A piece of cheesecake for 64907

[futurepm_mod]

Title: The Marks We Read
Pairing: Sakumoto
Rating: NC17
Summary: “I’ve heard the bare bones of it. Lost stars, wasn’t it? Fallen from the sky, looking for someone who can read the marks on their skin and find the way to some precious, indescribable treasure that has not been seen since man began venturing the universe. When people were still close to each other, and mankind did not force themselves thousands of light years apart.” When Sho is captured by a group of pirates, the last thing he expects is for a bloody man to be thrown into his lap.

Warnings: Space(-Pirate) AU with less pirates and more treasure-hunting, really. Featuring TOKIO, 2 SMAP members and references to Dash Island, if you squint. I can’t say pure science was used in some plot devices here, but I tried to make educated scientific conjectures based on my knowledge of biology and geochemistry, the latter of which, is rudimentary, at best. There are (slight) references to violence, but no one important in the fic dies. Oh and, Jun!Moles appreciation by Sho. Additional story notes are at the bottom of the fic.

Notes: Dear 64907, this is my attempt at a space AU, although it has turned out to be an unconventional one, I think. I hope you enjoy it nevertheless. Many, many, MANY thanks to my beta who looked over this for me with great detail <3


Having been stuck in his room for several day cycles, Sho decides to give up trying to predict what his captors are going to do next; be it to him, to the next ship they are raiding, or the poor, stranded colony that will be highly unprepared to be pillaged by the strongest ship of the pirate syndicate that exist in the Universal Confederation. He hasn’t been allowed to leave the room, but Sho recognizes the thrum and rumble of a space ship docking in a space station and knows that they are still docked in some unknown neutral territory space-station.

To be more accurate, he has been the prisoner of these pirates, or something akin to a prisoner, for over a week now, of which during the first few days, the ship was traveling to the space station they are currently docked at. From his room, the ship has appeared very quiet for the entire duration of his stay, and the loneliness from being left to himself for so long, locked in his cabin, is finally getting to him. He wants to know where they are, who the people working on and controlling the ship are, and most importantly, when the pirates are going to remember that he exists, and realize that he is catching a bad case of cabin fever.

Sho has already tried asking Aiba, the cheery cook that he managed to make friends with, since he is the only man who brings Sho his meals, if he could tell Sho where they are stationed now, but the nervous laugh Aiba gave him hinted to Sho that it is not something Sho wants to know. A pirate-run station? Slave traders? The possibilities are endless.

He is already fortunate that his captors are generous enough to provide him ample (and good) food, as well as an individual cabin that is large and decently spacious. While he has travelled on Confederation spaceships before, this is the first time Sho has been given a personal cabin, one equipped with a desk, a chair, and a semi-double bed, positioned near a large porthole that reveals the galaxy. However, as lovely as the room is, Sho knows not to test or trust the pirates’ ‘kindness’. It is likely that this is all a ploy to garner his trust, in order for them to later exploit his star-reading ‘ability’, one unique to those born of the Sakurai royalty bloodline.

Indeed, Sho has spent the last two decades of his life studying the art of navigating the stars, as well as interpreting their meaning – it is a practice, rather than a preparation, in hopes that one day, Sho will be able to meet a fabled celestial, and discover the location of a mythic ‘treasure beyond men’s measure’ by reading off the map, ostensibly, drawn by marks found on the celestial’s skin. It is not a unique skill, really – navigation is taught in most schools, but ostensibly, the stars painted across the skin of a celestial appears meaningless to anyone but those from Sho’s family.

Of course, the myth is a myth, with very little evidence of celestials and treasures existing… But naturally, human greed means that the myth has garnered the unfortunate attention of greedy pirates and marauders who seek this unseen treasure. Particularly, it is well known that the J. Kitagawa syndicate – the largest and most influential one – has its sight set on finding this so-called treasure.

Other organizations exist, but none are as influential as the Kitagawa syndicate. Even the Confederation tries their best to stay ‘friendly’ with these pirates, although Sho isn’t sure how good their relations are now that he has been captured by some of Kitagawa’s men.

Personally, Sho believes none of the myths that he grew up listening to, but he sorely regrets having run away from home now, and allowing the Skate crew to seize him. Sho should have known better, predicted that the syndicate would have eyes and ears even in the small community library in Gunma, where he had he fled to. His ability is, after all, rare, besides the issue of him being a Prince, that is. Sho running away from the safety of his home gave them the perfect opportunity to capture him. Once again, he allowed his recklessness and temper to seize his mind after news of his betrothal.

As lovely as Keiko is, Sho sees her as only a childhood friend, nothing more, nothing less, and he is certain she feels the same way about him. If anything, she is probably laughing and shaking her head at his position right now. Keiko rarely ever sympathizes.

He supposes getting kidnapped can be a useful thing – it does liberate him from the shackles of being the Crown Prince of the Tempestiana Galaxy. Furthermore, Sho has always wanted to see what is beyond the borders of his sheltered home.

…But then again, there is a likely chance that Captain Kimura will kill him once he realizes that either a) the fabled celestial does not exist (which is Sho’s postulation, naturally) and b) the treasure might be a whole lot of crock (which Sho believes, as well). Sho should be plotting an escape, but it is difficult to do so when he is not allowed out of his cabin. Or perhaps, if he can mingle with the others, Sho will be less inclined to escape and be more inclined to be something more useful than loot.

Aiba seems to be kind enough. Initially, Sho was suspicious and mildly hostile towards him, but he quickly learned that Aiba himself was stolen off from the Chiba colony planet, alongside his friend ‘Nino’ as prospective celestials. That is this ship’s main mission– find celestials, get the treasure. Of course, both of them should have been dropped in the next space station they were docked at, but it was a lucky thing that the ship was shorthanded, and that Aiba and Nino managed to obtain the favour of the Junior Quartermaster, Joshima.

When Sho asked why Aiba could be so cheerful, despite having been snatched away from his home, the man simply smiled and explained that he had always wanted to be in the stars, and that the prospect of spending the next six decades of his life in a single, small planet sounded horribly boring now that he had been exposed to space.

“Sure, I miss my family, but these pirates aren’t going to come back to hurt them – they don’t stay too long in a colony planet. They’re out to find this celestial, really. Fairly harmless, although they overthrew a nasty corruptor in the last colony we visited. That was a bit messy. But they help the colonies that are too far from the main Confederation galaxies to be watched over, so they aren’t the bad guys, Sho-chan. They never loot colonies who can just barely support themselves. We’ve helped them too.”

“So, they aren’t the bad guys… Unless treasure is involved.”

“…Unless treasure is involved. It’s just the Captain and the Senior Quartermaster who’s a little bit too obsessed. Don’t tell anyone I told you that. The rest of the crew are really nice. Just a little… rough around the edges. If you get the chance to talk to them, you’ll find that they’re in it for the exploration, less so for the treasure.

Sho sighs, and returns to his desk. Perhaps Aiba is right about the crew being nice, besides Captain Kimura and Sr. Quartermaster Nakai. He has heard many stories about the syndicate being something akin to a Robin Hood of their era, and it was Jr. Boatswain Okada who managed to reobtain Sho’s notebook, pen and bag of belongings containing the rest of his clothes after they were confiscated by Nakai upon his capture. The man also took a good pinch of Sho’s ass simultaneously, so Sho is still fairly divided concerning that aspect of his kindness

A huge ruckus in the hallway outside his room catches his attention, and Sho quickly slips his notebook into the desk drawer just as he hears the lock unlatch itself from within the cabin door. “Oi, Sakurai. Hope you’re not bored – we have a present for you.”

Sho’s blood freezes as he hears the sick sneer in Nakai’s voice, and holds his breath just as the door slides open. A bloodied figure is thrown to Sho’s feet, and Sho just barely stops himself from flinching when he sees dark streaks of red outside his hallway from where his ‘present’ must have been dragged to his door. Captain Kimura doesn’t even flinch at the mess, and steps in with a haughty expression that Sho is tempted to punch, had his attention not been locked onto the frail body sprawled in front of him.

“What is this?” He manages to rasp, and falls to his knees to turn the boy – no, the man, a man who is appears to be several years younger than him, but covered in so many welts and smeared blood that it is hard to tell his proper age. He is only wearing a pair of drawstring cotton pants, but they are grimy with dirt, blood and other things Sho doesn’t really want to think about. When his hand meets the man’s back, his fingers touch sticky warmth, and Sho hisses in shock, but is concerned at the lack of response of pain. “Why is he so injured?”

“We’ve found him, Sakurai. We’ve found your celestial.” Kimura grins, and Sho shifts even so slightly to pull his ‘celestial’ closer and away from the deranged pirate captain who seems unaffected at the sigh of a tortured victim. There are so many things that are wrong with the situation, and inthis moment Sho hates how science has made it possible for even the most sinister of men to look neat and proper, unlike pirates of the primitive past, when humans were still restricted to one, measly planet that is now long gone and exploited to ruins.

But of course, as charming as Kimura and Nakai look, there is a distinctive note of insanity in their eyes as they look down at Sho and the bloodied man they consider to be a celestial. Their eyes are cold – that is what gives their morality away.

And then there is the matter of this supposed ‘celestial’.

“If this is supposed to be the celestial, then why is he in this state?”

Nakai rotates his wrist helpfully, and Sho cannot help the sneer that forms on his face when the man helpfully pats his belt where a multi-tailed whip hangs innocently. He recognizes it from his period studies, and knows that using such methods to get information is barbaric and inhumane at the very least. At the door, there is an unfamiliar man who himself looks uncomfortable and sick at the sight, but does not say anything.

It is probably the Jr. Quartermaster.

“We had to make sure he’s telling the truth, of course. He wouldn’t say anything after we got him off that pathetic excuse of a pirate ship. His credentials were a little iffy, but he matches the information we got from our sources. No parents, found outside an orphanage, worked on the Ibaraki farming colony before the pirates got their grubby hands on him. He should be grateful that we fished him out of that hellhole.” Kimura nudges at a bloody leg with his boot, and Sho sees red.

It sounds ridiculous, beating up someone for information said person cannot provide. Sho is well-versed with the myth – celestials are physically human, but born from fallen stars. As a result, they have no parents, no memory of family whatsoever. And then there are the marks.

“Just look at his face. And his back. We’re sure it’s him.”

Indeed, the moles on the poor man’s face are especially visible from the pallor of his skin, but Sho doesn’t want to turn him to check any further, not when he knows what he sees will make him sick with horror.

“Well, aren’t you going to look at it? You’re supposed to read it, Sakurai!” Nakai and Kimura looks at him expectantly, and Sho snaps,

“I can’t quite see through blood and welts now, can I? Even if he is the fabled celestial, the tales say the map will only show when he is of optimal health, something he clearly isn’t right now, thanks to your actions. If you think you’re going to get something out of the poor man you flogged under the assumption that he is a celestial, then the only place you’re going to drive this ship and your crew is into a black hole.”

There is something fascinating about watching Nakai’s face turn purple at Sho’s reprimand, but Sho hardly cares about hurting the sensibilities of a madman, “So, I suggest you get your shit straight and send whichever doctor present on this ship, because I’m not telling you anything until this man is alive and well.”

Nakai makes a move towards him, hand raised, but Sho does not even flinch at the prospect of being hit, eyes fiery and stance unmoving, poised to protect the unconscious man beneath him. He cannot help himself from tensing, however, when he sees the hand come down.

But the blow does not come.

In a few seconds, the Jr. Quartermaster has cleared the distance between the door and Sho, his knuckles white as they clutch Nakai’s wrist, face somber. “Don’t do anything rash, Nakai. He is still the Crown Prince, and the boss will not be happy if we start a war with the Confederation.”

Nakai sneers at the words, but when Kimura begins to walk out, he takes his cue, roughly swinging to free his wrist and makes sure to brush Joshima’s shoulder when he leaves the cabin. “Fine. You will oversee Sakurai while he decides to play nurse for a human star map then, Joshima. And if anything happens to the two… We will not hesitate to dump you in space.”

Mad. Sho thinks, and stares out the cabin door alongside Joshima until the footsteps fade away. “They’re mad. They’re both mad.” He mutters, before looking down at his new charge with a vague sense of helplessness. They have to escape this ship, there is no doubt about that.

“Don’t let them hear you say that.” Joshima murmurs softly. “I’ll do our best to help you, but if they catch word of your revolt, they will not hesitate to kill you.”

Sho freezes, but Joshima doesn’t let the thought settle in his mind before tapping Sho’s shoulder. “There’s a cabinet above the bathroom sink with clean towels. Go grab them and lay them out on your bed, will you? I’m going to send Yamaguchi or Nino here, I have to be back on the bridge before Kimura or Nakai get suspicious. Someone will come by with food as well.”

Sho does not move, and continues to look suspiciously at Joshima, unsure of if he should place his trust on anyone in this ship besides Aiba. Even so, the man does not falter at Sho’s hostility, and waits quietly for Sho to make his decision of what to do. Sho recognizes the press for time, nonetheless, and there is no use in trying to make enemies on this ship. If what Aiba says is true, and that it is only Kimura and Nakai who are dangerous, then at least Joshima, who defended Sho against his own superiors, must be alright as well.

He nods, and makes to go to the bathroom to fetch the towels.

“His name is Matsumoto Jun, by the way.”

Sho stops, and his eyes flicker once at the assumed ‘celestial’, before nodding in acknowledgement, and scuttling away.

Matsumoto Jun.

So Sho must plan to save them both.

***
When his cabin door opens once again, Sho does not expect to see a small man walk in, medical kit at hand. He looks just slightly younger than Sho, youth still apparent in his eyes as he nonchalantly takes in the situation in a quick survey. He does not flinch at the appearance of blood on the floor, nor on Matsumoto’s body, and Sho corrects himself – behind the brightness of youth is an aged soul, unfazed and calculating as he looks between Sho, and then Matsumoto.

He looks remarkably unfazed. Sho isn’t sure what to make of it.

Pirates.

“Well,” the man starts, and extends a hand to Sho, face breaking out in a gummy grin. The hand is as small as its owner, fingers fine and delicate, but steady when Sho takes it. “Aiba-shi mentioned that you were nice, but I didn’t expect you to be gutsy enough to stand up to Nakai. Good job on that front. I am Ninomiya Kazunari, Junior Surgeon on SS Skate. Yamaguchi’s the main Surgeon on this ship, but some idiot got himself burnt in the kitchens and was being seen to when the call came in.”

Nino. The name sounds familiar – the same crewman that was taken on board the same time Aiba was.

“Sakurai Sho.” He stops short of himself, and adds, “the altercation barely happened twenty minutes ago. How did you–”

Nino taps at his ear secretively, and waggles his eyebrows. “The walls have ears. Good ears, don’t worry. But they do. Remember that, when you decide to go at it with Mr. celestial here. If you can give me something I want, you might be able to convince me to mute the microphones.”

Sho ignores the latter statement to focus on the former, eyes glancing towards the corners of the room nervously as he hurries to clarify, “Microphones? You were listening to our conversation? Why?” Microphones would make it a lot harder for Sho plot an escape, even if Nino claims that the ‘ears’ are good ones. If Nino relays the information to anyone else…

“Relax before you give yourself an aneurysm. I’m not going to treat that.” Nino calmly replies, and puts on a pair of latex gloves, and hands a new, unused pair to Sho to put on. “Walls have ears because I don’t trust what goes on in this ship, especially with someone like Nakai as First Mate. Nagase likes me well enough to let me into engineering to help him, and we get less activity than you’d think. I had time to spare.”

There is something dark in Nino’s voice when he mentions Nakai, a coldness that makes Sho stop and think. If Nino can speak so freely about him in Sho’s presence, then perhaps…

“Don’t worry. Only I have access to the recordings. You may curse the man as much as you like here. I’ll just enjoy it and laugh to myself.” When Sho continues to stare, Nino shakes his head and gestures to Matsumoto. “Let’s talk a bit more. You look like a startled squirrel. Help me get him up on the bed. Oh, you have the towels there already. Good. It’ll keep the mess to a minimum – I’ll give you the run-down of the crew in a sec. You’ll have to help me clean up all this blood anyway. Space has done wonders to Nakai’s and Kimura’s sanity.”

With Sho’s help, the two of them manage to lug Matsumoto over to the bed, and they begin the process of wiping away all the blood from his back. Sho bites his lip at the number of dirtied towels, but Nino doesn’t let him pay attention to it, distracting Sho and easing Sho’s tension with smooth conversation about the crew.

It is the first time Sho has someone talk to him for a prolonged period without him being nervous, but Nino’s reassurance that the recordings are only heard by Nino, and his proceeding insults of the crew members quickly convinces Sho that he is in safe company. Sho slowly learns more about the crew, and they seem less scary now that he knows their names, positions and quirks. Sho has never had any formal experience on space ships, but he realizes that it is not difficult for him to comprehend the crew positions and respective jobs. For one, SS Skate uses pirate titles instead of the typical spaceship crew positions, which does make sense, now that Sho thinks about it.

He is on a space pirate ship, after all. But it saves him a lot of time, since Sho already has some vague idea of pirate ships – the sea-faring ones – from all the books he read as a child. Thus the few differences will cause him no trouble remembering

There is a Captain, and then there is a Sr. Quartermaster who rule the deck. Joshima doubles as the navigator as well as the Jr. Quartermaster after an unfortunate incident with an airlock with previous navigator (“Not really the brightest of the bunch. We rescued him, of course, but he requested to be dropped off in the next station we docked in. Haven’t found a new navigator in a while. To be honest with you, none of us were sad to see him go. Way too young to be on this ship”), and then there are the bosuns, Taichi and Okada (whom Sho is already acquainted with), who oversees the rest of the departments: Engineering (by a Nagase), Artillery (by Matsuoka and Ohno). And then Yamaguchi and Nino, who oversee the medical bay, and Aiba, the cook, whom Sho already knows.

A lot of Nino’s explanations are punctuated by snark and complaints about the crew, but Sho can tell that the man is fond of them, especially ‘Oh-chan’ and Aiba, his voice becoming particularly soft when he talks about them.

“Aiba-shi wouldn’t tell you this, but that idiot got onto this ship because of me, and is the reason why I’m still here too.” Nino clicks his tongue. “If it wasn’t for him, I’d have jumped ship long ago, but someone needs to take care of this bloody crew.”

“You don’t like being in space?”

“In a big ship like ours? It’s fine. In those smaller two-man ships? You will have to knock me out to put me into one of those. Too turbulent for me, even though Oh-chan has offered to change my mind before. He is a good pilot, but hah, not good enough.”

In contrast, there is no fondness in his voice when Nino describes Kimura or Nakai, but Sho is starting to suspect that no one in this crew are truly loyal to the pair. The thoughts make give Sho hope, but he does not let it show. Besides the extra tidbits of information, Sho learns that the junior crew members spend more time together than with the senior members. It is only helpful if he is allowed out of his room, however.

“You can navigate, can’t you?” Nino asks thoughtfully as he binds the cleaned and disinfected welts on Matsumoto’s torso. “If you ask Joshima, he might allow you to help him with his navigator duties. At least that would give you a good excuse to be let out of this room.”

That’s a good idea, Sho realizes, especially if he wants to meet the rest of the crew and possibly plan an escape, but at the same time, “I doubt Nakai or Kimura would trust me to navigate the ship. And I hate to remind you of this, but they are likely going to kill me and Matsumoto if the fable is what it is – a fable.”

Nino hums disinterestedly, and Sho exhales sharply, annoyed.

Then Nino shoots him an angelic smile, one innocent but full of deception and determination that a shiver travels down Sho’s spine.

“Then help us plan a mutiny, and we’ll free you both.”

***
It’s been a very long while since Sho last shared a room with someone, but he finds himself comforted by the soft sound of breaths near his ear by Matsumoto, a blanket drawn over his bandaged torso to keep him warm. Even though Matsumoto has yet to awaken, the prospect of having someone in the same situation as him (or somewhat the same situation) soothes Sho’s nerves just a bit.

His meeting with Nino has settled Sho significantly, now that Sho knows that there is a chance of freedom; Of course, there is still plenty of room for doubt. Should he really trust Nino, can he trust anyone? And what about this man who sleeps next to him, whom Sho has yet to speak to? Will Matsumoto be that open to the plan, and how much of the situation does he know of anyway?

Next to him, Matsumoto makes no sound besides the soft huff of his breathing. Now that he has a bit of colour on his face, Sho can see what he looks like, face partly illuminated, and Sho understands why he might have attracted the attention of any treasure seeker. Even just on his face, he has several moles that Sho instinctively wants to touch: under his mouth, above his upper lip, on his upper lip, two flanking his eyebrow, one on the bridge of his nose, two on either cheeks… And this is just on his face. Of course, the fable never accorded if the ‘marks’ are moles, they could be birthmarks, for all they know, but given that the marks are to represent a star map, they are likely to be some form of dots.

But even without the potential ‘worth’ of Matsumoto, Sho must confess that the man looks rather pretty. His eyebrows make Matsumoto’s features strong in appearance, but there is a softness that is captured in the soft line of his jawline, and natural pout of his lips. It is unfortunate that he has to be put in this kind of situation. Sho wonders if Sho’s own capture exacerbated the situation.

He sighs loudly, and turns onto his back to stare at the cabin ceiling.

Sho should try to sleep and stop thinking.

He wonders if there is anyone listening in now. To be honest, Sho is thankful for Nino, even though he doesn’t trust him entirely yet; now Sho knows a little bit more about how the ship runs, and it gives him some peace.

For one, the ship doesn’t move at night, the crew too small to run like an official Confederation spaceship. There is no skeleton shift, but there is always someone on sentry duty on the deck. That means that there is little chance of something unexpected happening to him, like odd people barging into his room and throwing injured people to his feet.

He turns away from Matsumoto, and closes his eyes. Now that he is less nervous, less frightened, weariness tides over him quickly, and Sho finds himself asleep before he can think any further.

Sho doesn’t sleep for long. The chronometer reports that he has only slept for around 3 hours when Sho jerks away, blearily rubbing his gritty eyes.

Why did he wake up?

It takes several moments for Sho to realize that the man beside him is stirring, a soft groan escaping Matsumoto as his leg twitches, and accidentally brushes against Sho’s own.

“Hey, are you awake?” Sho mumbles sleepily, and props himself up with an arm to look over at Matsumoto. There is no doubt about it – he is finally stirring, long eyelashes fluttering against the pale cheeks, forehead furrowing and jaw clenching in what is probably pain. Sho gives him several moments to come into awakening – or descend back into what is obviously an uncomfortable sleep – before slowly reaching out to tap at his forearm. Aiba has left an additional plate of food for Matsumoto should he wake up, alongside a couple of painkillers (awfully archaic for their era, but Sho supposes they cannot be picky when on a pirate ship) from Nino, and it will likely be more helpful for Matsumoto to take them before going back to sleep.

He does not expect the sharp response, alarmed eyes flashing open, wide and frightened as Matsumoto wrenches his entire body away from Sho. A shout of fear nearly escapes him, but Sho rushes to cover Matsumoto’s mouth his palm, not keen to garner the attention of any of the crew. He doesn’t know who might be near the room, after all. He does his best to keep his weight off of Matsumoto’s body, and leans in close as he shushes his companion quickly.

“Don’t shout. I’m not going to hurt you.” Sho hisses, and rolls his eyes at the obvious distrust on Matsumoto’s face, clearly not believing him. At least he does not squirm, because Sho does not want to hurt him anymore than Matsumoto already has been hurt. “I’m on your side. My name is Sakurai Sho, and I’m a prisoner here as much as you are, aboard SS Skate. If I let you go, will you keep quiet?”

There is a fierceness in Matsumoto’s eyes that makes Sho start internally, but he does not let it show, raising an eyebrow as he waits for a response, palm still firmly pressed against Matsumoto’s mouth. “I’m not risking them finding out that you are awake. Do you want to get flogged again?”

At the question, the fierceness dissipates into reluctant agreement, looking away and nodding in a single jerk of his head. Sho releases him, and is relieved when Matsumoto doesn’t shout, but pointedly inches away from Sho, wincing when he moves.

“Don’t move too much. You don’t want to reopen your wounds.” To prove his good intentions, Sho shifts away from Matsumoto instead, and climbs off the bed to grab the tray on the cabin table. It will do neither of them any good if they can’t get along, or rather, if Matsumoto continues to look and act like a startled animal (for good reason, though). “Matsumoto, right? There’s some food and painkillers for you. You probably want to have some food.”

Sho gingerly takes a seat on the very edge of the bed, and carefully slides the tray over. When Matsumoto makes no effort to move, and instead stares down at the plate of food – rice with mapo tofu, and miso soup – with a look of distrust, Sho sighs and makes a pointed move to take a small bite, proving that it is not poisoned.

“I had it for dinner too. It’s good.”

He sighs when Matsumoto finally takes the plate and starts eating, eyes flickering up to Sho uneasily. Jun seems to be less on guard now, especially after realizing that Sho is not here to hurt him. Barely three spoonfuls in, Matsumoto mumbles something Sho struggles to hear, prompting Sho hum questioningly.

“Call me Jun. Matsumoto is the name of the orphanage I grew up in.” Jun repeats, voice hoarse. Sho blinks, after which he nods in acknowledgement. He pours a glass of water from the pitcher, and hands it over to Jun hesitantly, pleased when there is less fear in Jun’s actions when he takes it without preamble and gulps it down.

“Then you can call me Sho. Can I come closer now?” Sho refers to the way he is seated precariously on the bed, and adds, “I won’t come that close. I just want to sit properly without feeling like I’ll fall.”

Sho is relieved when Jun agrees quickly, and makes himself comfortable on the bed, before redirecting his attention onto the ceiling. The only other option would be to stare at Jun eat his food, and Sho knows that will do nothing to improve his rapport with Jun. However, the silence quickly grows awkward and tense, neither of them speaking – or rather, one of them is eating, while Sho does not know what to say.

“I… I’m sorry you’re put into this position.” Sho starts, picking at the sheets.

“Why are you apologizing for something you didn’t do?” Jun’s voice is not raspy anymore, stronger as he devours the rest of the rice. Sho wonders when was the last time he had a decent meal, and wonders if he can throw a request to Nino to ask Aiba to send in more food the following day. Strangely enough, Jun looks awfully unbothered by his predicament. “I don’t know what this whole celestial business is about, but I’ve heard of it. Pirates are insane, I got that. This isn’t the first pirate ship I got captured by, you know?”

But probably the first one where was beat up and injured. Pirates are usually more careful with their loot. For that reason, Jun’s nonchalance is startling, but Sho wonders if he is imagining the tremble in Jun’s hand as he lowers the plate back onto the tray, and reaches for the painkillers. Are the tremors from pain, or fear?

Sho automatically refills his glass. “I could tell you about it? If you’d like.”

Jun downs the pills, and shrugs, then winces at the motion. Sho makes no mention of it, and wonders how familiar Jun is with space, given his non-existent surprise or wonder. There is only an aloof interest at the stars visible from the cabin porthole, but when Sho shifts his angle slightly, he realizes that there is an indescribable sadness in Jun’s eyes, irises a caramel colour even in the dimly lit cabin lights.

What is he thinking of?

“I’ve heard the bare bones of it. Lost stars, was it? Fallen from the sky, looking for someone who can read the marks on their skin and find the way to some precious, indescribable treasure that has not been seen since man began venturing the universe. When people were still close to each other, and mankind did not force themselves thousands of light years apart.”

“So, you have heard of it.”

“I don’t know the nitty-gritty details. Just whatever I could get out of the books in the orphanage.” Jun pauses, and looks awkwardly at Sho, eyes flickering to his pillow. Sho is not blind, and sees the weariness in his stance before Jun has to ask, “Sorry, but could you help me…”

Sho is already moving, winding an arm beneath Jun’s shoulder and helping him adjust to a comfortable position, moving him onto his side so that there will be lesser pressure on his back. The warmth of Jun’s bare skin is oddly hot under Sho’s hand, but it is not from a physical malady as much as it is their sudden closeness. Sho quickly banishes the thought from his head – this is not the time to have such thoughts, even if they will be sharing a bed for the next few days. Weeks, perhaps.

“You should go to sleep. Nino said he’ll be by in the morning to check on you.”

“Nino?”

“The ship’s surgeon. He’s the one that fixed you up. He’s on our side.”

“Is he really?” The question is asked sleepily, but there is a somber look in the one eye that is visible and staring at Sho. Unfortunately, Sho cannot truly answer that question, although he certainly hopes what he says is the truth.

“I hope so. He seems trustworthy enough. You can ascertain that for yourself when you meet him in the morning.”

That seems to be enough for Jun – or perhaps, he is too tired to disagree – who nods imperceptibly before exhaling slowly, as though in a sigh, before going quiet entirely, sans the soft puffs of air. Sho may have thought he is asleep, if not for Jun suddenly saying,

“I don’t believe that it’s true, of course. The fable, that is. I mean, true or not true, I don’t know. But I’m sure as hell not this ‘celestial’ that they’re looking for.”

“Why not?”

