Archive of Our Own

Jaehyun's head rises from the control pad. He'd been sleeping there, head pressed against the cold keys, and he yelps and sits up. Shit, he mutters, running a hand through his hair. Though a trip to deliver cargo is simple enough, sleeping on the job wasn't a habit he wanted to get into.

But it definitely was becoming a habit.

Jaehyun rubs his eyes and then presses the flashing button on the control pad.

"Officer 1402, reporting for duty." He murmurs, still half asleep.

"Code word?"

"Edaunus."

"Update on cargo ship 248?"

"On course for destination. Fuel levels high. Flight route stable."

"Affirmative." The automated voice says, and then falls silent.

One of the major cons to this job is the hourly updates he had to give the control base. With the sheer amount of cargo ships flying around this solar system at once, you would think that they would simply give up on checking every single one. It's not like there were many pirates, anymore - that phenomenon had died down years ago. Jaehyun thinks that the security might be a bit much for a few mechanic parts.

"When will they start using self flying ships?"Jaehyun grumbles, crossing his legs and staring out at the stars. It's another three days until he reaches his destination.

When these cargo ships first started running, they'd send two of the crew to complete the missions. After a while, though, the control base had realised it was a waste of manpower. One officer is more than enough, which Jaehyun can understand, but it also drives him mad to be alone on a ship for a week at a time, with no entertainment but the stars. It's not like the job is hard. He only has to steer once in a while, and set the perameters, and vaguely stick to the map.

And really, Jaehyun thinks, trading between planets was becoming so common now that they should be thinking of a way to make it easier instead of sending him on these pointless missions.

He gets it, though. Before Jaehyun can promote to a sergeant, and then a captain, and then an explorer, he has to start from the bottom. And that includes flying through space with... a heap of junk metal. Great.

"C'mon, give me something." Jaehyun grumbles, "Just an asteroid belt will do. Or a ship wreck. I'm not asking for much."

The world outside stays dark, lit only by distant stars, and a galaxy somewhere far away. Jaehyun sighs and rests his chin on his hand. His eyes flutter shut. Just a little more sleep, then, he thinks. The control pad will wake him when he has something to do, he supposes

It does. A few hours later, after several check ins with control base, there's an insistent beeping from beneath his head.

"Jesus." Jaehyun grumbles. He stares down at the control pad, and it's blinking red. "What?"

The tiny, digital map in front of him shows... a ship speeding towards him? It's small, Jaehyun decides, from the amount of lightyears it's covering. And according to the map, it's heading straight towards him.

A smile flickers onto Jaehyun's face. Finally , he thinks, something interesting is happening.

He's never seen anything like this, though, in his 5 years of space travel. The ship is speeding through space towards him, and Jaehyun is forbidden to increase his speed unless the threat is immediate.  The spaceship seems to be heading in his direction, but it could just be a very bad driver.

"Alright, let's get a better look at you." Jaehyun says. He taps the digital screen on the control pad and zooms in on the ship. It's an old model, from a planet close to Jaehyun's home planet. They used to sell these years ago, Jaehyun thinks, but they stopped producing them because they were notoriously hard to steer.

Which may have been an exaggeration. The spaceship is definitely heading in a straight line, despite how fast it's moving.

"Hello." He murmurs, as the spaceship gains on him. Jaehyun doesn't want to get his hopes up, but he's pretty sure that ship is targeting him. "What do you want?"

Though it's rare, nowadays, it's not impossible that a space pirate is coming after the cargo ship. Back before the National Association of Planets in this galaxy cracked down piracy, they were commonly found hacking into the systems of Cargo ships and simply flying the ship back to their home planets to scavange the remains. Jaehyun almost hopes it is a space pirate. At least it would be something different. And thwarting a pirate may give him a chance of promotion.

The beeping grows louder. Jaehyun grins.

"Incoming threat." The automated system begins to say, "Systems armed."

Jaehyun watches the map.

"Attempting to contact threat." The automated system says, "Access denied."

"What a surprise." Jaehyun drawls, leaning back in his chair.

"Security breached." The automated system says, and oh, that's dangerous. Jaehyun taps at the control pad, thinking smugly that it'll take him ten seconds to push the hacker out. But whoever is driving the ship is good - they hack into Jaehyun's system smoothly, as if they've done so a million times before, and Jaehyun can't do anything to stop it. "Security breached."

