UNKNOWN

He ran.

He didn't know what else to do, so he ran and ran and ran, Stevie an afterthought. The sight of his son crashing into the water has his adrenaline spiking so high it hurts. But again, an afterthought. Nothing else matters. No one else matters. Not even himself.

Jungkook spins his finger in a circular motion, a signal that tells Stevie to get to work with protecting the others Jungkook is yet to see the faces of. He sprints past the group, diving into the water and letting the cold substance prick at his skin. Instantly, goosebumps form. They form a wake on his body, waves crashing inside his mind as he opens his eyes, searching for Jeon Sehun. And for the first time in over a year, he sees him.

Sehun is coughing out bubbles, flinging his arms around to avoid drowning. Several creatures approach him, Sehun panicking and letting out whining noises. If he sees Jungkook, he doesn't show it. Or maybe he did see and wrote it off as a hallucination. Or he thinks it's one of his friends coming to save him. Jungkook doesn't let relief set in yet, not until his son is safe in his arms.

The Executive hears the sounds of Stevie's lasers going off on the surface, but he pays it no mind. Instead, he swims with all his strength, his red eyes and cheeks lighting the way. The creatures close in, about to bite Sehun when Jungkook takes out his pistol and fires. Although there's risk to Sehun, Jungkook knows it must be done. He shoots and shoots, killing the creatures while Sehun fumbles around. When the rest of the creatures get the hint, they snarl and leave. Jungkook grabs his son, and upon closer inspection, he sees Sehun doesn't have his eyes open. Poor kid doesn't know how.

Jungkook uses all his might to pull him toward the surface, his heart pumping so loudly it feels like it'll burst out of his ears. He nearly sobs from both relief and pain. Jungkook doesn't let that stop him, he only goes harder, gripping the mud and hoisting them up and onto the ledge. He gasps when he resurfaces, making his son a priority and putting him on his knees so he can cough up the water.

Sehun does; he chokes out so much of the liquid Jungkook's terrified his lungs will come with it. They never do. Jungkook pats his back to help it out of him, cleaning his ears while he does so. He turns to see the entire crew already done with their fight thanks to Stevie, them staring at Jungkook with their jaws on the ground. He scans over the crowd, his eyes stopping when he sees Namjoon and Jihyun next to each other.

The warmth that fills his heart has him sobbing, tears shamelessly falling off his skin. He did it. He made it. Jungkook kept his promise to Jimin. Every single one.

"N-Namjoon," Sehun says in a croak, Jungkook turning his water-clogged eyes to his son. His son coughs twice more, shaking water out of his hair. "Thank you." He shifts his position, opening his eyes.

Jungkook softly smiles when their eyes lock, a delicate smile that radiates the warmth inside him. The comfort. The love. Whatever reason Sehun has, whatever thought or speech he wants to give, it doesn't matter to Jungkook anymore. He won't even ask the reason, he doesn't care to know unless Sehun wants to tell him. All he cares about is that his son is right in front of him. And it's the most beautiful thing that's ever happened to him.

"Sehun," Jungkook whispers, the word scratching his throat as it leaves it. The crew give them much-needed privacy, backing off to chat among themselves. Jungkook doesn't pay them any mind.

Sehun's at a loss for words, his mouth bobbing open and closed. "D-Dad?"

"I came looking for you. Jimin and I both, we searched the outer rim for you and thought you left the system, so here I am," Jungkook says, gripping Sehun's shoulder tightly. But it's not enough for Sehun. Not enough at all.

Sehun dashes forward and breaks down, embracing his father and crying against his shoulder. Jungkook does the same, nuzzling his head against Sehun's neck and rubbing his back. "I'm so sorry. Dad, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." Jungkook shushes his cries, holding him closer than he was prior. His hand goes to the back of his son's head, stroking the soaked locks there.

"I'm here, we never gave up on you. We would never, ever give up on you, you hear me? I'm here, I'm real. I promise I'm here."

His son whimpers, Jungkook cradling him as if he were the same young kid him and Tae adopted all those years ago. "I'm such an asshole," Sehun whispers, his voice cracking at the end of it. "I didn't want to leave like this. I never wanted this, Namjoon and I just wanted an adventure, something that would make us feel like individuals. I'm so sorry, we never meant for this. We didn't want to cause you pain."

"We know. I know it may seem hard to believe, but we know. We still love you. Both of you."

"How long?"

"Huh?"

"How long was I gone?"

"A year and three months, almost four," Jungkook replies. Sehun grips him tighter, the tears increasing. Jungkook senses a panic attack incoming, so he forces Sehun's hands away and stares into his puffy eyes. "Why? What's going on?"

Sehun goes to check his wrist comm, then he sees the sparks and sighs. Broken. Jungkook's is the same way due to the water that's probably more than water. Namjoon kneels next to them, hugging Jungkook. He gladly accepts it, squeezing Namjoon.

