A Part of your Constellation - Straykids x Reader

A Breaking Point

*Not Proofread*

Jeongin had barely spoken a word since yesterday's encounter with Aera. The usually cheerful energy he carried felt replaced by a heavy cloud, and even his attempts at small smiles faltered. His mood hadn't gone unnoticed by Chan and Minho, who sat across from him in the living room that evening, their gazes growing increasingly concerned.

"You've been sulking all day," Minho pointed out, leaning back on the couch with an assessing stare. "What's going on?"

Chan, who had been scrolling through emails on his laptop, looked up, his brow furrowed in quiet worry. "Yeah, Jeongin. You're usually bouncing around—did something happen?"

Jeongin hesitated, gripping the hem of his hoodie as his lips tightened. The weight on his chest pressed harder, and he couldn't hold it in anymore. Taking a deep breath, he blurted, "It's Aera."

The mention of her name caused both Chan and Minho to stiffen. Their eyes sharpened with interest and unease as Jeongin continued, his voice faltering with emotion. "She's leaving. I don't know when, or where, but... she's leaving. And I—" His voice cracked slightly. "I tried talking to her, but she just keeps pushing me away. She feels so distant, and I don't know how to reach her anymore."

Minho's expression hardened, though whether it was frustration or something else was hard to decipher. "Leaving?" he echoed. "Did she say why?"

Jeongin shook his head. "No. She just keeps saying it's none of my business."

Chan closed his laptop and rubbed his temples, a heavy sigh escaping him. The news hit like a slow-moving storm, and the guilt he had tried to bury resurfaced. "We did this," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

Jeongin frowned. "What?"

Chan looked up, meeting the younger one's eyes with a somber expression. "Aera leaving—it's because of us. We made her feel like she didn't belong, like she wasn't wanted. And now..." He trailed off, the weight of his words sinking into the silence.

Minho's jaw tightened as he leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "If she's set on leaving, there's no point in forcing her to stay." His tone was clipped, though there was a flicker of something deeper in his eyes.

Jeongin opened his mouth to argue, but Chan raised a hand to stop him. "Let's give this some thought before we jump into anything. If there's still a way to fix this..."

The next day, the campus was alive with the usual bustle of students as Aera stood at the front of her classroom, her voice steady despite the quiet hum of exhaustion in her body. The past few days had been emotionally draining, and she found herself constantly wrestling with the ache in her chest.

As she continued her lecture, the edges of her vision began to blur. A slight dizziness crept in, and she placed a hand on the desk to steady herself. She tried to shake it off, taking a deep breath to refocus, but her knees suddenly buckled beneath her.

The world tilted, and the classroom filled with startled gasps as she collapsed to the floor.

"Professor!"

Seungmin, who had been sitting near the front, was the first to reach her. Panic flared in his eyes as he knelt beside her, gently shaking her shoulder. "Professor Aera! Can you hear me?"

The other students murmured in alarm, some rushing to the door to call for help. Seungmin's hands trembled as he checked for any sign of consciousness, his mind racing.

"Someone call the nurse!" he barked, his usually calm demeanor cracking under the pressure.

Aera's eyelids fluttered, and she let out a faint groan, but she didn't fully wake. The sight made Seungmin's chest tighten with fear. He glanced at her wrist, where her faint soulmark seemed almost nonexistent.