─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

SEASON 2 EPISODE 14

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Location:

System: Volii

Faction: Freestar Collective

Planet: Volii Alpha

Place: Neon

A/N: Just a warning that from this chapter onwards, Starfield is going to get much darker. This chapter is going to be the tone setter for the rest of s2 and s3. It may not seem that way at first, but this chapter will get very dark toward the end.

Season 3 will be the emotional low of the book, and this is starting that downfall.

This is a very intense chapter. It covers dark topics and is probably the heaviest chapter so far.

☆☆☆

Y/n

Being Jimin's girlfriend was wild.

It had been three weeks since Jimin inherited yet another power; however, that wasn't what was on her mind. What was on her mind was the fact that they were in their room in the Lodge, which had a fixed door Walter had paid for. They were in bed, but, more importantly, Jimin was next to her with his left hand down her pants.

Again.

That was the ninth time that week. The ninth.

And it was frick fracking Wednesday morning by UTC standards.

Jimin was in heat or something. Ever since he had discovered the joy of fingering his girlfriend, he hadn't stopped. It was like his version of Aurora. Y/n wouldn't complain, but not once in her entire life had anyone been so touchy with her. Beyond that, not once had she ever allowed anyone to be so touchy with her.

Jimin hit a particular area inside her that made her yelp and dig her nails into his bare shoulders. He snickered and skimmed his nose by hers.

"Is that the spot, princess?" he whispered, and he rubbed his fingers over it again and again and again. Slowly, too. "Do you like it when I touch you there, hm?"

"You're such a..."

He smirked and kissed the side of her head. "Go ahead. Finish the sentence."

To tease her, he stopped moving his fingers, and she glared at him. Finishing the sentence would mean he'd throw her around like a ragdoll until she couldn't walk. The odds were she'd lose all sense of self in the process. As much as gentleness was the theme of their relationship, in the bedroom, the opposite was true. Jimin proved that.

Every. Single. Time.

"Just keep going," she said instead, and he chuckled before tackling her to the bed.

From there, he continued his onslaught against her. By the time he was satisfied with how much she shook and whined for him, sweat covered her head, and her lungs shriveled up inside her from all the panting she had done. With a smirk still on his face, he leaned on his side and waggled his brows.

"Loud today, eh?"

She resisted the urge to punt him to Pluto. Without mumbling so much as a syllable, she curled up on his bare chest and glanced at him. His lips were parted enough for her to see his jagged tooth, and it rubbed against his plump upper lip. A rosy shade painted his mouth in beauty, and she couldn't help herself: she kissed him.

He laughed into it, causing it to be short-lived. He laughed so much, he almost fell off the bed. That was quite the feat considering it was king-sized.

"My love," he whispered as he nuzzled his nose against her neck, peppering soft kisses there. "We should get up."

"I don't wanna move."

He giggled. "Cute, but we have to. I have a long day planned."

"Do I want to know why?"

No answers popped into her mind. The UC didn't need them, Jin was on Mars researching solutions to the Terrormorph problem, and Constellation had no new artifacts or temples. They had nothing to do. At least, Y/n thought so. Then again, no one could predict Park Jimin.

He grinned. "We're going to Neon."

She groaned and rubbed her head against his chest. "Why?"

"So you can meet my mom, duh."

Alright, that wasn't on her bingo card.

Jimin had been avoiding his mom ever since he had visited her all those months ago. Sarah continued to keep her in check, but to Jimin, it didn't change how he felt. Every time Y/n brought up flying him to Neon to visit her, he got quiet, and the last thing Y/n wanted was Jimin quiet.

She tilted her head. "You want me to meet your mom?"

"Of course. You're the woman I'm gonna marry, and my mom needs to be at the wedding."

She sighed. "Why are you being so cute when you just fingered me until I could see the gates of Heaven?"

Another laugh burst out of him. Their cuddling ended so Jimin could kick his feet and throw his head back against the pillows. His body bounced from the impact, and his chipped tooth jutted out from his open mouth. His eyes scrunched up, as did his nose, and a dimple appeared on his cheek, right under the freckles.

