Hongjoong roused with a grumble, displeased by having awoken. The dimmed lights of the chamber brightened a bit when they picked up on his shift of consciousness, indicating that Seonghwa was still asleep, too. When Hongjoong rustled in the sheets next to him, Seonghwa stirred only so far to throw his arm over Hongjoong's hip and cuddle close. With his face buried between Hongjoong's shoulder blades, he protested to wake up just yet.

Lying still so he wouldn't trouble the man, Hongjoong pulled over his tablet from the nightstand. He squinted his eyes at the sombre blue screen as it read his touch to unlock. The ship's stats were reliable and nothing of risk had provoked another alert. Yeosang had briefed the group chat that they were secure, too, ensuring that nobody had to go to bed with anxiety.

Hongjoong also had one unread message from San, issued in the middle of the night. It read the most simplistic and straightforward inquiry.

Can we talk?

If Seonghwa had asked him the same, Hongjoong would have been fired into a fit of self-doubts if he had screwed up and if Seonghwa had a reason to be mad. Since it was San, though, Hongjoong just shot back a 'whenever you have time' at him.

Getting a direct message from San signified many implications. Maybe the man just wanted to check up on Hongjoong and test his health. Or the other way around, San had something important to share that he trusted only his captain with. It wouldn't be the first time San asked for support in matters involving Wooyoung.

Hongjoong was honoured to be the person who was liked and trusted by everyone.

Once he had set his tablet down again and burrowed deeper into his blanket, Seonghwa roused. His rich voice was scratchy from sleep and vibrated in Hongjoong's limbs.

"Good morning."

"Morning, sunshine," Hongjoong teased him just as groggily. Seonghwa had to slacken his grip so Hongjoong could turn until they faced each other. Hongjoong sweetly skimmed the tips of their noses against each other in a greeting. As always, it immediately conjured a smile to Seonghwa's full lips.

Sleepy and with his hair all over the place, Seonghwa looked like the softest boyfriend one could wish for.

"Had a good sleep?"

"I did. Thankfully, we weren't obliterated by a meteor in the middle of the night." Seonghwa tightened his arms again and drew Hongjoong close. Their chests rose and fell in tandem with each other.

"No way, I took precautions."

"Yes, thank you." Seonghwa dipped his head to leave a chaste kiss on Hongjoong's lips. Both of them smiled into the action.

"Do you want to get breakfast? We need to do a briefing today on what the further procedures are. Shouldn't start with an empty stomach."

When Hongjoong sat up to stretch, Seonghwa followed to lean against him like an overgrown puppy. With some pets to his soft hair, Hongjoong slipped into his suit and waited until Seonghwa had done the same. After they had fixed their hair, the two of them emerged from the room together. As they took off, the opening mechanism beeped back into automatic.

Outside in the corridor, they discovered Wooyoung. The man was prancing up and down the hallway in his pyjamas, clearly not on his way to the conference. When he detected the two of them, he gave a fleeting smile that bordered a grimace.

"Everything alright?" Hongjoong asked warily. Wooyoung seldom looked so bothered and out of it.

"I upset San. He left while I was sleeping and locked himself in his room. Now I can't get through to him."

Hongjoong's eyes darted between him and the sealed door in question. So San had wanted to chat about Wooyoung. Had he turned to doubt their relationship? Hongjoong's heart sank at the theory.

"Do you need help to resolve this?"

"No, no. You two go on. I'll take care of him first and join later." Wooyoung waved them off, not too perturbed by Seonghwa's presence since his mind was occupied.

The two men took off without investigating it. Wooyoung and San had started into their fiery romance not too long ago. The first issues were bound to surface. As long as they negotiated it in a healthy manner, Hongjoong had no reason to meddle with them.

He studied his tablet again before they continued to breakfast but San hadn't texted again.

Sighing, Hongjoong accompanied Seonghwa to eat. The rest of the crew had already assembled in there and shared a peaceful exchange. At Hongjoong's entrance, they began to merrily recount their morning activities.

"I checked all cranks and levers and made sure nothing is stuck or faulty," Mingi declared with a winning smile.

"I levelled the temperature in the botanical room so the tropical plants get their humidity and will empty the chutes after breakfast," Jongho added.

"I checked our flight logs and maps, but no meteor fields will startle us anytime soon." As usual, Yeosang smiled more mellow and hesitant than the rest.

"And I made sure the shields took no lasting damage and adjusted the laser cannons to shoot at solid materials if needed," Yunho composed the glorious finale. He patted the seat next to him so Seonghwa sat down from his awkward hovering position in the door.

"Wonderful, everyone. Wooyoung and San are in an argument right now so they will join us later. We'll hold a briefing on the bridge after breakfast." Hongjoong joined them on the bench to eat and let Yunho tell them an anecdote about a moon llama that had tried eating his hair once when he had still worn it green.

When they held their meeting afterwards, everybody but San was present, but they recorded their plans for him so he could catch up later.

-

On some nights, Seonghwa slept by himself. Other nights, he made the effort to collect Hongjoong from his dreamy trance on the bridge. On extra rare nights, he joined him on the bridge to observe the stars together.

The day had concluded early. Without Wooyoung around, the crew spent less time as a group and fanned out sooner in the evening. As usual, when he was left with time, Hongjoong sat on his chair to space out while he stared into the dark infinity outside.

Seonghwa alerted his presence with the buzzing of the door and soft footsteps. Hongjoong didn't need to turn to know that the man had once more made use of his knowledge where he would find Hongjoong. The pattern of his steps was familiar to the captain.

