Within an hour of Kyungsoo’s arrival in Sehun’s apartment on Anam, Kyungsoo was already moving into Sehun’s room.

Kyungsoo had apparently run away from Kunryun a few weeks ago, and had only arrived that day by smuggling himself aboard a shuttle cargo ship that made routine trips from Kunryun to Anam.

When Kyungsoo arrived, he had nothing on him but the clothes on his back, a sword he wrapped with a piece of cloth and string, and Sehun’s address scribbled onto a piece of paper in a script that Chanyeol could not read but recognized to be the Gauean language.

Kyungsoo stumbled into the cramped apartment, shivering, with tear stains running down from his face and looking like he hadn’t slept in days. Kyungsoo almost tripped over the scattered tools and maps all over the floor in the apartment, but Sehun had caught Kyungsoo and showed him to the room.

Chanyeol was still confused and could only stand from afar, watching the uncle and nephew talking on the bed in Sehun’s room.

Chanyeol didn’t know what they were talking about still, but Kyungsoo was trembling as he spoke and Sehun was comforting him, looking remorseful on behalf of Kyungsoo.

Chanyeol could hardly imagine what Kyungsoo had gone through to be in such a state.

Kyungsoo had dark hair and eyes like Sehun, although Chanyeol did expect Kyungsoo to be taller like Sehun.

Chanyeol had not met any other Gauean than Sehun. Kyungsoo was the second Gauean that Chanyeol had met, and he appeared to look like how Chanyeol always thought Gaueans would appear to be.

Chanyeol did think that it wasn’t fair to make such an assumption though since Kyungsoo and Sehun were related. Chanyeol meant no harm, he was just curious.

Kyungsoo went to sleep on Sehun’s bed a while later. Only then, Sehun left the room to go talk to Chanyeol who had begun clearing up the apartment because he didn’t want anyone tripping and falling all over the mess on the floor.

Chanyeol still barely knew Kyungsoo and he already felt bad that Kyungsoo almost hurt himself because of it.

“He’ll be staying with us and joining our team from now on,” Sehun announced, as he helped Chanyeol clear the floor and move the tools elsewhere.

“Oh, okay, I guess,” Chanyeol replied, still a bit confused and not quite adjusted to the situation.

“He can have my room,” Sehun continued, throwing some tools to the side.

“So, where will you sleep then?” Chanyeol asked, assuming that Sehun would start sleeping on the couch.

“You and I can share rooms. I’ll just sleep on the floor. I’ll find something,” Sehun answered, shrugging his shoulder, sitting cross-legged on the floor as he looked towards a squatting Chanyeol.

“Uh…” Chanyeol gaped, “I don’t mean to be rude but why can’t you share with Kyungsoo? Aren’t you two family?”

“I don’t mind that actually, I just feel bad for him, you know, so I wanted him to be comfortable now that’s he’s here. He’s never left Kunryun in all of his life, and he’s just used to living differently there,” Sehun looked over the closed door of his once room- now Kyungsoo’s, as a stale breeze continued to blow in from the windows, “-he’s been through a lot. He served Kunryun a lot but this is how they repay him. Not that I’m surprised though, stuff is like that where we come from,”

“What happened? Why did Kyungsoo leave Kunryun?” Chanyeol questioned, his curiosity getting the better of him, when his tact would have told him to shut up and mind his own business.

“-let’s just say that if Kyungsoo was discovered here by someone from the Gauean military, they’d probably kill him,” Sehun explained, nonchalantly.

“So, like you, yeah?”

“My sister, Kyungsoo’s mother, might still want to kill me if she knows I have been in touch with her son all this time. I don’t know really. It’s been over a hundred Gauean years since I last saw her. At least the whole government doesn’t have me on a wanted list as they do with Kyungsoo,” Sehun replied, “We’ll be fine though. I don’t think they know where Kyungsoo went but I trust they’ll start looking soon.” 

