I'M BACK BABY

Those of you who have read my Intergalactic AU may find many things about this story familiar, and actually I’ve had this plot bunny of ‘aliens “abducting” humans to put them back together after tragic accidents’ in my head for a while. It was this idea that is actually responsible for spawning the Intergalactic AU. (is “plot bunny” even used anymore? Am I showing my age with that?)

Out of This World : Kris/Jongdae

Yifan has had one thing drilled into his head for years on end; observe, but do not interfere. He repeats it to himself every day as he watches the little human scurry about his daily life. Yifan holds himself back when the little human is kicked out of his own house, left to wander the streets in tears. He holds himself back when the little human sings on street corners, collecting pitiful handfuls of change like they were precious gems. But everyone knows that the rule was made to be broken, and everyone has broken it at least once. Yifan has known for years who he would break the rule for, and he knows that when he breaks the rule, his little human won’t be going back to that horrible planet ever again. All he needs is the right time.

The time comes when, sick with a cold, the little human staggers into the street and his body is crushed by a drunk driver.

When the light hits Jongdae’s eyes, he’s sure that it’s the light of heaven. His parents said he was going to hell, but how could Hell be so welcoming? Jongdae is warm, and he feels like he’s lying on something soft. Soft, musical notes reach his ears and he wonders if it’s the voices of angels. This is heaven, and Jongdae is dead. He wonders if anyone will bury his body.

Jongdae was stupid to try to go out when he was sick. Stupid to try and cross the road. When the car hit him all he could feel was pain, like his body had been ripped in half. He didn’t even feel the impact of the road. Maybe he was dead before it happened.

Tears fall hot on his cheeks, and he wonders how he could still be in pain if he’s dead. He tries to move his arm and screams in pain. His whole body feels like it’s on fire. Maybe this is hell.

Something cool and metal slides into his ear, and Jongdae suddenly hears voices he can understand.

“Can you move anything? Can you blink if you understand me?”

Jongdae blinks and opens his mouth, but all that comes out is a whimper.

“Stand back,” a deep voice commands. Jongdae tries to move his head but he can’t. He tries to move his eyes, but all he can see is the light.

“Kim Jongdae, my name is Yifan. I’ve come here to tell you that everything is going to be alright now. I’m going to take care of you.”

Jongdae can feel his eyes moving, but he can’t see anything other than white light.

“I can’t see,” Jongdae gasps, his voice barely a whisper.

“Let me help you,” the same voice says. Something slides over Jongdae’s face and the room is pulled into focus. Jongdae gasps as tall beings with spindly, silver arms appear in front of him. He sees machines, with wires leading to his body, and he sees blood streaming from his limbs.

Jongdae screams again and tries to thrash, to get away, but he can’t move. A hand rests on his forehead and Jongdae tries to bite it, but he still can’t move his head.

“Shush, it’s alright,” the voice says. “I know they’re not what you’re used to, but they’re doctors, they’re going to fix you.”

Jongdae looks up, and he sees a person, one who looks human, with long blonde hair and an angular face, leaning over him.

“My name is Yifan,” the person repeats. “I am what you would call a man. I’ve been watching over you for some time, but I wasn’t allowed to interfere until today. You were hurt very badly, and I’m going to make sure you’re fixed.”

“F-fixed?” Jongdae repeats. There’s a flurry of activity around his legs and he looks down. A needle slides into his shin and Jongdae thinks he’s going to die of fright.

“STOP!” He shrieks, trying to kick. “Take that out! What the hell are you doing to me?! What was that?!”

Yifan Jongdae’s hair. “It’s to help with the pain.”

“It’s hurting me!” Jongdae cries.

Yifan looks sad. “I’m sorry. But it’ll stop very soon, I promise.”

“What are you doing to me?” Jongdae repeats.

“I told you, we’re going to fix you. The car did a lot of damage, but it’s nothing we can’t fix. Soon you’ll be all better.”

“I don’t want it,” Jongdae sobs. “Whatever you’re fixing me with, I don’t want it!”

