─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
SEASON 2 EPISODE 3
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Location:
System: Volii
Faction: Freestar Collective
Planet: Volii Alpha
Place: Neon
A/N: Ugh that picture of Jimin is so MMM UGH what a fine man NGGH BARK BARK WOLF WOLF ROAR HOWLS BARK BARK BARK WOOF
Ahem. Excuse me. I appear to be in heat or something because that pic is actually making me aggressive.
☆☆☆
Jimin
Neon wasn't as beautiful as he remembered.
Jimin stood in front of his home as the storms raged on, droplets of moisture thundering against the walls of the indoor city. Not an ounce of sunlight dared peek through. All that illuminated him were the flashing lights Neon was known for, but for once, it was far from comforting.
After the shock of Tau Ceti and his chaotic entrance to the UC Vanguard, Jimin decided he needed a break to cool off before he met with the president. Y/n supported it and had flown him to Neon. She waited in the ship, and he appreciated that she respected his space. As much as he had no problem with her being around his mother, he wanted time alone. But he made a mental note to tell Y/n all about it later.
Without knocking, Jimin entered and spotted his mother humming and sitting up in bed. She had her knees tucked against her chest and bags under her eyes; however, there weren't just bags, there were creases, too. Two little creases for each of her eyes, and when mixed with the bags, they made her look her age.
"Ma," Jimin said with a hitch in his voice. "You're awake."
Not only was she awake, but she seemed sober. His suspicions were confirmed when she raised her hand and flapped it up and down in a nodding motion. Jimin took it as an invitation to come in and plop down on the bed next to her, but she still didn't speak. She kept humming a tune he didn't recognize.
"New song?" he asked with a soft smile. He hummed with her, and after a beat, she grinned. She bopped her head back and forth. He laughed and did the same.
They did a small dance with their heads while they hummed. Jimin couldn't keep up with her, but that didn't stop the song from sounding more harmonious than anything Jimin had heard in his life.
When she stopped, she yawned and leaned back. Jimin shushed her small grunts and groans and tucked her in. He kissed the top of her head and played with her hair.
"I haven't seen you smile in so long, Ma," he whispered. "Did something happen?"
A soft smile returned to her face. "My son came home."
The artifacts had gifted him with the ability to see the infinite universe. Millions of colors had exploded into his vision and blinded him with ecstasy. It had made his body swirl with bliss he would never forget. Yet, despite all those sights, not one brought the same amount of color as his mother just did by saying those words.
He couldn't help himself: he cried. Tears passed his eyes, and he broke down into a series of sobs that had his mother shushing him and coming up to hold him. He collapsed into her arms and rocked with her back and forth. Moisture flooded her loose white shirt that had more holes than fabric, and he tugged on the back of her head.
"What's wrong, my sweet baby boy?" she asked in a mutter.
He whimpered. "Where were you when I needed you?"
"Oh, Min Min, I'm so sorry."
Jimin didn't care how much he trembled. He allowed himself to feel the pain, like Y/n had taught him. No more shutting his emotions out; he could acknowledge his trauma without fearing getting judged for it. If anyone judged him, they weren't worth it. As long as he had Y/n, he always had at least one person who loved him unconditionally. He hoped his mother would be the same, but the truth was that was unlikely.
"I just wanted you to love me," he said in a wail, his voice breaking halfway through his words. A cough yanked its way out of his throat. "I just... I just wanted you to love me..."
"I do, I love you so much."
He didn't believe her. No matter how sweet and genuine her voice sounded, he couldn't believe it. Throughout his entire life, she had been drugged up and inattentive. What changed? Why would she magically become better?
He tore himself away from her and stood, pacing back and forth in the cramped space and debating what to say. There were no words he could use to describe his rage. There was no one, other than Y/n, who he had loved more than his mother. Before he met Y/n, his mother had always been his number one. However, that changed. The more he spent time with his lover, the more he realized his mother was far from a role model. Yoongi had been right.
She was a bad mother.
"Why are you sober?" he asked while pacing. He slowed himself and leaned against the door. On instinct, he brought his hand to his mouth to nibble on his nails. It was a habit from his childhood. He didn't know why it came back now.
"That young girl, she helped me."
Jimin stiffened. "Y/n?"
"No, no, but a girl from the UC, I think."
"That's Y/n, Ma."
