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Being pulled out the sea – or the closest thing that could resemble a sea – when your lungs agonised for some air, was indeed something Yoongi had never thought could resemble the feeling of being born. That moment of pure tension, in which the body tries to adapt to the changing scenery and loses protection from the womb, could be critical if not handled with care. The first cry in exchange of life; the fresh particles of oxygen that entered through the nostrils; the very first statement ever made by a man resembled the gasp that escaped from Yoongi's mouth at that very moment.
"Hyung!" he heard a broken screech but wasn't very sure from where it came. His eyes were covered by a thick, waxy substance that resembled seaweed. His arms were restricted from any movement. He did recognise the voice, however. A bright face popped into his mind the moment his ears caught the muffled word. The image of Jeongguk – his stellar companion – came across his covered orbs.
Yoongi tried to make his lips speak, utter any word or sound that could tell the other man he was listening. But not even that would this liquid allow him to do. He struggled and tried to wiggle his arms away from the strong, menacing, currents that tried to wash him away. But it was only when he found himself lying on some ice, or a body similar to this one, did Yoongi recover total control of himself.
"Jeongguk," he said quickly, pushing his back away from the ground and removing the alien plant from his face. His clothes were dripping under his suit, his helmet completely lost. He was glad, for once, that their spacecraft had chosen to crash on a planet that contained oxygen in its atmosphere. Otherwise, he would have encountered a doomed fate.
"Here. Hyung, I'm here," the same soft voice responded a second later. This time, Yoongi identified the source quickly and turned his head to it.
There, kneeling next to him, was Jeongguk; fellow space traveller and galactic lover. His head was exposed to the crude, cool air of the exoplanet as well. The solar shield was out of view, revealing the young astronaut's face painted with shock and concern. He released a rigid exhale and curled his arms around Yoongi's neck, bringing his head closer into a hug, "I was so scared, hyung. I thought... You weren't..."
"I'm okay, Gguk. Hyung is fine," Yoongi said, placing a hand behind his partner's body as he drew circles on his back, "Thank you, Ggukie."
If Yoongi had to count the many times he or Jeongguk had been staring at death in the face in the past years, he would not have had enough hands to illustrate these occurrences. Galactic travel, space voyages, had a cost. Many times, this one presented as life itself. Not ideal, but a known risk.
Yoongi and Jeongguk had been travelling together for longer than the two could remember. Time was relative and the travellers could never label the time they had spent with each other with mere years. They weren't even sure about their own ages when it came to the time system of their home; planet Earth in the Milky Way.
They had always spent their time in space, going from one planet to another; extracting rare rocks and minerals from alien, celestial bodies; exchanging these for the universal currency accepted across galaxies; exploring the cosmos and simply being with each other. Always with the other.
"Where are we, hyung?" Jeongguk's tiny voice asked moments later, the sound of an unidentified liquid – breaking on the shore of the ice beach in which they found themselves – resonated in the air.
"No clue," Yoongi said, removing his head from the other's chest and scanning the scenery around them. That was one of the things Yoongi enjoyed the most when he came across a new world.
Here, the sky was lilac in colour, similar to the sky on Earth when twilight arrives and the Moon is about to rise. What appeared to be clouds, – strange, unsymmetrical globules that imitated the wind patterns as seen in Van Gogh's Starry Night – were coloured midnight blue. The alien ocean in which their bodies ended up submerged was silver and shiny. Similar to the physical properties of melted magnesium with the density of water, this one was. Yoongi made a mental note to not try to drink it. Although his body appeared to be fine after making contact with the mysterious water-like solution, he preferred to not take the risk. Even the solid in which he rested had to be treated with care. Rather than elements condensed in an array of atoms, the two voyagers could be lying on the spine of an extraterrestrial animal. The times this had occurred in the past could almost be thought as comical.
"If I remember well, we still were in galaxy Andromeda. 18 lighting years away from the closest space station."
Jeongguk sighed.
"I told you to not fly so close to this planet," the younger astronaut said, a pout visible on his lips and eyes as big as a deer's. Yoongi apologised, caressing one humid cheek and, later, placing against Jeongguk's lips a light kiss, "How are we supposed to get out of here?"
"134340 will find us," Yoongi said, letting his back hit the icy substance one again. His eyes now stared at the purple sky.
"I still can't believe you named our spaceship after Pluto."
"We've already been through this, Gguk-ah. Pluto deserves recognition," was what Yoongi said at hearing such a comment, which made the younger one scoff.
It was curious. Yoongi wasn't able to spot the source of light that fed this strange place... He was still gazing at the sky.
"Will it have enough fuel to regenerate?" Jeongguk asked then, talking about their vehicle. This was one of the special qualities the spaceship possessed. Due to Yoongi's reckless driving, and accidents he had experienced in the past (too many to count), he had decided to add this feature to his ship. It allowed the vehicle to repair damages, at most, in three hours. Nanotechnology was Yoongi's best friend when it came to this type of situations.
"I think so. It should be fine."
"Even if it's at the bottom of whatever this thing might be?" Jeongguk continued to question, now pointing at the silver liquid in front of them. This one now laid completely still. Similar to the surface of a pond or lake, it appeared.
"134340 is waterproof, shatterproof, and fireproof."
"But not resistant to your driving, captain."
Yoongi glared at the younger boy. His eyes shone with playful malice and twinkled like twin stars; two suns in the middle of the black holes Jeongguk had in the middle of his orbs. The elder fought with himself to not smile and, rather, continued to stare at the younger man from where he laid. Jeongguk laughed, face completely lit up, and radiated a warmth that could suffice to thaw the ice on which they sat.
"Shut it," Yoongi groaned. Jeongguk threw him a kiss.
By the time Jeongguk had gotten bored and began to throw little pieces of rocks into the liquid before him, Yoongi chose to get up from his resting position and started to explore the land. The least he could do was to take readings of the atmosphere of the exoplanet, to decide whether or not he should be concerned about his lost helmet.
The older astronaut played with the small buttons on his left sleeve. White and microscopic these ones were. He pressed diverse combinations, a frown settling between his eyebrows as his lower lip was engulfed by his mouth. He shook his head to the side as well, obliging the black hair that had fallen into his eyes to retreat and rest by the sides of his face instead.
When he finished and lowered his right hand, a small holographic screen popped in front of his eyes. It was blue in colour and showed graphs, charts and other readings that the technology engraved in Yoongi's suit had collected. 14% oxygen in the atmosphere, the astronaut read from his sleeve. Quite a lot but lower than on Earth. Nevertheless, it was enough for those who were like him. At least, he would survive.
"So, are we going to die if we continue to breathe the chemicals on this planet?" Jeongguk asked when the older had returned to his side.
"Luckily, no. No sign of toxic chemicals that our limited lungs would have to deal with."
"It's something, I guess," Jeongguk shrugged, still throwing rocks at the liquid that Yoongi thought could be water mixed with platinum, "Do you think there's life here?"
"Very likely. You're probably throwing those rocks at a huge whale that'll eat you alive if you don't stop."
