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A hand slammed down against Jimin’s station, sending him shooting from his chair in shock.
“Ensign Park,” Lieutenant Yang said, lip curling as he eyed Jimin’s tousled hair and wrinkled uniform.
Jimin immediately straightened his back, clasping his hands behind himself nervously. It was only his third week on the Starship Ganghan, he’d just barely gotten over his space sickness after transitioning from the academy on Earth, and not for the first time, he wondered if the lieutenant hated him. “Y-yes, sir,” he stuttered, cursing himself for the tremor that he’d worked so hard to eliminate from his speech during his time at the academy.
“You’re going down with the away team. Get your things together and report to the transporter room in an hour.”
Jimin’s breath caught in his throat. A-away team? But…he was in engineering, he was just…he was just an ensign, and he… “Yes, sir,” Jimin said thickly, nodding. He’d heard that Captain Kim Namjoon liked making sure his crew was prepared for anything, he just hadn’t expected…
The lieutenant stalked off, and Jimin sank tiredly into his chair, running his fingers through his hair in distress. What would he need for an away mission? Sure, there’d been a class on it, but it…it was all theory, and this…this was real. This was real.
He heaved a shaky sigh before standing, flicking off the monitors at his station that indicated everything on the ship was running smoothly. He would change into his good boots, at least, and he supposed he’d actually have to holster his phaser instead of pretending to carry it around, because he didn’t like the thing. And maybe his sequencer, in case he actually had to speak to anyone on…well, wherever they were going.
Like with most everything else on the ship, he still hadn’t quite settled into his quarters, his three boxes left unpacked, his shelves bare of decoration save for the framed picture of his parents and the paperweight Taehyung had thrown at his head right before graduation. He had to spend some time digging through them before he managed to find his boots. He hadn’t really needed them aboard the ship.
He glanced up when he heard his door chime, indicating someone was waiting outside. “Come…come in,” Jimin called. “It’s not locked.”
His mouth dropped open slightly at his visitor, the Betazoid Commander Seokjin. “Commander,” Jimin said hastily, moving to stand.
“You don’t have to stand up, it’s okay,” Seokjin said. “Do you mind?” He pointed to the bed next to where Jimin was sitting.
“Umm, no, of course,” Jimin said, pushing his box onto the floor and scooting over to make room.
“Still settling in?” Commander Seokjin said, eyeing his room.
“Oh,” Jimin said, staring down at his hands as his cheeks flushed. “I guess it just…doesn’t feel like home yet? I don’t know,” he said quietly. Not when Taehyung had been assigned to a different ship at the last minute. They still talked every day, but…
“Jimin,” Seokjin said gently. “You know, you’re not alone. Everyone has trouble adjusting to their first assignment.” He paused, the corner of his mouth twitching. “Well, everyone except for Jungkook, but he’s a special case.” Eighteen and already a second class security officer, Jeon Jungkook was kind of a legend. “What I’m trying to say is, the crew can be a second family, if you want them to be. If you’re open to it.”
“Family…” Jimin repeated uncertainly.
“I’ll be the first to admit that the command structure is a bit too rigid for my taste,” Seokjin smiled. “But even so, it doesn’t mean that we can’t be friends outside of work.”
“Us?” Jimin said shyly. “Exactly how many times have you given this speech, Commander?”
“Thirty eight,” Seokjin said, without missing a beat. “And I mean it every time.”
Jimin smiled uncertainly back.
“Well, you have a mission to prepare for,” Seokjin said, reaching over to rub Jimin’s arm. “Don’t worry too much, from what I understand it’s a routine check of an uninhabited Class L. The captain just wants to get to know you a little better.”
“He does?” Jimin asked, eyes widening. “Me?” Captain Kim Namjoon was one of the youngest commissioned captains in Starfleet history. He was too smart and too much of a good leader to avoid promoting him quickly, was how the story went. It probably also helped that his father was a Fleet Admiral.
Seokjin laughed. “The captain likes knowing who’s on his ship, makes him feel better. Don’t worry, he’ll like you.”
“How—“ Jimin bit off his question, shaking his head.
Seokjin answered him anyway. “Do you know anything about Betazoids, Jimin?”
Jimin nodded, blush deepening. They were empathic, and even telepathic to an extent. They could sense feelings and emotions. They could root out lies. They could make people feel things, if they wanted.
