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Don’t come in direct contact with the plants. (Don’t eat them, don’t smell them, don’t taste them, don’t inhale them, don’t touch them with your bare hands.)
That’s the very first rule Taehyung learned when he started working as a plant collector on foreign planets.
And that’s the only thing running through his mind right now, as he stares at the strange plant in front of him, mouth still hanging open and the lingering taste of the weird spores he just accidentally inhaled on his tongue.
Don’t come in direct contact with the plants.
A rule so easy, that it almost seems unnecessary. But well, someone has to be the reason for the existence of this rule, right?
-o-
Taehyung grew up with space travel.
He lived in a world where some kids come bragging about their expensive vacations in a different solar system when school started again. Intergalactic travel is not something foreign to him but it always felt just a bit out of reach. It was possible - yeah, people traveled to different solar systems, visited different planets with different species but all that traveling was expensive and Taehyung’s family didn’t have the means to leave earth.
Taehyung is the oldest in his family. When he was ready to graduate high school there still was his younger brother, then his younger sister, the twins, and a baby. His family is big. It needs a lot of money but Taehyung has always dreamt of the stars, of seeing beyond the sky.
It was his dream and all his life, he did everything he could to achieve exactly that. Maybe it was luck, or maybe it was all of his efforts but when the opportunity arose to finally grasp his dream, Taehyung didn’t hesitate. Not for a single second.
It took him three long years to study at one of the biggest universities on earth before he finally stepped foot onto his first spaceship. During those three years, Taehyung developed a deep love for plants - which would be the subject he’d work on. Expedition missions towards foreign planets to research their ecosystems. Actually, Taehyung didn’t even have to know much about plants for this - it would only be his job to bring samples back to the ship safely.
A dream job.
Traveling to planets where no one has set foot on before, foreign solar systems far away. It’s fascinating, amazing. Taehyung could have never dreamed of a better way to spend his life, to work.
The Aquila. That’s the spaceship he’s working on. It’s not one of the biggest out there but that doesn’t matter to him. He belongs to a team of four who are sent down with the smaller expedition ship - the Phoenix - to collect samples safely and bring them back.
Among them, there are a handful of other people working on the spaceship but there is only one person who is the sole reason Taehyung is smiling every day. He thought it would be the view of the different galaxies around him, that would fascinate him every single day - but it turns out, his attention is completely drawn by the biologist working on the Aquila.
Min Yoongi.
He’s an expert on foreign plants and super smart but what Taehyung thinks is more important is that Min Yoongi is cute. He’s small and he pouts when he talks. He blushes very easily, he tends to ramble - there’s something non-human mixed in his genes somewhere, it shows when he gets excited or embarrassed and his irises don’t overlap anymore. Yoongi is embarrassed when it happens but Taehyung thinks it’s cute how there are two irises in each eye moving around in excitement.
But it seems to be one of his bigger insecurities - something Taehyung also gets. Yoongi is the only one out of the seven of them on this ship that isn’t completely human. Of course, he’d want to fit in as best as possible. But those eyes of him? Especially when they’re fully visible is what fascinates Taehyung.
It’s actually what made him fall for him in the first place. After coming along to his first mission, Taehyung proudly presented his sample to the scientist and promptly fell when he saw the way Yoongi got so visibly excited that he couldn’t hide his eyes.
He had immediately started rambling as he prodded and probed the plant while Taehyung could just stare at him, totally enamored. It was strange - it was the first time he really noticed that man but Taehyung felt it, that lurch in his chest. He couldn’t help the smile on his face as he watched the amazement in each of Yoongi’s features. The way his voice shook slightly and how he stumbled over his words because he was too excited.
This is love, he had thought to himself back then, it has to be.
“Ah, I rambled a bit there,” Yoongi had said after quite some time, clearly embarrassed with flushed cheeks he refused to meet Taehyung’s eyes, “You can go - it’s fine. I was a little too excited I guess.”
“It’s fine -” Taehyung had almost stumbled over his own words in the hurry to reassure the other, “Actually, what you said was pretty interesting. Do you mind if I stay and listen to you a bit more?”
And when Yoongi glanced up at him, four shaking irises staring at him with the stars reflected in them it was set in stone - Taehyung was already in love with him.
So, he sat there, listened to a ton of scientific words that didn’t make sense to him but it didn’t matter because Yoongi had a nice voice. Because he pouted while he spoke. Because he could hear his excitement in each word, could feel the love he has for his work in every sound that left the other’s mouth. Because his eyes sparkled and because Taehyung has a weak heart.
And because he loved the way Yoongi smiled when he talked about what he loved, the way his eyes sparkled when he saw a particularly weird plant. And because of that, Taehyung made it his mission to go out of his way to bring him the most exotic plants wherever they go.
It’s his subtle way of - courting? - Yoongi. Taehyung doesn’t know a lot about courting, or crushes, or anything related to it. He’s never confessed to anyone before, he did get confessed to but that happened way back in high school when he didn’t really care for relationships. Back then, he was only focused on studying as hard as he could so he would be able to qualify for expedition training. All he wanted to do was get into the space travel programs.
With zero experience in the ways of love and crushes, Taehyung has decided to just - not do anything. Apart from trying to impress Yoongi with the most exotic plants he could find, of course.
Sometimes, when he sees the spark in Yoongi’s eyes when he looks at one of the plants and it doesn’t dim when his eyes fall on Taehyung, he thinks there might be a tiny chance that Yoongi feels the same way as him. But it’s only a small shimmer of hope he sometimes gets. That’s fine though. Being able to be the reason for Yoongi’s smile is more than enough.
Still… sometimes that hope has its peaks.