"Her name wasn't Y/n, it was... ah, I can't remember."
Jimin staggered back, and his mother tilted her head at that. Some of her frail locks fell into her face. Despite his anger, he found her beautiful. He had always seen her as the strong woman who had lost her husband and was forced to take care of a stubborn kid. After everything, a part of him still saw her that way.
"Sarah," he whispered, and she lit up.
"Yes, that's it! Her name was Sarah-"
Jimin didn't let her finish. He stormed out of the room and rushed by the crowds of Ebbside. Chatter burst his eardrums and numbed his mind. Lights flashed by and tickled the depths of his vision with agony, and he had to use hard blinks to soften the sting. His nose overwhelmed itself with the smell of shit. He did a game of mental hopscotch just to get around the piles of fecal matter littered on the ground.
For the first time, Jimin had become overstimulated by Neon.
He got to the spaceport as soon as he could and found his ship waiting there. The ramp was open, and he sprinted inside and tightened his scarf just so he could feel something other than the stuffiness of Neon. By the time he made it ten feet into the ship, Y/n approached him.
"Hey Minnie-"
"You sent Sarah to my mother?" Jimin interrupted in one breath. His voice hitched and his eyes burned. He didn't know if that was from tears or the pollution surrounding his home.
She hesitated. "I... I'm sorry, I did. She looked so miserable all drugged up, so I thought Sarah could help. I'm sorry, I should have asked you."
"You're damn right you should have!"
Jimin stopped himself and ran a hand through his hair. He went over to the wall and pressed his forehead against the cool metal there to calm himself. Once his heartbeat steadied, he sighed and turned to face her again. He approached and took both of her hands, kissing the backs of them.
"I'm sorry, baby," he whispered, giving both her hands a squeeze. "I shouldn't have yelled."
She shook her head and came closer. "No, I'm the one who's sorry. I overstepped. She's your mom, not mine."
"You're right, you overstepped." He trailed off as she sunk her head. Then, he softly smiled. "But... I'm glad you did."
She snapped her head back up. "What?"
"All these years, I've coddled her and gave her all the credits she wanted for Aurora. I enabled her. It's my fault she's like this. At any point I could have helped her become sober, but I didn't because I was scared. You did what I couldn't. Thank you."
"But, I..."
"She never would've gotten better if it weren't for you. Thank you, Y/n. Thank you. You gave me a kick in the ass I didn't know I needed."
That was yet another reason why he loved her. She wasn't scared to give others a kick in the ass if they needed it, and she did that to him with his mother. It wasn't healthy how he had enabled her throughout the years. Sure, Y/n went behind his back, but the truth was, if she asked him, he would've said no. If she asked, then Jimin would have went home to a drugged up mother that day, not a sober one. For the first time since the Colony War, Jimin got a hug from his mother. He got a smile from her.
And it was thanks to Y/n.
"I'd do anything for you," she said with a grin. "I'm sorry I didn't ask, but I'm glad it turned out well."
He pecked her forehead. "Me too. When did you start doing this?"
"Back when we first met, I lied to Sarah and told her Yoongi told her the truth about why you were fighting the pirates, but I may have let it slip that your mom was doing drugs. Since you were too busy being all hot with your superpowers and working undercover for SysDef, I sent Sarah to check in on your mom, and I guess Sarah helped her get sober."
He smirked. "Did you just say I'm hot-"
"That's what you took out of that?!"
"Always, sweetheart. You should know me by now."
She kissed the shit out of him after that, and he accepted it without complaint. However, there was one teeny tiny issue with the kiss.
It got hot. Real hot.
Somehow, without warning, it ended with Jimin practically throwing her on their bed and getting on top of her. His eyes were shut as he enjoyed teasing her by running his lower lip over hers. He didn't use tongue and kept it stationed where it belonged, but he did have his fingers on her waist. Her bare waist. Her shirt had folded up in the chaos, and he held her skin and felt the way goosebumps formed under his touch.
Jimin parted from her and met her curious eyes. Her lips were swollen from him nibbling and sucking on them, and he adored the way sweat decorated her forehead and dripped down to her eyebrows. The most adorable set of pajamas covered her. They were a bright blue t-shirt and loose pants combo, and they had little alpacas on them. There were alpacas in New Atlantis due to Earth migrating them there countless years ago, and Y/n had expressed her desire to pet one at least once in her life.