Chanyeol was about to say something, about how Sehun was talking like it was a normal thing to happen. Then, Chanyeol realized that it was probably a normal thing for a Gauean and chose to not say anything about that. Chanyeol didn’t want to be rude and wanted to respect on their culture’s sensitivities.

Chanyeol did come across the thought that it would be very dangerous to have Kyungsoo around, based on what Sehun had told him.

Chanyeol didn’t want to ask what it was that caused Kyungsoo to be hunted by the Gauean military, but it sounded really bad even for Gauean standards to have that upon him.

Chanyeol did not know what to do if a squad of Gauean soldiers just stormed onto Anam to take Kyungsoo and possibly Sehun back.

Chanyeol trusted Sehun though. There was a reason why Anam was chosen as Sehun’s main base; because of the moon’s position as the galaxy’s neutral territory where no government was allowed to exert their power or sovereignty on it.

While they were there, no Gauean soldiers were allowed to come in for their national affairs, which happened to be catching Kyungsoo and bringing him back to Kunryun.

Chanyeol found it hard to go to sleep after that; after Kyungsoo arrived. Sehun was sleeping on a rug they got from another planet, on the floor beside his bed. Sehun didn’t snore or stir in his sleep, so he wasn’t really the cause that Chanyeol wasn’t sleeping.

Because there was no such thing as day or night on Anam, the moon operated constantly around the clock. Large businesses never closed. The levitating trains and buses never stopped and even Anam’s government operated constantly with three different mayors taking a turn in shifts.

For convenience, Anam still did run on a 25 hours day clock. Although, everyone on Anam ran on their time schedule, choosing to sleep and wake when they want or see fit, without the day-night rotation determining how it should be.

Sehun and Chanyeol chose to follow a schedule to sleep in the early hours; when the Anam time was between 00:00 and 09:00.

It was only the third Anam hour, which Chanyeol read from the holographic clock floating on a bedside table.

Chanyeol remained laying down on his bed for a while, after giving up on trying to sleep. Maybe it was because he had been lazing around the entire day, so he wasn’t tired enough to go to bed.

Chanyeol pressed an arm to his forehead as he looked out the window beside his bed. Chanyeol’s had the blinders down but he could still see some flashing neon lights from the buildings outside, seeping through the window.

There was an occasional whizzing sound when the occasional light passenger vehicle flew by their apartment, causing the window to rattle a bit when it passed by.

Chanyeol had sharp ears. It wasn’t a Vuurian trait, just a gift he had that was only slightly advantageous at times.

Chanyeol heard Kyungsoo tripping on some of the mess on the floor outside, that was only partially cleaned up because there weren’t enough corners of the apartment to dump it all at.

Kyungsoo was probably headed to the small kitchen in the apartment, Chanyeol deduced.          

Kyungsoo looked very exhausted when he arrived, and had gone to sleep just shortly after, so he didn’t really get to meet Chanyeol properly.

Chanyeol thought that Kyungsoo would be hungry, especially after the long journey as a stowaway on a cargo ship. Chanyeol remembered Sehun saying that he had never left Kunryun in all of his life.

While Chanyeol didn’t really leave a good first impression on Kyungsoo; Chanyeol, like all Vuurians, was a hospitable person and didn’t want to leave Kyungsoo fending for himself in the equally messy kitchen while hungry and needing to eat or drink.

Especially, since it was Kyungsoo’s first time anywhere but on Kunryun.

Chanyeol crept out of bed, walking the other way around, avoiding Sehun on the floor as he quietly left the room.

Chanyeol found Kyungsoo in the kitchen, holding a cup and trying to figure out how to work the water filter and dispenser, which was different than how it was on Kunryun. 

Kyungsoo looked a bit scared with all the controls and buttons he weren’t familiar with, not wanting to mess things up.

Seeing that, Chanyeol quickly strode over to the kitchen to help Kyungsoo.

“I got it,” Chanyeol reached out, speaking in basic Gauean language, taking the cup from Kyungsoo’s hands.

Kyungsoo didn’t say anything. He only stepped back to give Chanyeol some room to work the thing around.