“Then you know that I can feel things about people,” Seokjin said, keeping his fingers pressed against Jimin’s skin. “And I know that he’ll like you because you’re warm. You’re genuine. Not overly ambitious, just…content to help. That’s pretty rare for disillusioned academy graduates.”
“I’m not…” Jimin struggled, embarrassed. “I just want to do my best.”
Seokjin stood, patting him on the shoulder. “Hurry to the transporter room, or you’ll be late. Good luck!”
Jimin stared as the door slid closed behind the Commander before hurriedly pulling his boots on, shoving his phaser into its hip holster. He felt a lot calmer than before, and while the idea of Seokjin messing with his mind bothered him, he was still grateful for it.
He was a little out of breath as he stepped into the transporter room, feeling self-conscious as half a dozen heads turned to stare at him. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t even move, until the door opened at his back and a much heavier body slammed into him from behind.
“Whoah!” whoever it was said, reaching out quickly to stop Jimin from falling over.
Jimin chewed on his bottom lip, face flushing as he turned to glance at Captain Kim Namjoon. “C-Captain, sorry, I—“ he panicked.
“Ensign Park?” the captain said, offering him a dimpled smile. “It’s good to finally put a face to a name. Are you ready to go?”
“Yes, Captain,” Jimin said stiffly, unnerved when he heard someone snicker.
“Something funny over there, Jungkook?” Namjoon said, eyes narrowing.
“No, Captain,” Jungkook answered, face immediately turning to stone. The young security officer was infuriatingly handsome, of mixed human and Romulan blood. Jimin had heard of him at the academy when the news filtered down from the fleet, how he’d tried to hide his genetic roots by claiming Vulcan ancestry. But, of course, the truth came out. Only, the Captain didn’t seem to care. It was the talk of the dormitory up to graduation.
“That’s what I thought,” Namjoon said. “Everyone, into the transporter.”
Only five of them were headed down to the planet, including Jimin. There was the captain, Jungkook, and two others that he’d never met before. The transporter chief nodded his head. “Beaming in three…two…one…”
Jimin closed his eyes tightly. He never liked the idea of dematerializing.
When he opened his eyes again, it was to yellowed vegetation and red sand, the sky a deep purple and lit from the glare of two small suns.
“Ugh, it smells like death,” one of them said, a young man who was taller than Jimin, with tanned skin and thick brown hair and kind eyes. The pins on his lapel meant Lieutenant. “Like your feet, Jungkook.”
Jungkook practically growled low in his throat, causing the other man to step back. “I’ll keep that in mind, Lieutenant Jung.” His words were neutral, but his tone was threatening.
“Come on, let’s do a sweep and get this over with,” Captain Kim said, wiping at his forehead, which had already begun to bead with sweat.
Jimin was glad he’d brought his boots, the red sand and larger rocks crunching under his feet. He pulled out his scanner, checking the atmosphere and thermal readings out of curiosity. Like he’d expected, the planet seemed mostly bare, just plants and maybe a few insect species. He stumbled as he stared at the screen.
“Watch it,” the fourth man said, finally opening his mouth.
Jimin nodded sheepishly, tensing up at his acidic character.
“So, Jimin,” Namjoon began, eyes combing the landscape, “what made you decide to go into engineering? Graduating from the academy is especially difficult in engineering, isn’t it? It would have to be, if the ships depend on you.”
“Oh,” Jimin said nervously. “I always liked math, I guess, and living on the station—“
“Station?” Namjoon said. “Not planet?”
“Not planet,” Jimin confirmed. “My parents were traders, and they were always going off to one place or another, so—“
“Sounds lonely,” Lieutenant Hoseok said.
“It wasn’t…so bad…” Jimin said quietly. “I just…I liked spending time with the engineering crew. They taught me a lot about how ships work, so I guess…maybe I just had an advantage. I’m not…I’m not that smart, or anything.”
“Hey, no member of my crew is anything less than exceptional,” Namjoon said seriously. “Remember that.”
“Yes, Captain,” Jimin said.
“You worked hard, did you not?” Jungkook asked, shooting him glare.
“I did, but—“
“Then take some pride in it,” he said, cutting Jimin off.
“Oh, I think you have enough pride to go around,” the fourth man said.
Jungkook bristled. “If that is an insult directed at my Romulan blood—“
“Not at your blood, at you,” the man said, a huff of laughter shaking his torso. “Geeze, kid, so defensive.”
