─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

SEASON 1 EPISODE 13

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Setting:

System: Porrima

Faction: None

Planet: Porrima II

Place: Paradiso

☆☆☆

Y/n

They were going on vacation.

After what Jimin had been through, they needed a break. Jimin had bounced around his room when Y/n had informed him they were going to Paradiso, a vacation planet in the Porrima system. Paradiso had no faction, which meant they would be free from the dreaded UC and Freestar arguments. Well, unless Jimin got in a fight with any UC guests. There was no guarantee he'd calm himself around any "UC dogs," as he called them.

With Jimin, Sarah, Sam, Barrett, and his robot friend VASCO, they went to Paradiso, and they were standing in front of the hotel with a glowing red sign on the top of it. The resort was gigantic and could hold over a thousand people. The highlights were the rooftop bar, beach right next to it, and various cafes and amenities guests could partake in. They had one day to soak in the sun and drown in alcohol. Everyone except Y/n, anyway. Universals didn't approve of alcohol consumption. As much as she broke the rules of her religion many times, she had lines she wouldn't cross. Drinking was one of them.

The group of six strolled down the cobblestone road that had huge trees with bushy orange leaves on either side of them. Their leaves were like a delicate sunset, and based on the pictures Y/n had seen in history textbooks, they resembled palm trees from Old Earth's California.

"Is anyone going to introduce me to the awesome robot?" Jimin asked with a spring in his step and a giggle in his voice. He had been jumping around and skipping like a middle schooler all day. Even with the heavy duffel bag in his grasp, he hopped on the heels of his feet and grinned. It showed off his toothy smile and crinkled his eyes.

"Greetings," the awesome robot, VASCO, said to Jimin in a robotic yet masculine tone. The robot was a stereotypical VAS model that had long arms that went all the way down to its calves. The arms were the longest part while the chest was bulky but small, same with the head. "I am VASCO, Barrett's VAS unit."

Jimin snickered. "Does he shoot lasers?"

"Damn right," Barrett said, making an explosion motion with his hand. "You think I wouldn't program that in?"

VASCO held up his lanky index finger. "Correction: You did not program me. VAS Corp did-"

"Okay, okay, no need to tell the new guy that," Barrett interrupted in a hurry, which caused Jimin to snort.

Y/n stayed in the back with Sam, who seemed less talkative than usual. Sam and Y/n had always had a complicated relationship. With Sam being a dad, he often had a soft demeanor, particularly for women, and Y/n knew that was thanks to raising a little girl in a massive, unsafe galaxy. At the same time, he was just as Freestar-blooded as Jimin. He never went as far as to insult someone for being UC, but he sure as heck made sure everyone knew how much he'd rather die than speak to UC officials. Sam almost didn't join Constellation when he had learned the Lodge was in New Atlantis. Y/n never understood. New Atlantis had been stomped on by the Freestar during the War, and they were still in recovery. It seemed like Freestar citizens conveniently ignored that fact. At least Jimin had acknowledged it and condemned his faction for it.

"I'm surprised you didn't bring Cora," Y/n said, trying not to pay attention to Barrett's obnoxious belly laugh that could break the sound barrier if he tried hard enough.

"I think the adults need this trip. Plus, she's having a blast learning all that science-y shit from Noel- or, sorry, science-y crap."

Y/n chuckled. "You know you don't have to censor yourself around me."

"Awh, I'm sorry Miss L/n, but I regret to inform you I don't do it for you, I do it for Cora. She already learned lockpicking from Vladimir, I'd like to keep her innocence at least a little."

She couldn't fault him for that. Vladimir, the Constellation member who performed deep space scans to locate artifacts, was an ex-pirate who hated social interaction more than Jimin hated the UC. That led to the man staying on the space station Constellation had parked in Jemison's orbit. Vladimir had named it the Eye since it peeked into the depths of the galaxy. Vladimir spent more time on the Eye than Sarah did downing Terrabrew coffee.

Speaking of...

"Alright, it's time for a coffee," Sarah said, clapping her hands together to interrupt Barrett and Jimin's conversation about VASCO. "There's a Terrabrew inside the hotel. If any of you try to cut me in line, you're getting docked a week's pay."

Jimin immediately slithered to the back and cleared his throat. "Go right ahead, ma'am."

"Pretty and smart, good," Sarah said with an amused expression.

