On their way home, Jongin and Sehun walked side by side. It had been a long, eventful day. Jongin could feel the tiredness come out of hiding, taking over his body as his nerves finally released his muscles. He had been on edge all day, never knowing what trouble Sehun was going to get himself into next.

Sehun was recapping his first day at school with overflowing excitement, barely touching the pavement as he bounced happily along, talking about some conversation he had had with one of their classmates. But all Jongin could focus on was Sehun's arm, subtly swinging back and forth in rhythm with his steps. His arm seemed like it went on forever, thin but strong. Sehun had the palest hands Jongin had ever seen. Normally, even though people paid attention to their skin and avoided the sun, the back of their hands were always the most tanned part of their bodies. However, Sehun's hand looked as pale as the rest of his body, as if it had never been touched by the sun.

“Why are you so white? You said your planet had five suns, right? You should be even more tanned than me! Didn't you ever go outside?” Jongin curiously wondered, comparing Sehun's whiter than white skin with his own dark, caramel colored hands.

“It's exactly because we have five suns. Our skin reflects UV rays, protecting us from the harmful effects, so we can stay out in the sun as long as we want and nothing will happen.” Sehun grinned proudly, examining the skin on the back of his hand.

“The girls at school today said it was really pretty how white I am.” Sehun nearly exploded with pride, his crooked smile as wide as it went.

Jongin could feel the green monster stir in his gut. He found himself wishing that he went to an all boys' school.

“Do you think it's pretty?” Sehun asked him out of the blue, his voice shaken by the ghost of the giggles.

“Eh.. uh...” Jongin felt like someone had kicked him in the chest, he couldn't catch his breath. Sehun and his directness was going to give him a heart attack one day.

Sehun just stared at him, waiting for an answer, his face full of anticipation.

Jongin knew the answer, yet he didn't want to answer Sehun's question. It was too embarrassing. But he didn't have it in him to leave Sehun hanging, so he gently nodded, his face turning into a tomato.

Sehun seemed more than satisfied with the answer, beaming back at him.

“Oh! Your skin color is changing.. Wow! How do you do that? I want to do that too.” Sehun pursed his lips in concentration, looking at Jongin's blushing cheeks with fascination. It didn't help with making the blushing stop, it had the exact opposite affect. Even Jongin's little toe started blushing.

Jongin exhaled with determination, and purposefully moved a tiny bit closer to Sehun as they walked along the path by the forest. Maybe, just maybe, Sehun's hand would accidentally touch Jongin's hand as it swooshed by.

Sehun had such long, slender fingers. Jongin examined them by stealing glances at his hand without Sehun noticing. Beautiful. A huge set of veins was protruding from the back of his skinny hand. So manly.

Jongin started thinking about that 'no parents' comment Sehun had mentioned earlier, wondering if he had had no one to take that scrawny hand of his in theirs, guiding him through his childhood, making him feel safe. Jongin wanted to ask Sehun about it, the questions burning a hole in his chest, but the words refused to leave his lips.

Just then, the back of Sehun's hand brushed ever so slightly up against Jongin's. It was so slight that it was barely noticeable, and it was over in a fraction of a nanosecond, but Jongin's insides twisted as a million butterflies attacked them.

“It's true.” Sehun answered a question that was never asked.

“Huh?” Jongin could still feel the spot on his hand where Sehun had touched him, it tingled.

“It's true that I don't have any parents. No Exorian does. We are hatched in a special incubator and we have special caretakers who's job it is to make sure we grow up healthy.” Sehun told him, making Jongin doubt his own senses. Had he accidentally asked his question out loud? Jongin was almost sure he hadn't said a word.

“Can you read my mind?” Jongin gasped, putting his hands on his head, as if they could protect his thoughts.

“No!” Sehun roared with laughter. “That's ridiculous! No one can do that! There's no such thing.”. Jongin pouted, not appreciating being laughed at. It wasn't that ridiculous of a question. In a world where an invisible bond existed between a human and an alien, telepathy didn't seem that much of a leap.

“How... how did you know what I wanted to ask you?” Jongin was still in shock.

“Uhm, I can kind of feel what you're feeling through the bond. So I just guessed.” Sehun shrugged, like it was just another Monday. Jongin hadn't gotten used to this alien way of life yet. Everything about the bond kept surprising him.

Jongin looked at Sehun's hand. It must have been one lonely hand while he was growing up. Jongin's heart stung. He wanted to give Sehun everything he had missed by not having parents to love him, siblings to and a family to make him feel safe. It gave Jongin the courage he had been trying to muster up. He inhaled sharply, firmly grabbing Sehun's hand.

Sehun chuckled, delighted, entwining their fingers together.

Hand in hand they floated home on a pink cloud.