caught in a comet's tail {ii/vii}

[kairousels]

part i

They board a transport ship that had been sent by the facility on Kara and settle into the comfortable seats. Kyungsoo stares hard at the soldiers eyeing him up and down like a piece of meat. He tries to ignore them but the moment one of them gives him a sleezy grin, he lashes out and both of them immediately cower when he does so. By the time Kyungsoo is done giving them a piece of his mind, he’s fuming. His ears are red and he has an irritating sensation boiling in the pit of his stomach. The soldiers scurry to another part of the small ship as he plops back into his seat next to Minseok, huffing in frustration. The latter just chuckles.

Kyungsoo slits him a glare. “What’s so funny?”

Minseok pats his thigh. “Give them a break Soo. Most species on this side of the galaxy have probably never seen a human before. You’re exotic looking to them.”

“Exotic my ass,” he grumbles. “Those scaly bastards need to learn how to keep their dicks in check.”

Within what feels like a couple of hours, they reach the facility. Kyungsoo feels his heart leap into his throat as he and Minseok stand to thank the pilot for flying all the way out to get them. When they exit, Kyungsoo makes sure to keep his head held high and his shoulders back. The Intergalactic Peace Corps is not really highly respected around here so he has to try his best to seem authoritative. A soldier is waiting for him at the exit of the ship hangar, his weapon slung across his chest and his stance alert. The closer the human gets, the better he can see that familiar shine of the Intergalactic Government Space Agency’s insignia resting on the other’s chest. He goes to greet Kyungsoo rather stiffly but the Lead Commander walks by him without a word. He isn’t here to play nice and act fake with someone he knows does not want him there. Minseok offers the soldier a wary, but apologetic smile and catches up with his commanding officer. As they walk through the main hallways, following the signs to the holding cells, they both hear guards and other soldiers whispering about the new prisoner, that he has color changing eyes and skin as impenetrable as rock.

Kyungsoo glances to Minseok. “I need you to call headquarters and get a warrant to transfer the prisoner into our custody while I go find him.”

Minseok's eyes dart around. “Do you think he’s a Daknae?” He whispers.

Kyungsoo licks his lips. “I’m not sure but I just have a feeling we’re going to be taking him back to the SS-Pytheas with us. If he has color changing eyes then…”

Minseok pulls out his earpiece from his pocket and powers it up. “I’ll make the call. You go find him.”

Kyungsoo nods and continues on his journey alone. Eventually he reaches the holding cells, flashing his credentials at the guards and demanding to let him pass. They look at each other hesitantly but allow him through, meekly pointing in the direction of the prisoner he’s looking for.

Kyungsoo strides around the corner and notices another prison guard holding a tray of what looked like warped weapons, as if someone had taken them and used all of their might to stab them into the wall. That’s when he recalls the others he had passed earlier talking about the new prisoner having impenetrable skin. Kyungsoo’s eyes lit up in fury and he stomped his way to the holding cell he needed. The guard stationed outside gives him a wary look.

“Lead Commander Do?”

Kyungsoo’s eyes narrow. “I wish to see the prisoner.”

The guard bites her lip. “The prison warden is in there at the moment so if you could just wait here- Lead Commander!”

Kyungsoo pushes passed the woman and slams open the door to the holding cell, the metal door making a mighty thump when it hits the wall. The prison warden turns on his heels, some sort of knife in his hand. Kyungsoo can tell the man is beyond pissed at being interrupted, but he feels his own self seething at the sight of the prisoner’s bruises and small cuts all over his naked torso. His hands are chained to the wall and his ankles are cuffed to the floor. His platinum blonde hair was matted on his forehead and he was heaving slightly. The prisoner raises his head and looks at Kyungsoo with a blank stare, but the Lead Commander can see a tiny trace of gold swirling in his irises.

“Who the fuck are you?” The prison warden spits.

Kyungsoo grits his teeth, secretly glad Minseok wasn’t here because this place would’ve probably been turned into the North Pole in a matter of seconds. “Lead Commander Do of the Intergalactic Peace Corps. Just what the hell do you think you’re doing to this man?!”

The warden didn’t back down at Kyungsoo’s title, instead, giving him a cocky smirk. “This man is a suspected member of the rebellion. I’m only trying to get information out of him.”

“Well you can count on not laying another finger on him because as of right now, he’s in my custody. Also, last time I checked, harming those that are of a rare or extinct race is illegal by the decree of the Intergalactic Government Space Agency.” At this, the prison warden gulps. The prisoner raises an eyebrow and adjusts his stance a bit, the chains rattling lightly as he does so.

“I-I was not made aware that this man is of an endangered race. What proof do you have of this?”

“If you would like my report, I will gladly send it to you when it is finished. But for now, I don’t need proof.” Truth is, he doesn’t have any physical proof. He just believes in his gut that this man is a Daknae. Everything points to it. There is no way he can be wrong.

The prison warden stands stunned for a few moments at Kyungsoo’s response before conceding. He puts the knife on the small table in the corner of the room and looks at the Lead Commander. “Shall we go fill out the paperwork then?”

Kyungsoo’s eyes narrow in suspicion. There have been cases where the high threat facilities on Kara have done some very sketchy business. One story he read was that someone was trying to transfer a prisoner into lower threat security and while they were discussing the necessary actions to do so, the prisoner was mysteriously ‘killed by another inmate.’ Things done on Kara are known to lack in morality, especially in the treatment of prisoners, so usually no one leaves once they arrive. No way in hell is he going to let that happen now.

Kyungsoo gives a tight smile. “My colleague is waiting for you outside. I would appreciate if you left the the keys to the prisoner’s handcuffs on the table before you go.” The warden didn’t even hesitate to glare at Kyungsoo but did as he said anyway. With one last look at the man chained to the wall, the warden leaves the room, slamming the door behind him.