It was true that Romulans were stereotyped as having a superiority complex, but Jimin didn’t realize Jungkook was so sensitive about it. He supposed he’d hate it, too, if his people were known for their haughtiness and their racism. Well, that explained why he’d pretended to be Vulcan, at least. But didn’t Romulans hate Vulcans?
“You’re not giving our new ensign a very good impression,” Namjoon sighed.
“You were expecting Lieutenant Commander Min Yoongi to give a good impression?” Lieutenant Hoseok snickered.
Namjoon sighed, shaking his head. “For being in tactical, he has surprisingly little tact,” he whispered conspiratorially to Jimin.
Jimin’s eyes widened for a moment before he let out a very unmanly giggle, immediately bringing a hand up to cover his mouth.
Namjoon blinked down at him, nearly towering over Jimin. He struck an impressive figure, with his golden skin, even more golden hair, and broad shoulders. “You have a nice laugh,” Namjoon said kindly. “Hopefully we’ll be able to see it a lot more on our travels.”
“Oh, u-umm,” Jimin said, flustered. “Yes, Captain.”
They continued further into the sparse foliage, a few thin trees and dry shrubbery beginning to mark the ground. Jimin looked around in wonder. It was nothing like Earth, but somehow his mind was forcing him to make comparisons and find similarities.
It was quiet, too, not even a breeze to rustle the leaves or ease the oppressive heat.
He paused for a moment as a wave of static electricity lifted the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck. What…? Sure it was hot, but…Why would there be… “Wait,” he said out loud, fumbling in his bag and pulling out his scanner again. “Wait, wait, wait,” he repeated, brow furrowing.
“Ensign Park? What is it?” Captain Kim asked, immediately on guard. Jungkook and Hoseok followed suit, pulling out their phasers. Lieutenant Commander Yoongi kept his gaze squarely on Jimin.
“Why would there be static all of a sudden on an uninhabited, low polarity planet?” Jimin muttered, raising the scanner. A bleep on the screen. “There’s something here,” Jimin whispered.
“Let’s go,” Namjoon said, expression hardening. “Back to the ship.”
“But Captain, we’re already here. Should we not investigate?” Jungkook questioned.
“We don’t know what that is, and I will not have us walk into something we weren’t prepared for,” Namjoon said. He tapped his com link. “Captain to Ganghan.”
No answer.
“Captain to Ganghan,” Namjoon repeated, brow furrowing.
“They cut us off,” Yoongi muttered.
“They?” Hoseok said, swallowing.
Jimin was already fiddling with the scanner, trying to figure out if there was a way to disrupt whatever jamming sequence was in place. Finally, he found it, a tiny frequency scrambler followed by blips of information. He didn’t know how to read it, but he knew what it was. “Klingon,” Jimin said suddenly. “The jammer is Klingon.”
“Then what is this?” Namjoon said angrily. “We have a truce!”
“Maybe we do with the Empire. My guess is, this isn’t officially sanctioned,” Yoongi said wryly.
“What is this?” Hoseok said.
Jimin was terrified, his limbs beginning to shake. As if sensing his distress, Jungkook turned his cold gaze in Jimin’s direction. “It is my duty to protect you,” he said. “I will fulfill my duty until death.” Jimin swallowed. Was that…was that meant to be comforting?
“Yah, no one’s dying,” Hoseok said, clutching his phaser tightly. “Jimin, is there any way to disrupt that jammer?”
“I…I, umm—“
“Yes or no,” Yoongi said sharply, and Jimin flinched.
“Hey,” Namjoon frowned, shooting Yoongi a look. “Jimin, is that something you can do?”
“I…I’ll try,” Jimin swallowed, fiddling with the settings on the scanner as he reached into his bag to see what he’d tossed into it. “They threw the frequency off, I need to figure out how to get it back. I…I need an inverter.”
“Work on it,” Namjoon ordered, glancing around them.
“There,” Jungkook said, flicking his head. “Look at the sand.”
The red was shifting incrementally, like someone was…
“I am Captain Kim Namjoon of the Starship Ganghan,” Namjoon said loudly and confidently. “I can see you moving. Reveal yourself and your intentions.”
An audible snicker. The cloaking dropped.
Yoongi’s lip curled, his nostrils flaring. “Ferengi.”
Jimin had never actually seen a Ferengi in real life before, and he couldn’t say he ever wanted to. They were a shorter species, with large, lobed heads and flared ears and sharp teeth. They were known for their greed, always looking to take and take and take, never give.
