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

[kairousels]

part iii

They’re both in their room, Jongin sitting on the bed and Kyungsoo brushing his teeth at the sink. Kyungsoo rinses his mouth and pats his face dry, glancing at the Daknae in the mirror. The latter has a morose expression on his face as he stares out the nearby window with interest. Kyungsoo hangs his towel back up before walking towards Jongin. He sits on the bed right next to him, the mattress dipping slightly from his weight.

Kyungsoo looks out the window as well, seeing millions of stars in the the distance. “Beautiful aren’t they?”

Jongin hums. “There’s just so many. It’s hard to choose just one to look at.”

Kyungsoo smiles. “I used to stare at them a lot when I was a kid. It brought me some sort of peace, you know?”

Jongin gives a quiet ‘hmph’. “It just gives me anxiety,” he mumbles.

The Lead Commander tilts his head in question but just pats Jongin’s back lightly. “It’s different for everyone, I guess.” Jongin offers him a soft smile before looking back out at the window. Kyungsoo swallows nervously and fiddles with his fingers. “You know Jongin.”

The blonde looks back at him and Kyungsoo clears his throat. “I hope you know when we get to the Intergalactic Peace Corps’ base, nothing will change. You’ll still be free to do whatever you want. In fact you’ll actually have access to more areas like the library or the garden. You could even have your own room all to yourself. I can try to pull some strings so you can get a room with lots of space so if you want to be by yourself, you can just stay in there. I’ll drop by and visit when I can, I promise.” He’s going to be extremely busy once he gets back to base so he probably won’t be able to see him often, which kind of puts a major damper on his mood, but he’s sure Jongin needs his space. Kyungsoo can’t always be by his side, right?

Jongin nods sullenly. “Ah, that sounds great…”

Kyungsoo stares at him in concern. Maybe that wasn’t what Jongin was actually worried about after all. Whatever it is, Jongin seems extremely conflicted as he stares at Kyungsoo unblinkingly. He curls into himself and stares ahead, resting his head on his arms while his knees are held against his chest.

Kyungsoo’s not exactly sure what to say so he decides to just let it rest. He’s learned that pushing Jongin isn’t always the best idea. He’s noticed when the Daknae is ready, he’ll approach Kyungsoo about whatever is on his mind, but until then the Lead Commander would be left in the dark.

He gives Jongin a smile. “We should get to sleep. We’ll wake up early and go to the cafeteria together so we can get the food when it’s fresh.”

Jongin hums in agreement but doesn’t move. Kyungsoo pouts, hesitating before getting up to turn off the lights. When he slides under the covers, he lays on his side with his back to Jongin. He usually has to sleep like this because if he’s not careful he may just wake up with his body sprawled out over Jongin’s. Let’s just say, he’s an extremely aggressive cuddler.

It’s silent for a while and he’s on the verge of falling asleep when he hears a small sob. “Kyungsoo?” Jongin’s voice sounds so small and pitiful that the Lead Commander turns his body around to face him. Jongin is now sitting with his knees crossed and his back hunched.

Kyungsoo sits up and stares. “Jongin?”

Jongin looks at him tentatively and even in the dim lighting, Kyungsoo can see a dull silver filling his irises. “What if I don’t want my own room?…”

The small crack in Jongin’s voice strikes straight through his heart. Kyungsoo goes to say something in return but finds his mind is blank. He is so thrown off at the raw emotion in Jongin’s voice that he has no idea what to say. All he can think to do is hug Jongin close to him, heart leaping in joy when the latter leans into his touch. “Of course Jongin. You don’t have to have your own room.”

You don’t have to be alone.

It takes a few minutes, but eventually Jongin looks up at Kyungsoo with such a heartwarming smile that Kyungsoo swears he’s going to have a heart attack. Jongin hugs him back, burying his face in the human’s neck. Kyungsoo tries to will his heart to stop beating so fast but he can’t help it. This is the most affectionate Jongin’s ever been towards him.

Jongin sighs in content when they both lay down, their bodies close. Kyungsoo can’t help the shit eating grin that crosses his face when Jongin puts an arm around his waist, hauling him closer. He looks at Jongin to see that same pale peach color from before swimming in his irises. His expression reminds him of a hesitant puppy, afraid to do the wrong thing and spook Kyungsoo. The Lead Commander just watches closely as Jongin reaches out timidly towards Kyungsoo’s face. The human just stays still, closing his eyes when he feels the Daknae’s fingers softly trace down the ridge of his nose. He can’t help the butterflies fluttering like mad in his stomach when he feels the other’s soft touch around his lips as well, his thumb brushing over his bottom lip a few times before moving down to his jaw.

Jongin is quiet as he maps out Kyungsoo’s face with his hands and Kyungsoo is trying really hard not to moan because he thinks this might be the most relaxed he’s ever been in his entire life. He feels sleep threatening to overtake him so he cuddles a bit closer to the Daknae. When the other suddenly stops, Kyungsoo’s eyes flutter open to see Jongin giving him one of the most beautiful smiles he’s ever seen him wear. Kyungsoo just smiles back and takes Jongin’s palm in his own. He’s not entirely sure how Daknae’s comfort each other, if there is a specific way they show affection or sympathy when the other is in distress. Humans tend to like physical contact like hugging or a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. It seems that Daknae’s are the same way because Jongin’s smile brightens tenfold and his eyes are a mix of light shades of orange and soft pinks. Then again, the more Kyungsoo thinks about it, Jongin is probably not your typical Daknae. He obviously hasn’t spent his entire life with his people, so maybe all of these habits and responses are just Jongin being Jongin.

They lay there in each other’s arms for just a bit before Kyungsoo remembers something. “Oh Jongin, I forgot to tell you but I have some of your stuff you left behind on HR-2245.”

Jongin blinks. “You mean my bag? I thought I’d never see that thing again.”

