─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

SEASON 3 FINALE PART 2

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Location:

System: Toliman

Faction: United Colonies

Planet: Toliman II

Place: Londinion

☆☆☆

Jimin

No words could describe it.

Before him was the love of his life. His soulmate. His wife.

On instinct, Jimin lit up with a solar flare, and he took off his helmet with one hand and burned the side of his neck with the other. It didn't wake him up. It wasn't a hallucination caused by withdrawal.

Y/n was alive.

Tears flooded her face the second Jimin took off his helmet, and for a moment, a brief moment, he didn't know what to do. He had imagined the moment over and over in his mind, yet he had never stopped to think it could be reality. It had been a dream. Nothing more, nothing less.

Yet there she stood.

Jimin ran forward, and she met him halfway with a sob. Jimin ended up tackling her to the ground with a hug, inhaling her scent. No strawberries. She smelled like rotting shit, to put it bluntly. But it reminded him of Neon; home.

"You're alive. You're alive," he whispered, though he couldn't understand his words and hoped she did. All he heard were wails and whines, and he didn't care how embarrassing it was. He didn't care who witnessed it. His wife was alive.

"I thought you were gone. I thought you..." Y/n clawed at his hair and bawled into his neck. Never did he think he'd want to see her cry, but feeling her tears was a blessing he'd never forget. "Jimin..."

"I'm here." Jimin pulled back and wiped her tears. "I would never leave you, Y/n. I'm sorry, I wanted to come sooner, but the Terrormorphs-"

"No." She shushed him and placed both her soft, gentle hands on his cheeks. "Don't. Not now. Please, anytime but now."

Jimin agreed and embraced her again. His hands clutched her shoulders until they went numb, and he squeezed his eyes shut to focus on feeling every inch of her body. His ears rang from the overstimulation, and his tongue became hyper aware of the thick, gooey taste of his saliva.

It went like that for the next five minutes; silent hugging. Or, at least, silent to Jimin. He was sure Jungkook debriefed the UC survivors on what had happened, though Jimin couldn't bring himself to care. Instead, he stood and took Y/n with him, ignoring everyone else and pulling her away from the crowd and back outside.

As soon as they made it there, he pressed her against the ice wall. His eyes met hers, and she didn't speak. Neither did he. When he was sure no one would come out to ask what the fuck he was doing, he slammed his lips on hers, and she returned the kiss in an instant.

A kiss was what he had been craving for nine months. Nine long months of wondering if she was alive, and there she was, in his grasp, kissing him, and he ended up laughing against her, which broke the kiss. She returned it, and he pecked her mouth over and over. They eventually found their rhythm again and kissed against the wall, his hand on her waist and his eyes closed.

When he parted from her, he placed his forehead on hers to remain as close as possible.

"You're alive," he whispered, and she scanned over his face.

"So are you, and you got hot."

He snickered. "I wasn't already?"

"Oh, shush. You know I meant the hair." She tangled her fingers through his much-longer locks. Maybe it was silly, but he had done a deep cleanse the previous night to get his locks all shiny, just in case he saw her again. Looked like he was right. "It fits you."

"Jin thinks I look like a ragamuffin, but if my girl likes it, then it stays, right?"

"Right." Y/n traced her finger by his neck, over the burn mark, and she peeked up at him. "Why did you do that to yourself?"

"To see if you were real. The burns help with the..." Jimin realized he had quite a bit to tell Y/n, but he didn't want to ruin the moment. That didn't mean he could hide the Aurora for long. "Look, Y/n, I don't want to do this now, and I don't think you do either, but while you were gone, I... changed. I wasn't me anymore."

"That's okay. I figured that would-"

"I got hooked on Aurora."

Her face fell. "What?"

"I know. I regret it more than anything, but I'm clean now. I went through rehab, but I still go through light withdrawal here and there. That's why I burned myself: to see if it was withdrawal or real. The burns help with the Aurora effects." Jimin rubbed the mark before placing his hand on her waist again. "I'm sorry, honey."

"No, I..." She massaged his cheek with her thumb. "Don't apologize. I can't imagine what happened while I was gone, so I'm not mad."

Still so kind. So compassionate. No matter what.

Jimin couldn't stop a soft whimper from slipping by. "I really missed you, Y/n."

"Me too, Minnie." She kissed the back of his hand, tears continuing to jump down her cheeks. "I thought about you every day."

Jimin grinned, but it quickly became a sob and a hug, and she returned it and ran her finger in circles around his back.

"What happened, Jimin? Sure, it's been a while, but I want to believe I still know you, and I know this isn't just about missing me," she murmured, and he clung to her tighter.

"Being away from you, it..." Jimin buried his head into her neck and tried to smell strawberry anywhere on her. He couldn't. "It snapped something inside me, honey, and I couldn't stop thinking about the past. About how... about..."

"Shh, it's okay."

Jimin kissed her neck and did his best not to cry. His voice came out as a pathetic whine anyway. "Y/n, did I deserve it?"

"What? Jimin, God, no. No, of course not."

"But I did terrible things, and I still do. If you knew what I did while you were gone, you'd never forgive me."

"I wouldn't go that far."

"Trust me." Jimin pulled back, the tears on his cheeks an afterthought. "You would."