"Yes, yes, I can see that." Jaehyun attempts to call for help, but the control pad flashes red.

"Contact with base denied." The automated system says, and Jaehyun laughs. "Hatch opening."

"They're coming in through the hatch?" Jaehyun shrugs. The hatch at the back of the ship is designed for emergency exits - he supposes there really is no other point of entry, but if the driver has already hacked the ship, what exactly is the point of coming on board?

There's a loud bang as the small spaceship presumably enters through the hatch. Jaehyun isn't scared - in fact, he can feel adrenaline, excitement, building inside of him.

"Hatch closing." The system says.

Jaehyun rummages around the room for something to use as a weapon, but of course, this is a cargo ship. It has hardly any defences, especially since the decline of the space pirates, and nothing to use as an effective weapon except for the taser he brought with him, and that's out of battery.

"Damn it." Jaehyun says, but he doesn't particularly mind. It's not like space pirates want blood. They just want profit. And Jaehyun is pretty certain that this is a space pirate, judging by the smooth way he'd hacked the ship and came on board.

Jaehyun hears footsteps in the corridor and spins in his chair to face the door.

A man bursts inside, holding a gun in front of him, his eyes blazing. He has this floppy black hair, and his eyes remind Jaehyun of a galaxy.  It's sort of cute, the way he glares at Jaehyun and points the gun at him. It shouldn't be, but it is.

"Hands in the air." The man says, and beckons him with the gun. "Stand up."

Jaehyun does as he asks and stands. In these kinds of situations, he's been trained to simply go along with whatever the pirate asks, which is fine by him. It's just like a robbery - better to cooperate now and get the proper authorities to track the criminal down later.

"Are you supposed to be intimidating?" Jaehyun asks, nodding at the gun, "Because that thing is as old as your ship."

The man's eyes narrow.

"Who do you think you are?" He drawls, but his voice is soft and pretty. Jaehyun cracks a smile. He's never been less scared in his life. Coupled with his clearly handcrafted outfit and his cute cheeks, this man is hardly a threat. To call him a pirate seems a bit much.

"Officer Jaehyun." He holds out a hand, "Nice to meet you."

The man blinks at him.

"I'm literally stealing your ship."

"Thank God. You have no idea how bored I was before you got here." Jaehyun says, "I've been sleeping on the control pad and-"

"Be quiet. And put your hands back in the air."

"Sure, pirate." Jaehyun raises an eyebrow but holds up his hands, "That's what you are, right? Or do you have a title?"

The man doesn't reply.

"Great driving, by the way." Jaehyun says.

"I've never actually had to use this gun before, but if you keep talking, I will."

"Gotcha." Jaehyun smiles. The man rolls his eyes.

"Right, back to business. I'm going to cuff you to your chair," The pirate gives him a wicked smile. He's got this glint in his eyes that Jaehyun likes, a sort of mischief that Jaehyun hasn't seen in a while. "Hope you don't mind."

"Sure. I've always wanted to be cuffed by a pretty pirate."

The man blinks, and Jaehyun is sure he sees a slight pink in the pirate's cheeks before he shakes his head and steps towards him. He grabs Jaehyun's wrist and cuffs it with old, rusty handcuffs to the chair.

"It's temporary." The man says, "Just until I make sure your systems are secure."

"That's kind of you."

"I'll tape your mouth shut too." The man grumbles, falling into the chair beside Jaehyun and tapping on the control pad, "And that won't be temporary."

Jaehyun just smiles and watches him. The man has pretty, slender fingers, and they dance over the control pad easily.

"You're good at this."

"Done it for years." The pirate says,  "And these ships are shit, so it's even easier to hack into them. No offence."

"None taken." Jaehyun laughs, and the man glances at him. Jaehyun is sure he sees his eyes crinkle before he turns back to the control pad. "What exactly are you doing?"

"A few things." The man says, "Mostly just rerouting the system, so that the ship will tell the control base you're going to your planned location , when in reality you're going in the opposite direction."

"Clever."

The man rolls his eyes again.

"Basic." He says, "And I'm also making sure you can't contact the base. I'm turning off those annoying updates."

"Don't forget to turn off the emergency lights."

The man looks at him in surprise.

"Thanks?" He says, "What is your deal? Most of the officers are difficult to deal with, but you-"

"Are completely charming?"

"No, you're annoying. I'd sacrifice my spaceship for a minute of peace."

