~Three Days Later | 11:34~
You're falling in love with Jimin.
You always had feelings for him, but every night you've been going over to his quarters, sleeping all curled up next to him. He would twirl a strand of your hair and whisper about some topic that fascinates him. Yesterday it was Namjoon, the day before it was clothes, and the day before that it was dancing. He mentioned something about singing, and you tried to convince him to sing for you, but it didn't work... yet. You're getting him to sing, you know it.
Now, you're sitting in the greenhouse, Jin not too far away. You love the nature. It honestly boggles your mind that real plants are growing right here, right under your grasp. You softly smile as you pet one of the leaves on a young tomato plant. Even though you're not facing him, you feel Jin smile at you. "Have you ever been to Earth? Or Mars?" you can't help but ask.
Jin walks over and leans against the table, letting out a small hum. "No actually. I've been to Ganymede, but that's about it. Work was always the priority."
"And if you didn't become an engineer?" you ask, finally looking up at him. He quickly turns his head to look back, seemingly confused at your words. "If you didn't become an engineer, what else would you do?"
He lights up in understanding, then softly smiles, motioning to the area around you. "This. Being here, with a crew, exploring the solar system. Don't want to deprive them from my handsome face."
You laugh, admittedly warming up to his jokes. "Is it even possible to have a conversation with you without mentioning your face?"
He smirks, "It would be a crime to not talk about such beauty." You grin, and he returns it. You have to say you're fond of Jin. He may be a narcissist, but he's fun to be around. Gives the crew much needed positive energy. Him and Hoseok are like the two joy bringers of the group.
Namjoon enters the room, closing the door behind him. "Ah, Y/N, I was looking for you. Seulgi said I might find you here."
"Hey Joonie, just thought I'd check out the greenhouse before we go find all our answers and possibly die," you say, giving your Captain a small salute.
His dimple smile comes out, and it fills the room with light. "Don't worry, we'll make it out okay. I promise. I'll do everything in my power to protect everyone."
You give him a look of determination, hoping it's enough to inspire courage in all three of you. "I know you will."
Namjoon walks forward and leans against the table a few feet away from you, now facing both you and Jin. The greenhouse is quite large. A big, metal room with leaves and vines all around the walls and floors. It feels like a forest, and you're honestly in heaven every second you spend there. There's several tables lined up across the dimensions of the room with varying plants. Some are flowers while others are food. Essentials just in case whoever owns the cruiser can't make a stop to refill their dispensers. There's even one big tree in the center of the room. You wanted to sit down under it and admire the leaves, but in a way, it feels like you can't do it. You want Jimin to be with you, laying under the leaves and letting the light peek through. Maybe you can even lean on his shoulder and close your eyes. You softly smile at the thought, but you're quickly snapped back to reality when Namjoon speaks.
"We'll be at Triton in about eight minutes, you might want to gear up," Namjoon says, then, he pauses to motion to your body, "how's your wound?"
You place your hand over your chest, giving him a thumbs up. "I should be ready to fight. Last time we were fighting for our lives it didn't bother me too much. Hopefully this time will be the same way."
"I know you'll push through it even if it hurts. Jin, if you'd like to join us on the surface, you're welcome to. However I believe I'm legally required to warn you of the dangers. There could be alien life hiding somewhere on the surface... dangerous alien life," Namjoon says.
Jin gives the Captain a firm nod. "I've lived my whole life sheltered on a stupid station. A dangerous adventure is fine with me. Plus..." Jin pauses, looking over at you. "I kind of like you guys. It'd suck if you died already."
"I appreciate it. Go gear up, and as for you, Y/N..." Namjoon says, trailing off and waiting for Jin to completely exit the room. Once the door is closed, Namjoon sighs. "I want you to stick by Jungkook's side. I know you're no longer hurting, but as a precaution, I want to have him next to you."
