letters to space
letters to space
chansoo
pg; 5.7k
Chanyeol's a space obsessed music major helping out with a radio show called Letters to Space. And he kind of sort of wants to be very best friends with the person who writes letters into the show each week.
-originally written for kimchispaghetti and posted here
"Mail's here!" Baekhyun announces cheerfully as he carries in the cardboard box they usually leave outside of their clubroom. It's never very full but they still get about ten or twelve letters, which is more than enough for their short radio program. And if they ever don't get enough mail, they always manage to find other ways to fill the time between Baekhyun and Jongdae's bickering, Junmyeon's unrelated comments, and Chanyeol's music projects.
Chanyeol jolts up, banging his head on the underside of the desk with a loud metallic thunk. "Mail?" He scrambles out from underneath the desk just as Jongdae joins them.
By now everyone has come to accept that Chanyeol likes to sit underneath desks and tables when he's working on composition homework and the only comment is Junmyeon's quiet, "You've got dust on your back," as he reaches out to brush off the younger's shoulders.
But Chanyeol doesn't even hear him. He's more interested in box of letters sitting on the desk in front of them than anything clinging to his shirt.
-✧-
When Chanyeol was a kid he had dreamed of going into space. He checked space books out of the library and poured over the detailed diagrams, tracing his fingers over the lopsided ovals marking out the orbits of the planets. He made Styrofoam models of the solar system for science fairs. ( Not to scale, but only because his teacher had sure that he kept the whole thing inside the school grounds. ) He was the kid who used to look forward to the times that they talked about space in class, only to end up raising his hand indignantly to correct the teacher every few minutes because-- "Even though they used to say Pluto was a planet, it isn't anymore," and "Did you know that the sun is really a star?"
And his teacher would say, "Yes, Chanyeol." and "We know, Chanyeol." and sometimes, "Please be quiet, Chanyeol, I was just going to talk about that."
In middle school he had decided to change his dream from becoming an alien to being an astronaut. He read up on all the things that astronauts did to prepare for living in space and when he was thirteen his parents hosted his birthday party at one of those space centers where you can experience what zero gravity feels like. And maybe several of the kids ended up emptying their stomachs after trying it out, but Chanyeol-- Chanyeol knew he was destined to be out there in the inky black darkness of space.
Fast forward to college. Now in his second year of university, what used to be a deep fascination with space has become a mere hobby. There are no more glow in the dark stars stuck on his ceiling and the thick books about planets have been replaced by textbooks full of music theory and composition. The poster of the Mars Rover has been taken down, and in its place are band photos and CD covers.
But he hasn't forgotten space. After all, there's still the radio show.
-✧-
Their segment of the radio is called Letters to Space. Originally it was intended to make fun of advice columns; because the letters that people wrote in always went unanswered since there was never actually a response from space. But somehow over time it ended up being a corner for students to rant about whatever grievances they had.
They got letters like "Space, if you find the one sock that magically disappeared in the washing machine, can you send it back to me?" or "Dear Space, some asshole in the library keeps on taking up two carrels. Can you please send some aliens to abduct him soon!" Most of the letters were everyday complaints over everyday problems and they always had fun reading them out in strange voices. Sometimes Baekhyun would even jump onto his chair as he read out the different parts, Junmyeon fretting in the background as the chair creaked beneath him.
But then there were the letters from someone with the pen name D.O. Unlike the usual letters that complained about petty things on earth, D.O. actually wrote letters that he wanted to send to space.
"Dear space," one of his letters started. "I read about something really interesting today. There was an article online talking about the possibility of life and why we might not have found any signs of intelligent life in space. I know that the Earth is relatively young, and it seems possible that the conditions to grow life could appear on another planet. Space, can you tell me if such a thing is really possible?"
And it wasn't just about aliens. He wrote letters asking if certain satellites were on their proper course and if newly launched spacecrafts were able to meet their destination. Every time Chanyeol heard about a new space mission, without fail, D.O. would send in a letter asking space about it.
Just like now, Chanyeol thinks to himself as he finally finds the letter he was looking for; the only letter that has been printed out and tucked into a real envelope. When he heard about Japan's plans to launch a spacecraft to orbit Venus he wondered if D.O. had heard of it too, and just as he thought, D.O. had written a letter to space. The letter was short, asking space to make sure that it got to Venus all right and asking if it thought the orbit path would overlap with any of the other spacecrafts previously launched. But even in the short letter, Chanyeol can tell that the writer chose his words carefully and researched every inquiry.
It's too bad that the writer always uses a pen name because D.O. seems like the type of person Chanyeol wants to be his best friend. But with such nondescript pen name, Chanyeol doesn't even have a hope of figuring out who it would be. Nearly a quarter of the school's population have either a "D" or an "O" in their name, and it could not even be part of their name at all! For all he knew D.O. could stand for Demon Overlord or the Dark Order (of Space Enthusiasts-- because hey, why can't space nerds have cults too?) and he still wouldn't be any closer to figuring out what their name was.
And while Chanyeol muses over the letter, wondering if there's a way to track where a printed letter came from, Jongdae catches sight of what's in his hands and he comes over to stand next to Chanyeol. He leans forward onto his tiptoes to peek at the paper he's holding.
"So, he's still writing those letters." He laughs, leaning forward into Chanyeol's shoulder to keep his balance. "He's always so quiet in class, you'd never expect that he was such a space geek."
What.
Chanyeol turns towards his friend, trying to contain the excitement in his voice. "Wait, Jongdae you actually know who writes these letters into the radio?"
Jongdae tilts his head, his smile widening in soundless amusement. "Yeah, he sits next to me in Biology."
"So you knew and you never thought to tell me?" Chanyeol is trying really hard not to whine, but his voice squeaks a little bit at the end. And when someone has a deep voice like Chanyeol's, it's pretty obvious when their voice squeaks.
"But I thought everyone already knew!" Jongdae's eyes widen innocently and he catches Baekhyun's wrist as he walks by. "Hey, Baekhyun, who wrote the space letters?"
Baekhyun raises an eyebrow, grinning. "You mean Kyungsoo?"
Chanyeol stares. "Kyung...soo?"
"Yeah, that's the boy in my class I was telling you about." Jongdae claps him on the shoulder.
And that's how Chanyeol learns that the mysterious boy he's been searching for this whole time actually sits two seats away from Jongdae in Biology.
-✧-
"It's not like you're stalking a wild animal." Jongdae says helpfully from behind him. "You can just talk to him, you know."
Chanyeol shakes his head, drawing back behind the corner before Kyungsoo can catch sight of him. He can't just go and talk to the person who he wants to make his very best friend and geek out over space facts with! No, he has to try to find a way to approach him that will be cool. Something best friend worthy.
"No, I've got to come up with a plan." Quickly, he tries to calculate in his head how expensive it would be to rent a helicopter for a day. Actually he only needs it for about 10 minutes. Would they charge by the hour?
And as he's standing there, zoning out as he tries to think of the best way to meet his future best friend in the whole wide world, Jongdae decides to take matters into his own hands.