"Okay, how about this," Jaehyun leans back in the chair, "You tell me your name, and I'll give you five minutes of complete silence."

"Deal." The pirate says quickly, "I'm Chenle."

Chenle. It fits him. Pretty and light. Jaehyun watches as he types rapidly on the control pad and feels a spark of interest, curiousity. Five minutes pass in silence.

"Time's up, Chenle." Jaehyun says.

"The next few days," Chenle says, "Are going to be living hell. And this is coming from someone who's been to Tranzalore."

"I'm not so bad." Jaehyun says, "Actually, I think you're going to enjoy my company."

"I doubt that." Chenle's eyes shine like starlight. "But we'll see."

*

After a short while, Chenle reaches down and uncuffs him.

"No funny business." He warns, and Jaehyun smiles and rubs his wrist. He stretches, looking out at the stars.

"You need new handcuffs."

"They do the job." Chenle shrugs, sitting back into the other chair.

"So," Jaehyun says, "We'll be spending a lot of time together."

"Don't remind me."

"I suppose not a lot of officers are as cooperative as me."

"Yeah. There's usually a battle, when I first come on board. And I win." A smile blooms on Chenle's cheeks. "Then I cuff them and they spend the rest of the journey complaining, or trying to escape."

"They never do escape, I presume."

"Of course not." Chenle's smile widens. "I'm a professional. There was a girl who came close, but she couldn't break through my hack."

He's turning the spaceship around, his tongue between his teeth. Jaehyun thinks he's never met a person like him before. At once ridiculous and clever, charming and shy. Jaehyun likes the way his eyes crinkle. Likes how his hands rest on the controlpad.

"Right, we're on course." Chenle says triumphantly.

"What planet are we going to exactly?"

"Cornaria." Chenle says.

"Oh, I've been there! They have the loveliest trees, and the food-" Jaehyun pauses, "Maybe when I get there I'll make a daytrip out of it. I'll be a tourist before I fly the ship back and report you."

"Knock yourself out." Chenle huffs out this cute little laugh, and Jaehyun loves it. He thinks he'd like to hear it more.

"Is Cornaria your home planet?"

"Nah. My home was destroyed in the war. The entire planet just... wiped out." Chenle's eyes widen, then, as if surprised at what he's just said. "Forget I said that."

Jaehyun grimaces.

"I'm sorry." He says sincerely. "My aunt went to fight in that war, and she- Yeah. So I understand."

Chenle shrugs, tucking his hair behind his ear.

"Is that why you became a pirate?"

Chenle raises an eyebrow at the question, and doesn't answer.

"Just making conversation," Jaehyun looks at the gun in Chenle's pocket. "Don't shoot me."

"It's not even loaded," Chenle giggles. He picks up the gun and shoots it, but the gun just clicks. "It's just for show. It's a good fake, to be honest. I stole it from a market last year. Reminds me of the laser guns I used to play with as a kid."

Chenle pauses, again, as if berating himself for continuing to tell Jaehyun about himself. Jaehyun smiles. The little pirate is much softer than he wants to admit, he thinks.

"That reminds me of how I always tell people I'm an officer." Jaehyun says, "It sounds exciting, but really I'm just flying a pile of junk metal from one planet to another."

"Thrilling." Chenle laughs. "One man's junk metal is another's treasure, though."

"Sure. I mean, that's why you're here, right?"

"Affirmative." Chenle says, mimicking the systems tone. It's actually pretty accurate, and Jaehyun laughs. "You have no idea how much this shit sells for. Plus, flying is pretty fun."

"Sure, if you're in that little spaceship of yours." Jaehyun says, "I saw how fast you were going."

"Yeah, that's the best part." Chenle admits.

They talk of similar things for a few hours - there's really nothing better to do. Chenle unravels slowly, telling Jaehyun of adventures in space. Jaehyun in return tells him of his home planet, and everything lovely there.

It isn't long before Chenle falls asleep. He must've been flying alone in that little spaceship for a long time, Jaehyun thinks.

"Lazy pirate." Jaehyun says warmly. He takes a blanket and drapes it over Chenle's shoulders, before turning to the controlpad.

"Right," Jaehyun says, "Let's see what we've got."

What Chenle doesn't know is that before he got into space travel, Jaehyun specialised in space technology, and in particular coding. If he did, he definitely wouldn't have uncuffed Jaehyun. Though he had been unable to stop Chenle hacking the system because it was so fast, he can certainly comb through Chenle's code for loopholes and mistakes.