Y/n offered him a kind smile. "Try me."

All the worst things came to his mind. He wanted to shout at her to hate him. It'd be easier than having to deal with the self-hatred festering inside him.

"I slept with another woman," he said, and her face didn't so much as falter. "I did Aurora and had sex with her more times than I could count, and I did it because whenever I had Aurora, it made the woman look like you."

"It's okay." She kept her smile. "You thought I was dead, Jimin. I don't blame you."

Jimin's lower lip quivered. "I didn't want it, but I said I did. That doesn't make it..."

"Jimin," she repeated, her hands clutching onto his face. "It's just you and me. You and me, yeah? You can say it. Don't let the word overpower you anymore, okay?"

She was all he needed. All he desired. Every time he had missed Y/n, he had felt numb; like all the memories weren't real. Yet, with her soothing tone entering his ears, he remembered all the reasons he loved her. Love came gushing back, not that it had ever left, but with twenty times more force than before.

"I keep thinking about it," he muttered, wishing he could somehow get closer to her. "And when you were gone, I convinced myself I deserved it. That I enjoyed it but lied and said I didn't for self-pity. For attention. When I met Isabelle again and started having sex with her, I said the same things. I said I wanted it. That doesn't...."

When he cut himself off, she nodded, and the hot water trailed down his cheeks again.

"That doesn't make it rape, does it?"

"Jimin," she said, delicately, her hands brushing his tears away. "You didn't want it. That's what matters. Don't worry about anything else except that, okay?"

"But I have to."

"No, you don't-"

"I killed her."

Y/n stiffened at that, her comforting touch coming to a pause, but he knew he had to continue.

"She was an innocent woman," he said. She didn't answer. "And I killed her. Solar flare. I had a bad Aurora trip and saw hallucinations, and I lashed out. She happened to be in the crossfire. I wish I could say she was the only one I killed."

Y/n averted her gaze. "You were right. We should save this for later."

Strange. He wanted to do it in that moment and had changed his mind from earlier. But he respected Y/n too much to force her into a conversation she didn't want to have, so he agreed and kissed her again. That time, she was slower to kiss back, and when she did, he felt how her hands didn't tighten on his hair like they had in the past.

Jimin pulled back and pecked her nose. "You have some explaining to do, too. No offense, but I don't think anyone actually expected you to survive."

"Me too."

Y/n ducked away from him and pulled on his hand to take him back to the survivor camp, and upon entering, Jimin spotted how Starborn Y/n had disappeared, leaving Jungkook with the others, explaining what had happened and why they were there. No one answered the poor bunny boy.

"Apologies for running off," Jimin said, trying his best to slip into Captain Park mode. "I was just eager to see my fiancée after almost a year. As I'm sure you can imagine, not knowing if your lover is alive or dead would make anyone go crazy." No one questioned him, so he moved on. "Anyone mind explaining how the hell you guys are alive, and who you are?"

"We've been down here longer than anyone can count," the ginger said, his beard hosting a few clumps of snow in it. "Since that bastard betrayed us."

"Vae Victis?"

The ginger curled his gloves into fists. "That asshole bombed us. While we were still in the fucking city."

All roads led to Londinion. That was what Jimin and Y/n had used to say, prior to going to Londinion. It seemed they had been wrong; the correct phrase was all roads led to Jin's father. Vae Victis. Destroyer of hope and Londinion. He had bombed his own people to prevent the UC from finding out about the Terrormorphs and the Lazarus Plant.

"So you moved down here to survive?"

"Not by choice. The bombings almost buried us alive. We lost hundreds, and then a hundred more to the Terrormorphs down here. This is one of the only safe spots, before you woke up that queen and went all... whatever the fuck it was you did."

Jimin wanted to rip his powers out of him. He rubbed his thumb over his bare palm and sighed. "I myself am not sure what that was, but I assure you, it's not going to happen again."

Y/n glanced at him, but he mouthed later, to which she didn't say anything.

"Very well. Please, sit. We'll explain everything," the ginger said, and Jimin obeyed.

He plopped down at the head of one of the few cafeteria tables, and he saw Y/n hugging Jungkook. Jimin had never seen Jungkook smile so brightly.

"The UC abandoned us," the ginger said, interrupting Jimin's thoughts. "Vae Victis bombed us, sure, but who never came looking for survivors? Why would we want to help a faction that left us down here?"

"But..." Jimin motioned to the ice walls. "You preferred staying in the cold?"

"Captain, we were stationed on Londinion for years before the bombings. We don't give a fuck about if our toesies get a little chilly. Besides, look around. We live in peace. Not many Terrormorphs explore this side of the tunnels. That means most of the food is untouched, and the temperature makes it still preserved after all this time."

"So you had food and safety, and that made you prefer living in a Terrormorph den? Seriously?"

"It was either that or face the UC again. Plus, do you have any bright ideas for how to get out of here? All of the exits are buried under debris. That's without mentioning how none of us have boost packs with enough fuel to fly higher than a few meters, and even if we did, do you see an opening to let us out of here?"

"My team made one, back at the chasm Y/n fell in."

"Ah, back there in that suicide hole? It's a miracle she got out."

