Now that Jinki was here to stay for a while, Minho had to think up a story to tell his parents. He couldn't let the extraterrestrial wander around town looking for hotels - he couldn't even let Jinki order his own food! He wouldn't know what to ask for. In fact, Minho had to tell him not to get the cafeteria food since he was sure Jinki wouldn't like it or he'd react strangely like he always did.

“Let's go out for something. Chinese, Japanese, Thai, even pizza would be fine!” Taemin said at the end of the school day as they were walking out.
“What are these things that you speak of?” Jinki inquired, “they are people, yes? You want to eat people?”
“No! I mean, yes, they're people, but we also use these terms for the food they cook,” Minho explained.
“Some of the nations said earthlings eat other earthlings. Is that true?” Jinki kept at it though; he seemed more curious than ever at this point.
“You can't go around asking things like that, Jinki. It's...odd here. Just don't ask that again, okay?” Jonghyun noticed the scowl on Minho's face and so he opted to answer their friend instead.
“Well then, I would be delighted to try this sustenance of yours!” Jinki exclaimed.
“No, no. We should get home I think. But you and Taemin go along, Jonghyun,” Minho said with a twinkle in his eye, noticing the glances that Jonghyun and Taemin seemed to be giving one another. He had seen it before, of course, but he hadn't really taken note of it until now. They needed their alone time, and maybe, just maybe, today would be the day one of them finally made a move.
As expected, the two of them didn't argue, and they set off for a Japanese restaurant not too far from school.

Meanwhile, Jinki and Minho went back to his house.

“We're home! Jinki will be staying a while longer. Is that okay, mom?” Minho questioned as they met with her in the kitchen where she was cooking lunch. He wondered if she ever got bored repeating the same tasks every day at the same time.
“Sure. He seems nice enough,” Mrs. Choi smiled at Jinki who waved politely but excitedly. Since Minho had told him not to greet people in his weird way, he resorted to waving, and they both found this better.
Minho frowned at his mother; had everyone suddenly gone mad? How could everyone just like and know what Jinki was? Was this some type of alternate dimension or universe?
“Okay...then I'll set up the guest bedroom while you're busy here. Thank you,” He shook it off, then dragged his friend upstairs. He was beginning to wonder if ℎ𝑒 was maybe the crazy one.

“Don't go wandering outside. This is where you sleep, okay? In the bed, not in the grass. I know you maybe do things differently on Mars, but until you get there, at least try fitting in with the...homosapiens,” Minho said, frowning as he said the last word. Still, Jinki seemed happy enough to comply.
“Understood. I will try to be more like you, then!” Jinki nodded eagerly, then put on a serious face which made Minho grumble, “I don't do that...”
Jinki simply laughed, and all Minho could compare the deep sound to was the sun, oddly enough. It was a nice sound, soothing, and definitely warm. Even though Minho was a little annoyed earlier, this cheered him up almost immediately. Then he left the room when he realized he was starting to 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 having Jinki around, deciding to sit in his room and let the shock wear off that the extraterrestrial would be here for some time.
Either it was the excitement that hadn't depleted yet, or Minho was really starting to enjoy the thought of having his friend here, and that was something that shocked even himself. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing, though. After all, if he was going to help Jinki out both day and night, wouldn't it be better if they actually liked one another instead of just tolerating each other until their time was over? Well, maybe it was one-sided. Jinki obviously liked Minho, but Minho still had to get with the program when it came to being friends with Jinki like everyone else was already. Remembering that fact stunned Minho all over again.

“What do earthlings do for entertainment?” Jinki appeared in Minho's room not even two seconds after he had left, and the taller one clicked his tongue at the interruption even though he wasn't doing anything.
“A lot of things. Why? Are you bored?”
“Yes. Some fulfillment would be satisfactory right now. What would you suggest we do, friend?” Jinki questioned curiously, looking around Minho's bedroom as if he hadn't been here already.
“I have to study. We can't do anything right now. Later, okay?” Minho felt like a dad saying these things.
“Study? For what?” Jinki asked as he came closer to examine the books on the table. He read over some things, then nodded with a small “ah” as if he had read these things a million times before.
“Physical sciences. Have you worked with this before?” Minho asked; he was genuinely curious about it since he could use some help in this field, and if Jinki knew what was going on, why not request some assistance? There were no negatives to it.
“I have, yes. It is also one of the subjects we study when we are at a young age. Are you able to receive an intellectual exchange? I will share my knowledge with you from my brain to yours,” Jinki explained, and he smiled at the human as Minho stared at him in shock. He was suddenly glad the scientists hadn't picked him up - if they knew of what Jinki could do and had knowledge of, he would never be allowed to go back to Mars.
“What? Hey, wait! I can't...I mean, us earthlings don't have the ability of telepathy like you do,” Minho said before Jinki could start transmitting the answers for the test to his brain, and the extraterrestrial shook his head, “how do earthlings survive with such minimal skills?”
Minho didn't know what to make of this.
“I suppose you must read and remember these things, yes? Would it help if I read with you?” Jinki asked before the taller man could say anything to his previous rhetorical question.
“You could explain the ones I don't understand...if you want,” Minho murmured shyly, grabbing a spare chair for his friend to sit down. He had never gotten tutoring before, so this was the first time he was asking for professional help from someone. It was a strange feeling, but he trusted Jinki more than he trusted some of the tutors or smart kids at school, so he chalked it up to that being the reason he was asking for assistance right now. He was liking the extraterrestrial more and more, and he wasn't even aware the feeling was creeping up on him.