He looks through the controlpad.

"Gotcha." He murmurs.

Chenle is a good coder, but not perfect - he clearly hasn't been trained, but has rather picked up skills from others. Jaehyun has found a hole in his code, and though it's small, he could easily use it to send a message to the control base. He glances at Chenle's sleeping face. It's pretty, peaceful. His eyelashes flutter as he dreams.

But what if he can contact base? What then? Everything goes back to normal.

And for the first time in a long time, Jaehyun is having fun.

So he sighs and leans back. He ignores the glaring opportunity to get promoted by thwarting a pirate, and enjoys the adventure, instead.

*

A few days go by with teasing conversations.

Jaehyun gets to know that Chenle was a soldier, before he was a pirate. He learns that when his planet was wiped out, the boy had left and joined a gang of pirates who had taken him in and taught him the trade. He hears of adventures through space, of aliens and battles and wonders that Jaehyun can't even imagine.

His past seems dull and pale in comparison.

For someone who acts so untouchable, Chenle is surprisingly easy to get along with. He likes to talk, Jaehyun realises after a while, even if he's shy. And anyway, the pirate is interesting. He has a cute way of talking, and everything he has to say is interesting, though its carefully delivered so not to reveal any information that could be used by the planterary police to track him later.

"I'm bored." Jaehyun sighs.

"I don't care." Chenle replies. He has his feet propped up on the control pad, and he's watching the stars.

Jaehyun pouts, and Chenle's smile crinkles his eyes.

"Oh, and by the way, a curious thing happened." Chenle says.

"Hm?"

"I was checking my code, you know, in case anything was amiss. And I found a mistake I'd made." Chenle says, "Which was interesting, because I know for sure that you've already checked to see how secure my hack is. I watched you yesterday. You could've contacted your base. Did you miss it?"

"I was actually a coder before I was an officer," Jaehyun smiles, and ducks his head. He feels uncharacteristically shy. "I didn't miss your mistake. I just... I liked this journey better than the one I was on before."

Chenle's smile widens, a bright and sincere thing. He turns away from Jaehyun to hide it, though.

"You're ridiculous."

"Ridiculous, and still bored." Jaehyun stretches and stands. "I'm sure there's a pack of cards hidden somewhere in here..."

He wanders out of the control room towards the rest of the ship, and eventually finds the cards, tucked into the back of a cupboard. Jaehyun steps back into the control room.

Chenle leans back on the chair, one eyebrow raised.  His hair falls over his face, and with his legs crossed on the controlpad, he looks pretty as starlight. Jaehyun pauses, his heart fluttering.

"I found them." Jaehyun says. "Come on, let's have a game."

"I'm not playing cards with you."

"Just one game." Jaehyun pleads, "You haven't got anything better to do."

Chenle considers him, and then he shrugs and slips from the chair to sit cross legged on the floor. Jaehyun joins him, laying out the cards on the floor.

"Game on." Chenle says.

An hour later, Chenle's laugh is filling the spaceship, a bright, sweet noise, as they fly through space.

"Why are you so bad at this?" Chenle giggles.

"Don't be so smug, pirate."

Chenle is sharp - he has a a clever streak, and he knows it. But Jaehyun doesn't think that's the reason he's losing. He's getting distracted by the shine of Chenle's mouth, and how he looks small in his huge leather coat, and how his lovely hands hold his cards.

Jaehyun, he warns himself, don't.

Chenle reaches inside of his jacket and pulls out a bottle.

"Why do you have soju?" Jaehyun asks, laughing, "Have you been drinking and flying?"

"Have you forgotten I'm a pirate?" Chenle asks, taking a swig from the bottle.

Jaehyun holds out his hand for a drink.

"I'm not sharing with you." Chenle says, even as he passes the bottle to Jaehyun.

They play cards and drink as they drift through the solar system, mouths warm with soju, and Jaehyun likes the company. He's been on so many of these trips alone that to be beside another person, surrounded by stars, makes him feel alive.

"So," Chenle drawls, after winning yet another game, "If you hate this job so much, why do you keep doing it?"

Jaehyun pauses.

"I'm waiting for a promotion." He says, "If I work hard for a few more years, I can become an explorer. You've got to start somewhere."

"Or," Chenle says, gesturing at him with the bottle, "You can just do what I did and explore space on your own."

