[E17] CAUGHT IN A COMET'S TAIL (7/7)
Prompt Code:#E17
Title: Caught In A Comet's Tail
“You have everything packed?”
“Yup.”
“And you remember the emergency procedures I told you about?”
“Uh huh.”
“Make sure you eat while you're out there. You may feel a bit sick at first but that’s just because the ship is smaller than mine.”
Jongin rolls his eyes. “Yes, mom. I’ll make sure I eat.”
Kyungsoo wacks his arm, but laughs anyway. He gives Jongin a tiny smile. “Be safe out there.”
Jongin hugs him, a warm smile spreading on his face. “You stay safe here too.”
Kyungsoo nods. “I will.”
Jongin stares at him for a few moments before leaning in to give him a chaste kiss. Kyungsoo feels his toes curl at the warm feeling spreading in his chest. He tries to give Jongin the brightest smile he can muster. “I’ll see you soon.”
Jongin’s about to respond, but he’s interrupted by an obnoxious gasp. They both turn to see Lead Commander Park standing there with a shocked face.
“You two are together?! Oh man Jognog you’re going to have to tell me all about this on the way to the first planet! I’ve never seen anyone tame the Do Kyungsoo.
Jongin and Kyungsoo share a dark look.
“My name’s Jongin.”
“And what the fuck do you mean tamed? Am I some sort of fucking lion?”
Chanyeol laughs loudly and slaps his knee. “I don’t know what a lion is but I’m sure you’d look cute as one. Okay well, I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone.” The other Lead Commander stalks off to the small ship waiting a few feet from them.
Kyungsoo frowns. “Try not to beat him up too much.”
Jongin gives him a pointed look. “No promises.” He kisses Kyungsoo’s forehead. “See you soon, Hyung.” Despite the sadness of having to leave Kyungsoo behind, he can see orange swirls curling at the very edge of his irises. Kyungsoo chuckles because he’s sure Jongin is beyond excited for this trip.
Kyungsoo nods. “Yeah. See you soon.” With that, Jongin turns and shuffles his way into the ship, turning around and waving at him one more time before he disappears around the corner. The ship hums a few seconds later and the door closes. Kyungsoo watches from his spot in the ship hangar as Jongin’s spacecraft leaves. He watches until it’s but a dot in the distance, sighing to himself when he sees a bright flash, signalling they jumped to lightspeed.
🌠
Two and a half months go by and Kyungsoo misses the Daknae like crazy. They try to call each other often, but usually can only use their wrist monitors and not a video camera because Chanyeol apparently broke the damn thing. At least Kyungsoo gets to hear his voice though. Jongin rambles on and on about the planets they visit, telling him all about the strange animals he saw and about how beautiful some of the planets were.
They try to talk to each other almost every day but once Jongin reaches the farther end of the galaxy, they lost the signal. A week of hearing nothing went by and Kyungsoo would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried sick. He was relieved, though, when he remembered that it’s much safer on the outskirts since most of the fighting goes on towards the middle where solar systems are more clustered together.
When he did hear from Jongin though, the Dakane just sounded so happy and excitedly told him “I think this is the one Soo.” Kyungsoo’s glad Jongin finally found the right planet and he’s even more ecstatic to know they would be returning late that night. At the same time, though, Kyungsoo feels immense guilt when he prepares a warrant of seizure in advance since he knows he’ll have to forcibly take away his father’s property since the old man probably won't give it up without a fight. This way is just faster so they can work on bringing Jongin’s people back. He’ll be fine if his father never forgives him. He never liked the man anyway.
Other than that, Kyungsoo really hasn't done much since Jongin left. He can’t really work on his case since there’s nothing to figure out about the Daknae people anymore. Instead, he’s been consulting on others’ cases to try and help them along. He gives the occasional lecture to visiting students who wish to become a part of the Intergalactic Peace Corps one day.
He has way too much free time now and it’s driving him insane. He tries to spend as much of it as possible with Minseok, but the other male was tasked with a minor case and has been extremely busy with that. Kyungsoo pops in every once and a while to help him, but for the most part just stays in his room.
He has to admit that coming home to an empty room and a cold bed hurts more than he remembered. It took him a couple weeks to stop thinking that Jongin would just pop out of nowhere and attack him with kisses like he used to. It’s almost crazy how important Jongin has become to his heart. He makes a deal with himself to definitely tell the Daknae this when he returns.
Now Kyungsoo tries to busy himself until Jongin is supposed to return home. The Daknae said that he would meet Kyungsoo in his room because “I fucking hate Park Chanyeol and I don’t want him catcalling when I fucking kiss you.” Kyungsoo couldn’t help but to chuckle at that, readily agreeing. So here he is, cleaning his room and sitting area like a madman. It’s not that the room was even dirty to begin with, he just needs to keep his hands busy and he knows Minseok will probably slap him if he goes to bother him.
Kyungsoo brings out out two velvet boxes from his room and sets them on the table in front of the loveseat. Recently, Kyungsoo went to a trading station to look for a gift for Jongin. He knew the Daknae was aware of Kyungsoo’s feelings toward him, but Kyungsoo still felt bad he couldn’t return his feelings like a Daknae would. He searched and searched until he found them: matching necklaces with a gold chain. He’s told by the shop owner that the gems are of a rare material from a now destroyed planet. Kyungsoo was absolutely mesmerized by the glowing color, it being almost exactly like the pale peach Jongin’s eyes become when he’s around the Lead Commander. He bought both of them without hesitation and didn’t even blink at the obnoxious numbers. It’s for Jongin, who cares about the price.