“I’m sure they told you that I’m a bloody orphan. Dumped – or left – outside an orphanage in some far-galaxy out there. I doubt someone like me would have such a special role or mission. I know, celestials are supposed to not know how they were born, but… I’m done with being optimistic about such fantasies. You try being shipped from one agricultural community to another, only deemed useful enough for physical labour, and tell me how bright and cheery you’ll end up.”

Sho feel his mouth dry at the bitterness in Jun’s voice, only well masked by feigned nonchalance. Sho cannot help but feel guilty and sad about the entire situation, and also at the realization that if the fable is true… how many celestials went about in their lives having these thoughts? They are after all, legitimately lost stars, with no home to return to, not aware of their home nor history. Even if Jun isn’t a celestial, his cynicism is equally tragic. Everyone deserves to think that their existence is worth something, and that they are wanted by someone.

And then there is Sho, who ran away from his home, away from his parents and siblings… He has never enjoyed the shackles he was born in, but he very much loves his family nonetheless.

A hesitant hand reaches out to touch Sho’s, gentle and apologetic in the way it barely caresses Sho’s skin. It is enough to get Sho’s attention.

“…Sorry. Just… getting whipped does wonders to one’s mood.”

Sho forces a small smile at Jun’s poor attempt in humour. “You should catch more sleep. You need the rest.”

Next to him, Jun is already beginning to doze off, hand still resting on Sho’s. Sho doesn’t have the heart to shift his hand back to his side of the bed.

***
Sho felt sleepless after his conversation with Jun, but he must have fallen asleep after a while, because the next thing he knows, he is woken up by the sound of soft conversation, as well as the minute shuffling of the sheet next to him. For a moment, he thinks the situation he is in is a dream, until he hears Nino’s unmistakably high voice, whispering, “And you didn’t hear him snore at all last night? Wow, you must have been out like a light as well.”

Sho jerks awake instantly, nearly falling off the side of his bed with the suddenness of his own movements. When he catches himself, the movement and conversation has halted, and he finds himself being stared at by an amused Nino and Jun, as well as a stranger Sho has yet to be formally introduced to, looking especially sleepy as he watches the entire situation with sharp eyes. The stranger raises a slow hand when Sho continues to stare at him, before greeting, “Good morning.”

Nino and Jun break out in laughter at the sleepy greeting. Sho feels mildly affronted at the humor they are clearly obtaining from him, accompanied by an odd pang of loneliness from being left out of the situation. Jun looks more rested now, shoulders less tense as Nino unwinds the soiled bandages from around his torso.

Sho forces himself to look away from the dark red welt-shaped bruises of injured skin, as well as the three long, open cuts that contributed to most of the blood Sho saw yesterday, and ducks his head in greeting, rubbing his eyes to wake himself up properly. “Good morning… And you are?”

“Ohno Satoshi. From Artillery.”

“Also the occasional Helmsman. He shares that job with Kimura.” Nino adds distractedly as he begins to unroll bandages from his medical kit.

Somehow, Sho has a feeling that Ohno is a man of few words. Or perhaps, he is too sleepy to formulate a longer introduction, if Ohno nodding off in his chair is an indication. Sho acknowledges the greeting with a nod nonetheless, and forces himself to relax – if Jun is calm in their presence, then Nino and Ohno must have demonstrated their trustworthiness while Sho was still asleep.

“Don’t mind his sleepiness. He was the sentry last night, so he’s supposed to be off-duty and in bed now, technically.” Nino explains blithely, and gestures for Jun to raise his arms. When he begins to tighten the fresh bandages around Jun’s torso, Nino hisses in apology when Jun grunts at the sudden pressure on his back. “Sorry.”

“Why is he here then?” Sho asks.

“Nino mentioned some plan? Mud? Mutter?” Ohno yawns mid-guess. Sho and Jun trade looks of amusement when the action garners the ire of Nino, who fling the remaining roll of bandages at Ohno’s head. The action causes him to jerk awake once again, lips pursed in an unhappy pout. “I’m awake.”

“The word you’re looking for is mutiny.” Nino hisses. “This is serious. We need to plan a way to overthrow the Captain and the First Mate ASAP, and being sleepy isn’t going to help us.”

“Why can’twe wait for dinner time then? Aiba-chan isn’t even her—”

A series of cheerful knocks on the cabin door interrupts Ohno’s response, and Nino smirks… or rather, he does until Aiba walks in.

“Good morning~ I come bearing gifts of food for the party.”

Sho is simply amused at the proceeding of events, especially when the cabin door unlatches to reveal Aiba with a trolley of food, looking cheery and especially unsurprised at the sight of four men in the cabin when there should technically only have been two. Sho perks up instantly at the smell of bacon wafting into the room, eye widening at the enormous plates of what appears to be everything needed for a western breakfast, including eggs, rash and sausages. Sho hasn’t seen this amount of food since he got on this ship, but it seems his surprise isn’t limited to himself. Ohno and Jun suddenly look especially alert and interested, but Nino just looks even more annoyed.

“What happened to ‘act normal’ when you’re bringing them their breakfasts?” Nino snaps, but does not make any move to halt Ohno when he happily begins to take a plate full of food and gestures for Sho to do the same. “What happened to the usual breakfast fare? Why the omelettes and sausages and bacon?”

“It’s so exciting! Having a top-secret meeting, just the five of us. I had to bring better food.” Aiba rubs his hand together excitedly, his puppy eyes instantly halting Nino’s angered rant. Sho does his best to remain uninvolved in the situation, but makes sure to hand the plate he fills first to Jun, then returning to take his own. By the time he settles on the floor near Jun’s feet, Nino has given up trying to make sense of Aiba’s decisions, despite his insistence that one day, Aiba will finally understand the meaning of stealth.

“Not suspicious at all, bringing this amount of food down to the prisoner’s quarters.” Nino grumbles as he takes a disgruntled bite of his eggs. “What would you have done if someone saw you? What would you have done?”

“Told them I was going to bring the food down to Engineering.”

It is an interesting dynamic to watch, Sho acknowledges, the friendship between the three men. He is certain Jun feels the same way, from the manner his eyes are locked on the conversation, not quite focused on the delicious food he is holding. Then again, his interest might also be partial suspicion; Jun’s fingers are tight around his utensil, and Sho pauses in his eating to lightly tap at Jun’s knee.

“He’s fine too. Aiba’s the first friend I made on this ship.” Sho whispers softly. “I think we’re in good company. You should eat.”

“Ah!” The pair jerk when Aiba calls out to them, looking up simultaneously; Sho’s hand quickly drops to his side from where it rested on Jun’s knee. “I didn’t introduce myself! I’m Aiba Masaki, one of the chefs aboard SS Skate. I saw you last night when you were still unconscious, but I’m glad you look a lot better now.”

“Don’t be so frightened of Aiba. He’s the last person you’d expect to rat us out on the senior crew, although he can be pretty daft about being subtle.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Jun murmurs, and duck his head shyly. “Your cooking is excellent.”

Upon hearing the compliment, Aiba instantly brightens, but his smile calms into something gentler as though sensing Jun’s nervousness. Sho is impressed at how quickly he tones down, but it is quite easy to see when Jun is nervous. It is like trying to soothe a scared cat to come out from hiding in its the corner. “I’m glad you like it. Eat more, we have plenty to go around. We’ll get some weight on you yet.”


“On the topic of the senior crew, though – The Captain, and Nakai. We need them out, and having you two will help us do it, I’m certain of it.” Nino steals a sausage off of Aiba’s plate, and bites at it with more vigour than necessary, eyebrows pinched together in deep thought, although his expression shows no love for his Captain or his Sr. Quartermaster. The emotion is mirrored on the faces of the others, Aiba looking particularly sober, and Ohno’s face darkening into a coldness that sends shivers down Sho’s spine.

Sho wonders what Kimura and Nakai did to lose the loyalty of their crew members.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why do you three despise them?” Jun asks before Sho manages to, voice curious but doubtful. “And do the other crew members share your dislike for them?”

That is a good point. Sho quickly adds: “There is no use trying to overthrow them if the rest of the crew is on the side of those two.”

“Don’t worry,” Aiba’s voice is devoid of emotion as he smiles at them, eyes blank. Sho cannot help but inch backwards to press his back against Jun’s knee. “I think you’ll find that it will be easy to convince the others to betray Kimura and Nakai.”

“You are not the only victim of their insanity, Jun. They are merciless and despicable. When I joined the crew, it was with the promise that we would never injure, maim or kill innocents. However, as you can see, their greed for treasure, and the rewards the discovery of those treasures promise, has entirely poisoned their minds.” Ohno intones, placing his finished plate in the bottom tray of the trolley. “We try our best to intervene, but there is only so much we can do to stop them.”

As enlightening as their statements are, Sho suspects a specific event must have occurred to cement their hatred. Deciding to overthrow the most senior members of a crew cannot have been easy to do, but their determination only adds to Sho’s curiosity. However, he knows better than to press for more details. Even Jun is quiet, and when Sho turns to look at him, he is biting his lip uneasily, making the facial moles on his face even more conspicuous.

This mutiny stems from something deeper than the predicament Sho and Jun are in. The element of riskiness is something Sho would prefer to avoid, but there is no risk-free solution to this, unfortunately.

Three pirates, a prince, and a potential celestial. Sho shakes his head minutely. What a group.

“So, what do we do?”

“I… don’t know yet.” Nino confesses, earning wide-eyed stares from the other four men in the room. “Hey! It’s not my fault that you two messed with our plans. We were planning a mutiny that didn’t involve the Crown Prince, and a potential celestial, thank you very much. Things are a lot more urgent now, and now we need to factor you two in.”

Sho shuts his mouth at the mention of his title, and looks away uncomfortably. He has never liked that title – too showy, too many roles and responsibilities attached that forbid him from exploring the galaxies. Once Sho ascends as monarch (if he survives this whole ordeal, that is), there is no doubt that his time exploring space will come to an end. Even still, with all eyes on him, Sho realizes that there is no time for him to sulk or deny his familial relations; it is not just his life on the line.

He sighs, and runs his fingers through his hair in thought. “Can I be used as leverage, then?” At the questioning looks, Sho continues, “Joshima stopped Nakai under the warning that if I get hurt, the Confederation will likely start a war with the pirate syndicate you are under.”

“So, we get one of them to hurt you and then have Confederation battleships blast us to bits? Yeah, that’s not going to work out.”

“I don’t think Kimura or Nakai are working under that assumption though. I overheard them mention that no one will know if they kill Sho, so I’m guessing that no one knows where you were when you were captured?” Ohno inquires softly, earning another guilty wince from Sho, who quickly hides it with a shake of his head.

“No. I, um… Was working incognito in a community library when someone gave away my location and identity to your Captain. I doubt my parents are aware of my whereabouts right now.”

“Incognito…? You ran away?”

Sho cringes at Aiba’s honest inference, and shuffles uncomfortably under the judging gaze. Surprisingly, none of the crew members look bothered by the revelation, quickly moving away from the topic and throwing potential ideas into the discussion. However, Sho is unable to focus on the conversation, aware of Jun’s eyes on him, unmoving, as though peering into his soul. Look at him – running away from his family, from his obligations, while Jun has none to name. Sho feels shameful at his own selfishness.

Then Jun suddenly chimes in, speaking as though he has kept up with the discussion. Perhaps Sho is simply overthinking it, with the guilt of leaving home stewing in his gut. “Just wondering, but does your boss know of my existence yet?”

“Johnny?” Nino looks expectantly at Ohno. “Any communication from him last night? If they decided to jump their gun and notify him, we should be expecting a ship-wide relay from him soon.”

Ohno shakes his head. “Nothing but static. Might be gearing up for a course to Shimonoseki space-station II-V. Okada was heading over to the loot hold to check what we can trade.”

“How long till we reach Shimonoseki?”

Ohno counts with his fingers. “Joshima estimated 6 day cycles. Assuming nothing happens during the voyage.”

Nino hums thoughtfully, leaving Sho at a loss, feeling slightly out of his depth with the situation. He has studied the stars all his life, knows which galaxies line up to their constellations and planets, but he has never had to apply his knowledge outside a star map. Even the mention of Shimonoseki – Sho knows that the planet is one abundant in fisheries and is a trade port for other galaxies adjacent to Tempestiana – but besides that, their space-stations, their coordinates (besides far from his home planet), and the local politics, Sho does not know. He has never felt so frustrated before, but he stays quiet.

“We have until we arrive to make a concrete plan then. In the meantime, we will need-” Nino rubs his fingers thoughtfully, before pointing at Sho. “you to be out of this room and mingling with the other crew. The faster the rest of the crew gets to know you, the easier it’ll be to get them to switch sides.”

As keen as Sho is to get out of the room, trepidation rises within him. There is a reason why Sho chose to hide in a community library after leaving his planet; while he has had self-defence training and knows how to use a phaser – as expected, since anyone in his family must have the ability to defend themselves – physical fortitude has never been his forte. Sho is more adept with books and charts. From what he has seen, the crew does not seem to be the sort to rough-house, nevertheless, the concept of working on a pirate ship is daunting.

But there is no other option, unfortunately.

“So, how and when will I do that?” Sho inquires.

“Ohno can suggest the idea to Taichi today when he makes his rounds around Artillery in the evening. No one from the senior crew is supportive of locking people up in cabins anyway. Also, if you let it slip that there is no way Sho would dare stage an escape when Jun is in our hold, Kimura should agree.” Nino throws an apologetic look at Sho, “No offense, but you wouldn’t plan a solo escape in the first place. It’s pretty obvious. And Kimura will take advantage of your nobility, so why shouldn’t we take advantage of it as well?”

“Nothing wrong with that logic. I wouldn’t leave Jun, no.” Sho nods firmly, and feels Jun shuffle slightly at his words. Sho’s face warms at the sureness of his words, but he is not lying, “How about Jun then? How do we convince them to let him out?”

“If we let Jun out, wouldn’t Kimura assume that Jun is well enough to be read?” Aiba points out as he grabs Jun’s plate from him, only to hand him a grilled tomato speared through a fork. Sho hides a smile at Jun’s look, but quickly looks to Ohno when the artillery officer speaks up.

“But if Jun pretends to be injured when he meets the rest of the crew, it’ll work well in our favour in getting their sympathy. Matsu-nii would mother him half to death.”

Matsu-nii - Matsuoka, Sho presumes with a great deal of amusement - sounds like a scary person. Who knew that pirates could be so caring? But then again, Sho has every right to reconsider his impression of pirates, or at least this crew of pirates. Ohno, Nino and Aiba are changing it slowly but surely.

“So, I’ll say something about him needing fresh air. Yamaguchi doesn’t really care. He’ll just agree. And we’ll figure out what to do afterwards. Until then, Jun, you’ll need to pretend that you’re injured for as long as you possibly can. Rely on Sho if you’re in the presence of anyof the crew.”

Jun instantly protests at the instruction. “I want to be useful. I don’t just want to lie around when –”

Nino silences him with a deadpan stare. “You can barely move without hurting right now. Can I explain?”

Jun cringes at the look, and reluctantly nods. At his acknowledgment, Nino continues, “We don’t want Kimura or Nakai to even think for a second, that you are well enough to be read. I don’t know if you know the fable, but the only reason why you aren’t strapped to a table and Sho is forced to read you is because, ostensibly, a celestial can’t be read correctly if they’re injured. Especially in your case, since your back is a canvas of bruises and cuts. Now, we don’t know if you’re one of those ‘celestials’ or not, but the only reason why you are still here and alive is because they think you’re one.”

“But—”

“You play a very important role, Jun.” Aiba quickly adds, tone less sharp compared to Nino’s. “It is the only way we can buy time for you. Do not underestimate how merciless Kimura and Nakai can be. The minute you show strength, they will use you and discard you faster than you can blink.”

Just as Sho is fearful about the manner events are panning out, it is apparent that Jun has difficulties accepting them as well, hand clenching and unclenching unhappily. Without thinking, Sho reaches up to cover Jun’s fist, immediately halting the movement.

Their eyes meet, and Sho wonders if the doubt that is present in Jun’s eyes is reflected in his own. They may be strangers to each other, but even as the incomprehensible gaze of Jun’s fixes on Sho’s face, an understanding washes over Jun’s eyes like a tide of determination. Fate has somehow brought them together in a series of unfortunate events, one that they must now work together to escape from.

“I’ll do it.”

***
“How long have you been on this ship?”

Sho looks up from where he is working at the desk, the cabin appearing dark after he’s been staring at his brightly illuminated notebook for a while. After the ‘top secret breakfast’ meeting of sorts (as Aiba put it), Sho has been trying to work out where they currently are right now, or at least, an estimate of the path they have been following. Until now, there was little need for Sho to use his navigation skills, which is really a complex set of mathematics and a deep understanding of astronomy. However, it seems that it is impossible to forget a skill forged over decades of lessons… Or rather, a skill that is deeply imbued and associated in his blood.

Recalling the star maps of the Tempestiana galaxy isn’t as hard as Sho suspected, once he forces his mind to do so. It starts off difficult, with only the locations of major planets and stars the clear in his mind, but then the long-buried memories of asteroids and notable comets come in mind. Coupled with Aiba’s parting remark to look out for the Nachi comet that they will be passing by (or rather, which will be passing by them) before dinner time, as well as mathematics and the estimated time to Shimonoseki, Sho manages to guess their general proximity.

They are likely hugging the north-western fringes of the galaxy, and travelling in a wide arc from the eastern region where Sho was captured.

“Pardon?” Sho rubs his eyes, mind still whirling from the backtracking of navigation work he did. It is a good refresher of his knowledge, no doubt, especially if he wants to prove himself useful for the crew as a navigator. He wonders if he can secure a ruler from the crew once he is released from the cabin. It will make drawing routes far easier, and surely, he cannot use a ruler to escape now, can he?

The shadows shift slowly as Jun gets up unsteadily from where he is seated near the large porthole that shows the expanse of space. He has been staring outside that window for a while now, saying nothing and making no noise besides the soft sounds of his breathing. Perhaps Sho is as fault as well; once his nose is buried in his notebook, he is not the chattiest of fellows.

Jun’s gait is pained, the painkillers from this morning having worn off. Sho frowns, and wonders if he should ask Nino to drop off some more. Nino has admitted that there are more rapid ways to heal Jun, but it will be suspicious if he expends such resources on Jun, and Jun still appears weakened for a prolonged period. While he offered to leave the entire bottle of painkillers in Sho’s cabin for Jun to take when necessary, Jun rejected the offer, claiming that he can handle it.

“How long have you been on this ship?” Jun repeats, and drops heavily on the bed. “You’ve been locked in here the entire time, right?”

“For just over a week, I think. Hard to tell with a proper day and night.”

Jun’s face scrunches up in distaste. “With nothing to do? How do you even manage? I’m already impatient to get out.”

Sho is surprised by that information; Jun has shown zero indication of an onset of cabin fever, and Sho lasted far longer than a day before he began being antsy, wanting to explore the rest of the ship. Then again, Sho got his notebook and pen back by his second day of capture, so it wasn’t difficult for him to entertain himself.

Lifting his inch-thick, battered notebook, he waves it with a small smile. “I do have things to do. I have my notebook, and it keeps me fairly occupied.”

“Can I see?”

The blatant question catches Sho off guard, but there is nothing too personal written in his notebook. It is the only thing he grabbed when he left home, besides his clothes (which he shares now with Jun, given that the man has none – Sho doesn’t mind, although his long-sleeved shirt looks adorably oversized on Jun’s still-thin frame), and contains notes of some of the things he did and saw when he travelled to Gunma, pictures he printed, and schedules he wrote to remind himself of what to do, which shuttle to catch. And recently, star maps have been written, of course. “Sure.”

He does not give Jun the opportunity to walk any further, and instead covers the distance between them to join Jun on the bed, handing the notebook over and switching on the bedside lamps to illuminate the area properly. “Don’t mind the handwriting, somethings I wrote things down in a rush.”

Jun takes the notebook with respectful reverence, fingers instantly caressing the worn edges in fascination. “Printed material isn’t very common anymore.” Jun comments distracted as he rubs the book between his hands. “Even at the orphanage, we shared tablets. It’s so rare to see real paper.”

“It’s not as ‘real’ as pulp-made paper. Those are virtually gone by now.” Sho corrects softly as he flips open to the first page, where the words, ‘Made of synthetic fiber’ is printed in barely visible ink. “These notebooks are more readily available in the major cities and planets. Perhaps on the space station we will arrive at, if it is close enough to the planet.”

The words don’t do anything to abade Jun, whom with interest pulls the notebook closer to study Sho’s handwriting. “Your handwriting is neat. And written in ink. I always hated writing on tablets at the orphanage. All my letters came out messy due to the old model of the tablet.”

Sho chuckles at the complaining tone, and leans back against the bed as he lets nostalgia wash over him. “It’s not just the model, I think. Mine came out all messy and horrible too. Especially the numbers, which is why I prefer writing on paper.” Nothing made Sho more annoyed than having had to use tablets for school. Thankfully, his private astronomy classes used actual, printed maps, easily making it one of his favourite subjects.

Jun hums, and flips the page. Sho doesn’t try to look at what he is reading, but if Jun is going on chronology, then he suspects that the first thing Jun will see is the schedule of shuttles he caught from Tokyo to Gunma.

“I have never seen someone record shuttle-timings down to the exact minute.” Jun’s voice is full of mirth. “Did you really have to schedule 3 minutes for a bathroom break and additional 12 for lunch? Ah – and here is 2 minutes for Holo-card hunting at Yorii Space-station X. You spend more time in the toilet than you do hunting for Holo-cards?”

“That included time to find the bathroom, thank you very much.” Sho scowls petulantly at the amusement Jun is clearly deriving from his notebook, but doesn’t retrieve it.

“Of course.” Jun glances over at him with a wide smile, and Sho’s irritation immediately dissolves into nothing, eyes catching the way Jun’s bright eyes turn into half-moons with his toothy smile, a far cry from the anxious, quiet man Sho witnessed in the last 24 hours. “So, are all the pages like this? Detailed schedules of shuttles and how much time you spent eating, sleeping and going to the bathroom?”

Sho rolls his eyes (in good humor) at the jibe once again, and reaches up to flip to where a binder clip – the first of many – holds a thick wad of holo-cards together. “These are the holo-cards I got at the space stations and whichever colony planet I made a pit-stop on.” He flips once again, where he knows his journal entries begin, “and these are the notes I made when the mood struck me.”

“Can I see the holo-cards? I haven’t been to a lot of places outside the orphanage and the farming colony planet I was in.” Jun’s tone is wistful, and it strikes Sho that Jun has never had the opportunity to explore space. No wonder the prospect of being locked in a cabin seems boring, especially when they are in space and not stuck in some grassy planet out there. There is no way Sho could say no; anyway, items such as holo-cards are for perusal, not to be clipped into a notebook and never viewed again.

“Sure. Go ahead.”

There is child-like wonder in Jun’s eyes, which makes Sho’s heart clench in an unrecognizable manner. It is something akin to what he used to feel while watching his younger siblings play, but it is not quite sibling-related affection as it is the beginnings of something much… different.

Sho helps Jun scatter the holo-cards across the bed; the cards are a dark navy, each with the names of famous monuments or space stations etched onto their plastic surfaces, as well as a small button that when pressed, reveals a 3D hologram of the described location. Having been to the location before, Sho has seen the holograms in real life before – the holo-cards are thus momentos, meant to help him remember these sites he has been too.

But they mean something different to Jun, and Sho can tell from the manner Jun reaches out to touch the projected images, lips parted with awe as he lifts the card up to eye level and rotates it to view the entire hologram. It is a reminder for Sho that some people, even in this day and age, do not have the means to go to space, even though technology has advanced this far. Sho is lucky in some ways, with the circumstances he was born into… but ranaway from.

“Would you like me to tell you about the places I got the holo-cards from?” Sho cheerfully offers, pushing his previous thought into the dark recesses of his mind. When Jun looks up, curious, Sho helpfully adds, “I wrote down notes from when I was there. I like these things so…”

Jun’s eyes soften incrementally into something warm, and he sidles up closer to Sho ever so slightly to return him his notebook. “I’m impressed, Sho. You managed to take notes between the 3-minute bathroom break or 12-minute lunch, I’m presuming?” Jun teases, and grins wider when Sho huffs at the realization that he cannot tickle Jun in his current state.

“It was done during lunch, if that’s what you’re asking. I am fully capable of multi-tasking.” Sho retorts with a smile, and searches his journal for the appropriate entry. This will be a fine way to spend their time, Sho thinks, until they must begin their acting. Today might be the last day before things get chaotic.

Who knows how the events will proceed from now on.

***
True to their plans, Aiba’s dinner visit is accompanied by Kimura, who remains aloof and silent, as well as a smiling man Sho presumes to be Taichi – the Sr. Boatswain. The contrast between the Captain and the Sr. Bosun could not have been any more different; Sho can almost pretend that the sourpuss-like Captain isn’t in the same room as them given quiet he is. Aiba leaves their dinner plates on the cabin desk, and timidly leaves with an apologetic nod. Thankfully, Sho and Jun had hid the notebook an hour prior to their entrance. This was not because they foresaw the visit, but rather, Jun’s energy began to flag after all the ‘ooh’s and ‘ahh’s he exclaimed as they went through the holo-cards.

While Nino wants Jun to pretend that he is not recovering at the speed at which Kimura may want him to, it will certainly be counterproductive if it turns out to be the case . Hence, it is not sheer luck that Jun is asleep when the cabin locks disengage, and he jerks awake with a soft groan when the three men walk in.

“Sakurai. Matsumoto. I’m the Sr. Bosun on this ship, Taichi Kokubun.”

Sho ducks his head at the greeting, and watches with thinly veiled interest at the manner Taichi’s friendly smile falters when he sees Jun struggling to sit up, expressing pain. As predicted by the other three conspirators, Taichi is not as heartless and unfeeling as Kimura, at least. He hides his discomfort well, however, stance and smile fixing itself as he speaks to Sho.

“Given your upbringing, we are assuming that you are skilled in navigation. I’d like to offer you the post as Navigator on board this ship, a duty that is temporarily filled up by Joshima. You will share the role with him still, but will take up the majority of the route-plotting duties should you should choose to accept.” He breaks the seriousness with added humor, “We’re presuming you won’t drive a ship you’re in into a black hole. In return, you’ll be given freedom to leave your cabin, except during the skeleton shift.”

Underneath his shirt, Sho’s heartbeat accelerates. He should accept, but there is something he must clarify first, he remembers, as Jun looks at him, eyes still dazed with sleep.

“What about Matsumoto? What will happen to him then?”

Taichi spares Kimura a momentary glance, but the Captain merely returns the glance with a curt nod, cold eyes surveying the room before meeting Sho’s in a disinterested, blank glare. Sho does not look away, back straightening in challenge as he returns the stare. His heart feels loud in his chest, and the back of his neck prickles from how black and piercing Kimura’s eyes are, but he does not want to look away. It will feel like a defeat if he does.

Sho is unaware of how long it takes, but Kimura finally looks away. Without sparing Taichi or Jun any additional glance, he exits the room, and only then does Sho sigh in obvious relief, earning a chuckle from Taichi.

Clearly, their stare-off did not unnoticed.

“I doubt you can move that freely right now, Matsumoto, but Kimura and Nakai agreed that you can only leave the cabin if you are accompanied by someone else. When Sakurai is on duty, you will be placed under the supervision of someone else. Perhaps… Ninomiya or Yamaguchi, for the next few day cycles, I think?”

Jun visibly blanches at the prospect of being locked in the medical ward, but nods nonetheless.

“You will find that Ninomiya has plenty of things to keep you occupied, don’t worry. And until you get better, you do not want to assist Matsuoka or Nagase.” Taichi adds sheepishly. Suddenly, Sho understands why Taichi is the bosun – he is easy to get along with, and is perceptive enough to catch the nuances in someone’s behaviour. Such traits are important for someone in-charge of the crew and to the assignment of work.

“We accept, then.”

“Great! Joshima will fetch both of you tomorrow morning then, at 9, and drop Matsumoto off at Ninomiya’s.” Taichi pauses, and scratches his chin as he tries to recall any additional information. “Ship operations – I think you may have noticed by now that we do not run 24 hours in a cycle. This ship runs from 0900 to 1900, after which most of the ship’s operations will halt sans the senior crew and the Jr.Quartermaster. Skeleton shifts run from 2400 to 0830, but you will not have to worry about being assigned to those. Lunch is an hour from 1300, dinner at 1900. Any questions?”

Sho cannot help but raise his eyebrows at the detailed information. He does not spare Jun a glance just yet – they can talk once Taichi leaves. “None for now. Thank you.”

Next to him, Jun shakes his head as well.

Just as Ohno, Nino and Aiba’s eyes turned dark and morose when they informed Sho about their motive to overturn Kimura and Nakai, Taichi’s eyes do the same when he looks at Jun, who edges towards Sho, as instructed by Nino previously. Clearly, seeing Jun like that and knowing that it is the result of their Captain and their First Mate is an unpleasant reminder of something Sho has yet to learn off.

“I will leave you two to have dinner now. I’ll look forward to seeing you tomorrow outside this claustrophobic cabin.” He cheerfully excuses himself, the smile not quite reaching his eyes.

