It was their last night staying with Jessica, as Yewon had insisted that they return to National City tomorrow so that Eunbi would be able to attend the Veterans’ Day parade the day after. Jessica had managed to get a few days off work to come with them so that she could spend Eunbi’s last four days with her too. In Yewon’s opinion, the past ten days had gone by far too quickly, and she was trying not to think about how she would have to say goodbye to Eunbi again. Her time with Eunbi had felt like a dream, and she had only gotten used to her being back in the past few days. Their time in town wasn’t that eventful, but they had spent almost every moment together, reading books, drinking tea on the porch, watching movies, or taking Angkko for long walks. Every moment had been so precious to Yewon, even the stolen private moments in the morning where she would watch Eunbi sleep peacefully, unwilling to get out of bed because she was trying to make up for all the mornings where she hadn’t woken up beside Eunbi.

They made the most of their last night by driving out to the field they had come to when Yewon had first visited Jessica. The headlights lit up the field as the two of them sat on the hood of the car, cuddled up under a blanket for warmth. At Eunbi’s insistence, Yewon was reading aloud from the book she had brought along and Eunbi laid her head on Yewon’s shoulder, eyes closed as she held a thermos of hot chocolate to her chest.

“Hmm, I like that poem...quote, I mean...or whatever it is,” Eunbi murmured as Yewon got to the end of it. “Can you read it again?”

“Again?” Yewon asked with a small smile. She pressed a kiss to the top of Eunbi’s head. “Of course.”

And so she read it again, and again, and Eunbi smiled as she listened to the melodic sound of Yewon’s voice. It wasn’t a particularly cold night, but eventually, the chill found its way through the blanket and their coats and left them shivering slightly, but neither of them wanted to move. When Yewon’s hands were shaking from the cold, she closed the book and buried her hands under the blanket, holding Eunbi close as they stared up at the stars.

“I know we said the stars are the same no matter if I was here or there, but they’re a lot more beautiful here,” Eunbi murmured.

“I would’ve thought the pitch black of the desert would’ve made them better over there,” Yewon said.

“I would’ve thought the pitch black of the desert would’ve made it better over there,” Yewon said.

“But you’re not there to watch them with me,” Eunbi told her, turning her head to the side to smile at Yewon. She leaned in for a soft kiss before turning her attention back to the stars. “And wherever you are...is where it’s the most beautiful.”

“That’s cheesy,” Yewon quietly laughed.

Eunbi joined in with her laughter as she gently bumped Yewon’s shoulder. “I mean it though. You make me feel whole and alive...I didn’t realize it until I met you, but you were everything I was missing. You’re stubborn, organized, and brilliantly smart...you lift me up and help me be better. And you’re so selfless, Yewon, you would give me the entire world if I asked, I know you would. You put my happiness before your own, even when I don’t want you to, and I want you to know that I appreciate that more than you know. I know how hard it was for you to tell me to go back if I wanted to, I know it killed you inside to not make the decision for me and I love you more than ever for letting me make my own decision, even if it was the one you didn’t want to hear, You are everything good in this world, Yewon.”

“I love you,” Yewon said simply. There were no other words for it...she loved Eunbi with every fiber of her being. She loved her so much that sometimes it terrified Yewon because she had never felt anything this intensely before, and the power that this love had over her was terrifying. If Eunbi ever broke her heart, Yewon wasn’t sure she would be able to come back from the heartbreak.

“I love you too,” Eunbi whispered, sitting up so she could cup Yewon’s face and gently kiss her. Yewon smiled against Eunbi’s lips as she felt them trembling, and pulled back, gently resting her forehead against Eunbi’s.

“You’re freezing,” Yewon whispered. “Let’s go home.”

They both slid off the front of the car and brought themselves into the car. Everything was fine until they got back to the main road and the car started sputtering before it cut out. As the car came to a grinding halt, Eunbi tried to turn the key in the ignition, nothing had happened except for a loud splutter.

