Hongjoong awoke to clamour outside. The moment the voices of his friends reached his sleep-ridden brain, he stumbled to his feet and to his door. Even in the distance, they were loud, yelling over each other. When Hongjoong heard something bang and crash, he cursed his numb fingers to type in the password faster.

Still in his pyjamas, Hongjoong emerged into the corridor. He could make out Jongho's and Mingi's voices near the kitchen, Wooyoung screeching over both of them. Anxious that something had happened again, and that they had found another body, Hongjoong raced towards the source of the mess.

The second he arrived, he found himself overwhelmed with the chaos. He could count all five of his remaining crew members, but they all had become one huge ball of limbs that pushed and shoved at each other. Wooyoung's face was red with anger, and he had clutched Jongho at his collar while the man tried to pry him off with grit teeth. On the other hand, Mingi tried to mediate between them while Yunho had to hold back Seonghwa, whose face was just as indignant with the accusations and insults Wooyoung threw at him.

Nobody noticed Hongjoong and even when he uttered a 'what the fuck is going on' beneath his breath, they didn't halt.

Hongjoong carefully squeezed past Mingi's body that got thrown around with the force that Wooyoung and Jongho employed in their wrestling. When he tapped Yunho's hand, both Yunho and Seonghwa surprisedly glanced at him. Instantly, Yunho's face contorted into a grimace of an apologetic smile, and Seonghwa pushed back his hair.

"What's going on here?" Hongjoong asked. Seonghwa politely released his arm from Yunho's grasp and crossed his arms. Sighing, Yunho motioned at Wooyoung.

"He thinks he's got it figured out. But he really just lost his mind entirely."

Hongjoong had to concentrate to pick up Wooyoung's words through their agitated screams. His fingers flinched into fists when Jongho threw the trio around to drive both Mingi and Wooyoung into a corner. They squished and Mingi tried to worm away when Wooyoung reached out clawed fingers for Jongho's hair.

The face of Hongjoong's brother was scarily grim and resolved. His effort barely showed as he hauled them around.

"I knew it was either you or that thieving bastard! I should have figured that Captain only collected the worse people from the trash!" Wooyoung shrieked at Jongho even in his disadvantageous position. Jongho's eyebrows drew together as he grasped the man's wrists in one hand and pressed them against the wall over his head. Wooyoung struggled, getting pinned effortlessly. His malnourished and weakened body had no chance against Jongho.

"Don't talk about him like that. You may insult me but leave Hongjoong alone," Jongho bit back.

Desperate, Mingi yanked on Jongho's shoulders when Wooyoung whimpered around the pressure on his wrists.

"Ouch," Hongjoong muttered. Seonghwa also looked ready to fight again, but he gathered his patience with Hongjoong around.

"He remembered Jongho isn't your brother by blood, which gave him reason to believe he might be alien, since we don't know about his lineage," Yunho explained the mess as cordially as possible. He had to raise his voice at the end when it got loud once more.

"Or maybe our precious leader knows, and that's why he's still going! Maybe he knows you two demons are after us and allows you to kill us off until only the three of you are left!" Wooyoung spat at Jongho's face and wormed out of his grip when the man flinched away in disgust. The usual hurt in Jongho's eyes had been replaced with chill anger. He wiped the man's spit off his face with his sleeve and shoved off Mingi, who tried to put a hand on his chest.

When Seonghwa also took a step towards them, Hongjoong warningly grasped his wrist. The simple touch was enough to ground the man.

"Don't. Let him fight out his frustrations. He's already exhausted."

This time, the trio heard Hongjoong. All three of them glanced at him. Wooyoung used the second of distraction to grab onto Jongho's hair finally. His knee connected with the man's nose brutally, and Jongho stumbled back, collapsing to the ground. Both Hongjoong and Seonghwa darted after him with a yelp. Blood shot out between his hands and mixed with his pained tears.

"And you! Don't think I missed you lingering around. You spotted Yeosang and fainted? I don't believe you a damn word. You are the only one who could have killed him."

Mingi whimpered when his back connected with the wall.

Yunho stepped in again. This time, it was him who pressed Wooyoung against the wall with an arm to his throat. When Wooyoung snapped his teeth at him, he increased the pressure until the man gasped for air and clawed at Yunho's arm. Tall and menacing, their ever so friendly giant pinned Wooyoung until he had no strength to struggle anymore. Once his resistance creased, Yunho dropped him on the ground carelessly and stepped over him to help Mingi up. Shaky, the redhead clung to him.

Seonghwa helped Jongho wash the blood off at the sink while Hongjoong went over to crouch next to Wooyoung. He countered the withering glare he received with a raised brow.

"What is your damn problem? I understand that this hit you worst out of everyone, but don't you want to stop it from happening again? Don't blame people," Hongjoong hissed at him. He was repeating himself by now, and his nerves ran thin. None of them had the patience in their just as stressful situation to deal with Wooyoung.

Wooyoung barked back, his voice hoarse from yelling and cracking around his words.

"Then what else am I supposed to do?! How will this situation resolve itself if we don't discuss it?"

"This is what discussing looks like to you? I am willing to discuss with you again and again but not as long as you use your fists."

At that, Wooyoung pointed at Jongho accusingly.

"He came at me! I used only my words, and he introduced fists!"

Hongjoong glanced at Jongho. Seonghwa's icy eyes found Wooyoung on the ground.

"Now tell him what words you used. Hongjoong may be the most patient out of all of us, but he would lunge at you, too, for that. You provoked him," Seonghwa said sharply. For a moment, Wooyoung and he glared at each other. Then Hongjoong hauled Wooyoung up to sit on the bench.

