Work Text:
Operation: Fukurokuju. Mission Description: Deep Space Exploration to Proxima Centauri b. Launch Date: December 29th, 2039. Launch Time: 14:35. Mission Director: Ukai Ikkei. Mission Commander: Sawamura Daichi.
It was a cold, gray morning when Sawamura Daichi awoke early on December 29th. His alarm gently beeped on the night stand as he cracked open one eye and then the other. He sat up, rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and reached over to silence his alarm. The last one he'd been turning off for a while. Well, on Earth any way. Today was the day. Days before his birthday, Sawamura Daichi was going to deep space.
It was an honor to be chosen for this mission. Operation: Fukurokuju was JAXA's first manned deep space exploration mission, and he was one of eight astronauts to be selected for the team. In fact, he had been selected for mission commander for this trip. It wouldn't be Daichi's first trip into space; he had been on three trips to the International Space Station for a total of 90 days in space. But this time, he'd be on a deep space exploration mission, traveling at light speed to an exoplanet trillions of miles from Earth all in the name of data collection and research. He shivered with excitement as he pulled himself out of bed. He also shivered with nervous anticipation.
The previous night, Daichi had spent the last night he would ever have with his family. Trillions of miles of travel meant travelling at light speed in order to reach the planet within the astronaut's lifetime. Travelling at light speed meant that there was a very real possibility of something going very, very wrong. He didn't want to dwell on it too much, but as he prepared breakfast for one last time, he couldn't help but reflect on the first mission brief all those months ago.
"Our technology should be advanced enough that your ship should stay intact as you travel through light speed," Mission Director Ukai had told the crew on the first day of training, "and the cryogenic pods will help you maintain your body's regular functions."
Ukai had paused then, taking an unsteady breath before he added, "And because of time dilation, we can't guarantee you'll ever see your families again."
Ukai had held up a hand when the cries of shock and protest filled the room. Once the assembled crew had quieted down, Ukai had continued, "We know that this will come as a surprise to some of you, especially those who may not have as strong of a background in physics. However, this is a risk anyone who wants to participate in this mission must be willing to take."
"How much time would pass here on Earth?" an astronaut who would later drop the mission asked.
"Proxima b is 4.2 light years away, and you'll be spending three years in orbit around the planet collecting data," Ukai explained. "It'll then be another 4.2 light years to return to Earth. Not accounting for the two years in orbit, it might be about 80 years of time on Earth."
Another murmur had rippled through the assembled group.
"I know that the uncertainty of all of this is daunting," Ukai said, "but this is—quite literally—a once in a lifetime opportunity. You get to work not only with your current generation of scientists, but future generations as well, exploring a planet that we know so little about. This is a phenomenal opportunity for you all. If you need to withdraw from the mission, I understand. But I hope you'll all stay on."
In the end, they had to replace all but four crew members. Daichi remained on as mission commander, as did his fellow astronauts and lifelong friends Azumane Asahi, Michimiya Yui, and Tanaka Ryuunosuke, the crew's physician, resident geologist and the crew's pilot respectively. Added to the crew were Hinata Shouyou, Kageyama Tobio, Shimizu Kiyoko, and Ennoshita Chikara. Hinata would act as their navigator and communications technician, Kiyoko their chief engineer, Ennoshita was an astrophysics researcher who specialized in exoplanets, and Kageyama was the systems operator for the journey. They each had their specializations, and they knew the risks involved. Still, they were all prepared to undertake the journey. Daichi had nothing but respect and admiration for their dedication to space exploration.
After breakfast, Daichi took a quick lap around his apartment. The place was bare; most of his furniture either left with his family or sold off. He had been allowed one crate of personal effects, and those had been with JAXA for weeks now. There was really nothing left for him there, but Daichi couldn't help but felt a twinge in his chest as he stepped into his bedroom for the last time. His room was the only place with furnishings. His parents would be by later to pick up his bed and dresser, taking the last of his clothes for donations and selling his remaining furniture off. Daichi spun in a slow circle, taking in his bedroom, and his eyes fell on a lone picture frame on his dresser.
