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Seokjin's never surprised when Jungkook finds him, no matter where on the base he is. After all these years training together, Seokjin's got sort of a sixth sense for Jungkook's whereabouts, too. For all the boys in their squad, really, but Jungkook most of all.
It's one of their rare afternoons off. Seokjin spent a few hours working out before he came out here to the edge of the grounds, behind the generators and almost to the barriers keeping them inside and everything else on the planet out.
He's lying on a blanket and staring up at the sky. Jungkook plops down next to him without a word, nudging Seokjin until he makes room for Jungkook, too. There's not really enough room on the blanket for two grown men, but it's certainly bigger than the pods in the dormitory, and Jungkook's been climbing into Seokjin's there a few nights a week since he was a kid. Seokjin's used to sharing their space.
"What are we looking at?" Jungkook says, resting his head against Seokjin's shoulder.
Seokjin raises his arm and points. "That star over there, up to the right?"
"Yeah?"
"Namjoon says that's Sol. It's only gonna be visible another few weeks or so, and then it'll be gone for months."
"Oh," Jungkook says. He doesn't sound that interested, which doesn't surprise Seokjin. Jungkook doesn't miss Earth the way the rest of them do. It's true that he was younger when he left, barely even a teenager yet, but you'd think he was a baby instead the way he talks about it sometimes. Like he doesn't remember it at all. Like his life didn't start until he arrived here.
"I think Namjoon-hyung's mad at me," Jungkook says.
Seokjin scoffs. "Namjoon's never been mad at you in his life."
"He was tutoring me on xeno-lang again but he kicked me out because he said I had been slacking off."
"Just do what I do," Seokjin says. "If we need to communicate and Namjoon's not around to do it, just smile and get by on our good looks and charm."
Jungkook sighs. "I hate not being good at things. It's no fun."
Seokjin does not say: Like you know what it's like not to be good at things. He does not say: None of this is supposed to be fun.
It was an honor to get chosen for this program. It was elite, highly demanding, dangerous. Seokjin's still not entirely sure how he got in; he'd thrown together his application almost on a whim, to challenge himself, but he hadn't expected it to go anywhere. He had plans for a whole different life already started, but then--
He only barely made it in the age restrictions. He hadn't understood clearly then why teenagers, but he gets it now. Any older and it wouldn't be as easy to pick things up, learn and adapt. Get through these years of training and studying and still be at their peak, have so much time to work ahead of them.
And maybe most of all, the squad bond. Your squadmates will be closer to family than you, the directors had told them the first day at initiation, closer than brothers. You'll know each other better than you think it's possible to know a person, and Seokjin had looked around at the six other boys in the room and had thought there wasn't a chance.
The first time Jungkook had crawled into Seokjin's pod had been two days later, sniffling about something or another until Seokjin cuddled him and told him shaggy dog stories until he fell asleep. Jungkook cried a lot then, those first few months. Now, Seokjin hasn't seen him cry in years.
So, sure. If Jungkook thinks all of this is fun, all the better. The grand ploy worked: Seokjin loves Jungkook, loves all of these kids, too much to resent it much or be jealous.
Jungkook shifts a little, and there's the sound of a bag opening. Seokjin turns his head to the side to see Jungkook's jaw moving as he chews, and he automatically opens his own mouth for a portion of whatever Jungkook has. Jungkook doesn't hesitate, leaning over to feed him.
The taste of candy spreads across Seokjin's tongue. He sucks the sweet up against the roof of his mouth and makes a loud noise, pleased and surprised in equal measures.
"Where did you get this? It's been months!"
Jungkook grins, looking smug. "The kitchen staff just made a special batch for the celebration next week. They slipped me a few when I asked, because I'm their favorite."
"Excuse me?" Seokjin demands, outraged, as he sits up. He pokes a finger into Jungkook's chest. "You are not their favorite. I am their favorite, I have always been their favorite, the highlight of their lives is when I stop by to flirt with them and help out. What kind of an ungrateful boy are you to spread such blatant lies, Jungkook!"
His pokes get harder and his voice gets louder and higher-pitched as he talks, and he only stops when Jungkook's laughing so hard Seokjin's honestly slightly worried he might choke on his own candy. When Jungkook rolls onto his stomach, off the blanket and onto the dusty ground, Seokjin moves his attack to slapping the backs of jungkook's thighs instead.
