~Two Days Later | 13:17~
Jimin sits in front of Y/N's unconscious body, his hand on top of hers. That's what he's been doing for the past two days: sitting here and keeping his hand on top of hers, trying to bring some warmth back into her. He sighs, giving her skin a squeeze and peering at the medbay door. Seulgi has been leaning against the frame for a while. She's visited quite a few times, but she never says anything. She only stands there and gazes at Y/N. Jimin can't bring himself to dislike Seulgi, but that doesn't mean he's happy with her for treating Y/N like an object. Either way, they're in this together now. Petty arguments need to be put aside.
They've been floating in dead space for a couple days, no destination in mind. Seulgi suggested the Belt, Jimin suggested waiting to decide, and Baekhyun suggested Earth. Namjoon ultimately decided to wait, but at the moment, Jimin is getting anxious. He reluctantly takes his eyes off Y/N and peeps up at Seulgi, who notices his gaze and meets it. "I think you were right." She raises a brow. "We should've broadcasted our side of the story."
Right away, she breaks the eye contact and instead decides to watch her feet. "That still sounds like a bad plan. Chaos would ensue. Is that really a good thing right now?" she asks, her voice scratching against her throat as it comes out.
"Sure, but the Silver Angel is gone, and the information we shared is only with us again. What if something happens?"
She shrugs it off, her lips playing with an answer before she actually says it. "I think Mars gets the idea. They saw their battleship go up in flames."
Jimin groans out in response. "It doesn't make any sense. Why would Mars blow up the Hep then give us sanctuary, then get attacked? Was that staged?"
"They wouldn't risk Commander Clementine's life like that. That was real, maybe there's another party involved. We know Mars is one of them, but what about the other?"
"Could it be the Belt?"
Seulgi considers his words, letting her head hit the wall with a noise that sounds like a grunt. "Would the Belt really want a war though?"
"Earth has ignored them for years, same with Mars. They're treated like garbage, and you know what happens when people get treated like garbage by the leading parties?"
"They revolt." They fall into a small silence. It goes on for a few minutes before Seulgi clears her throat. "I- um. I should go check on Captain Kim, I hope she wakes up soon though."
She hopes she wakes up soon? Did he hear her right? "You really mean that?" he asks, unable to stop himself.
The woman gnaws on her lower lip, talking with her hands for a few moments before her mouth replaces her actions. "I do. Jimin, I just wanted to say..." She breaks off to hesitate, searching for words.
"Don't worry about it. I'm not the one who you should talk to anyway." He gestures to the unconscious Y/N, Seulgi nodding for a brief beat.
"I agree, but I still wanted you to know. I will go check on the Captain now."
Jimin gives her a nod, but right before she leaves the medbay, he calls out to her. "If you could tell him about what I said, I'd appreciate it."
"About broadcasting our side?"
He hums in acknowledgement. "Yeah, I think it's the only thing that might give us a destination at this point, and probably some safety as well."
"I am surprised her father has not found us yet," Seulgi replies, motioning to Y/N.
Jimin sighs in response. "Me too. Let's hope he doesn't find us for a while." His eyes fall back onto Y/N's face, her closed eyes and relaxed expression. He admires her, probably more than he should.
Without another word, Seulgi wobbles out of the room, leaving Jimin sitting there, holding Y/N's hand up and entwining her limp fingers with his. Without even thinking, he brings his other hand up to meet hers as well, bringing her skin up to his cheek. "Thank you for saving me," he whispers. He softly kisses the flesh of her hand, not even noticing he did it until five seconds afterwards. His neck flushes with a salmon shade, and he clears his throat, guiding her joint back to the bed.
He's not sure what got into him there, but he tries to shake it off to instead focus. He wants her to wake up so badly. Ever since the battleship, he's seen her in a different light. Jimin used to see her as an outsider. Someone who could be a decent friend, sure, but nothing more. Now? She saved his life, and got shot protecting Seulgi. How can someone not admire that? Even if the others don't think so, Jimin sees Y/N as part of the crew.
The engineer keeps his gaze on her face, adoring every feature of her. He's not sure what these feelings are, but they make his heart beat faster and his face dabble with sweat. Jimin forces down his thoughts and feelings, and with one last sigh, he closes his eyes and tries to think about anything else.
~Eight Days Later | 14:24~
Pain is not exactly a stranger to you. Growing up, emotional pain and manipulation was served for breakfast. At this point, you're used to everything. Whatever the world throws at you, you're ready for it. But God damn this gunshot hurts like a bitch.
You groan, or at least you think that's the sound you make, your eyes refusing to open. Your chest feels like it's been crushed, your breathing's jagged, and your body won't come back to you. But you don't let that bother you. Or you try not to. You wait a few more minutes before sniffing the air. Okay, you have a sense of smell now. That's important. Your breathing has calmed down a bit, and the pain subsided for the most part. Wow, they must have you on heavy painkillers.