Jeongguk threw a rock to Yoongi instead. This one landed on his boots. Yoongi looked at him, blinking slowly as he heard Jeongguk beginning to laugh once again. That was one of the things that Yoongi quite appreciated when it came to travelling with the younger man. Jeongguk was like his own massive star, his source of happiness and life. Nothing could ever be gloomy if Jeongguk stayed by his side. Even at the end of the world, witnessing the death of other stars and face to face with a black hole, Yoongi would feel just right if he held onto Jeongguk's hand.
⦿
By the time 134340 emerged from the depths of the abyss, with a rain of shiny greys and cooler skies, Jeongguk had been about to drift away on Yoongi's side. The younger astronaut's head had been lying on Yoongi's shoulder, both of them watching the lazy water move as the lilac atmosphere morphed into a stronger and hotter shade of pink. The moment their ship jumped into their field of vision – as if it were an exotic dolphin looking for attention – the younger's eyes expanded in amusement. Finally entertained.
134340 was small if compared to other spacecraft. It was perfect for two, could easily accommodate a third, but would hardly sustain a complete crew. The vehicle built out of rare metals made Yoongi think about the very first spaceships that his ancestors in Earth had created when they were at the early stages of developing their space programme. White in colour; shaped like the head of a gigantic whale and robotic wings attached to both sides of its body; 134340 looked a little like an antique aeroplane. It wasn't that bad. The inside was grand, far from any of the dreams that those who lived before them could have ever constructed with a night's rest.
The vehicle swam until it touched icy land, the lights encrusted at both side of its face blinked like a defective traffic light. Yoongi got up first, jumping to his feet, and offered a hand to the younger one. Jeongguk grabbed it quietly, visibly tired, and allowed the older astronaut to lead them back to their loving home. Hand in hand.
134340 chirped happily when it recognised the shapes of its users, opening one of the many compartment doors it possessed to let them in. Yoongi made sure to pat one of its walls as he entered the control room, sighing at the same time, before plopping himself down on his chair. Jeongguk followed, taking a seat on Yoongi's lap despite there being other free chairs around. The elder said nothing, nonetheless, not having the heart to push the younger one away.
The control room was simple, not heavily ornamented but personalised in a way. Two seats laid at the front, sharing a large control panel that the voyagers used to fly. These ones were dark, contrasting with the clear walls surrounding them. The console emanated blue light with the images it displayed, just like the screens on their suits did. The ceiling above them was mainly transparent, resembling glass but stronger than this one, and the floor was grey.
Nevertheless, some of their belongings did lie around the room. There was a framed picture by Yoongi's side of the panel; one that had been taken back on Earth of the two space travellers. Jeongguk posed with a wide grin as his arm curled around the shorter's shoulders. Yoongi smiled more timidly, hand behind Jeongguk's petite waist.
The younger's side of the panel, on the other hand, had a little plant. Yoongi was glad that the sprout had survived the crash. Jeongguk would have been devastated if it had been otherwise.
"Are you tired?" Yoongi asked at one point, rocking their bodies back and forth, like a little swing on a windy day. Jeongguk could be found hiding in the crook of the elder's neck, legs close to his own chest and hands around Yoongi's shoulders. He was holding tightly to him, almost afraid of losing his anchor; the only person who kept him grounded, glued, to the shaking soil in which he constantly stood on.
"A bit," the younger man said, yawn passing through his pink lips. Yoongi kissed his head, a tender caress to the mind.
"You should go rest, Gguk-ah."
"What about you, hyung?"
"I'll go in a bit. I just need to check on some statistics."
At this, the younger explorer shook his brown and now fuzzy hair. That was how Yoongi knew there were high levels of humidity. Jeongguk's hair would increase in volume (like a fleecy cloud) at the presence of such an element.
"I'll help you," he said instead. Yoongi smiled, knowing well he would probably not help. He was too tired.
"Okay, then," Yoongi spun them around so that their bodies could face the control panel. With a free hand, the older space traveller pressed a new combination with his phantasmagorical keys, barely feeling them sinking under his gloved fingertips. At the same time, he adjusted his grip on Jeongguk's frame to not let him slip. The younger man curled even more as a response, "Interface, give me the current status of 134340."
After muttering this into the silent atmosphere of the spaceship, a robotic voice (genderless and almost monotone) gave a response. The sound came from every corner of the room, speakers covered the complete area.
"Status of 134340," the voice started, making Jeongguk shift a little in Yoongi's arms. He poked his face out of the cavern, provided by the elder's shoulder and neck, to be able to gaze at a screen. This one materialised in front of them, on the windscreen of the space vehicle. More graphs, more lines of best fit, and pie charts (always pie charts, Yoongi thought) came into vision, "Oxygen reservoir, a hundred per cent. Water reservoir, ninety per cent. Chemical energy level, fourteen per cent."
Yoongi swore under his breath, making Jeongguk chuckle.
"Your nano friends use a lot of energy, it seems," the younger one teased, "And now we are stuck here."
Yoongi wouldn't be able to heat up the motors, take off, cross the atmosphere of this planet and fly away with what remained of the energy in the tanks. He would need to recharge the cells, possibly with renewable forms of production, which, conventionally, meant hours of patient waiting. Yoongi complained by releasing a grunt, sounding like a tired dog that only desires to eat some steak but is denied of such a dream.
"Because of my nano friends we have shelter."
"I know," Jeongguk kissed his cheek, "Don't be so grumpy, hyung. We'll be fine."
He slipped from Yoongi's grasp after uttering this, quickly moving to his own seat. He spun for a second, like the rocks and water ice that orbit and compose Saturn's rings, before settling in front of the control board as well. Humming the melody of one of his favourite songs, the young astronaut worked diligently – imitating a machine – and centred all of his attention on the task he had in mind. His eyes moved with the speed of hurried, jumpy, rabbits that evade the arrows of hunters as they run. His fingers followed close behind. Yoongi watched him, the traces of a faint smile beginning to settle on the corners of his mouth. After what felt like a slow minute, Jeongguk spoke while still playing with his multi-coloured board (as he had configured the keys of his side of the panel to adopt new shades. An indecisive chameleon, Yoongi liked to call it).
"I collected data from this place, earlier today," he informed, projecting even more data on the screen, "While playing with the rocks by the water, my suit was recording information about the rotation of the planet on its axis, and the time it took to rotate its version of the sun. See? I'm not lazy, hyung."
"Never said you were," Yoongi said, softly.
"Anyway. This planet, let's call it a Super Earth – as it is bigger than our home planet but smaller than any gas giant – takes approximately 72 terrestrial hours to rotate on its axis. Almost 3 Earthian years to complete one cycle around its massive star. So, knowing you well, I'm sure you were planning to use starlight to provide fuel to 134340. But, I'm afraid that will not be the case. We crashed just when the sun was starting to set..."
"Which means that we have 36 hours of darkness ahead of us?"
"Indeed."
"Great."
Jeongguk chewed on his bottom lip. Thinking.
"We can still activate the hydropower technology in the motors and the wind turbines in the wings of 134340. The process will take longer this way, as they are not as efficient as the solar panels on the roof, but they'll be able to generate some energy."
"How long would it take for a full charge?"
"At least 48 hours. It would take us only a quarter of this time with the solar cells."
