MILKY WAY TIME: 1 YEAR 3 MONTHS SINCE NAMJOON AND SEHUN WENT MISSING

SEHUN'S TIME: 12 HOURS SINCE HE WENT MISSING

Sehun stares at the picture, tracing his fingers down it. The picture Namjoon drew for him a while back. He stares at the art depicting him as a dancer on stage in front of adoring fans, the spotlight shining on him. All done with a pencil. He folds it up again, tucking it in his pocket where it's always been. They all have their things, don't they? Sehun's is a drawing, Namjoon's is his family crest. He ponders what Akira, Rosalind, and Jihyun carry, if they carry anything. It's been years, after all. Times change. Maybe Sehun's generation carries things while Jihyun's doesn't.

Sehun's used to being alone, and now's no different. He's in the bathroom near the exercise room, tapping his fingers on the sink and staring at his mucky face in the mirror. Based on the clock he set on his watch, it's been about twelve hours since they've gone missing. If they do the math, it's a little over a year and three months back home since they've been gone. That is, if this time theory is correct. It most likely is. Sehun's telling himself sweet nothings, but he knows it's real.

The reflection that stares back at him doesn't feel like himself. It feels like he's staring at a demon. If he squints hard enough, he can see the horns peeking out of his hair. He didn't realize he punched the mirror until blood drips onto the clean sink. He blinks a few times, snapping back to reality from his trance and washing his bruised, bloody hands under the cool water. It brings him temporary peace.

The water shuts off seconds later, but not from his own doing. Sehun peeks up in time to see Namjoon there, the two locking eyes. God damn those gorgeous eyes of his. The eyes that relax his beating heart for a moment. "You have to stop doing this to yourself," Namjoon whispers.

"Doing what?"

"Blaming yourself for every bad thing that happens. We're kids, Jeon. We make bad decisions and mistakes. We're reckless, especially together. This was my mistake, not yours."

"I flew us into that field. I crashed our ship, the only way of getting home, and now by the time it gets repaired we won't have a home to go back to. My siblings will be in their eighties at best, my parents dead from old age if the cruel universe didn't take them out first. Oh, and to top it all off, we could be inside a new version of the Ring with aliens lurking around. All of this because I couldn't do the one thing I thought I was good at."

"And what's that?"

"Flying," Sehun whispers, averting his eyes from the taller of the two.

Namjoon takes a cautious step closer, Sehun calming himself. "You're not perfect," Namjoon says, placing his hand on Sehun's shoulder. "Neither am I. The last thing I want is to go home to a family that's gone. I love them too much to let that happen, but panicking and punching mirrors and walls isn't going to do anything."

"I didn't punch the wall."

"Yet. Don't think I didn't notice the dents on the wall in the bridge." Sehun stays quiet. "Or the dents in your room from the few times you let me come in. Or how about in the greenhouse in your corner-"

"You've proved your point, no need to make me feel worse."

"My goal isn't to make you feel worse. That's the last thing I'd ever want to do." Namjoon pauses to come a bit closer. "You're the most important person in my life right now. I know this situation sucks, hell I almost bawled my eyes out, but if we panic and act rashly, we'll make it even more miserable. Do you want that?"

Sehun whips around to lock eyes with him. "I keep messing up. Why is that?"

"What? You've done nothing wr-"

"My parents are going to wait years for us to come home. Not days, not weeks, not months: years. Years wondering where we went and why we went there. We could lose everything we've ever loved because we couldn't keep our dicks in our pants and wanted to be more than what we are."

"What are we, Sehun?"

"We're Jeon's and Park's. You carry that stupid emblem around with you all the time but act like you don't want to be a Park. I act like I'm more important than I am because unlike my siblings, I can fly." Sehun pauses to snort. "Or maybe I can't. Who fucking knows anymore."

Namjoon sighs as Sehun lets his hands hit the sides of the sink, the mirror cracked, shards of glass on the end of the sink and the ground. "You know, I wouldn't say the crest is stupid," Namjoon says, taking a few steps to stand beside Sehun.