"You're so fucking beautiful," he whispered before he could stop himself, and she giggled and averted her gaze. He used his index finger to tilt her chin up so their stares could lock once more. "Look at me, princess. I want to see those gorgeous eyes while I make you feel good."
Her pupils dilated by an obnoxious amount, and he went down and left wet, open-mouthed kisses all over her neck. It resulted in her pulling at his hair. The way her nails scratched by his head made him grunt, and it lit up a spark of ecstasy inside him. He took his time to pleasure her with his lips. He didn't go too fast as to not overwhelm her, and he never went lower than her collarbone. Whenever he had the chance, he pulled on the skin there and made her jump from the sudden shock.
"Jimin," she said in a soft moan that made his ears perk up with delight.
No one had ever said his name so sensually. He had had sex many times in the past, but none of his previous affairs would ever bring him the same intimacy and safety Y/n brought him. Just cuddling made him feel better than all his previous partners combined. Her presence gifted him a comfort he didn't realize he needed.
Jimin shifted his body weight and made the bed creak, and his knee rubbed against her thigh. A gentle, adorable whimper left her mouth as he trailed his knee higher and higher all while kissing her neck. Her legs wrapped around his waist to encourage him to come closer, and he did. He peppered kisses all over her available neck and pressed his knee against her, causing her to gasp and moan into his ear. He chuckled at her reaction and rubbed little circles against her through the thin fabric of the baggy pants.
A minute passed of him going back and forth against her, and each tick of the clock had her panting and whispering his name. When he believed he gave her enough to leave her flustered for years, he pulled away and rested his hand on her cheek.
"Is this okay?"
"Of course it is, goofball," she mumbled with a cute pout, though it sounded more like a heave due to how out of breath she was. "I don't want you to stop."
Jimin kissed her lips, then her cheeks, then back down to her neck. He didn't quite leave marks, but he did enough to have her throwing her head back to grant him more access to her body. His hands remained by her sides and didn't remove any articles of clothing. As much as he had heard her loud and clear about not stopping, the last thing he wanted to do was begin stripping her without her verbally telling him to.
When he stopped again, he hovered over her and stroked her hair. Words danced across his tongue but never fired out. It wasn't that he didn't want to speak, it was that he couldn't. The silence between them was like a warm embrace during Neon's coldest days. Her gentle gaze soothed any aches he had before about his mother and her neglect. No words could express that, but perhaps actions could.
Before he could kiss her again, she placed her finger against his lips, and he backed off without hesitation.
"What is it? What's wrong? Are you okay? Did I hurt you? Do you want to stop-"
"Jimin," she interrupted with a laugh. "I was just going to say you're beautiful too."
"Oh- wait a second, it took you that long to reply to that?"
They ended up bursting out into a laughing spree and cuddling up together. As much as Jimin craved her lips, he craved her arms just as much. Being all snuggled up next to her calmed the frenzy known as his mind.
"My mom's probably wondering where the fuck I went," he mumbled against her ear, kissing the side of her head. "Do you want to meet her?"
"Not yet, I think you need alone time with her."
And she was right, as much as it pained him to admit. One might believe seeing his mother sober would be therapeutic, but it brought a mix of emotions he couldn't decipher. The relief upon seeing his mother smile for the first time in years was insurmountable, yet at the same time, rage swelled in his core. Rage that his entire childhood couldn't be like that. It was built up resentment he had suppressed for his entire life, and her being sober reminded him of what could have been.
It was a terrible question, what if. What if Jimin's mother had been sober since the beginning. What if she had held him whenever he had cried. What if she had taught him how to tie his shoelaces.
What if his dad hadn't died.
"Hey," she said, interrupting his thoughts by placing a hand on his cheek. "What's going on in that pretty head of yours, Mimi?"
He gave her a quick kiss. "Just thinking, that's all."
She dropped it and didn't pressure him to talk, which he was grateful for. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell her, it was more he didn't know what to say. He doubted there was any combination of words that would describe how he felt about his mother. However, that didn't stop him from saying something anyway.
"I miss my dad."
She peeked up at him. "I'm sorry, Minnie. It's not fair you had to lose him."
"I know," he murmured, rubbing her arm. "I gained you, though. Probably wouldn't have met you if dad didn't die. I wouldn't have had to turn to crime and I never would've ended up where that magical bullshit rock was."
