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Bae Jinyoung is undoubtedly the most complex of beings to have ever existed across the cosmos. With luminous, milky skin resembling the galaxy he resides in and gleaming blue eyes specked with stardust, he is most definitely the physical embodiment of timeless beauty. Jinyoung is after all, guardian of the Pistol Star, a blue hyper-giant luminary that shines the brightest amongst the other lights in the night sky.
There is no greater duty than to be the guardian of one of the greatest stars in the galaxy. His position was attained through endless amounts of hard work, a near perfect record of task completions and several sacrifices made on his part. Recognising his capabilities and dedication, the heavens had granted him with the abilities and intellect necessary to protect not only the massive star but also the Quintuplet Cluster it belongs to. Needless to say, Jinyoung has much to take care of.
Which is why when he finds himself weighed down by gravity on cool, wet blades of grass and the inky curtain of the night stretching endlessly above him, Jinyoung is confused beyond belief. He tries to move his aching limbs, sending as much energy as he can muster from the tips of his calloused and now muddied fingers to the very ends of his bare feet, but to no avail. The only thing he registers before a blanket of darkness covers his eyes is a blurred figure clutching the back of his neck and the swirling and twirling of the stars he was once amongst mocking him from above.
The light casted from the moon shines a silver glow on the man's face, highlighting his striking features and perfectly symmetrical bone structure. Daehwi would have been tricked into thinking that the stranger was just an ordinary man with too much to drink if it wasn't for the way he had watched his blue eyes spark before fading into a colour of deep sienna, passing out in his arms immediately after. The speckled gold in the man's eyes were not just reflective of the night sky. Instead, they were iridescent, emitting light and glowing from within. It shocked Daehwi to watch eyes that once contained the colours of the oceans and skies dull into such an earthy colour.
He gingerly brushes the strands of hair that clings to the stranger's forehead, the colour a deep brown that contrasted the streaks of gold in his hair. A gasp slips past Daehwi's lips when he sees a deep cut running from the ridge of the man's brow to his cheek, now spotted with dried blood. He gently shifts the man's body onto his back, summoning all of the strength that he has in him to heave the unconscious man over his shoulders before beginning his hurried trek back home.
If anyone had told Daehwi that he would be sitting by his bed tending to an injured stranger, he would have laughed and brushed it off as a joke, but here he is, warm towel in hand as he gently dabs at the man's cheek. He moves to rinse the towel in the basin of fresh water when the door to his room creaks open, revealing Park Woojin with a tired smile on his face.
"How's he doing?" Woojin asks, stepping through the door and settling in the chair beside his desk. "It looks like he has been out for awhile."
Daehwi turns to look at him while folding the towel into a rectangular shape, sighing softly, "His temperature is a little too low for my liking, but he seems to be doing fine other than that."
The brown haired boy hums in response and leans back into his seat, eyes fluttering close as Daehwi turns back to attend to the stranger. A wave of guilt washes over him when he glances at the clock hung up on his wall, hands pointing at two in the morning.
It must have been a shock to the rest of the house when he stumbled through the front door lugging a man covered in mud and dirt right before dinner was to commence. Jisung had immediately put down his plate, yelling for the rest of the guys to come down before rushing over to assist him in carrying the man. Sungwoon had met the both of them at the bottom of the stairwell, taking over by carrying the limp figure up into Daehwi's room.
"Sorry for all of the trouble," Daehwi mutters, twiddling his thumbs as he stares down at his lap. "You should probably go get some rest now."
Woojin chuckles softly before standing up from his seat, yawning in exhaustion. He reaches over to pat Daehwi on the head before saying, "It's no big deal, kid. If you need anything, you know where to find me."
Daehwi flashes a thumbs up in acknowledgement and watches as Woojin slips out of the room. He turns back to the man lying on his bed, who looks too much like an angel to be a human being, but he shrugs the thought off and moves to place the basin on top of his desk.
Even though sleep is threatening to increase its weight on his eyelids, Daehwi still remains at his spot beside the mysterious stranger, thinking. There are so many questions that plague his mind; who is this man, where did he come from and what should be done when he finally wakes up? Yet another sigh escapes his lips as he adjusts the comforter covering the man before resting his head on the bed, succumbing to a deep sleep.