Chanyeol filled the cup almost full to the brim with water before handing it over to Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo muttered a low “thanks” in Gauean language and immediately gulped down the entire cup in one go.

“Please, can I have more,” Kyungsoo requested, this time in the lingua franca as he handed the cup back to Chanyeol.

Chanyeol obliged and Kyungsoo repeated for three more times before Kyungsoo said he was good.

“Oh, you can speak the lingua franca,” Chanyeol noted, standing in the cramped kitchen with Kyungsoo.

“Yeah, I can,” Kyungsoo replied, holding the half-full cup in his hands.

“Your accent is quite good too,” Chanyeol pointed out, “I was a bit worried that you wouldn’t be able to understand me. You see, I don’t speak the Gauean language.”

“It’s okay; I don’t expect you to either. The Gauean language is one of the hardest in the universe, after all,” Kyungsoo assured.

“I’m sorry we didn’t get to properly meet each other just now. I didn’t know who you were and I was worried that you had come to assassinate Sehun. I’m sorry about that whole thing just now,” Chanyeol apologized, kicking away some junk near his feet as he held out a hand towards Kyungsoo, “I’m Chanyeol, by the way. I’m from the planet Vuur.”

“I’m Kyungsoo but I think Uncle Sehun told you about me by now though,” Kyungsoo bowed his head instead, not shaking Chanyeol’s hand as that wasn’t how he was used to, “I apologize for how I acted earlier on too. I wasn’t aware that my uncle has a partner now, since the last time we were in contact with each other, he was still working alone.”

“-right, yeah,” Chanyeol flustered, remembering that Gaueans didn’t do handshakes as he retracted his arm back.

Chanyeol quickly changed the topic,”-you came a long way. You must be hungry. Do you want something to eat?”

“Yes, please. I’ll have anything you can give me,” Kyungsoo was grateful.

“I’ll go make something for you. Take a seat while I make something,” Chanyeol offered, noting how soft and politely Kyungsoo spoke.

Then again, Gaueans were known for being very polite and respectful, which was a bit odd considering their violent culture.

Chanyeol and Sehun hardly cooked while they were on Anam. They were used to eating outside or having takeouts. After all, there were so many places to eat on Anam with foods and dishes from all over the galaxy.

Although, there was some food there in the apartment that Chanyeol could possibly serve to Kyungsoo.

Chanyeol tore open some grub rations from a shiny metallic packaging, before pouring the condensed jelly-like substance into a bowl that he later heated up.

The jelly-like substance melted into a greenish-brown soup with some larger chunks and bits floating in it.

Holding the bowl steady in his hand, Chanyeol served it to Kyungsoo who was sitting on the couch by the open window, while looking out towards the Anam skyline and its dark sky.

“Here,” Chanyeol said as he carefully passed the bowl to Kyungsoo.

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo smiled as he drank the soup straight from the bowl, which was designed to not heat up despite its hot content. 

Chanyeol sat on the other end of the couch, across from Kyungsoo. Chanyeol sat with his legs up on the couch as he rested an arm on the back of the couch, while he waited for Kyungsoo.

The stale and humid breeze continued to blow from the window and into the apartment. Kyungsoo was sitting right beside the window.

Kyungsoo closed his eyes, letting the breeze blow onto his face and slightly ruffling his dark hair when he felt it come again, pausing a while from drinking the soup.

“The wind feels rather dry here, doesn’t it?” Kyungsoo noted.

“It is,” Chanyeol chimed in, resting his chin on his knees, “The wind on Anam comes from the uninhabited part where it’s always daylight. It’s just a hot barren desert out there with no water. No one lives there. Everyone lives on the dark side in Anam.”

“So I’ve heard,” Kyungsoo nodded, holding the bowl with both hands at chest level, “-I can’t see the star from this side of the moon either. It will take me some time to get used to the lack of day and night cycles here.”

“Yeah, you’d have to go over to the bright side if you want to look at it. It’s really hot