He blinks at Chanyeol innocently. "Or I could always just get his attention for you--"
And then he pushes Chanyeol past the edge of the wall, sending the taller one into a sprawling heap of limbs at the entrance to the cafeteria.
"Hey, Kyungsoo!" Jongdae pokes his head out from behind the corner, waving excitedly. "You study space, right? Well I found a new space buff for you to talk to!"
Kyungsoo stops chewing, staring at the pair of them in shock.
Grabbing Chanyeol's arm, Jongdae drags pulls him across the floor until they're right next to Kyungsoo. He smiles, giving the eating boy a playful salute.
"No need to thank me!" Then with a peal of amused laughter, Jongdae scampers away, hopping over Chanyeol's leg when he flings it out in an attempt to trip him.
-✧-
"So." Chanyeol taps his fingers idly on the table. After Jongdae left he had shyly slid into the seat next to Kyungsoo. But after such a fast-paced introduction, they seem to have hit a lull.
"So." Kyungsoo echoes. He's got half a mouthful of sandwich in his mouth so it sounds more like sho. Fortunately Chanyeol has enough social sense to decide not to comment on it.
Fidgeting nervously, Chanyeol curls his hand against the table. What is he supposed to say? He really doesn't want to talk about the radio, because how awkward would it be to admit that he waits for Kyungsoo's letters every week and gets so excited when the mail os brought in that he sometimes tackles Baekhyun so he can get to look through the box first.
So, instead he tries to go with something a little less embarrassing.
"All I know is that you like space and that you're in Jongdae's Biology class." He leans forward on table in a show of confidence and ends up getting cookie crumbs on the elbows of his sweatshirt. He tries to inconspicuously take his arms from the table to avoid getting more food on him. "Are you majoring in Biology?"
Kyungsoo shakes his head. "No, I'm majoring in Astronomy. The biology was just for an elective credit."
Astronomy. Chanyeol tries not to let his eyes glaze over in awe, coughing as he readjusts himself on the seat. So that's why Jongdae said that he studies space. "So your major is all about space?"
"Yeah." Kyungsoo balls up the paper bag his sandwich had come in. Turning to face Chanyeol more directly, his two dark eyes bore into the taller with intense curiosity. "Jongdae said you were a space buff. Are you studying Astronomy too?"
"Me?" Chanyeol laughs, his smile a bit sheepish. "Nah, I'm doing music."
"Oh." Although Kyungsoo's expression hasn't changed ( it's the same semi-frown he's had on his face since Chanyeol first took his seat at the table ) Chanyeol can tell that he's a bit disappointed and he tries to save the conversation.
"100 tons!"
"What?" Kyungsoo laughs, pressing his head into his shoulder as he tries to muffle the noise. And then he's looking back up at Chanyeol with an incredulous expression. It's clear from the shocked expression on his face that he thinks Chanyeol is crazy and he's got to do something quickly to save the situation so he throws caution aside and continues with what he was going to say.
"100 tons of small meteorites enter the Earth's atmosphere every day!"
Kyungsoo's not laughing anymore, and this time when he looks at Chanyeol there's the hint of a smile on his face. "Are you challenging me to a space facts face-off?" An eyebrow raises inquisitively, and maybe Chanyeol would be scared if Kyungsoo didn't look so cute.
"Yeah, I am." He says with false bravado, and maybe he's more than a little nervous but at least there's a smile on Kyungsoo's face when he counters with the furthest distance from Earth a photo of their planet has been taken from ( 3.7 billion miles ), and then it's Chanyeol's turn to think of another fact that he remembers about their universe.
-✧-
( "Hey, I think I never got your name..."
"It's Chanyeol."
A smile. "It's nice to meet you, Chanyeol." )
-✧-
After the first meeting, things get a little bit less competitive between the two of them. Chanyeol no longer feels like he has to list off stats of different planets to impress Kyungsoo, and Kyungsoo stops trying to make Chanyeol envious by talking about things he's learning in class. Instead they pour over old magazines, remembering how they felt as they watched they different rockets and satellites sent into space. They bond over memories of snacks left uneaten on the living room table as their eyes followed the upward ascent of a spacecraft.
-✧-
For some reason Chanyeol avoids talking about the radio with Kyungsoo altogether. It's not like he's embarrassed about it; the radio has been his pride and joy ever since he joined, and even though he usually just does odd jobs behind the scenes like composing the background music and researching facts about space to use as filler, he's always boasted about being a part of the small club.
But he still doesn't want Kyungsoo to know.
Maybe he's afraid that once Kyungsoo finds out he'll stop sending the letters. Or maybe he thinks that Kyungsoo will judge him for being friends with Baekhyun and Jongdae ( which would be fair because he judges himself for that as well ) but either way, he always ends up sidestepping the topic whenever it comes up.
"So, how do you and Jongdae know each other?"
"Mutual acquaintances." ( Kind of true. )
Another time:
"What do you do after school?"
"Just hang around really. Sometimes I write music." ( Also mostly true. )
And finally:
"Are you in any clubs?"
"....Naaahh." ( A complete lie. )
And the times that Kyungsoo asks to hang out after classes, Chanyeol ends up making the most ridiculous excuses. Like Sorry but my grandmother is visiting today or I think my pancreas is bothering me again. Fortunately Kyungsoo never seems to look too upset when Chanyeol rushes off, his mouth pinching into a slightly deeper frown before he shrugs it off with a quiet laugh.
But that's the only thing he keeps hidden from Kyungsoo. Everything else about him unfolds in front of Kyungsoo like the universe seen through the Hubble telescope. He tells Kyungsoo about deciding to choose music over science and even shows him some of the compositions he's working on. ( "I want to write soundtracks" he admits shyly one day over lunch and Kyungsoo grins in response, asking him about his favorite composers. ) He even tells Kyungsoo about the time that he came out to his parents and the other reaches over to touch his shoulder in a rare show of affection, mumbling "It's hard, isn't it?"
And maybe they speak about space more than anything else, but it doesn't stop them from talking about all other sorts of things, the topics as widespread as the distances between the stars and as diverse as the theories surrounding the creation of the universe.
-✧-
When Chanyeol shows up at the radio after school one day, Baekhyun is there to greet him, bumping into his shoulder.
"You and Kyungsoo, huh?"
Jongdae joins him and the two of them look like twin Cheshire cats, their faces split into wide smiles. Chanyeol already knows that whatever they have to say is going to be something dumb and annoying and he looks over at Junmyeon for back up. But instead of coming over to help like a good upperclassman would, Junmyeon just shrugs and goes back to working on his term project for Psychology.
And even though Junmyeon isn't looking, Chanyeol pouts, annoyed that Junmyeon decided to choose some project about children's speech patterns over his friend in need.
"So what did you say to Kyungsoo after I left you guys alone?" Jongdae smiles, flopping into the swivel chair nearby and rolling over to where Chanyeol is sitting. "Did you make a move?"
"What?!" But before Chanyeol has the chance to ask exactly what they're suggesting he might have done, Baekhyun decides to enlighten him through a dramatic enactment.
