drink all the leftover milk again?”
Myungjun shushed him and tugged him along the sidewalk. “It was too tempting, and I was thirsty. I made sure no one else was going to drink it before I took it.”
Jinwoo laughed. Ever since Dongmin hired Myungjun to work at the cafe, milk went missing. At first, scared of punishment, Myungjun would lie and say he spilled it all, or else customers kept wanting more milk in their coffee. Then, apparently, Dongmin caught him drinking all of the leftover milk, and from then they had to keep extra on hand.
Sometimes, though, Myungjun would drink the extra. This seemed to be one of those times.
“You should drink water more often than milk,” Jinwoo stated, drawing Myungjun close to him for warmth. “Water is better for you anyway.”
“It’s not as tasty.”
“Of course not, but it’s still better for you. If you drink too much milk, you might become allergic.”
Myungjun narrowed his eyes in disbelief. “You’re allergic to cats, you said, but you never drank too many cats.”
“You don’t drink cats, Myungjun, that’s why.”
His words were confusing to Myungjun. The poor alien whined and asked, “Then how come you’re allergic to cats?”
“I don’t know. I guess I was born like that.”
Myungjun gave a huff. “Then I was born unallergic to milk. That’s how it works, right?”
Jinwoo didn’t want to get into the sciences behind allergies. He didn’t care enough to. Myungjun enjoyed milk and wasn’t allergic, and Jinwoo saw no reason to force Myungjun’s weird milk addiction to come to an end. Perhaps it would end on its own, anyway.
But if it was anything like their honeymoon period, then it wouldn’t.
Wanting to draw a new topic of conversation, Jinwoo asked, “Did anything interesting happen today? Other than drinking milk?”
Myungjun appeared thoughtful. He shivered in Jinwoo’s arms, but made no move to slow down or ask for a cab. “One of my regulars bought me a cake! I gave it to Dongmin. I can’t eat it.”
Myungjun was still becoming accustomed to overly sweet, dense foods. Frostings made him ill, as did anything with too much sugar. Jinwoo tried not to keep many sweets in his apartment so Myungjun wouldn’t be tempted.
“But she was nice,” Myungjun continued. “She said I deserved it for being a kind, young man.” He gasped suddenly and tugged Jinwoo’s arm. “I should’ve given it to you! You’re more kind than I am!”
Jinwoo shook his head. “It’s fine. Dongmin will take it home to Bin, and Bin will devour it all in five seconds.”
Myungjun didn’t dispute that statement. Though he had only been on Earth for a year, he was at least aware of the habits of Jinwoo’s closest friends. He knew that Bin liked to eat and sleep. He knew that Sanha was in love with Minhyuk. He knew that Minhyuk was in love with himself. And he knew that Dongmin sat on a nail in high school and didn’t find it until he showered that night.
“What else happened?” Myungjun mumbled to himself, dipping deep into his recent memories to figure out. “Oh, I got a number from another girl. She’s been coming by recently and she gave it to me.” Myungjun patted his jeans pocket. “I have it in here.”
That had happened a few times before. Myungjun was handsome and sweet and cheerful; girls were drawn to his vibrant personality, and he accepted each of their numbers or confessions without fail.
“What did you tell her? Did you tell her that you’re dating a dashing, young Earthling?”
“The cutest Earthling!” Myungjun exclaimed, and he kissed Jinwoo’s nose. “I told her I would cherish her number!”
Jinwoo sighed. “You’re leading them on.”
“Am I?”
Jinwoo pointed at Myungjun’s pocket. “By accepting their phone numbers, you’re letting them think you have a chance. Do you ever call or text them?”
Myungjun blinked, as if it just dawned on him that he was supposed to do something more with the crumbled up phone numbers. “No.”
“They’re expecting calls from you, Junnie. That’s why they gave you their number.”
Myungjun’s eyes widened. He dug his gloved hand into his pocket and tugged the numbers free from their denim cage. “Should I call her?” he questioned, frantic. “I feel bad—”
“No, no, she...she wants to date you. And you can’t call back, because then she’ll expect you to date her, and you’re dating me! ” Jinwoo plastered himself close to Myungjun and frowned, putting on a faux pout. “I don’t want you flirting with girls.”
