“Okay, let's all just calm down!” Minho yelled out suddenly; he was awfully overwhelmed, and he couldn't have Kibum up and leaving with Jinki while leaving all this destruction behind. Where he planned to start piecing things together again, he wasn't sure.
“You're not leaving today, okay? And don't argue with me on that. Just...just go get...ice cream or something. Here,” Minho took out his wallet and slid out some money impatiently to stuff into Kibum's free hand, then pointed out where he had to go to find some ice cream. He hoped Jinki would take it better this time instead of declaring war on a scoop of vanilla.

Either Kibum hadn't tried ice cream yet, or he could see Minho wasn't in the mood for sass or sarcasm, as he took the money and stormed off with Jinki.

“You two,” Minho puffed out some air as he looked at his two sulky best friends in front of him, “I don't know why the ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑙 you two can't just work out things by yourself,”
“He's the one that's fu—” Taemin started.
“Don't!” Minho exclaimed, then took a breath to calm down before he hit one of them, “just don't,”
“You two have liked each other for years. Really. It was actually becoming unbearable at times watching you two look at each other, wanting to each other's faces off,” He continued, internally gagging at the thought of how Taemin and Jonghyun would stare at each other and exclude him from conversations unintentionally just because they liked each other so much.
“Oh yeah? Well if he liked me so much, then why did he break up with me for some guy we know nothing about?” Taemin hissed with his arms folded across his chest, sending a sly gaze Jonghyun's way who did the same.
“I didn't break up with you,” Jonghyun sighed reluctantly.
“Sure looked like it to me. Is it because he's an alien and I'm not? What makes Kibum so great and makes me a loser?” Taemin's face crinkled like he ate a sour lemon, and slumped against the side of the car with a pout.
“He's just fun to be around! More fun than you are!” Jonghyun lashed out unexpectedly. He was someone who despised conflict and tried to avoid it as much as possible, so Minho was surprised to see this side of him.
“What?! You don't even know him! He could be a...a...cannibal or something!” Taemin yelled, his cheeks puffing out like a fish, and Minho bit his lip not to laugh.
“Taemin, if he was a cannibal, he would be eating Jinki. I don't think you know the meaning of cannibal,” He corrected his friend quietly, a smile tugging at his lips, then cleared his throat.
“Yeah, well...!” Taemin huffed with a red face. All the fire in his argument vanished - he knew he wasn't the smartest out of them, and that fact presented itself in the most inconvenient of times like right now.
“He isn't more fun than you. And you know I love you. It's not like he's anything serious,” Jonghyun began, unable to stay angry at the blubbering Taemin that couldn't find anything good to strike back with, and Minho knew it was his cue to leave. It looked like they needed a jumpstart to this conversation, and he was glad they didn't need him around as a mediator like usual whenever they had a classic scientific debate.

Now what was he supposed to do? He didn't want to see Kibum and Jinki together, and he wanted even less to chat with them about not leaving today. But what if it was a good thing? Jonghyun obviously couldn't keep his hands or eyes off of Kibum, so wouldn't it be better if he left sooner rather than later? However, Minho knew that meant that Jinki would leave as well, and was he really ready for that? Kibum wouldn't leave without Jinki, that much was certain, so it was a choice that Minho had to make by himself without anyone's interference. Everyone would have conflicting ideas and wants, so he had to decide what would be best for everyone. Jonghyun would want Kibum to stay, and that would make his relationship with Taemin burst into flames. Minho wanted Jinki to stay, but that still kept the issue known as Kibum around. And how long before people got suspicious of the pair of extraterrestrials? When would Taemin snap and ignore Jonghyun for good? If that happened, there would be no way of getting them back together again!

So, it all came down to sending the aliens back home which would crush Minho's heart, or keep them here, which would break Taemin's heart in the long run.

Minho wanted to be happy, but he adored his friends much more and he wanted their happiness more than anything, so was it really still a question of what he would do?