Both Sho and Jun do not move until they hear the door lock engage.

“Well, that was nerve-wracking.” Sho mumbles to himself, rubbing the back of his neck to ease the goose-bumps that formed from the stare-off with Kimura. “You alright?”

“I’m fine; Back hurts like a bitch though.” Jun hisses. “Did you see Kimura’s face?”

Sho walks over to grab their dinner, and pauses when he sees a package of pills tucked under a bowl. A handwritten note is present as well, and Sho snorts at the message: ‘Force these down the masochist’s throat if you have to.’

“His face? You don’t mean that block of icy concrete?” Sho clarifies lightly, but frowns when it does not earn even a small laugh from Jun. “Not funny?”

“He looked like that too, when they brought me on the ship. Not even a single shred of emotion when Nakai whipped me… Does the man even feel?” Jun continues softly, as though he did not hear Sho’s joking remark. There is a spark of fear when he looks at Sho, one Sho rushes to banish by waving Jun’s dinner under his nose.

“Don’t worry about him. We’ll get rid of those two soon enough. Now eat your dinner before it gets cold.” Sho cajoles, before dropping the painkillers on Jun’s lap. “I’ve been instructed by Nino to force these down your throat if I have to… I don’t think you would want me to do that, so…”

Jun finally cracks a smile at the mention of Nino, to Sho’s relief.

“The plan seems to be coming along as it should, isn’t it?” Jun comments when they dig into their dinners, Sho devouring it quickly with appreciative hums, while Jun enjoys it at a far more leisurely pace.

“Wha?” Sho mumbles around a full mouth. Jun snorts at his face, and repeats his statement, before pointing to his own left cheek. Sho traces the finger with his eyes, confused, but suddenly finds his attention captured by Jun’s beautiful smile, and the fact that his finger is directly pointing at one of his numerous moles.

He wonders what the rest of Jun’s body looks like – how many marks are there to find, to map. What secrets do they hold? While Sho holds nothing but scepticism regarding the fables, it will be hypocritical of him if he pretends that he has never had any interest in the tale. As a child, he was more interested in the concept of the celestial as a person than a map; someone only Sho would be able to read, to draw secrets out of… A person that fell from the stars, just to be read by Sho, as if made for him, but not quite.

Of course, the fascination faded when he grew up, cynicism – no, rationality – taking its place.

“You have some sauce on your cheek.” Jun points out, amused. “Is this how the Crown Prince eats?”

Sho hastily wipes away the offending liquid, but chooses not to respond to the tease. He is suddenly no longer hungry, stomach clenching at the reminder of what he fled from, and the reason why he is in this current predicament. His parents must be frantic with worry by now, and his siblings as well.

The bed shuffles. Sho looks up when Jun elbows him lightly, voice apologetic. “That was a sore topic, wasn’t it? Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” To prove his point, Sho takes a bite of his noodles – and tastes nothing.

“It’s not. I’m sorry for bringing it up. I’m sure you chose to run away for a good reason.” Jun pauses, as though thinking, before adding gently, “I won’t make you think about it anymore but… Since we are going to be roommates for a while, you can talk to me about anything, if you’d like.”

The offer is kind, although the thought of talking about his family makes Sho’s heart clench uncomfortably. They are all in this predicament because of Sho’s recklessness, and Jun especially, “My existence on this ship makes it more dangerous for you. I shouldn’t even be here. I was stupid and dumb and selfish, running away from home.”

“My marks and background make it dangerous for me, with or without your presence.” Jun replies lightly, tone neutral as he clears the distance to the desk to return his bowl, before situating himself on the chair, resting his arms on top of the backrest and peering curiously at Sho. “I’m sure you had a good reason. It can’t be an easy job.”

Sho doesn’t know what invokes him to carry on talking, but he does, suddenly rambling instead of finishing his dinner. “It was more tedious than difficult. Politics has never been my thing, and I hate the idea of being tied down to one planet. Navigation and astronomy has always been fascinating, but I could feel the knowledge rotting in my brain when all I could do was look at the stars from home but not… Explore. And then there was the news of the betrothal.”

“Betrothal? What, is your family even living in this millennium?” Jun balks.

“I dislike the idea of it as well. However, it’s still common among the…” Sho struggles to find the right words.

“Posh higher-ups with nothing better to do than to matchmake their children?”

Sho snickers at the crude, albeit accurate description, then sobers up. “Yeah…”

“So, will you go back, once we’re out of this mess?”

He lets out a tired sigh, and shrugs. “I don’t know. I guess we should try to free ourselves from this predicament first, before I decide on my next step.” He offers a hesitant smile, one that Jun returns with his own.

The smile is bright, and for an inexplicable reason, lightens the heaviness in Sho’s heart.

“That sounds like a good plan. Now finish your dinner, or Aiba will think it was me who didn’t finish it.”

***
While Sho had his reservations about meeting the rest of the crew and working as a navigator, he finds himself pleasantly surprised to quickly fall into the inner workings of the ship. SS Skate is not an overly enormous ship. There is a deck, of course, which has the piloting station (or ‘the Helm’, as pirates might prefer), flanked by a navigator station, as well as an operations console, manned by either a quartermaster or bosun. An artillery station is also present next to the navigator station, but Sho’s attention quickly skips over the rest of the deck. He is especially pleased to see a large electronic table offset from the main console, that is also connected to the navigator station – he prefers being able to see asteroids and planets on a map, than on a list in a tiny tablet screen. There is also a tiny observatory compartment tucked into a corner, providing the only real view of the space, rather than the projected image seen on the main view monitor.

After a swift introduction to the deck crew, of which Sho has to remember to pretend he has never seen nor met Ohno before, Joshima quickly guides him through the navigator program they use. Sho does not experience too many difficulties – for a pirate ship, its program is up to date, and is the exact software Sho uses at home.

Pretty well-off pirate syndicate, Sho thinks. At least they’re doing organized crime properly.

He is not allowed to man the station alone just yet, obviously, but he does not mind Joshima’s soft tone as he explains every tool in his disposal, as well as the emergency protocols built into the programme, should power fail them (“Ideally, we don’t ever want this to happen, but now that you’re the navigator of this ship, you have to know this stuff.”).

The excitement begins once they finish the orientation – it is obvious that Joshima hasn’t had formal training on navigating, but the initial plots he makes looks promising and well-thought through. Sho easily sinks into the work, offering suggestions and arguments against passing through an area. (“It’s not very well reported, but dwarf star Uni occasionally releases massive solar flares that can and will fry every electronic in this ship, shielded or not.”) After days of solitude – barring the last two days with Jun – being able to use his skills and work is an oxymoronic reprieve that Sho is eager to make good use of. Eventually, Joshima gives up and leaves him alone to play with the navigational sensors.

Sho is so engrossed in his newfound navigator duties (toys) that he misses lunch entirely, until a large hand falls on his shoulder, and a couple of onigiris are pushed into his face. Sho jerks so hard that he nearly drops the stylus he is holding in his hand, a startled yelp leaving his mouth.

Behind him, the culprit bursts out into loud guffaws. Sho is concerned that the whole commotion may disturb the rest of the activity on the deck, but there is no sign of annoyance from anyone, not even the stone-faced Kimura at the helm. Only Ohno is disturbed, Sho’s sharp movement accidentally jerking the artillery seat and jostling the dozing man from his post-lunch nap – apparently, artillery doesn’t have a lot to do on a normal day.

Just as Sho turns around to identify whoever shocked him, the man clamps his hand around Sho’s wrist and pulls him out of his chair, and out of the deck.

It is Okada. Sho blanches – the man better not make a break for Sho’s ass once again. His pinches are painful.

“Yo, Joshima, I’m going to steal your navigator for a while since he missed lunch. I’ll return him in 30 minutes.”

Joshima does not even turn around to acknowledge Okada’s informal greeting, waving them away flippantly without turning away from the operations console. Spluttering his confusion, Sho is quickly dragged away from the deck and into the hallway.

“Th-this is entirely unnecessary.”

Okada’s boyish grin does nothing to alleviate Sho’s panic, even as he lets go of Sho’s wrist and places his arm around Sho’s shoulders in a friendly manner. “It’s fine. Ship operations aren’t as anal as Taichi makes them out to be, and your puppy of a celestial looked horribly sad and put out when you weren’t in the canteen during lunch.”

Sho feels his cheek warm. Jun? He seemed reluctant to be left behind with Nino when Joshima undid the cabin lock and fetched the two of them in the morning, but Sho thought he may have imagined the whole thing. He hopes that Jun isn’t too bored – Sho should have given Jun his notebook to entertain himself with; Nino probably wouldn’t care much.

“So, where are we going now then?”

“Engineering. Matsuoka and Nagase want to see what you look like, since you were absent during lunch. It was quite disappointing. Stars too interesting?”

Sho is removed from the deck for something as minor as the curiosity of the rest of the crew? He cannot help but feel mildly amused at the situation – one would think that a crew led by Kimura and Nakai would be more reserved than this. Yet, the Captain didn’t really spare him any additional glance, even as Okada made a ruckus and dragged him out. Perhaps this is the norm… At least, Sho will know eventually, if this is the norm.

Scratching the back of his head, he takes the offered onigiri and shrugs, suddenly realizing how hungry he is. “The work is engaging after a week of lock up.”

“Ah. Right, sorry about that.” Okada sheepishly pats Sho’s back, hard, in apology. “Not the best show of hospitality, was it? But you’re part of the crew now, so I hope you’ll feel comfortable soon.”

Part of the crew? Sho doubts that but doesn’t remark on it. “I’ll do my best.”

“That’s the spirit!” Okada explains boisterously, then reaches down to slap Sho’s ass.

Sho jumps at the contact, then sighs. The crew seems friendly enough, but ass-slapping… He will simply have to learn to get use to it.

***
Sho associates Jun with many adjectives and feelings, the latter of which bordering on respect and concern, as well as naivety. However, when he enters the engineering room just in time to see Jun reassemble a phaser in quick, sharp flips of his wrists, Sho wonders if he should be including ‘deadly’ into the mix as well.

Flanked by two burly (but attentive) men, Jun’s thin and seated figure looks unassuming and unguarded, reminding Sho of the uncovered back he saw this morning, mottled yellow and purple over at least half of the surface. Nino had changed the dressing into large gauze patches instead, but when Jun shifts, the dark red of a welt where Nakai’s whip caressed his nape (in an entirely, unpleasant way) becomes visible to anyone in proximity to him. Perhaps this is why the two men look especially protective, applauding loudly when Jun hands back the assembled phaser. Meanwhile, Nino is tinkering with some electronics on the other side of the table, back slouched.

“Good job! You have a real talent with weaponry, kid. That’s the fastest I’ve ever seen someone disassemble and assemble a phaser. You ever held one before?” One of them – the one with a sculpted stubble – exclaims, flipping it in his hand with a carelessness that makes Sho fear for Jun’s safety. Yet, Jun does not share the same fear, eyes practically glittering with excitement as he basks in the praise.

“Not at all.” Jun shakes his head shyly, but the smile on his face cannot be hidden, bright and overjoyed.

“He’s a natural, Nagase. Maybe he’ll even surpass us.”

So, if the one with the stubble is Nagase, Sho presumes that leaves the last stranger to be Matsuoka.

“Maybe, maybe.” Nagase snorts, and makes a move to pat Jun’s back, only to stop just mere inches away, as though remembering himself. Sho finds himself nearly cringing at the sight, and sighs in relief at the halted action.

Pirates. Sho reminds himself. Rough housing is to be expected.

Just then, Jun notices his presence, and perks up visibly. “Sho!” He calls out, eager and excited. “We missed you during lunch.”

At least he is getting along with the others, Sho muses, and joins Nino on the opposite bench, Okada sidling right up beside him and tossing the rest of the onigiri on the bench.

“Matsuoka and Nagase were showing me how to assemble a phaser!” Jun adds brightly, and Sho cannot resist smiling at his excitement. Clearly, Jun has already gotten close to the two men.

“I know. I saw you as I walked in. You looked very deadly.” Jun beams at praise, but Sho cannot forget his manners; he bows politely towards Nagase and Matsuoka, before unwrapping another onigiri. “I am Sakurai Sho. It is nice to meet you both.”

“Well, aren’t you a polite one.” Nagase snorts, looks suspiciously between him and Jun. “You act pretty fast, don’t you? Haven’t you only known each other for - what - 2 days?”

The accusation confuses Sho, who pauses mid-chew to blink at the trio. “Hm?”

While the meaning behind the words does not befall on Sho, Jun flushes pink, the tips of his ears brightening to a deep red, understanding whatever Nagase is implying and shaking his head (or at least, as fast as he can, with stilted movements). “What are you talking about? N-nothing of that sort is going on between us.”

Sho doesn’t understand what is going on in the conversation, but he feels oddly bothered by Jun’s declaration that there is nothing ‘going on between’ them. What exactly does he mean? Of course, Sho may be oversensitive for no reason at all, but he feels that there must be some form of friendship, companionship that exists between him and Jun. Unless…

They couldn’t be referring to it that way, now, could they?

Sho feels his face warming as he hurries to chomp into his lunch, feeling especially hungry out of the blue.

Next to him, Nino breaks out in laughter for no reason.

***
Sho isn’t paying attention to his surroundings when the cabin door opens, but he hears the recognizable peals of laughter from the hallway before Jun returns to the room. He does not think of it too deeply, but there is something comforting in the way Jun’s laughter sounds, a buoy that drags him back to reality amidst a turbulent mind, one which is full of questions and doubt.

“I’m back.” Jun sounds tired, but satisfied as he greets Sho. He holds a large, wrapped rectangular package under his arm – some clothing probably, since Jun did not have any when he came on board the ship, and another smaller plastic bag held loosely between his fingers. The larger package, he drops carelessly on the desk, but the smaller one is placed down gentler, before Jun crawls onto the bed, and curls up next to Sho.

“Welcome back.” Sho greets in return, and feels his heart falter when he sees the relaxed look on Jun’s face, barely a foot away from Sho’s hip. “Did you have fun in the space station?”

The voyage to Shimonoseki space station did not take as long as Joshima predicted, once Sho was put in charge of plotting the ship’s path. Instead of 6 days, they reached their destination in 4.5 days. Their early arrival did not affect their plan to convene once again to discuss the plan of action, however – instead, they were granted a day of shore leave, one which earns Sho the favour with everyone on the ship. Jun included.

After all, this was Jun’s first time being in an area outside of the middle-of-nowhere colony planets he was stationed on for the duration of his life. And there was no way Sho could burst the man’s happy bubble with mentions of mutiny. Or rather, Sho couldn’t bring himself to do so, when Jun was over the moon with how the others were going to show him around the frequently visited trading station, and treat him to supplies that Jun clearly lacked, but needed.

It is obvious that Jun has crawled his way into the brotherly affection amongst the crew, far quicker than any one of them would have expected. Sho does not blame them. Jun’s snark and wit – which emerged after he was no longer shy around the crew – is refreshing and at times, on par to Nino’s (a fact that the Jr. Surgeon will deny). In contrast, there is an adorable and face-palming level of airheadedness and naivety to Jun that never fails to bring a smile to Sho’s (and the rest of the crew’s) face. It is no wonder that he is being treated like the youngest sibling on board the ship, one who doesn’t mind being spoiled and coddled by the others.

This is, after all, the first time Jun has ever felt like he belongs in a family. Sho doesn’t want to touch that.

Sho too, has been exposed to the welcoming warmth (a very rough warmth, but warmth nonetheless) that is SS Skate. There is no differential treatment despite of his title (not that Sho expected one from pirates in the first place), and for once he is appreciated for his abilities, some which he takes great pride in.

However, being happy and content with their newfound positions in the crew does not change their situation. No matter how chummy they become with the others, forcing a crew to decide between their loyalty to their leaders, and their new friendship with Sho and Jun is not a task to be taken lightly.

It is for that reason Sho could not find it within him to follow the others on shore leave. His mood would have dampened the atmosphere of the entire party, even though Jun pleaded him to come with, citing that it would not be fair if Sho didn’t come along.

Unfortunately, Sho has too many things to think off, starting with what to do if, and once, they are free. Nevertheless, he is pleased that Jun enjoyed himself with the others, trusting that nothing unruly would happen to Jun if he was in the presence of Nagase and Matsuoka.

“Yep. Would have been more fun if you had come along though, Sho.” Jun complains, but smiles anyway.

“I’m sure you had enough excitement with the others bringing you around. What did you do?”

“They brought me to an observatory room! And there was a fresh market in the lower levels of the space station as well.” Jun excitedly babbles, rolling around to lie on his back as he recalls the early fiasco, including something about Ohno trying his hand at virtual fishing and being especially good at it. “Next time we go on shore leave, I’m forcing you to come with me, whether you like it or not, Sho.”

Sho chuckles at Jun’s demand, but sobers up at the mention of a ‘next time’. “Jun, about that… We need to figure out what to do about the mutiny. We can’t keeping pulling a façade. Soon, Kimura and Nakai are going to demand for me to read you and-”

“That’s the thing.” Jun interrupts, eyes dark and serious as he sits up, cross-legged and facing Sho. “Nakai and Kimura weren’t with us – thankfully - so I was asking the rest of the crew about them and their treasure-hunting… habit over lunch, and I found out why Ohno, Nino and Aiba were so certain that it would be easy to convince them to overthrow Kimura and Nakai.”

The reason for their overprotectiveness, and their discomfort towards Jun’s injuries? Sho presumes it is because of they have more humanity within them and are normal, decent human beings, but perhaps there is a different reason as well. He straightens his back, and gestures for Jun to continue, interest piqued.

There is a frightened expression in Jun’s eyes, drawing Sho to come closer, somehow wishing he could banish that fear away.

…What did he just think?

“They had received word that there a pair of children, with markings, had been spotted in an orphanage in the Iwate colony planet. Children, who matched the characteristics of celestials, of course: no records of their origins, no memory, found abandoned in the outskirts of the fishing village. The pirates had expected it to be their usual pick up, a check to see if the children had additional smattering chances of being a celestials… Except that the kids had both been adopted by the time they arrived. By a single mother, who had the means to take care of them, and she loved them very much.”

Sho does not like the way this recollection is going.

“She refused to let her children go, of course. Who would let their children walk into the hands of pirates like Kimura and Nakai? The two of them didn’t take it too well, and… well…”

Jun swallows, and looks away – Sho doesn’t need to be a genius to figure out what happened, especially if Jun looks sick and pale all of the sudden. Even Sho’s stomach twists at the thought of what could have happened.

“Did they do it in front of her children?” Sho asks, voice strangled as he tries to comprehend the sheer level of inhumanity.

“Did you know that… It isn’t just Nakai who has a taste for antique weaponry?”

Guns?

“Both of them. In front of her children. Only Joshima was there to witness it. And he pled for her mercy, said it wasn’t necessary, but the rest of the crew ended up dealing with the fallout, of course. Including taking care of the newly… re-orphaned children.” Jun shakes his head, “No wonder Ohno and Aiba looked so sad talking about it. And Nino and Yamaguchi were the ones who had to look for somewhere for them to go to afterwards. We have to bring them down, Sho.”

The new revelation is sickening, but Sho nods in assent, agreeing completely that the two men should be removed from their positions. Perhaps… Even death may seem like a mercy after all the sins they have committed. Sho wonders how many children they have displaced.

“So,” Jun clears his throat, and wipes his eyes discreetly. Sho pretends that he doesn’t see how wet trails are left on the back of Jun’s hand. “I think we’ll have zero problems with overthrowing them, once we figure out how to do so.”

“I’m sure Nino will think of something.” Then once he does, and they are free… Sho sighs, and shifts to look out of the porthole once again. Somewhere amongst the glittering stars, his family is wondering where he is, when he is coming back, if he is alright… and perhaps, if they need to find a new heir to the throne.

The bed shifts, and Jun slides next to him, concerned as he asks, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing of importance, I guess.” Sho sighs, and rubs his face roughly with a hand. “Just… thinking.”

“Is it the same reason why you didn’t want to join us in Shimonoseki? You seemed… down in the morning, but I didn’t want to push.” The last statement comes in an embarrassed mumble, but Jun’s thoughtfulness is not missed by Sho, who feels his chest warm in soft affection for Jun.

“Sort of, yeah.”

“…Do you want to talk about it?”

Sho supposes it couldn’t hurt to unload some of his worries to Jun. It is hard to deny Jun anyway, when he sounds earnest but kindly patient with his offer, the stars reflecting in Jun’s eyes and making them glitter. Jun has very pretty eyes… and such long eyelashes.

He exhales heavily, and leans back to rest his elbows on the mattress. “It’s a long story.”

“We’ve got the rest of the day. It’s not too late in the afternoon, you know. I think Aiba’s preparing something big for dinner. He was so ecstatic with all the supplies they had at the space station that Joshima had to hold him back from raiding all the ingredient stalls.” Jun pauses, and redirects the topic once again. “I don’t mind listening, if you need someone to talk to.”

Sho wonders if Nino will grant him some privacy today, or if the man is listening to this as well. He never clarified the details of Nino’s idea of “walls have ears”, but Nino did not seem overly prying – Sho has the feeling that Nino knows when to respect others’ privacy.

“It’s just family issues.” Sho starts off hesitantly, but begins to ramble when Jun nods encouragingly. In normal situations, Sho would never confide in anyone else like this, not even with his friends back at home. There is too much pretence and imposed expectations for Sho to feel comfortable,. However, there is something open about Jun that makes Sho feel less tense, unrestricted and unbound. Or perhaps it is because they are in their room, a semi-sanctuary of companionship, a friendship first forged by their original status as prisoners.

Well, technically, Sho will always remain a prisoner of his circumstances.

“More like, I’m just worried about my family. I have a younger sister and a brother too, besides my parents, and I started realizing how irresponsible it was of me to pack up and go, leaving them two of them behind without any consideration…” Sho sighs and looks back at the stars. Cassiopiea, Tycho’s star, Hershel… The stars he sees now are so different from those he would see if he was home. Usually, Sho views the different skies with wide-eyed wonder, but tonight space looks like an empty void: cold and lonely. “They probably know that I’ve been captured by now. Either they are frantic with worry, or are already planning for my sister’s ascension as heir apparent.”

He shakes his head, and closes his eyes to shut out the flickering stars. “Families are so complicated, but I can’t help but worry…”

The mattress beneath him shifts noiselessly. Sho does not move, but looks curiously at Jun when he feels the hot puff of air near his shoulder. Jun looks serene, albeit concerned as he curls up next to Sho, their faces closer than they have ever been. He does not say anything, but only then does the realization dawn upon him, of whom exactly it is, he is talking to. Panicking, Sho makes to sit up, and apologizes hurriedly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to quite rub it in— that was inconsiderate of me.”

But there is no sign of hurt nor offense in Jun’s eyes, only a kind understanding as he reaches out to pull Sho back down. “No need to apologize. Just because I don’t have parents it doesn’t mean that I’ll be offended if someone talks about theirs.”

When Jun shyly extends a hand towards Sho’s face, Sho wonders with avid curiosity and doubt what Jun wants to do, especially with their sudden closeness. Just being with Jun, alone, makes his heart feel so much at ease that Sho cannot help but ponder on what Jun feels when he is with Sho.

There has never been a lot of room for Sho to fall in love, but perhaps…

The longer fingers are gentle when they touch his hair, stroking comfortingly. Sho exhales softly, and sinks into the offer of affection. It is what his mother used to do to soothe him as well, when Sho was younger, and the familiar act of affection has his heart clenching – in melancholy, and in a growing endearment for Jun.

“We’ll be free soon, you know. We’ll blast Kimura and Nakai off from this ship or dump them in some out of nowhere space-station, and you will be able to go home.”

But then… Sho will be restricted to a life of sitting around, making decisions for the people he cannot see or meet. And he has made so many friends on board this ship as well.

If he has to leave, he will surely miss this especially – private moments with Jun, not necessarily talking a lot, but just spending time with each other “I’m not sure if I can bear to part with this: the crew, the stars…”

‘And you…’

“You’ll figure it out. And I’m sure you’ll make the best decision for yourself – you’re pretty good at making decisions on where to go for the crew.”

Jun’s light-hearted humor eases Sho’s worries slightly, and he cracks a smile. “Navigation is a lot easier than this, I think.”

“I know, but I’m sure you will manage. Now, cheer up. I got you something. Here—”

Sho frowns when Jun leaves, getting off the bed to return to the table to pick up the smaller envelope. Jun has a proud and pleased expression on his face when he fishes out a familiar, black object, and Sho’s heart swells with an indescribable happiness when he realizes what it is.

"A holo-card?"

There is a shy blush colouring Jun’s cheek that Sho loves (loves?), and his smile can only grow wider when Jun fibs his explanation. "Since you didn't leave the ship, I thought it would be nice to get you something. I couldn't help but think of you when I saw it. Don’t worry, I took notes on the history for you, just in case you wanted to know."

Sho gestures for it to be brought over, and tugs on Jun’s wrist instead of taking the holo-card directly from Jun, pulling him close to his side on the bed. “I do want it.”

There is no way Sho can worry about the future when Jun is smiling at him so brightly.

…Or so Sho thinks, as the cabin door slides open without any notice before Jun can even speak a single word, and Ohno peeks in with an unusually serious look in his eyes. “Nino wants us in the medical bay. He’s already started on the plan.”

The future will not let them wait, unfortunately.

***
They leave Shimonoseki the next morning, stocks replenished, and moods rejuvenated after the unexpected shore leave. Or rather, the moods of everyone except Sho and a particular handful of people, all of whom are tense, and waiting. Sho is unsure if he should be grateful or frustrated that Taichi has put him off-duty for the afternoon – admittedly, he isn’t very good at hiding his unease and will unlikely be able to act normal in the same room as Kimura or Nakai, but simultaneously, Sho likes the idea of working to distract himself.

Furthermore, he knows that very soon, Kimura will grow impatient and demand for Sho to read Jun. After all, the wounds have healed completely, and there is no other excuse to use to delay it any further.

Which is why they are waiting.

To occupy his time, Sho decides to spend his free afternoon with Jun in engineering, using the available tablet there to read the news while Jun engages in a short combat lesson with Nagase. Sho is severely out of the loop with the current happenings of the galaxy, and he wishes to correct that as fast as he can, while checking if there is any news on him.

There is none, surprisingly. There was no news of his sudden departure either, besides the news release that informed the public of Sho’s sudden ‘leave of absence’, to ‘further his studies’. That isn’t necessarily false, after all. If one can consider ‘furthering studies’ as working on board a pirate ship. However, as hard as Sho tried to conceal his identity while in Gunma, he has no doubt that his parents kept some form of surveillance on him. Which means that they must know by now, that he has been captured by pirates. However, news of his parents is not what Sho is waiting for.

After yesterday’s rendezvous in the med-bay, Nino predicts their plan will proceed very, very soon.

The sound of the cracking through the intra-ship communication relay is what causes Sho to look up. Alongside him, Jun and Nagase pause in their lesson, the latter straightening when Nakai’s voice echoes through the speakers, loud and monotonous, but strained as he demands for the entire crew to report to the deck immediately.

Is this what Nino was expecting? Sho feels the back of his neck prickle nervously at the possible scenario, but Jun seems calm, albeit confused at Nagase’s rushed shepherding of the two of them outside the engineering room and into the hallway. A look of understanding passes over Jun’s face, however, when Sho edges in front of him, hand discretely searching for Jun’s hand to hold.

Jun does not object to the handhold – perhaps Sho is horrible at masking his feelings, but he cannot deny how comforting it feels to have Jun squeeze reassuringly, warm fingers brushing Sho’s knuckles lightly.

‘We will be alright.’ Jun mouths to Sho, then quickly releases his hand just as Nagase turns around to gesture for them to enter the deck.

There is an odd tenseness on the deck that puts Sho on alert. They are not the last ones to arrive however, with Aiba huffing as he runs into the deck from the kitchen, still clad in his apron and clearly mid-prep of dinner, and then Nino and Yamaguchi entering briskly after him. The others are already there, aligning themselves in two straight lines of no order besides Joshima and Taichi being at the front row, and Nakai and Kimura standing by the main consoles, faces ice cold.

An irrational desire to stay close to Jun has Sho slipping beside Jun, tugging Jun into place in the back row.

There is complete silence on the bridge, and Sho cannot predict how the next event will unfold, even if Nino and Ohno seem completely calm about the situation. Aiba looks agitated, but Sho cannot tell if it is from the worry of his food, or of the situation.

“Attention on DECK!” Nakai snarls, loud as he sweeps his cold eyes over their arranged lines. In front of him, Ohno straightens alongside the rest of the crew, and Sho quickly follows suit, only flickering his eyes to make sure that Jun is doing the same.

He is, but Sho is not the only one to have checked as well. At least four other senior officers on the same row as theirs glance in their direction, but Jun does not react to their looks of concern, already alert and looking completely at ease as he waits for further orders – orders from men whom are eager to use him. Brave. Sho is unsurprised to see how well Jun fits into a pirate crew. Sometimes, Sho cannot deny how easily Jun has slipped into the inner workings of the crew, forging bonds faster than Sho did. But then again, Sho has had more to worry about, while Jun has less to lose.