There was this one time for example when the Phoenix got caught in an asteroid shower and they lost any kind of communication signal to the Aquila. With them on board, they got dragged into the different orbits of the planets of the solar system they had just explored. It took them a week to get communication working again - and for the Aquila to finally find them among the different planets and the frequent asteroid showers.
Taehyung remembers speaking on the intercom with Namjoon when they were interrupted by Yoongi who sounded so relieved to hear his voice. It was almost impossible for him to not get his hopes at least a little bit up because of that.
That was one of the times where Taehyung’s heart raced so much in his chest that he thought, if they weren’t separated by space right now he would have blurted out a confession if he saw the other’s face in front of him.
But for now, Taehyung is keeping his feelings to himself.
Only when it comes to his plants, that’s when he lets his feelings take control. With a bright smile, he stares at his newest accomplishment. Sitting behind vacuum-sealed glass is a plant almost the size of his head. Distinctively, it reminds him of a species of ferns. The long, rolled leaves resemble it but the center of the plant looks way different. It’s not directly a blossom - somehow it looks like a lot of leaves rolled up together with tiny blossom-like petals twisted together littered all over it.
It’s not the strangest looking plant he’s ever found but on this planet - it’s the best one out of all the other plants they brought back.
Around him, there is still an argument going on because he may or may not have pushed Jungkook out of the way to be the first one to get to this particular plant. It was an accident. Really. (Or not.)
"Plant gathering is not a competition," Hoseok sighs loudly.
"You should tell Taehyung that, " Jungkook teases, he knocks slightly against Taehyung’s shoulder as he passes him. Taehyung glares at him for a second, feeling his cheeks flush slightly at the other’s words, " He's the one who rushes headfirst into everything to get the strangest plants for his darling ~"
"How about you shut up? " Taehyung snaps.
"How about you confess?"
"Says you," Taehyung argues, " I know all about -"
"Okay guys," Jimin quickly interrupts him - usually, he’s the first to join into their small arguments but only if they’re outside of the lab. "Lab safety. No fighting in here."
"Yeah," Hoseok backs him up, " And after all, you're both just as bad as the other when it comes to your crushes."
Taehyung and Jungkook both pout at the other’s laughter, cheeks flushed in embarrassment because well, Hoseok is right. With crushes, they’re both just as bad as the other. With a huff, Taehyung turns back around to stare at his plant - well, technically it’s not his but oh well. It doesn’t really matter.
Behind the glass, it stands tall, leaves furling and unfurling as if each of them has a mind of their own. It’s quite fascinating to watch. And a little creepy but Taehyung has seen stranger plants.
"Well, whatever," Jungkook huffs out, still upset about the teasing comments as he walks past Taehyung, "What I mean is -" He doesn’t make it very far.
It all happens so fast - and in such a ridiculous way that for a moment, Taehyung thinks it just couldn’t be real.
Jungkook trips and in turn knocks against Taehyung’s back which makes him stumble forward unexpectedly. To catch himself he steadies himself with his hands, automatically reaching out to catch his weight against the wall in front of him - which just happens to be the specimen enclosures and because Taehyung is always out of luck, his hand lands on the screen right next to the window that separates him and his weird plant. His handprint activates the screen and the glass opens which leads to him staring straight at the alien plant without any barrier.
With wide eyes he could only watch as the center of the plant suddenly unfurls itself and the tiny blossoms all over it open, emitting an almost dust-like cloud of spores.
And that’s how he ended up in this predicament.
Don’t come in direct contact with the plants. (Don’t eat them, don’t smell them, don’t taste them, don’t inhale them, don’t touch them with your bare hands.)
It should be so easy to follow this rule… but well, here they are. Taehyung coughs, his tongue tingles where he still tastes the spores.
The whole lab is silent as all of them could only stare in slight shock.
"Jungkook..." Taehyung hisses lowly, he still hasn’t moved a single inch. There’s a strange sensation passing through his throat, a feeling as if he hasn’t drunk a drop of water in days. It’s uncomfortable. "What - the fuck?"
And in the blink of an eye, everyone is shocked out of their stupor.
"Shit," Jungkook gasps, pulling up the filtering safety mask they have to wear until every plant has been safely stored away while simultaneously pushing down on the screen again to close the window. "Did you just breathe that in?"
There’s something - Taehyung grits his teeth. There’s something boiling in his chest as he feels how his whole body starts to become incredibly hot. He turns around abruptly, glaring at Jungkook with exasperation as he bites, "What the fuck do you think? How could I have not breathed that in, huh?"
"Get away from him, Jungkook," Hoseok calls out, voice already muffled by the mask. As Jungkook steps away from him the whole room starts being clouded in white fog - it sizzles from the ceiling of the lab, decontaminating everything. Taehyung curses as he quickly pulls up his own mask.
He closes his eyes tightly as he lets the fog roll down his body. It feels like being dumped into ice-cold water but without getting wet - the sensation is almost completely the same though. But even that coolness could do nothing against the heat that has settled beneath his skin. It throbs, burns so hot that it feels like his skin might melt any second.
Until the air is clear again, they all stay in their place but after that, Jimin is the first to rush over to him. One arm wrapped around his body to help him stand and Taehyung notices that he has started to lean a little too much to the left. He’s so hot, everything is so hot.
"You feeling okay?" Jimin asks and his voice sounds weird - kind of distorted but not in the way the masks would make it sound.
It’s weird. So weird.
Taehyung blinks as his vision blurs for a second. It goes back to normal but the heat stays and the way his head seems to slightly spin stays as well.
"Little dizzy, " He slurs - wow, this is weird. Kind of like those dreams where you’re stuck in place and could only move very, very slowly while everything else around you goes on normally. Those dreams where you run in place but don’t move a step forward, where you scream but no sound leaves your lips. His tongue feels a bit too big for his mouth, too heavy to articulate his words properly. “I'm not - sure."
