The Star's Wish

Chapter Nine : Fairytale Prince

"You alright?" Seokjin asked him.

Jungkook nodded, taking another hesitant lick, and felt Jimin nudge his side gently.

"Look who it is," he murmured, pointing toward the food counter.

Jungkook looked up and felt his stomach plummet. Taehyung and Yoongi stood together in front of the counter, chatting with the server and gesturing to the food. Seokjin chuckled, drawing Jungkook's attention back to him, and pointed to Jungkook's ice cream.

"You're going to want to eat that a little faster, buddy."

Jungkook swallowed and nodded.

"Hyung, can I go say hi to Yoongi?" Jimin asked. Seokjin chuckled and waved him off, and Jungkook found himself sitting alone in front of Seokjin and Namjoon, holding the ice cream to his mouth without really eating it.

He tried not to look in Taehyung's direction. Would he be found out if they made eye contact? Did Taehyung already know? Had he felt it too? What if he tried to confront him about it? The anxiety settled on his nerves, and he found himself taking not just a lick, but an entire bite out of his ice cream just to distract himself. Once it was in his mouth, he regretted it-- if chocolate was hard to take one lick at a time, a full mouthful of it was downright disgusting. He squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to swallow it, one terrible piece at a time, then sighed and slumped down on the table, staring at the cone. He had barely dented it.

"Tired?" Seokjin asked gently.

Jungkook glanced toward him, then nodded, biting his lip. He just wanted to get out of there. But if he ran, Seokjin would know something else was going on.

"Wow, I didn't think you would all be here. How are you, Kookie?"

Jungkook bit his lip harder, then looked up, into Taehyung's eyes. Taehyung grinned, then sat down next to him, setting a full lunch tray down.

"Social exercise," Seokjin said, before Jungkook could summon the words. "He needs practice having his star out in public."

"Oh?" Taehyung glanced at Jungkook's star and smiled gently. "You're doing really well."

Jungkook swallowed. He wasn't well at all. He was getting ready to run, and he knew it, could feel it in the way his body began to curl away from his soulmate. He couldn't let Taehyung sense it. He needed to get away. He needed to escape.

"I actually used to be the same," Taehyung said, leaning on the table so he could meet Jungkook's eyes again. "My star was always bobbing all over the place. It's a little annoying, huh?"

Surprised, Jungkook nodded. Taehyung grinned, pulling back his sleeve, and Jungkook saw his soulmate's star, secured not by bandages but a ribbon that held the chain at his elbow, right below the star itself.

"I was stressed a lot as a child," Taehyung said, tugging gently on the ribbon to tighten it. "When I got older, I started to worry about worrying my soulmate, and it got so bad that my parents sent me here with Seokjin-hyung so I could have a chance to relax."

"Not that he's relaxed now," Seokjin teased, pointing the end of his half-finished cone in Taehyung's direction. "Always out wondering what he can do to help his parents and the patients here."

"Not true," Taehyung said dismissively.

Jungkook stared at his soulmate's star, hypnotized by the bright, pulsing light. So Taehyung had always seen it? He already knew? But he was so casual about showing Jungkook, so relaxed. If he was trying to get his attention wouldn't he be more desperate?

Jungkook's head hurt.

"Can I-- Can I go to bed now?" he asked Seokjin, sucking in a shuddery breath when Seokjin shook his head.

"You won't be able to sleep tonight if you nap," Seokjin said. "You know that. What's wrong?"

Jungkook swallowed hard, squeezing his ice cream cone so hard it cracked in his hand, spilling melted ice cream over his arm. Embarrassed, he tried to hide his face and felt the disgusting liquid smear on his cheek. Fragments of the cone scratched his skin as Seokjin let out a surprised cry.

"Kookie?" Taehyung asked gently. "What's going on?"

Jungkook's star vibrated as someone touched his hand, gently peeling it open and wiping the ice cream away. He let out a frightened cry and started to pull away, only to feel Taehyung slide a hand under his chin and lift it up, mouth opening partway as he wiped his face.

"It's alright," Taehyung said. "Look. I'm not going to hurt you."

Jungkook gulped, hypnotized by the strength of Taehyung's gaze. Taehyung held his face gently for one extra, unnecessary moment, then let go, standing up.

"I'll go throw these away," he said, waving the messy napkins.

Jungkook watched him go, eyes wide. The moment he was gone, there was a soft clatter, and Jungkook turned back to the table to see everyone staring at his star.

It had fallen to the table, dark.

***