This is not a new oneshot. For more information, please refer to THIS BLOG.
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Lu Han's face turned white when he stepped into the small living room of his apartment in nothing but a towel and saw a man standing shamelessly in front of him.

    “Where am I?” the man in front of Lu Han spoke oddly, as if his mouth wasn’t used to forming the words.

    “South Korea,” Lu Han heard himself say distantly. “In Seoul, to be correct.” Lu Han’s eyes watered when he noticed the pictures in the background. “Jongin…”

    “I am not Jongin.” the man in front of him replied. “I.. used his DNA to make a body. You may call me Kai.” Lu Han looked past the clone to see that the lock of Jongin’s hair he had kept on the mantle as a reminder was gone. “I need to be escorted to…,” Kai had a concentrated look on his face for a couple of minutes before his face blanked once more. “Jeju Island in 4 Earth days.”

    “Good luck getting there. You could fly and get there in plenty of time…,” Lu Han began uncertainly. “But all things considered, it would probably be safer to drive as much as possible before you hop on a plane.” Lu Han stared, shaken to his core, at the still very man in his living room. “What are you?” Kai faced him.

    “I am what humans refer to as an ‘alien’. I am a foreign entity from a distant planet in a galaxy hundreds of millions of light years away,” Lu Han backed away from him quickly, his face once again the color of a sheet.

    “N-no ing way. Jesus Christ almighty,” Lu Han closed his eyes. “What the hell kind of dream is this? C'mon, Lu Han. Wake up," he slapped his cheeks. "I’m not even drunk. Oh my God,” he passed out on the couch, and Kai stared at Lu Han for a few seconds before he went to explore the rest of the apartment.

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After he woke up, Lu Han went to his bedroom and slipped on a t-shirt and some jeans before grabbing some clothes for Kai. “You’ll.. uh. Need these,” Lu Han handed them to Kai in the kitchen. “These go on first,” he held up the boxers and mimed putting them on. “Then you put pants on the same way. And you pull the shirt on over your head.” Kai did this with minimum difficulty. He turned to face Lu Han.

    “You will be coming with me,” Kai said with not even allowing a hint of argument in his voice and Lu Han’s eyes widened. He shook his head.

    “No, I can’t. I wish I could help you, but.. I can’t. I’m sorry,” he started backing up, but Kai grabbed his arm and held it tightly.

    “I’m afraid you don't have a choice,” Lu Han struggled but Kai dragged him outside to his car without so much as a thought to how it looked to Lu Han’s neighbors.

Lu Han started his car easily and backed out onto the road, praying that Kai wouldn’t hurt him. They drove for several hours before finally reaching the outskirts of Seoul. The ride was mostly silent, with Kai looking out the window and Lu Han trying to concentrate on driving. He wasn’t really paying attention to anything other than the other cars on the road until a small ding in his ears registered. He looked at the gas gauge to see that he was already pretty much riding on fumes.

    “My car needs gas,” when Kai looked at him blankly, Lu Han forged ahead. “You know.. fuel? If I don’t get more gas soon, my car won’t go any further. It’ll quit working.” Kai looked him in eyes unflinchingly, and Lu Han tried his best to meet that gaze.

    “Stop at the nearest re-fueling station,” Kai settled back in his seat. Lu Han reached into his back pocket for his wallet and put it on his dashboard for easy reach. He visibly tensed when Kai reached for it, curiosity apparent in the way his eyebrows were furrowed.

    “That’s, um, my wallet. It holds things that you need to keep with you. Like.. identification and money, and other things,” Kai held up his driver’s license. “That’s my license. You need that to show that you can drive. It also serves as identification.” Kai puzzled over the characters.

    “Lu…Han?” Lu Han nodded.

    “Yeah, that’s me. That’s my name. Lu Han,” Kai put his driver’s license back in his wallet and put it back on the dash. Hesitantly, Lu Han asked what had been on his mind all day. “Kai.. why are you here?”

    “I am here because my people are interested in humans. We’ve learned much about your way of life through radio transmissions. We find you.. amusing,” Kai turned to face Lu Han in his seat. “There is a re-fueling station ahead, I believe.” Lu Han pulled into the gas station with hesitation and tension clear on his face. He got out of the car and paid with his credit card before standing back and pumping his tank full. He faced Kai nervously.