Jinki was good at explaining the complicated steps of some physical science problems to Minho, even though some terminology he used was confusing at times. Still, he seemed in his own world as he explained, and Minho would often just stop listening to stare at Jinki instead since the sight was somewhat attractive. Right after though, his face would flush red with embarrassment and he'd continue listening to the informal lecture of Jinki who was like a professor.
By the time it was done, he felt much more confident with the upcoming test. Everything was relatively simple, but now that all the confusing terms and ways of solving the problems were detangled and fixed for him, he was happy. And he managed to understand everything much faster than he usually would've if he studied on his own! Of course, maybe that was to be expected, but Minho was satisfied that he didn't have to spend the whole day paging through the textbook repeatedly.

“It looks like we're done. Now we can go do something fun! I'll call Jonghyun and Taemin to hear if they want to join,” Minho nodded happily, but the minute Jonghyun picked up the phone, he narrowed his eyes. He could hear giggling in the background, and if he wasn't mistaken, the voice belonged to Taemin.
“Hey...what's up?” Minho asked Jonghyun, the suspicion clear in his tone.
“Nothing much. Wh- stop! I'm on the phone,” Jonghyun was the one giggling now and that second part of his sentence clearly wasn't meant for Minho, so he continued, “why? What's up, Minho?”
“I wanted to check if you and Taemin wanted to go out somewhere. Jinki wants to experience what it's like here on earth from a fun perspective,” He said, flashing a smile at his friend beside him who beamed at the sound of his name.
“Yeah? Well I'm a little busy right now,” Another giggle, “but if you give me about an hour, I could meet up with you. I'll tell Taemin too,”
“It sounds like you two are having fun on your own already,” Minho grumbled. He didn't mind it that his best friends would eventually start dating (it was clear that it would happen sooner rather than later), but he didn't want to become the third wheel now or have his plans canceled just because they wanted to be alone instead. He didn't want their friendship to crumble.
“Oh, take it easy. It's the first time we're not available to see you right away! I'll tell you the story of how we got together when we meet up again,” Jonghyun said with a serious tone now, but all Minho could do was sigh.
“Yeah, whatever, man. I've got to go,” He ended the call then. He didn't want to sound upset by their getting together, but in his heart, he was a little hurt. He was afraid they'd throw him away like a banana peel now that they had each other even though the three of them had been friends since their kindergarten days.

“You are melancholic?” Jinki's deep but concerned voice startled Minho, and he glanced up with a small shake of his head, “it's nothing,”
“Is it your fellow homisapien friends?” Jinki pressed; he didn't seem to be in it for the gossip, but really just because he was concerned. How could he not be? Minho had been so kind to him until now, taking him in and assuring him that he would be able to get back home soon.
“They're dating now. I don't have a problem with that, I just wish they wouldn't throw me away because of it,” Was the response after a heavy sigh, and Jinki nodded with a look of wisdom on his face and another “ah”.
“If you have not consulted them about it already, then that will be my first suggestion to you. If that does not work, then I will make a promise to you; I will come visit your home planet for a few sunrises and moonrises every now and then to keep you company,” Jinki said, and this was where Minho had to laugh. It was more like an exhale through his nose, but it conveyed the same emotion nonetheless.
“I don't want to keep you away from all the friends you have there,” Minho shook his head - now that he mentioned it, Jinki wondered how everyone was doing back on the red giant. Were they looking for him? Had they noticed he was missing yet? He silently hoped so. He couldn't wait to be back with them; as nice as it was on earth, nothing could ever begin to compare to home.
“I know of something we could do. Let's go before it starts getting dark,” Minho smiled after some thought, “it's nothing big, and definitely not expensive, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway. Come on!”