You give him a shrug, "That's fine with me." Namjoon freezes for a moment, blinking to absorb your words. What are you going to do? Yell at him for caring about your safety? All he's doing is placing you next to a superhuman. If anything, you should be thanking him. He's right after all: gunshots aren't exactly easy to heal from. Being on the front lines is rather questionable, even if you feel better.
Namjoon seems to hesitate again, then nods. "Okay, that was easy. I'll uh, I'll see you on the bridge in five minutes?"
"What did you really want to talk about?" you ask, looking around to make sure no one else is lurking. "It's just us. I won't tell anyone anything, you have my word."
Namjoon gulps, then slowly nods. "You're right. It's about Triton. When we started this journey, we thought that we could find clues about the alien life and maybe solve this before it got too far out of hand."
"What changed?"
"A few hours ago, Jungkook and I were monitoring transmissions. There hasn't been even the slightest peep from Triton since the Blackwell departed the Moon."
Your eyes dilate to the point where the line between fiction and reality blur. "Triton hasn't made contact with anyone since the Blackwell left?" He nods, his expression growing somber. "How the hell has no one been to Triton yet?"
"Earth and Mars are probably busy fighting each other, and my guess is the civilizations closest to Triton are infected too." Namjoon pauses to grunt. "We could be walking into a death trap."
You let out a shaky breath, pretending your pulse isn't jumping. "Does anyone else know?"
"Jimin. The others I haven't told yet."
You look down, running a hand through your hair. "Why me?"
Unlike before, he doesn't hesitate with his words. "You and Jimin make a good team. You make decisions when no one else can, stand up for others when I'm too weak to... the real question is why didn't I tell you sooner?"
As much as you want to thank him for the kind words, your mind is too much of a mess at the moment. "What do we do?" you mutter.
"We have three options. Report our findings to a higher power, leave and pretend this never happened, or keep going," he replies, his voice growing softer by the second.
You give him a knowing look. "We only have one option. No higher power will come save Triton. Mars is mad at us, Ganymede doesn't have the numbers, the Belt won't care, and Earth will take nearly two weeks to get here. Leaving after we've gotten this far doesn't seem wise either, does it?"
He looks slightly defeated, peeking down. "I don't want to lead the people I love into a death trap," he whispers.
"We don't have much choice. If we don't find out what happened, no one ever will. Earth and Mars will be too busy fighting each other to notice alien life spreading from moon to moon."
"I know..."
"Truthfully, this should be a group decision." Namjoon blows out some air, then nods, sniffling before walking over to the comm panel near the door.
He presses it, but he waits a beat before speaking. "Calling everyone to their comm panels. I have something to say." He waits for everyone to respond, continuing after. "Jungkook and I were monitoring the transmissions from Triton: there were no new messages sent since the Blackwell departed the Moon. We could be walking into a trap. Triton may already be destroyed."
He peers back at you for a moment, and you give him a nod of encouragement. He seems so distraught. You feel horrible for him. Made a Captain on a whim, suddenly making life and death decisions, becoming a survivor and losing his home and family, appearing on a broadcast and begging others to try to save each other before a horrible war starts... and that's the surface. You admire Namjoon more than you ever thought you could. He's truly a hero. Whenever you think of him and Jimin, you almost see a sort of resemblance. Like they're family. The whole crew has become family, even to you, but Jimin and Namjoon... they have something special. You really hope they see that too.
Namjoon takes a shaky breath. "I may be your Captain, but I am not your owner. I refuse to make this decision for us because it is everyone's lives on the line. I won't say the pros and cons of each side, I won't try to sway you. You've all become my family, and no matter what happens next, this journey has been both the most horrifying and amazing experience in my life. I couldn't ask for a better crew to be beside me. I love you all, and I mean that. So please, tell me... should we leave or stay?"
