#Weeper
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doodlesnoff ¡ 11 months ago
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"as if every step was poured from a bottle with a narrow neck" and then that bottle was used for a Molotov cocktail. DONATE TO GAZA and you can request I draw you whatever you want like this
My favorite character for @gvartistsforpalestine , this time I took the excuse to experiment with character design and do an older book!Jesper design for a lil barrel flash. I LOVED the costume design of the show but it was definitely more Barrel than Flash. I also wanted to rectify the fanart and show issue of only showing him in Kerch and Wandering Isle inspired patterns. He lived in Novyi Zem until 15! and I picture him returning to learn from other zowa. When I read the books I thought NZ was based on Ethiopia due to the Eastern Orthodox themes, so his vest here is inspired by habesha designs. The show appeared to draw inspiration from Nigeria which was also awesome. Will I be doing a whole Barrel Flash series of his clothes using Scottish, Irish, show (Kerch and NZ), and Ethiopian designs? Yes.
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multifandomplushie ¡ 2 months ago
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Here's my take on Weeper.
I used to plan on only tagging him as "reimagined" and "semi oc", but thought I can consider him an OC, similar to @bluetortoist and her own OC, Scream Queen, who is also based on the Brave and the Bold portrayal of the character.
Below is the info about him.
Real Name: Mortimer Gloom
Aliases: Weeper
Nicknames: Weepy (by Joker)
Occupation: Criminal
History:
Mortimer Gloom has always been a gentle and sensitive individual who was often mocked for his emotional nature. Since childhood, his favorite activity was swimming because being in the water helped him hide at least some of the tears he shed to avoid being rediculed.
Although his heart is arguably much bigger, his mind is quite great in size as well and, despite all the emotional turmoils, he managed to get a degree and become an environmental engineer, brilliant but very idealistic.
In his elderly years, he worked on a groundbreaking project that aimed at increasing the volume of drinking water to solve water scarcity. However, during the course of his research, while experimenting on guinea pigs, which always took a toll on his heart throughout his career, he discovered a dangerous flaw in the formula: the properties of the experimental liquid that were added into the drinking water would enter the system and affect the water level in the body to the point of drowning those who consume it from the inside. He tried to warn his superiors, but they ignored his concerns, leading him to steal the formula and equipment. Unfortunately for him, Mortimer was spotted by the research center's security who attempted to stop the elderly man and the chase resulted in him falling into the very formula he discovered. Not only did it affect his body's water level but also caused other mutations inside of his body that have given him the ability to induce sadness by temporarily altering a person's brain chemistry through physical contact.
The day of the accident was a turning point for Mortimer as this is when his deep sadness for the world's injustices reached its peak. He came to a thought that he's not the problem, it's those who encourage hardening one's heart and shame people like him for expressing natural human emotions in response to hardships in life.
Using his power, he makes people cry, symbolizing their emotional pain and his own. This act is motivated by his desire to show the world that emotions should not be suppressed or ignored. He believes that this way he is giving others a cathartic release and freeing them from their repression. This goal is a way for him to channel his own sensitivity and feelings of being misunderstood into a form of twisted altruism.
Powers and Abilities:
• Tear Generation: The experimental liquid increased the amount of water in Mortimer's body to a dangerous degree, but his tendency to cry so often came in handy as letting the water out of his body through tears turned out to be a reliable regulator for his water level and his lacrimal glands managed to adapt to the enormous amount of water coming out of his eyes.
• Sadness Inducement: Due to the formula altering the neurochemical makeup of Mortimer's skin and mutating his neurosystem, whenever he touches someone while he's in a sad state (which, at this point, is his default state), his brain sends electrical impulses that cause his skin to transfer a chemical compound into the person's body that affects their brain's emotional centers, which induces a feeling of sadness and activates tear production.
• Swimming Abilities: Since he frequently swam in the pool to mask his crying, he had a lot of time to practice and develope very impressive skills in that activity.
• Genius Level Intellect: Weeper has a strong background in biology, chemistry, and environmental science, as well as knowledge in areas such as hydrology, water treatment, and water management.
Trivia:
• The chemical reaction Mortimer causes is only temporary and does not cause any lasting psychological harm, but it is strong enough to cause immediate emotional responses in those he touches.
• The properties of the water volume increasing formula aren't transferred when Mortimer cries as they are neutralized by the salt in his tears.
• Joker is the one who gave Mortimer the name Weeper, which happened by accident when they first met and escaped the crime scene together.
• Weeper made his hideout into a series of pool rooms to prevent the building from beind flooded by his tears.
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nelc ¡ 3 months ago
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Love & Rockets, cover for God and Science: Return of the Ti-Girls, by Jaime Hernandez
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treaversalley ¡ 9 months ago
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he was fond of taking in stray animals. but that was before.
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curatorofthisdigitalmorass ¡ 2 years ago
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Hellraiser (2022) - Weeper Concept Art by Keith Thompson
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nsk96 ¡ 1 year ago
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🖤Voidtober🖤
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01 - Plague
I present weeper Corvo. I feel really proud of this one because I suck at drawing people. I feel like I'm starting to prefer doing digital art over traditional because my colored pencils were causing me too much grief on this :')
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octoberconstellation ¡ 1 year ago
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Sign the petition
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mayflowers07 ¡ 2 years ago
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So… with Wylan and Jesper already being a thing before the Ice Heist even starts, does that mean- if we get the scene- that Wylan is going to see his boyfriend kiss Kuwei in front of him?
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the-dreamers-production ¡ 2 years ago
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We spontaneously decided to film a Wylan cosplay video, have some first shots!! More coming soon :) 💣💥✨
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squidsmut ¡ 1 year ago
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My automobile is a piece of crap
if i were a woman, i would tweet “ginger snapped so jennifer could body”, but i’m not a woman, and i don’t use twitter, and i haven’t seen jennifer’s body, and i don’t make a lot of money or have a car or look nice
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unissonmag ¡ 6 months ago
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FLASH: WEEPER – WEEPER
Going back to my liked tracks list, I recently rediscovered Weeper, a lovely debut album by Buenos Aires-based band Weeper. Review. Continue reading FLASH: WEEPER – WEEPER
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doctorslippery ¡ 1 year ago
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bee-the-dumb-android ¡ 1 year ago
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That video of that scallop dancing to island in the sun fills me with primal joy and beach time fun :)
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treaversalley ¡ 10 months ago
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they can languish like this for many weeks.
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refreshdaemon ¡ 2 years ago
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A merely serviceable marriage of grunge and modern rock sensibilities that's too softened to be memorable and by its time too played out to be novel.
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starlightkun ¡ 2 months ago
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⇢ word count: 37.8k total (22.7k & 15.1k) ⇢ genre: sci-fi/science fantasy au, soulmate au, alien!jungwoo, human!reader, slow burn, fluff and angst ⇢ warnings: blood/injury mentions, a couple needle/injection mentions, if u get secondhand embarrassment this one might hurt in places ⇢ extra info: this is the second part of a two-part fic, you need to read the first part to know what’s going on! this was released in two parts bc of tumblr’s 1000-block limit that was put in place to hurt me personally :)) ⇢ author’s note: and here’s part two! ⇢ part one
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“What did I say before, hm? Finders keepers,” you declared, grabbing his other hand. “You’re not going to die as long as I have something to say about it.”
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The screen of your phone lit up from where it sat on the dashboard of Jungwoo’s spaceship, and you immediately grabbed it. It was Donghyuck, and at this point, you would’ve taken your bestie ‘SPAM LIKELY’ to get you out of here.
“Hey, it’s Hyuck, you got it here?” You asked Jungwoo, already on your feet.
“Yes, I’ll be okay,” Jungwoo confirmed, eyes momentarily leaving the screen to meet yours.
You clambered out of the hatch with haste, taking off into the trees. Hastily sending Donghyuck a text that you’d call him back in a minute, you practically bolted back up the cliffside to get to the road before doing just that.
Hyuck picked up before it could even ring once, not wasting any time, “Hey, how’s our pet alien?”
“He has a name,” you retorted, still out of breath.
“He doesn’t seem to mind when I call him that.”
“He probably doesn’t understand how derogatory it could be. His language might not have a direct equivalent for the concept.”
“Yeah, whatever, how is he?”
“Fine. All of his wounds have healed.”
Your friend’s tone immediately shifted. “You sound weird. What’s going on?”
“Nothing!” You insisted.
“Y/N.”
“Promise not to tell anyone?”
“Sure.”
And so after explaining your situation to Donghyuck to the best of your ability, you waited with bated breath for his response.
“Oh my God, he’s going to lay his eggs in you,” he gasped.
“Hyuck! Gross!” You hissed, half-ready to hang up right then.
“I’ve seen enough alien movies to know where this is going.”
“Or watched too much weird porn.”
“You didn’t laugh at my joke, clearly you’re in crisis, sorry.” His apology sounded sincere.
You sighed, staring down into the trees below you that you knew contained a spaceship and spaceman that weren’t from here, that didn’t belong here. “I mean, he’s still fixing his ship to leave…”
“What if he plans on abducting you and taking you with him?”
“Stop it!” You scolded him again. “Jungwoo wouldn’t do that.”
“You seriously think he’ll just leave his mate behind?”
“You are way too comfortable saying that word.”
“This is not about my nighttime proclivities.”
“If I told him to, yeah, I think he would. He’s been super respectful, all things considered.”
“Okay… whatever…”
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You were worried. Jungwoo had continued fixing his ship, but with each passing day, you swore he was looking worse again. He said his wounds had completely healed inside and out, but the pallor of his skin didn’t look right, he was moving slower again, and he didn’t eat as much at meals. You took a risk and took him there during the day today, not wanting to risk drawing out his stay on Earth any longer than necessary.
Just getting him down to the ship today was perilous, as he tripped going down the last of the hillside. A rock had cut his arm, thankfully not very deep, but the sight of the deep blue blood did nothing to calm your anxious mind. He let you take a second to use a first aid kit in the ship on him, but then was right back to business as usual, fixing his ship.
“How’s it coming along?” You asked, hovering over him worriedly as he sat on the floor, working on a panel under the control console.
“It’s almost done,” he informed you quietly.
“Jungwoo, you don’t look okay.”