Kyungsoo nods and detaches himself from Jongin’s side to go to his shelf. He kneels down and takes out a small box holding Jongin’s messenger bag. He brings it over and sets it in front of him. Jongin sits up, the blanket pooling around his torso, and Kyungsoo sits across from him.

The Lead Commander never really went through the other’s belongings since they left to go get Jongin on Kara so he’s a bit curious about the rest of the contents he hasn’t seen yet. Jongin’s face lights up when he pulls out a few of the postcards he saw before.

Jongin handed him one. “A friend of mine gave these to me. He said he used to collect them when he was younger. Now he really has no use for them anymore so he gave them to me.”

Kyungsoo looks in awe at the old photo on the card, the caption saying ‘Leaning Tower of Pisa’. “These are basically ancient Jongin. How old was your friend?”

Jongin contemplates for a second. “Not exactly sure. He never said.”

Kyungsoo hums and looks at the other photos, feeling giddy at the sight of the artifacts in his hands. Jongin reaches into his bag again and pulls out his leather shoes, putting them aside before bringing out what seemed to be an old-fashioned music player. Kyungsoo almost squealed.

“I haven’t seen one of these in ages!”

Jongin laughed. “You know what it is?”

Kyungsoo takes it. “It plays music. I wonder what kind of songs are even on here.” When he tries to turn it on, the screen flashes ‘Low Battery’. The human makes a disgruntled face. “I’ll have to find a way to charge it so we can listen to it.”

Jongin looks at him curiously. “So it has human songs on it?”

“Probably. They’re most likely way out dated but it would be cool to hear them anyway. I love older music. I used to play it whenever my friends and I would hang out when I was younger.”

“Do you sing too?”

Kyungsoo smiles. Singing is not really that rare of a thing in other various cultures outside of the human race, but good singing apparently is. To most of the species in the galaxy, humans have some of the most wonderful and hypnotic singing voices around. Kyungsoo’s been told multiple times how great of a singer he is when in reality, he’s average at most back home on earth. “I do. I’ll have to find a song and sing for you one day.”

Jongin bites his lip, quietly says “I’d like that a lot.”

There is a brief silence as the Daknae digs around in his bag, grabbing what looked to be some sort of wooden trinket. It had soft leather wrapped in a circle and had small pieces of wood criss crossing in the middle. A few beads and feathers hung from the bottom as well, colors bright and eye catching. Kyungsoo feels his throat go dry. “Is that?...”

Jongin smiles. “A dream catcher? Yes. It is.”

Kyungsoo gasps and stares at it intently. “Can I hold it?” he asks breathlessly.

Jongin chuckles and hands it over. Kyungsoo held the dream catcher in his hands as if it was made of thin porcelain. Never in his life has he held one of these. He’s heard about them in his ancient history classes and seen a few pictures, but he’s never actually been able to touch one. He knows he probably looks stupid right now, holding a wooden trinket as if it was the most precious thing in the universe.

“How did you even manage to get your hands on one of these? And in such great condition too!”

“I may have stolen it a long time ago. The guy who had it before me had it hand crafted.” Kyungsoo stopped staring at the object in his hands to look at Jongin. The only possible way to have one of these handmade is if you traveled back to the past to get it done. These things haven’t been made for over two hundred years. Jongin seems to notice the atmosphere shift a bit and licks his lips, staring hard at his shoes beside him.

Kyungsoo clears his throat and puts the dream catcher back in Jongin’s bag. He peeks in and sees a few miscellaneous notebooks and contraptions taking up most of the space. “You must have spent a lot of time on Earth to collect all these.”

Jongin nods slightly. “I was on Earth for a few months before hitching a ride to one of Saturn’s moons and stayed there until, well.” He gestured to the ship around them. “I was kind of a pack rat and kept everything I considered unique.”

Kyungsoo smiles. “I’ll have to show you my home back on Earth someday. I’m sure you would like all of the stuff in my dad’s collection of artifacts. It’s what made me want to join this sector of the Intergalactic Peace Corps in the first place.”

Jongin’s expression turns soft, his eyes glowing a pale peach again. “You really like history don’t you?”

Kyungsoo nodded frantically. “It’s my passion. That and culture. I came to the Intergalactic Peace Corps because I knew they would allow me to learn about other races’ cultures. It can be such a beautiful thing sometimes, the way others dress or act. Or even just the way they lived their lives and what they may have based their reason for living on. It’s just so amazing to me.” Kyungsoo looked to Jongin and saw a small smirk on his face. “I’m sorry. I’m nerding out on you.”

Jongin chuckles. “No, it’s fine. I think it’s cute.”

Kyungsoo nearly dies inside because holy shit Jongin just called him cute. He tries to control the shy smile that crosses his features, but fails. Jongin smiles as well, watching as Kyungsoo sifts through his bag. He freezes though, as soon as the Lead Commander holds up a familiar necklace. Kyungsoo looks at Jongin hesitantly, the jewelry glowing in his hand, pulsing just as it did the first time he had laid eyes on it. He doesn’t say anything, worried Jongin may freak out or shut down completely. Much to his surprise, though, all the Daknae does is sigh at Kyungsoo’s curiosity and scratch the nape of his neck. “I guess I at least owe you some answers don’t I?”

Kyungsoo squeezes his hand and smiles up at him. “How about we have this conversation off the books? Just between-” Kyungsoo licks his lips, “-friends.” Kyungsoo doesn't know why labeling their relationship as ‘friends’ doesn't sit right with him, but that’s the most casual thing he could think of at the moment.

Jongin blinks, seeming to not exactly know where to start. Kyungsoo tilts his head. “Tell me about you, Jongin. For now, I just want to know about you. Nothing else.”

