Chapter 22 will be the last one!
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The lights continued to stay off for a whole day. Since the blizzard outside was not yet ready to move on the team took another day off and spent their time inside trying to introduce Waddles to Yohan in the most diplomatic way possible. The Snow Stalker was not too fond of the little bundle of teeth and fury that now crossed his paths regularly, but he accepted it as a minor inconvenience pretty quickly.

Hongjoong was bored. He had spent the morning lazing around in bed with Seonghwa until the indignant screams of Wooyoung and San, who were in a fight about pickles with Mingi had risen them.

Jongho and Yeosang had also decided to sleep in, so Hongjoong soon found himself curled up under a blanket with a cup of coffee in his hands while he babysat the kids. Seungyoun was there, too, for the damage control and played in some corner with Yohan and Waddles.

From how the morning had started Hongjoong expected a slow day that they would spend leaning over databases and samples of DNA. He had wanted to ask Seungyoun about the Shadow Leviathan, too, but all of these things were put on hold when Seonghwa emerged from their weather observatory with a frown on his face.

Hongjoong was the first to notice, lifting his chin towards the man worriedly.

"What's going on? Trouble?"

Seonghwa nodded slowly, thus gathering the attention of the rest of the troop, too. San finally quietened down in his place on the threshold between the living room and the pool area. The silence was a blessing to Hongjoong's still sensitive ears.

"After our call with Eden yesterday, he sent me some data on when he was planning to come here. He said he wanted to depart today, but had yet to figure out if he would be able to. I wanted to inquire about it just a few minutes ago, but I can't get any signal. No matter what I try."

His frown looked distressed, so Hongjoong worriedly got up to walk over and wrap the man with him into his fluffy blanket. Distractedly, Seonghwa pulled him close while he was still trying to get a signal.

A tense second passed, then he shook his head while biting his lips. He was oozing frustration about the failure in the system but tried to dial it down for all of their sakes.

"Nothing. San, could you try, please? Maybe my comms are damaged, it wouldn't surprise me. Sometimes my body parts experience fallout." He was rambling to make himself feel better, and Hongjoong supplied him with supportive arm rubs so that the man could calm down again. They watched as San's eyes became glassy, and he searched his databases.

A few seconds later, he shook his head.

"I can't reach them either... What's going on?"

Hongjoong guessed that waking Yeosang would be fruitless. It seemed as if the problem was elsewhere.

"How does our connection with them work? A satellite?"

San slowly nodded, coming back into focus. He exchanged a glance with Wooyoung, both frowning.

"Yes. The signal gets sent from us to the Communication Tower on Delta Island, then up into the void to an Alterran satellite and back home."

Hongjoong nodded pensively, still leaning against Seonghwa's body. The man was distracted by his tries to get through still, but he didn't forget to gently run his fingers over Hongjoong's skin in an adorable attempt at offering comfort either. Hongjoong didn't know who he was trying to calm. Himself, or Hongjoong.

"Maybe the satellite took damage? There are a lot of meteor showers around this planet, after all."

Not a day passed without Hongjoong seeing one of the fiery projectiles in the distance. Some were near; others were far. Some even hit the planet somewhere in the ocean. They were easily able to destroy a satellite.

"I don't think so. They are specifically designed with forcefields to keep such dangers away, and they are built outside of the paths of everything up there. It could be a possibility, yes, but I think the risk is little. Since there are drones and ships everywhere up there, too, I doubt that they would wait for a whole night to get it repaired." San gave an apologising smile. Hongjoong nodded at him, visibly deflated.

Wooyoung worded all of their thoughts.

"So it has to be the tower."

Unsure, they exchanged glances. Seungyoun looked the most confused out of all of them since he had no idea about any of these things, but he kept politely quiet and saved his questions for later.

Yohan was the most unbothered and happily chewing away on something that Hongjoong for a long panicked moment thought was Waddles. However, when he spotted the little Pengling curled up against the white fur of Yohan's side, nuzzling into the warmth, he relaxed again.

"Jongho said that they had checked everything at least thrice. Shouldn't it be equipped for a storm like this?" Wooyoung sounded sceptical. San rose to quietly wander off and ask the two missing members of the team about the matter.

Hongjoong shrugged helplessly when the physicist stared at him, seeking an answer.

"I don't know. I would have thought so, too, but it appears as if it's broken now."

They fell silent again, waiting for the answer to this riddle to drop from the skies. Outside of the windows, the snow still angrily swished through the foggy air. Sometimes lightning interrupted the white mess and made the steep walls of the cliffs appear in the distance like a looming monster.

San returned with Jongho and Yeosang, the two newcomers looking even more distressed than the rest with their wild hair and tired eyes.

"I swear, we've made sure it should be alright! From how that storm currently is doing, we have at least room for double as much trouble before the tower would even give a warning signal! There is no way that it would just simply break over something like that!"

Jongho was agitated, so they were quick to sit him down and give him a cup of tea. Hongjoong lent him his blanket since the whole trouble made him feel stuffy anyway.

The man complied only slowly, but then started angrily slurping his tea soon. Yeosang spent a second whispering with San before he went to join his boyfriend to rub his thigh supportively.