“I’m fine.”
“Is it the hydrogen? Or something else that you can’t get on Earth?” You went to press the back of your hand to his forehead. It was sticky with sweat, but simultaneously cold and clammy. “Shit, dude, you feel awful.”
“I’m—I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I just need to get back to-to Galaria.”
“Okay, yeah,” you nodded. “Let’s get you back. You said it’s almost done. What else do you need?”
“One of your friends is a mechanic?”
“Yeah, Yuta. He fixes cars.” You were slightly alarmed that he apparently couldn’t remember which one.
Jungwoo held out a long, thin black tube to you. “Could you ask him if he has something like this? Twice as long?”
“Of course! I'll go right now!” You took the tube from him. “You stay right here. Rest, okay?”
He nodded, leaning against the panel and shutting his eyes.
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You ran into Yuta’s auto shop, skidding to a stop and nearly crashing into a bench and toolbox, drawing the attention of everyone in the shop. Every head whipped over to look at you, and Yuta pushed himself out from under a truck on the far side of the shop.
“Yuta!” You dashed over to him, ignoring the attempts at conversation from his coworkers as you ran by them.
“Off-limits, assholes!” Yuta yelled back at them before focusing on you again, grabbing a rag to wipe his hands off. “Y/N, what are you doing here?”
“It’s Jungwoo, he needs something like this, but double the length.” You held the tube out to him. “Do you have anything like it? I’ll pay for it.”
Yuta inspected it with a furrowed brow, and you dropped your voice even lower as the sounds of the auto shop rose again.
“Please, he’s-he’s really not doing well. I don’t know how much longer he can be here, Yuta. Something about Earth, it’s not good for him. I’m really worried.”
“Yeah, I would be if I were you.” Yuta handed the tube back to you, then crossed his arms over his chest. “I gave him a part just like that two days ago. He said it was the last piece he needed.”
“What?!” Your heart fell to the pit of your stomach.
“I gave him a new brake hose two days ago. Unless he blew it up again, this isn’t it.”
“I’ve got to go.” You took off towards the door of the garage. “Bye, Yuta! Thanks!”
“See you around!”
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Something wasn’t right. You could feel it in the pit of your stomach as you looked down at the brake hose in your hands. You could feel it in the deep rumble of the pavement under your feet as you ran down the shoulder of the highway back towards the ship. You could feel it in your lungs as you sucked in air that smelled oddly smoky. There was no caution in your movements as you took the familiar path down into the trees. Sirens followed behind you from all directions, converging on the same place as you. But you had gotten there before them.
The ship pulsated with an energy you had never seen before, no longer dull dark metal, but thrumming with power, colorful bursts of light jumping from panel to panel. The reactors at the back that you had watched Jungwoo rebuild with his own two hands roared to life.
No friends to grab you and hold you back now. It was only you.
You lunged for the button that you knew would extend the ladder, throwing the hose to the ground so you could have two free hands to scramble up the side of the ship. At the cockpit, you held onto the top rung of the ladder as the ship jerked and lifted off the ground. You desperately hit the other button to open the glass hatch, dropping into the cockpit and pulling the dome shut with you.
Jungwoo was crumpled in a heap on the ground in front of the controls, not even in a seat. Thankfully, he took a small, shallow breath. The ship accelerated, throwing the both of you across the cockpit. You swore as your head impacted with the wall, and Jungwoo grunted as he hit another panel.
“What the hell is your problem, Jungwoo?” You chastised him as you rolled him over. “You tell me you’ve imprinted on me, then send me off on a wild goose chase so that you can leave without saying goodbye? And then you fucking pass out?”
“Y/N?” He mumbled, slowly blinking a couple times as he looked up at you. “That’s… you?”
“Yes, you dumbass,” you scoffed, pulling his head onto your lap as you were truly just relieved to see his eyes open again. “Now come on, don’t fall asleep on me again.”
“Mm… yes… it’ll be nice… I think… to die in your arms.”
“Christ, you’re so dramatic,” you rolled your eyes to not give away how fast your heart was beating, how sweaty your palms were, or that your hands were shaking with nerves. “You’re not going to die. You hear me? It looks like you’ve already put in directions back home, right? To Galaria? Please tell me this thing has autopilot.”
“Yes. Provided… there are no… unexpected emergencies…” He took several uneven, short breaths. “The ship… will take care of it…”
“Awesome. How often are there unexpected emergencies in intergalactic travel?”
Jungwoo was out cold.
You hung your head, letting out a deep sigh. “Cool. Great. Nice one, Y/N. Stuck on a spaceship that you don’t know how to fly. In space. With a half-dead alien. Stellar life choices, as always.”
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You had no clue how much time had passed since you’d left Earth. There were no clocks—at least not ones that you could read—in Jungwoo’s ship, and your spaceman stayed knocked out, never coming close to consciousness. You got hungry at some point, but you couldn’t find any food, or least anything that you would risk eating this early. Maybe if it really felt dire. You hadn’t stocked Jungwoo up with supplies yet, you thought you had more time. Was he really planning on leaving like that?
A pleasant dinging came over the speakers of the ship eventually, reminding you of the sound that played over plane intercoms when an announcement was made. A computerized voice said something, but you realized you couldn’t understand it. You couldn’t make out a single word or syllable. It must be speaking Galarii. Nothing was flashing red, hopefully it wasn’t anything that required your assistance.
It felt like the ship was slowing down. You held onto Jungwoo’s lifeless body tightly to brace the two of you. He was still warm, and you took a small comfort in that.
With another jerk and cacophonous rattle, the ship touched down. You were pretty sure. The hum of the reactors died down, and it felt like the ship had finally stopped. Jungwoo let out a weak sound of pain in your arms, and you were on your feet.
You slammed your hand against the button to open the hatch with none of the grace that you’d seen Jungwoo use dozens of times. Tugging the transcoder off his neck, you put it on yourself before wedging your shoulder under his, planting your foot on a seat cushion, and heaving upwards with as much force as you could. Either the gravity on Galaria was different, you were having an adrenaline rush, or both, as Jungwoo’s body actually moved with you. You jerked both of you up onto the ladder, yelling in between deep breaths.
“Help!” Shove. “Help us!” Heave. “Help! Somebody!” Push. “Help!”
After the next jump, your head poked out of the cockpit. Immediately, you were met with winds that whipped your hair around and chilled you to the bone. You took as deep of a breath that you could, the frosty air feeling like knives in your lungs, to let out another cry, “Help!”
The lilac sky was barely visible through the snow that flurried around your face, sticking to your skin and hair. Two figures appeared through the snowstorm, approaching the spaceship, and you readjusted your hold on Jungwoo to lean his weight back on you to free up one arm to wave at them fervently.
“Over here!” You screamed. “Help us! Please!”
Jungwoo coughed, blue blood dribbling out of his mouth.
“Oh god…” You cupped his cerulean-stained cheek, panic flooding your heart as you saw the two figures stop in their tracks.
Heaving the two of you over the side in the quickest way you knew to get down, you slid down the ship, the fresh snow that had piled up breaking your fall about as well as Donghyuck had before. The impact rattled up your feet and knees, and you swore under your breath as you definitely heard something pop that had never popped before. Wrapping Jungwoo’s arm around your shoulders, you started dragging him towards the two figures.
“Hey!” You yelled out at them, glaring against the snow and wind. Tears streamed down your face as the wind battered your eyes, and your teeth were already chattering. “What the hell are you doing? He’s fucking dying! Help him!”
This finally spurred them into moving again, the figures rushing towards you once more. As they got closer, you could see that they were human-like—Galarii, presumably. They were bundled up for the weather, goggles and cloth masks obscuring much of their faces from you, but as they reached to take Jungwoo from you, a sudden fear seized you, and you jerked back from them at the last second, tightening your hold on him.
They must have been able to guess what spooked you, as one lifted up his goggles and pulled down his mask to let you see his face as he addressed you.
“I’m Kun. That’s my aide, Dejun,” he indicated to himself, then to the other Galarii. “I’m Jungwoo’s brother. Please.”
You looked between them for a moment, then nodded. They moved to each take one of his arms and loop it around their shoulders. You stayed close as they trudged through the snowstorm with him, your worried eyes staying on Jungwoo. Your feet were entirely numb, and you didn’t register when one of the caught on something under the snow until you were already catapulting forward face-first. Your hands were tucked under your arms, and you couldn’t get them out fast enough to break your fall. Kun thankfully had faster reflexes than you, and managed to catch you by the arm, leaving you suspended above the snowbank for a perilous moment. He jerked you back until you got your feet under you again, and you mumbled out a thank you that was muted by the winds. Looking over your shoulder, your knees nearly gave out again when you saw the trail of blue drops that Jungwoo was leaving behind.
Kun once again grabbed your arm, and you looked at him inquisitively, coming to a stop as they did. You were in front of a cliffside by the ocean, which was in fact a cotton candy pink, no buildings in sight. The sea spray stung your eyes, made them water up, and you did your best to cover them without entirely obscuring your vision.
Dejun approached the rock wall as Kun took on all of Jungwoo’s weight. You heard a faint groan, and you weren’t sure which of them it came from, but you moved to take over where Dejun had just been. Jungwoo was no longer warm.
Dejun touched his own pendant to part of the stone, and you swore you saw something glow, but that could’ve been the refraction of light off the waves into your pupils, you couldn’t be sure. An opening formed in the cliffside, and Dejun ushered the three of you in. As soon as you stepped in, it didn’t feel like you were underground, or inside a cliff. It just seemed like you were indoors. Sure, it was dim, but pleasantly so, like it was evening. It was also warm, which you were glad for. You readjusted your hold on Jungwoo, pressing your hand against his chest for some stability, the right side of his chest, desperately hoping that maybe you could feel his heartbeat finally. You couldn’t.
Dejun didn’t request to take Jungwoo back from you though his hands hovered around you uncertainly, as if he were about to. You weren’t sure if you would’ve let him this time. Instead, he simply led the way through the sprawling home you had found yourself in. You didn’t pay attention much to your surroundings, only enough to make sure you weren’t going to trip while you carried Jungwoo. Finally, you made it to a bedroom of some kind, and Kun motioned for you to put him down on the bed there.
