Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jungkook’s heart races as he floats there, suspended in space, the stars spiralling around him.

He’s only focused on a single, particular star right now though.

It’s right there, several metres away, shining cheerfully before Jungkook. He focuses his thoughts towards the star, reaches forward with his soul and just listens. It twinkles back at him invitingly, but that’s all. No song to light up his soul.

Good. Jungkook had thought as much, when he’d listened before donning his suit and leaving the ship, but it never hurt to be sure.

This star is exactly as he’d expected: a floating rock of shining energy.

He pulls at the thick coil of starsteel rope that tethers him to his ship; double checking, even though he knows it won’t give out on him, before the small jetpack attached to his back propels him gently forward.

His stomach swoops, meeting with his racing heart, adrenaline and joy flowing through him as it always does when Jungkook hunts stars. He starts to sing a soft song of his own as he approaches the star. Although it’s more sung with his heart than with his voice; the vacuum of space would steal his words before the star could hear them, anyway.

As he approaches the star he pulls his net forward. It reminds him a little of the nets he’d used once as a child, to chase after glitterflies with, minus the tooth-like structures that line the rim. This net isn’t intended for bug catching.

Jungkook’s eyes widen as he nears the star, its warmth and its brightness almost overwhelming from this close. He can feel it shimmering through him, through his nerves and his veins, beneath his skin, filling his entire body and soul with its beautiful starshine. It doesn’t matter how many stars Jungkook has caught, they always fill him with wonder, with awe, with a spiralling sense of magic, as vast and unending as the very cosmos that he floats in.

“Aren’t you pretty?” He whispers, big eyes round with wonder. His words are trapped within the helmet he wears. Jungkook reaches towards the star with his free hand, feels the warmth from its light pulsing through him, feels an answering warmth pulse back from within him.

Then, gently, he draws the net down, capturing the star. The ‘teeth’ clamp down over the opening, sealing the star inside and ensuring his prize. He grins, pleased, as he draws the net close towards him. Another successful hunt. His heart leaps. The star continues to twinkle merrily from within the net.

With his free hand Jungkook gropes at the belt around his waist, his fingers finding and pressing down on a small button there. There’s a slight jerk and then he feels himself being drawn back towards the ship, the rope recoiling now. Were there sound then his ears would be full of a mechanical whirring as his tether wound back down.

While he’s slowly pulled backwards he can’t help but stare at the galaxy around him. Vast, unending, ever growing. Some found it daunting, or overwhelming, even scary, but not Jungkook. He loves it out here, amongst the stars, the ceaseless freedom and adventure there is to be had. His eyes catch on the planet below him, the one he’d flown up from, and how pretty the purple atmosphere that shrouds it looks from up here.

In the distance he can feel the other stars that twinkle and hang around him. Some are close, stars he can actually see, like the one inside his net. And some are points of light, millions and billions of miles away. And some of these stars he can hear, singing their beautiful, twinkling starsong out into the galaxy. Those are the stars that Jungkook won’t ever hunt and chase down, the stars that have souls, and potential, and they shouldn’t be caught and sold. Their voices should never be dimmed.

He jerks to a stop then, his rope wound all the way back inside the mechanism. With a grin still upon his face Jungkook unhooks himself from the tether and leaps easily back onto the deck of his ship. The gravity shield pulls him down instantly.

He makes his way through his ship, his home, stopping only briefly to remove the small suit and helmet he wore, before he continues down to his star-room. That’s literally what it is, shelves filled with jars. Many of them empty right now, only a few glowing brightly at him.

Carefully, he pushes a button on the net and with a soft sound the ‘teeth’ open slowly, allowing Jungkook to ease the star from within. Its glow is just as strong, just as bright, here on Jungkook’s ship. It pulses with warmth in his hands.

“Oh, you’re so good,” he tells the star with a happy smile, before carefully placing it inside one of his many empty jars. “Look at you, shining so brightly for me. A happy little star, aren’t you?”

The star twinkles merrily away, unknowing, a lump of magical light. Doesn’t stop it from being pretty though and capturing Jungkook in amazement.

He writes out a neat little label for the jar, because this one is for a specific client, and then places it carefully on the shelf in between two other star-filled jars. “Some friends to keep you company,” he tells it.

Finished, he gives one last look around the cheery little room and its few glittering inhabitants before turning away, the door sliding neatly closed behind him. He has to input this new star into his catalogue and then he’ll alert the client to the fact that he has it and arrange for a drop-off. The digits he’ll make from this sale will be nice, and he should be able to upgrade some of his tools with it. Maybe purchase some new databooks while he’s planetside too, although he does prefer when he can find actual, physical books. Maybe he’ll visit one of the spaceport markets and see what’s on offer from the traders.

With a smile filling his face Jungkook sends his message before inputting the coordinates for his next destination. Stars speed past him as his ship carries him through space.

✭

A loud, insistent beeping sound wakes Jungkook from his doze. He jerks awake, blinking the sleep from his eyes, before realisation washes over him. The noise is coming from the navigation computer, alerting him to the fact that he’s approaching his destination.

Jungkook’s heart kicks up into awakened excitement as he settles in front of the control panel. The beeping sound pulses away into silence. The vast emptiness of the astral current turns into a blur of stars until a moment later when they settle into their usual points of glimmering light. Some of those lights are planets, too, planets he’s never seen before, or been to. And there in the distance, the light of that single sun, Sol, that gives life to this system.

He’s reached the Milky Way galaxy.

It’s a small, out of the way system and Jungkook’s never had reason to travel out this far before. There’s only the one inhabited planet anyway, and that one technologically unadvanced. Travelling laws state that one isn’t allowed to disturb planets that have yet to achieve intergalactic space travel. He’s allowed to visit though, as long as he adheres to the laws.

Still, it is exciting, to think of traversing a planet he’s yet to visit. And then add the meteorite on top of that…

Jungkook pulls a lever, drawing the ship to a full stop. “Right, right, gotta get the scanner going,” he mumbles to himself, leaning in his seat over the console. He twists a dial and a loud crackling sound fills the ship before it settles into a hazy buzz of white noise. It might take a while for the scanner to locate anything so Jungkook pushes himself up from his seat and wanders back through the ship, into the small cubby that serves as his ‘kitchen’, and rustles up some food to eat. Intergalactic travel always makes him especially hungry, for some reason.

He thinks about the meteorite as he snacks away on his freeze-dried food. He’d heard the tip while he’d been planetside, delivering that star to the client. Whispers of a particularly rare, particularly large meteorite passing through the Milky Way, that backwards, empty galaxy in the corner of the universe that spacers didn’t travel to.

Jungkook had been immediately interested, because of course he was. This was bigger than anything he’d ever hunted before by the sounds of it. No way could he pass this opportunity up.

He can still hear his scanner whirring and working away, and so he decides to make himself a warm cup of cha while he waits for the information to come in. He can indulge in the water use, since there’s a planet full of water where he can restock anyway.

✮

Earth, as he’s learnt it’s called, is very…different. The city he’s landed in reminds Jungkook a little bit of Ciuu IV, with its tall, towering buildings and blue skies. There are none of the sky highways that Ciuu IV is known for, though, all the vehicles here are decidedly terrestrial. At least it made it easier for Jungkook to guide his ship down, not having to weave out the way of any other vehicles.

He sets out to explore this strange new planet the moment he’s landed his cloaked and shielded ship. It would be safe in the secluded looking spot that he’d found for it, invisible both to the eye and Earth technology.

It’s a bustling city that Jungkook emerges into, alive with activity, the buzz and hum of people and vehicles washing over him. He wanders through the steady stream of people, eyes wide and trying to look everywhere around him in an attempt to take everything in. The buildings themselves are different from those on Ciuu IV too, he thinks. Those are tall and imposing with their endless mirrored windows rising into the sky. Perfect and pristine.

There are such buildings here, Jungkook can see, tall and impressive, but there are smaller ones too. And as he walks he notices he walks past many of what look like trading units, many of which are not uniform or matching. It creates for an interesting jumble, a pleasure for the eyes to look at and investigate and drink in. Jungkook likes it, honestly, it feels more real, more authentic and person-built than the imposing towers of perfection.

The trading units themselves all look endlessly fascinating too, some advertising wares and services that Jungkook is familiar with in some form - clothing, although very different to his own, he must say - haircutting, foodstuffs, technology. There’s one unit that intrigues Jungkook and he slows down as he walks near, music thrumming cheerfully out from the open. There’s a scent too, something sweet and clean that wants to entice him inside, and before he even realises, it does.

He stares around the unit, heedless to the strange stares he’s attracting himself, and it takes him a moment to realise that all the neatly displayed products are actually types of face and body enhancers. Items for lips, and eyes, and cheeks, items for fingernails. He’s staring rather openly at the lip tints when a member of staff cautiously approaches.

“Can I help you, sir?” She asks, and Jungkook whips his head around in surprise at the sudden voice.

“Oh, no, thank you,” he says with a smile. She looks at him for a moment longer before she nods and turns away, offering assistance should he need any.

He doesn’t though. After another glance around Jungkook wanders back out of the unit and continues on his way. He’s not looking for anything in particular in this moment, simply wanting to explore a little, to figure Earth out.

There was scant information about the planet, and its mother solar system, when Jungkook had gone looking for it before. Understandable, as almost no one travels to the edge of the universe, to a galaxy that has little to offer. There had been some data, notes on major points in Earth’s history, when humans had evolved and began to advance, notable meteors that had struck the planet, things like that. And there had been information on the planet’s atmosphere and density, the oxygen levels, information that travellers would need, were they to alight on the planet. And, rather fortunately, he’d even managed to find an upgrade for his translation chip featuring a large number of languages spoken on Earth. After that encounter in the enhancer unit Jungkook is pleased to see that the upgrade is still relevant and works.

He continues to wander, just trying to absorb this new planet in, enjoying the atmosphere and the excitement, stopping to stare and look into any windows that intrigue him. He’s walking past what looks to be a foodstuff trading unit. Smells like one too, he realises, when the door swings open to allow someone to leave. The scent of warm food reaches him, reminding Jungkook of his lacklustre last meal aboard his ship. Earth food, from the little data he had found, had sounded safe enough for him to consume.

He’s contemplating on walking inside when the door swings open again to emit another person, who seems to startle at the sight of Jungkook, judging by the small squeak he lets out.

“Oh, hey,” the person says, drawing Jungkook’s attention away from the food unit's window. He finds himself looking into a face that is suddenly more captivating than the thought of fresh, warm food. He’s the prettiest being that Jungkook has ever seen, and he’s travelled a large swathe of the universe. There’s something about the friendly, upward tilt of his eyes, the soft curve of his smiling mouth, that has Jungkook arrested to the spot.

“Cool costume! That’s a…cosplay, right?” The person continues, looking Jungkook over with an impressed gaze, that pretty smile still on his face. “I didn’t know there was a convention in town.”

Jungkook frowns to himself, a tiny line forming between his eyebrows. He thumbs lightly behind his ear, wondering if there really had been something wrong with the translator chip update. He understands some of the individual words that this person had spoken, but they just don’t make sense to him.

But the person is still smiling at him. His hands are each clutching a large cup. Jungkook’s noticed many people walking past holding similar items on his walk so far, but his curiosity over those has vanished in the face of this man.

“Who are you supposed to be? Ah, I bet it’s an anime character, right? I’m sorry, I don’t really watch any cartoons, but I bet your costume is super accurate!”

Jungkook looks down at himself, at the clothes he usually wears. His clothes are practical rather than fashionable, but he’s always thought he looked pretty cool in them, too. All in shades of dark blues and blacks, like the night sky, with small details picked out in bright, starshine golds and yellows. There’s the belt around his waist, his utility belt, and the one strapped around one of his strong thighs, which usually contains a couple of jars for his stars. Another belt strapped across his shoulders, too, which usually holds his star eater net and other tools. And then there’s his one exposed arm, although it doesn’t usually look exposed with the many tattoos he has painted and writhed around his skin. His fingerless gloves, he admits, might look a little strange when the season in this part of Earth that he’s landed in is currently warmer rather than cool. Perhaps that is what this person is talking about?

Jungkook opens his mouth - to say what, he doesn’t know, when the man beats him to it.

“Oh, shit, sorry. Gotta go. Hope you have fun at your con!” It’s said brightly, alongside an even brighter smile, with all the warmth of sincerity nestled within it, and Jungkook feels dazed as he watches the man walk quickly down the street.

His heart stutters and stumbles inside of him and he thinks, still seeing that sweet smile and those pretty, sparkling eyes, that he’s possibly in love now. That can happen, right? See a person pretty enough that the heart is captured straightaway. Maybe there’s a heart eater out there, similar to his star eater net. Maybe this strange, beautiful man wields one and has secretly captured Jungkook’s heart.

He doesn’t know, all he knows is that smile, the words that were bright but unfamiliar, the curiosity that bounds within him now, around his slow and stumbling heart. He shakes his head, trying to dispel the dazed feeling before he continues on his way. The man had disappeared into a trading unit several doors down from where they had met, and so, following the thread of his curiosity, Jungkook wanders until he finds the door that the pretty person vanished through.