"Well, that means we will just go over there and fix it. It won't be much of a problem for you guys, and within a few days the signals will be back online, won't they?" It was Yunho calling from the next room over where the two mutants were intently listening in to the conversation. At the question, Hongjoong inclined his head towards Seonghwa, waiting for him to reply.

"Yes, that's true. I guess Eden will have to reschedule his plans." Seonghwa was back to his calm and collected self. When he finally pulled back from Hongjoong, he even managed a little smile before passing Jongho with a gentle pat on the man's shoulder. He disappeared in the Weather Observation Tower.

Hongjoong crossed his arms as he turned to look at the group.

"So when will we go? And who?"

"I reckon we go sooner rather than later. Having us off their screens will do well for neither Alterra nor us. Since I don't want to trouble any of you, though, I would say we send two androids, Mingi and Yunho over. That should be a good team." As usual, Yeosang was the most responsible out of them. At his words, everybody agreed with a hum or nod.

"If something does happen, though, we should send another human. Just for the balance of it. Since they are with the four others, it shouldn't be a problem." Wooyoung added seriously. His whole face looked older when he wasn't his usual smiley and giggly self.

"Then how about this: two androids, two humans, and Yunho and Mingi. The last team will stay here and check if the signal gets through."

Collective agreeing. Then, they exchanged glances.

"I think Seonghwa might want to join. Maybe also Jongho and Yeosang? Since they were there before and knew their way around the machines. Then I would stay here." San was by now sitting next to Yeosang and Jongho on the couch; one arm was thrown lazily behind the headrest behind them. He appeared eerily human.

Hongjoong nodded quickly.

"Seungyoun, you stay, too. No offence, but you might slow us down. I will join. And you too, Wooyoung. I won't leave San and you alone here." Yeosang warningly rose a brow at the human that was about to explode with protests. At the challenging look on Yeosang's face, he quietened down, just sulking in his corner.

"You won't be gone for long, Woo. We can play again later." San winked at his boyfriend, making him turn away his head with a blush. Hongjoong rolled his eyes at them.

"Alright, then San, Seungyoun, and I will monitor. Let me just tell Seonghwa real quick, and then you can go." Hongjoong was standing closest to the door Seonghwa had disappeared through, so he hurried to catch up with the man. The voices behind him grew distant and became a white noise of low murmur in the background as he climbed the latter to the little observatory.

Seonghwa was sitting inside with the same frown from earlier etched into his forehead. He was watching the data of the storm constantly shift on the screen. When Hongjoong came in and found him staring at the mess of white snow, he barely lifted his head.

"Seonghwa."

"Yes, love?"

A smile broke out on Hongjoong's face, making him hum shyly. Seonghwa's expression smoothed out, his eyes soft as they met Hongjoong's.

"Do you want to join the party going down to Delta Island and fixing this? I will stay here, but San suggested you go."

Hongjoong waited patiently while bobbing from his toes to his heels. He watched Seonghwa stand and turn off the computer in the room, making the little blinking lights disappear, too. They were bathed in the pale blue emergency light that gloomily lit Seonghwa's features from above.

"I will. Thanks for telling me."

Hongjoong chuckled, raising his arms when Seonghwa stepped in to embrace him. His back gently connected with the wall through Seonghwa's hands as a cushion as the android connected their lips in a sweet kiss.

As Hongjoong closed his eyes, he felt all stress melt right off him as if Seonghwa's kiss was a stream of cooling water. It took all his worries away as he fell into the press of soft lips and a warm tongue.

A sigh got lost somewhere between their mouths, and Hongjoong comfortably tipped his head back against the wall so Seonghwa could kiss down on him better. The human felt tiny squished between the wall and the android, but he liked it, more than he cared to admit.

One of Seonghwa's hands that were securely holding onto Hongjoong's waist and back pulled away to angle his head just a bit more. Seonghwa's lips trailed off, further down to press gentle kisses all over Hongjoong's neck and jaw. Hongjoong's quick breath sounded harsh in the little room as he arched further into his lover.

Seonghwa kissed him once more, deep and intense in everything that he did until Hongjoong forgot where he was. When the android finally let go of him, he leaned their foreheads against each other with a giggle. Hongjoong let go of a breath he didn't realise he was holding.

"Are you having fun, Mister?"

"I am. I know you are safe in here but take care anyway. And protect my son. I don't trust San with him."

Hongjoong snorted. Seonghwa's eyes twinkled as if they were holding the stars.

"Who would. I will take good care of him. You take actual care, though. That storm sounds less than comfortable."

Seonghwa caressed his face, not missing the chance to press a lingering kiss to Hongjoong's forehead. The human felt his face grow hot.

"I will. As long as we move in the water, we will be fine, and we will hurry with the business on the island."

Hongjoong nodded, believing him. There was no reason for him not to. Seonghwa was the embodiment of caution and with the team around the risk of something happening was below zero. Much rather, they would come home with one leviathan trophy more rather than a person less.

"Okay. Then let's get ready. I'm sure Wooyoung will thank you if he gets to be back home where it's warm, and San is sooner rather than later."

They giggled as they made their way back out and began preparing.