A Measure of Salvation (8/8)

[rawthornewrites]

Title: A Measure of Salvation (8/8)
Authors: butterflyweb & rawthornewrites
Genre: Sci-fi!AU
Pairing: GD/TOP, hints of BaeRi
Rating: NC-17 overall
Warnings: Dub-con, mind fuckery and other bad shit in later chapters.
Summary: Earth's atmosphere ignites outside the thick glass pane, miles of ocean and cloud reduced to scorching lava. Cities are obliterated in mere seconds. All life ceases by the time Seunghyun opens his eyes to the mesh ceiling and the steady drip of a burst pipe.
AN: Written because...well... come on. We had to. Banner made by the wonderful and talented atenais_pala.
AN2: A huge thank you who everyone reading. We're grateful for your feedback and we hope you enjoy this last chapter.





The ship is mercifully quiet.

Seunghyun sits slumped in the pilot's chair, staring out into the black, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. As exhausting as it is, he can't help but be thankful for it. It means his mind is still there. Still intact. Those fuckers didn't do any lasting harm. It doesn't feel like it. Even as the pain in his body has begun to fade, another has replaced it. The thick, bitter kind that comes with being cheated and lied to and played for a fool.

He pulls up logs of their journey so far. Where they've been so far. He tries to make himself recall the good times, few as they were. That one time Seungri took him to visit ancient temples under the oxygen-rich waters on an ocean planet. The time Daesung decided to hold a grudge against every viper-class ship in view solely on the basis of Youngbae claiming they were his favorite kind of vessel. Strange times.

He doesn't want them to be tainted by a lie, but it seems inevitable. Betrayal cuts deep, worse when it's from men you've come to trust, to care for like brothers. Seunghyun lets out a heavy sigh, pressing the heels of his hands over his eyes.

Youngbae has been quiet in his mind since he stormed out. All these months, and he never thought he'd miss the mental presence. Daesung doesn't relieve him of his loneliness with trivia and indiscreet questions. They tiptoe around him like he's made of glass, making it impossible to move past what was said and done on this very bridge hours ago.

No. Not all of them. Jiyong's footsteps are loud on the metal catwalk outside. "I came to apologize."

Seunghyun doesn't turn, even if it's unfair, even if he owes Jiyong so much more than he wants to think about right now. "What do you have to apologize for?

There's a long pause, boots clicking over the main deck as he walks up to Seunghyun, moves to stand in front of him. Jiyong wouldn't do any less than confront him head on. "For...bonding with you..." He lifts his chin. "I'm sorry. I betrayed your trust."

It runs so parallel to everything that's occupied his mind in the past hours that for a long moment, he almost doesn't know what the Ahma is talking about. Ignorance doesn't last. It's just as well, there's nothing blissful about it.

"You think I'm mad at you for that?" He sighs, rubbing at his temple. "Forget it. I'm fine. I'm over it."

"I just...I just want to you to know that it's one-sided." Jiyong's dark eyes flick to his face, falling away just as quickly. "It would only be a real connection if...if you returned it. But what I mean is, is that I didn't want to do that. To force it on you at all. I know there are...there are laws against that. On your world."

Seunghyun shakes his head, like trying to dispel a smoke from his eyes. "What are you talking about? What laws?" It's easier to cling to that rather than the bond itself - and what its very existence means. Love is too complicated to deal with right now.

Jiyong gives him an uncomfortable smile, looking at him through a curtain of soft blonde hair. "About forcing your affections on others." He swallows hard. "It's a very bad thing and I'm sorry."

"I don't know that our laws..." He searches for a way to explain it to him, lips stretching into a startled smile. "I don't think that's quite what they refer to. You're allowed to fall in love with people without their consent. It's acting on it that's against the law. Does that make sense?" The Ahma must have something similar, for all that they are used and bartered like prize horses.

"Oh." Jiyong brushes his hair out of his eyes, sinking to his knees in front of Seunghyun. "I think I understand." He smiles up at Seunghyun, head tilting slightly to the side. "I find it strange that sex seems to hurt more humans than enjoy it."

He reaches out to trace a finger over his cheek. "Haven't you heard? Apparently hurting people is what we're made for." His hand drops, fingers lax, over his knee. "We've learned how to use something that should be about pleasure to cause pain. Go us."

"That's not fair," Jiyong murmurs, taking his hand and playing absently with his fingers. Seunghyun lets him. "You know...do you know how Ahmas first became slaves?" He looks up at Seunghyun, smiling thinly. "We were warriors, a long time ago. Ahman was constantly torn apart by civil conflicts. And the victors...bartered their captives for weapons from off-worlders." His smile widens. "Isn't that ironic? We enslaved ourselves."

