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the stars begin raining down again, and yoongi looks up, watching as they fall constantly, with no end. it’s been happening for days now, and while he’s already used to it— it’s never happened this much before. perhaps the end is really coming, he thinks. maybe it’s better this way— i’ve nowhere to go anyway. it feels like i’m orbiting around something meaningless. what kind of purpose do i even have?
he concentrates on his garden— or well, what’s left of it. there isn’t much, but it’s his small pride and joy, being able to still cultivate living things amidst the state of the world. he’s always had green thumbs, and his mother helped to grow his love for the plants. despite not having much sunlight, some of them have still flourished, blooming even under the starlight. the starflowers, very much like their name, have blossomed the most, thriving under the starry sky. it’s day time, but it doesn’t feel very much like it. there is little sunlight, and the wind blows with a drafty chill. the flowers stretch their necks towards what’s left of the sun, trying, for all their worth, to get some of the soft light. yoongi hums as he waters them, speaking to them quietly. taehyung has always looked at him funny when he talked to the plants, but his mother has always taught him to treat the plants like friends— and why wouldn’t he talk to his friends?
the stars continue to fall all around him, and if he weren’t so desensitized— he would stop to stare, finding the blinding droplets of light pretty— beautiful, even. but days like these have come and gone multiple times, and he’s seen it all. he’s never cared much for the stars, feeling bitter as he thinks about how much they’ve taken away from him. his mother, his grandfather. his friends— seokjin, namjoon. only hoseok and taehyung are left, but he doesn’t know how much time they have left, with hoseok’s medical supplies depleting rapidly, and taehyung living on soullessly every day, yearning after his lover who lost to the stars, taken away cruelly without a chance of a proper goodbye. many have talked about the end of the world coming, but he didn’t think he would actually live to see the day where the world really ended.
but here he is, humming softly as he waters his plants calmly, waiting for the world to end.
he almost laughs with the irony of it— not understanding how he himself, can be so calm about it. almost as if he’s accepting of it.
well— it’s not like he has much to look forward to, anyway. the world has taken everything away from him, and now he’s just waiting for it to take him away, too.
the lights fall around him, but he doesn’t pay much attention, choosing to tend to his plants instead.
and so, he doesn’t notice, when a particularly bright ball of light runs through the sky, streaking brightly, almost blinding, if you looked at it closely enough. it’s a mass of light, and it travels down and down, until it’s close enough to touch the horizon of where the sky meets the land. he’s only aware of it when he feels something warm behind him, and sees his flowers illuminated by the bright light this ball emits.
turning around, he spots a figure behind him, and he looks at it suspiciously. it’s some distance away, and from where he is, he can’t tell if it’s a human or an animal. as he squints at it, the figure seems to evolve, taking on a more human like shape. he wants to be surprised, but really, nothing at this point surprises him. it’s the end of the world. what is there to lose?
he takes a few steps closer to the figure, and when he’s close enough, he can see that it’s a boy about his age. he looks slightly younger than yoongi, soft features gracing his face gently. he’s got round cheeks, pink lips that seem to be pursed in a pout, and a strong browbone that highlights the structure of his face. what catches yoongi’s eye, though, is the colour of his hair. he’s got brown hair, but it’s got streaks of silver in it, running down and all around his head. it’s a pretty combination, and yoongi’s eyes are fixated on it. when his eyes travel down to the boy’s face, he lets out an audible gasp. this, is the one thing that surprises him.
the boys eyes flash a bright silver, the same shade of the streaks in his hair, before turning into a brown colour, one that matches the better part of his locks. besides the colour of his eyes, he looks just as how a normal human would. he’s got bright skin, shining almost a pearly, translucent white with an underlying golden hue. he’s wearing a white, long sleeved shirt, which is tucked into black pants that cover his long legs. his pants accentuate his tiny waist, and yoongi tries not to stare.
“hello,” the boy says. his voice sounds like music— a soft, lilting lullaby. “who are you?”
yoongi stares at him. tries not to look at his eyes. “who are you? ”
“i do not have a fixed name,” the boy says. “but you can call me jeongguk.”
“why don’t you have a fixed name?”
“there is no need for one,” the boy replies simply. “we are all nameless bodies of light, floating in the universe. we do not have names, for that gives us an identity, and an identity will make us more important than our purpose, which is to be one with the universe.”
yoongi has no idea what the boy is talking about. purpose? universe? he’s lost with what the boy is saying, but he likes listening to the soft breaths he lets out as he talks, almost as if he’s sucking air between his teeth. he doesn’t think the boy is human, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask.
“are you,” starts yoongi carefully. “are you— are you of this world?”
“no,” the boy, or well— he probably isn’t a boy, or a human, now— answers. “i am a star, a floating body in the sky.”
“you’re a star,” repeats yoongi. “and your name is jeongguk.”
jeongguk nods. “you can call me that, yes.”
“and what are you doing here?”
“you have not answered my question,” counters jeongguk. “is it not fair that i only give you more answers after you have given me some, too?”
yoongi stares at him again. “what was your question?”
“who are you,” jeongguk replies. “i have told you who i am. who are you?”
“i—” he stops, thinking about it. jeongguk’s question is actually a good one— who is he? without the people who have made him who he is— he doesn’t know. despite having a name, he feels nameless— drifting around aimlessly, orbiting around an unknown planet.
“my name is yoongi,” he finally settles on. “i live here. like— i’m human.”
“oh,” says jeongguk, with understanding. “i see.”
“what are you doing here?” he can’t stop the question from rolling off.
“i have been sent here to assess the earth’s situation.” jeongguk blinks once, and his eyes flash silver, before returning to brown. “i hear things are bad.”
“they are,” agrees yoongi. “i don’t think there’s anything you can do, though.”
jeongguk blinks again. “you underestimate the power of the universe.”
“the universe is what has taken away everything from me,” says yoongi, turning away. “and it took, without even asking me for permission.”
jeongguk makes the same soft noise as he did before, when he was talking. it sounds like a soft breath of air, and yet, despite it being such a normal action— it sounds like the haunting notes of the keys on the piano he used to play. yoongi is no longer looking at him, but he hears jeongguk step behind him, almost hesitatingly.
“wait,” says jeonguk softly.
yoongi pauses, but doesn’t turn around. he waits, expecting jeongguk to continue.