"It wasn't that funny," she said, though she couldn't stop her giggle. Most of that was from Jimin's reaction.

He dialed down and smiled. "No, but you said it, so that makes it funnier."

"You're obsessed with me."

He took the back of her hand and kissed it. "It took you this long to figure that out?"

They went back to cuddling with his hand brushing through her hair. He massaged her scalp, and the tingles that brought made her eyes heavy despite how they had woken up not long ago. His heartbeat remained steady as she rested her ear against it to hear every beat. The thump thump of his chest caused her to yawn and bury herself against him.

"Do you think she'll like me?"

He rested his chin on the top of her head and hummed. "If we get up, we'll find out."

"Ugh, booo. Fine, point taken. Let's move."

Jimin snorted at her as she maneuvered herself out of bed and to their closet. Into her Vanguard gear she went with her familiar red jacket covering her shoulders and leggings hiding her lower body. Meanwhile, Jimin got into his typical attire and swung Hoseok's scarf over his shoulder with his gloved hand on his hip.

"Does my ass look fat today?" he asked, and she rolled her eyes.

"You know it always does."

"I know, I just wanted to hear you say it."

From there, the duo departed the Lodge, said their goodbyes to Sarah and Noel, then went to the ship. Jungkook, Sam, and Cora were there, same with VASCO. That caused Y/n to stop and tilt her head.

"I asked them to join our crew, remember?" Jimin said before high-fiving VASCO. "Where's your bestie?"

VASCO held up his lanky index finger. "Correction: Barrett is as far from my 'bestie' as one can get. 'Most disgusting person in existence' is a far more accurate term, and he is sitting in the pilot's seat."

"That's my seat," she said with a pout, and Jimin wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Let's go get it back."

As soon as Y/n stepped foot inside the cockpit, Barrett yelped and scampered to his feet while waving his hands back and forth. He flashed a toothy smile that pulled up the long hairs of his beard that hadn't been trimmed in too long.

"Was just looking at the view," Barrett said in one breath.

Y/n facepalmed. "Barrett, it's New Atlantis. You live here. What view are you looking at? I know what you're doing, don't bother lying. Don't touch my stuff. Now shoo."

Barrett huffed and stormed off while Jimin laughed and plopped into the co-pilot's seat. Y/n checked to see what controls Barrett had tampered with, but only the drive had been touched.

Barrett had two fears:

1) Running out of jokes

2) Lack of control

Anytime Y/n had gone on a mission with Barrett, she hadn't been allowed to fly despite being the superior pilot and Barrett being the superior gunner. Although inviting him to the crew had been a decent idea, it'd take a couple months before Barrett relaxed enough to let Jimin and Y/n do their jobs leading the crew.

Y/n recalibrated the drive's controls to match her fast-paced flight style. Once she finished, she went to power up the engines. Jimin placed his hand over hers to stop her.

"It's..." Jimin trailed off, and when she peeped up, she spotted a soft smile on his face. "Maybe Barrett had a point. It's nice up here."

Over a decade of piloting meant she had seen the view of New Atlantis' spaceport tens of thousands of times, yet she had to admit, in moments like those, she forgot what it looked like. So, she examined it.

Before her waited towering trees with bushy leaves and weeping canopies, guards patrolling with their AA-99s pressed against their sturdy armor, people huddling together and avoiding where the Terrormorph attacks had been. No blood stained the concrete, but the cracks remained. Protests erupted near the front gates. Signs spelling out Who's Next To DIE waved in the air.

Y/n winced. "This is... nice?"

"Well, on Neon, the spaceport view is normally people getting dragged out while high on Aurora and with no pants on. Do you have any idea how many dicks I've seen that aren't my own? Like, look, men are hot... sometimes... but I don't want to see that many dicks, y'know? Like, mine's enough." He paused to smirk. "More than enough. So maybe be grateful New Atlantis' worst view is protests and not a bunch of dicks."

