Tao's POV, past

We went to our neighbor's house again after school on Friday so I could teach them what I knew about making stew. During these lessons, I was quickly finding out that they were the kind of people to eat out nearly every night instead of trying to cook for themselves. The result was they never practiced and never really improved. Everything they made was right on the line between edible and holy-cow-is-that-thing-breathing. They burned water. Literally. There was rust stuck to the pot they decided to use and it turned a nasty dark color that stunk up the kitchen with smoke. This, plus the not one, but two grease fires had me banning them temporarily from the stove.

I was getting the vegetables ready and explaining to Luhan why it was better to cut around the edges of the carrot slices to stop them from cracking when I saw Xiumin and Kai whispering animatedly in Korean as they prepped the potatoes. I couldn't catch anything they said because it went by so fast. It's nice he's making friends with them. I was a little nervous to see them together at first, but Kai had improved so much.

I knew Kai was watching those dramas more, especially since I'd started to sit down and watch a few episodes with him, but I didn't think he'd learned so much already. He probably knew more than I did, or at least could process what he did know faster.

His mind was incredible.

A few nights ago, he discovered the music shows on TV and was able to recreate the choreography of whole performances after watching them once. I had been right; he was a fantastic dancer and it was addicting to watch the precision and control to each movement sharpen as he kept learning. I thought about taking him for lessons once, but it would just be a waste. He would out-rank the teacher in a week tops.

Kai was incredible.

Everything about him was incredible.

I think this is partly why, when I scanned the list of writing prompts after a long day of teaching the neighbors how not to set fire to the house, I chose to write about my beautiful alien pet. In my writing, I'd be free to let myself fall in love with the glowing lights, the snuggly habits, the smirking lips, the thoughtful affections, the graceful way he moved his body, and the wide grins that took up his whole face when he laughed, truly laughed.

In my writing, I could fall in love with Kai and no one would be the wiser.

***

(A/N: it's now caught up to the prologue and everything will be in the present)

Kai's POV, present

I woke up and Tao wasn't there. It didn't feel right to have him so far away. The whole room felt cold and empty. Though there were little snatches of his scent in the air, it wasn't the same as having a living, breathing Tao nearby.

Sensing the air through my fingertips, I could tell that he was just beyond this room, so I set down the stuffed panda, covered it with a corner of the blanket so it wouldn't get cold, and left the bedroom.

Tao was on asleep on the sofa, sitting at the end and dangling a bit with his arms out over the edge. There was a laptop over his legs and glasses balancing very precariously on the bridge of his nose. I moved these off of him and onto the coffee table first before they could fall, then took in the sight before me.

Watching him was always a treat.

He was warm and nice to snuggle with, but I didn't want to wake him up just yet. I was enjoying the view of his fingers twitching in the open air once, twice and seeing the muscles of his face completely relaxed and sweet. It was so complex, the human body. I often felt the urge to count the number of hairs on his head, but always ended up failing and having to start over. And then there were hairs in other places, but Tao usually got mad at me for trying to count those.

There was so much to find out about this world. I didn't ever want to leave it.

I didn't ever want to leave Tao.

But all things have an end, including my stay here.

I finally gave in to my cravings and climbed into Tao's lap, effectively startling him awake. Yes, snuggling him was the best thing about this planet so far, especially when he was sleepy because then he'd get just as cuddly as I was. This and apple mush were my favorite things here and I'd miss them terribly.

But I'd miss Zitao the most.

***

Tao's POV

Today I had to explain to my dad why there was a parental block on his favorite channel. I couldn't tell him it was because there was a goo-person living in our house and I didn't want him learning strange things, so I lied and told him I had taken to babysitting my friend's little sister and apologized for forgetting to tell him.

It was very rare to have my dad home, but he had been staying here for a couple days straight now and Kai had to climb through my window and go to Luhan's to eat in order to avoid him. I hoped they had learned a thing or two, because I didn't want to know what happened when an alien had food-poisoning.

Kai also left sometimes to go play with them while I worked on my creative writing assignment. The teacher really loved what I had so far and said I could finish it instead of working on a new prompt this weekend.

Kai never brought up the weird smell he thought Xiumin had again, so I figured it wasn't important or that it had gone away.

I wrote a lot while he wasn't here and slowly started to feel the empty spot that should be filled with a soft breathing and sounds of movements while he plays with the same panda plushie he seemed to take a liking to. My mom had bought it for me for my birthday, sending it in the mail and checking to see if I got it with a video call. She said it reminded her of me. Maybe it reminded Kai of me too.

Or was that wishful thinking?

I finished the last chapter and startled myself by crying as I read it back to edit. It ended just like I wanted it to, with my alien in my arms and every doubt and obstacle thrown to the wind. I could've ended it with him turning human or even me turning into whatever he was since there was no limit to what you could do in this genre of writing, but I realized that I liked him just the way he was, golden and shining like starlight, and I even liked the way he made me look like his moonlit counterpart, since we contrasted so well together. His tanned skin and light hair made him look sun-touched and my tanned skin just made me look... well, dark.

It had to be the black hair. And dark circles. I probably do look like that panda, don't I? I sniffed and wiped away the fast-drying tears, closing the laptop. Now I wanted check and see just how panda-like I was.

In the bathroom mirror, I looked like a wreck (though interestingly enough, like a wrecked panda just like I suspected).

Kai would be over soon; I already texted him.