“You’re not in a state to make that choice,” Yifan says calmly. “The doctors have to start now, so I’m afraid we can’t talk much more. But I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Jongdae starts to feel cold, and sleepy, and he fights to stay awake. “No, I can’t die like this!” He gasps.

Yifan runs his hand over Jongdae’s cheek. “You’re not dying. This is only the beginning.”

Jongdae was kicked out of his house one year ago. His parents read his emails, and found out he was gay. They threw him out, and Jongdae walked to Seoul to become a busker. He sang on street corners and did odd jobs at restaurants to make money. He slept in subway stations or back alleys with other homeless people, many of them young adults who had been kicked out for reasons similar to Jongdae’s. Many times Jongdae thought about killing himself, but something urged him to hold on.

When Jongdae opens his eyes, he knows that he’s seeing without the aid of whatever was in front of his face the last time he’d been awake. He looks down at his body. It’s covered with a sheet, and he can feel that it’s wrapped in bandages. For a moment he wonders if he dreamed his encounter with the silver, spindly-limbed doctors and the man called Yifan, but then he looks to the side and sees Yifan sitting next to him.

“How do you feel?” Yifan asks.

At once Jongdae feels sore and raw. His body aches in ways he hadn’t known possible, and he shuts his eyes, balls his hands into fists, and bites hard on his lower lip.

“Easy,” Yifan says. He pries Jongdae’s fingers open and presses something into his hand. “Squeeze this when it hurts.”

Jongdae squeezes as hard as he can manage, and after a few seconds his body begins to feel cool. The pain ebbs away, and Jongdae goes limp. He opens his eyes again and looks at his hand. He’s holding something hard and white, about as long as his index finger and a bit thicker. The thing he holds in his hand is attached to an IV, which in turn has multiple tubes connecting it to Jongdae’s limbs. Jongdae tries to fling the thing away, but all he can manage is a jerk of his wrist. Still, the control clatters to the floor.

“I don’t want it,” Jongdae hisses. “Not if it came from you. What the hell are you? What have you done to me?”

Yifan looks hurt. “I’m not a what. I was human once, just like you. I was hurt, and I was rescued. Just like I recued you.”

“Rescued me?!” Jongdae screams. “I don’t even know what you did to me!”

Yifan holds up a flat piece of glass. He puts his finger to it, and it lights up softly, showing a picture of a skeleton. “This is what you looked like when you came here.”

Intrigued, Jongdae squints at the screen. Yifan brings it closer, and zooms in on the picture. Jongdae gasps. “That…that’s really me?”

The X-Ray shows bones that are broken in half, in three pieces, and almost completely shattered. Jongdae looks at his legs, arms, ribs, and feels his stomach churn. “How did I survive that?”

“You almost didn’t,” Yifan says. “It’s only because I rescued you so quickly. The doctors were able to stop your internal bleeding.” Yifan swipes his finger on the glass and the picture changes. “This is what you look like now.”

The new x-ray shows some bones glowing brightly, most of them have been fixed, but some still have small breaks.

Yifan explains, “There was a lot of damage. Some of it will need to heal on its own, some needed to be…replaced.”

“Replaced?!” Jongdae yelps.

Yifan points to the brighter areas. “These aren’t bone. They’re synthetic, because those bones were too damaged to put back together. That’s just your bones. You still need to have your muscular and nervous systems repaired.” Yifan goes back to the last picture and zooms in on Jongdae’s spine. There’s a break.

“My spine broke?!” Jongdae screams.

“It was fixed,” Yifan says calmly, “But as I said, some things need work. It’s why you have limited mobility now.”

Jongdae tries to knock the glass away. His arm flops weakly, and he shuts his eyes and screeches, “Take it away!” He starts to cry, and it makes his chest hurt. He wishes he hadn’t thrown away the controller Yifan gave him.

Yifan Jongdae’s hair. “I’m sorry I upset you. I didn’t want to lie to you. Please don’t cry, I can tell it hurts you.”

Jongdae gasps, chokes, and continues sobbing. “You didn’t ask me, you just…you stuck me full of metal, and who knows what else…w-what if I don’t want this?”