Distantly, he hears another voice, "We're putting him in quarantine until we're back.” It must have been Hoseok who spoke but Taehyung finds it hard to concentrate on any noises right now - all his focus lies on trying to stay standing up straight and not falling over.
His head continues to spin as he gets put into a small, secluded capsule at the side of the ship.
He groans as he sits down on the seat in the corner, fumbling to fasten his seatbelt so he wouldn’t fall from the movement of the ship. His fingertips are numb.
Ugh - he’s been doing this for a long time. He couldn’t even count how often he’s stepped foot onto foreign planets and dealt with all kinds of plants and during all those times, he’s never made a mistake like that. He might be clumsy and unlucky and everything else but this? This is the worst.
How could this have happened to him?
-o-
Yoongi is carefully clipping some tiny leaves of one of his plants to try and make seedlings out of them later when the screen next to him suddenly starts displaying Seokjin’s face.
It doesn’t make him lose his focus though as he carefully holds onto his tiny tweezers.
"Yoongi?" The other asks, voice echoing through the whole lab the same way his face is talking on every single screen in here.
Without lifting his gaze or stopping his work, Yoongi just hums. His hand trembles slightly as he maneuvers the tweezers with the small leaf away from the mother plant without hurting it. Don’t squeeze too tight, he keeps repeating inside of his mind. Like a mantra. The small leaf is so fragile that a little too much pressure would squash it completely.
"The phoenix is arriving soon. They got one crew member in quarantine for inhaling foreign spores," Seokjin explains quickly, "We need you to check him and the plant immediately."
Quickly, Yoongi whips his head around. His fingers close a little too much but he doesn’t even have it in him to care that he ruined the small leaf as anxiety starts to brew in his chest. Of course, it can always happen that the collectors come into contact with the plants but so far, Yoongi personally only witnessed it one time and the reaction almost killed the patient.
He tries his best not to let panic lace his voice as he asks, "Which... which crew member?"
"Your favorite," Seokjin teases, "So far he seems to be doing okay but they said he’s feeling hot and dizzy."
Yoongi sucks in a sharp breath. He doesn’t even react to Seokjin’s teasing.
This is really the worst.
Nervously, Yoongi taps his foot on the ground as he waits for the Phoenix to dock properly. The hazmat suit he’s wearing weighs heavily on his shoulders, it’s uncomfortable. The world around him has a slight orange tint from the plastic screen covering his head. Ah - he hates it. It’s annoying. The sound of his breathing, of the air being filtered on his back - it’s all annoying.
Usually, this is nothing much.
He always wears this when working with new plants but this is such a different situation.
The other crew members on the Phoenix informed them about Taehyung’s condition and that he seems to be doing much better than during the initial contact with the spores but it does little to ease Yoongi’s anxiety. If he could, he would probably be chewing on his nails right now. It’s so bad that he feels his vision shaking a little at the edges, a clear sign that his other pair of irises is threatening to show - when he gets nervous they easily slip out no matter how much he tries to hide them.
Before he could worry about that too much, the gates open, and the rest of the crew steps onto the ship - all dressed the same as them in the hazmat suits. Taehyung is only wearing the helmet - his expression looks slightly tired behind the plastic screen.
Quickly, Yoongi takes over supporting him in walking.
“Hey, Taehyung,” He asks softly, trying to not let his slight panic show, “Do you feel sick?”
“Dizzy?” The other replies questioning, as if he’s not entirely sure what’s going on. Carefully, Yoongi guides him towards the quarantine cabin at the back of his lab. Thankfully, it’s not a far walk. “My heart is racing. So much.”
Yoongi nods, holding tightly onto Taehyung’s arm as he steers him through his lab and the various plants obstructing their way. “Okay, I will screen you further when we’ve arrived, yeah?” Thankfully, Taehyung does seem to be doing fine. Even without elaborate tests, Yoongi could tell that at least his life is not in danger right now.
Maybe that’s a bit more relieving to him than to Taehyung himself because the other does look like he’s still a little out of it.
There’s a dopey smile on his face as he looks down at Yoongi from where he’s leaning onto his shoulder. “You can do whatever you want with me,” He slurs slightly.
Yoongi couldn’t help but chuckle at that, cheeks flushing slightly red. “Good to know.”
“I’m serious,” Taehyung immediately argues - as if Yoongi hasn’t taken his words seriously.
A real laugh escapes him now, “I don’t doubt it.”
“Good,” Taehyung sighs contently, “Because I really mean it.”
Whatever that means.
Yoongi shakes his head as he steers him towards the small quarantine cabin and finally, makes him sit down on the bed in the middle of it. When he shuts the door behind them he could finally take Taehyung’s helmet off. There’s a decontamination cabin between the inside of this room and the rest of his lab and an air filter inside of here.
There’s no way anything escapes from within here.
“Comfortable?” Yoongi asks as he starts taking Taehyung’s vitals, connecting him to the monitors inside of here. Instantly, the rather fast rhythm of his heart fills the silence. The loud beeping mixes with the quiet hum of the air filter almost seamlessly.
Taehyung nods, still smiling up at him. “Good -” Before Yoongi could say anything further Taehyung interrupts him bluntly.
“But I mean - I inhaled the spores of a foreign plant and I could potentially die and you’re also here so how comfortable can I really be?” His words spilled over his lips in record time, so fast that it seems like he wasn’t even aware that he’s saying all of them. Shocked, wide eyes stare at Yoongi as Taehyung slaps his hand over his mouth to physically stop himself from talking. Behind his hand, his voice comes out muffled as he mumbles, “I did not mean to say all that.”