Kyungsoo stares at the man across from him, the latter glaring harshly in return. The silver strands in the man’s hair stick up in different directions, seemingly wet in some parts closer to the roots from his sweat. His skin is a light caramel, even on his chest, and his body is thin and toned. What stands out the most to the Lead Commander is the sharp jawline that just makes the other look even more ethereal, but he knows better. He’s probably a lot stronger than he looks.

The prisoner’s eyes are a strange type of deep black, reminding Kyungsoo of the open ocean at the dead of night back on Earth. Dangerous and unpredictable. ‘Strange,’ Kyungsoo thinks to himself. ‘A Daknae’s eyes are supposed to be bright with color from their emotions.’

If it weren’t for the other guards whispering about color changing eyes and rock hard skin, then Kyungsoo would have definitely thought this man was human.

The Lead Commander stepped forward and the other man released a low growl in warning, feral and deep. Kyungsoo put his hands up. “I’m not here to harm you, I’m here to take you away from this place. I’m not sure whether or not you are actually part of the rebellion, but just know my agency won’t care about that as long as you don’t blow us up again.” Kyungsoo attempts to joke to get some sort of emotion out of the other but he is still given a bored stare.

The Lead Commander tilts his head and bites his lip. ‘Maybe he can’t understand me.’ His thoughts drift back to why the prison warden was torturing him, even though there isn’t any circumstantial evidence that this man is even linked to the rebellion.

He turns on his heel and opens the door, surprising the guard on the other side. “May I ask why the warden was torturing this man?” He tries to keep his voice soft since the woman seems to be overly anxious.

The guard’s grips on her weapon tightens and she visibly stiffens. “B-because he is linked to the rebellion, sir.”

Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow. “Lying to a commanding officer of any kind is a crime. I hope you know this.”

She gulps, her eyes darting back and forth to see if anyone is around but they are alone. She leans in closer to Kyungsoo and lowly says, “The prisoner tried to kiss the warden, sir.”

The Lead Commander’s eyes lit up in understanding. “Thank you. I’ll be sure not to tell anyone in case it would get you in trouble.”

The guard gives him a grateful smile as he shut the door once again. He turns to look at the prisoner who had his eyes closed and his head leaning to the side. ‘He must be exhausted,’ Kyungsoo thinks.

Quickly, Kyungsoo grabs the keys off the table. When he stands directly in front of the man, he begins to free his arms and legs. The tanned male looks at him with slight curiosity but still says nothing. His bindings slid off, landing on the floor with an obnoxious ‘thunk’, and he rubbed his wrists. He makes eye contact with Kyungsoo again, this time a small twinge of hesitance in his stance.

“You can’t understand me, can you?” Kyungsoo asks softly. When the prisoner doesn’t react to his words and instead stares at his lips, Kyungsoo’s suspicions are confirmed.

For some races, languages are a trait that can literally be passed from one person to the next via some sort of connection. Kyungsoo has seen it quite a few times in the past when he was taking his Racial Behaviors class in college. Some are able to speak a language after simply kissing the other person. Kyungsoo’s not exactly sure how it works, but he remembers his professor explaining it as other species’ brains may work in different patterns. Unlike a human, who has to go through most of their life to fully learn a language or two and condition themselves to have a proper vocabulary, others are able to learn it within seconds by connecting with the person they are trying to learn it from. He believes the prisoner in front of him falls under this category.

The Lead Commander feels himself blushing at the thought. For humans, kissing is still considered an act of intimacy and affection. However, Kyungsoo supposes that in this moment he would be kissing an object of his affection. He loves his work and in a way, the man in front of him is a part of his job. At least the latter seems relatively clean unlike some species he’s ran into in the past. He just hopes he doesn’t have a razor tongue or something.

Kyungsoo steps closer and closer until their noses are bumping. The prisoner seems to understand what the Lead Commander is trying to hint at, that it’s okay to kiss him, but the latter still looks unsure. Kyungsoo really wouldn't blame him after all that torturing he went through.

The human takes the initiative and leans forward. He’s pleasantly surprised at how soft the latter’s lips are and squeaks lightly when strong arms wrap around Kyungsoo’s waist, dragging him closer until their bodies are flush against each other. His heart almost leaps out of his chest when he feels a wet tongue prod his lips and make it’s way into his mouth. Kyungsoo feels the instinct to pull away but he’s not exactly sure how deep of a kiss the the other needs for this to properly work.

So this, in a nutshell, is how Do Kyungsoo, Lead Commander of the SS-Pytheas, ends up with a tongue down his throat by a member of an alien race. The thought that maybe he should kiss back, that this may be some sort of show of dominance, crosses his mind. He begins to move his tongue as well, pushing and twirling around the prisoner’s. The latter just hums and smirks in into the kiss, turning them both around and roughly pushing Kyungsoo against the cell wall. Kyungsoo breaks the kiss when he gasps in pain from the force, wincing slightly when his shoulder blade began to have a dull ache. He’s panting when he looks up at the other with a bewildered stare, getting nothing but playful, glowing green eyes and a wide smirk in return. Kyungsoo’s momentarily distracted by how beautiful the other’s eyes were, several shades of green swirling around the pupils in slithering movements. All he could think of at that exact moment was that this man definitely had to be a Daknae with eyes like that.

"Mmm you tasted wonderful.” Kyungsoo blinks. “Your lips are very beautiful as well. Mind if I have another kiss sweetheart?" The Daknae purrs.

Kyungsoo sputters but readjusts himself. “My name is Do Kyungsoo, Lead Commanding officer of the SS-Pytheas. I’m with the Intergalactic Peace Corps. I came to get you out of here, so from now on my people and I will be taking care of you.”

The Daknae still looks at him playfully, the glowing green of his irises spreading to the skin around his eyes, almost like electricity sparking at the edge and mixing with the caramel tone of his face. “You know, I take back my previous statement. You’re lips aren’t the only thing that’s beautiful. Human right? Mm, never kissed a human before. Tell me, do all of your people like to take advantage of a poor soul that was just wrongly imprisoned and tortured? What a strange turn on.” He says thoughtfully.