"Okay," Yoongi nodded, thinking with a frown on his forehead. Jeongguk reached forward to rub the spot, quietly telling the older one to calm down. Yoongi grabbed his hand, intertwined their fingers firmly and let their connected skin float in the space formed between their chairs, "Permission granted. Begin operations."
"Interface," Jeongguk said, then, the machine listening to him now, "Activate hydro-technology and wind turbines on east and west wings."
The sound of engines turnings was heard for a second. After that, silence, until both men listened to the familiar voice saying:
"Activation, complete," accompanied by a subtle ding, similar to the sound a toaster would make when it has heated bread. Jeongguk sighed, satisfied, and got up from his seat once again.
"Can we go to bed now?" he asked, eyes big and shiny with sleepy stars trapped inside.
"Yeah," Yoongi said, softly, the lights around them diming, as it happens when a blind falls over a window on a dark evening, "Let's sleep."
⦿
Yoongi liked the night. Maybe because it never changed. The Milky Way, Andromeda and any of the other billions of galaxies out there offered a view of the identical vacuum. The same darkness, the same mystery that surrounded the night. Some galaxies had more stars than others, Andromeda was one of them, which meant more light even when the sun slept. But, apart from that, the sky was dark, dark, dark. And always shone bright, bright, bright with the help of lucky spheres of white. No matter how many stars were and were not in the sky. Nights always accomplished to be luminous.
Yoongi also quite liked to look up whenever he got the chance. He went to the roof on this type of situations; climbed a steep ladder, opened a small compartment and poke his head out of the spaceship. He currently sat there – eleven hours later – arms sustaining his weight by resting at his sides; extended and rigid. Legs folded carefully and his head was thrown back. He had discarded his suit inside and was now dressed in casual clothes, a sweater and loose pants. It wasn't too cold, luckily. The temperature resembled Earth.
He still couldn't believe how they had managed to crash into a planet with similar characteristics to home. A serendipitous incident, without a doubt. Maybe his luck was not completely broken...
Yoongi heard a soft clink coming from below, interrupting the tranquil and solitary night. That must have been Jeongguk, he thought with a little smile, probably just waking up and imitating the walking of the half-dead. The brunette could not be trusted when his mind was still clouded by the mist of slumber, when his eyes barely maintained themselves open and when his brain still tried to adapt to his current environment. He must have walked into something, or dropped a metal spoon. Those were the usual occurrences.
"Hyung?" Jeongguk's soft voice searched for him after some time, tone soft and voice deep.
"Up here."
In the blink of an eye, Jeongguk appeared next to him. His head sticking out of 134340's inside and into the fresh night. He looked like a rabbit that chose to peak out of its warren. He smiled like one too.
"Hey."
"G'morning," the elder slurred, offering a hand and helping Jeongguk pass through the little compartment door. The brunette scooted close to him, after landing on his four limbs, and placed his body right in front of Yoongi's. He was also dressed casually, in the garments he had used to sleep. His hair was a mess as well. The black haired stretched his hand and tried to comb it as best as he could. Jeongguk watched him, adoringly, "Have you eaten?"
"Not yet," he shook his head, making the elder's hand drop, "I'm not hungry, though. Have you eaten?"
"A bit," the elder smiled, "I wanted to wait for you, but my stomach started to complain."
Jeongguk laughed.
"That's fine. Can I get a morning – or evening – kiss, though?"
"Do you even have to ask?" Yoongi grinned, bringing Jeongguk closer by the nape and pressing their lips together. A tiny promise sealed by their mouths, which had told and retold so many stories of the two so far.
"Are you looking at the stars again?" Jeongguk asked in a murmur, as quiet as the wind that blew in their ears. That wasn't a good sign for their turbines, but Yoongi tried not to think about that.
"Yeah," the elder nodded, "There are so many here. Doesn't compare to the Milky Way. There are–"
"One trillion stars in Andromeda," Jeongguk finished, "Which means that the total amount of celestial bodies back at home would only cover a two-point-five per cent of the many others found here."
Yoongi chuckled, grabbing one of Jeongguk's hands.
"Am I that predictable?"
"No. It's just that we've had this conversation many times before."
"Ah, I see," he was laughing with his eyes. Jeongguk reflected the expression as if he were a mirror.
They remained quiet for a second, the younger man choosing to change his position and made Yoongi hug him from behind. He placed his back against the elder's chest, Yoongi's chin resting on Jeongguk's head. Yoongi's arms also held tightly to him, wrapping around his waist as if they were ribbons that prevented a gift from bursting. Jeongguk's legs were extended too, arms holding to Yoongi's as if he were scared of falling into the water beneath them.
"Nights like this one make me think about the night we met," Jeongguk confessed later, "When it's all quiet and the stars wink at us from above as if they were fake lighting... It takes me back in time."
Yoongi hummed, burying his face in the younger's hair, remembering those past days...
Their meeting had been nothing extraordinary. In fact, it had been one of the last mundane and Earth-like experiences he ever managed to live through.
Yoongi couldn't remember quite well the reason he had chosen to attend to that one party that someone from his astrophysics class at university chose to throw. Maybe he had been convinced by his best friend, a huggable giant that was majoring in aerospace engineering, to attend. Either way, he was glad he had been convinced to go as it was here where he met the one that would change it all. The one and only, Jeon Jeongguk.
As it happened with the other hundred parties he attended, Yoongi got bored quickly. After pacing around the big house (rich people, Yoongi thought back then with a roll to his eyes) and re-filling the cup that sat on his hand, he had chosen to go entertain himself on the second floor of the solitary yet noisy home. Ignoring the kissing mouths he encountered once in a while, Yoongi ended up in someone's bedroom. He did not pay attention to the decor, neither to the posters set up on the walls, and went to gaze outside of a window.
There had been traffic that night, the sky bright with the artificial colours of floating cars and the streetlights orbiting the atmospherics roads. The stars were blocked because of the pollution created by the led of the vehicles... Yoongi, before leaving the Earth, had never seen the stars in the night sky. It was almost an impossible task when life was also found high up, above the ground.
In the search of a lucky gleam, brighter than any other man-made glint, Yoongi came across the still form of Jeongguk's body. The young man, back then barely having started his university career, had been looking at the heavens as well. His expression, dreamy and lost, out of this world, managed to captivate Yoongi instantly. Curiosity always defeated his careful mind's commands.
Jeongguk turned to him when he felt the presence of eyes on his skin, blinking away the fog from his eyes and placing his attention on the stranger. That was when he said hi.
They ended up starting a conversation, which lasted until the very end of time; or simply sunset. The topics touched upon such an encounter, Yoongi couldn't even remember half. But he did remember the emotions he felt running through his neurons as he spoke to Jeongguk.
The thrill, the chase for an unnamable missing piece, did Yoongi feel that evening. And maybe it could have been Jeongguk's voice, which resembled the texture of honey on toast, or the dark rivers that his black hair (at the time) created with his locks. Maybe it could have been his smooth face, nothing but fine China under the lights of the unsettling world, or just the colour and tender glow of the nebulae trapped in the irises that guarded the black holes in the middle of his eyes; the gates to unsaid secrets.