Yifan presses the controller back into Jongdae’s hand, and he squeezes it tightly. It takes a minute for the pain to fade, but when it does Jongdae manages to stop sobbing. He looks up at Yifan, and snarls, “I hate you.”

Yifan nods. “It’s okay. You can hate me, as long as you stay alive. You have to stay alive.”

“Why?!” Jongdae asks.

“Because the world isn’t done with you yet,” Yifan answers. “Besides, didn’t you tell me last night that you couldn’t die like this?”

Jongdae turns his head away, trying to hold back tears. True, he didn’t want to die. But the way Yifan was talking, like Jongdae was going to live like…like a half-human, like a cyborg, what kind of life was that? How was it possible?

“You’re insane,” Jongdae whispers. “This has to be a dream.”

“It’s not,” Yifan says. “I was just like you once, a long time ago. I was hurt, and rescued, brought here to recover. I can show you, if you want.”

Jongdae closes his eyes. “No.”

“Very well,” Yifan says. “But I’ll be here if you want to talk.”

Jongdae squeezes the pain reliever and keeps his mouth shut. His silence lasts until he hears the door open. He turns his head and sees the silver, spindly being from earlier, and his heart stops. Something beeps rapidly, and the spindly thing retreats. Yifan stands over Jongdae and rubs his hand over his chest.

“Easy, now,” he says, his voice soft. “Deep breath for me, okay Jongdae?”

Jongdae inhales sharply, and the beeping goes away. Jongdae is shaking, and tears leak from the corners of his eyes.

Yifan continues to rub his hand over Jongdae’s chest, right over his heart. “There you go. That was a doctor, sweetie. I know, not the kind you’re used to seeing, but they weren’t going to hurt you.”

Jongdae whimpers. “Where am I? Is any of this real?”

Yifan places his hand on Jongdae’s cheek and gently turns his head. He wipes tears from Jongdae’s face and his cheeks. “It’s real. You’re not dreaming, or dead, or having a nightmare. I know it’s very confusing, and there’s really no easy way to do this. They’re not human, the beings who are helping you. They’re much more advanced than humans, they’ve tried to make contact with the human race for years. But Earth isn’t ready to accept them, so they’re forced to watch as humans live on a dying planet. They help when they can, they’re trying to show that they mean no harm. Many years ago I lived on Earth, in China. I was in a war, and I was almost killed by cannon fire. The entire lower half of my body was blown apart. These beings rescued me, they put me back together again and allowed me to live. I was just as scared as you are when I first got here.”

“Where am I?” Jongdae repeats.

Yifan smiles. “You’re on a spaceship. Think Star Trek. It’s actually a very cool place. There are so many wonderful things here, Jongdae. Foods and plants like nothing you’ve ever seen, the most beautiful animals. And the people. I promise you, well I know my promises aren’t worth much to you, but I promise that they are the kindest people you’ll ever meet. They call their race something that translates to Spires, and they really mean no harm.”

Jongdae gulps. He can feel himself shaking, and he can’t seem to stop. “You…you said they helped you?”

Yifan nods. “Do you want to see?”

Jongdae nods. Yifan helps him turn his head a bit, and says apologetically, “I can’t help you sit up, because it might cause you pain. But if you just stay like this, I’ll show you what I mean.”

Jongdae keeps very still. Yifan backs up and tugs his shirt up, and the waist of his pants down a little, exposing his hip. Jongdae gasps—where there ought to be skin, there is instead something that looks almost like a cross between glass and metal. It’s clear, and underneath it Jongdae can see glowing wires, red and blue tubes, and a long beam that looks like steel.

Yifan runs his finger over the clear material. “This is what’s holding me together, basically. The wires you see are synthetic muscle.” He point to the red and blue tubes. “Those are my veins, and that’s my blood. That metal looking thing is my bone. It’s not metal, and it’s not organic bone, it’s something the Spires worked hard to find, something a human body won’t reject, like we can sometimes reject organs from our own kind. It’s amazing, but Earth’s medical community as a whole is unwilling to deal with the Spires, so we miss out on it. Well, not you and I.”

Jongdae shivers. “Do I look like that?”