She snorted. "Don't let Sarah hear you calling it that."
He kissed her head and agreed. After that, they went back to cuddling, and he traced his finger over her neck. He had gotten too aggressive and left a mark on the right side of her skin. Seeing a blotch of a bruise on her, knowing it was him who did it to her, turned him on. He regretted the thoughts, but he couldn't stop them.
"What is it?" she asked once she noticed his stare.
He cleared his throat and focused on the pajamas instead. "Oh nothing, just wondering why alpacas. What makes you like them so much?"
She gave him a toothy grin. "Alpacas can die of loneliness. Isn't that cool? Sad, but cool. I'm like an alpaca, so don't leave me alone unless you want me to die a horrible death."
Oh good lord, he loved her so fucking much.
He buried his head against her neck and sucked in her strawberry scent. "And you say I'm a dork."
"I'm not the one who reads every book on Constellation's shelf."
"Um, hello, that's your loss. Books are awesome."
She tickled him to get him to shut up, and it was a weak tactic, but somehow it worked. Jimin giggled until squeaky sounds interrupted him in a series of hiccups, and he ended up tangling his legs with hers and meeting her eyes. Their foreheads stayed pressed together, and their breath was as tangled as their legs in the tiny gap between them.
"I should probably go back to my mom," he murmured.
She frowned. "Five more minutes?"
That frown caused him to stir and come as close as he could. Her soft voice created a warmth inside him he nuzzled into and wished could last forever. As dramatic as it sounded, it was true. He wanted to be with her for as long as she'd allow him to.
So, he stayed five more minutes.
☆☆☆
Jimin hated politics more than he hated rocks and spinach combined.
Dealing with the UC president made him wish he could shoot himself with his particle beam, but he kept his mind clear as he waited outside MAST for Kim Seokjin to show. It was almost time, yet no sign of Seokjin. They had made a deal. If Jin was late, Jimin called it off. However, Jimin had someone by his side to keep him occupied.
"So, you and Y/n are getting more serious," Sarah said as she sipped from her Terrabrew coffee. Once she was done, she shot him a grin. "I'm happy for you."
"You are?"
"Of course, why wouldn't I be?"
Jimin shrugged. "Honestly, I thought you didn't like me. I'm not exactly a good person, and that's without getting into my hate boner for the UC."
Sarah took another sip of her coffee and didn't respond for a long moment. She was with him due to her connection with the UC. Although she was no longer in the military, Sarah had many allies who helped her arrange a meeting with the entire UC cabinet, which included the president.
"I love Y/n," she said, her voice wavering by a hair. "She's been through more than anyone ever should. You may not believe me, but before you showed up, she was stoic and didn't talk much. You make her smile. How can I ever dislike someone who makes my best friend smile?"
Jimin chuckled. "Awh, Sarah, don't go all soft on me now. You're supposed to be the badass ex-UC commander."
"Alright, alright," she said with a snicker, nudging his side. "The point is, I don't think you're a bad person. You stopped the Crimson Fleet. No bad person would do that."
That didn't change how he had done it. Stopping the Fleet came at the cost of several lives. Austin Rake, Larry Dumbrosky, Delgado, Hoseok. All lives he had slain. They would still be alive and well if he hadn't come along.
"My mom," Jimin said instead of confronting his dark thoughts. "Thank you for helping my mom. She's doing much better because of you, I don't know how to repay you for that."
"Keep treating Y/n well, that's enough for me."
Jimin smirked. "Oh don't you worry, I'll be treating her real well from now on..."
"Oh, Jesus. Never talk to me again."
Jimin laughed at Sarah's embarrassment, then went back to waiting for Jin. They had a meeting, and missing it would mean Jimin would get on the president's bad side. Did he care? No. However, he didn't want to harm Sarah's reputation, so if Jin didn't show up soon-
"Stranger."
Jimin snapped his head down and noticed Jin approaching him. They were outside MAST, a place dedicated to UC officials. As a result, no UC citizens were around, and the only sound was the chirping of birds in the distance. That meant Jin's voice was a thundering echo, yet at the same time, it was smooth and delicate.
Jin approached and shook hands with Sarah. "Kim Seokjin, Jin for short. I used to work in the UC Xenowarfare department. You're Sarah Morgan, aren't you?"
