The glint of gold, embossed letters pressed deeply into the thick paper of the invitation shouldn’t feel like a slap across the face. It’s not like you the arrival of the invitation is a surprise. You’ve been dreading the arrival of the invitation with the same dread you often feel at approaching exam dates or assignment deadlines. The date on the invitation is even marked with a red circle on the little calendar on your desk, the one with different pictures puppies playing in meadows for each month. 

With a sigh, you slip the invitation back into its envelope and let it drop onto the counter as you step into the kitchen with the rest of your mail. 

Nayeon is lying upside-down on the couch in the living room, her legs kicked over the back of it and her head hanging over the edge near the floor. 

“Did you bring the mail in?” She asks, her face slightly red from the exertion of hanging upside down, yet she also makes no move to fix her position. 

“Yeah.” You answer, in what you hope is a dismissive, indifferent tone. Alas, Nayeon often picks the worst of times to be observant- she hones in on weakness with the same accuracy of a hawk spotting prey. She lifts her head to glare pensively at you. 

“What’s wrong?” She demands. And then she even straightens her position so that she’s sitting correctly on the couch. With a sigh, you recognise the futility of denial- she’d merely walk over to you and spot the set of three invitations lying on the kitchen counter. No, it’s far simpler to just come clean. 

“The invitations for the Finishing Dinner for the intergalactic exchange students arrived.” You admit. 

Something akin to sympathy flashes in Nayeon’s eyes. 

Even though he extended his exchange, it was still just that; an exchange. Eventually Taehyung would have to go home to his own planet. It’s a truth all of you have been dutifully avoiding. Unfortunately, at some point an entire year had slipped through your fingers like water through a sieve. Taehyung had seamlessly blended into your everyday life, to the point it had felt like he would always be there. And yet, now the end of both his tertiary studies and his exchange looms near. 

He’s not the only alien to have participated in the exchange, and since the whole exchange program was just an opportunity for universities and fancy politician to laude their generosity and the goodwill between planets, they have to mark the end of the successful first year of the exchange program with a big celebration. Taehyung had already notified you that the three of you would receive invitations. 

“So he’s really going back, then?” Nayeon wonders. “He hasn’t said anything about staying here?”

You shrug, shuffling towards the sink to wash your hands and begin preparations for dinner. 

“From the start he was only staying for the exchange.” You remind her. Her gaze tracks your movement as you edge towards the fridge to examine the ingredients. You always stock up on silken tofu, since that seems to be Taehyung’s favourite source of protein, and there’s some veggies that are beginning to look a little limp that you should probably cook today before they’re inedible. 

“Yeah, but he likes it here so much. I’m not sure he’d even last thirty seconds back on his home planet without you to hold his hand and wash his hair for him. He might as well stay.” She sighs with an eye roll. You allow yourself a quick, resentful glare that she returns with a satisfied smile. 

“I’ve never washed his hair for him.” Is the protest you offer. She shrugs. 

“Only because he’s not smart enough to ask.” She points out. But then her gaze sharpens into something that is entirely too probing for you to be comfortable. “You’d do anything for him, after all. Don’t think I haven’t noticed that.”

You don’t know how to answer that; you’re afraid of the potential truth in them, so you avoid her words by letting the apartment fill with the sound of the knife hitting the chopping board. The sound is perhaps a bit louder than usual. 

“You could ask him to stay, you know.” She says. The words are soft, and gentler than her usual, brusque tone. There’s a kindness in them that you didn’t know Nayeon was capable of. “The worst he can do is say no.”

It’s a simple enough solution. Just ask. He can say yes or no, and that will be the end of it. 

It’s been the same, simple solution for the past few months. Just ask- tell him your feelings. He can reject or accept them. 

Sometimes, you think he’d return them. He gazes at you with round, admiring eyes and hints of colour on his cheeks. He wears a dazzling smile that never fails to take your breath away, a rich, precious adornment like a diamond necklace. 

But every time, the words choke in your throat. The truth is this; you’re a coward and woefully inexperienced in the ways of love. You barely know how to date a human, let alone an alien. Any time you think you can gather the courage, it’s quickly squashed by doubts; the temporary nature of his exchange, the incredible distance between his planet and yours, the way his family would strongly oppose… on and on the list stacks up, and now here you are, close to the end of his exchange with nothing to show for it but a battered ego and a crush the size of Jupiter.  

“I couldn’t ask that.” You confess at last with a sigh. “It would put him in such an awkward position.” 

Nayeon simply shakes her head, clicking her tongue in disapproval. 

“Ok, fine.” She says. “I won’t push it. But since we’re on the topic of his farewell, Namjoon bought him a succulent to take back with him as his good-bye gift and wants us to pass it on on his behalf. Do you think you could pick it up tomorrow? I know you were going to be in the area anyway.” 

With a relieved sigh, you accept her request. 

And maybe, were you not so relieved at the subject change, you might have noticed the glint in Nayeon’s eye, the one that always signals she’s up to something. 

++

The next morning, you’re a little too frazzled to think much of Namjoon’s sudden departure from town. 

It’s a home emergency, his text had dutifully explained. But I left the plant next to the elevator. It’s supposed to be a surprise gift though so don’t tell him it was from me.

Distractedly, you pull into the parking lot of Namjoon’s apartment complex. 

“Sorry, Tae.” You say, over the phone. “I’m just in the middle of an errand.” 

“It’s fine. It’s my error for not remembering to bring my presentation.“ he assures you on the other end. You jump out of your car, racing for the elevator that proudly declares “block B”, the section of building that Namjoon’s apartment is housed in, and sure enough a little potted plant sits next to the lift, a takeaway bag nearby. 

It’s actually not a plant you’ve seen before. For a moment, it almost seems fake- the stiff, elongated leaves are lined with what you initially think is just gold paint, but closer inspection reveals something far more intricate and mystifying- sparkling gold veins lace through the body of the thickened leaves. 