Jongin looks taken aback and is temporarily rendered speechless. Kyungsoo just continues to smile. “How about I start instead then?” When Jongin didn’t say anything, the Lead Commander just continued. “I was born twenty-seven earth-years ago in a country called Korea. I’m not sure if you know this, but on my planet, the lands are under different ownership and humans of different ethnic backgrounds and cultures share borders instead of just merging into one.” Kyungsoo hopes this isn't too confusing of a concept. He had tried to explain this to his co-workers once but they just couldn’t understand why humans lived apart and fought amongst themselves despite being of the same race.

Jongin looks at him thoughtfully. “I guess that makes sense considering the number of humans there are in the galaxy. Your population could pretty much overpower anyone so your strength is definitely in your numbers. From what I’ve seen, your cultures are very different from each other as well so it’s understandable that there would be borders to prevent clashes.”

Kyungsoo just grins and continues. “I grew up in a large area called Seoul but I never really had the chance to go and explore the city. My father always forced me to keep my studies as my first priority and as soon as I was of age, I was shipped off to boarding school on the space station near Jupiter.” Kyungsoo looks at the ceiling and focuses on the warmth of Jongin’s hand.

‘It feels really nice’, Kyungsoo thinks.

“From then on I was pretty much groomed to be in the position I’m in right now. Originally, I was supposed to be a Military Commander but I declined and went to this sector instead.” It’s great. Kyungsoo learned to love his job and even though he still resents his father for ruling over what should have been his own life decisions, he is still happy where he is.

Jongin is oddly quiet next to him and when Kyungsoo looks over, he sees a dull silver edging its way into Jongin’s eyes. ”So you never got to choose what you wanted to do with your life? It was chosen for you?”

Kyungsoo nodded and gave an amused half smile. “From the day my father found out he was having a son, my life’s path was already laid out. I probably could have said no- rebelled and whatnot, but I didn’t really have huge dreams or aspirations that I wanted to chase after, so I went with it.”

Jongin stays silent and stretches out his hand for the necklace. Kyungsoo gives it to him and watches him stare at the triangle shaped pendant. Quietly, he says “It’s efficient. Choosing the path of a child when they are born. My people have done it for centuries. Everyone is born to carry out a specific duty.”

When Jongin doesn't elaborate anymore Kyungsoo looks at him softly and quietly asks “And what duty were you born to carry out, Jongin?”

Jongin doesn’t answer and instead takes his gaze away from the pendent to look out the window at the planet they are currently passing by.

Kyungsoo decides that at least Jongin is talking to him so he decides to just let the subject go. He makes a joke in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere. “Well,” he starts, “you could always go out and find a nice girl of a similar race and repopulate.”

Jongin seems to contemplate this a lot before looking at Kyungsoo seriously. “Sometimes, I forget your race is limited to two selected genders with social stereotypes.”

“And yours isn’t?”

Jongin once again does not answer but stares intensely at the human’s lips. He hums but Kyungsoo can’t really tell if that’s a yes or no. Maybe more of an acknowledgement? He’s not quite sure. Kyungsoo can feel his face getting hot from the latter’s hooded gaze and decides to busy himself by putting everything back in the bag. Jongin just watches from his spot on the bed, handing him the few items he had next to him. When Kyungsoo’s done, he gets up and puts Jongin’s bag back into the box he had originally kept it in. When he returns to the bed he finds Jongin already under the blanket, lifting it so Kyungsoo could get in too. Kyungsoo gulps at the serious look on the Daknae’s face and gets back in bed.

When Jongin pulls him close this time, Kyungsoo feels a bit off. His stomach is warm and he feels his toes curl as Jongin’s leg wraps around his thigh. He nearly stops breathing when he practically feels the outline of Jongin’s cock pressing against his hip. It’s limp and not hard at all, but Kyungsoo definitely has to repeatedly tell himself to breathe through his nose when he begins to imagine what it would be like erect. He gulps when he imagines holding it, thick and heavy in his hands. He can already feel his own dick twitching at the thought and he prays to whatever gods that are out there that Jongin doesn’t notice.

Where are these thoughts even coming from anyway?

Kyungsoo chances taking a look at Jongin and immediately regrets it. He blushes to the roots of his hair when he sees the other’s eyes glowing a deep peach, the color sparking underneath skin around his eyes as well. His gaze is intense as he watches Kyungsoo’s movements. The human can tell the other just knows, especially when his nostrils flare and his eyes flash with color.

Jongin wastes no time dragging Kyungsoo on top of him so the Lead Commander is laying flush against the front of his body, Kyungsoo’s face falling into the crook of the Daknae’s neck. His hands wander from the top of Kyungsoo’s shoulder blades and slowly down to his hips. Kyungsoo gasps as Jongin’s hands eventually land on his ass, a flash of arousal shooting through him. He lifts his head and gives the Daknae a flustered look. “J-Jongin?”

Jongin only gives a deep, inhuman noise from the back of his throat in return. Not really a growl, but more of a satisfied groan as he digs his nose into Kyungsoo’s neck, nipping there lightly. Kyungsoo swallows thickly and tries to hold back the moan making it’s way past his lips as Jongin gives a particularly hard squeeze to his ass and drags his sharp teeth across Kyungsoo’s skin.

Jongin stops his biting and drags his nose up the column of Kyungsoo’s neck, taking a deep breath as he does so. He moans lightly in Kyungsoo’s ear. “You smell delicious, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo grits his teeth, unbelievably turned on by this whole situation. He nearly moans when Jongin pushes him against his hardening cock. Kyungsoo jerks when Jongin begins to grind, the Lead Commander panting lightly when his own erection comes in contact with the Daknae’s through their clothes.

He should probably push the other away, or possibly run away screaming, but oddly enough he really wants this, to be with Jongin like this. Kyungsoo quickly sits up and properly rests his thighs on either side of Jongin’s hips, putting a hand on the other’s chest to steady himself. He slowly rocks back and forth, sighing in pleasure as their cocks come in contact with each other again and again. Jongin sits up too, pulling Kyungsoo against his chest again. His hands land on Kyungsoo’s hips and he pushes them towards his own body in time with Kyungsoo’s thrusts.