The place Minho took Jinki to was a simple place - the arcade where machines filled with toys were in abundance and pinball machines were placed every few meters. Minho hadn't been here in some time (in fact, the last time was in middle school with Jonghyun and Taemin when they would empty their pockets of all the coins they had to play pinball), but the loud noises of the games and children around him brought back many memories. He was a bit concerned that Jinki would feel overwhelmed with all the lights and noises, but the extraterrestrial was more fascinated by everything than anything else. It seemed like he was having fun already, and he wasn't even doing anything yet except inspecting his surroundings.
“This object,” Jinki pointed at a pinball machine, “what is its purpose?”
“It's called a pinball machine. With these two buttons on the side, they control these two arms near the bottom of the machine. You use them to hit a small ball through different sections on the top here to get a highscore. If the ball rolls down into this small hole at the bottom, you lose and you'll have to start again. Wanna try?” Minho offered with a smile, and Jinki nodded eagerly - the amount of stories he'd be able to tell when he got back home! Everyone would be so envious of him and his adventures.

Minho slipped a coin into the machine, and the flashing lights alerted Jinki that it was time to begin. He was more on the clumsy side, so it took a few more tries and coins for him to get the hang of it all while him and Minho were laughing like old friends. The human couldn't recall when last he had smiled or laughed or had so much fun with someone; senior year was just so stressful, and he thought sports was his outlet to relax, but now that all was doing this, he realized he had been mistaken all along. For the first time since the year started, he felt like he was unloading packed boxes of stress off his shoulders, and it was with the most unexpected person as well! He was almost entirely sure he couldn't have this much fun with his friends anymore. Especially if they would be cuddling up to one another most of the time they were all together anyway. It was a sad thought, but Minho was too distracted by Jinki's fierce attempts to get a new highscore to really spend time on any melancholic ideas right now.

“What about this object? What purpose does it serve?” Jinki asked as they walked past a claw machine. He had managed to get the second highest score on the pinball machine and wanted to go through the rest (which was about fifteen other machines in the arcade), but Minho said they could do it another time. He didn't have that many coins on him, and he was sure they would only get home late if he really allowed Jinki to do that. He didn't want the extraterrestrial to be in his mother's bad books, too.
“You use this joystick to move the claw, then you grab a teddy bear! I'll show you,” Minho offered, put a coin in the slot, then did as he had explained to the other man just a few seconds ago. These machines were hard to maneuver, and Minho had never gotten anything out of them except frustration, but it seemed as if Jinki was meant to receive a teddy bear since Minho managed to extract a small bunny stuffed animal on his first try.
“For me? Are you sure?” Jinki asked when Minho held out the toy to him, surprise sparkling in his eyes. Even now, Minho couldn't get used to the colors in them.
“Yes. Consider it a souvenir from your time here. Whenever you look at it, you'll be reminded of earth. Maybe it'll convince you to visit often,” Minho smiled softly as Jinki took hold of the stuffed animal, holding it tightly against his chest with a wide and bright smile.
“This is surely one of the most thoughtful gifts someone has presented me with! I give you my most humblest thanks,” As expected, Jinki was more than happy with what he received. It wasn't expensive, but maybe that's why it was so special; it was something they had gotten together instead of Minho buying it for him. That was more thoughtful to Jinki than any other gift could be.

“There are a lot of other things we can do. Since you're going to stay for some time, we can find a lot of things we can do together,” Minho said as the two of them walked back to the house. He hadn't heard from Jonghyun or Taemin yet, but he hadn't expected to either. If they weren't trying to each other's faces off, they were studying, which was a good thing.
“I would find most enjoyment in that,” Jinki nodded as he glanced up at the stars. His home planet seemed so far away right now, looking at the sky from earth. His friends and family seemed even further away; he liked being out with the earthlings, but they were still strangers to him, creatures he knew nothing about other than things from the magazines back on the red giant that Kibum read religiously. Every time a new edition came out about the earthlings like their fashion or activities as discovered by passing UFOs over the planet, Kibum was one of the first ones to buy. Remembering this made Jinki smile, then his face darkened into a sad grimace. He was missing everyone a lot, but what could he do? He couldn't send them any messages. He was sure the humans hadn't developed any technology like that, so he wouldn't even bother asking. All he had to do was be patient until he could get home.

“We'll go to the science facility tomorrow night. I don't think Jonghyun or Taemin will be up for it now. It's a long shot that we can fix your spaceship there, and an even longer shot that it will work even after that, but we can at least try,” Minho continued speaking after a long silence ensued, and Jinki simply nodded. For once, he didn't have anything to say. The night made him sad, the sight of the moon even sadder, like the thought of the universe above him was some kind of trigger on his emotions, causing him to be sad and homesick. All he wanted to do was go home and into the welcoming arms of everyone he knew on Mars.
“Soon,” He whispered to himself as he kept his gaze on the dark sky above him, “soon, everyone, I'll be home,”