Jimin glanced at his fiancée and sighed. "How did she get out? This is a long way from the chasm."

"You're doubting your woman?"

Jimin cracked a smile at that. "She fought like hell, didn't she? That's my girl."

"So she says. She's been pretty vague about you and the outside world, but she said enough to be annoying. 'My fiancé' this, 'my fiancé' that. Please, take her." The man chuckled. "But she fought like hell, yes. Luckily that queen thing was hurt by that fall and didn't attack her. All she had to worry about were the other Terrormorphs."

"Oh, yeah, no biggie, just three dozen Terrormorphs."

"Sure, but she made it through thanks to us. We have markings on the walls to guide us in case we get lost."

"You do? We didn't notice."

"You're not smart enough."

Jimin wanted to smack the ginger for that comment, but he decided against it. The ginger was giving him all the information he needed, so he didn't want to press his luck.

"Alright, fine," Jimin said, throwing his hands up in defeat. "But tell me more about Y/n. She obviously didn't survive on her own."

"That's right. We heard all the commotion and came to see what the hell was happening, and we took her away from the splash zone."

"You really did save her..." Jimin rubbed his temple and tried his best to process the information, but it was too much for one day. "Thank you. Truly."

"Don't mention it. She's been a strong soldier for us, even in the worst times."

"Worst times? I thought you guys had it good down here."

The ginger glanced at the walls before answering. "We lost another two dozen in the time since she's been here. We're in the safest sector, but Terrormorphs still slip through. There's a back cave that loops around to that chasm you created, so..."

"Terrormorphs come over and threaten your safety."

"Right. We go out and try to scavenge, and we tried scavenging in that chasm of yours a few days back, but we lost too many men. All but one survived that mission."

Jimin averted his eyes. "Y/n?"

"Y/n." The ginger patted Jimin's shoulder. "But now that you cleared it out, maybe we can do better. The supplies on that side are almost untouched."

"We saw a few open cans. Recently opened, probably from your team. If you manage to-" Jimin cut himself off and stiffened. "Wait, you don't want to go home?"

The ginger gave Jimin an eyebrow raise. "You serious? Hell no. It's better down here. No need for jobs, no need for credits, no disrespect from the UC... the list goes on and on. We haven't even tried getting out."

Jimin couldn't comprehend it. Why would anyone choose to live in an icy death trap? Granted, they were betrayed by the highest-level authorities the UC had to offer, and their last memories of the surface consisted of hellfire raining on them. Maybe Jimin just didn't get it.

"What about Y/n?"

"You'll want to talk to her about that."

Jimin accepted the answer and thanked the man for his aid, and then stood to approach his wife. The other UC soldiers remained silent, some even glaring, and at that, Jimin sighed. Right. Their final piece of knowledge from the real world was that they got bombed and whatever Y/n had told them, if anything. No one there had any clue who Jimin was outside of Y/n's supposedly-vague ramblings.

"Relax, I'm not UC, and neither is he. I'm Freestar. Long live the independents." That got them to stop side-eyeing him. Jimin motioned to Jungkook. "This is Jeon Jungkook, from Porrima. He used to work with UC SysDef but got kicked out because the UC are a bunch of asshats. Don't worry, we're both pretty mad at the UC, too."

"So they haven't changed," the bald man said, and the others murmured in agreement. If anything, that seemed to validate their decision to stay in the tunnels more.

Jimin thought it was stupid but admirable. The ultimate form of protest: preferring to fight Terrormorphs than deal with the UC. They had the spirit of the Freestar in them, despite being UC soldiers.

"Can we talk?" Jimin asked Y/n, who clung to Jungkook for a moment longer. "In private. Again." She agreed, and Jimin peeked at Jungkook. "You mind getting their final answer on if they'll come or not? Oh, and fill them in on all the galaxy happenings and how Vae Victis was executed."

"He was?" half of the room shouted, and Jimin winced.

"Well, kind of. Jungkook, why don't you tell them about the UC's lies about Mr. Victis?"

Jungkook dipped his head, so Jimin took it as an excuse to leave with his wife and stand outside the gap with her. He didn't know where to start. He said the most painful part first.

"Did you try looking for me?"

Y/n placed both her hands on his cheeks. "Minnie, of course I did, but look around. We have no supplies and we're trapped hundreds of feet underground, and not because of that chasm you made, because of the bombings. Vae Victis did it purposefully. All of the exits are blocked with no hope of getting out. The whole point of him bombing the spaceport was so everything in the tunnels would stay in the tunnels. That's why he bombed them even though he knew there were people down here."

Jimin placed his forehead on hers. "Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound like I was accusing you of anything. It's just been so long, Y/n."

"I know, and I can't imagine how it was on you. At least I knew you were probably fine, but you..."

Had no clue if I was alive or dead was probably what she was going to say, but she didn't. And it was true: Jimin had no clue if she had survived or not. Jimin was an experienced fighter with superpowers, so Y/n had little reason to worry about his wellbeing, aside from the mental stress.

"Yeah, let's not talk about it. We have more important things to discuss. Are you gonna stay down here with them?"

"No. I don't have the same reasons to stay down here. Get me out of here, please."

Jimin chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Whatever you want, it's yours, honey. Anything in the galaxy."

"I could go for a steak right now."

