Work Text:
Ricky was cleaning the counter, waiting for the figures in the docking bay to stop bickering. He could see them through the huge glass doors opening onto the central hub. They were still in front of their small spaceship nestled between two freighters, but clearly heading in the inn’s direction, not the bar nor the market. And maybe, just maybe, it meant that this time they wouldn’t be dangerous criminals on the run that thought being an outlaw gave them a free pass to bully the staff.
When his old friend Hanbin had opened the place on the little asteroid, Ricky didn’t get why he offered him the job. He looked cold, was irritable, snapped easily at people, and overall, was not at all shaped to welcome people at an inn. His confusion lasted until his first client, when Ricky realized that Hanbin didn’t exactly target the kind of people who were there for a family trip. That’s an untapped market , he had told Ricky one day, tinkering with the invisibility shield that hid them from the forces of the law. And as an intergalactic citizen that really, really needed the money, Ricky was fine with it. The best part was that he didn’t have to force himself to smile or pretend to be nice. Looking back, Hanbin knew exactly what he was doing when hiring Ricky.
And that’s how he’d ended up here, behind an old-school counter covered in fake wood, in the lobby of the very much illegal inn, waiting for the next space pirate to show up.
Ricky had quickly become familiar with the pale yellow of the walls lit up by artificial lights, and the way they were sprinkled with lighter dots clogging holes made by gunshots. He’d walked a thousand times on the cold gray floor that needed cleaning after every fight. He’d learned when to duck behind the reinforced counter when he couldn’t disarm the most confrontational of his customers. Learned to always stay close to the hidden trapdoor that would allow him to stay safe if things really went south. Learned to never intervene when some concerning noises echoed through the hallways behind him. Learned to never look down. Never show any weakness. And, most importantly, never, ever miss his target.
On the docking bay, the small group started to move. Someone was on the ground, and not getting up. Ricky sighed, checking the holster at his hip and booting up his laser gun. His job did have some downsides. Nothing he couldn’t handle.
“Hanbin, we’ve got a code blue on the docking bay,” he said after turning on the device behind his ear. “Cleaners required.”
“Got it, have fun,” said the sweet voice covered by static.
The group entered through the glass door, walking with an exceptional level of arrogance. It was enough for Ricky to evaluate that they weren’t a big deal; important people didn’t try to look important. Their leader, a huge reptilian species with scaley blue skin and white horns, was scowling at Ricky, trying to intimidate him. Trying and failing. Ricky tucked away the piece of cloth he used to rub at a splatter of green blood that wouldn’t go away, and glared at the potential client, a silent challenge. Direct eye contact was a premise to aggression in many species. Ricky wasn’t about to let that guy assert his dominance by looking away. He was far from being the scariest alien on this asteroid.
“How many rooms?” Ricky asked, ice cold.
The blue guy laughed, soon followed by his crew, and Ricky’s eyebrow twitched. Some of his customers were nice to have. Silent, lowkey, knew how to do transactions without feeling the need to compare their reproductive organs’ sizes. And then there were people like those.
“You heard that, guys? Not even a hello? Do you know who we are, pretty boy?”
Ricky didn’t, nor did he care. For some obscure reason, a lot of people felt forced to have a whole monologue introducing themselves in the only place on this side of the galaxy that didn’t require any ID. If it wasn’t strictly against policy to rat out their clients, Ricky could’ve been set for life with all the intel thrown at him without any reason.
“We’re the Darkest Sea,” the leader continued, exposing a complex tattoo on his forearm. “The most dangerous pirates on System X3S-5. So you’d better show some respect, or you’ll regret it. You should feel honored that we even stopped by your shithole!”
Of course, the most dangerous ones. He had at least three a day of those. Ricky crossed his arms, still holding his gaze.
“If you’re not satisfied with our service, you can always go back to your flying garbage can and sleep there.”
The leader of – What was it, again? Deepest Ocean or something? – slammed his hand on the counter, the vibration enough to make the golden ringing bell at the end of it jingle a little.
“The fuck you said?!” he roared.
Ricky smiled sweetly.
“I said, how many rooms, sir?”
Enraged, the pirate grabbed his weapon, only to find himself with a big burn on his wrist, gun sent flying down the lobby. Ricky’s aim was perfect as always, stance stable with his laser gun raised. He couldn’t be bothered to repair the damage done to the walls after a gunfight again and didn’t intend to allow one to happen. These people always missed their target. It messed up the whole room. Ricky’s cold eyes traveled to the rest of the group, determining the most aggressive one to disarm first.
“Having fun without me? Ricky, I never thought you’d cheat on me!”
The cheerful voice came from the entrance, and the agitated group shot quick glances to their back, evaluating whether it was a trap. Ricky didn’t look at the newcomer. There was only one person in the entire universe that would talk to him like that.
“One customer at a time, wait for your turn,” he gritted out, not averting his eyes, still ready to shoot the pirate that was running towards the discarded weapon.
“But am I not your number one customer? Shouldn’t that give me some rights?”
And that was enough to get one of them to really look at the intruder, his horrified gasp grabbing the attention of the others. They each flinched with a bit of delay, the wave of shock visibly coursing through their group. Suddenly, Ricky didn’t exist in their eyes anymore, and he slowly let go of the trigger, watching the familiar scene unfold before his eyes, starting with the confused screams.
“That’s him! That’s really him!”
“Kim Gyuvin is there!”
“Is he on that guy’s side?”
“Shit, we can’t win against him!”
“Back to the ship! Quick!”
And just like that, they left, the leader picking his gun and giving him a last "this is not over" vague menace before fleeing with them. Ricky sighed, putting his laser gun back in his holster. Finally, he looked at the intruder. Gyuvin stood there, on the side of the entrance, looking mildly surprised, as if the exact same thing didn’t happen every time he got close to any customers staying here.
“Are you doing it on purpose?” asked Ricky, getting his rag back and focusing on the stain instead of the newcomer.
Because if some of his customers were brash and violent, and others knew not to piss off the one holding the keys to their room, this one was an entirely different breed and he had no clue how to deal with him.
“Doing what?” Gyuvin smiled, putting his elbow on the counter.
Ricky slapped his arm with the rag. Gyuvin yelped and stepped back, only to put his elbow right back to where it was.
“Stop pretending that you don’t know. It’s the fifth time this week you come in with absolutely no reason after the first shot has been fired. You literally got your reservation half an hour ago.”
“So? How much time am I supposed to wait before coming back here? Can’t I just visit my favorite person on my favorite asteroid whenever?”
Ricky looked up, finding a pair of big dark eyes thinned by a sly smile aimed at him. He hated to admit it, but Gyuvin was devastating. His permanently ruffled brown hair framed his round features, his black jacket was showing just enough of his chest, the thick belt holding strange, dangerous-looking weapons drew attention to his hips, and–
“My eyes are up here, Kim Ricky.”
Ricky snapped out of it fast enough to catch the wink the pirate sent him. He felt heat on his cheeks, and that irritated him even more. Gyuvin had been using that surname long enough that Ricky knew he couldn’t make him stop, no matter how hard he tried.
“Shut up and just admit that you’re trying to save me or some bullshit like that,” Ricky blurted out, turning to the invincible blood stain once again. "I can handle a shooting, I don’t need you and your hero fantasies to save me. How do you think I managed here without you exactly?”
“Maybe your incredible charisma and beauty?”
Ricky sent him his best killer stare, and Gyuvin had the audacity to giggle. Tired, Ricky went under the counter for a second to find something strong enough to burn its surface, and hopefully that inlaid blood with it. When he straightened back up with a small bottle, Gyuvin’s legs appeared around Ricky as he jumped to sit on the counter, one of his laced boots resting on the fake wooden countertop. Ricky’s eyebrow twitched when he heard the sole squeak against it.
