September, a small space station orbiting Proxima Centauri ☆彡
Liyin is sitting curled up on the window seat, looking out at the orchard. It smells like harvest, Auntie is baking an apple pie in the next house and the cinnamon and sugar fragrance drift over to tickle her nose. Her feet are a little tired; she was colour-mapping all day and there are so many digital options but nothing can compare to thumbtacks and a cork board. A leaf from an apple tree on the top of the station drifts down, slipping through the centrifugal force of the space station — little accidents like these are what keeps life so magical. She catches it as it spirals down just outside the window and slips it into the creamy paper envelope.
Dear Jongdae,
I know it's silly but I miss you already. I was working on colours today and I remembered that orange you brought home with you — the colour was so bright and the taste fills my mouth as I sit here and think about it. It tastes like sunshine. It tastes like you. I want to show you everything I've done; I spin around to run and tell you a new idea and then I remember that your new semester has started and you're gone again. So picture me here making sad faces at you, sitting on the window seat in the studio. Zhou Mi says you should come home already and rescue me from the blues and greys that are taking over the bottom right corner of the colour wall.
I'm just kidding, I know studies are important and you'd better not be skipping any classes like last year! I'm poking you extra hard in the arm right now. I'm not sure how to picture you but I think you're probably at the cafe you like so much — did it have oak composite tables? I'm not sure but I remember the colour when you took me in June, a rich buttery golden-brown. My mouth is watering already and Auntie is making apple pie and I think I'm going to die of hunger. I'll eat your share too and I'm sticking my tongue out at you right now because you can't have any.
But really I wish you were here so I could hug you instead of the lavender-scented pillow you left. I'm sending a leaf from the apple trees here, you can put it on your note board and think of me.
Love,
Liyin
She sets down the fountain pen and lets the purple ink dry before carefully folding up the paper and slipping it into the envelope. The knot of long hair at the nape of her neck is slowly falling out of the hair elastic — she nudges a strand away with the back of one hand and dabs at the small pools of wetness in the corner of her eye. I miss you.
"Liyin! Come have some pie!" Zhou Mi's voice echoes from the hallway where he's probably shouting through the front door. Liyin carefully sets the letter in the outbox before she heads over to Auntie's house. Fresh apple pie can't be missed.
September, a terraformed planet orbiting MCT-6826 ☆彡
Jongdae smiles, the faint tendrils of lemon verbena and lavender pricking at his olfactory nerves when he runs his thumbs along the heavy linen paper. It's not smooth, Liyin's too romantic to prefer perfection when she can have handmade stationery instead. It gives it character, she always says. The page does feel soft though, a little dusky under his fingers from how many times he's taken it from the envelope just to handle it.
The wisps of her scent lingering on the letterhead are overtaken by the rich smell of brewed coffee when Kyungsoo returns to their table with two mugs.
"Thanks for the refill." Jongdae accepts his drink from his friend, making sure the sleeves of his sweater are pulled down past his knuckles to shield his palms from the radiating heat.
"Are you still working on that same letter?" Kyungsoo's brows flicker behind his glasses in a wriggle of surprise as he slides into the seat opposite Jongdae. They managed to nab a spot by the window today, and the soft cloud-filtered light falling through the panes onto the scarred finish of the oaken table glints on the gilt-edged rims of their mugs.
"I just finished." Jongdae plucks at a ball of fuzz pilling at the fringe of his muffler and tucks his chin deeper into the folds of soft wool, leaning forward to inhale the steam from his drink. "I was waiting for the ink to dry before I folded it."
Kyungsoo nods, already loading his physics text on his e-reader, but Jongdae doesn't notice because his eyes are retracing the careful curves of his handwriting across the paper.
Dear Noona,
Are you kidding? It's not silly at all, I missed you before the train doors even closed behind me. Remember the scrap of velvet you wrapped around the handle of my lunch bag? The mulberry shade you were trying to get right this summer before I left? I slipped it into my pillowcase and I fall asleep with it between my fingers every night. (As much as I miss you, I must say it is convenient you can't punch me when I tell you sappy stuff ^^) ((but of course real hugs are way better, don't worry.))
Thanks for the leaf. It got all brown around the edges but it's still a bit green near the stem. Like it wanted to stay alive just long enough to pass memories of your sweet smiles along to me. I'd stick that in my pillow case too, but I don't want Kyungsoo to get mad at me for bringing the forest into the house if he finds it there on a surprise laundry raid. You know how he gets, those 2 AM urges to organize the cabinets when he can't focus on exam revision any longer. So I took your advice instead and my new favorite apple leaf is right at the top of my cork board, right next to my cicada wing from Baekhyun.