Yoongi just hums. Calmness. He has to emit calmness so that Taehyung wouldn’t panic. As if nothing happened, Yoongi continues working. “It’s okay - you’re probably really anxious but I promise you that you’ll be fine,” He reassures the other, “You’re in my care now.”
“Where I’ve always wanted to be - oh my god,” Taehyung interrupts himself again with a high-pitched whine, sitting up abruptly as he stares at Yoongi with a terrified expression, “I don’t know what I’m saying.”
Ah - it certainly is weird.
Yoongi finishes setting up all the monitors without meeting Taehyung’s eyes again. He’s more than thankful for the orange tint of his face shield that hopefully conceals the redness of his cheeks completely. “It’s fine - you must be really on edge,” He laughs awkwardly. Ah - even to his own ears his laughter sounds forced. Still, he hopes Taehyung is too preoccupied with himself to notice.
Instead of answering, Taehyung just continues to hold his mouth shut as he lies back down.
Over the next few minutes, Taehyung’s head seems to clear a little further. Slowly, he starts to be much more aware of his surroundings again - which is great. It really is. His pupils have returned to their normal size as well and the sluggish, slightly uncoordinated way he’s been moving before has faded too.
Yoongi sits close to him, holding onto his arm with one hand while drawing blood from him with the other. Behind him, the monitor displaying Taehyung’s heartbeat beeps loudly, the sounds have picked up their rhythm.
“Your heart is really racing a lot,” Yoongi notes casually.
He presses a small cotton ball onto the puncture site as he carefully pulls out the needle. Taehyung winces.
“It’s because of you -” Mortified, the other interrupts himself again.
Yoongi just laughs - ignoring the way his own heart starts to race. Without looking back, he takes the small tubes filled with blood to the control board in the corner to inspect the samples later. “Sorry for making you nervous,” He apologizes half-jokingly.
“That’s not it…”
“It’s fine, you’re probably worried,” Yoongi shrugs, he turns around to glance at Taehyung over his shoulder. “But you’re going to be fine. Just think of something else for a while.”
Taehyung just nods, not meeting his gaze. A sigh falls from Yoongi’s lips and he turns back around. On the control board is a large box of glass, from the front, he could put his hands through elastic gloves to investigate the contents of the box without letting anything out of it. Innocently, as if it did nothing, the foreign plant is sitting in the middle of the box.
Carefully, Yoongi slides his hands into the gloves and reaches out to touch the plant. As soon as the tip of his finger comes in contact with one of the rolled-up fern-like leaves, the blossoms of the plant open, and a gust of dust-like spores are emitted. Yoongi flinches from the sheer speed at which the plant reacts and basically shoots the spores into the direction of his hands.
Behind him, he could hear the paper sheets beneath Taehyung crinkling as he moves. “You grew up on earth, right?” Yoongi asks - not really sure why he’s bringing that up but the quietness is weirdly unsettling. And he wants to distract Taehyung from his worries.
It takes a second for Taehyung to answer. “...Yeah.”
“Me too,” Yoongi carefully scoops up a few of the spores into the small hatch at the side of the container. “You know, I’ve been to so many different planets in my life but there is one thing that makes earth so special to me. Want to know what it is?”
This time, Taehyung answers before Yoongi has even completely finished his question. “I want to know everything you want to tell me! Everything!”
His eagerness makes Yoongi laugh to himself again. He closes the lid on the inside of the container over the small hatch. “The sunrise,” He says, turning around to look at Taehyung for a moment, “I feel like it’s the most beautiful thing on earth. Nothing else has compared to it yet. Our sun is really something special to me.”
As he looks at the younger, he is reminded of how much Taehyung is like a sun. Always so bright, full of life - when he enters a room it seems to light up with positive energy. It’s fascinating. Maybe, Taehyung is a small sun of his own.
Yoongi misses the sun. He misses the sunrises on earth, on any planet, really - but the ones on earth are still the best. It’s always so dark up here in space - no sunrise, no sunset, no warmth dancing over your skin. Ah - Yoongi sighs.
“Do you like the sun?” He asks.
“Yeah,” Taehyung eagerly nods, “You’re like the sun -” And again, he slaps his hand over his mouth to stop himself in the middle of his sentence as his face quickly flushes red and he stares at Yoongi in embarrassed mortification.
The words ring in the silence between them before Yoongi starts laughing. Loud. It’s so - the whole situation feels a bit ridiculous and he just couldn’t stop the laughter bubbling in his throat. “How come?” He wheezes, “Because I’m so bright?”
“Because you’re the center of my universe,” Taehyung says casually as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. As if Yoongi just asked him if he’s human or not. Quicker than Yoongi, Taehyung’s brain catches up to what he just said and he turns around to press his face into his pillow and scream.
He just screams.
The laughter has died on Yoongi’s lips. It’s replaced by a rather perplexed expression. He could feel the heat creeping up the sides of his neck, thankful that his blush isn’t visible to the other. Oh my god.
Taehyung often says random things - but never like this. He’s never flustered Yoongi like this and frankly, he has no idea how to deal with that.
“I’m so sorry, my mouth just says what it wants,” Taehyung groans embarrassed, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Just ignore me please.”
Oh - if only Yoongi could do that. Something has to be wrong, right? Quickly, he opens the hatch from the outside, pulling the small container in it out. It’s filled with hundreds of small spores. He would have to take this for analysis outside of the quarantine cell. Before leaving, he goes back to Taehyung for a moment.
“Are you feeling dizzier?” He asks, “Hotter?”
Before the other could answer he’s slapping his hand over his mouth again, desperately muffling the words that are spilling over his lips. He does shake his head though. Something is weird. Yoongi sighs, raising his pointer finger in front of Taehyung’s face.