He's expecting it when Jungkook strikes back, launching himself up and into Seokjin's body, but Jungkook still manages to catch him slightly off balance. They wrestle, rolling around together on the ground for a bit, but they're too evenly matched and know each other too well for either of them to gain an advantage. After a minute they silently agree to stop and roll apart.
All of their clothing is disgusting, covered in dust, exactly what Seokjin had sought to avoid with the blanket.
"You made me lose my candy, too," Seokjin says. When he runs his fingers through his hair, it makes him sneeze.
"I have more," Jungkook says. "They gave me a lot. They said to bring them to all my friends."
"Yeah?"
"Especially their most handsome cadet, they said." Jungkook grins. "I think they're going to miss us."
"Of course they're going to miss us," Seokjin says. "Everyone's going to miss us."
He stands up, wipes at his thighs for all the good it does, and stretches. He looks at Jungkook, who's still on his back staring up at the sky, limbs spread out around him like a starfish.
Seokjin steps over him, so he has a leg on either side of Jungkook's waist and can look straight down at his face. Jungkook peers up at him suspiciously. Seokjin wears his most innocent expression as he kneels down to straddle him.
"Jungkook," Seokjin says. "Are you nervous about next week? Are you scared?"
All these years of training, and finally their first mission. Going off on their own into the unknown and putting all of this finally to the test. They're getting afternoons off and special treats and a basewide celebration to send them off, and that's all nice, but this is it. This is what they've been training for all this time.
You'd have to be an idiot not to be a little afraid, wouldn't you? Seokjin knows his squad well enough to see the nerves in all of them, mixed with excitement and dread and anticipation. But Jungkook…
Jungkook blinks up at him like--well, like he's speaking xeno-lang and Jungkook hasn't studied. "Scared?" he repeats. "What would I be scared for? I have you guys."
Seokjin huffs in his breath, feeling truly impossibly fond. He leans in and kisses Jungkook, quick and gone again before Jungkook can kiss back. "You're an idiot child," he says, patting his hand lightly against Jungkook's cheek.
Jungkook frowns--pouts, really, and Seokjin recognizes his own expression somewhere in it. "You can't just kiss me and call me names."
"Can't I?"
"Come on, hyung," Jungkook says. He's doing the wide-eyed thing that works on everybody, and he's moved his hands up to rest warm and gentle on Seokjin's thighs.
It would be funnier by far, Seokjin thinks, to just stand up right now and head for the blanket and the abandoned candy without another word--but there's enough sincere emotion in Jungkook's eyes that he can't quite make himself do it. Instead he gives in, leaning back over to give Jungkook another soft kiss. And another one, and another after that, until his rumbling stomach informs him that it must be quickly approaching dinner time.
Seokjin stands, dragging Jungkook up with him. Jungkook's scowling a little, obviously ready to argue again in favor of more kissing, but his expression shifts immediately when Seokjin explains his reason.
"Oh, food?" Jungkook says, tugging on Seokjin's hand. "Let's go."
"What would you do without me?" Seokjin shakes his head. He releases Jungkook's hand to gather up the blanket. Jungkook helps him fold it up neatly and then takes it to carry himself, as if the great weight of the fabric is too much of a burden for Seokjin to bear, and he's doing him a chivalrous favor. Obviously it isn't and he's not, but Seokjin allows him to do it anyway.
"The bigger question, hyung," Jungkook says, raising his chin in the air, "is what would you do without m ?"
"Get a lot more peace and quiet, for one," Seokjin says, letting a longing note enter his tone. "Fewer headaches."
Jungkook snickers beside him, just as Seokjin expected him to.
"Don't be so cocky," Seokjin says. "I could still trade you in."
"Nope," Jungkook says happily. "You're mine. My Jin-hyung. And I'm yours, too. You're stuck with me."
He's not wrong--not from a practical standpoint and not from an emotional one either. Jungkook knows exactly how loved he is. Seokjin's happy for that, too, as much as he's happy for the fun he has and the worries he doesn't.
"Yeah, yeah," Seokjin says, knocking his shoulder lightly against Jungkook's. "Let's hurry up to the dining hall before the others only leave us scraps."
Jungkook immediately breaks out into a run, which Seokjin probably ought to have seen coming.
"I didn't mean like that!" he protests, laughing, but he starts running too, racing against Jungkook across the dusty ground of the base to meet their squadmates.