“We are ready for the transmission, Captain.” Nakai growls, and faces the main view monitor with a rigid back, hands straight next to his side.

Sho isn’t sure what to expect – Kimura looks unusually on-edge as he presses a button on the console. “Initiating relay.”

The speaker crackles, as though the transmission has travelled thousands of light years of space to reach their ship, but the disembodied voice that comes through is loud and clear, as is the view monitor, which comes to full clarity in a blink.

An old man greets them, face wrinkled with age and weariness, but posture still strong, and eyes determined and clear as he greets them from his desk. There is a sparkle of youth in his eyes, filled with an age-old passion of treasure-hunting. This can only be Johnny Kitagawa. Surprisingly, he does not look like a cruel, scar-ridden man, mad for treasure, but instead looks to be an unassuming old man in a neat sweater, rather than the head of a giant pirate syndicate.

‘Kimura.’

“Sir.” Kimura salutes sharply, but remains emotionless.

‘Nakai, crew of SS Skate - It is good to see that you are all in good shape. There is no reason to be all formal with me, you know this.’

Around Sho, everyone relaxes just incrementally, but do not shift from their rigid arrangement, not when Nakai shoots them a sharp, warning glare.

‘You have been keeping things from me, Kimura. Why was it that I had to hear that your ship has the Crown Prince and the celestial on board from someone other than yourself or your Sr. Quartermaster, Kimura?’ Kitagawa does not seem visibly upset or angry, yet there is an inflection in his voice that makes the hair on Sho’s nape stand on end, even though the question is not directed at him. The effect is not limited to Sho, however. For once, the stoic captain looks unsettled, despite his best abilities to hide his anxiety.

“We had to ensure that he was the one we were looking for, sir. If he isn’t, we did not want to raise your hopes—”

Kimura’s feeble excuse is cut off but an unimpressed harrumph. ‘An old man like me can deal with failure, Kimura. I have spent decades on this little treasure hunting hobby of mine – failure is something you come to terms with. Do you think so little of me?’

“No, sir. I would never.”

Despite his age and friendliness, it is apparent that Kimura defers to Kitagawa, and is afraid of him even. Clearly, Kimura had done his best to keep Sho’s and Jun’s existence on the ship a secret from his boss, but for what reason, is still unknown. Perhaps, to hide the fallout should Jun not be the celestial? Or is it to take the treasure for themselves, and not share it with their employer?

Sho can only postulate, but Nino certainly knew what he was doing when he ordered Aiba to leak the information in the Shimonoseki space station.

‘I certainly hope not. You have served me very well, Kimura, and I appreciate the duly service of you and your crew. But I am not deaf; I have heard many rumors about the way you and your Sr. Quartermaster have acted recently, which I have chosen to overlook, because I have confidence in your loyalty and honor.’

Interesting. Kitagawa does not seem to approve of murder either. This is what Ohno meant then, when he said that he joined the crew with the promise of no murder or maiming of innocents. The longer Sho stays on the ship, the more convinced he becomes of the harmless nature of most of the crew. Yet Sho cannot shake off his wariness, not until Kimura and Nakai are truly gone.

“We would never betray you, sir.” Kimura promises, but Sho observes the manner Kimura’s fingers twitch at his side, and Nakai stiffens near him, lips a thin line as Kitagawa hums, his eyes training on the pair, a glint of warning visible even through the screen.

What a formidable man.

And speaking of Kitagawa, Sho swallows nervously when the man’s focused gaze shifts to him instead.

‘Crown Prince Sakurai… and the man next to you. I recognize everyone on this ship, but you two are unfamiliar. Come forward.’ Next to him, Jun lets out a soft sound of surprise, but neither of them move. Kitagawa lets out an amused chuckle at their refusal and gestures forward lightly with a finger. ‘I do not bite.’

They cannot avoid this conversation. Internally sighing, Sho glances over at Jun to give him a discrete nod, and breaks formation to walk to the view monitor. Jun follows closely behind him, their distance close enough for Sho to feel the occasional brush of contact of his hand against Jun’s.

Even as they stand before Kitagawa, Sho does not have the intention to show any weakness. Jun is unmistakably and understandably anxious as he fidgets next to Sho, but that only further encourages Sho’s protectiveness. Taking a pointed step in front of Jun, as if to shield him, Sho ducks his head politely. “Sir.”

Kitagawa’s eyes are warm, the sternness dissipating as he addresses Sho affably. ‘I recognize your features, Sakurai. You have your father’s eyes, but many of your features are your mother’s.’

The comment surprises Sho. For a moment, Sho wonders if Kitagawa is familiar with his parents, but then he remembers that they are often on the news. His siblings are less present on media, although Sho himself has had some experience, given his position. ‘I am sorry for the current predicament that you are in. I hope that you feel welcome on the ship, nevertheless.’

“The crew has been very kind and accommodating. They treat me like I am one of them, and I appreciate the opportunity to put my navigating skills to good use.” He answers honestly, the start of a smile playing on his lips as Sho recalls how enjoyable it has been to exercise his mind in something less mundane and diplomatic than politics.

‘I’m glad to hear that. I hope you don’t mind pandering to the wishes of an old man. This… might be the only chance I’ll ever have.’

The wistfulness in Kitagawa’s voice has regret welling up in Sho’s chest despite his lack of control on the existence and validity of the myth. This is the dream that haunts many others, yet seeing such pensiveness on an old man who has clearly pursed it for longer than Sho has been alive… Sho wishes it could be true for Kitagawa, at least. After all, Kitagawa does not seem like a horrible man.

‘And you,’ Kitagawa greets Jun this time, but he does not sound unkind. His eyes soften even, when he realizes how Jun is half-hidden behind Sho’s shoulder. ‘What is your name?’

“Jun. Matsumoto Jun.” Jun’s voice rings out in the silence, hesitant at first, but louder as he gains his courage and advances forward.

‘How old are you, Jun?’

“24.”

Kitagawa lets out a sigh. ‘You are young. Jun, do you know how long I’ve spent looking for the treasure?’

Jun shakes his head.

‘For four decades. I’ve searched for so long that I’ve nearly lost hope entirely, of ever being able to find this treasure while I’m still alive. I do not have the intention to pressure you, but… I hope you are the key, Jun.’

With the short address, Kitagawa once again turns to Kimura, eyes sharp with suspicion and pleasantness gone. ‘Why was there a delay, Kimura?’

Sho assumes the delay refers to him reading Jun, and offers an explanation before Kimura or Nakai can fib an excuse that may jeopardize the crew’s safety. “Jun was in bad shape when he was given to me. I had zero intentions of reading him in such a poor state of health. He has only just recovered, sir.”

Fortunately, the excuse appeases Kitagawa, who relaxes in his armchair and glances over Jun with veiled concern. ‘I see. Yamaguchi and Ninomiya has done a good job, then.’

The two aforementioned men duck their heads politely at the praise.

‘Very well. I will leave you all to it. I hope to receive good news. Kimura, Nakai, I wish I did not have to say this – and this applies to the entire crew as well – but, nothing is to happen to Crown Prince Sakurai. I do not want to invoke war with the Confederation, so do not let anything happen to him, is that clear? Any action against him will be considered a punishable offense.’

“Understood, sir.” Nakai does not look very happy suddenly but hides his sourness well. Naturally, Kimura holds a perfect expression of coldness, although Sho doubts he is entirely happy with the situation.

After all, the information was leaked outside of their knowledge, but there is no way to track the leak, especially since there was no instruction or motive to keep Sho’s and Jun’s presence a secret. But the leak was intentional.

Now, they have the trap set. All left is to lure the two men in.

***
Dinner is a tense affair to only Sho. Or rather, he is the poorest in hiding his anxiety after the transmission ended, especially with how stormy Nakai’s expression is as he spears his potatoes almost angrily.

They are not in the clear just yet. While the others are having fun, and making a ruckus of conversation, Sho remains quiet, tongue not tasting whatever he is spooning into his mouth. Despite the lively conversation going on around him, Sho can sense the tension in the air, stemming from the two most-senior crew members who are sitting at the far end of the table.

Next to Sho, Jun is pressed up against his side, dinner eaten and cutlery resting on the empty plate in front of him as he eagerly listens to the banter between the crew members. The topic of choice is something about giant praying mantises accidentally getting on board the ship one day and causing ruckus all through the night, but the disgust in Yamaguchi’s comments (“Unsanitary. This is why I said we should add a sterilizer to the gangway.”) is ignored by Jun, who with wonder in his eyes, asks which galaxy they were in when the fiasco took place.

“An uninhabited planet called Kiritani that’s several weeks sailing from here. It’s far, but the the planet is one of those where you can step out without an exo-suit. It has everything – a breathable atmosphere, a comfortable temperature, moisture…” Aiba helpfully describes around a mouthful of rice.

“…A high oxygen concentration that will cause you to die faster but feel great.” Nino adds dryly. “The humidity is awful at night, so don’t believe anything they say about it being the ideal vacation spot.”

“You didn’t even leave the ship, Nino!”

“I saw how big those critters were. Thank goodness I didn’t.”

Sho isn’t even listening, eyes warily glancing down the table. Perhaps he is being too paranoid, but something doesn’t feel right, and there is a certain limit to cornering two feral canines before they will lash out.

Since Jun was proverbially thrown into Sho’s lap, Sho has openly defied them, and wriggled his and Jun’s way into their crew to gain the others’ trust. Although Kimura and Nakai do not know who leaked the information to Kitagawa, Sho is certain that they have an idea that Sho and Jun are somehow involved in the whole scheme of things. The information leak and Johnny’s open address to the ship worked the way Nino had planned as well – their own employer displayed his distrust towards them and approves of the manner Sho and Jun have proved themselves useful and willing to work in the ship. And most importantly, of course, has made it extremely clear that hurting Sho will be a breach of conduct, worthy of being thrown into the brig.

It does not help the tension that Okada requested a toast to properly welcome them into the crew just before the meal started. The last thing Kimura and Nakai want is for Sho and Jun to be inaugurated into the crew officially – if they are, even the power of a heartless Captain and a deranged First Mate will not be enough to overcome the collective strength of their crew, a group that is already distrustful of their captain. They have effectively driven the two men into a corner, and the pressure of being undermined by their own crew will surely and soon get to Kimura and Nakai.

This is all going well and according to plan, but Sho admits that he is impatient, with good reason. The waiting game will not last long, especially with Nakai being as temperamental as he is insane. They must be on their guard.

“I think we have a supply drop request due in Kiritani’s vicinity in a month or two. Unless something pops up, I don’t see why we couldn’t make a small pitstop there to enjoy the wildlife. Ohno and Yamaguchi would probably appreciate the chance to fish in the lakes there.” Joshima cheerfully informs Jun from his seat. Sho did not even hear Jun’s question, but forces a smile when Jun turns towards him and rests his hand on Sho’s thigh, looking at him with anticipation.

“I can’t wait!—"

A loud bang cuts off Jun’s thrilled response, and simultaneously sets off alarms in Sho’s brain. Silence befalls on them faster than anyone can blink, everyone quickly looking towards the direction of the sound, where Nakai is already making his way towards them. There is an ugly sneer on his face, one that makes Sho worried about what he is going to do next. However, he is not the only one who is concerned – the faces of others mirror Sho’s own, either alarmed or unpleased at his rude interruption.

A small part of him wants to shield Jun, hide him, but he knows that in this situation, he is useless.

“Look at you, being cheerful and excited, making future plans already, aren’t you?”

Next to him, Jun visibly pales, and his body stiffens in what is probably fear. Sho has been incredibly blind to it, but out of the pair that is Kimura and Nakai, Jun shows a greater reaction towards the latter than the former. Perhaps, it is because the one who was responsible for his injuries was Nakai, while Kimura – equally guilty – stood by and let it happen.

“Have you forgotten your place, celestial? Have you forgotten why you are on this ship?”

Sho’s brain whirls at all the possible scenarios that will happen – Nakai won’t hurt Jun – he can’t, not unless he wants to delay the reading any further. His fingers twitch as though to move, body tense and ready to spring into action if needed, but Sho’s involvement may only worsen the situation and invoke Nakai’s anger.

From the clenching fists and stony faces of the other crew members, Sho knows he is not the only one to think along these lines.

Yet, his body thrums with barely repressed tension as he watches Nakai grab Jun by the back of his neck and shoves him forcefully against the table, twisting Jun’s arm behind his back simultaneously, Jun’s utensils barely missing his nose by a millimetre. Jun only lets out a soft sound of surprise, but does not rebel or fight back, his eyes – usually so expressive and full of life – are suddenly devoid of light and feeling as he submissively takes the abuse. Even if Jun refuses to look at Sho and the others, the sight is sickening, and Nakai’s next words only makes Sho’s blood boil even further.

“Do you think your existence is special, celestial?” Nakai’s snarl is cold and sadistically gleeful as he leans down to breathe his sticky, hot breath down Jun’s ear, forcing more of his weight onto Jun’s prone position. The sight makes Sho fearful, buy also livid; he angle at which Jun’s arm is being held behind him looks painful, but Jun himself is saying nothing, mouth a thin line as he refuses to speak, but the breaths that escape his nose are audible, and strained.

“You’re just a tool for us, a map to be used and thrown away once you’ve proven your function. Beyond your only value as a treasure map, you are still an orphan with no family, no destiny besides serving others—”

“Oi, Nakai, those words are unnecessary—” Matsuoka growls, slamming his fist angrily against the dining table and causing the crockery to clatter noisily. However, he is not the only one who has had it with Nakai’s demeaning words.

A hot flash of anger runs through Sho’s body as he hears Nakai’s cruel declaration, and the look of sudden hurt in Jun’s eyes at the reminder of his background. His pain is well-masked, but Sho remembers Jun’s own, self-deprecatory words on their first night, and how convinced Jun still is that he cannot be the celestial that everyone expects him to be, because… ‘I doubt someone like me would have such a special role or mission. I know, celestials are supposed to not know how they got here, but… I’m done with being optimistic about such fantasies.’

Sho has always disliked his circumstances, but nothing has left a bigger impression than Jun’s cynicism and hard-bitten interior, one that greatly contrasts Jun’s naivety. He is not fooled by Jun’s smiles and laughter with the crew in the past week; while their kindness has done wonders to Jun’s confidence, two decades of loneliness cannot be banished that easily or quickly. It is perhaps for that reason that Sho feels extremely inclined to protect Jun from the likes of Kimura and Nakai, those who only view Jun as an object, rather than a person with feelings.

It does not matter if Jun is a celestial or not. No one deserves to feel unwanted, unworthy and unimportant. How many times has Jun felt that way growing up, stuck in an orphanage and feeling as though the universe was against him, that he does not deserve better than the fate shoved upon in him as a babe, abandoned.

Nakai’s spiteful words can only add more poison to what Sho and the others have worked to replace, and Sho hates him for it.

His body moves instinctively, and the next thing he knows, is a sharp pain radiating up his knuckles from his clenched fist after connects with Nakai’s nose, hard.

“What the f—" Nakai curses, and releases Jun from his rough grip as he staggers backwards in shock.

“Shut up.” Sho growls, his eyes flashing in anger as he cradles his reddened hand against his chest. The pain is unimportant, and he ignores the low whistle someone makes behind him. “Don’t you dare say that about him. Ever.”

There is a great feeling of satisfaction seeing blood dripping from Nakai’s nose and lip, the dishevelled look adding to his madness when he grins, teeth slightly reddened from blood. When Nakai laughs, it is without feeling. “Crown Prince has a backbone, huh? You know, the King and Queen doesn’t know that you are here, do they?”

Sho does not respond.

His lack of responsiveness doesn’t seem to please Nakai, however Sho does not expect him to retrieve his gun and point it almost cheerfully towards Sho’s chest. “You know, you piss me off.”

Around them, noise explodes at the scene. “Oi, Nakai don’t do anything stupid—”

But he does not hear the exclamations to calm down, to put the ‘fucking gun down before you hurt someone’. Sho has only ever seen the guns in books and old video files of movies. They seemed loud, although Sho has always wondered if that was the work of sound producers, or if they truly are as loud as portrayed. Phasers, on the other hand, are always quiet – deadly as the heated plasma is concentrated into a single beam and set to incinerate anything in its path. Personally, Sho has never seen it been used in any other manner besides to stun people, never to kill nor hurt, as injuring them with no valid intention is considered an unwanted breach of humanity.

If it was use to shoot someone, however - there wouldn’t be any blood. After all, the heat would cauterize the wound instantly.

But a 21st century gun… Sho can foresee how messy it will be once Nakai fires it. It looks no different from a phaser, albeit more unassuming, like a bulky, cuboid prototype phaser, but Sho knows that one accurate shot to his chest will surely kill him, no matter how adept Nino or Yamaguchi may be with their medical ability.

Yet, as he stares down the barrel of the gun, there is no fear of death, even though Sho knows that his survival is of the utmost of importance, that he has a duty to fulfil to his family and his people. The only concern he has is of Jun, who is looking at him through teary eyelashes, pupils expanded in fear as his fingers reach out to clutch pleadingly at Sho’s thigh. Pleading for what, Sho does not know.

“Captain, do something!” He hears Joshima urge, and Sho just barely represses the urge to laugh.

Will Kimura side with Sho, or with his loyal Sr. Quartermaster? Certainly, Kitagawa has given the order to not harm Sho, but there is no certainty when it comes to the action of mad men; and Kimura has graciously been allowing them to do whatever they want for the past week with no indication of annoyance. That makes him the more dangerous man, harder to predict. Nakai may be the one pointing the gun to Sho’s chest, and the more impulsive one, but Kimura is unpredictable.

And Sho’s fears come true when Kimura wordlessly stands, and proceeds to point his gun at Jun’s head instead of ordering Nakai to stand down.

“Kimura, what the fuck are you doing?”

“I’ve let the two of you play on my ship for long enough.” Kimura comments, almost languidly. “You have forgotten that you are my prisoner, Sakurai, not a member of my crew, despite what these fools tell you.”

The senior crew stills, but Sho knows that Ohno, Aiba and Nino have been quiet since Nakai pulled out his own gun.

What should he do?

“I’ll read him. I’ll read him tonight, right now, if you want me to. Just don’t hurt him.” The plea spills out of Sho instantly, the panic settling in their precarious position. He does not expect any sympathy, but he must try. The sight of a gun directed towards Jun’s head sickens him more than a gun barrel directed to his body, as does the thought of Jun’s limp body, eyes dead with a bullet shot through his head.

That cannot happen – that must not happen.

Sho twitches, fighting his instincts to grab Jun and pull him to safety under the table, out of this bloody ship—

Kimura’s gun clicks as he removes the safety, emotionless eyes steadily tracking even the smallest of movements. “Move and he dies. We’re under the orders that we cannot hurt you, but Johnny never said anything about your celestial.”

“I’ll do whatever you want me to.” Sho implores, eyes switching wildly between the two men. He does not spare a glance to the others, or rather, he cannot, brain turning as it makes up all the possible scenarios that may happen, searching for that single scenario where neither of them ends up dead. “Just don’t hurt him. You can’t hurt him.”

There is no mercy in Nakai’s sneer. “While it heartens me to see you so protective of your map, Kimura and I have been watching the two of you, being chummy with each other. And we agree that there is no reason why you need a star map to be alive when it is his skin that is important anyway.”

No.

The colour drains from Jun’s face, a soft sound of plea escaping his throat, but it is Sho who whispers, “Please don’t do this.”

“We’ll take the risk with the black hole.” Nakai grins, mouth an ugly mess of blood.

There is the sound of blood rushing in his ears, a loud thrum that replaces the rest of Sho’s thoughts when he sees the weapon shift towards Jun. He does not wait for the gunfire, body moving without a second thought to cover Jun’s body with his own and pull him onto the ground as he disregards his own safety. Time seems to pause in that one moment; Sho’s arms instinctively curl around Jun’s head just as triggers are pressed, and they both fall.

He does not do this out of nobility or honour, Sho confesses, but rather of selfish desire; Sho will not be able to live with the guilt, should he lose Jun. He should be less reckless than this. After all, while Sho despises the idea of utilitarianism, the concept is still especially prevalent – even more championed, in fact, since the human population exceeded more than what democracy and ‘equality’ can offer others. His family will certainly disapprove of his actions, sacrificing himself for someone considered more menial than him, but Sho does not care.

Sharp pain runs down his upper-arm, the feeling of soft tissue tearing in the path of a bullet paints his vision in scintillating colours, and the world around him dissolves into chaos. Outraged cries, sound of footsteps and loud grunts blur into nothing. Sho does not pass out, but he is only conscious of Jun’s loud gasps of panic beneath him, face tucked into Sho’s chest, his body warm and thrumming with life.

Alive. They are both alive.

Sho slumps forward in relief, uncaring that he may be squashing Jun beneath his weight. They are safe. Around him, noises blur into an indiscrete hum, the echo of his heartbeat most audible.

There are people touching him, breathing warm, moist breath into his ear as they call out his name. He does not hear the words, but he feels the vibrations near his skin, as well as the soft squirming of Jun’s body beneath him. He does not want to respond, but he lets out a pained grunt when someone grabs his arm and squeezes tightly. The increased pressure against his source of pain does nothing to alleviate the throbbing, instead causing the ache to ratchet to levels of unbearable agony.

“Stop—” Sho forces out between his teeth, and weakly attempts to wrench his arm away from the sadistic culprit. “It hurts.”

The squirming movement intensifies beneath him, and Sho shifts his weight to the side – just enough – to free Jun beneath him and allow himself to roll onto his back. The lights above him feel too bright even through his closed eyelids.

He hears Jun’s voice first, panicked and frightened. “—ho. Sho. You’re hurt. Let them help. You’re bleeding.” A small part of him wants to take away Jun’s anxiety, but it is hard to think through the painful fog. He’s bleeding? That would explain the pain.

“Sho? Sho-chan.” Sho hears Nino’s voice next, steady and calm in his ear as Nino cheerfully taps his cheek. “Open your eyes momentarily, would you? So that Jun knows that you aren’t dead?”

Sho doesn’t want to, but he tries, just because Nino mentioned Jun’s name, and also because he wants to make sure Jun is alright too.

There are chairs toppled around him, but the room is quiet, devoid of Nakai and Kimura, of guns and conflict. The two men are missing, but so is nearly everyone else, except for Nino, Yamaguchi (the unapologetic sadist who is currently attempting to squeeze the life out of Sho’s arm, probably), and Jun, currently being pulled away by Aiba and Ohno, face pale with shock, but uninjured as he attempts to resist their tugs.

Thank the bloody stars.

“The second bullet missed your ear by a hair, so you should consider yourself pretty lucky to only have been shot once.” Yamaguchi comments thoughtfully, clearly impressed, but Sho does not see the humour or the luck mentioned.

“Getting shot is lucky. Sure, it is.” Sho’s voice is hoarse with pain, but he pushes the pain aside to ask, “Is it over?”

Please be over.

“It’s over.”

“It’s over.” Sho repeats automatically. An overwhelming sense of relief sweeps over Sho like a gentle tide, a feeling so intense that his eyes prickle, but not from pain.

“You did it, Sho.”

***
When Sho returns to their room at 0322, he is surprised to find that Jun is absent despite the late hour. There was no reason for Sho to be discharged so late in the evening, but Sho fell asleep shortly after being dragged to the medical bay (he did not pass out, as much as Nino teased him), and Yamaguchi saw no reason to wake him up.

Sho was not happy about needing to be wide-awake at such an odd hour, but he is now thankful for the rest. He will need to use that energy to look for Jun.

Clearly, the rest of the crew have been busy. Their cabin access is no longer limited and locked past midnight, which means that he has full access to the ship at all hours. It feels oddly eerie to be walking in half-dimmed hallways, but now that there is no longer a threat to his and Jun’s safety, the atmosphere is peaceful, the ship begging for a deeper, proper exploration by Sho. It is something that he will attempt a different time, however. Now, he needs to look for Jun.

Fortunately, Sho has an inkling of where Jun may be hiding. He has never been good with hiding his love for the stars after all, and Sho has lost count of how often he has caught Jun staring out of the porthole in their room. And there is only one location in the entire ship where one can see the vast expanse of space through a proper observation window.

The deck is quiet when Sho enters, the dark room barely illuminated from the celestial bodies visible on the view monitor as well as the backlight of consoles, powered down for the skeleton shift.

Ohno slouches over a tablet by main console, equally silent as he flicks through an electronic copy of the latest xeno-ichthyology magazine. He does not flinch when the deck entrance slides open to let Sho in, merely nodding his greeting and shooting Sho’s bandaged arm a look of concern.

“It’s fine.” Sho whispers, lifting it slightly to demonstrate his point. He does not go too far, however – there is a limit to how much he can move it without his arm smarting. “Jun?”

Ohno cracks a smile, and wordlessly gestures in the direction of the observatory room. Just as Sho expected, of course. It is becoming easier to predict Jun's actions, but Sho doesn't know what exactly to make off that realization. Firstly, however, he needs to convince Jun to abandon his guilt.

It is presumptuous of Sho to assume that Jun would feel guilty for an injury that was pre-planned, but Nakai’s words were deliberate and cutting, attacking Jun's self confidence when Sho and the others had been trying to build it up. Having Jun open up to them was difficult enough, and if every progress that has been made until now is reversed because of those two men, Sho will have no qualms about shooting them both out of the airlock without an exosuit, mercy be damned.

They have settled into an orbit a safe distance from the Hibiki-star, the celestial body glowing a muted orange-yellow through the shielded observatory window. Despite the presence of an observatory bench, Jun is perched on the floor, legs folded up to his chest and his arms wrapped around his knees, his gaze locked onto the stars on the other side of the observatory window. The soft glow is reflected in his dark eyes, but there is a lost expression that Sho wishes to get rid of – it looks out of place on Jun, even if this isn’t the first time Sho has seen Jun like this,:confused and vulnerable.

He wonders when his perception of Jun changed, but now that they are free, it is easier for Sho to stop and really look at Jun.

He’s beautiful.

It is not the first time Sho has thought of this, but it is the first time Sho takes his time to observe the long eyelashes that flutter with every blink, and the elegant curve of Jun’s jaw, resting lazily on his knees. The curled position makes Jun look young, but there is nothing child-like about his appearance. In the dim glow of the stars, he looks like an ethereal being, deep in thought, staring into the far reaches of the galaxy that may just be his home.

Sho doesn’t believe that celestials exist, but somehow, he finds that it isn’t too hard to change his mind the longer he looks at Jun.

The marks on his skin… Sho wants to read them.

“Hey.” Sho softly calls out and breaks out in a gentle smile when Jun visibly starts. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Sho!” Jun rushes to stand, but halts when Sho gestures for him to stay seated. Instead, Sho is the one to slip onto the floor next to him, shuffling closer to Jun and reaching out tug Jun into place when Jun tries to inch away, shoulders tense. Sho has never initiated contact between them prior to this, but tonight, the lack of stress makes him relaxed enough to act on his innermost desires.

“Don’t go too far away now.”

Sho does not simply refer to physical distance. Even as he keeps a firm hold of Jun’s wrist, he experiences a slight resistance as well, Jun discretely pulling away and the emotions on his face closing off into something aloof and sad. This is what Sho does not want, for Jun to put emotional distance between them, especially when it’s obvious that Jun feels troubled and upset. Guilty.

“Is your arm alright?” Jun asks quietly.

“It’s just a flesh wound. No bones broken. You were in worse shape than me when I met you, you know.” Sho teases lightly, tilting his head to the side to nudge softly against Jun’s hair. “It’s nothing.”

“…There was a lot of blood.”

“Not that much. Yamaguchi is brutal, but I wouldn’t have bled out with just as menial an injury as this.”

“It could have been worse. It could have struck you somewhere else – your shoulder, your neck, your he—”

Sho shifts his grip to tightly squeeze Jun’s hand, his warm hands swiftly warming up Jun’s cold ones, pale from not having moved for a while in a cold room. While the thermal-regulation system works excellently at the deck, it isn’t as efficient in reaching a side nook like the observatory room. “It struck my arm. It hurt like hell, yes, but it did not take long for Yamaguchi to extract the bullet and stitch me up. It’s going to be fine in a week, 2 weeks tops.”

The words do nothing to appease Jun, who loudly exhales, and fidgets. “That bullet was for me.”

There we go.

“We discussed this with the others, Jun. I was supposed to take the shot for you, remember? The plan required me to get injured by Kimura and Nakai, so there would be grounds for them to be thrown off the ship as punishment. I agreed to the plan knowing that I would be shot one way or another.” Sho patiently explains and raises a finger to Jun’s lips when Jun moves to refute him. “You agreed to it as well. And I would have never let them hurt you.”

Even still, Sho knows that Jun is hurt, and that makes him angry.

“You shouldn’t think that way, Sho. You are more… important, than I am. Nakai was right. In the end, I am still a nobody, just a lonely speck in the wide, wide galaxy…” Jun trails off, tone wistful and eyes sad as he turns to stare into space once again.