After washing my face and combing my hair, my eyes were still puffy and the dark circles more pronounced. I turned off the ceiling light and switched on the dinky lamp on my desk for a dimmer lighting. Perhaps he wouldn't notice.

More wishful thinking.

Kai wasn't a normal person. I shouldn't have expected him to react normally. His fingers were at my face and poking just under my eyes the second he stepped in. In fact, he still had a leg out the window.

“Were you very sad, or very happy?” he asked right away.

I had to give him credit for knowing that there were two different types of tears. Must be the dramas again.

I moved his hands away from my eyes; it was a little uncomfortable and a lot annoying. “I don't know... both, I guess.” Sad in my own beliefs that aliens with humans was utterly wrong and happy to have at least created an alternate world where everything turned out just fine no matter what, which I could read whenever it hurt too much.

He really has learned a lot from all the romance dramas. Kai took his hand back and held it to my cheek, rubbing his thumb gently over my skin. I leaned into the touch, telling myself that this much was okay between owner and pet, but backed away in surprise when he playfully ran a finger down my nose.

“They want us to come over.”

So this was why he had his leg out the window.

“Did they say why?” I asked.

His eyes glinted happily in the dim light and his lips pulled up at the corners. “They made banana cream mush.” It was simply amazing how despite the childish words, he still had a laid back, y aura to him. I climbed out the window with him, shuddering at the cold air that left goosebumps on my heated skin. Knowing now what blushes meant, Kai smirked at me before taking my hand leading me to the house. It wasn't fair. The y playfulness he'd developed; I was falling for that too.

In my writing. I was falling for it in my writing.

I couldn't fall for an alien. Not in real life.

We reached their house and was greeted warmly like always. I had laughed at Kai's word choice earlier because I thought Xiumin and Luhan were past the point of turning their pies into mush.

But I was wrong. They made mush again.

“You guys,” I whined at them, taking in their appearances that were very smudged and looked like they broke out in flour and sugar fights instead of baking seriously.

“Hey, it doesn't taste bad-” Luhan pointed out.

“And there's pizza.” said Xiumin, smiling knowingly.

From the smell of it, there were a lot of interesting toppings on said pizza. “You're forgiven.” I said, following my nose to the box in the dining room.

“Your lessons really are helping.” said Luhan, pulling up a chair and grabbing a slice for himself and -ew, sharing it with Xiumin right in front of me. “We haven't burned anything in four days!”

“I've been teaching you for weeks.” I said around a mouthful of cheese and onions and peppers.

“You can swallow and then talk, you know.”

“You can eat a piece by yourself, you know.” I responded, again speaking around food.

Kai skipped the pizza and went right into the banana mush. I would've stopped him, but he looked too happy to have pie again, even if the word mush suited it better.

“Where did you even learn to cook?” Xiumin asked, handing a napkin to me. I didn't know what he wanted me to do with it until I turned and saw whipped cream had gotten on Kai's nose and cheek somehow. “The school doesn't have any classes like that.”

“His mother taught him.” Luhan supplied as I wiped the golden boy's face clean. “Right, Tao? Because between you and me, I can smell your father's cooking from all the way down the street and it is rancid. What's with his sense of taste? Is it all topped with five pounds of peppers and wilted cabbage?”

It was true. We've even gotten complaints from our other neighbors who were downwind of us. I think they moved out recently because of it, even it was very rare that he entered the kitchen.

I told Luhan he was correct about my mother teaching me. She learned to bake from my grandpa and my grandma made sure she knew how to cook real food too after my mom married someone who clouded the kitchen in acrid clouds of stink. My parents really meshed well in my mind, so it was a shock when they divorced. I tried not to question it. It was their decision and they both found someone new in the end.

If only they hadn't abandoned me along with their relationship. I barely saw either of them.

But I was okay on my own. Really, I was.

The table went quiet as we found enjoying the food to be more entertaining than talking, and Xiumin sent a look to Kai, clearing his throat as if giving a signal to say or do something. They were whispering more these days, and I wondered if this was about that as I set down my third piece of pizza to see what they were up to. Luhan ignored the exchange and continued eating until Xiumin poked him in the side.

“Tao,” Kai held out his hands and I wiped the grease from mine before letting him take them. “Xiumin really does smell strange.” he smiled, a hidden meaning behind his eyes.

“Hey!” Luhan growled at him.

Xiumin only laughed. “It's okay, Xiaolu-” Luhan gasped at the use of his pet name and covered his boyfriend's mouth. Pulling the hands away, Xiumin continued, “It's okay, because Kai smells strange too.”

“Baozi, What are you talking about?” asked Luhan, though I think he was more interested in revenge than the actual answer as he took up his pizza again.

Baozi and Xiaolu. They were unbearably cute sometimes (though Kai had nearly taken up the habit of calling me Taozi before I got him to stop).

At this moment, both Kai and Xiumin stood and moved to stand side by side in front of the table. Plucking two daisies from a vase on the table, Kai handed one to the other. They exchanged secretive smiles before directing their attention to us.

Golden liquid swirled in their eyes, a light wind lifted at the corners of their clothing and hair, and the two simple flowers in their hands became alive with beautiful starlight, like the first day I brought Kai outside and he gave me the flower gift I now kept pressed in a book.

“Oh,” I breathed out quietly, realizing the implications.

Meanwhile, Luhan choked on his pizza. “Minnie,” he sputtered, still recovering. “I thought you said I could tell him!”