“Jongin,” Kyungsoo says breathlessly. Jongin looks at him with glazed eyes. He leans forward and nips at Kyungsoo’s bottom lip, slipping his tongue in when Kyungsoo gasps. The Lead Commander can tell that this kiss is different from the ones the two of them have shared in the past. This time there is raw emotion behind it, one that makes Kyungsoo’s heart leap in joy and butterflies flutter in his stomach. Kyungsoo buries his hands in Jongin’s hair and lets his tongue slide easily against the other’s. Jongin gives another inhuman groan and moves Kyungsoo’s hips at a quicker pace, his grip getting tighter the longer they move against each other. Kyungsoo breaks the kiss and leans his head against Jongin’s shoulder, breathing heavily.

He can feel his boxers already soaked with precome and he hopes Jongin’s in the same situation because he’s not going to last much longer if this continues, and it’d be embarrassing if he was the only one that finished so quickly. He tries to slow down his movements so he can regain his bearings but Jongin is having none of it. He flips them over quickly and settles between Kyungsoo’s legs. Jongin ruts roughly against him, his arms on either side of Kyungsoo’s head flexing every time he thrust forward. Kyungsoo bites his lip and tries not to cry out at the quick pace Jongin sets.

The Daknae lays his body against Kyungsoo’s when the human reaches out for him, Jongin craning his head to the right to kiss Kyungsoo deeply. They both move rhythmically, the only sounds filling the room being their heavy pants and the messy kisses they exchange. When Kyungsoo’s soft moans steadily get louder, Jongin begins kissing around his earlobe. “Kyungsoo,” he says in his ear, a few curses following soon after.

Suddenly, Kyungsoo’s body stiffened underneath Jongin’s touch as the other gave one final, hard thrust that had the human seeing stars. “Fuck!” Kyungsoo grits his teeth harshly as he feels the pressure in his gut finally release, warm come spilling into his boxers. Jongin’s rutting becomes a bit more frantic as he breathes deeply, his eyes flashing again as he looks down at Kyungsoo’s blissed out face.

Kyungsoo whimpers from the oversensitivity and boldly reaches between their bodies to run his palm against Jongin’s pants. Jongin stills and moans, eyes fluttering closed at the feeling. Kyungsoo kneads his palm against the other’s cock, feeling slightly bad at how confining clothes must be against it, even if they’re baggy. Jongin leans down and leaves a few love bites around his collarbones, rutting against Kyungsoo’s eager hand. When Kyungsoo’s fingers wrap around it the best they can through all the material, he feels the other’s thick cock twitch. Jongin’s hips stutter a bit, releasing a deep, low groan afterwards.

Kyungsoo continues to gently move his hand against Jongin’s dick, his thumb finding the tip and adding a bit of pressure there. Jongin gasps lightly and snaps his eyes open, staring down at Kyungsoo once again. He leans in close and rubs his nose lightly against the human’s cheek, letting out a sound Kyungsoo could only describe as a resonating purr. Kyungsoo sees the latter’s body spasm slightly, feeling a bit of the wetness from the other’s come through his thin shorts. He’s pretty sure Jongin’s not wearing any underwear.

Kyungsoo takes his hand away from Jongin and wipes the little bit of stickiness on his fingers on his shirt. Jongin stays frozen in the same position just breathing deeply. Kyungsoo threads his fingers through the Daknae’s hair and scratches delicately, feeling Jongin’s body slowly relax. Jongin pulls away from his neck and peppers kisses across Kyungsoo’s jaw line until he reaches his lips. Their kisses are chaste this time, both of them smiling as their lips meet.

Jongin leans back and just stares at Kyungsoo, drinking in his appearance. Kyungsoo reaches out and strokes his face. “Let’s sleep,” he says quietly. He pats the spot next to him to tell Jongin to lay down and Jongin obeys, wrapping his arm loosely around Kyungsoo’s waist. Kyungsoo smiles to himself as Jongin leans in to leave small kisses on the nape of his neck.

Kyungsoo’s not exactly sure what to say, feeling a bit awkward now that the heat of the moment is over. The reality of what they did begins to come crashing down on him as he feels his stomach twisting. It’s not that he didn’t enjoy it, but he’s worried about how this will affect their relationship now. Obviously Jongin didn’t have any objections about it or else he wouldn’t have initiated anything in the first place. Then again, Kyungsoo’s pretty sure he may have been drunk on the human’s pheromones. Kyungsoo wasn’t even aware Jongin had that great of a sense of smell. His cheeks begin to heat up when he thinks about it because this is all his fault. What if he ruined whatever it is they have together?

Jongin seems to sense his anxieties and moves in a little closer so now his chest is flushed against Kyungsoo’s back, his thumb stroking lightly over his forearm. “This is okay, Kyungsoo. We’re okay.”

Kyungsoo’s heart feels like it expands at the Daknae’s words. His toes curl as he gives a sigh. They’re okay. They’re going to be okay. Soon enough he hears the light snores of Jongin beside him. Kyungsoo, on the other hand, still has his mind racing with thoughts of ‘What will happen now?’ or ‘Was this a mistake or does it mean something?’

He figures he should probably stop worrying about it for now. Come morning, he’ll deal with it. For now though, he really needs to get some sleep. They’re arriving at the Intergalactic Peace Corps base late at night so Kyungsoo will be on his feet all day to prepare the ship for landing. His eyes flutter close as he focuses on the radiating warmth coming from Jongin.

He dreams of large grey walls and a never ending pathway filled with cloaked figures.

☄️

Kyungsoo briefly registers the smell of eggs and bacon seeping into the air, his mouth already watering before he even opens his eyes. He sits up and rubs the sleep from his eyes, yawning afterwards. He looks to his side to see no sign of Jongin. When he listens closely though, he can hear the dull buzzing of the shower in the background.