"Wait a second, you think he's pretty?" Y/n asked a little too quickly. She faltered and stopped herself with a sheepish smile. "Anyway, Terrabrew. Let's get inside."

Jimin glanced at her and snorted before returning to Barrett's side and nerding out over VASCO again. That left Sam with Y/n once more as Sarah led the way to the entrance of the Paradiso hotel that smelled of sand and fresh ocean water. Oh, and alcohol. There were one too many drunk tourists wearing floral t-shirts on the benches outside.

"Y/n, is there something you're not telling me?" Sam whispered, and Y/n groaned.

"Don't. Just... don't ask. Jimin and I's relationship is complicated."

Sam smirked. "When did I ever mention Jimin?"

"I... Shut up."

Sam laughed at her, but she ignored it. For a split second, she wished she wasn't a Universal so she could flip him off- wait, she had someone who could.

Y/n stormed up and grabbed Jimin by the shoulder. The shocked man whipped around with both his brows shot up.

"Y/n, darling, at least take me to dinner first-"

"Shush. Flip Sam off for me."

"Gladly." Jimin flung him off, and Sam did it back. Jimin, for good measure, did it with his second hand too, which resulted in the two of them having a middle finger battle where they attempted to look more menacing while flipping one another off.

Sarah facepalmed. "This is why Sam isn't in charge."

"Wha- hey! Jimin started it!"

Jimin gasped. "Did not! Y/n started it!"

"VASCO, you're officially the only one I like," Sarah said, and VASCO made happy beeping noises. Without waiting for the others to reply, Sarah rushed into the hotel to find her precious coffee, and Y/n and VASCO decided to follow. When she peeped back, she spotted Sam and Jimin still flipping each other off while Barrett belly laughed and almost fell over from the force of it.

The interior was more elegant than the Lodge. With white walls and tropical flowers painted all over the place, Y/n determined the lobby was worth more than her entire life. The ceiling wasn't high, yet it wasn't low either. It had bright lights that mimicked the color of the walls and fake vines that hung off them. On the left side was where Terrabrew was, right across from the tea shop, Tranquilitea. Why a coffee shop was right next to a tea shop was beyond confusing to Y/n, but she didn't bother asking any questions.

On the right side was the core of the lobby where the reception desks were along with a small waiting area with more couches than Y/n could count. Straight ahead, in the back of the room, was the elevator and gift shop. Y/n didn't enjoy spending her credits on anyone other than her parents, so she opted to follow Sarah to the Terrabrew instead of shopping for herself.

Sarah ordered and leaned against the counter with Y/n coming up next to her. The blonde crossed her arms over her chest and met Y/n's curious gaze.

"I can order you one, if you'd like," she said.

Y/n shook her off. "No thank you, I'll stick to ice cold water for the day."

The lobby had gentle violin music playing while guests chattered. They were soft-spoken and didn't make enough noise to disrupt Y/n's train of thought. Both Terrabrew and Tranquilitea had one employee each, and they crafted their drinks as if they had the most important jobs in the galaxy.

Y/n watched the others trickle inside the hotel, and Jimin seemed to almost trip when he saw the wide space. It was no Neon, that was for sure. It was far more elegant, but it also had more nature than most places. Potted mini trees were scattered around the lobby for decoration. They had a pine scent that meant nothing in comparison to the coffee beans swelling inside Y/n's nostrils. The aroma only amplified when Sarah got her order.

She took a sip and grinned when she was done. "Ah, that hit the spot. Now I can deal with Barrett's 'humor.'"

"Tell me about it," Y/n said with a snicker. "The day he stops joking about his dead husband is the day Jimin stops hating the UC."

"Yes, I forgot I'm working with not one but two UC haters."

As if on cue, Sam bumped into Jimin, which resulted in the two of them having what appeared to be a fake argument that ended with them getting way too close to one another. Y/n wasn't allowed to drink, but watching the scene made her wish she had a shot.

Sarah snorted. "Oh no, is someone jealous?"

"I- Sarah! Since when do you get involved in my love life?"

"So you admit it's a love life?" she asked with waggling brows.

"Oh good lord, Jimin's rubbing off on you too much. I regret bringing him here."

"Mhm, sure. And that's why you've been staying up all night?"

The question caused Y/n to freeze. Recently, whenever her and Jimin stayed at the Lodge (which was often), Y/n had stayed up. Not just because of the nightmares, but...