Kun took off some of his outer layers, letting you see his face again for the first time since he found the two of you at the ship. Dejun reentered the room—you didn’t realize he had left—also no longer in his thick parka and carrying what must be a first aid kit, handing it off to Kun.
“What’s your name?” Kun asked, his eyes focused on the materials in his hands.
At first, you couldn’t talk, your throat too dry from the cold air outside. You desperately swallowed and coughed, then hoarsely said, “Y/N.”
Dejun poured you a glass of something from a jug in the corner, and you looked it over. It looked like water to you, and you remembered that Jungwoo didn’t seem put off by what water looked like on Earth. You took a tentative sip. Tasted like nothing. It soothed your raw throat a little bit, and you drank some more.
“My name’s Y/N,” you reiterated, then faltered as you looked at Jungwoo. “I’m… Jungwoo’s friend. He crashed on Earth, we were helping him get back. But then he started getting like this. You can help him, right?”
Kun gently tilted his brother’s head back and forth, the prevalent frown on his features only deepening. “Dejun, some help?”
The aide came over, and the two of them lifted Jungwoo’s shirt up over his head. You gasped when you saw some bruising on his back and side, presumably from when he hit the wall when you took off from Earth. But the two Galarii didn’t focus on that. Their attention was on his shoulders instead, having a hushed conversation between themselves.
“Is his shoulder okay?” You asked. “Is it broken or something?”
“His joint is fine,” Dejun reassured you.
“Oh, good.”
“Y/N,” he said your name quietly, eyes focused on your leg. “You’re bleeding. I think.”
You looked down at your still-numb extremities, registering for the first time that you had apparently been cut by something outside. Bright red dripped down the side of your left leg, and you held back the instinct to touch it in disbelief.
“Oh. Sorry.” You apologized, as you noticed a spot on the floor. “Uhm, do you have a band-aid?”
“Follow me, we’ll get it cleaned up and give you some new clothes.”
You looked at Jungwoo anxiously, where Kun was still tending to him. “I’m fine.”
“He’ll still be here, Y/N,” Kun promised. “I’m sure my brother would want us to take care of his friend too.”
Reluctantly, you went with Dejun into an adjoining room. After getting your cut washed out and a bandage applied, he fetched you some warmer clothes.
“Thanks, Dejun.” You wrapped your arms around yourself. “Can I go back?”
“Sure. I’ll bring you some food.”
Stepping back into the room, you saw Kun cleaning up Jungwoo’s face and chest where his blood had begun drying.
“Can I help?” You offered tentatively.
Kun waved you over. “His head keeps lolling around. Can you keep him still?”
“Of course.” You sat on the corner of the bed, gently rearranging Jungwoo to cradle the back of his head with both your hands in your lap. Brushing some of his hair from his face, you took comfort in watching the shallow but steady rise and fall of his chest. “Is that better?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
“His iridophores don’t look right.” You stated, able to see the reflective patches on his cheeks and shoulders from this angle. “That’s what you’re worried about, right?”
Kun nodded. “Yes.”
“They’re… dull.” You kept your hands where they were. The realization did nothing to soothe you. “What does that mean?”
“I can’t say.”
“What can it mean?” You asked insistently, eye boring holes into the top of Kun’s head as he was bent over focusing rather intently on one spot. “On Earth, one symptom can mean a lot of things. What can dull iridophores be a symptom of?”
“We won’t know anything until he wakes up,” Kun reiterated, soaking and wringing out the washcloth one final time. His eyes met yours, his own iridophores glinting in the lights. “Please, I don’t want to speculate before then.”
“Fine. Okay,” you relented for now.
The Galarii’s gaze fell to the pendant around your neck. “That’s Jungwoo’s transcoder.”
You looked down at it as well. “Yeah. I figured I needed it more than him right now. You know, considering…”
“Has he explained to you how it works?”
“Telepathy. Which he told me is apparently very scientific to you all, and definitely not witchcraft,” you snorted.
Dejun entered, a plate of food in his hand. Kun nodded towards it for you. “Eat.”
You sighed, pressing your hand to Jungwoo’s cheek once more. He wasn’t ice cold anymore, but still felt clammy to the touch. Maneuvering his head back to the pillow, you moved over to the table where Dejun had set the food for you. It all seemed food-like, and if your attention wasn’t so focused on your spaceman, you were sure you would be much more enthralled by eating alien food right now. But you could barely even taste it as you wolfed down a few bites, then a few more when Kun was still carefully watching you. When he seemed satisfied that you were fed, you pushed the plate away.
“Full,” you mumbled. “Thank you.”
Dejun and Kun exchanged a look, but didn’t say anything.
“Do you know when he’ll wake up?” You asked. “Don’t you guys have like, doctors or something? Healers? I don’t know, any sort of healthcare?”
“His iridophores… doctors can’t help with that,” Kun explained, obviously choosing his words very carefully. “We have to see if Jungwoo will pull through on his own.”
“That’s it?!” You spat back, wide-eyed. Maybe your tone was a bit harsh, but you couldn’t believe that they apparently didn’t even need a real doctor to examine him to give a diagnosis like that.
“Y/N—”
“But he’s—He was fine just a few days ago…” You stared at him in disbelief. “We got ice cream…”
“I’ll have Dejun make a room up for you, Y/N,” Kun said, gently patting your shoulder as they moved towards the exit.
“Kun.” You grabbed his arm before he got too far. He turned around to look at you inquisitively. “I’m sorry. He’s your brother, this must be painful for you too. Really, I’m so sorry.”
He offered a melancholy smile, nodding. “Thank you.”
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You couldn’t sleep that night, kept up thinking about Jungwoo. Finally, after too much restless tossing and turning, you got out of bed. Wandering down the halls of whatever cave house you were in, you turned your phone on. Of course you didn’t have service inside a cliff in another galaxy. Coming to a stop in some sort of open living space, you sat down onto something that you were going to call a loveseat, which overlooked a small pool of water that seemed to glow on its own. You stared at your zero bars, thought about Jungwoo dying, being on a planet in a galaxy far away from your friends and family, and for possibly the first time in your entire life, felt so lonely you could cry.
Pulling your knees to your chest, you buried your face in them, feeling so small and wanting nothing more than someone bigger than you to come in and make everything okay again. You dialed Johnny’s contact on your phone, just to hear the dial tone as the call didn’t connect, then dropped and hung up on its own.
You got the feeling that somebody else was there, and turned around towards the entrance. It was Kun, and he ducked his head sheepishly.
“You couldn’t sleep either?” He surmised.
“No.” You scooted to one end of the seat, offering up the empty space for him to join you.
“I can alter your device, to communicate with Earth,” he offered, gesturing to your phone, the screen of which was still lit up in your hand.
“You think so?” You asked hopefully.
“Yes. It will keep my mind busy, too.”
You placed it in his waiting palm. “Thank you!”
He looked at the glowing pond in front of the two of you. “Do you have places like this on Earth?”
“Kind of?” You said. “I think? Maybe? Is it some kind of uh, bioluminescence? Some bacteria or something that glow?”
Kun smiled. “Yes, exactly.”
“Cool. Funny, we have pink oceans too. Like, our whole ocean isn’t pink, but there’s small lakes and stuff that are pink like yours.”
“What color are your oceans, then?” He tilted his head curiously.
“Blue, like our sky,” you informed him with a grin. “Or, sometimes a greenish blue.”
“A blue sky…” He muttered, clearly trying to picture that. “I’m sure that fascinated Jungwoo.”
“Hey.” You looked at him inquisitively. “Is it really true that you don’t know who’s older?”
Kun chuckled. “It’s different on Earth, then?”
“Very.”
“Yes, Galarii children aren’t raised being called the older or younger child. Most families have their children very close together, so unless you remember your sibling being born, you typically won’t know which of you is older.”
“And school isn’t organized by age either.”
“No.”
“Huh.”
“Do you have a sibling?”
“An older brother, kind of,” you said fondly. “That’s who I was trying to call.”
Kun furrowed his brow. “He’s ‘kind of’ older, or ‘kind of’ your brother?”
“‘Kind of’ my brother.” You laughed. “Definitely older. We know that on Earth. And even if we didn’t, he remembers me being born, so…”
“Ah, you’ve known him for a while?”
“Friends for my whole life, yeah. He always knows what to do. Which is usually pretty annoying, but this time, I really need that.”
The Galarii with you nodded in understanding. “I don’t know everything, but I will do my best to let you speak with him.”
Kun rose to his feet.
“Kun.” You stopped him from leaving. “When humans are in comas, people say that they can still hear you. Is Jungwoo like that right now?”
“I think it will benefit him for you to spend time with him,” he agreed. “I’ll bring you your communicator once it’s ready. You should try to sleep tonight, Y/N.”
You offered him a smile. “Thank you, Kun. For everything.”
“Thank you for bringing him home.”
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When you woke up, you couldn’t be sure if it was morning, but it was definitely brighter in the hallway outside your room. You were sure they had the lights set to mimic whatever the rhythm of Galarian days were like.
Jungwoo looked the same as when you left him yesterday, which was both comforting and disconcerting. He hadn’t gotten any worse overnight, but he wasn’t getting better. You pulled up a chair next to the bed, wringing your hands over your lap.
Feeling a little silly as you looked around the otherwise empty room, you said quietly, “Uh, hey, Jungwoo…”
He didn’t stir, and you poked your tongue against the inside of your cheek as you contemplated continuing. Eventually, you did. “I don’t… know what to say. My grandpa died when I was seven and when my mom took me to his headstone after, I never knew what I was supposed to say to it. Not that you’re dead, obviously… I-I was kind of relieved when I got older and my mom stopped taking me with her to visit him. I think that’s bad. But it felt like I always had to pretend to be as sad as her, which didn’t feel right to her.”
You readjusted how the covers settled on Jungwoo. “I wish you were awake, so I could ask you what sort of funeral traditions you have on Galaria, or if your grandparents are alive, or about your mom. I guess I could ask Kun that kind of stuff, but it wouldn’t be the same. I-I want to know about you.”
Time passed like that, you having a one-sided conversation with Jungwoo. Dejun sometimes stopped in to bring you meals and check on Jungwoo. After your second meal of the day, Kun entered the room, holding your phone out towards you. It looked the exact same as before, and you went to pocket it.
