Astray || Adrift Book 2 || •PJM• ✔️

Namjoon: Fog

MILKY WAY TIME: 1 YEAR 3 MONTHS SINCE NAMJOON AND SEHUN WENT MISSING

NAMJOON'S TIME: 12 HOURS SINCE HE WENT MISSING

Namjoon grabs Sehun's hand, staring at where the fish went. Literally a flying fish. An enormous, larger than life fish. He'd recognize those fins and scales anywhere. It even had gills, but here it is swimming on air. Or maybe that's what the fog is for. But how is it surviving? Why didn't it attack them? What the fuck is this place?!

"We need to go, and we need to go it now," Namjoon says.

Sehun agrees, pulling on Akira's sleeve to get his attention. The commander, still in awe like most of them, reluctantly tears his eyes away and keeps up the pace. The others follow. For a solid ten minutes, no one speaks. No one dares say a word about what happened. Everyone's thinking the same thing: 'we need to leave'. That's Namjoon's guess, anyway. The realization that all this is happening to him is starting to hit his core. His life is coming crashing down all at once. He's missed probably over a year of life back home. His father is wondering where he is. His mother is spending more time with the other kids thinking it'll ease the pain. Jungkook and Taehyung are heartbroken. His siblings...

Namjoon wants to grab the crest he has in his pocket, but Rosalind and Sehun are both holding his arms, preventing him from grabbing anything on his body. He tears up, blinking them back, but it barely works. One slips free. No one notices. Or maybe they do, he's not sure. He hopes they don't. Either way, he's grateful that even if they do, they aren't commenting on his weakness.

"The biomes are large," Akira says, finally breaking their silence. "It could be a while before we get to the end. Anyone want to talk about what happened? I know we don't want to, but it may be best if we're going to stay healthy mentally. I'm no therapist, and quite frankly I'm not interested in being yours, but I also don't want anyone shitting out on me when I need you most. Is that clear?" No answer. It's assumed as a yes. "Let's start with the kids. Boys, anything you want to say?"

Sehun and Namjoon stay quiet a moment. Then, Sehun sighs. "I'm trying to wrap my head around it. I mean, a fish. A fish with glowing eyes was flying above us. Does anyone understand that?" They shake their heads. "I can make theories about the time, the biomes, even the creatures to a certain extent. But a flying fish?"

"It supports your theory that this place is a bunch of planets combined rather than just one. Different environments exist back home, but not to this extent," Akira says. Sehun and Namjoon agree. Namjoon's not sure if they want him to say anything or not, so for now, he pretends he's okay. He pretends and he pretends and he-

No.

Namjoon plants his feet, the rest of the crew stopping with him. Akira turns to him, as does Sehun, the two of them raising brows. The last time he bottled up his emotions instead of talking about it, it led him here. It led him to asking Sehun to drive them out of the solar system. It led to them worrying their fathers. It led to Jimin, Y/n, Jungkook, and Taehyung thinking they're bad parents. Not this time. Not again.

"I'm not okay," he says. The words stab his throat as they leave it, but he keeps going. "I'm not okay at all. How can I be okay? Flying fish, some two-armed creature on a rock, crashed ship, maybe the Ring, whatever. It's all here, and there's nothing we can do except deal with it. But you want to know the worst part? The part I find ironic? I'm a Park. Jihyun's a Park. Sehun's a Jeon. Our last names didn't mean shit here. No matter who we are, it doesn't matter. We're here in this hellhole of a planet or solar system or some shit place. My last name didn't stop me." Namjoon shifts his eyes to Sehun, not hiding his tears anymore. "And it's all my fault for telling you to go. I couldn't talk to my father about my issues. I couldn't understand what my last name really means."