Y/n powered up the engines. "I could have went my whole life without knowing that. Thanks, babe."

He kissed her cheek. "Awh, baby, I love you so much, I just had to share. You love my Neon stories."

It was safe to say the rest of the ride stayed silent.

Y/n jumped them to Neon and got them past the scans while playing classical music on the speakers. It came from Barrett's collection. Jimin preferred hip hop, Y/n preferred gospel, and Sam preferred country.

How original.

By the time they made it to Ebbside, Jimin and Y/n strolled the bustling streets while the others waited on the ship and made sure no psychos attempted to break in. Not that anything of value hid in the cargo bay of Jimin's ship, but still.

Steam hissed by her cheek. It stung from how hot it was, but it didn't burn. He pulled her closer to help her dodge the piles of fecal matter on the sidewalks, which was probably—hopefully—human. Homeless lined the narrow streets and catcalled her. Every time a man opened his mouth, Jimin stomped on their toes.

The tiny home came into view, though calling it "home" was generous. It was a tube more than anything. A tube of gray with a flickering light and cracks bordering the exterior.

Two men stood near the front, and Jimin whistled to grab their attention. Both had dragon-like eyes—literally. They glowed gold as if enhanced, and their eyebrows sat on their foreheads in bushy, untrimmed lines. The one on the left had his dyed pink. They wore tank tops with sweat stains, and when they smiled, half their teeth appeared yellow. The other half shined pitch black.

"Mr. Park," one of them said with his arms extended. His voice was high-pitched and dipped up and down like a phugoid cycle. More moisture dripped down the side of his bald head when Jimin stepped closer.

"My woman and I are here to visit. Scram."

"Yes sir."

The two dashed off, and one, the one who hadn't spoken, was in such a rush that he bumped into Jimin. He bowed and apologized, but Jimin shook him off. As soon as they got out of sight, Jimin cleared his throat, and she groaned when she saw a glittering credstick in his grasp.

"Did you seriously pickpocket him?"

Jimin grinned. "Yes. He bumped into me with creds hanging out of his pocket, okay? It's his fault, not mine."

"Whatever you say, sweetie. More importantly, why were they talking to you like that? Are you that famous here?"

"I'm the best hacker here, everyone knows me. But no, that's not why. My mom's recovering from an addiction. When Sarah's not here, she needs guards. I pay them well, and good ole Mon over there lets me know if they've been doing their job."

He pointed to the woman who sold sleepcrates for a living. Although Y/n had seen her a total of once back when Jimin had been a space stripper, she recognized the woman. If not because of her refusal to make eye contact, then because of the gold eyeshadow that made her otherwise pale face look like a circus.

"They did their jobs," she said without taking her eyes off her nails.

Jimin mocked her by mouthing her words, then he entered the sleepcrate his mother lived and found her laying on the bed with more metal than mattress. Her hair draped over her face, and saliva trailed down the sides of her mouth. Snores as loud as Neon's thunder spewed from her cracked lips, but at least no purple color stained them that time.

Jimin shut the door and kneeled in front of her, shaking her. "Ma, wake up, you need to meet my wife."

She grunted and rolled on her side. He tapped her shoulder a few times, then, he huffed and lit up his hand, firing a particle beam at the wall. A roaring bang! reverberated across the metal and melted it. A hole formed where a wall had once been.

Well, Jimin liked nature. It was only a matter of time before he got a window.

She snapped awake at that and glared at the hole. Then, she whipped her head around to Jimin. Right when she raised her fist, she froze and lowered it.

"Oh, it's just my boy. Why didn't you say anything?"

"I tried. You ignored me."

"Sorry, buddy." She got up and stretched, yawning and scratching her head. After a beat, she stiffened. "Wait a second, why is there a hole in the wall?"

"Sarah never told her?" Y/n asked with a raised brow. "Your own mother?"

