~9:23~
The first thing Jimin feels is pain.
His head is pounding, his entire body is aching, and to top it all off: his eyes are swollen. He groans before realizing that his body is... warm. Like - really, really warm. He leans towards the heat, then slowly opens his eyes. It takes a moment for his eyes to adjust, but he realizes the situation he's in a beat later. His eyes widen and his body freezes.
Why the hell is Y/N not only in his room, not only in his bed, but cuddled up next to him?
He momentarily panics, then lets his heart rate calm down. She looks too peaceful to be disturbed, so Jimin forces his nerves to chill out. However, she stirs, and soon enough, she's facing him and slowly opening her eyes. When she realizes the same thing Jimin did, she almost jumps.
"I- um- well... hi," she says, which makes Jimin softly smile. She can be so cute, and Jimin adores it.
"Hi," he replies, bringing her body closer and resting his chin on the top of her head.
"Do you remember what happened last night?" she asks, her voice muffled due to her face being pressed against Jimin's chest.
He lets out a 'pfft' sound before shaking his head. "Dude, I just woke up to the largest headache I've ever had, I barely remember my name."
She peeks up at him, then raises a brow. "Dude?"
"Dude."
"Du... dude?"
"Dude." He stares at her for a few moments before smiling, resisting the urge to burst out laughing. "If you're asking if we slept together, I doubt it. We're both fully clothed and... oh..." he says, his eyes falling on her neck as his voice trails off.
"W-What?" she asks, panicking for a moment, but he quickly shakes her off. He brings his fingers up to trace over her neck, where there are a few marks littering her skin.
He tries to think as hard as he can, but can't seem to remember much. He remembers flashes: like the music, Namjoon being wasted, the lights... and... wait. He furrows his brows, which causes Y/N to tilt her head. "What is it?" she asks.
"You have these marks on your neck."
"M-Maybe I fell-"
"They're hickeys," he interrupts, still tracing over them. "This wasn't Jungkook, was it?" He regrets having a flash of rage enter his tone, but it's too late to take it back now.
She shrugs. "I couldn't tell you, I don't remember." He knows based on her tone that she's lying, and that's when it hits him.
The ladder. He pinned her up against it and started kissing and sucking on her neck. The flash of the memory makes his ears turn pink. It's best not to tell her he remembers that. It's also best not to tell her that he knows she's lying. He remembers certain words and phrases as well, such as engineers being good with their fingers. Jimin mentally smirks. He wasn't wrong, after all. Part of him wishes he got a chance to prove that to her. However, he pushes the thought aside. Now is not the time for morning wood.
He brings her head against his chest and tries to think of anything else. "Did you sleep well?" he asks.
She shakes her head. "Did you?"
He shakes his head too. "Hey - those painkillers they had you on, do you think they'll work for headaches?"
"I don't see why not," she replies. She groans as she sits up, her hand dashing to her head. "I hate hangovers," she mutters, which Jimin hums to, sitting up with her.
He watches as she stands and stretches, his thoughts trying to fill in the blanks from the previous night. His brows are furrowed, thinking as hard as he can until he gets a brief flash of her against the ladder. He remembers hearing her moan. His cheeks swell with embarrassment, the memory playing through his mind. Jimin was touching her. Yeah, he distinctly remembers feeling her and making comments based on that.
He feels the morning wood coming, so he jumps up and turns away from her, trying to hide his flustered expression. "You okay?" she asks.
He gulps. "Y-Yeah, I just really have to pee... or throw up. One of the two." He can tell she's unconvinced, but he moves away before she can comment on it.
"Well, I'll go get us some of those painkillers, okay?"
"Alright," he calls back as he enters the bathroom, closing the door and sliding down it slowly. Once he's on the floor, he hears Y/N leave the room.
He takes a deep breath, now trying to think of everything that happened. Jimin doesn't remember too much, but he remembers enough to know that even if they didn't have sex, they were very close. One thing he remembers vividly is the sound of her moans. He thinks about it, then sighs. He can't be thinking like this - it's wrong. However, that doesn't stop him from replaying the memory over and over and over again...