A quick glance at your watch reveals you don’t have time to spare. You leave it in the passenger seat and quickly scramble into your car, taking off at a pace that is faster than necessary. You’d agreed to pick up the plant Namjoon had intended to pass on to Taehyung on the way to your dentist appointment that morning, only for Taehyung to ring in a panic that he’d forgotten the hard drive that stored his presentation. It would be one of the final ones he would be giving on this exchange and was kind of a big deal, and so you’d grabbed said device on your way out the door when Taehyung had called you close to tears that morning. 

He’s waiting on the curbside at the drop-off-pickup zone of the university parking. You had been planning to just pass his device through the window and then head straight for your dentist appointment afterwards, but when Taehyung leans through the window, he spots the plant in your passenger’s seat. 

A funny expression crosses his face that you don’t have the time or presence of mind to dissect. 

“What’s that?” He demands, before you can pull away. He hovers, half hanging in your passenger seat. Urgently, your eyes flick to your car’s clock. The dentist’s appointment is a twenty minute drive away and you’re already running late. You grab the plant and shove it at him, hoping to kill two birds with one stone. 

“It’s yours.” You say. Eyes wide, he accepts it, gazing down at it in disbelief. 

“What? From who?” He asks and if you weren’t so preoccupied with the way that the clock in your car warns you of your looming cancellation fee, you’d have questioned the way he’s utterly flabbergasted as he gazes upon the plant. 

As it is, you only just barely manage to remember Namjoon’s request. 

“Just accept it.” You say as he pulls back, and you take the opportunity to pull away from the curb. “I’ll see you at home!” You cry through the open window. 

Taehyung stares at your car as you pull away, hands trembling around the base of the pot, jaw gaping.

++ 

After the dentist appointment, things are weird between you and Taehyung. 

You’re not sure what triggered it. You’d come home with that dentist-fresh feeling and cheerfully asked him if he’d wanted to watch a movie. 

He’d acted like you’d asked if he could hand over his first-born and had scrambled out of the living room with a desperation reserved for escaping when Nayeon asked him to take the garbage. You’d barely caught his stammered excuse before the door to his bedroom slammed aggressively behind him. 

Bewildered, you’d left him to his own devices and watched the movie on your own, thinking that Taehyung was just in a mood. 

Only, it kept going. He avoids outings he’d normally beg to be invited along to and any attempts to initiate conversation on your end are met with similar results to that first night. You try to leave things be, at first, until a quick glance at the calendar one morning reveals that the Finishing Dinner is only a mere week away. 

It hits you, abruptly, that your time left with Taehyung has dwindled into almost nothing and you don’t even know why. 

Nayeon, shuffling out of the bathroom, is unfortunately the one to catch your crestfallen expression. 

“Everything ok?” She wonders, shuffling closer. You catch the scent of her minty toothpaste as she yawns. 

Normally Taehyung is clamouring to get into the bathroom after Nayeon’s extensive and absurd morning skin care routine, but he’s been nowhere to be found in the mornings as of late. 

“Have you noticed Taehyung’s been acting weird, lately?” You wonder aloud. 

Interest sharpens Nayeon’s drowsy expression and something dangerously close to a grin plays across her mouth. 

“I have. You should definitely ask him about it.” She offers cheerfully, before shuffling off towards her room to finish getting ready for the morning. 

Suspicion takes root in your chest. Likely, if you know Nayeon at all, she is the cause behind Taehyung’s behaviour and any questioning of him will no doubt end with complete and utter mortification on your part. 

But…. The calendar seems to mock you, the small gap between the current crossed-off date and Taehyung’s nearing departure date seems to be shrinking with each passing moment. 

With a sigh, you resolve to talk to Taehyung as soon as possible, lest you waste any more of the precious time you have left with him. 

++

Of course, it’s easy to say that you plan to talk to Taehyung, but he’s the one avoiding you and he’s surprisingly successful at it. Somehow, he evades you until the night before the Finishing Dinner. After, there’s only so long he can avoid being alone with you when you’re the primary chef in your home. Nayeon has, for once, been obediently following the cooking roster, but on this particular night she messages you begging for a swap. Sighing, you don’t plan to agree until the friend you had plans with that evening messages you to cancel, citing a flu as the reason.

You’re idly staring at the shelves of your fridge, running through recipes in your head when Taehyung staggers in. He stares at you with a slack jaw and wide eyes, the very picture of bewilderment. His skin flushes an interesting shade of purple and he turns around abruptly, hiding his expression from you. 

“I-I thought you’d be home late. You were supposed to be having a dinner with your friend.” He stammers. It’s certainly what you’d messaged the group chat when the three of you had been planning the chores roster earlier in the month. 

“She cancelled.” You say with a shrug. You don’t mean for your words to come out as clipped and as short as they do. But the truth is, your feelings are hurt. You’re confused and upset and as if saying goodbye to Taehyung wasn’t bad enough, you’re now navigating this mysterious fight without even knowing what you’ve done wrong. 

Taehyung shoulders bunch together and he drops his head a little, the picture of misery. 

“Um, I’ll eat in my room.” He mumbles. He goes to walk away, towards his bedroom door, and then pauses. It takes you a moment to realise it’s because you’re gripping his arm. You glance down and surprise and release him. 

“Don’t go.” You say, before you can think better of it. He turns to you, a frown upon his face and there’s something imploring in his eyes. 

“I…” he begins, and you shake your head, interrupting him. If you’ve upset him, that’s ok, but you can’t apologise if you don’t know what’s wrong, and he needs to tell you. Sitting down and speaking is the only way to get through this. 

“Please.” You say simply. 

He looks at you for a moment, and the expression on his fece is nothing short of agonised. Finally, he takes a brief nod, and steps back into the kitchen. 

He helps you prepare dinner, just like he always does when it’s your night to cook, although the night is absent of the usual chatter he fills the space with. 

It’s halfway through your meal that you can’t bear the silence any longer. 

“Did I do something wrong?” You ask. He flinches, a fork halfway through his mouth. A string of pasta slips off it and lands on his plate with a soft splat. Nervous, dark eyes flick to you and then back to his plate. 

“No. No, of course not.” He says finally, daring to gaze across the dining table at your from beneath his fringe. He purses his lips awkwardly and then ducks his head. 

