Hi my adorable readers!

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Jungkook heard it before he felt it.

It was a sound, near his ear.

It took Jungkook a moment to realize someone was slapping , gentle on his cheek.

"C'mon, you gotta wake up. You need more water," a voice said insistently.

now he felt the warm fingers on his face.

No, Jungkook wanted to say.

He didn't want to pry his eyes open.

His brain would just-

Well... actually.

His head wasn't so painful anymore.

He took a deep breath for good measure, then shoved his eyelids open.

They slid open with way too much ease compared to before,

and as a result

he ended up looking very intense as he forcefully stared into the nurse's face.

She blinked, slightly taken back.

He let his eyelids droop back to normal.

She cast him a strange squint as she lay a wet cloth on his hand.

Weird.

It was easy being awake.

All the pain in his body seemed manageable.

And he was... tingly.

He felt comfortable, and soft.

Like he was dead tired and someone started massaging his shoulders or something.

No, the blanket with air conditioning was still a better description.

Something too good to be true must mean...

He looked to his other side.

Yep, there she was.

His... soulmate.

She was sitting as far away from him as she could while still touching him.

In fact, she was sitting so far that she had to lean forward to place her palm on his forearm.

What scared Jungkook was that he didn't even want to pull away.

And he didn't like that. He didn't want to be forced to like someone.

He didn't like the idea that the bond was controlling him.

He ran his eyes over the girl, studying her and wondering how he would make room for her in his life.

Her hair fell into her face, casting shadows and obscuring her features as he looked at her.

But the undeniable draw was there.

He felt like she was familiar even though he knew had no idea who she was.

And the soulmate healing coming from where her skin was on his skin... felt like little zaps of relaxing and warm electricity.

He wanted to be distant.

He wanted to act how he would if she was anyone else.

... But he just couldn't.

Because she wasn't just anyone else.

She was the person that the universe had made for him, and led to him, had shoved into his life.

How could he not be, at least a little, curious?

And she was peeking at him through her lashes like she was afraid.

Jungkook knew all too well what it was like to be afraid of other people.

It was hard when he had left Busan

and everyone and everything he'd ever known,

thrust into a bustling, loud city

where everyone was scary and two-faced and he was alone, so alone,

why had he even left his family

did he really have what it takes

or is it all going to be for nothing

he was never going to make it

he was so lonely and afraid

and stared

at always being stared at by strangers

he just wanted to go home to the familiar faces that loved him---

Jungkook blinks and shakes it off before the same old sorrow almost grips him again.

Maybe it was right that he should reach out to her.

Because he understood.

But was that it the bond talking?

Or was it really him, himself?

That mattered a lot to Jungkook.

He didn't want to be controlled, he didn't want to lose himself.

It was his greatest fear about his bonding.

"Hey," he said to her, looking her directly in the eyes.

He gave her a wide, bunny teeth smile.

The cute, friendly one he gave to photographers.

He knew it made him look harmless.

She nodded back at him silently.

Hmm.

Strange.

Usually people warmed up to his bunny smile.

Jungkook wonders if he needed re-evaluate his charms.

Maybe he just wasn't as handsome right now, on the brink of death.

The same noona shuffled by the nurse and pulled on his shoulder gently until he let her pull him up into a sitting position.

He leaned a little sideways to keep his arm in contact with his soulmate.

Noona crammed another bottle of water into his hands.

"Drink. Don't you dare pass out again before you finish this."

Jungkook almost grinned at her tone.

It was easy, though. He felt like a bag of sand, in dire need of more as he emptied the water into his body,

pausing only to catch his breath.

He dropped the empty plastic and flopped his wrist to gesture for another bottle even as his mouth was still full.

They handed him one, and one to his soulmate too.

The doctor prodded both of them this way and that

and asked lots of repetitive questions

as the nurse rolled her eyes.

Finally, the checkups were done

and the doctor announced proudly that they were both healing,

that he would be back in 12 hours to check again,

and then left.