He’s surprised, and delighted, to see that it’s a book trader. A physical book trader, no less! Jungkook loves books. It garners him strange looks, on some planets, when he expresses his interest in old-fashioned, physical books. They’re an outdated form of information now across most planets, and his interest is seen as archaic, but Jungkook doesn’t care. There’s something about the physicality of books that he simply loves. Being able to hold the words in his hands, trace the letters with his eyes, progress the story, or the information, forward with a turn of the page. There’s a comfort to them that he doesn’t find with the databooks that have become more common. Those are useful, take up much less physical space, and are easy to share and spread throughout the universe, sure.

But they’re not quite the same.

It seems almost unreal that the man who’s captivated him so suddenly has also stepped into a book traders. If Jungkook were more spiritual he might think that the stars had aligned for him, or something.

As it is, he just pushes open the door and steps inside. There’s a gentle, tinkling sound that announces his entrance, and he finds it interesting that that’s a custom on Earth too. Makes him think suddenly of Yoongi’s shop, on Sys VII, and the cute little purple jarble that announces when people enter; Jungkook usually has some off-world snacks to feed the little guy, too.

When he looks around at this door he finds only a small silver bell and not a fluffy little jarble. He shouldn’t be surprised though, since creatures like that aren’t found on Earth, or anywhere in this particular galaxy, he thinks.

There’s a man sitting at the counter, although not the pretty man who’s captivated him so, who sits up abruptly, a belated response to the sound of Jungkook’s entrance. He has a pair of glasses perched on his face and his hair looks softly rumpled, as if he’s been rubbing at the back of his head.

“Hello, welcome,” he says, with a polite smile and nod in Jungkook’s direction. The trader in question, Jungkook assumes, because commerce and trading, traders and customers, are not unique to Earth, and he’s very familiar with many forms of them across the galaxy. “If you need assistance finding anything, please don’t hesitate to ask me or one of my colleagues.”

Jungkook smiles back and offers a quiet ‘thanks’ in return. He notices as he wanders past how there’s one of those cups, very similar to what the pretty man had been holding, sitting atop the counter in front of the trader.

As he slowly wanders through the unit, eyes following the shelves and shelves of books, he’s struck with a realisation: these books aren’t old. He’s never been surrounded by so many seemingly new books before.

He’s so busy staring in wide-eyed wonder at all the colourful spines lined neatly along the shelves that he doesn’t notice straight away that the pretty man has returned.

“Oh,” he says, blinking in surprise as he rounds one of the shelves and sees Jungkook. “Hi again.”

Jungkook tears his gaze from the books and finds himself staring at the man, once again entranced by him. He is exceptionally pretty, yes, but there’s something else about him that seems to keep Jungkook mesmerised too, something about him, his aura, maybe, or the warmth of his character, that wants to draw Jungkook in. Something about this man calls out to him, on a level that Jungkook can’t understand but can certainly feel.

“Hello,” he answers.

“Not going to your convention yet?” The pretty man asks.

Jungkook tugs at his ear again but his translation chip still seems to be working as it always does. Huh.

“Uh…”

The man gives him a curious look before hitching up his smile. It’s very pretty, Jungkook notes. Lovely, really.

“Is there anything I can help you with?”

Jungkook blinks in surprise. The man’s smile is quite distracting. “Oh, uh, really?”

A polite chuckle. “Well, it is my job,” he answers, and it’s only as he points at what he’s wearing that Jungkook realises. Across his black shirt is the logo for this unit, a small crescent moon and a pair of long, fluffy ears.

He hadn’t noticed before, because he’d been too mesmerised by the pretty smile and sparkling eyes. Wow, does he feel a bit like a chewed up borzim right now.

“Oh. Oh! Yeah, actually,” he says, nodding his head. “I’m, uh, I’m interested in books about stars. Please?”

“Ah, then you’ll want the science section. If you’d like to follow me?”

It’s a short trip to their destination, where the man gestures at the shelves that proclaim Science, Technology & Nature.

“If there’s anything else you need, just let me know.” He gives Jungkook another of those warm, lovely smiles before walking off to see to another customer, leaving Jungkook alone in front of shelves and shelves of more books.

He doesn’t really need to study these books for himself, Jungkook already knows more about stars and the universe than Earth does at this point, but it’s interesting, he thinks, to see what level of understanding and knowledge Earth is at. If anything he might be able to help update the data about this planet, for the reference chips.

His fingers itch as he stares at the spines of all the books, his eyes wide with excitement as he picks one out, The Physics of Stars, and greedily, begins to read.

✭

Jungkook goes back to the book trader’s the next day too. The bell tinkles sweetly again at his entrance that morning. The same man with the glasses and softly rumpled hair gives Jungkook another polite greeting when he enters, although judging by the look on his face he doesn’t recognise Jungkook from yesterday. Jungkook gets it, many different faces can bleed one into another over the course of time. He smiles back though, after giving a soft greeting of his own, before he wanders off.

He spends some time just looking over the books, eyes tracing the many, many different genres on offer. Stopping to look at the small tables on display that are set up throughout, too, until eventually he finds himself looking at shelves that proclaim to be Science Fiction & Fantasy.

Intrigued, Jungkook takes a closer look and to his amusement, and delight, he finds shelves and shelves of books about space. Fictional stories that take place across made-up planets and galaxies, because of course, Earth doesn’t yet know about actual intergalactic travel yet. It’s fascinating in parts, to see the speculation, the fiction and the science, to see how close some authors seem to get some things, and how far off others are.

He’s flipping through the pages of one particular book about robots when Jungkook hears a voice that has already become somewhat familiar.

“Oh, it’s you. Hello, again!”

He looks up to find the pretty man from yesterday smiling politely at him.

“Hello,” Jungkook greets in return.

“So, you swapped the real stars for fictional ones today?”

Jungkook must look confused because the man gestures at the book in Jungkook’s hand, and Jungkook gets it only a moment later. He laughs, a soft sound. “Oh, yes. It’s interesting, going from the science to the speculation.”

“Yeah, it is! Let me know if you need help with anything, I’ll be around.”

He leaves, and Jungkook continues to immerse himself in what Earth imagines the universe to be.

✮

He goes back the following day, and the day after that also. Not only because he likes the little jolt of warmth that spreads through him every time he sees the same pretty man and sees his smile, but because Jungkook really just loves the books. He’s having a great time just looking at all the different things people on Earth like to talk about and write about, it’s fascinating and he knows he’s already squirrelling the knowledge away, storing it in little corners inside his mind for later. Because Earth is a planet unlike any other he’s been to so far, and Jungkook finds it endlessly interesting, wants to know everything from the exciting to the mundane.

And because he has, going by Earth time, about ninety days of time to spend as he pleases whilst he waits for the meteorite to come into range. So why not discover every little thing that he can about Earth, and study a number of books, while he waits?

He’s discovered more about this particular book traders too over the past few days. Not only are the books themselves a big draw, but the atmosphere in the unit is pleasant, makes Jungkook want to stay, or come back day after day after day…

He’s sitting in one of those discoveries in particular, a very comfortable, squishy chair, a book open in his lap, his eyes practically devouring the words across the pages.

A voice breaks him out of his trance, almost startling him.

“You know this isn’t actually a library, right?”

He looks up to find the pretty man again, looking down at Jungkook with a tiny, amused looking smile lingering on his face.

“You’re supposed to actually purchase stuff sometimes, too.”

Jungkook thinks that the man is teasing him, the little smile on his face and the sparkle in his eye leads him to believe that, but he doesn’t know the customs here well enough to be sure. Doesn’t know this man well enough to be sure, either. He could be being serious right now too.

“I would buy this book right now!” He says brightly, before deflating a moment later. “If I had any of your currency, but I don’t.” A downside that Jungkook had soon discovered to being on a planet both on the outskirts of the travelled universe, and unadvanced. And, he was sure, that some of the valuable stars he has back on his ship would not be tradeable here. No one would know what to do with them, for a start. Usually he has no trouble trading for digits or local currency.

The man’s smile fades as his brows pull together thoughtfully. He hesitates for a moment before he takes a step towards Jungkook.

“Hey, do you wanna, maybe get some dinner together somewhere?”

Jungkook is caught by surprise at the question, not having expected it, but also elated. He’s been trying to devise ways to talk to this man more, besides all the asking after types of books that he’s done over the past few days.

There’s no hesitation from Jungkook as he answers, nodding his head eagerly. “That sounds like a wonderful idea!”

The man chews on his lower lip before a smile of his own forms, small but with all the warmth of a morning sunburst.

“Okay. I finish in an hour, if that’s okay?” At Jungkook’s nod, the man continues, “you can just keep reading if you like, and I’ll come find you when I’m done.”

“I look forward to it!” Jungkook tells him, beaming. He’s rewarded with another of those small smiles before the man turns to leave.

“Oh,” he says, turning back quickly, a soft spread of colour across his cheeks. “Almost forgot–I’m Hoseok.” He bows his head towards Jungkook, still smiling.

“I’m Jungkook.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Jungkook. I’ll come get you in an hour.” And then he really does leave Jungkook to continue looking through his book.

It’s very interesting, one he wishes he could actually purchase, because it contains many fairy tales and folk stories from this particular part of the planet he’s found himself in. He has an hour, at least, to soak in as many of these stories as he can.

“So, do you have any food allergies? Any preferences?” Hoseok asks once they’re standing outside the unit. The sky is only just beginning to fade towards evening above them and Jungkook finds it a fascinating shade of pale orange. Through the unit’s windows he can see the other employee, the one with the glasses, closing up.

He looks back over at Hoseok, who smiles openly at him. “No,” he shakes his head. “If it’s edible, I can eat it.”

This makes Hoseok laugh, and Jungkook learns then what a wonderful sound that is.

“So, not picky, got it. How about this nice barbeque place I know?”

Jungkook nods. “Yes, that sounds good.”

“Okay, it’s not a long walk. Follow me,” Hoseok says with a smile.

And he’s right, it isn’t long before they approach their destination, what looks like a small but popular, cosy little restaurant to Jungkook. Very different from the last place he’d eaten, before travelling to this planet he thinks, remembering the big, sprawling eateries of Didandra.

A thought occurs to him then and he’s embarrassed he’s only just realised now. Too caught up in the excitement of talking to Hoseok more, of the prospect of dinner. His neck feels warm at the thought. “I, uh,” he starts, drawing Hoseok’s attention from the restaurant window and towards himself. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have any currency for this meal.”

Hoseok smiles at him. It’s very warm. Makes his eyes crinkle a little at the corners. “That’s okay, I remember you said earlier. My treat, yeah?”

“Truly?”

At Hoseok’s nod, Jungkook smiles as well. “Thank you, Hoseok.”

He’s given another smile before Hoseok leads them both into the restaurant, and soon they’re sitting down at a small table together. Jungkook looks around the place with wide, curious eyes, trying to take everything in. The other patrons in the restaurant, the smell of cooking food, the set-up of the tables. His eyes linger on one of the many pictures stuck on the walls, of a pretty girl holding up some kind of beverage. An interesting form of advertising, he thinks.

“You’re not from around here, are you?”

Hoseok’s voice pulls Jungkook’s attention back to him. “Hmm?”

“From Seoul, I mean. You’re not from the city, right?”

He’s leaning with one arm on the table, in Jungkook’s direction, the look on his face thoughtful yet curious, and Jungkook finds he doesn’t want to look anywhere else right now.

“Oh, yes, you could say that…” He says, silently amused at just how right Hoseok actually is, but doesn’t know it. “How did you know?”

Hoseok looks pleased that Jungkook has asked. “You look like someone who’s never even seen a big city before, honestly,” he answers.

It’s kind of funny, because Jungkook has seen many, many cities, across many planets, but Hoseok’s right in a way, because Earth itself is so new and so fascinating to him.

They’re interrupted then by one of the staff, who silently places a large glass of liquid on the table for them, followed by a clean glass each, before quietly retreating.

Hoseok reaches out for the large glass, filling up both his own cup and Jungkook’s.

“Originally,” Hoseok continues, picking the thread of their conversation back up again, “I thought you were here for like, a long weekend at a convention, you know?” His eyes fall on Jungkook again, that thoughtful look back on his face. “But, you’ve come into the bookshop like, every day since I first saw you.”

Jungkook rubs at the back of his ear, updating his translation chip with the word bookshop. He picks up his cup, sniffing curiously at the liquid first - water, he thinks, safe to drink according to his data - before taking a sip. It’s cold and refreshing on his tongue.

Hoseok leans in across the table, eyes focused on Jungkook.

“That, and when I looked it up, there aren’t actually any cons happening in the city right now.”

Jungkook, smiling, says, “I don’t even know what a convention is in this context.”

Hoseok’s eyebrows furrow together in confusion and a wayward thought of cute floats across Jungkook’s mind.

“So,” he asks, still sounding curious. “What does bring you to Seoul, then?”

“Oh well, I’m here to catch a meteor, actually.” The words are out of his mouth without even thinking, because Hoseok’s simple curiosity is all too easy to answer to.

Hoseok blinks, his eyes going wide. “You… what?”