“It’s fine, Kun, don’t worry about—”
“Try it,” he urged you.
“Wait, you fixed it?” You took it back out, looking down at the screen. It looked normal, except you realized that that now it indicated that you had full bars. Honestly, you were expecting some kind of alien technology to be appended to it, and for the endeavor to take much longer. “That was fast.”
You once again tried to call Johnny, entirely unsure and uncaring of what time it was on Earth. This time, it rang.
“Y/N?!” His voice was a mixture of disbelief and fear when he picked up. You gave Kun a thumbs-up and darted from the room to properly take the call.
“Hey, Johnny…” You were already braced for the scolding of a lifetime, certain that he was well aware of where you were. Somehow, he always knew. Who knew how long you have been gone from home at this point.
“Y/N…” He took a deep breath. “Just come home safe.”
“I will, I will!” You promised hurriedly.
“I sprinkled into conversation with your parents your destination bachelorette trip already. So when you get back, you’ve got to figure out which one of your friends is getting married.”
Not if, when.
“Thank you, thank you.”
“Put Jungwoo on, I need to talk to him,” he demanded sternly.
Your throat nearly closed up as you thought of the scene you had just left, Jungwoo still passed out, his iridophores fading, untreatable even by Galarii doctors. “I can’t, he’s-he’s really bad. I don’t know what—I don’t know.”
“Hey, Y/N, it’s okay. Deep breaths with me now, alright, kid?” Johnny’s tone immediately softened, and he led you through a few deep breaths over the call. Once he seemed satisfied that you were a little calmer, he continued with the same soothing voice, “He’ll be alright. He’s back where he belongs, where people who know how to treat him can treat him. He’ll be fine.”
Tears spilled over your cheeks as you shook your head desperately. “They can’t, John. They can’t treat him. He’s—He’ll either get better or he won’t.”
“What?!” He asked incredulously. “He’s not a lame horse that needs to be put down. Who told you that? Put them on the phone.”
“I—” You sniffed and wiped your eyes. “Why do you care so much?”
Johnny sighed again, lowering his voice. “Look. You are stranded God fucking knows where. And as far as I’m concerned, Jungwoo is the only alien there that is going to want to get you home. So he can’t fucking die.”
You shuffled back into the room, thankfully spotting Kun still in there. “Do you have a transcoder?”
“Yes, is there something wrong with yours? I can understand you just fine.”
“No, uhm, Johnny wants to talk to you.” You indicated to your phone.
Kun raised his eyebrows, gesturing to himself. “Your brother wishes to speak with me?”
“Yeah. He’s a… doctor,” you half-fibbed. “He helped take care of Jungwoo when he crashed before. He wants to know how he’s doing. Will it work over the phone? The transcoder?”
Kun gestured for you to wait, then left the room for a moment, returning with a necklace similar to yours around his neck. The pendant was of a similar construction, but a slightly different shape and angles.
You quickly informed Johnny, “Okay, uhm, this is Kun, Jungwoo’s brother.”
The Galarii accepted the phone, and you helped him hold it correctly before he stepped out to take the call like you had. You kept your ears peeled for the worst, hoping Johnny stayed on his best behavior.
“Jungwoo, I hate this,” you kept talking to your spaceman in the meantime. “I hate not being able to do anything for you. I hate just having to wait, feeling useless.”
After some time, you heard footsteps outside the room, and quieted down before Kun reentered, holding your phone out to you.
“So… what did you guys talk about?” You asked hopefully.
“There may be one more thing we can try for Jungwoo,” Kun said, and you immediately got to your feet.
“Well let’s do it!”
He held out a hand to calm you. “It’ll have to wait until nighttime, I’m afraid.”
“What? What is—?”
“In the meantime, Johnny did mention that human bodies don’t naturally make the same painkillers that Galarii do. I apologize for not being aware of that.” Kun bowed his head apologetically. “Are you in any pain?”
“It’s fine.”
“He said you would do that as well, and to ask again. Are you certain you are not in pain? You cut your leg yesterday.”
You sighed, refraining from rolling your eyes at the man who really was just trying to be kind. “Fine. My head hurts a little, and my leg. And sort of everything.”
“Come with me, I can prepare you an injection. Johnny explained proper dosage and administration for humans.”
Reluctantly, you left and followed Kun to another room in the house. It appeared to be another bedroom, and he gestured for you to take a seat at a small desk. Papers were in neat stacks, and you looked around with both interest and eagerness to get this over with so you could get back to Jungwoo.
“Is this your room?” You asked as Kun pulled up a chair and opened a first aid kit of some kind.
“Yes.”
“Is that Jungwoo’s room that you have him in?” You watched him roll up your sleeve to wipe down your arm first. “Does he live with you?”
“When he’s on Galaria, yes.” Kun then brought out a small, clear bottle and syringe that looked remarkably like the ones back on Earth. “His ship is more-so his home.”
“His actual ship, right? The one he took this time was yours.”
The Galarii filled the syringe with a very small amount of medicine. “Yes. He doesn’t spend enough time here to necessitate having his own place.”
“So did you finish your paperwork?”
He nodded to the stacks on the desk next to you. “Does it look like I did?”
You laughed, and he reached for your upper arm. “Just let me know when you’re going to do it. My friend Yuta wanted to be a piercer in high school before he was a mechanic, so I have a lot of practice being stuck.”
“I already did it,” Kun informed you, holding a small piece of gauze to the site.
You looked down in disbelief. “Seriously?” And sure enough, there was an empty syringe on the table too. “Damn, I didn’t feel a thing. You’re good.”
Kun took the gauze off the injection site, a small drop of red blood on it. “You know, has anybody ever said that is a very alarming color?”
“I think that’s the point,” you chuckled. “To get your attention.”
“I see…”
“So what’s the other thing to help Jungwoo?”
“I have some work to get done before it.” He gestured to the papers again with a remorseful look. “How about you sit with him for now? I’ll let you know once we can get started.”
You bit your tongue to not take your frustration at the situation out on your host. “Alright. Thanks, Kun.”
Back in Jungwoo’s room, you froze when you were greeted by two big brown eyes blinking at you from the bed. Jungwoo seemed equally in shock as he rubbed his eyes, squinting at you uncertainly.
“Hey, you’re awake,” you breathed out in relief, feet finally coming unstuck so you could dart over to his bedside.
“Y/N?” He groaned and tried to push himself up into a sitting position.
“Easy, easy,” you murmured, urging him back down.
“That’s… really you?”
You offered him a smile, hoping he couldn’t tell how nervous you were. “Yeah. Crazy déjà vu, huh?”
Jungwoo looked down at his own hands. “I’m alive?”
“Yeah, you are. It was uhm… kind of scary for a while there,” you admitted quietly, taking his hand. Putting some pep into your tone, you added, “But I told you, remember? I said you weren’t going to die.”
“I thought I was hallucinating and dying,” he deadpanned.
“When? On the ship? You could’ve been, I don’t know. What did you see?”
“You. I thought I was hallucinating when I saw you.”
“Oh. No, I’m real.”
His mouth was set into a hard line as he asked, “Why are you here?”
“Because your ship’s autopilot worked and didn’t crash us into the ocean,” you teased.
But he didn’t even smile. “What…? Why would you do that?”
The smile dropped from your face as you turned confused. “Because I didn’t want you to die? Why are you… pissed at me? Is that it? You’re pissed?”
All the happiness that was bubbling in your chest had been soured with the unexpectedly hostile reaction you’d received from Jungwoo.
“You’ve never been in space— I—” He took a deep breath, once again trying to push himself up and succeeding this time as you didn’t stop him. You dropped his hand, crossing your arms over your chest as you watched him carefully, still concerned with how weak he’d be after not eating or drinking for so long. “What if the ship had crashed? Exploded? What if it flew at speeds unsafe for humans? What if my ship didn’t protect you against radiation deadly to humans because it was built for Galarii? What if Galarii had much longer lifespans than humans and something that was a short trip for me was longer than your entire life? What if we made it here and you couldn’t breathe our air? What if—”
 “None of that happened,” you insisted.
“There were any billions of things that could have gone wrong, that you didn’t know and you—”
“They didn’t,” you reiterated emphatically.
“What if they did? Because of a choice you made for me?”
You rolled your eyes and stood up, putting some distance between the two of you as you felt anger start simmering under your skin. “It wasn’t really a choice. It was… I don’t know, I just did it. But it was fine, so just stop, alright?”
“Why did you come with me?” Jungwoo asked knowingly.
“Why did you try to leave me like that?” You shot back.
He suddenly couldn’t look you in the eye. “I was dying, I had to get back home.”
“I know, I was trying to help you get back home,” you scoffed. “I mean, why did you trick me into going to ask Yuta for a part that you already had, so that you could leave me without saying goodbye? I was ready to let you go, Jungwoo—”
“Because hearing you say that would’ve actually killed me!” His chest heaved after his outburst, his eyes were a watery red as he continued, “And you… that would’ve hurt you. And I couldn’t stick around just to selfishly enjoy another moment of your time if it meant doing that to you. I figured the confusion wouldn’t have been as bad as watching me die.”
The two of you stared at each other for several tense, choking seconds as his words hung in the air. You clenched your jaw, chewing on your next words, ruminating on them, before you swallowed them back down, sharp and bitter.
“I need to take a walk, because if I stay in here, I’m going to say something nasty that I don’t mean,” you spat out instead.
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Kun found you by the bioluminescent pond again, a normal-looking water feature by day. You were crouched by the water’s edge, listlessly watching the water lap at the cold stone floor you were sitting on.
“Jungwoo’s awake,” Kun said, standing just behind and to your right side.
“Yeah.” You swallowed. “You heard us fighting, I’m guessing.”
“I didn’t hear what was said, only his voice. The only way I could get him to stay in bed was by promising that I would check on you.”
“Jungwoo’s been out for a while, he should get something to eat, and drink—”
“Dejun is getting him food and water now.”
“Good,” you croaked, wiping at a tear that had collected at the corner of your eye. “God damn it…”
 Kun sat down beside you. “You’re more than his friend, aren’t you?”
“Oh, I guess. I don’t know.” You picked at your fingernails to avoid looking at him. “He… you know…”
“Imprinted? On you?” The Galarii’s voice betrayed his awe.