Or it could have been nothing of that. Instead, the ideas that roamed his mind, the passion in his voice and the look on his face when he talked about space and his childhood dream of exploring the cosmos.
That was when, barely knowing the younger man, Yoongi made his mind and chose to take Jeongguk to see the stars one day.
Gradually, their relationship grew with the passage of the years. What began as simple and casual greetings on campus, when they happened to bump into the other, developed into a friendship. One that was formed over little coffee breaks in between lectures or trips to the local planetarium and observatory on the weekends. There was something magical about being able to observe the purple clouds of gas and life up in the sky with tools that the naked eye could not implement into its complex design.
They developed secret interests and attraction for each other as well, somewhere along the way. With the help of even more time, their friendly dates began to carry more importance, a heavier weight, which was usually rewarded by a kiss to the cheek or peck on the lips; when one felt bolder on certain occasions.
Yoongi confessed first, words blurting out of his mouth in the middle of a museum while on a date. He had tried to hide when he realised his mistake, already kicking himself, until he heard Jeongguk repeating the same words he had delivered in a shyer and quieter voice.
Ever since then, Jeongguk and Yoongi had always been one. One body, one mind, one soul. The missing piece that completed the other, the gravity that kept them floating and orbiting the star of their own universe. The sun and the moon. The night and the day. Opposites which morphed into one, sole, element and outstood more than anything else in the galaxies. That's how they worked. And Yoongi wouldn't have it any other way.
"I remember that I could barely see your face when we started to hang out," Jeongguk said to the fresh night, holding Yoongi's hand, "You made me so nervous, hyung. So much I thought I would faint every time I saw you."
"And now you can barely spend twenty minutes without teasing me."
"That's how I show my love," Jeongguk defended with a little laugh. The older man kissed one side of his head as a response, "And I, in fact, love you very much, Min Yoongi. That's why I tease you so much."
The elder hummed, tightening his grip on Jeongguk's waist. It made the brunette giggle against his chest. The sensation it left, like the tickles of a feather against your neck, made the black-haired feel warm.
"Aren't you going to say it back?" Jeongguk asked later, trying to hide the pout that had settled on his pretty mouth. But he only managed to make it more notorious with his poor attempts to conceal his subtle worry. Although he was no foreigner to the elder's heart, he still liked confirmation from time to time. Yoongi just laughed next to his ear, watching how it made Jeongguk shiver in his arms.
"What thing? That I love you too?" Yoongi questioned, his head falling on Jeongguk's shoulder and burying there.
"Yeah."
"I love you too," he stated without hesitation, lifting his head a millisecond later and finding Jeongguk's lips once again. This time, they moved tenderly through the night's breeze, like leaves would do in the wild when they twirl and leap in the air with their veins attached to a firm and secure branch. In this particular case, Jeongguk was the trunk of Yoongi's tree. And Yoongi was his arms, the ivory that promised to protect the younger voyager from any upcoming storm that could cause harm...
⦿
"I'm ready hyung," Jeongguk said hours later. He was dressed in his space suit, a white and plain outfit that hid technology from other planets. And, even if he wouldn't need his helmet, he held this one with an arm, attached to his hip; as if it were a baby he needed to care for.
The younger one wanted to go explore the terrain; the area surrounding their ship. Maybe to find rare treasures or simply for the sake of being amused, Yoongi couldn't really tell. But he always did this. Jeongguk had always been the most adventurous of the two.
"Are you going to be alright?" Yoongi asked. He was going to stay inside 134340, simply out of routine. He took care of the vehicle when it needed repair, assured every piece of alien technology worked, while Jeongguk went out to the world.
"Yes," the younger astronaut nodded, somewhat eagerly, "You'll take care of me from here, won't you?"
Yoongi smiled, pressing a button on the side of his panel and making a screen materialise in front of him. Eye level, this one was, and displayed the images that the cameras in Jeongguk's suit caught. Right now, Yoongi could see himself in the screen; him being in Jeongguk's visual range. The younger man's vital signs also appeared on a side of this display. His heart rate, stamina, and body temperature among other factors presented in the profile. It almost made Yoongi believe he was playing a survival game, with a handsome astronaut as his avatar.
"Always."
"Good," Jeongguk smiled, walking closer to his partner to leave a subtle kiss between his eyes. Yoongi sighed, softly, and squeezed the younger's waist before stealing a kiss from his lips.
"Take care," Yoongi said, concerned; as he always ways when Jeongguk went out of his sight.
He couldn't help but feel a mild pressure around his neck – as if an anaconda was cutting his supply of air – and couldn't stop his palms from turning sweaty as his heart raced at the speed of sound. But he couldn't deny any of the wishes Jeongguk had. He didn't have the right to control him, and neither did he want to do such a thing. And he knew Jeongguk's spirit was free, like a horse. Captivity didn't suit him well.
"Will be," he stated, confidently, and gave Yoongi one last kiss before turning on his heels and stalking away. 134340 chirped, cheering the young man, as it opened one of its doors and allowed Jeongguk out.
Yoongi, spinning on his seat, faced the screen that showed everything Jeongguk saw. The world still remained dark outside, only shadows inhabited the icy soil. The lights of the universe, above, served as the only source of illumination. But even this was quite limited.
Jeongguk had to walk around with his torches lit up as a result, which happened to be simple but potent flashlights. These ones were located in several areas of his space suit. At the back, at the front, at his sides. Jeongguk's body was completely covered, almost resembled a sphere made out of heat and light.
The world was quiet too, covered by a blanket of oblivion and thick air. The sea, which Yoongi still didn't know if it was truly the ocean or not, laid motionless under the moonlight. The moon, here, was shaped irregularly. It looked a little like Deimos, one of Mars' moons. Looked like an eroded pebble floating in a galactic river and coloured with purple glitter. A little like a tiny girl's visions over the world.
Yoongi heard Jeongguk sighing over the microphone stuck to the inside of his suit, perhaps in fascination or simple wonderment. He hesitated a second before continuing to walk. He looked up at the sky and then at the unknown substance near their ship as if he had been thinking about sinking below the surface and forgetting how to breathe. But he shook his head, Yoongi observed as the cameras blurred with motion, and resumed with his tranquil strides.
Jeongguk remained quiet for most of his exploration. He sang, from time to time, the songs that Yoongi had loved once upon a time. He was doing it for him, Yoongi knew well. The soothing melody that was his voice mixed with the trapped emotions of a hidden poet, were all there in Jeongguk's interpretations of each song. Yoongi swayed with every new track, keeping an eye on the younger astronaut's readings and mumbling the lyrics in silence when his memory didn't fail him too much.
The younger man ended entering a type of forest, one that had different growth conditions than on Earth. The tall trees grew in frozen soil, rather than in warm territory. The leaves on each of these tall structures were coloured with curious shades as well. Pink, Yoongi caught at one point, as well as electric blue. Jeongguk must have encountered the same ones, his eye directly attracted to the shades, as he had been close to touching them on many occasions.
"Jeongguk," Yoongi said softly, pressing down on a white button on one of these occasions, "Remember to not touch them. They could be poisonous."
"I'm okay, hyung. I have gloves."