Blazing skies, Jungkook thinks to himself, he’s not sure he was supposed to say that really. Had he broken a law by telling Hoseok? Although, as reason catches up to him, Jungkook doesn’t think that telling Hoseok, a book trad–bookshop worker will have any kind of negative impact upon Earth’s current technological advancement. Probably, no one would believe it anyway, even if Jungkook were to tell someone who would have more impact.

“Ah, yeah,” he says, rubbing at the back of his neck.

Hoseok’s eyes are firmly fixed on Jungkook, as if he’s trying to take all of him in, even the parts of Jungkook that aren’t visible to the human eye. It makes his neck feel warmer, that look.

“A meteor…do you mean, like… like that American movie, with the miners who have to drill a meteor to save the world?”

Jungkook frowns, shaking his head. “I have no idea what that movie is.”

“Me either,” Hoseok answers easily, which makes Jungkook smile in amusement. “I’ve never actually seen it, I just remember it was talked about a lot when I was younger. I think it was supposed to be really sad? My sister cried watching it…”

“Well, I don’t think it’s like that at all. It has nothing to do with saving the world, for a start.”

Hoseok’s face pales, and Jungkook realises how his words must have sounded.

“No, I mean,” he shakes his head, trying not to laugh - there’s something very cute about that look on Hoseok’s face, even if there shouldn’t be. “The world doesn’t need saving, it’s fine. The meteor’s got nothing to do with it.”

“Oh.” Hoseok settles back in his seat, less outwardly concerned now, which is good. Jungkook’s not used to talking to people who don’t really know about the greater universe, honestly, and he reminds himself to try and keep this in mind when they do talk, so as not to accidentally panic this nice man. “So, then, what…?”

His words falter as a server comes up to the table to take their order. Jungkook, unaware still of the customs and the food itself, is more than happy to let Hoseok order for the both of them, certain that he’ll enjoy it all no matter what; he never has been picky about his food.

“Oh, and can I please have one of those beverages?” Jungkook asks, pointing at one of the many posters on the walls. The server nods with a smile before retreating, leaving them both alone again. Or, as alone as they can be, in a restaurant.

Immediately Hoseok leans in across the table again towards Jungkook. He feels almost captured by that dark, curious gaze aimed at him.

“So are you like, a space scientist or something?” He asks. “What’s the meteor? It’s not coming to doom the world?”

Jungkook laughs outright at that, can’t help it when Hoseok looks so serious. And the idea of him being any kind of scientist is, honestly, very funny to him. His Academy scores were nowhere near the levels required for any kind of scientific route. Not that Jungkook would have chosen that for himself anyway. He likes the freedom of his life now, travelling from planet to planet, star to star, exploring the world, learning about it all on a more immediate, more raw, level.

He shakes his head. Takes another sip of the cold, refreshing water he still has before answering. “Not any kind of scientist, I’m afraid,” he says. “And no, there is no doom to worry about. The meteor isn’t even passing that nearby, not enough to concern any of your own ‘space scientists’.”

Hoseok nods, his shoulders dropping. “So then, what’s up with the meteor thing?”

“I hunt them.”

His eyes go round and wide again. “Hunt them?” he says, voice rising in his surprise, and Hoseok blushes when he realises, which makes Jungkook want to laugh again. “Sorry,” he says, lowering his voice. At least the music and the general chatter of other patrons, the clinking of cutlery and the sounds of cooking, were enough to save them from too many stares. There are a few aimed in Jungkook’s direction every now and then though, he notices. “What do you mean?”

“Stars, mostly,” Jungkook amends, “this will be my first actual meteor. But I, um, hunt them, for clients, usually.” At the look on Hoseok’s face, and realising that, of course Hoseok has no idea about this at all, even vague and distantly, he adds, “They’re worth a lot, some stars, rare ones. And I’m pretty good at it, so some people pay me to hunt stars for them.”

Hoseok’s eyes grow larger than Jungkook’s so far seen them, his mouth open in a silent ‘oh’ of surprise.

They’re interrupted then by the arrival of the food, Hoseok’s mouth shutting with an audible snap. Jungkook watches, his own eyes wide with interest - and with hunger - at the plates of what looks to be meat, and a few other things he doesn’t recognise at all, as they’re all set on the table for them.

“Thank you!” He says brightly as the server sets his beverage down in front of him, giving the man a happy smile. When he looks up from the plates of food it’s to find Hoseok looking over at him, his face having softened into something warm.

Almost immediately he reaches out for his new beverage, giving the liquid in the glass a slight sniff first. There’s a tingling sensation in his nose when he does and Jungkook’s surprised by that, and by the tiny bubbles he sees floating to the surface of the liquid. He takes a sip then and feels those same bubbles tingle across his tongue and down his throat, a strange but delightful sensation that follows the cool, refreshing taste of the liquid itself.

“Never had a fizzy drink before?” Hoseok asks, watching him curiously.

Jungkook shakes his head. “Nothing quite like this. It’s nice, I like it.”

Hoseok laughs at that, a warm sound. “So, I’m guessing you’re not familiar with how barbeque works either then? If you’re not from around here? Like, at all.”

Jungkook thinks Hoseok’s tone is teasing, something playful, and he likes that, likes the way that tone feels against him. He’s too distracted by that, and watching Hoseok make a start on the meal, to even think to tell him that there are plenty of other planets where they grill their food. Because that’s what Jungkook soon learns is the point of the object in the centre of every table in the restaurant, for patrons to grill and cook the meat themselves.

“Thanks,” he says instead, smiling, as the sound and smell of sizzling meat soon begins to reach his nose.

“You know,” Hoseok says, prodding at the meat every now and then to check on it, “it all sounds crazy, right? The idea that you hunt down stars. That you’re from space. Are you sure this isn’t some sort of cosplay thing? That you’re just playing your character?”

Jungkook shrugs his shoulders. He’s not really sure how he’s supposed to prove himself, short of taking Hoseok on his ship. “I’m not a character, or playing at anything. I came to Earth on my ship because I’m waiting for an extremely rare meteor to pass by in about, I think, three months' time.”

“You have a ship? An actual spaceship?”

Jungkook talks to Hoseok about his ship with enthusiasm, because it’s the one, single constant in his life, always has been, and he loves it. And Hoseok seems happy enough to listen as he cooks the meat for them, asking questions every now and then. Jungkook can’t tell if Hoseok actually believes him or not but he’s curious all the same and doesn’t stop Jungkook from talking, telling him more about his ship, and space, and his stars.

He only stops talking when Hoseok deems the food done and starts piling the cooked meat onto a plate for Jungkook. “Here, this is how we usually eat it,” he says, demonstrating for Jungkook what other foods to put with the meat, and how to pick it all up using the little sticks they’d been given. Chopsticks is another word he quietly adds to his translator chip.

“How is it?” Hoseok asks, eyes on Jungkook, watching as he samples the food for the first time. Jungkook takes the mouthful as he’d been shown, and frowns as he begins to chew. The meat is tender, an almost sweet taste to it, before something spicy erupts into life across his tongue.

“Oh, is it that bad?” Hoseok asks, deflating, but Jungkook shakes his head.

“No, not at all!” He says. “It’s so good! Really delicious.”

“Yeah?”

While Jungkook’s enjoying another mouthful, frowning and humming in approval at the flavour, Hoseok quietly slips more of the meat onto his plate.

☼

Hoseok can’t stop thinking about Jungkook. Well, about the things he’d said and told him, specifically. It sounds too fantastical, too unreal, to be true. Because, of course, it can’t be true. Can it?

As he shelves some new books he thinks back to dinner the other night. He’d felt bad for the guy when he’d said he had no money. Had thought that maybe that would explain his strange (but cool!) clothes, since he wasn’t actually in town for one of those convention things.

But Hoseok had gotten so much more than he ever could have expected from that evening. Jungkook’s wide, curious eyes trying to drink every little thing in. His enthusiasm over every new thing. The way he frowned as he ate, but declared it delicious all the same, almost as if he was annoyed that the food was good or something. The way his face lit up when he’d been talking to Hoseok about his life, his ship, and the stars.

Okay, maybe it’s just more than Jungkook’s fantastical tales that keep sticking in Hoseok’s mind, he finds, as images of Jungkook’s face continue to float through his thoughts. He tries to gently nudge those images aside, stares fiercely down at the book in his hands. Hoseok groans a moment later when he realises what the book is about, a young adult fantasy by the looks of it, about a girl who comes from the stars. Typical.

He pushes the book carefully into place before moving on to the next one. It’s a quiet day in the shop, no one else in this little corner where Hoseok is. He can hear gentle music playing over the speakers - Namjoon’s playlist today, and it’s always calming, whimsical music on his playlist. He can hear customers talking too, their words muffled from several bookcases over.

Alone as he is right now, Hoseok’s mind wanders once again.

It can’t possibly be true, he thinks, all the things that Jungkook had told him. About chasing meteors, and coming from somewhere else, deep in space, and having an actual spaceship.

Hoseok’s always been rather on the gullible side of too-trusting, his heart seemingly open and ready to accept everyone, as his mother had once told him. And so far he’s never gotten into any trouble despite this. But even he has to stop and think to himself that it would be ridiculous to believe a word of what Jungkook had told him.

Except…

He remembers those big, dark doe-eyes of Jungkook’s, remembers how they had practically sparkled that night as they’d talked. The sincerity had all but been glowing off of him. Bright and earnest.

It would be foolish to believe such outlandish tales, and yet Hoseok feels like Jungkook was telling the truth. It’s hard to explain it when he barely knows the man, and maybe he’s an actor or something, good at pretending (although Hoseok’s since looked up a list of popular actors in the country right now, and none of them had been Jungkook) but…

But Hoseok feels like Jungkook isn’t pretending.

Distantly, he hears the sound of the bell as it rings out clearly above the door. Hears more muffled talking, perhaps Namjoon bidding good day to the customers that had been talking over in the biographies section.

He loses himself in his thoughts again, thoughts of stars, and space, and big, pretty, doe-like eyes. He’s so caught up in his own little bubble that it startles him a few moments later when he’s greeted by the sound of his own name, and comes face to face with the eyes he’d just been tracing in his mind.

“Oh!” He cries out, startled, and drops the last two books he’d been holding. They make a loud thump as they hit the floor and Hoseok flinches, although luckily they’d just missed his foot.

“Are you okay?” Jungkook asks, eyes growing impossibly wider as he looks at Hoseok in concern.

Hoseok, cheeks warm with embarrassment - why he has to be so ridiculous in front of a weird but hot almost-stranger is just his kind of luck, honestly - nods his head. “Yeah, fine, sorry. Was daydreaming. Didn’t mean to shriek like that.” In an attempt to save some face he bends down quickly, picking up the books he’d dropped. He examines them both briefly, but is relieved to find that there’s no damage to either. When he looks back up his cheeks grow even warmer realising that Jungkook’s still looking at him.

His eyes flicker downwards and he notices then that Jungkook’s holding a cup of takeaway coffee in one of his hands. He frowns and opens his mouth to say something when Jungkook seems to remember it too.

“Oh! This is for you, by the way,” he says quickly, thrusting the cup out towards Hoseok. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, but I’d seen you go into that beverage unit before, and just asked them what was typical for most people to drink. I hope it’s okay?”

He gives Hoseok a bright, easy smile as he stands there, holding the coffee cup out to a still startled Hoseok. There’s an air of confidence to Jungkook that Hoseok finds himself liking. Not cocky, or arrogant, but he doesn’t shy away from Hoseok’s confused look.

Hoseok, realising that his hands are still currently full, turns to quickly press the last two books into their places before facing Jungkook again, who’s still giving him that sweet smile.

“I thought you didn’t have any money?” He asks, even as he reaches out to take the drink. His eyes fall to Jungkook’s hand, and today it’s free of the fingerless glove/wrist thing that he was wearing before. Sees the winding end of tattoos, finishing around his wrist.

Their hands brush when Hoseok takes the cup, and he feels a warmth tingle in his fingertips. Feels the breath tighten, just a little, somewhere inside his chest.

“I didn’t.”

Jungkook’s voice draws Hoseok’s gaze back up to his face. For a moment he finds himself almost lost in admiring the way Jungkook’s long, dark hair frames his face. Makes those big eyes look even bigger, even prettier, as they blink calmly at him. At the pretty, golden earrings that dangle from his ears, glittering brightly against the dark hair. God, no wonder Hoseok can’t stop thinking about him if he’s unable to be a normal person and stop staring at the guy’s face long enough to think properly.

“I went to one of those exchange units, traded a few bits and pieces in for some of your local currency.”

Hoseok’s eyebrows draw together in a frown, trying to parse the strange way Jungkook speaks sometimes. It takes a moment but then it clicks. “A pawn shop?” He says, eyebrows rising now in surprise. “You… went to a pawn shop, so you could get some money to… buy me a coffee?”

Jungkook’s smile widens. “Yes,” he says, nodding his head, the loose bits of his long hair fluttering around his face. “I wasn’t so sure of what they might take, but I had a chain of metal that they said was a nice necklace. I have enough left to take you to dinner now, too!” He adds, sounding excited. “Or lunch, or even breakfast? I don’t know what meal times are customary to share with other people?”