He sniffs the air and gets up, following his nose until he spots a huge plate of food resting on his desk. There’s sliced potatoes and biscuits taking up most of the edge of the plate, the bacon and eggs in the middle. Kyungsoo bites his lip to keep from smiling too hard. Jongin must have gone out on his own to get him all this.

He wastes no time digging in, glancing at his wrist monitor to see he’s already running late. He scarfs down the food until he feels like he’s going to burst. While he’s rushing to get a clean pair of underwear and a new uniform, he thinks he should probably leave some sort of note to thank Jongin for the food, but the Daknae comes out of the bathroom the moment Kyungsoo puts on his cap and badges. His silver hair is all over the place from toweling it dry and he’s wearing nothing but a towel hanging loosely around his hips.

Jongin gets a bright smile on his face, eyes swimming with oranges and pinks. “Hey.”

Kyungsoo smiles back, trying not to look down at the other’s bare chest. “Hey.”

There is a bit of an awkward silence, but Jongin doesn’t seem to mind. He seems more amused by it than anything, his lips quirking up at the edges. “Did you eat?”

Kyungsoo swallows thickly. “Y-Yeah I did. Thank you for getting me all that. I was pretty hungry when I woke up.”

Jongin nods. “No problem.” He stares at Kyungsoo with a strange gaze. Kyungsoo doesn’t exactly want to call it ‘loving’ but it’s pretty much borderline adoration.

Kyungsoo clears his throat. “Right, well I’m late so I’ll see you later for lunch?”

“Of course.” Jongin walks close to him and reaches out to straighten one of the badges. Their faces are close and Jongin gives him a dazzling smile. “See you later then.”

Kyungsoo can barely breathe from the proximity of the other male but also the fact that the Daknae is still not wearing anything. A light pink is dusted across Kyungsoo’s cheeks and he tries not to show just how flustered he really is. “Yeah. S-See you.”

Jongin chuckles a bit and pushes him gently towards the door. It swooshes open when Jongin presses the necessary buttons, but to their surprise it reveals Minseok standing on the other side. He has his hand raised in the air as if he was about to knock, but freezes at the sight that welcomes him. He blinks as he looks from Jongin to Kyungsoo, suspicion growing in his eyes.

“Hello Jongin.”

Jongin gives a nod, smirking slightly. “Lieutenant.”

Minseok makes a face and then narrows his eyes at Kyungsoo, taking in the sight of his Lead Commander blushing like a schoolgirl. Kyungsoo mentally screams, wishing a black hole would just swallow him up and put him out of his misery. Minseok puts his hands on his hip. “You’re late.”

Kyungsoo clears his throat. “Shall we go then?”

Minseok steps out of the doorway and allows Kyungsoo to pass. He sees Jongin give the Lead Commander a wink before the doors slide closed. Kyungsoo sputters, but regains his composure soon after. It’s quiet as they walk between the halls of the ship, but Kyungsoo can just feel Minseok’s burning curiosity.

When they enter the elevator that will bring them to the flight deck, Minseok twirls around to glare at him. He’s about to open his mouth when Kyungsoo puts his hand up.

“Don’t even ask.”

Minseok closes his mouth and makes a disgruntled face. “Best Friends Forever, my ass,” he mumbles. Kyungsoo sighs. This is going to be a long day.

☄️

Kyungsoo practically spends all day on his feet, frantically calling his superiors and dealing with security searches as they get closer to the Intergalactic Peace Corps’ base. There are multiple stations his ship must stop at before gaining access to the main base inside the Psi Zeconis System where his main research facility is located. Usually he would be extremely irritable at all of these security precautions, but he can’t really blame the Intergalactic Peace Corps for regulating them. Not with the ongoing rebellion occurring just a few stars away. By the end of the day, though, the SS-Pytheas is cleared and ready to return home.

Kyungsoo wanted to bring Jongin with him to flight deck so he could see the Intergalactic Peace Corps from afar, but there was no way for the Daknae to enter without some sort of badge or clearance. Instead, he told him to pay careful attention from their shared room. The window there may face towards the East side of the ship, but even then he knows Jongin will be able to see the amazing structures revolving around the sun in the center.

The Psi Zeconis System is completely owned by the Intergalactic Peace Corps and within the last hundred years, it’s been turned into what everyone likes to call a ‘ringworld’. The entire system is made of up thirteen planets, all varying in size. There are quite a few moons as well but the number of space stations orbiting these planets outnumber them tenfold. The most amazing thing, though, is that on the farthest end of the system is a ring of panels that emcompasses all areas of the system. They not only serve as a force field from unwanted visitors, but also as an energy source for the entire Psi Zeconis System.

It’s quite a fantastic sight. Kyungsoo still gets awestruck by the sight of it, he can’t even begin to imagine Jongin’s reaction. He’s probably never seen something on this scale.

Minseok leans forward from his spot behind Kyungsoo’s chair. “Looks like nothing blew up while we were gone.” Kyungsoo shoots the Lieutenant a glare and Minseok just shrugs. “What? You really don’t think at least some of the rebellion members are hiding out as refugees?”

Kyungsoo shakes his head. “I would be ignorant if I didn’t think that, but let’s not talk politics. We still have to prepare for boarding.” Minseok tuts his tongue at the Lead Commander’s answer, not saying anything more after that.

The Intergalactic Peace Corps homes all of those that have lost their homes to war. Each of the thirteen planets house various species that have experienced life threatening situations involved in the rebellion. The Intergalactic Peace Corps provides them with anything they would need and complete protection at no sort of cost. There may have been incidents in the past where rebellion members have snuck in and wreaked havoc, but they were subdued rather quickly. It’s one of the reasons why there are so many security checks just to enter the damn place.

“Guide her slowly,” Kyungsoo says to his navigator. They are coming up on their station and are entering an area that seems to be a much tighter fit for the massive ship. The navigator sticks out his tongue in concentration as he tilts the joystick this way and that, weaving through the other stations or various debris in the way. Kyungsoo gets up to press a few buttons on the center console and pulls the lever at the side downwards. The ship comes to a slow creep, barely moving as the loading deck to the space station opens for them to land.