Sho clenches the fist of his injured arm – the action causes the wound to burn painfully, but he pays it no heed. “Don’t say that.” He grits out, anger welling up in his chest, not at Jun, but rather for Jun. The anger must have been audible, as Jun looks back at him, eyes wide in surprise – maybe fear. Instantly, Sho deflates. There is no reason for him to push his hatred for Nakai onto Jun. That would not be fair to Jun.

When he continues, Sho makes a concerted effort to soften his tone, and wraps his free arm around Jun’s shoulders in a loose hug. The soft squeak of surprise Jun lets out is cute, and causes his anger to dissipate entirely. “Don’t ever think that. A title is worth nothing and means nothing. Your life is as important as mine and everyone else’s on this ship, except for the two assholes in the brig, of course.”

Sho says the last line jokingly, but he has already considered how much it would take to borrow a phaser from someone. Perhaps Ohno would acquiesce quickly.

The humour does nothing to improve Jun’s mood.

“Family.”

The word is spoken so quietly that Sho might have missed it entirely had Jun’s face not been half buried into the crook of Sho’s neck. It is spoken as though in an exhale - quiet, but absolute and wistful as Jun sinks further into Sho’s warmth, seeking for a comfort Sho is willing to give.

“You have a family, Sho. Your death would have shattered them. You speak as though you disliked the expectations and duties placed upon you by your parents, but I’ve seen the way you talk about your parents, and your younger siblings, and I read some of your entries in your journal. Those holo-cards… You wanted to share them with your siblings, show them the places in galaxy, in the universe.” Jun pulls away, and Sho reluctantly lets him, unsure of how to respond. “They are important to you, and you to them as well, for reasons beyond duty. But I, an orphan, with no family to my name – who would have missed me?”

“I would. This crew would.” There is no hesitation in Sho’s answer. Sho would miss Jun – miss him horribly, and be stricken with grief should anything happen to Jun. What Jun says is true, that Sho’s family would mourn the loss of a son and a brother, but that pales in comparison to the amount of anguish Sho would have to bear if he ever lost Jun. Perhaps Sho has not been explicit with his growing affection for Jun (he has always been bad at showing his emotions when he is under pressure), but he cannot deny his blossoming attachment to Jun.

Yet, Jun seems unconvinced, exhaling tiredly. There is a faraway look in his eyes, caramel-brown irises glistening with an emotion Sho interprets as longing. “Even still… I don’t even know where I come from, or if I have anywhere to go once we figure out everything. No home, no parents that I know of. That’s the reason why I want to know, Sho.”

“Know what?”

“If I’m really this… celestial. Whether I was born from the stars. It would be a lot better than having to live with the fact that my parents didn’t want me.”

Sho’s heart clenches at the melancholic words, but he only manages to choke, “Jun.”

“But that’s the truth, isn’t it? I was found without a name, a home, any belongings, outside an orphanage. That’s how it goes for any celestial, right? But if I really am one, then it means that there is some meaning to my life besides being unwanted.”

“You’re wanted.” Sho sharply corrects, and surges up to pull Jun in a tight embrace, voice thick with emotion. Jun may sound neutral and resigned, but his words fill Sho up with the sudden, overwhelming need to protect Jun, and to offer him the love Jun has been denied in his life. He deserves more than that. “Don’t ever say that again. You’re wanted. You mean something. And you will always have somewhere to call home. If not with this ship, then with me.”

“Sho…?” Jun sounds confused, and the timing seems inappropriate, but the words flow out of Sho nevertheless, in a confession.

Sho holds Jun close and shuts his eyes against the soft hair that brushes against his face. Breathing in the scent of Jun – he smells of the soap provided in the cabin bathroom, of course, but there is a lingering trace of something that Sho now associates with comfort, with home; of the faintest whiff of cypress, of falling asleep next to Jun every night. “This may sound inappropriate, and I don’t know when it happened, but I am fairly certain that I like you, if not utterly in love with you. All I want to do is protect you and give you the home you deserve, because you deserve it, and because being with you is comforting and the only reprieve I’ll ever need. I would be ruined if I lost you. God forbid, I would kill anyone with my bare hands should they hurt you and take you away from me.”

His injured arm is smarting badly now, not meant to be bent and held at an angle this way for too long, so soon after being stitched up, but Sho does not want to let Jun go. His heart falls when Jun makes to push him away, grabbing Sho’s hand and leading it to rest on Sho’s lap. A spot of red has begun to spread across the surface of the white bandages, but Sho can barely worry about the reprimand he is sure to earn from Nino tomorrow.

Jun has not looked at him nor replied, his fingers loosely brushing at the growing stain of crimson.

“Nino is going to scold you tomorrow.” The comment is said lightly, but Jun’s voice is muffled, as though he is trying to hold back emotions.

And then he looks up, and his eyes are glittering with unshed tears and overflowing emotions as they meet Sho’s uncertain ones. A shaky smiles graces Jun’s lips, but there is no hesitation when he leans forward to bring their lips close, but not yet touching. Sho stops breathing nonetheless, heartbeat accelerating and palms sweating in hopeful anticipation.

“You’re a sap.” Jun whispers hoarsely, and Sho moves to clear the remaining distance between them, impatient.

Jun’s lips are cold, but they quickly heat up against Sho’s warm ones. It is not the smoothest of kisses, slightly awkward with Sho’s injured arm pinned between their bodies, but Jun makes up for it by cupping Sho’s nape and pressing even closer, nearly crawling onto Sho’s lap as they seek for closeness, but not intimacy.

When they part, it is not without reluctance, but Jun has a silly smile on his face, one that Sho is sure is reflected on his face as well. Resting his head on Jun’s shoulder, Sho sneaks a quick peck on Jun’s neck, and smiles at the happy sigh the action earns.

“Sho?”

“Hmm?”

“Will you try to read me, anyway?”

Sho smiles against Jun’s shoulder and nods. “I can’t say no to you, Jun.”
***

When Sho rouses the following morning (or is it afternoon? Sho isn’t sure), it is to the repetitive beeping of his cabin door, and the soft snuffling of Jun against his chest. Their legs are entwined, tangled between the sheets, but Sho reluctantly pulls away, head still groggy from their late night. The chronometer displays 1218, to his bleary surprise. They did not return to their room until it was just after 5 am., but Ohno was still happily reading his tablet when they left, and Sho assumes he is responsible for the cancelled morning alarm that is usually at 0830. Next to him, Jun lets out an unhappy sound at Sho’s sudden movement, and his eyes flutter open drowsily to meet Sho’s. Sho offers Jun a crooked smile.

The atmosphere is considerably lighter between them, something Sho does not mind at all.

“Morning.” Jun mumbles, clearly not fully awake yet, then crawls forward to bury his head into Sho’s chest again, grumbling unhappily. “Make the door shut up.”

Cute, Sho thinks, but yes, the beeping of the door is getting annoying. It takes him a moment to realize that it’s the alert that someone is at the door, especially since he set the door to lock last night, appreciating the newfound freedom and control over their privacy (not that they did anything risqué last night – they were tired, and Sho was sore from getting shot).

“It’s past noon, Jun. We should get up.” Sho coaxes, and attempts to pry Jun’s clinging hands from his body. As much as he prefers to stay in bed and hold Jun for the rest of the day, they cannot do so. “Someone’s at the door. I need to unlock it.”

“I’m tired.” Jun groans, earning a quick peck on the temple and a grin from Sho. Jun has never given the impression that he is a morning person, but today is certainly the first confirmation that Jun is not a morning person at all.

“You can stay in bed, but whoever’s going to come in is going to see you like this.”

“Don’t care. They’d let me sleep anyway.” Jun grumbles.

“Spoiled.” Sho teases but does not disagree, and hurries to the door, reaching for the panel to undo the lock and allow their waiting visitor in.

Okada greets Sho with a wolfish grin, eyebrows waggling as he peeks into the room where Jun has already wrapped the entire blanket around himself, determined to go back to sleep. Sho is initially confused with the shit-eating grin on Okada’s face, but when the man pats Sho’s shoulder hard and tells him, “Sakurai, you act fast, don’t you?”, Sho nearly chokes trying to convince the man otherwise.

“Nothing happened!” Sho hisses. Is there no such thing as secrets on this ship? But then again, Nino probably has the entire ship bugged, so Sho should have known, really.

“Whatever you say, Sakurai. Don’t act as if you haven’t been parading your lovey-doveyness around us for the last few days.”

Sho blinks at the statement, puzzled. “We have? But, yesterday…”

“You both are denser than a neutron star.” Okada deadpans, before helpfully tugging the pillow away from Jun’s face. “We’re having a meeting in an hour. Crew attendance is mandatory, especially for the two of you. Go shower, grab something from the kitchens – Aiba should have saved something for the both of you – and report at the deck at 1330.”

“What is the meeting about?” Jun mumbles sleepily. He is wearing one of Sho’s shirts, slightly oversized for his still scrawny body, and his clavicle is bare and visible when Jun sits up. Sho tries not to stare, especially when his eyes catch sight of the dark moles that dot Jun’s skin. He has nearly forgotten about Jun’s request to read him, but that task in itself will be a test of Sho’s self-control, most likely.

Okada does not smile when he answers them. “What to do with Kimura and Nakai, of course. And what to tell the boss, among other, important things.”

Sho’s heart sinks. He has forgotten that they still have much to do, and not even the reassuring glance Jun casts at him is able to lift Sho’s spirits.
***

Johnny Kitagawa may appear to be a frail, old man, but appearances are deceiving. There is nothing more frightening than to see the stormy look grow on his face when Joshima reports that Nakai and Kimura are currently locked in the brig for going against Kitagawa’s orders the same day he issued them, and basically attempting to murder a crew member which nearly killed Sho in the process.

Joshima deliberately keeps the details of Sho’s injury as vague as he can, as do Yamaguchi when addressed by Kitagawa. Sho himself, is hiding in the observatory room as the others feign the degree of his injury, a decision made during the crew meeting earlier in the day. Jun is hiding with him as well, face unusually stony as he listens to the conversation, all the while holding Sho’s hand in his.

While Sho knew of the absence of loyalty in the others towards Kimura and Nakai, he does not expect them to easily be willing to alter their statements to indict more guilt on their Ex-Captain and Sr. Quartermaster. It makes him wonder how long they have been waiting for this opportunity as well, and if the fiasco really needed to be staged to convince them of their leaders’ guilt. After all, here they are, telling half-truths to the man who hires them, and convincing Kitagawa to punish their former leaders for their deeds.

And to think that Sho had panicked when Nino blithely confessed to their plan of mutiny during the deck meeting, and Aiba spilling everything after, only to be met by uproarious laughter and praises of a job well done from the laidback crew.

Sho will likely never remember how the conversation went, too stunned by the preceding events and democratic decision-making on their next actions. All he remembers clearly is that the first thing on their agenda is to ideally shoot their current prisoners (thankfully, not Sho and Jun) into space and out of airlock as punishment for all of their crimes, or at least get them out of the ship, and then wait for an order from Kitagawa to decide on their next location, or to proceed with Jun’s wish to see if the fabled treasure does exist.

Casting his gaze onto the warm hand in his, Sho rubs circles into the ball of Jun’s thumb, distractedly forming patterns and constellations in his mind as he traces the moles on Jun’s hand. One hidden on the web between his thumb and index finger, another next to the second knuckle of Jun’s ring finger, and a third on the base of dorsal side of Jun’s palm. The Summer Triangle come into mind instantly, an old constellation – no, asterism - observed in the skies of old Earth, of Altair, Deneb and Vega, now identified as interstellar clouds and white giants that are nearly done burning all their hydrogen.

They haven’t been referred to as such since humankind left old Earth. Most navigators would not know of their existence either, the knowledge considered irrelevant in the present. The only reason why Sho would recognize it is because of his education – the first thing he was taught in his astronomy classes was how people used to read the skies of Old Earth, before proceeding to advance to the rest of the galaxy, then selected regions of the known universe. They were taught to him less as an astronomy instruction and more of a cultural lesson, but Sho vaguely remembers enjoying them for the stories.

Yet, the oddity of the situation does not escape Sho. How did the name of such an early, or rather, archaic, asterism come to mind, despite the absence of other distinctive markings to corroborate with his sudden postulation? It seems to have popped into Sho’s mind as soon as he saw the three markings together, like his instincts giving him an answer faster than Sho could even consider thinking to piece them together. Perhaps it is a coincidence?

Sho blinks rapidly and shakes his head to banish the thought. How peculiar.

“Are you okay?” Jun whispers softly, hardly audible. Sho is not even paying attention to the conversation being held outside, mind whirling with possible explanations and what ifs. He wants to answer Jun, but all he can do is stare at Jun with wide-eyed wonder and speculation. His hands suddenly itch to pull Jun back into the privacy of their room, and ask Jun to strip, so that Sho can investigate why. Is Sho thinking too deeply into this matter?

Sho tightens his grip on Jun’s hand and draws him closer. “Just thinking.”

“They’re talking about shooting them out of airlock.” Jun whispers, sounding mildly sick as he leans in closer to Sho.

“They deserve it for all the hurt they have done.” Despite Jun’s apparent discomfort, Sho gains a sadistic satisfaction at the thought, but hides it for Jun’s benefit. Instead, he buries his nose in Jun’s hair, and strains his ears to listen in as well.

Indeed, Kitagawa can be a terrifying man to anger, if his angry rant isn’t an indication. Joshima has chosen to remain quiet, Taichi by his side as they act in the place of the Captain and Quartermaster. That is another thing they must do – decide on who shall take up the sudden vacant roles on the ship, for there is no way Kimura or Nakai will be returning, certainly not with the curses Kitagawa is spouting at their names.

Sho internally winces. He wouldn’t want to ever defy the head of a pirate syndicate.

“So, what would you like us to do, sir?” Joshima asks eventually, and with a great deal of hesitation. Sho cannot see Kitagawa’s face from this angle, but he stills when he hears Kitagawa sigh, deflated and tired.

“Just… Get rid of those two. I do not wish to address them. They are no longer a part of this organization and will not be recognized as such ever again. I should have stripped them of their position when the rumours began, but I did not want to believe it. They have served me for a long time and were both so keen and passionate with their wish to aid me. I wonder when things went wrong…”

Greed, Sho answers silently, recalling the objectification the two men spouted, measuring the worth of others by their uses, and eliminating innocents without guilt or reason in the pursuit of a reward that may not exist. Does Kitagawa not know this, or does he also feel guilty, to a certain extent, of the greed that accompanies his blind pursuit of treasure? Sho does not wish to think badly of a man who has been searching for decades, and searching peacefully and patiently, no less, but it stands the question: Why has he kept this up for so long?

“Sir?”

“Please express my apologies to the Crown Prince – I would have never condoned such violence on any of my ships, be it directed to him or his companion. I… Perhaps I should have stopped all this treasure hunting business ages ago.”

His voice is weary and regretful, but instead of feeling relieved or glad, Sho’s heart clenches for Kitagawa. This is a man who has dedicated half of his life to search for the treasure, and has done good for the better half of it, protecting and taking care of people who were too far out in the galaxy to be taken care of by the leaders of the Confederation. Even Sho’s family is guilty of the neglect. Many have benefited from Kitagawa’s organization, with or without Kimura and Nakai going rogue. And the crew themselves rely upon each other for something deeper than professionalism – Sho can see it and has experienced it first hand as well. There is something deeper than the ties of a normal spaceship ‘crew’ on SS Skate.

It is not only Sho who feels this way. The others break routine and cry out their denial. Even Nino, who repeatedly cites that he is only bound to this ship because Aiba is on it, joins in. “Sir, don’t say that!”

“I remember when each of you joined this crew. Not all of you were put on this ship willingly and when was the last time you saw or spoke to your families?”

Aiba’s breathy voice comes clear and loud as he states, “We chose to stay on this ship on our own accord, sir. Our families know we are safe, and as long as they are safe too, I’d rather help others in space than be stuck in a single planet, unable to do anything else.”

“This is our home now, sir. You are surely not considering disbanding our operations?”

Even next to Sho, Jun looks horror-struck at the insinuation. Sho understands why he may be terrified at the thought, especially with how attached Jun has become to the rest of the crew. Sho himself is not blind of the bond the crew shares with each other, one that Sho has slowly let himself sink into despite his initial uncertainties. It will be a shame if they are forced to separate. None of them wants that.

“Do not panic. I will never order you to disband. I understand how important this ship is to all of you.” The crew relaxes at the confirmation, but straightens when Kitagawa continues, “But I cannot say the same for Sakurai. I have been selfish with him. If he wishes to go home, he may. I have no right to ask anything of him. I believe his family misses him dearly.”

His family. Sho cannot help but tighten his grasp around Jun’s body at the reminder.

How will Sho choose between his family and Jun?

“Sho.” Jun whispers into his ear, soft, and patient, but Sho does not wish to listen to what Jun has to say just yet. Jun is not selfish, and will likely tell him to go home, advice Sho should probably listen to. But Sho remembers Jun’s soft expression in the morning, asleep and pressed next to him, as well as the feeling of warmth and emotional completion of having someone by his side. Sho does not want to leave. Not… yet.

“Don’t say it.” Sho mumbles into Jun’s shoulder, and gives him a grateful kiss when Jun does not venture farther into the topic.

“Do as you have been doing so far, SS Skate. You have done me proud… something I wish I could have said about your prior Captain and First Mate. I do not believe I have to be involved in the reorganization of the crew. Do as you wish.”

“Thank you, sir.” Joshima murmurs, but Sho can pick out the pride in his voice, even if Kitagawa is unable to express it across the transmission. Their mission has been accomplished – finally.

***
Joshima, as the newly-promoted Captain, makes the decision to abandon their two prisoners in a mining colonial planet several days from their current position. It is a planet still very much located within the boundaries of the Tempestiana Galaxy, but right at the bare fringes, where convicts from the western sector of the Galaxy are often stationed to serve for the remainder of their lifetime.

That place is also run by pirates.

The pirates who run the colony do not belong to the Kitagawa syndicate, but mercy is apparently a trait that is respected everywhere, and the knowledge of Kimura and Nakai’s crimes – while not as widely known in the Confederation-protected planets and space-stations that Sho has been to – is far-reaching in territory largely dominated and run by pirates.

They gleefully take the two men off their hands, and the ship’s atmosphere is instantly more relaxed.

Not everyone agrees with the decision, including Sho, but Jun was vehement when he asked for their mercy, pointing out that if they couldn’t offer Kimura or Nakai mercy, then there is no use in preaching about the importance of mercy, be it to the innocent or the convicted. The poignant words are wise, but unfortunately true. Despite of that,that they were certainly all happy to see the brig empty, and guns destroyed.

With the change in leadership, Taichi takes up Nakai’s role as Quartermaster and First Mate, being in the next position of seniority on the ship, and Okada takes up Taichi’s prior duties as the remaining Bosun. The changes are not wholly drastic, but it is as though SS Skate has turned into a brand-new ship, the goal of which is is to explore, to help, rather than to plunder blindly. There is little mention of the celestial treasure since Kitagawa’s transmission, but it seems likely that the man has chosen to give up on the venture. Or at least, that seemed to be implied in his words, and the following transmission silence after that.

Freedom for the crew, in many aspects.

However, Sho has not forgotten his promise to Jun. Nor has he forgotten the archaic asterism marked on the back of Jun’s right hand, one Sho is certain now, can only be the Summer Triangle. Sho remained sceptical until he managed to sneak a glance at Jun’s other hand one night.

And there it was: A trio of equilaterally distant moles on Jun’s left hand, one that looks like the Winter Triangle, an asterism constructed by Sirius, Procyon and Betelgeuse, visible from old Earth in the other half of the year.

At first, Sho is unsure of its implications. After all, what is function of showing two different asterisms, both of which point to radically different locations of the abandoned galaxy? It makes no sense to a navigator, for neither are there any foreign markings nearby that hint at a secret location, nor a passing asteroid belt that may house an alien treasure, prepared by the heavenly body themselves.

It is a puzzle Sho is eager to solve, despite his preliminary scepticism towards the entire idea of a ‘celestial’. But Sho is now the navigator of a pirate ship, one which has the liberty to go wherever the wishes, and there is no harm in testing out odd theories, is there? That being said, interpreting a star map and figuring out what location it is hinting to is not Sho’s primary concern.

His main worry is trying to read said map after all. Especially when his map is Jun’s body. It will be a test of Sho’s restraint, to say the least.

“You’re spacing out again.” Aiba helpfully points out from across the cafeteria table, already beginning the preparations for dinner with what appears to be a fowl schnitzel of sorts (or cutlet, if the sheer amount of cabbage Aiba is currently slicing is an indication). “Your food is going to get cold, and staring at the door isn’t going to make Jun materialize, Sho.”

Sho does not pout as he takes a hurried spoonful of his lamb curry, only to find it already lukewarm. “’m not ‘taring at ‘e ‘oor.” He mumbles around his full mouth as he walks around the table to reach the microwave. “’was ‘hinking.”

“Are you really allowed to talk with your mouth full like that at home?” Nino grimaces. “I thought you would have been given classes in etiquette .”

“I did take classes. They were boring – and I’m not at home now, am I?” Sho shoots him a charming grin once he swallows his curry, and gleefully retrieves his now heated lunch. He does not understand how Nino is okay with eating cold curry, especially with how slowly he eats in comparison to the others. The presence of a microwave oven (bless the usefulness of a 19th century invention) makes reheating food less of a chore than it usually is when Sho is at home.

Nino rolls his eyes at the smile. “I fail to perceive what Jun sees in you.”

“That smile, probably.” Ohno mumbles around a chunk of stewed potato, only to earn a light head slap from Nino that nearly causes said potato to dislodge from his mouth and back onto the plate. “Nino!—"

“You’re not being helpful.”

“He answered your question.”

“That’s besides the point.” Nino hisses at the confused Ohno and Aiba and turns his attention back to a smug-looking Sho, once again smiling at him with full cheeks. “What I want to know is when Prince Squirrel is going to ‘read’ Jun. That way I’ll know when to give you the necessary supplies.”

Sho nearly chokes at the words, and hurries to grab the glass of water Aiba offers. The tips of his ears feel warm, but Sho makes a poor attempt to hide his embarrassment anyway, waving his hand in denial. “We’re not going to be doing that when I read him. I’m not going to, to—"

“Sex innocent Jun-pon up?”

“That!” Sho hisses and waves his spoon angrily in Nino’s direction. “And don’t let anyone else hear you. The others will kill me.”

“So, you do have such intentions.” Aiba unhelpfully chirps.

“I never said I didn’t. But it’s not appropriate right now, obviously—”

“What’s not appropriate right now?”

Sho nearly drops his spoon at Jun’s sudden appearance, Jun’s cheeks pink with exertion and his hair slightly damp with sweat after his combat lesson with Matsuoka. Despite his tired look, Jun’s eyes are alert with interest, eyes bright as he settles wordlessly next to Sho, only to steal the spoon that’s loosely held between Sho’s fingers. Sho doesn’t even complain when Jun begins to eat from his plate, instead pushing it closer to Jun before heading to the stovetop to fetch him a fresh plate of curry.

“We’re just talking about birthdays. When’s yours, Jun?” Ohno’s change in topic is appreciated, but Sho winces at the unfortunate question. He is not the only one who feels that way, especially given Nino’s deliberate kick to Ohno’s shin.

Even so, Jun does not seem bothered by the question, wiping his mouth with a tissue and drinking from Sho’s glass (“That’s an indirect kiss, Jun.” Aiba helpfully comments.) before humming thoughtfully. “I was found on the 30th of August, I think. We always get cake on our birthdays in the orphanage, and for me, that day was August 30 every year so…”

“That would be in a month or so, no? Maybe we can throw a party.” Aiba rubs his hands together eagerly, “What would you like? Cake? Soba?”

Jun’s sudden bashfulness is adorable, especially when he confirms, “I can have anything I want?”

“Anything. We have hamburgers on Nino’s birthday. And always my special Mapo Tofu on my birthday.”

“Croquette. Crab cream.” Jun blurts out, and Sho nearly laughs at the answer. It’s such a simple dish, and something often associated with a snack a child would prefer to eat. “With tonkatsu sauce.”

Sho is unable to repress a snort and apologizes when Jun elbows him with an indignant squeak. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It’s just really… cute.”

“And specific.” Ohno whispered, wide-eyed. “Crab cream croquette with tonkatsu sauce. Okay. That’s… Don’t we usually eat crab cream croquette with tartare sauce?”

Jun suddenly looks offended, mouth open and prepared to defend his choice, but Aiba quickly intervenes, to Sho’s relief, much better at hiding his mirth than Nino, who is already smiling to himself silly at the proceedings. “I can do crab cream croquette with tonkatsu sauce. We’ll all eat it that way on your birthday, of course.”

“Now eat your lunch before Sho decides to hand-feed you.”

Sho is only the slightest bit disappointed when the tips of Jun’s ears redden and he begins to eat his lunch with fervour. Sho wouldn’t have minded hand-feeding Jun. It would be cute. Jun is cute, he thinks to himself, and smiles gently as he watches Jun, resting his cheek on his knuckles. Sho is aware that he has to return to the deck soon, but Okada will not mind if he is slightly late. He’ll just follow Ohno…

“Sho, I forgot to mention, though.” Ohno scratches his hair as he says distractedly, “Joshima wanted to know if you have any specific places you’d like to go to, from here.”

Like home, probably. Jun doesn’t seem to react to the question, and continues to eat at his own pace, but Aiba and Nino are waiting for Sho’s answer too. Despite the inquisitive looks, Sho’s gaze is fixed on Jun’s face, entirely absorbed in counting Jun’s eyelashes and tracing invisible lines between the moles on Jun’s delicate features. Grus? Fornax?

Sho has no intentions of returning home just yet. As for a specific location, however… Perhaps he will fulfil his promise to Jun first, then decide after, what to do.

“I’ll have to discuss this with him after lunch, but I think we should make our way to Alpha Centauri. It will take us at least 2 weeks to get there, but…”

Jun perks up at his answer. “Alpha Centauri? Isn’t that near the Old Solar system? Old Earth?”

Sho nods slowly, and slowly traces the triangle mapped by the moles on Jun’s hand with his index finger, touch reverent, gaze soft. This is the only explanation he can provide for now, until he is able to properly look at the rest of Jun’s body.

Grus. Fornax. Cygnus. Constellations of Old Earth. Asterisms of Old Earth.

“Can I read you tonight, Jun?”

***
“You know, when you asked me if you could read me tonight, I didn’t really think of it as me, nearly naked on the bed, and you fully clothed in work attire.”

Sho bites the inside of his cheek at Jun’s dry comment, and carefully averts his eyes from Jun’s relaxed body on the bed, the curve of his naked back prominent even as Jun peers at Sho with hooded eyes, curled on Sho’s side of the bed.

Sho’s discussion with Joshima took longer than expected, the two men only realizing that they had missed the normal dinner time when Yamaguchi knocked their heads with bottles of water and cited his annoyance of hearing how the Captain skipped his dinner on his first day on the job, and his navigator being pulled along. It was only then that Sho remembered his ‘meeting’ with Jun, and nearly floundered trying to finish dinner fast enough (he did not really race through it – not when there were five senior crew members staring at him with varying levels of suggestiveness and unimpressive stares).

Sho is offended, really. He has no intention of carrying out whatever devilry their dirty minds were construing, even if Jun is painfully beautiful and tempting, the dots on the side of his ribcage stark against his pale skin when Jun reaches upward to grab Sho’s pillow, and hug it close to his chest, waiting.

“I’m going to shower first, of course.” Sho feigns nonchalance, but peeks at the cabin control panel with concern. “Do you want me to increase the thermostat? You’ll get cold at this rate.”

“Do whatever you will,” Jun says with a sigh, and resumes his reading of Sho’s journal, pages flipped to the ones with crudely-drawn star maps and astral-math, scattered across the fringes. “I’ll be reading.”

Sho doesn’t leave Jun alone just yet, crossing over to the bed in several quick strides to cup Jun’s cheek, and tilting his face upwards to let their lips meet in a languid kiss. Jun is warm, skin still soft from his previous shower, and Sho fights the urge to drag this out longer than necessary. Unfortunately, Jun does not share his concerns and reaches out to cup Sho’s nape, deepening their kiss and parting his lips invitingly, warm tongue brushing against Sho’s lips.

Forget celestial, this man was sent to test Sho’s self-control.

“Shower. I’m going to shower. Carry on with your reading.” Sho mumbles roughly against Jun’s mouth, and reluctantly parts. He nearly gives in at Jun’s unhappy sound, but makes an attempt to change the topic as he begins to tug away shirt and undo his belt, throwing the former into the refresher. “Not meaning to doubt you or anything, but non-navigators usually find it difficult to decipher navigator notes.”

“You mean these horrible numbers you have scrawled on the fringes? Yeah, I can understand why.”

“They aren’t ‘horrible’, it’s just a little—”

“Astral-math. I know, I’m teasing.” Jun grins, and points to the bathroom. “I was interested in it in school, but I always found it difficult. The teacher was crappy, for one. But off to the shower now, you.”

“I’m going.” Sho grumbles.