Nine in the morning is when Daehwi finally receives the answers to some of his questions and it comes in the form of a startled shout before strong arms push him off the bed and onto the floor. Footsteps thunder down the hallway and his door swings open, revealing both Sungwoon and Jisung standing behind it looking absolutely confused.
"Who are you?!" The man hisses as he bunches up the comforter in his fists, "Where have you taken me, mortal."
Daehwi's face pulls into a slight frown as he stands from his position on the floor, crossing both arms in front of his chest. A brief amount of shock and a thank you following after was what he was expecting, not an attitude like the one he received just now. He huffs before inching away from the stranger, understanding that if he was to wake up in a random room full of people he doesn't know, he would freak out too. He takes a step back to give him more space, teeth tugging at his lower lip as he glances at Jisung, whose head was tilted to the side in question.
"My friend here found you lying unconscious in the fields." The oldest of the house says, stepping into the room. "He brought you home and spent the entire night tending to your wounds. I do believe that he deserves a name and an explanation at least."
Jinyoung shifts his gaze from the two men to Daehwi, taking in his pursed lips and tired eyes. He was ready to bolt when he woke up to a face so close to his and worst of all, a mere mortal that didn't feel pain from being so close to him. It is impossible for humans to come into such close range without being attacked by the amount of energy he was, or at least think he was, emitting. He shoves the terrifying idea of losing his powers to the back of his mind, too frazzled to even begin to think about it.
Daehwi bounces from foot to foot anxiously. He has never liked being stared at so openly, even more so when it seems to be more of a glare he is at the receiving end of. He flinches when the man reaches out a hand, hesitantly prodding at his arm with his finger. The stranger retracts his hand quickly after letting it linger for a few seconds, a look of disbelief on his face as his mouth falls open slightly into the shape of an 'o'. Daehwi then watches in curiosity as the man quickly composes himself, pushing the comforter away as his chapped lips press together into a tight line.
"My name is Bae Jinyoung and I," he seems to hesitate for a moment, eyes pressing shut as he takes a deep breath before continuing, "guard the Pistol Star of the Quintuplet Cluster."
A thick blanket of silence envelopes the room and Daehwi's eyes widen at the strange confession. Is the man drunk? Did he hit his head too hard when he fell and lost all sense of rational thinking? The guardians have always been a myth among those in his generation, nothing but mere stories that have been passed down by the elders and storytellers on the streets. Having been born into the age of technology and machinery, the guardians have always been played off as fantasies and a work of one's imagination, not beings that exist among them.
Daehwi vaguely remembers the stories his grandmother used to tell him of the stars that graced the skies. At the innocent age of five, he had once pointed at the stars and traced them to form constellations of his own, before he was corrected and told the proper names given to them. His grandmother had told him the names of the guardians that protected the gleaming balls of light, imparting her knowledge of the Big Dipper and the Ursa Major to him amongst the other important beings residing in the sky above. Daehwi grew up entertaining her beliefs in the impossible, having been convinced by the theories of scientists who claim that shooting stars are merely tiny bits of dust and rock, that the guardians do not exist.
He is sure that everyone else is as confused as he is until he turns to see Sungwoon excitedly stumbling into the room, a look of awe and respect on his face. Daehwi shuffles to the side and watches as Sungwoon clasps his hands together, mouth opening and closing with no words leaving it.
"Wow," Sungwoon finally speaks, "I once met a guardian when I was seven and everyone told me they weren't real but I clearly remember and- Wow."
Daehwi scoffs in disbelief, "Are you serious?" He brings a hand up to his face, shaking his head, "Guardians aren't real."
Jinyoung's eyes snap up to meet Daehwi's in a death glare and he clenches his jaw at the blatant disrespect of his status. He does not know why he was dropped onto Earth with no explanation and recollection of what happened to him, but he will not stand for any form of disrespect. He opens his mouth to berate the mortal, only to be hit by a wave of immense pain. A dull throb echoes in his brain and his vision stars to bur, the hues of blue on the walls of the room he was in starts to swirl like oil and paint on canvas.
"Shit." Daehwi curses, and immediately scrambles forward to catch Jinyoung's head before the man can fall backwards and hit the wall. He studies Jinyoung's scrunched up features as his breathing begins to quicken. Short gasps of air are taken in as the man in his arms struggles to stay conscious, and just as everyone thinks that he would pass out, Jinyoung's eyes snap open and he shoots up in Daehwi's arms.