Kyungsoo takes control of the ship and maneuvers it until they safely clear the hangar. The SS-Pytheas hovers until the Lead Commanders gives the necessary commands to activate the landing gear. The ship gives a great shake when it lands successfully, Kyungsoo’s crew whooping in happiness to finally be home.

Minseok pats him on the back. “Good work Lead Commander.”

Kyungsoo grins at him and looks to the rest of the crew standing around the flight deck. “All of you go and get some rest. You did great. I’ll call you all back when we decide to depart again. You’re all dismissed.” Everyone gave a small salute before packing into the elevator to leave, their conversations loud and expressions happy. Kyungsoo feels giddy at the sight.

Minseok stretches his arms above his head and lets out a yawn. “Well I’m definitely hitting the sauna room as soon as I get off this ship. Want to join me? You can bring your boy toy with you.”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. Remind him again why he even taught Minseok Earth slang? “I have to meet with the higher ups as soon as I get off the ship so I can’t.” He gives a small glare, pointing a finger at Minseok’s face. “And he’s not my boy toy.”

“Then enlighten me Lead Commander. What exactly is Kim Jongin to you?”

Kyungsoo’s glad the Lieutenant is speaking quietly enough that the others around them can’t hear. He’d probably die of embarrassment if they did. Kyungsoo crossed his arms. “A friend.”

Minseok narrows his eyes at him. “Really? Because I’m pretty sure I saw your face as red as a- damn what is that human vegetable called?”

“A tomato?”

“Yes! You were as red as a tomato. Explain that because you never get that way with me. Unless you’ve been lying to me all this time and we were never friends to begin with?”

Kyungsoo purses his lips in thought. “Uhm,” Minseok stares hard at him. “No offense, but a tomato is a fruit.”

Minseok blinks. “What?”

“You said it was a vegetable earlier. It’s not. It’s a fruit.”

Minseok facepalms and makes a noise of frustration. “Forget the damn tomato! What happened between you and Jongin? And don’t tell me nothing because you were both acting weird this morning.”

Kyungsoo laughs nervously. “Nothing much. He’s just being nicer to me, that’s all.” If humping him to death can be thought of as being nicer. Kyungsoo looks at his wrist monitor. “Oh look at the time! Got to go get Jongin!” He sprints to the elevator that’s on the verge of closing. He twists his body so he makes it just in the nick of time. The last thing he sees before the doors slide shut completely is a pissed off Minseok trying to chase after him. He breathes a sigh of relief once the elevator starts moving, a few of his crew members staring at him weirdly because of it.

As soon as the doors open again, Kyungsoo speedwalks towards the sleeping cabins, pleasantly surprised to see Jongin standing timidly outside the door of their room. The Daknae is wearing some civilian clothes another crew mate had lended him since none of Kyungsoo’s clothes seemed to fit him. The material was form fitting, showing off Jongin’s lithe figure and muscular biceps. It was black and bright red with foreign writing on it. Kyungsoo just hopes whatever it says is appropriate because they're about to go in front of his superiors for questioning. The last thing he needs is one of them getting offended because of a damn shirt.

Jongin’s face brightens as soon as he spots Kyungsoo. “Hey.”

Kyungsoo smiles. “Hey. Did you watch out the window like I told you too?”

Jongin nodded, his eyes a soft orange. “It was amazing. I didn’t know a place like this even existed. What were those contraptions at the edges of the system?”

Kyungsoo chuckles. “They have quite a few jobs. I’ll tell you all about them later. Right now, we need to get going. My superiors are expecting us.”

Jongin blinked. “Us?”

The Lead Commander sighed. “They wanted to meet you. I tried to tell them that they should give you a few days to adjust to your new environment but I guess they didn’t feel that was necessary. I promise I’m going to be right by your side the whole time. Just let me do all of the talking and we’ll be out of there in no time.”

Jongin nods slowly, a dark amethyst color sweeping into his irises. “Why do they want me there?”

“Well, I guess they’re curious about you. Most of the people on this research base are anxious to meet you so they probably are too. You’re the first living being we’ve ever had to help us with a case.”

Jongin makes a face, piercing blue swirling with the amethyst in his eyes. “I never said I would help with the case.”

Kyungsoo shrugs. “They don’t know that. And they don’t need to know that. Trust me, I’ll handle it. Will you be okay going in front of them? They’re pretty intimidating at first…”

Jongin chuckles. “I’ll be fine. I’ll just stand there and look pretty. No worries.”

Kyungsoo snorts. “Well then let’s go Pretty Boy, or else we’ll be late.” Jongin chuckles and agrees, following beside him quietly. Kyungsoo adjusts his cap as they walk into the ship hangar, both of them maneuvering around the busy area until they enter the quiet hallways of the research facility. Since most people are either off doing work or getting settled back into their home, the halls are practically empty.

The halls themselves aren’t too different compared to the ones on the SS-Pytheas, a blank white color with indentations in several areas from how sheets of metal fit together. The main difference, though, is that there are the windows stretching almost the entire length of the halls that give a breathtaking view of the planets and stars in the distance. When the station rotates, the windows show the bright colors of the planet it is currently orbiting as well.

Jongin seems to be captivated by it all, giving a small gasp when he first looks out the window. Kyungsoo just smiles fondly and puts his hand on the small of his back, guiding him toward their destination all the way on the other side of the space station.

☄️

“And when was the last time he saw his people?”

Kyungsoo grits his teeth, feeling his chest tighten in anger. “Sir, I don’t mean to be rude but we are just talking about Jongin, not the rest of his people.”