Oranges sound so good! We haven't had fruit in the cafeteria for awhile, except for those mushy sort of apples that end up tasting like stale grease from sitting on the counter of the lunch line. And apple pie…! Are you trying to torture me?? Just kidding, Noona! I'm really happy you tell me all the little things about your day, so I can feel like I'm there with you. I hope it tasted good, and you should tell your Auntie and Zhou Mi that if they'd like to reserve me a piece in the freezer, I would totally not mind at all.
I'm enjoying my Survey of Renaissance Lit class, though the professor is a bit...well, let's just say Baek suddenly becomes fluent in 'french' every time we get another 600 pages of reading assigned. Not that I don't enjoy the work we're reading, I just wish I had more time to savor the passages instead of rushing on to the essays. And psych is hard, just like last semester, though I think I can scrape by with a B this time since Yixing-ge is tutoring me on weekends, bless his soul.
Ah, that's about it for right now. I'm mostly studying, a lot. So be nice to my arm and quit poking it, okay? I need it to type my papers and write letters to you~ (And don't look at me like that, I haven't been skipping classes! At least not the important ones...^^)
Oh, and Kyungsoo says 'hi'. Well, actually he says, 'stop writing sappy stuff to your noona and you better not be teasing her and send my greetings to Liyin-noona.' But you already knew what he'd say, didn't you? So predictable, my roommate. He says nice things to you every time I write but only has scoldings for me T_T
I've been trapped inside for three days researching this massive group project thing on Ben Jonson, so I haven't found any bits of nature to send your way. Instead, please accept my apologies and also this poor little doodle of an orange. (It's supposed to be my self portrait, but Soo says I'm lucky if you can recognize that it's even smiling, sorry)
I love you and I love you and I love you,
Yours, JD
Jongdae finishes skimming his words, his gaze getting caught on the I love yous above his signature as he wonders if he should add another, just for good measure. But the ink is dry now, dulled to a soft navy matte against the clean white of the page. He folds the ends in towards the center, making sure the creases are crisp and even under the edge of his thumbnail.
He slides the reply, as well as the corner of doodled-on napkin into a large pink envelope and presses the inside of the flap once to his lips before tucking it in. He’ll have to seal it properly before he leaves it at the mail counter, but he can steal some of Kyungsoo’s tape when they get back to their dorm.
“You are such a sap.” Kyungsoo shakes his head, the thick cowl of his black turtleneck sweater dimpling under his chin.
“So what.” Jongdae can feel his face heating, shy that Kyungsoo caught him kissing a letter, but he grins like he’s not actually embarrassed. “Noona likes it.”
October, a small space station orbiting Proxima Centauri ☆彡
Liyin's fingers are blue today; she looks ruefully at the colour permeating her skin before shrugging. All in a day's work.
"Mail for you!" Zhou Mi grins as he opens the door, bringing a gust of pumpkin pie scented air with him. But Liyin is too excited to even ask if Auntie has started on her Thanksgiving baking. She can see the distinctive cerulean stamp from the WISE-5358 system, and there's a catch in her throat as she rushes forward to slip the plastic wrapper out from between the deliveries of wool from Earth and Zahara.
Curling up on the window seat, tucked in the blue and gold quilt that Jongdae gave her for her birthday in February, she takes a deep breath to slow her rapidly beating heart and carefully slips the letter out of the protective plastic. The words on the creamy paper are a rich blue, almost matching her fingertips, and the words swim as she finishes reading the last sentence and pulls out a small lopsided doodle. Clutching the paper to her chest, she closes her eyes for a moment before dashing over to her desk.
Dear Jongdae, or should I say "orange"?
The drawing is terrible and it doesn't look like you at all — I seem to remember you being a bitter better looking. (Has your roommate taken to poisoning you in your sleep? I remember his big eyes from when I came to visit . . . he looked so harmless!) And HEY you have to go to ALL your classes! None of this "only the important ones" nonsense. You never know what will be important later. I hated botany and look where I ended up.
Also I know it's been a little while since I went to school but who is Ben Johnson? I'm racking my poor brain and I can't come up with even the tiniest idea. You're not allowed to poke fun at my poor old brain. I'll keep poking you until you stop. (I'm making pouty faces too.)
Sorry there's no apple pie left but I think I smelled Auntie baking pumpkin pie earlier — I'll ask her to save you a piece of that. (Sad face.) Now you have to come home soon! And thanks for mentioning the cicada wing — that was just the idea I needed! I spent the whole day today trying out different blue dyes. I really like old-fashioned indigo but it's so expensive (picture me flopping on the floor in despair) so I heard of a really cool native berry from one of the planets in WISE-8628 and the colour is so nice! I'm sending you a swatch of cotton dyed in that colour and you can see for yourself. I'm glad you still have the velvet. The mulberry is still a work in progress; I've set the idea aside for now, but I'll make Zhou Mi do me up a wing patterned print at once to go with my new blue. (You can probably tell that I'm dancing at the idea already.)