Jinyoung's shoulders are shaking when he glances up at Daehwi, unshed tears glistening in his eyes. He collapses into the crook of Daehwi's neck, repeatedly muttering, "They took it. God, they took it from me."
Amidst the chaos, Jisung had ran to the kitchen and returned with a glass of water. He gently taps on Jinyoung's shoulder, watching as the guardian shakes his head in response, too overwhelmed to do anything. Jisung sighs at the sight, placing the glass of water Daehwi's desk before ushering Sungwoon out of the room, deciding that perhaps, the guardian needed some space.
"Do you need me to go? I can give you some alone time." Daehwi suggests, moving away slightly only to be pulled back.
Daehwi has been up for two hours now but none of his questions have been answered, all he knows is the man's name and that guardians are supposedly real and do exist, but where does he even go from here on out? He decides to just focus his attention on comforting Jinyoung, fingers stroking his hair as he waits for him to calm down. The man had stopped shaking awhile ago and only the slight sniffle of his nose can be heard. Gently rubbing circles into the small of his back to relax him, Daehwi patiently waits for Jinyoung to calm down enough to tell him what happened and why he started panicking the way he did.
Finally, JInyoung slowly pushes himself away from Daehwi's hold and speaks so softly that it's almost a whisper, "They completely drained me, my energy, that is, and they took Jihoon's too."
"You're going to have to be more specific, Jinyoung." Daehwi tells him, holding one of his hands to provide some form of comfort as the man recounted everything that he could remember.
If Jinyoung thought that the weight of gravity was heavy and suffocating, reality was ten times of that, and he feels the world he once thought he understood shatter under its weight. When the pain had hit him the first time, flashes of memory entered his stream of consciousness and he recalled hearing the disturbance in the still air of the galaxy before it came barrelling into his side. The growl that ripped from the creature's throat before it swiped a spiked fist at Jinyoung's face was something that echoed in his mind before the memory snapped to another of Jihoon running towards him, trails of yellow and pink following his path.
He heard nothing, the loud noises around him thinning to a slight buzz in his ears as he watched comrade after comrade explode into clouds of dust. Jinyoung remembers Jihoon crouching over him, hands cradling his face as he spoke words that Jinyoung could not register and understand. Then as quick as he came, the older guardian was flung away from him and off the edge of the galaxy, plummeting into the dark depths of the universe, to Earth. Jinyoung had tried his hardest to run to the fallen guardian, but was pinned by the foot of the creature as it snarled at him, striking him with yet another blow.
"That's the last thing I remember," Jinyoung continues, "before I started falling over the side when the creature kicked me off like- Jihoon!"
The man sits up so fast and with such force that Daehwi almost falls off the bed and he watches as Jinyoung stumbles out of the room, rushing down the hallway. Daehwi follows suit and finds him in the living room, trying to unlock the front door.
"Jinyoung, please calm down." Jisung says, leaving his bowl of cereal on the coffee table and making his way over to the panicking man.
Jinyoung releases a shaky breath and blurts out, "Another guardian, Jihoon- He fell off the same side I did, he must be here somewhere." His hands reach out to clutch Jisung's shoulders, struggling to word his plea for help.
Sobs wrack through his body as he uttered the word 'please' again and again, and Jisung places a hand on his shoulder in assurance, agreeing to help him find his fellow comrade. Daehwi stares at the scene unfolding before him, now joined by Woojin who was stunned into silence at his side.
"We need to head back out to the fields," Jisung turns to Woojin, who nods in understanding and rushes to get ready, "and you need to lead us back to where you found Jinyoung."
A slight nod of Daehwi's head is enough to send Jisung out of the living room and into his where he begins to pack whatever he deemed necessary for the trip out. Hopefully, it won't take too long of a time to find the other guardian, if they do even find him at all. Daehwi watches the hunched figure on the couch, eyes softening at how vulnerable and worried he looks before deciding to lead him back into his room.
Daehwi reaches out to pull Jinyoung into a hug, "I don't know how it works up there, but down here, hugs can be really comforting."
Jinyoung's lips curve into a faint smile as he looks up at Daehwi, laughter spilling from his lips, "The older guardians used to come down here a lot, so they tell us a lot of things. Everyone up there," Jinyoung points upwards, "is quite familiar with how you mortals live."
"Used to?" Daehwi questions, as the both of them listen to the ruffling of bags outside the door and the gentle whoosh of the afternoon breeze.