“i am sorry the universe has taken from you, without asking,” he says. “there’s been a battle there for years— between the dark and the light. the light has been winning, but the dark is slowly rising stronger. that is why i have been sent down here— to see what the situation is so the light can rise again, and hopefully, fix things.”
“you don’t have to apologize,” yoongi says. he’s still facing away from jeongguk, looking towards his plants. “it’s not your fault.”
“but it is,” mumbles jeongguk. “the light was not able to stop the darkness, once upon a time.”
there’s a pause, where yoongi tries to understand where jeongguk is coming from, or what he means by that. “i don’t hold you responsible for that,” he finally says.
he continues walking on, toward a new patch of earth. jeongguk’s voice stops him again in his tracks.
“will you show me around?”
and yoongi— he doesn’t feel particularly willing to do so; wanting to forget he’d ever met this curious boy with the most interesting eyes. but yet— as he thinks about the boy’s eyes. how they flashed brown and silver, before turning brown again. his silver streaked hair, looking soft without him having to touch it. he doesn’t want to get involved with this boy, yet he feels drawn towards him, to the sparkle in his being.
“what would you like to know?”
and so, he ends up showing jeongguk around his place, from the area that surrounds them, to the lake beside it, and to his small garden patch where his plants and flowers are. the stars are still raining around them, but they’ve slowed down considerably, more like a drizzle instead of a full on thunderstorm.
jeongguk listens to him explain things with a quiet concentration, asking minimal questions. when yoongi shows him the flowers, his eyes grow wide, before flashing silver again. it’s a split second before turning back to brown, but yoongi sees it. he wants to ask, but doesn’t know how to.
when he finishes his mini tour, he stops right in front of his garden once more. “that’s about it,” he tells jeongguk. “other places are different, though. some have it better, some worse. but overall, we’re all about the same— just— waiting, i guess. for the world to end.”
“i see,” says jeongguk softly. “thank you for showing me around.”
yoongi shrugs. “it’s no big deal. you’re welcome.”
jeongguk wanders off then, and yoongi watches him leave, trying to figure out what he feels. he’s confused— but there’s something very intriguing about jeongguk. the way his skin shines, pearly white but also golden— the way his eyes sparkle, flashing brown and silver. his voice, how it sounds like he’s singing, when he speaks.
he’s very pretty, thinks yoongi absentmindedly.
he looks to the flowers, and they wave back at him, some of them glowing faintly in the dim light. he asks them what they think about jeongguk. of course, there isn’t any answer, but the starflowers, especially, seem to wink at him saying, he’s interesting— you should get to know him.
he ignores them, and promptly goes back to work.
that night, he dreams of the stars that rain down in the sky, pinks and blues and purples all coming down together in bright streaks of light. he dreams of a figure in the distance, someone with silver streaked hair, and eyes that flash like lightning. in his dream, the figure sings, and it’s a sound he finds himself drawn to, following it the way children followed the pied piper out of the city.
the figure also talks to him, murmuring soft words in his melodic voice, although yoongi can’t make them out. he doesn’t understand what the figure is saying— and yet somehow, in his mind, he does. jeongguk is telling him that he’s come to earth, not just to assess the situation, but he has to save the world, or else it will end, just like everyone has been predicting. the light would’ve failed them, and the darkness will take over.
yoongi feels a chill run down his spine and jeongguk’s words. he doesn’t know how he understands them— how he understands jeongguk, but he does. he hears what jeongguk is telling him, and despite expecting it— for the world to end, he still feels a sense of shock and fear. it grips at him, and jolts him awake from his slumber.
the sight that greets him is one that continues to fuel his fear, and he feels his heart in his throat as he looks before him. by his window, sits a dark figure, illuminated only by a sharp glow that lines its entire body. the glow sparkles, and moves with the figure as it breathes. the figure is singing softly— almost inaudible, but yoongi hears it. when he hears its voice, he realises with a start, that it is jeongguk. he’s perched on yoongi’s window, singing to him as he watches him sleep. in the dark, the silver streaks in his hair glow bright, and his eyes flash, when he sees yoongi awake.
“what are you doing?” yoongi is too groggy to be properly angry, but the residual fear from being startled awake clings to him, phantom fingers curling over his throat.
“i had nowhere to go,” jeongguk answers softly. “i walked around, to see what the rest of the town was like. but then everyone went into their homes, and i was alone once more. i did not know where to go, and you were the only person i had talked to, so…” he trails off, and yoongi stares at him. there is a haunting ache in jeongguk’s voice when he talked about how he had nowhere to go. he feels his heart ache along with jeongguk’s voice.
“you sleep here tonight,” he finds himself saying. “i don’t have a spare room, or a couch— so you’ll have to stay here, but it’s comfortable, i promise.”
“thank you,” jeongguk says, eyes flashing once again. he looks to the space beside yoongi. “i do not sleep, so there is no need for the bed. i am content with sitting here.” he gestures to the window sill, and yoongi looks at the glow lining the slope of his shoulders, the lines of his neck, travelling down to the dip in his collarbones.
“you don’t sleep?”
jeongguk shakes his head. “if i need to show that i am sleeping, i can. but stars have no actual need to sleep.”
yoongi hums. “at least close the window, then. the draft is chilly.”
jeongguk looks curiously at the latch on the windowsill, before putting out his hand and attempting to close the window. he struggles a little, pushing at it the wrong way. yoongi directs him, and he manages to snap the window close, lifting the latch in place. he turns to yoongi and beams, proud of his mini achievement. yoongi smiles back at him before settling down on the bed again, pulling the covers up.
“don’t watch me when i sleep,” mumbles yoongi. “ ’s creepy.”