"You and me both." Jimin placed his hands on her waist and rubbed his thumb over the armor. "I'm so glad you're alive, baby."

"Trust me, I am too."

And it was a miracle she survived. Based on his understanding of the situation, Vae Victis bombed his own spaceport, which was common knowledge to the galaxy and the reason the UC had thrown him in a basement under the guise of "executing him." What Jimin and the UC didn't know was there were survivors living underground, hence the group of UC present in the cafeteria.

Y/n had managed to get away due to their help, and from there, they couldn't get back to the surface. All the exits were blocked by what Jimin imagined were hundreds of pounds worth of debris, and judging by the shitty status of the tunnels, there was little left they could do to make any tech. The lights working was the byproduct of the generators being built to last hundreds of years, which was the only thing the UC did right.

"Oh, by the way, I'm not in the Vanguard anymore. I got kicked out for firing a particle beam at Logan's head."

Y/n's eyes jumped. "You did what-"

"He said he wasn't going to do anything to rescue you, so I got mad." Well, he had been kicked out for spilling the beans about Vae Victis to his girlfriend and dad, but she didn't need to know that and feel bad.

"Oh. That makes more sense." Y/n moved back by a hair, her touch not as warm as it had been. "We need to get out of here."

"You're right. Let's go, and then I'll have Jungkook explain everything to you."

"Jungkook?"

"It's better to hear it from him than me. I might not give the most accurate recount of... of everything I've done." Jimin cleared his throat and held the small of her back to guide her into the cafeteria, where Jungkook lectured the survivors. "Is anyone joining us?"

Only two—a man and a woman—stepped forward, neither of whom anyone Jimin recognized. The rest remained seated.

"Very well. If you ever change your mind, I'll leave some boost packs in the chasm so you can fly up to the scaffolding. The packs will have just enough fuel for that height, so use them wisely. Out of respect for all you've done, when I report to the UC, I will leave you out of it and tell them we only found three survivors. Thank you for keeping my wife safe, and please, don't die down here."

The UC soldiers replied with fist pumps and cheers, and Jimin took the excuse to leave with Jungkook, Y/n, and the two UC soldiers. Ex-soldiers, he should say.

Both of them ignored Jimin, and he decided to not bother with asking any questions. He and Jungkook led them through the tunnels with no intrusions from Terrormorphs. They took their time returning, just in case, and they finally made it to where they had begun: the mech.

Jimin stopped Y/n from going through the gap. "Y/n, honey, look, there's something I should tell you so you don't get blindsided by it."

She glanced at his hand on her shoulder before looking at him. "What did you do?"

Ah, yeah, okay, she wasn't wrong for assuming he did something. She was right, after all.

"Please listen to me before blowing up. Please?"

Y/n narrowed her eyes. "Jimin-"

"It's a mech, okay? It's a combat mech that came from Ryujin. It's sitting on the other side of that wall-"

Y/n pushed him back and went to crawl through the hole, but he made sure she didn't and had Jungkook hold onto her to keep her thrashing self from going first.

"Let her through after I clear it," Jimin said, and Y/n yelled incoherent words Jimin didn't listen to. Instead, he crawled into the next area and inspected the vicinity. No Morphs. The mech remained in the same spot it had been left in, and Starborn Y/n leaned against the arm.

"Going well?" she asked in his mind, and he rolled his eyes.

You know you can't be here. You're lucky Jungkook's too caught up with Y/n being alive to notice you're gone.

"I'm aware, I just wanted you to know I'm here."

In case we need help with Morphs?

"Sure, let's say that. I'll get back to it, then." Starborn Y/n waved and disappeared from sight, and Jimin pried the air apart to see if he could spot any distortions. He couldn't, so he brushed it off and returned to the task at hand.

"All clear," he said, aloud that time, and Y/n almost burst her way through with the others preparing to follow. Jimin offered her his hand, but she whacked it away and gasped when she saw the mech. She barely had time to stand upright when she saw it.

Jimin held her shoulders to steady her wobbling self, and Jimin didn't want her to think the worst, so he blabbered out as much as he could before she started ranting.

"It's the last functioning mech, Y/n. The last. Ryujin was hiding it in their warehouse, so I worked for them and got the legal rights to it."

"You got a mech to rescue me?" she asked, breathless.

Snow crunched under his boots as he approached the hunk of metal. With it turned on energy-saving mode, it appeared peaceful. Like an angel sleeping. But he knew the reality was the opposite, and that it had annihilated New Atlantis. Y/n's sister. Y/n's world.

"I know how it sounds, but if you think about it, it's a good thing." Jimin held up his hand to stop her from screaming at him. "Can you listen for one second, please? Hear me out on this."

"On a mech?"

"Yes. Y/n, if I didn't get my hands on it, who would have it?"

Y/n brought her brows together. "Ryujin?"

"Yes, Ryujin. The Freestar. Neon. You want the Freestar to have their hands on the last functioning war mech? I took it and signed over legal rights to Logan, and he's going to destroy it as soon as we get out of here. So I know this looks bad, but I stopped a potential power trip from Ryujin, and I got to save you."

Truth be told, he had never thought of it that way, but it was factual nonetheless.