“Can you follow my finger without moving your head for a moment, please?”
With his hand still over his lips, Taehyung follows his instructions easily - there’s nothing wrong. At least, nothing that Yoongi could see right now. This is so weird. Something has to be wrong, right?
With a sigh, he drops his hand again, “I’ll go back to the lab for a moment to check for the results of the screening, yeah?”
Taehyung nods.
It doesn’t take long for the spores to be analyzed - the results of it can be loaded at the control board so Yoongi quickly returns to the quarantine cell.
“So, how are we feeling?” He asks upon entering.
Taehyung is lying down on the small bed, wrapped up in his blanket. He looks tired again, exhaustion painting his expression as his eyes meet Yoongi’s.
“The same…” Even his voice sounds kind of lethargic.
“Are you sure?” Yoongi couldn’t quite believe him. It is almost impossible that there are no effects of the spores - they’ve obviously been evolved to protect the plant. Even if the side effects would be mild, they’d still be noticeable. Yoongi just has to find out what they are - no matter how tricky it seems to be right now. “You have to tell me even the smallest changes - even if you think they’re not important.”
The sheets crinkle as Taehyung turns on the bed to let his gaze follow him through the cell. Yoongi settles at the control board as Taehyung argues, “I’m really feeling the same as before.”
“It’s so weird,” Yoongi mumbles to himself, pulling up the results of the spore-screening on the large display in the middle of the control board. The chemical composition is shown in front of him and as his eyes trail over the different structures he could do nothing but shake his head. “It looks similar to neurotoxins we’ve encountered on other planets before,” He mumbles, “But you’re not experiencing any of the symptoms we would expect with known, similar neurotoxins…”
Behind him Taehyung groans.
“No…” He sighs, “And I’m feeling physically well too - as physically well as I can be in your presence anyway.”
“Alright,” Yoongi clicks his tongue. He gets up and walks back towards Taehyung, eyes falling on the monitors by his bed - the closer Yoongi comes the more his heart rate picks up. “You seem physically and mentally well but the spores might affect your brain anyway because you keep talking a little - strangely.”
Red. Taehyung’s cheeks are becoming red again as he involuntarily sits up when Yoongi reaches the side of his bed. He couldn’t meet his eyes, gaze straying towards his hands which are fiddling with the edges of his blanket.
Why is he nervous? It doesn’t make sense.
“But I’m really fine,” Taehyung argues weakly - Yoongi would believe him more if he’d be able to look him in the face while talking, “I’m telling the truth. I’d definitely tell you if there was something going on with me. After all I -” The rest of his sentence is muffled behind his hand that he’s once again desperately clutching over his mouth to prevent words from tumbling off his lips. But honestly, Yoongi has stopped listening to what he said halfway through so he doesn’t notice this.
He’s already latched onto one of the words Taehyung said and suddenly… suddenly it all seems to make sense. Yoongi should have noticed it sooner - all the signs were there. Literally, right there.
“The truth…” He repeats to himself - oh, how stupid he was. It makes sense, it makes so much sense.
“Taehyung,” He holds onto Taehyung’s jaw, angling it the way he wants the younger to look as he asks, “What color is this button?” With his free hand, he’s pointing at the big red button on the monitor that shows Taehyung’s racing heartbeat.
“Red?” The younger says, glancing at him a little confused, “My vision is fine. I told you -”
“This is not about your vision,” Yoongi interrupts him. He lets go of his face. “So, now I’ll ask you again and you’ll lie to me and tell me it’s - blue, I don’t care. Just don’t tell me the truth.”
“That’s a stupid test.”
“Just do it,” Yoongi groans impatiently, “What color is this button?”
An annoyed sigh falls from Taehyung’s lips as he drawls, “It’s - red.”
A beat of silence passes between them where they’re just staring at each other. Slowly, Yoongi repeats, “You’re supposed to lie to me.”
Wide, shocked eyes stare at Yoongi - the blooming red on his cheeks has faded, almost all of the color in his face has faded. “I know,” The younger whispers slowly, “It’s red. No - I want to say that it’s - red. What the fuck?”
With both hands, Yoongi grabs onto Taehyung’s face to get his attention back and stop him from panicking. “Don’t answer any of my questions truthfully,” Yoongi says sternly, “How old are you?”
“Twenty-five,” Taehyung answers without thinking. His bottom lip trembles. “That’s not what I wanted to say.”
“On what ship are we, right now?”
“Aquila - no, that’s - I really wanted to say something else.”
Yoongi asks a few more questions and each time Taehyung tries to lie, the truth comes out. No matter what he tries, no matter what kind of questions Yoongi asks. He believes Taehyung when he says that he really wanted to lie, that he wanted to say something completely different from the words that left his lips - but it is only the truth that Taehyung eventually says out loud.
“Do you know who ate the brownies Seokjin snuck in from earth?” Yoongi asks.
“Yes -” The rest of his words are muffled. But it seems, even when he stops himself from talking, his body will still be as honest as his voice.
Yoongi eyes him for a moment, sees the way panic has settled into Taehyung’s gaze. “... was it you?”
His voice might be obstructed by his hand but against his will, Taehyung nods. That’s enough confirmation - actually, it’s already been way more than enough confirmation but while asking questions, Yoongi kind of started to like teasing the other. Just a little bit.
“So, it is neurological,” Yoongi confirms, “You can’t lie. It’s like a truth serum. This - is amazing.”
It might be amazing to Yoongi but to Taehyung? It is nothing more than a fucking nightmare. Being unable to lie? Yoongi has no idea how many small secrets Taehyung has that he wants to keep away from everyone around him and especially Yoongi. There only has to be one question that could expose the secret he really does not want Yoongi to know.