“but you are interesting,” jeongguk says honestly. “you are very pretty when you sleep.”
yoongi nearly chokes, hearing jeongguk’s directness. “well then, don’t make it known to me that you’re watching me sleep.”
jeongguk nods, and this time, yoongi slips off into a dreamless sleep.
over the next week, jeongguk tails yoongi around like a little puppy— or rather, yoongi thinks he looks uncannily like a bunny. every time he sees yoongi do something that he’s never seen before, he perks up and his bright eyes turn wide, mouth parting open in a little o. he’s got nowhere to stay, and so yoongi allows him to stay with him, seeing as he’s not much of a bother when yoongi gets to work. jeongguk tries his best to help, although more often than not, yoongi ends up spending time explaining to him how certain things work instead of having jeongguk actually helping him.
he finds he doesn’t mind, though.
everything about jeongguk interests him— from his appearance, to how he glows, to his lilting voice that always seems to help yoongi sleep better. every night, jeongguk sits by the windowsill of yoongi’s bedroom, and watches as the stars rain down from the sky above. jeongguk doesn’t notice, the way yoongi stares at him sometimes. when he watches the stars, he gets into his own world, eyes becoming starry and far away, lost in his memories. he sings, and yoongi always closes his eyes, finding that he sleeps better on the nights where jeongguk’s melody lulls him to sleep.
he talks to the stars sometimes— sometimes in a language that yoongi cannot understand, and sometimes in one that he can. he whispers, murmuring of his day, little secrets that are dropped carefully into open palms, that soon close and curl over, hiding them away.
once, yoongi startles awake from a dream— one that isn’t exactly a nightmare, but something close to chilling, vestiges of memories clinging on to his mind, never leaving— no matter how much yoongi tries to shake them away. he sits up, heart still pounding in his chest. jeongguk is by the window, as always.
he looks to yoongi, and yoongi looks back. his silhouette is illuminated by starlight again, and he glows softly in the absence of light.
“hello,” he murmurs.
yoongi doesn’t answer, breathing in deeply to try and calm his racing heart. “you are distressed,” notes jeongguk. “you do not feel comfortable.”
he grunts, and jeongguk moves. his eyes flash silver, once. “should i leave? i do not want to make you uncomfortable. i am sor—”
“no,” yoongi cuts him off. “no— it’s— it’s okay. you’re not making me uncomfortable.”
please stay.
“it was just a dream,” mutters yoongi. “ ‘s not you.”
“shall i sing?” jeongguk offers. “i notice you sleep better when i sing.”
in the dark light, yoongi flushes, but jeongguk doesn’t seem to realise how his honesty makes yoongi blush. when he doesn’t answer, jeongguk begins to sing. little dots of light surround him, darting around his shadow. his eyes turn silver, before becoming brown again. the streaks in his hair seem to glow intermittently, and yoongi watches him, transfixed.
in between his song, jeongguk stops to take a breath, and the question breaks from yoongi’s chest— wanting to be released. “why are you here, jeongguk?”
jeongguk looks at him, eyes bright and sparkling. “i told you,” he murmurs. “i have to assess the situation here, on earth.”
“but is that all, though?”
there is a long pause, one that makes the silence crawl up yoongi’s bones until he begins to regret asking— maybe he overstepped an invisible boundary— but then, jeongguk answers.
“i am responsible to figure out how to save the earth,” he says softly. “if i do not, i will die.”
yoongi looks at him for a long time. he doesn’t know why— but he feels something tug at his heart, an inexplicable feeling of sadness for jeongguk, despite not knowing much about him. belatedly, he realises it was what was in his dream as well.
“i’m sorry,” he finally says.
“do not be,” jeongguk tells him. “it is not your fault.”
“do you think there’s any way to save the earth?”
“the chances do not look good,” replies jeongguk slowly. “there seems to be no clear cut way to help the earth.”
yoongi moves, climbing out of bed and going to where jeongguk is, by the window. he looks up at the sky. the stars are raining down, still, but they fall slowly, almost as if they’re dropping in slow motion, slowed down by a time machine. jeongguk follows his gaze to the sky, before sighing softly.
“you miss your home,” yoongi says. it’s an observation— the truth.
jeongguk nods minutely. “sometimes, i see the stars of my people dancing in the sky.” he pauses. and then softly— “i miss them.”
“tell me about yourself,” murmurs yoongi. “who are you really, jeongguk?”
and so, jeongguk tells him of stories, stories that paint yoongi’s imagination just like the stars paint the sky. jeongguk tells him of his family, and how he has six star siblings— five of them younger, and one older. he has a little star sister, one whom he’s the closest to, because of their age gap. his father died when just as she was born, and thus, jeongguk acted in place of her protector and guardian. her name is saebyeol, and jeongguk’s eyes light up and sparkle silver whenever he mentions her.
“she will be five this year.” he smiles wistfully, playing with the hem of his shirt. “i miss her the most.”
“i’m sure she misses you too,” yoongi murmurs.
“we used to dance in the field of starflowers together,” jeongguk says. “i would sing to her, and she would dance to the melody. it was her favourite thing to do— she always asked me to play with her, even when i was busy.”
“sing for me, the songs you sang her?”
jeongguk sings, and yoongi is mesmerized. he looks at the sky, and then looks back at jeongguk. his hair has started to streak silver again, glowing softly. he closes his eyes as he sings, dipping into the memories of old, allowing love to wash over him. his eyelashes glitter a little silver before turning dark again, and yoongi tries to count them as they fan his cheeks.
jeongguk tells him of his friends, up in the sky. one of his best friends is named jimin, and he’s from the same star colony as jeongguk. they grew up together, dancing in their childhood before stumbling into adulthood, learning the ways of the world through trial and error. he talks about how he would chase for stars in the river with jimin, laughing and playing as they enjoyed their youth. how he would go over to jimin’s abode, always, to be welcomed with good food and better company. jimin has star siblings too, and jeongguk loves them as his own.
“he has a brother and a sister,” jeongguk smiles. “they are around saebyeol’s age— they play together, sometimes.”
“they sound lovely,” yoongi says.
“you would love to meet them,” says jeongguk. “maybe one day,” he adds on softly, eyes unreadable.
yoongi looks at him, and jeongguk looks back. he reaches out, almost on instinct. jeongguk closes his eyes, and yoongi’s fingers linger over his hair. “your hair,” he breathes. “it’s silver, again.”
“you can touch it if you would like,” jeongguk whispers. “you have gentle hands.”
yoongi makes a noise in his throat. “what makes you say that?”
“i see the way you care for your plants,” replies jeongguk softly. “you have gentle hands— i am sure of it.”
he lets his fingers rest in jeongguk’s hair, before carding through. it’s soft, just like he imagined— but there’s also something more. the star droplets dance around his fingers, and he watches them move, transfixed.
“why is it you, that has to save the earth?” yoongi asks quietly.
“my father is from the lineage of royal stars,” jeongguk says softly. “it is our— our responsibility, to be able to save our planet.”
“but if you can’t, even though you’ve tried your best, it’s unfair for them to punish you,” yoongi points out.