Jimin threw up his hands as if they were white flags. "In my defense, she's spent most of her life high. You really think she'd believe me?"

"Believe what?"

"Nothing, Ma." He paused to motion to Y/n. "We have something more important to talk about."

"More important than a hole in my wall?"

He huffed and patted his thigh holster, where his Eon rested. "I melted it with my new pistol. Incendiary rounds. Happy?"

"Fine. What's the more important thing?"

Jimin extended his arm to Y/n and beckoned her closer. She fiddled with her fingers before obeying and joining Jimin's side. He kissed the side of her head and squeezed her.

"Ma, this is my future wife."

His mother gasped and squealed, jumping closer and engulfing Y/n in her arms. She yelped at the sudden contact. As much as being accepted was important, so was personal space, something Y/n valued above most things. Having strangers touch her made her want to do cartwheels off the top of New Atlantis' MAST skyscraper. Still, for Jimin's sake, she returned the embrace.

"You'd look beautiful in white," his mother said in one rushed breath. Cracks littered her voice as she held Y/n tighter.

Y/n patted the woman's shoulder. "Thank you."

His mother pulled back and smiled. It crinkled her eyes and extended the wrinkles on her cheeks. Her teeth were thin and lacked color. They were gray more than anything else, though Y/n felt yellow would be better than transparency. If she squinted, she swore she could see nerves hanging out of the tiny enamel.

His mother plopped down on the bed. "Come, sit. Tell me all about you."

Jimin guided her to the "mattress" and helped her down. He remained standing and leaned against the wall (not the one he blasted) with his arms crossed over his chest and his one foot off the ground and against the structure behind him. His knee jutted out, causing the navy blue, wavy fabric of his jacket to rub against his long pants.

In the (few) relationships Y/n had had, none of them resulted in meeting other parents. So, it was safe to say she was beyond unprepared for a discussion with her future husband's mother. The one he had spent his entire life protecting. If she messed up, she'd never hear the end of it.

She swallowed what she could and placed her clammy hands in her lap.

"I'm Y/n."

The older woman chuckled. "I sit here all day staring at my wall. Please, you need to give me more detail than that." She paused and leaned closer. "Is he treating you well?"

Jimin sighed. "I'm right here, y'know."

"Yes, he is," Y/n said, ignoring Jimin's existence. He scoffed at that, but she knew he found amusement in it. "We met in Constellation. I don't know if you've heard of them."

"I don't go outside. What do you think?"

For the first time since officially meeting Jimin's mother, Y/n smiled. She smiled until she laughed, and she had to place her damp hand against the side of the bed to steady herself.

"Okay, that's fair. They're legendary space explorers. Very exclusive. Your son made the cut."

"I'm hot as fuck," he said with a tongue click. "And rich as fuck. Ma, we'll have to talk about that after you and her are done chatting."

"Sure, sure." His mother gave him a dismissive hand wave. "Shush, I'm talking to my daughter-in-law."

"Gee, thanks."

She kept her attention on Y/n. "Constellation is your job, then? You explore the stars together?"

"Well..." Y/n pulled at the collar of her jacket. "I'm more like Constellation's guard dog. I'm UC Vanguard."

Just like that, her face dropped. The older woman scooted back and smiled, but it didn't crinkle her face or lighten up her eyes. Instead, it sagged her cheeks.

Lightning cracked in the distance, and with the assistance of the hole melted in the wall, she could hear the waves crashing underneath the platform holding up the indoor city of Neon. Outside, shouts sounded off. Some seemed pained, others ecstatic. None of them could match the loudness of his mother's silence.

"I see." She turned to her son. "You're dating someone from the UC?"

"Ma, how the hell did you not figure that out? She's wearing a Vanguard jacket. I know you don't go outside, but you don't recognize Vanguard colors? Besides, she's way too clean and pretty for a Freestar native." Jimin paused to wince. "Emphasis on the clean."

"I asked you a question," she said, her tone unwavering.