A simple question that would force the truth out of him and ruin everything.
It’s kind of terrifying.
And just as he thinks how grateful he is for the fact that it’s Yoongi who’s dealing with this issue and not anyone else from the crew - especially not his fellow plant collectors - all of them show up outside of the quarantine cell. Just his luck.
“Taehyung!” Through the speakers, Jungkook’s voice filters into the cell and Taehyung already knows that this is not going to be funny. “Hey, Taehyung!”
He’s closely followed by the rest of the crew. There are the other collectors, Jimin and Hoseok, their communicator Seokjin and the captain of the ship, Namjoon. They’re all here. And they all seem to know what’s going. Great. Really great. This is - perfect. Really, the best situation to be in. Not.
“We heard you can’t lie anymore,” Seokjin chuckles - ah, the expression on his face is not a good one, not a good one, “But that can’t be true, right?”
Taehyung couldn’t bite back the “It is” which makes Seokjin and Jungkook exchange mischievous smirks that make his stomach turn. Ah - those two, those two are not to be trusted with so much power over him.
“Hey, Taehyung?” Jimin giggles, “How old were you when you last peed your bed?”
Oh no - this is just vile. A moment of weakness just shared between the two of them barely a year ago. Oh, Taehyung knew, he knew Jimin was just waiting for the right moment to expose his mishap. And this right here, is a golden opportunity.
He already feels the words bubbling up in his throat as he shakes his head, glare locked onto Jimin’s laughing face. “Twenty-four,” He hisses from between his teeth.
“It’s true, oh my god - I can’t believe this,” Jimin laughs loudly, the noise mixing in with the laughter of the other people.
“Guys,” At least one of them is nice enough to not partake in this embarrassment. Namjoon scolds them with a gentle voice but there is sternness hidden behind his words, “Leave him alone, yeah? You’re being a bit too mean.”
“Oh - look at you also playing favorites,” Seokjin jokes, “I think you’ll have to look for another though, Taehyung is already Yoongi’s favorite.”
“Okay - that’s it,” Yoongi interrupts the laughter of the rest as he steps out of the quarantine cell to shoo them all away. “Everyone out. Taehyung needs to rest.”
Grumbling and with laughter trailing after them, the others finally retreat after a little arguing with Yoongi. With a deep sigh, Taehyung lies back down and stares at the ceiling. Not being able to lie… that thing fucking sucks. At least by now, the slight dizziness he’s felt since stepping back onto the Aquila is gone but that does very little to ease his worries.
He supposes the effect of the spores will last until the toxins are washed out of his body but he has no idea how long that would take. And not knowing how long he wouldn’t be able to lie is something that is slowly driving him insane. The whole situation is an insane one.
From across the room, he could hear the sizzle of the decontamination mist that sprays Yoongi down as he’s waiting to be let into the quarantine cell. Taehyung forces himself not to turn his head - now that he knows his mouth speaks nothing but the truth, he’s scared to reveal one of his biggest secrets to the very person involving that secret.
Steps echo through the room as Taehyung clenches his eyes shut. As long as he doesn’t say anything he should be good to go, right?
Wouldn’t it be embarrassing confessing under these circumstances? Ugh - who is Taehyung kidding? Of course, it would be but it would also probably be the only moment he would actually be honest enough to do something about his feelings. Not that he really wants to. The humiliation that could occur is way too much of a risk.
“You must be tired,” Yoongi says and his hand carefully moves to brush a strand of hair off Taehyung’s forehead. Even though there’s the plastic of his suit separating them, Taehyung’s heart still stutters in his chest. “I don’t know how long the spores will affect you but I hope that you’ll be fine tomorrow again. You should be.”
“Me too,” Taehyung agrees, still refusing to open his eyes. “This really sucks. I keep saying things I don’t want to.”
His chest warmths as Yoongi’s laughter trails through the room. It sounds a bit muffled through the suit but it’s enough for Taehyung, enough for him to smile as well. “It’s fine, I won’t judge you,” The other laughs.
“That’s because I haven’t told you yet that I -” Taehyung bites down on his hand to stop himself from talking. All the warmth is gone as he glances at Yoongi in panic - this is just what he’s been afraid of, just what he thought about mere seconds ago. This is how easily he could have blurted out his feelings.
This is a nightmare.
Yoongi just stares at him and slowly, a smirk spreads over his lips while Taehyung becomes more and more panicked, shaking his head violently. Yoongi rests his chin on the palm of his hand.
“Do you have a secret involving me?” He asks slowly mischievously - his voice almost sounds playful, kinda like a joke? Maybe he’s just innocently teasing Taehyung, not knowing that his words are more than true. Not knowing how much Taehyung wants to keep this secret to himself.
The smile fades a bit from Yoongi’s lips when Taehyung nods against his will, confirming the other’s words as true.
Through the tinted face shield, Taehyung couldn’t quite tell, but he’s sure Yoongi is blushing as he turns away, getting up from the side of the bed. “Don’t worry,” Yoongi lowly laughs - it sounds a bit forced as he avoids looking back at Taehyung, “You can keep your secret. I won’t ask you what it is.”
His heart hammers so loudly in his chest.
The words are right there. Yoongi didn’t even ask him a question but the words are right there, at the tip of his tongue. From the moment Taehyung laid his eyes on Yoongi for the first time, they started to bloom inside of his chest. And the same way Yoongi would nurture and take care of every single plant specimen in his lab, his smile alone nurtured and took care of the blossoming feelings in Taehyung’s chest.
And since then, Taehyung has never had enough courage to even think seriously about confessing, about letting these blooming words out in the open. But now… right now, they’ve been pushed up by the stutter of his heart, by the tightening of his throat, and now they’re sitting at the tip of his tongue - ready to be spoken. Finally.