His question is met with a slight hum for an answer but Daehwi doesn't probe any further, satisfied with the comfortable silence that settles between the both of them. The rays of the early afternoon sun filters through his curtains, basking the room in a gentle, golden glow, and he can't help but think about how it resembles the specks of gold in Jinyoung's eyes before they dulled.
The field stretches before the five of them like a painting, a swathe of greens and browns with a dash of yellow from the gleaming light of the sun. Jinyoung is almost fooled by how beautiful the place looks before he remembers the intentions behind this revisit, and his face falls again. He follows as Daehwi ploughs through the tussocks of grass, a sheen of sweat coating his forehead as all of them trudge past the rustling expanse of green to the spot beneath a large tree.
"This is where I found you," Daehwi tells Jinyoung and turns to Jisung expectantly, "so what do we do now?"
Everyone watches as Jisung scours the ground for any hints of Jinyoung's fall, brushing his fingers slightly against the surface, only to come up with nothing. Sungwoon moves to check around the area as well, shaking his head in disappointment when he returns. It did rain last night after they left, so perhaps the rain washed off any marks from Jinyoung's fall.
Jinyoung is silent as he stares at the spot that he was found at, remembering the feeling of blades of grass tickling the back of his neck and the sweet scent of nature that did anything but calm him. He was told by the older guardians that mother nature is comforting and serene, and he wishes that he can go back and tell his friends the same.
Going back... It all seems so foreign now, an idea that is barely out of reach and one that he can only hope for and stare at from afar. Never in his life has he ever dreamed of a moment like this, but now that this fate has befallen him, there is nothing that he can do but accept it and try to find his way back. Jinyoung feels anger inching its way up to overwhelm him but he shakes the negative thoughts out of his head, refocusing his attention to Jihoon and where they can find him.
"Knowing Jihoon, he probably moved further in to hide himself. I doubt that he can travel far if he is injured from his fall." Jinyoung tells the group, who all nod in agreement before the five of them decide to continue on into the fields.
Daehwi is the last to follow and starts to turn away from the tree until slight movement in the bushes catches his attention. His eyes narrow in suspicion and he tugs at Sungwoon's sleeve, nodding his head in the direction of the movement in the area. A finger is brought up to his lips as a gesture for the rest to stay quiet as Daehwi steps quietly towards the tree before darting around it quickly, making eye contact with a pair of warm, brown eyes before a man falls out onto the grass. A shriek of surprise tears from the stranger's throat as he falls to the ground, hands coming up to shield his face.
Dishevelled hair the colour of garish brass obscure the man's eyes and Daehwi steps back cautiously so as to not alarm him. He opens his mouth to call for Jinyoung and the other two that went ahead before someone shoots past him. Jinyoung rushes forward and falls to his knees as he pulls the man sitting on the muddied ground into a tight hug. Tears spill down the man's cheek, who Daehwi assumes must be Jihoon, as he trembles in Jinyoung's hold. Daehwi can only look down at his shoes as he lets them find solace in their reunion.
A few minutes pass before Woojin steps forward to tap Jinyoung on the shoulder. "We should go back to the house and care for your friend." He says, pointing towards the direction they came from.
Jinyoung nods and stands up, sticking a hand out to help pull Jihoon to his feet. The latter stumbles a little and Jinyoung wraps his fingers around the older guardian's wrist, pulling his arm over his shoulders to support him on the walk back. Jihoon immediately slumps against his side and Daehwi hurries forward to take a hold of his other arm, placing it around his shoulders as well.
The three of them trail behind the rest as Jisung leads the way back the house and Jinyoung releases a sigh of relief at the finding of Jihoon, but he knows that he cannot let his guard down, not with knowing how chaotic the galaxy must be at the moment without proper protection. His thoughts are interrupted by a grunt from Jihoon, both him and Daehwi turning to look at him in surprise and concern.
"Thank you for finding me Jinyoung and..." Jihoon trails off and looks at Daehwi with tired eyes, so he fills in the blank for him with a laugh and his name.
"Daehwi..." Jihoon smiles, cheeks pulling up and eyes creasing into tiny crescent moons. "That's a beautiful name."
The return trip is faster this time with the help of Jisung and the rest of the house. Sungwoon immediately hands a glass of water to everyone as Jinyoung and Daehwi gently place Jihoon down onto the couch, positioning a cushion under the guardian's head to make him feel a tad bit more comfortable.