Kyungsoo gasps in horror. “I- I was not taking advantage of you! I was helping you with understanding my language.”

The Daknae smirks again. “So you shoving your tongue down my throat was helping me understand your language?”

“You did it to me first.” Kyungsoo says pointedly.

“Like I said, you tasted good. How about me, huh? Did I taste good as well?” Kyungsoo blushes but shakes his head.

“I’m not going to do this.”

“Do what, my dear Lead Commander?”

“Stand here and have this pointless conversation with you.”

The Daknae chuckles, stroking Kyungsoo’s collar bones with his thumb. It's in that moment Kyungsoo realized he was still pinned against the wall, the other’s body pressed flush against his own. “Mm, but I am adoring this pointless conversation with you. Then again I’m perfectly content with picking where we left off if you’d rather do that instead.”

The other’s expression is wicked as he leans in close enough to be a hair length from Kyungsoo’s lips. Kyungsoo gasps slightly when pressure is applied to his collar bone by long, thin fingers. The Daknae just hums, green eyes focused on his own fingers splayed out across the base of the human’s neck.

“Such a delicate little thing,” he looks up and locks gazes with Kyungsoo. “I’m Kim Jongin. I don’t really have an impressive title like Lead Commander. However, I think being the last survivor of an extinct race would suffice, but you already knew that didn’t you?”

Jongin’s eyes were twinkling with something Kyungsoo really can’t put his finger on. Something akin to mischief.

Kyungsoo stares long and hard at him. “You were the reason I always felt like I was being watched back on Dakartius, weren’t you?”

Jongin’s eyes quickly fade to black, the dark color slithering its way in until it swallows up any trace of green. Even the green sparks on the skin by edge of his eyes recede until they no longer show themselves. Jongin sneered. “What do you know about Dakartius that gives you the right to just give its name to some weak, measly planet?”

Kyungsoo blinks, a furrow making its way on his eyebrows. “But Jongdae said your people had called it Dakartius-”

Jongin’s fingers slide up until they are wrapped around the Lead Commander’s windpipe. He begins to squeeze lightly, enough to make Kyungsoo wheeze and gasp for breath. The Daknae tilts his head to the side, black eyes staring straight through his soul. “It’s so strange. Humans are said to be some of the strongest beings in the galaxy but yet here you are, struggling to stay conscious while I barely even have a grip on you.” Jongin tuts his tongue. “Pathetic.”

Kyungsoo scratches down the other’s arms. “Please,” he wheezes, “let go.”

Jongin does as he’s told immediately and backs out of Kyungsoo’s personal space. The Lead Commander takes in greedy gulps of air and glares at the Daknae currently observing his movements. He can see a clear message being silently conveyed through those dark eyes.

‘Don’t talk about things you don’t even understand yourself.’

When Kyungsoo finally gets his bearings he looks down at his feet. Okay, he kind of had that one coming. He momentarily forgot that he has no idea what may or may not offend the latter, so he should form his questions carefully. Honestly, you can’t really blame him for the slip up though. He’s so used to dealing with cultures that are already extinct and can’t talk back that this is like a whole new world for him. Having a living and breathing member of the race he is tasked to study is like a curse hidden in a miracle. He’s going to have to apologize to Jongin later for overstepping his boundaries.

The more rational (or irrational considering it’s usually what fuels his temper when it occasionally flares up) part of his brain says that the Daknae overstepped many boundaries as well by trying to fluster the Lead Commander with their kiss, though. In that case they could be considered even.

Kyungsoo takes a deep breath. He should just let it go and move on from the situation before he gets choked out again.

Jongin has an amused smirk on his face, forest green making it’s way into his eyes once again. “Are you done with your inner monologue there, Lead Commander?”

Kyungsoo somehow knows deep in his heart that the Daknae addressing him by his title is a way at poking fun at him, but he ignores it for now. He would rather focus on getting him out of the prison as fast as possible.

“Let me call my colleague so I can get you out of this place already.” Kyungsoo’s beginning to get a headache from the mixed stench of the entire prison and he’s sure Jongin must be tired despite being so cheeky.

Jongin gives him a strange look, like he’s surprised Kyungsoo even cares to get him out of here so quickly. It was gone in a flash, though, the latter’s bored stare showing itself again. “To get yourself out of here, you mean.”

Kyungsoo pauses with his ear piece in hand. “I mean I enjoy being in a high threat facility on one of the hottest planets in the sector as much as the next guy, but right now you take priority. I came to get you so of course I’m going to do everything to get you out of here as soon as I can.” He leaves out the part about basically being behind enemy lines which is one of the driving forces behind getting Jongin as far away from this place as quick and as soon as possible. The Daknae probably wouldn't really care to know that.

Jongin’s stare is heavy and calculating. Kyungsoo tries not to shrink under it.

The Lead Commander activates the small piece of technology in his hand, attaching it to his ear and tapping on his wrist monitor. It was small and oddly looked like a watch to him, but it instead served as a communication tool. He sends a ping to Minseok, the other picking up rather quickly.

“Yes, Lead Commander?”

“Do we have the necessary warrant to transfer the prisoner into our custody?” Jongin made a sneering sound in the background, but when Kyungsoo turns to look at him, it was if the other hadn’t even moved. His gaze was still heavily resting upon Kyungsoo, unnervingly intense.

“The Intergalactic Peace Corps gave us the go ahead to bring him into our care without a warrant, sir. The paper work will be handled later down the road. You could imagine my surprise, though, when the prison warden easily agreed to these terms. He seems quite eager to let the prisoner go.”

“Yes well, I had to remind him about the repercussions of harming an individual of a rare or extinct race.”

Minseok is quiet on the other end for a few seconds. “So he really is one of them?”

“We’ll discuss this on the way back to the SS-Pytheas. For now, please prepare our departure ship. I’m going to bring Jongin out now.”

Minseok gives a curt ‘yes sir’ and ends the call. Kyungsoo takes his ear-piece from his ear and put it in his pocket. He looks to Jongin, whose glowing green eyes seemed to accentuate his smug grin. Kyungsoo clears his throat, not really understanding the other’s expression.