"There's one big difference." Jaehyun laughs. "You're a criminal."

"Details." Chenle shrugs.

Jaehyun considers him.

"So you enjoy it?" He asks, imagining adventures through space, battles on spaceships, "Being a pirate?"

"Yeah." Chenle says, "Yeah. You get to see so many planets, and meet so many different kinds of people. I love it."

Jaehyun has always wanted to find something he could be passionate about. He thought if he could just struggle through a few years of boring missions and dull spaceships he would one day get to explore space, to discover new planets and people. He's jealous of Chenle, who can experience all of his freely, with no restriction.

"What?" Chenle asks.

Jaehyun reaches forward and ruffles his hair. It's soft under his hands, and Chenle ducks his head, embarassed.

"Nothing," Jaehyun says warmly, "You're a good kid."

Chenle scowls.

"Don't push your luck." He mutters, his cheeks pink. "I still have those handcuffs."

"They felt quite nice, actually." Jaehyun laughs, holding out his wrists, "Come on, put them back on."

*

One day, Jaehyun finds Chenle looking through the inventory at the back of the ship.

He’s sitting amongst the scrap metal, scribbling down notes in an old journal propped up on his knees. He looks small like that, surrounded by pieces of ships and technology, his tongue between his teeth as he concentrates. Jaehyun stands in the doorway and watches him for a moment.

"What are you doing?" He eventually asks, after gazing at Chenle for a little too long.

"Hm?" Chenle looks up, "Oh, I'm just catologuing what you've got. It'll help me sell it later."

"Right." Jaehyun says, "I'm warning you now, though, that none of this stuff is very impressive."

"Yeah, but it's expensive." Chenle passes him a grin, "That makes all the difference."

Jaehyun goes to sit beside him. He peers over Chenle's shoulder at the scribbled notes, trying to make sense of whatever Chenle is writing.

"You know maybe once you've sold this," Jaehyun says, "You can buy a new jacket."

Chenle scowls and pushes him.

"I like this jacket." He says, defensively.

"Why, because it makes you look like a pirate?" Jaehyun finds Chenle really cute, with that furrow in his brow, as he pulls his leather jacket tighter around himself, "That's real cute."

"Don't you have anything better to do than annoy me?"

"I'm kind of being held hostage." Jaehyun sighs, "So no."

Before Chenle flew into his ship, Jaehyun was so bored. He was so tired, of working just to get promoted, of being able to fly in space but not actually go anywhere. It's exciting, to be flying to another planet without a care in the world, just following along with whatever Chenle wants. It's new and it's golden.

"You're not a hostage." Chenle says, picking up a spaceship part and turning it over in his hands. "Trust me. I've had hostages before."

"What am I then?"

Chenle looks at him, and gives him a tiny smile.

"Irritating."

Jaehyun smiles back. Chenle's hair is falling over his face, soft and dark and sparkling under the lights like space, and Jaehyun tucks a strand gently behind his ear.

"What-" Chenle murmurs, with wide eyes and pink cheeks.

Jaehyun's smile turns wicked and he yanks the notebook from Chenle's hands.

"Yah,-" Chenle yelps. "Give me that-"

Cackling, Jaehyun jumps up and runs away. He sprints through the spaceship, down white corridors. He ducks inside of the kitchen and hides behind the door, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

"I'm going to throw you out of the airlock." Chenle is saying. His voice echoes in the spaceship and Jaehyun keeps laughing, the book clutched tightly to his chest. He feels young again, and free. Free as this ship, just sailing through space.

Chenle's shoes tap against the hard floor, growing closer. Jaehyun can't stop laughing, which is probably why Chenle finds him there, hiding behind the door. He slams it shut and faces Jaehyun with narrowed eyes.

"Give it to me." He says lowly, reaching for the book, and Jaehyun holds it in the air.

"Nah."

"Idiot." Chenle says, trying to take it from Jaehyun's hands. "I was being serious. I'm literally going to throw you into space."

"Yeah right," Jaehyun winks, "You like me too much."

Chenle grabs his shoulders and pushes him against the wall.

"Did you forget I was a soldier?" He asks, and Jaehyun swallows, his eyes flickering to Chenle's mouth. He's close, close enough that Jaehyun can smell shampoo and sweetness.

"What?"

"Nevermind." Chenle yanks the notebook from his hand. "Bastard."