Jisung and Woojin busy themselves with finishing the preparation for dinner and Daehwi excuses himself to his bedroom, head still spinning from the events that have happened in the past twenty-four hours. It seems so surreal to have two mystical beings thought to be merely figments of people's imaginations be in the house, much less save them from who knows what.
As he fights the ongoing battle of logic and theories in his head, Jinyoung takes the time to sink down onto the couch and study his surroundings, a protective hand still resting on Jihoon's arm. The house carries a warmth that strangely calms him, with wooden floorboards matched with cream walls decorated with pictures of the people in the house. A long, polished table sits in the centre of the room, originally set for four but now had six sets of cutlery placed on it. Jinyoung has no idea what the mortals are cooking on the stoves but he sniffs in the savoury smell of food and smiles in satisfaction. His eyes then travel up the rounded banister of the stairs and his focus is directed to Daehwi.
Jinyoung remembers the look of surprise on his face and the determined expression that followed after as Daehwi looked after him with so much care and concern that it physically hurt him to decipher what the warm feeling blooming in his chest meant. A word finds its way to the tip of his tongue but he shoves it back down, deciding that he doesn't know enough of it to assume. He recalls the way Daehwi's lips were pursed in concentration when he woke up to him that morning, and the fire in his eyes when he had led everyone back to where he was found. Jinyoung then thinks back to when he held his hands so tightly with his small ones, and the gentle touch of Daehwi's fingertips against his back when he rubbed tiny circles to calm him down.
He decides to settle his whirlwind of emotions with the conclusion of it being solely gratitude and glances down at the sleeping face of Jihoon to think about something else. Jinyoung has other things to worry about, and thinking about a mere mortal won't help him solve the chaos erupting in the skies.
He prods at Jihoon's forehead to wake him up when Woojin places plates of steaming food on the table and the older guardian sits up from his position with a groan, body aching from the overexertion during the night.
"That's the well deserved rest I needed," Jihoon smiles and rubs the sleep out of his eyes, "time for some good old mortal food."
Both of them glance up at the stairwell when Daehwi steps out of his room and makes his way down the stairs. Jihoon tilts his head to the side in curiosity, lips curving into a sly smile when he recognises the look in Jinyoung's eyes.
They make their way to the table and settle down in empty seats. Daehwi cheers in excitement when he sees that Jisung made one of his favourite dishes. It has been hours since he had last eaten and heaven forbid him from stuffing his face with food. Jinyoung watches as the young man spoons a large serving of food onto his plate, eyes gleaming in excitement, and he smiles at the sight.
"I made dishes that are easy on the taste buds in case either of you might be uncomfortable with mortal food." Jisung says as Woojin serves some stew in a bowl to Jinyoung and Jihoon's bowl with a large spoon.
Jinyoung bows his head in gratitude and fiddles with his cutlery, thumbing the cool metal that rests against his skin. He watches Jihoon start to comfortably shovel food into his mouth and decides to follow suit, also suddenly remembering how the older guardian has been down once before with Minhyun, and he wonders how the guardian of the Alkaid, leader of the Big Dipper stars is doing with the unwelcomed guests in their home.
He is distracted by his thoughts when Daehwi places something in his bowl and he looks up at him with a shy smile gracing his features. "Thank you," he mumbles, "you should eat too."
Laughter bubbles from Jihoon's lips as he comments, "He sure is eating. Probably ate the most out of all of us."
His statement induces laughter and everyone starts to tease Daehwi for his large appetite, and Jinyoung notes how his cheeks and ears turn a little red whenever he gets shy or embarrassed.
Daehwi huffs at the comment and stuffs his mouth with yet another piece of diced beef, "I'm still growing, I need all of the food that I can get okay?"
The conversation at the table then picks up and Jinyoung can't help but welcome the happiness and warmth that came with the foreign concept of a family. Sure, his comrades are all close to one another, having lived in the same space for years, but most of the time they work alone in their respective areas.
Jinyoung spends the rest of dinner trying new delicacies and learning new things about mortals that the galaxy doesn't offer, listening to the tinkling of laughter as Jihoon and Woojin crack yet another joke together. He also can't help but stare at Daehwi, whose large appetite had brought him to the kitchen for his fourth serving. Sitting back, he lets the feelings of happiness and satisfaction soak him down to his bones.