Leaning against the side of the swivel chair, Baekhyun peers down at Jongdae. "Hey, Kyungsoo, do you want to know what my favorite planet is?" His voice is pitched lower than usual but Chanyeol bites back a laugh because it's still nowhere near as deep as his real voice.
Jongdae doesn't bother to change his voice at all, but the slightly sour look on his face is definitely a parody of Kyungsoo's poker face and Chanyeol muffles a laugh into his sweatshirt. "And what planet is that, Chanyeol?"
"Uranus." Clicking his tongue, Baekhyun snaps his fingers and Chanyeol's face turns bright red, yelling that it's not like that as he kicks Jongdae's chair.
And Jongdae and Baekhyun are laughing too hard to even try to stay upright, both of them toppling over onto the floor as the chair falls over.
-✧-
"Kyungsoo."
They're sitting in one of the empty lecture rooms, in one of the last rows from the back and the whole room stretches in front of them. It's different being there without the other students. The loud echoey quality of the room makes their voices bounce across the open space and they end up talking in muted voices, trying to keep their words from breaking the stillness of the room.
It's different for Chanyeol, who's used to yelling across rooms at the top of his lungs and hasn't used his "inside voice" since he was forced to in 2nd grade. But it's not a bad different. The low voices and silence seems more like Kyungsoo's pace and he kind of likes trying to match the quietness of Kyungsoo's voice.
"Why do you like space so much?" He says softly, slumping down into the auditorium chair, and the chair creaks underneath him.
There are times when Kyungsoo looks thoughtful, and he gets a look on his face like he's actually already floating out in space. His hands reach out to hold the chair in front of him, his fingertips dragging over the stitching of the cheap upholstery. "I guess because it's quiet there. And different from here."
He looks out across the rows of empty seats, his eyes drifting to the podium at the front.
"There's so much to be scared of here on Earth, and it's not even because of our environment, but because of what we've made our environment into. And space.."
Chanyeol can't say anything. He just watches Kyungsoo lean forward over the seat in front of him, his black sweatshirt pulling up in the back to reveal a sliver of skin above his jeans.
"Space is different. It's clean and untouched and... empty."
He speaks the last word a little bit louder than the rest of the sentence and Chanyeol can feel the air around him vibrate softly with the timbre of his voice. On Earth even words can touch other people, but in space... He lets the thought hang over him, a thin thread of understanding that he wraps around himself as he tries to pull Kyungsoo closer to him.
Maybe space is untouched and pristine, but he doesn't like the idea of Kyungsoo hanging by himself in the nothingness. Not when Chanyeol is standing so close by.
And then Kyungsoo turns to him, a lost smile playing at the corners of his lips. "What about you, Yeol? Why do you like space?"
He could say something deep about seeing the stars as ancestors and lost souls, but he's pretty sure that Kyungsoo would realize that he stole that from The Lion King. So he just decides to tell the truth.
"Because I think it would be cool to meet an alien."
Kyungsoo snorts, shaking his head in disbelief. "I just opened up to you about something deep and you say it's because you want to meet an alien."
"But it's true! I've even been trying to learn Klingon to prepare!"
And they no longer try to control their voices, Kyungsoo pulling Chanyeol into a headlock with an angry growl and Chanyeol flailing as he tries to get away, whimpering in pain when he whacks his knee against the chair in front of him and yelling jIl moH ghajjaj jaghHomlIj because it's the only Klingon he can remember.
-✧-
( "What was that phrase you kept on screaming over and over?"
"It's Klingon."
"Yeah, so... does it mean anything?"
"....May your rival have an ugly neighbor."
"Oh." A snort here. "Glad to see you'll be able to communicate with any aliens you meet."
"I-I'm still learning, okay?!" )
-✧-
Chanyeol wanted them to go stargazing.
According to all of the romantic comedies he's seen ( which added up to a grand total of three ), it was imperative for two people to stare into the dark night sky and talk about their sad past and hidden insecurities. So when he asks Kyungsoo to go stargazing with him and the other says, "No, that's stupid," Chanyeol is a little more than disappointed.
"You can't see the stars very well from were we are in Seoul.." Kyungsoo adds rationally. "Plus it's already winter. I'm not going to sit out in the cold and freeze my ass off to look at little pinpoints of light when I could wait until the summertime when it's warmer and when I can more easily get out of the city."
Chanyeol has to admit that everything Kyungsoo says makes sense, but he can't keep himself from letting out a sad sigh. And maybe Kyungsoo notices that he seems a bit sad because he then says,
"Do you want to come over? We could order some pizza and watch the live feed from the International Space Station." His lips purse into a small smile, his mouth making a heart shape.
Like Chanyeol would say no.
-✧-
Watching the stream from the Space Station turns into hitting each other with pillows and burrowing into blankets. It turns into watching old episodes of Star Trek and shoving popcorn into their mouths while tossing the kernels left in the bottom of the bowl at each other's heads.
And then at the end of the night when they're getting a bit sleepy, it turns into Kyungsoo falling asleep on Chanyeol's shoulder mid-episode while Chanyeol tries to figure out how to sneak away to use the bathroom without walking him up.
-✧-
The next day, Chanyeol writes the letter.
He's not sure exactly why he does it. All he knows is that he wants Kyungsoo to stop looking out into the sky for all of the answers, and he wants his gaze to turn towards earth.
That's all.
But even after he finishes it he still can't get the courage to send it and it ends up crumpled on the floor somewhere in the radio's office, without an answer just like all the letters that had been sent into space.
-✧-
"Hey."
Chanyeol ignores Baekhyun, scribbling into his notebook notes for the composition due for his end of the term project. They had to write an arrangement of a Christmas song to make it more modern and after listening to Deck the Halls for the last hour on repeat, he was ready to deck someone.
Preferably Baekhyun.
"Hey," Baekhyun says again, crouching next to him on the floor and shaking his shoulder.
Chanyeol pushes his headphone off, his smile dangerously wide. "Yes?"
Completely ignoring the way Chanyeol's eye twitches, Baekhyun leans in closer. "You know how every year for Christmas we like to decorate the studio in Christmas lights?"
Chanyeol isn't following. "Yeah...?"
"And you know how you have a car?"
He still doesn't understand why Baekhyun is bugging him when he's trying to work. "Yeah?"
"So, can you go get the Christmas lights from Junmyeon's house? We want to decorate for tomorrow."
"And why do I have to go?"
Baekhyun points to the clock behind them. "Because we're going on air soon. You're the only one who doesn't actually read anything out loud on the show."
"And this can't wait until tomorrow--"
"No, it can't." And Baekhyun is giving that sad puppy look that Chanyeol hates. Not because it's cute. But because Baekhyun thinks it's cute when it actually makes Chanyeol want to throw things at his face.
"Okay, okay! Fine!" Anything to get Baekhyun to stop making that face.
Chanyeol collapses against the side of the desk and Baekhyun tosses him a set of keys. "They're in the cardboard box in the entryway."