I'm glad the leaf made it, and still green too. I send my greetings to Kyungsoo and he'd better not throw it away or I'll poke his cheeks when I come and leave crumbs all over his bed. (I'm giggling at the thought.)
I also found an old children's book in Mother's trunk from Zahara and I started planning a colourful animal series. I have lots of bold primary colours (that's what the blue was for originally but I like your wing idea! I'm going to work on that for spring) and animals like elephants, kangaroos, okapis and iguanas. I was debating on where to go from there but I think I'll stick with Earth animals to make it kind of funky and retro, what do you think? Although I guess by the time this gets to you I'll have decided already.
It's so strange, we have hyperspace drive so theoretically this letter will be going faster than the speed of light, just like when I go to visit you, but it still takes so long for this letter to get to you because of sorting and the way it goes from system to system — I guess I could send you a digital message but it wouldn't be the same. So in some ways I'm talking to the future you. When I think about this it's so . . . I can't begin to describe it. It's like magic. I wish I had real magic so I could smother you with hugs and kisses because my arms are so empty when you're gone, but I'll have to settle for virtual hugs instead. So pretend I just snuggled into your arms with my ear resting against your chest so I can hear your heartbeat. I think I'd like to fall asleep like that, like we did in summer.
I love you more than I can explain.
Liyin
P.S. Sorry about the water spots but . . . yes (sad face)
Liyin rests her face in her hands for a moment, nevermind blue fingertips. Getting a letter from Jongdae is like hearing his voice, seeing his bright smile, and when the letter is over she wishes she could read it over and over and over again until the paper is worn out from her fingers, but life doesn't work that way. Instead, she folds up her letter and tucks it into the envelope, together with her softest, brightest swatch of blue cotton. It takes her a moment to seal the envelope; it feels like saying goodbye all over again.
But she picks herself up from her desk and slips the letter into the outbox; pulls on her sweater and wraps the navy and white linen scarf around her neck, the one Jongdae always "borrows" when he's at home. If she closes her eyes, she can pretend it still smells like him.
Opening the front door, the reds and golds of the leaves fill the air, the trees ahead of her and the trees above, the soft sound of the circulating air the only wind she has. It whispers of home, and smells like pumpkin pie.
"I guess I'd better go save some pie then," she tells no one in particular, and heads next door, the satisfying sound of leaves crunching below her feet punctuating her sentence.
October, a terraformed planet orbiting MCT-6826 ☆彡
Jongdae can barely keep his eyes focused behind the frames of his glasses. He took his contacts out before dinner to dull the sting. The air gets so dry after harvest, when they turn off the irrigation sprinklers in the fields to conserve water. He leans over his mug and lets the fragrant steam mist over the lenses and across his closed eyelids. The herbal blend in the tea bag he stole from Kyungsoo has lemon peel shavings mixed in, and the familiar smell makes him smile as much as it makes his fingers ache for the slide of Liyin’s soft hair between them.
The kitchen is quiet at 2 AM. The dishes drying on a towel on the narrow counter look like a volcanic rock formation in the shadows, but the corner table Jongdae’s huddled over catches enough light from the hall that he can see to write.
Dear Noona,
I know, I know, terrible, right? But you didn't have to be so honest and tell me directly. I'm your precious flower, remember? And I need compliments to grow closer to your sunshine~
Hah...haha...Baekhyun would probably corroborate with your theory about Soo poisoning people, but actually he cooks very well (not as good as your dumplings, though <3). In fact, he made us kimchi spaghetti in the dorm microwave last night and set the fire alarms off! No, don't freak out yet, nothing actually caught on fire. Just all the steam, I guess. It smelled so good that the alarm got jealous and threw a tantrum it couldn't taste some too!
HEY guess what I DID go to ALL my classes this week! So do I get a prize? Cause I even went to my psych lecture on Friday, even though it ends at 2 PM and I miss the main entrees in the cafeteria and have to make do with the salad bar. Yes, you're right, as always. Things I took for granted have become some of the sweetest parts of my today, like the color of the goldenrod fields outside my window. When the sun hits the terraces at mid-morning the shade is almost the exact same as what you dyed your hair this spring--what was it called? Something caramel?
Ben Jonson (there's no 'h', silly!) was a Shakespeare contemporary (I hope you know who that is??). Quite popular among the masses in their day, but he has far fewer commentary files in the library database than Shakespeare, go figure. Nooooo not the poking, noooo! Well, I guess I'll let you poke me if you really want to (but not in front of Zhou Mi or Kyungsoo >.>).