"The other day, he was there for me when I had a nightmare," Y/n said with a shaky breath. "My past isn't pretty, but neither is his. I know he gets bad dreams too, and I... I don't know..."

"You want to be there for him, just in case?"

Y/n shrugged. "Something like that."

No, it was exactly like that. She didn't want to risk Jimin having a nightmare without her around to help. That led to her staying up until the sun rose and she heard Jimin doing his morning workout. Then, and only then, would she allow herself to rest. For the past week, she had gotten four hours at most. Her eye bags were heavier than usual, but she didn't regret it. If there was even the tiniest chance Jimin would get a nightmare, she saw it as worthwhile.

"What about you?" Y/n asked, and Sarah quirked a brow. "I mean, if you know I'm awake that late, that means you are too, right?"

"And here I thought Vladimir was the observant one. Okay, L/n, you win: I'm staying up as late as you."

Y/n smiled and resisted the urge to laugh at Sarah's teasing tone. "Do I get to know the reason why?"

"I'm Constellation's chairwoman, I never got sleep to begin with," Sarah said. It was a statement that could easily come off as bitter, but her words were light. Maybe even delicate. "The artifacts are the greatest discovery we've ever made. Noel's ripping her hair out over the data, so the least I can do is stay up and help. Whatever it takes to crack the secret."

"What do you think the big secret is?"

"Hm, maybe intelligent alien lifeforms. Maybe future humans giving us a clue to start a new future."

"A new future?"

"Of course," Sarah said, and she broke off so she could drink from her coffee. "I believe the future is constantly changing. Look at Earth. At one point in our history, we thought we'd never leave Earth. Now Earth is uninhabitable and we're dominating the stars. What we know now may not be the same fifty years from now, and these artifacts could be a keyhole giving us a glimpse at who we'll become."

"That's really sweet, Sarah. I've always liked your speeches."

"I feel like I need to give more. Energy's been low around the Lodge, we're all exhausted from researching and trying to locate these artifacts." Sarah paused to smile at Y/n. "It's nice to know I inspire at least one person."

Y/n put her hand on Sarah's shoulder. "You inspire us all. Not everyone can be optimists in this day and age. Pirates, Ecliptic, Spacers, House Va'ruun... how can we stay positive when those murderers are running around our galaxy? But you do."

Sarah put her hand over Y/n's. "And so do you. More than you know."

Barrett approached before Sarah and Y/n could continue their talk. However, Barrett, who was normally carefree and exuberant, came over with a sense of hesitation. He even fiddled with his fingers and avoided eye contact.

"What'd you do?" Sarah asked, and Barrett snapped his head up at that.

He waved his hands back and forth as if they were his white flags. "Not me this time, I swear!"

Y/n groaned. "What'd Jimin do?"

"He got us kicked out."

"Already?!" Sarah asked, her voice raising by an octave. "We've been here five minutes!"

"Hey, it's not my fault you brought a criminal to paradise!"

Y/n peeked over Barrett's shoulder and saw a smiling Jimin getting dragged out by security. He met Y/n's stare and gave her a wink that made her wish to shrink away and hide. If anyone asked, no, she did not know him.

"He tried to pickpocket one of the guests," Barrett said. "We can stay on the beach, but Jimin's banned from the hotel. As for us, we're kicked out for the day."

Barrett scurried away before Sarah could react to the news. Funnily enough, Sarah had no reaction other than to chug the rest of her coffee, toss it in the trash, then facepalm.

"Y/n, sweetheart," Sarah said, but it sounded muffled behind her hand. "Why him?"

Y/n glanced over and saw Jimin giggling when he got thrown out. He had a toothy grin on his face, and he even fist bumped VASCO. She could hear his words despite being somewhat far away.

"It's not my fault! His credits were just-" Jimin broke off to continue giggling. "-hanging out of his back pocket. What was I supposed to do?! Not try to take them?!"

Y/n turned to meet Sarah's eyes and shook her head.

"Well, at least he's cute."

☆☆☆

At dusk, the Constellation members decided to take turns interrogating Jimin.

They were sprawled out on the soft sand as the moon cloaked them in a sheet of white. Sarah, being the lightest one of them, shined like a ghost. It didn't help that her sharp blue eyes contrasted the paleness the rest of her body had.

"So, Jimin," Sarah said in a slur. Sam, Sarah, and Barrett had been drinking, Sarah most of all. Y/n knew she had been struggling keeping Constellation in order, and she would say the drinks were well-earned. "Tell us about Neon."