“Yeah. I know it’s a big deal, like the big deal for you guys… but I don’t do that, so…”
“It’s been awkward.”
“That’s one word for it.”
“Do you have a… partner on your planet?” He asked sympathetically.
“Oh, no, it’s not that bad, thankfully,” you sniffled and laughed. “It’s not that I don’t like Jungwoo, or that I can’t see myself, you know… falling in love with him or whatever. It just feels like I’m at Point A and he’s already at Point X waiting for me to catch up. Like there’s this huge gap.”
“He’s not in love with you, if that helps,” Kun informed you.
You stared at him blankly. “Huh?”
“Ah, exactly what I thought. Jungwoo didn’t explain imprinting very well.” Kun nodded to himself. “It’s not… instant infatuation, or love, or anything like that. You’re aware, in the back of your mind, that theoretically anybody in the universe could be the person you spend the rest of your life with, right? There may be near infinite numbers of people that you could be attracted to? Hypothetically?”
“I haven’t really thought of it like that, but I guess, yeah.” Without Donghyuck here unhelpfully joking about eggs, you found the conversation much easier to process. Or maybe you were just becoming desensitized to the idea, you couldn’t tell.
“Jungwoo doesn’t feel that endlessness anymore. His infinity is just you now. He’s not in love with you, because he doesn’t know you very well, but he knows that the only person he could ever fall in love with for the rest of his life is you.”
“So I’m at Point A and he’s at like, Point G, not Point X.”
“If your analogy is translating correctly, yes.”
You chewed on your bottom lip, mind turning over one part of his explanation. “‘Could.’ You used the word could, unless the transcoder is being liberal with nuance here.”
“Well, yes. I don’t think this is getting muddied in translation. It’s not definite that he’s going to fall in love with you.” He tilted his head. “I think that’s what is making you anxious, right? Feeling as though you have no choice, something has already plotted your life for you?”
You nodded. “Yeah… I think it brings some people peace, doesn’t it? On my planet, a lot of people have a god of some kind that they think has a divine plan for them and their life. That… freaks me the fuck out.” You let out a breathy, nervous chuckle, wringing your hands. “I’ve never liked feeling trapped.”
“You could leave the planet. If Jungwoo knew it was your choice to leave him, I don’t think he would follow you. He would let you go,” Kun offered. “We have more ships. I would go with you, personally guarantee your safety.”
“Do Galarii have religion?” You avoided answering his question, the intensity of his gaze, looking up at whatever was creating false light in the cavern, unable to pinpoint its exact origin past the hazy glow above you. “Jungwoo never mentioned any sort of religious figure, or prayed or anything when he was injured… That’s kind of when humans would’ve. Prayed for their God to give them strength.”
He took your conversation shift in stride, “We have enduring superstitions, traditions, but no sort of organized religion, no.”
“So this imprinting, it’s not any sort of divine plan, or divine will? To you all? It just… is?”
“One of the superstitions we do have is that of the finder’s intuition.”
“What’s that?”
“If you’ve found something, whether you realize it or not, you found it for a reason.”
“Jungwoo said something kind of like that about imprinting,” you recalled. “He said that humans choose their partners, but Galarii find them.”
“Yes. So for him to have been in that ship in the first place, which was not his, so far from home, and crashed due to circumstances outside of his control, on your planet, only to meet you, and it just happens that he imprints on you…”
“I found him.” You let out a choked laugh, covering your face at the insanity of it all. Of course Jungwoo had no reason to doubt why he had imprinted on you. You practically told him it was meant to be without even realizing it.
“I’m sorry?” Kun obviously had no context as for why you were laughing.
“I found his ship after he crashed and pulled him out of it. I found him,” you were still laughing as you explained, wiping at a stray tear that eked out. You didn’t know if it was from humor or misery at this point. “I literally told him ‘finders keepers’ talking about why he was staying at my apartment.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Oh…”
“Why was Jungwoo… so bad? When I brought him back?” You still needed some kind of answer. “You made it sound like you weren’t going to be able to help him at all.”
“Do you want to leave?”
“No.” You answered immediately. It was the same thing that made you get into his ship when it was taking off. Not imprinting, and not love… yet.
“I thought he was dying of a failed imprint,” Kun answered without hesitation.
“He can die from that?! And you were going to just let me leave?! Not just that, personally escort me out of the galaxy?! He’s your brother!” You shot to your feet, once again in utter disbelief at the conversation you were having.
“I never believed that you wanted to leave,” Kun replied simply. “I understand this is not entirely fair to you. But I do believe that you should understand the gravity of your situation. Again, he seems to be fine now.”
You ran a hand through your hair. “I mean—What the hell?! If we were to even like, be together in the future, if we had a fight he could die?! That’s fucking crazy!”
“No,” he reassured you. “The initial phases of an imprint are the rockiest. If it doesn’t take, a Galarii can die.”
“What causes it to… not… take?”
“Emotional turmoil, physical distance from the person they imprinted on, stress, any number of things.”
“But he’s fine now? You said he’s fine now?” You double-checked.
“Yes.”
“So it… took?”
“I believe so.”
“Okay, good.” You let out a sigh of relief.
Kun looked conflicted as he added, “I have a confession.”
You blinked at him. “…What now?”
“The injection I gave you, it wasn’t just for you,” he admitted. “I of course didn’t want you to be in pain, but for Galarii that have imprinted on non-Galarii, it’s been known for their physiology to sometimes mimic their non-Galarii partners. Johnny described to me how Jungwoo healed while on Earth and reacted differently to substances than he would have on Galaria. More human-like, from my understanding. And when he returned with a human…”
“That made you suspect that he had imprinted on me,” you finished. “But you injected me, not Jungwoo—And Jungwoo hates needles, and always knows where I am, so you thought he would’ve sensed me being in danger in his coma and woken up to protect me? Is that even how this thing works?”
“It’s not exact, what Jungwoo can sense… I doubt if I even injected you now, that he would know. Just, the feeling that something wasn’t right. An instinctual need to check on you.” Kun rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, his ears flushing red. “I wasn’t sure if he had told you, and if I was wrong about the imprint, that would’ve been—”
“A horrible situation for all of us to be in, yeah, I understand.” You stared out at the water, thinking about how the one that you were in didn’t seem much better in that moment.
“You two have both been through a lot. I’m sure you’ll come to understand each other.” The Galarii stood up. “I’m going to check on my brother. Take your time, Y/N.”
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“Y/N?” Dejun found you by the water again later in the day. He was carrying a tray of food, meaning that it must be dinnertime already. You hadn’t budged from your spot after your conversation with Kun earlier, thinking way too much about everything.
“Dejun, hey.” You held your chin up with the palm of your hand, still staring out at the water. “Nobody’s looking for me, are they?”
You didn’t specify who would be looking for you.
The aide approached, handing you a plate of food. “Jungwoo asked if you’re alright.”
“I wanted to give him and Kun time alone,” you fibbed. “You know, they’re brothers, it’s been a while since they’ve seen each other.”
“Kun had state matters to attend to, he took his dinner to his room.”
“Of course, right.” You nodded. “Dejun, can I ask you something? And feel free to tell me if it’s way too personal by Galarii standards.”
He arched an eyebrow curiously, but acquiesced nevertheless. “Sure.”
“Are you… Have you… imprinted on someone?”
He smiled just the tiniest bit, and shook his head. “No, not yet.”
“Okay, thanks.”
With that, Dejun nodded his head politely and took leave of the room. You could only eat a couple bites of the food before you let out a deep sigh and stood up. You found your way back to Jungwoo’s room easily, knocking at the open doorway hesitantly. He was sitting at the table eating, and you were happy to see that he was well enough to get out of bed.
Jungwoo looked over from his food, sitting up straighter when he saw that it was you. “Y/N.”
“Hey.” You gestured to the table with your full plate of food. “Mind if I join you?”
“Of course not.” He motioned to the chair across from him hurriedly.
You sat down, studying him under the lights as he went back to eating. “You look a lot better. Your iridophores… You look better.”
“Thanks.” He wiped his mouth. “I’m sorry for getting so upset earlier. I could’ve expressed my concerns in a more… productive way.”
“You just woke up from a coma, it’s understandable you weren’t all there,” you replied graciously. “Thank you.”
“Thank you for making sure I got back safe,” he said strongly, putting a hand on your forearm. “Kun told me what he knows, and I believe I’d be dead without you. Their sensors recognized that something that wasn’t Galarii had landed on the planet without permission, so they went out to investigate and found us. We landed in a snowstorm, and I was unconscious. If you weren’t with me, not only would they not have found us at all, but I would’ve frozen to death out there.”
“I was why you were dying in the first place, though,” you pointed out. He seemed to be at a loss for words, and you added, “You should have told me, Jungwoo. Back on Earth, you should’ve told me what was going on.”
“You’re right. You kept talking about wanting me to leave with good memories of Earth, I wanted to do the same, leave you with only good memories of me.”
“If you had really left me like that, I would’ve been worried sick for the rest of my life not knowing what happened to you,” you told him harshly. “And now that I know that you apparently were doing that knowing that you were just going to die… I don’t get it. I don’t get you, and I’m really trying to.”
“I’m sorry. I was wrong. You’re not so… careless. I don’t know how I could have ever thought that.”
You took another bite of food, listening to the sounds of both your breaths in the quiet air. “Could you hear me? When you were out? I-I was talking to you, I couldn’t do anything else, and it’s supposed to help humans who are in comas, so…”
“Nothing in particular, at least not that I can remember now.” Jungwoo shook his head, but there was still a pleased smile on his face. “But I don’t doubt that having you nearby helped.”
“So you also don’t know why you woke up?” You asked tepidly. “It wasn’t a… choice somehow?”
“I remember being on the ship on Earth with you, and then I woke up here. Everything in between… I don’t recall.”
“That’s okay.” You both had finished your meals, and you stood up from the table. “I should let you rest some more.”
Jungwoo surprisingly agreed to this, the exhaustion visible in his features. “I wish we could talk more…”
“Tomorrow,” you promised, offering your hand out for him to take. “We can eat breakfast together again.”
He stood up on shaky feet, and you shuffled back over to the bed with him, helping him back under the covers.