He picked it up, turning it over to examine the picture. It was a picture of his family during a birthday several years ago. It must have been his sister Miko's birthday, as she was in the center of the photo. Her wide smile had a missing tooth, placing this photo at her seventh birthday. Akane was seated to her left, his small hand reaching towards the cake, most likely in an effort to steal some frosting while Miko distracted. Daichi in the picture had his hands resting on Miko's shoulders, eyes closed and head thrown back in laughter. Neither of his parents were in the picture. Daichi blinked back the tears that were welling in his eyes. He knew that he was going to cry, but now wasn't the time. He had other things to do. Daichi took the picture out of the frame and folded it gently. He tucked it into his pants pocket with a gentle pat; JAXA wouldn't mind if he brought along one more thing.
Daichi made his way back to the front room, stopping at the genkan to put on his shoes and his jacket. With one final look at his apartment, Daichi gave it a little wave, then left. He locked the door, and dropped the key in the mailbox for his parents to find later. Stepping out of the building into the early morning sun, Daichi checked his watch; 5:30am, just in time to watch the sunrise on the river bank.
It took Daichi about twenty minutes to make it his favorite spot on the river bank. It was cold, but it wasn't snowing. It rarely did in the city. It was cold enough that he'd wished he'd brought a scarf, but he had donated his scarves a while ago. He picked his way along the river bank, his hands shoved in his pockets as he made his way to a small alcove just behind a large boulder. It was his favorite spot on the river bank, secluded, peaceful, empty.
Daichi sat on a large rock that sat on the edge of the water. A gentle breeze ruffled through his short, dark hair as the sky steadily grew lighter and lighter.
"I knew I'd find you here," a familiar voice called.
Daichi turned to watch Azumane Asahi pick his way down the bank towards Daichi. Daichi moved over to make space for Asahi to sit down. With a quiet grunt, Asahi sat on the rock, his gaze turned towards the sunrise. They sat in silence for a few minutes, content to watch the clouds turn pink and orange as the sun finally rose over the horizon.
"Whatever you're about to say, keep it to yourself," Daichi said after a moment, reaching down to run a finger through the freezing sand.
Asahi blinked twice, his mouth dropping in shock.
"How did you-?"
"You do it every mission, Azumane," Daichi teased. "You always make some speech about us blasting off to explore the vast unknown for the betterment of humanity like a sentimental senpai in a manga."
"Pot, meet kettle," Asahi scoffed, giving Daichi a playful shove. "If anyone in the organization overhypes missions with sentimental speeches, it's you."
"Fair, fair," Daichi said, letting the conversation lapse back into silence. After a few minutes, he gestured for Asahi to speak.
"Oh, so now you want my sentimentality."
"Get on with it, Azumane."
Asahi sighed, pulling his knees up to his chest. "We're going to be leaving Earth for who knows how long."
Daichi hummed in agreement.
"There's no way we're making it back to Earth while our families are still alive, and who knows what Earth will be like when we get back."
"If we get back."
"I'm trying to be optimistic here," Asahi said, glaring at Daichi.
"Sorry, go ahead."
Asahi nodded, "Thank you. As I was saying, who knows what Earth will be like when we get back. And frankly, that scares me. That absolutely terrifies me. And I'm scared about what will happen to my parents when I'm gone. The future is uncertain, and that scares the shit out of me."
Asahi stopped, tears welling up in his eyes. Daichi reached out and pat Asahi's hand, waiting for him to continue. After a minute, Asahi wiped his eyes and took a shuddering breath.
"But, I know that things are going to be okay. I'm going on this mission surrounded by people I've known for years, people that are my friends and that I love. We're going to be gone for a long time, but I'm not going alone. I'll be with people who have my back, and I'll have theirs. We're going to be okay."
Daichi pulled his friend into a tight hug. Asahi wrapped his arms around Daichi without hesitation. Daichi knew he was crying, and he knew Asahi was crying, but neither of them addressed it. It would ruin the moment otherwise.
"Come on," Daichi said after a minute, his voice heavy with emotion, "let's go to space."
Daichi helped Asahi off of the rock. Asahi went first, picking his way back up the bank to the road. Daichi's gaze dropped to the sand next to the rock. He had traced his name in the sand, just out of reach of the waves. One last piece of himself left on Earth. Daichi turned away and climbed the bank after Asahi. He had a ship to catch.