The other man had suffered a few punches. The bone near his eyes started to colour purple, and a nasty scratch went over his collarbone. He rubbed his sore wrists.

As unnecessary and superficial as these wounds were, Hongjoong much preferred them over the gruesome deaths they had encountered. Humans hitting each other was something he could deal with.

Yunho brought some cooling pads over while Mingi sat down on the furthest possible place from Wooyoung on the other bench. His eyes flickered through the room, indecisive about whether he should help or rest his wobbly legs first.

Wooyoung was quiet as Hongjoong handed him one cooling pad for his wrists and rose the other to press it to Wooyoung's temple. He hissed only once at the pressure, but quickly fell quiet again.

It took the room a few minutes to calm down. By the time Jongho's nose stopped bleeding, they could verify that it thankfully wasn't broken. Although Wooyoung's eyes were telling that he would prefer he broke it.

Soon, they all sat cordially around the desk. Like two stony guards, Yunho and Hongjoong flanked Wooyoung. Seonghwa sat opposite of him and stomped down on his kicking feet hard enough a single time that Wooyoung stopped with a grumble.

"Now. You have every right to complain if you do it peacefully. Tell us your thoughts and we might figure something out to help you," Hongjoong offered diplomatically. Wooyoung instantly started.

"Him. He's not your brother by blood. We can be sure that everyone else is human, but he might be an alien that hid in its human skin all along. You don't know where he's from." The nod at Jongho had the other man scowl, but he remained peaceful. He still pressed a cloth to his nose.

"And I am very sure that in the twenty years I spent with him, I would have noticed anything off about him. If I can assure you that a person is fine, then it's him," Hongjoong replied like a mantra that Wooyoung forgot instantly once he heard it.

"Then him. You know he's a freak. It would suit the government to try to introduce their felon alien into society by painting him in a hero's cape."

Seonghwa remained poised at the jab, but Hongjoong's eyes narrowed at the name.

"You forget that I requested specifically for Seonghwa to join us. He isn't some theatrical experiment. He's a man who showed that he is more than just his past and I am the one who wanted to prove that to other people. Including you."

Wooyoung's grimace turned foul again. The smirk adorning his lips had nothing friendly.

"Yeah, as I said. Both of your family members are the most suspicious ones here. I wouldn't be surprised if you were in on it. Or if we had several aliens in here, Captain." Wooyoung gagged around the last word as if it poisoned his mouth. Hongjoong's neutral face was the only shield between Seonghwa's and Jongho's brooding rage and the man's accusations.

"We've been over this. I stand by them. If San were around and I accused him, you would be protective of him, too. Leave me to trust in my people where you trust in yours."

"Only that San isn't around anymore. And neither is Yeosang, the only one who actually had a calm mind and got things going in here. And I don't doubt that this pretentiously naïve fellow over there is responsible for that."

Hongjoong glanced at Mingi's pale features. The man didn't even have the strength to look shocked, thinly holding on to his sanity and consciousness.

"No doubt? For having no doubt you are accusing everyone at the table."

Wooyoung slammed his hands down on the table. The resounding bang had Mingi flinch.

"Of course I am, because it could be any of you! Him, who pretends to be oh so delicate when he graduated through his determination and his intelligence! You sleepwalking ghost who appears at the most suspicious spots at night! And those two abominations you call your family!"

Before Hongjoong could have said something he might regret and lunge over the table, Yunho made a questioning sound. His finger pointed at himself.

Wooyoung just gave him a bitter smile.

"Or you, who oh so conveniently stays neutral and impassive to hide in the shadows."

"Then, since you are such a gifted detective and seconds away from finding the real culprit, what do you suggest we do?" Seonghwa asked, sugary sweetly. His eyes were similar to deadly lasers, and Hongjoong gulped as they met Wooyoung's ablaze glare.

"Turn the ship around already. Pray that we reach civilisation before everything is too late. The further we go, the less of us will make it back."

Hongjoong rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Wooyoung, I told you. Our mission doesn't care if we lose people."

"But don't you?" Wooyoung's voice had got quieter. It was close to breaking again, and all heat emptied from his eyes. Only numb emptiness remained.

"Even if you don't fear for your life, you still have your loved ones to save. And you can bet I would turn the ship around and fall out of grace with the government immediately if it meant that San was still here. And we aren't even talking about Yeosang."

The table fell quiet at that. Several faces looked guiltily agreeable with that idea.

Wooyoung continued into the thickening silence of the room.

"Two people died. We have an egg-laying, murderous alien creature on board that poses as one of our friends. I'm not doing this, Hongjoong. I don't have that strength. I won't cooperate anymore to get the ship forward. Hand me out as a traitor, if you wish so, and lock me up. But I won't support this even a second longer."

When Hongjoong remained stonily still, Yunho directed his eyes at his features. His gentle voice appealed with more sense.

"He's right. San's death already made things more complicated, but we could do with the AI. But without Yeosang's guidance, we might not even find anything out there. And if another person dies, it will soon be too difficult for us to maintain the ship. We'd perish out here before we reach anything."

Mingi and Seonghwa nodded weakly. Jongho sat still with crossed arms.

Hongjoong exhaled slowly. He looked at Wooyoung's haunted and bloodshot eyes that had lost all of their liveliness.

"Fine," he whispered.

"We're turning around. And I sure hope you have the same amount of motivation when you come with me to explain this to Bang Yongguk."

Now, a more genuine smile spread on Wooyoung's lips. Relieved, he nodded.

"I will, leave all the discussing to me."

On the same night, they all assembled on the bridge to turn the ship around. A week away before they would have reached their destination. As much as it saddened Hongjoong to have the AI readjust to the coordinates of their home base 16 weeks worth of flight away from here, his heart felt lighter by this judgment.