Myungjun shook his head. “I won’t,” he swore, and he kissed Jinwoo’s cheek. “I remember how bad it felt when you were dating that other man. I would never, ever do that to you, I promise. I’m only going to date you forever.”
Forever . It sounded like such a wonderful time length. Forever with Myungjun by his side. Forever in this phase that Dongmin had stated wouldn’t last but for a few months. He liked the word forever when it was applied to his relationship with Myungjun.
He smiled over at Myungjun, who grinned right back at him. “Forever is perfect,” Jinwoo responded. “I’d love to be with you forever.”
He could detect a pink blush rising to Myungjun’s cheeks; whether from the cold or from embarrassment, it was cute. Jinwoo liked it when Myungjun was a little bit flustered. It made his heart swell up with adoration and affection, and this time was no different.
Myungjun ducked his head and giggled. “I’m cold,” he murmured.
So it was embarrassment, or else Myungjun wouldn’t be hiding his face.
“You’re embarrassed.”
“Am not .”
“You’re so embarrassed, aren’t you?”
“ No! I’m never embarrassed. I don’t even know what embarrassment feels like because I’ve never, ever been embarrassed!”
It was a lie, but it wasn’t one that Jinwoo was willing to fight. He knew Myungjun well enough to understand the differing emotions, and he knew that Myungjun was definitely embarrassed. All he did was laugh and pull Myungjun away from a slushy patch of snow he was about to step into.
“Right,” he said. “Let’s get home quickly, so you are no longer cold and so I can get some homework finished. And you have work to do, too, don’t you?”
Myungjun nodded, finally picking his head up to look over at Jinwoo. “Learning how to read your language,” he stated. “I’m getting better at it. I was able to write Sanha’s name today.”
“That’s great!” Jinwoo exclaimed, and it really was. Myungjun had been practicing how to write and read Korean for quite some time. It was a bit difficult for him to pick up, but he was practicing hard and learning a lot.
(Jinwoo had originally wondered how Myungjun was able to speak and understand Korean, yet he could not read or write it.
“Translator,” Myungjun had stated, tapping his head and smiling, but nothing more was explained.)
They crossed a street, and Jinwoo asked, “But my name was the one you were able to write first, correct?”
“Of course,” Myungjun replied, as if the answer was obvious. “I wouldn’t start out by writing anyone’s name but your own, silly.”
It was sometimes hard to comprehend how much Myungjun loved him. No one else would ever treat him so sweetly. No one else would ever treat him so kindly.
They made it back to the apartment after a short walk. Though it hadn’t taken very long, Jinwoo still felt like the cold had seeped through his clothes and latched onto his bones. He shivered and made sure his heat was turned up. Even if it would cost him more money, he would gladly pay it. And if he couldn’t, Myungjun always liked to chip in.
They took off their outerwear. Myungjun was quick to dispose of his and then he moved on to help Jinwoo.
He always liked unbuttoning Jinwoo’s coats, so he said. He liked being helpful — he liked helping Jinwoo .
“You look so cute in your cold clothing,” Myungjun mentioned once Jinwoo’s coat was removed.
“You look cuter,” Jinwoo countered, leaning in to plant a kiss upon Myungjun’s cold nose. “I’m hardly able to keep my hands off you when you’re all bundled up.”
Myungjun laughed. He grabbed onto Jinwoo’s hands, holding them tightly, and said, “You can’t put hands on me right now because you have to do schoolwork!”
It was true, as unfortunate as that was. The massive amount of homework was waiting for Jinwoo. Deadlines loomed over him like monsters under his bed, and equations flitted about in his head, begging him to memorize them. He had no time to play around with Myungjun.
“Right,” he sighed, and Myungjun released his hands.
“If you need any help, you can let me know,” Myungjun offered, as he always offered. “I know about space, since I have traveled all throughout space. I forgot how long of a journey it was.”
Jinwoo had asked Myungjun before, but Myungjun did not understand the complexities of physics, nor did he understand why knowing such was necessary. Now, though, he had a new question.
“You drove a spaceship, though. How did you know what you needed to do to drive it?”