He nodded once. Twice. Then, he beamed. "I kept your ass alive for over two decades, and now you're giving more attention to her in the two minutes you've known her than you've given me my entire childhood, so either accept where she's from, or you don't get another fucking credit from me. Okay?"

"Jimin," Y/n said, but he held up his hand to stop her.

"No. She chose to love Aurora more than her son, so now, I'm making my choice: my wife. Come here, honey."

Although the last thing she wanted was to cause conflict between the two, she did as she was told and stood next to him. He got in front of her. The red scarf bounced down his back as he moved, as did the wavy black locks sitting on top of his head. Streaks of faded white weaved through the locks on his left side. It had been close to a year since Jimin had received the highlights for his stripping endeavors, yet he occasionally redid them, only lighter and smaller.

"You know what they did to us," she said, her voice dropping an octave. "You're betraying your father by associating yourself with them."

Jimin didn't answer for a long beat. Long enough for more waves and thunder to crackle to fill the void. The shouts disappeared, replaced by the blaring advertisements of the nearby shops begging for people to enter and buy useless goods that'd get stolen within a week of purchase anyway.

"Do you know the last thing dad said to me?" he asked, and she kept her mouth shut. He took another step closer and rocked side to side on his feet. "'You can do this, Min Min. Don't be scared, I know you'll be a far better man than I am.' My entire life, I took care of you. I did what dad asked. If he were here..." Jimin broke off and sucked in a breath through his nose, his words cracking more than the lightning. "If he were here, he'd be damn proud of me. But you? You abandoned me, and I loved you anyway. I... I still do."

She hung her head. "I love you too. I'm sorry."

For a moment, a fleeting moment, he gripped his hands into fists by his side. They relaxed a few seconds later. A hint of blue pricked at his fingers. It fizzled away when he spoke again.

"Y'know, I've waited twenty-two years to hear that. Every night, I dreamed you'd say it one more time. I dreamed you'd tie my shoes for me and laugh at one of my stupid jokes about that cartoon we used to watch. I dreamed you'd take me to Ixyll and show me the padauk."

He took off his scarf and let it sink to the floor. The jacket and undershirt came next, and he swiveled on his heel to show the ink dancing down his back, curving up the side of his shoulder blade and contrasting his skin.

Jimin put on his shirt, zipped his jacket, and scooped the scarf from off the ground. He bundled it in his hands as tears invaded his eyes, but he never let them fall. Instead, he threw the fabric at her, and it landed on her lap with a thump.

"Do you know who that belonged to?"

She didn't answer.

"My best friend. I killed him to get you fucking credits. Credits to buy a house in New Atlantis, out of this shithole of a planet."

That made her storm to her feet, and she threw the scarf back at him. He caught it and squeezed it against him, but before he could utter another syllable, she yelled.

"New Atlantis?!"

"That's all you took out of that?" he asked with his gaze on the scarf. That time, his voice didn't raise. It didn't fluctuate between cracks and dips. It didn't dive up and down, left and right; it stayed flat. No jokes, no style, no emphasis—no Park Jimin.

"You could choose anywhere in the galaxy, but New Atlantis? Take me to Akila, like dad wanted."

Jimin put the scarf back on and tightened it more than usual. "Well dad isn't here, is he?"

Her shoulders slumped. "No... No, I guess not."

"Exactly. He isn't, so I had to step up and raise both myself and you. Do you have any idea what I did to keep you alive? To keep you eating, drinking, bathing? Do you have any idea what I've done?"

She pressed her lips together, then stepped back. "Killed people?"

"I wish it was that simple." He didn't allow her the comfort of space. He came closer, and although Jimin wasn't considered tall by Neon's standards, he towered over her until Y/n swore she saw his shadow on his mother's face. "When I was twelve, I helped torture an innocent man. Got a hundred creds. You ate bread that week. I didn't. When I was thirteen, I got stabbed in the shoulder and had to stitch it myself. I remember wishing he stabbed me in the neck so it'd be over with. The Disciples found me and thought I was impressive, so I signed with them for a year. I joined a fucking gang at thirteen. You got food every week. I didn't."