Hoseok almost feels dizzy as a strange warmth rushes through him. It’s this, that he’ll later put it down to, his impulsive question, his laying into his feelings, more than his reason. Because in that moment his mouth opens and words come out without any permission from Hoseok himself.

“Where’d you, uh, park your ship?”

☼

Hoseok’s really lost it now. Definitely too trusting to a fault, he must be, after what he’d suggested to Jungkook earlier. But even as he thinks that he feels the lingering taste of the coffee Jungkook had bought him, warm and rich and delicious on his tongue.

He’s not usually one to be so swayed by his emotions like this, really. He’s reasonable, thoughtful, almost anxiously so at times. He tries to strike a good balance between listening to his brain, and listening to his heart. But here, it’s been all heart, and very little brain. It’s been like that since the moment Jungkook had first stepped into the bookshop, asking to see books about stars.

You’re gonna get yourself into trouble, he tries to warn himself, but the coffee is still heavy on his tongue, and the warmth in his fingertips is unforgotten still, too.

This, he thinks, will help prove it. Will help his mind make up for sure, one way or the other, if the things that Jungkook has told him can possibly be real.

The thing is… Hoseok wants them to be true. Wants them to be real. Wants Jungkook’s stories about the stars to be true.

He’s been nervously pacing his flat for awhile now, leaping up to check through the peephole in his front door every time he’s heard any steps in the hallway outside. Each time though it was only Mr Moon from across the hall, once leaving to take his dog for a walk, and again when they had both returned.

An hour, Jungkook had said earlier. “Give me about an… hour, is it, of Earth time? And then I’ll be there.”

Be there, or here, actually, with his ship. Because when Hoseok had found out where Jungkook had left it, he’d, rather impulsively, suggested that Jungkook land it instead on the roof of Hoseok’s building. Because being left in a park - even one of the less busy parks - had just seemed like a bad idea.

“It is fine, it’s cloaked and invisible, no one can see it.”

“No but… but people use the park, you know? Run around and play games and stuff, and what if someone like, runs into a giant, invisible object that they can’t see? That just sounds like trouble, you know?”

He remembers the soft look of surprise that had covered Jungkook’s face at Hoseok’s concern. Still feels the warmth in his own cheeks even now as he recalls the moment.

So he’d shown Jungkook where his building was on a map, and assured him that it would be safer, as no one even went out on the roof. Other rooftops from buildings nearby were decorated sometimes, with small gardens, little seating areas, but not Hoseok’s. No one ever uses the roof, and no one else can really get up there, either. Hoseok had been told when he’d first moved in that the door to the rooftop was broken, so no one ever bothered anyway. But he’d tried it once, being on the top floor and curious, and one evening he’d found that, with a particularly hard push to the stiff handle and a swift kick to a certain spot, the door could be opened. It had creaked and groaned, the sound of metal moaning after years of not being moved, but it had opened and Hoseok has never told anyone about it.

If in… about fifteen minutes, he determines after checking his watch, Jungkook is up on that roof, without having walked past Hoseok’s flat, then the only possible way he could even be up there was… because it was true. All of it.

Hoseok paces as he waits, his mind torn between thinking he’s being gullible again and wistfully hoping. It feels like a thousand years tick by, rather than the twenty he ends up waiting, but then he’s out the door of his flat, barely hearing his front door slam shut behind him as he rushes towards the weird, warped door that leads to the rooftop.

After getting it open Hoseok almost jogs up the stairs. He comes out onto the roof then, blinking at the bright warmth of the sun in his eyes. It obscures his vision for a moment and Hoseok already feels his heart beginning to droop.

Then he hears a voice. Blinks the sunspots from his eyes, and turns. There he is. There stands Jungkook, waiting in the sun, wearing his unusual outfit still, his long hair fluttering in the soft breeze and a small smile on his face.

“You’re here,” Hoseok all but gasps, walking towards him. His heart flutters with hope.

Jungkook’s smile widens. “I’m here.”

Hoseok’s eyes move from Jungkook - a difficult feat, honestly, with the way the sun cascades over his face - to search behind him, for any sign of, well, anything. A spaceship can’t be small, can it? And he knows that Jungkook had mentioned it being cloaked or whatever, but still, he can’t help the way his eyes search for any kind of evidence of it here. But there’s no way Jungkook could have climbed up here…

“Your ship?” He asks, his eyes back on Jungkook’s face.

“It’s here too. Come closer,” he adds, gesturing at Hoseok.

Hoseok’s feet are already moving, until he stands close to Jungkook. He’s a little shorter than Jungkook, he notices, although not by much.

“Can I?”

Jungkook’s words break Hoseok free from his staring and he glances down to find Jungkook gesturing towards Hoseok’s arm.

“Oh, uh, yeah, yeah.”

Jungkook reaches out, gently taking hold of Hoseok’s wrist. His fingertips feel warm where they meet Hoseok’s skin. He can’t help but notice how small his wrist looks like this.

With his grip light, Jungkook draws Hoseok’s hand out until he meets the cool, smooth surface of… of nothing?

He blinks, gasping in surprise. His hand is very certainly pressed against something, there’s no denying that, but Hoseok can’t see any sign of it at all. It’s as if he’s touching the air. Or become an excellent mime over the past twenty seconds.

It’s bizarre, strange, and overwhelmingly cool all at once.

“That’s your ship?” He asks, looking up at Jungkook even as his hand continues to run gently over the cool surface that he can’t see.

Jungkook nods, looking pleased. His fingers are still warm around Hoseok’s wrist. “Yes. Completely invisible to the human eye, see?”

Hoseok laughs, a breathless sound. “No, I don’t,” he jokes.

It takes a moment but then Jungkook seems to catch up, and then he’s laughing too, a soft, lovely sound.

Impulsively, Hoseok asks him, “Would you like to come in? For dinner?”

Jungkook’s smile softens into something sweet and warm. He nods. “That would be nice, thank you.”

✮

“This is delicious!” Jungkook says with wonder, staring down at the triangular slice of food in his hand.

“Yeah?” Hoseok smiles over at him. “Glad you like it.”

Jungkook nods before taking another enthusiastic bite. Pizza, Hoseok had said it was called. He’s never tasted anything quite like it, although elements of it are similar. The meaty bits, and the base of it taste like other foods he’s sampled. But the yellow, stringy stuff that holds it altogether? Delightful! That does remind him a little of something he’s had before, on Destaklon Yr, something made from the product of a large, slow moving animal he’s forgotten the name of now. But this, this tastes so much better!

He’s already eaten two of the triangles before even realising, and doesn’t see the smile Hoseok aims at him as he starts on his third.

“Do you cook this as well?” Jungkook asks curiously, mind already wondering how easy this may be to recreate.

“Pizza? Not really,” Hoseok answers with a shake of his head. “I’m not that great at cooking, honestly…” He takes another bite from his own slice before continuing. “What about you? Do you cook?”

“I am not too bad at cooking. But there is only a small kind of kitchen on my ship so I do not have much opportunity for it.” He takes another bite - half the slice in one go - and smiles as he chews. He’s very happy right now, not only enjoying this new taste experience but having another opportunity to spend more time around Hoseok. They barely know each other, but Jungkook finds himself curious to know more and learn about Hoseok. Feels drawn to him.

Hoseok’s eyes are round with curiosity. “Oh? You spend that much time on it?”

Jungkook nods his head. He pauses in his eating to have a sip from one of those bubbly, sparkling beverages that he’d tried at the restaurant the other day. He enjoys the way the cold liquid bubbles against his tongue, before he swallows. “I live on my ship,” he finally answers, selecting another triangle to eat.

“But you must have lived somewhere before that, right?” Hoseok asks. “A planet you call home?”

Jungkook shrugs. He watches a moment the way that Hoseok eats, which is much slower than he does himself. He wonders if he should be embarrassed about that or not. Watches Hoseok’s hand as he carefully picks up another triangle for himself, how delicately his fingers hold onto the crusty part at the end, devoid of the tasty yellow stuff and the sauce.

After a moment Jungkook realises that he’s staring and draws his eyes back up to Hoseok’s face instead. “I left as soon as I graduated from the Academy and received my pilot’s licence,” Jungkook answers. “My starship is my home, really.”

“Is it just you, on your ship?”

Even the way Hoseok nibbles at the food is kind of delicate, Jungkook notices. He nods in answer.

“Isn’t that kind of lonely, then?”

Jungkook swallows the mouthful of food he has before speaking. “Not really. I’m used to it.”

Hoseok makes a soft noise, something akin to understanding, perhaps, or just a sound that he’s listening, maybe. Jungkook isn’t sure of the social cues, there’s no translation for things like that. But the look on Hoseok’s face is open and friendly, so he can only assume that the sound is too.

Then, “You’ve got sauce on your face.”

Jungkook tries to follow where Hoseok’s looking, his free hand coming up to wipe at his chin. Something about this makes Hoseok laugh instead.

“No, now you’ve made it worse. Here…” he puts his half-eaten slice back down in the box the food had arrived in and reaches out towards a small box on the little table beside where they sit. Then he leans in towards Jungkook, a small, white object on offer to him. “Just, wipe around here,” he says, gesturing at his own face for reference.

Jungkook takes the item, notes how it feels soft against his fingers, before he wipes it across his chin.

“Ah, you got it.” Hoseok smiles, picking his food back up again, and Jungkook does the same.

The rest of the evening continues in a similar vein, something that’s between an almost easy comfort and open curiosity. Something that feels nice, and leaves Jungkook feeling a little warm later that night when he walks up to the roof and back to his ship.

☼

A slight sting wakes Hoseok from his thoughtful reverie. He lifts a hand to his lip, where the sting is, and realises that he’d been biting into it without realising. He’s spent the past five minutes locked in an internal debate with himself. But the longer he stands here thinking about it, the cooler the food he had made gets. Which would kind of defeat the purpose of the gesture.

He glances down at the counter, at the still steaming plate of rolled omelette that he’d made. Not as neat as his mother used to make, but, well, he had told Jungkook last night that he wasn’t the best in the kitchen. Still…

With a shake of his head Hoseok doesn’t let himself think about it anymore and just acts. He plates up the food before grabbing a couple of other things out of his fridge, some side dishes his mother had given him on his last visit home. Adds those to the plate for a, hopefully, decent looking breakfast. At the last moment he remembers to grab some chopsticks too, and then Hoseok’s out of his flat.

It takes a moment to navigate the rooftop doors with one hand full, but he manages it, and a few moments later he emerges out and onto the roof. The morning air is cool, but not cold, the sun already up and busy trying to warm the day ahead. Hoseok finds he’s smiling to himself as he approaches where he thinks Jungkook’s ship is. It’s tricky, honestly, because he really can’t see any sign of it at all, not even a hazy kind of see-through shimmer. With his free hand he taps around in the air awkwardly until his palm lands on a solid surface. Aha!

He knocks louder, a few times, hoping that it’s enough to get Jungkook’s attention but not hard enough to do any kind of damage. He has no idea how big the ship even is, or where Jungkook’s located in relation to Hoseok right now, so he knocks again a few more times for good measure.

“Jungkook?” He calls out, not knowing if he can be heard either.

There’s a sound then after a few moments, of something mechanical waking up, something moving.

“Hoseok?”

The sudden voice makes Hoseok jump in surprise, although he’s quick enough to stop the chopsticks rolling off the plate of food and onto the ground. Then he turns and sees… well, that’s weird, isn’t it? Because he sees Jungkook’s head, and the top half of his torso, leaning out of absolutely nothing. It’s bizarre, his eyes struggling to take the unusual sight in. Until his gaze lands on Jungkook himself, on the rumpled look of his long, dark hair, and how it hangs loose in his face right now. Cute.

“What are you doing?” Jungkook asks again, sounding sleepy as he blinks over at Hoseok. And, oh, even cuter, Hoseok thinks.

He’d misjudged where the door might be so he has to walk several steps over until he’s in front of Jungkook. A quick peek behind him reveals a little of the interior of the ship, which is so weird to see when the outside is still entirely invisible to him. But then Jungkook’s hoarse, sleepy voice draws Hoseok’s gaze back to his face again.

There’s a strange urge to brush some of those messy locks from Jungkook’s face.

Hoseok swallows before smiling brightly up at him. “Good morning! I, um, brought you some breakfast?”

Jungkook looks down now at the plate in Hoseok’s hands, and his eyes widen in surprise. “For me?”

He nods. “Uh-huh. I, uh, wasn’t sure what kind of food you have in your ship there, and I remember you said there’s no kitchen so… It’s, um, just some rolled omelette, and stuff. Nothing much.”

“It looks delicious. Thank you very much.” Jungkook still looks stunned as he reaches out, fingers brushing gently as he takes the plate from Hoseok.

“I hope you like it!” Hoseok says, the back of his neck feeling warm. “I have to go to work now. But… but maybe I’ll see you there later?”

“Oh.” He blinks at Hoseok, before his lips tilt upwards in a smile. “Yes, I think so.”

Hoseok feels very light as he heads back down the stairs to his home.

✮

Jungkook finds himself being invited into Hoseok’s home more often after that. If he’s at the bookshop, Hoseok will make a point to tell him to come over later, if he wants. And if Jungkook doesn’t see him that day then sometimes he’ll hear that little tapping sound against his ship and Hoseok will be there, inviting Jungkook downstairs with him, if he likes.