“I don’t really want you to use those talents on them, though,” he continued, pensive. “They don’t deserve to witness it. You know what, there should be an entrance fee just for getting to see you. Like they do with those ancient relics from Earth.”
“I’m cleaning this,” Ricky almost barked, jerking his foot out of the way, much to Gyuvin’s amusement. “So they can’t see me, but for you it’s free and on command? Is that how it is? What makes you think you’re above them?”
“Well, right now, like all the other times… You didn’t shoot me.”
Gyuvin lifted a leg, resting his foot against the wall behind Ricky, caging him in the small space between the counter and the corner of the room. Ricky froze, cloth half raised, incapable of coherent thought when the pirate inched forward, his earnest eyes never losing that glint of giddy excitement.
“Tell me, would you have let anyone else get so close? Or is it just me?”
Ricky mentally slapped himself before physically slapping the calf blocking his way. Gyuvin yelped, squirming enough to let the receptionist grab his ankle and make him rotate on the waxed countertop.
“Me not shooting you doesn’t mean I don’t want to,” he grumbled, stepping away from the pirate and towards this cursed stain. “Now let me do my work.”
“Can I help?” Gyuvin asked with an innocent smile, leaning backwards until his head rested square on the green splatter.
Ricky slowly breathed in, and out. So what if this guy wanted to lie down where he absolutely, definitely shouldn’t. That was not a reason to get trigger happy. Why was Gyuvin even using it as an argument?
“You know what, sure,” Ricky decided, handing him his tools. “Clean up what’s under that empty chaotic head of yours. That’s punishment for bothering me every time you come here. Which is an awful lot, by the way.”
Gyuvin grinned, his eyes turning into two happy slits, and he rolled on his side, landing behind the counter as if he was a staff member. Ricky watched him carefully scrub away the ugly stain, unable to ignore how weird it felt to see a legendary pirate gleefully do his chores. Ricky couldn’t understand why, but Gyuvin always found little ways to help him around. When it was Ricky’s turn to wash the dishes, he appeared with a hip-bump and dried everything Ricky washed. Gyuvin’s bedroom was always immaculate when he left, and having caught a glimpse of the interior of his ship, Ricky knew this was a deliberate effort to make his life easier.
At first Ricky thought his good behavior was only because Gyuvin and Hanbin were on good terms, with the pirate almost single handedly fueling the black market they hosted – and, incidentally, bringing in half of their customers. But it wasn’t long before he got feedback from other workers that Gyuvin was normal and professional with them, although a bit too happy for a pirate captain, and Ricky then wondered if he was trying to get something from him specifically. But after a while, he decided that Gyuvin was simply kind. Mostly to him. And the concept was so foreign in the middle of these criminals, that Ricky didn’t understand it right away.
There were the violent ones, the silent ones, and Gyuvin, the kind one.
“Why do you sound so bothered when you say that I’m here often?” Gyuvin complained loudly, face close to the counter to make sure he wasn’t missing anything. “Am I not a good guest? Don’t you enjoy my presence?”
“I’m sure Hanbin appreciates you coming here, that’s good for business.”
“We both know that’s not what I’m asking and deflecting everything I ask you without ever denying anything is very obvious,” he hummed, smiling at his reflection on the now immaculate fake wood.
“No idea what you’re talking about.”
“Yeah, I one hundred percent believe that,” Gyuvin laughed, and it was high, carefree. Nice to listen to. He checked one last time where the stain had been, and, satisfied, put everything away himself. “Anyway, will you be the waiter for tonight’s dinner?”
“Unfortunately,” Ricky sighed, relaxing against the wall. “I’d rather stay there, but Gunwook got in a fight yesterday with a whole crew and he still has to recover.”
“He’s way too soft for this kind of job,” noted Gyuvin, leaning on the counter.
“Too soft? Have you seen the guy in combat mode? He’s a born fighter.”
“I’m not saying he doesn’t know how to defend himself, I’m saying he’s too soft. Just like that Matthew guy at the bar,” he explained, pointing towards the secondary building beyond the decks. “He’s lucky his face is so intimidating, because Gunwook is just kinda confused whenever he should put a customer in their place.”
“If you have complaints about our staff, please direct it towards our boss,” Ricky sighed, rolling his eyes. “Is that an issue with all of us then? Too soft?”
“No, Hanbin is terrifying when he wants to be. Those guys that hurt the waiter? Probably dead by now. You don’t fuck with Hanbin. He retaliates.”
True. Crossing Hanbin always led to dire consequences. Once, Jiwoong and Hao had been taken hostage by an alliance of pirates looking to overtake the market for their own benefit. Ricky had watched as Hanbin had hijacked one of their shuttles, jumping into it with only a laser gun and a telecommunicator. Most of the fleet’s ships had already exploded by the time reinforcements came, and Jiwoong made it out without a scratch. Hao did have a scratch, from tripping as he’d walked out of the emergency pod they’d all escaped in. Hanbin had given them both a huge bonus and deep, profuse apologies for the traumatic experience. Ricky wished he’d been the one kidnapped, sometimes.
“Taerae is scary too,” Gyuvin sagely nodded. “But he won’t hurt your body first. He’ll hurt your soul. You know what I mean, right? So, in your whole crew that leaves…”
Ricky looked at him expectantly, waiting for his turn to be judged, but it didn’t come. He motioned for Gyuvin to keep going, and the pirate only raised his brow in mock confusion. Ricky rolled his eyes, staring him down afterwards. Gyuvin was not going to make him ask about it aloud. Gyuvin shook his head with a pout, shrugging like he was really sorry but sincerely couldn’t understand what all those very clear signals meant. Ricky huffed and looked away, frustrated, ready to let it go, but he couldn’t. He had no idea why, he just had to know. With a final groan, Ricky faced him again.
“Fine! What about me?”
Gyuvin, the little devil, smiled victoriously.
“You? You’re the best of the bunch, obviously. Wouldn’t expect anything else coming from you.”
Ricky knew he shouldn’t take pride in those words, but he couldn’t help himself. He smiled shyly, averting his gaze.
“How should I put it, you’re like a fragile prince, but one that reached the throne by poisoning the whole court. That kind of aura.”
Ricky switched back to annoyance, burying whatever that positive feeling was a second ago. He wasn’t fragile, thank you very much. He wasn’t a conniving murderer either.
“I’ve never killed anyone,” he protested.
“Don’t worry, it happens even to the best of us,” smiled Gyuvin, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Ricky huffed, shaking him off, trying very hard to ignore the contact. Gyuvin usually stayed at a reasonable distance and never initiated skinship. It felt new.
“And I do intend to keep it that way, thanks. Killing people is not my idea of a great experience.”
“Mmh. Sometimes, you don’t have a choice, though,” Gyuvin said in a low voice, and Ricky froze for a second.
He had a faraway look in his eyes, his cheeky smile a bit subdued. Ricky was taken aback, not knowing how to react right away. Obviously Gyuvin encountered these situations on a regular basis. You don’t get the title of the most dangerous pirate on this side of the universe with peace and flowers. And it doesn’t get you the best kind of admirers, either. Platitudes like “you always have a choice” couldn’t apply to his lifestyle, and that was the plain truth.
Ricky was mostly okay with it. It would’ve been hard to do his job if that wasn’t the case. He assumed that everyone coming through this door had a body count and left it at that. Ricky wasn’t going to change their moral compass, wasn’t going to turn them in when they gave Hanbin the money the whole team needed to eat. And thanks to this emotional distance, Ricky never really needed to question how those felt about this life they decided to live. But now, Gyuvin was there, right in front of him behind the counter, and he didn’t look so happy about it. None of the usual bravado. Nothing carefree in his gaze. Was Gyuvin… being vulnerable with him?