***
The mission had been a success, in Daichi's mind, but at the same time, three years in orbit hadn't nearly been enough time to fully study the planet. Chikara and Yui had found some interesting data on the planet, but they could have found so much more if they were allowed to stay. The Fukurokuju had very little problems thanks to Kiyoko and Tobio's teamwork, any problem the ship may have had was fixed under their careful scrutiny. Ryuu, finding that his own job wasn't as important during the orbiting stage, learned how to navigate drones to and from the planet's surface. Daichi, needing something to pass the time, assisted Shouyou in creating star charts and relaying communications back to JAXA.
It wasn't all work onboard the Fukurokuju. The crew made it a point to send an over-the-top Christmas photo back to Earth once a year along with pictures of birthday parties and zero gravity antics. As it turned out, Chikara was an excellent filmmaker and spent plenty of time documenting the day to day life of the crew. The crew also set a record for the most amount of weddings held on a space ship outside of the Milky Way, with Kiyoko and Yui, and Shouyou and Tobio all marrying within one rotation of one another. Daichi had officiated both weddings, and the crew held a joint reception between the two couples. The ship's interior had been filled with makeshift decorations that hadn't come down for weeks.
But the three years were up, and the Fukurokuju hurtled back towards Earth at the speed of light. The ship dropped out of light speed somewhere around Mars and had been on a steady course for Earth for months. Soon enough, they were approaching Earth.
Shouyou was the first to spot Earth, dragging Tobio over to one of the ship's windows with a loud, "Tobio, you need to see this!" Tobio tried to resist at first—citing cryopod maintenance as a top priority—but once he caught a glimpse of Earth he froze. He wrapped an arm around his husband's shoulder and pulled him close, marveling at the blue speck that grew closer and closer. The rest of the crew was alerted soon after and preparations for atmospheric entry began. Within a week, the crew was strapping into place and preparing for their descent back to the planet's surface.
"Hey Daichi," Ryuu called from the pilot's chair, "I think you should let Chōfu know we're coming. Don't want them to think we're aliens or anything."
Daichi rolled his eyes as he pressed a button on the coms board and said, "Chōfu, this is Mission Commander Sawamura Daichi of the Fukurokuju. We're beginning our descent through Earth's atmosphere. We'll transmit you our coordinates for pickup once we land. Over."
Silence. Ryuu looked over at Daichi with an eyebrow raised. The rest of the crew looked on with mild concern.
"Do our coms not work anymore?" Yui asked.
Daichi pressed the button again, speaking louder this time, "Chōfu, do you copy? This is Mission Commander Sawamura Daichi of the Fukurokuju. We're beginning our descent and we're requesting pickup on impact. Over."
More silence. Then came a crackle from the coms.
"Fukurokuju, we copy," said a calm voice. "We have someone tracking your shuttle now and we'll have someone meet you at your landing point."
The crew let out a cheer of relief. Daichi sighed as he pressed the button again, "Roger that."
"Oh, and Commander?" the voice said.
"Yes?"
"Welcome home."
Daichi smiled. Satisfied, he sat back in his seat and nodded at Ryuu.
"Alright Ryuu, bring us home," Daichi said.
Ryuu gave Daichi a small salute. "Yes, sir."
As Ryuu piloted the ship down through the Kármán Line, a well of emotions bubbled up inside Daichi. They had made it, they were home.
***
Touchdown was rockier—or rather, wetter—than the crew anticipated. The ship overshot land by a few miles and landed in the Pacific Ocean. They'd been lucky that the ship's landing gears included floatation mechanisms, but they still had to wait for several hours for a ship large enough to pick them up from the ocean. Daichi had radioed Chōfu again, and the person on the other end had laughed hysterically before telling Daichi that a ship was on the way. The ship that came to get them, however, was something they weren't prepared for. For starters, it skimmed just above the water. No, it wasn't skimming. It was hovering.
The crew gaped as the large gray vessel slowed to a halt in front of them. It certainly looked like a carrier, but carriers didn't hover like that. They also didn't rise into the air high enough to open the bottom of the hull and pull the Fukurokuju inside using a tractor beam. It was like something out of a sci-fi novel.
"I'm starting to think that Ukai was onto something with the whole 'time dilation equals time travel' thing," Asahi muttered to Daichi as they stepped off of the Fukurokuju and onto the floor of the now closed hull.