“nothing is ever fair, yoongi,” murmurs jeongguk. “not on this earth, nor up there.”
yoongi quietens at that, realising the truth of jeongguk’s words. he thinks back to his family, and how he lost them. jeongguk breaks the silence, somehow being able to tell exactly what yoongi is thinking.
“is it not the same for your family,” he questions quietly. “i am sure you lost them in a way that was unfair, too.”
“i did,” agrees yoongi. “i miss them every day.”
“they did not deserve to be taken away like that,” jeongguk says. “i am still sorry.”
“i am too,” is all yoongi responds.
they watch the stars for a little while longer in silence, before yoongi turns to jeongguk again. “do you know,” he starts off. “when the world will end?”
jeongguk stills, but he responds. “i do not— but they have told me it will be soon.”
yoongi nods, expecting the answer. “i guess— we wait, then.”
jeongguk hums, and yoongi shifts, nodding towards the bed. “you can sit on the bed, you know. the view of the stars is the same there. i don’t think it’s comfortable here on this hard ledge.”
“i did not think you were comfortable with that,” jeongguk says quietly. “i do not want to intrude.”
“you aren’t intruding,” yoongi tells him. “you’re not. you’re okay, jeongguk.”
jeongguk looks at him for a long time before answering. his eyes flash silver once more. “thank you, yoongi.”
/
over the next few weeks, yoongi and jeongguk spend more time together, learning each other through and through. jeongguk learns that yoongi takes coffee in the morning with no sugar, and that he feels calmer only after tending to his patch of plants. he notices how yoongi talks to the plants, as if they were human— as if they had souls of their own, too. he sees how yoongi treats everything with a certain delicacy that isn’t describable, handling everything with care.
two weeks in, yoongi shows jeongguk his entire patch of plants, calling each flower by their name, telling jeongguk of the individual, unique stories that come with each plant. jeongguk listens with rapt attention, finding that he likes the way yoongi gestures when he describes each story, the way his fingers rub softly against each leaf as he talks to his plants, treating them with a realness that isn’t easily found otherwise.
yoongi, he thinks. is gentle.
in turn, yoongi notices how the stars around jeongguk shine brighter when he sings— something that fascinates him, still. when jeongguk is upset, the stars around them rain down harder. he still doesn’t sleep, although now he sits beside yoongi on the bed, as he watches the sky at night. he tells yoongi that the nights are the best times where his star siblings and star friends come out to play, and he watches them from afar, down below where they dance around the moonlight and play with the stars, singing of new and old, love and warmth.
every night, he tells yoongi of a different story, sharing parts of his life and introducing yoongi to the world of starlight. once, he tells yoongi that yoongi is his only friend, here on earth.
“i was lonely, before i met you,” jeongguk says softly. “you are my first friend.”
“i thought you had jimin,” murmurs yoongi.
“i do, but that is different. i have known him all my life— i did not need to become friends with him. when we were brought to life, the both of us were just there, by each other’s side. he was there, and so was i.” he turns to yoongi, hands reaching out to play with yoongi’s hair. he’s been doing that a lot lately, and yoongi finds that it calms him.
“but you— you reached out and let me be your friend,” he ends softly. “and for that, i am grateful.”
yoongi murmurs his response into the quietness of the night, but he doesn’t think jeongguk hears him, too lost in the land of memories, far, far away. his eyes take on a muted silver, and they stay that way for some time. yoongi has come to realise that it happens a lot whenever jeongguk reminisces on his life back in the galaxies, when he remembers the life that used to be.
even among everything jeongguk tells him, there are no two same stories, and yoongi allows jeongguk’s lilting voice to lull him to sleep.
“are you asleep?” his voice is breathy, light and airy against yoongi’s ear. yoongi is pulled out of his doze, raising his head to mumble, “if my eyes are closed, then probably— yes.”
jeongguk looks at him amusedly. he glances down, and yoongi sees where his eyes are drawn to. in his sleepy haze, yoongi let his hand fall below, and onto jeongguk’s open palm. from this angel, it looks like they’re holding hands.
he starts to draw back his hand, but jeongguk stops him. “your hand is very warm. i like it.”
jeongguk turns his hands over yoongi’s, curling their fingers together. “this is what humans do, right? they hold hands, to show affection.”
yoongi makes a noise. “how do you know that?”
“i saw your friends by the river doing it,” he says simply. by friends, yoongi assumes he means hoseok and taehyung, who live together by the river bank. he doesn’t know in what context jeongguk saw them holding hands, but he finds jeongguk’s innocence endearing.
“kind of,” yoongi tells him. “sometimes people hold hands for comfort, too.”
“do you need comfort?” asks jeongguk curiously.
yoongi doesn’t know how to answer that. he thinks, yes. but your presence itself is a comfort. “sometimes,” is what he finally settles on.
“can we hold hands, then?”
“sure.” he finds he doesn’t know what else to say, with jeongguk looking at him so wide eyed and bright. jeongguk’s hand is warm in his, and yoongi watches now as the little star droplets run over and around his hand, which is intertwined with jeongguk’s.
“the star droplets never leave,” he comments. “they dance always on your skin.
“they’re a part of me,” jeongguk answers. “but saebyeol and i are the only ones that have these droplets. i don’t know why— my other siblings don’t have them.”
“you’re special,” yoongi tells him softly. “and so is saebyeol. i’d like to meet her, one day.”
jeongguk turns, propping himself up on his free arm. yoongi’s hand is still nestled between them. “she’d love to meet you too.”
yoongi traces the veins that run up jeongguk’s arm. they’re streaked silver too, in the dark. jeongguk follows his fingers, before he looks up softly at yoongi. “do you know how stars show affection?”