As always when they arranged to spend their evening out on the bridge under the glass dome and the open sky, Seonghwa had brought a blanket. He laid it out on the ground behind Hongjoong's seat orderly and set down the two mugs with tea he had brought. Hongjoong listened to him kick off his shoes with pricked ears. By the time he swivelled around in his chair, Seonghwa had already stretched out on the blanket and peered up at him over the rim of his mug. Hongjoong saw his grin tug on his cheeks.

"Won't you join me, Captain?"

Hongjoong trailed his eyes down the man's long legs accentuated by the fitted uniform. When he stood from his chair, he stretched with artificial boredom.

"Since you asked so nicely," Hongjoong muttered with a shrug. He slipped out of his shoes as well and kicked them on his side while Seonghwa's stood neatly next to each other where nobody could stumble over them. A mirror of their personalities.

Hongjoong slumped onto the softened ground next to Seonghwa. As soon as he had got comfortable, Seonghwa handed him his mug.

"Careful, it's hot."

When their fingers brushed as Hongjoong took the object from him, Hongjoong made a hissing sound as if he had burnt himself. Good-natured, Seonghwa rolled his eyes at his antics.

Hongjoong relished in the taste of his favourite tea. The aroma regularly reminded him of home and his mother. It was no wonder that Jongho and he invariably made sure it was stocked in generous quantities.

"Anything new from Wooyoung?"

"He gave it up and retreated to his room. When I asked him about it, he hissed at me since he doesn't want to distribute his irritation." Seonghwa's frown was overshadowed by consideration for his crew members. Hongjoong gave an empathetic grimace.

"They will come around. Wooyoung might need some time to open up. Maybe he'll confess to Yeosang or Yunho first, too. They most likely offer valuable advice."

Although San had wanted to talk to Hongjoong, too. Maybe Wooyoung just didn't want relationship guidance from Seonghwa. If Hongjoong approached him later, he might reveal his troubles.

"Maybe so," Seonghwa mumbled. He put his mug aside to assign his total attention to Hongjoong instead. The pensive look in his eyes as he stared up at the seated man had Hongjoong giggle shyly.

"Why the dreamy gaze?"

"You look gorgeous in space. I know I said the same about you in the sun, but I can't decide which one I like more."

Sharing the sentiment the other way around, Hongjoong put down his mug to shuffle closer to him. When he threw a leg over Seonghwa's lap, the man twisted to settle down on his back and accommodate him. Their hands found each other in the middle to fiddle with each other.

"Thank you. I think you look better in space. It matches your eyes," Hongjoong flirted back. The gentle shine in Seonghwa's eyes glowed like the stars in the faint radiance of the blue panels around them. Hongjoong had shut off the main light so it wouldn't reflect in the windows.

Seonghwa's bigger hands cradled Hongjoong's like the most precious goods. His warm skin sent the little electric sparks of excitement through Hongjoong that he had always adored so much between them. They had never stopped being enamoured with each other, and Hongjoong prayed that would persist as long as possible.

"Now that you say it... Do you have stars in your eyes? Let me investigate."

When Seonghwa craned his neck to examine him, Hongjoong embarrassedly pinched his eyes shut. His giggles drew a pleased sound from Seonghwa.

"Come on," he pleaded, his hands keeping Hongjoong's down when he tried to bury his face in them.

When Seonghwa sat up promptly to get closer, Hongjoong nearly tumbled backwards. Seonghwa let go of his hands swiftly to catch him around the waist. After some adjustments, Hongjoong sat comfortably with spread legs on the man and hid away.

"No showing me?"

Hongjoong shook his head, hidden by both his hands and his lids. He knew that Seonghwa's gaze would have him melt away into a puddle, and he dreaded surrendering his protection so easily.

The touch of soft lips to his had Hongjoong lift his head, his hands still rigidly in place. Seonghwa had to chuckle at his perseverance as he kissed him deeper, mixing the fragrant flavour of their teas.

Hongjoong fell into him, enchanted by the gentleness of his affection and the velvety touch of his lips. His kisses never failed to get Hongjoong to become putty in his arms.

This time was no different. All too soon, Hongjoong forgot why his hands had been holding his eyes shut. They extended to wrap around Seonghwa's neck and drag him closer. His fingertips brushed through the silky hair on the back of Seonghwa's head.

When Seonghwa's kisses travelled to the corners of Hongjoong's mouth and over his jaw, Hongjoong tipped his head back to grant him access. The touches on his skin were faint like the brushes of flower petals in spring. They made Hongjoong feel pretty, made him feel adored. Seonghwa's hands slipped under his shirt, gently holding onto the skin of his waist.

Ached into the man's grip and evaporating with every kiss on his sensitive neck, Hongjoong's eyes only fluttered open when the sonar peeped. Upside down, he glanced around idly to locate the device.

That was when he spotted the man floating by the windows.

Every muscle in Hongjoong's body tensed as he froze over. Disbelieving, he blinked once, twice, then he ripped himself out of Seonghwa's arms to roll around. Surprised, Seonghwa released him, alarmed that he had hurt the man to flinch so hard.

"What's wrong?"

Even in the changed perspective, the person wasn't gone yet. Their body had swollen macabrely until they were near twice their size as they drifted through the lethal vacuum without a protective suit.

Petrified on his haunches, Hongjoong stared in horror at how lifeless they were, how close to bursting their taut skin looked.

But even worse, he recognised the uniform they wore. The uniform of his very own people.

And as he stared for just a split second longer, his eyes widened with shock as he recognised the person.

It was San.