She staggered back. "Jimin-"

"I'm not done," he interrupted, grabbing her wrist with his bare hand and keeping her in place. "When I was sixteen, I got desperate and signed with the Disciples again. That time, I wasn't a hacker. They sold me to sick older men and women who wanted to have sex with a kid. After they were done with me, I waited for them to fall asleep, then stole all their credits and made sure you had food every week. Guess who didn't? Guess who ate the crumbs and passed out from how little he ate?"

"Jimin," Y/n said in a hurry, but he ignored her. His eyes gleamed blue, and his hand lit up.

His mother wailed from the contact, clawing at him and slapping his chest with her free hand. "You're hurting me!"

He yanked her closer and twisted her wrist without batting an eye. "I didn't eat, I didn't sleep. I've hurt more people than you can count. I was fucking raped, abused, and cast aside by everyone I knew! I did it all for you, and you can't even thank me?!"

The scene moved faster than any starship, yet Y/n felt the Milky Way stop after those words. They pranced around her brain and taunted her as they went, and her body shriveled inside itself. Her arms curled around her elbows, and her teeth clattered together. Hearing those few sentences from him ripped her stomach lining until every part of her spilled on the floor. Then, reality shifted, and she had to pay attention to the moment again.

The moment Park Jimin's powers went further.

The strands of his hair lifted and floated, similar to the artifacts back at the Lodge. His eyes burned brighter, and his scarf blew like he had a personal atmosphere of wind surrounding him. At that stage, Y/n grabbed his arm and attempted to tear him off. It didn't work. A wave of air hit her chest and knocked her back. She hit the wall, and though it only shocked her and didn't hurt, she couldn't help the ache that swarmed her heart.

"Park Jimin!" she shouted over the growing wind in the cramped space.

When he didn't listen, she heaved and coughed from the force of it all. Her lower lip quivered as the man she loved burned his mother's wrist, and the woman cried and pleaded for mercy. If it didn't work with his mother, the odds were low it'd work with her, but she had to try. Otherwise, he could burn off his mother's arm.

A few tears slipped by. No mission with pirates, Terrormorphs, Ecliptic, or any of the worst foes in the galaxy clamped down on her lungs the way the current situation did. Words failed to form on her tongue, so they ended up firing out in a whisper. A broken one.

"You hurt me."

The wind stopped. The blue tint in the room faded, and all at once, she felt hands on her cheeks and lips on her face. Warmth rocketed through her body, and her knees buckled, ending with her collapsing in Jimin's arms.

"No, no, my baby," he murmured, kissing all over her skin. "Where? What did I do? What did I do, honey?"

Her voice stuttered as it came out. "I don't... I don't know."

He coaxed her to kneel as the weight of standing pained her too much. His mother went to the opposite corner and sank down, cradling her injury with not so much as a murmur leaving her.

"My baby girl," he said in a shaky whine. Tears burst down his cheeks, submerging his skin in water more violent than Neon's waves. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I don't know what happened, I lost control."

She allowed herself to press her head on his shoulder, and he hugged her. He whispered countless I'm sorry's that twisted and turned her heart until she failed to identify where it was or if it could still beat.

"Where did I hurt you, honey? Show me."

"I don't think you did, I was just shocked," she said, swallowing after she spoke. "I got close to you and the wind pushed me back."

He rubbed her back and let out soft breaths against her neck. "Does it hurt when I touch you there?"

"No..." She trailed off and shut her eyes. He smelled like peaches. "Why did that happen?"

"I don't know. I didn't mean to. Please believe me, I didn't mean to, I didn't even know you were there."

"I know," she said, shushing him. "I know you can't control it. It's okay."

"It's not." He broke off and whimpered. "You got hurt. I... I hurt you."

"No, no, it's okay, I only said that so you would stop, I'm not hurt. See?" She showed her face and hands, and any visible skin she could. "I'm fine, really. You could never hurt me."