There was an obvious air of sadness that surrounded Minho for the rest of the day, and although everyone noticed it, no one brought up the topic. They knew he would speak up if he needed to, and they also knew he wasn't one who liked to be pushed to talk. Sometimes, Jonghyun had said once, Minho liked to believe all the responsibility of the world rested on his shoulders. If he was nice to this person, things would be okay. If he pushed himself to his own limits just to keep the peace, things would work out. It was impressive to have this mindset, but it was pitiful too. Sooner or later he would crack, and whether that would happen now or tomorrow when Jinki was gone, Minho wasn't sure of.

“Are we allowed to leave this planet yet? Or are you going to chain us down to your bed?” Kibum said as they arrived back at the house, his arms folded and his back against the seat, implying he wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.
“From the way you said that, you sounded like you'd like that,” Minho said dryly, his thumbs drumming against the steering wheel, and Kibum's lips pulled upwards into a smirk.
“Well, who knows? I could show you a thing or two when you're tied up,” He purred. His eyes were narrowed now in a playful way, and Minho scoffed with a roll of his eyes, “I'm not interested,”
Even if Kibum was the last extraterrestrial on earth, Minho wouldn't even spare him a second glance!

“You wanted to go home today, so that will happen. But at least stay for dinner. For my mom's sake. She really likes you, and I don't think it would be nice to just leave without saying goodbye,” Minho explained; half of this was true. The other half, that he didn't want to tell them, was that he really wanted Jinki around for just an hour or two more before he had to let go.
“And what are we supposed to tell her? I read the tabloids back home. Oh yeah, I do! Humans think we're some crazy type of aliens! We're the most natural ones out of all the nations, in fact! I'm not about to ruin my reputation by telling your birth giver that I'm not from this plane—”
“No one's asking you to do that. Just tell her you're going back home to Daegu or Gwangju or Los Angeles...whatever! As long as you make it sound believable, she probably won't ask any questions,” Minho waved a dismissive hand, and Kibum pressed his lips together. There it was again; that tension that crackled in the air. He would've made a sarcastic remark, but as before, he didn't want to push Minho to see how angry he could truly get.
“Fine,” Kibum sighed, then got out of the car. Jinki got out as well, and only the three original friends remained.
“Did you two work your differences out?” Minho asked as he looked in the rear view mirror; neither of them had said much throughout the trip home, so he couldn't be too sure where they stood with one another.
“Mhm! There are still a few things we have to talk about, but in general, I'd say we're all good,” Jonghyun answered as he lifted up their interlocked hands, pecking Taemin's with a smile.
“Great. So now when I walk through school in the mornings, I'll know to check the hallways since you guys always makeout against the lockers,” Minho complained playfully, then laughed afterwards. At least some joy could be found in this situation.
“Let's go! I bet Mrs. Choi is cooking something really tasty!” Taemin was the first to get out of the car - as always whenever he was coming over to eat - and was inside faster than the sun greeted his shadow.
“And you?” Jonghyun suddenly asked as Minho reached for the door handle, “what?”
“Have you worked things out with Jinki?” The way he was sitting in the backseat now was ominous. He was in the middle, staring down Minho from the rear view mirror. His eyes were gentle, but they held something firm behind them too; trying to hide his feelings at the loss of Kibum, perhaps?
“What is there to work out? We're not dating, and we have no history. I'll just say goodbye when the time comes,” Minho shrugged.
“Do you really want him to go though?”
“No...” Some hesitation now, “but I won't ask him to stay, if that's what you're suggesting. That means Kibum will stay too, and that's not good for you and Taemin,”
Minho idly wondered if that's what Jonghyun was trying to hint at the whole time; 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝐾𝑖𝑏𝑢𝑚 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑤𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟. If that was the case, it was despicable of him to think like that. But Minho knew his friends well, and he was sure this wasn't the case.
“Let's go. I don't want them to wonder where we are,” He knew everyone wouldn't really give a damn where they were unless it took an hour for them to go inside, but he didn't want to have Jonghyun's thoughtful gaze on him. It was intimidating, like his friend could stare into his soul, and he always ended up saying much more than he meant to in the first place. Hell, he even started talking when he swore to himself that he wouldn't! All that just from a look.