Jimin, who was half-dead and laying on a blanket while shirtless, whined like a toddler. The last time Jimin had been drunk, he had been fun and pouty. Now, he was a groaning mess who could barely form a coherent sentence.

"Neon... drugs... bleh," Jimin said in a grunt. He lifted his head up from the blanket, which showed off how sand pressed against his right cheek. As for the left, his black hair fell flat against it and covered one of his eyes. "Don't go."

"Amen to that," Sam said as he took a swig of his beer.

They had a cooler placed in the middle of them that had a plentiful amount of bad beer. It smelled like what Y/n imagined rotten toothpaste was. Luckily, the smell was the only irritating thing she had to deal with. The crowds were far away since Constellation stayed near the back in their own little corner, far away from the chatter and loud, annoying noises.

Y/n had mixed feelings about beaches. They were beautiful, sure, but sand made her cringe. Her toes making contact with the golden beads of death made her want to die a little. Getting dirt or grime in between her toes was a no for her. She could perform maintenance on her ships and get oil all over her with no problems, but any gross particles that fell on her feet would make her jump out of her own body.

"Nice tattoo," Sam said to Jimin, and Y/n realized she had a better view of it than the last time she had seen his back.

His skin was smooth and glistened in the moonlight. The black ink crawled up his body and appeared majestic, almost making him look more angelic than usual.

Jimin snorted. "I got it for my mother, it's her favorite flower. My only friend on Neon did it for me."

"That sounds real nice, bud," Sam said with a gentle smile. "Your mother's lucky to have a great son like you."

Jimin laughed and rolled onto his back. "Right? I give her all my credits, all my care, all my time, and she still doesn't love me." Jimin giggled and grinned. "That's so funny, isn't it?"

VASCO, who sat behind them and couldn't pick up on social cues, tilted his head. "Mr. Park, my systems say that is either dark humor or not a joke, therefore not making it funny."

"VAS," Barrett said, and though it was meant to be a warning to shut up, Barrett's drunken state made it sound more like a squeak.

"I'm sure she loves you. Who wouldn't?" Sam asked, ignoring VASCO and Barrett. "You're a pretty swell guy, Jimin."

Jimin laughed harder. "Do swell guys torture and kill people?"

At that, the entire group went quiet. Sarah snapped up as if all the alcohol had been drained from her system in that moment. Her eyes narrowed on Jimin.

"You did what?"

Jimin did a small, cute nod like a puppy. "I helped Hoseok torture someone, and when he was done, guess what? He made me kill the victim. I'm such a swell guy, aren't I?"

Y/n frowned and went to his side, laying down next to him. Jimin glanced over at her, and she placed her hand on his bare shoulder.

"You didn't have a choice, Jimin," she whispered, rubbing her thumb over his skin. She scooted a bit closer and stroked her hand through his hair the way she knew he liked it. "You're doing this to save millions, maybe even billions, of lives. It'll be over soon, I promise."

He didn't break eye contact with her. "You don't know that."

No one spoke after that. It went quiet for far too long, but Barrett, ever the spirit-lifter, clapped his hands together. All eyes fell on him, and he extended his arms as if he were about to hug all of them.

"I think this calls for a drink."

Jimin shot up and grabbed beers from the cooler, distributing them to the team. Jimin plopped back down next to Y/n, and she sat up to watch him take off the twistable cap the container had. He downed the poor alcohol in less than a minute. When he was done, he turned to her and burped in her face.

"Again? Really?" she asked as she recoiled.

He grinned. "Yes."

"As enthralling as watching this is, it isn't," Barrett said as he motioned to VASCO. "VASCO has something to tell you guys."

"That is correct. Earlier, I received a transmission from Vladimir. He states he found something new."

"An artifact?" Sarah asked, and VASCO shook his bulky head.

"No, ma'am. The signal is stronger. Perhaps an answer to our questions, but it is in deep space. It is in the Serpentis system."

Just like that, everyone's faces fell. All except for Jimin's. He glanced around at the group and brought his brows together.

"Sorry, am I missing something? What's wrong with the Serpentis system?"

"It's where House Va'runn live," Sarah said with a sigh. "Well, so much for that. Tell Vladimir to keep looking, but we aren't going there."