~9:26~
Well that was weird.
Jimin kind of got up and ran to the bathroom. He seemed so flustered. You hope he doesn't remember anything that happened last night, otherwise you'd be mortified. You don't remember everything yourself, but you do remember the ladder. The way he kissed and sucked on your neck, his low voice, the way his fingers kept going lower...
You stop in the hall, leaning up against the closest wall and letting out a breath. Get your thoughts out of there, this isn't the time. You take a few moments, a few breaths, then go to move again when a door opens in front of you.
Namjoon yawns and steps out, rubbing his eyes. He nearly crashes into you, but stops at the last second. "Y/N! Hey, I didn't see you there, I'm sorry," the Captain says with tinted cheeks.
You shake him off. "Not a big deal, I'm kind of used to being invisible. You okay?"
He shrugs, pointing to his head. "Hangover. I assume you and I are after the same thing?"
"Painkillers?" you ask, raising a brow.
He laughs, his dimples showing. "Well yeah, but I thought you were looking for Jimin."
You almost turn red like the Captain. "No, not right now. He's in his room though if you wanted to talk to him."
Namjoon thanks you, then starts to turn away, but freezes. You swallow whatever moisture is left in your throat. He turns his head back to look at you and gives you a smirk. "He's in his room, eh?" You stand there with wide eyes, desperately searching for words.
"W-We didn't do anything! If we did, we don't remember it anyway, so get your mind out of the gutter!"
"You know, no one would care if you did, as long as you clean the sheets."
At this point you're the brightest shade of red humanly possible. "N-Namjoon!" you say in a small hiss, which he snickers to.
He walks forward and pats you on the shoulder. "Y/N, I want you to know that all joking and teasing aside, I'm proud of you."
You peek up at him, using all your willpower to stop yourself from fiddling with your fingers. "You are?"
He gives you a short nod. "We may not have known each other long, but this crew means everything to me. You risked your life to save two of my friends, and I can never thank you enough. You're what a L/N should be. Strong, brave, determined, and you put other's lives ahead of your own." You're stunned. Too stunned to speak. With nothing else to do, you stand there with your mouth agape. "So truly, thank you for being apart of this crew. You mean a lot to us, and if it's something you want, I could officially give you the rank of pilot."
Your posture goes stiff for a moment. "You can do that? Even if I'm not from Earth or Mars?"
"You're under my jurisdiction. Earth and Mars have the same code: anyone can be given a rank or promoted to a higher rank while serving on a crew by either the Captain or the Executive Officer. And, since I'm the Captain..."
Is this what a fairytale feels like? The colors dancing their way into your vision hop around until your heart feels as though it's about to burst. What comes next is the light in your eyes, followed closely by your trembling voice. "I would be honored!"
He laughs, his dimples remaining on his cheeks. "I'm glad. It looks like there's a lot of promotions I'll be needing to give out soon. But Y/N?" You stand tall, then dip your head in form of a nod. "I would like to officially welcome you to the Moonchild... as a Bronze Pilot."
Your lips slowly spread into a smile. "Thank you... sir." He returns your smile, then turns to leave, presumably to talk to Jimin. But for some reason, you can't let him go yet. "Namjoon!" You pause for a moment, nibbling on your lower lip. "Wait." He swivels towards you, raising a brow. You take a quick breath. "You're doing a great job." He freezes up, his jaw setting and his pupils dilating. After a few seconds of staring, tears swell into his eyes. He sniffles, then nods, his look alone showing his gratitude. He saunters away as quickly as he came, and you can't help but softly smile.
It feels good to be accepted.
~9:31~
Jimin closes the bathroom door behind him, his face flushed up as if he drank more alcohol despite that not being the case. He stands there for a few seconds before catching his breath, and just in time too since there's a knock on the door. He was wondering where Y/N went, it seemed to take her a while. Not that he's complaining, it gave him the time he needed to uh... handle some... business.