    “I have to go to the bathroom,” Kai cocked his head. “Human bodies build up waste, and have to get rid of it. That’s what the bathroom’s for.” Kai settled back in his seat. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Lu Han hurried to the bathroom thumbing the pen in his pocket. If nothing else, he’d write a note on toilet paper.

‘Kidnapped! Headed south in a blue Honda Civic. Please help me’ Lu Han had just attached the note to one of the mirrors when he looked back to find Kai at the door, looking at him strangely. Lu Han hurried out of the bathroom and dragged Kai with him. “I’m done, so let’s go.”

They drove on for a couple of hours before Kai pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.

    “I did not kidnap you, LuHan,” Lu Han slammed on the brakes.

    “How the… when did you take that?” his shoulders started to shake. He closed his eyes and prepared to get hit or yelled at or even killed. Isn’t that always how it worked in the movies when you got kidnapped and tried to get away? Kai put his hands on Lu Han’s shoulders gently and Lu Han’s eyes opened slowly.

“I will not harm you, Lu Han,” Kai’s eyes held nothing but honesty. “I took Jongin’s appearance so you would be more comfortable around me, but maybe that was not such a good idea,” Lu Han relaxed, and suddenly he felt really stupid for thinking Kai would hurt him. He smiled at Kai slightly.

    “I’m sorry for thinking that you would hurt me,” Kai turned back around in his seat and the ride from then on went smoothly, if not a little too quietly for Lu Han.

The quiet ride was disrupted by a loud growl coming from Kai’s stomach. Lu Han couldn’t help bursting into laughter at the comically confused expression on Kai’s face.

    “You’re hungry. Human bodies need sustenance to keep going, and they need rest too,” Kai looked displeased.

    “Human bodies need a lot of care,” he looked so serious, Lu Han couldn’t help laughing again.

    “Yeah, I guess they do. But when you've been used to it literally your entire life, it doesn't seem that bad. Anyway, I'm hungry too now that I think about it. We’ll stop at a restaurant soon,” he promised and went a little faster. It wasn’t very long before they reached a McDonald’s. Not very fancy eating, but it would do in a pinch.

    “Ahh, McDonald’s,” Lu Han sighed. “Wish we could’ve come across something more traditional.” Lu Han stepped out of the car. “Come on, Kai. We’re going in.”

At the counter, Lu Han ordered them both double cheeseburgers, fries, and an Oreo affogato apiece. Kai ate his food with his eyes fluttering and making loud sounds of contentment.

    “It’s just a double cheeseburger,” Lu Han chuckled. “Nothing fancy.” Kai looked at him seriously.

    “On my planet, food does not give such.. pleasure when it’s consumed,” Kai’s smile was childish.

    “Oh. Really? That’s.. such a hard concept for me to grasp,” Lu Han propped his face on his hand. “I always feel just a little better after eating something that tastes good.” Kai took a huge bite of his double cheeseburger in satisfaction.

Later that night, Lu Han kept falling asleep at the wheel. He tried futilely to keep his eyes open, but in the end it was useless. He pulled off the side of the road and rubbed his hands across his eyes. Kai looks curiously at him, and he sighed.

    “I feel like I’m going to pass out if I don’t go somewhere and sleep,” Lu Han yawned, as if on a cue. Kai looked curious.

    “What does.. tired feel like?” Lu Han laughed.

    “Oh believe me, Kai.. You’ll know it. Tired is when your eyes can’t stay open. You feel like you absolutely have to lay down on a bed somewhere and sleep,” Lu Han yawned again. “Like I feel right now.”

A couple of exits later, they were on the way to a cheap motel somewhere close to Namwon. It would give them a chance to figure out what route to take, and to plan their moves from there. But that was after they got some sleep.

When Lu Han woke up the next morning, Kai was still asleep. He took the time to examine Jongin’s clone and felt his heart ache with loss. He’d put Jongin’s death behind him, or so he’d thought.  Until he saw Kai in his living room yesterday. He even had the same scar on his chest, right below his left collarbone.

    “This body knows when you’re staring,” Kai mumbled with his eyes closed. “It feels.. tensed.” Lu Han blushed, feeling embarrassed.

    “What’s your real body look like?” he wondered out loud. Kai surprised him by chuckling and sitting up.

    “I do not have a "real" body. I take whatever form I please,” Kai smiled. “I only have to have the genetic makeup of the form I take. The essence of whatever I’ll be.” Lu Han looked wistful.

    “I wish I could be whatever I wanted,” he looked towards Kai. “What’s it like?” Kai looked thoughtful.