Seunghyun thinks irony is just another word to mean sad and unfair. "I'm sorry." He's sorry Ahman has fallen and he's sorry the Nabu think others will fall at the hand of his brethren. He's sorry that he has to choose between sacrificing Earth and sacrificing the whole universe.

"Don't be sorry," Jiyong tells him. "Just... don't be angry with me. I hate it."

"I'm not angry with you, " Seunghyun murmurs, squeezing his hand reassuringly. "I'm just...I'm really fucked up over this whole thing. I don't know what to do, you know? Everything's changed."

"Has it?" Jiyong tilts his head to the side, considering. "We're still on our way to Earth. We're still together." He rubs his cheek against Seunghyun's knuckles, skin warm and soft to the touch. "What can I do? How can I help you?"

"You don't have to..." He bites into his lip, tugging lightly at Jiyong hand. "Just come here."

The chair is big enough for the both of them. Jiyong straddles his lap without a modicum of shame, grace in the way he moves and towers over him like a trickster god in stories of old. He smiles enough to fit the part, but his warmth holds no menace. Not anymore. Seunghyun holds him tightly, arms wrapping around his waist and pulling him forward until he can rest his ear over his heart.

Hands settle on his shoulders lightly, sliding up along the nape of his neck and running through his hair. He can hear his heartrate increase, feeling the soft rise and fall of his chest quickening ever so slightly. "Seunghyun..."

"Please, just. Just give me a second." For all that he pretends to need time alone to think and come to a decision, he craves this contact. It doesn't have to go any further, after everything they've been through, he just needs someone to hold him. He's almost too embarrassed to admit it.

"Alright..." the Ahma murmurs, petting lightly at his hair. "We could...we could go down to your bedroom..."

Seunghyun turns his head slightly, pressing a kiss over his heart. "No. Here is fine. I just want you here."

He can almost feel the Ahma's smile. "Aish....Seunghyun...I'm trying...but I'm not this patient. Please, just kiss me..." A week, ten days ago, he would've just taken what he wanted, Seugnhyun's comfort be damned. Nothing's the same anymore, but there are perks.

Swallowing hard, Seunghyun draws back a little to meet his eyes. They watch him with more affection than he can take, than he deserves, and the thought loosens his resolve. He guides their lips together with a hand buried in blonde hair, giving in.

Jiyong meets him immediately, fingers curled in the fabric of his shirt, kissing him hungrily even as he doesn't rush, doesn't push. Just meets everything Seunghyun gives him with brimming passion, ready to spill over.

"Jiyong..."

When he replies, the Ahma sounds distracted. "Yeah?" His fingers rub circles into Seunghyun's skin, loosening the tension in his muscles. He stays close, his bloodless lips shaking a little with every breath.

Seunghyun remembers how it felt to hold him, how overwhelming and responsive he can be, and kisses him again in lieu of answer. He wants him. He's wanted him ever since he first had him, since he first saw him, and nothing's changed. If anything, it's just gone deeper.

Jiyong pushes his hips forward, into his, the action needy and beyond the Ahma's ability to hold back. Good. Seunghyun doesn't want him to. He wants all of him, everything Jiyong can give him. His fists close around lean thighs, pulling him closer in a stilted rhythm. Encouragement is all the other man needs to move against him, whole body shuddering with pleasure.

"Ah... aheri, please. Please, you feel so good." His voice wavers.

"What do you need?" he murmurs, captivated by him, by the way he reacts to the smallest stimulation, heated and pliant to the touch. "Do you need me to touch you?"

Jiyong moans, pushing his hips against Seunghyun's once again, wanton. "Yes, yes, please--"

Seunghyun drops a hand between them, cupping him with a tentative hand. He's never been particularly bold with his lovers and he's never had a lover like Jiyong, but that doesn't change his mind. He craves something new, something outside of Youngbae's terrible vision. Something that he can control and Jiyong can enjoy and something that belongs to them and them alone.

His lover parts his thighs a little wider, licking his lips. "Touch me, come on."

He doesn't need further encouragement. Shaky hands undo the front of his trousers, baring him to Seunghyun's touch. He takes a firm hold of his length, moving his hand in long, deep strokes, watching as Jiyong's eyes flutter closed under the weight of his pleasure. Pleasure Seunghyun is giving him and fuck, isn't that a heady thought.

"Oh fuck..." Jiyong pants for breath, arching into his hand. "Fuck, so good." His hands are hopelessly seeking purchase along his arms and then along the chair, knuckles white with effort. "It's always so good when you touch me."