He shook his head but didn't answer. Instead, he turned and saw his mother, who didn't bother looking at him.

"Ma-"

"What the fuck are you?" she interrupted, though the tone wasn't loud or snappy. If anything, it sounded drained of all life. "Who are you?"

He got up and walked out at that. He didn't close the door, so Y/n took it as a sign that they needed to leave. She took a minute to go to his mother and offer her a credstick with enough to cover a doctor's appointment. Neon's prices were atrocious to say the least, but even just an ointment could help with the burns. They were second-degree, and she could see the blisters forming.

"He's in Constellation because of this," Y/n explained, but his mother paid attention to the wall behind Y/n. "We're trying to figure out how to cure this, okay? Something bad happened to him, and he's had these abilities ever since. I swear, he didn't mean to hurt you, it's the powers controlling him. Please, he's done so much for you, more than you'll ever know. Please don't tell anyone about this."

She still didn't so much as peek at Y/n. "I won't."

With that, Y/n left, but when she did, Jimin wasn't around. Monika didn't say his whereabouts, so Y/n guessed he retreated to the ship. They'd have to go to Noel to figure out the cause of such an outburst.

Y/n held no fear or anger toward him for pushing her, or even for harming his mother. Despite being a Universal, she had the belief that people deserved punishment sometimes. As much as she'd never verbally wish harm on anyone, she had to admit his mother deserved at least a slap for how ungrateful she was. She had abandoned her kid and allowed disgusting things to happen to him. Disgusting things Y/n wanted to cry about. All she wanted was to hold him and apologize for all he had been through, yet she couldn't, not until they went to Noel and figured out what happened in that room.

Whoever that was in there, he wasn't Jimin.

☆☆☆

Y/n sat in the corner and didn't say a word.

The hum of the scanner filled the room, as did the bang and creak of the AC pumping cool air around the lab. Cyan lights zipped up and down as Noel took readings of Jimin's body. His hair covered his eyes, and his head remained slumped, exaggerating the bones in his neck.

"Your energy levels are higher," Noel said as she tapped on her tablet. "That's good."

Jimin lifted his head, but his eyes possessed no emotions. "Good?"

"Yeah, I'm working on a suit for you that'll hopefully help you control your powers. Every part is individual, including the glove, so..."

"I can wear it to sleep and it'll help control my power?"

She nodded. "With a bit of luck, you shouldn't trigger it in your sleep again. That's where these readings come in. They should help me calibrate it to your body temperature and energy."

If Jimin answered, Y/n didn't hear it. Her knees tucked against her body, and she hugged them as she stayed in the chair propped up near the door. Jimin hadn't made eye contact with her since Neon an hour prior. Their crew had asked what happened, but Jimin's tear-stained face had told them all they needed to know. Y/n had to beg them to drop it, but mentioned it had to do with his powers triggering against his will.

"Noel," he said, and she perked up. "When I was on the Legacy, I heard a voice speak to me. I was about to die, but it told me to get up, and even though I didn't think I could, it was like... like I had to. Like I had no choice. Do you think that's what's happening to me? The voice is controlling me?"

"It's possible, but hard to tell without further proof. Have you ever heard this voice again?"

"In my dreams. Nothing major, just whispers I can't quite make out."

She hummed and finished the scan. "You said you were about to die?"

"That's right. Why? You're not gonna say I was making it up, right?"

"No, we're past that stage." She allowed him out of the scanner and set her tablet down on the table next to her. "It's clear you're part of something bigger than all of us. Why else would some voice keep you alive?"

"I don't want to be part of it."

"I know, but the faster we figure it out, the faster we can get you out, okay?"

He rubbed his fingers on the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, yeah. Sure. Am I good to go? I need to sleep."

"You are. Goodnight."

He left without returning the sentiment. He didn't wait for Y/n. She furrowed her brows but didn't bother voicing her concerns as she got up, said her goodbyes to Noel, and rushed to follow Jimin. Much to her surprise, he went to his room, not hers, which was the one they had shared for months.