And Jungkook does like.

He’s interested in seeing how the people on Earth live, and relax, and what their lives look like. And Hoseok’s home is fascinating to him. So many things that are similar to things that Jungkook is familiar with - like the basic furniture in Hoseok’s home. The soft furnishings and the cute, colourful cushions and things that he has. And then some not so familiar, like the pictures he has hanging on the walls that he tells Jungkook is art, and Jungkook’s fascinated at what Earth creativity looks like. Or the small little statues that Hoseok has, on one of his immaculately neat and tidy shelves. Hoseok’s toy figures, he tells Jungkook, the things he likes to collect when he can. “I don’t have many though,” he explains, as Jungkook studies them in fascination. “They’re quite expensive. That one Namjoon bought me for my birthday,” he says, pointing to a particularly unusual figure in Jungkook’s eyes. “He saved up months for it, he told me.”

“Namjoon sounds like he is a good friend,” Jungkook had commented warmly.

Hoseok had nodded his agreement, his own smile wide and fond at the thought. “Do you have any friends?”

“Oh, I suppose. A few here and there, throughout the galaxy.” His eyes had landed on Hoseok’s face, his lips twitching up into a small, playful smile. “And you now too.” He hadn’t thought it was bold until the words had left his mouth, and Hoseok’s cheeks had flushed a soft pink. Blushes weren’t unique to Earth humans, after all.

“I… yeah, yeah,” Hoseok had stumbled. “Yeah, me too.”

And from then, Jungkook finds himself seeing Hoseok almost every day.

It’s one of those evenings, where Hoseok had gone up to the roof to invite Jungkook down for dinner, and here he is, in a space that is slowly beginning to become more familiar to Jungkook, Hoseok’s home.

“Do you want any more chicken?” Hoseok asks, gesturing at the food that’s still left over, spread neatly across his coffee table.

“I’m alright, thank you,” Jungkook says with a shake of his head. He doesn’t take his eyes from the television, leaning forward as he watches with interest. He’s become fascinated by what Hoseok had told him was called ‘reality TV’. ‘It’s not an accurate representation of human life, though!’ Hoseok had hurried to explain, just as some very loud and very dramatic fight had taken place, over something seemingly very small.

Jungkook’s still intrigued though. He’s encountered all kinds of media, although most of the planets he spends any time on all have similar levels of technology and advancement, and holofilms are the most popular. The large, ‘walk-through’ hologram movies he’d experience a couple of times had been cool, though.

This was on a much, much smaller scale, but it was less the technology that Jungkook found interesting and more the behaviour, and what the people of Earth considered entertaining.

“Who d’you think’s gonna go this week?” Hoseok asks.

“I think Donghyun is in trouble,” Jungkook answers, eyes never leaving the screen. “He hasn’t understood the brief properly. And I don’t think he’s trying very hard.”

“Huh.” Hoseok leans in. “You’re probably right. Though I still think that Lim should go, they’ve been phoning it in for weeks now.”

Caught by the unfamiliar phrase, Jungkook glances over at Hoseok. “Phoning it in?”

Hoseok looks surprised by the question. “Oh, it means being lazy? Not really putting the effort in. You know?”

“Ah, yes, I see.” He thumbs at the back of his ear. He glances down at his lap, ready to put his empty plate aside, when he realises that it isn’t empty. The last piece of chicken occupies the space. Jungkook wonders for a moment, then realises that Hoseok must have done it when he was engrossed in the TV.

When he looks up again, ready to say something about it, Hoseok himself is immersed in the show, talking about it. “Ooh, the judging part is coming up. Looks like it’ll be a good one this week!”

Jungkook smiles, feeling a soft, radiating warmth within his chest, and eats the piece of chicken, talking between mouthfuls about what they’re watching.

☼

“Hey, Jungkook, I’m doing some laundry,” Hoseok says, walking into the living room carrying a basket full of clothes. “Do you want me to wash any of your stuff for you too?” During the short time Hoseok’s been getting to know Jungkook he’s noticed that his unusual outfits haven’t changed at all, and he’s not sure if there’s even like, a washing machine and stuff on his ship? He remembers that Jungkook said he didn’t have a proper kitchen, which is why Hoseok’s since invited Jungkook to just about every meal. It makes sense that he might not have space for washing clothes too.

Jungkook, curled up in one corner of Hoseok’s couch, looks up from the book he’s been reading. The one Hoseok had gifted him earlier, that he hadn’t been able to put down that day in the shop, when Hoseok had invited him out for dinner. The soft look of surprise Jungkook had given him had had Hoseok’s stomach fluttering, his chest filling with warmth. So surprised, so touched. So sweet.

“Sorry, what was that?”

His eyes are wide and round as he looks at Hoseok, as if Hoseok’s pulled him right out from one world and back into this one. It’s cute, Hoseok thinks to himself. Very cute. Strange, almost, how easy it’s become to be around Jungkook, to enjoy his presence and company, all the unique and interesting things he has to share about the universe. Maybe too easy, since Jungkook’s not going to be around forever…

Clearing his throat - and his thoughts - Hoseok shakes the basket in his hands for emphasis. “Laundry. Do you want me to wash any of your clothes while I’m at it?”

“No, thank you. But can I watch?”

The question catches Hoseok off guard, surprising him. “You want to… watch me do the laundry?” He asks slowly.

Jungkook has already set his book aside and looks at Hoseok, eyes bright and smile wide. “Yes, please! I’m curious to see how the process works for you.”

“Uh…” It’s probably one of the stranger things that Jungkook’s asked, sure, but there’s something that’s just kind of endearing about his earnest request, how can Hoseok say no? “Sure,” he answers a moment later. “Come on, then.”

Jungkook not wanting his clothes washed makes Hoseok wonder, as he leads them over to the tiny laundry room behind the kitchen. Maybe he has some fancy, space-age way of cleaning his clothes? Or perhaps he has like ten of the same outfit hanging up somewhere in his ship.

Jungkook follows quietly behind and watches intently as Hoseok begins to load up the washing machine. He’s never felt so observed before, and it’s kind of strange, but every time he glances up and catches sight of Jungkook’s wide-eyed face he can’t help but want to smile to himself.

“So, this machine will clean the clothes for you?”

Hoseok nods. “Yeah. It’ll fill up with soapy water and just kinda, spin all the clothes around really fast?” He feels as if his explanation is lacking but Jungkook hums in interest all the same.

“Oh wow! That is very primitive.” He gasps then, and Hoseok glances up to see that Jungkook’s face has gone red. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean… I mean… it’s not a technique I’m familiar with. I didn’t mean to offend…”

Hoseok, having placed the last bit of clothing inside, closes the washer door until it clicks firmly. He can’t quite stop the smile from twitching at the corners of his mouth as he stands back up. “It’s okay, it probably is quite primitive compared to what you’re used to. How do you clean your clothes, then?”

“There is an item on my ship, smaller in nature than this,” he answers, pointing at the washing machine. “You place the clothing on it, and it removes any and all kinds of dirt from it. It’s very quick.”

Hoseok whistles, impressed but unable to properly imagine this magical cleaning item. “Cool.” He’s in the process of pouring in his favourite fabric softener when an exclamation from Jungkook stops him.

“What… what is that smell?”

Hoseok looks at the bottle in his hand, before looking back at Jungkook’s face. His big eyes have gone impossibly wide again.

“Sorry, is it too strong for you? I–”

Jungkook shakes his head emphatically. “You wash your clothes in that?”

“Uh… yeah.”

Jungkook takes a step forward and a large, obvious sniff. Then he says, in all seriousness, “Hoseok, please wash my clothes in that!”

Before Hoseok, surprised, can say anything, Jungkook is already in the process of… of pulling his clothes off?! In a matter of moments he’s handing Hoseok the leather shoulder-pad-thingy that he wears, and Hoseok, in his shock, hurries to put the bottle of fabric softener down and take the shoulder item instead.

“I, uh, don’t think that this is machine washable?” He says dumbly, looking over the stiff, leather-like fabric.

“That is okay. This should be though, right?”

And when Hoseok looks up his mouth falls open and the back of his neck heats up. Jungkook’s already pulled his shirt off, and Hoseok is just at a terrible loss for words, because, well, because Jungkook is built. And, sure, Hoseok had seen glimpses of it - one side of his shirt is sleeveless and he’s definitely noticed the size of Jungkook’s bicep, tattoos or otherwise - and the way the fabric had clung to his torso, well. It had been there, but now it’s all right in Hoseok’s face and his mind is spiralling, his throat dry, unable to tear his eyes away from the very big, very firm looking muscles of Jungkook’s spectacular chest.

“Holy shit.”

It seems very, very unfair that not only does Jungkook look the way he does, with his long hair and his pretty face, but now Hoseok knows how big and muscular he is too.

“Like what you see?”

Hoseok’s eyes fly up to Jungkook’s face and, oh, now his cheeks join in on the blushing game because Jungkook is grinning at him, clearly having seen Hoseok staring. Shit. Was he…is he… is he flirting with Hoseok? Double shit.

“I like your t-tattoos!” Close call, that one, although it is true, even if right now his eyes had been more on the arm muscles than the art itself. Although, the tattoos hadn’t escaped Hoseok’s notice over the past week or so either. There was no way they could escape anyone’s attention, what with Jungkook always having that arm on show, and the fact that it was covered in an entire sleeve of tattoos. A lot of them seemed very celestial from Hoseok’s observations, crescent moons and stars, clouds or maybe space nebulae or something behind them all too.

His tattoos hadn’t been the focus on his attention though, not really.

The grin is still on Jungkook’s face, and he looks very pleased with himself, even as he drops his shirt in Hoseok’s outstretched arms.

It takes a moment for Hoseok’s brain to boot back up again (a couple of seconds actually, a few, long, slow seconds, really) and as Jungkook starts to unbuckle one of his belts he finds himself shouting out, voice wavering, “Wait! Don’t, I mean, let me. Let me get you some… some other clothes to put on first!”

Part of Hoseok kind of wants to kick himself while he leads Jungkook over towards his bedroom, because there’s a hot guy standing half-naked in his flat right now and here Hoseok is trying to dress him back up again! The other part of Hoseok wants to kick himself for even having that fleeting thought.

It doesn’t take long for Hoseok to find something else for Jungkook to wear; although Jungkook’s bigger than him in some ways - in many hot, firm, muscular ways - they’re roughly the same height. And as half of Hoseok’s wardrobe is oversized it’s easy enough to find a large shirt and some wide sweatpants to offer to Jungkook, who thanks him kindly - even if he is still giving Hoseok that kind of amused little smirk, god - and vanishes behind Hoseok’s bedroom door to get changed.

He looks… he looks very different, when he steps back out a moment later. His hair is loose now, hanging long and dark and curling lightly around his face, and he looks smaller, strangely, in Hoseok’s oversized shirt. He looks soft, and sweet, and so very cute, Hoseok thinks. His cheeks fill with a different kind of warmth this time.

“I think these should be washable too?” Jungkook says, handing Hoseok the trousers he had been wearing, now free of all their belts and accessories and everything else unusual and interesting that Jungkook had attached to them. It’s strange, he realises, seeing Jungkook wearing something a little more like the average person would wear. Although Hoseok loves his usual outfit too, because it’s cool and unique. It suits him.

“Did you empty the pockets?” He asks, because his brain is still running kind of slowly. He’s such a ridiculous human being, going a little crazy over a bit of skin. Maybe he’s been on his own for too long. God.

Jungkook’s eyes go wide and he quickly pulls the trousers back, taking a moment to search through all the pockets, before he hands them back to Hoseok. A thick pair of socks, made from a very sturdy looking fabric, join the trousers, and the shirt that Hoseok’s still holding. Hoseok holds his breath for a moment but is kind of relieved when nothing else ends up in his hands.

Back in the small laundry room, that feels even smaller now with Jungkook in here too, Hoseok adds the extra items into the machine alongside his own. “What made you change your mind?” He asks. He closes the door again, finally actually finishes with the fabric softener, and adjusts the dials for the right washing cycle. “I thought you had the magical clothes cleaner thing on your ship?”

Jungkook nods at him. Hoseok feels him leaning in close, watching everything he does with wonder and curiosity. “I do, and it cleans the clothes, removes all dirt and stains and odours, but it does not make the clothes themselves smell like anything.” He gestures at the fabric softener. “I have noticed that your clothes always have this smell about them, fresh and sweet? I did not realise it was your actual clothes until you pulled that bottle out. But I like it, and I would like my own clothes to smell like that also.”

“...Oh.”

Jungkook likes the way he smells?

The washing machine starts up with a loud rumble as it turns on and the water begins to fill, and Jungkook lets out a noise of surprise before laughing. He bends down, watching through the window in the door as the drum fills with water.

Hoseok stands there, feeling a mixture of confused but fond as Jungkook exclaims when the clothes start to spin around. He can’t believe that he’s just introduced a hot, buff alien to fabric softener.

✮

“Hey, do you wanna go out tonight?”