Seunghyun tightens his hold around his back, thumb pressing into the slit and spreading precome over his length. "Is it always like that? Are you always so..." Open. Trusting. Goddamn beautiful. "Excitable?"

Jiyong laughs softly, breathlessly, leaning in to mouth along Seunghyun's neck. "I may be excitable..." A gentle bite. "But I always outlast..." A wet kiss. "Except...mm...for last time..."

"Relax," he whispers, fingers finding the space between tank top and belt and slipping under to trace bare skin. "I wasn't insulting your staying power." He gives his cock a sharp tug. "I'm just trying to figure you out."

"Are you saying I'm complicated?" Jiyong teases, the word catching in his throat as he thrusts into Seunghyun's hand, head tipping back ever so slightly. "Gods..."

He circles the head with his thumb, watching the way Jiyong's lips part on a sound of pleasure. "I'm saying... I don't know what I'm saying. I can't... think when I'm with you."

"Good," Jiyong murmurs, brushing their lips together, breath coming in soft, sharp pants. "Don't think. Just feel me. Feel me this close to you." He kisses him gently, passion driven to a quiet, slow burning fire under his skin. It warms Seunghyun, from his fingertips to his hardening cock.

"What do you like?" Seunghyun breathes, setting aside pride, better judgment and fear. "I want to know everything about you."

Jiyong speaks against his lips, fingers clutching his shoulders tight, body shaking as he nears his peak. "I..I like you. I like the way you kiss me...how you look at me..." Another rough, needy kiss, warm breath intermingling with his own. "I like...being bound to you...it feels like I belong somewhere..."

"You do," he tells him, hand working him to orgasm. "You sound like sin. Fuck, I want to see you come. Want to see your eyes." Wants to see if it'll be like the last time, Jiyong shivering under him. His cock is wet and throbbing in his fist, something sexy in the way it fits into his palm. The way they always seem to fit together.

The words, if anything, seem to excite the Ahma even more, his body trembling under Seunghyun's touch before curving forward. He cries out sharply, coming in thick ropes over Seunghyun's hand, body wrought with tension. It's not quiet, like the last time. Jiyong's moans echo off the walls, aftershocks making him shiver and bend until his forehead rests against Seunghyun's shoulder. So much for seeing his eyes.

"That's it," he murmurs. "That's it, baby. Come for me."

"Seunghyun," Jiyong whimpers against his skin, arms sliding around his shoulders as he burrows into him, and the sheer need the Ahma shows for him does things to his heart, kissing his hair as he eases him through the aftermath of his orgasm.

"Shh," another kiss, pressed soft to his temple. "I've got you."

He holds him tight, without releasing his grip around Jiyong's softening length. Loathe to let go. The Ahma is completely destroyed, every limb heavy and warm, sweat slicking the hollows above his collarbones. He kisses him there, kisses his neck and his cheek, tasting the bond between them with his lips.

"You've got me," Jiyong repeats, tracing the words with a smile. "Yeah... I like that."

Seunghyun smiles against his hair, relaxing his grip incrementally, lets go of him only enough for Jiyong to lift his hand to his mouth, pink tongue lapping the come from Seunghyun's fingers and he can't help but feel his cock stir at the sight. Good God.

"So dangerous," he breathes against the Ahma's skin, kissing him hard and tasting the spice of his flavor. "You know that?"

Jiyong laughs, the sound of it tired and strangled with pleasant relief. "You'll get used to it," another sharp lick against his palm, "and all the things I can do." He presses into Seunghyun's body, mouthing at his jawline. "I can be anything you want. I'll let you do anything you want to me."

He wraps an arm around him, kissing gently at his throat. "Don't do that," he murmurs quietly. "I didn't buy a sex slave. I had the honor of an Ahma binding to me. I don't want you to be anything but what you are, Jiyong. Who you are. I want to give you pleasure, too."

"I know, but I mean--"

"Don't say it," he sighs against the shell of his ear. "You don't have to convince me." He doesn't have to sell himself for Seunghyun to care for him. They're far past that. In less than ten days, they've charted light years in space and between them. They're not the same people.

Jiyong tucks himself back into his pants, subdued. "What will you do, aheri? What are we going to do?"

Seunghyun brushes his fingertips over his cheek, keeping their gazes at level. Decides in that moment. "We're not going to let Earth become like Ahman. Whatever that takes." He pushes fingers through platinum hair. "And we're going to be side by side."

It feels like commitment, a vow written in desperation, destruction and the knowledge that there are no choices, really. Jiyong takes it in without faltering, kissing him hard to seal it.