“Could you sit with me? Until I go to sleep?” He requested, gently grasping your hand.
“Of course.” You sat down on the edge of the bed, brushing a few stray pieces of hair out of his eyes.
“Your hands are even colder on Galaria, I think,” he commented, smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Well shit, maybe it’s the frozen tundra outside,” you retorted.
“I… don’t mind…” he hummed, his eyes fluttering shut.
“Sleep well, Jungwoo,” you murmured, stroking your thumb over the back of his hand.
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You ate breakfast with Jungwoo as promised, happy to take part in this one little thing with him again.
“How are you feeling?” You asked, sitting with him at the table. He was already there with two places set when you entered.
“Better than yesterday, not as good as tomorrow,” he told you brightly. “How did you sleep?”
“Good, good.” You continued watching him carefully as he ate. “You really feel better?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Then do you think… do you think it took?” You pushed some food around on your plate awkwardly. “Would you even know that?”
Jungwoo set his utensil down, easing back in his chair slowly. “Yes, I think it took. How does that make you feel?”
“I’m happy you’re okay,” you answered honestly. “The rest… Like I said, I’m trying to understand you, but I just don’t get it.”
“Ask me anything you’d like. Please.”
“I mean, doesn’t it seem unfair? That I’m apparently your soulmate, but you’re not mine?”
“Unfair to who? You or me?”
You faltered. “What?”
“I do understand how this would seem unfair to you—That I know that you’re my soulmate, but you don’t have that certainty about me,” he shook his head sorrowfully. “Yes, that must be terrible.”
“No, I meant unfair to you. You’re stuck with me. You don’t get a choice. But I do, I don’t have that sort of obligation to you,” you pointed out, shifting forward in your chair. “Doesn’t that make you… anxious?”
“Ah, I get it now.” Jungwoo nodded, a thoughtful look on his face as he too sat up. “Galarii find, humans pick. I wouldn’t want to take that choice away from you. I… understand now, how important it is to you. So, if you do pick me, that’ll be the happiest day of my life. And every day after that that you wake up and pick me again, will be the new happiest day of my life.”
He held his hand out on the tabletop between the two of you, palm up, a soft smile on his face as he looked at you. Not urging, not impatient. You knew he would withdraw it if you turned away.
“You’re really…” You kept looking between him and his hand, keeping your tone curious. “Finding was good enough for you?”
“Good enough?” He chuckled, not derisively but fondly. “It was even better than I imagined.”
“You were half-dead, when I pulled you out of that ship,” you reminded him.
“Yeah, I was.”
“Galarii find, humans pick,” you repeated. “Just like you wouldn’t want to take my choice away from me, it would be wrong to force a choice like that onto you… But isn’t inaction just as much of a decision?”
Jungwoo’s smile only grew. “If it is, it’s one that I already made. I hope you can respect that, just as I’ll respect whatever you choose to do.”
You placed your hand atop his, offering him a hesitant smile. “This is me choosing to try this out. Does that make sense?”
“Yes.” He squeezed your hand gently. “Thank you. Once I’m better I’ll take you home and take you on real dates there. I promise.”
“So Galarii date too? I thought you guys would’ve just gone straight to moving in,” you joked, taking a bite of your food.
“No. I watched movies with Taeyong and Doyoung,” he explained. “Galarii spend quality time with their mate, yes, but the concept of going on ‘dates’ like humans to figure out if you’re compatible… we don’t have anything quite like that.”
“Of course those two took you to some sappy romantic movies,” you snickered. “I don’t need any big romantic public gestures, Jungwoo. Falling out of the sky and almost dying twice was plenty, I swear.”
“Your friends all said something similar.”
“They were giving you tips on how to flirt with me?”
“Yes. It seemed they were aware that I cared for you in some way…”
You burst out laughing, covering your face in embarrassment. “Oh God, I’m so sorry about them. Forget everything they said, whatever it was.”
“So, carnations aren’t your favorite flower?”
“Hold on, that’s real advice, who told you that?”
“Taeyong.”
“Okay, you can trust whatever Taeyong told you, and probably Doyoung, and maybe Jaehyun,” you counted them off on your fingers. “But forget everything that anybody else told you.”
“I will,” he agreed with a chuckle. “Some of it didn’t seem like very sound advice anyway.”
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A couple days later, and Jungwoo was well enough to leave his room finally. The two of you walked around the house arm in arm, chatting about this or that.
“This is the longest I’ve been on Galaria in quite some time,” he mused.
“Kun said that you don’t stay for very long, so you don’t have your own place,” you said. “Don’t you get lonely? Not being around your friends or family?”
“Have you seen either of us have any visitors while you’ve been here? Aside from Dejun?”
“Well, no.”
“We don’t see other Galarii much during snow season,” he explained. “It’s less lonely out doing runs, actually. Interacting with customers, going to markets, busy cities… crash-landing on planets and being pulled from the wreckage by a beautiful human and her friends.”
“Smooth,” you giggled, bumping your shoulder into his as he smiled down at you. “But seriously, you guys don’t have tunnels connecting your homes or something?”
“Galaria’s crust is very thin compared to other rocky planets. We wouldn’t have the depth to build an elaborate system like that. At least not a very efficient one. Any transport that happens needs to be on the surface.”
“How do you all communicate during snow season then? Do you have phones too?”
“We have similar communication devices, yes.”
“How long is snow season?”
“Approximately half a Galarian year.”
You looked up at him curiously. “So what do you call the other half of the year, then?”
“We have two more seasons: Snowmelt, and newgreen.”
“I think I can guess what happens in each of those…” You joked.
“Do tell.”
“I think the snow melts, and then new green stuff grows.”
He chuckled fondly. “That’s the basics, yes.”
“But do you not have something between newgreen and snow season? Like a-a fall of some kind?” You were having a hard time wrapping your head around it. “We have four seasons for the most part: Spring, everything grows, kind of like newgreen I think; then in summer, it gets hotter but pretty much everything stays alive; then in fall it starts getter colder and things start dying off; then we have winter, and everything is dead or hibernating. Then it’s spring again and everything starts all over.”
Jungwoo listened with interest to your explanation before answering. “Snow season comes very rapidly each year. All the plants freeze at once in the first blizzard. There’s no time for a gradual decay like you’ve described.”
Your eyes widened. “Are you able to predict when the first blizzard is? Do you have like, meteorologists or something?”
“Yes, we’re able to narrow it down rather precisely and prepare.”
“And do most Galarii live alone like Kun?” You asked quietly. “I feel like if I was going to be stuck underground for half the year, unable to visit anybody, I might live with more than just one or two people.”
Jungwoo put a finger over his mouth, then nodded towards his room that the two of you had unwittingly looped back around to. He shut the door behind you, and you sat at the table together before he continued with your conversation, “Do you remember how I said my brother is controversial, not for any policies, but for something in his personal life?”
It felt like a lifetime ago, the first conversation you ever had. You nodded. “Yes.”
“Kun is very dedicated to his job.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“He doesn’t take many breaks, or attend social functions that are not required by his job, or, as you’ve pointed out, live with anybody except his aide and me, sometimes. Galarii typically do live in larger social centers during snow season. There’re no tunnels connecting these niches to each other, like I said before, but some can fit up to twenty or thirty people.”
“And you, Kun, and Dejun just have your own house,” you reiterated. “How would that make him so controversial that somebody would want to kill him?”
“Some Galarii see him as isolationist. Refusing to allow opportunities to find things. They believe it reflects poorly on his ability to lead.”
Your face screwed up with confusion. “But if you’re looking to find something, that’s no longer serendipity, that’s choice. That’s action. I thought the whole point was the inaction. Of you finding something when you weren’t looking?”
“Galarii have different interpretations of finder’s intuition, and what it means to ‘find’ something,” he sighed. “It’s a very small minority that see this as a flaw of his, but those that do feel very strongly about it.”
“Strong enough to try to kill him?” You felt like you were losing your mind trying to comprehend this.
“Apparently.”
You pinched the bridge of your nose before giving up. “You know what? Humans have definitely killed for much less; I don’t have any ground to stand on here.”
“That reminds me—I believe I’ll be well enough to take you home in two more days. I’m excited to show you my ship.”
“Really?” You focused him with a doubtful gaze. “I don’t want you pushing yourself for my sake, Jungwoo. I can wait.”
“Thank you. I assure you I’m being sincere. If I’m not at my best, that can pose a hazard to your safety.”
You sighed and put your head on his shoulder. “While I wish the reasons were a little more concerned for your wellbeing too, I appreciate the honesty.”
Jungwoo gently rested his head against yours. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Wanting me to live,” he said softly. “When you found me on Earth, when you brought me back to Galaria… Thank you.”
You picked your head back up to look at him incredulously. “What? Why would I want anything else? Why would I want you to die?”
“It’s very rare for Galarii to imprint on other species. And those who do, there haven’t been very many that take…”
“They died?”
“Yes.” He looked down at his hands, fidgeting with the material over his lap. “It’s even a common subject of Galarian stories. It’s… tragically romantic, to die so your mate can be happy with whoever they’re really in love with.”
You could feel the deep frown on your face as you listened to this. “But those are just stories. Characters live or die to explore narrative themes and emotions and societal concepts, not to be an example for real life.”
Jungwoo chuckled lightly, tracing a fingertip over one of the lines on your forehead, encouraging you to relax your face again. “That’s why I’m thanking you. You chose a different fate for me than the one I had accepted.”
“What did I say before, hm? Finders keepers,” you declared, grabbing his other hand. “You’re not going to die as long as I have something to say about it.”
“Immortality here I come,” he joked, caressing your cheek with the back of his fingers, then even lower, your jawline, your neck, until he picked up the transcoder from where it rested on your chest. He stared at it in wonder, as if it wasn’t his own piece of technology.
“You don’t mind, right?” You looked down at the pendant as well. “That I took your transcoder? I figured it would be easier for me to wear one than expect everyone else to…”
“No, of course not.” He dropped the jewelry again. “I’m just… very happy that it works for you.”
“Why wouldn’t it?”
“They have to be specially made for the Galarii who is going to wear it. Galarii can’t borrow each other’s transcoders.”