"Please don't look at it from the surface-level. This mech would've been in Ryujin and the Freestar's hands, and now, it's going to be executed publicly by Logan. Isn't that a good thing?"

Y/n's shaking hands raised to feel the side of the beast. "I don't know."

Well, he appreciated the honesty. The memories were the toughest parts. Jimin knew that better than anyone; whenever he saw a Crimson Fleet logo, it didn't matter where it was or how it was used, he would hate it anyway. Or love it. It depended on the day.

"Let's go. I'll have the UC come back for it later so you don't need to watch it stomping around, okay?"

Y/n agreed, and Jimin wrapped his arm around her to keep her close. That time, she didn't push away, but he felt each shudder and quick breath.

The rush through the halls consisted of no conversations, only boots hitting the ground, varying breathing speeds across the group, and Jimin's thumping heart. All the lights flickered, and he noticed Y/n flinch whenever one got too dim. The mech tearing through the tunnels had made it so most tech didn't work anymore. To be fair, much of it didn't work to begin with without the proper maintenance.

"Hey," Jimin whispered, but she didn't react. It was like he hadn't spoken at all. He motioned to Jungkook and the other two. "Mind scouting ahead and making sure no Morphs are gonna ambush us?"

Jungkook studied Y/n for a moment before agreeing, taking the two soldiers up the way with their rifles ready. When they were out of earshot, Jimin placed both his hands on Y/n's cheeks.

"What's going on, honey?"

"Nothing," she replied fast. Too fast. Jungkook-level fast. "Just get me out of here."

Jimin wanted to press, but he knew better. He agreed to her terms, kissed her forehead, and joined the others in the chasm. None of them questioned Y/n and Jimin.

"The scaffolding is ready. Jungkook and I will take turns getting you guys up with our boost packs. Jungkook, you take one of them. I'll take Y/n," Jimin said.

No shit was what Jimin wanted to add. No one other than Jimin would escort his wife out of that hell.

Jimin held Y/n's hand as he approached the edge of the chasm, peeking up and seeing the scaffolding not much further. All he had to do was fly, like he had earlier that day, when he had gone supernova. But he didn't want to think about that. His powers, too. The powers that had destroyed more than they had helped.

He had no intention of using them if he didn't have to. Preferably never.

"Ready?" Jimin asked, his grip on her tightening. She placed her hands on his chest. They still shook.

Jimin knew the second he took Y/n back to the ship, he'd have to introduce her to Taehyung and allow the rest of Constellation to speak with her, but before that, she had to know all that had happened. And he didn't know how that would go.

None of it could process in his mind; he had rescued his wife, and yet, his mind felt numb. Maybe it was too much information in one day, maybe it was shock and adrenaline, but either way, at least he knew it wasn't a dream. The burn that ate at his pain sensors told him that much.

Y/n met his gaze, and he noticed her eye bags and the way her hair looked more brittle than before. Longer and brittle, two traits he had never seen on her. But it didn't matter the second she opened her mouth.

"Get me out of here."

☆☆☆

Jimin waited. Again.

Most of the past nine months had been spent waiting, so he dealt with it that time without a hitch. They were onboard their new ship, which Jimin had to avoid the topic of when Y/n had asked about it, but she seemed to brush it off as them needing a new one, or simply wanting a better paint job.

But she would find out soon, if she hadn't already.

Jimin leaned against the wall outside Jungkook's quarters with his arms crossed over his chest. Jungkook bit the bullet and decided to tell Y/n everything Jimin had done. The ship, the drugs, the killing, the mind control—everything. Forty minutes had passed. Maybe fifty, Jimin didn't know. Keeping count wasn't his strong suit. He hadn't gone to school, after all.

Hushed voices came from behind the door, though Jimin couldn't hear what they said. Two minutes later, Jungkook departed and rubbed the back of his neck, and Jimin sighed.

"How'd she take it?"

"Well-"

"Is that him? Is he out there?" Y/n interrupted, stepping out from the room and spotting Jimin.

"Hey, honey-"

Once again, Y/n interrupted them. That time by storming over and slapping Jimin.

"What the fuck is wrong with you!"

Jimin rubbed his stinging cheek and stepped back, his heart stalling inside his chest, same with his lungs. They didn't feel real. Nothing felt real anymore.

Heaves came from him, same with memories. Memories of his mother slapping him. Punching him. Cursing him out for being a terrible son. And there Y/n was. Cursing him out for being a terrible person.

When he spoke, it felt hoarse. Like a pathetic shout from a dying Terrormorph. "Baby, I-"

"Don't 'baby' me. Mind control? Forget all the other bullshit, which, trust me, we'll get to that, but mind control? Are you fucking crazy? Do you have any idea how many people are going to suffer because of you? How many people already have? All for what? So you can use a mech to come and save me? I would've preferred to be left in that hole."

"I know."

"You know? Oh, you know, so that makes it okay? That means you get to do whatever you want?" Y/n shoved him back and scoffed. "Fuck you. You should have left me down there."

Y/n stormed off toward the cockpit, and Jimin couldn't say he didn't see that coming. It was a miracle she hadn't slapped him for sleeping with another woman, regardless of the circumstances. So, yeah, Jimin expected that, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt nonetheless.

Especially the slap.