Jaehyun laughs, happy and free. Chenle is lingering there, in front of him, holding his notebook posessively. So Jaehyun grabs Chenle's leather jacket with his hands.

"Where did you get this?" He asks quietly, feeling the leather under his fingers. Chenle is quiet for a moment. "I mean, not that you have to tell me. I'm just- interested, in you."

"It's my best friend's." He finally says. "We were, um, we trained as soldiers together. When the war was over we both became pirates, you know."

"Ah." Jaehyun hesitates, before asking, "What happened?"

Chenle shrugs, his eyes focused on the notebook in his hands.

"He's gone." Chenle finally says, "After one mission he just- didn't come back. I started doing everything on my own, after that."

Jaehyun sighs. He's no stranger to loss, and so many have disappeared amongst the stars.

"Sorry." He pats Chenle's chest, a small but hopefully comforting gesture. "I mean- I get it. But you're not on your own right now."

Chenle gives him this tiny smile that makes Jaehyun go weak at the knees. Don't fall in love with the space pirate, he thinks. Do not fall in love with the space pirate.

"Guess not." He says, "You're not really that bad, after all."

"What, really?"

"Nah." Chenle ducks his head, steps away. "I'm going to get back to work, since you interrupted it. You coming?"

Jaehyun beams.

"Yeah." He says, ruffling Chenle's hair. "I am."

*

They're laying on the floor in the control room, telling stories of the moon, when the controlpad begins to beep.

Jaehyun doesn't really want to move. Chenle's leather jacket sleeve is pressed against his arm, warm, and lately, Chenle is sweeter and more open. Like this, lying beside Jaehyun, he's sunshine, starlight, and Jaehyun really wants to kiss him every time he sees him, but he's unsure whether kissing a pirate would be wise.

And anyway, Chenle only tolerates him because he has to, right?

Chenle sits up, tucking hair behind his ear and looking down at Jaehyun.

"You gonna get that?" He asks.

"You're the one in control of this ship, pirate."

Chenle rolls his eyes, but stands anyway. Jaehyun stares up at the pale cieling of the spaceship, and realises suddenly that every surface in the ship is pale and white. It's... dull. Bland. And when he looks out at space it's so colourful and beautiful in comparison.

Why is he here? Why has he been on this road for so long? It's been 5 years and he's never been promoted. What if he grows old and grey in a spaceship just like this one, always aching for an adventure?

Jaehyun has seen the scars on Chenle's face. He's been on adventures.

"Asteroid belt up ahead." Chenle says.

Jaehyun sits up quickly.

"What?" He asks, "Can't we go around it?"

"If we do, we run right into border control." Chenle sends him a smile, "I don't wanna risk it. I'd get decades on trenzalore for all of my crimes. I'm a wanted man."

Jaehyun pauses. He can't deny that flying straight into an asteroid belt makes adrenaline course through him, excitement buzzing on his skin.

"Are you sure you can do it?"

"Easy as pie." Chenle says, "Might need your help though, officer."

Both of their eyes are twinkling. We make a good team, Jaehyun thinks fondly.

"Right," Jaehyun says. He jumps to his feet and he's never felt more alive. "Let's have a look then, shall we?"

The asteroid belt is dense and cluttered. Jaehyun can see that it's close on the map, and he taps on it, zooming in on the image.

"Ever flown into an asteroid belt?" Chenle asks.

"No." Jaehyun laughs, "Have you?"

"Once. And I trashed the ship."

Jaehyun raises an eyebrow, and Chenle shrugs, embarrassed.

"Survived the skin of my teeth." He admits, "Maybe you should steer."

"That would probably be wise." Jaehyun says, and ruffles his hair. He loves how Chenle always ducks away, pink cheeked, when he does.

The asteroid belt is up ahead. Jaehyun takes the wheel and swallows. It's his first... real adventure. He realises this, and starts to grin, giddy.

"Why are you smiling?" Chenle asks, but there's a smile in his voice too, "We're heading to our deaths."

"Not on my watch." He says.

Jaehyun's heart pounds as they get close to the belt. He dodges the first few asteroids, and he can feel the spaceship shudder when a few skim the edges of the ship. There are more, and more, but Jaehyun laughs and does his best to avoid them, though he knows the ship will be dented now.

"Oh my god." Chenle is giggling, holding on to the edge of the chair. Jaehyun glances at him and feels in love.