The silence stretching, Gyuvin focused back on Ricky and smiled again, but it didn’t feel as genuine.
“You get people to obey with that killer stare anyway, you don’t need that,” he winked.
“Are you okay?”
“What? I’m not the only one who sees it, you’ve earned the respect of a lot of pirates with it–"
“No, I mean, are you okay , as in, is there something bothering you,” Ricky insisted, worried.
Gyuvin stilled a second, a short laugh escaping his lips. He looked surprised.
"Yeah, of course I am. I’m talking to you, how could I feel bad? Be careful Ricky, if you keep at it I’ll end up believing you actually care about me.”
Ricky frowned. He didn’t like that Gyuvin deflected the question, but what was he expecting anyway? They didn’t have that kind of relationship. As much as Gyuvin liked to come over and joke with Ricky during his stays, he didn’t actually talk about himself. He was happy just kind of hanging around, and flirting with him when no one could see. Everything Ricky had ever learned about his adventures was through stories shared by drunk customers that sounded more like urban legends. The picture of the ruthless pirate they painted, leading dangerous raids in dreadful situations, was a far cry from the sweet guy his age that just scrubbed a stain for him unsolicited.
Gyuvin never talked about himself, but always asked about Ricky’s day. Slowly, but surely, Gyuvin had become a part of his life at some point, just like the rest of the staff had through the years. Ricky simply wasn’t sure that the pirate reciprocated his feelings.
Where was his mind going? He’d just had to remind himself of that exact fact, they didn’t have that kind of relationship. Gyuvin didn’t talk about himself, and on the rare occasions that Ricky grazed the subject, he ignored it altogether, just like the way he played dumb right then. It wasn’t Ricky’s place to ask anything from him. Although pleasant, their interactions only happened because he was working at an inn and Gyuvin sold his loot here. They weren’t friends. Ricky knew that.
He knew it, so why did it hurt when Gyuvin put a distance between them?
"I do care, though,” Ricky said so low he wasn’t sure Gyuvin heard. But the pirate’s fake smile vanished, his shoulders dropped, and the pregnant silence between them was filled with tension. It felt like a turning point.
"You do?” he whispered softly, and there was something in there, hesitation, uncertainty, hope maybe.
"Yeah, I mean,” Ricky responded, raising his voice to normal levels in an attempt to get rid of the weird atmosphere, "It would be really boring without you around. And if you became all gloomy, my days would be ruined too.”
Ricky was ready to keep on blabbering, find excuses and link it somehow to being only for the good of Hanbin’s business and not him, but someone came in through the glass doors. Instantly, Ricky was reminded of everything that wasn’t supposed to be happening right now, like Gyuvin behind the counter a few centimeters away from him. If someone saw that and interpreted it as a lack of authority, Ricky’s grip on his usual customers would melt away like a teacher too lenient with his students. The urge to throw the pirate over the counter was overpowering. Luckily, the newcomer didn’t seem to care about Ricky, only focusing on Gyuvin with his watery innocent eyes.
"Captain! There’s been an issue with the uh–"
He finally noticed Ricky, half hidden behind Gyuvin, and caught himself right on time. Panicked by his almost-mistake, the boy struggled with every word, making big frantic gestures.
“The package. The big one. With the... letters... on it.”
“I’m coming. Call your sub-unit.”
“Yes sir!”
If Gyuvin had been taken aback right before, there was nothing left of it now, his eyes sharp and deadly serious. Ricky had seen that look a few times before, when the situation became dangerous. The young crew member sprinted out, his captain jumping over the counter in one swift motion. He gave Ricky a small smile and a short nod.
“See you for dinner.”
“Good luck, stay safe,” said Ricky.
Gyuvin’s smile grew larger, reaching his eyes, and Ricky softened a little. Somehow, seeing the transition between his professional and personal self felt rewarding. Like he was let in on a secret. And as he looked at Gyuvin rushing out, he tried to stifle that burning feeling in his chest. That warmth always threatened to spill when Gyuvin’s playful grin turned his eyes into two crescents, when Gyuvin chuckled with that high tone of his, when Gyuvin got closer than necessary, when Gyuvin came without any reason to talk to him. All these things that should’ve never affected Ricky. Everything that would only drag him down if he acknowledged their existence. Illusions that made him believe that there was something intense where it was only a distant connection.
Gyuvin stopped at the door, briefly turning around to flash Ricky a last smile.
“In case it wasn’t already obvious, I care about you too. So stay safe, okay?”
And just like that, he left.
Just like that, Ricky drowned in him.
***
Ricky very much enjoyed his breaks. He’d always want to have more of them, of course, but Hanbin was very fair and left him plenty of room to breathe after handling rowdy clients. Sure, the whole asteroid was ruled with an iron fist so that everyone could coexist in this small rock lost in space. But it only meant that Ricky had to be the one to turn away those unwilling to cooperate for one reason or another. As the policy stipulated, his laser gun’s setting was always turned on to the lowest burn possible, and on a stunning program at most to deal with the most problematic visitors.
Ricky had never had to use the last setting, the one that needed to unlock the gun’s security and turned on the red led warning that the laser type was a lethal one. He’d seen it once, the blinding light that burned through flesh and bone alike; and he was very happy that Hanbin’s rules kept Ricky safe from both receiving it and delivering the shot.
He also was thankful to Hanbin for keeping some small spaces exclusively meant for the staff’s leisure, so that they could unwind in a safe space far from their customers and far from their sleeping quarters. One of them was Ricky’s favorite, a small glass dome at the back of the asteroid that was originally used for machinery handling. The rumble of metal and motors lining the walls was noisy, but the view of the stars was second only to the open skyline of the inn’s highest floor. Only Gyuvin’s crew could occupy it regularly, but Ricky visited sometimes in their absence.
Except Gyuvin was there this time, and so Ricky took the next best choice and joined Hao for the few minutes they had left before their next shift started.
Hao was eating an exotic snack, its strong, nauseating smell saturating the air. Ricky had grown up in a quadrant near his, so he was somewhat used to the pungent fragrance, but he was the only other person in the staff able to stay near it. It had even sparked a war at some point, with Hanbin wanting to ban the food from the asteroid and Hao threatening to quit over it.
Matthew had said they should just sleep together and get rid of their disgusting sexual tension before the whole operation collapsed because they refused to keep apart even for a dedicated snack day. Ricky had agreed. Hanbin hadn’t agreed, as it constituted, in his exact words, “a terrible violation of the workplace rules regarding sexual harassment and a blatant example of power imbalance”. Hao hadn’t agreed either, because, in his exact words, “I’m not going to ask Hanbin, he has to do it himself, I deserve it and he’d better come at me with a full love confession plus a five year plan with daily gifts, services and quality time”. They’d been stuck in this infinite loop ever since, and Hao still ate the putrid snack; he simply did it closer to the air purification machine.
“Hey, Ricky. How was your shift? You want a bite?”
“No, thank you. I had to deal with troublesome guests again,” Ricky sighed, sitting next to his friend on the artificial gravity unit. “The walls were saved though. I didn’t give them any time to fire.”
“But Gyuvin came to the rescue again, didn’t he?”
“How did you know?” he asked, confused.
“I saw him running from the docks. I was on tax and inventory duty for his ship’s load, and it seems like they lost some crate. A kid, Yujin I think, said—”
“Running?”