"Well, if you're thinking that it's 2044, then you're right. Welcome to Earth, circa 2127."
The crew turned to see a group approaching their own. They were led by a blond man with—surprisingly—piercings and his hair held back by an athletic headband. Daichi noted that the group following him was all dressed in what appeared to be JAXA uniforms, but one in particular caught his eye. Standing near the front of the group was the most gorgeous man Daichi had ever seen. He was Daichi's height with the fluffiest silver hair Daichi had ever seen. He was toned, Daichi could tell that much from the uniform. His amber eyes seemed locked on Daichi, and Daichi felt a blush creep across his face. The silver haired man flashed him a quick smirk and Daichi groaned internally. That was entirely unfair of this stranger; he been in space with people he considered family that he'd forgotten how to cope with attractive people.
Thankfully, the blond haired man stepped in between Daichi and the source of his torment, snapping Daichi out of his stupor. The man held a hand out to Daichi, "Ukai Keishin. You worked with my grandfather."
Daichi looked between the man's hand and his face before grasping it. "Sawamura Daichi. You look an awful lot like him," Daichi remarked. "Wait, did you say 2127?"
Ukai shrugged, "We're going to wait to debrief you all until we're back in Chōfu. We've set up some temporary quarters for you here on the carrier so you can freshen up and all that. I can't imagine you've had an easy return journey."
There was a murmur of agreement amongst the crew. Daichi knew he was probably exhausted, but he had questions.
Ukai seemed to sense this as he gave Daichi a weary smile, "Rest up, you'll find out everything you need to know later. Tsukishima, Yachi, Yamaguchi. Please escort the crew of the Fukurokuju to their quarters. Takeda, with me. The rest of you, back to work."
Two men and a woman stepped away from the group. The girl, Yachi, pointed out a room for Kiyoko and Yui to while Tsukishima and Yamaguchi led the others to their own rooms. The doors were opened by handprint, again, something Daichi had only seen in sci-fi. It was a little unnerving, but then again, he had apparently spent the last 84 years living a sci-fi story, so he really he had no leg to stand on. Tsukishima—the taller of the two—gave Daichi a solemn nod before turning to let Asahi and the others into their rooms. As Daichi entered his room, he could hear a voice call down the hallway, "Are these the missing astronauts?"
'Missing?' Daichi thought as the door closed behind him. 'Were we missing?'
Daichi shook his head and surveyed the room before him. It was the same gray as the rest of the ship, with a tiny window overlooking the ocean. There was a bed, a side bathroom, and a dresser up against one wall. A single change of clothes had been placed on top of the dresser. Otherwise, the room was bare. Daichi crossed to the dresser and picked up the clothes – a T-shirt and a pair of jeans.
"How did they know our sizes?" Daichi wondered aloud. "Maybe they were still on file or something."
Daichi shrugged his shoulders; one more question to add to the list. He set the clothes down and stripped off the top of his flight suit. He peeled off the undershirt and dropped it to the floor.
"Excuse me," said a voice from behind him.
Daichi nearly jumped out of his skin, spinning on his heel to glare at the newcomer. The silver-haired man from before stood in the doorway. He held up his hands in a placating manner, a wide but sheepish grin plastered on his face.
"Hi, sorry, didn't mean to scare you," he said. "Can I come in?"
Daichi blinked twice, then nodded, "It's, uh… it's okay. Come in."
The other man lowered his hands as he stepped over the threshold. He gave the room a once over before returning his attention to Daichi. "My name's Sugawara Koushi," he told Daichi. "I was the one who gave you contacted when you started your reentry and when you landed in the ocean."
"Nice to meet you, Sugawara. I'm Sawamura Daichi, but I guess you already knew that."
"Call me Suga, all my friends do."
"Alright then. Suga it is."
Suga's face suddenly turned a bright red and he gave a quick cough. Daichi quirked an eyebrow, then looked down. His own face flushed as he realized he was still shirtless. Suga picked up the shirt from the nearby desk and tossed it at Daichi. Daichi snatched it out of the air and pulled it over his head. Suga was staring at him and it was making Daichi a little uneasy.
"Thank you for your help by the way," Daichi said as he tugged the shirt into place.