"Yeah," Yoongi shook his head, "But you scratch your face with your gloved hands and could even deposit some poison near that pretty mouth of yours. So, please, no touching."
"Fine," the brunette sounded tired, but Yoongi knew he was smiling. Then, after a brief pause, the younger one asked, "Can you hear that?"
Yoongi tuned in his ears. He remained quiet, even 134340 remained tense; as the captain tried to register any new wave of particles in the atmosphere.
"What do you hear?" Yoongi could not distinguish anything clearly, only the traces of something faint in the air he could feel.
"Water," he said, walking towards the direction of such a melody, relief to his heart, "Like the sound of a waterfall. But it's faint. Barely there."
"It could be anything but water," Yoongi said, crossing his arms over his chest, hugging himself. He sighed, "Or water under very bizarre conditions. We still don't know much about this Super Earth."
"We never truly do, hyung."
"Yeah... I just can't help myself but be suspicious. This place is too much like home. It's strange that no one else has come to claim it. It's too deserted. I don't really like it."
"Relax, hyung. We'll be fine," Jeongguk said and, after considering his situation for a second, added, "I'll be fine."
"I worry."
"I know," Jeongguk laughed softly, but it was shaky too (the cameras' vision as well), "And I do appreciate that you do. But you have to believe in me too."
"I do believe in you. I'm just scared to–"
Yoongi heard a new sound, then. A sharp, cutting swoosh that made the air around him turn red. In comparison, his blood went blue. Cold shivers ran down his face and spine. The palms of his hand felt too dirty, his fingertips too swollen to continue moving.
The distinct cry of an animal had resonated from the speakers in 134340's control room. Similar to the effects of the cries of a crow, Yoongi felt the atmosphere glowing with neon signs. Warnings to escape, run away. Jeongguk's heartbeat picked up the pace.
"You did hear that, right?" Jeongguk asked, voice faint with the closest thing there was to fret.
"Yes," Yoongi said hurriedly, just as another growl reached his ears. This time, he could confirm that it had been produced by a large animal. At least, a mammal. But alien species tended to be different from those found on Earth. They were more fatal and aggressive. Uglier too, Yoongi had to confess, "You should get out of there."
"Have you scanned my surroundings?" Jeongguk asked instead, "Should I release Mars?"
Mars was a small robot, similar to a drone, that the younger explorer carried in his suit. It was as small as Jeongguk's fist and usually disguised as a badge on his chest. It was silver in colour and operated mechanical tasks that helped the astronauts navigate both sky and land.
"Sure," Yoongi said, biting on his lower lip, "I'll do a quick analysis. If the animal is far, you could still return to the ship."
"And if not?"
"We'll get you shelter."
There was a brief silence between the two, which was later filled with the sound of Yoongi's fast fingers moving over his keys and the beeping chant of Mars at a muted distance. Yoongi watched as Jeongguk's breathing patterns increased, and had to remind the younger one to inhale deeply when his heart rate went above his average. The older explorer also had to remind himself to breathe, occasionally.
"You could make it back," Yoongi said, "The animal is near. But you could still make it if you move now."
There was another brief pause. It was suffocating.
"I can hear the water again, hyung."
"No. Jeongguk. Don't."
Jeongguk was a persistent man. When an idea bloomed in his mind, when his heart set on a goal, unique or collective, there was no possible way to stop him from reaching it. Knowing Jeongguk well, he would tempt time and fake fate simply to ease the burning curiosity in his veins.
"I'm sorry, hyung," Jeongguk whispered, muting the microphone that connected him to Yoongi and deciding to run towards the source of his interest. He had always been a curious young man and could never battle against his desires to know more. To discover and explore. This was one of the unique traits that made Jeongguk as dangerous as it made him attractive.
Yoongi swore under his breath, smashing his fists against the board whilst he watched Jeongguk move through the frozen forest. The blood in his face rushed elsewhere, disappearing from Yoongi's white completion and making him appear almost translucent. His breath increased, just to match Jeongguk's through his chase, and his throat closed. He tried and tried, in vain, to call for the younger's name; even if he knew he wouldn't succeed. Jeongguk had blocked the main phonological canal between each other. He could only watch and hope for the best as he monitored the astronaut's physiological conditions and his environment with the help of Mars.
After a lifetime, Jeongguk stopped. The only thing Yoongi was able to hear was the brunette's agitated breath as he tried to make sense of the image painted in front of his eyes. Yoongi leaned forwards on his seat, squinted his eyes to adapt to the black canvas showed by the camera and tried to synch his ear to the pitch of the alien nature outside.
There it was, he thought as he shook his head and exhaled through his nose, almost forcefully. There was a small chance that it could be water. Tiny, in reality. Yoongi could not remember when it had been the last time he had actually encountered the absent element outside of his home planet. Long ago, probably.
Yoongi watched as Jeongguk moved closer and closer, tempted to discover what the source of the sound could portray. He walked until he reached the verge of a cascade. Silver in colour, it shone under the deformed moonlight and appealed to the eye. But what was more surprising was not the water of body that lured Jeongguk and Yoongi through his screen. No. Not the pools that formed under the waterfall and neither the strange gleam of the liquid as it fell from the peak of transparent crystals and mixed with other salts at the bottom of the pit. Nothing of that. The object that took the prize home, the brightest of all stars, was right in front of their glossy eyes.
It almost looked like a treasure in the middle of deserted land, where the world was covered by a thick layer of white and even the water failed to be heated by the strong rays of light. A realm where it was always winter, and everything filled with the blending of colours; which resulted in everything but nothing at all. The object, a fruit it appeared, beamed with golden radiance. Blindingly, Jeongguk began to move towards the unknown reward; promised land, wonderland, neverland.
Yoongi reacted first. By forcing Mars to return to Jeongguk's side, he managed to catch the younger's attention again. Jeongguk stopped immediately when he felt the small robot sticking to one side of his suit, looking at it as one of his feet levitated in the air; ready to step on unstable snow. He retracted his long limb, placing it next to his other leg before re-establishing connections with Yoongi.
"Please don't shout at me," was what Jeongguk said when he heard the distinguishable sound of the elder's shaken breath. He was aware of the stress he could cause to Yoongi, most of the time, and truly felt sorry and regretful for what he always ended up doing. Nevertheless, he could not help the impulses, which were almost neurotic.
"You know I can't raise my voice at people," Yoongi said quietly. Curiously, it made Jeongguk even more nervous, "Especially not at you"
"You're still angry, though."
"You think?"
"Hyung–"
"We can talk about this later. Now, let's concentrate on the issue at hand, yeah?"
"Okay," Yoongi heard the brunette sighing, "I'm sorry, hyung."
Yoongi bit on his lower lip, trying to find ways to convince himself to not leave his ship, run to Jeongguk and give him a kiss. Yoongi never liked to make Jeongguk sad, make him feel intimidated in any possible way. It was a weakness of his, whenever he heard Jeongguk like this, so small and vulnerable. It made his heart contact and ache.
"It's okay, Gguk," Yoongi was a weak man, he admitted proudly, "It's okay. Now, let's get you out of there, yeah?"