Now, you try your eyes. You slowly open them, then wince and close them again. You groan once more. Time to be a big girl. They open this time, but you squint, thankful that there's very dim lighting in what you assume is the medbay. Getting shot while rescuing Seulgi was not apart of the plan, but hey, maybe now the crew will trust you even a little bit. Maybe you can even have a firearm. You're not sure why everyone was so wary about you in the first place. You're a L/N. You hate the idea of that, but still, that has to stand for something right? Although to be honest, you wouldn't trust a L/N either. Maybe it makes sense why they didn't trust you.
After some trials and tribulations, your eyes are fully open, and you take a few deep breaths before trying to sit up to no avail. You keep trying, but your chest won't move. It's completely numb. So, you sit there. Five minutes pass... ten. Then, you try again. This time, you have some feeling back in your body. You manage to do it, and you sigh in relief once you're fully sat up, smiling to yourself. You pull the IVs and other random cords out of your body, including a feeding tube and a uh... let's drop that part. As soon as the items are removed from your body, your mind wanders to the Engineer. Is he okay? Was he hurt at all? Then, you remember that Baekhyun is alive. Or at least - you think he is. Your mind could've been playing tricks on you.
Your thoughts are interrupted when the door opens. And to your surprise, Seulgi stands there, dumbfounded when she sees you awake. "Oh my God, you're finally awake," she says in a tone higher than you remember her voice being. She rushes forward, halting by your side.
With a head tilt, you open your mouth to speak. "How long was I out?"
There's a silence that hits you, Seulgi refusing to talk for a beat. A beat far too long. And you learn why she was so quiet a second later, when she mutters the words you never thought you'd hear. "Ten days."
You almost lurch forward, your body jolting from the revelation as if it were a weight on your chest. "I'm sorry, did you just fucking say ten?"
"Ten," she says, breaking off for a moment to grip her nails into her palm, most definitely leaving marks on the insides of her flesh. "I am so sorry."
"Why are you sorry?"
"It is my fault you got hurt."
No answer comes at first, and Seulgi peeks her head back up, her pupils finding yours. With your newfound strength, you give her the warmest smile you can muster. "I made my choice, don't feel guilty."
"But why me? I treated you like garbage."
"Just because you treated me like garbage doesn't mean you deserve to be left behind."
She chuckles, something you've never heard from her. You're even more surprised there's humor in her chuckle. However, she interrupts your thoughts by speaking again. "You really are a L/N." The two of you stop and stare for a moment, you in shock at what she said, but she seems oblivious to the meaning her words hold. "Oh, I should get Jimin. He has been with you nonstop, he just took a break fifteen minutes ago to workout."
You smile at the thought of Jimin being next to you, and determination floods your veins. "Can you help me up?"
She blinks at you like you have 18 and a half heads. Or maybe more. "Already?"
You laugh, waving the air as if swatting it. "I've been awake for like ten minutes now. I can handle it." She hesitates, but eventually agrees. You manage to turn your body, grabbing her outstretched hand as you place both feet on the floor. Now comes the tricky part. You let out a breath before adding weight, and you're astonished when you feel no pain. "Jesus, do you guys have me on heroin or something?" Seulgi goes still, you motioning to her pale face. "What's wrong?"
She snaps back into reality, brushing her expression off. "Nothing."
You smile back albeit confused, using her hand and all your force to stand. A sharp pain sounds off in your chest and you heave, nearly falling over. Seulgi keeps you in place. "I-I'm okay, just need a second. Been ten days, y'know?" She doesn't answer, she only waits as you breathe heavily. After another minute, you're good to go. Well, not good, but good enough to somewhat walk. You drop her hand, standing on your own. "Gunshots can't stop me, but the bathroom can. I really need to pee."
Seulgi agrees, guiding you over to the door. "The locker rooms have bathrooms. The only other bathrooms are in the quarters, but those are up ladders."
You wince, your legs shuddering from the weight of your body being on thme. "Oh yeah, sounds wonderful. Baby steps." She leads you out of the room. The meds are doing their job, all things considered. There's a touch of drowsiness hitting you, but nothing is stopping you from using the bathroom. "Can you tell Namjoon I'm awake? I'll find Jimin and the bathrooms." She appears hesitant, but obliges, leaving your side to go down the corridor. She shoots you one last glance over her shoulder before continuing down the path.
The medicine doesn't prevent you from feeling weakness in your figure. Especially in your lower half. It's as though someone is trying to knock you over again and again. Truth be told, you want to sit again. However, the bathroom is more important. So you make your way down the path, following the lines until you find the exercise room. A nice gym, better than the standard-issue ones. Excitement swells up in your chest at the thought of Jimin being right behind this door, and you don't know why. You force it and the pain down and decide to walk inside. Despite that, you almost fall on the ground at the sight.
