Her Astronaut

✯27✯

The celebrations surrounding Seokjin's birthday were quite amazing, it was the after that was a disaster.

The final week in LA was damn near perfect.

Seokjin loved that it started with his date to Six Flags with Nova and ended with his birthday celebrations. This included the Pink Bean hat that she gave him. He about squealed when he opened up the gift. Yes, he had tons of Maple Story merch, but the fact that it was his favorite character and from his favorite person made it priceless.

Best gift ever.

It all came crashing down right as he was about to leave for the airport. Nova informed him that going forward she felt they should keep their budding relationship strictly platonic for the time being.

It gutted him.

He walked away and returned to his own hotel room needed moments to process. The last thing he wanted was to snap at her.

Everything he felt was conflicting.

He completely understood her decision, especially knowing her past and the fact that she was going to be busy in the coming months. This included helping Yoongi during his photo folio shoot along with moving to Vegas and opening up the satellite office for his company.

However... it felt like a breakup.

But it wasn't. Well, not technically.

It still felt like it.

He remained cordial and even kissed her passionately one last time.

The moment he was on the plane... Seokjin shut down.

His headphones on and hoodie up, he curled into the fetal position while he silently cried. At one point he felt a hand rub his back which he determined to be Jimin.

With four of them staying in the States for the start of their hiatus, Seokjin was returning home to Korea with only Jimin and Jungkook.

Eventually, Jimin curled next to him and cuddled for a portion of the flight. At one point he heard Jungkook beginning to throw out borderline disparaging comments about Nova.

Yes, the situation broke his heart but she did not deserve any hate. At all.

"Kookie, no. Please don't talk about her in that manner."

"Hyung, she broke your heart."

"That still does not give you license to talk poorly of her."

Seokjin looked at both Jimin and Jungkook straight in their eyes. It was evident in his gaze that he harbored no ill feelings towards her, at all.

"I'm not mad at her. At all. I'm mad at the circumstances. I'm angry that the distance is getting in the way and I'm pissed that her fucking ex treated her in such a shitty way that she is now too afraid to give us a chance. Everything surrounding it all is fucked up. But not her. She is completely innocent."

The two Maknaes looked at each other, dumbstruck. Not often did their hyung curse. When he did, they knew he meant business. Apologizing profusely, they spent the remainder of the flight comforting and distracting their favorite eldest hyung.

The winter hiatus was odd. The days were long but the time flew by.

Seokjin tried staying friendly with Nova, but it was hard. All he wanted to do was pour his heart out, tell her how beautiful she was, and love on her. Even from afar.

However, she asked to keep things platonic.

Over time he realized they could never be friends. He liked her too much to keep things at that level. Every morning in America, he would send her a text along with another good night message around her bedtime. In order to protect himself and respect her wishes, he slowly began to distance himself, keeping all their conversations surface-level.