“Permission to fire, Captain?” Jungkook said, teeth gritted together.
“Jungkook,” Namjoon hissed. He directed his attention to the five smirking Ferengi. “What do you want?”
“Straight to the point, Captain, I like it,” the one wearing the most impressive clothes said.
“They had to know we were going to be here, otherwise why stake out this particular useless planet?” Yoongi said quietly.
“We want your dilithium crystals,” the Ferengi grinned. “In trade, we turn your com back on.”
“How about you go fuck yourself,” Hoseok mumbled under his breath.
“When we don’t come back in a few hours, they’re going to send for us, anyway,” Namjoon said.
“But, you see, in a few hours, you’ll be dead,” the man pointed out, pulling a device from behind his back.
Namjoon stiffened. “Where did you get your greedy hands on a neural disruptor?” he said, voice deepening.
“Does it matter?” the other said smugly.
“Probably the same place they got the Klingon jammer,” Yoongi said.
“Agree to bring us five crystals, and we’ll turn the jammer off and let you live.”
Namjoon frowned, closing his eyes as he debated internally with himself. The disabled coms didn’t matter, not when the life of his crew was at stake. The crystals were incredibly valuable. But they could be replaced. “Deal.”
“Wonderful,” the Ferengi leader clapped. “Now, you, boy, come here,” he said, pointing at Jimin.
Jimin whimpered, looking up at Namjoon.
“What is this?” Namjoon said, resting a protective hand on Jimin’s shoulder.
“Well, I need to guarantee that you’ll come back with the crystals, don’t I?” he said, rolling his eyes.
“Do you have any idea how stupid this is?” Namjoon hissed. “You’re attempting to steal from a Federation vessel—“
“Do you have any idea who I am?” the Ferengi said indignantly.
“Why would I?” Namjoon said.
“Exactly,” the alien grinned. “Now, human boy,” he said, looking at Jimin again and beckoning him over.
“I will stay,” Jungkook volunteered, stepping in front of Jimin. His entire body was tensed, his muscles on display through the tight fabric of his uniform.
“I don’t like the looks of you,” the Ferengi sneered. “Send the small one over here.”
“Cap-Captain,” Jimin said. He didn’t know what to do. He was just an engineer.
“I’ll stay with him,” Yoongi said. “You go, figure something out. I’ll work on it from down here.”
Namjoon looked displeased but nodded. “Both Yoongi and Jimin will stay with you. I will not accept other terms.”
The Ferengi frowned, sneering again before nodding. “Bring back the crystals and nothing else, or they die.”
“Come on,” Yoongi said, practically dragging Jimin with him. “You are an officer of Starfleet. Prove it.”
Jimin swallowed, trying to gather some courage, but he wasn’t finding any.
“Phasers,” the Ferengi said. Jimin fumbled his out of its holster, while Yoongi tossed it to the ground rather than hand it over. “Humans,” the Ferengi grumbled. He looked at Namjoon. “Bring us the crystals and we will honor our deal and return your crew to you alive. If you betray us, we will kill them with pleasure.” Two of the Ferengi pulled Jimin to one side, while two snapped shackles around Yoongi’s thin wrists. The leader ripped the combadges from Jimin’s and Yoongi’s uniforms, tossing them into the dirt. Jimin was trying very hard not to panic.
“And if you betray me and harm my men, there is no place in any galaxy that you will be able to hide from me,” Namjoon said darkly.
The Ferengi all laughed, obnoxiously. One fiddled with a device on his wrist. “You have a window. We will give you two earth hours to return with the crystals.”
Namjoon ground his teeth together, reaching up to tap the com link. “Captain to Ganghan.”
“We read you, Captain.”
“Transport me, Jungkook, and Hoseok back to the ship. Jimin and Yoongi will remain to do some research on a strange reading they found.”
“Yes, Captain,”
A flicker of light, and the three began to dematerialize.
“I can’t believe those idiot humans fell for that,” one said, voice unpleasant and wheedling.
“Those idiot humans could still destroy us, so we can’t afford any mistakes,” the one Jimin assumed was the leader said. “That’s the last time I try to rig a bet against a Romulan.”
“You’re stealing from the Federation because you lost a bet?” Yoongi said incredulously.
“Shut up, scum,” one of them sneered, pushing Yoongi to the ground.
“Lieutenant Commander!” Jimin couldn’t help but exclaim, instinctively reaching out to help Yoongi.