“how?”
jeongguk leans forward suddenly, his face close to yoongi’s. startled, yoongi’s eyes widen but he doesn’t move, caught in jeongguk’s intense gaze. jeongguk leans, and leans, until he's right in front of yoongi, so close that he almost gets crossed eyed trying to look at jeongguk. jeongguk's eyes are sparkling, and his lashes glitter silver, catching on the moonlight. he's so pretty, it takes yoongi's breath away.
jeongguk moves, pressing his forehead against yoongi's. he is warm, and his touch is a comforting weight. he's quiet, and yoongi understands: this is how he loves.
yoongi closes his eyes, revelling in the softness of jeongguk’s skin. the moment is so intimate, so precious, that he finds he doesn’t want it to end. even with his eyes closed, he can picture the tiny stars that dance around jeongguk, hopping back and forth with light. jeongguk goes to pull back, but yoongi reaches out, pressing on his wrist. “wait,” he murmurs. “stay here a little longer.”
he does, and when yoongi opens his eyes again, he sees that jeongguk is already looking at him, something like love and tenderness in his eyes. yoongi brushes the strands of hair away from his face, palm cupping jeongguk’s cheeks. they’re warm to the touch, almost like the stars that dance over his skin were running a marathon, heating up the ground beneath them.
“do you want to know how humans also show affection?” he whispers, stroking his thumb over jeongguk’s cheekbone.
jeongguk nods, and his eyes glitter a little silver before he murmurs out a yes, closing his eyes and leaning into yoongi’s open palm.
it should be awkward, and it should be uncomfortable, given the angle they’re at— given the fact that this is a quiet and tender love, born out of an unlikely friendship between a human and a star.
and yet, when yoongi leans forward to press a soft kiss to the middle of jeongguk’s lips, nothing else feels as natural as that.
kissing jeongguk, yoongi finds, is a little like sunbathing. jeongguk tastes like light, if yoongi were ever to guess how light tastes like. kissing jeongguk feels like the sun on a hot summer’s day as a child, one where you’ve had fun running about the beach and letting the sand stick all over you as you curl your toes into the sea, right where the shore meets the sand. kissing jeongguk feels like the coolness of water on your feet, even as the sun beats down warmly on you, kissing the top of your head gently. it feels like the first lick of the popsicle, right when you need it the most— when it’s hot and the ice cold sweetness hits your tongue, refreshing you and sending a shiver all over your body.
it’s sweet, and it burns.
and for all that jeongguk is, yoongi finds that he kisses back with fervour, pressing gently back into yoongi’s lips, tightening his hand in yoongi’s grip. he sighs contentedly, and yoongi feels him smile slightly against his lips.
he pulls back to get air, and jeongguk does the same. jeongguk looks at him, eyes shining, and yoongi smiles back at him, gently, gently, gently.
“does this mean,” jeongguk starts hesitatingly. he doesn’t continue, worrying at his bottom lip and playing with yoongi’s fingers.
yoongi touches his jaw with two fingers, lightly tapping jeongguk’s lip. “what is it?”
“does this mean— you— you have affection? for me?” he asks haltingly.
“oh jeongguk,” yoongi answers. “i’ve had affection for you since the day you first sang me to sleep.”
and jeongguk’s smile, paired with the bright happiness in his eyes as he shifts closer into yoongi’s touch, is an image that yoongi cannot, and will not, get out of his head for a long,
long,
time.
/
nothing changes, really. and somehow even with that, everything changes. they hold hands, and kiss a lot more. jeongguk tends to the garden alongside yoongi. he sings to the plants, and yoongi finds that miraculously, they grow bigger and healthier, even without him putting in extra care or effort.
“they never did that with me,” yoongi protests. “i’ve been trying so hard to get this little one here to grow.”
“maybe i’m just special,” giggles jeongguk. “you said so yourself, didn’t you?”
yoongi taps him on the nose at that, without responding. jeongguk catches him by the wrist before he pulls away, pulling him towards his chest instead.
“hello,” murmurs yoongi.
“hello.” jeongguk leans in, pressing his forehead against yoongi’s. he’s been doing that a lot more, and yoongi loves the closeness, the familiarity of it. the tenderness.
he brushes jeongguk’s nose back, and breathes in deeply. jeongguk leans his forehead against yoongi’s, fingers coming to curl around yoongi’s wrists. “i have to tell you something.”
“what is it,” yoongi asks, eyes still closed.
“i think i have found a way to save the earth,” jeongguk says quietly.
yoongi opens his eyes, looking at jeongguk. he looks worried, a slight crease appearing between his eyebrows. his eyes, which usually shine bright and happy, are clouded over with something unreadable.
“how?”
the stars begin to rain heavier around them, falling faster than ever— and something flashes in jeongguk’s eyes, before he pulls back, slipping his hands back into yoongi’s and pulling him towards the house. “let’s go in,” he murmurs.
in the house, jeongguk worries at his lip, wringing his hands before yoongi stops him, gently pulling jeongguk in. “hey,” he says. “what’s up? you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“i have to sacrifice myself,” jeongguk blurts out.
yoongi raises his eyebrows, trying to slowly process. “okay. what do you mean by that?”
“every star is formed from stardust,” jeongguk begins. “and if we fade away, we return to stardust. we only fade away— humans know it as death— when we give up part of ourselves, or if we’re punished by the galaxy.”
“the starlight within me, because my family is of royal lineage— it’s special, stronger than what other stars have. what is within me can save the earth.” jeongguk shudders, tears rolling down his face softly. “i— i have to give up part of myself, to save the earth.”
he stills, hands coming to a stop in jeongguk’s. “o-okay,” he says slowly. “okay. we’ll figure it out. don’t worry— jeongguk, we’ll figure it out.”
jeongguk raises his head, and yoongi sees his eyes are bright, but this time with tears, not light. he reaches out to catch the tears with his thumb, gently stroking them away.
“i’m sorry,” jeongguk whispers. “i’m sorry.”
“don’t be,” yoongi tells him. “it’s not your fault. we’ll figure something out.”
that night, yoongi watches, for the first time in all the weeks jeongguk has been here— how jeongguk sleeps. he had told yoongi that stars don’t sleep, but when yoongi wakes up to get a glass of water, throat parched and dry— he sees jeongguk, lying curled faced towards him, head gently pillowed against yoongi’s arm. his eyes are closed, although his eyelids move slightly, almost as if he were dreaming. his lashes glitter in the low light, silver against his golden skin. his hair fans out on the bed beneath yoongi’s arm, soft and sweet, silver streaks glinting in the moonlight. yoongi watches him for awhile, taking in his beauty. a slight crease on jeongguk’s forehead appears, and his brows furrow together. he begins to tremble, jerking suddenly. it’s like he’s having a nightmare, and yoongi shakes him gently.
“hey, jeongguk.” jeongguk doesn’t open his eyes, but his expression becomes more distressed. “jeongguk, wake up. it isn’t real— whatever you’re seeing, right now.”
yoongi drops his hand to jeongguk’s, uncurling his fingers from a tight fist. he strokes jeongguk’s palm, willing for him to wake up.