He’s just about to start cleaning his bathroom when he hears his door swoosh open but he hears two voices step inside. He pops his head out of his bedroom and sees Jongin and Minseok talking adamantly about something. He steps out and clears his throat, making both men look at him.
Minseok gives him a judging stare and points to his long t-shirt and sweat pants. “That’s all he ever wears now. He can barely even properly put on his uniform anymore. I always have to fix his badges before inspection.”
Jongin laughs and Kyungsoo feels his chest ache because he’s missed the sound so much. He looks at Kyungsoo with a loving gaze. “Hey, Hyung.”
Kyungsoo gives a meek ‘hey’ and shuffles in his spot, not sure if he can run up and kiss Jongin or not considering Minseok is just standing there watching them like a hawk. Jongin seems to be in the same boat, a little wary of the Lieutenant's presence beside him.
Minseok rolls his eyes. “Oh just kiss already. This is so painful to watch.”
Kyungsoo slits a glare at his best friend and walks up to Jongin, spreading his arms and embracing him in a tight hug. Jongin chuckles and hugs him back, pulling away enough to tip Kyungsoo’s chin upwards. He presses a few chaste kisses on his plush lips, the feeling pulling smiles from them both.
Minseok snorts from the sidelines and they both turn to look at him. “You two are so fucking cute it’s disgusting. I approve.”
Kyungsoo flicks him off and then looks to Jongin. “You’re back early. It’s only a few hours past dinner.”
Jongin gives him a tight smile. “Lead Commander Park forgot to set the correct coordinates for the research facility before going under stasis. Let’s just say, we arrived right at the entrance to the ship hangar.”
Kyungsoo feels anger boil in his blood but he takes a deep sigh, closing his eyes and willing his racing heart to calm down. Getting pissed off at Chanyeol won’t do anything. It’s over and done with. Jongin’s home now so that’s all that counts. He opens his eyes and gives Jongin a sympathetic look. “I don’t know how you survived being with him for two and a half months.”
“Sleeping sedatives and ear plugs.”
Minseok and Kyungsoo chuckled at that. That reminds him- “Minseok why are you here?”
Minseok gives him a look. “Can I not come and see my best friend whenever I want to?”
“Two hours ago you told me to get the fuck away from you and go be clingy somewhere else.”
The Lieutenant pursed his lips. “Oh yeah.” He shrugs. “To be honest I came here to get you because you have a visitor.”
Kyungsoo blinks. “Who?”
Minseok shrugs. “I don’t know. General Seokjin told me to pass the message along to you. He said it was really important so hurry up.”
Kyungsoo sighs and goes to get changed, Jongin giving him a light pat on the butt as he walks away. He squeaks and runs to his room. As he pulls on his uniform jacket and trousers, he frowns. So much for him and Jongin having alone time together.
🌠
“I can’t fucking believe it.”
Minseok elbows him subtly. “Language, Lead Commander.”
Kyungsoo grumbles but doesn’t say anything else. Jongin is standing next to him equally as bewildered as Kim Jongdae approaches them from the other end of the public deck, a sly smile on his face. His very young face, if Kyungsoo might add. Standing in front of them, is the same time traveler that started this whole case. Only instead of the fragile, elderly man he had once met in the interrogation room, a handsome young man with striking features and fluffy brown hair now stood before him. He can’t be any older than Kyungsoo.
“Hello. You must be Lead Commander Do and Kim Jongin.” Both men in question gape at him.
“You don’t... know me?” Jongin asks softly.
Jongdae gives a light ‘ah’ of understanding. “So we’ve met before. Sorry. I really don’t keep myself in the loop with these things. I guess you met me from the future?” The three men blink at him, perplexed. “You see, I tend to send directions to myself, telling me where to travel to, or should I say when to travel to.” He gives a snort at his own joke before continuing. “So the me you’re seeing now has never met either of you yet.”
The Lead Commander puts a hand to his head. He can already feel a headache coming on. He does narrows his eyes at the time traveler though, when he remembers the whole story Jongdae gave as an eyewitness statement, pretending to not know a thing. “You son of a bitch.”
“Lead Commander!” Minseok chides from the sidelines but Kyungsoo ignores him.
Jongdae puts his hands up in defense. “Aye, you can’t hold me accountable for something I haven’t done yet.”
“Is that why your future self sent you? Because he knew he lied to me?”
Jongdae shrugs. “Probably. All I know is that I like to meet my friends for the first time when they have already met me long beforehand.”
Kyungsoo furrowed his eyebrows. “That seems like it would get terribly confusing.”
Jongdae chuckles. “Saves me from the whole worrying if I can trust them thing.” He looks at Jongin. “The truth is that I’m actually here to talk to you.”
Jongin points at himself. “Me?”
The time traveler nods. “I’m about to go to your old planet in a few minutes and save your people from mass extinction. Any tips you want to give me before I dive right into this? My future self was pretty vague about the whole thing.”
Jongin blinks, momentarily taken back. Kyungsoo sees silver and amber mixing together in his irises. His eyes dart around as he tries to think quickly. Breathlessly, he looks at Jongdae and says “My people are in a lot of pain, so be cautious when you approach them. They may lash out at you if you’re not careful. They also won’t be able to communicate with you until you kiss them so don’t freak out when they try.” He pauses. “And when you and Jongin leave the planet, make sure to tell him he has a future. That his life doesn’t have to be what he thought it was.”
Jongin licks his lips and glances at Kyungsoo. “Tell him one day he’ll be loved and cherished, that he’ll have someone that cares more about him than himself. Tell him that he won’t have to worry about being the Traveler soon enough.”
Jongdae gives him a soft smile. “I can do that.”