Jungkook looks up in curious surprise at Hoseok’s words. He’s just come out from his bedroom, changed from his work uniform into something more casual - which tonight means a pair of dark, fitted jeans and a loose, button-up shirt. He looks great, Jungkook thinks, eyes hovering over Hoseok’s form.

“Oh, yes, yeah, sure!”

“I thought I could show you a bit more… Earth culture?” He laughs softly, at himself it seems, before adding, “or at least, take you out somewhere and have a little fun, you know.”

Jungkook smiles, a ripple of excitement rushing through him. “I’d like to have a little fun with you.”

“O-oh…” Hoseok’s cheeks turn pink, which only adds to how nice he looks tonight. He clears his throat, “Are you ready to go soon?”

Jungkook pushes himself up from the couch in a single, smooth motion. “I’m ready to go now, if you are?”

As excited as he is to experience some new things and see more of life here, what Jungkook’s most looking forward to, as they leave, is spending more time with Hoseok. Getting to know him better and see other sides to him.

Although, as he finds, the new experiences are exciting too. Hoseok takes him on a subway train for the first time, and as they rattle loudly through the dark tunnels Jungkook finds himself reminded strongly of Sol Ha-ka V and its underground systems and life. He spends their brief time on the train whispering to Hoseok about it, happy to see the look of wonder on Hoseok’s face as he listens.

The area Hoseok leads them to is one Jungkook hasn’t been to yet, and it feels vibrant and alive, the streets bustling with people and activity in a way that takes his breath away. The sun has yet to fully set behind the tall buildings of the city, and the evening air is warm around them, a beautiful night to be out, and Jungkook can’t blame the streets for being busy.

He samples what Hoseok tells him is called ‘street food’, and there are many such stalls lining the streets, all full of different, delicious scents and foods to call them over. He tries many - grateful for the fact that he’d recently managed to sell a few other bits and pieces he’d picked up throughout the galaxy, passing them off as trinkets in exchange for money. This street food, Jungkook finds, is nearly as good as the pizza! Hoseok laughs when Jungkook tells him.

They wander the streets, eating delicious foods, looking in the windows of all the various, colourful trading units, and Jungkook almost feels like he could belong here, too. Slipping easily into this bright and vibrant life.

There’s music, he hears, as they wander. A man with an instrument, a woman singing beside him. They stop for a moment, Jungkook curious and Hoseok enraptured. There’s a small crowd around them enjoying the music, something bright, uplifting and hopeful. It makes Jungkook’s heart feel like it’s soaring, high enough to touch the fluffy underbellies of the clouds above. Hoseok’s smile is wide and sparkling as he listens.

When the song finishes they both join in the crowd with their applause. Jungkook watches with interest as a few people drop coins into a case, and after a moment of hesitation he steps forward and does the same.

Hoseok’s smiling softly at him when he turns back and they continue Jungkook’s journey of street food sampling.

“Okay, so now we’ve lined our bellies,” Hoseok says to him, a little while later, “it’s time to move onto the next activity of the night.”

“Hmm?” Jungkook hums out a question, busy chewing away at the fish cake he’s eating.

Hoseok grins. “Drinking!”

Jungkook tilts his head, curious how this is worthy of an activity. Hoseok must see the look on his face because he laughs.

“I mean, not drinking just anything! Do you have alcohol where you’re from? Or anywhere else in the galaxy?”

“Alcohol?” The word isn’t pinging anything familiar from his translation chip.

“Drinks that, affect your mood? Make you feel all, like, loose and fun? Buzzing with energy?” Hoseok tilts his own head as he thinks, before shrugging a shoulder, meeting Jungkook’s gaze again. “It makes some people sleepy too, or sad, I guess. But people usually drink to loosen up and have fun!”

It clicks for Jungkook then. “Ahh, you mean a mood enhancer? I get it.”

Hoseok nods, smiling. “Yeah! I guess you could call it that. So, wanna go have a drink with me?”

Jungkook would happily do anything Hoseok asked him to do.

So it’s another short subway trip and then Hoseok’s leading Jungkook into what he calls a bar. It’s a decent sized place, Jungkook sees from inside, and there’s a cool kind of vibe to it. Music playing throughout and people scattered around in their groups, talking and laughing and drinking.

Hoseok leans in close to be heard over the general chatter. Jungkook feels the warmth of his hand against his shoulder. “Do you wanna go sit at that table for us? I’ll bring the drinks over.”

Jungkook nods, following Hoseok’s instructions. Only a few minutes pass before Hoseok weaves his way between people to join Jungkook, two bottles clutched in his hands.

“I decided to start off easy and go with beer,” he says cheerfully, placing both bottles down on the table.

“Easy?” Jungkook quirks an eyebrow at Hoseok, who pulls his chair closer until they’re basically in each other’s space. “You think that I cannot handle your Earth alcohol?”

Hoseok’s mouth opens, until he catches the tilt to Jungkook’s mouth and he laughs. “Actually,” he starts, picking up his own beer, “I decided to start off easy for me. I’m a bit of a lightweight with alcohol.”

“What is a lightweight?”

After swallowing his sip Hoseok opens his mouth to answer. “Uh, not good at drinking? Low tolerance to alcohol?” He shrugs his shoulders, and laughs again. The sound would probably get lost in the background noise of the bar, except for how close Hoseok’s sitting. Jungkook’s glad, he likes Hoseok’s laugh. “I get sleepy when I drink.”

Jungkook rubs at the back of his ear, adding the word ‘lightweight’ to his ever growing data for this language. “Why are we drinking then?”

Hoseok waves a hand at him. “Because it’s fun! And I’m showing you some of the ways people have fun here. Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. Now, try it!”

Jungkook smiles at Hoseok’s excited energy before turning his attention to this new beverage. He takes a small sip at first to see, his eyes going wide as he drinks. He’s caught by surprise at the taste. “Oh, it is not sweet, nothing at all like the beverage from the restaurant.”

Hoseok laughs at that. “No, not sweet at all. Would you have preferred that?”

Jungkook shakes his head and takes another drink before answering. “No, this is fine, I like it. I don’t feel enhanced though.”

“Well, you probably have a higher tolerance than me, might take a few drinks for you to feel anything.”

Jungkook nods thoughtfully, staring at the label on the bottle, before taking another swig from it. It’s an interesting taste, and though his mood feels the same, there is a kind of warmth that follows the liquid.

“Can I ask you something?”

When Jungkook turns his head it’s to find Hoseok leaning in a little more, his eyes wide and curious.

“Of course.”

“I’ve been wondering… why do you speak so old fashioned?”

Jungkook’s eyes widen in surprise. “I do?”

Hoseok nods.

“Oh, well,” he thumbs at the back of his ear, “I suppose that’s down to my translation chip? The data for your languages must have been outdated. It was very difficult to find.”

Hoseok’s mouth makes a perfect ‘oh’ shape for a moment. Then it smooths out into sudden understanding. “Oh. Oh! Oh my god, I can’t believe I didn’t even think about that! You,” he gestures at Jungkook, “you’re from another planet! Why would you be speaking Korean? Wow, I’m so dumb.”

Jungkook laughs, although not unkindly. Without even thinking he reaches out, presses a hand against Hoseok’s arm. “You are not dumb. It is a thought that would never even occur to you usually!”

Hoseok’s face softens, but he laughs again. “So, what, you have this thing that just translates everything for you?”

Jungkook nods, and leaning in close to better hear each other, he tries to explain the basics behind how translation chips work. Hoseok listens intently to every word, and like that, they talk and sit close and make their way easily through two bottles of beer. Jungkook keeps an eye of Hoseok as they drink, however, looking out for any signs of sleepiness or lightweight-ness. He wants to ensure that Hoseok is still having fun, after all.

And he looks to be, as they talk and they laugh, soaking in the vibrant atmosphere of the bar and those around them. Jungkook also can’t help but notice, as the music that’s playing picks up, how Hoseok seems to just move along with it. Either with his leg tapping to the beat, or his body gently swaying along. At one point his fingers tap out to the tune along Jungkook’s forearm, Hoseok’s fingertips warm against his bare skin. Hoseok likes music, is what he thinks he learns from that.

What he learns for sure, not long later.

“Ooh, okay, hold on,” Hoseok says, later, when they’re done at the bar and just walking through the city. The sky is dark now but there are lights and people everywhere still. Hoseok’s pulled them both to a sudden stop outside of a building that Jungkook can’t ascertain what is for. “How do you feel about karaoke?”

“Karaoke?”

Hoseok’s cheeks are very pink, Jungkook notices, as he stares over at him.

“Yeah! It’s, uh, it’s fun. Very popular activity. You sing along to songs.”

Jungkook can’t tell how accurate Hoseok’s very basic description is, but he’s curious to see what this karaoke thing is. And Hoseok himself seems to almost be buzzing with excitement at just the thought, so why ever would he say no?

Not very long later Jungkook learns that Hoseok’s brief description was perfectly accurate.

They’re in a small room just to themselves, one more drink each on the small table, and Jungkook had used up the last of his coins to order extra snacks for them both; as soon as he’d seen food on the menu he’d been unable to resist.

“Okay, so, I know you won’t know any of the actual songs,” Hoseok says, throwing Jungkook an apologetic look, “but I’ll get some easy ones up and we can sing together? See if you like it? And the words come up on the screen anyway! Oh, wait-” Hoseok covers his mouth with his hand in surprise, before continuing, speaking fast, “your translation thingy, it can translate writing for you too, right? I didn’t even think–although, shit, it must because you’ve been reading books and–”

Jungkook smiles at him, trying to slow Hoseok’s sudden concern down. “Yes, it translates writing for me. It will be fine, don’t worry. I am looking forward to this!”

Hoseok looks visibly relieved at that and the smile blooms across his face again. It’s interesting, seeing him so clearly excited and enjoying himself, full of energy and joy, it’s infectious because Jungkook feels enthusiasm buzzing through his own veins. Or perhaps some of that is the alcohol? Hoseok had described it as giving people a ‘buzzed’ feeling earlier.

Either way, he’s curious, he’s interested, and Hoseok’s enthusiasm is contagious, so even though Jungkook stumbles and stutters his way through their first song along with Hoseok, he finds he enjoys himself immensely all the same.

After a few more songs, Jungkook gets the hang of it, his voice growing stronger - even if he is out of time, because all the songs are new to him and he doesn’t know the melodies. But he does his best, and at the end of one song Hoseok turns to him with wide eyes, surprise on his face.

“Wow! You can… you can really sing!”

Jungkook finds himself smiling perhaps a little bashfully at the awe in Hoseok’s face. Warmth spreads through his chest.

“Your voice is amazing.”

“It is?”

Hoseok nods emphatically. And then picks another song for them to sing, and Jungkook joins in, still warm and flushed from the praise.

And like that, the next hour passes by as a loose breeze, with the both of them laughing and dancing, singing together and just having a great time. Jungkook doesn’t remember the last time that he’d had this much fun, or laughed so hard honestly.

He doesn’t think about that again until later.

Until they’re back in Hoseok’s home, and now Jungkook actually gets a look at this sleepiness that claims Hoseok after drinking. His words start to sound further and further away, even as he still tries to talk to Jungkook, and there’s something very sweet about that he finds.

So he helps Hoseok to bed, because he’s not sleepy at all himself. If anything Jungkook’s still feeling that buzz and that warmth.

He looks down at Hoseok, spread out like some kind of subterranean bibo, limbs sprawled out across his bed. His cheeks are still very red, and his eyelids are doing the slow, droopy blink of the sleepy. But there’s a smile still lodged firmly on his face.

“Thank you, Hoseok, for taking me out,” Jungkook tells him sincerely. “I enjoyed myself very much with you tonight.”

Hoseok blinks owlishly up at Jungkook. “Good. ‘M glad. Had fun with you too tonight. You’re very fun, you know?”

“Yeah?” Jungkook laughs softly, before he turns and starts to head towards the bedroom door. “Goodnight, Hoseok. I will see you tomorrow?”

“N-night,” Hoseok mumbles happily, as Jungkook switches the light off. (He likes the physical light switches he’s encountered so far on Earth, likes how tactile they are, the firm click they make between light and dark).

He hears Hoseok’s voice again before he closes the door, calling out softly to him. “Don’ hafta go. Can stay here t’night.”

“Okay,” he returns, hushed.

It’s when he’s lying curled up on Hoseok’s couch, his heart pulsing with warmth (and possibly still the alcohol?) that Jungkook finds himself thinking about it again. Maybe there had been something to it, when Hoseok had asked if he was lonely.

☼

“It’s a shame we can’t actually see the stars out here.” Above them, the Seoul night sky is dark, the stars obscured, as always, by the abundance of artificial lights throughout the city. It’s still a nice evening though, the evening air a pleasant temperature, the sounds of the city echoing up from the streets below.

“They’re there though,” Jungkook says. He turns his head, looking from the starless sky and over at Hoseok. “I can feel them.”

Hoseok’s surprise is clear across his face. He shifts on the blanket they’re both laying on, staring over at Jungkook. Stargazing minus the stars is what they’re doing. The thermos of hot chocolate that Hoseok had made for them stands on the roof beside him, forgotten for now. “What? Really? Or are you just being poetic?”

Jungkook laughs, a soft sound, his nose scrunching up briefly. “No, I mean it. They’re up there, even if we can’t see them from here.”