When Gyuvin had walked into the hall, he had been slow and casual, as if he’d wandered here by accident. But in reality, he’d been rushing and then put on airs so that he would look cooler? Infuriating.
“Running,” Hao repeated, now looking deadpan. “You know, as he does every time you’re involved. Why are you even surprised? If you told him to jump he’d ask how high.”
“He would not,” Ricky lied.
Hao exaggeratedly rolled his eyes with a scoff, emptying what was left of the aluminum pack in his mouth.
“Right, yeah,” he chewed. “Gyuvin would never listen to you. Like that time he didn’t break that guy’s tail after you said you wished for it or that time he didn’t help fix the holes in the hall or that time he didn’t go fetch the extra ingredients during your cooking shift or that time-”
“Urgh, I get it! Fine! He’s the helpful kind.”
“Yeah, helpful to you. Wish I had someone half as dedicated to me.”
“Hanbin would literally commit genocide for you.”
“And yet I can’t eat my snacks in peace,” Hao muttered.
“You’re never satisfied.”
“Well neither are you,” he snapped back. “You have a perfect boytoy throwing himself at your feet and you still pretend to not be interested?”
“Because I’m not.”
“You know we can all see it on your face, right?”
Ricky was ready to vehemently deny everything, but that last part gave him pause.
“On my face?”
“Yeah. It’s, like, very obvious. Look at me, I’m Ricky, I’m so cool and serious,” Hao said, lifting his chin and lowering his eyes in a scowl. “Oh my, Gyuvin, is that you? Hi! Nooo, don’t come behind the counter, it’s baaad!”
Hao was looking at Ricky with big round eyes, a sad puppy look bordering on a pout. It was the most mortifying imitation he had ever seen of himself.
“I am NOT like that,” Ricky denied, feeling his cheeks heat up.
“True, I can’t really capture that softness in your eyes,” he conceded. “The rest is pretty on point. The others agreed.”
“Agreed? Are you guys making fun of me when I’m not here?!”
“We’re not making fun of you! Well, maybe I am. A little bit.” An arm appeared over Ricky’s shoulders, calming down the anger that had started simmering in his stomach. “We all know you’ve got your soft side, and the way you keep pretending to be untouchable when you have the biggest crush on this pirate is strange. Why do you even do that? We’d all support you, you know. And Hanbin would be ready to cut ties with his crew entirely if he did you wrong.”
“Because Gyuvin…”
Probably didn’t care? Ricky was used to stories about pirates having a situationship in every spaceport. Sure Gyuvin was flirting with him here, but chances were high that Ricky wasn’t the only one. He couldn’t say that, though. That would already be admitting too much. Ricky was too smart to be played and heartbroken by someone just looking for a good time, so he wouldn’t open his heart at all.
“Because I don’t like him.”
Hao frowned, disappointed that his attempt at opening up a vulnerable conversation had failed. There were struggles Ricky had been willing to share with Hao in the past, but this one wasn’t the kind he was even willing to think about.
“I see. Don’t move, I’ll grab us something sweet to drink. We need more energy to make it to the end of the day.”
They spent the rest of their break like this, watching the stars and talking about the latest gossip in their little group while sipping on a very chemical sugary soda. These moments were nice; Ricky enjoyed spending time with his colleagues, his friends. They were the closest thing to a family he had, making him feel safe and appreciated despite the verbal abuse from clients and omnipresent violence he lived in. Ricky loved Hao, just like he loved the rest of the crew. He would never tell them so, though.
The asteroid didn’t have a sun, or even nearby planets to track time, so it was easy to get distracted and forget to check one of the clocks displaying the universal time. Most people never needed it, living with their own biological clock since they changed solar systems every week, but for the inn to run smoothly they needed to always be on time. That’s why the dreaded little jingle coming from their in-ear made them sigh in unison. Their break was over, and they would need to get ready for their next shift in under ten minutes.
“Well, it was great talking to you,” declared Hao, getting back on his feet. “I’m sure my advice was invaluable.”
“Of course. What would I ever do without the smartest, most beautiful, most talented person on this whole quadrant?”
Hao laughed loudly, throwing his head back. He liked the flattery, but Ricky knew he mostly liked having a colleague ready to joke with him. He was one of the oldest people working here, even though he was still young, and liked taking care of the others. That was why Ricky wasn’t surprised to see Hao pull out a small blue card, extra money he sometimes got from Hanbin as a gift.
“Here, take this and buy yourself something nice. I’m your senior and your elder and earn more credits than you after all.”
“Thank you! You’re the best!” Ricky grinned, getting the card and watching his colleague walk away.
Ricky activated the dormant card, turning on the luminous gauge. Only the first two LEDs came to life, most of the credits already spent. He couldn’t even get the good kind of liquor from the black market with that. With a sigh, he still pocketed it, making his way to the bar.
There was plenty of money to be made in the evening.
***
Ricky’s shift as a waiter in the canteen had started way too early for his taste. Taking care of drunk customers was one thing, but dealing with them getting gradually more daring as they downed alcohol was another. The humans, especially, were the most difficult to handle. On one hand, they were able to appreciate Ricky’s godly looks, and gave him much better tips for it. On the other hand, they were able to appreciate Ricky’s godly looks, and they thought they had a chance with him.
“Come on doll, give me one more!”
Ricky sighed, navigating through chaotic tables he’d have to clean up in a few hours, balancing an indecent amount of colorful bottles on a plate. As soon as he put down a bit of his load, he was called somewhere else, and always reacted with a smile that disappeared a second later. Ricky couldn’t be bothered to keep a friendly face when he was at the counter, but when people were inebriated, they became more generous. Ricky would lose crumbs of his dignity if it meant earning a few extra credits.
“Hey gorgeous,” yelled a woman, sliding a small card in his belt, probably enough to buy two drinks if he was to trust the light dots on it. “Nice clothes. You mind coming with us to enjoy a meal?”
Ricky smiled politely, properly pocketing the money. Of course he had nice clothes. He carefully picked them every time he had to cover this shift. Being deadly was the only way to get tips around here, in every sense of the word.
“Thank you for the offer, but that’s forbidden by my contract. I’ll make sure to drop by when I get the opportunity, though.”
“Yeah, that’s the spirit!” she roared, followed by her crew, and Ricky went onto the next table.
“Preeetty boy,” slurred someone on the side, “Stop flirting with that bitch and get your pretty ass over here!”
“The fuck you called me?” the bitch screamed back.
Ricky tuned out the fight, just like the two that had already happened. With hotheaded, rival gangs gathering in one common place, that was bound to happen. However, it was rarely that serious; they forcefully imposed a non-aggression pact to everyone partaking in the inn’s activities. Anyone feeling too cool to respect it was banned from the market, and that would be a huge blow to any pirate. So there were some fights, brawls, and other forms of violence taking place regularly, but no one would dare to draw their guns. And if any customer felt like the offense deserved a proper duel, they were welcome to take it outside.
Suddenly, Ricky felt a hand creep up his thigh. He was ready to throw an empty bottle at the offender, but someone else already slammed the guy’s head on his mashed potatoes - real ones, not the dehydrated kind per Hanbin’s wishes, so it was a real waste of food.
“The fuck you doin’?! You got a death wish? That guy’s under Captain Gyuvin’s protection! Don’t touch him!”
Ricky looked at the other side of the room, where a barely tipsy Gyuvin was laughing with his crew, a salad leaf stuck on his chin like a beard and two baby carrots nudged under his upper lip as vampire teeth. Then Ricky looked back at the two mountains of muscle that didn’t dare to glance this way, and there were things he would never understand.