"Come in," he calls out, sitting on the edge of the bed and grabbing his brush off his nightstand. Might as well look decently presentable, right? The door opens, then closes, and soon enough another weight is added to the bed. Jimin hums to himself as he works the bristles through his long black hair, making sure it looks nice before setting the brush back down.
"We could relax all day if you want. Maybe get some food later and chill. Or if you wanted to do something, I'm sure there's something on this cruiser that can entertain us. I haven't been to the greenhouse yet. I heard a rumor that light cruisers have mini theatres, is that true?" Jimin says, not even noticing how he's rambling.
"Yes, it's true," a male voice replies.
Jimin jumps and whips around, surprised to see Namjoon sitting there, looking down. "I haven't been to it yet, but it's near the dining hall. You can't miss it, it's marked." Jimin scoots forward to sit next to Namjoon, noticing his Captain's somber mood.
"What's wrong?" Jimin asks.
"We're going to be at Sturgeon Station soon, and it hit me this morning how close we are to finding out the truth... if there even is one." Jimin leans back, considering his words. It's strange to think that the event that caused all this could have answers soon. Maybe it even feels wrong. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to drop this all on you. I came to see if you were awake and okay."
Jimin rapidly shakes his head. "It's something we need to discuss, isn't it?" Namjoon tilts his head, Jimin coming closer to him as a result. "We're going to find out everything soon. That's not something we can pass off as no big deal. I understand you're our Captain, and you make the decisions, but Namjoon... you need people to talk to too." Jimin pauses for a moment, looking into his Captain's eyes with determination. "And if you want me to be that person, I will."
Namjoon stares at Jimin for a few more seconds. Jimin stares right back, awaiting his superior's next move. However, what he wasn't expecting was for tears to form in Namjoon's eyes. "I'm scared," he admits, which makes Jimin's pupils expand. Jimin watches Namjoon put his head down, rubbing his temple with his fingers. Despite the pounding headache he has, Jimin places his hand on Namjoon's shoulder and desperately tries to think of what to say.
"I am too," he finally whispers back. The two don't speak for several moments, simply sitting in silence. Namjoon has his eyes squeezed shut, his fingers massaging his forehead while Jimin sits there and looks down at his sheets, keeping his hand on his Captain's shoulder.
"My parents told me I wouldn't amount to anything," Namjoon says. After a few seconds of staying silent, he continues to talk with Jimin listening. "My father thought that leaving to go join some transport vessel wouldn't do anything for me. My mother agreed. They tried to keep me on Earth, tried to get me into politics. They wanted me to be in charge of Earth's Weaponry one day."
Jimin gives his shoulder a squeeze, convincing his Captain to keep speaking, but they're interrupted when the door opens. They both flinch and turn to see Y/N standing there, a bottle of pills in her hand. "I couldn't find the stuff you gave me, but this looks to be the next best thing," she explains, giving the two a shrug. She enters and closes the door behind her, then looks between the two of them and notices the mood. "Oh... I'm sorry, did I interrupt?" she asks, giving Jimin apologetic eyes. "Do you want me to step out?" Jimin peeks at Namjoon, who looks up at Y/N for a few moments.
"I didn't want to be a leader on Earth. I never did, but my parents thought it was best for me. Regardless, I made my own decision and left." Y/N goes stiff hearing his words, which Namjoon dryly chuckles at. "Almost everyone on the Hep was running from something. Seulgi from her addiction, Hoseok from Earth as a whole, Baekhyun from his problems..." He pauses to look down. "And us from our families."
The three share a deep silence for a few moments, processing the words he threw into the air. "Our families don't define who we are," Y/N says, the words bringing Jimin and Namjoon's attention back to her. "We don't need to be controlled by our past; we don't."
"We're here, in the present - with each other," Jimin replies, locking eyes with Y/N.