"I'll go, I have no problem with those bitches," Jimin said. He snatched another beer from the cooler and popped the cap off. "If I can handle pirates, I can handle those... uh... what do they worship again?"

Sam grunted. "It's so stupid it hurts my brain. They worship some space serpent and say it speaks to them every time they make a grav jump. That's why they have no specific home planet, they just stay in space in the Serpentis system. Rumor has it that they do grav jumps every day just for the chance at seeing their precious space snake."

House Va'runn weren't people to mess around with. There were three leading factions in the Settled Systems, but most tried to avoid talking about House Va'runn being one of the three. They would point to the UC or Freestar, but Va'runn zealots were tabooed. It was the second-largest religion behind being a Universal, but unlike Universals, Va'runn zealots thought anyone who wasn't a believer deserved to die. Maybe all those grav jumps did something to their brains.

"Well, that's fucked up," Jimin said with a short nod before turning to VASCO. "Where's the signal coming from exactly?"

"Serpentis-II."

Jimin shifted his attention to Y/n. "Madam L/n, will you do me the honor of being my pilot?"

"Jimin, that's suicide-"

He cut her off by grabbing her hand. After a beat, he loosened his grip but still held on. She could see the tears wavering in his eyes, begging to release themselves, but Jimin held them back. Soft, broken breaths left his parched lips.

"I've... I've done enough harm," Jimin murmured, lowering his gaze to his lap. "For once, let me help. I want to help you guys."

Sam threw back the rest of his drink and set it down in the sand. "Fuck it, I'm in. You'll need a good gunner, and I'm great at that."

"And me," Barrett said with a smile. "I have a death wish anyway, might as well make it come true!"

"Hilarious," Sarah said in a grumble. Then, she stared at Jimin. "I would be all noble and offer to go, but I should gather a backup team and be ready to save your sorry asses when this goes south."

"Oh please," Jimin replied with a hand wave. He batted his eyelashes as he peered at Y/n. "We have an excellent pilot, we'll be fine."

Y/n scrunched up her nose. "Ew, you smell like alcohol."

As if to tease her, Jimin opened his mouth and blew hot air on her cheek. That resulted in her shoving him back. The boy fell into a giggling spree while he kicked his small legs. As much as it hurt to see him in such a terrible state from the torture he had performed, his giggles were healing. Every squeaky noise that came out of his mouth made her feel at ease. Almost like he was a second home for her.

They dialed down after that and discussed details of the plan, but not much could be done when they were A) drunk and B) away from the data. They'd form a more coherent plan when they got the readings from Vladimir. For the time being, they enjoyed their peaceful night.

Unfortunately, their peace was interrupted by crunching footsteps behind them.

The group turned and saw a tall man approaching, his face obscured by darkness; however, Jimin hopped to his feet and held up his hands as if he were about to get attacked.

"What the fuck are you doing here?!"

The man came into the light, and that was when Y/n saw the face of a surprised Jeon Jungkook. He had a tropical shirt on and cargo shorts that showed off his admittedly massive thighs. Despite the heat of Paradiso (and, y'know, the fact that they were on a beach), Jungkook wore thick, black combat boots and took a sip from a bendy straw coming out of a small container labeled as banana milk.

"Well," Jungkook said after swallowing his drink. "I don't live on the Vigilance, believe it or not."

"No shit? I thought you sucked Yoongi's metaphorical dick all day."

Jungkook sighed. "You're so lucky I'm off duty."

"Oh no, I'm so scared," Jimin said with an eye roll. "Constellation, this is bunny man. Bunny man, Constellation."

"Jeon Jungkook," Jungkook corrected, shaking his head. "I'm so sorry about hi- oh my God. No way. There's no way I'm standing in front of the legendary Sarah Morgan."

Sarah raised her beer to him. "In the flesh. You're Commander Min's assistant, correct?"

Jungkook rushed over and sat next to her. "That's right, I was just a trainee when you were around. I've only heard about you from stories. Is it true you saved an entire battleship full of UC fighters during the Narion siege?"

Sarah winced, but she covered it up with a smile. "That was a long time ago."

"You should be proud, you inspired an entire generation of fighters. Me included."

Jimin huffed. "Whatever, bunny boy. No one cares about your nerdy fanboying shit. You never answered me. Why are you here?"

"I was born on Porrima-III," Jungkook said with a hitch. He coughed. "Next to the Red Mile."

