It was probably the ugliest shade of orange he’d ever seen, but the body beneath was well kept and quite sturdy and he knew it would hold together for a long time if maintained like it should be.  He’d inspected it himself nearly three times over already, checking every single nut and bolt that held the ship together before he even allowed anyone else on deck.  Ravi was a bit smaller than Rovix had been but for a courier vessel, he would be just fine.

                Hakyeon ran his fingers along the padded cushion on the Captain’s chair and couldn’t help the thrum of nervous energy that filled his belly at the thought of going back up.  It had been a long two years since that strange event in his kitchen back then.  Even with Taekwoon trying to explain it to him as best he could, he wasn’t sure he really understood everything.  Despite having actually lived and dealt with one, it was hard to admit to ghosts being real.  Harder still to conceive of Wonshik being one and very nearly killing both him and Taekwoon in some sort of vengeful outburst.  Regardless, the whole incident had certainly marked a turning point in both their lives and Hakyeon was mostly happy about the end result.

                He no longer felt Wonshik’s presence anywhere.  It was as if the specter had never existed in the first place.  His navigation expert and pilot was just a fond memory kept close and whose persona now lived on as their ship.  Ravi had been a nickname in their early years when they were training but it had never stuck.  Hakyeon thought it appropriate now to revive the moniker.  He was sure the other man would have laughed about that turn of events.

                And afterwards, Taekwoon had begun to make very good progress, improving in leaps and bounds where there had been little before.  The doctors weren’t sure how to explain it and Hakyeon didn’t care.  Taekwoon got better.  Though he wasn’t in the same condition he had been prior to the accident, he was a far cry from an invalid.  He could speak in full sentences, begin to move of his own volition more, and eventually walk around again.  And that made Hakyeon happier than he had words enough to describe.

                Pulling the rest of the crew out of their early retirement hadn’t been all that difficult either.  None of them had really wanted to leave space permanently, to be honest.  Even with the danger, it still felt like a second home to them all.  And finding another Navigations officer hadn’t been terribly hard.  If he’d had any training in it, Hakyeon would have tried to rope Minhyuk into the position.  As it was, Minhyuk knew a greenie that showed promise but needed more hands on experience, which he would certainly be privy to on board their ship.  Taekwoon was a solid pilot on his own but he admitted to preferring having a different navigations officer as opposed to being it himself.  He wanted the versatility being the odd man in the group would allow him and Hakyeon never could deny him anything.

                So Ilhoon was drafted into their service and the kid was strangely like Wonshik in some ways.  Competent too with an easy manner that would serve well in the cockpit.  As such, Hakyeon was actually looking forward to their launch tomorrow morning.  Over the active com, he could hear Hyuk making last minute checks in the engine room as well, not that he could blame him.  Had he not already been doing it, Hakyeon would have insisted himself, as much from any lingering guilt as just being responsible.  For privacy sake, he turned the coms off and simply relaxed into the chair further, letting his eyes wander over the sleeping panels inside.

                Two seats were set at the front, side by side for a pilot and co-pilot if necessary.  The Ravi had a small medical bay and office for Hongbin to work in and a similarly small hydroponics deck and office for Ken to call his own when he wasn’t manning the coms on deck; his seat was sequestered to the right of Hakyeon’s where digital screens laid into the consoles waited to be awakened.  As for Hyuk, there was a small workshop near the engine room for him to work in when he wanted.  And the belly of the ship had a very secure cargo hold for carrying their packages as well as a compact lounge in which to relax when they were off duty.  It wouldn’t comfortably fit all of them at one time, but they could make it work if they really wanted to.  They’d also managed to finagle an exercise room into the deal but it was a little on the small side, like most of the ship.

                All of their sleeping quarters were smaller than Hakyeon was accustomed to but he didn’t mind the additional closeness that gave him with Taekwoon.  If nothing else, their relationship was still going strong, for which he was intensely grateful.  Oh, they had the occasional bumps and bruises, especially now that Taekwoon could talk and act freely again, but he liked even those moments after the fact.

                He couldn’t help but rub his arms to ward off the chill when he recalled all those months of trying to get them both through the hardest part, when they didn’t know if Taekwoon would ever getter better as opposed to wondering if he’d live or die.  Quiet footsteps on the metal flooring made him turn his head to glance back, but he knew who it would be long before the other came into sight.  A strong hand settled on his shoulder and Hakyeon looked up into the face of Taekwoon.