"She'll come around," Jungkook said, and Jimin brushed him off while trying to regain his breath.

"No, she won't. We knew that, Kook. It's okay. I'll be okay as long as she is." Jimin smiled. He didn't care how fake it looked. "For a few minutes, she looked at me like she loved me. That's all I needed."

Jimin squeezed Jungkook's shoulder and retreated to his room so the others could greet Y/n and have their time with her. If Y/n was up to it, of course. The truth was, Jimin didn't know how much or how little Y/n had changed. She had seemed so passionate, caring, and kind back in the chasm, but never in his life would he imagine Y/n would put her hands on him, no matter how much rage she felt. But she had.

Fate had other plans, seeing as Jungkook followed him and almost kicked down the door. Yeah, a metal door. Jungkook had determination, Jimin would give him that.

"You wanna tell me about that being now?"

"Well..." Jimin sighed and banged the back of his head against the wall. "Jungkook, my wife just got back and slapped me. Can you give me a minute, please?"

"I would love to, but you made it seem like it was important."

"It is," Jimin said with a huff, and then, he decided to say fuck it and send a signal to her. You mind coming here and giving Jungkook the news? I don't feel like it right now.

"Are you sure?"

I'm sure. He can handle it. I know he can.

Within a flash, Starborn Y/n appeared without her armor, and Jungkook jumped back before almost throwing hands at her, to which she teleported away again.

"That didn't look like handling it, Jimin," she said in his mind, and he grunted.

"Jungkook-"

"What the fuck was that?" Jungkook whipped around and got too close for comfort. "Who was that? Why was she wearing Y/n's face-"

"She is Y/n. I know it's hard to understand, so please listen and stop attacking. 'Kay?"

Jungkook didn't answer, so Jimin signaled Y/n to come back. Starborn Y/n popped up again. No, Jungkook didn't go to pummel her that time, but that didn't stop the glares.

"My name is Y/n, and I am a Starborn." Y/n went to the door and blocked it, crossing her arms over her chest. "Please shut up and listen."

"I-"

"Shush."

Jungkook shut his mouth.

"Good. Listen, I know this day has been chaotic, but I assure you I am not taking Y/n's place both with Jimin and in general. Your Y/n is top priority, and I am merely an observer. We Starborn travel the multiverse. I assume you've heard of the various multiverse theories?"

"Yeah," Jungkook said, his voice more dragged out than before. "But none of them were proven."

"Well, here's your proof. I have seen more universes than I can count, and it is because of the artifacts."

"The artifacts are the key to the multiverse?" Jimin mumbled, and Y/n nodded.

"Did you think you were collecting them because they look pretty?"

"No," Jimin said as fast as Jungkook normally did. "No offense, but they're kinda ugly."

"We did not make them, so no offense taken. Starborn may be multi-dimensional, but we all started as humans. We believe the creator of the universe made these artifacts in every galaxy to bring their subjects closer to finding them. In one multiverse, there has to be a creator out there, and that is why we need Jimin. We believe his abilities can unlock the secrets of the universe we thought we would never uncover."

Jimin chuckled. "Okay, that's news to me. So, let me get this straight: the artifacts lead to the multiverse, and from there, what?"

"You enter the multiverse. I'm sorry, I can't tell you everything yet. I've told you more than I should have, but I feel you're both worthy of knowing most of the truth. Please, keep finding artifacts. The more you find, the more of the truth you reveal."

"Yeah, no, this is my ship, and I choose what we do. I think we need a break from everything for a little while, so we're gonna do some classic exploring on basic bitch moons, scan some planets, and call it a day."

Jungkook nodded in agreement, and Jimin appreciated the silent support.

"Very well, but I encourage you to continue your search. It's an enlightening experience, I assure you." Y/n shifted her focus to Jungkook. "I am not your Y/n, of course, but a different one from another universe. There are infinite versions of you and me out there in the multiverse, living lives we can only imagine."

"Really? What have the other versions of me done?"

"I do not know, Mr. Jeon. I was focused on Constellation, and..." Y/n eyed Jimin. "It is uncommon for Mr. Park to survive long. You take on the same UC SysDef role every time, though rarely do I see much more from you."

"By 'uncommon'," Jimin started with a snort, "she means means I die in every universe, and this is the only universe where both Y/n and I are alive."

Alive. What a flimsy word. He could add it to his personal list, with belief at the top. For the longest time, he didn't know what living meant. Being alive meant being without Y/n. She was alive and with him at the moment, but she didn't want anything to do with him. That hadn't hit him yet. He doubted it ever would.

"Oh..." Jungkook trailed off and rubbed his temple. "What the fuck? Actually, no, I don't think anyone can say anything that will make sense right about now. I'm gonna go talk to the others. You have fun with whatever it is this is."

Y/n stepped aside so Jungkook could leave, and no one bothered chasing after him. The Starborn gave Jimin a long glance and waved, and before he could speak, she teleported away. Jimin was alone.

Again.

But he didn't let that last long. Instead, he sent a message out to Logan about the mech being on Londinion with the UC soldiers holding it in place. Jimin was sure Logan knew since his soldiers kept him up to date on everything, but sending a message himself couldn't hurt. Then, he stretched and went to the infirmary to take painkillers for the soreness in his body. Adrenaline had faded in favor of ache. Though part of him couldn't tell if that was due to the Morph war or him getting older. Either explanation worked for him.