"Where are you going, goofball?" she asked, but he slid inside his room and shut the door.

It went against her better judgment, but she didn't care. She went in after him. What she saw was his scarf on the ground and him kicking off his shoes, then his jacket. Before he could touch his undershirt and pants, he glanced at her with his puppy eyes. Tears hid there, swimming in the dim light of the lamp in the corner of his bedroom.

"Can you... can you turn around?"

She did without hesitation, and she waited to hear the bed creaking. When it did a minute later, she went to him and saw him wearing gray sweatpants and a white long-sleeved shirt that tightened around his chest. He didn't bother shutting off the light, so she didn't either.

She took off her shoes and jacket, then slipped under the covers with him. There was nothing she wanted more than to kiss him, hold him, and tell him it'd be okay, but in the moment, all she could do was stare as his plump lower lip trembled. He refused to make eye contact.

She found herself mimicking his expression. "Jimin, I... I'm so sorry. I didn't you... I didn't know you were..."

He held up his palm and turned it back and forth. Sparks of blue popped from his fingers, but it was light enough that it didn't quite reach his eyes. His hair remained flat on his head. The gray highlights hid themselves inside the black sea encompassing them. Then, when he lowered his arm, he peered at her.

"It's funny, isn't it?" he asked in a mutter. A smile showed his chipped tooth, and his freckles twisted on his cheeks. No humor entered his tone. "After all this time, I still don't have control over my body."

Although she felt awful for doing it, she broke down at that. She slapped her hand over her mouth to muffle her sobs, but it didn't help. Cries forced their way out of her dry lungs. Jimin stayed quiet through it all.

"My angel boy," she said in between chokes. "My sweet angel boy."

He rested his head on one of the four fluffy pillows. "I know."

She resisted the urge to touch him and instead did her best to form her thoughts into words. "I love you so much, Jimin. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. You're the only one who makes me feel like... like I'm in control." He paused and shifted his tired gaze to her. "Can you hold me?"

She did.

Raven hair skipped by her neck, and his nose got stuffed between her breasts with his arms clasped around her back. A faint peach smell drifted by, and she sucked it in, tangling her legs with his and allowing him to use her chest as his new pillows. Soft, warm breaths met her shirt, weaving between the strings holding it together to touch her heart underneath.

She used her hand to massage his head, and he hummed at the sensation, causing a vibration in his chest that, due to their closeness, shook her figure. She lapped up every shake and tremble, pulling him closer and keeping a steady massaging rhythm on his skull.

"Can you sing?" he asked in a slurred tone, his face pressing further against her chest.

She didn't know any songs, let alone comforting ones that could soothe him to sleep. However, he asked, so she did. As a compromise, she hummed and played with his hair. The soft rumbles coming from her delicate notes shot through Jimin's body; she could feel each rumble as she used her other hand to rub his back.

Snores blended with the melody of her hums, and she slowed to a stop to listen. She adjusted so she could spot Jimin's shut eyes. His brows knitted together as he sandwiched himself in between her breasts. His cheeks puffed up, particularly the right one, which squished his eye. A rosy tint rose to his skin, and his button nose scrunched up in his slumber.

"I love you," she whispered, more tears building inside her. "You've been through too much. I'm sorry, I love you so much."

He didn't reply, not that she expected him to. She kissed his forehead and snuggled with him, soaking in his body heat and the peach scent that drifted from one nostril to the next. She faced the darkness and attempted to find sleep, but all she could see was the image of Jimin's powers.

The powers that had changed his life.

☆☆☆

A/N: It's physically impossible for me to write a story where Jimin doesn't have a traumatizing backstory but simultaneously gets equally traumatized in adulthood.

Like I said, this is the emotional turning point in the story where things are gonna get more serious and it's gonna get darker. It'll still be fun, don't get me wrong, but it will carry a more consistent serious tone for a while.

Despite the heavy topics and depression in this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it!