Just as Jongdae is about to leave Jongin grabs his wrist, and gives him a menacing glare. “And don’t you dare give him that food that has been sitting in the cockpit of your ship for supposedly three weeks just because you don't want to waste it and he looks hungry. Eat it yourself you goddamn prick.”
Jongdae’s grin widens, a maniacal twinkle appearing in his eyes. “Well now that you’ve told me, it has to happen. We don’t want a ripple in time space continuum now do we?” he singsongs.
Jongin gets a horrified look as the time traveler stalks away. Kyungsoo puts a hand on his lower back. “Are you okay?”
“It was me who made him do it. Fuck- I was vomiting for days after eating that shit. All I remember was him telling me that I had to do it or the universe would fall apart- fuck I hate time travel.”
Kyungsoo snorts and pats his head, Minseok chuckling beside them as well. “Come on Jongin, let’s get back to our room. I’m sure you’ve had a long day.” He gives a wave at Minseok. “We’ll see you in the morning. We’ll all have to come up with a plan of action now that Jongin chose a planet.”
Minseok nods and then wiggles his eyebrows. “Have fun you two.”
Kyungsoo rubs his face harshly when the Lieutenant walks away. He swears he would punch his best friend if he knew he wouldn’t break his hand trying. Jongin reaches for his hand, pulling him out of his thoughts. The Daknae is giving him a loving look. “Let’s go.”
Jongin drags him down the hallway, never letting go of his hand even when other crew members walk by and welcome him back. They all just give sly looks to their Lead Commander, making him flush a bright red in embarrassment. Any other time, Kyungsoo probably would have scolded Jongin for such an obvious display of affection but he missed the Daknae so much these last couple of months that he lets it slide.
They enter their room and as soon as the door slides shut, Jongin attacks his lips. He sucks on the bottom lip softly, Kyungsoo closing his eyes and basking in the feeling of Jongin’s lips moving against his own. He tangles his fingers in his hair, pulling slightly. Jongin definitely needs a haircut soon. It’s grown a lot since he left.
Jongin puts his hands on his waist and starts to pepper kisses from the corner of his mouth and across his cheeks, his lips also pressing against the bridge of his nose and to the middle of his forehead. The Lead Commander giggles quietly at the ticklish feeling. When Jongin pulls back to smile down at him, his eyes sparking that lovely peach Kyungsoo has grown to love so much, he remembers something.
“Oh I got something for you.”
Jongin tilts his head. “A gift?”
Kyungsoo smiles brightly and leads him over to the loveseat, pushing him so he sits down. Kyungsoo sits beside him and grabs the small jewelry boxes sitting on the table. He hands them to Jongin and licks his lips nervously.
Jongin opens the box carefully, letting out a gentle gasp as soon as he sees the glowing gem inside. He lifts the necklace and holds it to his face, his eyes wide and filled with amazement. The gold chain shimmers from the artificial lights in the room, the gem itself hanging from a pendant in the middle. “Kyungsoo it’s beautiful.”
The Lead Commander scratches the back of his neck. “I wanted to get you something that I knew would mean something to you. I still feel guilty that I can’t show my feelings toward you like your people can. I know you say it’s fine but it’s not. I saw these and thought of the color your eyes turn when we’re together. I bought two of them so we could-uh. Wear them together.”
Jongin gives him a teasing grin. “You bought us couple necklaces?”
“Shut up! It’s supposed to be romantic.”
Jongin laughs and puts the necklace on, the chain reaching a few centimeters from his collarbone. He looks down at the pendant glowing elegantly against his clothes. “I really love it Kyungsoo. Thank you.”
Kyungsoo blushes and fiddles with the other box. “It’s supposed to be a symbol of my feelings for you. Since you left I was going crazy. I barely slept the first week and I was a mess at work. It really showed me just how much you mean to me Jongin, so I decided this would be the perfect thing to express that.” He brings out his own necklace and holds the gem in his palm. “Now whenever you look at me, I can show you that same beautiful color your eyes always change to. It may not be the same, my eyes will always stay the same dark brown, but I just wanted to try and show you how I feel in the same way a Daknae would show their lover.”
Kyungsoo’s heart is pounding, scared to be possibly rejected. He’s surprised, though, when Jongin clasps his hands over Kyungsoo’s, the necklace still in his palm. His eyes slightly dewy and glazed. “This is one of the best gifts you could ever give me.” He pauses, his voice wobbly, and smiles softly. “I love you. So much.”
The Lead Commander has tears pricking in his own eyes, his heart soaring at the confession. “I love you too, Jongin. I really really do.”
They kiss passionately, lips moving sweetly, only pulling away when Jongin goes to put the necklace around Kyungsoo’s neck. He holds the pendant between his thumb and index finger, staring at it before shifting his gaze up to Kyungsoo. Jongin climbs in his lap, back and neck hunching so he can bend down to kiss Kyungsoo, who is now leaning back comfortably on the cushions. There are countless whispers exchanged between the two as they continue to feel each other’s bodies like it was the first time. Soon the room is filled with heavy pants and soft moans, neither of them in any sort of hurry and just enjoying each other’s presence.
🌠
Now that Jongin had officially chosen the planet to bring his people to, everyone was busy preparing the SS-Pytheas for the trip there. They all agreed it would be best if they came so they could at least help create shelters and bring enough food supplies so that the Daknae people can have a smooth transition into their new home. Kyungsoo knows curiosity is practically dripping from everyone since they aren’t entirely sure how Jongin is going to bring his people to the new planet, but Kyungsoo assures them not to worry about it. They usually give him suspicious looks but don’t ask any further than that, to which he’s really grateful because Jongin will get really upset at him if he says anything.