Mrs. Choi was sad to receive the news that her guests would be departing soon. She tried not to make it obvious, but everyone knew she spoke about Kibum when she said what great fun she had with them. After all, Jinki was either quiet around her or not home, so they could never get the chance to bond or chat like she and Kibum did.
All around the table there were sad smiles and happy smiles. Sad that this was the end, but happy that it had happened at all. It was as if they were all friends for many, many years and they were bidding one another goodbye, like they would see each other again in the future. Maybe they would, maybe they wouldn't. Kibum's ideals for Earth had been broken, if not shattered, since he experienced what it was really like instead of only turning glossy pages of a magazine that sold fake information as news or gossip or the latest trends.
And Jinki; it was obvious he was attached to Kibum's side. He could go out on his own, he just preferred not to. Minho was almost entirely sure that if Kibum said he didn't want to come back to Earth, then neither of them would. But still, a little part of the human hoped Jinki would defy his boyfriend and come alone if that's what needed to be done. All he hoped for was that Jinki would come back some day and remind Minho that this wasn't some weird fever dream.

“Do you really have to go tonight? Why not tomorrow morning or afternoon?” Taemin complained as they stopped by the warehouse. The spacecraft there only needed a few touch-ups and it would be completed, so Minho volunteered to work on that. It would be a waste to build such a thing only for it not to be used, hence Jinki agreed on using this spaceship to get home while Kibum used his own.
“Because then people will be able to see them in the sky, you idiot,” Jonghyun clicked his tongue, slapped Taemin on the back of the head, and turned to Jinki who was nearby.

Out of all people, Kibum was the one who came up to Minho who was busy with a wrench near the control panel of the spacecraft.
“I don't like you, and I know you don't like me either, but that doesn't matter. It never did. I just wanted to say thank you for taking care of him. He's easily molded,” Kibum paused to rethink his words, then continued, “if someone had to tell him the sky here on Earth was orange, he'd walk around believing it,”
Minho looked away from his current task to study the alien beside him, smiling just a little at the example he heard. Having known Jinki, albeit for a very short time, Minho could agree.
“I'm glad he wasn't taken in by someone who would've hurt him or misled him somehow. He doesn't deal with disappointment well...once, he ate grass for a week straight just because someone told him the humans are afraid of us,” Kibum laughed, and Minho wasn't sure what made it so funny, but he laughed along as well.
“But you, you were never afraid of him, were you? I could see it the moment I walked in here. I appreciate the fact that you helped him when he needed it most. I don't know many people back home who would build a whole spaceship to help someone. So although we didn't get to be friends, I'm grateful Jinki made friends with you,” It was a touching sentiment, especially from Kibum. Minho was sure he lacked the emotional depth for such a revelation, but he was glad to be proved wrong.
“It's no problem. I'm just happy he can finally go home where he's most comfortable. I don't think the food here agrees with him,” Minho admitted.
“Oh yes. He tried to instigate a war with the ice cream we had the other day. He said it harmed him all over again,” They both laughed again - it fascinated Minho how Jinki could be so clueless about the world and Kibum could be so knowledgeable about it. He expected to see Earth in the way that it was, and to Jinki, all Earth seemed like was a foreign planet with foreign food and grass for dessert.
“Kibum?” Minho asked quietly after they had calmed down, “will you come back eventually? To stay a while, I mean. Like now, or longer,”
“No way!” Kibum exclaimed, and Minho's face dropped a second before the extraterrestrial erupted into laughter.
“Of course, . What did you think? That we'd just up and leave Earth never to come back again? If that's so, then you're just a little slower than I thought,” Kibum wiped an imaginary tear from his eye, and Minho bristled as he scowled at the other man. They would definitely need a lot of work to become friends.
“You'll see us again, don't you worry. I'm sure Jinki will nag me about it until we come see you anyway. And I'm sure you've noticed by now that it's difficult to say no to him,” Kibum continued, and Minho felt the urgent voice in his head fall away for a minute. A wave of calmness rushed through his body, like a cloud was above him and sending multiple sparks of tranquility down his spine. The scariest possibility - that Jinki and Kibum would never return - was now ruled out, and he could certainly breathe a little easier.
“Good. I'll make sure to take you to even nicer places next time,” It was in his voice, that relaxed tone, and Kibum smiled to himself because of it. He still didn't really like the human, but he would be able to tolerate him from now on, which was much better than what they started out with.