Yifan covers up again and sits on Jongdae’s bed. “Not exactly. In some places, where the Spires couldn’t save your skin, you will. Right now you’re being covered with an in-between skin, because I said, there was too much to be fixed in one surgery. That’s also why I can’t show you how you look right now. You’re still healing.”

Jongdae’s head is spinning. He feels nauseous, and his skin crawls like he’s got bugs crawling over him, he squirms a little, and the movement causes a flash of pain. He squeezes the controller in his hand, and the relief washes over him, but his skin still crawls.

“What’s happening to me?” Jongdae asks quietly.

Yifan places his hand atop Jongdae’s—the one still clutching the controller—and rubs small circles over the back of his hand. “You’re part of something bigger and more wonderful than you could ever imagine.”

Jongdae slips in an out of consciousness. Yifan is always with him, and after about the third time he wakes up, so is a doctor. Jongdae doesn’t panic when he sees the being—the Spire—instead he stares. Its skin is shiny like metal, but has a fluid-like quality. Its eyes are bright blue, and they almost seem to glow. It realizes that Jongdae is awake and starts to leave, but Jongdae call out.

“Wait, just—” He cuts off as the Spire and Yifan both turn to look at him, and he can feel his face heat up with embarrassment. “Can you understand me?” Jongdae asks.

The Spire nods, and points to the side of its head, then to Jongdae. Jongdae lifts his hand to his ear, and realizes that he has some kind of headset in his ear. Jongdae clears his throat and asks, “What’s your name?”

The Spire smiles and opens its mouth and emits a series of clicks. The thing in Jongdae’s ear chirps at him, ‘Name, untranslatable.’

The Spire speaks again, and this time it’s translated for Jongdae.

“Our languages are very different. It took us a long time to develop the technology necessary for interspecies communication.”

Jongdae can feel a headache building behind his eyes, and he tries to think of other questions to ask before he loses his train of thought. “Did you come in here earlier?” The Spire nods, and Jongdae feels incredibly guilty. “I’m sorry.”

The Spire shakes its head and says, “I look quite different from what you’re used to. I was scared too, the first time I saw a human. It’s quite shocking, seeing something so out of the ordinary.”

Jongdae wants to keep apologizing, or ask more questions, but the pain in his head is quickly getting to be too much, and he doesn’t have the remote that controls his IV anymore. “My head hurts,” he tells Yifan.

Yifan nods. “Your body is saying that it needs more help. You’ll be going into surgery again very soon.”

Jongdae’s stomach swoops and a machine on his left beeps alarmingly.

“Oh, hush you,” Yifan says, and Jongdae giggles when he realizes Yifan is talking to the machine.

Yifan brushes his thumb against a dimple in Jongdae’s cheek. “You have such a lovely smile. I know you must be nervous about the surgery.”

Jongdae’s smile fades. “Is it…safe?”

Yifan looks to the Spire, and it steps closer to Jongdae’s bed. “We have saved thousands of your kind. We have not lost one in an operation yet.”

“Thousands?” Jongdae echoes.

The Spire grins. “You’ll learn more in time, Kim Jongdae. For now, we must focus on getting you healed.” The Spire takes another step closer and holds out its hand. “Do you want to touch? You must be curious.”

Jongdae hesitates only for a second, then places his fingers on the Spire’s palm. Its skin has a surprisingly soft, almost silky texture, and it’s cool to the touch. The Spire closes its fingers around Jongdae’s and squeezes gently. “I hope you grow to be happy with us,” it says, and then it releases Jongdae’s hand and leaves.

Jongdae turns to Yifan. “Was…was that a man or woman?”

Yifan chuckles. “Those words really have no meaning here. Spires are both, by human definition, as they are all capable of carrying a baby as well as impregnating their partner.”

Jongdae closes his eyes as his head throbs. “Oh,” he says weakly. “Sorry.”

Yifan brushes his hand over Jongdae’s forehead. “Don’t be. You did nothing wrong.”

“I yelled at you,” Jongdae mumbles.

“I forgive you,” Yifan says. “Are you tired?”

