STELLA SYNDROME. ✓

VI. venus

VI.
v e n u s

━━

HE dreamed he was in outer space with jimin by his side.

billions of stars glittered in the sky like pieces of an impossible puzzle, and asteroids whizzed past faster than his eyes could comprehend. he gaped in awe as one missed him by an inch, then felt his nose and sighed in relief. then he rolled his eyes at his own stupidity—this was a dream, it couldn't hurt him anyway.

his eyes wandered to the left and then he froze when they landed on a tuft of blonde locks, big brown eyes like a doe's blinking beneath it. "jimin?"

"jungkook." the older sat up and gazed at him, hand reaching out and landing on the younger's thigh. jimin proceeded to lean closer to him, demeanor laced with a corrupted innocence, contrasted like water is with wine.

jungkook felt his muscles tense, and he swallowed nervously. "w-what are you doing, hyung?" he had never seen jimin act this way before, dream or not.

the blonde bit his lip and pressed their foreheads together, causing the brunette's heart to begin thumping violently in his chest. "something i should have done a long time ago."

and then he closed his eyes and pressed his lips with the younger's. jungkook could barely make out a strangled "oh!" before the elder's tongue had pried an entrance into his mouth, jimin's hands sliding up his chest and crinkling his shirt. jungkook felt his own hands wrap around jimin's back and pull him closer, breaths coming heated and desperate as the blonde swept in and captured his lips once more. dazed giddiness filled his head when jimin smiled against his mouth and then moved down to kiss his neck.

hovering over his skin, he whispered, "jungkook, i love you."

he froze, breath catching in his throat. "i-i love you too." but this is all just a dream. he felt his posture wilt like a flower aching for rain. "but why are you telling me this?"

"because," the older boy smiled sadly, somber expression washing over his features. "you'll be gone and it'll be too late."

what? jungkook didn't understand. his mouth parted to ask him what he meant, but to his horror, his skin began to glow, skin lighting aflame brightly. he couldn't move, and then, he felt himself being ripped to shreds, exploding into a million tiny fragments blown away into the realms of deep space.

━━

JUNGKOOK woke to his head boiling hot and his body sore. after allowing his eyes to focus, he rubbed them and realized he had fallen asleep next to the toilet on the cool bathroom tile. but he was still burning alive, so he stood and splashed water onto his face in rapid flicks. he glanced at the clock and then exhaled heavily in defeat—he had only slept an hour. another sleepless night for me.

he sighed; scratching his head in confusion. what the hell was that? it had been a long time since jimin had appeared in his dreams, especially not giving him a steamy kiss. and shining skin, disintegrating... "too late." what did it all mean? he didn't have a clue.

when he went down for breakfast, everyone was staring at him. except for jimin, who (surprise) wasn't there. jungkook tried not to gulp nervously but ended up tripping over his words when he said, "good morning."

"no," yoongi deadpanned, "it's not." the brunette wouldn't meet their gazes, so the rapper pressed on. "you're hiding something from us. jimin probably feels that way too, wherever he is."

jungkook stifled a dry laugh. "i'm not lying to you."

"guk," seokjin murmured gently, "we both know that's not true." namjoon gave him a reassuring smile, and taehyung nodded, encouraging him to say what was up.

the youngest looked away, trickles of anxiety swimming in his eyes. i can't tell them everything, he thought sadly, but i can tell them something; something they already suspect. he took a deep breath. "you're right. i was hiding something." hoseok beckoned him to go on. "i have insomnia," he blurted, biting his lip and bracing himself for their responses.

but they only offered him pitying looks. "oh, he's reached his time," seokjin concluded, yoongi nodding his head in agreement.

"what?" jungkook uttered, not comprehending.

ever the leader, namjoon took charge and answered him. "since becoming an idol, some of us have experienced lack of sleep due to anxiety. it can happen occasionally or right before an awards show or big day, but sometimes, it can be more frequent than that. i've dealt with this myself; along with seokjin, yoongi, and jimin." the brunette's mouth twitched at the name of the boy who plagued his dreams earlier. "it was bound to happen eventually, don't feel like you don't have to tell us."

"oh," he mumbled, "yeah, that's what i'm feeling. sorry for worrying you."

"that's alright," hoseok grinned, patting his arm sweetly. "i have sleeping pills if you need them, just take one a night. they help a lot!"

"thanks."

"i can cuddle with you right before bed!" taehyung's arms were wrapped around his waist, and he gave jungkook puppy eyes. "it works even better than pills!"

jungkook hugged him and gave him a weak simper. "thanks, hyung."

the interrogation powwow began to disperse, but namjoon stuck his head back in the doorway. "oh, and is it okay to tell jimin this? he'll want to know."

jungkook couldn't stop the incredulous cough from bubbling from his lips. the other members stared at him weirdly, so he shrugged, "sure, whatever. it's not like he'd care anyway."

seokjin raised an eyebrow, and namjoon cocked his head. "now, why would you say that?"

"he hates me." jungkook spoke sharply. "you see the way he treats me; he wants nothing to do with me." he cut himself off. "so fine, you can tell him, but i don't expect him to come running to me and offering help like the rest of you."

the room grew quiet. yoongi shook his head in disappointment as the other members sighed sympathetically. "you know, jungkook," he said, "you can be really dense sometimes."

that struck a blow, and he took a step back as traces of hurt blanketed his features. "excuse me?" no one replied, so panic began to settle in his chest. "what? what did i say?"

hoseok and namjoon made eye-contact as seokjin and taehyung toed the ground awkwardly. they each began to file out of the room, leaving him to stand in utter confusion.

and for the first time since joining bangtan, jungkook really felt alone.

you guys really need to read the poems at the beginning of the chapters, because it adds to the aesthetic lol