It’s been like this for the last twenty minutes, one question after another fired at Jongin. As soon as they walked into the meeting room, Jongin was bombarded with attention from his superiors. They didn’t even bother to introduce themselves to him, Kyungsoo interrupting them mid-question to do it himself. Jongin was stone faced, but Kyungsoo knew by his glacier blue eyes that he was more than unhappy at the others’ prying questions.

The Lead Commander did his best to deflect the questions, choosing to tell his superiors a little about Jongin himself but they just seemed to ignore Kyungsoo outright. Jongin was stiff in his seat next to him, a faint growl rising in his throat. The higher ranking officers payed no mind to it.

It’s when Kyungsoo’s main boss, Seokjin, a fellow human like himself, blatantly asks if Jongin happened to kill his own people, does the Lead Commander put his foot down. Kyungsoo stands from his chair and slams his hand on the table, a few of the holograms of those that couldn’t be there flickering as he does so. “Enough!” he says sternly.

A few of his superiors give him incredulous looks, some of the other’s glaring at the disrespectful outburst but keeping silent anyway. One of them didn’t even blink an eye, about to open their mouth to speak again but Kyungsoo beats them to the punch.

“If you don’t have any questions about Jongin himself and are instead just trying to satisfy your own curiosity then this meeting is over. You’re not running this case, I am. It’s none of your business knowing anything unless it’s written in a report.”

Everyone stares at him now with wary expressions. It’s true. Technically, Kyungsoo’s superiors just oversee the cases people like Kyungsoo are in charge of, not work it. None of this is even in their jurisdiction. “Last time I checked, my report was sent to every single one of you saying that the reason behind the disappearance of the Daknae people is still unknown and may unfortunately stay that way unless there is circumstantial evidence found.” Kyungsoo looked to Seokjin. “Unless you haven’t received my report yet, in which case I understand and forgive your negligence on the matter. I will send it to you as soon as possible.”

Seokjin cleared her throat awkwardly. “There’s no need. I’ve already read it.”

Kyungsoo tilts his head. “Then why exactly are you asking such accusing questions to our special guest, possibly the last remaining Daknae in existence, so freely without any sort of thought?”

Everyone looked taken aback by Kyungsoo’s anger and even Seokjin just gapes at him openly. The Lead Commander has never really been one to stand up to his superiors but God damn it they are being so unreasonable. Jongin moves for the first time since they sat down to give him an impressed look, not saying anything but staring at his side profile a bit before turning back to the others.

One of the men in the hologram, General Tzastr from the planet Seshelara, shifts a bit before speaking up. “Lead Commander Do, we’ll have a talk about your attitude when addressing those of a higher rank later. For now, you and the Daknae are dismissed. This meeting was pointless to begin with.”

Everyone gives him glares besides Kyungsoo and Jongin, all arguing amongst themselves. Kyungsoo stands and gives a salute to them all before dragging Jongin by the arm out the door, shouts of protest coming from the officers behind him. When the door slides shut and they are a far enough distance away from the meeting room, Kyungsoo fumes, punching the nearby wall in anger. Jongin just watches him, only reaching out to calm him down when he almost puts a dent in the glass of the window.

The Daknae grabs his fists gently. “Whoa there, let’s not break the window and kill everyone on board shall we?”

Normally, Kyungsoo would probably laugh at that because there’s no way a weak little human like him could break one of those windows. They’re pretty much indestructable. Instead, though, he just seethes and pulls his arms from Jongin’s grip, turning around and stomping in anger. “How can they just treat you like some criminal?! You didn’t even do anything! I mean yeah, you kind of blew up the only lead this case even had but that’s beside the point! They treated you like you were dirt! Like you’re not even a real person and just some lowly animal without any sort of feelings and-”

Kyungsoo felt strong arms wrap around his middle from behind, making him stop mid-sentence. Jongin sighs somewhere behind him, squeezing tightly for a few moments before relaxing his grip. “Thank you Kyungsoo. For standing up for me.”

Kyungsoo clears his throat, anger forgotten for the moment as the Lead Commander focuses on the body heat flush against his back. “Of course Jongin. I’m not going to let anyone treat you badly. You’re a living being too.”

Jongin responds with a deep noise in the back of his throat, something not entirely human. Well he isn’t human, but still. Kyungsoo cranes his neck to get a look at the Daknae behind him, but unconsciously bares his throat at the same time. Jongin shoves his face into the crook of his neck, breathing in there. Kyungsoo feels he can’t breathe with how close Jongin is to him at the moment. He gulps when he gets brief flashbacks of the night before and feels his gut fill with warmth.

Jongin makes another noise as Kyungsoo adjusts his stance so his knees aren’t clanking together. Jongin retracts his arms from hugging around Kyungsoo’s middle until only his hands are resting on his waist instead. Kyungsoo inhales sharply when he feels one of the Daknae’s hands slide down to rest on his hip and then lower. Kyungsoo lets out a desperate sound when Jongin palms him through the thick trousers of his uniform.

The Lead Commander leans his head to rest back on Jongin’s chest, giving deep sighs through his nose. Jongin still has his face hidden in his neck, kissing there lightly. The Daknae’s hand starts to get more aggressive, pressing harder and faster. Kyungsoo withers from the touch.

“Jongin,” he says breathlessly. Jongin gives a small nip at that. Kyungsoo’s about to pull Jongin away from his neck to kiss him when he hears an awkward cough from behind them.

Kyungsoo detaches himself from Jongin as if he was burned, but Jongin just stands there. He makes an irritated noise, glaring at whoever had sneaked up behind them. Kyungsoo, however, thanks his blessings that it’s not one of his superiors, but at the same time he curses his luck because out of everyone to catch them, it’s Oh Sehun.

The worst busybody on Kyungsoo’s entire team.

Great. Just great.

Sehun gives them a creepy smile. “Hello Lead Commander. You’re looking a bit frazzled. Is there something wrong?”

Kyungsoo sputters and adjusts his cap that had gotten slightly skewed from when he leaned back on Jongin’s chest. He pulls at his uniform jacket and coughs. “Everything’s fine here, Sehun.”