"Alright, how about dumb?"

"Yeah, dumb works better."

Sehun stares at the cuts littering his knuckles, many scars on the tips of his fingers from years of lashing out like this. "I'm gonna shower," he says, turning back around. Namjoon places his hand on Sehun's chest. "What?"

"Get out. I have to pee."

"I seriously have to wait outside for the twenty seconds it'll take you to piss?" Sehun asks.

"Yeah, otherwise you'll stare at my dick."

"I have no interest in seeing it," Sehun replies, though deep down both him and Namjoon know that's not true. Not true at all. Sehun and Namjoon have been friends since childhood, but only recently has it become more serious. Sehun knows this event will only bring them closer. Sehun's dads said they got closer when they experienced trauma together. Sehun hopes this isn't trauma, but he already knows it is.

"Fine, go ahead then," Namjoon says. Sehun strides over to the cabinets, pulling out a towel and opening the curtains to the shower. He places the towel on the rack outside it, stripping out of his shirt. He hangs that up with the towel, ruffling his messy hair. That's when he feels eyes on him.

"Thought you said you didn't want me staring. What's this now?" Sehun asks. He turns around in time for his air to leave his body. Namjoon is much closer, mere inches away. Their breath is soft and warm, touching each other's lips and leaving tingles down Sehun's arms and legs. They peer at one another for a few moments, Namjoon's towering form coating Sehun's body in a shadow.

"Don't look at my dick," he whispers, brushing his thumb across Sehun's lower lip before backing away. His heart starts again, his eyes observing Namjoon as he goes back over to his original spot. "Take a shower, Sehun. We have a long journey ahead, now's not the time to get distracted." Excuse him? Is he not the one cornering Sehun?

Sehun clears his throat and shifts his gaze away, his pulse at an all time high while his fingers tremble from the proximity they shared. That has to be the most intimate they've ever gotten over the years. Sehun's lips beg for Namjoon's, but for now, Joon's right. They can't get distracted.

