Friday was gardening day for the entire crew. Not that any day couldn't be a gardening day, but on Friday, all of them came around to greet their plant friends and cultivate them. Their botanical garden contributed their precious oxygen and offered room for recreation at the same time. San kept cuttings of every flora ready to be implanted into the ground material they would find on new planets to test out the compatibility of Earth's nutrients and new ones. Since the garden was both a place of mediation and science, it drew the entire crew in for one reason or the other. Thus, on Fridays, they all collected there after their morning tasks to check on their green friends, get rid of weeds, and explore abnormalities in the recent projects.

Currently, they had only one science project around. It researched the likelihood of dandelions - ever so tenacious in the places they picked to grow on - accepting silicate materials the crew had collected from asteroids as their place for growth. Wooyoung firmly believed that they would. Mingi had placed his bets against it, so it was no wonder to find the two of them hovering over the research station with great interest.

Hongjoong chuckled at their childish antics as he entered the room fully. He kicked off his shoes near the entrance into the pile that had already accumulated there and would be a pain to figure out later, since they all looked the same. Ever the smarter ones, Yeosang and Seonghwa had put their shoes aside orderly.

When Hongjoong stepped into the dome under the bright artificial sunlight, the grass kissed his feet smoothly. He had missed the feeling of it.

Their navigator sat at a nearby patch and plucked pesky weeds from their roots. He didn't wear gloves, sharing the mutual sentiment of yearning for regular Earth underneath his fingers.

San and Seonghwa strolled through the farther parts equipped with shovels. Yunho had found a beetle and carried it around to show everyone. He named it Lancelot, the first beetle in space.

Hongjoong doubted Lancelot was the first. But he would be the first in the realm beyond federation territory.

Jongho lingered near the entrance and divided the biological waste from the rest to sort them into their respective containers later. He grinned at Hongjoong in passing when Hongjoong picked out a tree that needed grooming.

Since they were eight men and the dome wasn't too gigantic, some Fridays were free of activity, or only required a few of them to actually move their hands. Hongjoong had no reason to nag Wooyoung and Mingi as they debated the advance of the dandelions.

When Hongjoong had first got the files of every crew member, he had been elated to learn that Wooyoung and Mingi had been acquaintances even before they had joined the Elysium. Since both of them had graduated as engineers, they had shared some classes in the academy. Originally, Hongjoong had assumed they would form a dynamic duo with no space in between for anyone to interfere. Then San had happened.

San was a sweetheart. Since the crew was advised to avoid injury at all costs, he hadn't got to show off his skill often, but Hongjoong had spoken over his sleepwalking habit various times with him. Every time, San had listened to him like a concerned friend rather than a detached doctor.

Hongjoong had his fair share of experience with such doctors since they worked in an analogous high field as his father and thus sometimes came over for business or diplomatic meetings. Their expressions had always been cold and detached, not the faces of people Hongjoong would want to confess his pain to. When San had turned out to be a genuinely sympathetic person, Hongjoong had nearly cried with joy.

Considering Wooyoung, it came to no surprise they had hit it off right away. San's appeal was undeniable, and Wooyoung's radiant personality had drawn those two together like magnets. Although Hongjoong hadn't expected another couple on board apart from him and Seonghwa, his delight about San's early proposal had been unmatched.

They plotted to marry as soon as they returned to the station. Wooyoung had an extensive list of things he had ever dreamt of for his wedding. The crew always laughed about it when said list only got longer every day, but San had sworn to fulfil everything Wooyoung could ever imagine.

Of course, the full crew had been invited already. When Yeosang had attempted to make up an excuse that he had to feed his raccoon that day, Wooyoung had chased him down the corridor.

They had even insisted on Seonghwa. Wooyoung tried hard to overcome the detrimental stereotypes he harboured towards the man. Both were aware of just how efficient their team spirit needed to be for a campaign as far as this and back. As shallow as Wooyoung could be, he was very aware of the effect he had on crew members.

Not that Hongjoong could blame him much. His protective instincts towards the underdogs and wronged had been the initial reason for him to develop an interest in Seonghwa, but most people did well staying away from criminals.

Back when he had heard of the other man for the first time, it was from his father. He had informed his wife and son at dinner about the young man with the haunted eyes who had been trapped in the deep high-security penitentiaries after attempting a burglary in the prosperous sector of the city. Seonghwa had been dangerous back then, his looks and silver tongue deceiving as he conned people into helping his actions. He had smuggled weapons and drugs, too, and the government saw a serious hazard in him.

Hongjoong's father just saw a troubled kid with no other way to sustain himself. It had taken him over a year to convince the court of Seonghwa's integration as long as he was admitted into a better program. A year of periodic visits in prison to which he had taken Hongjoong a lot since the two boys were at ease with each other.

Hongjoong had never viewed Seonghwa as a criminal. Rather, he had become Hongjoong's first friend. Soon after, Seonghwa had been enrolled at the academy with a gigantic smile on his lips and got under Hongjoong's father's patronage, who funded his education. And Seonghwa had made use of that very day for an introductory visit to their family home. He had thanked Hongjoong's father profusely and then spent time with Hongjoong in his room, where they had kissed for the first time and Seonghwa had asked Hongjoong to become his boyfriend.