“You too!” one of the Ferengi holding Jimin said, shoving him and sending him sprawling to the gravelly sand. “I’m a business man, and I’ve got no time for pathetic human whining.” Four of the five circled up, talking in hushed voices as the one who’d pushed Jimin watched over them with disinterest.
Jimin hissed at the sting of his skinned hands, pulling himself into a sitting position and bringing his knees to his chest, watching his captors warily.
“You okay?” Yoongi said lowly, eyes piercing as he glared at the Ferengi.
“Yes, sir,” Jimin said, glancing over at the mechanical shackles. Oh. He knew those. “Lieutenant Commander, I think I can unlock those,” Jimin said quietly. “They’re old tech, cheap, we…umm…me and a friend used to take them apart for scrap.”
“Do I need to do anything?” Yoongi muttered, aiming a snarl at the one Ferengi watching them.
“If you could turn this way, subtly,” Jimin said, swallowing.
“You’re all fucking stupid if you think you’re going to get away with this,” Yoongi said loudly. Jimin’s eyes widened, shaking his head frantically. “I mean, I know Ferengi can’t really help it, considering the disgusting shape of your brains, but—“
A kick to the side sent Yoongi falling into Jimin. He grunted in pain, but looked up mischievously at Jimin.
“Humans,” the one who’d kicked Yoongi said. “You’re worse than women.”
“Some first mission, huh,” Yoongi said, eyes tracing Jimin’s face and dirty uniform. “I promise they’re not all like this.”
“I…I think I’ll stick to the engine room,” Jimin said, small hands sneaking into the bag that he’d hidden between his and Yoongi’s bodies.
“You’re handling yourself well,” Yoongi said. “Instead of panicking, you’ve been looking for solutions. That’s good, Park. You’re doing a good job, okay?”
“Y-yes, sir,” Jimin nodded, pulling out his smallest screwdriver and a bit of loose wire, fiddling with the machinery.
“I won’t let anything happen to you, alright?” Yoongi said. “I promise.”
Jimin let out a shaky breath, finally looking at Yoongi. He wasn’t much bigger than Jimin, his skin flushed red from the heat and sweat sinking into his collar. He would have almost looked delicate and soft, his features pretty, if not for the aura of hard confidence that seemed to radiate from inside of him. He was clearly older, his eyes revealing his experience, and his mouth set in a thin line. Jimin believed him.
A soft click when Jimin found the locking mechanism. “They’re loose,” he said softly.
“Good work,” Yoongi said, flexing his wrists and noting where the latches opened. “Now we just need to figure out how to get rid of these idiots before the captain comes back.”
Jimin turned to the Ferengi, looking for the device that was the cause of all this. “Neural disruptors are heavy,” Jimin said absently. He’d read about them in his weapons class, but to actually run into one…they could tear the human mind apart. It probably wouldn’t even affect a Ferengi, considering their lobe structure, which was why the threat worked. “But…it’s not even stretching his belt,” Jimin said, confused, looking at where it sat against the Ferengi’s waist.
“Fuck,” Yoongi cursed. “It’s a fucking fake. Of course it is.”
At that point, Yoongi stood, letting his shackles fall to the ground.
“What do you think you’re doing, human?” the Ferengi leader hissed.
“Oh, cut the shit,” Yoongi said. He reached down to scoop up the discarded combadges. “We both know you don’t have a real neural disruptor, and we both know you’re not about to kill a Starfleet officer and have the entire Federation looking for your ugly ass. So turn off the jammer, let us go back to our ship, and we’ll call it a fucking day.”
“Now, you listen here—“
Both Yoongi and the Ferengi froze at the sound of another engine alighting on the planet, turning to stare up at the purple sky as a shuttle pod dropped onto the open landscape.
“Oh, fuck,” Yoongi cursed, grabbing at Jimin to pull him away from the group of panicking Ferengi. There was virtually no cover, but Yoongi settled for a stand of bare trees.
“K-Klingons?” Jimin stuttered.
“Back to the ship!” The Ferengi leader hissed.
“It-it’s not uncloaking!” one of the other Ferengi said.
A half dozen Klingon warriors, fully armored, began to disembark from the ship, marching towards the Ferengi with murder in their eyes.
“Ensign Park, we need to get in contact with the Ganghan,” Yoongi said urgently.