The Red Mile, one of the most infamous places in the galaxy. It was a messed up gambling spot where people would volunteer to be "runners." It was an arctic planet where mini versions of dragon-like beasts roamed the surface, firing poison at anyone who went too close. The challenge was for runners to sprint to the beacon a mile away then return safely. Not many survived. The patrons of the Red Mile placed bets on the runners. They placed bets on other people's lives. It was disgusting to say the least.

"But this isn't Porrima-III, it's Porrima-II," Jimin said. "Still doesn't answer my question."

Jungkook set his jaw. "I'd rather be here than home. Happy?"

Jimin beamed. "Very. It's my life goal to make people uncomfortable."

"This is why he's my favorite person in Constellation," Sam said with a snicker. Then, his face went pale. "Don't tell Sarah I said that."

Sarah whacked his cowboy hat off his head, which resulted in Jimin rolling around in a fit of laughter. Barrett pretended he wasn't there and hid behind VASCO, who didn't seem to take the hint. The robot kept turning to face his owner and revealing Barrett's position. Meanwhile, Jungkook brought his knees to his chest and didn't make eye contact.

That was how the rest of the night went. VASCO and Barrett went back and forth between hiding and scolding each other for existing, Sarah and Sam wrestled (and Sarah won every time), and Jimin couldn't seem to decide if he wanted to laugh or throw up. He opted to sink his face against the blanket and fall asleep. That meant they had to deal with snores as loud as Barrett's laugh.

One by one, the group retreated to the ship to make the long journey home. Due to their tight schedule, they didn't have time to stay overnight (and thanks to Jimin getting them kicked out, they couldn't anyway), and Y/n would be flying them home. Sarah was supposed to be the mom of the group, but it appeared as though Y/n took that role for the time being.

Eventually, Jungkook, Y/n, and Jimin were left on the beach. There was distant chatter from other beach goers and the occasional splash of a wave. The waters were far calmer than most beaches Y/n had seen, though the scent was far more potent. The salty smell invaded her nose and warped her mind. It brought memories of when her father used to bring her to the beach not far away from New Atlantis. They had collected seashells and named each one. There was Fred, Ron, George—all the most basic names she could think of, she had named them.

Jimin snored and didn't so much as stir. That gave Y/n permission to join Jungkook, who stood by the gentle waves but not quite close enough for the water to touch his boots.

"Do you know what it's like to watch your home get destroyed piece by piece every day?" Jungkook asked, and Y/n stiffened at that. He didn't bother turning his gaze to meet hers. "The pirates did that to me. I watched as the Red Mile got built not far from my house, and soon enough, I was being evicted. All because of pirates, Ecliptic, Spacers... they thought gambling was more important than human lives. My family lives in an old pirate spaceship that hasn't flown in years. They only got it after I killed the pirate captain. If I didn't, we'd be living in the arctic. We would've died. All because those pirate assholes destroyed my neighborhood for credits. That's why I'm here. Paradiso's close to home, but not close enough to remind me of all I've done just to survive."

Y/n approached and halted right next to him. Cautiously, she placed her hand on his elbow, and he flinched at the contact before sighing and leaning into it.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to dump that on you," he mumbled, keeping his eyes on the waves. "But it's not like I have anyone to tell. Everyone in SysDef has a sob story with the pirates. Jimin yawned at the thought of me having a traumatic past. I don't know, it's just..."

"Jungkook." She kept her voice low and as soothing as possible. "You're allowed to have emotions. You're allowed to struggle."

He laughed. It sounded bitter. "I've read your file, Miss L/n. I know the horrors you've seen. Why aren't you yelling at me? When compared to you, I've seen nothing."

"It's not a competition," she said, and it was the truth. "You don't have to feel bad about this. About wanting to talk to someone. About wanting help."

Jungkook rubbed his nose and sniffed. "Yeah, maybe." He trailed off and cleared his throat. "Hey, I should probably get going, I already crashed your Constellation party enough. I didn't realize you guys would be here. All I wanted was banana milk, and, shit, Paradiso has an endless supply of it."

She chuckled. "For whatever it's worth, I'm glad we got to see you, even if Jimin won't remember it."

Jungkook snorted and glanced back at Jimin. Y/n did the same, and they saw Jimin was turned on his side with his knees tucked to his chest. He was still fast asleep, though his snores were far softer. His hair pressed flat on his face and covered most of his eyes. His cute button nose was scrunched up, likely from a dream. She hoped he was somewhere nice with his mother, holding her hand and telling her a dumb story about one of his many adventures. She hoped his mother would listen and thank him for what he had sacrificed for her.