“Then why are you-“ you start, but your mouth dries out. It takes a deep breath to compose yourself before you are able to force out your next question. “Why are you doing this?”

To your surprise, when Taehyung looks up again, he looks even more distraught than you feel. He takes a deep, shaky breath and light blue lines the lower rings of his eyes, the beginnings of tears. 

“Because I need time!” He blurts. “It’s all so overwhelming. I have a few days until the exchange has its completion and I have to have a complete final thesis and I have to work out what I’m going to do when I end my studying! It’s so much and I can’t make huge choices like this under pressure!”

You fall silent, startled at the emotion in his voice, and shocked by the sheer depth of Taehyung’s misery. In all your worrying over your own feelings and desire to confess, you hadn’t thought about how Taehyung might feel regarding the end of his exchange. You’d just assumed he’d been avoiding you because of something you’d done, and you’d never considered that maybe Taehyung just needed some space. He’s so extroverted normally that you’d forgotten that even extroverts need that sort of thing.

Dropping your head, you allow the mortification to wash over you, and then you abruptly stand, plate in hand. 

“I think I’ll eat dinner in my room.” You say. Taehyung makes no move to stop you as you quickly make your escape, and when you later exit to clean your dishes, he’s cleaned the kitchen and is locked away in his own bedroom. 

You allow yourself one hurt sigh, gazing at his shut bedroom door in abject misery, before returning to your task at hand. 

You can give him time, you suppose. You just wish there was more to spare.

++

In the interest of giving Taehyung the space he needs, you get ready for the Finishing dinner at Jungkook’s place. The whole time, Jungkook whines that you’re hogging the mirror and when you step aside to allow him to use it, he just flicks his hair and grins as his reflection and then shuffles out. The cycle repeats about three or more times as he gets dressed, and you’re sufficiently cranky by the time you clamber into the passenger seat of his car. 

“So,” he asks you conversationally, and maybe you would have been in a talking mood two hours ago, but certainly not now. “Have you thought about what you’re going to do about Tae? Doesn’t he leave in two days? Are you really not going to tell him how you feel?”

You shoot Jungkook a sufficiently dirty look and he laughs. 

“He asked for space. So I’m giving it to him.” You say shortly. You’re not surprised that Jungkook is aware of your feelings- keeping secrets is not a skill of Nayeon’s. What’s more surprising is that it’s not splashed on the front page of the morning newspaper given her normal proclivity for gossip. 

Jungkook’s brow furrows. 

“Why did he ask for space? He had a year to ask for space- and he does this two days before he has to leave?” He wonders. You shrug- you’ve asked yourself that and more over the last 24 hours. Why? What triggered this? Why now? But you’ve come up with no answers, and are instead left in this awful

limbo of confused feelings and uncomfortable pining. 

“Can we talk about something else?” You ask softly. 

Jungkook, to your surprise, offers you a warm smile, something gentle and understanding. You’d never thought him capable of it. 

“Of course.” He agrees, and your conversation shifts to more cheerful topics with his guidance. 

By the time you pull into the venue, your mood is significantly improved. You manage some cheerful small talk with one of the alien administrators who facilitated the exchange over a glass of champagne and you pose obediently for photos for Nayeon’s instagram.  You even manage to keep your face neutral when you see that your assigned seat is beside Taehyung. You’re not sure why you expected any different, but if your smile becomes a bit more strained, no one comments on it. 

Taehyung is already seated when you make your way to your seat. He’s midway through a conversation with one of his university classmates when his gaze lands on you. 

The slight smile slides off his face as he tracks your progress through the function room, but you can’t quite name the emotion on his face- nervous? Apprehensive? It’s a sort of queasy smile. 

You’ve braced yourself for a confrontation by the time you reach your seat, so when Taehyung leaps to his feet and pulls your seat out for you, you freeze mid-step. It’s… not the reaction you were expecting, for sure. For someone who had pleaded for some space the night before, he certainly doesn’t seem to want any tonight, settling back into his seat with a beam and even tugging his seat just that little bit closer to yours as he introduces you to his companion. 

The friend he’s introducing you to is chatty and too enthusiastic for you to slip in an interrogation about Taehyung’s sudden change in behaviour. You feel like you want to burst out of your skin- the urge to demand what he means by this strange hot-and-cold behaviour burns on the tip of your tongue. 

Particularly when he slides his forearm across the back of your seat, like he’s your boyfriend, lounging in that familiar, comfortable way that only intimate partners do, although he carefully avoids brushing the skin exposed by your low-backed dress with his knuckles. 

That behaviour continues throughout the night. He acts like the last week hasn’t happened, instead slipping back into that familiar, casual intimacy that had existed between the two of your for the last few months now. 

To say you’re confused is an understatement, and when he dares to slide his hand over yours like he wants to hold it, you whirl on him. 

“Can we talk?” You grit out between clenched teeth. He looks a little startled, before smiling, that same dazzling smile he always has. 

“Of course.” He agrees warmly, and it’s almost absurd how affectionate his tone is considering how he’s been acting the last week- considering what he requested of you the night before. 

You pretty much stalk outside, finding a quiet unoccupied balcony, and you whirl on him. 

“What are you doing?” You demand, as soon as he allows the glass door to swing shut behind him. He leans back a little, hands held up placatingly. 

“You’re upset.” He observes. 

“Of course I’m upset!” You explode in bewilderment. Normally, Taehyung is sensitive and understanding, in tune with your emotions in a way that no one else is. You’re baffled and exhausted by this out of character behaviour. 

He nods, smiling awkwardly. 

“I know it took me some time,” he says, as if this is a comfort or explanation for his confusing behaviour. “But I had trouble having a decision. But I’ve decided now.” 

He waits for a beat. 

“I accept.” He announces, like he’s handing over the nobel prize. 

There’s a beat of silence, so thick that even cricket chirps couldn’t pierce it. 

“What?” You ask. He blinks, some of his confidence leeching away- his brows furrow too. 

“I accept.” He repeats. 

Sometimes Taehyung struggles with syntax and word choice- likely this is one of those times, and while normally you’re an expert at puzzling out the true meaning behinz his words, this time you’re at a complete loss. 