“I can't believe you're leaving us so soon! You really could've stayed another week or two. A month, maybe. Even two months would've been goo—” Taemin began to ramble as they stood in the field once preparations for Jinki's spacecraft was complete, both of the large metal spaceships standing side by side. The differences could easily be pointed out, but that didn't matter too much. In fact, Jinki seemed to really like his spaceship, and Minho dare say even more than Kibum's.
“I think they get it, Taemin. But they'll come back, and then we'll really celebrate!” Jonghyun grinned; he knew once his boyfriend started with the chatter as he always did when he was nervous, it would take a long time for any of them to get even a word in.
“We should go to a karaoke bar next time. I've always wanted to try one of them,” Kibum nodded, then accepted a tight hug from Jonghyun who was already beginning to tear up.
“I thank you for all you have done for me. It has been an honor working on such a large project with you, Minho,” Jinki said as the others talked amongst themselves. Minho was sure this was the first time the extraterrestrial had referred to him by his name instead of “friend”, and for some reason, it made him tear up as well! It looked like Jonghyun wouldn't be the only emotional one tonight.
“Come back soon, okay? You have to help me with the physics questions, remember?” Minho said with a forced chuckle, but his voice was shaky, so it gave away the fact that he was somewhat upset.
“You are smart, and you always have been. I am sure you will be the one teaching me next time we see each other,” Jinki's chest rumbled with his deep laugh, and he gave Minho a gentle embrace, “you have shown me a world I had never thought I would see, and for that I will be eternally grateful,”
Minho bit down on his bottom lip hard to stop himself from crying, and he hugged Jinki tighter before he let go. At least it was mostly dark, so no one would see the tears glistening behind Minho's eyelids.

They said their goodbyes once more, and the humans walked back to give the spaceships some space to take off. It was dark now, and no one was around except for them, so they could wave freely instead of worrying about other people seeing this.
Jinki's spaceship lifted off just as well as Kibum's did, and the three teenagers on the ground observed their project with such immense joy, Taemin began hopping up and down.
The aliens gave one last wave, then they disappeared into the night sky, Jinki's spacecraft keeping up with Kibum's while having no problems whatsoever. It was impressive, almost too perfect, but Minho wouldn't complain.

He watched the dark purple sky, watching the two blips grow smaller and smaller amongst the stars that glittered above the humans until they eventually disappeared. There was a sense of loss that rippled through the boys which was to be expected, but Minho turned to the two teary-eyed people beside him.
“Let's go home boys. We have a lot of homework to catch up on,” He had admittedly been slacking off with Kibum here.
“Homework? Now? No, no. I can't. I couldn't! Not after we just went through such a loss, Minho! I think you should do it for me. Yes, that seems like a good idea. I'm too sad to be working right now. My hands are shaking, I can't write...” Taemin wasn't this upset, he just didn't want to do homework, and Kibum's dramatic ways had rubbed off on him.
“Okay, Taemin, I'll give you banana milk as soon as we get back,” Minho laughed with a shake of his head.
“...well, okay, I think that would cheer me up enough to work...”

A/N: Am I the only one that feels sad right now? ㅠㅠ It feels like the end when there's still one more chapter to go! I already miss writing about extraterrestrial Jinkibum 3