About the apple pie, darn. But pumpkin's good too! Yesung, the guy who runs the cafe close to campus, made pumpkin bars this week and he even gave us extra with our coffee refills today because Kyungsoo gave him tips on the glaze, or something. They've got raisins in them, the bars I mean, but they're the golden kind so I don't mind. Food is food, as Baek would say.
Indigo? As in, that last color in the rainbow that nobody actually knows what it looks like? Kyungsoo just smacked me when I said that aloud, but I'm sorry, I honestly have no idea;; Looks like you'll just have to educate me too.
Wings, hm? I'm sure it'll turn out gorgeous if both you and Zhou Mi are the masterminds behind it! Your studio has won so many awards already, it's amazing you still have time to write to little old me with all the commissions you have on your plate!
Oh, and funky retro zebras sound snazzy~! Baekhyun found this entry in one of the antique encyclopedias on his last trip to the archive vaults--get this! A cross between a lion and tiger is called a 'liger'. There wasn't a picture in the book since the next page was missing, but I'm imagining something with a stripey mane. Maybe you could stick that in somewhere too? If you feel like it ^^
Kyungsoo says 'hi' again. He wrinkled his nose at the mention of crumbs in his sheets, ahaha! Thank you for that, Baekhyun and I are always trying to think of ways to winkle the cute out of him. He gets too serious with all the studying we have to do, especially since MIDTERMS OMG NOONA SAVE ME are coming up soon.
I'll come home soon!!! It's still....nine weeks until winter break, but the time will fly by when I spend it thinking of you~ I'm sorry you have to spend so many evenings without me to keep you warm, cuddled on the setee, but I know Zhou Mi and Auntie will take good care of you until I make it home for a nice long visit.
Here's a little sprig of the goldenrod I mentioned. Sorry if it gets all crumbly in the bottom of the envelope, but the color should hold, I think.
And since you mentioned wings, here's a snippet from a sonnet we read in class this week:
Should his love become a swallow,
Through the air to stray,
Love will lend wings to follow,
And will find out his way.
According to Baekhyun's book, a swallow is some kind of bird. I think you're right about the magic, even if the hyperspace drive gets a clogged channel or it ends up in the wrong system I'm sure this letter will find it's way home to you, my love. (I kissed the envelope three times and told it take good care of the letter until it could be delivered to you!)
Virtual hugs...do I get a virtual kiss, too? I'm flinging armloads of affection at you across the distance. I hope you can feel the warmth of my love in your dreams, I visit you in the sweet summer closeness every time I close my eyes in the dark.
I love you and all the precious things you mean to me,
Yours, JD
P.S. Don't cry, my beautiful lady! But if a tear escapes one of your perfect eyes I'll catch it in my palms and cup it close to my heart like the jewel it is, since it fell from the star well of your heart.
Jongdae’s jaw stretches wide around a yawn as he finishes the note below his signature, and he brings his elbow up to hide his mouth. He closes his pen, careful not to catch the nib on the cap with his shaky fingers. He should probably head back to his room and sleep for a bit, even though he hasn’t finished outlining his study notes for psych exam. Maybe he can just nap, and then cover a few more chapters before breakfast.
He slipped into the kitchen for some peace since his dorm room has been rather crowded this weekend. Kyungsoo’s friend Chanyeol is staying over, having already finished midterm exams at his military academy, and his long limbs that don’t quite fit into his sleeping bag take over the entire floor space. Jongdae should probably head back before he has to climb over a jungle of Chanyeol’s limbs in the dark to get to his bed.
The hall is empty, and Jongdae’s slippers shuffling down the cheap floor panels of recycled rubber rustle in the semi-darkness. Baekhyun--who has practically moved into their room this weekend as well--seems to have gone to bed. Jongdae only hears the soft rumble of Chanyeol’s voice through the heavy door when he slides his palm onto the knob and fumbles in the key.
He looks over his shoulder at the single light at the end of the hall, a star that witnesses the lies of the students orbiting through the floors of their dorm. His lips fall into a fond smile at the way the fluorescent glints almost purple from the metal cap of his pen, the tone the same clear violet as the ink of Liyin’s letter that’s slipped into the breast pocket of his flannel pajama shirt. He always keeps her close to his heart in whatever way he can manage.