She stares right back, and Jimin's breath hitches in his throat. Her irises are so beautiful. He can't help but be entranced. He's starting to fall hard for her, and although his brain is telling him to resist, he can't. Jimin absolutely cannot hold back his feelings for this girl. He thought he was doing fine in life, then he met Y/N and this crew. They taught him that there's more to life than surviving. She saved his life and gave him another chance to turn himself around. He'll forever be grateful for that.
"I should get going, we should be arriving soon," Namjoon says, fiddling his fingers and whipping his eyes back and forth between Jimin and Y/N.
"Hopefully we'll get some answers soon," Jimin mutters. Y/N hums in agreement. Namjoon stands and walks towards the door. Y/N moves aside for him, giving the Captain a nod as he exits the room.
Jimin stares at the girl, who slowly turns her head to look back at him. "What is it?" she asks.
He softly smiles. "Nothing."
She shyly returns his smile, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I do have some news though."
News. Even back on Earth he never liked the news. Watching it or hearing about it. The more time went on, the more it felt like the news was all bad. That was another reason why he left his home. Regardless, he raises a brow. "Good or bad?"
"Good, probably... probably." Amusement flickers its way into his expression as she takes a few steps forward, shrugging. "You may or may not be looking at a new woman."
"You didn't get enhancements, did you?" He says it in a joking manner, but seeing as Jungkook is her ex, she takes it to heart.
She blinks at him. "What? No of course not." She pauses to chuckle, some of the stress easing from her shoulders, then shakes her head and locks eyes with him. "You're looking at Bronze Pilot Y/N L/N."
His eyes pop from surprise, lighting up with excitement. He squeals and jumps up, rushing over and crushing poor Y/N with his arms. "You're officially apart of the crew! Congratulations!" Jimin exclaims, squeezing her. She coughs but returns his gesture.
"Jimin... can't... breathe..."
He laughs. "Oh right, that is important."
He hops back, and she softly smiles at his actions. "Especially in space. Breathing is kind of essential." They laugh for a few moments, then go quiet. After a couple seconds of a comfortable silence, Jimin speaks up.
"Do you want to maybe hang out today?"
"And go where? I don't think there's any fancy restaurants around here. We could put on suits and dance around outside if that's what you want. I'm not opposed."
"Although that idea sounds wonderful, I was thinking more along the lines of a movie? Maybe visit the greenhouse? Explore?"
"I'd love to... right after I take these painkillers since I still can't feel my head or chest." He chortles as she pops off the cap, grabbing two and tossing them to Jimin. He catches them, throwing them in his mouth and doing his best to swallow. Pills have never been his strong suit, especially without water, but at this point he's so desperate to get rid of the pain that they slide right down his throat.
Y/N is the same way: she pops them into her mouth and swallows them with ease, closing the bottle and placing them on his nightstand. When she winces and holds her chest, he frowns. "Still bothering you?"
She makes a sound that seems like a chuckle, but there's not an ounce of amusement residing inside it. "Gunshot wounds aren't fun, try not to get one."
He attempts not to frown, but fails miserably. "I figured with all the medicine you would've been healed by now."
She shrugs it off as if getting shot isn't a huge deal, even with the medical advancements made in recent years. "I will be within the next week... hopefully." She sighs the nerves away, then peeps up at him. "Now come on, I was promised a fun day." He gives her a sweet smile before holding out his hand. After a moment of hesitation, she takes it and returns his smile.
~19:37~
Jimin hums to himself, happy with how the day went. He dragged Y/N around the ship, laughing and bonding over the most random things. He may have pried into Y/N and Jungkook's relationship a little, but she didn't spill much. She only told him a few details, like how they went on dates behind her father's back. Apparently he wasn't too fond of the relationship. Can't imagine why. Jungkook is not only a good guy, but he's an important figure. He's practically a hero himself.
Speak of the devil, Jungkook walks into the hallway, raising a brow once he sees Jimin leaning against the wall. "Hey Jimin," he greets, and the Engineer nods back.
"Hey Jungkook. Going somewhere?"
