Chapter Text
Jimin was in a bad place.
Not that there were any good places in New Asia. The constant nuclear wars had left this small moon in the Andromeda system nothing but a burnt out shell. There was nothing here to be happy about.
The government was corrupt, the food was tasteless and even the alcohol was watered down.
The only hope that he had, that anyone had really, was to make enough money to get the fuck out of this place and move to one of the better colonies.
That was his only focus in life and so far he hadn't been doing too badly.
As a licensed bounty hunter he took on whatever cases the armed forces were too lazy or scared to handle. The pay could range from hundreds to millions depending on the target.
Jimin would give just about anything to get out of this hovel he called home. He was tired of living in a two by four unit that leaked and had bad insulation.
He had to spend most of his money to keep his weapons in good shape, and that included his cyborg upgrades. Then he had to pay transport fees to get to the bounty locations. After that there wasn't much left for fixing anything…
Today he came across a bounty that was large enough that it would guarantee him a new life on Eden or any one of the other utopic planets.
The problem was there was no way to do it alone. The major bounty companies were already mobilizing and there was simply no way a payout this big would be anything less than an extremely deadly mark.
Jimin didn’t have friends. He didn’t have a family. Well not anymore. They were all killed in a freak meteor shower on his original planet, before it was exiled by the government for having more bandits than citizens.
His reason for not having friends was more subtle: he found it difficult to trust. After all, strings of betrayals had shown him that here in Andromeda, people just care about themselves first and nobody else.
He preferred to have business partners, keep everything above board and on the table. No surprises.
The few business contacts he had were not hunters though and wouldn’t be any use to him in this case.
To see freedom right in front of him but not being able to grasp it was almost too much for him to bear. Jimin closed down the terminal where he had been staring at the reward and practically salivating.
He had less than three hundred credits in his account and he was about to live the high life and spent ten credits on a glass of alcohol flavored water down at the local joint.
This spaceport he was in counted as a hub so there were always new faces at the inns and bars. Maybe people watching would get his mind off of things.
Even though it was a social call, Jimin still put on his battle suit and holstered his weapons. Going out unarmed was asking for trouble. He had a cursed face. He was too pretty for his own good in a society that had decided that slavery was acceptable again somewhere along the way.
He had killed far too many kidnappers and human traffickers over the last five years since he left the school facility.
Wearing face covering was prohibited within the cities as everything was tracked based on facial recognition technology.
Jimin pulled on his combat boots and stepped out of his door into the foggy sky.
It was late, night here lasted for sixteen hours of the day and then the sunlight was indirect. That was another draw, going to a planet with beautiful blue skies and sunny days.
He was walking briskly down the street, scanning by habit and picking out some new faces that he had never seen before. There was the chatter of excitement and he knew everyone was talking about the new bounty that had been put up. It had been one of many that were lodged today.
When he reached the bar he went straight to his favorite spot, a small table by the back exit... or he tried to. Unlike what was usual, there was someone else sitting there.
The man was muscular and clearly a hunter too from the body suit he was wearing.
He was pretty faced, with a lot of piercings and had a neck tattoo of a claw which meant he was a were hybrid of some sort.
Jimin was stunned for a moment, unsure what to do and wondering why now of all times his libido decided to remember how to work. The adrenaline of arousal pulsed through him quickly and he felt his body struggle to regulate it.
The waitress, Netta, a black woman with a huge afro and cybernetic eyes, called out to him.
“You can ask to sit with him, Jiminie,” she chortles, “I know you don’t sit nowhere else.”
The man looked up from the digital scroll he was reading then and gave Jimin a thorough once over.
“Sit then,” the man said gruffly, “I don’t mind pretty company.”
Jimin felt the blush before it bloomed and he was still unable to stop it.
He sat quickly and put his credit chip in the deck and tried to swipe but it declined.
“I paid enough for whatever you are getting, the table is at the limit, just order,” the man told him and Jimin met his gaze.
“Thank you,” Jimin said. He felt like his throat was going to close up on him.
Generosity was never free, but even if the man wanted to take him back to wherever and fuck him, Jimin had the insane thought that he woud go.
“Name?” the man asked.
“Jimin Park,” he answered.
“Jungkook Jeon,” the man offered in turn, “Why aren't you rushing off to your ship to get one of those new bounties?”
Jimin sighed sharply. He had come here to escape this…
“I don’t have a ship. And even if I did, I don't have a team and most of them are too big for one person alone,” Jimin said flatly. He hoped to keep his disappointment to himself, but he wasn’t sure he managed because the handsome man looked at him with something dangerously akin to pity.
“What is your rank?” Jungkook asked.
Every bounty hunter got points for each job they completed and then they were able to level up. Teams shared points of course.
“I am a rank B” Jimin offered.