“Shall we?”

Jongin’s eyes rake down his figure and stop on his ass. ‘Ah,” Kyungsoo thinks, ‘that’s why.’ Jongin tilts his head, his eyes bright with mischief once again. “Lead the way, my dear Lead Commander.”

Kyungsoo grits his teeth, knowing the other was watching his ass sway as they walk down the halls of the prison, passing other cells on their way. Jongin stays silent behind him, smirk growing wider when Kyungsoo slits him a glare. If this is how dealing with the Daknae is going to be on a daily basis, he’s not sure how long he’s going to be able to keep his temper in check.

☄️

Eventually they make it to the ship hangar and meet Minseok, who is chatting briefly with the prison warden. Kyungsoo gives the warden a firm nod and is about to thank him for his cooperation but he saw the other growing livid. His face made it look as if he was constipated, turning bright red. At first, the Lead Commander thinks it is directed at him, but he realizes he is looking over his shoulder. Kyungsoo turns around to find Jongin blowing kisses at the other man, a mocking grin on his face as he riled him up.

Kyungsoo turns back to the warden and stands directly in front of the Daknae to block him from the other’s line of sight. “Thank you for working with us. It’s very much appreciated. We’ll be taking our leave now.” Without really thinking of the repercussions, he lightly grabs Jongin’s arm and brings him into the transport ship before he can piss off the warden even more. To his surprise, the Daknae allows himself to be dragged, chuckling lowly at the Lead Commander’s actions. Minseok follows along behind them, eyes curiously watching the two interact.

When the door to the ship begins to close Jongin looks to his right at Minseok, green swirls mixing with a shining gold in his eyes. “Well aren’t you cute.”

Minseok blinks and looks to Kyungsoo. “He speaks our language?”

Kyungsoo tries to fight the blush spreading on his cheeks. “Yeah. He didn’t at first.” Minseok give a hum of understanding before looking back to Jongin.

“I’m Lieutenant Kim Minseok. I’m Lead Commander Do’s right hand man so if you ever need anything, just let me know.”

Jongin bites his lip and hums. “I’m Kim Jongin. It’s good to meet the Lead Commander’s henchman. I’m sure we’ll get along real well.”

Minseok gives a light smile. “I hope we will.”

The one problem Kyungsoo has realized about Minseok, is that he can be a very serious person. With that being said, sarcasm really doesn’t come easy to him and unless you blatantly spell it out for him, he won’t know the difference between an insult and a compliment. He has come to understand some of Kyungsoo’s humor, but most of the time he just gets confused whenever the human would try to joke with him.

Jongin stares at him for a few seconds before looking to Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo just shakes his head and Jongin seems to get the message. The Daknae, instead, looks around the small space of the ship.

Minseok clears his throat to get his attention once again. “First of all, I wanted to give you a change of clothes since I’m sure you don’t want to walk around shirtless the entire duration of the trip.” Jongin tilted his head, but took the clothes offered to him.

“I was also wondering, Jongin, if you would mind doing a small interview for us while we travel back to the SS-Pytheas. Our research on your people has kind of hit a dead end, especially after you blew up the city and all. It would be great if you can provide us with some answers.”

Kyungsoo cringes the moment Minseok stops talking, looking to Jongin warily. The small space of this ship is definitely not the place he wants to be if Jongin decides to get violent and tries to hurt Minseok. However, all he sees is a tight smile making its way on his face. His eyes went from a pure forest green to having an ice blue circle around the edge of his irises. “Why not? Talking about my dead race should be a great way to pass the time, wouldn’t you say so Lead Commander? It gives me the warm and fuzzies just thinking about it.”

Jongin’s heavy gaze shifts to Kyungsoo and the human gulps. “Only if you’re comfortable Jongin,” he says softly.

Jongin just grips the clothes in his hands tightly. “I’m going to change and we can begin.” The Daknae begins to slip off his clothes on the spot, causing the Lead Commander to let out a squawk and turn on his heels as fast as possible. His face was bright red with embarrassment and when he looked to Minseok, he noticed the latter giving him a judging stare and going back to getting out their notes and research to conduct the interview. Once he has everything set up, he pressed the record button on his wrist monitor. He looks excited and Kyungsoo would normally share his sentiment, but he really didn’t like the look of that ice blue color slithering in Jongin’s eyes.

Minseok gestures to the seat across from him. “Please sit.”

Kyungsoo turns back around to see a fully dressed Jongin doing as he’s told, leaning back comfortably and supporting his head with his arm on the arm rest. Kyungsoo sits next to Minseok, not really wanting to be near the Daknae in case they ask the wrong questions. He’s also still pretty embarrassed about almost seeing the other naked. Call him a prude, but that’s definitely not on his agenda to see today.

Minseok looks at him expectantly and Kyungsoo takes a deep breath. “This is Lead Commander Do Kyungsoo of the SS-Pytheas with Lieutenant Kim Minseok interviewing Kim Jongin, a member of a race known as Daknae. Before we start this session I’d like to make it clear that Jongin has the right to choose what he can and won’t answer.” He looks to see Jongin tapping the table with impatience. “With that, let’s begin.”

Minseok nods and looks at the holopad in his hands. “Jongin, if you don’t mind me asking right away, why did you decide to destroy your people’s city?”

Jongin flutters his eyelashes and smirks. “Because I could.”

Minseok and Kyungsoo blink at the straight forward answer. The Lieutenant looks back at the holopad. “Right. Uhm..”

Kyungsoo notices his colleague struggling to recover from the shock of Jongin’s answer, so he decides to contribute too. He’s not exactly sure how to ask these questions without coming off too strong, but he figures he’d just wing it. “Do you know what happened to the rest of your people? We have a witness stating that they were alive and thriving not a couple decades ago.”

Jongin shrugs and looks at his nails, picking at the dirt caught underneath. “Probably dead to be honest. Lives are fleeting, even for a Daknae.”