From there, he did his rounds, checking in with the crew and seeing if they had said anything to Y/n. Most hadn't. Sarah had popped in and hugged her, but Y/n didn't seem in the mood to speak, as expected. VASCO had managed to make Y/n crack a smile, according to Barrett.

Half an hour slipped by. An hour. Two. Three. When the fourth hit, Jimin tip-toed into the cockpit, unable to tolerate being away from her any longer. Y/n was still there, and how she sat there for four hours was beyond him, but he didn't bother questioning it. He noticed she had the cockpit's emergency lights turned up in brightness, but he didn't question that, either.

Jimin knocked on the side, and she flinched, saw it was him, relaxed, and then did a double-take, fully realized it was him, and scooted further away in the seat.

"What do you want, Captain?"

Oh. That was how bad it was, huh?

Jimin sat in the co-pilot's seat and made sure to keep his distance. As much as he realistically could in such a cramped space.

"To apologize," he said, and Y/n stiffened at that. "I know no apology can make up for it, but..." He could see Isabelle in his mind's eye. The poor girl needed far more than an apology. "I owe it to all the lives I hurt or even killed to try harder. To atone."

"You think you can atone for this?" Y/n mumbled, and Jimin shook his head.

"No, probably not, but if I give up, that would be far worse. All of them got hurt or died in vain. I'm not doing that to Larry, Hoseok, or Isabelle. I'm not doing it to me, either. I have the chance to help the universe find its creator, and I'm not wasting that." Jimin stopped to nibble on his nails. "I've already wasted enough."

Y/n laughed. "Yeah, whatever. Go away. I'm not interested in talking to you about how you can atone for mind control. Oh, and killing an innocent woman and using her for sex. Oh, and did I mention you used a mech to come and get the one person in the galaxy you know hates mechs? Oh, and just in case I forgot, what about the fucking mind control?"

Jimin took it without reacting on his face, even if his chest got tighter by the second. There was a foolish part of him that had thought she wouldn't hate him. He knew the truth, but a deep, twisted part of him had hoped he was wrong. It certainly wouldn't be the first time.

"I'm sorry." Jimin swallowed what he could. It tasted like blood. "I know it doesn't mean much, but I am."

"Don't pull that with me. I know you aren't sorry."

"I am." Jimin paused and decided honesty was the best course of action there, so he nodded to himself. "For the innocents I hurt, like Isabelle, and the drugs I took. That was unnecessary."

"That's it?"

Jimin paused and tried to choose his words carefully. "Y/n, I did everything I did to get you home. If somehow I was given a second chance and sent back to the beginning, I would do it all over again if it meant bringing you home."

"But-"

"No. I would, and I'm not sorry for that, but I am sorry for how it will affect others." But they aren't you. That was what he wanted to say. He cared more for the galaxy and its people than the actual governments and factions did, but Y/n was the love of his life. He knew he would do it all over again, if he had the choice. Aside from the Aurora. "So I am truly sorry for whatever happens because of the mind control, and I'll do my best to fix it, but I'm not sorry for saving you."

"That's what scares me most, Jimin: I know." Y/n gazed out at the stars surrounding Londinion. They were in its orbit, too lazy to grav jump elsewhere. "And now I have to live with that, too. All those lives gone because one man just needed to find me."

Jimin figured the conversation wouldn't go anywhere, so he stood and accepted defeat. "Well, I'll leave you to think about that-"

"Jimin," she interrupted, and he froze. "You know we can't be together anymore, right?"

Hearing those words was what he had anticipated for nine months. Yet, when she said them, his heart shattered all the same. But she couldn't see him cry; she was the one who had gone through hell to survive, and he didn't want to take those tears from her.

Jimin kissed the top of her head and took a greedy second to brush his finger through her longer, tangled hair. She didn't budge the entire time, even as he pulled away.

"I know," he whispered, "but I love you, Y/n."

Y/n teared up and tried to hide it. "I don't understand why."

"Because you were my wife." Jimin wanted to hug her and wipe her tears, but he knew those days were long over. "And that means I love you unconditionally. I loved you yesterday, I love you today, and I'll love you tomorrow." He paused to attempt to contain his scratchy, crack-filled voice. It didn't work. "Even when you don't love me."

Y/n stayed quiet for a minute.

"Goodbye, Park Jimin."

Jimin didn't protest. Any love they shared had fallen into the chasm with Y/n, only Jimin couldn't rescue that. No one could save everyone, and Jimin chose to save her over himself. He had to live with that, and he would. Isabelle deserved to know he would live with it. That he would live with her face in his nightmares until the day he died.

He exited the cockpit and spotted Cora there, staring up at him, though it wasn't by as much anymore. The kid had grown taller, coming up to Jimin's chest. She would grow taller than most of them, Jimin reckoned, but for the time being, he enjoyed the slight advantage he had.

"Hey, kid," Jimin said, and Cora approached with her curls bouncing. At least she had showered that time. "You okay?"