"Back to my room, wanna walk with me?" Jimin curtly nods, falling into step with Jungkook as they navigate their way down the corridor.
"So... Sturgeon Station. Sounds delightful," Jimin says, almost forcing the words out as he picks at his fingernails. He's not entirely sure what to say to the boy. Luckily, Jungkook doesn't mind.
"Oh you'll love it. Lots of people running around and working on ships. Just like the Belt. I'm sure you'll leave us to get a job there as soon as you see the shipyard."
Jimin scrunches up his nose in disgust. "If I hear the Belt used one more time in a sentence, I might throw up." Jungkook softly snickers at his words. Then they approach the main ladder, slowing their pace. "After you," Jimin says, and Jungkook gives him a cheeky smile before accepting the offer, climbing up quickly. Looks like even without his enhancements activated, he's still pretty fast.
Jimin follows, his rather-small legs taking him up the ladder as fast as possible. When he gets to the top, Jungkook offers him his hand. Jimin takes it, hopping onto the next floor and giving the boy a nod of thanks. "You know, you're not too bad," Jungkook says when they approach his door.
"Oh yeah?" Jimin asks, slightly smirking.
Jungkook gives him a small nudge that has his heart jumping. "Platinum Engineer Park Jimin... coming up with good plans and keeping us in line. I see why Namjoon likes you so much."
Jimin's eyes go wide. "He likes me?"
Jungkook gives him a head tilt that Jimin assumes is approval. "Of course he does, I talk to him all the time. He's my best friend. Plus, it's so obvious you two are secretly in love with each other. Or, well, at least you're secretly in love with him."
"Oh no, not at all, I'm secretly in love with you."
Jungkook shoots him a smug smile. "Oh good, I was afraid the feelings were one-sided, guess I was wrong." Jimin laughs, giving Jungkook a nudge identical to the one he gave Jimin a few seconds prior.
"Okay, now you have to rank each crew member," Jimin says, and Jungkook furrows his brows.
"What? In order of how much I like them?"
Jimin hums, pointing his little finger at Jungkook as if making a threat. "You're not getting out of this," Jimin says, Jungkook grunting from his words.
"Alright, I want to say that for the record that I like everyone here, so don't kill me."
He raises a brow, smirking. "You sure about that?"
Jungkook fakes a look of hurt, throwing a hand over his chest to make it more dramatic. "Now why would I ever lie?"
"I mean, if Seulgi is at the bottom of the list, I'd be scared for your life. That's a pretty good reason to lie." Jungkook gives him a look of amusement before shaking his head.
"I'd say everyone is all on the same rank for me, I can't put you in any certain order. Also not fair since I've been here for like two minutes. I'd say Namjoon and Y/N are at the top with you trailing behind them. Then maybe Hoseok, then Seulgi, then Baekhyun simply cause I haven't spoken to him much."
Jimin can't argue with that, so he shrugs. "Good list. Baekhyun always stays in the cockpit, so I haven't spoken to him much either."
Jungkook gives Jimin a look of disbelief. "How long have you guys been floating out here?"
Jimin lets out a huff, shaking the question off with his hand. "Good question. A couple weeks by now. Can't say exactly how many days it's been, but enough that we've become like family."
Jungkook softly smiles, leaning against his door. "I hope I can be a part of that family too."
Jimin returns the smile, placing his hand on Jungkook's shoulder. "You already are. We're all survivors. You're just a survivor of something different." He motions to the boy's cheeks.
Jungkook lets his eyes cast themselves to his feet. "You know, no matter how much they benefit the crew and our mission... don't ever consider getting them."
Jimin's eyes soften, and he steps closer, giving the boy's shoulder a squeeze. The question rests on the tip of his tongue, and he swirls it around his mouth before actually saying it. "Do they... do they hurt?"
Jungkook sniffles. "Every time."
"I'm so sorry..."
"There's nothing we can do about it now," Jungkook says, his voice nearing a crack as he dabs the back of his hand against his nose.