Kyungsoo makes a face. “While that may be true, it still doesn’t make sense that the entire city back on Darkartius-” Jongin gives him a maniacal glare, “-I mean on HR-2245- just seemed to suddenly be left uninhabited. Did something go wrong and your people just decided to get up and leave?”

Jongin leans in slowly, folding his hands neatly on the table and looks directly at the Lead Commander. “Have you ever thought to yourself, Kyungsoo, that maybe you’re looking at what’s left of my race? Hm? That the answer you and your team keep digging for is staring you right in the face at this very moment?” The other’s wicked green eyes are back and it just makes Kyungsoo even more confused. He knows for a fact that the green in his eyes stands for a playful emotion, but what is even remotely playful about the subject of the possible mass extinction of his own race?

Kyungsoo’s eyes furrow but he stays quiet. Minseok decides to try to continue, despite the Daknae’s cryptic answers. “Can you tell us a little about the Daknae culture?”

The question is good since it’s pretty vague but will possibly help Kyungsoo and his people understand some of the data they had uncovered from the excavation site. Jongin shifts his gaze from the Lead Commander to the Lieutenant sitting next to him. “Where to start? Hm,” he taps his chin and looks up at the ceiling dramatically. “Well, first of all, we have cannibalistic tendencies. Shall I go into detail? You see, usually we take the weak and elderly and roast them in a large fire. To be honest, I prefer when some of our children are taken and roasted up real well. The meat is always so juicy and tender. A big feast usually follows afterwards as well. It’s quite fun! What we do is we drain them of their blood slowly as everyone celebrates and then-”

Kyungsoo slams his hand on the table, the sound echoing in the quiet transport ship and effectively cuts off Jongin. Minseok is sitting there with his mouth open in horror and even some of the soldiers sent to escort them back look extremely uncomfortable. Kyungsoo looks the Daknae dead in the eye, no longer fearing that the other would do anything to him. “Jongin, is this true?”

Jongin just laughs loudly, clapping to himself as he does so. “Look at all of your faces! This is priceless!”

Minseok is still sporting his horrified expression as he grips his holopad tightly, Jongin’s laughter ringing through the thick atmosphere. “You would disrespect your people’s memory like that?” His voice comes out as a mere whisper.

The Daknae merely snickers to himself. “Would you believe me if I said it’s in my people’s nature to be an ass?” he says with a confident and defiant smirk.

Kyungsoo clenches his fist. “We’re done for now. Minseok end the recording, we’ll pick up some other time.” Jongin’s eyes just sparkle as he watches the Lead Commander angrily put their notes and holopads away. Minseok does as he’s told and stops the recording, leaning back in the chair and avoiding eye contact with the Daknae.

The ship falls into a thick silence. Kyungsoo feels like he’s going to suffocate from it, especially with Jongin still sitting across from him, eyeing Minseok and Kyungsoo carefully. Minseok looks to Kyungsoo. “I think...I think I’m going to sleep Lead Commander.”

Kyungsoo makes a disgruntled face. He must be feeling awkward from the silence as well. “Go ahead. I’ll wake you up when we arrive.”

Minseok nods and glances to Jongin briefly before getting comfortable in his seat and closing his eyes. Kyungsoo looks to the Daknae as well. “You should get some sleep as well Jongin. I’m sure you’re tired.”

Jongin’s eyes flash green again and Kyungsoo’s beginning to think that this is his default color. “And miss out on staring at those luscious lips of yours? I don’t think so.”

Kyungsoo pinches the bridge of his nose. This is going to be a long trek back.

☄️

When they arrive at the SS-Pytheas, Jongin is looking out the window in concealed awe. His face is stoic but Kyungsoo can tell from his eyes changing colors that he has never seen a ship like this before. He tries not to smile and ruin the moment.

When the ship rattles slightly from locking into place on the boarding deck, Minseok moves a bit, rubbing his eyes and blinking blearily at the Lead Commander. “We’re here?”

Kyungsoo nods. “When you’re ready, we’ll get off.”

Minseok sighs. “Give me a few moments. I don’t think I’m ready for the chaos that’s about to ensue.”

Kyungsoo chuckles. “Sure.” He stands and stretches, bringing his arms above his head and sighing in content at the feeling.

Jongin glances at him. “So what will happen to me?”

Kyungsoo tilts his head. “What do you mean?”

“Do you have a cell waiting for me on the ship? I’d hope you at least provide me a bed and not chain me to the wall like the prison warden. It was a very unpleasant experience to be honest.”

Kyungsoo pauses. Did Jongin really think he was still a prisoner? “Jongin you aren’t going to be kept in a prison cell. You’re as free as anyone else on this ship. Of course, there are still some restrictions but that’s because you don’t have clearance, not because you were a prisoner on Kara.”

If the Daknae is surprised by this fact, he doesn't show it. Not even his eyes spark with any sort of color. Instead, they recede to the same dark black Kyungsoo had seen when they first met in his cell. “Well aren’t you just a gracious host, Lead Commander.”

They stare at each other for a few seconds before Minseok gets up and claps his hands. “Okay well, I’ve had enough of this tension for today. Why don’t we go prepare the ship to leave this horrible place once and for all?”

Kyungsoo can’t agree more. All three of them exit the transport ship and head into the main halls of the SS-Pytheas. Some of Kyungsoo’s people are there to welcome him back when he walks in, but most of them stay quiet when they spot Jongin, their stares a mix of slight fear and curiosity. Jongin glares at them all, a low growl bubbling in the back of his throat. Kyungsoo clears his throat and quickly dismisses them all before anything can happen.