    “It is... disorienting. Each body has different limitations and strengths. After a while of being in one form, you learn to accept them. But once you change to a different form.. it is very hard to adapt,” Lu Han nodded in understanding. “However. There is a potentially fatal flaw to my ability. After I have been in one form for so long, I have trouble.. separating myself from its genetic makeup.”

    “Sounds tough,” Lu Han agreed. “Let’s go eat breakfast somewhere and figure out our plan from there, okay? And this time, I promise I'll take you somewhere traditional.” Kai nodded like this was an agreeable plan.

Lu Han went down to the front desk and asked where a good, traditional restaurant was and thanked the desk clerk. He went back to their room and found Kai in exactly the same spot he’d left him in. He smiled slightly and told Kai to follow him to the car. They didn’t have too much time before they had to get back on the road, especially since they only had a 3 day limit to get to Jeju.

Their breakfast was to the point. When they were finished, Lu Han pulled up a map of South Korea on his phone. They discussed which airport to take off from, and finally decided on Mok’po. It was the furthest south they could go, and it made Lu Han more comfortable because they could drive for a longer period.

    “No offense, but.. I have a feeling that if the government knew you were here, they’d be after us,” Lu Han explained. “So I’d like to stay off the grid as much as possible.” Kai nodded. “Especially since you’re walking around in a dead man’s body.” Kai looked at him with quiet sadness.

    “I am sorry that he died,” Lu Han felt his eyes start to sting, and he waved his hands.

    “It isn’t your fault,” Lu Han started crying in earnest, despite his best attempt not to. “It was just an accident.” Kai leaned forward, examining Lu Han’s face.

    “Your sadness makes this body feel.. empty. Bad,” Kai nodded to himself like he’d described well enough. “I feel everything this body feels.. So please don’t be sad.” Lu Han flinched a little when he felt Kai’s thumbs wiping his tears away. The feeling was so familiar it ached, and Lu Han couldn’t help more tears spilling out.

    “I’ll be okay, Kai,” LuHan chuckled at Kai’s overly distressed expression. Something about it made Lu Han feel certain Kai wasn’t aware he looked so upset. “The sadness is still so strong because it hasn’t been long since Jongin died. That’s all.”

    “We should go,” Kai pointed towards the clock, and Lu Han noticed that over 2 hours had passed since they entered the restaurant. LuHan nodded and paid before leaving.

When they arrived at the car, they immediately noticed a man surrounded by a couple of thugs a few feet away. He wasn’t moving and he definitely wasn’t breathing. Lu Han stopped in shock, and Kai looked at him curiously.

    “He’s dead,” Lu Han whispered. The thugs seemed not to notice they were there, and had started to walk away. At least, until Kai came forward and bent down next to the dead man. One of the thugs sneered.

    “He’s dead, you moron,” he scoffed. “Didn’t you hear your friend?” Kai produced a small black cube, and let it drop over the dead man. The cube turned to liquid as soon as it touched the dead man’s skin, and after a few minutes the man gasped and bolted upright. He looked around wildly, took one look at the faces of the thugs in front of him, and ran for his life. A second time.

The thugs stared in shock at Kai, just as Lu Han was staring. But he really shouldn’t have been surprised. Kai had access to technology far more advanced than humans could even think of comprehending.The thugs stepped in front of Kai and the same thug grabbed him by the arm. He was hauled upright, and LuHan noticed the flash of a knife.

    “No!” He ran at full speed and knocked Kai out of the way just as the thug swung his knife. Lu Han stopped and stood stock still. Then both of the thugs took off.

    “Hey man,” one of the thugs rolled up his sleeve to reveal a single tattoo before they were all the way out of sight. “You’ll be getting a visit from some of our friends soon. Since you just messed up our whole day.” Kai didn’t hear them. He was focused entirely on Lu Han, who was fading extremely fast. The knife had hit him right below his collarbone, and judging from the bright red all around him, he’d say the knife had hit something major.

    “Lu Han…,” Kai was frantically searching his pockets for another of those cubes, and Lu Han smiled.

    “It’s okay, Kai,” Lu Han coughed and blood spilled out of his mouth. “Relax.” Kai could not, but he finally found another cube. He dropped it onto Lu Han’s chest, and a few minutes later, Lu Han sat up feeling good as new. When he was sure Lu Han was better, Kai launched himself at Lu Han and held him closely.