“Don’t keep me waiting for too long.”

It occurs to Sho mid-shower (as he resists the urge to jerk off to the thought of Jun in the other room, nearly naked and waiting) that the more time he spends with Jun, the less incentive he will have to go back home. Scratch wanting to go back home, Sho is already doing a swell job, trying to stay away from home, but even as the prospect of duty looms closer, he has no desire to return, nor does he possess any guilt.

Sho will come home. Eventually. His family will understand. It is written in his name, after all – Sho, from ‘hisho’, to fly, even if Sho confesses to being slightly acrophobic. But acrophobia isn’t a concern when he’s in the stars.

He does not bother putting on a shirt when he exits the bathroom, letting the warm cabin air dry the dampness of his skin as he crawls onto the bed without any additional pretence. When Sho wordlessly collects his notebook from Jun’s hands, Jun lets him, leaning up to let their mouths meet in a questioning kiss.

“So, how do you want me?” Jun asks breathlessly, eyes glimmering with curiosity as he lays his head on the pillow, and relaxes under Sho’s explorative gaze.

Sho does not know either – he has never read a star map off of someone’s body before, much less a body that belongs to someone he is attracted to. It will be remarkably easy for Sho to get side-tracked, but tonight, Sho’s task is not to explore Jun’s body, but rather decipher what the marks say. He cannot imagine how awkward this process would be, had he not been close to Jun. However, their familiarity is a double-edged sword; Sho will be hard-pressed to not study the way Jun’s body will likely respond to his touches. Especially since Jun has some moles especially close to some… sensitive regions.

Nevertheless, Sho must do this for Jun, even if the man plans to make it difficult for Sho to do so. Sho can be professional, damn it. “Can you pass me my pen? You can just stay like that, and I’ll, um, I’ll draw the marks. I think Joshima would want to see, and it’ll be good if I can share my theory with him.” Sho rambles gracelessly, but shuts up when Jun hands him his pen and squeezes his hand.

“Why are you more nervous than I am? I’m in lesser clothes than you are.”

“I’m not nervous at all.” Sho automatically refutes, only to earn a disbelieving stare. Well, to be fair, it is a poor defense, especially with how he nearly drops his notebook when Jun stretches his body, back arching temptingly and neck extending to reveal more pale skin. “Or maybe I am. You are just very… distracting.”

A pink blush spreads from Jun’s cheeks to his ears at the compliment. Oh, Jun is shy. The discovery does dampen on Sho’s growing arousal. It will be a lot harder to control himself if Jun is actively teasing Sho, although the discovery does make Sho worry for the time when Jun becomes confident enough to tease Sho. Sho will have no control whatsoever.

“I’ll be quick, if it will make you comfortable?” Sho offers, and shifts closer, and sits cross-legged next to Jun’s side.

“No no, you can take your time. I don’t mind. It’s just…” Jun exhales slowly, “I’m just a little uncertain about what will happen. It could just be nothing. I don’t know what I was thinking when I asked you for this. The chances of this being true are really slim, aren’t they? It could just be false hope that I’m giving to myself.”

“Let’s just see. We will never know unless we try.” Sho points out, but refrains from sharing his recent findings – or products of an imaginative mind. He does not want to give Jun any false hope either, but if the fable is true, and Jun is the celestial spoken of, then Sho has the feeling that what he manages to decipher from Jun is less of a coordinate and more of supplementary evidence to what Sho believes is the location of the treasure. Nevertheless, Jun’s small confession allows Sho to focus, and he allows a lone finger to fall on the first spot, resting innocuously on one side of Jun’s right eyebrow. “Close your eyes.”

Jun closes his eyes automatically at Sho’s order.

It is easy for Sho to keep his emotions in check when he’s only tracing the marks on Jun’s face. His touches barely incite any response, Jun’s breath even as he touches the three moles on Jun’s lips with the tips of his fingers. Warm and moist as the breath is against his skin, the process quickly becomes methodical as he copies the positions of the marks into his notebook, then continues with others he has yet to trace.

As he does so, the images form in his head faster than Sho can even consider them, imaginary patterns fading into his vision and painting themselves across Jun’s face in invisible lines. He had already thought of three, earlier in the afternoon, and he draws the lines automatically, seeing the ‘stars’ connect. “Cygnus.” He mumbles, and then scratches out Fornax. “Sagitta.”

Jun’s breath stutters when Sho’s fingers caress his ears, searching, but touch reverent and respectful. Sho barely remembers to mumble a soft apology, but Jun only smiles, expression peaceful as he turns his head to give Sho a better view of the side of his head and his neck.

His neck. Pale, but not spared of markings. There is one on the left side of his neck, and another three dotting the right. Sho doesn’t need to physically touch the markings to be able to see them, but honestly, he cannot resist. Jun’s skin thrums with warmth and heartbeat, echoing at his carotid to thump nervously beneath Sho’s inquisitive fingers. They hasten under Sho’s touch, the pink blush growing ever so slowly and spreading across Jun’s face, down his neck as Sho lets his finger slide down across his clavicle.

“Sho.”

The wispy words draw Sho’s attention to Jun’s face, and his breath catches at the half-dazed look in Jun’s eyes, dark and half-opened as Jun exhales through his mouth, chest heaving in short, stuttered breaths as their eyes meet. Sho wonders what he looks like to Jun. Are his eyes dark, full of hunger as they attempt to embed the image of Jun’s body in Sho’s mind, or do they express a different emotion, one that Sho struggles to recognize as he battles to distinguish between Jun and the indelible marks that only make up a tiny portion of the man.

It suddenly occurs to Sho that he does not need to copy the position of the marks onto paper in order to read them. The constellations form in his head without the need to draw inky lines, the stars painting themselves across his vision of Jun reflexively. There is no use in detachment, and there is no need for restrained – caged – touches that separate the two.

His notebook falls onto bed, unheeded and opened to a barely drawn night sky, and Sho surges forward, Jun reaching for him simultaneously. Sho’s lips do not reach Jun’s mouth – they paste themselves against the supple skin of Jun’s shoulder, and seeks for the spots with heated kisses and wandering hands.

Beneath him, Jun releases soft moans, hands winding themselves around Sho’s bare back and his nails digging into the skin when Sho laves his tongue against the large mole near his left nipple. The flexible muscle leaves hot and wet trails of appreciation in its wake, and draws out the most melodious of sounds Sho has ever heard in his life. And so, he does not stop, hunting down the hidden mark on Jun’s ribcage which had tempted him earlier, and sucking it until it is nearly purple, and Jun writhes, pleads with Sho.

“Sho—Sho, please.”

Sho doesn’t know what Jun is pleading for, but he has a feeling that Jun does not know either.

Apus. Circinus. Musca. Ara. Pavo. Hydrus.

Sho’s mind whispers to him the names and images of constellations as he rakes his fingers across Jun’s thigh, which has begun to curl around his waist, and grazes his lips across Jun’s forearm, where even more marks pester Sho’s trained mind. But despite the celestial map of Old Earth’s constellations forming in his head, what he murmurs into Jun’s skin is different.

“Jun.” The word comes out as a pleasured sigh, and is then repeated, again and again in a languid pace that overtakes them like an intense haze of emotions. It does not matter the type of map Jun’s marks show, for all Sho can truly think about in that moment is how much he wishes to explore this map that is Jun’s body—

And plunder it one day.

Sho has never cared for the fabled treasure, but cannot help but wonder if historians got it all wrong. A treasure beyond men’s imagination; what material worth can outbid the value that is this, the slow exploratory of a body – a heart – that is open to Sho, and Sho only? Is this not what men should seek, the rapture of a heart. Sho does not speak of simply physical rapture, even if Jun’s limber form and painted marks against ivory skin does many things to Sho’s arousal.

No. When their eyes meet, and heavy breaths synchronize with each other’s, Sho finds himself very much captured by the look of sheer adoration and affection shining in Jun’s eyes, masked beneath arousal and hazy pleasure. There is no doubt that Sho is emotionally bound to Jun – Jun and his physical beauty, but also his endearing naivety that was buried beneath years of burdensome thoughts of worthlessness, and his sharp wit, slowly emerging as Jun begins to bloom into the flower he was always meant to be.

Whether or not the treasure is real, Sho has already found his. And he will protect it and nurture it with all his might.


***
When Sho wakes up the next morning, Jun is still asleep, body warm and soft next to Sho’s, quiet puffs of breaths fanning against Sho’s throat where Jun’s head is tucked under. When he hears no activity in the hallway, Sho rubs away the sleep from his eyes to checks the time.

0642.

Sho is not sure what time he and Jun fell asleep last night, but he experiences no pressure to resume sleeping, mind refreshed and wide awake as he carefully sits up without jostling Jun. They are both in the same state of undressed as last night, and Sho’s movement causes the blanket to fall from Jun’s bare shoulder. It is pale and tempting, but Sho’s automatic response is to pull up the fallen coverlet over Jun’s body before he can start to feel cold.

He receives a mumble of his name in response, one he does not reply to in fear of waking Jun up. There is no need for Jun to be up just because Sho is, and from what Sho has learnt of Jun, it is always best to let him sleep as much as he wants, when he wants.

Despite the expanse of the bed, Jun is very much pressed up against Sho’s side, the sight of which makes Sho’s heart flutter with warmth. Jun is adorable.

And beautiful, Sho adds mentally, gaze soft as he caresses Jun’s cheek with the side of his finger. His forgotten notebook and pen sits innocuously on the dresser, arrangement in slight disarray from their distracted dismissal of the stationary last night. They were both too occupied for Sho to have recorded everything, but Sho supposes he can do it now. Sho doesn’t need to have to see Jun’s body to know what he mapped yesterday, with his fingers, eyes, lips and tongue. He will still have to record it for Joshima’s benefit, of course; the last thing he wants it to scandalize the crew, although Sho wonders if it is possible not to, with how deep their minds already are in the gutter.

Sho did nothing to – or with - Jun last night.

Sighing, Sho grabs his pen and begins to draw.
***

“Sho, you are here early.” Joshima’s voice greets Sho at 0850 sharp when the door to the deck slides open, steps brisk and voice interested as the Captain approaches him. Sho does not delay with pleasantries, greeting him with a curt nod as expected before pressing several buttons on the navigator table to reflect the table monitor onto the main view monitor. “I was surprised to hear that you only stayed long enough in the kitchen to grab an onigiri an hour ago, ahead of the rest. What did you find?”

“I’ve plotted the marks into the program this morning and enabled automatic scaling before running them through all the known databases of charts. Nothing useful came up.”

Joshima looks fascinated for several moments as he observes the series of dots on the screen, likely appearing random to him, but that is not the case for Sho. He has not finished explaining just yet, but the older man suddenly frowns, eyebrows pinching together in confusion as he points to the list of data files displayed on the side. “Wait, how did you get access to those files? We don’t usually have them unless we request them from the HQ, and even that would take several days to process.”

“I had a general staff access code in the library I worked at. It did allow me all the access to the information outside that specific library, but I had Nino hack the database.”

Joshima seems more impressed that Sho managed to wrangle Nino into doing him a favour rather than the obvious breaking of the law, by a Crown Prince, no less. “You had Nino hack the database before 0900? Impressive.”

“I put in the request last night, actually. It was already available on the navigator console when I came in this morning.

“He works fast with the right incentives. I’m not going to ask what you bribed him with.”

Just access to the rest of the available databases that Sho has access to with his status, Sho thinks drily, although Sho made the man swear not to let it be known that it is Sho’s credentials being used. He has no doubt that the information will not end up on the wrong hands, however, which is why Sho had no issues allowing Nino the information, for whatever reason he might need it for.

“But yes, so you were saying that nothing showed up?”

Sho shakes his head. “Nothing conclusive.”

“So… It’s not true then, the myth. Or at least, Jun isn’t the celestial spoken of, if the fable is real.”

“That’s the thing.” Sho starts off awkward, suddenly unsure of how to posit his grandeur theory without sounding too mad; after all, he began not believing that celestials exist, yet now… “Most maps we have now are planets and astral bodies plotted on a horizontal plane – a projection of the known universe and its entities, and their respective positions to one another, right? But what the fable never stipulated that the marks could be referring to constellations.”

Sho’s implication is overlooked by Joshima, who only scratches his chin in greater confusion. “But constellations haven’t been recorded since the migration to space. There would have been too many permutations of what the sky would look like given the number of planets that were colonized, some of which don’t even have a night sky to begin with.”

“That is true, but there is one constellation map that we have.” Sho’s finger is slightly shaky when he brings up the image on the monitor, a file that has been archived for centuries, considered unimportant since the abandonment of Old Earth. Two large circles dominate the screen, each reflecting summer and winter skies, but connected by a dense cluster of stars that crossed both skies – the Milky Way. The sight of the ancient planisphere never fails to take Sho’s breath away. He may be sailing through the stars presently, but the desire to see the night sky of Old Earth has always been there since he was shown its beauty.

It is art, painted in the skies, and Sho believes it unfortunate that the information is considered useless in now. The only thing Sho finds comparable to its beauty now – and Sho is not ashamed to say this – is Jun.

The resolution of the map is not as high as typical images, but the contrast of white dots against the dark navy background is clear enough to be captured and interpreted by the system. “Constellations have been removed from navigation training because they were useful if one was based on Earth, and on a boat. But I happened to have been taught what the night skies of Old Earth looked like – it was the first thing taught to me, earlier than my elementary education.”

Behind them, the rest of the crew begin to trickle in as the day’s shift begin, but Sho pays them no attention, fingers quick as he enters the algorithm into the program, equally curious to see if his suspicions are correct.

“Admittedly, I found it strange that the first thing I thought of when I saw the back of Jun’s hands were the Summer and Winter Triangles. I presumed they were just part of my imagination, but…” He stops just before he blurts out that he has been identifying constellations all over Jun’s body last night, knowing that it will only earn him the ire of several members of the senior crew. “We’ll see in a bit.”

Holding his breath, Sho presses enter to run the algorithm, and watches with bated breath as the computer begins to twist and turn the sets of markings denoted by Sho. Around them, an awe-filled silence descends upon the deck as the points are quickly superimposed onto the map.

And then the soft beeps begin as matches are found, one chime per match. As the constellations correspond to the ones on the image, Sho hears its names echo in his mind, only to be equally replaced by the memory of Jun’s arching body beneath him. His cheeks warm at the reminder, but everyone is too engrossed in watching how random patterns are turning into a legitimate map to notice how flustered Sho is becoming. Sho himself is amazed at the results they are getting. Surely, all of this can be a great coincidence, but what are the chances that the matches obtained are all over 90%, and that the recorded cluster make up the majority of the major constellations?

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Joshima breathes, eyes large with wonder. “It’s a match.”

“With a particular dense collection of matches found on the summer sky. Jun’s birthday is in midsummer, following the calendar of Old Earth, northern hemisphere.” Sho mutters to himself, gears in his brain working hard to make sense of their findings. Sho did not expect to be right, but now that he is…

“It fits?”

Only Jun’s voice pierces the fog, the marvel in his voice drawing Sho’s attention like a moth to a flame. Sho feels a pang of emotion in his chest when Jun walks up to the monitor, an expression of barely repressed astonishment, longing, and what Sho interprets as trepidation evident on Jun’s face. The transparency of Jun’s feelings cannot only be affecting Sho, but Sho does not know what comes over him when he seeks out Jun’s hand despite their audience.

“It fits.” Sho reaffirms softly, squeezing Jun’s trembling hands in his. “I don’t know if there’s a treasure on Old Earth or not, but I can tell you right now, Jun, that you are very special.”

***
Conversations over lunch and dinner are slowly becoming routine for Sho. Today, everyone is present, making lunch a bit more raucous than usual, especially with Sho needing to insist of his guiltlessness regarding the topic of Jun’s ‘innocence’. Sho’s ears are red for the better half of the meal, but he feels even worse for Jun, who has to listen to all of it.

Granted, Jun seems to be more than capable of silencing the senior crew with a well-placed ‘squint of terror’, as described by Okada, and one might say that it is Jun who is being more light-hearted about it. Sho cannot ignore the socked foot that is caressing his calf under the table, and he is absolutely certain that it is not Ohno who is doing it.

AKA. Jun is being a tease and is keen on getting Sho in trouble.

“So, Old Earth, huh?” Nino interjects once the others are occupied with matters regarding ship inventory and acceptances of requests. Nino is not fully focused on his food, Sho observes, attention thoroughly on the tablet screen in front of him as Nino absent-mindedly brings a spoonful of tonkotsu into his mouth. Sho has no doubt that Nino is taking advantage of his newly-gained access to, well, everything, which is stored in the data cloud of their galaxy, but he is decidedly not worried of nefarious exploitation of his access.

Somehow, Nino has managed to find an emulated, archived copy of a game titled ‘Super Mario’ and is now attempting – and failing – to play it with only one hand on the simulated console.

Games. Sho needs to stop being surprised by these little things.

“I’ve only seen pictures of it in school. It had a lot of greenery and water, right?” Aiba asks from his seat next to Jun, and looks at Sho expectantly for an answer. Jun mimics him, as does Ohno, who jumps at the mention of ‘water’.

“Fish. I’ve heard of Old Earth fish. Some were brought over to the new planets during the migration, but they’ve evolved greatly from their predecessors.”

Sho finds himself staring at the Helmsman in surprise, stunned by his excited ramble. He would have been more astounded if the topic wasn’t related to fishes, but then again… it is Ohno.

“There’s a space-center in Oarai that is dedicated to the preservation of Old Earth fish, I’ve heard. They have the biggest collection of live sharks, and those haven’t changed much since the move, surprisingly.” At the questioning look, Aiba adds, “Oarai is fairly near Chiba. I’ve been there once or twice when I was in school for a field trip. You don’t want to fish them. Some of them are bigger than humans and have really, really sharp teeth.”

“I’ve seen pictures of Tuna. Now that, I want…” Ohno trails off. “Do you suppose they still exist? I kind of want to fish them.”

Nino clicks his tongue in annoyance – at Ohno’s wishful thinking, or at the fact that he lost again, Sho is not sure. “Depends on the state of the planet when we get there, duh. Have you forgotten why we left in the first place?”

“I remember being taught that it was because there were too many people. Technology was good, insufficient space and resources, so we needed somewhere else to go.” Jun chimes in.

His points are all correct, although there is one point missing –

“More like we drained the planet of every resource. Pollution was rampant in cities and spreading into whatever was left of the natural environment. The biodiversity we have now is only a miniscule fraction of the original diversity of Earth.” Nino states Sho’s point for him, and finally gives up attempting to play his game one-handedly. “Less of a ‘Migration’ and more like a great ‘Abandonment’.”

“That’s a shame…”

Sho grimaces; while Nino’s phrasing doesn’t necessarily sound nice, it is fairly accurate, from what Sho himself read from the archives. “I do believe the plan was always to return one day, when the planet recuperated sufficiently, but that never happened. Everyone went their various ways, and eventually once the Confederation was established as the governing body, no one went back. Or at least, there is no record of ships revisiting the old Solar system.”

“Will there be anything when we get there, then?” Jun makes meaningless swirls in his broth with his chopsticks, sounding slightly disappointed by the discovery.

“Maybe. Who knows what it looks like now. The atmosphere should be intact though, so I don’t think there will be any risk associated with visiting the planet. Once we reach Alpha Centauri, we should be close enough to get some preliminary readings. It would be interesting if we could report the data to one of the scientific societies – we might be able to get something out of our expedition.”

The topic dies down there, Ohno and Aiba quickly getting interested in Nino’s new plaything, while Sho quickly gets distracted by thoughts of Old Earth. If they were to report their data, it will likely be Sho who does it, given that he is the only one who seems to have some shred of interest on the expansion of science. However, that will surely give away his location, and the last thing Sho wants is to get the crew in trouble, even if they are only partly culpable for his initial kidnapping.

Furthermore, Sho has grown attached, not to just Jun, but also the pirate lifestyle. He has never thought himself to be a keen explorer, but he despised the notion of being bound to a single planet, and now that he is free, he does not want to return to such a life, even if he is duty-bound to do so.

“Sakurai.” Nagase’s gruff voice draws Sho’s attention.

The senior crew members are looking at him questioningly, but Taichi sounds hesitant when he asks, “We were wondering if you wanted to return home after all of this is settled. We’ve been keeping you on board for a while now, and we’re just concerned that you may want to go back eventually.”

Sho swallows uneasily, and feels Jun’s piercing gaze on his face, waiting for an answer as well. Does Sho want to? Abandon the stars for a land-bound fate? Abandon Jun?

Even though Sho doesn’t want to, there is the niggling feeling in his conscience, telling him that he must. “…Can I give you an answer when we arrive on Old Earth?”

Perhaps they are able to sense his uneasiness, for they give Sho their consent, and redirects their attention to other matters, leaving Sho to stew with his thoughts. Thoughts that Sho does not necessarily want. Guilt eats at his heart the more he thinks about home, but simultaneously, he feels that he has bent to the whims of his family for a sufficiently long time. Politics is not for him, no matter what his father tells him.

“Hey,” Jun rests his hand on Sho’s knee, and squeezes. “Will you be busy after lunch?”

The question is random, but Sho shakes his head. “I’ll be at the navigator console, but since we already have a plot for Alpha Centauri, I won’t be that busy.”

“Can you teach me how to navigate?”

“Ha?” The request catches Sho off-guard, and all prior worries (and guilt) instantly dissipates into nothing as Jun nods eagerly. “Aren’t you already occupied with combat lessons?”

“We have a while to go before Alpha Centauri and I can’t have consecutive days of combat. I already feel like a walking bruise today.” Jun confesses quietly. “I feel a sudden attachment to the stars, after this morning. My astral math is abysmal at best, but if I had a better teacher…”

Sho can never say no to Jun, and this time, he can understand where Jun is coming from. “I won’t go easy on you, you know? We’ll have to start with the basics, if your skills are as bad as you claim them to be.”

The bright smile makes Sho forget everything, even if Sho really shouldn’t.

***
Their voyage to Alpha Centauri is uneventful besides a small pitstop in the Nauru Space-station to refuel the ship as well as restock the goods. It is a relatively isolated planet, but Aiba is delighted to see how exotic their range of available fruits are – all safe for consumption, thankfully – produced in a well-established agricultural system in the outer ring of the station.

They do not dock overnight at the space station, although in the evening, their dinner consists of a Russian Roulette-esque equivalent of chocolate fondue. Chocolate itself is a luxury, but the station had a wide assortment available due to their own sustainable production and exportation of Cocoa products. The fondue is delicious, although Sho could have lived without Aiba’s curiosity to add cayenne pepper at the end of the meal. Nino and Jun share his sentiments.

Regarding his lessons with Jun, Sho is pleasantly surprised by Jun’s quick uptake of the basic techniques of astral math, despite Jun’s claim of it being abysmal. Perhaps it is as Jun described, the fault of his teacher being boring. Or perhaps their observatory-based lessons, where Sho tutors him on the different characteristics of celestial bodies – types of planets, stars, nebulae bodies and processes – act as a sufficient incentive for Jun to excel. After all, the private, and restful lessons only take place if Jun manages all the exercises Sho flings at him during the day.

It helps as well that those lessons often end with a make-out session or two.

Despite the looming deadline for Sho’s decision, Sho does not let the tense thoughts affect his mood for the duration of the voyage. If his time on the ship is limited, then Sho prefer to enjoy the entirety of this time, as well as his time with Jun. He cannot help but wonder if Jun is aware of their limited time as much as Sho is – if he is, he makes no indication of it, all smiles and soft kisses to Sho’s melancholic ones.

Unfortunately, the peaceful lull cannot last forever as excitement takes over the crew the nearer they are to their destination - Old Earth. Their analysis of the planet– over a millennium since mankind’s abandonment of it – reports that all terrestrial land has been flooded by oceanic waters, leaving nothing but the smallest of islets scattered across the abundant waters.

A geographic analysis of the paleoclimate reveals a rapid incline in the oceanic levels shortly after mankind’s departure, likely attributed to the increasing global temperature. Even still, the slow rise in sea levels allowed sufficient time for the purification of the air following the shutdown of all industrial activities and sources of pollution, before the water swept most terrestrial life away. As they approach the planet, detailed life analyses can finally be conducted, and they breathe a sigh of relief at the revelation of a clean, non-toxic atmosphere. To their surprise, the atmospheric composition has restored itself to what it may have been like in the 23rd Century, and Yamaguchi cheerfully informs them that stepping foot on the planet should be like visiting a tropical, vacation-like planet.

The revelation incites suggestions for a camping trip of sorts, one that has senior crew jump to approve of, and has Nino balefully excusing himself to craft a crude solar-powered charger for his new gaming-dedicated tablet. Sho’s navigating lesson with Jun is postponed for a day as well when Jun suddenly decides that he wants to help Aiba out with the food logistics of the trip (he mentions something about roasting meat under the stars, and Sho acquiesces at the mention of meat, as well as the prospect of Jun cooking).

Jun’s presence is missed, but Sho becomes occupied around 2 day cycles away from their arrival at Old Earth. While Sho has successfully identified the planet the fabled treasure is on, there are two remaining hurdles they must clear, and that is sorting out the landing process, as well as identifying the most likely island for the ‘treasure’ to be on.

(The former task is already a challenge to complete: Sho has to work with Ohno to decide on a landing protocol, but the helmsman seems more keen to work with Yamaguchi and Joshima to craft makeshift fishing lines and rods.)

Unfortunately, identifying the location of the treasure will be as tedious of a task as identifying a needle in a haystack. Even after his perusal of the archive database, all Sho is able to do is postulate that the treasure – if existent – will be located on a terrestrial land that has not been inundated since the last published record of the treasure’s existence.

They cannot easily identify such an island without landing first. From the pictures Nino manages to obtain from hacking into the unused ISS system, Sho’s educated guess points to an mid-sized island that is the most lushly vegetated, as well as possessing a large lake that Sho speculates may have been created by meteor impact. It is all guesswork, however, but Sho does not know what else he can do with the sparse amount of information given to him.

He wants to find this treasure badly for Jun’s sake, but it frustrates Sho greatly that he cannot promise a great discovery, especially when Jun is hinging on what they find to clarify his origins. He does not wish to disappoint Jun, but Sho has to concede to facts and probabilities. It is already a wonder, that Jun has led them to this place, and that he has the night sky of Old Earth painted across his body. But this is where their skills – Sho’s skills – fail the crew, and Jun.

Jun is special, but Sho is not positive that he will be able to find the root to Jun’s mystery without another miracle. He feels guilty, despite knowing that he should not, and that he has tried his best, but what can he do? Everyone around him is buzzing with anticipation, and Sho can feel the pressure beating down on him, an expectation he cannot meet.

Sho skips dinner despite his body’s complaints from doing so, but he cannot eat or think with everyone’s jubilant mood around him. While Sho has grown out of his short temper several years ago, he can feel it poking at the fringes of his mind, just begging to be triggered by a friendly question. And he does not want to show this side of him to anyone, especially when no one deserves his stress-induced ire.

Exhaling noisily, Sho drops onto the bed with a tired grunt. Sho has been scrutinizing whatever data is available to him the entire day, while cross-examining it to the geographic map of Old Earth. His head is throbbing from all the screens, and all Sho wants to do is sleep.

And hold Jun.

Turning his head, Sho blinks tiredly at the porthole. They’re finally within the Solar System. Today, they are orbiting around one of Neptune’s moons – Neso - but tomorrow they will enter Old Earth’s orbit, before landing the following day. Tonight, however, Sho has a perfect view of the Solar System: Of the Sun, large and ever growing as it ages, of Venus and Mercury, just mere dark spots against the Sun’s chromosphere, and then the larger, blue circle.

Old Earth.

There is a vague sense of coming home as Sho gazes at the blue planet, even though he – and everyone on this ship – have never visited the Solar System before or seen Old Earth in their lifetime.

On Old Earth, life was born. Mankind evolved, and then, they left.

Sho must have fallen asleep, for the next thing he knows, he is jerking to the sound of the cabin door sliding open, and Jun’s soft footsteps as he walks into the room. His headache has dulled into an ache Sho can ignore if he tries, and he feels relatively calmer than he was before.

The mattress next to his body sinks, and a hand rests on his thigh. Sho’s half-opened eyes continue to watch space, even as Jun begins to softly stroke his leg, calm and comforting.

“You weren’t at dinner. Are you feeling alright?” Jun’s voice is gentle, but brimming with concern.

Sho lets the soft word wash over him, and sighs, turning to face Jun instead. “Just… tired. I have a headache and I didn’t want to ruin everyone’s mood with my cranky one.”

Jun’s hand moves up to stroke Sho’s hair at the admission. “That may explain the painkillers Nino threw at me as I left. I brought a plate of dinner for you. It’s omurice, and I thought you might like it. You should eat as well.

The domesticity makes Sho’s heart ache. “Thank you.” He whispers, but doesn’t make a motion to take the promised food at the desk. Jun does not force him to do so either; he lays down on the bed next to Sho, and wordlessly reaches out to pull Sho into a tight hug, lips meeting Sho’s in a chaste caress. Jun’s body is warm, soft, but gradually firming up from his recent training.