-✧-
"Why did I have to go to pick up the lights? And why now." Grumbling to no one, he speeds up as he drives onto the highway ramp. He's already got the lights safely stored in the trunk and he's on his way back to the university. He merges onto the highway before switching on the radio, immediately tuning into the university radio station. Just because he couldn't be in the studio didn't mean that he couldn't listen to the show. And he's sneaking glances over his shoulder, trying to see if he can pass the car in the lane next to him when the familiar opening song begins to play and Jongdae's voice cuts in.
"Hello you space fanatics! Welcome to another hour of Letters to Space!"
There's the sound of paper rustling and he can hear Baekhyun pretending to make alien noises in the background. Chanyeol rolls his eyes, tapping his fingers impatiently when the car in front of him slows down. Of course they'd send him on errands during rush hour. At least he has the radio to keep him company, and the traffic isn't horrendously bad today.
The letters that day are much like every week; a few complaining about roommates and a few others complaining about parents and teachers. And once the show is nearing its end, Chanyeol grins, waiting for Kyungsoo's letter to be read. He already read it when it has first delivered to the studio, but that doesn't mean that he's still not looking forward to hearing it read on air.
He's nearly back at the school by now, but he purposely slows the car a bit so he can listen to Kyungsoo's letter while he's still in the car.
But when Junmyeon takes over, the first words that leave his lips are not the "Dear Space" that Chanyeol has been expecting to hear.
"Listeners, for the first time since we've started this show, we've gotten a response from space! Do you want hear what space would like to say back to you?"
Sounds of whooping from Jongdae and Baekhyun in the background.
"This is a letter written for one of our dedicated letter writers, D.O.--"
And the rest of the sentence is drowned out by Chanyeol's panicked screams.
-✧-
Although he had originally planned on taking a longer route, now he speeds back to the school as quickly as possible, pulling sloppily into the first parking spot he sees and nearly scratching the car next to him when he swings the door open.
It's not a long walk from the entrance to the studio and with Chanyeol's long legs flailing underneath him, the distance is even shorter, his palms slapping against the walls as he scrambles around the corners. A few more seconds and he's at the door to the radio room, swinging open the door and yelling out, "Do you even know how embarrassing it is to hear your own words being read over the radio?"
He's not really expecting an answer because it seems like everyone has left, but then the chair in front of him squeaks.
"Yeah, I do."
And that's not Junmyeon's voice.
The chair swivels around and if it were an action movie then maybe there would be a villain lounging there, stroking a pure pedigree cat. But instead, Kyungsoo's sitting there, his eyes wide and a hint of a smile playing across his lips. His hands clasp the arms of the chair, his white winter sweater stark against the dark fabric of the chair.
If Chanyeol could find his voice maybe he'd try to say something witty about space or the fact that he's always known that Kyungsoo was the one who wrote the letters. But instead he just stares at the other, mouth opening as he manages to choke out a few strangled protests.
Because suddenly he's realizing that this is why he had to get the lights today. They planned this. And he doesn't even know who was the one who found the letter. But they found it and then they knew that he'd tune into the radio on the way back. Everything had fallen into place like a warped game of Tetris.
Except instead of Tetris pieces they were playing around with his feelings and that was just not cool.
Kyungsoo doesn't seem to be phased by Chanyeol's sudden regression to the Cro-Magnon phase. He coughs, clearing his throat before saying, "So, you knew I was the one writing the letters."
Chanyeol nods dumbly. "Yeah... I'm sorry I didn't tell you." His ears redden with embarrassment. "I thought you might stop writing."
And it's hard to tell if Kyungsoo's angry or happy with the way that his mouth twists into a lopsided smile, his eyebrows furrowing as he bites his lip. "Yeah?"
"Yeah. I kind of... like you a lot."
Chanyeol's always kind of thought that if he liked someone he'd try to tell them in a really awesome way that no one would ever forget. Like yelling it as he was fighting off a lion or screaming it out before shooting down an enemy warship. He didn't realize that instead he'd be mumbling it out in a room he goes to nearly everyday while simultaneously trying to sink himself into the ground out of pure embarrassment.
And chewing at his lip, Kyungsoo stands up, walking forward until he can grab a hold of one of Chanyeol's hands, his fingers curling around his hand and his face flaming. "Well, that's good because I kind of like you too."
It's never occurred to Chanyeol how small Kyungsoo is next to him; Kyungsoo's personality and confidence always seemed to make up for any height that he was lacking, but now that the other is standing next to him, he's suddenly hit with how small he is. Chanyeol's fingers are almost twice the size of the older's and it would be really easy to just pull him into his arms.
So he does.
His arms curl around Kyungsoo and the shorter boy just feels so warm, his back fitting perfectly into the crook of his arms. And now that he's hugging him, he sort of feels like this is the time when he should kiss him. Because isn't that what usually comes after a confession? So he tightens his arms around the other, leaning down as he tries to get the courage to plant a wet one on Kyungsoo's mouth. But before he can, the smaller one is pushing up onto his toes and pecking at Chanyeol's pursed lips.
It's only the faintest brush of lips and Chanyeol's pretty sure that he did it wrong already because his lips were too puckered for him to really feel anything ( apparently the well known "kissy face" is not good for actual kisses ). But it also doesn't really matter much because Kyungsoo is still nestled in his arms and the wool of his sweater is scratchy against Chanyeol's hands and it's warm and this is actually just about everything he wanted.
He bends in slightly so he can rest his head on top of Kyungsoo's, his cheek pressing into the dark strands. Then the head underneath him moves slightly and Kyungsoo says, "I knew you were part of the radio."
"What?" He almost pulls back but Kyungsoo lets out a sound of annoyance and pulls him closer, so he gives up and shuffles back into place. "How did you know?"
"I asked Jongdae how you met and he said that you were both working on the radio together." Kyungsoo's nose presses into Chanyeol's chest. "He also told me a very interesting story about how you always seem to get really excited when letters from a certain D.O. arrive, and--"
And the rest of Kyungsoo's words are drowned out by Chanyeol swearing in Klingon as he thinks about how he's going to get Jongdae back.
-✧-
Dear D.O.,
Although I'm happy that you send me letters every week, I can't help but think that you're missing out on things on Earth. Why don't you leave the updates on what's going on out here to me, and you can tell me all about the things that you see happening on Earth? Did you know that a Tardigrade, the hardiest animal on Earth, can live for 10 days inside a vacuum?
Well, you, D.O., are not a Tardigrade. So don't live in a vacuum, not matter how much you want to live in space. A human can only live unprotected in space for up to two minutes, so don't try to cut yourself off from the world too much, okay?
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Space
-✧-
Dear Space,
Did you know that only 14% of the world's species have been identified? This is the first time that I've been more interested in what's happening on Earth than in space. I think it's because of someone I met recently. I'd tell you about him, but I think you already know him.
Kyungsoo (D.O.)
P.S. How's the Mars Rover doing up there?