“jeongguk,” he calls. “jeongguk, wake up.”
jeongguk finally stirs, eyes blinking open in fright. they flash sliver, but this time they stay silver, eyes burning almost with fire as he looks at yoongi. his palms are clammy, and a slight sheen of sweat covers his forehead.
“yoongi?” his voice sounds scared, and he’s still trembling.
“hey,” yoongi says softly. “i’m here. you’re okay. you’re okay, jeongguk.”
“they took you away,” jeongguk whispers, voice hoarse. “they took you away, and i did not want to leave you, but i had no choice.”
“it was a dream,” yoongi says. “it isn’t real, although i’m sure it must’ve felt so real when you were in it.” he runs his hand up jeongguk’s arm, soothing. “i’m here. they didn’t take me away.”
“i will have to leave you, though,” jeongguk says, voice small. “i do not want to.”
“maybe they’ll let you come back,” yoongi tries. it’s a fleeting hope, one that he knows isn’t real or able to be truly done, but he wants to hope, anyway.
jeongguk looks at him for a long time, gaze searching. “i am going to go back, and try to ask the star father if there is any alternative way. i do not want to part from you.”
yoongi shifts, gazing at him tenderly. he doesn’t know how in his dark and dreary situation here on earth— how he managed to stumble on a soul like jeongguk, someone so bright and kind, someone whom he didn’t think it was possible to feel so much for. he cups jeongguk’s face with his right hand, pressing gently. “okay.”
/
jeongguk leaves, the next morning. it’s quick, something that happens as yoongi blinks, in a flash of light. just like the way jeongguk came, he returns to his homeland in a ball of light. yoongi watches as he turns around, spinning and creating air around him. his body stars to glow, and light fills yoongi’s garden as it consumes jeongguk, wrapping around him in silver streaks and golden glitters.
and just as yoongi blinks, he’s gone, leaving behind only a sparkle of starlight, gracing yoongi’s skin and dancing around the leaves of his plants, the only reminder that his presence was, or is, real in yoongi’s life.
/
saebyeol is playing in the star fields with jimin and his younger brother, eunwoo, when jeongguk arrives back home. she doesn’t see him at first, too busy chasing eunwoo around as they flit in and out of the plants that are taller than them, stardust trailing after their excited movements. jimin sees him first, mouth dropping open slightly before he catches saebyeol just as she runs past him. she squeals, kicking her legs in the air happily as eunwoo jumps, trying to tackle her.
he sees jimin whisper something into saebyeol’s ear, and she stops moving, head turning in his direction. jimin lets her down with a laugh, and she all but runs towards him, stumbling through the plants on either side of her. the edge of her dress gets wet with the star dew, but she doesn’t seem to notice as she makes her beeline for jeongguk.
kneeling, he opens his arms out for her, and she runs right into them, squishing her cheek against his throat. “jeongguk!”
“hello, my little star,” he says, smiling. “oh, how i have missed you.”
“i missed you too,” she says. “so much, so much!”
“have you been a bright, kind star, while i was away?” he taps her nose, and she leans forward to kiss his cheek.
“only the best,” she promises.
“i am glad to hear that,” he murmurs into her hair. he hears movement, and looks up just to meet jimin’s eyes, and eunwoo’s excited gestures as he barrels towards jeongguk too. jeongguk laughs, hoisting eunwoo onto his leg as he hugs him. he stands up with his arms full of them, and jimin claps him on the back gently. “welcome back, jeongguk.”
“jimin,” he greets. “hey.”
they walk back to his house, and saebyeol won’t stop chattering, telling him about everything she did while he was away,interjected happily by eunwoo’s excited trill, too. he smiles, humming and making sounds where appropriate, trying his best to concentrate. but no matter what he does, he can’t stop thinking of two soft eyes and softer skin, belonging to a boy he left down below.
he greets the rest of his siblings, who climb over him excitedly. there’s lots of laughter, and loud hellos, before everyone calms down and he goes out to his garden for a breath of fresh air.
jimin follows him out, and although jeongguk knows he’s behind him, he doesn’t move, not until jimin squeezes the back of his neck. “hey,” he murmurs. “talk to me. what is bothering you?”
he debates even telling jimin about yoongi, almost wanting to keep yoongi to himself— as if he’s a secret that shouldn’t be shared with the world. but he also knows jimin knows him like the back of his own hand, and that if he lied, he would be found out almost immediately.
there’s a long pause, and jimin looks out to the star horizon, giving jeongguk time. and then finally—
“i think i found out how to save the earth,” jeongguk says quietly. jimin looks at him in surprise, eyes widening.
“what must be done?”
“something tough,” jeongguk admits. “it will not be easy, and i do not know if i can do it.”
“what is it,” presses jimin.
“i have to sacrifice part of myself,” says jeongguk softly— almost inaudible, almost as if the air has been punched out of him, voice raw and aching.
“oh,” breathes jimin. “oh, jeongguk.”
jeongguk turns to jimin then, eyes glistening with unshed tears now. “i met someone,” he says, voice trembling. “i met someone, jimin. and i think i love him.”
jimin’s face tightens at that, but his eyes hold sorrow and understanding. he reaches out, as if to touch jeongguk, but jeongguk’s vision is blurred, tears overtaking his sight. “jeongguk—”
“i do not know if i can leave now,” jeongguk continues, as if he hasn’t heard jimin. he shakes, and the tears run down his face when he blinks. “i cannot leave him. i cannot leave my family— saebyeol— you. all of you. jimin, i cannot leave him. i love him— and i think,” jeongguk pauses, taking a shuddering breath. “—i think— he loves me, too.”
“that is why i came back,” jeongguk’s voice cracks. “i came to ask the star father if he would let me go. i do not understand, jimin. why do i have to be responsible, for something i did not take part in? i did not ask for this— i did not ask to be born into a royal family, where there is so much weight on my shoulders.”
jimin lets him talk, realising that he’s probably kept this bottled up for some time. his heart aches, hearing the sadness in jeongguk’s voice, the heartbreaking loneliness of realising you finally have all you want right in your hands, and yet you cannot touch it, for it is seemingly out of your reach.