"It was my idea. I said leaving the solar system would make a name for us, but..."

"I don't want to hear anymore apologies. It's okay," Jungkook replies.

They part, Namjoon showing Jungkook his wrist comm and pulling up a time. Jungkook furrows his brows, not quite understanding what he's getting at. "Time runs differently here. Much, much differently. Every day we spend here is 2 and a half years back at home," Namjoon says.

"Excuse me?!"

"We haven't actually been gone for over a year. In our time, we just got here thirty-six hours ago. Jihyun, Akira, and Rosalind have been here a little over a week."

Jungkook stands, staring at Jihyun. It's like looking at a ghost. His face goes pale, seeing the eyes of a young Jimin gazing back at him. It's uncanny how similar the two look, and if Jungkook wasn't around Jimin every day, he probably wouldn't even be able to tell the difference between their eyes.

"Jimin's been worried sick," Jungkook says, rushing over and hugging him.

Jihyun hugs back, patting his shoulder. "You got old."

"And you look like Jimin did twenty years ago. I can't believe it, you were missing for nearly two decades, but you've only been here a week?"

"Only a week. We lost most of our crew. Akira and Rosalind are my friends, two other survivors. Want to explain what you're doing with a flying robot?"

Speaking of, Stevie shoots another creature attempting to attack them, keeping guard while they catch up for the first time in, well, a day and a half for Namjoon and Sehun, a little over a week for Jihyun, and a year and three months or nineteen, almost twenty years for Jungkook. The concept of time boggles Jungkook's mind, but he knows now is no time for panicking.

"That's Stevie. Jimin made him. We crashed in a ship called the Astray, had to leave it behind to find you guys. Thanks for leaving footsteps and blood behind. Who's the one bleeding, by the way? Stevie can help with that."

"Oh thank the lord," Jihyun whispers, letting out a small breath. "Rosalind. She got injured from one of the creatures we fought. She might have an infection."

Stevie's already on it, investigating her wound and sealing it with his medical spray. "What the hell kind of medicine is that?" she asks.

"Healing gel, reseals the nerves and skin cells, heals any internal bleeding. Seals any cut you have and cleans it at the same time," Stevie replies in his familiar robotic yet masculine tone.

"What the fuck has happened with medicine in the last eighteen years?"

"You can thank Madam Forester, or Kim, whichever she prefers."

"Wait, Anya? I thought Sapphire would figure something like that out."

"Sapphire and Anya did it together. Anya figured out the formula, Sapphire did the process. It's a common theme with those two. Sapphire has been making major strides in the medical field with the help of her assistant, Mr. Jung."

Jungkook chuckles. Anya is the thinker, Sapphire is the doer. That's how it's always been, same with his treatment when his enhancements went away. Speaking of, they probably can't tell he's enhanced yet. Maybe due to the sky masking his face or the adrenaline spiking from meeting each other again.

"Let's move and catch up, I don't want to be here any longer," Jungkook says.

Akira, who was previously the commanding officer of this crew, steps down and allows Jungkook to take point, Namjoon, Jihyun, and Sehun by his side while Stevie keeps an eye on Rosalind, who's walking with Akira behind them. "Where's my dad?" Namjoon asks. Oh boy, here comes the hard part. The hope in his eyes is about to be crushed.

"He's not here, if that makes you feel any better. I made him go home and oversee the Tokyo. I didn't want to risk both of us in one trip, y'know? Especially when we weren't sure what was on the other side of the solar system. He's probably wondering why the fuck I've been gone so long. I couldn't have been here any longer than two days though, right Stevie?"

"Jungkook, I'm a droid, not an alarm clock. I haven't been keeping track of that," Stevie replies.

"You can shoot lasers but not keep track of time?"

"I didn't see it as necessary, sir. I've been documenting much of our journey, however. Pictures and videos."

Jungkook blinks at the bot a few times. "Wait, your camera roll is still intact?" Stevie dipped his body. "How much storage do you have left?"

"Not much, sir. I'm documenting only what's important. I have many other videos stored up from over the years. Commander Park has given me a lot of storage, but there's still many videos from the past."

"Well I think an alien world is more important than some videos from the past, right?" Jungkook asks, glancing over at the three people he recognizes. Sehun, Namjoon, Jihyun. He still can't believe he's here. In front of them. It brings a comfort he didn't think he was worthy of.

"I agree, but unfortunately without permission from Commander Park, I cannot delete them." Stevie hovers next to Namjoon, smiling his cyan lines in greeting. "Speaking of, Commander Park meant to assign me to you. I was his work-in-progress robot he wanted to give you when you went to explore on your own. Like a companion, sir. Jungkook, my apologies, but as I said, I take orders from him now."

Namjoon furrows his brows. "Stevie, I appreciate that, but I'm no leader. For at least the rest of this mission, listen to Jungkook. He'll get us out of this somehow."