"Indeed," Sarah said with a hint of hesitation. "Come on, they're waiting for us inside."
They entered the MAST skyscraper and went up the elevator to the cabinet room. Inside would be the president and his favorite UC dogs. Jimin didn't know any of them, but he knew he'd dislike them. There was no point in trying to get along. Instead, he'd try his best not to rage. Conceal don't feel.
"Fucking... stupid... boxes... of... doom," Jimin said in a grunt as the elevator creaked. Sarah snorted, and he flipped her off.
Thankfully, the ride ended fast, and they ended up walking out into the lobby of the Cabinet Chambers. It had the UC logo and a bunch of flags Jimin didn't recognize. No one waited for them seeing as the lobby was empty, so they went inside the chambers next. What awaited them was the cabinet sitting at a sleek rectangular desk with six chairs, though not all of them were filled. Only four people were there. One was the president, who sat in the middle of it all.
There were two men and two women. One woman had short and wavy black hair and a neuroamp mark on her face. It was a chunk of metal plastered onto the upper right side of her cheek. Her eyes were a glistening brown. The other woman had bright ginger hair that looked like a sun, and it went all the way down to her waist with light curls decorating it.
The men were both tall with muscles Jimin was jealous of, but he wouldn't say that out loud. The president had one blue eye and one green eye, and his thin lips had a scar going down the middle. His hair was long and black, and he had a beard to hide whatever atrocities were on his pointy chin.
The other man had UC security armor on and light chestnut hair along with a jagged nose larger than Jimin's ass. The tip hooked down and threatened to come into contact with his giant mouth that gave Jimin's a run for its money.
The president and the redhead wore matching navy blue suits while the other woman wore a lab coat identical to the one Jin had been wearing when they had met. Well, identical in the design. Hers was far cleaner.
Speaking of Jin, the man had a casual black and white checkered flannel and baggy gray sweatpants that didn't appear to match. It looked like he had rummaged through a dumpster to find his clothes. Considering he didn't seem like he was in the UC's good graces, there was a high chance he actually had gone through a dumpster.
The president placed the sample Jimin had given Tuala yesterday on the table. The natural light pouring in from the giant window behind them made the black goo appear like a shadow.
"Kim Seokjin, you have a lot of nerve showing up here," the president said in a low, commanding tone. Then, the man turned his attention to Jimin. "You are the one who stopped the Fleet."
"Yes, sir. My name is Park Jimin, nice to meet you."
Manners made Jimin want to shoot himself, but he forced a grin regardless.
"Captain Park killed a Terrormorph," the president said to his fellow cabinet members, and Jimin stiffened.
Captain Park? Shit, Jimin could get used to that. He had to brag to Y/n later about how hot he was.
"Interesting," the woman wearing the lab coat said. "My name is Upsana Kulkarni, but you may call me Chief Engineer Kulkarni."
The man wearing UC security armor rolled his eyes. "Security Chief Sarkin. Forget the introductions, does anyone want to explain why we're okay letting that thing back in here?"
Jin flinched and backed away, and Jimin tilted his head at that. However, the president calmed Chief Sarkin before shifting his attention to Jimin.
"My name is Logan, please forgive Chief Sarkin's outburst," the president, Logan, said. "We appreciate everything you've done to keep the UC safe, Captain. We hope you can give us insight on this sample and what it means."
"Mr. Kim believes this sample matches the tissue from the Terrormorphs that attacked Londinion. When I fought it, it was supposed to be young, but it gave me a rough fight."
"Amazing how he was able to beat it," Jin said, casting a knowing glance in Jimin's direction. "You have a truly remarkable Vanguard on your side, Logan. I hope you treat him well."
"Excuse me," Chief Engineer Kulkarni interrupted. "Let's stay on topic. This sample is frightening, sure, but not enough evidence to assume another Londinion will happen. Tau Ceti is an empty system, you were one of the only colonists there. Why do you believe there's cause for alarm?"
"I don't know, I'm just the guy who killed the bastard," Jimin said with a shrug. "Ask Jin, he was the one so insistent on coming here."
Everyone's gazes turned to Jin, and he cleared his throat as he stepped forward. His sneakers squeaked on the polished gray floor that had little stars painted there. They glimmered in the natural light coming from the window.