A/N: unbetaed so sorry if there are typos = n = and on another note yay I finally wrote a proper chansoo
chansoo
pg; 5.7k
Chanyeol's a space obsessed music major helping out with a radio show called Letters to Space. And he kind of sort of wants to be very best friends with the person who writes letters into the show each week.
-originally written for kimchispaghetti and posted here
"Mail's here!" Baekhyun announces cheerfully as he carries in the cardboard box they usually leave outside of their clubroom. It's never very full but they still get about ten or twelve letters, which is more than enough for their short radio program. And if they ever don't get enough mail, they always manage to find other ways to fill the time between Baekhyun and Jongdae's bickering, Junmyeon's unrelated comments, and Chanyeol's music projects.
Chanyeol jolts up, banging his head on the underside of the desk with a loud metallic thunk. "Mail?" He scrambles out from underneath the desk just as Jongdae joins them.
By now everyone has come to accept that Chanyeol likes to sit underneath desks and tables when he's working on composition homework and the only comment is Junmyeon's quiet, "You've got dust on your back," as he reaches out to brush off the younger's shoulders.
But Chanyeol doesn't even hear him. He's more interested in box of letters sitting on the desk in front of them than anything clinging to his shirt.
-✧-
When Chanyeol was a kid he had dreamed of going into space. He checked space books out of the library and poured over the detailed diagrams, tracing his fingers over the lopsided ovals marking out the orbits of the planets. He made Styrofoam models of the solar system for science fairs. ( Not to scale, but only because his teacher had sure that he kept the whole thing inside the school grounds. ) He was the kid who used to look forward to the times that they talked about space in class, only to end up raising his hand indignantly to correct the teacher every few minutes because-- "Even though they used to say Pluto was a planet, it isn't anymore," and "Did you know that the sun is really a star?"
And his teacher would say, "Yes, Chanyeol." and "We know, Chanyeol." and sometimes, "Please be quiet, Chanyeol, I was just going to talk about that."
In middle school he had decided to change his dream from becoming an alien to being an astronaut. He read up on all the things that astronauts did to prepare for living in space and when he was thirteen his parents hosted his birthday party at one of those space centers where you can experience what zero gravity feels like. And maybe several of the kids ended up emptying their stomachs after trying it out, but Chanyeol-- Chanyeol knew he was destined to be out there in the inky black darkness of space.
Fast forward to college. Now in his second year of university, what used to be a deep fascination with space has become a mere hobby. There are no more glow in the dark stars stuck on his ceiling and the thick books about planets have been replaced by textbooks full of music theory and composition. The poster of the Mars Rover has been taken down, and in its place are band photos and CD covers.
But he hasn't forgotten space. After all, there's still the radio show.
-✧-
Their segment of the radio is called Letters to Space. Originally it was intended to make fun of advice columns; because the letters that people wrote in always went unanswered since there was never actually a response from space. But somehow over time it ended up being a corner for students to rant about whatever grievances they had.
They got letters like "Space, if you find the one sock that magically disappeared in the washing machine, can you send it back to me?" or "Dear Space, some asshole in the library keeps on taking up two carrels. Can you please send some aliens to abduct him soon!" Most of the letters were everyday complaints over everyday problems and they always had fun reading them out in strange voices. Sometimes Baekhyun would even jump onto his chair as he read out the different parts, Junmyeon fretting in the background as the chair creaked beneath him.
But then there were the letters from someone with the pen name D.O. Unlike the usual letters that complained about petty things on earth, D.O. actually wrote letters that he wanted to send to space.
"Dear space," one of his letters started. "I read about something really interesting today. There was an article online talking about the possibility of life and why we might not have found any signs of intelligent life in space. I know that the Earth is relatively young, and it seems possible that the conditions to grow life could appear on another planet. Space, can you tell me if such a thing is really possible?"
And it wasn't just about aliens. He wrote letters asking if certain satellites were on their proper course and if newly launched spacecrafts were able to meet their destination. Every time Chanyeol heard about a new space mission, without fail, D.O. would send in a letter asking space about it.
Just like now, Chanyeol thinks to himself as he finally finds the letter he was looking for; the only letter that has been printed out and tucked into a real envelope. When he heard about Japan's plans to launch a spacecraft to orbit Venus he wondered if D.O. had heard of it too, and just as he thought, D.O. had written a letter to space. The letter was short, asking space to make sure that it got to Venus all right and asking if it thought the orbit path would overlap with any of the other spacecrafts previously launched. But even in the short letter, Chanyeol can tell that the writer chose his words carefully and researched every inquiry.
It's too bad that the writer always uses a pen name because D.O. seems like the type of person Chanyeol wants to be his best friend. But with such nondescript pen name, Chanyeol doesn't even have a hope of figuring out who it would be. Nearly a quarter of the school's population have either a "D" or an "O" in their name, and it could not even be part of their name at all! For all he knew D.O. could stand for Demon Overlord or the Dark Order (of Space Enthusiasts-- because hey, why can't space nerds have cults too?) and he still wouldn't be any closer to figuring out what their name was.
And while Chanyeol muses over the letter, wondering if there's a way to track where a printed letter came from, Jongdae catches sight of what's in his hands and he comes over to stand next to Chanyeol. He leans forward onto his tiptoes to peek at the paper he's holding.
"So, he's still writing those letters." He laughs, leaning forward into Chanyeol's shoulder to keep his balance. "He's always so quiet in class, you'd never expect that he was such a space geek."
What.
Chanyeol turns towards his friend, trying to contain the excitement in his voice. "Wait, Jongdae you actually know who writes these letters into the radio?"
Jongdae tilts his head, his smile widening in soundless amusement. "Yeah, he sits next to me in Biology."
"So you knew and you never thought to tell me?" Chanyeol is trying really hard not to whine, but his voice squeaks a little bit at the end. And when someone has a deep voice like Chanyeol's, it's pretty obvious when their voice squeaks.
"But I thought everyone already knew!" Jongdae's eyes widen innocently and he catches Baekhyun's wrist as he walks by. "Hey, Baekhyun, who wrote the space letters?"
Baekhyun raises an eyebrow, grinning. "You mean Kyungsoo?"
Chanyeol stares. "Kyung...soo?"
"Yeah, that's the boy in my class I was telling you about." Jongdae claps him on the shoulder.
And that's how Chanyeol learns that the mysterious boy he's been searching for this whole time actually sits two seats away from Jongdae in Biology.
-✧-
"It's not like you're stalking a wild animal." Jongdae says helpfully from behind him. "You can just talk to him, you know."
Chanyeol shakes his head, drawing back behind the corner before Kyungsoo can catch sight of him. He can't just go and talk to the person who he wants to make his very best friend and geek out over space facts with! No, he has to try to find a way to approach him that will be cool. Something best friend worthy.
"No, I've got to come up with a plan." Quickly, he tries to calculate in his head how expensive it would be to rent a helicopter for a day. Actually he only needs it for about 10 minutes. Would they charge by the hour?
And as he's standing there, zoning out as he tries to think of the best way to meet his future best friend in the whole wide world, Jongdae decides to take matters into his own hands.