"What?" Suga asked, snapping out of whatever little world he had been in. "Oh, it’s nothing, really. I imagine it'd be kind of scary to crash land in the middle of the ocean and have no one come pick you up."
"Yeah, it was a little concerning," Daichi agreed. "Especially since we weren't expecting a helicarrier to come get us."
"A helicarrier?"
"It's from an American superhero movie, don't worry about it," Daichi said.
Suga nodded. He opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by a sudden commotion out in the hallway. Suga poked his head out of the door and groaned.
"I gotta get going," he said. "It looks like Nishinoya's trying to make friends in the most destructive way possible."
Suga left before Daichi could say anything, but Daichi figured out what he meant when he looked out into the hallway. Shouyou, Tobio, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi watched as Ryuu picked up a short man—Nishinoya, maybe?—in a JAXA uniform and lifted him over his head, much to the delight of the man. Asahi, Chikara, Kiyoko, and Yui were suspiciously absent.
"Wow, 21st Century humans are a lot stronger than I thought they'd be," Daichi could hear him say.
"It's either that, or you're really small," Tsukishima said.
"You got something to say to me, bean pole?" Nishinoya snapped.
"I bet I could pick you up too," Ryuu said, setting Nishinoya down.
Shouyou chanted in response, "Do it, do it, do it!"
"Don't you dare," Tsukishima hissed as he took a step back.
Suga stepped forward at that point, a stern look on his face. For the briefest of moments, Daichi thought that he was going to put an end to the shenanigans.
"You're gonna hurt your back if you try lifting him. Let me help you."
Tsukishima gaped at Suga before turning tail and booking it out of the corridor. Daichi smacked his head against the doorframe; it was going to be a long trip back to land.
***
The following week was a blur of debriefings and press conferences that left Daichi's head spinning. They'd been given rooms at a JAXA owned dormitory—a new feature as of 2115, according to Suga—and then they'd immediately been swept up in debriefings: what happened in the 87 years they were gone, what they experienced in space, general mission debriefs. But then everyone at JAXA wanted to meet with the "missing astronauts" as they were come to be known. Then every other space program wanted a meeting with the crew as well. As did every news corporation and world politician. It was a week of press junket after press junket after meeting after press junket. None of the crew seemed to be handling that part well, but least of all Daichi. As mission commander, he was the star of almost every interview. Everyone in the 22nd Century wanted to get to know the man in charge of the Fukurokuju crew. It was exhausting.
One good thing that came out of all of this was Suga. Within the span of a week, the man had become a close friend and guide for Daichi and the rest of the crew. Daichi wasn't sure how, but it felt like he'd known Suga forever, given how seamlessly he blended in with the group. The century's difference between him and the crew was nonexistent. He was funny, supportive, informative, and charming. He took the crew out on a tour of Chōfu their first morning back, receiving only a mild reprimand from Ukai once they got back. He'd bring food for the crew in between press conferences and answer questions about 22nd Century life. He always had a quip or a joke whenever someone was feeling down. Daichi had to admit it, he was falling hard and fast. Really, it was hard not to when he made it a point to see Daichi and the crew at least three times a day, including dropping by Daichi's quarters once a day. Aside from the blossoming feelings of infatuation, Daichi recognized something in Suga. He was a source of comfort.
This was especially nice after a particularly brutal interview that involved way too many questions about his family and whether or not he'd been in contact with any potential relatives. Daichi was embarrassed to say that he had stormed out of that interview, but really, who could blame him? He may have been slowly adjusting to life on Earth almost a century after he'd left it, but his family was still a sensitive spot. If either of his siblings had had kids, or grandkids, none of them had reached out to him. Or maybe they had and JAXA hadn't passed on the messages. Regardless, it wasn't something he wanted to talk about.
Suga had been waiting for him when he left the press room, his smile fading at the look on Daichi's face. He followed Daichi back to his quarters in silence. He waited patiently while Daichi opened the door, and then followed him inside. Daichi flopped down onto the bed with a sigh. Suga remained by the door, tense and silent.
"I don't know how you feel about hugs," Suga began after a minute, "but you sure look like you need one."