November, a small space station orbiting Proxima Centauri ☆彡
It's getting chillier outside, not because there's really any reason for seasons but the space station needs to keep a proper rotation of seasons for the orchards, so it's strange that scientists have to replicate what people used to go on holiday to avoid back on Earth in the terran ages. Liyin doesn't mind, seasons are nice. It would be awfully boring to always have nice weather. The leaves have faded from their glorious fire to a more earthy brown and most of them have fallen; the bare branches look lonely in cooler air. She pulls her scarf closer around her neck and thinks idly about wrapping the trees in their own scarves and knitted mittens. This makes her think of kittens. Auntie got a new calico kitten last week and there's nothing Liyin likes more these days than going to over to play with it. It has the tiniest, cutest meows and bats its little paws so sweetly at her fingertips. She wonders sometimes what it would be like to have a baby. Not now, not yet.
She's already laid her palm against the scanner to open the door before she notices the small pile of parcels on the bench, Zhou Mi you're so lazy! and grumbles under her breath as she bends down to pick them up before nudging the door open, so of course she drips over the threshold and drops the packages in a sliding cascade down the bamboo composite floor of the hallway. She's just making a mental note to switch her cousin's favourite hot chocolate mix out with a cheap off-planet brand when she sees the plastic wrapper with the cerulean stamp and forgets all thoughts of private retribution as she scrambles over the parcels, dents and elbows thrown all about as she reaches the letter.
Ignoring the mess on the floor, which she'll make Zhou Mi pick up later, she hurries to her small armchair in the living room to snuggle down with the letter. Reading Jongdae's words makes her feel so close and she's both incredibly happy and incredibly sad at the same time. I hate being so far away. Her mouth is overflowing with all the things she wants to say to her adorably insufferable boyfriend and it feels like a narrow escape by the time she manages to find some purple dotted letter paper and her favourite pen, setting the goldenrod carefully on a little porcelain plate on the side table before she begins.
Dear Jongdae,
First of all I HOPE YOU STUDIED FOR YOUR MIDTERMS or I'll have to go over there and scold you in person. Actually, on second thought, that's too much of a reward. If you failed I'll be so disappointed in you I won't visit.
Just kidding.
I think I would wither with sadness if I couldn't see you at Christmas. (Insert teary face here but also poking. You know you like it when I poke you so I shall do it however much I want, no matter who's in the vicinity.) And of course I'll send virtual kisses too! Only it's kind of strange trying to describe them, so I shall draw hearts instead. ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ There, are you happy? (I wish I could really kiss you though, this isn't the same at all.)
And I told you about indigo already! Remember? We spent a whole day at the cafe and I drank too much coffee and got a stomach ache and on second thought maybe you're right . . . we started at the beginning of the rainbow and I think we didn't make it till the end. WELL I guess we'll have to fix that when I see you. (And I'll give you kisses for every colour, how about that?)
Salad is good for you! And you and your raisins. You're so silly, dark raisins are good too! When Auntie makes shoofly pie I won't save you ANY pieces at all. (I'm sticking my tongue out at you right now, just so you know.) Also that kimchi spaghetti sounds really good; tell Kyungsoo to make some for me when I come okay? But of course my cooking is the best. I haven't made dumplings in a while but you reminded me that I wanted to make cherry dumplings . . . I have so many ideas! I wish I could cook all day but we just got another commission — I would be grumpy except it's so much fun. Why is everything so much fun? This time it's soft fabrics and tiny prints for a maternity collection; Zhou Mi made the sweetest paisleys but theyre a little different because he drew some inspiration from Australian Aboriginie art back on pre-spatial Earth so every print has a myth to go with it. It's the sweetest thing. And I found the nicest peaches and pinks and coppery browns and I'm just so excited. I can't wait to tell you all about it.
We already finished the animal series, sorry (sad face) but I love that liger idea, maybe a rich caramel gold? Maybe I'll do something with mythical animals and silks. I have some rich greens and blues and purples; I could do a winter series just right for Christmas and New Year's presents. You're so dangerous, you always give me new ideas and leave me with all the work. In return, you'd better get REALLY good marks on your final exams so I can pepper you with kisses and wrap you in a liger-printed scarf. It's a deal, okay?
Also how am I supposed to know about Ben Jonson or Johnson or Jonsen or I don't even know. I didn't specialize in terran literature. That's YOUR department. But I guess the good thing about that is you always have the best poems to throw at my poor unsuspecting heart. (Teary face.) I'm going to copy that snippet out and put it on my wall and read it every night before bed; I think it'll give me the best dreams. I shall soar in my dreams across galaxies to snuggle in next to you in bed and Kyungsoo won't even notice. ☆彡
But you're so cheesy I'll pinch your nose first. (I'm poking you severely.) Is that all you're learning in school? I hope you're learning something else too because I don't think anyone ever made a living from being insufferably cheesy.
Fine, I guess I kind of like it sometimes. Maybe. I won't admit to it in public though.
Never.
(But you can whispers sweet nothings in my ear and I'll only pretend to frown and kiss you later in private.)