Earlier this morning Kyungsoo had to do the honors of video calling his father in front of the Lead Commander’s superiors and tell him that they have a warrant of seizure for planet KA-3409. He, of course, did not take it that well and proceeded to curse out his own son about stealing from his own family, his mother yelling at her husband to stop when he said that he would disown Kyungsoo if he went through with this. Kyungsoo just rolled his eyes. His father could be so damn dramatic sometimes.
After a lot of kicking and screaming, his father finally agreed to hand over the necessary paperwork. Kyungsoo spent the next hour stamping the seal of the Intergalactic Peace Corps on all of the documents once they arrived on his holopad. When everything had been filled out and ready, Kyungsoo headed to his ship in the hangar at the very bottom of the research facility. The entire area was buzzing with life, Kyungsoo’s crew running back and forth frantically since they would be leaving soon. The Lead Commander spots Jongin helping carry a few boxes into to ship. He smiles at the ecstatic look on his face. He can’t even imagine the excitement the Daknae’s feeling at the moment.
The past few days Jongin’s been appearing and disappearing. He tells Kyungsoo that he’s been running through the maze and herding all of his people together. Kyungsoo remembers the first time he saw Jongin teleport. He nearly shrieked at the the sight of an ominous black tear swallowing Jongin up almost instantly, the ripping sound leaving as quickly as it came. Needless to say, the Lead Commander never likes to be in the room when Jongin teleports. It’s just too creepy for him to watch each time.
Kyungsoo steps into the boarding deck of the ship and begins his long trek up to the flight deck. He told all of his crew to just go ahead and prepare for stasis as soon as they were ready to leave since they would be jumping to lightspeed the moment they clear the sector. He and Jongin have a plan to just stay out of stasis the whole time since neither of them are affected by it. Kyungsoo figures he can at least help Jongin herd his people into one place since says they tend to wander away when he tries to go looking for others in the maze. Even though the Lead Commander really doesn’t like the idea of returning to that creepy place, he also wants to check the Daknae people’s vitals and compare them with Jongin’s. Jongin had said he wasn’t sure if they were still sick or not, so Kyungsoo wants to see if he can tell.
Minseok is waiting for him at one of the elevators, dictating where the others should put the cargo. Kyungsoo just pats his shoulder. “Just let them do it. They’re almost done anyway.”
Minseok makes a disgruntled face but agrees, entering the elevator with Kyungsoo in tow. They reach the flight deck in minutes and the moment Kyungsoo steps out everyone greets him and gives a small salute. There is only a small amount of people in here for now, the others are all of preparing for stasis in their rooms. Kyungsoo isn’t here to do much, mostly just check for any possible complications along the way and to speak with the navigational team about their trajectory. When everything looks good, Kyungsoo tells them to give the announcement for takeoff.
While the Lead Commander and the Lieutenant busy themselves with starting up the ship’s engines, everyone else on deck is dismissed to go to their respective rooms. As soon as the ship leaves the hangar, Kyungsoo makes the second announcement, warning about the jump to lightspeed in approximately ten minutes. He looks at Minseok and jerks his head towards the elevators.
“Go ahead. I’ll make sure she’s ready to jump.”
Minseok narrows his eyes in suspicion. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready for stasis as well?”
Kyungsoo shakes his head. “Jongin and I are going to-” he cuts himself off, forgetting Minseok couldn’t know, “-do stuff. We’re going to do stuff, yeah.”
Minseok snorts. “Very eloquent Kyungsoo.”
Kyungsoo rolls his eyes when the other misinterprets his words. “That’s not what I mean and you know it.”
Minseok just shrugs, walking to the elevator. “Sure. You keep telling yourself that.”
Kyungsoo’s face heats up as he sighs. He’s never going to catch a break.
He looks to the controls and punches in the directions for lightspeed, double checking everything to make sure they would arrive at their destination safely. He sets the timer to activate lightspeed when he notices five minutes have gone by since his announcement. He pushes the necessary buttons for the ship go into autopilot when he leaves.
He makes his way to his room, passing through the basically abandoned hallways, the only sounds being the clicking of his boots on the metal floor. He gives his title to his security system at his door when he approaches it, it sliding open a few seconds afterwards. Jongin is on the other side, perched on his bed. His eyes are alive with ambers and oranges as he grins at Kyungsoo.
“Ready?”
Kyungsoo nods, grabbing on tight to him. “Ready.”
The Lead Commander holds his breath as the air shifts and a familiar tearing sound fills his ears, he and Jongin falling into darkness for the briefest of moments.
🌠
Jongin’s people had been mostly healthy when compared with Jongin’s medical chart. Their blood pressure seemed normal, heart rates all checked out. Jongin thinks that the few elderly that are mixed within the bunch may still be sick, but there’s no exact way to know. Kyungsoo’s just relieved that most of them are still okay despite being in this place for so long.
Once Jongin rounded everyone up, he and Kyungsoo sat at the entrance to the open area to redirect anyone that tried to try to shuffle out. After a while, though, they had to return to the ship since they would exit lightspeed soon. Jongin leaves his people one last time, giving them a determined look just before teleporting back. Once they return, they set to work. They unload a few of the boxes of building materials and place them closer to the exit of the ship, the area that lowers and becomes a ramp once they land.
