He drowns himself in the coursework and his sense of time becomes distorted in a few days. He doesn't go to the park and he doesn't find Eunkwang at the science department. It's just him.

“Hey, you OK, man?” Eunkwang's invited himself in to Hyunsik's student accommodation. Eunkwang's always been there, that ray of goofiness that shines through Hyunsik's bad moods. But none of Eunkwang's jokes could cheer him up. “What's up? You've been off for weeks. Where's your eyesmile, huh?” He always invades Hyunsik's personal space, now is no different. Hyunsik closes his textbook.

“No reason.”

“Is it your Mum? Your sister?”

“No.”

“Then what? You can tell me anything, it won't shock me!” Hyunsik notes that he says that with a hint of pride. Eunkwang's almost as strange as -

“It's nothing.” His friend sighs and drags Hyunsik up from his seat.

“Fine, but you're coming out with me. Sungjae's having a party.”

“A high schooler's party? Really?!”

“You're cool with Sungjae!”

Hyunsik groans and let's himself be dragged to Sungjae's house. It's true he doesn't have a problem with the high school student, they're friends, but Sungjae's still in high school so Hyunsik finds the boy... beneath him sometimes. Sometimes, he thinks Sungjae is only friends with Eunkwang to get somewhat cleverer. He's still immature and naive. He doesn't hold it against him though, there's still time for creases to be ironed out.

So he's surrounded by high schoolers trying to get in his pants because they think it'll be cool to sleep with an older guy. Ugh. Eunkwang's no better next to him, drunk and shamelessly flirting with someone he recalls being introduced as 'Sungjae's best friend'. He leaves the living room in disgust and heads outside where suddenly it's quiet. All he can hear his the thumb of bass and the chilly February breeze. There's movement on Mrs. Yook's flowerpots and Hyunsik has to squint in the darkness to try and work out what it is. It's the mimic. What on Earth is a butterfly doing out at night? He kneels down and holds out his hand to the blue butterfly. It flutters over to him and he can't help but smile.

He misses Minhyuk.

“Is he doing OK?” It takes him a minute to realise that he's talking to a butterfly. And for some reason that doesn't sound quite so silly as it should. “I think I'll go see him tomorrow. At the park.” The butterfly spreads it's wings and flutters away into the night. Hyunsik hopes it stays safe, because it's a February night for God's sake (stupid butterfly). It's then someone stumbles through the door and promptly throws up on the floor. Ugh, high schoolers.

So a day later and Hyunsik is walking deliberately slow through the park, just in case he misses Minhyuk, but he's pretty sure that's impossible; with Minhyuk being who he is. Ah, there he is, all in orange sat on top of the park bench. A single butterfly on his knuckles. A sight Hyunsik didn't even know he missed.

“He said you were coming.” Minhyuk murmurs as he approaches but it's loud enough for Hyunsik to hear. He sits next to him on the table but puts a safe distance between them. What should he say? Where does he begin? Minhyuk says he's an alien. But there's no proof so Hyunsik decides to play along for now and pushes it away. He almost liked it better when he knew less about him. Almost.

“I've missed you.”

“You're OK with it?” He's cut his hair back a little bit, but it's colour remains that dull coal colour.

“Yeah,” Hyunsik smiles wistfully. When he said he missed the other, he didn't realise how much. He's missed lounging around with Minhyuk, talking the day away. He's missed going on walks with him, finding beautiful corners of the city he didn't know existed. He's missed Minhyuk's laughter, he's missed the way he looks like a squirrel, he's missed the way Minhyuk would lean on him whilst he does coursework. He didn't know it was possible to miss someone so much for only a few of weeks.

The shorter moves so they're, sat next to each other, shoulder to shoulder. And just like that, they're back to their old selves, like nothing happened. A relaxed feeling fills the space between them and he's holding Minhyuk's hand without even knowing it, but Hyunsik anchors himself in it.

“Do you wanna come round to mine?” Minhyuk says goodbye to the butterfly with a gentle blow of air and it gracefully flies away.

“Sure.”

●

Minhyuk's house is old. It's surrounded by overgrown plants, flowerbeds and old trees. It's architecture is hidden by the vines and creepers that have rooted their way up around the house. Windows are dirty and some are boarded up. It almost looks derelict, is this really Minhyuk's home? It's a big house, too big for one person. Inside the furniture and decorations are dated, left to time, a thin sheet of dust encasing them. It's like time has forgotten about this place and it's stuck in it's own time pocket.