“Uh oh, bad news, I think we have a problem with the engine,” Eunbi announced as she opened the car door and got out. “More bad news, I don’t know how to fix it and there’s no cell reception out here...so we’re going to have to walk home.”

“Good news, I know how to fix a car engine...possibly,” Yewon said, smiling as she opened her door and got out. “Do you have a torch and tool kit in the trunk?”

“You seriously know how to fix a car?” Eunbi asked, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

“I have a degree in mechanical engineering, Eunbi, of course I know how to fix a car,” Yewon scoffed. “Well...actually, that’s a bit of a stupid statement. Not all mechanical engineers know how to fix cars, but it just so happens that it’s how I got into engineering in the first place.”

“Lucky for us,” Eunbi laughed as she opened the trunk and pulled out the tool kit and a large flashlight. Yewon stripped off her coat and rolled the sleeves of her shirt up, before popping open the hood and propping it up on the stand. Her hair fell in a dark curtain around her face and Yewon quickly tied it up as she crouched down. ping the bag, she checked which tools she had at hand, and gave a satisfied nod at the range of spanners and wrenches in the bag, Standing back up, Yewon flicked on the flashlight and shone it into the hood, inspecting the engine with a serious look on her face.

She fiddled around in the engine for a few moments, working on something while Eunbi watched. After a moment there was a small spark and Eunbi jumped slightly while Yewon mumbled, replacing the spark plug. “Okay, so it’s not electrical then,” Yewon muttered to herself. “So if it’s not the spark plugs or the battery. It’s most likely the fuel line then, or maybe the carburetor. Hmm.”

“Yeah, sure,” Eunbi murmured in agreement.

Yewon looked up and smiled at her. “You know you can just wait in the car if you want. It’s freezing.”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll hold the flashlight for you if you want. Besides, it’s...uh...kind of hot.”

“Hot?” Yewon repeated, arching one eyebrow as she smirked. Eunbi blushed as she shrugged self-consciously.

“Hm, well maybe I should fix cars more often for you,” Yewon said, as she leaned over the engine, shining the flashlight as she looked in. “Come here.”

Eunbi moved closer and Yewon handed her the torch, standing close as she grabbed Eunbi by the waist and positioned her and the flashlight where Yewon wanted her and kissed her before crouching down to rummage through the tool kit. As Yewon tinkered with the fuel line, Eunbi held the torch steady and watched her work as she shivered. Yewon didn’t seem to mind the cold, but with the amount of physical movement she was doing, Eunbi suspected that she was more than warm enough. Eventually, Yewon came away with the fuel line and found the thinnest stick she could find to try and clear the fuel line as much as possible. By the end of the hour, she had reattached it again, and covered in grease and oil, she stood back from the engine with a smile.

“Okay, that should be all good now. Do you want to try and start it?” Yewon asked. Eunbi quickly scrambled into the front seat and turned the key in the ignition, yelling excitedly as the car roared to life. With a proud smile, Yewon shut the hood and packed away all the tools, putting that and the flashlight back into the trunk before she climbed into the passenger seat.

“I’m going to say it again, that was really hot,” Eunbi laughed, leaning over to kiss Yewon.

“Well, I’m glad my knowledge is good for something,” Yewon laughed. “Your mom might want to get them replaced though, it’s not a proper fix but it should get us home.”

They managed to get home without any further problems, and Yewon smiled as the welcoming slight of the lit house came into view. Eunbi carried Yewon’s coat and book inside, as Yewon carefully tried not to touch anything else with her filthy hands. She suspected that she looked weird, with her messy hair and grease-stained shirt. She followed Eunbi into the house and slipped her shoes off near the door.

“You two stayed out later than I thought you would,” Jessica called from the living room.

“We had some car trouble,” Eunbi said, walking in and flopping down on the couch.

“Oh god, look at you!” Jessica gasped as Yewon hovered in the doorway. “I’m guessing your genius brain fixed it?”

“Mhm, it was the fuel line. You’ll want to get it replaced soon,” Yewon told her.

“Thanks,