“i do not know what to do,” whispers jeongguk. “i came back to ask, but i do not think the star father will allow me not to sacrifice myself. my father was held in high regard in the star court— he thought highly of my father, and i know there is a pressure for me to act accordingly. but jimin—” his voice breaks, and jimin draws him in, rubbing soothing circles over his back, letting him cry his heart out.
saebyeol finds them a little while later, as they’re nestled among the plants by the river bank that overlooks jeongguk’s house garden. she’s carrying a small taffy, and there’s a little bit of gold dust on the wrapper. her happy eyes turn concerned when she sees jeongguk and jimin curled up together, jimin patting jeongguk gently. he’s stopped crying, but he’s exhausted, staring aimlessly into the sky.
“jeongguk?”
jeongguk stirs, rising from jimin’s lap. “yeah, sweetheart.” his voice is thick, although there are no more tears. but saebyeol has always been wise and perceptive for her age, and she walks to him, tugging on his hand.
“here,” she says gently, putting her taffy into his hand. “for you. don’t be sad anymore, okay?”
his heart wells at that, almost wanting to cry again. she’s so young, yet she’s so old. jimin takes this as his cue to leave, and he squeezes jeongguk’s hand before pressing a kiss to the crown of saebyeol’s head, murmuring that he’ll take eunwoo and go home for dinner.
when jimin leaves, jeongguk opens up his arms to saebyeol, and she goes to him, wrapping her little hands around his middle. she can barely cover his waist, but he draws her in, settling down near the river bank, just where the rocks are flat and smooth.
“do you need more hugs?” her eyes are ever so wide and bright, peering into his face curiously. she squeezes him again. “here. more hugs for you!”
he smiles down at her, watery. “thank you, my starry one,” he murmurs. “your hugs make me feel a lot better.”
she kisses the tip of his nose. “why are you sad?”
he strokes her hair, straightening the star shaped clip that is slipping off her bangs. “my heart is a little heavy tonight, saebyeol. there is something i must do, but i do not want to do it.”
“but if you don’t want to do it, why must you?” she frowns. jeongguk smiles at her childlike innocence.
“because,” he says softly. “it is the right thing to do. to save other people, i have to do what is right.”
“but it makes you sad,” she says. it’s not a question, and she utters it like a statement. jeongguk wishes he had some of her assurance.
“it does,” he murmurs. “but i do not think there is anything else to be done.”
she plays with the hem of his shirt, rolling it around in her fingers. her fingers are covered with the same gold dust that is on the taffy, still stuck to the palm of his hand. “i think you should also listen to what your heart wants,” she says softly. “jeongguk, you always tell me that. that my heart is always right, as long as i am kind, and i am brave, and if i love. you told me that if i care about something, that will show through my heart, and that i should listen to my heart.”
her hands come up from the hem of his shirt, to press gently against his chest, right where his heart is. “i think, you should listen to your heart, too.”
he smiles gently at her, lip trembling as he wills himself not to cry. she’s so tiny, yet she holds so much wisdom within her, it surprises him every time. he wonders, for the nth time, how she became like this.
“you remind me of someone i met, down on earth,” he tells her. “i made a friend on earth, saebyeol. i think you would like him. i told him about you, you know? i told him about you, and he said he would love to meet you, one day.”
“i want to meet him too! what is his name?”
“yoongi,” jeongguk replies softly. “his name is yoongi.”
“is yoongi special to you?”
“very much so.” he presses a kiss to her forehead. “i think he would be special to you, too.”
“anyone who is special to my jeongguk will be special to me,” she says loyally. “i like him already. i know he is a good person.”
“and how do you know that, my angel?”
she smiles at him, toothy grin in full sight. “he makes you happy. you smile when you talk about him. and if there is someone who makes you happy, they are a good person.”
jeongguk’s eyes flash silver, and he cuddles her close, humming into her hair. “i love you, my little star. thank you for being you.”
“i love you too, jeongguk. you are my big star. i know you will protect me, always.” she kisses his cheek, before yawning. he chuckles, heart aching as he hears her words. the stars rain around them harder, and when he looks up, he sees a few shooting stars that graze the sky, falling to the ground. she snuggles against him, and before he knows it, she’s out like a light, as he faces the vast river before him, alone with his thoughts once more.
/
and down below, the stars rain harder than they ever have before. yoongi looks up from where he waters his plants, thinking about a boy with eyes that flash silver to match the streaks in his hair, a boy with a heart that is warm, warm, warm— a boy who taught him how to love, even with everything around him lost.
/
just before jeongguk goes to see the star father— he looks up at the stars in the sky, memories of his star people that have come and gone, proof of the sacrifices that have been made, to keep the universe going. he’s in a field of starflowers, alone as he gathers up the courage to talk to the star father. some of the starflowers brush his feet as he trudges through the field, thinking about a story yoongi once told him.
“you remind me of the little prince,” yoongi says.
jeongguk stills, eyes curious. “who is the little prince?”
“it was one of my favourite stories when i was a child. the little prince goes on a search to find many things in the world. he visits different planets and places in search of what he’s looking for.”
“what was he looking for the most?”
“i think,” says yoongi. “i think— he was looking for happiness.”
“did he find it?”
“i would like to think he did,” yoongi replies softly. “he found friendship, and love, within that friendship. and i think he was happy, from that.”
yoongi had read him the story then, from the book he had kept with him ever since he was a child. jeongguk found himself drawn in by the story, enraptured by the little prince and his rose, along with the friendship he formed with the little fox.
“i think i am like the little prince,” jeongguk tells yoongi. “and you are like the fox.”
“what do you mean?” chuckles yoongi.
“you are my friend, yoongi,” jeongguk says softly. “i found friendship in you.”
yoongi looks at jeongguk for a long moment, before threading his fingers through jeongguk’s, squeezing his hand lightly. “you are my friend too, jeongguk. our friendship reminds me of the beautiful golden wheats in the field that the little prince and the fox were in.”
“i found friendship in you, too.”
(i found love, in you, too.)
/
with a heavy heart, he goes to see the star father— and with a heavier heart, he leaves the chamber of stars, as the words of the star father echo in his ears.
“i am sorry, jeongguk. there is no other way, to save the universe. your starlight contains the exact elements that can appease the universe— to balance the light and darkness once more.”
“but— if you let me think, of another way, please—”
“it is your duty,” says the star father, his tone final. “it is your duty, as a light guardian of this world. your father would be proud, to see you give yourself up.”