    “I am not used to such strong emotional reactions. I’m afraid of them,” Kai’s voice was quivering . “Lu Han…,” Kai seemed lost for words, but the way he’d said it made Lu Han gather Kai’s face in his hands.

    “I’m not going anywhere,” he whispered gently. “I’ll see this to the end. I promise.” Kai visibly relaxed at those words and smiled widely.

    “Okay,” he breathed. “Let’s go.”

Back on the road, it became apparent that someone was following them. Kai kept noticing a sleek grey vehicle, and Lu Han had a sinking feeling that the thugs were just making good on their promise. Which meant they had to be that much more careful to not get caught.

They drove as fast as possible and eventually slipped their tail. Kai told Lu Han about the tattoo and drew the exact same symbol on a piece of a receipt. Lu Han covered his face in his hands and groaned.

    “That’s the symbol the Mafia uses, Kai. They’re very, very bad people. They don’t have any regard for human life or culture or anything good,” Lu Han started shaking. “They’ll never leave me alone. They’ll never leave me in peace after what you did. It won’t matter if you’re not here. They’ll kill me instead.”

    “No,” Kai said, seemingly very certain. “They’ll never bother you again. Trust me.” Lu Han believed him.

Later that night, they stopped in Mok’po and rested in their hotel room. LuHan sighed when he checked his bank account. “We’re not going to be able to get plane tickets unless I can come up with 800,000 won in less than 24 hours.”  Kai perked up.

    “What does this 'won' look like?” LuHan pulled his wallet out of his pocket and showed Kai a 10,000 note.

    “I can show you more on the internet, but that’s the only bill I have on me right now,” Kai looked very concentrated. “Why?”

Kai pulled the note out of LuHan’s hand and pulled a small metal wand out of his pocket. He swiped the wand across the front of the bill and Lu Han’s eyes widened when he noticed it had changed into a 50,000 note.

    “You can make money? Gee, what a surprise,” Lu Han muttered and Kai looked slightly alarmed.

    “I can change it back if--,” “No, Kai. I was just joking,” Lu Han laughed a little. “It’s called sarcasm.”  Kai looked dissatisfied.

    “Humans are complicated,” Lu Han laughed again, and smiled slightly.

    “Yeah we are. But we’ve gotta be different than any species you’ve ever made contact with, right?” Kai nodded enthusiastically.

    “Yes. Your life here is very… vibrant in comparison to most other planets I’ve visited. It is extremely primitive on this planet. Savage, almost. But there are things here, feelings…,” Kai looked at Lu Han with eyes that spoke to him more than words ever could. “That make it very worthwhile.” Kai leaned in and Lu Han met him halfway. Their lips met and Lu Han crawled into Kai’s lap, wrapping his whole body around Kai’s. The same warm feelings he’d had with Jongin were now there because of Kai.

And sure, some of that was because Kai looked like Jongin. But not all of it. He pulled away from the kiss with flushed cheeks and his heart racing a mile a minute. Kai’s arms surrounded him and he relaxed entirely.

    “I feel like I’ve known you my whole life,” Lu Han whispered, pressing his forehead against Kai’s. “That’s crazy, isn’t it?”

    “It is very irrational,” Kai agreed, and Lu Han half-heartedly slapped his arm. “But.. then again, nothing about human behavior is.” 'Wise words', Lu Han thought.

Before anything else was said, there came a knock on their hotel room door. Lu Han got up to answer, since he was closer. He opened it and met the concerned gaze of the front desk clerk.

    “Uhm.. I noticed a couple of guys looking around inside your car a second ago,” she said uncertainly. “I thought you might want to go down there and check it out.” Lu Han’s eyes narrowed, and he nodded his thanks. He knew with absolute certainty that these were just more mafia thugs, there to cause trouble for them.

He came down the steps hesitantly, prepared for anything. There were three guys surrounding his car, and he whistled to get their attention.

    “Hey! Over here,” he waved them over and made a run for it when they headed straight towards him. He kind of wished he’d had a better plan than distracting them from his car, but it was better than having them get to Kai.

And like he’d heard his name called telepathically, he was there. Just.. out of thin air.

    “How’d you do that?” LuHan hissed. “Is there a limit to what you can do?” Kai smirked.

    “Probably,” he ran fast to the car. “But I haven’t found it yet.” Without asking, Kai jumped into the driver’s seat and started the engine. “I’ve watched you carefully, I know what to do.” Lu Han didn’t questionit, and just let things happen.