Cora held a book against her chest, a pink, long-sleeved shirt covering her small arms with fleece-lined sweatpants keeping her toasty. Jimin didn't realize how cold the ship had gotten. He should have, considering he grew up on a warm planet like Neon, but he didn't.

"Why are you crying?" she asked, and Jimin stalled at that, raising his bare hand to his face to feel the moisture there. "Y/n's back, isn't that good?"

Jimin got down on one knee and gave Cora a smile. "What book you got there?"

Cora wasn't a child; she was a teenager with more perception than half of the adults Jimin knew. That meant Jimin knew Cora was aware he was changing the topic, but she didn't call it out. That was something Cora did often: avoiding topics for sake of comfort. Yet, at the same time, she wasn't scared of saying the truth when needed. She had more emotional maturity than Jimin did.

"Nothing interesting. Yours are better."

Jimin ruffled her curls. "I have the best taste. C'mon, what do you say, want a story?"

Cora agreed, and Jimin held her hand and guided her back to her room, stopping by his to pick up one of the new fairytales he had bought for her the last time he had been to Akila. It was strange, going to Akila; his entire journey began because he had tried to smuggle into Akila. He hoped he wouldn't have to spend much time there aside from the bookstore and Sam's ramblings about it being 'home.' A home he hated yet went back to anyway. Maybe Jimin and Sam were more similar than Jimin realized.

Jimin and Cora arrived, and Jimin tucked her in. Marbles was there, as always; it was her favorite room to sleep in. Marbles purred and jumped at Jimin, who caught her, kissed her head, and scratched her back over the sweet spot. Marbles pounced off him to cuddle up in bed, and Jimin knelt by Cora's bedside and kept his smile.

"Alright, let's start this thing."

Jimin held the rainbow book and opened it to see a unicorn. It was childish—perhaps too childish for a teenager—but Cora managed to keep her youthful spirit. Or maybe she did it to spare Jimin's feelings. He didn't want to know.

"Once upon time..." Jimin went to continue, but a splat sound interrupted him. New ship, so few sounds remained other than the occasional hum of the air conditioner, or a bump or two from a leech in the vents that Marbles and Taehyung would handle later.

He scoured the colorful page consisting of a castle, bright green grass, and a unicorn for the source of the sound and found a splatter of moisture dampening the thin paper.

"Oh." Jimin snickered and tried to wipe it away. It didn't come off. "Sorry, kid, I guess I just-"

Cora cut him off by taking the book from him and scooting to the edge of her bed, embracing him, and he realized where the splat had come from the second her arms wrapped around him.

Water gushed out of his eyes more than before, and he clung to the teen like the rest of the galaxy didn't exist anymore.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. He didn't know what he was apologizing for that time. Maybe part of him hoped Y/n had heard it and would forgive him. Maybe part of him hoped it'd be enough for her to love him again.

"It's okay." Cora clung back just as hard. "I'm good at keeping secrets. I won't tell anyone Captain Park cried in my room."

Jimin laughed, and she did too. He hugged her for a few minutes, until the tears calmed down, and then backed away with a soft smile.

"Thanks, kid. I think I needed that."

Cora returned the smile. "Will you be okay?"

Jimin didn't know how to answer. It took him almost a full minute to form any words, and when they came out, they were weak and only managed to hit three. No more, no less.

"She's alive, Cora."

He cut himself off and couldn't continue the sentence. Lying was a sin, and he wanted to ensure when he spoke again, it sounded like the truth. It needed to be the truth. And that had him taking a deep breath before answering.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll be okay."

☆☆☆

END OF SEASON 3

☆☆☆

That does it for season 3. What a ride, right? I didn't write Y/n and Jimin together for 7 months. Isn't that insane? That's one reason why I didn't want to write many flashbacks for Y/n and Jimin: I wanted myself (and you guys) to feel the isolation Jimin did. So rewriting them together is quite interesting, to say the least.

Season 3 was my favorite season to write by far, and it has a special place in my heart. Jimin's mental health deteriorating throughout it was tough to write but necessary, and now, s4 is going to cover Y/n's mental health.

Girlie has severe PTSD. PTSD is my second favorite topic to write about (aside from grief), so... yeah, expect a lot.

There are six seasons, so with season 3 concluding, we are officially halfway done with Starfield. How does it feel, knowing there's only one half left?

Also, I may give Y/n slight physical characteristics in s4. By "slight," I mean her hair being long (it'll matter to the Jimin and Y/n relationship, hence why I'm doing it). I wanted to have Y/n be an oc from the beginning but didn't because tbvvh not many people read my stories without a Y/n, so I included one. For that reason, I would like to give her a bit more physicality but not much, otherwise it defeats the purpose of her being Y/n in the first place, though I'd like to include a tiny bit more. I hope no one minds this. It won't rewrite any of s1 or s2, it'll focus on her natural changes following her time in the chasm. So yeah. Woo-hoo.

Also also, be prepared because there will be a major time skip in season 4. Much larger than s3's six months. So, yeah. Have fun! I already almost wrote the full first chapter lmao.

Anyway, thanks for joining me for s3. It was a wild ride but worth it. S4 won't take as long lol. I imagine s3 will be the longest season, though s6 may take a bit, too.

Enough yapping. Thanks for being here, and I'll see you soon for s4!