                Lengthy black hair was pulled back into a half-ponytail and he gave a small smile down at Hakyeon.  “It’s getting late.”

                “I know,” Hakyeon nodded, reaching up to grab Taekwoon’s hand with his, holding it in place on his shoulder.  “I was just thinking.”  He didn’t add what he was thinking about.  The other man would already know since similar thoughts were probably going through his head too.

                “You think too much.”  The statement was given in a deadpan manner, but the tiniest quirk of Taekwoon’s mouth gave him away.

                “You’re one to talk,” Hakyeon snorted, patting his lover’s hand.  “Mr. Silent and Brooding all the time,” he grinned as he looked around the cockpit.  The grip on his shoulder tightened wordlessly and he took a deep breath.  “Are we ready for this?” he asked, having to voice it aloud just one more time.

                “Yes.”  There was no doubt in Taekwoon’s voice.  They’d talked about it at length for months before making the final decision to find a vessel and a contract that would fit them for the time being.  Back then, Taekwoon was still recovering and getting into a decent state of physical fitness just for their ordinary lives.  From there, it would take them more time to pull the crew together and get everything finalized so there’d been much to discuss.  Now, with the hour fast approaching, Hakyeon couldn’t help but second guess himself.

                The seated man nodded though.  “I mean, we are just going to the Jellyfish Station on the other side of the Starlight Way after all,” he reassured himself with as nonchalant a shrug as he could manage.

                Bare arms encircled his shoulders when Taekwoon removed his hand to hug Hakyeon from behind, resting his chin on the other man’s shoulder.  The man looked good in sleeveless shirts and he knew it, but it didn’t hurt the weather was warm of late anyway, even if the lack of coverings revealed the strange bruises on his left wrist that had never disappeared entirely.  Four faded, black dots marred his wrist where a ghostly attack had left its mark.  Similar bruises marked Hakyeon’s back in turn, though his were certainly larger.  “We’ll be fine.”

                “But what if-”

                “Hakyeon,” Taekwoon warned softly, his warm breath teasing Hakyeon’s skin where his neck and the top of his collarbones were showing.

                “I know, I know,” the Captain laughed at himself, grabbing both arms with his hands and taking another deep breath.

                “Come on then,” Taekwoon urged, standing up and grabbing one of Hakyeon’s hands to tug him gently but firmly from the chair.

                “But I’m not sleepy,” Hakyeon pouted childishly, turning a pitiful expression on his lover.

                “Liar,” Taekwoon muttered with a nonplussed look while he pulled the other man close.

                Hakyeon placed his hands on Taekwoon’s arms and rose up to plant a swift kiss on the taller man’s cheek.  “Only sometimes,” he wrinkled his nose at the admission.

                Taekwoon chuckled softly under his breath and shook his head while he pulled Hakyeon into his arms, enveloping him in a warm embrace as he rested his lips against the other’s dark hair.  “Let’s go,” he finally murmured, pulling back just enough to pick Hakyeon’s chin up so he could place a gentle kiss on his lips.

                “Okay,” Hakyeon hummed into the exchange dreamily, leaning against the taller man in quiet contentment.  He didn’t resist when Taekwoon turned them both and guided Hakyeon from the main deck of the ship so they could head for their sleeping quarters. 

                Tomorrow was certainly going to be interesting, but Hakyeon was sure they’d be ready for it.  The crew knew what they were doing and it was going to be an easy run after all.  And besides.  They had Ravi.  He’d look out for them like he always did.  With his hand on the doorframe of their bedroom, Hakyeon bid the sleeping ship a quiet good night before he laid down on the neatly made bed, making space for Taekwoon to join him under the covers.

                “Night Taekwoonie,” he mumbled sleepily as he curled up against the other man’s comforting, warm body with strong arms wrapped around him and a nose buried in his hair.

                “Good night, Hakyeon,” he heard in response before he took one more breath and closed his eyes, giving himself up to sleep and the adventures that awaited them on the morrow.

(a/n: And finished!  I hope you've enjoyed the ride along the way.  I know it's certainly been interesting for me!  haha  Thank you for taking the time to read and share your thoughts if you did so.  I always appreciate it.  ^_^  Feel free to let me know what you thought and if not, happy reading in the future and thank you for stopping by!  *waves farewell*)