“Does it have something to do with the telepathy?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “I’ve never seen someone be able to wear someone else’s transcoder successfully.”
“Not even Galarii that imprint on each other?” You asked curiously, habitually gracing your own fingertips over the device.
“No, not even then.”
“Maybe it’s a human thing.”
“Maybe,” Jungwoo hummed noncommittally.
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Two Galarian days later, and you and Jungwoo were ready to go back to Earth.
“Thank you so much, Kun,” you hugged your host goodbye. “Please stay safe.”
He looked confused as he released you from the hug. “Aren’t I supposed to be telling you that?”
You patted his arm. “I mean it.”
“Very well,” he relented with a smile. “Thank you, and the same for you.”
After you and Dejun had exchanged your goodbyes, you saw that Kun and Jungwoo were still embracing, and stood off to the side to wait patiently. Kun seemed to be half-hugging and half-lecturing Jungwoo, cuffing him by the ear to pull him down to his height as he spoke on and on seriously, and Jungwoo nodded or gave a joking whine every so often.
“Kun’s older,” you leaned over to whisper to Dejun.
“You’re guessing?” The aide whispered back.
“You can call it a hunch, yeah.”
Finally, Kun let Jungwoo go, and he straightened up, fixing his clothes with the help of his brother. You and Jungwoo didn’t have very much in terms of luggage to take—Jungwoo kept his personal belongings on his ship, and you came with nothing but your clothes and your phone. Kun and Dejun had given you more appropriate outer layers for the tundra outside, as well as food and supplies for the flight back to Earth, but really your only souvenir was your now extraterrestrially-modified cellphone.
“Ready?” Jungwoo asked you, carrying the small knapsack of supplies on his back.
You pulled your goggles down over your face and gave him the best thumbs-up you could with the thick gloves you had on. “Ready!”
You caught just a glimpse of his eyes crinkling with a smile before he too put his goggles on. Jungwoo clasped your hand as Dejun reached out towards the smooth face of the front door. This time you were able to properly see as he touched his necklace to a small panel that reminded you of the buttons on their spaceships, and a small yellow glow emanated from where they connected. Then, the door slid aside, into the cavern wall. You and Jungwoo stepped out together, the door shutting silently behind you.
Keeping a tight hold to Jungwoo’s hand and arm, you followed him through the snow that had continued building up. There was none actively falling now, giving you a much clearer view of the lilac expanse above. Despite the sameness of the landscape, Jungwoo seemed to know exactly where he was going. You didn’t realize you had arrived anywhere specific until Jungwoo suddenly stopped at one specific hill, brushing aside some snow on a post. You couldn’t read the writing on it, but he seemed satisfied, pulling it down. A small hatch opened in the snow in front of you, and he quickly ushered you over to it. Gesturing for you to wait a moment, he dropped the pack down first, then climbed down after it. From the bottom, he waved you down. You slowly started lowering yourself down as well, Jungwoo waiting right there for you.
Buried under who knows how much snow, your eyes had to acclimate to the darkness again. You had found yourself in the rear of Jungwoo’s ship, and he closed the hatch back up after you before pulling you towards the cockpit at the front. It was a two-seater like the one that he had borrowed from Kun, but you could immediately tell there was a lot more of a personal touch to this one. It was sleeker, the controls looking newer than the other, and you saw the occasional knickknack, notepad, or even piece of clothing strewn about the cockpit. He moved a jacket that had been hanging off the co-pilot seat then gestured to it for you.
You sat down as Jungwoo started preparing the ship for takeoff, still thinking about the mounds of snow atop you. Taking your goggles and mask off like he had, you asked, “What about all the snow?”
“The energy generated from the ship’s reactors melts it by the time we take off,” he explained, continuing to flip switches and push buttons.
“Wow.” You watched him work with a practiced ease and focus.
Finally, he turned back around to you, leaning in close as he dug around in the seat for your seatbelt. He grinned as he buckled it up and tightened it for you. “Can’t forget—Precious cargo.”
You just shook your head and smiled as he laughed and sat in his own seat. After getting himself situated, you two were ready for takeoff.
Jungwoo looked over at you, offering his hand out to you. “Ready?”
You grabbed it, squeezing it tightly as you nodded. “Ready.”
“Let’s go!” He cheered, joyfully slamming his hand down on a button. A countdown started on the monitors and from the speakers, and this time you could understand the announcement. It counted down from 10, and on 1, the reactors changed from a thrum to a full-on blast, and like when you took off from Earth, the ground lurched out from under you again. You couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment when you left Galaria, though, only when the reactors cooled back down to a hum.
You looked back over to Jungwoo expectantly. He unbuckled himself, a bright grin on his face. “We’re out of Galarian space.”
“Cool,” you breathed out, looking around the ship with wide eyes.
The Galarii started unbuckling you as well, pulling you to your feet. “Come on, I’ve got to show you around my ship!”
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Maybe it was because you were in a different ship, maybe it was because you were no longer fearing for Jungwoo’s life, you couldn’t be sure, but the trip back to Earth felt a lot shorter than the trip to Galaria. This time, you directed Jungwoo to land on Johnny’s family farm just outside the city. Johnny’s parents were older and no longer kept livestock in one of the barns on the property, making it the perfect place to hide Jungwoo’s ship while it was there.
It was nighttime when you arrived, and Jungwoo effortlessly landed in the far-off field that you had been to many times when visiting Johnny’s grandparents growing up. He maneuvered into the open barn, and you were buzzing with excitement as he powered down the ship.
This time, he let you exit the hatch first, and you looked around eagerly, immediately spotting your two friends by the now-closed doors. You waved to Johnny and Jaehyun, sliding off the side of the ship to land easily on both feet.
“Johnny!” You exclaimed, throwing your arms around him first.
“Y/N, oh my God,” Johnny breathed out, crushing you to him so tightly the air was knocked from your lungs. “God damn it, kid, don’t do that again. Okay?”
“Okay, okay,” you coughed out your agreement, rubbing his back reassuringly.
“You’re late, you know that?” He continued scolding you even as he cradled the back of your head. “You said five days, we’ve been waiting here for two more days. I tried to call.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I tried to guess as best I could. The days must be more different than I thought,” you mumbled into his shirt. “My phone died when we were coming back. I’m sorry for worrying you. Thank you for waiting, John. Thank you.”
When he finally let you go, you were grabbed in a bear hug by Jaehyun. “I’m glad you’re okay, Y/N. We both are.”
“Thanks, Jae,” you let out a sigh of relief at being able to breathe a little better. “I missed you guys.”
“How are you doing, Jungwoo?” Jaehyun turned to the Galarii next. “Johnny said it sounded pretty bad, but you’re looking alright to me.”
Jungwoo nodded, the transcoder now dangling from his neck. “I’m healed now. Thank you, Jaehyun.”
“Good to hear, dude.” Jaehyun hugged him too. “Good to hear.”
“Thanks, Jungwoo.” Johnny offered his hand out for Jungwoo to shake. “I’m glad you pulled through. Really.”
“What did you tell your parents?” You asked Johnny nervously. “About the barn?”
“I said one of my friends was going to keep a boat here for a few days. Their knees aren’t good enough to come all the way out here, they won’t come looking.” He then looked at you pointedly, “You should make an appearance, Y/N. While you’re here.”
“Are they up now?”
He looked at his watch. “Yeah. Your parents are actually over right now.”
You grimaced. “Really?”
“Really.”
“So I get back from my destination bachelorette trip that I didn’t bother telling them about and have enough time to help move a boat into storage but not see my parents—Daughter of the year,” you muttered regretfully.
“You did this to yourself, kid.” Johnny patted you on the head.
“I know, I know.”
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Entering the Suhs’ living room where your parents were playing a game of cards, you went around to give everyone hellos, your parents first, then Johnny’s. Jungwoo was introduced as a friend of Johnny and Jaehyun’s, and lingered in the darkness by the doorway. Jaehyun had provided him a ballcap to help hide his iridophores in the shadows as much as he could as you tried to keep your conversations with your families short and quaint.
“When did you get back, Y/N?” Your mom asked.
“Earlier today—It’s been crazy, sorry I didn’t text you, Mom,” you immediately apologized, kissing her head quickly.
“We picked Y/N up from the airport and got distracted with the boat,” Jaehyun rescued you, flashing a charmingly dimpled smile at the parents. “Our bad, sorry, Mrs. Y/L/N.”
“Who is getting married?”
“Uhm, Chaeyoung.” You quickly picked a friend that you had met in college to guarantee that your mom didn’t know their parents and therefore wouldn’t try to congratulate anybody behind your back.
She nodded. “Ahh…”
“Whose boat did you say it was, Johnny?” Mr. Suh questioned his son next. “It’s not Yuta’s, is it?”
“Oh, he’s been talking about getting one since high school, hasn’t he?” Johnny’s mom laughed.
“Yep, it’s his,” Johnny nodded along.
Your dad appraised the four of you. “And he couldn’t even help you all?”
“Well, it’s mine too,” Jaehyun once again came in for the save. “We went in halfsies on it after my promotion. He was busy tonight, so I just went ahead and moved it.”
“Jungwoo, isn’t it?” Mr. Suh called out to the Galarii.
“Yes, sir.” He hastily gave a polite bow, fidgeting with the ballcap under the older man’s gaze.
“How did you get roped into their three-ring circus?”
“Yes, it’s better to stay out of the line of fire, especially where our kids are concerned,” your dad chuckled.
“I don’t mind helping, really,” Jungwoo replied, gaze hesitantly skittering over to you. You gave him an encouraging smile.
Johnny’s mom patted your cheek then. “I’m sure our Y/N must be tired after that trip. We’ll let you all go.”
“Thank you, Auntie,” you said appreciatively, giving her a kiss on the cheek as well as you tried to escape with the other guys.
Before you could fully retreat from the room, however, your mom caught your hand. The two mothers exchanged a look as they gestured for you to stoop down to their level. You obliged.
“Keep an eye on that new one, sweetie,” Mrs. Suh rather obviously pointed to Jungwoo even as she whispered.
“He couldn’t take his eyes off you this whole time,” your mom added, just as hushed as her friend.
“Goodbye, Auntie.” you purposefully ignored their statements, giving them final hugs and kisses goodbye. “Goodbye, Mom.”