"What about the weird cry?" Jeongguk asked, suddenly remembering the dreadful screech he had heard a few minutes ago.
"The animal is not in your range. You're fine, I already checked."
"And... What about that golden fruit?" the cameras that were hidden in Jeongguk's suit focused on the round object. Yoongi zoomed in on the image and made a quick scan. He explored the database provided by 134340 and searched for any information about the crop. However, Yoongi was unable to find anything; not even a single piece of knowledge.
"I have no idea what it could be."
"It looks valuable," Jeongguk offered, Yoongi already knowing where he would be going with his arguments.
"It's too risky. We don't know what you're floating on."
"Water," Jeongguk answered, confidently, "I made a brief analysis. Well, my suit did. I would be fine if I were to slip and fall into it."
"Are you sure about this?" Yoongi asked after an unending silence. His voice was quiet.
"Positive. You know me well. You know I can handle this."
"At least put on your helmet," Yoongi said before leaning back on his seat. He heard Jeongguk chuckle softly.
With a last sigh, the younger man dressed up. He let the helmet slip on top of his head and assured that oxygen ran through his brain. Then, he lifted his arms and aimed for the night sky; stretching his limbs as if he were a lion preparing to roar. Yoongi laughed to himself, wanting nothing but to see the younger's face as he prepared himself for action. But he was nervous, too, and tried to disguise his worries with a smile that could cover all.
Jeongguk jumped, after that, and landed with precision on a rock that looked too glassy for Yoongi's liking. This one remained firm, encrusted in the flooded soil of the tiny waterfall. He continued through a demanding path at a side of the rocky body, trying to avoid his own fall as he stretched his hands and attempted to maintain his balance intact. On one occasion, the younger explorer had to make a pause in order to catch his feet, deny them the walk of doom to the bottom of the harmless yet curious piece of submerged land, as Yoongi held his breath. Other than that, he completed the task at hand and soon found himself next to what appeared to be an oak. It was dusted with a golden powder, however. Its branches were ice; its leaves, despite the cold, waved a greeting as visible wind whirled them in the air.
"Should I collect a sample?" Jeongguk asked, letting his covered hand caress the blonde leaves, as if they were the fur of a friendly golden retriever wanting to be pet, "I've never seen something like this before."
"Sure. Bring a few. We could analyse them here better than what your suit or Mars could do over there."
"Okay," Yoongi heard and later witnessed as Jeongguk pulled from one of his pockets a scalpel knife and plastic bag. He made little cuts on the section connecting these leaves to the ice branches, which were completely transparent and almost translucent. He was careful to not touch the dark veins or to squeeze them too much. He cut a few of them, the leaves, with his tools and secured them in the bag when he had gathered sufficient subjects, "What should I do about the fruit?"
Yoongi did not speak for a second.
"How many of them do you see?"
"Only one," Jeongguk answered, "In the middle. It's covered by a few leaves. It shouldn't be too hard to get."
The fruit was small, perhaps small enough to resemble a tennis ball or apricot. It was golden as well, but twinkled stronger – imitating a sun – and it was shaded with a darker yellow. It was similar to a lion's mane at the beginning of the day, at dawn; where cosmic particles ran through its hair as if they were wishing him a good morning. Yoongi wondered if it would be prudent to take the crop, which resulted to be quite ironic as he had given up on morals long ago. He was nearly like a pirate, who invaded new land and left with treasures others had on their possession. He visited foreign planets with his troop made of two (and a few robots too) simply to take away their sweets and sell them abroad. Not the most ethically inclined job, was his occupation. But he still tried to respect nature.
"What do you think we should do?" he asked the younger man, feeling lost, not knowing what to do.
"I think we should take it," he said, no hesitation in his voice. Yoongi smiled again, not being able to deny that he quite admired the brunette's bold and impulsive ways of operating, "If anything happens, if the space patrol or whatever they are called get to us, you can just blame me, hyung."
The elder laughed, his shoulders shaking as he made up his mind.
"Go ahead, then."
Jeongguk was gentle, as he happened to always be. He took the fruit with his long fingers, supported it, as his other hand disconnected the golden sphere from its source. He placed it inside another bag, which he later put on a hidden compartment on his suit, and released a satisfied sough; coping the wind that travelled through the remaining leaves, which were beginning to shed at the loss of the valuable one.
"Did I do good, hyung?" Jeongguk asked later, once he had begun to move back to their ship. Mars illuminated the path by flying in front of the astronaut as it flickered like a shooting star which meant to guide him home. Jeongguk simply followed it, speaking with Yoongi as he walked and played with what the elder could simply assume was a galactic rock.
"Yes, Gguk. You did well. But I'm still angry at you."
"Aww. Why?" Jeongguk inquired. Yoongi could hear the disappointment behind his voice.
He was about to respond, possibly say something that would make the younger explorer feel better – as Yoongi never liked to make him feel down – but did not get the chance. He was interrupted by that same cry. The one they had both heard earlier in the night. The animal that lurked in the ice, hid in the pines.
They both reacted at the same time. Jeongguk spun around and stayed low, trying to detect the direction of the waves that attacked his ears. Yoongi worked with Mars, quietly scanning the younger's surroundings as his fingers typed. The sounds he produced while smashing the keyboard, along with Jeongguk's deep breathes, were the only sounds he allowed himself to listen to. Yoongi ignored the gonging of his heart, which resonated in his ears, and pushed away the panicky thoughts that accustomed to settle on his mind. 134340 beeped at times, drawing Yoongi's attention to a particular screen or code as it tried to advise the captain with strategic plans.
"He's moving towards you," Yoongi announced after telling Jeongguk to move quickly through the ice, "Seems to be running, almost, and he's fast. But you have time to escape, and I could buy you a few more minutes by sending Mars. Do you remember the way back to the ship?"
"Um. Not really," Jeongguk whispered, not wanting to be too loud. Not wanting to give away his position so easily, Yoongi assumed.
"That's fine. I'll guide you. Should I send Mars?"
"Yeah. Sure."
The elder nodded, sharply, even if he was not seen by anybody but 134340. His fingers danced again, jumped from one key to another at a faster pace than the sound waves that rush through the air. He changed Mar's course by making it turn left and swoosh past the trees, deeper into the sea of tall and alien life. At the same time, he provided coordinates to Jeongguk, which allowed the younger one to run through the forest that only turned darker with the passage of time. No sight of daytime yet.
Mars, eventually, smashed against a heavier mass. It tried to confuse the growling animal by flying around his head or messing with the long tail that the front camera of the robot found. But it resulted to be a futile attempt as the animal, with the strength of the Cyclops, slammed the weak drone against the floor and later walked on top of it when he had been done...
By the time Jeongguk reached the bay, panting as heavily as his feet felt, Yoongi prepared for the worst. The brunette still remained far, running as fast as gravity and his long legs allowed him to move. But it had not been enough.
The animal caught up to him. With a high, piercing screech, which would have sufficed to detonate glass, the monster jumped and landed on top of the astronaut. Jeongguk groaned as he fell to the snowy sand, his legs tightly held by what he could imagine being a clenched jaw. The large mass, black in the night, had its six legs anchored to the floor. It was as large as a panther, Yoongi observed with wide eyes and frozen limbs, but definitely less attractive than a big cat.