Jungkook smiled at him and Jimin’s stomach flip flopped.
He was glad when Netta came with the drinks. Jungkook had ordered a whole bottle of wine. Man was rich.
Jimin sipped his whiskey and tried to imagine that it was actually strong enough to take the edge off of his nerves.
“What about your rank?” Jimin asked after the silence stretched past comfort.
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Jungkook said with a teasing smile and Jimin pouted.
“Ah, you are so cute.” Jungkook muttered, “How are you so cute and in a hovel like this.”
Jimin was flustered and stammering. He didn’t even know how to answer that.
“What are you doing in New Asia if you think it is such a hovel?” Jimin sputtered out.
“Refueling my vessel and letting my men have an ease,” Jungkook said.
“Ah.”
Jimin’s heart sank into his toes. This man was probably part of a wolf pack... Why did he think for a moment that he would be interested in him either as a bounty partner or anything else?
Pathetic really.
Jungkook was fiddling with his communicator, reading something or the other as he drank his wine straight from the bottle. Jimin had mixed thoughts. Dull arousal because of how Jungkook’s cherry lips looked on the bottle, and then sharp disappointment from his own melancholy.
It was very likely he would never see this man again.
Jimin tipped his head down and looked into the half glass of whiskey and had a silent conversion with his distorted reflection. When would he learn not to hope? When would he learn not to want?
Would he ever master being content with poverty and to stop yearning for the sun? He was destined to remain here in the dimness of New Asia until he died.
“Do you want food?” Jungkook asked.
Jimin’s stomach grumbled.
“No,” he answered by habit. It was bad enough that the man bought him a drink.
“Humanity is really fucked up when you can’t accept kindness.” Jungkook commented. He said it in a way that made it clear he wasn’t expecting a response.
He waved Netta over and ordered four plates.
Jimin contemplated leaving because sitting there and watching this man feast would be a special kind of torture. Yet, he didn't move.
Jungkook was busy on his comms, he had the air of a man that was working. Jimin decided to make himself look occupied too. He pulled out his comms and logged into review his work history and his planned cyber upgrades.
When the food came, Jungkook slid a plate in front of him.
“No arguments, consider this my contribution to keeping your ass fat,” Jungkook said, “It’s very pleasing to the eye.”
Jimin was stunned at the sudden return to flirting. The deeper this night stretched the more mystified he was getting.
“Thank you,” Jimin said.
He couldn’t decline twice, especially when he was feeling immensely flattered.
As they ate Jungkook gradually coaxed Jimin into talking about his favorite bounty stories and also a couple times where he almost got trafficked.
Not surprisingly, Jungkook had a few stories too. He was really good looking and his body was particularly well built.
His food was done, the third glass of whiskey was drunk and Jimin had no real reason to stay.
“I should get going…” Jimin announced.
Jungkook looked at him quietly.
Jimin held his gaze and then allowed his mind to burn Jungkook’s face deep into his memory banks. As painful as it would be, he never wanted to forget that the universe was still capable of making good things and good people.
Even if it wasn't in the cards for them to be more than ships that passed the night.
Jimin broke eye contact with Jungkook just as a fresh wave of helplessness took him over. He had bounties he could do, lower down the difficulty scale and with everyone scrambling for the big fish, those might be more readily available.
He had to focus on himself and what he could do right now.
Jimin started to get up.
“Want to come with me?”
Jimin lifted his head up.
“What are you on about?”
“Come with me to do the King’s Quest Bounty. I have a team and you are welcome to join us.”
Jimin squinted at him. Joining with anyone was a big risk… a huge risk…
“Why are you offering me this, you don’t know me.”
“I checked you out in the system… and your record matches everything you said.”
Jimin blinked.
He hadn’t even considered checking up on Jungkook…
“You don’t have to decide right now. Go home. I leave tomorrow at 1300. Dock 13. If you want in, just turn up before I go.”
Jimin nodded dumbly. He couldn’t think of anything to say.
“One thing to consider though,” Jungkook said to him as Jimin stood up.
“Yes?” Jimin prompted
“I want you and will definitely pursue you, so if you aren’t into that, declare your hand.”
Jimin’s mind turned to mush.
“I am into it,” he blurted out and then left with embarrassing haste.
Next Day
Jimin had, in the comfort of his own hovel, researched Jungkook.
Man was a Class S Bounty Hunter and the Leader of a Team called the BulletProof Cowboys.
There was literally no reason not to leap at this opportunity. He packed two bags, one with his scant belongings and the other with his fighting kit.
Jimin closed up his home and made his way to the space docks.
He didn’t know what he expected to see at Dock 13 but not a Robin.
Jimin stared in shock at the military grade space cruiser, it dawned on him fully then that this was the true beginning of his new life. There was no going back from here.