Slowly, others start showing up to help them. Many of the stasis chambers have already receded since they have officially arrived at KA-3409 and are now orbiting it until the rest of the flight crew wakes up. Until then, though, there is plenty to do. Jongin lightly shoves him towards the elevators, though, telling him to just go to the flight deck and start the process for them to descend, that he and the rest of the crew can handle this. Kyungsoo’s crew nods enthusiastically at him, seemingly just as excited as Jongin. The Lead Commander just chuckles and gives in, leaving the others to handle moving the cargo by themselves.
He goes up to the main flight deck, pleasantly surprised to see Minseok already there. The Lieutenant smirks at him. “So how did ‘doing stuff’ go?”
Kyungsoo sputters and slapps Minseok upside the head, uncaring about how inappropriate it looks since they’re still in uniform. “Shut up and help me land. I think Jongin’s going to burst if we don’t get him down there soon.”
Minseok chuckles. “It’s good that he’s so excited.” He presses a few buttons to take the ship off autopilot and when everyone is accounted for on deck, they begin their descent into the small planet’s atmosphere.
Landing is a lot easier said than done in Kyungsoo’s books. He’s perfectly fine with landing in narrow ship hangars or even attaching to bases with outside boarding, the slots there to hold the ship a lot narrower and less stationary since the base may be orbiting some sort of planet or moon. But he’s horrible at landing on the actual ground. Even during his brief time in flight school, he always failed the simulations, crashing the computer generated ship each and everytime. So you can imagine how surprised he was when he lands without any sort of hiccups, the ship barely jerking when the landing gear hits the ground. He grins triumphantly and brings his fist up in glee, ignoring the amused stares of his crew around him.
Everyone rushes to the doors to exit the ship. The cargo door lowers and everyone piles out, each person carrying some sort of building material and some forming groups to carry the food and water supply boxes together. Kyungsoo is currently carrying a few bags of tools, surveying the area with Jongin to pick the best spot to build. In the end, they both agree the best spot would be on top of the hill next to where they landed. He relays this to his crew members, some of them letting out a playful groan at the fact they’d have to drag everything up the hill but doing it anyway. Kyungsoo chuckles at their behavior and goes to start walking up the hill. He stops, though, when he notices Jongin doesn’t move.
He gives him a concerned look. “Jongin?”
The Daknae swallows thickly, his eyes swirling with amber and small streaks of amethyst. “I’m going to start bringing them back now,” he says lowly.
“Are you sure we shouldn’t wait until the shelters are built?”
Jongin shakes his head. “I can only bring one person at a time so it’s going to take some time.” He gives Kyungsoo a wary look. “I’m going to go find a spot a little ways away from here so no one will see me. I’ll be back soon.”
Kyungsoo nods, standing on his tip toes to give him a small kiss at the corner of his mouth. “We’ll be here waiting for you all.”
It feels weird thinking that Jongin would be bringing all his people with him the next time he comes back. Kyungsoo’s both nervous and excited to officially meet them. Maybe they’ll be more accepting than Jongin was when they had first met. He’s a bit worried it’s going to be that way though and as he watches Jongin walk into a nearby treeline, he silently prays Jongin won’t have to take the brunt of their anger if they lash out.
🌠
Kyungsoo’s in the middle of hammering a wall to one of the small shelters he and his crew had been making for the past four hours when he spots movement in the corner of his eye. He glances to his left to see a whole mass of people coming up the hill they were building on. When he squints his eyes, he can make out Jongin leading them. It’s a small group, no more than fifty. Which is good news to him considering they only have enough materials to house sixty. He drops his hammer and wipes off his hands on the t-shirt he changed into so he could move around better. He’s a little embarrassed he’s meeting with the Daknae people for the first time and he looks like such a mess. His hair is matted to his forehead from sweat but when he looks at Minseok standing next to him, he’s in no better shape.
The sounds of hammering and conversations all die down the moment Jongin comes closer, he and his people stopping to look around at everyone. Kyungsoo holds his breath, suddenly becoming extremely anxious once one of the cloaked figures pulls his hood down.
Kyungsoo’s mildly surprised when he sees an elderly looking man glaring at them all, ice blue eyes glowing as he snarls. His skin is wrinkled but still seems to have a healthy glow to it. His skin is not nearly as tan as Jongin’s - it’s paler like Kyungsoo’s- but it has a nice tint to it. His hair isn’t wiry, like a human’s would be at his age. In fact, it looks just as soft as Jongin’s. The biggest difference he sees, though, is the granite grey streak running diagonally across his face.
The elder looks to Jongin next to him and goes to raise a hand to strike. Even from this distance Kyungsoo can see Jongin’s eyes flash amethyst as he cowers.
“No!” Kyungsoo shouts the moment he sees the elder’s hand come down to hit Jongin across the face. The man startles, holding his hand in midair as he looks to Kyungsoo questionably. The Lead Commander runs over and shields Jongin with his body.
“Kyungsoo stop, go back. He might hurt you! He might-” Jongin’s frantically rambling behind him, but Kyungsoo just shakes his head.
“He’s not going to lay another finger on you. Not after you just saved his life. I won’t allow it.”
The elder watches the two carefully, gaze calculating. He stares at the necklace glowing on Kyungsoo’s neck and then glares at Jongin. He lets out a series of noises, the words sounding foreign to Kyungsoo’s ears. He glances back at Jongin, who has his face scrunched up and eyebrows furrowed like he’s trying hard to understand what his fellow Daknae is saying. It has been a little over a decade since he’s spoken this language.
Eventually, Jongin responds back. Kyungsoo just watches as the elder's eyes swirl with different colors as Jongin speaks. First from blue to silver, then from silver to amber. He glances at Kyungsoo, the only thing giving away his nervousness is the sparking amber at the corner of his eyes.