“My head hurts.”

Yifan pets Jongdae’s hair. “It’ll stop soon. Next time I see you will be after your operation. I hope it’ll be the last one you need.”

Jongdae first becomes aware of a steady beeping on his left side. Then he realizes his right hand is warm, and he moves his fingers only to realize that something is around his hand, and it’s moving.

“Jongdae, can you hear me?”

‘Yifan,’ Jongdae thinks. He squeezes the thing around his hand—Yifan is holding his hand. Jongdae opens his eyes and blinks a few times. Slowly the room comes into focus, the same one he’s been in all this time, at least as far as he knows. He looks to his right. Yifan smiles at him.

“Good morning. How are you feeling?”

Jongdae slowly begins to move. His hands, arms, feet, legs, he even manages to bend his knees a bit.

“That’s good,” Yifan says. “Did it hurt?”

“A little,” Jongdae croaks. He coughs and asks, “Can I have some water?”

Yifan lets go of Jongdae’s hand and reaches for a pitcher and a cloth. “You’re not healed enough to sit up yet, so this will have to do for the time being.” He wets the cloth and places it over Jongdae’s mouth. Jongdae a mouthful of water from it and swallows it a little bit at a time. Yifan patiently helps him drink until Jongdae feels like he can talk comfortably. He waits until Yifan puts the pitcher aside, then reaches for his hand. Yifan takes it, looking very happy.

“Better?” Yifan asks.

Jongdae nods. “Is it over? Am I better?”

“Mostly,” Yifan says. “There’s a few more things that need to be done, but only on the surface, and you can be awake for it.”

That makes Jongdae a bit concerned. “Will it hurt?”

Yifan shakes his head. “That part is done with. Are you in any pain now?”

Jongdae thinks it over for a bit. “I’m sore, all over. Like I have a bad cold.”

Yifan smiles. “Well, you did get nailed by a car, that’s to be expected.”

Jongdae giggles. “What happens now?”

Yifan holds Jongdae’s hand in both of his own. “Now you focus on getting better. Baby steps. First you sit up, then eat solid food, then we work on getting you to walk again. It’ll happen, you can do all that, but a lot has changed in your body. It’ll take some getting used to.”

Jongdae suddenly realizes what he should have asked from the very beginning. “You said you saved me. You said you brought me here. How did you know about me? How did I get here?”

Yifan sighs. “One thing at a time. I know about you because I’m part of the special group of people assigned to watch over Earth. A lot of my coworkers are former residents of the planet, some of us watch for signs that the planet itself is in danger, some watch the people of the world, looking for opportunities like yours. Chances to save people, in hopes that one day we can make contact with the planet and show them that the Spires mean no harm.”

“But why?” Jongdae presses.

“Believe it or not, the Spires are just that kind of race. They live light years away, on a huge planet, bigger than our own sun. They have evolved to have the means necessary to save entire populations from dying world, which is what they love doing, for no reason other than they think they should. Not all aliens want to dominate and exterminate, some just want to learn. The Spires love knowledge, they want to learn about our kind, but so far all they can do is extract people who are hurt and hope for the best. And only those who have no other hope.”

Yifan pauses and rests one hand on Jongdae’s head. “Like you,” he says quietly. “I wish I could have gotten to you sooner. I was able to see you get kicked out of your house. I wish I could have intervened then, but I wasn’t allowed. I hoped you’d be able to stay alive, find a way back home, or into a new home, I couldn’t help you unless you were near death, and it was possible to take you without causing anyone pain of missing you. Those are the rules.”

Jongdae thinks all of that over silently. Then he asks, “Can I ever go back?”

Yifan hesitates. “Not right now.” He reaches to the side and holds up a mirror. He angles it so Jongdae can see his face. “Your eyes were damaged in the accident.”

Jongdae stares. His irises are no longer brown, now they’re the same silvery color of the Spire’s skin. Yifan brings the mirror closer and Jongdae can see that they look almost robotic. He can see things spinning as his pupil grows, shrinks, and eventually stills.

“How is that possible?” Jongdae asks.