When the night comes in the form of a midnight black canvas painted with complex configurations of light, Jinyoung finds himself in Daehwi's room once again, deciding that the room is the place he is most comfortable in. He stares out of the window and up at the sky. The beauty of it from his perspective below almost fools him again, but the constant shimmering of the stars reminds him of the problems unresolved. He shuts his eyes at the thought of his fellow guardians exploding at the hands of the unknown creatures and a stray tear rolls down his cheek.
He feels his heart clench as he remembers the face of the fallen, feeling a sense of guilt that the supposed strongest of all guardians could do nothing but fall down to Earth powerless and hopeless.
Bae Jinyoung, guardian of the Pistol Star is nothing but a joke, shot down in the very space he had sworn to protect.
As much as he tries to hold them in, tears once again find their way down the slops of his cheeks, to the edge of his quivering lips and down onto the familiar comforter spread on the bed. He feels so alone, so weak, and he wishes that he can just disappear into the dark of the night like a gust of wind sweeping past the blades of grass that he was found on.
Just then, the door to the room opens and Daehwi steps in with a cup of warm honey. Jinyoung immediately wipes his tears away and the younger man rushes over to him as fast as he can, seeing the familiar figure huddled by the side of the window.
"Oh, Jinyoung." Daehwi sighs and pulls him into a tight hug, patting Jinyoung's head as he sobs into his chest unceasingly; hands clutching the ends of Daehwi's woollen sweater.
The guardian lets a bitter laugh fall from his lips and he thinks about how he is once again, finding solace in a mere mortal's arms. No being of the galaxy should be this weak and Jinyoung has always prided himself in his ability to stay strong regardless of the situation, but he has no idea where to go from here, without his powers, without direction and without his star.
Daehwi pulls away from him and wipes the glistening tears that fall from Jinyoung's eyes, offering the man a small smile. "It's okay to cry you know, you're not weak for doing so." He tries cracking a joke to lighten the mood. "Besides, Woojin cries all the time when he watches movies."
"It's not okay for me to be weak, I'm a sorry excuse for a guardian." Jinyoung whispers and closes his eyes, head dropping in shame.
Daehwi sighs and drops his hands onto his lap, turning to look at the star filled sky as he words his response carefully. "Everyone, mortal or not, has a limit to their strength. That includes you, Jinyoung." The guardian looks up at the sound of his name. "What you can do from here on out is not wallow in self pity, but get out there and find a way back home."
Jinyoung's eyes widen in shock as Daehwi continues, "I'm here- We are all here to help you, so you need to get out of that rut of yours and help yourself too."
His eyes hold such sincerity and promise that Jinyoung can't help but allow himself to believe in those words. He gazes into Daehwi's eyes that seem to glimmer like the stars and there's a pang in his chest when he remembers how his eyes have lost their specks of gold, but Daehwi is right. Whining about his sorrows won't get him anywhere, and Bae Jinyoung will be damned if he allows himself to succumb to this terrible fate.
Jinyoung finally allows his face to relax into a smile and basks in the warmth of Daehwi's body at their close proximity. Is this feeling in his chest what mortals call love? He knows what love is, it is written in the books that love is a force of nature that cannot be comprehended, but how then do beings know that they have fallen in love? He feels his heartbeat quicken, and he silently freaks out at how affected he is.
"Daehwi?" Jinyoung mumbles, peeking at the young man from underneath his lashes. "Is this what you mortals call... Love?"
Daehwi stares at him in what he assumes must be surprise and watches as his eyes widen to the size of planets before the man bursts out in laughter.
"No, Jinyoung, we are far from being in love. I mean, we just met." Daehwi tells him, placing the tip of his index finger to the guardian's forehead before pushing him away. "Although if you continue, I might start developing a tiny crush on you."
Jinyoung jumps back and raises both arms in defence, squeaking out, "Heavens no, crush?! Please don't crush me, it was just a question! I-"
"No silly, I won't crush you." Daehwi giggles before he purses his lips in thought, "I might just develop a strong liking towards you?"
Jinyoung eyes him with scepticism before relaxing onto the palms of his hands he rests on the bed, he sure does hope that Daehwi won’t actually try to crush him. He has had enough of brutal impact to last a million light years. At the sight of his face scrunching up in laughter, Jinyoung can’t help but allow himself to chuckle along, finding peace in the night as he leaves the bulk of his problems to the next morning. Both him and Daehwi are so caught up in their conversation that neither of them notice the door to the room gently shut.