“You accept?” You echo. Taehyung is beginning to become uneasy, shifting back and forth. His hands start to fidget with each other. He nods. 

“Is that the wrong word?” He asks. He taps his finger against his chin as he searches for the term. “I will?” He tries, and you shake your head. “I do?” 

Now you’re well and truly baffled, and he starts to look a little fearful. He steps towards you, urgency lacing into the tense lines of his body. 

“Did I… take too long? Do you no longer want to?” He asks, and his voice is gentle but cautious. You want to be mad, but you’re beginning to realise that something is going on beyond your comprehension. 

“Do I no longer want to what?” You finally say. 

“Your proposal! I accept it!” He finally gasps out. “Did you change your mind?” 

“Proposal?” You echo, absolutely dumbfounded. 

“SURPRISE!” Nayeon shouts, the glass door flying open with and alarmingly loud clatter. The two of you whirl on her- she has a little party popper in her hand that’s she’s released in a little burst of confetti and beside her Jungkook has a little piece of paper that says “Congrats on finally dating!”

To say you’re confused is an understatement. Your gaze flicks from Taehyung, who suddenly looks like he may keel over, all the colour drained from his face, to Nayeon, grinning impossibly bright like she’s just won the lottery, to Jungkook, who seems to be the only one catching on to the mood on the balcony. 

Slowly, as the silence extends, the smile slides off Nayeon’s face. She looks at Taehyung, paler by the minute. Then she looks at you. 

“You didn’t… confess?” She asks. 

That’s when it finally clicks. 

Proposal. Like proposal of marriage. Taehyung…

He… 

He thinks you… 

He thinks you proposed to him?!?

Instantly, you grab at Nayeon, snatching the empty party popper out of her hand, because you just know that she’s somehow responsible for this mess.

“You have thirty seconds to explain Nayeon.” You order her, your tone lethal. She winces and scratches awkwardly at the back of her neck. 

“Well, I knew you wouldn’t ever confess on your own…” she admits. “And there was so little time left before Taehyung went home! So, I thought I’d take matters into my own hands… that flower, that Namjoon asked you to give Taehyung?”

You remember the flower in question, and recall that you’d given it to Taehyung about a week ago, the same day he started ignoring you. 

“I saw on google that it’s how people on his planet confess! So I thought I’d help you out. I blackmailed Namjoon into getting you to give it to Taehyung so that it would look like you gave it.” She confesses. She looks at Taehyung. “I wasn’t being mean. You were supposed to think she was confessing and admit you liked her too!”

Taehyung, interestingly, has turned a fascinating shade of purple. He looks between the three of you, swaying on his feet, before he finally chokes out his response. 

“It’s not a confession flower.” He gasps. His gaze looks at you and you think he’s almost glowing in the meagre light. Nayeon’s brow furrows in the same moment he explodes with the phrase “It’s a proposal flower!”

For the third time that night, complete and utter silence follows. 

“A proposal… flower?” Nayeon echoes. Taehyung nods deliriously, on the verge of tears. 

“It is given as a gift of bethrothal! To request marriage! Like a diamond ring!” He cries. And then again the colour drains from his face, leaving him deathly white. “It… it wasn’t from you?” 

It’s taking you a minute to puzzle through the convoluted web you’re faced with. Slowly, you shake your head. 

“No.” You say. “Namjoon asked me to give it to you and to keep it secret. He wanted it to be a surprise.”

Taehyung, to his credit, manages to stay upright, but his posture wobbles as though a mere breeze will knock him over. 

“Then… you didn’t propose?” He asks. It’s starting to dawn on you, what has happened. Namjoon’s mysterious absence the morning you were meant to deliver the plant- Taehyung’s expression when you’d shoved it in his arms. The way he’d avoided you for a week after- the way he’d pleaded with you for some time. He’d even said it the night before, hadn’t he? That he needed time before making huge choices. You’d thought he was just struggling with the end of his exchange and tertiary studies. But he’d actually meant marriage- he’d thought you’d proposed and he had been trying to decide how to answer amidst all the other things he had to deal with in the final week of his exchange. 

And he’d…. Decided to accept? He’d thought you’d proposed and his answer was to say he accepted?

“No.” You say faintly. “I didn’t.” 

The words are barely out of your mouth before Taehyung is scrambling back through the glass doors, pushing past Nayeon and fleeing through the function room like his life depends on it. 

Nayeon, and Jungkook, to their credit, say nothing as they watch Taehyung tear through the function room with an almost inhuman speed. 

“Well.” Nayeon says quickly, attempting to step back through the glass. “Glad we got that sorted. Guess we’ll be going then-“ 

You fold your arms, smiling menacingly at her, and she cuts off her word. 

“You guys have thirty seconds to run, before I murder you.” You say cheerfully, and it’s the only warning the two of them need before they take off as well, racing through the function room at a similar speed to Taehyung, leaving you to clean up the huge mess they’ve just created. 

Still… you let them go, with the echo of a smile on your face. 

They had meant well, after all.

++

Taehyung has never been so mortified in his life. 

He sits in his room, his suit crumpled and his blazer discarded. He hugs his knees to his chest and buries his face in his folded arms. The darkness there is soothing, somehow. He wishes he could stay there forever, to dissolve into oblivion. 

A gentle knock at his door interrupts his brooding. He looks up to see you step cautiously through the door. You’ve abandoned your heels, but you’re still wearing that dress that makes you look stupidly pretty. He’d already decided he was going to accept your proposal when he’d woken up this morning, the memory of your confused, hurt face fresh in his mind, and then you’d stepped into the function room earlier that night and he’d been lost. Washed away in a tidal wave- you’re the most beautiful person he’s ever seen in his life, on both planets, and he’s madly in love with you. This whole stupid week he’d known what his answer was, that he’d accept your proposal in a heartbeat, but he knew he had to be rational. To think things through. 

Except, you hadn’t really proposed, had you?

“Come to be mocking?” He asks, and his throat is uncomfortably raw. He knows the sleeves of his white shirt are stained blue, and that they expose his tears, even if his swollen eyes and raspy throat didn’t do that already. 