“It’s reflecting what’s happening inside,” Yifan explains. “It wasn’t the surface of your eyes that was hurt, but the inside. I think it happened when you hit your head. Something ruptured. You’re lucky, in a way, your eyes look rather natural. Not everyone gets to have that.” He pulls the mirror away, and Jongdae sees that he looks nervous.

“Is everything okay?” Jongdae asks.

Yifan laughs. “I’m worried about you. Is this too much to take in?”

Jongdae thinks it over, then shakes his head. “Can I see my X-rays again? Is there a newer one? Can you explain more about what happened? I have so many questions.”

Yifan smiles and retrieves the piece of glass he used to show Jongdae his x-rays. “Then let’s see what we can do to answer those questions.”

Jongdae’s road to recovery is a long one. He’s afraid to ask how much time has passed, and every time Yifan makes an attempt to mention it, Jongdae stops him. There are no windows in his room, but from what Yifan tells him it doesn’t matter, they don’t observe day or night since they are on a ship floating in space and not revolving near a sun. Jongdae stays awake when he feels like it and sleeps when he gets tired. Sometimes he wakes up and finds Yifan sleeping, slumped over in his chair, or on the bed.

After Jongdae has eaten a few meals of solid food, he’s deemed ready for his final procedure—his bandages will be removed, and any skin that has been unable to heal over his new organs will be replaced with synthetic skin, like Yifan’s. He elects to stay awake for the procedure, and asks if Yifan will be able to be there for him. It’s allowed, and Yifan agrees to be there for it.

The room the procedure takes place in has a large mirror on the ceiling, so Jongdae is able to watch what’s happening.  Most of his body is covered with a sheet, but his legs are left uncovered. Yifan holds Jongdae’s hands as the bandages are removed. At the last second, Jongdae closes his eyes and asks Yifan to tell him when it’s over. He squeezes Yifan’s hand so hard, he’s afraid he’ll hurt Yifan, but Yifan only tells him to squeeze harder if he’s afraid. Jongdae never feels any pain, and Yifan keeps up a steady stream of soothing words. Finally Yifan tells Jongdae that it’s over.

Jongdae opens his eyes and looks at the reflection of his legs. His right leg, from his knee to his ankle, has been covered with the synthetic skin. His left leg fared much better, but there’s a patchwork of synthetic skin that dots from his hip to his ankle.

“It’s weird,” Jongdae says. “But…kind of cool. I think I could get used to it.”

Yifan smiles. “I think you’re beautiful.”

Eventually Jongdae is moved to a different room, one with less machinery, and two beds. One for him, and one for Yifan, who seems to be his permanent roommate.

“How is it that you’re able to stay here all the time?” Jongdae asks as Yifan helps him sit up in his bed. “I thought you worked.”

“I did,” Yifan says, “But now my job is to help you adjust. I took on that role when I had you taken from Earth.”

Jongdae waits until Yifan has taken a seat to ask, “Can I meet some more people like us?”

Yifan nods, looking excited. “Absolutely! I’ll contact some of my friends. How soon would you like to meet them?”

“Now?” Jongdae asks.

“Too soon,” Yifan says, “How about tomorrow?”

The first persona Jongdae meets is a teenage girl named Amber. Like Jongdae she was hit by a car, but she suffered a lot more trauma to her head. Half of her face has been covered with synthetic skin, and she has one robotic eye. Her hair never grew back where the synthetic skin is, and she keeps the half of her hair that is able to grow very short. She also has a completely synthetic arm, and she happily shows off how it works. Though startled at first, Jongdae soon finds himself agreeing with her that it is “pretty badass”.

Next Jongdae meets Taemin, who was caught in a terrible building collapse sixty years ago, despite only looking about mid-twenties. He explains that humans had the brain capacity to live much longer if their bodies didn’t shut down. Taemin gleefully tells Jongdae that he is nearly 80 in human years, but he still enjoys breakdancing and roller skating. He then removes his shirt so Jongdae can see his entire chest cavity. Jongdae spends a long time watching Taemin’s artificial heart and lungs at work, which Taemin says is something all the new kids find fascinating.

