The days that followed were as peaceful as Haseul could’ve hoped for. Their stay on the Moon was rather uneventful, aside from some judgmental looks from the most strict Saeg at their mixed group – at first she thought Jungeun might react badly at it and close off on herself again, but she soon realized that the blonde would just get a little more clingy than usual and stand her ground beside Jo and the rest of the group. Slowly, but surely, the guests were becoming part of their crew for good and sometimes it was hard to remember that she was just supposed to put on an act to keep Jungeun happy, when all she wanted to do was to keep the girl by her side.

There wasn’t that many options of what to do in the small Saeg community, but they enjoyed exploring it for a couple of days. Tasting all the dishes Yerim and Jungeun insisted were good, seeing all the shops, admiring the architecture of the place and meeting new people. Haseul was pleased to learn that although some Saegs were definitively unhappy to see humans there – much more discreet than the loud Purists back on Earth, they showed hostility through cold and sometimes blatantly pretending the group of humans wasn’t even there, ignoring Haseul and the rest to only acknowledge the Saeg girls, especially Yerim with her purple eyes.

It was Jo’s first time being in the other side of things, on Earth, humans outnumbered Saegs easily and there was no place for this kind of hostility, while in here they were the minority. It made her more annoyed than upset. She always thought that the Purists were fools, stupid people that couldn’t see beyond their closed minds, Saeg or Human, they were all the same. Bad people existed in all forms, it’s the only conclusion she could take away from it.

Still, she didn’t let these little annoying encounters ruin the mood. It was fun to spend some time with the crew, and the Moon was, nonetheless, pretty much a safe haven for them. Heejin called her, just to inform there weren’t any new attacks since they left Earth – making Haseul wonder if the ‘purists’ here were just trying to chase them away. Whatever was the reason, she was glad they didn’t have to stay on lock out for the rest of the trip.

Therefore, she went back to her original mission of keeping Jungeun happy – it wasn’t hard at all. The young princess was more comfortable with them now and it was easy to talk to her and find things she might like. Jungeun was still very easy to please, just following them to whatever Yerim or Yeojin suggested, the smile that was rare, becoming a more common occurrence – even if the girl didn’t seem to realize it. Stay on the Moon and keep their little comfortable routine would’ve been the easiest choice, but Haseul still wanted to show her more things and use their time well.

Now, two week into their trip, she had decided to show the girls a little bit of their galaxy. Most planets weren’t fit for living, making them only an attraction to the eyes from a safe distance. Yet, it was still a cool experience and a nice way to delay their arrival on Mars – Jo planned on arriving a couple of days early in the formerly red planet. She wanted to make sure Jungeun would be familiar with the place before they had to leave, and to be honest, she also wanted to make sure the blonde would be safe there, otherwise…Well, otherwise she would be in a pretty big trouble with Mr. Kim, but she couldn’t simply leave Jungeun in a bad place. Sooyoung hadn’t said anything about her plans yet, but she knew it was a matter of time until the older girl called her out on her lack of professionalism.

Luckily for her, in the moment Ha was too busy arguing with Hyejoo over game points. The whole crew was reunited at the old storage room turned into a lounge ever since they boarded Raven to move to their next stop – Europa, one of the many Jupiter’s moons and the only with some sort of human made base where they could land and take a look around. Europa was a cold world, made out of huge icy oceans, but it has some of the prettiest views at dawn.  This room, however, was the very own opposite of cold. Not only Raven’s system guaranteed a pleasant temperature, the light mood between the crew made Haseul feel warm.

They were playing a simple, but trick game inspired by the old board games humans used to play. They had a board, but it was a digital one, projecting the images of every piece and as soon as someone made a move, a sequel of images would appear in the center of the board, as if a short movie was created. The object of the game was to reach the last stop of the board, winning the title of ‘King of knowledge!’, no need to say that for one to do it, they would need to be smart or try until all the options run out. To make a move, you had to answer a question, that depending on your luck, could be easy or hard.

For the Ha cousins it was a bad luck night, and for Yeojin it was even worst – She never really liked history and it was the recurrent theme for the night. Yerim, sat beside Jungeun, wasn’t doing very well herself, but it didn’t seem to bother her different from her human friends. Haseul couldn’t even blame the girls for being so worked up about it, they had played this game before and usually Hyejoo and Sooyoung would go neck and neck until the very end. The reason for their shameful results today, took form in Jungeun’s slim frame that looked so unfazed with the hardest questions that would make even Vivi double check her information – well, if she was playing instead of calmingly reading a book at the corner.