Myungjun pulled his Korean language book from the bookshelf and pursed his lips in thought. “I...I was taught about the ships,” he said. “I was a good worker, and so the man who oversaw the workers allowed me to come on board the ship. I listened to what they said and I studied the controls, and then I knew how to fly a ship.”
Jinwoo was impressed. “You learned how to fly based off listening to people talk?”
“There wasn’t much else to do for fun,” Myungjun responded. “So I listened, and when they said something pertaining to the ship, I kept it in my memory. Even while I worked, I kept thinking of how I would fly the ship.”
“So you had it in your mind, then, that you would soon fly away?”
Myungjun flipped through the pages in his Korean book, finding what he last left off on, then he shrugged. “I...I don’t really know.” He looked up at Jinwoo and smiled apologetically. Jinwoo could see the confusion in his gaze and he realized Myungjun likely had no idea why his subconscious had attached itself to the idea of stealing a ship. “It seemed important at the time.” He sighed, then shook his head, as if dispelling the confusing thoughts. “I think I was just so miserable on that planet and I wanted to escape.”
Jinwoo never wanted to pry. He had a difficult life, and prying before had caused Myungjun to become withdrawn and silent. Sometimes Jinwoo wondered if Myungjun truly understood all that had happened on Planet Seven. He was still learning the names of various emotions he experienced. He was still learning that life could be good . Perhaps, then, he didn’t understand all the horror and fear he had felt while living out in space on that alien planet.
Jinwoo didn’t want him to relive awful experiences.
“I’m glad you escaped,” Jinwoo told him, booting up his laptop and placing his massive textbooks onto their kitchen table. “Because now you’re here with me, and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.”
Myungjun smiled brightly, previous transgressions forgotten. “Me, too!” he exclaimed. He pointed down at the page he had landed on in his Korean language book and said, “And I will continue my studies so that way I can write your language and soon become happier.”
Jinwoo watched him for a few seconds. When Myungjun worked, he worked hard. He never tried to take any shortcuts and he never grumbled or complained about the length of time it was taking for him to learn basic concepts. It was impressive, and Jinwoo couldn’t help but smile fondly upon his boyfriend.
Myungjun seemed to notice. He was intuitive; he could always feel when someone was looking at him, and this case was no different. He glanced up at Jinwoo and returned his smile. “What?”
“Nothing,” Jinwoo said. “I’m just admiring how handsome my boyfriend is.”
With a small giggle, Myungjun leaned over to tap on Jinwoo’s laptop. “Get to work,” he ordered. “I want to make sure we both get to sleep on time. Sleep is important, you know.”
“I know.”
And so Jinwoo began to work, prompted by Myungjun. Physics was hard, but whenever he groaned in frustration, Myungjun would lean over to kiss his cheek. It was the encouragement Jinwoo needed to continue his schoolwork, and it boosted his mood considerably.
They finished close to midnight. Myungjun’s eyelids were drooping by the time Jinwoo closed his textbook. He was struggling to continue his lesson, every word he wrote punctuated with yawns.
“I’m done,” Jinwoo announced, standing from his seat. “It’s late, but we still have six hours of sleep.”
Myungjun nodded his head and set his own textbook aside. He grabbed Jinwoo’s hand as he stood up, plastering himself close, and mumbled, “I’m sleepy.”
“I know. I can tell.”
“I could sleep for a whole day .”
“If you need to do that, I can let Dongmin know.”
Myungjun didn’t like that idea, if the face he made was any indication. He liked to work. He enjoyed making coffee and pastries and talking to the customers. It was an experience for him, an experience he enjoyed, and he only took off days if he had planned the absence out weeks in advance. Skipping a day just to sleep wasn’t something he would ever do.
“Alright, then, I’ll wake you up so you can shower and get ready,” Jinwoo promised. They made it to Jinwoo’s bedroom and Myungjun instantly began to change into his pajamas.
He looked so warm when he was fully dressed. He wore soft pants and a long-sleeved shirt and wrapped himself up in an extra blanket before he fell onto the bed.
He looked perfect .
Jinwoo laid down beside him and curled closely into him.
“Myungjun?”
“Hm?”
“I love you, my sweet alien.”
Myungjun kissed Jinwoo’s nose, and murmured back, “I love you, my sweet Earthling.”