Jihoon steps away from it and walks down the hallway, thinking to himself about how that may have not been love, but it was most definitely the beginning of it.
Love, Jinyoung realises, comes in various forms, just like the constellations set in the sky and the complexity of the galaxies. The second spark of love comes on the fourteenth day of his stay on Earth, when Daehwi lies beside him with his chin propped up in the palms of his hands.
Jinyoung had overexerted his body trying to reignite the dormant energy returned to him by Minhyun earlier on in the day. The leader of the Big Dipper had managed to find his way down to the two stray guardians amidst the chaos above with pendants of energy from their respective stars.
“Even though the both of you have been sapped, not all hope is lost.” Minhyun had said with a soft smile on his face. “Find the energy within you once again, I know the both of you can do it.”
That was all he said before the guardian of the Alkaid zapped his way up in a burst of light to resume his position at his post. He couldn’t stay for long knowing that the creatures still threatened the configurations of the galaxy. Even if the situation has calmed down slightly, it is still not safe to leave the stars without proper protection.
Jinyoung had bounded up the stairs and burst into Daehwi's room where he sat reading a book about the Ursa Major left behind by his grandmother, determined to at least be familiar with the beings he was trying to help. He squeaked in surprise when the man barrelled into his side with an oomph and listened as Jinyoung explained the happenings of his evening. Jinyoung then pulled him into a tight hug as he talked about how excited he was to finally be able to regain the energy he thought he lost.
The third time Jinyoung experiences love, he feels it blooming in his chest like a garden of flowers in the peak of summer. This one comes in bursts of energy, much resembling the return of his stardust, as he plants a light kiss on Daehwi's cheek. The younger man turns from his position behind the pan and stills when he registers how close he is to him, and before Daehwi can say anything, the guardian runs off with a cheeky grin on his face.
Later he realises that it is something Jihoon and Woojin had taught him, of course it was the both of them. Those two have been inseparable ever since they started to get along over dinner and they had anything but good ideas. Daehwi smiles as he thinks about how Jihoon is most definitely living up to his name as guardian of the sun. He is spontaneous and exploding with energy, and with the return of his stardust came a more vibrant shade of orange that lit the strands of his hair.
Following that incident, Jinyoung makes sure to always plant a kiss on Daehwi's cheek when he leaves with Jihoon to practice controlling his bolts of energy and when he returns from a long day at the fields. Daehwi always tries to shy away, a light pink tinging his cheeks and both Jisung and Sungwoon, who manage to see this display one day, send a knowing smile to each other before continuing their respective routines around the house.
Jinyoung never knew how happy love can make someone until Daehwi decides to return his affection in the form of a kiss of his own. It is the fourth spark of love that ignites a fire in Jinyoung's chest too warm and too irresistible to ignore as he leans in and kisses Daehwi full on the lips.
“Don’t tell me Jihoon and Woojin taught you this too.” Daehwi laughs as he rests his forehead against Jinyoung's, a chuckle leaving his lips.
A sheepish grin takes over Jinyoung's features as he softly admits to asking the both of them for help after he saw the older guardian watching a romance movie with the rest of the group in the living room. “They helped me, theoretically of course, no practical involved.” Jinyoung stutters, and Daehwi shuts him up with another kiss.
Daehwi giggles when Jinyoung finally pulls away from him with a satisfactory sigh. Jinyoung then decides that he might just need more of his kisses after seeing the goofy smile on Daehwi's face and leans in once again.
Jinyoung's introduction to the foreign feeling of love might have been beautiful, but there is pain in beauty and it hits him so hard that he takes days to finally accept it. The overwhelming happiness he feels when he finally manages to regain full control of his energy and zap up to the galaxy is short lived when he remembers Daehwi's face and the happiness he feels when he does even the most mundane of things like holding him.
He finally acknowledges that the impending goodbye is a part of love that he has to accept and when he breaks the news to Daehwi expecting a pain so sharp it pierces his chest, he is surprised by the calmness of his response and the promise of many more goodbyes, not just one.
Love is bitter sweet but Jinyoung knows that it can stretch above and beyond the very limits of the sky and into the star filled galaxies of the universe. He finds it in himself to pepper kisses all over Daehwi's face; starting from his forehead, to the tip of his nose, to both cheeks and lastly to his lips, decorating him with hints of his love like the specks of stardust and gold that found their way back to his now gleaming blue orbs a few days ago.