“I spend my time in my room.” He leads him up a grand, ricketing staircase, through many a corridor and too his room. Suddenly, everything's bright a full of life. There's no dust but there is the odd article of clothing forgotten on the floor. Large windows almost reach the ceiling, as do the bookcases, his bed is fairly large too. Over in the corner of the room is a desk with two display cases next to it. “I couldn't get rid of all of them.” Hyunsik had been stood in awe at the middle of the room, when he noticed Minhyuk's amused smile he quickly stopped.

He follows Minhyuk to the cases and makes sure he looks at each and everyone. The collection is helpfully titled at the top: Southern American Butterflies. Hyunsik feels his jaw dropping again.

Minhyuk is a lot like the butterflies he keeps. Pinned down, trapped never to leave, but still beautiful.

“How did you get this house?”

“I've... been on Earth a long time... I forged some documents and made this mine.”

“Wow.” How lonely has Minhyuk been? For how long have insects been his only friend? “Prove it to me. Prove to me you're an alien.” Hyunsik has to know because he's not sure how long he pretend.

Minhyuk moved them so they're stood face to face, looking at him right in the eye. He holds his hand over Hyunsik's chest – where his heart would be. It feels heavy for some reason. Then the shorter closes his eyes and Hyunsik can feel a surge of warmth flowing throughout his body. He can hear a faint pulse in his ears, so faint he's not sure if it's really there. But then, in the deepest recesses of his mind, he can hear it; he can hear a tiny voice. It's quiet but he can hear it. It's a happy voice, full of joy.

“That's OK. It's hard to attune your hearing to the butterflies at first.” Hyunsik hadn't even noticed that his eyes had closed until he opened them in shock at his friend's words.

“It's outside... I can hear it,” He whispers in fascination and watches a warm smiles bloom over Minhyuk's feature.

“I can only hear insects and plants.” His hand falls back to his side and the voice in his head fades away. Minhyuk let something go unsaid but Hyunsik can work it out. He'll only ever be able to hear insects and plants, nothing bigger. Not now there's no-one to teach him. But Minhyuk's an alien, he knows that now – he's experienced that now and it's amazing. Minhyuk is a real life alien. He prefers him as a friend though. A friend he's in love with.

Hyunsik pulls him into his arms and hold him tightly in the afternoon sun. The shorter's arms wrap around him as well, nuzzling into Hyunsik's collarbone. His heart aches for him. He wishes desperately that he could do something but there is nothing – absolutely nothing he can do. All he can do is hold Minhyuk and hope it's enough for him. And if it isn't Hyunsik will to his very best to give him whatever he needs – whatever he wants. Hyunsik steps back, making sure their hands become intertwined. He can't bring himself to look him in the eye.

“I need to tell you something, Minhyuk.” His friend nods for him to continue. “I – I – I'm in love... with you. Is that OK?”

Minhyuk smiles one of the brightest smiles Hyunsik's ever seen. A smile like that is usually reserved for butterflies but it's directed at him, just him, only him. Hyunsik's fallen pretty hard for an alien who can talk to butterflies. In his mind he laughs, he laughs because he wouldn't have it any other way.

“That's perfectly OK with me, Hyunsik. In fact... I think it's safe to say I'm in love with you to.” He wonders if it's illegal to fall in love with an alien and have an interspecies relationship or something. But... It's Minhyuk. He's friendly, weird and funny. He cups his hand around his face and steps closer and closer.

“Can I kiss you?” Is it too weird? Is he too weird? It's only Minhyuk, his butterfly boy. Minhyuk nods and Hyunsik decides he doesn't care because Minhyuk's lips are soft and fit perfectly against his.

•••

They've been dating for a little more than two years now and it isn't weird in the slightest. They go on like they did before, only now there's a kiss stolen here and there with much more inbetween. Minhyuk is as human as much as Hyunsik is. It's just natural. They fit in the space next to each other easily, with a butterfly on their shoulders.

(What's weird is that Eunkwang's dating a high schooler that makes clever jokes.)

I had fun writing this but I feel like it's still laking. Thank you for reading.