One of his pilots approaches him as the crowd disperses and informs him of their course of action to get back to their research base on HR-2245. Kyungsoo cringes when he remembers they will have to jump to lightspeed. He looks to Jongin, who is eyeing the white walls of the hall like they were going to attack him in some way. Since Jongin is a Daknae, and their genetic makeup is entirely unknown to the rest of the universe, Kyungsoo’s not sure if he could take staying out of stasis for the jump to lightspeed. That being said, he’s also not sure if Jongin’s body would accept the anesthetics put into the chambers to keep its occupants asleep for the duration of the trip. As much as he wants to trust Jongin, with the other’s sarcastic attitude and history of causing Kyungsoo and his people a lot of trouble, the Lead Commander fears that he’s going to have to give him some sort of injection that will keep him from walking around in case he breaks out of his stasis chamber while everyone else is still asleep.

“Minseok, can you hand me my holopad?” Minseok reaches into the small case and does as he’s told. Kyungsoo takes the object and enters his security code. He begins to write a small note to the workers at the medical station on the lower deck, telling them about his idea of sedating the Daknae and keeping him in a stasis chamber there. When it’s sent he looks up to see Jongin and Minseok both staring at him expectantly. “Minseok, bring Jongin down to the medical station. They should have my orders by the time you get there.” He looks to Jongin. “I have to go talk to the members of my navigation crew and then I’ll come down. Please cooperate with the nursing staff. They won’t hurt you, I promise.”

Jongin rolls his eyes. “Yes, sir.”

A flash of agitation courses through Kyungsoo’s system but he wills it away. Getting mad at the Daknae is probably the worst thing to do. Despite how much of an ass the latter is, Kyungsoo really needs to try to have patience. There are many things that he still doesn’t understand about the other man and until he does, who is he to yell at Jongin for behaving the way he does?

Minseok gently pats Jongin’s shoulder. “Come on. The medical station is this way.” Without a fight, Jongin follows behind the Lieutenant mutely. Kyungsoo watches them both disappear around the corner before taking off to the main deck. The Lead Commander enters the elevator by himself, punching in his security clearance and leaning back on the railings as the machine takes off. He sighs. With Jongin being the way he is, Kyungsoo worries it’s going to take a lot for the Daknae to trust him and his people enough to help them.

In all honesty, Jongin doesn’t owe them anything. In fact, it eats away at Kyungsoo’s heart that he is forcing the Daknae into this mess. No one knows exactly what the other has gone through, but all Kyungsoo can do is guess.

He guesses Jongin has nothing to lose, that that’s why he blew up the caves of his people despite knowing there were heavily armed guards there.

He guesses that Jongin is willing to take his secrets to his grave. For that, Kyungsoo respects him but he wishes that he could lessen that burden. The Lead Commander has no hidden agendas and is even willing to sweep it all under the rug if he has to, but he knows that may never happen.

He also guesses that Jongin is utterly alone and it’s why he is trying to drive Kyungsoo and Minseok away. Kyungsoo’s not stupid. He’s very aware Jongin is only cooperating for now so he can get a free ride to wherever he ends up next. Kyungsoo isn’t, however, ready to let the Daknae go just yet. He can’t really explain it, but he just wants to help.

Never before has Kyungsoo ever met a living member of a race he was tasked to study and he still can’t get the giddy feeling out of his chest despite how much of an ass Jongin has been so far. This is important to him and call him selfish, but he just wants to know all about the other male. If he doesn’t ever find out what happened to the rest of Jongin’s people, then so be it, but he just has to understand what makes Jongin the way he is.

To do that though, he needs to establish trust. Maybe the Daknae will do better without dealing with too many people at once. From the way he growled at Kyungsoo’s team members, the Lead Commander figures he probably won’t do well in crowds. So maybe, just maybe, Kyungsoo can get him to come out of his shell if it’s just the two of them. He cringes when he remembers the amount of his people they have to pick up on HR-2245, even more stationed back at base.

Time.

He needs time.

The elevator dings and he steps out, putting on his stark white cap.

“Lead Commander on deck.” Everyone stood and saluted, welcoming him back.

Kyungsoo smiles at them. “I have an idea I’d like to pitch to you all. But you’re not going to like it.” Everyone glances at each other, curious and wary of what’s to come.

☄️

“I said stay the fuck away from me!”

Kyungsoo pales at the roaring voice coming from inside the medical station, quickening his pace when he hears a loud crash. When he turns the corner, he’s greeted with the site of Minseok lying against one of the hospital beds with miscellaneous medical supplies sprawled out around him. He is groaning in pain and holding his shoulder. Kyungsoo glances to the right and sees Jongin’s chest heaving, his eyes a piercing ice blue.

“What the hell is going on here?” The Lead Commander yells, feeling slightly guilty when he sees the nurses jump and continue to hide behind the other hospital beds in the corner.

Jongin shifts his gaze to him, baring his teeth, and lets out an animalistic growl. For a moment, Kyungsoo is momentarily distracted by the Daknae’s teeth, thrown off by the way they were visibly sharper than those of a human. They aren’t as sharp as Yuna’s, whose teeth are like needles lining her mouth, but instead they were just slightly pointed at the tips. Hopefully he doesn’t use biting as a form of defense because Kyungsoo would stand no chance.

Jongin tightens his fists. “If you think for one moment I’m going to allow you to put me to sleep, you are dead wrong. I refuse to become some sort of lab rat for you people.”

Kyungsoo grits his teeth but attempts to remain calm. So that’s what this is about. “Jongin, you don’t understand. You have to be put under for us to jump to lightspeed-”

“I’m not stupid Kyungsoo. I know you’re going to run tests on me while I sleep. Take blood samples or whatever you fucked up people do. It’s not happening.” Jongin smashes his fist into the stasis chamber next to him, the machine crunching under the force of the hit.

Kyungsoo feels his eye twitch. ‘Super strength. Great.’

Minseok whimpers somewhere behind him and he turns around to help him try to stand up. When the Lead Commander gets a better look, he sees a needle sticking out of Minseok’s upper bicep. From the dazed look on the other’s face, it must be Jongin’s sedative. The Lieutenant gave him a groggy look. “I think this is the appropriate moment to use that one earth saying you taught me ‘Soo.”

Kyungsoo gives him a concerned look. “What’s that Minseok?”