Daichi sat up. He studied Suga for a moment, his eyes roving over Suga's worried expression, his amber eyes flashed with empathy. Daichi gave Suga a curt nod. The tension seemed to drop from Suga's shoulders as he approached Daichi. He pulled Daichi to his feet, then pulled him into a tight embrace that knocked some of the wind out of Daichi's lungs. Suga, Daichi was pleased to discover, gave fantastic hugs. Daichi relaxed as he wrapped his arms around Suga's waist and tucked his face into the crook of Suga's neck, the tension of a long week seeping away into nothingness as he just stood there and let himself be held.
"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Suga whispered. "But if you need to, I'm here for you."
Daichi took one long, shuddering breath, then exhaled. "They asked about my family."
"Someone asked Kiyoko and Yui about it in their joint interview the other day," Suga remarked. "You'd think that would be on the 'Don't ask' list, but reporters are nosy."
Daichi snorted, "At least that much hasn't changed since the 21st Century."
They fell back into silence. Suga brought a hand up to run his fingers through Daichi's hair, the other rubbing small circles across his back. Daichi closed his eyes and let himself relax further into Suga's touch. He could feel himself drifting off in Suga's arms, but he didn't care. This felt right. It felt like home.
"Do you wish you hadn't gone?" Suga asked. "To space, I mean."
Well, wasn't that the question?
"I… don't know," Daichi admitted. "Part of me wishes that I could have grown with my family, but then again, if I hadn't…"
Daichi trailed off, letting the unspoken then I wouldn't have met you hang in the air.
Suga pulled away from Daichi enough to look him in the eye. There was a fire there as he said, "Wait here."
"Suga?"
"I'll be right back," Suga told him, pulling away and leaving the room.
Daichi immediately missed Suga's warmth. With a snap, Daichi realized just how much he craved Suga's company. He was something familiar in unfamiliar territory, a piece of driftwood in the unknown sea of the 22nd Century. In less poetic terms, Daichi was fucked. With a groan, he collapsed back on his bed. Falling for a guy he had met a week ago was the exact icing on top of the cake of weirdness Daichi had to deal with.
Suga's voice came from the doorway a few seconds later, "Don't fall asleep on me now. I violated several archival rules to bring you this surprise."
Daichi sat back up as Suga crossed the room to sit next to him. In his hands was a small JAXA tablet. Daichi glanced between the tablet and Suga's face. Suga beamed with excitement as he held the tablet out to Daichi.
"Since your mission was one of the most famous space exploration missions in the last century, everything about your lives was documented," Suga explained as he tapped the screen and held it out to Daichi. "That included interviews with your families."
Daichi froze, his hand inches from the tablet. "They interviewed our families?"
"That they did," Suga replied. "Do you want to see yours?"
Daichi swallowed, tears rolling down his face as he whispered, "Please."
Suga brushed the tears from Daichi's face, the gentle touch more than Daichi could handle at the moment. Suga moved his hand from Daichi's face to his shoulder, then pressed the screen of the tablet. On the screen were his parents, significantly older than they had been when he had left Earth.
"It's been hard for us, without Daichi," his mother said with tears in her eyes. "But we know that what he's doing is important. His work has meant so much to him, I'm glad that of all of the people working with JAXA, our Daichi was the one who got to go."
"We're so proud of him, we really are," his father chimed in. "We like to tell his nieces and nephews that if they look closely, they can track his ship across the night sky."
Daichi's heart skipped a beat; he'd had nieces and nephews.
"If you could tell Mission Commander Sawamura one thing, what would it be?" a voice off-screen asked.
His parents exchanged a loving, but pained look. Then his mother turned back to the screen and spoke, "We love you, Daichi. Please come back to Earth safe and sound."
"Name a crater after me if there are any on Proxima b," his father added with a chuckle.
The video ended there. Daichi didn't mind too much that it was a short clip; the tears falling from his eyes obscured the screen anyway. Suga set the tablet to the side and pulled Daichi in for another hug.
"They loved you so much," Suga whispered. "They were so proud of you, and they loved you so much."
Daichi pressed his face into the crook of Suga's neck. He took a deep breath and said, "Thank you, Koushi. I… This means a lot to me."
Suga tensed for a moment, clearly caught off guard by the use of his given name. For a moment, Daichi worried that he'd crossed a line. After a moment, however, Suga squeezed him tight.
"You're welcome, Daichi."
