denouement [kiho, kihyun x wonho]

-1-

"Are you happy that we're finally going home?" Kihyun asks.

He glances up at Hoseok from where he's lying down pressed up against Hoseok's left side, his head pillowed on Hoseok's left arm and his hand tracing little circles over Hoseok's chest, right over his heart. At Kihyun's question, Hoseok looks down at him and as always, is blown away by Kihyun's pure, effortless beauty.

Kihyun is simply ethereal, and though he and Hoseok have spent the past ten years together on this massive tourist ship exploring some of the most fascinating places in the galaxy with the rest of the hundred-or-so passengers, Hoseok still has yet to find anything more beautiful.

They're lying together on a soft pile of blankets on the floor, sharing one large pillow, tucked away in an empty, forgotten room that would be nothing special if not for the enormous, round portal window spanning almost the entire wall, curving slightly outwards into the black expanse of space. From where they're lying beneath it, they can see three large, multicolored planets of the solar system that the ship is currently orbiting, along with their dozens of tiny moons, the spaces between filled with millions of glittering stars and smaller ships passing through.

They like to sneak to this particular spot often, as no other passengers seem to know about it, and it's the perfect place for them to run off to together to find some peace and quiet when the rest of the ship is full swing into loud, hectic celebration for the return to Earth.

The view is indescribably beautiful; it makes Hoseok feel like he and Kihyun are all alone together in the universe to be able to enjoy it like this, all alone in that little room on their little pile of blankets, outside of time and space and anything else that could ever hurt them.

They had left Earth on this luxury tourist ship with the collection of wealthy tourists when they were still teenagers. They had been orphans, poor and struggling to survive, and they had decided in a wild moment of mischief to sneak aboard the ship and hide in the cargo hold in the hopes of an intergalactic adventure. They had expected to be sent back to Earth as soon as they were discovered, but they had not expected what had actually happened, that the unbelievably kind captain had allowed them to stay, had taken care of them as they traveled with everyone else on the magnificent trip through the galaxy.

Time had gone by so fast though, and Hoseok still can't believe that it's already time to return to Earth. And once back on the ground, things will undoubtedly be very different. Together, he and Kihyun will have to find their place again in a world that's gone on without them. They have no idea what's even waiting for them, really, what this next chapter of their lives will bring.

Even so, they miss many things about Earth, and can't say they aren't looking forward to returning after so long in space. Even when they had lived as impoverished orphans, childhood friends living together on the street, they had always loved being together, and had found a way to live happy and meaningful lives even through their struggles.

But returning to all that now feels bittersweet. After all, it was here in space, here on this ship that Kihyun and Hoseok, once inseparable friends, had become lovers, had embarked on that very different but equally thrilling, equally rewarding kind of adventure together.

Yes, Earth will be different, and it may not be easy, but Hoseok does feel ready for it, and he knows Kihyun is ready for it too. But being "ready" is different than being "happy." And as for Kihyun's question, Hoseok doesn't know if he has an answer.

He curls his arm beneath Kihyun's head up slightly so that he can bring his hand to Kihyun's hair, and he runs his fingers through the soft locks slowly, really allowing himself to fully cherish this quiet moment. Kihyun presses in closer so that Hoseok can curl his arm in further and push his hand in deeper, and Hoseok's heart fills with warmth.

"I'm happy right now," Hoseok says, finally answering Kihyun's question. But the sentence feels incomplete, and there are unspoken words hovering in the air between them.

Kihyun sighs, his voice light and smooth, touching Hoseok's heart again, and he starts to doze off at Hoseok's side. Hoseok soon makes to join him, his eyes slipping closed as he allows himself one last glimpse at the beauty of space just outside, just beyond the glass.

My home is wherever I'm with you.