"I am requesting access to the Armistice Archives to find the Xeno department's data on the Terrormorphs. All the Londinion data is there, and if I can cross reference, I can prove this is a recurring threat. Terrormorphs don't just appear out of thin air, sir. They normally don't appear in new civilizations for at least a hundred years. Having one show up so early is beyond alarming, especially when you factor in how it matches the Londinion Terrormorphs."
The redhead shot to her feet. "The Archive is banned, and even if it wasn't, you'd have to get approval from the UC, Freestar, and Va'ruun to access it. What makes you think this data is worth going through those hurdles?"
"Maybe it's time the factions stop hating each other, just a thought," Jin said with an eye roll. "You know damn well this is a good idea. Dozens of colonists, my people, were slaughtered by a Terrormorph with the same tissue as the ones from the Londinion Terror. The only data about those Terrormorphs are in the Archive, so let me in. I'm the best Xenobiologist you have."
"Sir, I object to the very premise of this meeting," the redhead said. She huffed and turned to Jimin. "Apologies, I did not introduce myself. Alexandra Abello, at your service. I am the Chief Diplomat, so trust me when I say the Freestar won't agree to this. Maybe House Va'ruun, but honestly, no one's checked on the Va'ruun embassy in over a decade."
"That sounds like your fault," Jimin said, and the entire cabinet went quiet at that. "What? It's true. Hey, here's a word of advice, maybe if you didn't massacre innocent farmers trying to keep the Freestar alive, the Colony War would've never happened. So you're allowed to keep your little top secret SY-920 base in a star system not owned by you, but the Freestar can't try to farm to survive? No, any conflicts between the UC and Freestar is your fault. You opened fire on the Freestar for doing exactly what you're doing. It's not our problem you can't put your big boy pants on and talk to the Freestar like adults. What's the harm in trying to speak to them?"
The cabinet stayed quiet, and Jimin scoffed at that.
"I don't care about the Archive. I don't know if it'll help or not, and honestly, opening banned information doesn't sound like a smart strategy, but don't sit there with your woe is me attitude when the Colony War would've never happened if it weren't for you. Take responsibility for once in your damn lives and try to make amends with the Freestar. The Freestar will need to be mature adults too, but none of that can happen unless at least one of you stop hating each other for no reason."
"He's right," Sarah said, stepping forward. "I don't know if I feel comfortable opening the Archive over one sample, but this could be a way to bring the factions together. A common enemy: Terrormorphs. If you downsize it so only Jin and Jimin get to see the data, then there's less risk."
"Don't bother," Jin said with a tongue click. "They won't agree. It's not because it's a bad idea, it's because of me."
Jimin peeked at Jin. "What did you do?"
"Not me. My father."
"Exactly," Chief Diplomat Abello said with narrowed eyes. "At best, this is unwarranted panic that could upset the diplomacy of the galaxy. At worst, this is a power grab by the son of a bloodthirsty warmonger."
Jimin facepalmed and rubbed his head. "Hey, reminder that I'm a Freestar native. Does anyone want to clue me in on who the fuck Jin is the son of and why the fuck he's being blamed for his father's misdeeds?"
Cursing in front of the cabinet was probably a bad idea, but Jimin didn't care. If there was one thing Jimin didn't have, it was a filter.
"He's the son of Vae Victis, the one who bombed Londinion while innocent people were still on the planet. He murdered thousands," Chief Diplomat Abello said with a hiss in her voice. "He's not so innocent either, he was there when his father pulled the switch. He was the lead of the Xenowarfare division, he easily could have stopped him."
"Fourteen years ago? He was young-"
"Oh don't coddle him," she interrupted. "He's not as young as he looks. He was twenty-eight at the time, only two years younger than you."
Out of all the information he had learned that day, discovering that Jin was forty-two was by far the most shocking. The man didn't look a day over thirty, though Jimin had to admit the change in age did shift his perspective. Then again, Jimin didn't know enough about Londinion to know if Jin had any real involvement or say in the massacre. Jin was in a cabinet meeting, fighting to save innocent lives. If he didn't feel any guilt over Londinion, then what was the point of fighting so hard? It didn't make sense.
"I don't know Jin, I can't vouch for him, but I can vouch for the Terrormorph I fought. Besides, Sarah has a point. This is a chance to reconnect the factions over a common enemy and possibly prevent another Londinion in the process. I'm no scientist, but even I know this goes beyond Tau Ceti. If it happened on Tau Ceti, it can happen anywhere."