Haseul always knew Jungeun was smart, you could see the glint of intelligence in her eyes, and she learned pretty fast anything, from the commands of the ship to the new information she received regarding human culture. But still, Jo didn’t expect the girl to be a little genius. Kim had told her about all the time she spent studying back in the palace, and it looks like she had learnt very well.  She was not only well versed in Saeg history, but also in human subjects. Actually, Haseul had reached the conclusion that there was little to nothing that the girl didn’t know – as long as it was in a book somewhere, Jungeun probably had full domain of the topic.

It was mesmerizing to watch her advancing round after round, with a small excited smile on her face, while the rest of the table fought over points and the game’s rules. Jo clapped every time the girl got a little closer to the finish line, wining glares from her friends, and a little tint of pink on the tip of Jungeun’s ears barely hidden by the hair.

“You know what? Next time we’re playing a game that is not for bookworms.” Hyejoo announced as soon as she lost another round by failing a question regarding Civita’s foundation date. By now she and the rest of the girls were so behind Jungeun that is was probably frustrating for them.

Yerim patted her back lightly. “It’s okay, Hye. We can play something for gameworms next time.” The girl’s expression was the same angelic one she always had, but there was a glimpse of playfulness in her voice and Hyejoo scoffed at the suggestion – it didn’t go unnoticed to Haseul that she didn’t try to shrug Yerim off.

Sooyoung and Yeojin, on the other hand, didn’t waste the chance of teasing the raven haired girl about her love for games – it only got worse when Yerim hugged Hyejoo to ‘defend’ her from the attacks. Haseul had never seen Son’s face such a deep shade of red and she was torn between laughing her head out and help the girl out of such embarrassing situation.

Luckily for Hyejoo, Jungeun saved her by winning the game while the rest of the players was busy with bickering.

Jungeun had just answered the name of the last king of England before the fall of the monarchy in the country, when a message in shinning yellow letters was project, an intricate scene of celebration ensued, having Jungeun tiny character at the center. The Kim smiled, a little embarrassed to see her face projected into the character – Haseul didn’t even know it could happen, but it was probably one of Hyejoo’s mischievous doings.

Sooyoung sighed in defeat, Yeojin complained about how this game didn’t have any good questions or else should’ve won, and Yerim finally released a very embarrassed Hyejoo from her embrace to hug her best friend instead. Clapping, Haseul congratulated Jungeun on her win and received a childish grin in return – it was quite a sight, Jungeun with her cheeks squished due to Yerim’s bear hug, but cute nonetheless.

After the game ended, the group dispersed quickly with Sooyoung claiming it was too late for the kids to still be up – mainly to annoy Yeojin, what worked obviously. Hyejoo was still a bit flustered and didn’t pose any resistance before following her cousin to their cabin, followed by a Yerim that had a sleepy smile on her face as she hugged them goodnight – Yerim was so affectionate that if weren’t for the pretty purple eyes, Haseul would’ve struggled to believe she was indeed a Saeg. Yeojin had no other choice but to follow suit, as she refused to join Jungeun and Haseul in another board game, claiming it was no fun to play with the ‘oldies’, for what she only received a glare from her older sister that captured her in a hug, kissing her puff cheeks until she apologized and ran away .

When the others were out of the room and Jungeun didn’t leave with them, Haseul  rested her back against the wall and patted the place beside her on the floor, near the big windows that unveiled the universe. The blonde didn’t hesitate, sitting beside Haseul and looking out of the window to see the black ocean that was the space outside. “You know, Yeojin has grown fond of you. I swear, she only calls her favorite people old.” She said in light tone, and successfully made a smile appear on the young girl’s face.

“I like how honest she always is. Even if when she and Yerim are together it really tests my hearing.” The reply, in the same amused tone, was delivered as the girl turned to face Jo. Two weeks ago Haseul wouldn’t be able to imagine Jungeun so relaxed and adapted to the crew, but she was glad to see it happened.

Without much thought, her right hand reached for Kim’s, involving it with her much warmer one. Jungeun didn’t even flinch, intertwining their fingers in a way that was so familiar now. Haseul didn’t have a good reason to do it, no excuses to hide behind, neither she wanted one – she liked the feeling of being close to Jungeun and she knew it was mutual. “We shouldn’t allow them to spend so much time together. Yerim is a little angel, we can’t allow her to become a sassy bean like my sister.”