“You can always come back; this isn’t goodbye Jinyoung.” Daehwi tells him when he gets tugged into his chest.
Jinyoung hums and replies with a simple, “I know.”
The both of them soon learn that with love comes longing and many other side effects, some will leave Daehwi glancing up at the night sky wondering what Jinyoung is doing and the guardian fingering the promise ring on his little finger as he takes a break from the repairing of the constellations.
Jinyoung sighs as he sits down beside Jihoon on a star, glancing seemingly at his feet, but actually setting his sights on places far beyond the dimensions of space. The older guardian offers comfort with a light pat on his back before cracking a joke about how the colour of Jupiter reminds him of the lollipop Jisung had brought back home one day.
On that very same night, Jisung returns with bags of groceries to Daehwi napping on the couch, book about the Milky Way shielding his eyes from the fluorescent lights above. He nudges him awake and hands Daehwi a lollipop before taking one for himself out of the pack he placed on the table, now set only for four.
“I miss him.” Daehwi says, leaning his head against Jisung's shoulder as the oldest wipes a tear from his cheek.
He smiles and takes a hold of his hands, “I know, but waiting is part of the process, my dear.”
It takes three full months before Jinyoung can finally be released from his duties as guardian of the Pistol Star to make a quick visit down to Earth. He jumps up and down with excitement as he runs into Jihoon's back, sending the older man flying forwards into another guardian.
“Jihoon, I know I’m attractive but you’re not doing a very good job at showing your affection.” Seongwoo teases, before floating away with a flick of his hair.
Jinyoung offers Jihoon a sheepish grin as he runs to get the jar of stardust he collected for Daehwi to keep before the both of them zap down to Earth in a blinding beam of light.
When Daehwi opens the door at the incessant ringing of the doorbell, he was expecting Jisung or Sungwoon with one too many things to carry, not two familiar faces and the sudden surge of happiness in his chest.
Jinyoung throws his arms around Daehwi's trembling body and places his lips on his. He doesn’t know how else to tell him how much love he feels; how happy he is to be down here again. An awkward cough from Woojin breaks the both of them apart before everyone hunches over in laughter at the shocked gasp that leaves Jisung's lips as he runs down the stairs to envelope both Jihoon and Jinyoung in a hug.
All of them spend the night together as they did in the past, setting the table for six instead of just four that Daehwi had forced himself to grow accustomed to again during the past few months. The entire time, Jinyoung refuses to remove himself from Daehwi's side, constantly holding his hand or poking his cheek lightly.
The both of them sneak out into the fields when the night draws to a close and find themselves at the place where Daehwi first found the guardian. His fingers trace the ridges of the tree trunk and he turns to find Jinyoung staring at him with a glimmer in his eyes. Jinyoung takes hesitant steps towards him and pulls out the tiny jar filled with stardust from his pocket, reaching out to grasp Daehwi's hand before placing it onto his palm.
“You once mentioned how the gold specks in my eyes reminded you of the stars,” Jinyoung says, “so I brought you stardust from home.”
He nervously shifts his weight from foot to foot as Daehwi stares at the gift in his hands, Bae Jinyoung is truly something else. Every time Daehwi learns something new about him, it just makes him love him more with each passing day.
Daehwi looks up at him, eyes glistening with tears and whispers, “I love this so much, you have no idea how happy I am to be here with you and-”
His words are cut off by Jinyoung's lips on his and he intertwines their fingers. He pulls away from Daehwi a second too soon and he is about to lean in for another kiss when Jinyoung says three words that have him freezing in position.
“I love you,” Jinyoung murmurs, pressing a chaste kiss to his forehead. “I love you so much, more than you can even imagine. God, I love you.”
Love, Jinyoung realises, comes with promises and the fulfilment of them. And with that thought, he bids the love of his life goodbye with a lingering kiss that has Daehwi's eyes fluttering shut. Even though Daehwi knows that when he opens them, Jinyoung will no longer be in front of him, he knows that the guardian will fulfil his promise of returning home to him and that this isn’t the final goodbye. So Daehwi treks back to the house, jar of stardust in hand as he whispers an “I love you too” into the skies above.
Bae Jinyoung is undoubtedly the most complex of beings to have ever existed across the cosmos, but he is Daehwi's to unravel and love.