This feels like home too, being close to Jun like this.

“You’ve been working very hard recently.” Jun murmurs quietly, between their breaths. “You’re not exhausting yourself, are you?”

Sho fidgets, and presses his forehead against Jun’s collarbone, saying nothing.

“Sho.”

The words tumble out of Sho like a confession, dejected and guilt-ridden. “I’ve been trying to look for any indication of the treasure. I don’t know where it is. I can’t find it, there’s no information, which could indicate its location, and I want to find it but there’s only so much can do with all the vague textual records. All the stories mentioned the celestial – you – and how there would be a location, and we have a location. Old Earth. But there’s nothing left for me to scour through to specify the exact place, Jun.”

“Oh, Sho…” Jun exhales quietly, but Sho does not let him finish his statement.

“We’re so close, Jun. So close to the truth, to solve your mystery… But it’s not— I can’t promise you anything.”

“Sho, do you remember when I first met you?”

He does. Jun was quieter and skinnier, more timid but bitter. Sho nods.

“Do you remember how I told you that I didn’t believe myself to be worth anything, that there was no way that I could be this fabled celestial, or anyone special, really?”

Sho nods against Jun’s skin, and lets out a soft sound of pleasure when Jun proceeds to press against his scalp in a slow, rhythmic manner. It’s amazing how Jun has changed in the short period of time.

“You’ve convinced me otherwise. That there is a meaning to my existence besides physical labour, and it didn’t take you finding a treasure to show me that.”

“But your origins—”

“Sho. I never had the expectation that we’d get this far. That we’d find an actual location, a planet my moles directed you to. With how far we have come, how long we have travelled, how I’ve fallen for you and the stars… I don’t care if we don’t find anything on Old Earth, Sho. You’ve done so much for me already.” Jun pauses to search for Sho’s lips, lightly nibbling at his bottom lip as though to convey his thanks. Sho does not have the words to reply to Jun just yet, but allows the words to sink in, anxiety draining out of him to leave Sho a weary soul. “I do care if you exhaust yourself into a sorry state. Is this what you’ve been worried about in the past few days?”

Has Sho’s disquiet been obvious? “Yes.” He confesses with a tone of shame, and inches ever so closer to seek the solace Jun’s presence provides him. “I wanted to give you answers.”

“I already have answers. Or at least, the answers that matter. Treasure or no treasure, my marks led us here, and that’s good enough for me. Besides that, I found you, this ship, and the stars. That’s all I ever need to feel a sense of belonging.”

Jun’s words provoke a wave of mixed emotions, but Sho’s eyes remain thankfully dry, and relieved, when Jun searches his eyes, a small meaningful smile on his face, irises dark in the dimness, but filled with soft fondness and concern. He cups Sho’s cheek with a hand, and gently pats it. “Relax. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Everyone’s treating this like a vacation rather than a treasure hunt, you know.”

Sho cannot help but snort at Jun’s humorously remark. “I do know. Ohno’s more interested in the schematics of building a 21st century fishing rod than in landing the ship safely on the oceans.”

Jun’s playful laugh washes away the remnants of Sho’s guilt. “You should do the same, you know. Be excited. You like clams, don’t you? Aren’t you at least a bit curious about what size the molluscs would be? Aiba was talking about it over dinner, and Okada made an off-handed comment on how the higher oxygen content and lack of major environmental disturbances should promote their growth. Imagine, Sho. Giant clams.”

The thought of food has Sho’s stomach suddenly rumbling from being unfilled. Jun’s right – as the others have been. Sho has been making himself unnecessarily stressed for no reason. Sitting up, he looks around the room for his plate of omurice and rubs his palms together at the sight of the yellow omelette atop ketchup-coated rice.

Jun stifles a laugh at Sho’s expression, and helpfully nudges at Sho with his leg. “Go and eat your dinner. We can resume this conversation later, once you’re done eating and I’m done with my shower.”

***
Old Earth is warm.

A salty breeze wafts over them when they step off the broad gangway of the (safely-landed) ship and onto a plastic dingy boat that for whatever reason, is in their loot hull. The boat looks battered, but is claimed to be more reliable than their ship itself, and Sho is slightly inclined to believe Nagase’s far-fetched claim after the boat successfully survives the three trips it takes to ferry everyone over the shore.

Aiba cheerfully informs Jun and Sho that this is not their first time camping out on a planet covered in water, but certainly the first time they managed to pull Nino along. The reason becomes apparent when Nino fights his way off the boat as soon as he can, and proceeds to lay down limply underneath what appears to be a tree from the palm family (Sho is not a xeno-botany expert by any means), face pale with a tinge of green. He moans when Jun helpfully hands him a bottle of water to drink, but Sho’s attention is occupied by the sight of the expanse of ocean around them, glittering in shades of blue and green.

There are pictures of Old Earth – with towering skyscrapers and grey skies, bustling with people. There is something peaceful but lonely about the planet he sees now, not necessarily barren, as the lush vegetation around them indicates otherwise. He does not know the state of the ocean, but at the shore, the intertidal waters are clean. Sho wonders if he can borrow Nino’s tablet momentarily to take a picture of the scenery before they leave – something to carry with him always, and show his family when he returns—

Sho stops himself at that thought. Why does he think of them, even when Old Earth looks nothing like where he was born? No buildings, no artificial vegetation and urbanized agriculture. There is wind, unlike in the capital, where the air is stagnant, but purified artificially by phytobacteria-inoculated filters built into most architecture. Here, the air is clean enough that Sho can smell the salt of the ocean with every inhale he makes. Perhaps that is why Sho wishes to share it with them. His mother and sister would love spending an evening here.

A hand grabs his, diverting Sho’s attention to Jun’s relaxed smile. Jun is holding two stacked baskets beneath his arm, while the others are scuttling behind in the background, setting up the campsite with fallen palm leaves and foraged logs. “You wanted to go check the lake, right? We can pick up firewood and check the vegetation here for anything edible.”

“I did, but what if we encounter hostile wildlife in the forest? It’s about a two-kilometre trek inland from where we are positioned at, and that looks like dense vegetation all around.”

Jun helpfully pats his hip where a phaser is holstered at his belt. “Matsuoka leant me his phaser for the time-being. I promise my aim is above average and the chances of me accidentally shooting you is maybe 20%.” He teases, to which Sho responds with a dry stare. “I’m joking, Mr. Safety-is-everything. I have it set to stun anyway. No need to be killing for meat when Aiba has brought sufficient food for dinner. Come on. I want to be back before sun-down to help him with dinner. Perhaps Ohno would have finished netting up the giant tuna he has always dreamt of.”

“No one’s looking for clams?” Sho grumbles, as he lets himself be led deeper inside the island by the hand.

“If we get back early enough, you can go clam diving with Okada. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind watching your back while you look for your beloved molluscs.”

“More like he wouldn’t mind watching my ass.”

Jun smirks, heart-stoppingly beautiful against the greenery, and Sho’s small annoyance at the prospect of his ass being pinched underwater is forgotten. “You have a very nice ass, indeed. I can see why he likes it.”

“I don’t mind you touching my ass, Jun. Okada? He pinches.”

Clearly, they’re not far enough from the campsite and his voice carries quickly in the wind, for the next thing they know, the others burst out in boisterous laughter and Nino fake gags.

“And there goes our privacy.” Sho sighs.

***
Unsurprisingly, they find nothing pertaining to the treasure in the lake, or in its surroundings despite going around at least half of its circumference. It is an extremely large lake, beautiful and the still waters show a perfect reflection of the sky above them; but with daylight fading fast and legs tiring, Jun is the one to suggest for them to return, especially with their bountiful harvest of eels waiting for them at the lake’s edge, trapped in one of their baskets at the water surface where they turned. What was meant to be a basket for firewood quickly changed to the eels once Jun caught sight of them darting beneath the surface of the clean water, and Sho could hardly say no to seafood, or the look of excitement on Jun’s face at the prospect of grilled eel.

Nevertheless, Sho cannot help but feel a tiny bit disappointed at the absence of any oddity. A tiny part of him reasons that the treasure may just be hidden in the recesses of the other half of the lake they did not check, but rationally, Sho knows that searching in the literal and figurative dark is an almost impossible task. But even still, Jun’s words of reassurance stick with Sho and bats away the gloomy thoughts before they can ruin his mood.

Even still, as Sho watches Jun from the corner of his eye, eagerly trying to touch the thin eels with his bare fingers while expressing youthful delight, he can sympathize with treasure-hunters now, searching desperately for something – or someone. Be it from a material desire or a knowledge-thirsty one, anyone would want the feeling of satisfaction Sho currently has seeing Jun happy. The shrieks of laughter they trade as they try to carry the basket of jumping eels back to the beach is something Sho would like to keep in his memory forever, for any moment when he feels disillusioned and frustrated.

And he knows that he should treasure all the moments he has with Jun now, because Sho knows that he needs to return home. It is a decision he made alone last night, while Jun was asleep next to him. All the talk of existence and belonging remind Sho that as much as he belongs in this crew, he is only running away from his destiny, even if it is pre-planned and something he has no control of. The only product of the temporary desertion of his previous life is a barely-repressed yearning to speak to his parents and siblings once again, as well as an added craving to stay in a place he cannot – by Jun’s side, in the stars.

He cannot keep on lying to himself, although Sho loathes how much his decision will hurt both he and Jun. For that reason, he wants to cling to every waking moment he has with Jun, and even still in his sleep, if possible. Travelling from the Solar System back to the Tempestiana Galaxy will take over a fortnight at best, but Sho will have to take a shuttle back from a space-station or colony-planet that is somewhat far from Tokyo. He does not know how on-alert his parents will be of his return, but Sho does not want SS Skate to garner the attention of the Confederation because of him.

Perhaps three weeks. That will be the amount of time they have together till then.

There is a sense of peace however, as he stares at the stars above him, the soft sand scratching at the soles of his feet, and the lull of soft conversation above him washes over him. Even if he leaves, Jun will be in good hands, happier than he’s ever be. Sho supposes he should thank Kimura and Nakai for throwing Jun into his lap, and bringing them both on a ship full of mischievous but honourable ‘pirates’, if Sho can even call them that.

Above him, the stars twinkle as though beckoning him home, wherever ‘home’ is. The moon is absent tonight – a new moon – but that makes it only better to stargaze, the constellations familiar.

“Constellations?” Jun softly asks from next to him, sounding slightly sleepy despite the early time. The darkness makes it hard to stay awake, Sho understands, and after dinner, no less.

“Yep.”

There was alcohol with dinner as well, and it is obvious that Jun is unused to it, when he blatantly rests his head on Sho’s chest despite the others at a frighteningly close distance from them (frightening for Sho, that is). Jun’s long fingers rest on Sho’s shoulder, warm and ticklish.

“Teach me?” Jun’s breath smells like alcohol, but he does not sound too intoxicated, even if his actions prove otherwise.

Sho wordlessly raises a finger to the sky to trace a large triangle across the three brightest stars in the skies. “That is the Summer Triangle, the one drawn on the back of your right hand, made up of Deneb, Vega and Altair. It is not a constellation, but an asterism, a smaller constellation of sorts. If you’ve ever heard of the myth of the star-crossed lovers, then you may recognize that Vega and Altair as the two lovers, separated by the Milky Way. It’s hard to see the Milky Way, even as dark as it is here but—”

“I see it.” Jun murmurs, raising his hand to gesture a streak in the sky where Sho only sees darkness, with just the barest glow of a band across the sky, too early in the Old Earthern year to be at its brightest. Sho cannot help but pause at Jun’s claim, but his eyes are focused, so whatever Jun is seeing cannot be a result of drunkenness. Perhaps there is something about Jun that makes him inherently connected to the stars. “It’s beautiful. The river of stars separating Orihime and Hikoboshi…”

Sho grabs Jun’s hand in his to direct them to the two specific stars. “Vega, and Altair, respectively. Deneb is part of Cygnus, Vega in Lyra, and Altair in Aquila.” He guides Jun’s finger to trace the shapes. The marks on Jun’s face, on his back, behind his ear.

“There is Delphinus, the cluster of five stars above Aquila next to Sagitta…” Sho continues quietly, realizes that everyone else has gone silent next to them, keenly listening in as well, eyes tracked onto the night sky. This is not a scene one would see often, especially as pirates, having to always be in space and rarely stepping onto a planet.

Today they have a special chance to watch the stars from their oldest ‘home’.


***
In the end, it isn’t Sho who brings up the topic to Jun, but rather Jun himself who confronts Sho one morning before they part ways for their daily duties. The question catches Sho off-guard, a sickening feeling settling in his stomach at Jun’s quiet tone, but he hears no distress or anger when Jun asks, “Don’t you think that it’s time for you to go home?”

Sho does not know how to respond, a foot already halfway out the door as Jun looks at him expectantly with a small, fond smile. Sho retreats back into the room, and manages to stammer out a reply. “What are you talking about?”

“I know – and this talk of origins and where we come from, had me thinking – remembering – that you have a family waiting for you at home.”

“But I have you now.” He swallows hard at his feeble excuse, unsure if this is his last-ditch effort to convince himself to stay. “I just found you. And the crew and my navigat—"

“I know.” Jun clears the distance between them, and locks the cabin door through the control panel as he passes it. When he steps in range, Sho instantly reaches out to grab Jun by his waist, pulling him tight as he seeks for Jun’s lips. Jun only grants several precious seconds of reprieve, before forcing them to part by turning his head slightly to the side.

“I’ve been entirely selfish, keeping you here, holding you back when there’s something even more important waiting for you.”

For this, Sho can disprove, but knows that he cannot win. “Nothing is more important than you are, Jun.”

Jun’s eyes are suspiciously bright, but he speaks with great maturation and confidence when he rests a hand on Sho’s chest, and nuzzles Sho’s cheek with his nose. “As you are to me. But you can’t keep on –”

Sho completes the sentence for him. “—running.”

“The past can and will haunt you, Sho. I don’t want you to wake up one day and realize what you have left behind. You will never forgive yourself.”

Jun knows him too well, unfortunately. “I just found you.”

“If the stars would let us have it, Sho – and they will, because I demand it to be so – we will find each other again, I’m sure.” There is that insolence again, teasing and light-heartedly humorous despite the morose topic.

Sho’s arms tighten from around Jun’s waist, and he confesses, “I want to protect you.”

“You have your people to protect. I have mine. When we meet again, I swear I’ll be more capable of taking care of myself.” Jun has grown in the short timespan he has been with Sho, and that is something Sho both despises and is proud of. The former emotion because he knows Jun’s growth allows to make the brave decision to push Sho away, and the latter emotion because it gives Sho the courage to leave.

If Jun begged for him to stay instead, Sho would have, without a moment’s hesitation.

“I’ll send you transmissions. I’ll bribe Nino to make sure that he relates them to you.”

Jun chuckles close to Sho’s ear, and hums, sounding confident and expectant as he says, “And I’ll send you holo-cards.”

“And if you’re near the system, you’ll tell me?” Sho presses, hoping he doesn’t sound as desperate as he feels, even though he hasn’t even informed Joshima of his decision yet.

“So, the Crown Prince can elope for a week? Fine by me. Makes me sound like a forbidden princess in a faraway galaxy.”

Jun’s snark is just another thing Sho will miss, amongst other things. Sho has to force a smile, but he feels it wavering as soon as he manages to do so, eyes hot. When he blinks, Jun stops the trail of wetness with his lips, comforting and tender as he reaches up to stroke Sho’s cheek. “Stop looking as though this is goodbye. We’ll see each other again soon, Sho.”

“You should awfully confident.”

Jun smiles, and there is a new expression Sho hasn’t seen before – secretive, as though he holds a truth unknown to Sho. “Have some faith in me, Sho. Do you trust me?”

Sho does.

“Then we’ll see each other again.”

***
Sho hasn’t experienced a lot of goodbyes in his lifetime. A lot of them consist of relatives passing away, or friends moving to different planets after high school and university, but whatever the situation, Sho does not like goodbyes.

When the day comes, however, officially saying goodbye to SS Skate’s crew and Jun hurts a lot less than Sho expected.

In the remaining weeks it takes to travel to a coordinate close enough to Tokyo, Sho tries to pass on as much navigation knowledge he can to Jun, so that the ship will not be left without a navigator once Sho departs. To Jun’s credit, he works equally hard as well, not wanting to disappoint Sho, and by the end of the three weeks he is a passable navigator. With the data resources they have at hand and Joshima with his own experience at navigating, the ship will be alright without Sho, to Sho’s relief.

They drop him off the Shimoda Space-station, a terminal for many shuttles that go to everywhere, including, of course, Tokyo. They spend an additional night docked at the station to hold a small farewell party for Sho, (and by small, Sho means that there is a lot of alcohol involved and ass-pinching, again, this time by everyone,) and his last evening is spent exploring Jun’s body, studying what makes Jun produce the softest of sounds and loudest of moans, and imprinting the knowledge to his mind, and memorizing the sight until they will meet once again.

When he reaches Tokyo however, Sho admits that there is something familiar and relieving at the sight of the bustling metropolis, even if the air will never smell as fresh as the one he breathed in Old Earth. He only carries with him a data-chip with their findings of Old Earth, as well as a single change of clothes, his notebook, and the keys to his home, of course. After all, he has enough clothes here, and if he plans to return to the ship once in a blue moon, it will help to have some change of clothing.

One day, he will bring Jun to Tokyo too. Just not yet. Until that day, Sho is glad to be able to finally see his family again, and perhaps shift more of his attention towards Old Earth, given how long its been since man abandoned the planet. Maybe one day, they can send a proper expedition there to fully investigate the planet – perhaps even discover if the treasure truly exists. The task to relay this information to the relevant authorities and public will be Sho’s.

Confusion rises in his chest when he unlocks the door to his apartment, only to notice a pair of low heels that can only be his sister’s. There is the soft sound of rustling boxes and plastic, and Sho peeks in, only to be stunned by the sight of his sister packing his belongings into boxes.

Has he been gone for that long? He has only been off the radar for two months – since he was captured. His certain his family knew of his location before that happened.

Sho must have made a confused sound, for Mai suddenly freezes where she is removing one of his numerous books from his shelves and realizes his presence. She pales even further at the sight of him, and Sho is suddenly worried when he notices the dark circles beneath her eyes, as though she has not had a good rest in a while.

Her voice is faint when she calls his name. “…Sho?”

“Mai. I’m home.”

“Is that really you?”

Sho wonders if she is going to faint from her pallor, and quickly drops his bag to the ground to pull her to the nearest chair. He blinks in confusion at the sight of half of his belongings – at least those on the display shelves and the cutlery – neatly packed in boxes, boxes stacked neatly on his apartment floor.

“Why do you look as though you’ve seen a ghost? And why is half of my stuff in boxes?”

Mai’s eyes are wide with disbelief as she reaches for his cheek hesitantly, as though unsure if it is truly Sho, she is seeing.

“You’re supposed to be dead.”

***
Sho is allowed no time to breathe or miss being up in space during the first few weeks of his return.

He is swept up with the having to meet his parents and the press and explain how no, he isn’t dead, he wasn’t shot anywhere life-threatening, yes he was kidnapped, he does not know his original captors, but he was rescued by a friendly exploration ship which brought him home. Half of what he says are lies, but it is for everyone’s benefit. There is no reason for Sho to have to incite war between Kitagawa’s organization and the Confederation. Goodness knows that wouldn’t end well.

And then there is the matter of having to figure out how the rumour of his death went out of hand, and where it came from in the first place. According to his sister, things were alright (and his parents did know he was hiding in Gunma) until he was kidnapped – after which, one rumour led to the next until his absence could no longer be pushed off as a simple leave of absence. When information was leaked that Sho was shot, and there was no subsequent information afterwards, they had to assume to worst.

Which led to Sho’s sudden status of dead and his sister’s ascension to Crown Princess instead. Even with his ‘lively’ return, they cannot undo what has already been done, making him the ‘dead-but-now-alive, not-the-Crown Prince’ Sakurai Sho.

Well, his sister has always been better at politics, compared to Sho. His family is too grateful for his return to be upset about the situation. And Sho? He is no longer officially duty-bound to stay in Tokyo to take over the throne when the time comes. Sho should be rejoicing at this and rejoicing all the things he can finally do with his newfound freedom, yet for those first few weeks, Sho cannot find even a sliver of time to check for any messages from the crew.

Finally, after over a fortnight of tense affairs, he can breathe in his lonely, cold apartment, furniture once again in their rightful positions, and Sho is able to switch on his desktop computer to check for new messages. And he laughs at the single message received from the crew:

Aiba was wondering if we should set up a memorial shrine for you, Mr Undead Prince. Would you prefer offerings of omurice, clams, or a naked Jun at your altar? Pick carefully.

For a single moment, Sho freezes, and wonders if the rumours of him getting shot emerged from the ship itself. After all, the event happened on board, meaning that no one would have suspected that a bullet killed him, unless…

Sho opens the single attachment to the transmission, and snorts at the picture of an antique, expensive, handheld gaming console from the 21st century, and the message printed at the bottom – ‘I’d like this to be functioning – NK ’.

He nearly laughs himself into tears, but manages a quick reply before he actually cries in sheer relief at how perfectly the events have panned out to give him what he wants, and to give him Jun, maybe not now, but eventually.

‘Save the omurice and the clams for when I get back on the ship. No putting naked Jun at my altar – he’ll trounce all of you with his phaser, you know that.

(I’ll do my best. Thank you.)’

***
Several months later…

It feels nostalgic and welcoming when Sho walks onto the deck of SS Skate. No, Sho corrects himself, it is SS Tokio-Storm now; the crew decided on a change in name shortly after Sho departed. From what he understood from his exchange of transmissions with the crew, there was a strong desire to change the name of the ship after the change in leadership – a desire to replace a name associated with brutality and unforgiveness with something different.

Slung around his shoulder is a large bag loaded with his most important belongings, as well as his clothes. His notebook is in there too, of course, although this time, he carries with him his own tablet, as well as gifts for the crew: Alcohol, spices (that Aiba requested), a proper fishing lure, as well as an antique gaming console (no surprise whom that one is for). The former two he has already dropped off on his way to the deck, but the bulkiest of gifts is carried in his arms, box wrapped in unassuming brown paper. This gift is a surprise.

It may have only been a few months, but Sho greatly misses being in the stars. The last few months, Sho has been churning out reports to submit to scientific journals regarding Old Earth, and it is only just prior to his departure did he receive the notification that the reports will be published in an establish paleo-astronomy journal in a month’s time. Five copies will be sent to him as the author, but they will not be received by Sho, of course – his family will receive them in his stead.

His plans to leave were not taken too well by his parents, but after a promise to communicate regularly with them (“And bring home that person who is so important to you, Sho-chan. Don’t pretend that person does not exist. We know.”) and return home once in a while, Sho receives their approval to leave, under the pretence of a long-term exploratory mission. His first (and only order) is to revisit Old Earth, but Sho is certain that convincing SS Tokio-Storm to do so will not be difficult.

It is almost like coming home, walking into a ship that once endangered Sho’s life, but also brought him thrill, kinship and love. This is where he discovered himself, and came to terms with his fate, a fate Sho never thought would lead him back here. This is where he fell in love with the stars.

The hallway is oddly devoid of crew members, but Sho has an inkling that they will be at the deck. Sho needs to speak to the Captain to get permission to work on the ship, after all, although, of course, there is one person Sho wishes to see the most.

The door to the deck slides open, and Sho barely steps into the room before a flurry of red confetti pops over his head, accompanied by a large bang that nearly causes Sho to jump.

“SURPRISE!”

The greeting is loud, but it is only Aiba who is on his feet, the used party-pop in his hand. Sho hasn’t seen one of those in ages, but he has no plans to find out how Aiba acquired it (or made it). Sho’s eyes automatically scan the deck – and it is a full-house, today – to lock onto the lithe figure leaning against the navigator table.

Perhaps lithe is not an accurate word to describe Jun. Matsuoka and Nagase have been continuing with the combat lessons, it seems, and Sho appreciates the apparent results.

Jun has paled to a healthy ivory, likely a result of all his space explorations with the crew, but his dark-caramel brown eyes are sparkling as he grins at Sho, hair cut short and styled into a side sweep that lends Jun more glamour, and more charm. His limber form is accentuated in the manner Jun is standing, but Sho cannot help but rake his eyes across Jun’s body, admiring his now-broadened shoulders, which is only further highlighted by his narrow hips.

Sho definitely likes what he sees. And judging by the manner Jun is looking at him, Jun probably reciprocates as well. The time Sho took to work out while he was at home (and extremely free) clearly paid off, although admittedly, Sho was aiming to prepare himself for voyage. After all, it will be helpful for him to be in good shape if he is going to join a ‘pirate’ crew.

Nevertheless, his heart races at Jun’s proximity after so much waiting.

Aware that the rest of the crew is still very much staring at him and waiting for a response, Sho deposits his belongings on the ground next to him, and grins, lifting a hand in greeting. “Hey. It’s been a while.”

And he is suddenly swarmed by the most exuberant of the crew (that said, everyone except Joshima, Taichi, Jun and Nino), leaving him breathless for air in the tight hug of his second family. (Accompanied by the fond, but painful ass squeeze that can only be from Okada.)

Taichi thankfully sweeps in to save the day, breaking up the crowd to allow Sho some air, as well as to pat him on the shoulder. “Alright, alright. Break it up guys. He isn’t even officially on the crew roster yet.”

“He’s the navigator we want, isn’t he?” “Of course he is, best navigator this ship has had.”

“Oi. Don’t say that when I’m in the room.”

Sho freezes when Jun remarks loudly, tone irritated by holding no heat whatsoever. Sho’s eyes widen in pleasant surprise. (Although he admits that the surprise is slightly feigned, because of course Jun is navigator now, Sho thinks proudly.) “You’re the navigator now?”

Jun shrugs carelessly and straightens before walking over to Sho. He does not touch Sho, however, Jun stops several feet away from him, and Sho finds it difficult to stop himself from reaching out to touch Jun.

“Sometimes. I swap with Joshima, but I’m under artillery, since Ohno’s Helmsman now.” Jun shoots Sho a crooked grin. “Not quite as good as navigating as you are, but we’ve been short of a navigator for a while.”

“I think I can be of help…” Sho tilts his head slightly to nod towards Joshima, at the back. “If you’ll have me aboard your ship, Captain.”

Joshima grins and gives him a thumbs-up. The rest of the crew explodes into loud cheers, but that isn’t what is important to Sho. The only thing he can focus on is Jun’s warmth pressing against his side, and a hand reaching out to grab Sho’s hand tightly. There are catcalls that join in the cheering at the action, but the two of them aren’t bothered by it, even though they restrain themselves enough to not kiss in front of the others.

“I’ll let Jun help you settle in, then.” Joshima adds, and waves his hand to gather the attention of the crew, “The rest of you, we still have another day of shore leave in this space station before we’re departing tomorrow morning, so go do what you want, just don’t set fire to my ship.”

Sho does not manage to hear the others’ response; Jun pulls him out of the deck faster than Nino can make a suggestive remark.

***

Sho is unsurprised to find himself being pulled into his former room – or rather, their former room. Clearly, Jun has not moved out since Sho’s departure, but there are more travel mementos decorating the room, little items obtained from the months of travelling with the rest of the crew. A new shelf has been installed onto the wall, and Sho wonders humorously, how easy it was for Jun to sweet talk Nagase to help him with it. There is a thin stack of holo-cards on the desk, waiting for Sho to add his own considerable stack to the mix.

This is exactly like coming home. Sho doesn’t know exactly when he fell in love with Jun, but being here with him now, Sho feels happiness and love swelling in his chest, his stomach fluttering in a way that is not unwelcome. Sho drops his bag at the entrance, and feigns disinterest to tease Jun. “So, I’m going to be rooming with you again, I see.”

“As if you have any complaints about that.” Jun rolls his eyes, and clears the short distance to his (their) bed, curling on the sheets to peer at Sho with his large eyes, irises dark in the dim room. The sight is nostalgic and tempting after months of being apart, and Sho is suddenly impatient to join Jun in bed. After all, that is his treasure waiting for him and beckoning him closer.

Jun looks especially beautiful in the starlight, a body and a mind that has matured greatly in the short time Sho has been absent. Sho finds Jun’s somewhat shy personality endearing, but his new confidence, while not unfamiliar to Sho, is especially appealing – Sho has no doubt that Jun can hold his own now, a young man who has found his place amongst a group of robin-hood-esque misfits, sailing the stars.

“I don’t know, maybe I prefer a room-mate who doesn’t hog the blankets.” Sho deadpans as he places his belongings on the desk and laughs when Jun flings a pillow at his chest, aim dead-accurate and hard.

“Says the one who makes noises in his sleep.”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t miss my company these past two months.” Sho cheerfully refutes as he throws the pillow back to Jun.

Jun does not respond to jibes, instead he rolls his eyes and lifts his finger to gesture a ‘come hither’ towards Sho, “Are we really going to keep up this charade?” Jun cocks his head, and sits up, looking beseechingly at him with those eyes he knows Sho cannot deny. “Come here already, I missed you.”