Yoongi fiddles with the monitors next to the bed. “Some secrets should stay -”
He could - Taehyung could swallow his words, force them back down but he lets himself be guided by the sudden courage of truth and just blurts them out.
“I like you.”
The words hang between them as they both freeze. Taehyung couldn’t believe it… up until the words actually rolled off his tongue he thought he wouldn’t let them but they just spilled out. Just like that. And suddenly, he’s feeling dizzy again. His ears are ringing or maybe it’s just the rapid beeping of his heart monitor.
Yoongi doesn’t turn around as he slowly lowers his hands. As he finally speaks, his voice sounds weird. “Well, we’re friends. Of course, you like me and I like you.”
“That’s not what I -” Almost on instinct, Taehyung interrupts himself again but then, he lowers his hand and sighs. It’s out. Now, it’s out there in the open and now he will have to see it through. Because there is a glimmer of hope, he has always held onto that glimmer of hope, and now is the moment he would treat it like the last straw. So, he takes all of his courage and says, “That’s not what I meant. I like you in a different way. I love you.”
Yoongi doesn’t move. Not a single inch.
“... Yoongi?”
The silence stretches between them. Is he… still breathing? Taehyung swings his legs around so that he’s sitting at the side of the bed. He’s about to get up when Yoongi’s quiet voice filters through the air.
“... do you mean it?”
“Yoongi,” Taehyung gets up and crosses the small distance between them. Blood is rushing in his ears, his heart almost breaks through his ribs but it doesn’t matter. He grabs Yoongi’s shoulder, turning the other around who’s adamant about keeping his head down, avoiding his gaze. “I’m literally unable to lie. Of course, I mean what I said. I’m in love with you… for a long time already.”
“Ahh…” Yoongi whines loudly, pressing his hands over his ears - or where his ears would be if he wouldn’t be wearing his helmet. But he doesn’t seem to notice that it does little for him to press his hands against his helmet, he would obviously still hear everything.
“Why don’t you want to listen to me?” Taehyung asks and despite his own nervousness, his own anxiety, he smiles. Carefully, he pulls down Yoongi’s hands, holding on to his wrists while Yoongi tries to pull away. But there’s no strength behind his attempts.
Yoongi still refuses to look up. “I just - “
“I love you,” Taehyung repeats once more and another high-pitched whine falls off Yoongi’s lips.
“I got it - I got it now,” Yoongi whines and now Taehyung is sure - his cheeks must be bright red and if he were to catch a glimpse of his eyes he would be able to see all four of his irises trembling in his eyes.
“And you?” Taehyung asks, a little bit of his own anxiousness dripping into his voice as it speeds up, almost making him stumble over his words, “I’m really honest right now but if you’re going to reject me you have to do it now and then leave because I will have to go and cry for at least three hours and hate everything forever.”
Yoongi laughs - at least it sounds a little bit like a laugh. He knocks his head - helmet - against Taehyung’s chest and stays right there. Slowly, Taehyung lowers his hands, still holding onto Yoongi’s wrists. The other isn’t struggling against his grip anymore.
He feels a bit like throwing up as he waits for Yoongi to gather his thoughts, his words.
Never in his life has he felt like this. Every second that passes feels like a whole year.
“I don’t…” Waiting for Yoongi to finish his sentence is like dying at least three times - no, Taehyung is definitely not dramatic about it. He has his eyes squeezed shut as Yoongi finally whispers, “I don’t want to reject you…”
God - he could scream. But he doesn’t. Of course, he doesn’t - after all, Taehyung is not that dramatic. Right now. (He would definitely scream later though.)
Instead, he takes a deep breath and hums. “It’s not like you have to,” He suggests, trying his best to make his voice sound normal - or at least more or less calm.
“I like you,” He says - now that he’s started, he couldn’t seem to stop saying it, “So much. I like the way you smile when you talk about your work, I like the way your eyes sparkle when I get you a new plant. I like the way you pout when you talk and the way I can see your gums when you laugh. I like when you get so excited that I can see all of your irises, I like that you give your plants names and speak to them. I like how soft-spoken you are and that you get cold easily. I like -”
This time it’s not his own hand that stops his rambling. Yoongi is still not looking at him but he has both of his hands over Taehyung’s mouth.
“Please stop…” He whispers - embarrassment evident in the slight tremble of his voice and n the high pitch of it, “You’re gonna kill me.”
Carefully, Taehyung peels his hands away and smiles, “That’s the last thing I would ever want to do.”
Yoongi laughs - loud and clear and he finally glances up at him. It’s true - Taehyung’s cheeks hurt from his wide smile as he sees four irises staring back at him through the tinted shield.
“I was always wondering - why you never got bored of listening to me… so, it was because of that…” Yoongi says smiling, eyes glancing away though he doesn’t lower his head this time.
“Not only that,” Taehyung hurries to explain, “What you tell me is genuinely interesting to me as well.”
Yoongi laughs again and shyly, he reaches out to touch Taehyung’s fingers. “I like… the way I never have to wonder if you’re really listening to me because I know you are. I like that you never seem bored and always show genuine interest in my work even though you don’t understand most of it. I like that your smile is rectangular and I like that you’re a bit clumsy.”
Ah - is it the spores is it just happiness? The whole room seems to spin around Taehyung as he holds onto Yoongi’s shy fingers like it’s his last lifeline.
“...so, you like me?” He asks desperately - he needs to hear it. Needs to know it for sure. Yoongi just nods instead of replying but it’s enough - more than enough. “Ah, I’m so happy I could die right now.” And it’s not a lie.
“Please don’t die,” Yoongi chuckles.