The latter gives him a lazy smile, eyes going slightly out of focus. “I got the hots right now.”

Kyungsoo sighs. “I think you mean that you ‘don’t feel so hot’ right now.”

Minseok makes a disgruntled face and hiccups. “The room looks like it’s swinging back and forth.” He looks at the needle sticking out of his arm. “Hey Soo, remember that time in college when we went to Earth and went to that one huge party? I still don’t understand. You said we were going swinging but there were no swings-”

“Okay, that’s enough of that,” he looks to the cowering nurses pleadingly. “Can one of you help him? I’ll handle this situation.” The nurses look at Jongin warily, the Daknae growling in return. They both yelps and ran to Minseok to help him onto a bed, pulling the curtain to give the other two some privacy.

Kyungsoo sighs and looks at Jongin softly. “Jongin I know you don’t trust any of us, and I don’t blame you. If I was you, I would be just as angry.”

Jongin stops growling and baring his teeth. The ice blue swirling in his irises, however, doesn't diminish one bit. His posture is still defensive, but he looks nowhere as bad as when Kyungsoo had first come in. He just stares at Kyungsoo quietly.

The Lead Commander licks his lips and looks at the damaged stasis chamber. They have plenty of extra ones on board but he knows Jongin’s going to continue to put up a fight if they even try to get him in one. Even if they manage to subdue him, Kyungsoo has a feeling it would really put a damper on the whole trust building he wants to work on with the Daknae.

Now that he thinks about it, though, his stasis chamber is plenty big enough to fit the both of them and no one except Minseok has the clearance to enter his sleeping chambers unless otherwise invited. Seeing as how the Lieutenant is definitely in no sort of condition to do so, no one would have access to them as they sleep. Not that anyone would be out of their chambers anyway since there are penalties that enforce this rule, but Jongin probably wouldn’t believe him even if it’s the truth.

Another good thing about sharing a stasis with the Daknae is that he won’t have to be sedated. If Jongin tries to get out of the chamber while they are still at lightspeed, Kyungsoo would know and be able to at least monitor him because God knows the Lead Commander wouldn’t last in any sort of fight against the latter.

Jongin’s stare doesn’t diminish and he doesn’t even flinch when Kyungsoo steps closer. “How about you share my stasis chamber with me? No one can enter my room without permission and if something happens I’ll be there to stop it.”

Jongin still doesn’t move, face as blank as ever.

“Jongin, nothing will happen to you while we sleep. You have my word.”

The Daknae sneers. “Says the man that wanted to give me a sedative so I couldn’t walk.”

Kyungsoo takes another step closer. “Just like you don’t have any reason to trust us, we don’t have any reason to trust you. While I care about your welfare Jongin, I care more about my own people’s even more. To them, you are a threat. Even though I know that’s not true, they are scared of what you might do to them after what you did in the caves.”

Jongin blinks, expression faltering slightly. Kyungsoo continues, taking one last step so he’s directly in front of the other male. “I know this is all unknown to you, but you have to trust me for now. Nothing will happen to you. There will be no tests or sedatives.”

It is quiet for a few minutes and Kyungsoo watches the Daknae’s eyes swirl with different colors, obviously emotionally torn on what he should do. Kyungsoo gives him a soft smile. “Let me show my room, then you can decide.”

Jongin gives a small nod, his eyes slithering back to an empty black. Kyungsoo feet his shoulders sag in relief. At least the other is back to somewhat cooperating, although the Lead Commander’s sure that wasn’t the last he’d see of Jongin’s temperament.

As they begin to walk out of the medical station, Kyungsoo pops his head through the curtains. Minseok lays on the bed with his mouth open unattractively, muttering something lowly. When Kyungsoo releases a soft laugh, the nurse looks at him and gives a tired smile. “We’re about to move him into another stasis chamber. We just wanted to give him plenty of fluids so his body can get rid of the sedative from earlier.”

Kyungsoo nods as he watches the second nurse check his vitals. “Thank you for taking care of him. Make sure you both get into the stasis chambers as well. I hope you both have a good sleep.”

Both nurses beam at him. “Thank you Lead Commander,” they said in unison. Kyungsoo grins before giving one last look at Minseok and leaving with Jongin towards his room.

Jongin just stares at him strangely. “You’re so kind to them.”

Kyungsoo gives him his signature heart shaped smile. “Of course. They are like my family on this ship. In my culture, family is everything, so on this ship my crew means everything to me. Without them, there’s no me, you know?”

Jongin swallows, looking at the path ahead of them. “Family, huh?”

It’s rhetorical, he knows, but Kyungsoo feels the urge to continue on the topic. However, he figures there is a time and a place for it and right now is definitely not the time, nor the place. He’s lucky Jongin’s even having a normal conversation with him, even if the Daknae only said two sentences.

Anything's better than the teasing Kyungsoo’s received since they first met.

They soon approach Kyungsoo’s door and Kyungsoo taps on the screen nearby. It lights up a bright blue.

“Please state your name.” Jongin slightly jumps at the robotic voice and looks at it warily.

“Do Kyungsoo, Lead Commander of the SS-Pytheas.”

A familiar ticking noise was heard. “Access granted.”

The door slides open and Kyungsoo steps in, gesturing for Jongin to do the same. Once they are both inside, the door closes and locks itself behind them. Jongin stares at the door, a small tug at the corner of his lips. “Do you have to do that every time you come in here?”

Kyungsoo chuckles. “Yeah. It could be worse though. The older ships had a specific code you had to punch in every time you entered any room on the ship. Trust me when I say it definitely sucked.”

Jongin hums and looks around the human’s room. Kyungsoo fidgets, pushing aside the urge to clean the small messes he has on the floor and his desk. He wasn’t really expecting company.

Kyungsoo glances at the Daknae next to him. “So? What do you think?”

Jongin stays quiet but slowly walks toward the bed, looking out at the window briefly. “Where’s the chamber?”