I love you so so so so so so so so much and by the time you get this letter it won't be quite as long until I can come and poke you myself.
Love,
Liyin
P.S. You mentioned stripey manes. What if I striped them in caramel and taffy?
She reads the letter over again, her mouth shaping the words like an affectionate song before folding the papers up into the envelope. It's only a month till December and a week or two after that to finish up the holiday commission rush, and then she'll be in a spaceship, stars streaming past into lines of light speeding her on her way. I can't wait.
Liyin tucks the letter into the outbox in the studio before grabbing a sketchbook and heading for the window seat. There's still work to be done for the maternity commission but she has the idea of the liger tickling her brain and she wants to get some ideas down before she gets distracted and they slip away.
A figure moves in her peripheral vision; it's her cousin walking outside the window. Liyin slides the glass open, ignoring the gust of cold air that rushes in.
"Zhou Mi!" she calls excitedly. "Come over here! I have an idea for a line of mythical scarves for the holiday season."
Zhou Mi looks over and grins and Liyin has almost forgetter the pile of parcels by the front door but his grin reminds her.
"And there's a mess by the front door for you to clean up first!"
The window slides shit with a satisfying thud and Liyin gets to work. December is only a month away.
November, a terraformed planet orbiting MCT-6826 ☆彡
Their room, which is up on the fifth floor of the dorm building, is heated by an ultra efficient thermal system that distributes the excess energy collected by the solar panels and is always too warm for Jongdae's blood. Jongdae usually does his homework assignments lounging on his bed in nothing more than a T-shirt and sweatpants, and Kyungsoo wears the same (but minus the pants).
Today, however, Jongdae is sweating under a pile of every blanket they own, as well as a few requisitioned from Baekhyun and Yixing, and he's under strict orders from Kyungsoo not to come out until his fever breaks. Jongdae has been pouting all afternoon, annoyed that he can't walk down to the cafe with his friends for a snack break. Kyungsoo won't even let him up on the rooftop for some fresh air because apparently it's drafty up there.
The only solace he finds is in a new letter from Liyin, which arrived while he was in line at the campus clinic for a ration of cold medicine and immune boosters. It's a pretty good trade off if he's honest, a headache inducing chapter of psych text in exchange for Liyin's sweet words, and Jongdae is glad he has the evening to himself to savor each line of her elegant script. He read it through three and a half times before he had Kyungsoo bring him his lap desk and writing materials to pen his reply.
OF COURSE I STUDIED and guess what Noona! I didn't manage a B for psych....I got an A! 93.7%, to be exact. So you better be proud of me and kiss me after you scold me for not sleeping enough because I studied too hard. (And be honest, you'd still visit even if I failed and coax me out of my blanket cave of despair with something delicious. I know you better than your threats, well intended though they may be :))
Poking? All I get in this letter is more poking? (Insert pouty face in response) ((Okay, okay, MAYbe I like your poking, but just a little.)) (((I mean, ahem, your fingers, those lustrous shining appendages of a fair goddess, are far too glorious to come near my mortal and acne afflicted presence, so I'll make do with kissing the trails of heavenly essence they've left across this page.))) ((((<3))))
Yay, virtual kisses!! Thank you for all of the hearts, let me return the favor: ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ (did I draw those better than the 'orange'? hehehe)
Oh, now I kind of remember! You mean those weedy looking plants that turned into that bright green froth in the dye pot pictures you showed me? (I still think it looks like witch's brew). Rainbow kisses~ Okay~ And I'll return your kisses with one for every flower.
Dark raisins >.< Kyungsoo made me eat them in the porridge he made me when I came home today with a cold (don't worry, I'm already 80% better now thanks to the goldenseal tea you sent me last time, thanks again for that stuff) but at least I couldn't taste them because my taste buds quit working. You better stay warm, okay, and always button up your overcoat, or I'll have to skip my Friday psych class to come sing that to you on your sick bed :P
Kyungsoo says he could possibly find it within his humanity to whip up something for you when you come visit. I think he's actually developing a soft spot for you, probably because you're always so sweet in your mentions of him in your letters (don't worry, I only read aloud the bits addressed to him, all of your lovin' I keep just for me).
This winter break we'll have to make ALLL the dumplings together then! Maybe for New Year's? We can enlist Zhou Mi's help and make him wash the dishes! Only three more weeks til you visit, and then I can come home with you and stay for two whole months! Maybe it's just the weather, but I've been feeling restless and mopey whenever I try to study at the library, so I've been taking my tablet to the roof of our dorm building. It's quieter up there, just the sound of the ventilation fans to keep me company, and the droning hum makes me think of summer and cicada symphonies.