He blinks at Chanyeol innocently. "Or I could always just get his attention for you--"
And then he pushes Chanyeol past the edge of the wall, sending the taller one into a sprawling heap of limbs at the entrance to the cafeteria.
"Hey, Kyungsoo!" Jongdae pokes his head out from behind the corner, waving excitedly. "You study space, right? Well I found a new space buff for you to talk to!"
Kyungsoo stops chewing, staring at the pair of them in shock.
Grabbing Chanyeol's arm, Jongdae drags pulls him across the floor until they're right next to Kyungsoo. He smiles, giving the eating boy a playful salute.
"No need to thank me!" Then with a peal of amused laughter, Jongdae scampers away, hopping over Chanyeol's leg when he flings it out in an attempt to trip him.
-✧-
"So." Chanyeol taps his fingers idly on the table. After Jongdae left he had shyly slid into the seat next to Kyungsoo. But after such a fast-paced introduction, they seem to have hit a lull.
"So." Kyungsoo echoes. He's got half a mouthful of sandwich in his mouth so it sounds more like sho. Fortunately Chanyeol has enough social sense to decide not to comment on it.
Fidgeting nervously, Chanyeol curls his hand against the table. What is he supposed to say? He really doesn't want to talk about the radio, because how awkward would it be to admit that he waits for Kyungsoo's letters every week and gets so excited when the mail os brought in that he sometimes tackles Baekhyun so he can get to look through the box first.
So, instead he tries to go with something a little less embarrassing.
"All I know is that you like space and that you're in Jongdae's Biology class." He leans forward on table in a show of confidence and ends up getting cookie crumbs on the elbows of his sweatshirt. He tries to inconspicuously take his arms from the table to avoid getting more food on him. "Are you majoring in Biology?"
Kyungsoo shakes his head. "No, I'm majoring in Astronomy. The biology was just for an elective credit."
Astronomy. Chanyeol tries not to let his eyes glaze over in awe, coughing as he readjusts himself on the seat. So that's why Jongdae said that he studies space. "So your major is all about space?"
"Yeah." Kyungsoo balls up the paper bag his sandwich had come in. Turning to face Chanyeol more directly, his two dark eyes bore into the taller with intense curiosity. "Jongdae said you were a space buff. Are you studying Astronomy too?"
"Me?" Chanyeol laughs, his smile a bit sheepish. "Nah, I'm doing music."
"Oh." Although Kyungsoo's expression hasn't changed ( it's the same semi-frown he's had on his face since Chanyeol first took his seat at the table ) Chanyeol can tell that he's a bit disappointed and he tries to save the conversation.
"100 tons!"
"What?" Kyungsoo laughs, pressing his head into his shoulder as he tries to muffle the noise. And then he's looking back up at Chanyeol with an incredulous expression. It's clear from the shocked expression on his face that he thinks Chanyeol is crazy and he's got to do something quickly to save the situation so he throws caution aside and continues with what he was going to say.
"100 tons of small meteorites enter the Earth's atmosphere every day!"
Kyungsoo's not laughing anymore, and this time when he looks at Chanyeol there's the hint of a smile on his face. "Are you challenging me to a space facts face-off?" An eyebrow raises inquisitively, and maybe Chanyeol would be scared if Kyungsoo didn't look so cute.
"Yeah, I am." He says with false bravado, and maybe he's more than a little nervous but at least there's a smile on Kyungsoo's face when he counters with the furthest distance from Earth a photo of their planet has been taken from ( 3.7 billion miles ), and then it's Chanyeol's turn to think of another fact that he remembers about their universe.
-✧-
( "Hey, I think I never got your name..."
"It's Chanyeol."
A smile. "It's nice to meet you, Chanyeol." )
-✧-
After the first meeting, things get a little bit less competitive between the two of them. Chanyeol no longer feels like he has to list off stats of different planets to impress Kyungsoo, and Kyungsoo stops trying to make Chanyeol envious by talking about things he's learning in class. Instead they pour over old magazines, remembering how they felt as they watched they different rockets and satellites sent into space. They bond over memories of snacks left uneaten on the living room table as their eyes followed the upward ascent of a spacecraft.
-✧-
For some reason Chanyeol avoids talking about the radio with Kyungsoo altogether. It's not like he's embarrassed about it; the radio has been his pride and joy ever since he joined, and even though he usually just does odd jobs behind the scenes like composing the background music and researching facts about space to use as filler, he's always boasted about being a part of the small club.
But he still doesn't want Kyungsoo to know.
Maybe he's afraid that once Kyungsoo finds out he'll stop sending the letters. Or maybe he thinks that Kyungsoo will judge him for being friends with Baekhyun and Jongdae ( which would be fair because he judges himself for that as well ) but either way, he always ends up sidestepping the topic whenever it comes up.
"So, how do you and Jongdae know each other?"
"Mutual acquaintances." ( Kind of true. )
Another time:
"What do you do after school?"
"Just hang around really. Sometimes I write music." ( Also mostly true. )
And finally:
"Are you in any clubs?"
"....Naaahh." ( A complete lie. )
And the times that Kyungsoo asks to hang out after classes, Chanyeol ends up making the most ridiculous excuses. Like Sorry but my grandmother is visiting today or I think my pancreas is bothering me again. Fortunately Kyungsoo never seems to look too upset when Chanyeol rushes off, his mouth pinching into a slightly deeper frown before he shrugs it off with a quiet laugh.
But that's the only thing he keeps hidden from Kyungsoo. Everything else about him unfolds in front of Kyungsoo like the universe seen through the Hubble telescope. He tells Kyungsoo about deciding to choose music over science and even shows him some of the compositions he's working on. ( "I want to write soundtracks" he admits shyly one day over lunch and Kyungsoo grins in response, asking him about his favorite composers. ) He even tells Kyungsoo about the time that he came out to his parents and the other reaches over to touch his shoulder in a rare show of affection, mumbling "It's hard, isn't it?"
And maybe they speak about space more than anything else, but it doesn't stop them from talking about all other sorts of things, the topics as widespread as the distances between the stars and as diverse as the theories surrounding the creation of the universe.
-✧-
When Chanyeol shows up at the radio after school one day, Baekhyun is there to greet him, bumping into his shoulder.
"You and Kyungsoo, huh?"
Jongdae joins him and the two of them look like twin Cheshire cats, their faces split into wide smiles. Chanyeol already knows that whatever they have to say is going to be something dumb and annoying and he looks over at Junmyeon for back up. But instead of coming over to help like a good upperclassman would, Junmyeon just shrugs and goes back to working on his term project for Psychology.
And even though Junmyeon isn't looking, Chanyeol pouts, annoyed that Junmyeon decided to choose some project about children's speech patterns over his friend in need.
"So what did you say to Kyungsoo after I left you guys alone?" Jongdae smiles, flopping into the swivel chair nearby and rolling over to where Chanyeol is sitting. "Did you make a move?"
"What?!" But before Chanyeol has the chance to ask exactly what they're suggesting he might have done, Baekhyun decides to enlighten him through a dramatic enactment.