There are more, every day during Jongdae’s period of adjustment, someone new comes to see him and tell him about their own transition to their new life. Many were like him at first—confused, and angry. A few were suicidal, but with time and therapy, they began to see that all their lives were worth living, and now that they had a second chance, they intended to use it to learn, and to help the way they had been helped.

The day before Jongdae’s first scheduled physical therapy appointment, Yifan surprises Jongdae when he opens the closet door and takes out a wheelchair.

“How long has that been there?” Jongdae asks.

“I put it there while you were napping,” Yifan explains. “I want to show you something.”

Yifan lifts Jongdae into the chair and covers his legs with a blanket. Once Jongdae is settled, Yifan pushes the chair into the hallway. Jongdae is always shocked by how the hall looks—the walls are white, and soft blue lights pulsate across them like a heartbeat. Yifan wheels Jongdae down the hall, past a desk where a few Spires keep watch over the patient. Yifan takes Jongdae past them and into another hallway. This one doesn’t have doors, but instead more halls branch off from it. Jongdae keeps looking around, asking where all the hallways lead, and Yifan tells him that some go to offices, control rooms, classrooms, work stations, employee quarters, and so on.

“Where are we going?” Jongdae asks.

Yifan turns right and says, “This is our first stop, the Husbandry area.” And he wheels Jongdae through sliding glass doors and into an atrium filled with the most wonderful plants Jongdae has ever seen. In the center of the room is a brilliant green, vine-like thing that stretches up to the ceiling and branches out, covering the ceiling in leafy vines. Every now and then a circular purple thing hangs from the vines. Yifan reaches up and plucks one.

“It’s actually like what we would call a coconut,” Yifan says. He gives it to Jongdae to hold and they continue on. There are small potted plants all over the atrium, and the entire room is encased in a glass wall through which more hallways extend. Yifan takes Jongdae down one and shows him where “fruits” are grown. A Spire, working on slicing some fresh fruit, offers Jongdae a piece of something plum-like, and the Spire is able to crack open the coconut-like thing so Jongdae can try the juice. It’s surprisingly sour at first, but leaves a fresh taste in Jongdae’s mouth.

After that Yifan takes Jongdae back to the atrium and they continue down another hallway. There Jongdae meets the Spire’s version of a cat. It is, essentially, a puffball with a long, thick tail. The size of a bowling ball, is has no visible head or feet, though Jongdae realizes, once Yifan plops one in his lap, that is because it’s fur is so long it obscures the tiny, flat paws the creature has. It has a face, though no neck or shoulders, which make it almost impossible for the creature to look anywhere but right in front of it. This means it is very easily startled, and the name for the creature in the Spire’s language translates to “Jumpy Beast.” Jongdae the one in his lap, from its face to its tail, and he realizes that the tail is very misleading—it’s actually quite thin, but again the fur is so long that it makes it seem bigger.

Yifan explains, “When they get scared, the fur on their tails comes together to form things that look like spikes. Of course it’s still just fluff, but suddenly you’ve got a cotton ball with a club-tail hissing at you, and it’s a little disarming, which gives it time to get to a hiding spot.”

“Unbelievable,” Jongdae says, as the creature in his lap make a gurgling sound.

“That’s basically a purr,” Yifan says.

All too soon Yifan says that it’s time to leave, and Jongdae sadly puts the puffball back.

“If I’m living here, does that mean I can get one of those as a pet?” Jongdae asks.

“It does,” Yifan says. “We also have pets you’d be used to on Earth, and some you’d never have. We have dogs and cats, some parakeets, and raccoons.”

“Raccoons?”

“A while back one of the captains thought they were adorable, so he brought a few on board and began breeding them. They’re quite friendly, though they all have to stay in their own place on the ship, to avoid cross contamination with the other animals. I’ll take you there tomorrow.”

“Where are we going now?” Jongdae asks.

“The observation deck,” Yifan answers.

It’s a while before Yifan says that they’re getting close, and he tells Jongdae to cover his eyes and not to peek. Jongdae lowers his head and covers his eyes, and doesn’t open them even when he comes to a halt and he feels Yifan kneel beside him.