Taehyung grabs his hand fully, pulling him a little closer. “As long as you stay with me I surely won’t.”
“Your life is not in danger,” Yoongi laughs, “You won’t die no matter what.”
“I just want you to stay with me.”
If it weren’t for the tint of his shield Taehyung would be able to see his blush and he kind of curses the stupid quarantine cell from stealing this view away from him. “Will you continue to be so honest when the effects of the spores will have worn off?” Yoongi asks, trying to hide his face again.
Taehyung doesn’t let him get far away though, keeps leaning in as close as the face shield lets him as he tries to meet Yoongi’s gaze, “If you want me to.”
The other just laughs again and squeezes his hand tightly, “I like you a lot.”
Taehyung hugs him tight, the suit is cold against his cheek but it doesn’t matter. “I wish I could kiss you,” He mutters.
“We can’t,” The other laughs, “You’ll have to stay in quarantine until the effects have worn off and we’re sure your body is completely back to normal.”
“Ugh, I know - it still sucks,” Taehyung complains and pulls back, he stares deeply into Yoongi’s eyes as he says, “I really, really want to kiss you, and hold your hand, and -”
“I get it,” Yoongi interrupts, and oh - he must be blushing so much right now. At least his irises are trembling in excitement, flitting around but one of them is always looking straight at Taehyung. It’s cute. It’s so cute. Taehyung could barely contain his giddiness. “Soon.”
“You promise?” Taehyung asks, holding up the pinkie of his free hand.
Smiling giddily, Yoongi hooks his pinkie around Taehyung’s. “I promise.”
During the night, Yoongi stays with Taehyung. They lie next to each other in the small bed with the beeping of Taehyung’s heart monitor lulling them to sleep. Their hands are intertwined even though the suit still separates their skin, even though they couldn’t feel each other’s warmth. All that matters is that they don’t separate for the time being. Neither of them wants to be away from the other even if it means squeezing together into this small bed.
The next morning, Yoongi wakes up by someone shaking his shoulder a little roughly. He groans, shifting as the suit crinkles around him. Ugh - that’s uncomfortable. Whose idea was it to sleep in here again? His own? Okay then.
“Hey Yoongi,” Taehyung quips excitedly, “My name is Jungkook.”
Yoongi laughs at the sheer happiness on Taehyung’s face - his smile is so wide that it must hurt.
“Do you know what that means?” The other asks excitedly, still shaking his shoulder while he’s referring to the obvious lie he said before.
Feeling a little mean, Yoongi asks innocently, “That you have a crush on Namjoon?” He couldn’t quite keep the teasing lilt out of his voice though.
With a groan, Taehyung moves to flick his forehead - his finger only hits the plastic of the face shield though. Immediately, his cheeks light up but he pretends he meant to do it like this right from the start. Yoongi doesn’t call him out on it as he tries to keep in his giggles. “You’re stupid,” Taehyung pouts.
“Aww, that’s a lie.”
Taehyung blushes and glances away before quickly changing the topic, “I can get my kiss now, right?”
Yoongi laughs, ruffling Taehyung’s hair as he sits up. The younger quickly follows his example, eagerness shining in his eyes. “Right. But only,” His voice becomes serious, “Only if you promise to respect the expedition rules and never let something like this happen again.”
“It was hardly my fault! Jungkook pushed me!” Taehyung immediately argues.
Yeah, yeah - Yoongi heard the story more than once. He just laughs as he grabs Taehyung’s hand, “Sure, promise me anyway.”
Taehyung pouts, squeezing Yoongi’s hand as he scoots closer, “I promise, and now I want my kiss, please.”
Yoongi shakes his head while smiling as he gets up. While he moves around, Taehyung keeps complaining about getting his kiss so Yoongi hurries a bit as he does a quick screen of Taehyung’s body and vitals before he pulls them into the decontamination cell the separates them from the lab.
As the mist comes down around them, Yoongi feels himself grow restless as well. The seconds seem to go by too slowly as if time has decided to keep them away from their kiss just a little longer.
They’re both buzzing with excitement and restlessness as they could finally step out into the open of Yoongi’s lab and Taehyung’s fingers fly with him as they quickly make work of the only thing still separating them - the helmet. As soon as it’s off, Taehyung’s hands are on his cheeks and pulling him in.
Yoongi could do nothing but hold onto Taehyung as their lips meet for the first time and his heart starts to almost break through his ribs.
Something inside of his chest settles. Something that has been restless for so long is finally content as they kiss.
Ah… Yoongi wishes they could have done this sooner.
They fall naturally into their relationship. There’s no awkward beginning, no weird silences or anything - it’s as if they were just always dating. Not much changes, apart from the hand holding of course. Apart from the many, many times, Taehyung tells him how much he loves him, beaming at the way it flusters Yoongi.
He finds out it’s easier to do the same to Taehyung with touches. So, every time Yoongi pulls him into a dark corner and presses his lips against his, Taehyung is left in a pile of blushing mush. But apart from these things, not much changes between them.
Taehyung still tries to find the most exotic plants for him, still makes a competition out of it with Jungkook but they are more careful inside of the lab now. Yoongi still starts to ramble while Taehyung continues to listen to him without any complaints - Yoongi loves it.
He loves Taehyung.
With a smile he couldn’t hold back, Yoongi stares at the newest plant he’s gotten from one of their expeditions when something suddenly knocks against the window next to him. He gasps in surprise, whipping his head around to look out into open space.
In front of the round window floats Taehyung, dressed in a spacesuit as he waves at him. As soon as he’s gotten Yoongi’s attention, he seems to try and form a heart with his hands but it looks more like a weirdly shaped circle. Yoongi giggles at his clumsy attempts.
He waves back, mouthing the words “I love you.”