Ricky got to the kitchen, switching empty bottles for plates of food, and he already felt so tired of this shift. He liked his job, he really did, and he would be infinitely thankful for Hanbin’s gift of a regular generous source of income, but he would be lying if he said it wasn’t draining sometimes.
When he came back to the main room, Gyuvin was right by the door with a vegetable-less face, alone at the small table that was empty just before. People very rarely occupied the spot, even on full nights. Nobody wanted to be so close to the furnace that was the kitchen, pressed between the wall and an old vending machine that didn’t give money back on credit decimals. Still, the view of the room was pretty good, so the waiters sat there to rest their legs on slower days.
“Ricky, would you like to sit with me for a while?” Gyuvin said with a bright smile.
“Thank you for the offer, but that’s forbidden by my contract. I’ll make sure to drop by when I get the opportunity, though,” he recited immediately.
“I didn’t ask if you could, I asked if you’d like it,” he shot back with a wink.
Ricky snorted, a smile appearing without his approval. He quickly caught himself, going back to professional.
“Well, wouldn’t you like me to say yes…”
“Maybe I’d like it, yeah.”
“Maybe I’d like it too.”
“Wow, would you look at the time, it seems like it’s already your fifteen minute break,” Gyuvin exclaimed, not even pretending to look at the clock behind him. “Some lucky timing we have.”
Ricky checked quickly if it was indeed time for his break, and sure enough, it began right this second. He sighed, defeated, putting his plate on the table.
“Did you plan this?” he asked Gyuvin.
“No idea what you’re talking about.”
“Of course you don’t.”
“Sit down, your legs deserve some rest.”
Ricky rolled his eyes, dragging a stool to sit at the small table. With Gunwook missing, there was no one to warn for the start of his break, and the clients would have to wait for their refills. Gyuvin had a satisfied, shit-eating grin, and Ricky wanted nothing more than to get back up this instant to spite him.
“So, was your issue with the lost item resolved?” he asked instead.
“Mostly. It looks like one of your guests rummaged through my things, though, and I’m not a fan of that,” Gyuvin said, looking down, his smile turning a bit menacing. “I’m on it though, so it won’t be an issue for long.”
“Everyone here seems to be really scared of you,” Ricky mused, taking one of the bottles for himself.
“What about you?” he asked, cheeky.
“Oh, please. I literally just got defended by a random guy because they feel like you’d cut their throats for touching me. You wouldn’t hurt me. So, why would I be scared?”
Gyuvin laughed, and Ricky couldn’t help but notice how his cheeks were a bit red. His eyes shined more than usual when he looked at him. Drunkenness couldn’t justify it, because Ricky had personally handed him every drink he had and he knew his alcohol tolerance. He was perfectly sober.
“You’re right, I wouldn’t hurt you.”
“Are you feeling okay?”
“What’s with you today? I’m fine, I already told you.”
“So why do you… Nevermind,” Ricky sighed, giving up and crossing his arms. “Whatever. It’s only between you and yourself anyway. I know I’m not concerned.”
The pirate stopped smiling, playing with the bottleneck of his drink. He was silent for a moment, looking elsewhere before he came back to Ricky.
“Actually, it’s kind of about you.”
Ricky raised his eyebrows, surprised, and he hated how he felt his heart flutter. That was the kind of thing he wasn’t supposed to feel. Something shifted in the mood, and he steeled himself, decided to not let himself imagine things.
“Wha–”
He barely had the time to see Gyuvin’s eyes widen before he jumped at Ricky so fast they both fell down, his hand protecting Ricky’s head as they hit the cement floor. Ricky would have been furious if it wasn’t for the unmistakable sound of a laser gun being fired and a burning sensation at his shoulder. By the time he realized he was on the ground, Gyuvin had tipped the table over to use it as a shield and drawn out his own weapon. The other pirates, who had been as stunned as the waiter, finally reacted. In that fraction of a second, all hell broke loose.
Ricky crawled to find cover with Gyuvin, adrenaline rushing through his veins. The vending machine and the kitchen’s wall offered them protection, but barred them from escaping as well. The burnt hole in the wall, where Ricky had been sitting, was bigger and deeper than any gun could output with a stun setting. Ricky would’ve been dead on the spot. Feeling very cold, he turned on his earpiece.
“We’ve got a code red on the canteen,” Ricky wavered, seeing Gyuvin peek behind the table only to promptly duck back, barely avoiding another shot. “I– I think I’m the target.”
“What?!” Hanbin panicked in his ear. “Get to the exit! I’m calling backup!”
“Do you have some kind of emergency hiding place?” Gyuvin asked urgently, shooting down someone trying to get to them in the confusion and chaos.
“Yes, in– in the kitchen!”
He wasn’t supposed to reveal that kind of information to customers, but in regards to the situation, he was sure Hanbin would forgive him. Gyuvin looked at him, the kitchen, the gunfight.
“Can you cover for me?”
That was the most serious he had ever been. The gravity of the situation finally settled in.
“My turn to protect you, I guess,” Ricky answered, booting up his gun.
Gyuvin briefly smiled, bringing some kind of big communication watch to his face.
“Captain!” screamed some overlapping voices.
“You guys okay?”
“Yes, but–”
“Good. Go back to the ship. I’ll join you later. Yujin, you lead them. No discussion.”
He ended the transmission as fast as he started it, turning to Ricky, gun in hand.
“The shooter was at the far end of the room but we don’t have much time left,” Gyuvin shouted over the noise drowning them. "We will stay close to the floor, I’ll take down those aiming at us, you clear up the way to the kitchen. Got it?”
“Got it,” he said, gripping his laser gun a bit harder.
“Ready…”
Ricky nervously swallowed, not ready at all. Handling a few isolated guys before they even had the time to shoot was one thing, trying to fight his way through a hundred angry pirates plus an unknown number of goons trying to specifically take him down was another. But he was Ricky and to hell if he wasn’t going to do it with absolute composure. When Gyuvin grabbed the table, they were both as decided. They only had a few meters to make it to the door. They could do it.
“GO!!”
Gyuvin threw their cover in the air, distracting those in their immediate vicinity, a few of those deadly shots coming in at a new angle - unless it was one of the pirates that joined the fight. They moved quickly, crouching, completely focused. Ricky was nothing more than nerves and observation. He shot a guy in the way, leaving him stunned on the floor, stepping over him to take down another one, never once looking to the side to see how Gyuvin was doing. In that instant, he had absolute faith in him. Finally, the entrance of the kitchen was within reach, and his stomach sank when he noticed that it was wide open. He forgot to lock it up when he got out. Great.
Suddenly someone appeared in front of him, and Ricky had already shot him when his brain registered that the attacker had been aiming at Gyuvin. His blood ran cold. The thought that Gyuvin could even get hurt, or worse, never crossed his mind and he was in no place to process this. So Ricky pushed back the feeling, cleared what little distance was left and yanked his partner inside, slamming the door with his whole body behind them. He whipped around to see two thugs falling on the floor, Gyuvin’s weapon raised. Ricky’s eyes scanned the room faster than he ever had, looking for anything wrong - and he found it, in the form of a distorted reflection on a pot showing a woman crouching behind the central island unit.
“Lock the door!” Ricky shouted, jumping over the stove and taking down the last enemy, wincing at the red LED shining on the setting of the gun falling from his hand. This one was set to kill, and she had been waiting for him. Later. He’d panic later. Right now, he had to lock the back door too, and that’s what he did without missing a beat. He had to assess the situation. There was no staff left here, so they probably escaped through that door, but now that there had been a hitman waiting for Ricky in the staff area nothing guaranteed that the next rooms were safe.