"He's an asshole," Jungkook said, and Y/n couldn't disagree with that. "But something tells me he's not too bad. Maybe I'll even like him one day."

"Good luck, he gets off to the thought of hurting the UC."

He smirked. "Aren't you a Universal? Are Universals allowed to make dirty jokes?"

She nudged him. "Shush. I'll see you around, Mr. Jeon."

Jungkook took the hint and departed the scene. Y/n packed up the cooler since none of her friends had done it. As if sensing beer was nearby, Jimin snapped awake and grabbed her wrist. Immediately, he released it.

"Oh, it's just you, sorry," he said in a slur. He burped... again. "Where are the others?"

"They're having an orgy with VASCO."

Jimin hopped to his feet. "Without me?! Shit, I need to see Sam shirtless. Where where where where-"

"Jimin," she interrupted with a laugh, sliding the lid on the cooler and handing it to him. "I'm kidding. Come on, we're going back to the Lodge to sleep for twenty hours."

"Can't say no to that."

Jimin held the cooler as the two of them strolled down the coast. Gentle waves danced their way over to Y/n's side, and she felt overwhelming joy creep inside her stomach. Foam from the water tickled her sneakers, and she did a small hop to avoid it.

Jimin chuckled at that. "Come here."

She did. As soon as she was within his reach, he used his free hand to grab hers and intwine them together. Years of UC training gave her the strength to not blush and giggle like a school girl, but she couldn't hide the warmth that exploded throughout her veins. Clamminess stretched down her fingers, and she found herself averting her gaze.

"Neon is always so warm," Jimin said with a tongue click. "All that steam and the closed space makes it like a, uh, greenhouse effect, I think? But here, it's nice. It doesn't feel as suffocating."

Jimin released the cooler and circled around so he could be on the side with the water. He bent down and ran his fingers through the cool waves, all without loosening his grip on her. She knelt by his side and watched every shade of his hickory irises as they absorbed the sight before him. The dark horizon freckled his face with dim lighting, revealing the tiniest pores on his skin. She burned each one into her memory.

He flicked his gaze over the entire landscape, lingering on the trees and flowers nearby. She didn't recognize what species any of them were, but they had vibrant red, orange, and yellow colors that blended together to create a sunset-like palette.

Jimin attempted to peek at his back, but he gave up a moment later. "My mom loves padauk."

Seeing as he was shirtless, Y/n got the perfect view of his back tattoo. The way the ink framed him made him appear like a lost prince.

"She likes... or, liked, random history. The stuff you don't hear about as much," Jimin whispered, and he paused to laugh at how the water splashed up on his knuckles. "She always read stupid books about flowers, and she read about the Myanmar Migration that happened before Earth died. They did their best to take their country and put it on a new planet, and that led to the padauk fields somewhere in the Ixyll system. 120 systems, yet they chose Ixyll in deep space. Grav drives weren't even that strong, but they were so determined they made the giant leap anyway. My mom promised to take me there one day."

The water slithered away from him, fizzling between the gaps of his fingers and returning to the mass of the ocean. Jimin let it go and scanned over the environment. Then, he smiled.

"I know she doesn't love me, Y/n. Sometimes I wonder if she even knows I exist. She's too busy snorting Aurora to listen to a word I say... but I still believe her. I still believe she'll take me one day. Maybe it makes me stupid or even pathetic, but I want to believe it. I want to believe her."

Y/n tightened her hold on Jimin and used her free hand to rub his bare back. He leaned into the touch and shut his eyes, a shaky breath leaving his nose.

"I miss her," he said, his voice falling flat. A crack wavered in his tone, but he swallowed before it could destroy his words. "I love her."

Y/n knew no words could heal his wounds. All she could do was rub his back and listen, and, above all else, acknowledge his pain. So, she kept her body close to his as she peered out at the ocean with him.

"I know."

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Paradiso photos:

Paradiso lobby

Paradiso Terrabrew

Paradiso Tranquilitea

Paradiso resort rooftop bar

Paradiso beach

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─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

SEASON 1 EPISODE 13

𝐄𝐍𝐃

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

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A/N: I figured we'd slow down and have a character chapter since everything's been insane up until this point. The next two chapters are gonna be wild, so buckle in cause shit's going down.