The line goes quiet for a while. It's been so long that you start to believe that no one will answer. Then there's static, and your ears perk up. "I vote we stay," Hoseok says. You go still hearing his voice. Hobi is scared of a lot of things, and you don't blame him. He's voting to stay? You're mildly impressed.
"Stay," Baekhyun says, which also surprises you. Baekhyun may be a go with the flow guy, but risking his life like this? You didn't think he had it in him.
"Stay." Seulgi.
"Stay." Jin.
"Stay." Jungkook.
"Stay." Jimin.
After a few moments of processing their words, Namjoon turns back and locks eyes with you. You stare back, giving him a hard expression. "Stay." His lips slowly turn up into a smile, and to your shock, tears start to roll down his cheeks. He sniffles and turns to the comm.
"Bridge. Five minutes. Gear up."
He shuts off the comm then peeks at you, letting out a breath. "Alright, you too, gear up," he whispers, quickly wiping his tears away. You approach him. He shies away, trying to hide his tears. When you're only a foot away from him, your gaze softens, and you offer him a smile. Without another word, he embraces you. Tears threaten to spill from your eyes, so you hug him back even harder. He gives you a squeeze before letting you go, looking down into your eyes. He lets out another shaky breath. "Thank you," he says. There's a million things you want to say, but you know that only two words will get your point across.
"You're welcome."
~Three Minutes Later~
A sigh passes your lips, Jimin's door in sight. You have a pistol holstered and you'll be given an assault rifle when you get back to the bay. Along with that, you also have armor strapped around your body. You don't have your helmet on yet, but you left that in the bay. Almost battle ready. Everyone was there... all except for Jimin. Namjoon dispatched you to go and find him. Even though there's two minutes left, Namjoon wanted to make sure the Executive is okay. This must be a lot of stress on him as well. Being promoted right into a life or death decision. Your heart hurts at the idea of Jimin suffering, especially alone.
You stand outside his door now, taking a small breath before knocking softly. After about ten seconds, the door opens. Jimin walks away from it immediately, which leaves you confused, but you enter regardless. "Everything okay?" you ask, closing the door behind you. You watch as he fixes his appearance, him now donning the Executive Officer uniform.
He lets out a short breath, making sure his appearance is fine before turning to you. "I'll get over it. Right now we need to focus on the mission." When he starts for the door, you block his path. He slows down and stops right in front of you, and you must admit the proximity is intoxicating.
"We have a minute. Sit," you say, and he reluctantly obeys.
He plops down on his bed, and you follow, sitting down gently and giving him a long look. That's what makes him finally give in. "I'm worried. I mean - I think everyone is. How can we not be, we could die. We could literally die. Actually, the odds are pretty high that we will," he explains, his voice bouncing more and more with each word. Although you want to comfort him, and you'll try your best to, you have to admit he has a point. And that's what makes your heart speed up, your fingers going clammy.
Regardless, you rest your hand on his shoulder. "Jimin." He groans in response. "Look at me," you whisper. After a few seconds, he does. His brown eyes pierce right through to your soul. Every cell in your body seems to go still for a moment. He looks at you with so much passion, so much desire, and now, so much worry. "We'll be okay," you say, forcing your words out.
"How do you know?" he asks, his tone quivering over each syllable.
"Because we'll be together." You give his shoulder what you hope is a consoling squeeze. "You and me."
"We can conquer anything," he whispers. You stare at him for a few moments, but the reality of the situation is too much to bear. A tear ends up slipping past your eye.
"Oh God." He brings you to his body, wrapping his arms around you protectively. "We might die," you say, all your previous words and thoughts feeling hollow.
"Y/N, I swear to you no matter what happens, I won't let you get hurt again. I won't ever let you get hurt again."
You pull back and stare right into his eyes, your hands grabbing onto his uniform and clutching it until your knuckles go several shades lighter than your natural skin tone. "I was about to say the same to you."
His irises are littered with speckles of desire, his eyes scanning over you before he speaks again. "We'll protect each other."