Not now.

~~~

Akira Cromwell stands there, Sehun staring at the back of his head. His eyes are away from Sehun, not bothering sparing him a glance. "We need to talk about our plan, don't you think?" Sehun asks, approaching. He stops by his side, gazing out the window. They're in the cockpit, Jihyun long gone after determining there's nothing they can do for the ship. That was what Sehun expected. It still hurt when he got the answer, though.

"I don't think you understand how this works. We're in alien territory. We don't know where we are or where we're going, there's not much we can do except beg and pray that this works out for us. My crew has been trying for a week. One week and we've lost eighteen years."

Sehun softens once he hears the pain hiding behind his tone. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. I don't have anyone waiting for me. But them? Rosa and Jihyun? They're important, not only to me, but to the solar system. I want them out of this hell as soon as possible, even if I had to stay behind."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that. There's gotta be something we can do. Tell me about this place, what kind of data do we have so far?"

"Well, it seems like there's multiple parts to this world. Where we came in, it was almost like Hell. The sky told us that not to mention there were abandoned structures. Not like home... they were mostly spheres. Perfect spheres with runes carved into them. It almost seemed like they were made out of clay. It took us a day to traverse that. Next was a grassland, but the grass was tan."

"Tan grass?"

"Tan grass. Never seen anything like it. We were so desperate for food that we ate it. Jamal got sick and he... he didn't make it. The rest of us did. Took us two days to get through that grassland. There's been no change in weather here. It's been a constant breeze with no rain or sun or even moon. The only light is the red sky. It never changes. I'm not sure why. There's a lot of weird fucking shit in this place."

Sehun eyes him, noting a peek of a tattoo on the side of his neck. "Right. What about the other parts? Where did you pick up the creatures?"

"That wasn't far from here. There's a whole different segment of this world. It looks like Earth. There were trees, just not green. They were like the sky: red. That's where we found most of our food. There were berries growing, some water inside them so we could stay hydrated, but there weren't enough to go around..."

He pats Akira on the shoulder. "It's okay, you don't have to go into detail. I understand. Thank you for sharing all this."

Akira shakily sighs, nodding his thanks to the younger man. "It's like this planet isn't just a planet. It's multiple planets merged together. Some look like hell, others look like heaven. I don't get it."

Sehun strokes his chin with his fingers, glancing out at the rock structures in front of them. "Is it possible this planet is adopting other worlds and putting them here? Or maybe this isn't a planet. We'd have to get a view from afar to be sure."

"What else could it be if not a planet?" Akira asks.

Truthfully, he's not sure of that answer either. But, he has a guess. "A whole solar system. We don't know how the universe works. We have to be open to all different types of possibilities. What if this solar system is an entire stretch of worlds combined into one? It'd explain why each segment is vastly different."

"That's not bad," Akira replies. "Better than anything I'd come up with. Not bad, kid. Not bad at all. It'd explain why there's such a sudden change in environment." There's a beat of quiet. "Back home, I went on a cruise with my buddies, went far out to sea. Far enough to see where salt and fresh water met. It wasn't like anything I've ever seen before. Mucky, gross water met this beautiful blue water. That's what this world is like. It's the same body of water, but two different types."

"You're from Earth?"

"Born and raised in Tokyo. That's why I signed with, y'know, the Tokyo. Figured it'd be symbolic."

Sehun points to Akira's neck. "That where you got your tattoo?"

Akira chuckles, pulling down his collar so Sehun can see it fully. It's a medium-sized tattoo, the ink forming the shape of a star. "Probably stupid to have a star tattoo, but it was the name of my first real friend."

Sehun goes quiet a moment. "Was?"

"Even our advanced tech can't stop some illnesses," Akira murmurs. Sehun doesn't press any further. They fall into a short silence, Akira observing the landscape. "We've been here long enough. Either the creatures aren't coming or they passed us and somehow we didn't notice."

"Or they're smart and are hiding, waiting for us to come out."

"Or that."

Sehun gazes at him instead of the scenery. "How did you guys stay alive?"

Akira shows his wrist comm, the thing displaying a timer. "Even though our systems are down, I still have basic controls on my wrist comm. The watch goes by Earth time. We've been in here about 180, 181 hours. Hunted by creatures and forced to have grass be our nutrition. That's how we survived. Hell, most of us didn't. I would describe the signal we investigated, but it's been eighteen years since that day apparently."

"I know it's not worth much, but I really am sorry this is happening to you. You don't deserve it." Akira's thanks shows in his dark eyes, Sehun sighing. "I think I'm gonna go outside. Your wrist comm give you the data on that?"

"Oxygen levels are the same as Earth. Atmosphere is pretty much identical despite little change in weather. That's what makes this place so fucking weird, if you'll excuse my language." As if Sehun hasn't said worse. "Rosalind is our closest to being well-versed in science, and even she's baffled by this nonsense."

"Where is she?" Sehun asks.

"I saw her heading up to the top of the ship where Jihyun is."