You settled beside him on the bed and it dips beneath your weight. The scent of your perfume fills his senses, dizzying and sweet and he wants to lean forward and bury his face in that tantalising crook between your neck and shoulder and never emerge. 

“When have I ever given you the impression I’d make fun of you over something like this, Tae?” You ask. You don’t sound angry, or disgusted at least. Just… confused. 

He looks away. 

“You’d be right to.” He confesses. “How stupid can I have been? Agonising all week over a betrothal that hasn’t ever had occurrence.” 

Another few hot tears, a mixture of humiliation and misery, slip free. A hand lands on his shoulder- the warmth of your palm slips through the thin cotton of his shirt, warming the skin of his shoulder. He can feel you in his bones- your smell surrounds him, right down to his lungs, and the heat and warmth of you beside him seems to fill the room. 

“Tae.” You say gently. Your press lightly on his shoulder, forcing him to tilt his body back towards you. “I’m sorry that you got caught in the crossfire of their scheming. And I’m sorry that you got hurt by this. They didn’t mean any harm. They were trying to help.” 

He drops his gaze. 

“It doesn’t feel like they were.” He mumbles. He flinches when your hand comes towards his cheek. You pull back, just a little, and then approach again more slowly. You’re giving him the chance to pull away, he realises. 

Like he ever would. 

Slowly, you cup his cheek in your palm, lifting your thumb to gently wipe a tear away. A strange feeling floods him, a warm affection, at the contact of your hand against his cheek but he doesn’t know if it’s your feelings or his. Probably his. 

Then you offer a crooked, lopsided smile that makes his stupid, embarassing heart do backflips. 

“For what it’s worth,” you say softly. “They were trying to confess on my behalf. If anything, I should be embarrassed that they exposed my feelings for you.”

The words echo in the meagre space between the two of you. Taehyung can’t help the way his gaze meets your, like magnets clicking together. His heart leaps into his throat. 

“Your feelings?” He asks, and he hopes the hopefulness in his voice doesn’t make him look any more stupid than he already has tonight. 

Smiling warmly, you nod gently and lean forward until your lips are pressed against his forehead, and the flood of emotions that rushes through him are too sudden and abrupt to be anything but yours. Affection, warmth… love. That buzz-y electric feeling that tingles all the way to his fingertips- it’s love. Your love. You love him. 

He looks up at you as you pull away, and slowly, you nod at the unanswered question in his eyes. 

“I can’t say I would have proposed before we even went out to dinner together.” You admit. “But I can say that it’s definitely something I’d want to talk about in the future.” You turn so you’re face him fully, resting both knees on his mattress and sitting back on your heels. “With you.” 

Something warm and burning fills him, from the centre of his chest all the way out to his fingertips. 

“You would?” He asks softly. You offer a shy smile and nod, and Taehyung is lost. 

“I don’t know how it would look, between us.” You say. “Your exchange is almost over, and you live on a different planet, and we… there’s so much to work out. But if you wanted to, we could do it together?”

Your hands are still warm when he clasps them between his own. Uncertainty and nerves flood across the contact of your skin against his, but also happiness. You’re the good kind of nervous. And when he presses the backs of your hands against his in a gentle, adoring kiss, he doesn’t know or care if the butterflies in his tummy are yours or his. 

“I have many job opportunities here.” He admits. “And many friends and connections. I have a life here.” His gaze slips up to meet your own. “I could stay here. If you wanted. I could become a citizen. We could court, and then marry, at whatever pace suits you. We could even have children, if Nayeon and Jungkook are not children enough. I would do all of that with you. If you wished it.”

You beam at him and the expression is so precious, so beautiful that he knows his decision remains. Even if you didn’t really propose to him, one day he will propose to you. If it wasn’t real, he’d make it real. With you. 

“That’s ok.” You say, leaning forward. “We don’t have to decide any of that tonight. After all… we have time.”

And Taehyung almost protests, but when your mouth meets his, he finds that he agrees. There’s plenty of time for all that later- proposals, dating, everything. 

Tonight, though, he wants to spend his time working out if the fireworks exploding in his chest are yours or his. 

The warp terminal is a sleek, modern building. It could be mistaken for any generic sort of office building, nestled in the very heart of the city. It has steep rates for the underground carpark, to the point that it’s almost risking the fine to park on the street right next to the entrance, and there’s a steady stream of people flowing in and out of the building throughout the day. 

Sighing idly, you kick your legs as you rest against the low concrete wall that skirts around the base of the building. You hadn’t realised there was quite so much bureacracy in merely stepping into a terminal that instantly transported you to a planet galaxies away, but you suppose it is in the best interest of both planets to closely monitor the traffic across the warp. Taehyung had promised the warp would be quick- he’d nip across, ferry his sister back, and be in the car before the parking fee could click over to two hours, but it’s now pushing three hours. 

You glance at your watch- you’ve already bought lunch from a nearby cafe, and then a fancy iced beverage. There’s a little clothing boutique that you browsed through as well. Your phone’s battery is sitting at the 44% mark but you know that there’s only so many sudokus you can do before you start dreaming about numbers in your sleep, and you’ve always stubbornly ignored Nayeon’s advice to have more mobile games than just the sudoku one downloaded. 

You’re briefly contemplating just going home and texting Taehyung to catch the bus with his sister when you feel an abrupt chill on the back of your neck. 

To your credit, you only leap about a metre in the air, whipping around to address the stinging cold to find a grinning Taehyung brandishing a chilled drink at you. 

“Was your waiting time very extended?” He questions. 

You send him a flat look- it’s not really fair to take it out on him, given it’s not like a simple text would traverse the numerous light years that separate Earth, and his home planet. But still, you feel it lacks tact to comment on the absurdly long waiting time. 

“What took so long?” You question, biting back the complaints to stretch out a kink in your neck. The backs of your thighs are chilled from contact with the concrete and they’ve left little imprints on your skin. You accept the drink- it’s sweet and tangy and leaves a pleasant fizz on your tongue but it’s not a drink you’ve ever sampled before.