“my father,” thinks jeongguk bitterly. “would want me to be happy.”
/
that night, he sneaks out, going down to see yoongi. saebyeol catches him just as he’s padding out of the house, trying to be as quiet as possible.
“jeongguk?” she rubs her eyes sleepily, clutching on to her blanket as it trails the floor. “what are you doing?”
“hey sweetheart” he picks her up, rubbing their noses together before pressing a kiss to her forehead. “i have to go off somewhere for a bit. remember my special friend i told you about— yoongi?”
she nods, yawning. her eyes blink once, twice before drooping slightly. he chuckles, knowing how tired she must be.
“i have to go see him for a bit,” jeongguk tells her. “but i will be back, okay? this time i am just going for a short while.”
she perks up at the mention of yoongi, eyes opening a little wider. “o-oh,” she says, mouth forming a little o. “wait, if you are going to see yoongi, i have something for him!” she squirms in his arms, and he puts her down, watching her patter off in the direction of her room.
he waits a few beats, before she comes stumbling back, a little hazy with sleep but clutching on to something tightly in her tiny fists. she slips it into his palm, and he sees that it’s a star shell, glowing in the dim light. it’s even got little droplets of stars, the same ones that dance around their skin— just him and her. it’s threaded through a piece of string, something she must’ve found by the river banks when she was playing.
“i made it,” she tells him proudly. “i found the star by the river, and jimin gave me the string. i even put some of my star droplets in it, so it will glow for him when he wears it.”
“it is beautiful, saebyeol,” jeongguk breathes. strangely, he feels an ache in his heart, and the tears clog his throat. “i will protect it safely until i see him. he will love it, i know.”
“i wanted to tell him thank you,” she says softly. “thank you, for making my jeongguk happy. i may not be able to see him just yet, but i still wanted him to know i am thankful.”
he draws her in, cuddling her close and kissing her cheek. “you know what, my little star?” she leans back, looking at him. “you can tell him thank you yourself. you can say your thank yous into the star shell, and i will seal it with my star droplets. that way, when he wears it and puts it to his ear, he can hear what you have to say. that is what mother did for us— before she passed on, remember?”
she nods, eyes wide. “he will have a piece of me! just like we have a piece of mother.”
he puts her on his lap, as she cradles the star shell between her hands. putting her lips to one end, she whispers a soft, “hello, yoongi. i am saebyeol, jeongguk’s little star. i wanted to tell you, thank you— for making my jeongguk happy.” she pauses, looking at jeongguk. he nods, encouraging her on. “i hope i will be able to meet you some day. till then, goodbye, yoongi! with all my love— saebyeol.”
jeongguk draws out some of the star droplets from his skin with his finger, before sealing the star shell with them. he tucks it into his pocket carefully, before moving her gently from his lap to the ground.
“okay now,” he tells her gently. “i have to go. i will see you soon, alright?”
she kisses his cheek. “goodbye, jeongguk.”
“goodbye, my little star.”
/
yoongi is once again, watering his plants, when he notices a bright light from behind him. he turns, expecting to see a big meteor shower or a mass of shooting stars, but what glows in the middle of his garden takes place of a human, a very familiar shaped human. he watches as jeongguk comes into view, sparkling and glowing as the stars in the sky rain down harder.
“jeongguk,” he breathes. jeongguk steps slowly towards him, almost as if he’s unsure, if yoongi will still love him.
he crosses the distance between them in two strides, and jeongguk meets him in the middle. “jeongguk,” he says. his hands wrap around jeongguk’s waist, and the star droplets around jeongguk begin to dance around yoongi’s skin too, almost as if they’re happy, rejoicing in the feel of a familiar embrace.
“yoongi,” whispers jeongguk.
“you’re back,” he murmurs. lifting his hand, he caresses jeongguk’s cheek lightly.jeongguk leans into his touch, closing his eyes.”
“just for awhile,” breathes jeongguk. “i cannot stay long, but i wanted to see you.”
yoongi hums, leaning up to kiss jeongguk’s cheek. “what did the star father say?”
“he will not let me do anything else,” says jeongguk regretfully. “i tried to persuade him, but he will not listen.”
yoongi nods, eyes sad. before he can say anything else, jeongguk fishes into his pocket, bringing out the star shell attached to the string. “saebyeol sends her love.”
“what is that?”
jeongguk chuckles, looping it around yoongi’s neck. “she made this for you.”
he fingers the shell, looking at it in wonder. “it’s beautiful. i love it.”
nudging the shell closer to yoongi, jeongguk nods. “she has a message for you.”
yoongi looks down confusedly at the shell, before jeongguk giggles and places it directly next to his ear. saebyeol’s voice filters out from the shell, soft and tinkling, almost sounding like a fairy. a star fairy.
“hello, yoongi. i am saebyeol, jeongguk’s little star. i wanted to tell you, thank you— for making my jeongguk happy.” she pauses, looking at jeongguk. he nods, encouraging her on. “i hope i will be able to meet you some day. till then, goodbye, yoongi! with all my love— saebyeol.”
when her message ends, yoongi turns to jeongguk, smiling tenderly. he tucks the shell into his shirt, from where it hangs on the string. “send her all my love back,” he murmurs. “i am glad, i can make you happy, too.”
jeongguk tightens his hands around yoongi’s waist. “i wanted to tell you something.”
“what is it,” murmurs yoongi.
“i wanted to say—” jeongguk stops, eyes turning a little uncertain. yoongi brushes the strands of silver hair away from his face, encouraging him on. “—i wanted to say— that i love you.” he pauses, as yoongi stills in his arms. “and i think— you may love me, too.”
yoongi cups jeongguk’s face between his palms gently, drawing him in for a kiss. he kisses jeongguk, soft and sweet, tasting light, and warmth, and happiness, against jeongguk.
“you’re right,” he murmurs against jeongguk’s lips. “i do, love you.”
jeongguk smiles against his lips, leaning in once more to kiss yoongi again, and again, and again.
he feels as if time stops— for then, thousands of lights cross the firmament in beautiful reds, whites and blues. and as raining stars fill the night sky, they stand there, completely mesmerized with each other.
"i've missed you," yoongi murmurs.
jeongguk pulls back, looking into yoongi’s eyes with something so delicate and tender, it hurts.
"i'm home."