“Okay,” Yifan whispers, “You can look.”

Jongdae looks up, and he lets out a shout of surprise. He flounders for a moment, then cries, “Is that Saturn?!”

Yifan chuckles. “Yes, it is. Isn’t it beautiful?”

In front of Jongdae, the floor comes to a halt and a huge window rises, easily four stories high, and stretches two hundred meters across, and beyond the window is the vast expanse of the universe. The planet Saturn looks just a bit larger than the moon did from Jongdae’s favorite spot on the Han river. If Saturn is to be Jongdae’s new moon, he never wants to go back to Earth again.

Jongdae tears his gaze from Saturn and looks around eagerly. He sees thousands of stars, some looming as big as his fist, their light casting shadows on the floor of the observation deck. He can see the nebulous auras of distant galaxies, and after a few moments, Yifan turns Jongdae’s chair and point to a distant speck.

“That’s Earth.”

Jongdae inhales sharply. “It’s so far away! How did you get me here?”

Yifan smirks. “I beamed you up, Scotty.”

Jongdae elbows Yifan hard in the ribs. “Quit playing!”

Yifan laughs, rubbing his side. “Okay, it’s not exactly true, but that was basically what I did. I used a beam—”

“I’m not listening,” Jongdae says, “I’m too busy taking in this amazing view.”

Yifan chuckles and falls silent. After another minute, Jongdae reaches over and take Yifan’s hand. “Is this what you get to see every day?”

“No,” Yifan says. “We move around all the time, keeps us from being spotted by space enthusiasts on Earth. Sometimes we’re as far away as the Andromeda galaxy, as far as I know, this is the closest we’ve come to Earth in a long time. But we’re never too far to get to someone who needs our help. The technology is truly amazing. One day, when you’re not ogling space, I’ll tell you more about it.”

“Then you’ll be waiting a long time,” Jongdae says. But he takes a break to look at Yifan. “Thank you. For showing me this, and for saving me. I don’t know if I’ve said thank you for that yet. I yelled at you often enough.”

Yifan shakes his head. “You’ve said thank you. You said it every time you reached for me, or smiled at me, or asked me about my life here.”

Jongdae smiles. “Can we…is it possible for us to sit together?”

The observation deck is mostly empty, apart from a few Spires who go back and forth to adjoining hallways. Since they won’t be in anyone’s way, Yifan lifts Jongdae out of the wheelchair and they sit on the floor. Jongdae starts off curled into Yifan’s side, but he soon clambers into Yifan’s lap. He rests his head against Yifan’s chest and stares out the window, drinking in the stars and the rings around Saturn.

“Yifan?”

“Hmm?”

“Why were you so interested in me?”

Yifan hesitates. He wraps his arms around Jongdae’s waist and nuzzles the top of his head. “Because I happened to hear you sing. You see, in addition to being able to observe humans, we can sometimes pick up sound from Earth, and one day I just happened to be in the right place to hear you sing. You have the most beautiful voice. I confess, I’m so very glad your vocal cords weren’t damaged in the accident. You have an amazing gift.”

Jongdae feels tears fill his eyes, and he brushes them away. Yifan presses his lips to Jongdae’s forehead. “Are you okay?”

Jongdae tilts his head back so his lips are a breath away from Yifan’s. He hears Yifan’s breath catch in his throat, and he leans forward to press the softest kiss to Yifan’s lips. He pulls back quickly, but Yifan leans down and kisses Jongdae again. And again. And again.

“Are you okay?” Yifan asks again, after their tenth kiss.

Jongdae nods and leans back against Yifan’s chest. “Better than I thought I was ever going to be.”

Jongdae still has a long road to recovery, and a lot to learn about his new life, but at least he knows he won’t be alone through it.

Originally I thought of this as taoris, but I like it with Jongdae and Yifan too. Why did I call the aliens Spires? Because it was the first tall, gangly thing that popped into my head. They could have very easily been called the Stalactites but that was too long to type.

I picture the “synthetic skin” as making the humans look like the robots in “I, Robot”. Kind of. I’m tired and that’s the best I got.