Taehyung flashes you that guilty smile, the one that has been getting him out of any and all trouble ever since that damned birthday trip with Nayeon, and internally you scold yourself for being so whipped. 

“My sister had not packaged her belongings.” He admits. He steps aside then, gesturing to a young woman, probably only a few years younger than Taehyung, hovering a few metres away. 

She doesn’t resemble Taehyung that much, in all honesty. They both bear that striking beauty that is shared across their entire species, but where Taehyung’s feature are sharp and handsome, hers are soft and delicate. Her eyes are rounded and her cheeks are soft and smooth. The only thing she shares in common with Taehyung is that unique look to her eyes, like galaxies are hidden in their depths, the blue sheen and the 5 pointed pupil, like little stars nestled amidst a dark velvet sky. 

However, there’s something decidedly unfriendly in the way her gaze roves up and down your form, and instantly you are on your guard. 

“Well,” you say to him, not shifting your gaze from his sister. “I hope you know you’re covering the parking rates.” 

Taehyung nods obediently before darting over to his sister. She doesn’t have any baggage on her, but you know from experience that likely it’s just stored in some sort of tiny, neat rectangular device in her pocket, like Taehyung’s were when he first arrived. 

“This is Jina.” He says, and she offers you a curt nod. Taehyung frowns briefly at her before offering you an awkward smile. “She is shy.” He offers by way of explanation, although you suspect it runs a little deeper than mere shyness when she huffs and turns, already stomping off in the direction of the parking lot. 

Shaking your head, you sigh and follow after her before she can get lost on the way to the parking lot. If she has anything close to her brother’s sense of direction, then once she steps out view she’ll be lost amongst the 7 billion plus people and the couple of extra aliens that roam this planet forever. 

“So you had to pack for her and that’s what took three hours?” You ask Taehyung as he falls into step beside you. His knuckles briefly brush yours and you know he senses the mild irritation and the wariness you’re experiencing but he smiles blithely like he can’t. 

“Something like that. We had many things to discuss before she started her visit with earth.” He confesses. Briefly, ever so briefly, his smile drops just enough for you to realise that he’s putting on a brave face, for whatever reason, and instantly your irritation softens into concern. 

Without the veil of your own vexation, you’re suddenly alert to the tiny signals Taehyung has been giving off- the tense hold to his shoulders, the tight curve of his smile, the way his eyes don’t spark with that usual mirthful mischief that makes him so unique himself. The goofy, cheerful smiles had been forced this whole time. 

You hesitate just long enough for him to gain about a half a step’s lead on you. It’s just enough time to gather your composure, and this time you’re the one to allow your knuckles to brush along his. It’s a trick you’ve picked up since discovering your own feelings- if you focus on one emotion hard enough, then that is the one Taehyung picks up on. It’s helpful for hiding certain emotions, but it’s also helpful in letting him know what you’re thinking and feeling. In this instance, you let your concern filter through.  

“Everything ok?” You ask softly. His gaze remains fixed on his sister’s determined stride ahead of the two of you- she’s starting to falter as she draws near the parking lot, probably realising she doesn’t actually know the way. 

“Yes.” He answers absently. “Just….. fatigued.” 

You don’t have to have his alien ability to read emotions to know that it runs a little deeper than that. 

++

Despite her obvious distaste for you upon your first meeting, Jina isn’t a particularly bad room-mate. She’s quiet and sticks to herself, mostly. She brought over most of her meals from her home planet and refuses to touch human food, so you don’t have an extra mouth to feed. She sticks to her room, when you are home, so you never have to compromise in shared spaces. And Taehyung takes her out for most of the day, so you aren’t stuck ferrying her around like you had been with Taehyung when he first arrived on this planet. 

You have nothing to complain about with regards to her visit, and yet something niggles heavily at you. 

Taehyung hasn’t been himself. 

It’s nothing huge- in fact, it probably indicates that you spend far too much time thinking about him for you to even notice the change. None of your other friends seem to notice anything is amiss, after all. He’s as smile-y and happy-go-lucky as ever. He dotes on his sister, which fits perfectly with how you’d thought he’s be towards her. He’s chatty and conversational over dinner. 

It’s in just the briefest moments that it’s obvious something is wrong. Like how he’ll get home after a day out with her and then immediately head straight back out again, leaving Jina to sit in his room. Or how he’ll finish dinner and the smile will slip off his face for moments before he heads back to his room. It’s tiny, it’s minuscule, it’s none of your business…

And yet you’re worried. You don’t know how much of it bears its roots in newly discovered feelings and how much just stems from general empathy, but that pathetic little half-smile of his makes you feel like he’s punched you in the throat

You’re about a week and a half into Jina’s visit with roughly another week to go when you finally confront Taehyung over it. It’s at a bit of an impulse that you bring it up- you’d settled into the couch to watch something on netflix and are surprised when Taehyung settles next to you. 

As is his usual habit, his fingers inch towards the nearest available patch of skin. Today, it’s the top of your foot, stretched out across the cushions. It’s distracting enough that you find yourself watching him instead of the mindless comedy playing in the background. It’s been a while since it’s just been the two of you, what with Taehyung’s lengthy adventures showing his sister around the city. She doesn’t particularly like mixing with you or Nayeon, so the most interaction Taehyung gets is a brief conversation over dinner before he retired to his room or a quick and tired “good morning” before you set out for the day after breakfast. 

“How are you?” You find yourself asking. His thumb, which had been absently tracing along the arch of your foot, pauses as dark eyes flicker to you. He looks tired; his colour just seems leeched and lifeless and there’s something lacklustre about his demeanour. 

“I’m ok.” He answers weakly, offering you a tired smile that markedly contradicts his words. 

It makes you frown because Taehyung has always been open with you. From the littlest things like how his day went to bigger things like fights with his family or stressful assignments. For him to suddenly go against this is disconcerting. 

You’re not sure what he feels flicker across the point of contact between you, but it is surely unpleasant. Perhaps the flicker of hurt, or the mixture of concern and surprise. Whatever it is, it has him sighing in defeat. He leans forward and with his free hand gentle tucks a strand of hair behind your ear. You feel your heart race and your cheeks heat and it makes Taehyung’s smile widen. 