The series you're helping Zhou Mi with sounds fascinating! I want to hear all about the myths you've been using for inspiration. You know I can't resist a good story. Mythical animals sound perfect for the holidays. How about dragons for the New Year's edition? I'd apologize for my brilliance, but my ideas are too amazing to keep to myself, right? At least I'm smart enough to work really hard on my studies. I won't disappoint you with my marks, I wouldn't dare. You know I can't bear to see you frown, even for a second.
I registered for classes yesterday. Baekhyun convinced me to take this composition course with him. It's all on poetry and verse, and I'm a little nervous (okay, I'm TERRIFIED) about having the class read the stuff I'm apparently going to write, but I'll send all the best ones to you first <3 As long as I have your appreciation, I think I won't mind too much even if someone's else's comments are too honest.
Oh, and that snippet I sent you isn't Jonson, sorry I wasn't clear about that. It's actually an anonymous sonnet from around the same period. So I guess technically it /could/ be by him, but we'll never know. That's kind of romantic, huh? Like a centuries old secret the universe will still keep to itself for as long as we keep reading it, but we can still enjoy the love passed on from so long ago.
NOOOOoooo, not my nose! I like it better when you pinch my cheeks, actually, because you always follow those ones up with a kiss. (Can you hear me winking right now? Because I am! We both know you love my cheese as much as I love your poking, so aren't you lucky I'm getting an honors degree in analyzing cheese? ^^)
Fair enough. You don't have to admit anything out loud in public, because the stars in your eyes when you look at me already say enough~
NEXT MONTH I get to deliver your letter in person! I hope you're excited, because I have a surprise to go along with it. I got it for you awhile ago, but I've been saving it for December because it's a bit too big to fit into an envelope.
I love you too, my darling, and you can't miss me more than I miss you. It's not possible. I dreamed about you last night again. At least, I think so. I woke up with the smell of your hair tickling my nose and the back of my throat. I can't wait until I can wake up next to you again, so until we meet let me send my giant-est virtual hug ever straight to you! I folded it up real tiny and slipped it in the folds of this letter.
LOVE,
Yours, JD
P.S. agh taffy and caramel? Do you want me to eat the thing or wear it? Just kidding, I'll love whatever you make me and wrap myself in it every time I go out!
Jongdae settles back into his cozy nest of comforters with a sigh. He won't be disappointed if Liyin gets too busy, but he hopes she finds the time to make the scarf she promised him in her letter. Somehow he has the feeling he won't get sick ever again with her precious gift wrapping him up the way her love protects his heart with all of her warmth.
He reaches for the bundle of her letters tucked into the folds on the top most blanket and slips his fingers under the mulberry colored ribbon holding them together. Jongdae lets himself drift off into a healing sleep, comforted by her presence that always feels near to his heart, even when he’s alone in his room.
December, a small space station orbiting Proxima Centauri ☆彡
She's only going to be away for a week but Auntie sends a big case of flash-frozen pies and bread anyway, "and don't share any with Jongdae unless he promises to help me with apple picking next year, okay?" Liyin only laughs, they both know that the treats are for Jongdae and his friends because Liyin will be too excited to eat on the way there. Zhou Mi gives her his Christmas present early, a liger-print lined jacket perfect for the chilly dry air of the hyperspaceship and she gives him a big hug in return, but doesn't forget to remind him of the last studio details.
"Don't forget to make sure that last shipment of silk makes it onto the space transport, okay?" Zhou Mi nods, pretending to be serious and she rolls her eyes. You're such a dork. But she's too excited to think about it too much.
"I can't believe I'm going!" she whispers to her scarf that doesn't smell like Jongdae anymore but it's the thought that counts, and his latest letter to her is tucked safely in her pocket, where she can touch the smooth paper with her fingertips. It's only a short train ride to the spaceport, and then a short shuttle hop to the interstellar transfer hub where she can board the hyperspaceship. I'm going to give you the biggest hug ever and then I'm going to poke your cheeks and then I'm going to sneak off and kiss you in private. She smiles at the thought, and thinks about the last letter she sent, just a couple weeks ago.
Dear Jongdae,
I can't believe I'm going to see you so soon — I'm going to be arriving so soon after you get this letter! (I'm pretty much jumping up and down right now at the thought.) Okay so I have a lot of things I have to do first thought (sad face) but it'll be so worth it to be rushed and busy and that's why this letter is kind of short but I'll tell you everything when I see you. And wow that was a terrible run-on sentence but who cares. I'm not a literature student anyway, and fabric has threads that string on almost forever. (YES I'm sticking my tongue out at you and there's nothing you can do about it.) And after I get to see you then we get to go home and Auntie is so excited to see you; I'm sure that I'll arrive with a box full of baked goodies even though she'll probably tell me not to share any with you at all. And then as soon as you get here she'll grill you on how everything tasted and complain about how flash-freezing ruins the flavour, just so she has an excuse to stuff you full of food again. I feel like I'm babbling on and on but I'm just so excited! Even Zhou Mi who's sitting at his desk and sketching sphinxes is laughing at me — if I wasn't so busy writing this letter right now I would go over and kick him. Cousins are so annoying sometimes, except when they buy you things. I'm going to make him draw dragons right away. (Ten different kinds just so I can pick through them and complain.)