Sehun just grins wider. “Oh, I’m sure everything's just peachy here. In fact, I think Lieutenant Kim would love to know just how peachy everything is here.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes darken. “If you tell him I swear I will stick you on cleaning duty next time we leave this facility. Don’t test me.”

Sehun snorts. “Whatever Kyungsoo.” This brat- “I’m going to go find the bathroom. I’ve been looking for the bathroom in this damn place for the past fifteen minutes. I’m bound to find it at one point.”

Kyungsoo sighs and rubs his temples, watching the latter continue walking away from them. Sehun has always been bad at addressing him formally like protocol states, but Kyungsoo learned not to care. He actually prefers it that way but most of the other members of his team don’t seem to feel the same way. Besides, Oh Sehun has become a good friend of Minseok and his, even if the boy tends to be like a gossiping teenager.

Kyungsoo chances looking at Jongin only to see him giving the Lead Commander a hooded stare. Jongin’s eyes are overtaken with a pale peach, the color spreading into the skin around his eyes. Electric streaks of the pale peach spark vividly under Jongin’s caramel skin. It’s absolutely mesmerizing to the human.

Kyungsoo gulps when he remembers his little problem down there and moves the small holopad in his hands in front of his crotch, hoping Jongin wouldn’t notice the tent that had started to grown in his pants. Jongin just gives him a sleazy grin and chuckles at Kyungsoo’s attempt to be modest. The Lead Commander blushes a deep red and stares hard at the floor.

It’s silent for a bit and Kyungsoo fidgets under Jongin’s heavy gaze. He licks his lips nervously. “I’m- uh. I need to….go. My room- Er our room- is 801. So yeah. I’ll be back late.”

Jongin hums. “I’ll wait for you then.”

Kyungsoo shivers at the thought. “R-Right. Uhm. Bye.” His boots are loud as he fast walks in the opposite direction of the Daknae. He can barely even breathe right now and when he glances back he almost loses his footing when he sees Jongin just watching him walk away. Kyungsoo shakes his head, putting his cold hands to his face in an attempt to cool down his cheeks. He has no idea what’s wrong with him but all he knows for sure is this crush on Jongin is definitely getting worse. Especially with how touchy they’re both being now. Kyungsoo has to admit that he loves when Jongin so much as lays a finger on him. It makes him feels so content and complete, he can’t even begin to explain it.

Despite the fact that they had only known each other for a good three or four weeks, Kyungsoo feels his heart beat uncontrollably when Jongin so much as spares him a glance. He’s not going to lie, he’s definitely thought about being intimate with Jongin before. These thoughts may have only occurred within the last few days, but Kyungsoo’s not exactly sure how Jongin feels about it. The Lead Commander thinks it’s pretty safe to assume Jongin feels the same or else he would probably not make so many advances even if he’s high on Kyungsoo’s pheromones. He did just grope Kyungsoo in a public hallway after all. If that doesn’t hint at anything, Kyungsoo’s not sure what would.

The only problem is that Kyungsoo’s not exactly sure how to approach Jongin about the matter. He’s sure he could just walk in and start kissing Jongin without a problem, but the truth is he hasn’t gotten laid in years and Jongin’s the first person he’s kissed since college. He’s a little awkward about it all and he’s overthinking everything so maybe Kyungsoo should just let Jongin try to initiate it. Unless Jongin doesn’t want to go any farther than the grinding they had done the night before, in which case Kyungsoo would be okay, though but he’d be a little disappointed. He was really looking forward to having Jongin’s dick in his mouth as he-

“Okay Kyungsoo, calm the fuck down,” he says to himself, breathing deeply to calm his racing heart. He really needs to clear his head from all this.

Just then, his wrist monitor goes off to signal he has an incoming message. It’s from Junmyeon, a fellow Lead Commander. He says there’s a party being thrown by his crew down at the public deck and that he’s looking forward to seeing him there. Kyungsoo bites his lip.

A party. That would be perfect for him.

He just hopes they have good booze so his mind can finally be Jongin-free.

☄️

The great thing about Kyungsoo’s crew is that they know how to throw one hell of a party. Even other crew members enlisted under different Lead Commanders showed up to have a good time. Kyungsoo saw Junmyeon and his second-in-charge, Yixing, approach him through the thick crowd to commend him on his work so far on the case. Kyungsoo just gives them a tight lipped smile and gives his thanks before wandering off to find a drink. He really doesn’t want to think of the case at the moment. Whether he or Jongin likes it or not, Kyungsoo and his people have to continue studying into all of their data until the Lead Commander declares it a cold case. He has never declared any of his cases a ‘cold case’ in the past and he really doesn’t want to do it now. Although, unless he somehow gets Jongin to help him out, he may have to.

Kyungsoo weaves his way through the crowd, waving every once in a while when one of his people greets him. He finally gets to the table in the corner of the room, eyeing all of the different types of alcoholic beverages there. Some of them are extremely harmful to him since they are imported from across the galaxy, but when he sifts through the oddly shaped bottles he strikes gold. He cracks a grin at the sight of the green soju bottle in his hand. He hasn’t had this stuff since he was fifteen and stole if from his dad’s personal stash to go get wasted with some friends. He’s not even sure how anyone even got their hands on this unless they had gone to Earth recently.

Kyungsoo pours a generous amount into one of the clear cups nearby and takes a sip, loving the smooth feeling it gives as it goes down his throat. He continues sipping it, feeling his stomach tingle in the slightest. This will probably be the only thing he drinks tonight because he’s pretty much a lightweight when it comes to any sort of alcohol. Maybe he’ll try to find Minseok and get him drunk instead. That’s always a fun time and he definitely needs the distraction because thoughts of pale peach eyes and gentle touches begin slipping into his mind.

He weaves his way through the crowd again with his soju in hand, this time searching for Minseok.

part v