"Always," you reply, praying your voice didn't stutter.
He keeps you close, his hands still holding your back with your faces only a few inches away. His breath hits your nose, bringing tingles to your body. Holy shit, you're mesmerized by him. His wide nose, puffy cheeks, slim eyes... plump lips. Your eyes quickly flicker from his lips to his eyes again. You can't tell if you want to get lost in his beautiful brown eyes or on his large lips. And it's in that moment you fully realize it: you want him. Last time you were this close to him, you weren't sure. Now you are.
He seems to feel it too, since his eyes are starting to close. Yours do as well, your hands slowly creeping up to his face. "We're going to die," you whisper.
"Don't say that-"
"We could die at any moment, is what I'm trying to say. Jimin... I told you, I want to cherish every single second I get with you." Your breathing is shallow, but at the same time, so is his. It feels as though your lungs are about to collapse in on themselves.
"Y/N...?" You softly hum, his breath hitting your lips. "Can I please kiss you?" Before you can reply, a beep sounds off.
"Jimin, Y/N! We're waiting on you, where are you?" Namjoon's voice says over the comm. You and Jimin hop apart, holding your hands over your chest and shuddering from the sudden intrusion.
Jimin swallows and catches his breath, turning to the comm. "We're on our way, sir." He stiffens, holding his bedsheets to wipe off the moisture there. "Thirty seconds." The comm shuts off, and you peek over at Jimin. He casts his eyes to the ground, ignoring your presence for a beat. After a few seconds of silence, you brush it off.
"Let's do this," you say, standing albeit slowly. You give him one last glance before trotting over to the door, slowing down as you approach. Right as you're about to open it, you hear a huff from behind you.
Before you can process anything, you feel yourself being grabbed and turned around. Within a flash, you get practically thrown against the wall. A gasp leaves your lips, your armor protecting you from suffering any damage. You manage to look up in time to see Jimin a few inches away. His hands are on your shoulders, pinning you against the wall, his body completely dominating yours.
As soon as your eyes lock, he slams his lips onto yours. You let out a squeak, but any noise you make is muffled by his lips. In an instant, you kiss him back twice as hard, moving your lips in-sync with his. He softly groans and lets his hands slip off your shoulders. One goes to your cheek, the other to your back.
Your hands rest against his chest, your pulse quickening. He kisses you so aggressively that you're barely keeping up. Your teeth are nearly hitting each other's, but that only makes you and him smile. He sucks on your lower lip, his tongue poking against you. Jimin kisses you passionately, his lips moving roughly over yours. He tastes almost salty, and you suck at his lips, trying to capture more of the taste. He moans as you do, his fingernails digging into your back just under your armor. You grip his new uniform, pulling at the fabric and letting yourself get lost against him. One of your hands creeps up to his locks and pulls hard. He hums in approval, your fingernails scratching at his scalp. You feel your lungs burning, but you choose to ignore it a little longer so you can focus on the way his plump lips move expertly over yours. You can tell he's thought about doing this to you for a while now... and that honestly turns you on.
After a few more seconds of fighting as hard as you can to keep up with him, he pulls back and lets out a breath, chuckling as he does so. You return his amusement and shoot him a grin he returns. He leans back in and gives you a peck, then again, then again. You shake your head at his silliness and lean up, giving him a short but sweet kiss. Your lips don't move this time: you simply enjoy the feeling.
When you part, you let out a huff. "Now we should go," you say.
He laughs, giving your cheek a quick peck before nodding in agreement. He entwines his hand with yours, and together, you leave the room. Your lips still tingle. They're probably swollen, but you pay it no mind. You have to let go of his hand to go down the ladder, but as soon as you're on the ground, you slip your hand into his again.
"Holy shit that just happened," Jimin says, almost whistling as you trek down the corridor.
The two of you pause, taking a moment to realize what just happened. And that's when you smile. "We did that."
