Work Text:
The kitchen was bathed in a soft morning light, the sun casting pale golden stripes across the wooden table. The air smelled of freshly brewed coffee, and the rhythmic clink of spoons against mugs filled the silence. Daisuke sat at the table, his fingers drumming idly on the edge of his cup, his eyes unfocused as he stared at the unopened envelope in front of him. Across from him, Sunny sliced into their avocado toast with careful precision, taking their time as always.
The world outside felt distant. Inside, the world felt like it was on the verge of falling apart. Daisuke wasn’t sure how to begin. He’d barely slept, his mind tangled in thoughts of the letter that had arrived that morning.
The letter his mother had sent him.
The Pony Express, one of the few private companies still authorized to deliver cargo to the off-world colonies, had offered him an internship on one of their upcoming missions. It was a high-risk, low-reward opportunity—delivering undisclosed cargo to an undisclosed location. There was little information about the mission itself, but Daisuke knew enough to feel a cold knot form in his stomach every time he thought about it.
He never asked for this. His mother had arranged everything—pushing him into a role that was as dangerous as it was insignificant. Daisuke didn’t know where he would be sent, didn’t know what kind of cargo he would be transporting, but what he did know was this: The Pony Express wasn’t a company that cared about people. They cared about results. They cared about the mission.
And they definitely didn’t care about him.
“Are you going to open it?” Sunny’s voice broke through the quiet, soft but laced with concern. Their eyes were on Daisuke now, the last traces of their playful morning expression replaced with a quiet apprehension.
Daisuke blinked, snapping out of his thoughts. He glanced down at the letter, his fingers still hesitating. “I don’t know,” he muttered, more to himself than to Sunny. “I don’t know if I want to.”
Sunny set their toast down with a gentle clink and studied him with an intensity that made Daisuke feel like they could see straight through him. There was a sharp edge to their gaze, something deeper than just worry.
“What’s in it, Daisuke?” Sunny’s voice was steady, but it was hard to ignore the underlying fear. “You’ve barely said anything about this… opportunity your mom got for you.”
“I don’t know what it is yet,” Daisuke said, his voice tight. “She just… set it up. The Pony Express wants me to join their next mission. It’s a cargo delivery. But they won’t tell me where I’m going. Or what I’m delivering.”
Sunny leaned forward slightly, their eyes darkening with concern. “Daisuke, that’s… that’s not normal. A delivery like that? The Pony Express doesn’t tell you where you’re going or what you’re carrying? That’s—” They stopped themselves, biting their lip, their hand tightening around the edge of the table.
Daisuke’s stomach twisted. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “It feels off. But my mom says it’s a great opportunity. I can’t just turn it down.”
Sunny shook their head slowly, their voice soft but urgent. “No, Daisuke, you shouldn’t go. I’ve heard things about that company. You can’t just ignore what’s been happening with their crews. They’ve been known to push people to the brink. Some of them disappear. Some of them… don’t come back. People don’t know what they’re getting into until it’s too late.”
Daisuke’s heart pounded. He had heard the rumors too. The stories about The Pony Express—about the secrecy, about the dangerous missions they took on without telling their employees the full details, about how those who worked for them often didn’t last long. He could hear it in Sunny’s voice now, could see the worry etched into their face.
"I don't want you to go," Sunny continued, their voice thick with emotion. "I don’t want to lose you. This… this isn't just some job. This is dangerous, Daisuke. You don’t even know where you're going or who’s going to be with you. It could be months before you even get back. Or worse, what if something happens and you’re not there when I need you?" They paused, eyes glistening with something unspoken. “What if I never see you again?”
Daisuke's chest tightened at the rawness of Sunny's words. They weren’t just scared for him—they were terrified.
“I don’t want to go either, Sunny,” Daisuke said, the weight of it hitting him all at once. He ran a hand through his hair. “But I don’t think I have a choice. My mom… she’s been pushing me so hard for this. And if I don’t take it, it’ll just… disappoint her. She’ll never understand. She wants me to be something more than I am, to take these risks.” His voice cracked as he spoke, the tension building in his chest.
There was a long pause as Sunny watched him, their gaze heavy with unspoken words. The silence stretched on, thick and suffocating.
“I’m scared, too,” Daisuke finally said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t know where I’m going. I don’t know what’s waiting for me. But if I don’t go… I’ll never hear the end of it. And I don’t know if I can live with that either.”
Sunny’s expression faltered, their face softening with quiet understanding, though their eyes betrayed the quiet anguish they were holding in. They reached across the table and gently took Daisuke's hand.
“I support you,” they said, their voice a little hoarse. “But I can’t pretend I’m okay with it. I’ll always support you, Daisuke, no matter what. But I don’t want to lose you.”
Daisuke swallowed hard, blinking back the sudden sting of tears that threatened to overwhelm him. His heart ached as he squeezed Sunny’s hand.
"I’m sorry," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I don’t want to leave you. But… I have to do this. I don’t know what else to do."
Sunny’s eyes were glassy, but they nodded slowly, their grip on his hand tightening just a little. "I know," they said softly. "I know you do. And I’ll be here when you get back. If you get back."
Daisuke’s heart sank at the quiet pain in their words, and it felt like a weight was settling in his chest, heavy and impossible to lift.
He finally picked up the letter, his fingers trembling, and broke the seal. There was no turning back now.
---
A Few Months Later
The small intern quarters aboard The Pony Express cargo ship were as sterile and uncomfortable as Daisuke had expected. The small bed, the constant hum of machinery, the flickering of lights—everything felt like a constant reminder that he was just another replaceable body, another expendable intern. The reality of it had settled in quickly. This wasn’t the career-defining launch his mother had promised. There was no prestige here, no promise of advancement. There was just the cold, harsh reality of a high-risk, low-reward internship with a company that barely cared whether he lived or died, as long as the cargo got where it needed to go.
He sat alone now in the common room, staring out at the endless void of space, his thoughts drifting back to the last time he had seen Sunny. The warmth of their embrace, their soft promises to wait for him—it felt so distant now, like something he’d imagined. His heart ached, knowing that they were back on Earth, left behind while he was out here, lost in the darkness.
The cargo, still sealed in large crates in the hold, was as mysterious as it was ominous. He had no idea what he was delivering. The Pony Express hadn’t told him. They never told him anything. They didn’t care if he lived or died—he was just another intern filling a position on a high-risk, low-reward mission. He wasn’t part of the crew. He was just a body.
As the days stretched on, Daisuke’s unease grew. The rumors about The Pony Express were true—the company pushed its employees to their limits. One of the crew members was distant, cold, too focused on his mission to care about the safety of others. It was unsettling at best. It seemed he was plotting something. What it was, Daisuke didn't know, and he isn't sure if he wants to.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong, but there was nothing he could do. The mission had already started. He was already aboard.
In the distance, the quiet hum of the ship’s engines pulsed through the walls, and Daisuke closed his eyes, trying to push away the crushing weight of regret that had settled over him. He had made his decision. He had to live with it. But he didn’t know if he could ever forgive himself for leaving Sunny behind.
---
Back on Earth
Sunny stood in the doorway of their shared apartment, their arms crossed tightly over their chest. The emptiness of the space had grown over the past few months, like the rooms themselves were grieving the absence of the person they had once shared everything with. They were proud of Daisuke, or at least they tried to be. They understood why he had gone, but that didn’t make it any easier.
"I’ll be here," they whispered to no one in particular. "I’ll be here when you get back. Please come back to me, Daisuke."