Hoseok gapes at Jungkook for a moment, until the thought wanders across his mind about how unattractive that might look, and then his mouth closes with an almost audible snap.

“How do you feel the stars?”

Jungkook shrugs a shoulder. “I don’t really know how to explain it. It’s just… I can feel their presence? It’s kind of, as if…” he pauses, his eyebrows coming together while he thinks. “As if the knowledge of them is just… right here?” He pats the space over his heart, his face smoothing out. “Makes being a starhunter much easier, honestly.”

“Wow,” Hoseok breathes the word out in a whisper. “That’s so cool.”

Jungkook blinks in surprise, eyebrows rising. “It is?”

Hoseok nods emphatically. “Yeah! It’s really cool. Imagine having a bond with the stars. Wow!” Every new thing that he learns about Jungkook continues to astound him, intrigue him, pull him closer and closer. He’s never met anyone like Jungkook before - and of course he hasn’t, Jungkook comes from a whole different planet, after all! - but all the pieces that make him up as a person outside of that continue to fascinate Hoseok too.

Jungkook’s cheeks look pink even in the off-colour glow from the neon lights of the city. A small, pleased smile tugs at his lips. Hoseok thinks maybe there’s something to what Jungkook said, because he’s sure he can feel the light of the stars, even if he can’t see them, echoed in the brightness of Jungkook’s face.

They’re quiet for a time, just enjoying their little rooftop hangout, until Jungkook’s soft words slip through. “Do you want to see them? The stars, I mean.”

Hoseok looks at him, surprised by the question. “Oh, well, we’d have to go a ways out of the city for that, and I think it’s a little late for a bus or something…”

Jungkook grins at him, as if he knows something that Hoseok doesn’t. “I don’t think we need to worry about buses right now.”

“A taxi would be a bit much, though, just for some stargazing.”

There’s laughter then, something bright and warm and bubbling, and Hoseok’s caught off guard by just how much he likes the sound, even if he is confused about why Jungkook’s suddenly laughing. He sits up, gesturing an arm out behind him, but when Hoseok looks all he sees is the end of the roof and the other buildings that surround his own.

“Huh?”

Jungkook glances back behind himself, snorts, and turns back to Hoseok, a slightly sheepish look on his face now. “Alright, well, that didn’t really get the message across like I thought it would. But I’m trying to remind you that I have a ship,” he continues, smile breaking free now, spreading wide across his face. It’s a very captivating smile, Hoseok thinks, his mind spinning. “I can, quite literally, take you to see the stars, Hoseok.”

Hoseok gapes again, the gears in his brain shifting now. “Oh. Oh! Shit, really? Really? We could… we could really do that?”

Jungkook laughs again, all sweetness, amused. “Yeah, we can,” he says with a nod. “So, would you like to?”

Hoseok’s heart races, mostly with excitement, but a couple of thumps are definitely dedicated to some trepidation. But an offer like that, with the way Jungkook’s looking at him, how can Hoseok say no? Especially when he doesn’t even want to.

“Yeah,” he says, sitting up now himself. “Yeah, that would be…yeah.”

Jungkook stands up, before he leans down and offers Hoseok a hand up. His grip is strong, his palm warm as Hoseok takes it, and finds himself pulled to standing as well. He stands there for a moment, staring stupidly into Jungkook’s face, at the way the lights play over his features, how his long hair frames his face, those big, doe-eyes of Jungkook’s staring right back at him.

“Oh!” Hoseok says, pulling his gaze away quickly. “The blanket.”

Jungkook seems to be shaking himself out of something as well, so his voice comes a little slowly when he speaks. “You can, uh, we can bring it on the ship. If you… don’t want to leave it here.”

“Right.” Hoseok makes quick work of folding the blanket back up, before grabbing it and the half-drunk thermos, and then Jungkook’s leading him over to where his ship awaits.

“This is going to look a bit strange,” Jungkook warns him from a spot that looks a bit closer to the edge of the roof than Hoseok is truly comfortable with. He knows that the ship is actually right there, but he can’t see it, can only see the edge of the roof, the long drop that’s just beyond it…

“Hoseok,” Jungkook says, his voice firmer now, drawing Hoseok’s gaze from the drop and back to Jungkook’s face. A much less scary sight to focus on, for sure. “But trust me, alright?”

Wordlessly, Hoseok nods. He hears the sound of what he thinks of as air hissing, and knows it’s the door of the ship opening. A moment later some of the interior is visible as well. It’s still so weird, being able to see some of the inside of the ship, but none of the outside. He’s so curious to know what it actually looks like, this place that is Jungkook’s home.

With a practiced ease Jungkook steps into the ship, before turning to lean back out of the door towards Hoseok.

“Okay, pass me the stuff first, please.” Hoseok does so, Jungkook quickly taking the blanket and the thermos from him, setting them aside, before turning back to him. “Now, take my hand.”

He holds his hand out. Hoseok stares at it for a moment, from the tattoos that start around his wrist, winding and painting their way along Jungkook’s skin. Sees the stars there, looking almost like a bracelet of starlight the way they ring his wrist. He presses his hand into Jungkook’s, feels the firmness in his fingers as they wrap around Hoseok’s.

“Lift your foot up,” Jungkook instructs. “The landing ramp is right there for you to step onto. Yeah, like that, see?”

Gingerly, Hoseok puts his foot down, expecting it to just land on the rooftop that he can see, but it’s stopped short above that. By the ramp that he can’t see, he guesses.

“Another step, just a bit higher than that one. Yeah, nice.”

With Jungkook’s gentle coaching and firm grip around Hoseok’s hand, he helps Hoseok up the invisible ramp and into the ship proper.

“Oh, wow,” Hoseok says, his heart still pounding, eyes looking around and taking in everything around him. There’s that same sound again, of the air hissing, and a moment later the outside world is sealed away behind them. “This is your space ship?”

Jungkook, smile wide, nods happily at Hoseok. “I like to call it a starship, actually,” he says, “but yeah, this is it. Welcome aboard the Euphoria, Hoseok. May the stars light your way.”

Hoseok doesn’t know what Jungkook’s last words are meant to mean, but they sound nice, and fill his heart with excitement.

“Here, let’s go, yeah? I’ll show you the cockpit.”

As Jungkook leads him out of the airlock and through the ship Hoseok realises that neither of them had let go yet. He doesn’t remove his hand now, either, happy to let an excited Jungkook pull him along.

“It’s a bit small,” Jungkook explains as he ducks into what must be the cockpit, Hoseok following behind. “The ship’s really not designed for many people. But you can sit down here.” He gestures to a second seat and Hoseok takes it, still gaping and open-mouthed as he stares at everything.

He had long come to the conclusion that everything Jungkook had told him was true, but it was one thing to know that intellectually, and another thing entirely to actually see it so clearly before him. This was a spaceship - starship! An actual, space-faring, starship, that Jungkook used to travel the universe.

Hoseok feels like he’s fallen into some kind of sci-fi novel, honestly, as Jungkook buckles him into the seat. He can’t stop smiling, all sweet and bright across his face, and Hoseok finds it incredibly endearing in all honesty.

“We aren’t going to go far,” Jungkook assures him as he falls into his own seat - the captain’s seat? Jungkook must be the captain, it’s his own ship after all. “Just up and out of Earth’s atmosphere, and then you’ll be able to see all the stars you like.”

“This feels unreal,” Hoseok says, watching with a curious kind of nervousness as Jungkook presses buttons on the console unit in front of him. Lots and lots of buttons and things that Hoseok is scared to even look at. A monitor to the side of Jungkook lights up with some kind of writing that Hoseok can’t make any sense of, and then the ship comes to life.

It feels loud to Hoseok, as it rumbles to life around them.

“Will people be able to hear this?” He asks, suddenly worried. He doesn’t want anyone else trying to come up to the roof to investigate.

Jungkook shakes his head. “It sounds loud to us, but I built noise cancellers into the system, from outside no one should be able to hear it over the general sounds of the city.”

“O-oh.”

His heart is suddenly in his throat as the rumbling engines really come to life. It reminds him of the first time he’d travelled on a plane, when his family had gone on vacation to Osaka one year, and Hoseok had been terrified then. Flying back hadn’t been too bad, though, and he tries to tell himself that this will be just like that. An initial lurch as the ship takes off, and then everything would be fine.

Even so, he squeezes his eyes shut, not wanting to see the world drop away from them when Jungkook takes off.

“Hoseok, are you alright?”

Jungkook sounds concerned.

Eyes still squeezed shut, Hoseok nods. “Y-yeah, I’m fine. Just…keeping my eyes closed until we’re up.”

There’s laughter then, soft and light, although not unkind. “You can open your eyes now, then, because we have already taken off.”

Hoseok’s eyes snap open in surprise and he finds himself staring out of the windows in front of them, only to see that it’s true. Already the world is dropping away beneath them, the lights fading in intensity the higher up they go.

“I didn’t even feel the ship take off!”

Jungkook shoots him a grin. “That’s because it’s always a smooth ride with me.”

Hoseok’s cheeks grow warm, and he forces his thoughts away from, well, from whatever direction they’re trying to travel, and instead focuses on watching their ascent. Which is still kind of scary, but also the kind of thing that he doesn’t want to miss. Can’t miss, because he never would have imagined, in any lifetime, being able to witness this, not as they climb higher and higher, until they break free of Earth’s atmosphere.

“Holy shit,” Hoseok gasps, leaning forward in his seat now, staring down at the world that is his home. It’s so strange to see it from this angle, to be reminded of his place in the world, and the universe. Just a single planet spinning in a galaxy full of other planets, other places beyond his knowledge. “This must be what astronauts see. This is… this is amazing.”

“It is pretty cool, right?” Jungkook smiles over at Hoseok. “Come on.” He unbuckles himself from his chair, stepping over towards Hoseok. “There’s a better view from the window over here.”

“Is that safe?” Hoseok asks, staring up at Jungkook.

“Of course.”

With Jungkook’s gentle assurance Hoseok nods, and after he’s also unbuckled from his seat, Jungkook leads him over towards one of the windows. Actually, about half of the cockpit seems to consist of windows, the front, obviously, because Jungkook needs to be able to see where he’s going, but either side also consists of large windows, which makes the view sprawl wide around them. Almost drowning them in the stars that blink at them from the dark depths of space.

Because, there are a lot of stars now that Hoseok can see, so many that for a moment his head spins at the sheer, unending size and span of it all. In concept, he knows that space is supposed to be infinite, but it’s not something he’s ever had to actually face. It takes his breath away.

“It’s a lot, isn’t it?”

He feels the steadying pressure of Jungkook’s hands on his shoulders, and that warmth helps Hoseok pull the air back into his body.

“The first time I flew a ship into space,” Jungkook continues, voice soft, “I cried.”

Hoseok turns his head, glancing back at Jungkook. “Really?”

Jungkook nods, looking only a little bashful about it now. “Even for those of us who are used to the idea, it’s, well, it’s a lot, when you are first confronted with the size of the universe. The possibilities suddenly open to you.”

Hoseok’s fingers twitch, something about the look on Jungkook’s face makes him want to touch the emotions there. Trace the tracks the tears would have left across his cheeks, all those years ago. He curls his fingers against his palm instead.

“It’s beautiful though,” he manages to whisper, his gaze turning back to the window before him, and the endless sprawl of stars that fill his vision. “There really are a lot of stars.”

“Here.” Jungkook’s fingers tap lightly at Hoseok’s shoulder and he draws him over to the window on the other side of the ship. “That,” he says, gesturing with his free hand to the sight before them, “that’s the Milky Way.”

Hoseok gasps with wonder, a sight he’s never seen before. The sprawl of stars is incredible. “Wow.”

“Right?” Jungkook says. His fingers squeeze in understanding on Hoseok’s shoulder.

“How do you catch them? Stars, I mean.”

“Well, I have some tools to help me,” Jungkook starts, “but I have to listen to them first…”

Hoseok turns to look at him again. “Listen to them? Do they talk?”

Jungkook laughs, shaking his head. “No, no they don’t. But some stars… they have a soul? Or the potential for one? And those stars, I don’t know, they sing? Or, at least, I can hear them?” He shrugs a shoulder, rubbing at the back of his neck with his free hand. “And I won’t catch a star with a soul. So I have to listen first, and make sure a star is just a star.”

Hoseok feels like his head is spinning with all of this, but also his mind won’t stop whirring with all of his fascinated, curious little questions.

Jungkook pauses then, his eyebrows coming together in a thoughtful little frown. “You know, instead of trying to explain it to you, why don’t I just show you?”

“That’s what you use to catch the stars?” Hoseok asks, eyes wide as he stares at the tool in Jungkook’s hands. “It has teeth.”

Jungkook glances down at the net before looking back up at Hoseok with a grin. “Yes, it does. But I had to make it out of what I could find at the time, and it works… Also, I think it looks pretty cool like that, doesn’t it?”

Hoseok eyes the teeth-net warily, although he has to admit that it does actually look quite cool. He’s just not sure how teeth-like and sharp those teeth-things might be. “Wait, you made that yourself?”

Jungkook’s smile widens as he nods. “Yes. Starhunting is a… unique job. There is not exactly a set standard for it, so you equip yourself as best you can.”