"Yeah, we did," he whispers, and you snicker before dragging him down the hall. Finally, a minute later, you're in the bay and witnessing the crew gearing up for battle.
"Ah, there you are," Namjoon says, approaching the two of you. He slows down, raising a brow as he investigates the two of you. "What took you so long?" he asks, a knowing smirk spreading across his lips. Jimin pulls at his collar, but you merely laugh and give his shoulder a nudge. "Finally together then?" That makes you freeze. You peep over at Jimin, who's equally astonished. However, Jimin recovers and gives an answer that makes your heart ache from joy.
"Yeah, yeah, we are." It takes all your strength not to squeal. Instead, you use your free hand to grab his neck and draw him back in. He lets out a gasp against your lips, but you ignore it. You kiss him for a few seconds before pulling back, and he gives you an amused look.
"What? That was... for luck!" you say, which only makes him and Namjoon chuckle.
"Took you long enough," Namjoon replies in his typical teasing tone.
Jimin pouts, giving his commanding officer puppy eyes. "How long have you been secretly shipping us for?"
Namjoon proudly smiles, his dimples showing. "Ever since you first met. Don't think I didn't notice that 'Goodbye, Jimin' Y/N gave you when we talked to her for the first time."
"What-" Jimin starts, but is interrupted by Seulgi.
"Did I just witness Y/N L/N kissing Park Jimin?" a shocked Seulgi asks rather loudly.
You kick the ground, fiddling with your fingers. "Maybe."
She does the squealing you wanted to do a minute ago. "Oh my God yes finally!" she shouts, bouncing over and embracing you. She nearly knocks you over, and you snicker, using your free hand to wrap an arm around her. With your other hand, you give Jimin's hand a squeeze that he returns.
The forcefield where the bay doors once were are turned on, but the surface of Triton is still visible. You and Jimin go over to face it, gazing out at the moon's surface and gulping. There's a lot of open land under one large dome, but there seems to be a city in the distance.
"We'll trek to the city, Jungkook will keep comms open to try and see if anyone answers," Namjoon says. You firmly nod. From this distance, everything seems so... quiet.
"Did we get cleared for landing?" you ask.
Baekhyun grunts and turns to you. "No, but the emergency forcefield was activated on top of the dome. Figured I'd park somewhat far away so we can scan the environment."
"Good idea," Jimin mutters, then nudges you, "what's an emergency forcefield?"
You chortle at his actions, your heart still racing from the kiss. "Every dome-based civilization has one. It activates so anyone can get in or out of the dome without clearance in case of emergency."
"Oh wonderful, that makes me feel so much better about this mission."
You huff in agreement, letting your body nuzzle up against his side. "At least we have each other." Jimin hums, but Namjoon is quick to interrupt your moment... again.
"Alright, take your ARs. The quicker we get this over with, the better I'll sleep tonight," Namjoon says. Everyone agrees and packs up. The entire crew stands in front of the entrance, even Baekhyun, and you tilt your head at that.
"I'm coming with," he says at your questioning glance.
"This is a job for all of us," Namjoon says in agreement.
Jimin lets go of your hand after a moment of hesitation, grabbing both you and him an AR. You strap it around your body, and he does the same. The group stares out the forcefield until Baekhyun turns it off. The stale air hits your face, a stench of rot hitting your nostrils. Not human rot, necessarily. It's more the smell of artificial air that you're so used to back on Ganymede.
"Helmets on," Namjoon says, and you're quick to obey. The crew seems reluctant to move, all except for Jungkook. He struts out, and you end up following him, Jimin following you as a result. Then, the Moonchild crew is out, feet on the surface. You take a moment to look around, observing the vastness before you. It feels too similar to home. But before you can start forward, a hand grabs your elbow. You glance back at Jimin, his helmet making his beautiful eyes impossible to see.
"Stay close," he says. Even though he can't see it, you give him a smile.
"I'll be right here."