"It's not a bad idea," Logan said, and the others groaned at that. "Relax, it'll be under intense supervision, and Captain Park will spearhead the mission."
Jimin coughed. "Say what now?"
"You're officially a UC Vanguard, Captain. It's time for you to take missions, starting with this one. Once we're done analyzing the sample, I want you to speak to the Freestar and House Va'ruun representatives and convince them to allow you access to the Archive. Not Jin. You. Jin will eventually get the data, but as a compromise for my angry cabinet, he won't be allowed inside. Only you."
"What about Y/n?"
"Y/n? What about her?"
Jimin nibbled on his lower lip and wished he could bite his nails, but he held back. "She's the reason I'm in the Vanguard, she deserves to be part of this mission. She did just as much to take down the Fleet as I did. Without her, I'd be dead and the Fleet would still be around. With a sensitive mission like this one, I think it'd be a good idea to have a more trusted Vanguard around. I'm a rookie. She's a pro."
"Are you just saying that because of your relationship?" Logan asked, and Jimin glared.
"Excuse me? How dare you say something like that to me. Y/n is one of your most capable Vanguard pilots. She is one of five people in UC history to clear tier six in the flight simulators, and that's without going into how dedicated she is to the UC. Allow me to propose an alternative, Logan: either she's on this mission or I walk away and let the Terrormorphs come and eat you. How does that sound?"
"Are you threatening me in my own office?" Logan asked, and Jimin crossed his arms over his chest.
"Not really a threat if I can guarantee it'll happen."
More silence followed. Then, Logan laughed.
"Why don't we hire more Freestar? They're... feisty. Very well, Y/n can come with you. I'll make sure Tuala sends her a message when we're done with the sample. In the meantime, enjoy some time off. You've earned it. Does anyone have any questions?"
Oh yeah, a million. However, Jimin kept his mouth shut and thought about the plan instead. Jin would analyze the data from the Archive after Jimin and Y/n convinced the Freestar and House Va'ruun to open the banned knowledge. Jimin had no idea why it was banned, but if he were to guess, it was dangerous. Jimin knew better than anyone that knowledge was dangerous. It could sink an entire faction overnight, like it had with the Crimson Fleet. Jimin knew everything about the Fleet and had passed that knowledge to the UC. If he hadn't, the Fleet would still be alive.
Jimin didn't know what would happen if more Terrormorphs began popping up all over the galaxy. They could wipe out entire cities, like they did with Londinion. Meeting with the president only made Jimin's faith in the UC (not that he had any to begin with) waver more. They were faced with possible extinction and a giant threat that had destroyed one of their largest cities, yet they cared more about who Jin was related to. At least the president had the sense not to hold it against Jin that much, but there were three other cabinet members in the room who did.
"For the record, I don't agree with this," Chief Diplomat Abello said. "That knowledge is banned for a reason. The Freestar might take offense to it, and that'll make our situation worse."
Jimin grunted. "I know how to talk to Freestar, don't worry. Worry more about how many innocent Freestar people you slaughtered."
Without another word, Jimin stormed out and didn't care how bad of an impression he left on the cabinet. They were pretentious dickwads who cared more about Jin's father than the actual Terrormorph threat they were there to discuss. Jimin didn't know what he believed, but he knew the Terrormorphs were a threat. Whether that required opening the Archive or not was debatable, but that didn't change the cabinet's atrocious attitude.
That was why he hated politics.
Sarah and Jin came rushing after him but were smart enough not to speak as they descended down the elevator. It wasn't until they got outside MAST that Sarah whipped around to face him.
"What was that?"
Jimin brushed her off. "I don't care about the Archive, but holding Jin's father's sins against him isn't fair. And I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so rude, it's just... they're responsible for opening fire on the Freestar. Maybe they even indirectly killed my dad. I can't forgive that, Sarah. I'm sorry, I know you're a UC native, and I know the Freestar did bad things too, but that doesn't make the UC any better."
Sarah sighed. "I know, I'm not mad, I just worry this will hurt your position in the Vanguard."
"Who cares? I'm only doing this to stay close to Y/n."