“Someone’s trying to take down the door!” shouted Gyuvin, running to him. "We should–”
The lights turned off, replaced by a red neon glow, and the sounds of fighting outside turned to dreadful silence. Everybody knew what that meant. The screams coming from the closed door almost drowned out Hanbin’s voice in Ricky’s ear. The blaring sirens only made it worse.
“Code black! Someone leaked our position, we’re compromised! Get to your escape pods NOW! I repeat, Code black!”
Ricky looked at Gyuvin, who looked at him back. Now, he wasn’t supposed to show the emergency trap doors to anyone, or even acknowledge he had one. But it was Gyuvin, and he literally just risked his life for him. He breathed in.
“I can get us out of here. With a ship. You coming?”
Gyuvin raised his watch again.
“Yujin?”
“Captain!” sobbed the voice on the other side.
“Go without me. Don’t worry, I’ve got a plan.”
“But–”
“Make sure everyone is safe and get the fuck out of here. I’ll contact you later.”
“O-Okay,” said Yujin, and Gyuvin looked back up, determined.
If Ricky wasn’t in such a rush, he would have been flustered by the trust Gyuvin seemed to have put in him without even needing to think about it. But it was, again, something he would have to process later, so he yanked a cupboard open. On his knees, Ricky made the barely visible lock pop open, and the fake tile on the floor behind him audibly released its pressure. Ricky pushed it aside, revealing the gaping hole that coursed through the asteroid, and sat at the edge, ready to jump.
“Close it behind you,” he instructed an impressed Gyuvin. “It has handles.”
And with that, he let himself slide down, swallowed by the dark pipe. After a few seconds and some turns to decelerate, he plopped out on his feet in one of the numerous secret docks sprinkled on the asteroid’s underbelly. Ricky stepped towards the small, tiny ship reserved for emergencies. It was a repurposed military ship, with sleeping units and dehydrated food so that the occupants would be able to safely travel to the next meeting point.
That was the first time ever they had been faced with a code black, and thus, the first time Ricky came here. Despite the ship being no more than six meters long and four meters wide, the black metal of the jet engines and its utilitarian structure was daunting. Sure, he’d been in more than one ship, as a driver no less, but this was different. A mistake could cost them their lives.
After a little scream coming from behind him, Ricky felt something heavy hit him in the back and grab his shoulders. Gyuvin stabilized himself the best he could, using Ricky as a crutch, and he suddenly realized how big his hands were draped around his shoulders like that. Ricky shook himself. Not now.
“What a scary pirate you are,” he quipped, unlocking the ship with a retina scan. The loading panel lowered itself for them.
“I’ll have you know that I’m actually fearless,” Gyuvin said, still holding him when he followed Ricky inside.
“Wow, it’s amazing how much I believe you.”
As soon as they stepped into the small hallway, the panel closed behind them. The doors on both sides only led to the sleeping quarters and the canteen, so Ricky went straight to the navigation hub at the front, booted up the ship, and launched the engines. The windows in front of them only showed the wall of the cave they were hiding in, giving a claustrophobic feeling to it all. Gyuvin examined the control board, then nodded, like he understood something.
“This model has mobile weaponry,” he said to Ricky, back to his serious demeanor. "You should go to the aiming station and cover us for the escape. I’ll drive.”
“Cover us from what? They couldn’t have reached us so fast, the next military station is too far away.”
“I don’t think it was a coincidence that someone tried to kill you right before we got compromised. I’m not taking any chances. Go to the aiming station and be ready to shoot.”
Gyuvin’s aura as a captain was unexpectedly strong. It was the first time he’d given Ricky orders, and unlike the (many) times he’d imagined this scenario, he only felt the urge to obey the pirate. Ricky looked around, searching for the station in the unfamiliar ship. He had already done it, back in his short army days. He could operate it. He knew how to aim. It shouldn’t be too different. He could do it. It was fine. He just needed to—
“Hey.”
Two huge hands cupped Ricky’s face, grounding him and forcing him to look at Gyuvin. It wasn’t exactly his serious expression, but it wasn’t his joking one either. It was… Worried. Soft. Caring. Something made a loop in Ricky’s guts.
“It’s gonna be okay. Nobody can touch me when I’m flying a ship, you shooting would just be support. And maybe I’m overreacting and there will be no one there. We will make it out of here. I promise. Believe in me. Okay?”
Ricky raised a shaky hand to grab Gyuvin’s wrist, but stopped midway. Shaky hand. He was shaking, and he hadn’t realized it. He looked at his fingers, almost vibrating, and back at Gyuvin with his unwavering gaze. Gyuvin knew what he was doing. He had a lot of experience, and he said they were safe. Even if it was just for this moment, he could fully trust him. Ricky felt his shoulders relax a little.
“Okay,” he answered weakly.
“Breathe a little?”
Ricky followed the suggestion, his lungs finally getting some fresh air. How long had he been holding his breath? Having the pirate so close didn’t help, he thought. Ricky took a few seconds to make his head stop spinning, closing his eyes, and when he opened them again, Gyuvin was smiling.
“Feeling better?”
“Yes,” Ricky sighed, finally relaxing his muscles. “Thank you, I needed that.”
Gyuvin hummed, his thumb softly stroking Ricky’s cheekbone. Their eyes met, something shifted. The warm, calloused hands on his cheeks were suddenly the only thing Ricky could focus on, and Gyuvin kept looking at him like that , and it really wasn’t the time to think about all of this but he liked it a lot more than he should have and he was trusting Gyuvin with his life.
So Ricky closed his eyes, decided to blame the adrenaline later, and finally grabbed his wrist to nuzzle against his hand. Gyuvin’s other hand slid to the back of Ricky’s head, fingers threading through his hair. Ricky blocked everything else, and took it in. The burning on his skin, the tingling on his scalp, the flutter in his chest and the tension in his stomach. All those things that he couldn’t process right now.
“... Ricky?” whispered Gyuvin, cautious.
Ricky breathed in one last time, and let go of him, taking a step back and looking away.
“I’m fine. Let’s do this.”
Gyuvin stood there, confused, before turning around with a nod and getting in position for the take off. Grateful that he let it go, Ricky went to the little adjacent room, barely big enough to hold the sturdy pilot seat. The space was saturated with screens showing every angle of the ship, along with data and radars, barely even giving room to the settings panel.
Ricky settled in, suddenly grateful that he was the one there and not Gyuvin who always seemed to need more room to exist. Ricky grabbed the aiming stick and switched on some settings in hopes that it was still what he remembered. The harness firmly held him in place, thankfully. The last thing he wanted was to get thrown on the wall with a sharp turn.
“You ready?” a voice distorted by static asked from the radio station.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Ricky gritted out, tense.
“We’re going to be fine. Trust me.”
“I trust you.”
The engine roared, and Ricky was pushed against his seat, his screen showing the floor getting away from them. Focused on his visual feedback, he breathed in deeply. Ready for chaos.
And chaos, it was.
As soon as they got out of their hidden cave, Ricky saw hundreds of ships from all kinds of pirate crews fleeing the place, fighting each other, protecting the transport modules some had with their own fleet. Bright streaks of energy slashed the darkness of the starless universe, barely missing them, while an explosion colored everything close with a warm orange. Ricky’s harness sliced his shoulders with every turn Gyuvin took, and with all of this disorientation, he almost missed a ship clearly aiming at them. Ricky gritted his teeth, knuckles turning white from his tight grip, and started blasting. He didn’t want to even imagine where a missed shot could end up. One of his regular customers’ ships? Or worse, an escape pod like his with his colleagues inside?
“Almost there, keep going,” said Gyuvin’s voice, and so he did, swallowing back his fears.