Yes of course we'll make dumplings! And my cherry dumplings were a great success too, we'll make all the dumplings and I'm going to test them out all on you. (Prepare your appetite!)
I'm so excited to taste Kyungsoo's food, it sounds really good and maybe it's just because I accidentally missed supper because I was busy but that sounds so good right now that my mouth is watering. (Pouty faces)
You're such a sap but the very best kind and I'm sending you my biggest BIGGEST happiest hug because I'm so happy that I'll get to see you so soon! Also that composition class sounds like so much fun! This Baekhyun sounds like a good influence. I don't think I met him last time?
I'm glad you got a good mark and I hope you're studying hard for your finals so I can give you extra hugs and proud kisses and sing you lullabies so you can make up for all the sleep you've probably missed from studying hard. (I hope you're studying HINT HINT.) But take care of your health! I hope your cold went away quickly and bless Kyungsoo and raisins. You'd better not still be sick when I come! I wish I could take care of you myself.
I feel like I could keep writing this letter forever and I never want to stop but if I want to see you I have to finish this commission so I'll regretfully sign off with a millions hugs and kisses and an extra nose poke.
Love LOVE LOVE,
Liyin
P.S. If you don't want the scarf I'm keeping it because it's perfect if I do say so myself. (Bleh face)
The hyperspaceship detaches with a small vibration that reverberates through the hull, and then the boosters kick in and they're on their way. Liyin sits back in her seat and smiles. Soon.
December, a terraformed planet orbiting MCT-6826 ☆彡
"Are you all better now? You had me worried."
That's the first thing she says to him when he releases her from their crushing embrace, loosening the circle of his arms just enough to give them space to catch their breath.
"Heh, heh," Jongdae coughs into his collar in a pathetic imitation of last week's illness. "Do I get extra kisses if I say no?"
"You're lucky you're healthy again, you brat," she scolds, tugging on the buttons at the back of his peacoat. "I don't kiss sick people, because that's sharing germs."
"Mm really? You didn't seem to mind so much in April when I had the flu during spring break."
Jongdae slips one arm from around her waist to stroke a tendril of hair from Liyin's brow, leaving the other to support the curve of her lower back. It's hard to believe she's really here, that he's really holding her in his arms and breathing in the scent of summer lemons and spring lavender from the milky skin of her neck. It smells twice as sweet on Liyin as it does on paper, for the record.
“Details, details!” She laughs against his cheek, the warmth of her breath more comforting than all of the steaming coffee and tea he’s drunk this semester combined. “Mm, it’s kind of chilly out here on the platform, can we continue the cuddling inside? Preferably somewhere with hot cocoa, if that can be arranged.”
“Mm, I think it can.” Jongdae smile against the soft waves of her hair, breathing deep enough of her scent to sustain him for the short walk back to campus. “We have to walk a few blocks, but there’s a cafe I’m dying to show you.”
“Ooh, your favorite one? The one with the heart shaped mugs and the lavender earl grey?” Liyin squeezes his fingers in excitement and Jongdae laughs aloud with all of the happiness curling up through his chest like billows of warm steam.
“Yup! That’s the one. And there might be a few people there waiting to meet you.”
“Sounds perfect,” she says as he starts to guide her forward, his palm sliding around the belt of her purple coat to pull her into his side. It’s his favorite coat in her wardrobe, the fine wool a shade just this violet of indigo. “I can’t wait to meet them and poke them all!”
Jongdae can’t wait either. He can’t wait to see her smile when she opens his latest letter taped to the box of rainbow ink powders he special ordered weeks ago from three planets over. It’s waiting for her on the counter at the cafe, where he’s planned her welcome celebration. Jongdae spent all morning with Kyungsoo and Baekhyun at the cafe, decorating the window panes with sprigs of goldenrod and taste-testing Yesung’s latest experiments with pumpkin (cupcakes glazed in cream cheese, the centers chock full of dark sundried raisins), and arranging the easy chairs and hardwood tables into a feng shui of best wishes and love.
When it comes to Liyin, Jongdae knows how to work magic. She’s the most brilliant of inspirations, after all. |