Jimin pulled out his scanner, shaky fingers finding the frequency jammer again. “U-umm, okay…I need…I need an inverter, I need…” he began to scramble through his bag, fingers finding pockets and bits of metal, spreading everything over the sand in front of him. Grabbing his screwdriver, he opened the back panel of the scanner and eyed the wiring, chewing on his bottom lip.
“Ensign—“ Yoongi said warningly.
“I know, I know, just—just give me a minute!” Jimin said, clutching at his forehead in concentration.
“We don’t have a minute, Park!”
The Klingons were angry, a few growling, the rumble low in their broad chests. “Kaylek,” the Klingon leader growled. “You stole from us.” The leader’s sagittal crest was prominent, even for a Klingon, the sweep of the ridges stretching over his brow bone.
“Well, ugh, I wouldn’t say stole so much as borrowed—“ the Ferengi tried.
“You have lived without honor,” the Klingon responded. “And so you shall die.”
The group of Klingons drew their long, bladed weapons.
Jimin desperately fiddled with the guts of the machine, trying to figure out a way to get it to transform its power source, when the first shots were fired. Yoongi tackled him to the ground, covering Jimin’s head with his arm as the two groups began shooting in earnest. Jimin shook as he continued to mess with the scanner, sweat dripping into his eyes as Yoongi dared to lift his head up.
Two Ferengi were bleeding on the ground, and one Klingon nursed a burned arm, though it didn’t seem to be slowing him down much, if at all. It was clear that the Ferengi were going to die. Yoongi muttered under his breath, moving to kneel and then slowly beginning to stand, pulling Jimin up with him.
“I am a Starfleet—“ he began, but before he could even finish the sentence, a blade was flying end over end in their direction.
Jimin didn’t really have a choice.
He pushed Yoongi out of the way as the metal sank hilt-deep into the back of his right shoulder, the tip actually sticking out of the front of his chest. “Oh,” he breathed, before his knees gave out, barely caught by a pale, shocked Yoongi.
“Park!” Yoongi said, panicked. “Park, don’t you fucking dare!”
“S-scanner…” Jimin mumbled, fingertips already numb and the cold of shock spreading through his system. “H-hurry, I have…have to…” he wheezed. “Before I can’t th-think anymore from the p-pain, give it to me!”
Yoongi pressed the device into Jimin’s barely functional hands, cradling him to make sure his back didn’t touch anything and dislodge the blade. “J-just have to r-reverse the p-polarity…” Jimin said, barely a whisper. He felt his eyelids drooping as the black creeped into his vision.
“Park, how do I do that?” Yoongi said, shaking him. “Ensign Park, tell me what to do!”
“R-red…blue…switch…” Jimin slurred, blood pooling underneath his body.
Yoongi grabbed the scanner, hopefully seeing the red and blue wires that Jimin had indicated. He didn’t have any more energy.
Jimin felt something brush against his chest, and then Yoongi was speaking. “Ganghan, do you read me? Ganghan?”
“We read you, Lieutenant Commander Min.”
“Oh, thank fuck! Beam me and Park up, now!” Yoongi ordered. “Have medical on standby, Park’s been stabbed!”
That was all Jimin remembered.
And then he was opening his eyes, everything blurry and with a pervasive ache in his shoulders and upper body. He tried to speak, but his throat was so dry that all that came out was a hacking cough.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” a voice said, and there was a glass pressed to Jimin’s lips as he swallowed greedily, a hand tilting his head up to make sure he didn’t choke.
“C-Captain?” Jimin rasped, struggling to sit up, but the captain’s large hands pressed him back down, gently, into his bed.
“No, you have to stay still, Ensign, your injury is still healing.”
“Why…” Jimin asked, head swimming in confusion.
“Why am I here?” the captain clarified. “I needed to make sure you were okay. You saved the life of one of my best tacticians. You figured out that the Ferengi were pulling a trick. You stopped the communication jammer. You’re a hero, Ensign Park.”
“What? No, I’m not, I just—“ Jimin panicked.
“You were brave in the face of danger, and you have made me proud to be your captain.”
Jimin didn’t understand why his face was suddenly wet.
“Get some rest, Ensign. You’re relieved from your duties for the next two weeks.” He looked behind him, mouth quirking. “But I’ve taken up enough time. I believe you have another visitor.” Captain Kim stood from his chair next to Jimin’s bed in what he now recognized as the medical bay, a few doctors in blue coats milling about their stations.