"Yeah, speaking of that, where the hell are you guys going?" Jungkook asks.

"Good question," Akira says, shrugging while they travel. Stevie continues to protect them, some creatures attempting to hop out at them. He uses his lasers to kill them. "On the ship we were investigating, we got overpowered and forced into a portal they were hiding. Next thing we knew, we woke up here. We're looking for a return portal, but I'm not sure where that would be."

"Well that's a shitty plan," Jungkook replies, placing his hands on his hips. "Have you ever thought about making a portal?"

"Making one? Oh gee, why didn't I think of that?" Akira says. Jungkook raises his brows. "Oh shit, you're serious? How do you suggest we make a portal then?"

"Not entirely sure, but it's better than just searching for one and hoping for the best. We're being too passive. The longer we wait, not only do we lose more time but we also slowly lose our minds. Jimin and I went to Pluto and saw it happen there, the scientists were fucking crazy from being isolated for so long." Jungkook pauses to point at Sehun. "Sorry for the language."

"Jesus dad, show some fucking respect for the kids."

"You're grounded." Jungkook turns back to Akira. "Have you seen any clues on the way here? I followed your footprints and didn't really stop to observe." Akira shakes his head, so Jungkook glances at Stevie. "You notice anything off?"

"This entire place is off, Jungkook. It's so similar yet different from our solar system that it has even me confused."

"Great, the A.I. is confused," Jungkook says with a grunt.

They continue down the path, avoiding the water as best they can. Jungkook falls into his thoughts while staying close to his son. The warmth inside him blossoms more and more by the second, his bunny smile refusing to leave even though their situation is dire. Then, his thoughts hit him hard.

The Ring.

He stops, nearly tripping over his feet. The others stop with him, Stevie knocking down another fish. "Sir? What's going on?" Rosalind asks.

"Wait," Jungkook whispers, placing a hand on his head. He stares up at the sky, furrowing his brows. There's something about this place, something about the scenario they're in. His eyes widen, thinking back to his early 20s. And that's when it hits him. "The Ring never left." His breathing picks up as he turns to face Akira. The commanding officer has the same expression as him: a mix of horror and confusion. "All those years ago, the Ring randomly 'disappeared' is what our patrols said. We celebrated and went on with our lives, but it never left. It was never really gone."

"I'm sorry, can you explain in English what that means?" Jihyun asks.

Jungkook's just as astonished as the others, sitting back on the balls of his feet. Sehun steps forward, starting to catch on. "It makes sense now. Why our scanners are so messed up, why there's never been a case of someone leaving the solar system, why no trackers picked up any movement at the system's edge. The Ring didn't disappear. The Ring became the edge of the solar system. Leaving the system means entering the Ring," Sehun says. Sehun gazes at his father, wonder in his eyes. Jungkook's impressed to say the least.

He pats his son on the shoulder. "That's my theory too. It's the only logical explanation. Where else would the Ring have gone? It magically formed and magically left? No, that doesn't make sense. So now that leaves us with one last question: where the fuck did the Ring come from and what does it want from us?"

Based on the shrug the crew gives him, Jungkook can tell none of them have the slightest idea. Except for one hand that raises. Sehun's again. "This may sound strange, but is it possible it's like us? Explorers that wound up in the wrong place at the wrong time and got stuck with humans?"

"It's possible. I don't see many other reasons that would make sense," Jungkook replies, motioning for them to continue walking. They follow him, Sehun right next to him like a puppy. Jungkook wants to chuckle, but he holds it back. "It's really good to see you again, bud. It's also pretty nice knowing you didn't leave me for a whole year, you were just trapped in here. Now let's get back so Jimin doesn't get lonely thinking the same thing I did."

"What did you think?"

"That you and Namjoon ran away to start your lives over together. Not a bad ending for either of you, but it meant we were down one son." Sehun casts his eyes away, Jungkook wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "Don't feel bad, kid. We're here now. Isn't that all that matters?" Sehun doesn't answer. Jungkook nudges him. "Hey, come on. You know I'd wait my entire life for you, even if I only got to see you for a minute before I died, I'd say it was worth it."

Sehun cracks a smile at that, Jungkook returning it. "I love you," he says.

Jungkook is quick to ruffle his hair. "I love you too."

The Executive stares at Stevie, who's working tirelessly to keep them safe. Then his gaze goes to Namjoon and Jihyun, who are quietly talking amongst themselves, most likely about Jungkook's arrival. Probably the hot topic right now. They don't meet his gaze, so he glances at Akira and Rosalind behind them. They're murmuring to each other too, not paying attention to Jungkook. Finally, he turns to Sehun, who smiles upon seeing Jungkook's eyes. Jungkook keeps his arm around him, squeezing him ever so slightly. So, this is what it feels like. After getting a piece ripped out of him, his heart is back. The piece returned and he can breathe again. His baby is safe.

That's all Jungkook needs to be happy.