Jongin gestures to Kyungsoo as he speaks, then he gestures to the rest of his crew as they stand there watching the scene play out in front of them. Kyungsoo gives the elder and the others behind him a kind smile to show he means no harm.
For a few moments, there is a tense silence. Kyungsoo’s crew awkwardly stand there with their tools in hand, not moving. The elder looks at them all cautiously, unmoving. Jongin is gripping the back of his shirt so hard, the Lead Commander swears it’s going to rip. Just as he’s going to say something, he’s cut off by a loud whacking sound. Everyone’s head snaps towards Minseok, who in midst of all this, decided he would get back to work.
He stops for a moment and gives everyone a weird look. “What? We can’t just sit here and stare at each other all day. We’re losing daylight.”
Kyungsoo rubs his temples. He swears Minseok is both a curse and a blessing sometimes. Kyungsoo’s crew, though, seem to silently agree and all set back to work. The sound of hammers and saws fill the area again like nothing even happened. Kyungsoo smiles at them all thankfully before turning back to the elder Daknae. He was looking at them all, obviously perplexed like he was wondering why they would even help his people like this.
“It’s our duty to help those in need,” Kyungsoo says softly, the elder’s head jerking to look at him. Jongin translates his words quietly so he can understand. Some of the other Daknaes remove their hoods as well, looking around at all of the shelters Kyungsoo’s people had built.
Kyungsoo gasps because they’re all so beautiful and ethereal, their features just so perfect and flawless. They cautiously walk towards Kyungsoo, their heads tilting this way and that. The Lead Commander looks to Jongin for an answer and sees him smiling. “They’re trying to figure out why you look like a Daknae.”
Kyungsoo blinks but then laughs, the thought absurd in his mind. To him, they look human. He gives them a warm smile, though, and offers one of them his hand. The elder stares intensely at him as a little girl steps forward and takes it, her palm small and dainty in his own. He looks to the others and gestures them to follow him, walking with the girl beside him. He assumes when Jongin speaks, he’s telling them to go with him.
They all hesitantly follow, looking like some sort of large group of frightened deer. Kyungsoo brings them over to a shelter where Private Jihye and Yuna are working on putting up the proper walls. He introduces them, both girls smiling at the group. Jongin translates, the Daknaes giving them small bows in return. Some of them stare openly at Yuna since her teeth look so unique, looking like pointed needles and all. She isn’t offended though, even when the little girl holding Kyungsoo’s hand hides behind his leg in fear. She just laughs and takes it all in stride.
Soon enough, the Daknae people grow comfortable enough to walk around, curiosity swimming in their eyes with a vibrant amber color. He sees some of them stare at his ship in awe, the massive vessel propped at the bottom of the hill, on the opposite side from where Jongin and his people came in. Kyungsoo smiles to himself. The Daknae people seem to be so closed off that most of them probably never experienced any other cultures besides their own until now. This is all new territory for them. He chuckles, though, when he sees the little girl from before get lifted up and twirled around by a crew member of his, her high pitched giggles filling the air.
He hears someone approach him from behind and feels a hand gently touch the small of his back. He look so his right to see Jongin, his eyes swimming with different hues of soft oranges. “Some of them wanted me to tell you that they want to help you build the shelters.”
Kyungsoo peaks around Jongin to see a group of people looking at him expectantly. “Oh. Yeah sure that would be great. I’ll group them with some of the crew.” Jongin grins at him and nods at them. They smile brightly and follow Kyungsoo, splitting off here and there when the Lead Commander assigns them to groups. His people accept the new helpers with open arms, showing them what to do and how to use the tools.
Jongin walks with him when they drop off the last few Daknaes. He reaches between them and hold his hand, shooting the Lead Commander a grateful look. “I don’t know what I would have done without you. I hope you know this.”
Kyungsoo smiles. “Of course Jongin. I’ll always be there for you.” He glances to the elder from earlier, huddled together with a few other older Daknaes. “I just hope your people are okay with all of this.”
Jongin shakes his head. “I told them that your crew studied our people and that you could be trusted. I also told them that I told you everything.”
Kyungsoo looks at him with wide eyes. “Are you crazy? I thought you would get in serious trouble if they found out I knew.”
Jongin licks his lips. “Our elder remembered you from the maze.”
Kyungsoo blinked. “Oh.”
Jongin shrugs. “He wasn’t as upset as I thought he would be to be honest. When you walked away he questioned me about you. I told him we were together.”
“Jongin!”
“I had to! He saw our matching necklaces and asked about them. I couldn’t just lie.”
Kyungsoo sighs and rubs his face. Well at least the elder isn’t asking for Jongin’s head. Yet. It’s a looming fear that Kyungsoo has over him, that suddenly the people are just going to turn on them and try to hurt Jongin since he didn’t follow tradition.
Jongin squeezes his hand. “Stop your worrying. Everything will be fine. Let’s go help Minseok. He looks like he’s being attacked.” Kyungsoo looks to the Lieutenant and snorts. A Daknae woman is trying to corner him and hold him still. From the way she’s leaning in and pursing her lips, she’s trying to kiss him. Probably to understand their language. Kyungsoo just laughs when he sees Minseok lean his head away desperately, calling out for help.
‘This,’ Kyungsoo thinks, ‘is karma.’
He smirks. “I think he’s doing just fine on his own.” Minseok catches sight of him and yells his name frantically, trying to fight the girl off. Kyungsoo just laughs maniacally.
🌠
With their combined efforts, all of the shelters were built by nightfall. Kyungsoo’s crew had started a large campfire to make sure there was still enough light to see, the Daknae people looking at the flames with barely concealed awe and wonder. They were all sitting together around the fire in miscellaneous groups, mixed together. Despite the language barriers, all of them were having a great time. Some of the Daknaes learned their language by kissing the crew members, but others were too shy to do so and just settled with communicating through hand gestures and facial expressions.