“Little human,” he says affectionately. It’s not a name he’s called you by before and you’re not sure where it comes from but something about the inflection makes your heart stutter in your chest. “I am not content with the thought of your worry.” He confesses, before leaning back to settle against the couch with a sigh. “That is why I’d prefer to carry my own burdens, right now. Please do not be hurt or upset.”

His eyes slide shut and his breathing is steady, exhaustion written into every line of his face. You think you understand the sentiments behind his reluctance to share, but the fact is, you can’t help but worry when he looks like this.

“I’m already worrying.” Is the soft answer you give. One of his eyes blinks open in surprise, and then the other opens to follow. “Don’t…. Don’t make me sit here and make up reasons for why you’re like this. I’ll only worry more- I can’t not worry when you’re not yourself.” 

A long silence follows your admission and then finally Taehyung speaks again. 

“I cannot seem to win where you are concerned.” He laughs wryly to himself. “Very well. I had just hoped…. That perhaps my sister would find more enjoyment of her trip.” He confesses, like he carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. Sad, round eyes flicker to you and you’re reminded of a kicked puppy. “I thought she agreed to come to Earth for my support…. But she came to convince me to return home.”

Suddenly it clicks into place- the long time it took Taehyung to arrive back at the terminal, his sister’s belligerence, his exhaustion and misery…. He’s confessed on separate occasions to you during the past few months that his relationship with his family is rocky at best. You’d mistakenly thought maybe they’d moved past it, considering his enthusiasm for her visit. But no- all this time he’s been facing pressure to give up his exchange, likely from both his sister and his parents. So it makes sense that he’s so disappointed now, and accounts for the way he’s been off. Even someone as cheerful and determined as Taehyung would begin to feel the strain to have his hopes repeatedly stepped on like that. 

“You…” he looks at you like he wants to say more, but then seems to think better of it, changing the subject quickly. “I tried taking her to the places we attended together, since I found a huge enjoyment in those experiences. But she’s so determined to not have any enjoyment that it just keeps going poorly-“ he shoves a frustrated hand through his hair. “I… don’t know what else to do to have her convinced.” 

You bite your lip. This is important to Taehyung. For whatever reason, he really likes Earth, and it’s a fairly simple and reasonable request, to have his family support that. Especially in a planet as community-based as Taehyung’s. And if it’s important to Taehyung… it’s important to you. As silly as it is, you want to do whatever it takes to make this goofy, ridiculous alien happy. 

“Well,” you speak up. “Maybe there’s one place I haven’t taken you to that might win her over?”

++

You’re not sure why you specifically thought the local showgrounds would be the place to convince Jina. But, when you think of fun, earthen events, this is the place you think of. Amusing, mechnical rides, interesting foods, and a general sense of festivity. This is the peak of humanity. 

Taehyung, at least, is thrilled. His eyes flicker from stall to stall, taking in the games and rides. Children run screeching past him, brandishing toys that flash in neon lights. The smell of fried food lingers in the air and at the end of the path, a giant, twinkling ferris wheel towers over the park. 

“This place is amazing!” He confesses, shuffling closer to one of the games where a young couple are taking turns to toss a small ball into a bottle. The guy fails and groans in defeat and then the girl smugly sinks the ball into the bottle. 

Jina is less thrilled- she hugs her arms around herself awkwardly, looking distinctly uncomfortable. The evening has well and truly set in and the last traces of sun have leeched from the horizon yet she still wears her black baseball cap like it will shield her from the onslaught of people pouring between stalls. 

“Would you like something to eat?” You ask her. 

She’s managed to master a look that conveys her sentiments towards you- a sort of squint to her eyes that screams “you are a bug and I would love to squash you”. She levels that particular look at you today and it’s sent with extra potency. 

“I don’t like human food.” She sniffs, hugging her arms around her more tightly. 

Oddly, it reminds you of the twins. They both went through a particularly fussy phase and they handled it in a similar way to Jina- you can vividly recall the pouts that is now mirrored upon Jina’s face. 

“Just one bite?” You coax, stepping in a little closer. Such an action is dangerous- you could be stepping into the den of a lion or a kitten and you won’t find out until it’s too late. “I’ll choose something and if you hate it, I’ll finish the rest?”

Something in her posture slackens just a little- you know she’s on the verge of caving. It’s nearing dinner time, after all, and likely her hunger is warring with her determination to be standoffish and angry. You spare a glance at Taehyung, who had been watching the exchange with a sort of hopeless, despairing expression. 

“Are there any flavours Jina prefers?” You question him. He frowns and pauses, muttering under his breath in the way that he often does when struggling with a translation. 

“Ah…. Sweet?” He says, posing it like a question, as if you would have the answer. But then his gaze sets into something more certain and he nods to himself. “Sweet foods.” He asserts. 

A quick glance around confirms an abundance of sweet foods, so Taehyung’s recommendation doesn’t prove very helpful. Finally, you spot a fairy floss stand a few stalls up. There’s very little that can go wrong with spun sugar and the novelty of soft, coloured and sweet clouds is hopefully enchanting enough to overcome Jina’s aversion to human foods. Idly, you shift your weight back and forth as you wait your place in line. 

The momentary space from Taehyung and Jina means the freedom to think. You think of Taehyung, and his simmering anxiety, the desperation he feels for Jina to see something good. It’s not that he cares much for her opinions of humans, although he’s gentle enough that her dislike has him feeling sorry, but that he seeks her approval. That seems to be what Taehyung has always sought, even when he’d first arrived on Earth, wide-eyed and searching for a place that would accept him. You’ve thought and known this before.

But today, you allow yourself to think of Jina as well. The year cycle on Taehyung’s planet is slightly shorter than Earth’s- numbers-wise, both Taehyung and Jina have larger ages than you. 

But time-wise, the time she has been alive is shorter than yours. It had been a point of confusion during the early days of contact between your two planets; currently, it is understood that the lifespans between your two peoples are similar and yet the other race had presented ages so much larger than humans expect to live to. It’s funny then, that in reality she is little older than a highschooler despite her age being more than yours. 