They fall into a short silence before Jungkook clears his throat, giving Jimin a short bow with his head. "Well, it's been a long day." Jimin hums in agreement, then Jungkook opens his door. "Goodnight Jimin." Jimin is about to reply when Jungkook walks inside and peeks back. "And thank you." The door closes right after. Jimin's left standing in the hallway, slightly dumbfounded. Regardless, he softly smiles.
"Goodnight Jungkook."
~19:38~
After a long day of Jimin dragging you around the ship, he went to go get changed. So you ended up in the cockpit, sitting in the co-pilot's chair. Baekhyun is sitting back in the pilot's seat, breathing slowly and taking in the stars. The two of you haven't spoken at all other than a simple greeting when you arrived. It's a little awkward around him. You have to say, out of everyone here, you feel like you know the least about him. He is a pilot, so you immediately like him, but you haven't talked to him much.
You stare out at the stars as well, noticing what you assume is Sturgeon Station not too far off in the distance. Looks like it shouldn't be much longer. You're slightly scared, but you force those feelings down to instead focus on the beautiful stars all around you.
After quite a few minutes of silence, you feel your mind drifting off, trying to find other subjects. You let yourself think about pets. You never had any since dogs and cats aren't exactly popular on Ganymede. Transporting them is a pain, so they mostly stick to Earth. Maybe one day you'll get one. Then again, Ganymede never had much in the way of wildlife. And by much you mean none. You make a mental side note to ask Jimin if he ever had any pets.
"It wasn't your fault," Baekhyun whispers, snapping you out of your thoughts.
You glance over at him, frowning at the guilt that plagues your chest. "If you were onboard, you would be dead. And I told you to go there."
"You did what you felt was right. And for the record, you had a good plan. A really good one actually. Everyone agreed to it for a reason. You did a good thing, Y/N. Even if you don't think that, everyone else does."
After a few moments of hesitation, your lips spread into a soft smile. "Thank you. I appreciate it. Really, I do." He returns your smile, giving you a nod. The two of you fall into a comfortable silence, looking back out at the stars. This goes on for several minutes before the Pilot clears his throat.
"You should get some rest. We'll be at Sturgeon soon, you'll need all your energy since we don't know how long we'll be staying there."
You peek over at him, nearly chortling at his words. "I'll rest when you do." He freezes, causing you to finally let out that chortle. "I think I've seen you out of the cockpit like twice. Once was in the dining hall and the other was on the bridge. You should take a break."
He keeps himself still, considering your words before slowly dipping his head in a nod. "Alright, you win. But only because you won't rest until I do."
You give him an cocky smile before standing, trekking over to the entrance of the bridge before halting and glancing back at him. You raise a brow. "You coming?" He hums in response, gazing back out at the stars.
"Two more minutes. Looking out at the stars, it... it makes me miss home."
You lean against the doorframe. "Is this why you wanted to become a pilot?" you ask in a hushed tone, although you already know the answer.
He doesn't move to look back at you. "When you can fly, you can go anywhere you want. Do anything. You can live on Earth but go to Mars at any point. Live in space if you wanted to. In my case, it gave me an escape."
"From what?"
"From everything." You frown, sadness creeping into your expression. It's almost like he senses it seeing as he chuckles. "Don't feel bad, I made my choice. I know I'll have to go back and face my problems soon, but my life is much happier now that I'm here, with my crew."
"Yeah, you guys are great. Exciting, funny, smart. Mostly smart, anyway."
He laughs, finally looking back at you. "You know that you're included in the crew now, right?"
You fiddle with your fingers, nibbling on your lower lip. It takes you a few beats to answer, Baekhyun not taking his eyes off you the whole time. "Maybe..." you mutter, averting your eyes.
"Go get some rest Y/N, you deserve it."
That you agree with. "Thank you." You move away, right onto the bridge before slowing your pace and peeking back. He's already peering up at the stars.
"Baekhyun?" you call, which he hums to. "Goodnight." Even though he isn't facing you, you can practically feel him grin.
"Goodnight."