***
It took six months for the press conferences to finally stop. By that time, the crew of the Fukurokuju had officially settled into life in the 22 Century. Yui and Kiyoko had moved out of the dormitory and back to the small town in Miyagi they had grown up in. They found jobs at the local university, with Yui working in the geology department and Kiyoko taking on a job in the Engineering department. Shouyou, Tobio and Ryuu stayed on with JAXA, training future astronauts in flight, systems operations and navigation. Chikara got a job as a science consultant for movies, as well as a teaching position at a local university in Tokyo. Asahi found work at a local hospital near Chōfu. Daichi also stayed on with JAXA as a mission director, but moved back into his old apartment. It was bittersweet to come back to it, but it had been his home almost one hundred years ago. He needed the familiarity.
To his delight, Koushi continued to drop by unannounced almost every single day. Usually he brought food, but sometimes, he just brought himself. Whenever he'd show up, they would hang around Daichi's apartment and talk until sunset, then Daichi would take Koushi out for walks around town, showing him all of his old haunts and comparing them to how they were 87 years previous. Koushi usually had a remark about Daichi being ancient when Daichi would complain about "new fangled technology" and Daichi would easily counter with an exasperated "kids these days".
It was in moments like that where Daichi discovered little things about Koushi that made him fall even deeper in love. The bridge of Koushi's nose scrunched when he laughed. Koushi's eyes would flash a little just before the delivery of a swift jab to Daichi's ribs after a terrible joke. Koushi played with strands of his hair when he was nervous, or lost in thought. Koushi's smile was brightest whenever Daichi used his given name. Koushi's eyes flickered between Daichi's and Daichi's lips whenever Daichi spoke. Koushi always hugged Daichi tightest whenever the group would split for the night. Koushi flushed a light pink whenever Daichi caught him staring. It was all of the little things that made Daichi love Koushi more and more with each passing day. And it was about time he did something about it.
On Koushi's birthday, Daichi and Koushi went for one of their usual sunset walks. They stopped by Koushi's favorite ice cream shop before Daichi led him to the river bank he'd frequent 87 years ago. They made their way across the river bank, their hands brushing against each other. Feeling brave, Daichi laced his fingers with Koushi's. Koushi gave Daichi's hand a squeeze. Warmth spread across Daichi's cheeks as he grinned.
"So, where are you taking me, Sawamura?" Koushi asked. "You've been awfully secretive about this whole birthday adventure."
"I bought you ice cream, didn't I?" Daichi teased.
"Don't dodge the question."
"It's one of my favorite places in Chōfu." Daichi said.
He led Koushi to the alcove. To his delight, the area remained unchanged. He sat on the rock closest to the water's edge. Koushi sat next to him, pulling his knees to his chest and resting his head on Daichi's shoulder. The sun set behind them, leaving the pair to admire the twilight sky. Daichi reached down to the sand below and traced his and Koushi's names into the sand.
"Anytime I left Earth, I'd come here to watch either the sunrise first," Daichi explained. "It was always so tranquil here. No one would find me; it was just me and the world around me. Knowing that I would be coming back to this was what made me want to go to space in the first place. I always had something to come back to."
"Thank you for sharing this with me," Koushi whispered, lacing his fingers with Daichi's again.
Daichi sat back a little, turning to look at Koushi. He studied the other man's face for a moment before he asked, "Can I kiss you?"
Koushi blinked at Daichi, then punched him in the shoulder. "I've been waiting for you to ask for six months, Sawamura!"
Daichi laughed as he rubbed his arm, "You know, you could have taken the initiative."
"Shut up and kiss me, asshole."
All too happy to comply, Daichi cupped Koushi's chin and pulled him into the kiss. It was a simple thing, as far as kisses went. It was a gentle kiss, but it had just the right amount of passion behind it to send shivers down Daichi's back. Koushi brought his hands up to rest on Daichi's shoulders. He tilted his head to deepen the kiss, and it was like the final piece of a jigsaw puzzle falling into place. It felt right, being there with Koushi. Koushi was comfort, Koushi was home.
"I love you," Daichi whispered against Koushi's lips.
Koushi pulled back to press a kiss to Daichi's forehead. "I love you too," he replied.
They stayed that way for a while, trading gentle kisses as they watched the sky turn black. It was exactly where Daichi wanted to be.