When Jeongguk twisted his torso, to face the monster, and pointed at him with his cameras, Yoongi was able to make out greasy golden hair; numerous fangs as sharp as gigantic needles; yellow, sick eyes and a pointy tail. This one looked like a scorpion's deadly arm. The animal, on the other hand, looked like a mutation project that had gone wrong. A creature that should have only existed in ancient mythology, embedded in the sacred soil of legends and Gods along the texts that belonged to those who lived with them all.
The younger one groaned again when he felt the teeth of the creature burying into his soft flesh, perforating nerves and almost reaching white bones. He did not scream, nor panicked, but did stab the grotesque being in the eye with his scalpel knife when he realised he had no other choice.
"Hyung," he whined after that, as the animal released him with a cry. It shook its head from side to side, trying to unhook the knife from his cornea as Jeongguk got up and limped back to the ship. The animal's tail searched blindingly in the starry sky, trying to attack the astronaut as it swung like a whip in the illuminated night, "I might need your help."
"Yes. Yes. Of course," Yoongi mumbled whilst his feet took him from a corner of the ship to another. He pressed a few more white buttons, opened a larger compartment and hopped into a smaller vehicle. This one resembled a small car, but lacked power and could only travel short distances. He hoped it would, at least, allow him to reach Jeongguk.
And it did, luckily. Yoongi had to move through the dense water, which could have not been water, and later skated through the fine sand to get to the younger astronaut. But he managed well and pulled Jeongguk into the vehicle - which resembled an old style golf cart - with a demanding tug; just in time to dodge the wild tail that kept aiming blindingly to the ground and sky.
"Run, run, run, run, run!" Jeongguk screeched as Yoongi, then, stepped on the gas pedal with all his force. The cart moved from side to side, like a dog that shakes itself dry, before being able to dart forward. The two men screamed as the deformed animal followed from behind, now permanently winking, as it tried to punch holes into the tyres of their cart. Whenever it jumped and landed back on the sand, the animal made the land tremble, which, in turn, made the vehicle bounce as if it were a basketball.
A roar that was half lion and half eagle broke the atmosphere just as 134340 elevated the ramp the two astronauts had crossed a second before. They remained mute for some time, listening to their hectic breaths and to the frustrated cries outside; until the air was filled with new sounds. Jeongguk hissed like a hurt snake when he tried to move his leg, causing the clogging blood on his skin to slide down to his foot. The air in his lungs rushed to his surroundings when he tried to lift himself up, the pain shooting from his wound made him see more stars than those that were already up in the night sky.
"Careful," Yoongi scrunched his face, feeling pain for the man next to him as he attempted to wrap around the open skin the handkerchief he always carried in one of his pockets. It was almost like a token. A piece of cloth Jeongguk had given him long ago as a present. His lucky charm.
"Ah. It's fine," he tried to lie but wailed in discomfort when Yoongi pressed down on the torn flesh and suit. The white material had been soaked red.
"Doesn't seem fine," Yoongi shook his head, "Come on. Let's get that clean."
The elder explorer encountered the task to take the taller and heavier man back to the main rooms of the ship. He struggled for some time, being no match for Jeongguk's defined and worked muscles, but was able to transport him to their shared room. However, it was here where Jeongguk began to show the first symptoms of the bite.
His body jerked violently in Yoongi's embrace, so sudden that it failed to give Yoongi the sufficient time required to react. For this same reason, he wasn't able to catch Jeongguk on time and let him slip past his hands before the younger landed on the cold, hard ground. Jeongguk groaned when he felt the cool surface against his face but panicked when he was suddenly unable to take deep breaths.
"Jeongguk!" Yoongi screamed but the younger one seemed too far away. His ears were clogged, making it feel as if he were underwater, and his eyes were clouded by grey fog. His body continued to fail to respond to his commands; not moving when it was supposed to move and convulsing when Jeongguk tried making it stop.
Yoongi, at one point, had dropped to his knees and weekly crawled towards Jeongguk. When he had been near enough, he took him in his arms again before ripping the material around his injured leg. From the wound, blood had begun to be released with the force of a geyser. Drops made out of red began to race down the young astronaut's leg, even more than before; forming pools on everything it touched. A white liquid too, perhaps puss, had surrounded part of the exposed flesh that battled to be closed. The older voyager, his senses being numbed by panic, took too long to respond. By the time he had regained control over his mind, Jeongguk had placed his hand on top of Yoongi's; a lost look rested across his eyes, his chest barely moved now.
"Hyung," he said softly, closing his hand around the elder's palm. There were tears in his eyes, words on the tip of his tongue that did not dare to go out... "I'm sorry. I s-should have listened to you."
"No, no, no," the elder spoke fast, fear and anxiety tickling his arms and legs; making his heart beat faster when the rest of his brain caught up with the action. He tried to breathe as well. But failed, "You are fine. We are fine," his voice broke into an inaudible whisper, a faint whistle, "Let me just... I'll go get–"
"I love you," Jeongguk simply said, finally finding the elder's eyes amongst the chaos set in their hearts. And he smiled, somehow managed to radiate a stronger light than the sun's and squeezed Yoongi's hand one last time. His eyes turned off, then; lost the glitter and sparkle they had held all of their life as Jeongguk's delicate and soft touch dropped to the ground. It landed next to his motionless body and only left behind the caresses of a ghost and a rectangular stick, which could have been confused with a package of gum...
⦿
Yoongi wasn't the type of man to cry. But, after losing the love of his life, the one person that he had promised to spend the rest of his life with, he broke the most ancient of his vows.
He lost track of time. 134340 managed to levitate in the air as soon as sunrise in the new planet arrived. The ship drove itself and headed back home, an emergency code Yoongi had once engraved in its memory. But the astronaut remained where he had been left, on the floor of his bedroom; a cold body in between his arms.
The tears fell and did not stop. They stayed there all night, all day. They were there when his ship touched familiar land. They were there when the private and small funeral took place at the break of dawn. They were there in the dead silence of a house that was too large for him. They were there when he attempted to sleep but only managed to weep louder; whilst his heart was being ripped and cut into tiny and deformed shapes made out of sorrow.
The pain did not go away. Not after the first month. Not after six months. A year later, Yoongi still felt as he had done that night in the ship; destroyed, torn, not finding any reason to live any more...
⦿
His good friend from high school, Namjoon, his name was, chose to intervene once this pain had extended for too long. On a summer night, Yoongi was finally taken out of his home by his determined friend; who had had enough of looking at his friend suffer silently and stubbornly. Yoongi was, indeed, the type of person that kept things to himself; particularly when it came to personal issues that were too much to bear.
They decided (or, more like, Namjoon chose) to go to an American-style diner to get food. Yoongi went against his will, groaning when he was suddenly exposed to the world's noises and bright, neon tones. It took him some time to get used, again, to the life surrounding the city he had called home once upon a time. Now, it simply felt foreign. He felt like an alien in his own planet.
"Come on hyung," Namjoon tapped the back of his hand, "Aren't you going to eat that?"