"Okay." He kisses him again, taking a deep breath and returning to stand on his own two feet. "I'll get you something to eat and then we'll talk. You can depend on me." His smile is confident and warm, pretense entirely absent.

"I know I can," Seunghyun replies, meeting his gaze and holding it for long moments, until he sees the smile shine even brighter. Jiyong ducks away in the next moment, footsteps clanging over the bridge and into the catwalks, fading away after a few moments.

It leaves Seunghyun alone on the bridge, silence all around him and space looming black and empty ahead. They're too far for Earth to register on their sensors. Another week's journey at least, assuming they don't run into more delays. But they're on course and he's made his decision. All that remains is to decide how they'll do it. If the colonists on Mars would be more receptive to their warnings.

He thinks about going home for the first time in eleven years. It's time to stop being a runaway.

"Daesung, locate Youngbae for me. It's time to get this show on the road."

The AI materializes in the co-pilot's chair, bare feet stretched over the console. He's still playing at being human. Whatever Youngbae's prophecy, that hasn't changed. Seunghyun feels a pang of kinship for this creature he can't even touch. "He's in Seungri's quarters," Daesung tells him quietly. "Want me to get him for you?"

"Is he... are they..." The thought of it gives him pause.

Daesung nods. "It must feel really good. Every species seems to have pleasure rites associated with copulation." He looks pensive in spite of his smile and Seunghyun forgets to be uneasy at the thought of him watching. Daesung is their home. He keeps them alive. Satisfying his curiosity is a small price to pay.

"Hey." His foot presses against the seat, turning Daesung to face him. "I meant it, Pinocchio. When we get to Earth, I'll help you download into a physical body. We'll design it so it looks just like you."

"You'll make me into a real boy?"

Seunghyun grins a little bit at that, picturing the other man sitting down with virtual popcorn to watch an ancient Disney film. "Just call me your Blue Fairy." A shake of his head, a small smile lingering on his lips. "Leave them be for now."

"They're done anyway..." Daesung returns the grin, "judging by their heart rhythms." He can't keep himself from looking, interest obvious on pixelated features. Seunghyun has a feeling he should be bothered.

"You weren't...um...on the bridge..."

Daesung's grin widens in answer and Seunghyun can't help but groan, pressing a hand over his eyes. Daesung laughs, eyes going small in little half-moons like Youngbae's do. "I'll take that as my cue to step out. I'll send Youngbae and Seungri up."

"Pervert," Seunghyun calls after him, the seat beside his own now vacant. The AI is a lot of things - intelligent, curious, resourceful - but never subtle. Then again, he's never picked his friends according to how malleable they were and he's not about to start now. Daesung is invaluable.

He brings up a visual map of their path to Earth, the week's journey ahead painted in pale blue.

If we push the engines hard now, our velocity could carry us faster. We could be there in four-five days. Youngbae's voice is clear in his head, off-set only by the sound of his boots on the metal catwalk outside. He climbs through looking flushed, a vein pulsating in his forehead.

For all his sated expression, the Nabu keeps his distance, not quite meeting Seunghyun's eyes. He wonders if the other man has been listening in to his mental diatribes over the past several hours, wonders if he's still listening now. Brings to mind the dream he'd had before, of Seungri and Jiyong wrapped in each other's arms, mouths joined and slim bodies entwined, and looks for a reaction.

The Nabu's poker face is excellent as he sits, attention on the screen rather than Seunghyun's primitive mental games. A detour to maroon me somewhere would obviously constitute a minor delay, but you could afford it with few set-backs.

"I'm not marooning anyone anywhere."

Youngbae's head comes up sharply, eyes meeting Seunghyun's in confusion, his fingers curling around the arms of the chair. I...I withheld information from you. I acted in my own self-interest at the expense of the crew. The other man swallows hard. I am a liability.

Whether he's been listening in or not for the past hours isn't important anymore. What's painfully clear is that there is no harsher punishment for what Seunghyun feels than Youngbae's own regrets. Seunghyun gets it. He has some practice of his own with self-flagellation.

"You're family," he offers, tone allowing no argument. "You're my family, fucked up as it is." The betrayal is still there, burning like a quiet flame under the skin, but it's not an all-consuming fire. It's nothing important in the scheme of things. Youngbae thought he was acting in everyone's best interest. Can't fault him for that.

Youngbae is quiet for a long moment, taking it in, before sitting back. Jaw firm and eyes determined. I won't lie to you again.

"I know. And that's good enough for me."