They arrived at the airport close to midnight, but that didn’t matter. Kai did his money trick and produced just enough to pay for their tickets. Lu Han paid with just a hint of unease.

    “Hey Kai… I have Jongin’s license in my wallet as a reminder,” Lu Han murmured. “They’re gonna ask to see some identification, and you’re gonna need to show that to them. It’s good for another two years, so they probably won’t ask questions.” Kai nodded once, and Lu Han relaxed.

They cleared customs without a hitch, and even though Lu Han still felt the slightest hint of worry, he shrugged it off. It was probably nothing.

Their flight was supposed to have left 10 minutes ago, but it was still taking forever for them to lift off. The crew told them that it was because of turbulence, but Lu Han wasn’t so sure. His fears were assuaged when they finally took off 30 minutes late, and there was still no sign of the thugs from earlier. He breathed a sigh of relief.

    “There’s nothing to worry about,” Kai kissed Lu Han’s forehead. Trying to distract himself, Lu Han started asking more questions.

    “What’s it like, where you’re from?” Kai smiled at the question.

    “We have evolved far more than humans,” Kai ignored Lu Han’s ‘obviously’ and continued on “Our planet is very bland and lifeless. The atmosphere is very much like the atmosphere here, only our sky is purple. It is hard to miss the way of life there, after experiencing the wonders of being a human. Because we can choose our forms, everyone looks very, very different. Some resemble large slugs with four arms and four eyes. Some are orange, and taller than the buildings I saw in your city. We assume whatever gender our bodies are, so I suppose you could say we are a genderless species. But even if there were a set gender on my planet, it wouldn’t matter.” Lu Han smirked.

    “Sounds like a real thrill to me,” Kai looked at him with confusion and Lu Han chuckled. “More of that sarcasm I told you about.”

The rest of the flight went smoothly, and when they landed in Jeju, they immediately headed to the nearest car rental agency. The area that Kai needed to get to was about 50 miles outside the city, and it could easily be covered tomorrow. For now, they rented another hotel room and fell asleep instantly, exhausted.

The next morning, Lu Han bought Kai breakfast. He couldn’t stomach the thought of food at the moment. His stomach was knotted with anxiety, and fear that things would go wrong.

There was another feeling that Lu Han couldn’t help admitting to himself. Heartache. He was desperately searching his brain for reasons to give Kai so he wouldn’t leave, but there were none he could come up with that weren’t selfish. And Lu Han was not a selfish person by any means.

By the end of their journey, Lu Han was having to fight off the tears. It felt like he was losing Jongin all over again, and it hurt way, way worse the second time around. His tears were escaping despite his best efforts and he discreetly tried to wipe them away.

    “Lu Han,” Kai was standing outside the car, looking up. “I.. I love you. Not this body. Me, the thing that only appears to be human. I love you.” Lu Han sobbed and grasped the steering wheel tightly.

    “I love you too, Kai,” Lu Han felt himself getting weak. Screw not being selfish. He deserved it, just this once. “Please don’t leave me.” He tried to prepare himself. If Kai said no, that was it. He wouldn’t ask again.

Kai was quiet for a very long time. When Lu Han looked up to see if he would answer at all, Kai was standing ramrod straight, with his head tilted back towards the sky. His eyes looked unfocused, as if he was somewhere else mentally.

    “He wants to stay,” a strange voice came out of Kai’s mouth. “He sacrifices much to stay with you, human. Know that. He will never again be welcomed on his home planet. He will lose his abilities.” Lu Han felt guilt swallow him whole. “However, he also gains much. The memories of those who mean to harm him will be wiped. No one will look for you. The love between you will grow and you will have children together.” Lu Han smiled widely. “That is our last gift. Farewell, human. Live long and prosper.”

Lu Han bowed respectfully, and he cried when Kai seemed to come back to himself. He hugged Kai fiercely and smashed their lips together passionately. Kai kissed him back, just as passionately. He laced their fingers together, and Lu Han couldn’t help the burst of happiness in his chest.

    “Let’s go home,” Lu Han suggested and Kai eagerly agreed. They got in the car and drove to the airport, certain in the knowledge that things could only get better from here.

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This is based on one of my all time favorite movies, called STARMAN. It's a really good movie, and tbh editing and re-posting this makes me want to watch it again. So yeah.

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Til next time, loves. ^o~