Sho sees no point in resisting, but before things get too heated up, Sho wants Jun to open his present. He hands it over with an eager smile, and gestures for the confused man to open it. “I want you to see what I got you.”

“You didn’t have to get me a present.” Jun comments, but his face is alight with happiness when he slowly peels off the tape and paper to reveal a navy-coloured gift box, the words ‘Home Projector’ embossed in gold. Jun’s eyebrows pinch together as he fishes out a foot-tall planetarium projector, black and shiny at its sides and with a glass lens covering its entire top surface, as well as an inconspicuous series of adjustable switches and buttons at the bottom. There are instructions included at the bottom of the box, but Sho eagerly reaches under it to switch it on, already familiar with the projector.

Jun goes silent as a sky full of stars is projected above them. At first glance, the sky looks like it is unmoving, but if they stare long enough, Sho knows that it is slowly moving to imitate the rotation of Old Earth, shifting the projected stars from a summer night sky to a winter one. He found it while searching for Nino’s console, a home planetarium, with options ranging from the stars in Tokyo to the major cities on colony planets. It did not take too much difficulty for Sho to request a custom order for Old Earth, set to the proper rotational speed.

Yet, Jun has not spoken a single word as he bends his head back to gaze at the starlit ceiling, and Sho is suddenly worried that Jun may not like it.

“You know, if you wanted me see the stars, we do have a porthole next to our bed.” Jun comments faintly, and Sho shuffles nervously.

“It’s the sky of Old Earth. I wanted to give you a piece of hom—”

He does not finish his sentence, as Jun suddenly launches himself forward to wrap an arm around Sho’s neck and kiss him, his other hand still holding the projector in his lap. The kiss is unexpected, but Sho sinks into nonetheless, parting his lips slightly to tease at Jun’s bottom lip with his tongue in a silent request that Jun does not give into. Instead, Jun turns his head to nuzzle affectionately against Sho’s cheek, and murmurs, “I know. I recognize the constellations. Thank you, thank you so much. I love it.”

Jun allows Sho to take the projector from his hand and rest it on the dresser – a few quick adjustments corrects the angle of the projection to reflect perfectly on the ceiling above the bed. This time, when Sho leans in closer for a kiss, he sighs in satisfaction at Jun’s submission, Jun cupping his cheek to pull him forward impatiently, lips parting in an open invitation.

Impatient, Sho easily sinks into the kiss, Jun’s warm lips igniting Sho’s arousal, the softness tempting him to take more, demand more, from Jun. His hands automatically trail upwards to slip beneath Jun’s shirt, the skin hot under his palm as Jun arches against his touch.

A soft moan escapes Jun, and the sound spurs Sho to force Jun backwards with his body. When Jun’s back meets the mattress and Sho is looming over him, Jun’s legs wrap around Sho’s waist automatically in an arousing show of flexibility. Sho barely registers Jun’s demanding tug at his shirt, but when Jun bites into his bottom lip, he gives in, stripping away his shirt and doing the same to Jun.

He does not give Jun enough time to demand anything – as soon as Jun’s body is bare to him, Sho bends down to suck at his nipples, deliberately fingering the neglected one. He remembers that Jun has moles on both nipples, and how much he had wanted to map all of Jun’s moles. Now he has that opportunity, and he will take advantage of it; the raspy moans of Sho’s name telling Sho that Jun is enjoying the attention anyway.

Unfortunately, Sho underestimates Jun’s capacity to think. One moment, Jun is tugging at his hair strands demandingly and bucking his hips upwards to grind their erections together, and the next, he has a leg wound around Sho’s thigh, and tips over Sho’s body to flip their positions.

Grunting in surprise, Sho can only stare in lustful surprise. Jun has become that strong… The thought only fuels Sho’s arousal, especially when coupled with Jun’s mischievous expression, playful eyes glinting challengingly at Sho.

What does he intend to do now? Sho could probably restore their previous position, but there is no fun in that.

Jun grins, licking his lips in way a predator may view his prey, and Sho wonders if he will regret his decision. Lying in the supine position obediently, Sho allows Jun to grab both of his wrists and pin them above Sho’s head loosely, eyes tracing the way Jun’s torso flexes nicely above his head.

“Keep your hands above your head,” Jun orders playfully, but Sho does not miss the taunt in his voice. “If you touch me, I’ll stop.”

Fuck. Sho throws his head back with a groan. His hands instantly search for a displaced pillow, pulling it near his head and gripping it tightly. He hopes Jun will not tease, though he is quite certain Jun will. His erection strains again his briefs and pants at the thought – this Jun, confident and dominant – will be the death of him.

Sho is even more certain of that thought when Jun proceeds to unzip Sho’s pants with his teeth, hot, damp breath blowing unbearably close to the prominent bulge of Sho’s trapped erection, aching to be let out. He is unable to repress the broken groan that escapes him, but only when Jun is pulling Sho’s pants off his legs does Sho remember faintly that the walls have ears.

“J-Jun, wait. The microphones.” He rasps as Jun pulls away his trousers to leave him in his briefs. Propping his head up to watch Jun trail kisses up Sho’s toned calf, Jun appears unbothered by Sho’s reminder.

“Don’t worry. I bribed Nino to remove them before you got on. I watched him pull one out from behind the desk myself.”

Sho swallows thickly, not cognitively focused as Jun proceeds to crawl above his body, thighs resting adjacent to Sho’s legs, long fingers barely touching the skin of Sho’s legs. “Wh-How do you know if that was the only one that was in the room?”

“I don’t. But I told him that unless he wants to hear us going at it like rabbits for the next two days while the others are on shore leave, he should not eavesdrop. Besides, what’s a little exhibitionism?” Jun ends the last statement in a purr, eyes hooded as he presses his hands – fingers splayed – on Sho’s bare thigh, and slides it up north to stroke the sensitive skin of his inner thigh. His fingers go unnecessarily close to where Sho’s arousal is straining for attention, a dark spot growing more prominent at Jun’s lustful words.

Sho does not say anything, eyes locked onto Jun’s face, but his fingers tighten around the pillow, bracing himself for what Jun intends to do to him.

“You’re so tense.”

“I wonder why?” Sho mutters darkly. His followings words are quickly replaced by a rough grunt when Jun teasingly thumbs the covered slit, nail scratching the fabric and sending sharp jolts of pleasure through Sho’s groin. “Jun— fuck, just…”

“Yes? Just what?”

Sho vows to wipe that smugness of Jun’s face at the end of the night. But for now, he will let Jun have his way – as long as he doesn’t tease. Unfortunately, Jun clearly does not share the same thought, and deliberately pulls down his boxer briefs with painful slowness.

“When did you become so impertinent?” Sho rasps, eyes tracking the unhurried motion, his hardened arousal springing free, reddened, and the glans shiny with leaking precome. He swallows thickly when he notices the predatorial look on Jun’s face. His usually light-coloured irises are nearly unnoticeable, pupils dilated with hunger as Jun licks his lips in a manner that has Sho clenching his fists. He does not know how long he can last with Jun just looking like that, moreover when Jun begins to tease.

Even with Jun’s lustful gaze, his voice is steady when he replies, “It’s only because you spoil me.”

“Everyone spoils you, Jun.” Sho groans, and his leg twitches when Jun leans forward to blow at the moist tip. Why is this man so keen on teasing him, Sho does not understand. While it is hot and extremely arousing to watch, Sho’s patience is already in tatters, and Sho hates the idea of coming too early. “I swear to God, Jun. Don’t tease. I won’t be able to last if you do.”

Unfortunately, Jun chooses to ignore his warnings, and Sho swallows a loud curse when the elegant fingers wrap around the base of his cock to squeeze lightly, and Jun’s hot mouth descends to suck at the tip. Fuck. Sho yearns to bury his fingers in Jun’s hair and force Jun to go deeper, to sink into the maddening heat that is Jun’s mouth. But all he can truly do is groan a strangled version of Jun’s name and arch his hips into the tempting orifice, eyes fixing themselves onto the starlit ceiling and teeth biting onto his bottom lip to silence the choked groan. He is aware of the innocuous manner Jun is looking up at him, with his lips stretched obscenely around Sho’s erection, and Sho does not know if he should look or not.

Sho knows what Jun is trying to pull out of him, but Sho has no intentions of begging. No, the only one who will be begging tonight is Jun, whether the man knows it or not. Jun may believe he has the upper hand in this situation, but Sho is not blind – he sees the way Jun’s cheeks are pink with arousal, and how his breaths hitch when he retracts from Sho with a hoarse chuckle, lips shiny with saliva and precome.

And Jun is still in his trousers.

Surging forward, Sho abandons the idea of going along with Jun’s roleplay, a hand burying itself in Jun’s soft hair, and the other winding around Jun’s waist to splay at Jun’s hot back. Their lips meet mid-way, but Sho pulls Jun onto his lap, sitting up to nibble harshly at Jun’s moist lips – it tastes of salt and musk – while impatiently unbuttoning the god-forsaken pants.

Jun lets out a sound of indignance at Sho’s sudden change in plans, but it does not last long. As soon as Sho manages to do so, he slips his hand into Jun’s underwear and palms at the hot erection, relishing the sudden open-mouthed moan against his own. Much, much better, Sho thinks to himself, and quickly takes advantage of Jun’s relaxed form to flip him into their original position, this time, with Sho between his legs.

“N-not fair.” Jun groans, but let’s Sho pull off the last of his attire anyway. Jun’s quick submission makes Sho grin – if Jun doesn’t want it to go like this, the man is fully capable of reasserting his strength. Yet, Jun lies limply on the bed when Sho parts his legs even further (flexible, Sho purrs), even going so far as to reach out for Sho’s nape, demanding a kiss. “You’re not playing fair.”

“You say this, yet you lie so obediently for me, Jun.” Sho refutes with a rough chuckle, and pauses to gaze at Jun’s face, fingers grazing the soft hair at his temple, then trailing to where Sho knows a mole is hidden behind his left ear. “I missed you.”

“Did you, really?”

“Really. I really missed you.” Sho proclaims softly, and lets his lips graze over Jun’s left eye, then the right. “Tokyo is full of people, but I felt lonely every night. I missed your warmth,” Sho slips down to kiss the mole above Jun’s lip, “Your kind company,” he trails downward to gnaw lightly at Jun’s Adam’s apple, “And waking up to your beautiful smile every morning.”

“You know I never smile in the morning, Sho.” Jun answers roughly, and lets out a quiet groan of pleasure when Sho licks circles around his left nipple, then sucking at it ravenously as Jun sinks his hands into Sho’s hair. A sharp keening sound leaves Jun, back arching reflexively into Sho’s ministration.

Sho does not pause to agree with Jun; instead, he continues with his voracious appreciation of Jun’s body, and raises a hand to pinch at the other, neglected nipple.

“Sho—”

“’missed your marks, Jun.” Sho mumbles against Jun’s chest, and appreciatively runs his fingers down the dip between Jun’s pectorals.

Jun has changed significantly in the time Sho has been away, but Sho loves the change – loves how confident Jun has become, physically and mentally, as Jun arches his body in a way that can only be to seduce Sho to hurry up. But no matter how broad he becomes, the positions of Jun’s moles cannot be changed, and Sho loves that.

It’s permanently there, a part of Jun.

“I’m going to guess that you have the lube and condoms stashed somewhere near the bed?” Sho rumbles as he ghosts a finger at Jun’s opening, shivering at the swell of lust that partly blinds him when he feels the way the sphincter muscles clench and relax at his soft prodding. His arousal is stoked when Jun nods feverishly, fingers pushing at Sho’s shoulders to be freed momentarily.

He stifles a laugh when Jun retrieves the tube of lubricant from beneath a pillow, and tosses him a strip of condoms. Jun looks slightly embarrassed, but Sho cannot help himself, and asks amusedly, “So many, Jun? I doubt we’ll manage to use more than one tonight. Maybe two.”

“Shut up and put it on.” Jun grouses, but Sho does not, suddenly distracted by the way Jun leans against the headboard and parts his legs wide, knees bent to reveal the puckered entrance. Sho’s eyes are wide when Jun spreads the lube on his own fingers, and brings them down to his entrance.

Jun knows exactly what he is doing to Sho. Sho know this - Jun’s half-hooded eyes are fixed onto him when he lets the first finger sink slowly into his body, head tilting back to reveal his long neck as he moans, audible and hedonistic for Sho, and only Sho to hear.

Who is – or rather, what is – this ethereal creature, Sho has to ask himself; is this really the same Jun, Sho left behind, because Sho is certain this man is out to kill Sho with how hard he is making Sho.

The soft moan turns into another, then becomes a soft string of mewls and quiet groans as Jun raises his hips slightly, inserting another finger without hesitance. Jun only bites his bottom lip at the added stretch, but his eyes are still watching Sho, beckoning him to come closer.

Sho hurries to slip on the condom, cock already aching to sink into Jun’s warm body. However, when he crawls next to Jun, he is not satisfied in simply watching Jun thrust his fingers into himself and scissoring them. Sho wants to be the one to draw the lovely sounds from Jun’s throat, exploring him and extracting every little response from Jun’s gorgeous body.

Jun wordlessly hands him the lube and raises a leg to give Sho access. Swallowing hard, Sho slicks his fingers and hooks the outstretched leg on his elbow. He presses his lips against Jun’s, the kiss dirty and hard as he sinks a single finger in alongside Jun’s.

Fuck. Sho sucks in a breath, and swallows Jun’s choked moan of pleasure. Jun is so hot and tight around their fingers, the muscles fluttering as Jun begins to buck his hips against the digits.

The sight is beautiful, arousing, and maddening, one Sho wishes to etch onto his memory.

He could probably stare at Jun all night long, but Jun will not allow him to do so – Jun huffs loudly at Sho’s distracted state, and growls impatiently. “Are you going to fuck me or not?”

Sho’s nod must have been too slow, sluggish, for Jun pulls their fingers out and straddles Sho’s hips faster than Sho can truly process the motion, Jun pushing him down onto his back. Jun’s body is a bright pink now, glinting with just the barest amount of sweat slicking his skin, breath uneven as he spreads the remaining lube on Sho’s cock.

And sinks.

“Fu—Fuck, Jun.” Sho grits out, focus snapping to the sensation of his cock entering Jun’s tight channel, hot and constricting around his arousal, hugging every dip and ridge of his cock. Sho’s fingers automatically fly to Jun’s hips, tightening until his nails are digging into the unblemished skin, but Jun doesn’t seem to mind. “You feel so good around me.”

The strangled sound Jun makes is his only reply, hands reaching behind his body to grip Sho’s thighs for balance. There is nothing Sho wishes for more than to ram into Jun’s body and into his clenching heat, but Sho restrains himself, unwilling to hurt Jun more than necessary. Jun does not share the same opinion, however, and descends in a single, slow and smooth motion. Only when he sinks down to the hilt does Jun gasp, body shaking in fine tremors as he bends over Sho, skin flushed and glistening, eyes squeezed shut.

Sho can barely pull his gaze away from Jun’s body. Even when he does, his eye catches sight of the projected night sky above him, and it only reminds him of Jun once again. How is it possible for Sho to not be consumed by Jun, really – everything he sees reminds him of Jun, and in moments like these, the universe around them shrinks into nothing but their connected bodies.

Their moans echo each other when Jun begins a slow rhythm of rising and sinking, while Sho kneads slow circles into the soft flesh of his hips, occasionally sliding further down to squeeze appreciatively at the round globes of Jun’s ass. It is only when Jun begins to falter, chest heaving with stuttered breathing that Sho sits up, and rams up into Jun, smirking at the cry of Sho’s name it pulls from Jun’s lips.

Around them, the sounds of skin slapping with every rapid rise and fall of Jun’s and Sho’s hips in antagonistic motions send Sho’s control careening into madness and desire. Yet Sho can easily remember the locations of the moles hiding behind Jun’s ear and on his neck, mouth blindly finding them and biting hard. When Jun’s fingers dig into his back, Sho returns the favour by doing the same to Jun’s hips, harshly whispering soft praise into Jun’s salty skin. When he exhales, the hot air sends shivers down Jun’s undulating body, and Sho feels it.

He senses even the most minute reactions his touch and motions draw out of Jun, and the thought makes him even more determined to make Jun fall into pieces around him.

Sensitive.

Bending his knees, the adjusted angle has Jun suddenly stiffening with an unrepressed shout, body shaking as though caught in a hedonistic seizure, Sho’s cock embedded deep within him and pressing the right spot, or rather, the perfect spot. Jun seems to struggle to wrap his mind around the sensation – recalling it – but Sho doesn’t want to let him process it.

Sho is impatient, and he wants Jun to forget everything except Sho and Sho’s body, giving him pleasure and playing Jun like a well-tuned instrument. With that thought in mind, Sho grunts and tips Jun onto his back, not leaving him a moment to rest as Sho picks up the pace.

“Sho—Sho, pl-please.” Jun gasps, not clear with what exactly he is begging for, but Sho figures from the manner Jun’s limber legs wrap around his hips and tightens to pull him closer, that it is a demand for more. And Sho will give. He thrusts even harder, faster, sweat dripping from the stray strands of his hair as Jun arches his neck and whines incomprehensibly beneath him.

Sho knows when Jun’s climax is close – the tell-tales signs are there. Jun begins to claw at Sho’s chest, and his eyes are tightly shut, teeth biting his bottom teeth so hard Sho wonders if he will bleed. Not to mention, there is the fluttering and tightening of Jun around Sho, making it even harder for Sho to stop himself from coming. But not yet, not until Jun does.

When Sho leans down to kiss Jun, Jun desperately pulls him closer, arm hooking onto Sho’s nape to pant loudly in his ear, and it is suddenly too much for Sho.

Reaching between them to grip at Jun’s swollen erection, Sho just manages to muffle the shout of ecstasy from Jun’s mouth as the man comes between him without any additional simulation. Jun’s body arches toward Sho as though desperate for their union – as if they can be more closely connected. The sensation of Jun clenching tightly around Sho is what pulls him into his own orgasm, body stiffening as he clutches onto Jun, and comes.

Their bodies are warm and sticky between them when they come down from their high, breaths short as they try to catch it. However, when Sho’s eyes meet Jun’s, his face is aglow with affection and love, only made dull by hazy, exhausted pleasure. He continues to latch on to Sho even as Sho tries to free himself to clean them up, but Jun doesn’t seem concerned by the mess.

“Jun, you’ll have to let me go eventually.” Sho comments exasperatedly, his voice unexpectedly rough. Jun shakes his head petulantly and pulls Sho closer by the nape.

Warmth sweeps over Sho when Jun presses his moist lips against Sho’s damp neck, but it is not a lustful heat. It is warm, a feeling of coming home, and Sho compromises with Jun’s unwillingness to move by resting on his side and letting Jun cuddle against his chest while he one-handedly – and clumsily, removes the condom and dumps it in the bin beneath the bedside drawer. They can deal with that (and the dry mess that will be Jun’s body) in the morning, or whatever time they wake up.

For now, Sho presses his lips to Jun’s hair, and casts his eyes to the ceiling above them. His finger caresses Jun’s back absentmindedly, but Sho knows that he is tracing recognizable patterns into the cooling skin.

“That’s ticklish, you know.” Jun mumbles sleepily, and shifts closer to Sho, instead of away from Sho’s trailing fingers. “Stop drawing constellations on my back. I want to sleep.

“You’ve never complained before.” Sho replies simply, but stops, and lets his palm rest on Jun’s skin instead. “You never complained when I read you.”

“You don’t need to read me anymore. You have that to refer to.” Jun lazily gestures to the ceiling, and shoots Sho a heatless stare, though his eyes are already half-closed. Sho cannot help but smile goofily at the domesticity of the situation, and sighs in contentment when he remembers that this will be his life now. When he looks out into space, more stars twinkle at him in the dark vacuum, inviting him to explore the fringes of space with this motley crew and Jun. These are the two lovers in Sho’s life: Jun, and the stars.

Sho can’t imagine a life without either, although the former might object to having to compete with giant, gaseous balls.

Sho laughs quietly at the thought, but hushes Jun’s sleepy, questioning hum.

“I’ll always want to read you.”

[FIN]

Story Notes:

• SS Skate refers to Skate Boys, which was also referred to as Skate Boys.
• In terms of governance and sovereignty, Confederation refers to the collection of registered galaxies, and galaxies are the equivalent of ‘countries’, in which colony planets/ planets are the equivalent of ‘states’ or ‘prefectures’.
• Holo(gram)-cards would be the equivalent of postcards.
• Shimonoseki is actually a trading city in Japan; In fact, a lot of names of comets and stars here make reference to actual places in Japan, sans the constellations.
• A millennium is not that big of a dent in an evolutionary time scale, so there shouldn’t be too much of a change in whatever remaining biodiversity that exists, especially in the oceans – least affected by global changes (to an ish-extent), and most stable in its environment, so I postulated the least amount of changes in its biodiversity.
• I had this in mind when describing Sho/Jun’s quarters.
• Portholes are made in reference to ship-ships, rather than space-ships. Basically windows. But… circular. I chose to use more pirate/boat-ship terms than space-ship terms in this fic.
• To clarify the senior crew refers to Captain, Quartermaster(s), Boatswains/Bosuns, Sr. Artillery/Engineering officers. That previous and new crew is as follows:

Captain: Kimura -> Joshima;
Sr. Quartermaster/First Mate: Nakai -> Taichi; Jr. QM: Joshima -> NIL;
Sr. Boatswain/Bosun: Taichi -> Okada, Jr. Bosun: Okada -> NIL;
Helmsman: Kimura, Ohno -> Ohno; Navigator: Joshima -> Sho;
Sr. Artillery: Matsuoka, Jr. Artillery: Ohno -> Jun
Engineering: Nagase (with Nino tinkering around)
Surgeons: Yamaguchi, Nino
Cook: Aiba

• The crab cream croquette with tonkatsu sauce refers to Arashi Tsubo 2018, although I do believe it was in relation to ‘bull-dog’ sauce, which can either be Tonkatsu or Worchester sauce.

Comments

[64907]

Hello anon. I just want you to know that I’ve seen this (and I’m very excited) and will come back when I have the time to savor every word. But as early as now, thank you for your hard work! :) I will be back!

Hello anon, I've returned! Really sorry it's taken me a few days. Anyway. I just really want to thank you for giving me this adventure in space with an engaging premise (with the celestials and Sho's family having the ability) starring Jun's moles. When I first read the header I was really excited, and I'm truly grateful to have received something like this.

That said, I enjoyed how these boys went on a space adventure that kind of felt like Indiana Jones riding the Millenium Falcon LMAO. Johnny's appearance gave me a vivid image of Snoke (if you know him) and I read all his lines in Andy Serkis' Snoke voice so lol, that was pretty entertaining.

I really like all the Old Earth references; it gave me a rich overview that there's SO much more to this universe other than what you're telling, and I love that. I love how they pieced together this map (though ngl LMAO I kept thinking of the map to Luke Skywalker so thanks; I guess that technically makes Jun BB-8 in my head? I'm referring to this fic as "Jun as BB-8" from now on) using the constellations of a planet that their people abandoned. I know I never mentioned it in my sign up, but I have this hobby of watching videos entitled "Earth 100,000 years from now" and the like (or basically any hypothetical video on youtube that tackles space or the possibility of space travel), so the idea of these characters leaving this planet for realistic reasons made a very interesting read.

I also want to commend the science you've brought into this. Like, the technical terms aka some the stuff I learned more than a decade ago from Earth Science and Biology—they're here and they add more to the expansion of this universe and that's truly amazing work. What stuck with me the most was the phytobacteria mention; that's an amazing detail.

The crew is perfect (Tokio and Arashi), but I want to give a shoutout to your Aiba who's a delight. I like the idea of him as a space chef; who knows what he can make LMAO. I love how Tokio are like big bros to Arashi, and I really love how Okada is present here (as well as his habit of paying attention to the perky LOL thanks for that!). I like it when Sho in any AU is surrounded by people he's comfortable irl with. :)

Kind of sad that 2top turned out to be assholes, but I guess there's got to be some bad eggs in the story, especially in something as big as this. They got what they deserved though; I'm glad every good dude in this story was safe and happy from any more of their madness over the famed treasure.

I do like how Sho won his freedom due to circumstance LOL and that this all ends with him free to chase the stars in space and on Jun as much as he wants. ;) ;) I like that this ends in a hopeful note for my two favorite dudes in Arashi, and something assures me they'll have it good even after this. I'm glad Jun's found a place to belong to—a family—and that he's living his life out there in space with a cute navigator boyfriend. :D

Thank you for this! I really enjoyed reading it (instead of reading RL-related stuff lol); it was a suitable distraction. I hope you had fun working on this as much as I had fun reading it. Thanks again for all your hard work.

[cielmelodies]

Hello hello ^^ I'm so glad that you enjoyed reading it! I was really worried that it might not have been a space AU-y enough ^^, but consider me extremely relieved that it is? :3

I like the idea of Jun as BB8 LMAO and it's entirely possible for Johnny to look like Snoke. I'm also extremely glad you liked the scienc-y bit ^^, I couldn't help myself but hopefully my geoscience bit is accurate enough lmao (lest laplace!Sho returns to lecture me on improper use of geochemistry).

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to write this! It was definitely something new and challenging, but I enjoyed the process entirely :D

*errata on story notes: I meant to say that SKATE BOYS was also a term used to address SMAP. According to wikipedia? Hai.

[kami06fr]

Hi anon !
First of all I just LOVE Space AUs so I was super excited to read your fic and I wasn't disappointed ! The plot was unusual but omg I loved the idea of Jun being a "treasure map", and I couldn't wait for Sho to "read" him *smirk*
I also really enjoyed the camaraderie in the ship with everyone being friendly to Sho and Jun and overthrowing the bad guys.
It was a truly sweet and interesting story. Thank you :)

[cielmelodies]

^^ Thank youuuuu so much for your lovely comment :3 I'm so glad you enjoyed the story :3 Not the most usual of plots but I couldn't help myself after a conversation one day with a group of friends and I jokingly commented: imagine if sho was an astronomer and Jun is the star map he reads LMAO.

Guess I decided that I'd do it finally in the sho exchange x) But yes yes, someone had to read Jun's body, ne? Hehehehe

Thank youuu so much once again.

[learashi]

You have created a memorable au in this fic. A breathtaking saga whuch takes us to far galaxies and then returns us to an Earth which was ruined by the human species. But the planet survived and prospered, much like Jun, the celestial who finds his origins and a place to belong. The crew embraces Jun with a fiercely protective love, and watches over the slow blossoming of Sho and Jun's own personal love story.

Thank you for this beautiful fic.

[cielmelodies]

LE-CHANNNN <3 *HUGS* Thankies so muchhhhly for all your support while I was writing this *hugshugsHUGS* What's really important in the fic would be Jun finding a place in the stars, and Sho finding himself in the wide universe, yes, maybe. :3

*HUGS AND HANDS OVER COOKIES*

[learashi]

Cookies! *grabby hands*
I really did love this story so much.
*crumb-coated hugggssss*

[leiva21]

I think I've probably lost my ability to comment properly on fic I read because all I want to type repeatedly is I LOVE IT!!!!
Seriously lols
Even though there's a lot of space AU fics available (and there are awesome too) I think this one will stay in my mind because of the good plot and of course sakumoto. Sakumoto is like a magnet, attracting and supporting each other naturally. And of course the appearance of other Arashi (Nino, Aiba and Ohno) and all other Johhnys (SMAP members being the evil one - no complain for me although I like both members) is completing the universe. I love them all.
I want to gush more about this fic but for some reason currently my brain cannot form enough words to write more lols So please accept this meagre comment. But please know that I love you for writing this <3

[cielmelodies]

Helllllllo :3 Surprise! It's me? Ahahahaha. Thank you so much for reading and loving such a lovely comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the fic. :)))), and that it will stay in your mind, regardless of the length of which it is retained in your memory x)

I'm also reallly happy that you enjoyed the other characters, even the baddies w (sorry Nakai and Kimura. I had to.) :)))

Your comment is not meager at all!!! Thank you so much for your generous praise!

[darkdropout]

AHHHH I LOVED THIS SO MUCH!!!! What an amazing fic!! I had such a blast reading this and learning all about this amazing world you created! I loved how detailed it was, and just the whole set up of Jun being a celestial that Sho could read!!! SO COOL.

Of course I also loved the crew and their friendships! It was such a great combinations of Johnnys that you picked to run the SS Tokio-Storm :DD

Also I'm so glad that ‘dead-but-now-alive, not-the-Crown Prince’ Sakurai Sho was able to come back to Jun and the crew and continue to explore space with them!

THIS IS A LAME COMMENT, BUT THIS IS AN AMAZING FIC. Thanks so much for sharing!! <333

[cielmelodies]

This is not a lame comment at all!!! It's a wonderful comment, and thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on the fic ^^ I'm so happy to see that you enjoyed the fic and all the details that I managed to remember to put in the world ahahaha. :3

I had to give ShoJun a happy ending you see. :3 there was no way I'd leave the two poor boys hanging after all their hardship heehee.

Thank you once again for your generous praise! :3