It must be the right answer, because Youngbae finds it in him to smile. Promise never to treat me to sexual fantasies about the rest of the crew in the future. It's... disconcerting. In Nabu-speak, that can mean anything.

Seunghyun snorts. "I can't believe you have the audacity to suggest that's not the--" He doesn't get to finish. A shadow has all but covered the other man's face, turning his smile into a look of horror. "What's wrong?" A beat. "What do you see?"

Youngbae swallows hard, gaze full of dread as it meets his own.

"They're here."

Daesung flickers into place, urgency written over his features. "We have Nabu ships coming up on our left flank. They're headed for Earth."

They would be, wouldn't they? How long did it take them to hear the echo of what happened on that little moon? Do they even know? It doesn't matter. Seunghyun shoves his finger into the intercom. "Jiyong, Seungri, get up here now." He makes to shift screens, but Daesung's done it already, bringing up a radar image onto the main viewer.

Six ships in pursuit. Great.

Jiyong spills onto the bridge noisily, dark eyes flickering from Seunghyun to the screen. "Fuck me."

Daesung shakes his head, agitation written over his features. "I don't have the speed to outrun them, Seunghyun. Not enough for it to make a difference--by the time we made it to Earth, they'd be right behind us."

It's more bad news that they can handle right at that moment and it generates a chorus of disbelief and solutions, plans built out of desperation and sheer hope. Seungri nudges Youngbae's shoulder, bent over the console. "If we cut life-support by half, we can redirect power to your engines, boost up your burn--"

"What about shields?" Jiyong suggests. "If we can stay out of weapons range, we wouldn't even need them, right?"

"No." Seunghyun clutches the leather on his chair. "We're not running."

It stops all of them in their tracks, three pairs of eyes turning to him in disbelief.

"What?" Seungri protests, eyes flickering to the viewscreen. "But your world, you said we have to warn them--"

"We're not running," Seunghyun repeats quietly, standing from the Captain's chair. "Because I'm not going to let them get to Earth. Period."

Youngbae lifts his chin, the steady approach of the ships in painful clarity on the viewscreen over his shoulder. You're going to engage them. You're going to fire on six ships. Seunghyun--

He smiles grimly. "I'm not asking any of you to stay." It's part and parcel that the captain goes down with the ship and since he's assumed that role through chance or the lack of it, he's going to stick to tradition. The rest of them have another choice. "Daesung can download himself into on of the escape pod computers. It'll be a little crammed, but it's temporary. If you launch now, you'll be caught into the gravitational pull of..."

Jiyong's hand on his shoulder is gentle and warm. "You said side by side. I'm staying right here."

He runs his fingertips over his cheek, just a ghost of a touch, but enough for Seunghyun to see in his eyes that he's serious.

"Never going to be able to get rid of you, am I?" he teases gently, hand sliding around the nape of Jiyong's neck, watching as a smile crosses the Ahma's features.

Youngbae steps forward, ever determined, features schooled in seriousness. I started this with you, Seunghyun. I'll see it through.

Seungri takes the vacated seat, pulling knees up to his chest. "I'm not going anywhere." His gaze flickers from Seunghyun to Youngbae and back. "It wouldn't be right. There's nothing to love out there."

The sincerity is somehow chilling and it pins Seunghyun in place. Beyond their reach, on the screen, the Nabu are drawing closer and closer. Unstoppable - or at least that's what they believe of themselves. Centuries spent cradling the secret of their own demise has made them complacent. They won't see this coming. Youngbae's gaze tells him he's right.

Daesung gives a pained groan. "Gods, but you're a melodramatic bunch."

Seunghyun snorts, pulling Jiyong closer, indulging in the warm feel of him for a minute, the Ahma's arms sliding around his waist easily. "Does that mean you're staying? Or should I get a pod ready for you?"

"Suck my pixelated dick, human." Daesung's grin is warm, carefree. Like they're not more than certainly about to go to their deaths. "I'm turning this boat around. Strap yourselves in. It's going to be a bumpy ride."

He's right, you know. They outgun us. Youngbae stays standing. His features are set and dark, lines of worry etched into his brow. He's a marble statue and he's as much a runaway as anyone here present.

Seunghyun tilts his head to the side, like an Ahma. Like Jiyong. "You've seen that? You know who wins?"

Youngbae smiles, raising his shoulders in a shrug. Everything's changing. Nothing is certain anymore. He turns back to the viewscreen, shaking his head. There's no prophecy that factors us into it.

With a minor armada rushing at them through unclaimed space, the implications are endless. Freedom gives that privilege.

Seunghyun straps in. "Raise shields to maximum. It's time to settle accounts."