Yoongi had ordered the first dish that his mind had thought of. He had been a frequent customer of this red diner at some point, back at college, and their menu had not been modified too much ever since. One of the first dates he had had with Jeongguk even took place here... Yoongi suddenly felt a lump settling at the back of his throat. He chose to gulp down his iced coffee to ease the strain.
"I told you I wasn't hungry," he said, indifferently.
"Just a small bite?" Namjoon pleaded, placing his hands in front of his chest; palm against palm, fingers to the sky. Yoongi sighed.
"Fine," he muttered and placed a greasy french fry inside his mouth. He swallowed it down, continued to sip on his coffee (the only substance he drank) and pushed the untouched hamburger away. Namjoon sighed but did not ask for more.
They did not speak too much. Yoongi was not in the right mood to hold any type of conversation with his friend. Everything that needed to be said had already been said. Namjoon had been there, next to him, ever since he came back to Earth. So, he was very aware of all the things that had occurred in his life up to that point. Which, in a way, was nothing at all.
The temporary silence that had consumed the air around the two was broken when a new person joined their table. It was another man, or a person who looked human but was not completely one. His hair was fire red, his smile as bright as the very sun that they all orbited whilst being on Earth.
"Oh. Hey, Hoseok-ah," Namjoon said, a small smile settling on his lips as he scooted nearer the window he had to his left.
"Hey," the man, Hoseok, said as he sat down next to Namjoon, "Hi, Yoongi hyung."
The other one simply nodded in acknowledgement but did not bother to hide his gloomy mood...
Hoseok was Namjoon's partner, in a way. Their relationship was quite curious. Namjoon, who ended working in robotics once he graduated from university, managed to obtain a job at a multinational that created the most efficient and visually pleasing robots in the market. They resembled humans in totality, but possessed powers which were only reachable with the help of technology.
Hoseok was one of them. Namjoon had created him long ago, perhaps a year after he had gotten the job. Ever since, they have been inseparable; like salt and pepper... Now, they engaged in a close and quiet conversation as Yoongi watched them silently. They were speaking in whispers, almost, and the action made the astronaut think of Jeongguk and himself; particularly when they had been younger and new to the world of love.
He missed him dearly, so badly. Every day he spent without Jeongguk, Yoongi died a little bit more. He couldn't tell how he had managed to pull himself together until now; how he had not collapsed like an old building and ended it all with... with–
"Hyung?" Hoseok asked him, bending his head in worry but also in curiosity. He had been asked a questioned, it seemed, but he could not remember what it had been. Yoongi had been ready to respond, ask Hoseok if he could repeat his words, but something stopped him.
He took a second to gaze at Hoseok. The details were still difficult to believe. He looked so real, better than any statue, any sculpture, that could have ever been sculpted... Even the expressions, his laughter, his smile. The way in which he spoke; everything felt too real.
And that was when Yoongi had an idea.
⦿
Namjoon called him crazy and tried to stop him, but just at the start. The pity he felt had been stronger than his abilities to say no. As a result, he ended up providing Yoongi with the knowledge and materials needed to complete his new project; the revival of a memory.
Jeongguk had been smart. It was almost as if he had wanted Yoongi to discover this path to him, the way to trick death and hide from the very certainty that ruled mankind; limited life. He was amazed. The excitement bubbling in his bloodstream was the thing that now prevented him from getting sleep. The tiny, humid spheres in his eyes had finally dried with the arrival of drought. Yoongi, after a year, managed to smile a little more.
⦿
Blue light, golden rain, metal scattered everywhere. That was how Yoongi's home, the house he had on Earth, displayed itself to the eye of whoever dared to cross the white door. His house resembled a store but also a forgotten space station. There were loose cables everywhere one where to go. Thick pieces of tin or aluminium, he didn't really know which, were in every corner of the three rooms that composed his tiny home.
Namjoon had to dance around the house every time he went to check on Yoongi. Hoseok, on the other hand, simply hovered over the debris in tranquillity (he could, almost, fly). Both of them visited him often, particularly to help with the project; as Yoongi liked to refer to this one.
It took long; as building a new superhuman had never been an easy task. Perhaps a few months of intense labour. Five? Eight? He didn't remember. Time was still confusing for him; turned into a mess and mixed with the many things he had in his head.
Namjoon aided him with the mechanism of the robot; the parts that Yoongi lacked knowledge of. He was a pilot, in the end, who had opted to sky robotic physiology class during university. But did manage to help with the automatic work that needed to be done, the assembling of parts; those tasks that didn't require him to enter a new realm, from which he was a total stranger. Hoseok, with his super strength and cheery personality, lighten up the atmosphere and helped to transport heavy components around the room. Yoongi appreciated the help.
Together, they managed to split the task of bringing Jeongguk back to life. Yoongi would see him again, he thought with a hopeful heart.
⦿
"Are you sure you will be alright?" Namjoon asked him, late at night; on an evening in which the stars shone brightly and twinkled sleepily from above. For once, no car could be seen in the heavens. It was almost like a miracle.
Yoongi nodded, moving to gaze at the stars. They reminded him of the boy he would soon meet again. They looked like the galaxies that had been trapped in Jeongguk's eyes.
"Yeah. I'll be alright."
"I can stay if you want..."
"No, it's okay," Yoongi assured, "I can take it from here. But, thank you, Namjoon."
"Don't thank me just yet," he smiled, "Let's wait until the results first."
Yoongi shook his head.
"Thank you, either way. Even if... Even if things fail, thank you for helping me out. And Hoseok too. Without you two... I wouldn't have known where to start. So, thank you for everything."
"Hey," Namjoon approached him and engulfed his shorter body in a hug. He patted his back as Yoongi wiped his itchy eyes and nose. He shook his head, and laughed a little more, "You've done a good job. He would be proud, even if we fail in the end."
He nodded one more time before taking a step back and allowing Namjoon to leave after that. Once he found himself back in his house, completely alone and with a promise waiting in a blue room, Yoongi chose to gather the courage he needed. He headed towards the sleeping robot that waited for him.
The final piece, the last product, looked identical to him. From his height to the feeling of his skin under Yoongi's fingertips, every single detail screamed his name. Even his hair, soft and silky; like the finest of clothes one could ever get...
He let his hand caress the robot's face. Even this one was soft, made out of porcelain and glass. But it felt so, so, real; almost like a dream taken into reality.
Yoongi, with another shaky hand, searched for the white stick – that his lover had given him so long ago – and placed it in a compartment right next to his left temple. The robot, connected to a screen that monitored its condition, began to beep and display a circle, that was slowly filling with an opaque white.
Yoongi waited patiently as the memories that Jeongguk had stored in this electronic stick, as if it were a limitless diary, were transferred to the robot; the new case for the same Jeongguk. He sighed softly, trying to ease his racing heart, and closed his eyes until a quiet ding was heard resonating in the quiet and clear night.
Almost as if he were the one returning to life, Yoongi blinked for a few seconds before he dared to press a tiny button – invisible to the common eye – on the side of Jeongguk's neck. He took a deep breath, the world stopping, freezing, for the longest eternity, as a soft voice (which was sweet as honey) pronounced a little "Hyung?" in the brightening evening.