“Wow,” Hoseok breathes out, awed. “You’re so cool.”

Jungkook laughs at that before straightening up, hooking his net across his back. “Alright, I am going to go through this hatch here,” he begins to explain, pointing at where he’s talking about. “And then out of that door and into space. The star I’m going to catch isn’t very far away.” Hoseok follows the line of where Jungkook’s pointing out of the windows, to the small, twinkling star that he can see nearby. “So I won’t be gone for long. You can watch me safely from right here, alright?”

Hoseok swallows thickly, suddenly feeling a little nervous on Jungkook’s behalf. Which is ridiculously really, isn’t it? This is what Jungkook does, and has been doing for a long time now, of course he knows what he’s doing. But there’s something a little daunting to Hoseok’s mind, even as the curiosity and the excitement rise up within him too.

He nods firmly, wanting Jungkook to know that he’s been listening.

“Alright. I’ll be back soon.” Jungkook gives Hoseok a grin, it’s all confident, a kind of teasing, almost flirty tilt to his mouth, Hoseok thinks, and he finds himself wanting to do something about the fact that Jungkook’s about to eject himself into space in a moment. Wish him luck? Kiss his cheek? Give him a hug?

Hoseok’s brain is busy stuttering, confused and surprised, on that second thought, that he doesn’t get to do anything before the loud noise of the hatch opening fills his ears, and then Jungkook’s stepped through it. It seals firmly behind him with a heavy thunk, and Hoseok watches as Jungkook readies himself for space.

He turns to give Hoseok one last look, and he can see Jungkook’s grin still through the visor of his helmet. That’s all Hoseok needs to unglue his tongue from the roof of his mouth, and he steps forward, one hand against the window. “Come back safe!” He tries to shout through it, although he isn’t sure if Jungkook can hear him.

After another moment - and Hoseok thinks he remembers something about air pressure and stuff, which might explain the space between the hatch, the door, and space - and Jungkook steps out into the great expanse that surrounds them.

His heart is in his throat as he watches, but Jungkook’s movements are firm and confident. Hoseok spies the strong rope that attaches Jungkook back to the ship, and remembers Jungkook explaining to him how it works, and how the mechanism in the rope and the ship will pull him back.

It’s strange to watch as Jungkook propels his body across the relatively short distance, but somehow it feels much larger than it looks. Hoseok’s heart is in his throat the entire time until Jungkook, upon reaching the star, turns his head back towards the ship. He gives Hoseok a quick wave, and though he can’t tell from here if Jungkook’s smiling behind the helmet, Hoseok feels like Jungkook is. He waves back.

He watches intently then as Jungkook draws out the strange tooth-net, and then as Jungkook seemingly just floats there for a moment, in front of the sparkling little star. Maybe he’s listening to it, Hoseok thinks. And then Jungkook draws the net down over the star and the teeth close in over it, forming a strange lid, and Hoseok can still see the star shining from within the confines of the net.

Jungkook seems to check over everything first, and then, at a speed that takes Hoseok by surprise, the rope draws him back in towards the ship.

It’s only a few minutes before Jungkook actually comes back to him, back through the air pressure room. His smile is so big when he pulls his helmet off and he’s practically bouncing on the balls of his feet with excitement. The energy is infectious, and Hoseok feels his heart dislodge itself from its worried space, floating free instead.

“You did it!” He says excitedly as Jungkook rushes up to him. His hands go to Jungkook’s shoulders without even thinking. He’s here, he’s real, he’s okay, Hoseok’s fingertips tell him. And he just caught a star!

“I did!” Jungkook crows happily, smile wider than Hoseok’s ever seen before. He can’t help but notice the way Jungkook’s front teeth poke out when he’s smiling like this, and it’s cute actually, it’s really cute. “Look!” He holds up the net and there at the bottom, still captured within is the star, twinkling merrily away.

Hoseok’s eyes go round as he stares, amazed. More amazed than he already was, because everything Jungkook does is incredible to him.

He’s too busy staring still that Hoseok’s startled when he feels fingers curling around his hand. “Here, I want to show you something.”

“O-oh, okay!”

And Hoseok allows Jungkook to lead him further through the ship until he finds them both standing in, what he slowly realises, seems to be a…bedroom? Jungkook’s bedroom? His eyes rove over the shelves, and the number of books that adorn them. There are many things to capture Hoseok’s attention next to the books too. The little jars that contain tiny, glowing stars. A small figure of a bunny next to a crescent moon. A vivid, purple flower, its petals hanging in a way that almost resemble teardrops.

“Come and sit,” Jungkook says, his fingers still wrapped around Hoseok’s, and excitedly he tugs them both up onto what is his bed.

He lets go of Hoseok’s hand then, and Hoseok finds he kind of misses the touch. But then he’s too busy watching to miss it for long, because Jungkook’s using both of his hands now to slowly open the starcatching net.

The ‘teeth’ slide back open, and gently, Jungkook coaxes the star out.

It’s very bright in the small confines of the bedroom. It doesn’t have unending space to fill with its glow, Hoseok supposes.

He can’t help but gape at it, as it floats there in the space between them.

“It’s pretty, right?” Jungkook asks, looking at Hoseok, who nods rather dumbly in return. Then Jungkook reaches out, both hands empty now, and gently, he takes Hoseok’s hands, pulls them up until they’re palm to palm, their hands held up together beneath the small shining star.

“That’s an actual star?” He’s surprised by how breathless he sounds, but Jungkook smiles.

“Yeah, a real, actual star.”

“Wow.”

Hoseok’s eyes slide from the star to Jungkook’s face, and for a moment he’s certain that Jungkook himself is shining brighter than the star itself. His eyes are wide and sparkling with endless galaxies, a look of awe and excitement across his face as he gazes at the light. The tattooed stars on his arm almost look as if they’re shining too, brought to life by their celestial cousin.

Jungkook loves this, Hoseok can tell in that moment, can see it written so plainly across his face. The star hunting, the space travel, the stars themselves, he loves it all. Seeing that excitement, Hoseok can’t help but wonder how many people, if any, Jungkook’s ever been able to share this joy with.

There’s warmth in his chest, brighter even than the glow of the star, that Hoseok gets to share this moment with Jungkook.

Jungkook’s eyes fall from the star and as their gazes meet Hoseok feels his cheeks grow a little warm. “It’s yours,” Jungkook whispers to him.

“Huh?”

His fingers curl loosely around Hoseok’s, seemingly without thought. “The star,” Jungkook explains. “It’s yours. I want you to have it. To… to remember me by, later.”

“Oh. I… really?”

Jungkook nods, a smile curving his lips now. “Yes. It’s for you.”

His own little star.

Hoseok leans forward, pressing a soft kiss to Jungkook’s cheek. The skin is warm beneath his lips. “Thank you,” he whispers.

✮

“Come with me.”

“Oh, where are you going? If you need something from the convenience store I can go get it for you?” Hoseok’s already in the process of getting up from the couch, which is all kinds of sweet. Jungkook reaches out, fingers tugging lightly at Hoseok’s sleeve to stop him.

“No, I mean,” he stifles a giggle behind his hand, “come with me to space.”

“Uh…”

Jungkook turns to face Hoseok, letting go of his sleeve in the process. “There’s two months until the meteor gets into range, so we could go anywhere! Well, okay, maybe not quite anywhere,” he amends, a small crease between his eyebrows, but even that doesn’t dim his sudden excitement. He sits up on his knees, leaning in towards a still confused looking Hoseok. “But there’s an astral current right near Earth, and it will take us right to a galaxy full of interesting planets, and–”

“Wait, wait,” Hoseok says, holding his hands up. “Slow down a minute. You…what?”

Jungkook tries to reign in his excitement. The idea had hiit him very suddenly as he was sitting there reading through one of Hoseok’s books, and it was too good a thought not to share straight away.

“Well,” he begins again, “you enjoyed being on my ship with me, didn’t you?”

Hoseok nods, his face smoothing out into something a little softer as he remembers. The evidence of that little sojourn is right behind him, twinkling away in its jar on one of Hoseok’s shelves.

“So, I thought that you might enjoy seeing more of what the universe has to offer.” It’s taking quite a lot from Jungkook to hold his excitement in, he’s buzzing with the power of a thousand suns. He can’t help but remember that look of wonder on Hoseok’s face that night, the absolute joy and the curiosity. He wants to see more of that look, wants to help be the cause of it. He wants to fill Hoseok’s life with wonders while he has the chance to.

Hoseok’s mouth hangs open in his surprise, and it’s a cute expression really. He blinks, his mouth opening and closing a couple of times before he finally seems to find his words. “You want to… to take me on some kind of intergalactic road trip with you for the next two months?”

His translation chip doesn’t quite know what to make of the word ‘road trip’, but Jungkook can guess at its meaning, enough so that he says, with great confidence, “Yes!”

Hoseok blinks again. “I’m not sure… I mean, I have work? You know?”

“Oh, are you not allowed time away from your job?”

“No, I am, just… two months is quite a long time?”

“That is alright. You know, there is still plenty to look at within your own solar system too, if you like!”

Hoseok’s face smooths out into something more thoughtful as he looks back at Jungkook, considering. Then, with a small smile he says, “I’ll talk to Namjoon about it.”

“Alright,” Jungkook agrees, returning the smile. It isn’t long before Hoseok settles back onto the couch beside him, putting on a movie that he’d told Jungkook about before, something he said he thought Jungkook would enjoy. “There’s magic, and spirits and stuff. I watched it before with Namjoon, it’s really good!”

As it turns out, Jungkook does enjoy it, but he thinks watching it with Hoseok is maybe what makes it so special. Although the spirit bathhouse is fascinating.

✮

The afternoon is bright and warm, a perfect spring day, as Hoseok had said earlier. They’re walking through what’s turned into one of Jungkook’s favourite places to be on Earth (aside from Hoseok’s home, and the rooftop), the park. Or, a park, because as he’s been discovering over the past month, there are many. This one so far is Jungkook’s favourite, however.

He likes it, likes all the nature and the peacefulness in the midst of a big, bustling city. He’s seen many places like this before, across other planets throughout the universe, but there’s a different kind of feeling to Earth’s parks. Perhaps it’s the lack of advanced technology, and how the only people are humans. Perhaps it’s part of the culture of where he is right now. Jungkook can’t put his finger on what it is, just knows that he enjoys this, these walks of the familiar through the unfamiliar.

He likes them even more when Hoseok is by his side. When they can enjoy each other’s company, talking about everything, or equally enjoying the peace in the moments. It’s a nice way to spend some time.

“Oh, Hoseok,” Jungkook says, excitement in his voice, his hand reaching for Hoseok’s. “Look at that good boy over there!”

Hoseok follows where Jungkook’s pointing before he bursts out laughing. Jungkook turns to look at him, a questioning little smile on his face. Hoseok always looks so bright whenever he laughs like this, it always makes him have to pause for a moment and recalibrate.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh,” Hoseok says, a few stray giggles still stumbling out. He pulls his hand from Jungkook’s only to press it warmly against his shoulder instead. “It just took me by surprise - you’re so cute. I guess I forgot to tell you that they’re actually called ‘dogs’.”

Jungkook’s eyes widen as Hoseok explains, and he thumbs at the back of his ear, making sure to update the information. “Ah, I see. I thought they were good boys.”

Hoseok smiles, radiant. His fingers squeeze around Jungkook’s shoulder. “They are good boys. And good girls,” he amends. “All dogs are good.”

After the explanation, they find themselves close to the good boy in question and as Jungkook has learnt Hoseok always has to stop and ask about petting any dog he walks by. It’s probably not entirely Jungkook’s fault that he’d acquired the wrong name for the animal, since all Hoseok does is make kissy faces and cute sounds and call them a ‘good boy’ over and over again. It’s very adorable. And Jungkook, since meeting his own first good boy on one of these park walks, has become incredibly fond of dogs himself. Pets aren’t unique to Earth, but he’s never met anything quite like a dog before, and he loves them. (Also loves how happy meeting dogs makes Hoseok, too).

After their meeting with the dog they resume their walk through the tree-lined path. Jungkook observes the trees with a cursory interest; he’s not well versed in different plant-life throughout the universe, but he’s always just generally curious about everything that is new to him.

He’s busy admiring a small bird and watching it flit from branch to branch, wondering what it's little life is like, when Hoseok’s voice pulls him out from his daydreams.

“So, I spoke to Namjoon yesterday.”

Jungkook turns to look at him, surprised. They hadn’t mentioned his idea since the other night. He feels his heart begin to swell, even as he sternly has to try and tell it not to.

“You did?”

Hoseok nods. There’s a moment where he looks very serious, and Jungkook almost begins to worry, before a small smile breaks out across Hoseok’s face instead. The smile that makes the little indentations pop on either side of his mouth. Jungkook likes them. “Yeah. Turns out, one of his cousins is looking for work, so it’s okay if I want to take some time off.”

Jungkook stops in the middle of the path, eyes wide, heart swelling even further now despite his orders. “And do you? Want to take some time off?”

Hoseok’s grin widens further then, teeth flashing, eyes crinkling at the corners. “What should I pack?”