You picture your own younger siblings, and how they’d feel if you suddenly moved to another country. They cry every time you leave home to return back to your apartment- they beg you to stay with tears streaking their little faces. 

You think that Jina’s attitude may be something similar. With each new place Taehyung brings her, she sees what he likes. She sees the things he enjoys. She sees that he’s happy. You hadn’t known him before Earth, but you knew the timid, distantly polite alien that had arrived and the boisterous, eager, joyful soul that remains. For whatever reason, Taehyung loves Earth. And to Jina, that love is stealing him away. 

So perhaps the secret is not to show her the good things of Earth, but rather that Taehyung will not leave her. Well, physically he may, but at the very least, for as long as he lives, he will love and adore his baby sister.

With a sigh, you accept the stick of the fairy floss from the stall worker- it’s two toned. Soft, pastel blue, and a sweet, warm pink colour. You hold it carefully, weary of the sugar melting against your hands and leaving it sticky. 

You find the two siblings seated in a quieter section, away from the crowd. Taehyung stretches his legs out against the grass, while Jina hugs her into her chest. It’s not so well-lit here, which is perhaps it’s so quiet. Above them, the ferris wheel towers. Likely, the bright lights would tamper with the view of the outstretched city you’d gain within the carriages of the ride. The park owners had deliberately left it dark. From one window, the showgrounds would stretch in a brightly lit path, and you could watch the people the milled through the stalls- from the other, you could glimpse the sprawling, twinkling metropolitan lights. 

Taehyung would like the ferris wheel, is what you think as you settle beside them.

You stretch your arm out, towards Jina, offering her the fairy floss. She squints at it suspiciously, before accepting the wooden stick between wary fingertips. 

“It’s a sweet.” You say. “It gets very sticky, but you can pull off little pieces and eat them, or you could bite it straight off the stick.” 

She takes a small amount, nibbling at it tentatively. The way she chews is like a little rodent. 

She must enjoy the taste, however, for her mouthfuls become more sure and she plucks off larger chunks to eat. 

Finally, she pauses and her gaze flickers to you and Taehyung, watching expectantly. She swallows her mouthful and stares back for a long moment, before speaking at last. 

“I’m thirsty.” She announces. You blink a few times, before nodding and sighing. She, like Taehyung, refuses to take anything with animal products in it, but a can of soft drink should be relatively safe. 

But she stops you. 

“Him.” She demands, like she is a commander giving orders to her army. “He knows what I like better.”

A silent current passes between the siblings that warns you not to protest. They seem to settle upon some sort of agreement, for Taehyung clambers to his feet, brushing away the dirt that clings to the back of his jeans. 

“I’ll return in a quick moment.” He assures the two of you, before darting back towards the main path of the showgrounds. 

It leaves you alone with Jina, which you never actually have been before. She always makes a conscious to either avoid acknowledging your existence, or glaring at you so hard you wish she’d just ignored you. 

The silence is awkward until Jina breaks it. Then the awkwardness of the conversation is worse.

“You tempt him.” She observes. For a moment, you stare at her, incredulous, and perhaps the baffled look to your eyes conveys that you don’t understand. Her mouth sets in a thin line of frustration before she tries again. The words are slow and you wonder if maybe she’s just struggling to translate her thoughts into your language. “You lure him away. From home.”

You grimace at her. 

“I do no such thing.” You assert, slightly offended that she thinks you’d ever do something like that to Taehyung. All his actions are his own, and you’d never deprive him of the valuable right to choose his own path. She shakes her head angrily, still frustrated. 

“No, you don’t.” She agrees. “I don’t mean that you do it with active intention. I mean that your being is why he’s here. Your presence. He stays because of you.”

You purse your lips, startled at the implication, and it takes you a few moments to find words for a rebuttal. 

“He doesn’t.” Is the genius comeback your brain supplies you with. 

She gives you a flat look and plucks another chunk of fairy floss, chewing at it with more aggression than is perhaps warranted for a soft, spun-sugar snack. 

“Humans lack so much.” She complains. Sharp eyes flick to you- in this lighting you cannot make out the distinct points of her pupils- instead to round black circles stare you down. “He loves you.”

There’s a beat of silence, laden with meaning. Children laugh in the background, and snippets of the unintelligible babble of conversation float through on the night time breeze. 

“He doesn’t.” You say, because you don’t know what else to say. Truthfully, you don’t know if he does or doesn’t. You’d studiously avoided ever dissecting his actions, out of a desperate sense of self-preservation. To over-interpret his actions and be wrong would hurt. To be correct would be terrifying. Your heart is a tight ball of anxiety- the answer of “does he” or “doesn’t he” feels like an enormous, hulking beast, one you can never hope to defeat. 

Jina snorts. 

“Obviously he does. I know my brother- I see how his look has you in it. I know that he has taken changes. I know how our people have love.” Her gaze turns sharp. “And I know that he has enough of foolishness to keep him home at Earth for a human girl.” 

You swallow past a dry mouth. Should you believe her? Should you deny it?

Your heart releases, a traitorous, happy flutter. You picture that morning, at the camp- the way the sunlight had washed his hair gold, the galaxies that swum in his irises. You remember a bright smile with strawberry-stained lips. You remember tired but tender gazes as he returned from a long day. You remember the tickle of his fingers in your hair as you fought back sleep. 

Could he? Could he really love you? 

Jina groans and rolls her eyes, burying her face in her hands. She has long since finished her fairy floss. 

“Make sure that he makes visits.” She sighs, through her hands. “If he insists on staying, I mean. He has not any sense, but you do. I will accept you if you promise his visits.” 

You never give an answer, because Taehyung returns at that moment, proudly brandishing a tall, strawberry-coloured drink that probably cost an absurd amount of money. 

And yet, nevertheless, while Jina remains grumpy for the rest of her trip, there’s something gentler about her. 

And Taehyung goes back to his normal self, cheerful and relaxed, even if he looks a little sad as she steps into the warp terminal after she says goodbye. 

“You can visit her.” You remind him. “Warp travel is pretty fast, I hear.” 

He glances down at you, and his smile is sweet, fond.