“Yah, Park,” Yoongi said, planting himself aggressively into the chair Captain Kim had vacated.
“L-Lieutenant Commander?” Jimin said timidly, a little afraid of Yoongi’s angry expression.
“You turned me into a liar, Park,” Yoongi said coldly.
“I-I did?” Jimin said, sinking in on himself and wincing when the motion pulled at his shoulder.
“I promised I wouldn’t let anything happen to you,” Yoongi said, crossing his arms over his chest, “so what did you think you were doing? Huh?”
“I didn’t…I didn’t think…” Jimin said meekly. “I’m…I’m sorry, I just saw the knife, and—“
Yoongi heaved a deep sigh, rubbing at his forehead. After a moment, he looked up, staring intensely at Jimin. “I’m a quarter Vulcan, you know,” Yoongi said.
“Oh,” Jimin said. “Umm…”
“It means I got all the human feelings and never learned the right fucking way to deal with them,” Yoongi groaned. “My grandfather tried, but I was always too…human, for him.”
“I’m sorry…?” Jimin said, trying to follow along Yoongi’s train of thought.
“Ugh,” Yoongi groaned. “Thank you for saving my life, Park.”
“Y-you’re wel—“
“Don’t do it again,” Yoongi threatened.
“Okay,” Jimin squeaked, pressing back into his pillows.
“Good,” Yoongi nodded. “Are you hungry?”
“A little, I guess,” Jimin said, swallowing.
“Is there anything on the replicator I can have made for you?” Yoongi said.
“Kimchi…stew?” Jimin mumbled, squeezing the sheets covering him in his fingers. “Mom…when mom was home, she would make it for me.”
Yoongi considered him, and for a moment, Jimin was afraid Yoongi would make fun of him, but the man just stood and walked to the opposite wall, speaking to the replicator in a calm, low voice. Jimin was grateful. Really, really grateful.
“Jimi—I mean, Ensign Park?” Commander Kim said, the door swishing open to his worried face. “Captain Kim just told me you had woken up, and so I wanted to check…” he paused, turning to glance at Yoongi as he sensed him in the room. “Lieutenant Commander…Min?” he said slowly.
“Commander,” Yoongi nodded, narrowing his eyes at the look on Seokjin’s face.
“Oh,” Seokjin said, some form of realization spreading on his face as he looked between Yoongi and Jimin. “Oh.”
“What?” Yoongi said, annoyed.
“Nothing,” Seokjin said quickly, smiling. “I’ll just…leave you two alone.”
“There are three other people in the room,” Yoongi said bluntly.
“Yes, well,” Seokjin said. “I’ll come back later, Jimin, alright?”
Jimin nodded, still confused.
Yoongi brought the tray from the replicator to Jimin’s bed, two steaming bowls of kimchi stew and two glasses of chocolate milk. Jimin felt his face get wet again as he stared at the meal.
“What is it?” Yoongi asked immediately. “Are you in pain? What’s wrong?”
“I’m not,” Jimin sniffled. “I just thought of home, and I miss Taehyung, and I miss my parents…” he said.
“It’s the treatment for his shoulder,” one of the doctors said, noticing Jimin’s tears. “Because there is a chemical component, it can make some people a little emotional.”
“Great,” Yoongi sighed, setting the tray aside and reaching out to pat Jimin’s head. “I’m sorry that you miss home,” he said. “But soon, this will feel like home. I promise.”
“Okay,” Jimin said, wiping at his eyes, voice unsteady.
“You better not make me a liar again, Ensign Park,” Yoongi said gruffly.
“I-I won’t,” Jimin said, offering Yoongi a watery smile.
“Good, because I’ll need your help putting Jungkook’s ego back in its place,” Yoongi muttered, carefully settling a bowl in Jimin’s lap.
“Umm,” Jimin said, stirring the soup. “Lieutenant Commander Min, do you think…do you think you could visit me again, sometime? I don’t really…” he bit down on his lip. He didn’t have any friends on the ship, and the idea of being alone for two weeks made him want to cry even more.
Yoongi paused, bringing down the spoonful of soup that he’d been about to swallow. “I will visit you every day until you’re better,” Yoongi said seriously. “You saved my life, Park. The Klingons even sent you some fucking wine in lieu of apology,” Yoongi snorted.
“And…” Jimin said, swallowing. “And after I’m better?”
“Then I guess I’ll finally have a reason to visit engineering.”