"If you say so. I'll go back to Constellation, it looks like my job here is done. Make sure you tell Y/n before the end of the day, we don't know when they'll finish with that sample."
Jimin agreed, and Sarah said her goodbyes before leaving Jimin with Jin. Wonderful. It wasn't that he didn't like the scientist, but he didn't trust him. Jin had seen Jimin's powers. That made him a threat-
"I don't know what's wrong with you," Jin said, interrupting Jimin's thoughts. "But you have my word I'll never tell a soul about your... situation. I'm not asking you to tell me, but if you ever want to talk about it, I may be able to help."
"No thanks. I don't trust you."
"I get it, I'm not trying to pressure you, but I don't want you to worry. Even if I told anyone, they wouldn't believe me."
Jimin huffed. "Yeah, what's up with that? You're the son of a warmonger? Did you really have a say in the Londinion bombing?"
"No, people just like to blame me now that my father's dead. I was there on the Xenofare team, not leadership. Some people think he's a hero, others think he's a villain."
"And you?" Jimin asked, slowly.
"Both. He could've waited longer, he could've gotten more people out. Our troops were holding the Terrormorphs at bay. We had another day to evacuate, but he decided to pull the trigger early and evacuate VIPs only. He stopped the Terrormorphs from spreading, but at the cost of countless lives. The UC executed him for it."
"And they blame you?"
"Of course. It makes them look good." Jin stopped and placed a hand on Jimin's shoulder, which made him flinch, but he eventually leaned into it. "You did good in there. Thank you for not backing down, and for sticking up for me. I... it's been a long time since anyone's done that. You have my word if you need someone to have your back, I'm your guy."
"Whatever you say, old man."
"Hey! I'm a spring chicken, I'll have you know! The forties is the new twenties, but you wouldn't get it."
Jimin smirked. "Obviously not, I'm not old."
Jin said a series of words Jimin couldn't comprehend due to how fast he spoke. It was like he was rapping, but in all honesty, it was kind of funny. Then, Jin huffed, crossed his arms over his chest, and began strolling away.
There was no one around. MAST was rather empty due to it being for UC officials only, and they were outside and out of earshot of any guards. For some reason, Jimin couldn't help himself. As much as he didn't want to trust anyone, he found himself yearning for Jin's presence. It would take time for him to trust anyone other than Y/n and VASCO, but he had to try.
"I'm with Constellation," Jimin said, and Jin stopped at that. "We explore the secrets in the galaxy, and I... I found one. An artifact. It gave me gifts. We're still trying to figure out how it works, maybe you should come by the Lodge sometime. I'm sure our scientist would love to talk to you."
Jin stalled. Then, he came back over and had soft, genuine eyes. They were more genuine than anyone's on Neon's, and even more genuine than those he cared for, like Sarah and Sam. Jin's gaze made Jimin feel like a kid again, and he didn't know why.
"Are you okay?" Jin asked in a delicate voice that had Jimin realizing that no, he wasn't okay. The powers were awesome but dangerous, and, like with his mother being sober, he had mixed feelings about them.
Jin seemed to sense Jimin's internal conflict and cautiously embraced him. Jimin snapped his arms around Jin's back and forced his tears to stay in place. He wouldn't cry in front of a stranger, but Jin's embrace was so comforting, he contemplated it anyway.
"I'll help you, I promise," Jin whispered, and Jimin sniffed in a poor attempt to keep his voice from cracking.
"Thank you."
Jimin parted from the hug and tried to act like that didn't just happen. His hand went to his mouth, and he bit at his nails as Jin nodded. Jin left right after, likely knowing Jimin needed a moment alone.
He had to somehow unite the Freestar, UC, and House Va'ruun factions, gain access to the Armistice Archive, locate the Londinion Terrormorph data, and do all that before any new terror attacks happened, and they could happen at any given moment. If it happened on Tau Ceti, it could happen elsewhere. Yet, for some reason, his mind didn't focus on that. It didn't focus on his powers, or the Vanguard, or his mother, or even Y/n.
All he could think about was Jin's comforting embrace.
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First line of next chapter:
"Babe, guess what? You have a hot boyfriend!"
Next chapter's title: Park Jimin: Y/n's "Hot" Boyfriend
Yeah, just thought I'd share that-
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SEASON 2 EPISODE 3
𝐄𝐍𝐃
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A/N: I hope you enjoyed <3