Sehun eyes him. "Jihyun not giving up?"

"Not particularly, he definitely got that trait from his brother, not that I knew Commander Park well. He raised your best friend, probably part of you, too. Probably interesting being the son of the Jeon and Kim men. You see the similarities?" Akira asks.

"Honestly sir, I'm trying not to think about them."

That answer causes Akira to shoot his eyebrows up. "They're the thing waiting for you back home. I have nothing to go back to, nothing to hope for, but you have two fathers and countless aunts and uncles. Surely they aren't bad to you, they're the kindest people I've ever met from the brief interactions we've shared."

"The reason why Namjoon and I are here is because we're morons who couldn't listen to our parents. Thinking about them hurts, if you will. We've been here less than a day but it feels like I'll never see them again. That's why I'm not thinking about them. Every time I do, more guilt comes." Sehun pauses to let out a breath. "Regret is the shittiest emotion, you know?"

Akira somberly agrees. "Felt that one too many times."

Sehun notices the man's slumped shoulders, but doesn't pry. "You know, when I was fourteen, I put gum in a girl's hair. She had to cut a huge chunk of it out, took almost a full year for it to grow back." Sehun pauses to shake his head. "Not sure why I thought of that, just... randomly popped in my mind."

The older of the two pats him on the shoulder. "We're shitty people leading shitty lives. There's not much we can do about that. The most we can do is hope for the best," Akira says. Sehun and Akira lock eyes, Sehun frowning. "What?"

"You idolize him, don't you?"

"Who?"

"Commander Park. Jimin, whatever you want to call him. I doubt he'd be offended if you called him Jimin now."

Akira hesitates for a moment. "That obvious?"

"I've heard him say that line before at one of his speeches, probably around ten years ago when he spoke at the Ganymede Monument. I'm guessing you joined the Tokyo because of him?" The silence that follows is an answer. "Him and Jungkook are two of the greatest men alive. I just hope they still are when we find a way out of here."

"What would Jimin say in a time like this?" Akira asks, but it doesn't sound directed at Sehun. More of a general feeling that floats in the air between them. A feeling Sehun isn't sure how to decipher. He chooses not to, pushing it away altogether. "Gear up. We need to get moving now. We can talk more when we're safe."

"Funny how you'll have a whole new generation of people to talk to when we get back."

Akira walks to the edge of the cockpit, pausing by the end for a moment. "If we don't move quickly, you and Namjoon will be the same way."

Sehun knows he didn't mean it harshly, he meant it in a motivational way, but he still feels a twinge of hurt stir inside his chest. That's when a recognizable taste hits his tongue, flaring his nostrils. Metallic and cold, almost like the copper of blood. Fear. An emotion Sehun's felt many times, but this seems to be the most abundant of cases.

He wipes the corners of his lips as if that'll omit the taste, following Akira out of the cockpit seconds later. The commanding officer is already in the bay, standing near the airlock and putting on armor. There's plenty of extra thanks to Jimin's neediness for safety, a neediness that matches his hormones around his wife. Part of Sehun toys with the idea of thinking of only the Park's, not the Jeon's. Maybe if he only thinks of one family, not his own, it'll distract him. Trick him into thinking it's alright when it's far from that.

A rush of relief flushes to his cheeks when Sehun spots Namjoon not far, helping Akira gather gear. Akira is quick to handle himself, departing to presumably scale the ship, alerting Jihyun and Rosalind to their new objective. Sehun approaches Namjoon, cherishing their moment alone.

Namjoon turns to him with those same deep eyes Sehun adores. As if remembering their interaction earlier, they both scratch the backs of their necks, their eyes averting for a second. "Are you ready to go?" Sehun asks. It's a pitiful attempt to make conversation, but it's an attempt nonetheless. Better try something than nothing.

"Not really. You?"

"Not really." He shifts his gaze toward the open airlock, footprints dug into the rocky substance. The footprints are a mix of the entire crew's, varying shapes and sizes. "You know, out of all the weird shit we've seen, there's one thing I find pretty ironic."

Namjoon keeps his eyes on the outside, as does Sehun. Funny how Sehun barely processed the situation. He still hasn't. He could die here, or worse, he could return so far in the future, there's nothing left for him. He's nothing more than a bad memory to his folks. Sehun's not sure what's worse: being forever trapped here, or returning only to never see his fathers again. He chooses the latter.

"What?" Namjoon asks. The delicacy of his tone has Sehun's eyes and heart softening, bliss threatening to poke through his chest. Even in the darkest of times, at least he has these feelings. The cliché butterflies, the hammering heart, even the clammy hands. They all combine, building more and more until Sehun manages to smile despite it all. A painful smile, but one that they both need.

"The Moonchild is back, but this time with an entirely different crew."

~~~

A/N: This story has been moving at a fast pace so far, starting with Jihyun's whole thing, then Namjoon leaving, Jikook leaving, now they're on a new planet, etc. So I thought we'd take some time to explore character and settle down, give you time to process everything. I hope you enjoyed, and lmk what you think! Add the story to your library if you haven't already, and follow for more! ~ Jiminbiasnim (sometimes Jungkookbiasnim. Depends on who's tiddies she likes more on what day)