Jongin and a few members of his people were talking adamantly, Kyungsoo getting a content smile at the scene. Jongin’s eyes are so bright with happiness right now, the skin around his eyes sparking a neon orange. They were happily passing around food from the ship’s cargo supplies, when the elder from before stood and gestured to Jongin, saying a few hushed words. Jongin stops breathing and looks to Kyungsoo with an amethyst color creeping into his eyes. The Lead Commander gives him a worried look. “Jongin?”
He gulps and stands to go walk over to the elder. All of the Daknae people get quiet and look at the scene, causing the others to do the same. Jongin kneels before him and bows his head. Kyungsoo gets a flash of anxiety. Is he going to hurt him?
The Daknae woman beside him, Seulgi, puts her hand on his shoulder. “This is the final ceremony for him,” she says, able to speak his language from having kissed Minseok earlier.
“The final ceremony?”
She nods. “It’s what we do when one of us fulfills their life purpose. Some people can go their whole lives without having it done. It’s the highest honor you can receive.”
Kyungsoo swallows hard and watches carefully. The elder signals Seulgi to stand up, telling her something in their language. Seulgi does, she looks around at everyone. “Our Elder would like me to translate to you all as he speaks.” The man nods looking out at them all and says his words, the entire crowd so quiet you could hear a pin drop. When he finishes, Seulgi speaks.
“We do not usually partake in sharing our culture with others, for it goes against the very beliefs we stand for. Today you showed us great hospitality, for that we are all eternally grateful and are willing to walk among you just this one time.” She pauses, looking to the elder for him to continue. He does, letting the foreign words spill off his tongue in long sentences, seemingly never taking a break for air.
“You helped our young savior and gave him shelter when he was in need. We can see why he speaks so highly of you all. You are truly kind hearted people and we will never forget the debt we owe you for helping him along.” The elder looks down to Jongin and speaks again, Seulgi translating right after. “Our young Traveler, perhaps the youngest of your kind. You brought us a high honor by bringing us to our new home. Our Dakartius. To thank you, we wish to offer you a seat on the council. You will become a fellow elder to our people and help them live their lives and fulfil their purpose just as you did with yours. Or, you may leave and do whatever your heart guides you to do.”
Jongin looks up at the elder, his eyes wide and his jaw slack. He just looks so happy and relieved but- he looks to Kyungsoo, the Lead Commander making eye contact with him. Even from this distance, he sees a pale peach swirl into his eyes and take over the orange. He looks back at the elder, expression torn. The elder just smiles knowingly, asking a soft question. Jongin licks his lips, eyes darting from Kyungsoo and back to his fellow Daknae in front of him. He nods frantically.
The elder looks to Kyungsoo as well and then to the rest of the crowd. His chin is held high and his voice is booming, the scar across his face looking more like a dark shadow from the bright flames of the fire. Seulgi looks at him hesitantly after he speaks, getting an encouraging nod from the elder. “Jongin has chosen. We will now take part in one of the oldest traditions our people have. We invite you to watch only if you promise never to share what happens here.”
Seulgi looks down at Kyungsoo and the Lead Commander glances at his people. “This is highly classified information. It is not to be shared with anyone outside of this ship, got it?”
There are sounds of acknowledgment from his crew so Kyungsoo looks to the elder and gives a curt nod. “We will start the ceremony now,” Seulgi says, sitting back down.
It is completely and utterly silent for a few minutes. None of Kyungsoo’s crew members dare to make a sound. Suddenly there is a low humming coming from the Daknae people and the elder begins a soft chant. It’s a beautiful tune and Kyungsoo would have probably been in awe like the rest of his crew, but he was too worried for Jongin.
Jongin is still kneeling, his eyes closed and head facing the sky. From his place, it looked like he may have been shaking. Kyungsoo mistakes it for fear and feels worry wash over him like a tidal wave.
The elder puts his hands to Jongin’s face, gently covering it. The humming gets louder and louder until they hit a crescendo, abruptly stopping so all that could be heard was the fire crackling around the wood. The elder speaks, one last time, words short and terse.
“You are free,” Seulgi whispers from her spot next to him.
There is a bright flash where the elder’s hands connect to Jongin’s face. Jongin lets out a short scream in pain, recoiling violently and falling onto his side. He curls up and holds his face tightly. Kyungsoo leaps up and runs to his side immediately, cradling him to his chest. “Jongin? Jongin talk to me. What’s wrong?”
Jongin is shaking violently, sobs racking through him as he brings his hands away from his face. There is a pale grey mark seemingly burned into Jongin’s skin, the mark running from the right side of his temple and down the the left side of his jaw in a straight line. Kyungsoo cups his face, on the verge of having a meltdown until he notices the sobs Jongin is letting out aren’t at all out of sadness or pain.
They’re out of relief.
Jongin hugs Kyungsoo tightly, face scrunched up and tears running down his face. He’s a mess and he’s getting snot all over Kyungsoo’s shirt, but Kyungsoo doesn’t mind. He just holds him tightly as Jongin cries into his shoulder, hiccuping every once in a while.
“I’m free Kyungsoo,” Jongin whispers, his eyes sparking several shades of orange. He digs his face into the crook of his neck. “I’m finally free.”
🌠
“Main engines ready?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Boosters?”
“Powered up and ready to use, sir.”