Leaning against the side of the swivel chair, Baekhyun peers down at Jongdae. "Hey, Kyungsoo, do you want to know what my favorite planet is?" His voice is pitched lower than usual but Chanyeol bites back a laugh because it's still nowhere near as deep as his real voice.
Jongdae doesn't bother to change his voice at all, but the slightly sour look on his face is definitely a parody of Kyungsoo's poker face and Chanyeol muffles a laugh into his sweatshirt. "And what planet is that, Chanyeol?"
"Uranus." Clicking his tongue, Baekhyun snaps his fingers and Chanyeol's face turns bright red, yelling that it's not like that as he kicks Jongdae's chair.
And Jongdae and Baekhyun are laughing too hard to even try to stay upright, both of them toppling over onto the floor as the chair falls over.
-✧-
"Kyungsoo."
They're sitting in one of the empty lecture rooms, in one of the last rows from the back and the whole room stretches in front of them. It's different being there without the other students. The loud echoey quality of the room makes their voices bounce across the open space and they end up talking in muted voices, trying to keep their words from breaking the stillness of the room.
It's different for Chanyeol, who's used to yelling across rooms at the top of his lungs and hasn't used his "inside voice" since he was forced to in 2nd grade. But it's not a bad different. The low voices and silence seems more like Kyungsoo's pace and he kind of likes trying to match the quietness of Kyungsoo's voice.
"Why do you like space so much?" He says softly, slumping down into the auditorium chair, and the chair creaks underneath him.
There are times when Kyungsoo looks thoughtful, and he gets a look on his face like he's actually already floating out in space. His hands reach out to hold the chair in front of him, his fingertips dragging over the stitching of the cheap upholstery. "I guess because it's quiet there. And different from here."
He looks out across the rows of empty seats, his eyes drifting to the podium at the front.
"There's so much to be scared of here on Earth, and it's not even because of our environment, but because of what we've made our environment into. And space.."
Chanyeol can't say anything. He just watches Kyungsoo lean forward over the seat in front of him, his black sweatshirt pulling up in the back to reveal a sliver of skin above his jeans.
"Space is different. It's clean and untouched and... empty."
He speaks the last word a little bit louder than the rest of the sentence and Chanyeol can feel the air around him vibrate softly with the timbre of his voice. On Earth even words can touch other people, but in space... He lets the thought hang over him, a thin thread of understanding that he wraps around himself as he tries to pull Kyungsoo closer to him.
Maybe space is untouched and pristine, but he doesn't like the idea of Kyungsoo hanging by himself in the nothingness. Not when Chanyeol is standing so close by.
And then Kyungsoo turns to him, a lost smile playing at the corners of his lips. "What about you, Yeol? Why do you like space?"
He could say something deep about seeing the stars as ancestors and lost souls, but he's pretty sure that Kyungsoo would realize that he stole that from The Lion King. So he just decides to tell the truth.
"Because I think it would be cool to meet an alien."
Kyungsoo snorts, shaking his head in disbelief. "I just opened up to you about something deep and you say it's because you want to meet an alien."
"But it's true! I've even been trying to learn Klingon to prepare!"
And they no longer try to control their voices, Kyungsoo pulling Chanyeol into a headlock with an angry growl and Chanyeol flailing as he tries to get away, whimpering in pain when he whacks his knee against the chair in front of him and yelling jIl moH ghajjaj jaghHomlIj because it's the only Klingon he can remember.
-✧-
( "What was that phrase you kept on screaming over and over?"
"It's Klingon."
"Yeah, so... does it mean anything?"
"....May your rival have an ugly neighbor."
"Oh." A snort here. "Glad to see you'll be able to communicate with any aliens you meet."
"I-I'm still learning, okay?!" )
-✧-
Chanyeol wanted them to go stargazing.
According to all of the romantic comedies he's seen ( which added up to a grand total of three ), it was imperative for two people to stare into the dark night sky and talk about their sad past and hidden insecurities. So when he asks Kyungsoo to go stargazing with him and the other says, "No, that's stupid," Chanyeol is a little more than disappointed.
"You can't see the stars very well from were we are in Seoul.." Kyungsoo adds rationally. "Plus it's already winter. I'm not going to sit out in the cold and freeze my ass off to look at little pinpoints of light when I could wait until the summertime when it's warmer and when I can more easily get out of the city."
Chanyeol has to admit that everything Kyungsoo says makes sense, but he can't keep himself from letting out a sad sigh. And maybe Kyungsoo notices that he seems a bit sad because he then says,
"Do you want to come over? We could order some pizza and watch the live feed from the International Space Station." His lips purse into a small smile, his mouth making a heart shape.
Like Chanyeol would say no.
-✧-
Watching the stream from the Space Station turns into hitting each other with pillows and burrowing into blankets. It turns into watching old episodes of Star Trek and shoving popcorn into their mouths while tossing the kernels left in the bottom of the bowl at each other's heads.
And then at the end of the night when they're getting a bit sleepy, it turns into Kyungsoo falling asleep on Chanyeol's shoulder mid-episode while Chanyeol tries to figure out how to sneak away to use the bathroom without walking him up.
-✧-
The next day, Chanyeol writes the letter.
He's not sure exactly why he does it. All he knows is that he wants Kyungsoo to stop looking out into the sky for all of the answers, and he wants his gaze to turn towards earth.
That's all.
But even after he finishes it he still can't get the courage to send it and it ends up crumpled on the floor somewhere in the radio's office, without an answer just like all the letters that had been sent into space.
-✧-
"Hey."
Chanyeol ignores Baekhyun, scribbling into his notebook notes for the composition due for his end of the term project. They had to write an arrangement of a Christmas song to make it more modern and after listening to Deck the Halls for the last hour on repeat, he was ready to deck someone.
Preferably Baekhyun.
"Hey," Baekhyun says again, crouching next to him on the floor and shaking his shoulder.
Chanyeol pushes his headphone off, his smile dangerously wide. "Yes?"
Completely ignoring the way Chanyeol's eye twitches, Baekhyun leans in closer. "You know how every year for Christmas we like to decorate the studio in Christmas lights?"
Chanyeol isn't following. "Yeah...?"
"And you know how you have a car?"
He still doesn't understand why Baekhyun is bugging him when he's trying to work. "Yeah?"
"So, can you go get the Christmas lights from Junmyeon's house? We want to decorate for tomorrow."
"And why do I have to go?"
Baekhyun points to the clock behind them. "Because we're going on air soon. You're the only one who doesn't actually read anything out loud on the show."
"And this can't wait until tomorrow--"
"No, it can't." And Baekhyun is giving that sad puppy look that Chanyeol hates. Not because it's cute. But because Baekhyun thinks it's cute when it actually makes Chanyeol want to throw things at his face.
"Okay, okay! Fine!" Anything to get Baekhyun to stop making that face.
Chanyeol collapses against the side of the desk and Baekhyun tosses him a set of keys. "They're in the cardboard box in the entryway."