Jungie giggled, shaking her head slightly. “Yerim and her are already best friends. I’m afraid it’s beyond my control now.” Her voice was filled with more than amusement, but also a lot of fondness and something else that Haseul didn’t know how to define.

They fell into a comfortable silence after it, Haseul bringing their joint hands to her lap, so she could use her free hand to grab hold of them and caress the back of Jungeun’s hand, warming it up. Presenting the brunette with a small smile, Jungeun let her head lean on Haseul’s shoulder, allowing herself to relax completely.

For Jungeun, the days after they left Earth were full of emotions – some bad, but mostly, good ones. As soon as they were out of danger and she could just enjoy things, it was quite the experience for her. Things weren’t perfect, she was exposed to a side of her people she had never witnessed before and it made her angry, sad and sometimes hopeful. Saegs weren’t perfect like they were portrait in her books, there were some pretty awful people out there,. Still, many of them were legit good people and looking into so many bright blue eyes, full of kindness, made her remember her mother in the years before she went to the castle.

She still couldn’t reveal herself to the world and had to hide behind the protection of the blue contacts, but things were different now. To be able to walk around Raven without the need to hide made her feel comfortable and at home for the first time in a while. Not having to harbor secrets of her friends and to know she was well accepted there, made it easier for her to be around everyone and allowed her to try to connect more with them.

Even playing a silly game like the one they had earlier, seemed a lot more fun when she had the girls around. She would probably always have a hard time interacting with people, it was her nature, yet, the crew of this spaceship weren’t common people, somehow they were almost like a family and she felt welcomed into it.

After a long day, her eyes were starting to get heavy, but she wanted to appreciate her time alone with Haseul. Spending time with everyone was nice, however, she couldn’t deny she loved the brunette’s company the most.

The faint scent of cinnamon slowly invaded Haseul’s lungs, the familiar smell that was becoming one of her favorite things – Jungeun’s scent. Slowly, she turned her head so she could look at the girl. “Aren’t you sleepy?”

“Just a little.” Jungeun admitted, snuggling a little closer to the other girl to share her warmth. Sometimes she wonders if Haseul was just a naturally warm person, or if it was her comforting, caring personality that just made her seem to radiate warmth. Either way, Jungeun wouldn’t mind being close to her.

The brunette squinted her eyes slightly, brown orbs full of fondness as she tighten her grip on Jungeun’s hands a little more. “Don’t you want to go to bed then?”

“I’ll soon,” Maybe in any other occasion, Jungeun would feel compelled to hide her real wishes in favor to keep her strong independent front, but it was only her and Haseul there, and there was no need to hide her feelings, no matter how silly it may sound. “I just want to stay with you a little longer.”

Jo smiled softly at her answer, leaning in to allow her lips to touch Jungeun’s forehead for a brief moment – it should make her nervous, make her wonder if it was inappropriate or if it would make Kim uncomfortable, but it didn’t. More than with words, they were able to understand each other through looks and small actions, the bond constructed during their days together was strong enough for her to know it. Jungeun liked to be around her, as much as she did. Haseul loved to be close to her, to touch her soft skin and bring a smile to her face, and the same was true for the blonde. It wasn’t complicated, their actions were small, careless and just too natural for any of them be able to avoid it. Hands searching for the other’s, brief stolen hugs, Jungeun’s lips brushing against her skin ever so slightly when she was in her arms for a moment too long…Every little thing that shouldn’t, but mattered for both of them.

Jungeun closed her eyes for a moment, exhaling as the feeling of comfort and safety washed over her even stronger than usual. Her mom used to kiss her face in a playful loving way, the demonstration of affection warming her heart – Haseul’s kiss also did, but it was very different. Her heart wasn’t only warm, but it was light in her chest, as if it could flutter away to Haseul’s hands if the older woman ever requested for it. This very own notion should be enough to make her protective mode kick in, and make her stand up to go to the safety of her bedroom. Still, when the blonde opened her eyes to face Jo, and the red was met by the bright brown of Haseul’s irises, she thought she wouldn’t mind to stay like this.