Kyungsoo nods, gripping onto his seat. “Let’s get her up then.” He pushes a few buttons before pulling a lever down slowly, the ship humming as the landing gear retracts and the engines force the ship to hover. He presses a few more buttons and adjusts the trajectory. “Engage boosters.”
“Engaging boosters,” Minseok says from his spot in the room, pulling down a lever of his own and making the tilt. The ship suddenly shoots up, the sound loud even from inside. They begin to leave the atmosphere, main engines kicking in only when they’ve reached the openness of space. Kyungsoo gets up. “Good job everyone. Don’t announce the jump to lightspeed just yet. I need to go check on something before we do.” He looks to Minseok. “Can you take care of the flight deck for a bit?”
Minseok nods. “Of course Lead Commander.”
Kyungsoo smiles, about to leave when one of the members of the navigational crew speaks up. “Lead Commander Do?” Kyungsoo looks at them in question. “Tell Jongin he’s not alone. He still has us.”
Kyungsoo blinks in surprise, taken back by all of the sincere smiles coming from the rest of the flight deck. “We’re all here for him if he needs it,” someone else says.
Kyungsoo feels his heart leap, a proud look growing on his face. He loves his crew so much. “Of course. I’ll give him the message.” He pats Minseok as he walks by to go to the elevator, stepping in as soon as the door swooshes open.
He steps into the main hallway to find it buzzing with life. He stops one of the workers, asking if he’s seen Jongin anywhere. The woman nods, telling him he’s been at the public viewing deck since they left. Kyungsoo thanks her and makes his way there, stopping when he sees a lone figure sitting all by himself in the abandoned area in front of the large window, stretching from the ground all the way to the high rising ceiling a few meters off the ground. Jongin has his legs crossed Indian style and his back is hunched forwards, his hair falling into his eyes. When Kyungsoo gets closer, he sees him playing with his fingers. The Lead Commander can’t help but to frown at how small and lonely Jongin looks.
Kyungsoo goes over and sits beside him. Jongin looks up at him but turns back to look out the window. Kyungsoo looks at the grey tinted scar running across his face. He was told by Seulgi that night that it’s a symbol of his freedom, but to him it just looks like a reminder of Jongin’s past and all the suffering he went through. Then again, maybe Jongin doesn’t see it that way. “Are you okay?”
They had left the Daknae people a little after the ceremony. They figured they didn’t want to overstay their welcome and left when they could, allowing the Daknaes to keep all of the cargo boxes of food so they would be able to live comfortably until they adjusted. The elder seemed to appreciate that, having Seulgi translate his gratefulness to him many times for taking care of them and Jongin. Kyungsoo had just smiled and bowed, saying he’ll continue to take good care of him in the future.
It was hard for Jongin to say goodbye. He started crying again once he boarded the ship. Kyungsoo can’t even begin to imagine how it feels. He just got his people back and now he has to leave them again. The Lead Commander tried to tell him to stay a bit, that he would come back and pick him up another time but Jongin refused. ‘I already made my choice to leave’ he had said, ‘I’m not allowed to stay now’. To which Kyungsoo felt immense guilt because he knows the Daknae chose to leave to stay with him. He somehow feels that he cheated Jongin out of something so important, to have a place to belong and be himself around others of the same culture.
Jongin sighs. “I think so. I really don’t know how to feel about the whole thing. I know I did right by bringing them back but now I’m leaving them all on their own. What if something happens?”
Kyungsoo puts a hand on Jongin’s thigh. “They’ll be fine Jongin. Nothing will happen. They’re safe out here. They’re nowhere near the rebellion and the closest inhabited planet is solar systems away.”
Jongin hums, staring out at the blue and green planet the ship is traveling away from. Kyungsoo tilts his head and looks at him. “The other members of the crew asked me to tell you they’re here for you if you need them.”
Jongin’s lips pull into a dazzling smiling, eyes not moving from the planet in front of them. “That’s really kind of them.”
Kyungsoo nods and adjusts himself, leaning back on his hands and straightening his legs out in front of him. He stares out the window as well. “You know.” Jongin looks at him. “Seokjin wanted me to tell you that if you want, he can give you a position with us. He said if you go through the mandatory six month training for officer school, he'd be willing to give you a guaranteed position working under another Lead Commander friend of mine in need of a left hand man.”
Jongin seems to perk up at that. “What’s his name?”
“Lead Commander Byun Baekhyun. He’s a bit of a princess sometimes but he’s pretty great. His previous officer was transferred to another sector so he’s a man down.”
“What would I be doing?”
Kyungsoo shrugs. “It depends on what cases he accepts. You’ll be in the same position as Minseok though. He’ll probably be able to tell you more about it than I can.”
Jongin bites his lip, staring at him until Kyungsoo stares back. His eyes are their usual pale peach, the color matching the bright glow of Kyungsoo’s necklace hiding underneath his uniform. Jongin leans in, kissing his cheek but not withdrawing fully. Kyungsoo cranes his neck to the side to brush their lips against each other in a sweet kiss.
Jongin smiles and lets their foreheads bump. “I love you Do Kyungsoo.”
Kyungsoo grins, pressing another chaste kiss to the corner of the Daknae’s mouth. He stares at the scar crossing over his face, beginning to love it more since it just makes him stand out, somehow complementing his already ethereal appearance. “I love you too Kim Jongin.”
Kyungsoo’s not exactly sure what the future has in store for them, how Jongin will take officer training or if everything will work out as perfectly as he thinks it will. In the end, though, that doesn’t matter. The only important thing is that they have each other. Wherever Kyungsoo goes, Jongin will follow.
Because now they're caught in a comet’s tail, neither of them existing without each other.
🌠 fin 🌠