In the middle of the brutal jerking that left him disorientated, Ricky recognized at least three identical ships clearly trying to take them down. Others sometimes shot at them, but more out of panic than actual intention. These white ships with blue streaks, though…
In no time, Ricky decided to go the preventive route and cleanly one-shot every one of those ships he could find in his ever-rotating landscape. It hadn’t been a minute since they left the ground, but it already felt like an eternity and a half. Ricky missed a shot. Two. Their ship shook so hard the screens couldn’t be read anymore, and it wasn’t Gyuvin’s doing this time.
“Gyuvin?” called Ricky, his voice clearly betraying his fear.
“Just a bit more, just a bit!”
Ricky missed a third time. Sweat ran down his temples, the palm of his hands becoming slippery on the stick. He couldn’t afford to fail this one. He had to -
“The road is clear! Jumping!”
Ricky got slammed against his seat, space distorting around him, only to be released immediately again, his screens now showing nothingness, safe, safe nothingness.
“Jumping again, I’ll cover our tracks.”
He waited two or three light-speed jumps for his pilot to give him the right to get out of his seat. When they finally reached a point where Gyuvin was sure they couldn’t have been followed, Ricky unbuckled, tripping on his own shaking legs while getting out. The adrenaline was making him jittery and clumsy, still high from the life-threatening situation they just escaped from. That was not how his typical day was supposed to go. Ricky came to the navigation hub, only to find Gyuvin jumping on him, supporting him and his weak balance by grabbing his arms.
“Are you okay?!” the pirate asked, deeply worried, and Ricky’s weak nodding didn’t seem very convincing in his eyes.
The next thing he knew, Ricky was crushed in a tight hug, Gyuvin holding him like he was about to evaporate.
“You’re okay,” Gyuvin mumbled, more for himself than anything. "You’re okay. You’re safe. Oh, thank god you’re safe.”
Ricky hesitantly put an arm around him, way too shaken to react in any way. It probably would’ve been awkward if the pirate hadn’t pulled away almost immediately, letting them stare at each other for a second before Gyuvin almost dragged him to the driver’s chair.
“Take a seat. You look like you’re about to pass out.”
Ricky blankly obeyed, letting the shock wash over him. He stared at Gyuvin as he called his crew, mind empty.
“What’s the status?... Great. I’m proud of you. No, I’m fine. Yeah… No, not right away. I’ve got things to do first. Go to our place and check the inventory. Then stay on standby until I’m back. No, no…”
Ricky breathed slowly, shaking himself. He should call Hanbin. Was he okay? Did everyone make it out safely?
“Hanbin?” he called with his earpiece.
“Ricky? Did you escape?” Hanbin quickly asked, and it sounded stressed and anguished, but not I’m-about-to-die or everyone-is-dead depressed.
“Yes, thanks to Gyuvin. I’m with him. Are you fine?”
“Don’t worry about me. Stay with Gyuvin, I’m trying to get all my boys safe first. They were targeted too, but still no casualties. You’re in good hands for now.”
“I think so too,” whispered Ricky. "Do you have any idea… about why that happened?”
“I checked the security footage, and the computer linked the gang attacking us to a customer we had a while ago. You turned him down and he swore he would be avenged.”
Ricky sighed deeply. He couldn’t even remember if any incident had been worse than usual to warrant this kind of retaliation. So, this mess was all because of him… How was he supposed to know that this one would pull something like this when every single other butthurt customer was all bark and no bite?
No, it wasn’t because of Ricky. It was them. They were clearly deranged, and he had reasons to turn them away. And regarding his friends’ safety, he had been the only one working in a place filled with potential members of the scorned gang, so the others should be safe as long as they didn’t get really unlucky in the spaceship brawl. Suddenly, Ricky was glad Gunwook was still recovering at his apartment instead of working his usual shift with him.
“Don’t worry about it, you’re not responsible for their attack,” Hanbin assured him immediately, unwavering in his attention to everyone’s well being even in a situation like this. “I’ll recontact you.”
“Okay, take care.”
“You too. I’ll still need you for the grand re-opening.”
Ricky chuckled weakly.
“I deserve a raise.”
He felt better knowing that Hanbin was more or less in control, and when he cut the communication, his head was a bit clearer. Ricky eventually noticed that his pirate savior had been staring at him for a while, brows furrowed. He squirmed under his gaze, uncomfortable.
“What?”
“I’m going to find them.”
“Find who?”
“Those fuckers that tried to kill you and attacked the place. I’ll crush them. Nobody touches what’s mine and walks away unscathed.”
And Ricky would’ve found it silly, if Gyuvin’s eyes weren’t absolutely confident, just like his tone was deadly. For the first time since Ricky met him, he felt intimidated. Now he understood what those pirates respected and feared when it came to him. However, Ricky’s admiration was mixed with something different, something warm and that should’ve left already. What’s mine . If his brain refused to move on, he was going to have issues, even more in front of Gyuvin’s coldly enraged stare. But instead of the steel in his eyes hardening, his face softened, his arms relaxed, and he held out a hand for Ricky.
“You should rest for a while. I’m taking you to bed. Can you walk?”
“Yeah, I can,” he answered, taking his hand anyway.
“You did great out there,” Gyuvin said softly, leading him to the hallway. "Usually nobody touches any target when I’m driving like that.”
“I still missed a lot…”
“We’re still there, that’s all that matters,” he asserted, opening the door to the sleeping quarters — nothing more than three cramped beds stacked over one another.
It was late, and the promise of rejuvenating sleep was enticing. Ricky had just started his break when the first shot was fired, which meant he would’ve soon been clocking out for the night. His break… Ricky froze in his tracks, his fingers squeezing the hand he still held. There was something they hadn’t solved yet, one last thing Ricky had to deal with before he could pass out with an empty brain.
“What were you about to tell me?”
“Huh?”
“Right before the first shot was fired, at the table. You said you wanted to tell me something, and that it was about me. What was it?”
Gyuvin’s eyes comically widened, and Ricky could’ve sworn he turned several shades redder.
“Wha– You mean, right now? Out of nowhere?”
“It’s not out of nowhere. I’m politely asking you. This is how conversations work.”
The pirate gasped, going from shocked to annoyed.
“Come on, you can’t do this to me, the mood is ruined!” Gyuvin whined.
“I’m not going to bed until you tell me. And believe me, you don’t want to meet the version of me that didn’t sleep enough.”
Gyuvin huffed, his eyes jumping left and right to avoid Ricky’s. He was looking for a way out. Didn’t find any.
“Wow, I see how it is. Okay.”
Gyuvin eyed him like a kicked puppy. It kind of looked like Hao’s pout, now that Ricky thought about it.
“It will be miserable but you asked for it,” Gyuvin continued since Ricky didn’t react.
And, once again, Ricky stayed silent.
“I’m serious. You will have to deal with it now. You can’t complain.”
“Just say what you mean instead of saying vague warnings,” complained Ricky. “Get it over with already!”
“Let’s date.”
Ricky blinked.
“What?”
“Let’s date,” Gyuvin repeated, unwavering.
“I already heard that.”
“Then answer me!”
Flabbergasted, Ricky frowned and gaped.
“But what do you mean by date?”
Gyuvin raised his eyebrows, unimpressed.
“Really? That’s what you’re going with?”
“Don’t you dare make fun of me,” Ricky barked, and it came out a lot harsher than he wanted.
Gyuvin looked hurt for a moment, but then he was only pouting with sad eyes again, his free hand rising to caress Ricky’s cheek, like he did before the takeoff.
“I’m serious,” Gyuvin said cautiously. “I don’t want you going out with someone else. I want to try to date you properly, and I’ve been hoping for a long time that it could happen. I wanted to know if you would like to give me a chance. That’s what I meant to ask you.”