As the four of you walked from the front door to Johnny’s waiting car far down the dirt driveway, Jungwoo sidled up to you.
“May I uh… May I know what that was about?” He asked quietly. “When they pointed at me?”
You giggled, stopping to pull on his shoulder and bring his ear down to you. “They were warning me about you. Said you couldn’t take your eyes off me.”
Jungwoo chuckled breathily. “An acute observation.”
“They said I should keep an eye on you.”
“That makes me sound dangerous.”
“Well—”
“Hey!” Johnny called out from the end of the drive, standing at his car and spinning his keys around his finger. “Are you done?”
“I’ve got class tomorrow!” Jaehyun added, though the teasing was apparent in his tone.
“Coming!” You chirped back, starting down the driveway again.
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Johnny easily navigated back to your apartment, drumming his thumbs on the steering wheel to the melody playing over his speakers. He finally broke the peaceful quiet in the car as your building was approaching.
“So how long are my parents going to be housing the boat?” He asked dryly.
“Oh, uhm,” you and Jungwoo looked at each other uncertainly. “I’m not sure yet. A few days, maybe more. Is that okay?”
“That’s fine. Just let me know when he’s going back.”
“Right. Yeah.”
He put the car in park and got out to give you one more hug on the sidewalk in front of your building. Your friend let out a deep breath with you still in his arms. “I’m really glad you’re back, Y/N. I’m serious.”
“I know, John,” you replied, hugging him back. “Thank you.”
Waving to Jaehyun through the window, you and Jungwoo headed inside. Thankfully, you hadn’t missed your rent payment while you were gone, so you still had an apartment to go back to. Looking at the day on your phone, you realized that you’d normally have work tomorrow.
“I wonder if I’ve been fired,” you snickered to yourself, closing your front door behind Jungwoo. He looked back at you, clearly worried, but you waved his concern off. “I hated that job anyway.”
The Galarii peered out past your curtains at the full moon in the sky. “It’s late. You should get some rest.”
“I’m not tired,” you admitted. “I think Galarian days are longer or something.”
“Do you remember what you were going to say? In the driveway at Johnny’s parents’ home?”
“Hm? Oh, when you were asking me about what our moms said?” You stretched your arms above your head. “You were confused because they made your interest in me sound dangerous. You almost died because of it, why are you confused about that?”
“I understand how it can be dangerous to me, but that doesn’t happen to you.” He stepped closer to you, cocking his head in confusion.
You sat down on your couch, gesturing for him to sit with you. “To humans, it still can be. Falling in love with the wrong person, exposing yourself like that. It can get you hurt, physically or emotionally. Sometimes they’re a bad person, or sometimes you’re both good people with the right intentions, but it still goes wrong.”
Jungwoo’s eyes widened. “And you still choose to do this? Over and over?”
“Yes, we do,” you laughed. “What other choice do we have?”
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In the late afternoon, after you and Jungwoo had finally woken up and eaten breakfast, you went out for a walk at the seaside. Taking a deep breath in, you reveled in the feeling of the warm rays of sun on your skin again.
“Look at that blue sky,” you beamed up appreciatively. “Actually, I think I’m just happy to see any sky again.”
“Really?” Jungwoo prompted you.
“After being underground for so long? Yeah, being in a wide-open space feels good.” You did a big spin with your arms open. The beach was relatively empty in the middle of the week with most everyone at work. “Don’t get me wrong, it was cool to see where you’re from.”
“I like it here too,” he agreed with a smile as you returned to his side, lacing your fingers with his.
“The guys want to get dinner later, by the way,” you informed him. “They’re also happy you’re not dead.”
“That’s kind of them.”
Up ahead was a familiar area of damaged palm trees and brush, slowly beginning to grow back. You pointed to it with a grin, “Look, it’s where we met.”
Jungwoo squinted against the sun, looking at the foliage with interest. “It is?”
“Yep. Looks a bit different in the daytime, huh? And without a spaceship in it?”
“And I don’t think we ever approached it from this side.”
“And there’s no cops.” You pointed out a nearby firepit as you passed it. “That’s where we were all hanging out when you crashed. We thought you were a shooting star at first. Hyuck told everyone to make a wish.”
“Is that a human custom?”
“Superstition, yeah. You’re supposed to make a wish on a shooting star.”
“What did you wish for?”
You grinned. “If you tell, your wish isn’t going to come true.”
“Ah, I see. My apologies.”
“But mine already came true, so there’s no harm in saying, I think.”
Jungwoo looked at you curiously as you continued.
“I wished for something interesting to happen,” you admitted with a knowing smirk. “And the interesting things haven’t stopped since.”
He burst into laughter, halting your leisurely stroll as he clutched his stomach. “S-Seriously?”
“Seriously.” You began listing them off on your fingers, “Alien spaceship crashing right next to us, alien inside spaceship being almost dead, alien declaring I’m his soulmate, alien almost dying again, going to alien’s home planet to keep him from dying, alien getting better and taking me back to Earth. Been pretty interesting.”
He was still laughing, squatting down to try to compose himself.
“So maybe it wasn’t an assassination attempt that made you crash,” you said humorously. “Maybe it was my super powerful wish.”
“But-But I was already crashing when you made that wish,” he pointed out through giggles. “You used my-my crashing spaceship to make your wish.”
“Ah, technicalities.”
Jungwoo stood up on shaky feet, and you offered him your hand to steady him. “I’m starting to think that human choice is a more powerful force than gravity.”
“Really?”
“Or at least your choices.”
You sighed, grabbing his face with two hands to look him in the eye. “Jungwoo, you can’t just say shit like that.”
“Why not?” He asked, eyes carefully watching your expression.
“Because you just called me a cosmic force and that’s definitely the most romantic thing anybody’s ever said to me.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Because it makes me want to kiss you stupid on this public beach.”
His breaths trembled in the space between you. “There’s nobody here.”
“You make some good points.” You wrapped your arms around his neck, stopping before your lips met. “Jungwoo.”
“Hm?” His hands had settled on your waist, where they had been when you were dancing together.
“Is this okay? Can I kiss you?”
He swallowed, his eyes on yours as he hurriedly nodded. “Yes.”
You didn’t need to be told twice, slotting your mouths together finally. Jungwoo let out a hum of delight in the back of his throat, the curl at the corner of his lip apparent. His smile only continued to grow with each passing moment as you made good on your promise, bringing a hand around to cup his cheek.
When you dropped back onto flat feet again, he was standing there with a dazed, content smile on his face. His iridophores were no longer just glinting in the sun, they were fully pulsing with a soft, glowing light from under his skin, like a little heartbeat. You reached a hand up towards his cheek, and he stayed still as you traced over them in fascination. After a few moments, the glow faded away, and they were back to their normal reflective state.
“What was that?” You whispered breathlessly. “Are you okay—”
“I’m great,” he promised, taking one of your hands and kissing the back of it. “They’ll do that sometimes. When I’m really happy.”
“God, okay,” you relaxed. “It was like I really did have a fallen star in my hands.”
“If you say something romantic back, does that mean I get to kiss you stupid?”
“This is a concerning precedent I’ve set, isn’t it?”
“It’d only be fair.” He pouted.
You looked around, finding the beach still vacant of other patrons. “Alright, alright.”
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After getting dinner with your friends, you and Jungwoo declined any rides offered, taking the long way back to your apartment.
“The guys were happy to hang out with you again,” you said brightly.
“Yes, it was nice to see them all,” Jungwoo replied.
“I can’t believe Hyuck asked you if you had tentacles though, honestly,” you shook your head. “He needs to keep that between him and incognito mode.”
“I take it he wasn’t being scientifically rigorous?”
You snorted, “No.”
You looked up at the navy blue sky, dotted with so few stars.
“What does the night sky look like on Galaria?” You asked Jungwoo. “I didn’t see it while we were there.”
“Many more stars,” he answered quietly. “I think because we don’t have any permanent light fixtures on our surface.”
“Ah, no light pollution. Must be nice.”
“It is.”
There was a comfortable lull in conversation, cars passing by and the distant sounds of city life continuing around you.
“You said once that you wouldn’t be happy behind a desk now that you knew that aliens existed,” Jungwoo recalled. “Since you’ve been to space and have come back home… Do you feel the same? Do you want to stay here?”
You tilted your head back and forth as you thought, still looking up at the stars. Finally, you answered, “While I was on Galaria, I needed to come home, to make sure everyone knew I was okay. And now that I’ve done that, I keep thinking about what we could’ve done on that trip if you hadn’t been, you know, dying.”
His voice was guarded as he prompted, “So you…”
“So if you’re asking me to come with you, Jungwoo, the answer is yes.” You looked over at him knowingly.
“Oh!” His iridophores were glowing again as he wrapped his arms around you tightly, vibrating with energy. “There’s so many places I can take you! You’ll love Irwon, and the lagoons in Til-Wyn, and I need to check that the Nightbringer’s Festival hasn’t happened yet!”
“Sounds like a date,” you grinned, hugging him back. “Several, actually.”
“And we’ll come back to Earth whenever you want. Say the word, and we’ll come right back for you to stay and see your loved ones for as long as you wish.”
“Thank you.” You took his hands as he let you go, catching his eye to tell him sincerely, “And I want to learn Galarii, too. So we can actually communicate, without one of us wearing your transcoder. Even if I speak with a silly human accent because I’m missing a flap or whatever.”
On top of the pulsing iridophores, you saw Jungwoo’s eyes get misty, a tear spilling over on one cheek as he was absolutely beaming down at you.
“Jungwoo are you crying?” You asked in disbelief, wiping at it with your thumb as another fell from his other eye.
“I think I am, yes,” he nodded, feeling at his damp undereyes.
“Tears of joy, I hope?” You continued dabbing at his cheeks as you tried to comfort him through his apparently bewildering situation.
“Do humans do that?”
“Sometimes, yeah.”
He smiled and nodded. “Then yes, that must be it.”
“Oh God, come here.” You pulled him back into your arms. “Seriously, what am I going to do with you?”
He sniffled, then supplemented, “Keep me?”
You giggled and pressed a kiss to cheek, right on his glowing iridophores. “I guess so. Finders keepers, after all.”
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⇢ masterlist
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TAGLIST
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