"Hold on." He yells back.

The ship jolts back and forth when Jaehyun avoids a particularly large asteroid. He smiles to himself when he feels Chenle tugging at his sleeve, and eventually, taking one of his hands from the wheel and holding it tightly.

"It'll be fine." Jaehyun says.

They're almost out of the belt. Jaehyun yanks the wheel back and forth, and then... then they're free. In clear space again. Jaehyun sighs, wiping sweat from his forehead, and turns to Chenle with a grin. He's still holding Jaehyun's hand. Overwhelmed, Jaehyun wraps Chenle in a huge hug.

"We did it," He's saying, happily. Is this what life could be? he thinks. Adventure and love and his heartbeat in his ears. "We did it."

"Good job, officer." Chenle laughs, and hugs him back, his smaller arms warm and tight. Something shifts inside of Jaehyun. He begins to burn up like a star.

What's next, Jaehyun begins to think. What adventure could he have, after this one?

The universe is full of possibilities.

"Alright, alright, that's enough." Chenle says, pushing him away, this lovely flush in his cheeks.

Jaehyun leans down and presses a kiss to his forehead.

"We did it." He says again.

"Bastard." Chenle grumbles, trying to hide his smile.

*

All adventures end.

Jaehyun realises this later, standing on the red surface of Cornaria. He breathes in the cold air of this planet - Cornaria is always freezing, never above five degrees. He loves it here - loves the pale green sky, the constant moon, loves the different species of alien roaming the planet.

He stares up at his dull spaceship, out of place amongst all of the colours. After a week and a half with Chenle, he's begun to see the universe in a new light.

"Well," Chenle rocks back and forth on his feet, "This is me."

He's been unloading the scrap metal into a truck. Driving the truck is a pink haired alien, and he'd popped out his head and said hi with a mischevious glint in his eyes.

"I guess so." Jaehyun murmurs. Chenle fits in here, amongst the green sky. He never suited the pale white of the ship.

"It's been... great travelling with you, officer." Chenle holds out a hand, shy and pretty, "Travel home safely."

Jaehyun swallows a lump in his throat. He doesn't want to leave.

He takes Chenle's cold hand, and folds both of his hands over it.

"Goodbye." He says, quietly, wanting nothing more than to leap into the truck with him.

They stare at each other, under the planet's moonlight.

"For what it's worth," Chenle says, his hand still trapped under Jaehyun's, "You'd be a great pirate."

Oh, wouldn't that be wonderful? Sailing across the skies with Chenle by his side...

Why not, a small part of Jaehyun whispers, why not go with him?

"Um," Chenle tries to pull his hand away, "Sorry, we really should be leaving now."

The whole world stops in this moment, while Jaehyun looks at this pirate who had turned his entire life upside down. This man in his leather jacket, with his fake gun and crinkled smiles. Perhaps... maybe...

"Can I come with you?" Jaehyun blurts out.

Chenle blinks at him.

"W-What?"

"I-" Jaehyun steps closer to him, looking down into Chenle's starlight eyes, "This adventure with you... these last few days... they've been the best of my life. I always thought the way to explore was just to work, but you showed me- life."

A small smile begins to bloom on Chenle's cheeks.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying." Jaehyun lets go of Chenle's hand to cup his cheeks with his hands, "I'm saying I want to go on more adventures. I want to be a pirate. I want to travel with- with you."

Chenle's smile deepens.

"You think I'd let you come with me?" He asks, stepping closer to Jaehyun, "There's no chance."

"Oh?" Jaehyun's heart flickers with hope. Finally he's going to go somewhere. "I don't believe you."

Chenle leans up and gives Jaehyun a sweet kiss.

"I don't want you on my ship." He murmurs, and Jaehyun grins.

"Too bad." He says, his thumbs brushing Chenle's cheeks, "Because you're never getting rid of me, now."

*

"Where to, officer?" Chenle asks.

They're in his tiny, fast spaceship. Chenle is leaning on the controlpad, looking pretty and irresistable, his black hair over his eyes. Jaehyun smiles and pulls Chenle into his lap, so they're both looking out at the stars.

"Anywhere." Jaehyun murmurs. "We can go anywhere."

It's a startling realisation, and it makes Jaehyun impossibly happy. He's free.

We can go anywhere, he thinks, pressing a kiss to the back of Chenle's neck. And he would go anywhere, as long as it was with Chenle.