“... Oh.”
It was like Ricky’s brain had stopped working. He could do nothing but stare at the ground, cheeks burning under Gyuvin’s hand. Every feeling for him Ricky had tried to suppress was growing, pushing at his boundaries, cracking the surface. Should he push it down harder to protect himself as long as possible? Let those fluttering butterflies free? Cry because of the overwhelming amount of things his brain had to deal with in the last hour? Ricky didn’t know if it was the best one but the third option was definitely the road he was taking right now.
At the corner of his vision, he saw Gyuvin panic when tears began to collect on his lashes.
“What? Why are you crying?! No no no, I’m sorry,” he stuttered, letting Ricky’s hand go to grab a tissue from one of his pockets. “Here, take it — Are you okay?!”
“My day has been kind of taxing,” Ricky simply answered, taking the tissue to dry his eyes.
“Right. The attempted murder and stuff. Really bad timing, I warned you.”
“You warned me.”
“I’ll leave you alone to take a break now, you really need it, if you need me I’ll be—"
“No, you’re staying here.”
Gyuvin, who had already turned to go away, slid back to his original position, back straight and arms stuck to his sides.
“I’m not letting this get weird and make us anxious,” continued Ricky. “I’ll deal with it now .”
“You sure you don’t want to, you know… think it over? Since you’ve been through a lot?”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” he complained, raising his chin again to look at Gyuvin. “I’ve been in bad situations before, I can still make decisions if I tell you I can.”
“Okay then.”
Gyuvin stared at Ricky. Ricky stared at Gyuvin.
“... So?” Gyuvin asked, swaying from one foot to the other.
“How exactly do you plan to date me?”
Gyuvin’s eyes darted around before settling back on Ricky. The tips of his ears were red.
“Well— I mean, a date would be nice, to begin with. Like, watching a movie, traveling to a pretty nebula, pillaging an ancient temple on a remote planet if that’s what you’re into. I can’t do anything legal or go to high security places but there are some options left.”
“And after that?”
“I’d have to introduce you to my crew eventually, they already know you somewhat because I talk about you all the time but it’s always better to do it properly in person. And then, maybe— maybe I could make some room for you in the ship so that you could drop by sometimes.”
“So you’re basically recruiting me in your crew.”
“No! I mean, maybe? I wouldn’t be against it? But that’s not the point!”
Ricky chuckled, and Gyuvin whined, frustrated.
“Stop making fun of me! I’m dying here!”
“You can’t blame me for enjoying it when I’m the one messing with you for once.”
“That’s slander, I would never.”
Ricky’s chest felt so light, bubbles floating up his chest and bursting in his head as little bits of laughter. When he thought about the worries keeping him from being hopeful before, he felt silly. This Gyuvin, childish and flustered, was the same Gyuvin that didn’t hesitate to save him from murderous pirates and a space battlefield. Simply being himself, at every moment.
It had never been easier to finally let go, and open his heart to him, fragile, hopeful.
Trusting.
“So, would I get to be the little spoon?”
Gyuvin’s eyes sparkled, his expression determination itself.
“Yes. So many spoons. All of them little. You’ve got no idea.”
“Maybe I should consider it, then.”
Ricky looked at Gyuvin, the pirate terrorizing half the universe, his face slashed with one of the most beautiful smiles in existence, his eyes two happy crescents. There was so much honesty there, Gyuvin looked so eager, so loving. Ricky couldn’t understand how the person he’d been this same morning had failed to see any of it.”
“It would be an honor to date you, Kim Ricky.”
Gyuvin delicately took Ricky’s hand to his lips, kissing it softly. Ricky thanked his stars that he already had a reason for his shaky legs. They stayed like this for a while, simply being there, until Gyuvin shook himself.
“Well, you still need to sleep a bit.”
“You can’t tell me what to do,” said Ricky, but it was so much weaker than what he intended.
“You’re right. Please let me assist you instead.”
And with that, in a swift swoop, he picked Ricky up bridal style, bringing him to the bed.
“Are you serious right now?!” Ricky exploded, furious.
“You’re so thin and graceful, I’ve been wanting to do this for eons!”
“Who do you call graceful?!”
“You’re like my dear princess.”
“I want a divorce. I get half of your stuff.”
Gyuvin laughed with his whole chest, putting him down on the sheets, stopped by Ricky grabbing his collar.
“You’re not getting away that easily.”
“Oh yeah? Try to stop me then.”
So Ricky did just that, kissing him like it was a challenge, keeping him in place firmly by the collar. That’s all it took for Gyuvin to kneel on the mattress, sitting on Ricky’s lap. Ricky felt his weight on him, his warmth radiating, the taste of his lips on his, and it was like every fantasy he never dared to imagine coming true at once.
“See, I stopped you,” he panted, head spinning and lips red.
“You should’ve tried that since the begining with me, I would’ve shut up so much faster,” Gyuvin joked breathlessly, a hand running down Ricky’s sides.
“Nice suggestion, I’ll remember it.”
Ricky pulled him in again, letting himself get swallowed by his feelings, as confused as they were. All he knew was that it felt right, and that he was going to let future Ricky take care of every anxious thought later. All of his stress floated away with Gyuvin’s careful affection, or at least, the majority of it.
“Let’s take care of those scumbags once we’re done here,” Ricky whispered against his mouth.
Gyuvin giggled, stroking his cheek.
“I love when you talk dirty to me.”
***
Ricky woke up in an unfamiliar bed, feeling like he slept on a metal slab. It took him a few seconds to remember where he was, how he got there, and why he was still fully clothed under the sheets. Then a few seconds more to locate that the enticing smell of food was coming from the small plate next to his bunk bed. A morning ration, already heated up and hydrated, ready to go. Not the most delicious breakfast, but Ricky craved the nutritional value. He got up, checked that the other beds were still empty, and walked to the navigation hub while munching on his ration.
Gyuvin was hunched over the map hologram, tracing a complex path between the stars and reading some documents on a secondary monitor. His frown vaporized the second he noticed Ricky walking in.
“Oh, Ricky! Hi! Did you sleep okay? Is the food still hot?”
“I’m fine,” he said cooly, taking the co-pilot seat and looking curiously at his plans. “What are you doing?”
“Since I was waiting for Hanbin to give us a meeting point, I started drafting some connections from the data gathered during the fight. My team forwarded everything to me so that I could start establishing a route of both intel and strategic takedowns. Hanbin called the ship a few hours ago, everyone made it out on his side. We are saving fuel for the trip to the meeting point now, all those jumps really did a number on our stock. We should get there in a few days.”
Ricky blinked, sleepy. He was extremely relieved that everyone was alive and well. He was mildly worried that Gyuvin seemed to be running on fumes.
“That’s great. Did you eat or sleep at some point?”
“No, didn’t really have the time,” Gyuvin muttered, sinking deeper into the sea of stars.
Ricky got up.
“I’ll get you dinner then. And then you’ll sleep.”
“What? No no no, I need to make sure our intel is fresh while I’m working on—”
“Your boyfriend tells you to take a break, Shen Gyuvin. Don’t upset him.”
The pirate bounced away from the map, stumbling back into a chair where he obediently crossed his hands on his knees. Those few words had so much power on Gyuvin it made Ricky dizzy.
“Boyfriend,” Gyuvin repeated with a huge grin, stupidly happy.
Ricky rolled his eyes, turning his back to him before his smile showed like a mirror.
Boyfriend , Ricky silently mouthed, just as stupidly happy.
Hao would give him so much shit about it.
He didn’t regret his decision for a single second.