Jimin is doing pull-ups... no shirt... just sweatpants... holy shit.
Your mouth falls open as you watch the rather-short engineer lift himself up, his back muscles flexing with him. His fluffy hair is a mess, but that only adds to the picture. You've thought it once and you'll think it again: why the hell is this guy an engineer? He could easily sway everyone's hearts.
Without a care in the world, you stare as he works out. There's a bit of moisture cloaking his back, his face deep in concentration. After he does a few more, he drops, and you just now notice his biceps. You were admiring his back too much to see how strong he is. Jesus, that jumpsuit covers up a lot, doesn't it? Then, he turns to face you, and his face shifts from concentrated to awestruck. On the other hand, yours is burning with the desire to crawl into your skin and hide, especially when your eyes make contact with his abs, something you weren't able to see when he was doing his pull-ups.
You stare, but he doesn't even seem to care. He runs over to you and engulfs you in his arms. That results in you groaning from pain. He backs off, but he refuses to go too far. "S-Sorry, forgot you were injured for a second there." He smiles, his eyes smiling with him, but you can't meet his gaze.
"I- uh- hi- abs?" you ask, the tips of his ears turning a rouge shade.
"O-Oh, right, sorry, let me throw on a shirt." However, the shirt doesn't help much because of course it's a white tank top. You can still see his massive arms and his entire frame.
You swallow down your embarrassment when he comes back over to you. "Can I hug you now?" he asks. You laugh and nod, your face beginning to return to its natural color. He gently wraps his arms around you and brings you to his center, your breathing slow and gentle. You close your eyes, burying your head against him and resting your hands on his well-built chest. Jimin smells like a barn, but anything is comfort right now. There's even a novelty in the way his aroma hits your nostrils. It reminds you of home. Not your home on Ganymede. A different one. One you never had, but one you yearned for nonetheless.
He squeezes you, and even though it hurts, you don't say anything. You let his warmth seep through you. You haven't been this close with another person in a long time, and it scares you how close you're letting him get. At the same time, you enjoy this feeling. Feeling like you have someone to talk to, somewhere to go...
"I'm glad you're alright," he whispers. Holy shit, and now he's whispering.
"Trust me, I am too. Whatever drugs you have me on, they're working well." He softly chortles, pulling away and giving you a smile. You return it, though your eyes quickly fall back to his shoulder blades and biceps. He doesn't seem to notice, or if he does, he doesn't say anything about it.
"Why did you save Seulgi and me?"
You reluctantly stop staring at his well-built arms and meet his eyes. However, you weren't expecting him to be staring at you with admiration. It takes all your willpower to take a deep breath and control your words. "I had to. I don't know why, I just... I couldn't let you die." His irises fill with giddy at that, and you swear you see his neck turn pink, but the color disappears as quickly as it came. You brush a strand of his long hair out of his face, needing a distraction. "Don't ever cut your hair please. I like it."
"You like greasy engineer hair?"
"Well, your hair isn't greasy. It's soft and fluffy." You brush the side of his hair back to prove your point. "See? Fluffy. And long, you rock the long hair look. I need to use your conditioner." His nose scrunches up, but he doesn't back away. He actually leans into your touch. You didn't even realize you were still brushing his hair until you hear another voice speak up from the entrance.
"Y/N, you're awake," a male voice says. You and Jimin break apart, scratching the backs of your necks and peeking over at the intruder. Namjoon stands there, and after seeing your facial expressions, he clears his throat and fiddles with his fingers. "I- uh, sorry, was I interrupting... something?" he asks, his voice almost cracking. Huh. Who knew the Captain could get shy.
"N-No, not at all," you say. And like with Seulgi earlier, you give Namjoon the best smile you can manage. "I'm glad to be here. What's the status?"
"Not much to report. We're just floating around. Heading towards the Belt, but I doubt we'll land anywhere important."
At first, you go to cheer and celebrate the lack of bad news. But then, you glance over at Jimin, who's staring at his Captain as he bites on his lower lip. The smile you had shatters away. "What's really going on?"
Namjoon holds up one hand as if about to pat your shoulder despite you two being far apart. "Y/N you just woke up-"
"Which is exactly why I deserve to know what's going on."
There's a few beats of quiet, and Jimin seems as though he's about to speak, but Namjoon tells you instead. "We're planning on broadcasting our side of the story."
Um. Okay? "But that's not very bad. Actually that's pretty good-"
"That's not all." You raise a brow, tilting your head as if that will help you hear better. But what you hear next is far from anything you ever thought you'd hear again. "Y/N, it's your father. He's trying to make contact with us."