-✧-
"Why did I have to go to pick up the lights? And why now." Grumbling to no one, he speeds up as he drives onto the highway ramp. He's already got the lights safely stored in the trunk and he's on his way back to the university. He merges onto the highway before switching on the radio, immediately tuning into the university radio station. Just because he couldn't be in the studio didn't mean that he couldn't listen to the show. And he's sneaking glances over his shoulder, trying to see if he can pass the car in the lane next to him when the familiar opening song begins to play and Jongdae's voice cuts in.
"Hello you space fanatics! Welcome to another hour of Letters to Space!"
There's the sound of paper rustling and he can hear Baekhyun pretending to make alien noises in the background. Chanyeol rolls his eyes, tapping his fingers impatiently when the car in front of him slows down. Of course they'd send him on errands during rush hour. At least he has the radio to keep him company, and the traffic isn't horrendously bad today.
The letters that day are much like every week; a few complaining about roommates and a few others complaining about parents and teachers. And once the show is nearing its end, Chanyeol grins, waiting for Kyungsoo's letter to be read. He already read it when it has first delivered to the studio, but that doesn't mean that he's still not looking forward to hearing it read on air.
He's nearly back at the school by now, but he purposely slows the car a bit so he can listen to Kyungsoo's letter while he's still in the car.
But when Junmyeon takes over, the first words that leave his lips are not the "Dear Space" that Chanyeol has been expecting to hear.
"Listeners, for the first time since we've started this show, we've gotten a response from space! Do you want hear what space would like to say back to you?"
Sounds of whooping from Jongdae and Baekhyun in the background.
"This is a letter written for one of our dedicated letter writers, D.O.--"
And the rest of the sentence is drowned out by Chanyeol's panicked screams.
-✧-
Although he had originally planned on taking a longer route, now he speeds back to the school as quickly as possible, pulling sloppily into the first parking spot he sees and nearly scratching the car next to him when he swings the door open.
It's not a long walk from the entrance to the studio and with Chanyeol's long legs flailing underneath him, the distance is even shorter, his palms slapping against the walls as he scrambles around the corners. A few more seconds and he's at the door to the radio room, swinging open the door and yelling out, "Do you even know how embarrassing it is to hear your own words being read over the radio?"
He's not really expecting an answer because it seems like everyone has left, but then the chair in front of him squeaks.
"Yeah, I do."
And that's not Junmyeon's voice.
The chair swivels around and if it were an action movie then maybe there would be a villain lounging there, stroking a pure pedigree cat. But instead, Kyungsoo's sitting there, his eyes wide and a hint of a smile playing across his lips. His hands clasp the arms of the chair, his white winter sweater stark against the dark fabric of the chair.
If Chanyeol could find his voice maybe he'd try to say something witty about space or the fact that he's always known that Kyungsoo was the one who wrote the letters. But instead he just stares at the other, mouth opening as he manages to choke out a few strangled protests.
Because suddenly he's realizing that this is why he had to get the lights today. They planned this. And he doesn't even know who was the one who found the letter. But they found it and then they knew that he'd tune into the radio on the way back. Everything had fallen into place like a warped game of Tetris.
Except instead of Tetris pieces they were playing around with his feelings and that was just not cool.
Kyungsoo doesn't seem to be phased by Chanyeol's sudden regression to the Cro-Magnon phase. He coughs, clearing his throat before saying, "So, you knew I was the one writing the letters."
Chanyeol nods dumbly. "Yeah... I'm sorry I didn't tell you." His ears redden with embarrassment. "I thought you might stop writing."
And it's hard to tell if Kyungsoo's angry or happy with the way that his mouth twists into a lopsided smile, his eyebrows furrowing as he bites his lip. "Yeah?"
"Yeah. I kind of... like you a lot."
Chanyeol's always kind of thought that if he liked someone he'd try to tell them in a really awesome way that no one would ever forget. Like yelling it as he was fighting off a lion or screaming it out before shooting down an enemy warship. He didn't realize that instead he'd be mumbling it out in a room he goes to nearly everyday while simultaneously trying to sink himself into the ground out of pure embarrassment.
And chewing at his lip, Kyungsoo stands up, walking forward until he can grab a hold of one of Chanyeol's hands, his fingers curling around his hand and his face flaming. "Well, that's good because I kind of like you too."
It's never occurred to Chanyeol how small Kyungsoo is next to him; Kyungsoo's personality and confidence always seemed to make up for any height that he was lacking, but now that the other is standing next to him, he's suddenly hit with how small he is. Chanyeol's fingers are almost twice the size of the older's and it would be really easy to just pull him into his arms.
So he does.
His arms curl around Kyungsoo and the shorter boy just feels so warm, his back fitting perfectly into the crook of his arms. And now that he's hugging him, he sort of feels like this is the time when he should kiss him. Because isn't that what usually comes after a confession? So he tightens his arms around the other, leaning down as he tries to get the courage to plant a wet one on Kyungsoo's mouth. But before he can, the smaller one is pushing up onto his toes and pecking at Chanyeol's pursed lips.
It's only the faintest brush of lips and Chanyeol's pretty sure that he did it wrong already because his lips were too puckered for him to really feel anything ( apparently the well known "kissy face" is not good for actual kisses ). But it also doesn't really matter much because Kyungsoo is still nestled in his arms and the wool of his sweater is scratchy against Chanyeol's hands and it's warm and this is actually just about everything he wanted.
He bends in slightly so he can rest his head on top of Kyungsoo's, his cheek pressing into the dark strands. Then the head underneath him moves slightly and Kyungsoo says, "I knew you were part of the radio."
"What?" He almost pulls back but Kyungsoo lets out a sound of annoyance and pulls him closer, so he gives up and shuffles back into place. "How did you know?"
"I asked Jongdae how you met and he said that you were both working on the radio together." Kyungsoo's nose presses into Chanyeol's chest. "He also told me a very interesting story about how you always seem to get really excited when letters from a certain D.O. arrive, and--"
And the rest of Kyungsoo's words are drowned out by Chanyeol swearing in Klingon as he thinks about how he's going to get Jongdae back.
-✧-
Dear D.O.,
Although I'm happy that you send me letters every week, I can't help but think that you're missing out on things on Earth. Why don't you leave the updates on what's going on out here to me, and you can tell me all about the things that you see happening on Earth? Did you know that a Tardigrade, the hardiest animal on Earth, can live for 10 days inside a vacuum?
Well, you, D.O., are not a Tardigrade. So don't live in a vacuum, not matter how much you want to live in space. A human can only live unprotected in space for up to two minutes, so don't try to cut yourself off from the world too much, okay?
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Space
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Dear Space,
Did you know that only 14% of the world's species have been identified? This is the first time that I've been more interested in what's happening on Earth than in space. I think it's because of someone I met recently. I'd tell you about him, but I think you already know him.
Kyungsoo (D.O.)
P.S. How's the Mars Rover doing up there?
A/N: unbetaed so sorry if there are typos = n = and on another note yay I finally wrote a proper chansoo