Just like everything between them, this moment wasn’t rushed or purely impulsive. Their stares carried much more meaning this time, silent questions that were answer by the soft squeezes on their jointed hands or small, sincere smiles. It wasn’t written in any of the books Jungeun had read, nor on the many shows Haseul had seen, but they both knew the moment the light atmosphere around them changed into something heavier, as if the sounds became fainter and everything became a little blurry, except for each other.

Haseul moved first, her body turning slightly as Jungeun’s eyes grew a little wider, expectant. There was a nervous feelings slowly building inside them, something that made them feel agitated, anxious for what was about to happens.

It was hard to tell who broke the distance first between them first. Was it Haseul with her small smirk and sharp eyes that seem to express something other than simple fondness? Or was it Jungeun with her shaky breaths and hesitant smile? It didn’t seem to matter, as both closed their eyes a moment before their breaths become one.

Haseul’s lips found its way to Jungeun’s soft ones, pressing gently against it, so light that it was almost like they weren’t touching – it was enough to send a pleasant chill through her spine and for her to wish the moment was longer. Pulling away slightly, she noticed the way Jungeun’s eyes were still closed as if she was still in the moment. Her instinct was to kiss her again, the thought insistent on her mind demanding her to act. So she did it, landing a soft kiss on the tip of Jungeun’s nose, prompting the girl’s eyes to flutter open.

The young princess left out a pleased sigh as she felt Haseul’s lips against her skin. If the first kiss was something she couldn’t quite describe in words, such a simple gesture that meant so much for her – her first kiss, the moment she had purposely never thought about, afraid of whom would be the one she would’ve to share it with and how it might just ruin her silly hopes. Now she knew it wasn’t ruined, it was very much the opposite. The simple, brief contact, was enough to make whatever still grounded her heart to let go of it, allowing her feelings to flutter inside her chest in the most pleasant pain. Now, as she opened her eyes and Jo’s face came into focus, she couldn’t help but smile.

She nodded, so subtly that Haseul would’ve missed it, if she wasn’t paying her so much attention. It was enough for her to know it was okay to come closer again, kissing the smile out of Kim’s face as her heart beat happily against her rib cage, ready to flutter away and meet Jungeun’s – she let it go. Haseul had kissed other people before, but she never got to push away the awkward feeling it brought – With Jungeun, there wasn’t any. Their lips molding each other as they slowly got used to the contact, Jungeun’s plump soft ones fitting perfectly against hers, sweet and addictive. Somehow her hands found the way to Jungeun’s face, her thumbs brushing lightly the skin under it, making it grow warm with her touch.

Jungeun laced her arms around Jo’s neck, tilting her head to the side to allow the brunette better access. There was a smile on her face when Haseul kissed her, but now it was long gone, too engrossed on the kiss to control her expressions. For a brief moment she thought she would panic and her inexperience would make everything awkward, but just like the first kiss, things seem to happen so naturally that she didn’t even think about how awkward she could be now, allowing Haseul’s gentle lips to guide her, she hugged the girl a little tighter immersing herself in the experience. Jo’s breath warmed her face, her hands still caressing her face, tracing her jaw prompting small pleasant spasms.

She didn’t know how long it was until they were forced to break apart, it was probably a long time considering how her lungs were demanding for oxygen, but it still seem to short and none of them broke the embrace.

The brunette smiled big, her eyes reflecting her heart’s content with how much affection they expressed. Jungeun returned the smile, a similar look on her face as Haseul nuzzled against her neck. Words weren’t needed, none of them would dare to pronounce anything. It would be easy to let their hearts speak, but it would only harm them in the ending.

There were probably a lot of things they should be considering now: how different they were, the implications of their relationship, the fact that Haseul was still under contract and there was someone waiting for Jungeun somewhere else… They both knew the weight promises could carry, and how little control they had over the situation to make any.

Yet, they didn’t think about any of it. Right now, all that mattered was this little, perfect moment that belonged only to the two of them.

Unfortunately, reality always finds a way to bring you down from cloud nine, sooner or later.

A/N: Hello there, how are you all doing? Since the next chapter is already done, I thought you guys could use some fluff today. I know it's a bit shorter than usual, but I wanted to focus on this important moment for lipseul, and yeah I'm terrible writing any kind of skinship (I tried my best, I swear!), so hopefully you guys liked it. Next chapter a major plot twist is coming up, so place your bets and pay attention to the clues!

Thank you for reading 'till here, I'm sorry for any mistakes. You guys know where to find me, so don't be afraid to hit me up! I'll be back next week with a very different chapter.