“Ah, I need to press a few buttons here- step back a bit.” Jongin does so, watching as Kyungsoo’s bed disappears and the stasis chamber takes its place. When everything is locked into place the room is once again silent. Kyungsoo stands next to him and softly asks, “What are you thinking?”

Jongin’s expression remains stoic. “I’m thinking that I really don’t want to do this.”

Kyungsoo’s about to retort but his wrist monitor began vibrating. It's the navigational team calling. He tapped once, a message popping up on the small screen. One of the members had noticed he had still not gotten into his chamber and told him they will be taking off in ten minutes. Funny, Kyungsoo was so wrapped up in Jongin that he didn’t even hear the public announcement.

The Lead Commander rubs his face and gives Jongin a tired look. “I know you don’t want to do this. I don’t even like doing this but it’s against the rules to be out of stasis at lightspeed. It’s not that big of a deal. All it does is force you to sleep and stabilizes the chamber so your body doesn’t get affected from the jump.”

Jongin looks back at the chamber with obvious hesitation, biting his lip. Kyungsoo daringly puts his hand on the Daknae’s lower back, the gentle touch causing Jongin to flinch in the slightest. “Come on,” Kyungsoo says quietly, “I’ll even let you have the good pillow.”

Jongin gulps and stares at Kyungsoo before nodding slowly. “Okay,” he says equally as quiet. Kyungsoo beams and leads him to the machine, the human climbing in first and the Daknae following right after. When they both lay down, Kyungsoo realizes it’s a bit more of a squeeze than he originally thought but he feels content having the other right next to him. He’d probably worry entirely too much if Jongin had gone into one of the other stasis chambers.

Jongin seems overly uncomfortable, his breathing picking up when the glass closes over them. Kyungsoo slides him the second pillow stacked under his head and gives a gentle smile. “See you when we wake up.”

Jongin stares at him with furrowed eyebrows but begins to panic as he hears the hisses and whines being admitted by the chamber. Kyungsoo wants to reach out to him, but he already feels his eyes growing heavy and his limbs becoming dead weight.

☄️

The first thing Kyungsoo registers when he begins to wake up is a stale smell that reminds him of the old attic in his family home, filled with dust and old heirlooms that are long forgotten. The second is the soft sand he’s currently lying on. He opens his eyes and takes a deep breath but coughs when some of the sediment got caught in his throat. He looks around blearily, feeling bits of sand fall down his back from his hair.

There was nothing but sand and two tall walls towering over him, both paralleling each other to make some sort of path. He looked ahead at the pathway in front of him and noticed that a light fog settled over the area, seemingly much thicker looking in the distance. He glanced behind him as well and was welcomed the same bareness as before.

Kyungsoo stumbles a bit when he gets up, a little disoriented but straightens out. “Hello?” he calls out, not exactly sure if he wants an answer. All he hears, though, is his own voice echoing in the empty air.

He directs his attention to the inky grey walls beside him and runs his fingers over them lightly as he walks. The surface is smooth and glossy, almost like that seen in the caves of the Daknae city. He scratches his nails down the wall, his expression growing more curious when he sees that there were no marks left behind. He looked around to see if he could find something to possibly chip it, but he froze when he heard distant footsteps approaching him.

He held his breath as a cloaked figure shuffled its way into sight, seemingly unfazed at Kyungsoo’s presence there. He waits for the figure to stop walking and look at him, but it doesn’t, continuing on its way even when Kyungsoo waves at it meekly. It’s just about to disappear out of sight again when Kyungsoo yells out a “Wait!” and runs after it.

When he catches up, he walks beside it, trying to get a peek at what was hidden under the hood the figure was wearing. “Hey, do you know where I am?”

The figure doesn’t answer, just walking straight ahead with hunched shoulders. Kyungsoo pouts slightly but stays quiet, following the figure in what feels like an endless loop. From what Kyungsoo can tell, wherever they are is some sort of oddly shaped figure since they had come across areas that have actual corners instead of just the straight walls he was used to.

He’s just about to try talking to the figure again when they come to a narrow opening, the thing walking in without hesitation. Kyungsoo stops at the entrance and peeks around the corner to see multiple figures dressed in the same black cloaks like the one he had followed. He gulps at the vast number of them, a prickle of uneasiness surfacing under his skin at the eery look of them all huddling in miscellaneous groups. There were no sounds except for a few hushed murmurs and when he looks a bit harder, he notices a familiar face among the crowds. Jongin is kneeling in front of one particularly fragile looking figure, his eyes downcast as he whispered to it.

Kyungsoo steps a bit closer to get a better look, the slight movement catching Jongin’s eye. The latter raises his head and stares at Kyungsoo with barely concealed shock. Even from this distance, the Lead Commander could see his eyes glowing a bright gold. Jongin wastes no time and immediately gets up and storms over, the swirling of ice blue mixing in his irises making Kyungsoo squeak in fear.

Jongin roughly grabs his arm and drags him away. Kyungsoo tries not to let the whimper escape his lips when Jongin squeezes a bit too harshly, but he fails. Jongin ignores it though, only stopping when they have walked a good distance away from the others. He turns around, absolutely livid.

”What the fuck do you think you’re doing here?”

Kyungsoo gulps. “I-I don’t know. I think I’m sharing a dream with you.” Jongin stares intensely at him and Kyungsoo looks around with caution. “Is this what you dream about? It seems so real.”

Gold takes over Jongin’s eyes once again as he processes Kyungsoo’s sincerity. “You mean-”

“The stasis chambers are meant to send us into a deep sleep so we tend to dream while we’re in them. When two people share a stasis chamber, their dreams can sometimes merge.” Kyungsoo touches the marble wall closest to him, feeling the cool touch against his fingertips.

Jongin seems to look a bit relieved before his stare quickly hardens. He steps closer to the Lead Commander and wraps his arms around his waist. Their bodies are flush against each other as Jongin pulls him close and grips tightly. Kyungsoo doesn’t even have time to react before he hears a dull cracking sound around him, beginning to panic as he’s enveloped into darkness.

part iii