Going to the academy and dating in the evening developed into their daily routine. And Seonghwa got better and brighter with each day. By now, nothing remained of the troublemaker he had once been.

"Smiling about the raise your paycheck will get once we return?"

Hongjoong way yanked out of his thoughts roughly when someone crouched down next to him. The garden shears looked like a toy in Jongho's powerful hands as he helped Hongjoong tame the bushes.

At the little jab from his brother, Hongjoong giggled.

"It's not all about capitalism, you know?"

"For me, it is. Money gets you far. And we will get enough that I won't have to go to work ever again." Jongho sighed dreamily. Hongjoong nudged him with his elbow.

"Hey, you ungrateful brat. You have a wonderful life and career as it is, don't be lavish. You slaved away for years to get here."

Jongho's smile softened, showing off the youth still clinging to his features.

"And it is, yes. But if we find an extraterrestrial life form out there and become celebrities for life, I won't lift a finger anymore, you bet that." Jongho firmly stuck to his words. Hongjoong snickered.

"We will see about that. Maybe the only thing we bring back is two more kilometres of charted asteroids and dandelions that grow in space." He glanced at the science corner. Wooyoung and Mingi had finally disappeared from there, but he could still hear them bickering in the distance.

"Then we just have to search longer. Something interesting has to be out here."

As if on cue, a blaring alarm sounded in the room. The entire crew froze in their business to glance at the speakers mounted to the wall.

"Attention. Entering a meteor rain. Strong advising to manual supervision. Strong advising to manual supervision."

Yunho was on his feet in seconds and snatched up his shoes as he sprinted out. Hongjoong followed stiffer, but at an accelerated pace, with Yeosang right by his side.

"Well, take care of the bushes for us!" He called over his shoulder toward Jongho. His brother saluted him gravely before he took up the shears again. At last, Wooyoung joined in too, and he and Hongjoong hastened down the swaying corridor for the bridge.

As always when they travelled through a meteor field, a truly frightening sight enveloped the entirety of the glass window front. Massive rocks, each easily able to kill all four of them at once, whizzed past them at a speed that made them look like flies.

Hongjoong forewent his observation desk to dive right onto the middle seat. His fingers flew over the panels to enable voice directions and request to divert power to the shields. Hunched in his seat, Yunho grimly hacked away at his own board to make sure they wouldn't lose even a screw of their precious ship.

"The estimated depth of this field is five kilometres. Slow it down. This might be the last big hurdle before we enter unfamiliar territory soon," Yeosang called over his screens. He wore his glasses now that calculated the speed and size of any meteor he glanced at. His pointers overlapped with the AI, and Wooyoung made sure all systems ran in order and none overheated as they zapped through the risk zone.

Hongjoong listened to Yeosang's advice and slowed on the speed. The AI adjusted, but a setback went through the ship anyway when something knocked against them.

"The shields caught a hit on the right wing, but they need to recharge," Yunho called out. Wooyoung's hands glided over the screens instantly.

"I'll take away your firing power and leave it to Hongjoong to dodge if necessary."

At their mute approval, he deactivated the cannons to enhance the shields instead. The AI informed them of the change.

Sharp like a hawk, Hongjoong watched the unpredictable patterns of meteors charging at them. None looked the same, and each time one of the giants emerged in the vacuum, they dodged it only narrowly.

"Hongjoong, left," Yeosang barked out. It took Hongjoong less than a second to grasp onto the sleek handles of the wheel that instantly reacted to his warmth. The manual piloting system switched over, and before the AI could alert him of the conceivable risk, he ripped the object sharply left.

Behind the smaller asteroid rushing at them had been a far larger one, complex to evade when too close. Hongjoong bit his lip as he dragged them along the impressive length of it, emerging above. His eyes flickered over the screen as he lowered them back down. Once the worst was over, he still refused to switch back to autopilot. Even if the AI was the best of its kind, he always feared a lag in reaction, a split second that could mean death.

Hongjoong sunk back into his chair so he could steer more comfortably. His hands fell into skilful ease as he zig-zagged between the pale rocks. He calmed, trusting his reflexes rather than a computer.

Yeosang didn't need to give pointers anymore. He instructed them shortly before the end of the magnetically charged asteroid belt and Wooyoung diverted the power back to their speed.

The conflict only took twenty tense minutes that stripped their nerves bare. Once they emerged from the last hurdling meteor, Hongjoong let go of a breath. His hands rose to his hair to comb the sweaty strands back.

"Autopilot activated."

"Good job, boys," Yunho cheered. All of their knees were still too fragile to stand, so they remained seated for a while and stared into the vast expense of the cosmos.

When Hongjoong got up first, Wooyoung threw him a fatigued smile.

"I'll take a shower. If something happens again, I'll be out in a flash."

The three chuckled at him as he slowly made his way through the room.

"We'll keep a blanket ready to throw at you," Wooyoung promised.

The doors in front of Hongjoong opened. Down the corridor stood Mingi, peering around like a lost puppy. When he spotted Hongjoong, he grinned and gave him a thumbs up.

"Don't you know that it's far more effective to fly naked?" Hongjoong called over his shoulder. His crew broke out in laughter as he left.

He took a shower to crash right into bed after. When he crawled into the sheets with Seonghwa, he could hear Wooyoung and San still murmuring in their room, but everyone was safe, so he didn't mind it much before he fell asleep.