Jungkook took a hard inhale through his nose.

As the maknae, he had never been the one to reach out, the one who had to comfort someone else...

Was his role changing? For once, was he not going to be the withdrawn one? Is that okay?

Yes, he decides. That was okay with him.

He lets his head fall back, squeezing his eyes closed for a second for courage.

Then he shifted and slid a few inches to his left,

closer to the mysterious girl

so they could stay touching without both of them reaching and leaning out awkwardly

like malfunctioning robots.

His side was already beginning to feel sore.

Although she went rigid, she didn't move away.

That was a good sign.

For some reason, with a kindness he never knew he had, he did it again.

He went friendly.

"I don't really understand this whole thing," Jungkook said softly.

"But it looks like we need each other."

It didn't take her as long this time to let out a breath and nod.

"I know," she answered.

So, so quietly.

He was about to smirk to himself at the answer she gave.

But then he realized her voice was... nice.

It made something in his chest flare up this time.

Silver or golden, bright like a hand-held sparkler drawing warm, fizzy circles in the chilly night air.

And this time Jungkook was sure.

He knew it was his soulmate bond doing this to him.

He resented it.

He dug in his heels and refused to let it influence him.

He shook off the fuzzy lights in his chest.

But he did wonder if she was reacting the same way about him.

A manager spoke.

"Jungkook, the members are asleep. We told them you were healing as you slept and will be better by morning. Do you want me to tell them you're awake?"

"No, let them rest. They... couldn't sleep for days."

The manager nodded.

"Since you're resting, we'll all go home and get some rest too.

Don't worry too much. We'll come back and figure it out in the morning.

First thing.

Just drink as much water as you can and then sleep.

The nurse and noona will stay with you two."

"OK."

"You can call me if you need anything. I'll be back."

With that he left, taking all the extra people crowding up the floors and chairs with him, leaving the dorm finally breathable.

Jeon Jungkook sighed, relishing in the empty space.

Only 4 humans were left in the living room.

Well the 4 humans plus a pile of three stacked boxes of water bottles.

Sip.

The noona sat down on the sofa with a soft groan, clearly exhausted.

Her eyes were closed.

They turned to look at her as she let out a loud sigh.

"Stop staring at me. Drink," she commanded them with her eyes still closed.

Soulmate's eyes widened in surprised and she let out a little tinkling giggle toward the noona.

Immediately, tiny lightning strikes sizzled and crept up Jungkook's arm into his heart, shooting through like fireworks.

He glanced at the girl, Jungshook thoroughly by his body betraying him to the bond like this.

No.

He didn't want this.

Sip.

Soulmate was sipping too.

He almost dropped his bottle when she talked first.

"I'm... I'm sorry I didn't realize that we... bonded. I thought I was just sick."

She held up her hand and showed him the fingertips.

"Your bruises are so small," Jungkook frowned.

"Yeah... that's why I didn't notice."

"You didn't feel sore in that hand though?"

"I did, but I thought it was from bumping against Army," she smiles softly.

"At the concert... everyone was so passionate about you guys... there was a lot of crashing around. I thought I was sore from being jostled."

It was hard to focus on what she was saying.

Partly because he was just surprised she was talking to him at all, she was so timid earlier. But then he noticed her other hand was clenched into a fist and she couldn't look at him.

But also partly because...

Something was tugging on his eyes,

his bond, his bond was tugging at him,

toward the small curve of her lips

as she smiled

in an attempt to be friendly.

Don't be a pervert, he snarled at his bond.

She leaned sideways, snuggling into a large cushion.

Their skin broke contact for just a split second and Jungkook shivered, suddenly cold and weak.

She looked at him, startled.

"I'm sorry," she gasped.

Immediately, she put her hand on his shoulder.

The soothing waves of energy returned.

His body relaxed.

"No, I'm the one sorry," Jungkook said quietly, lowering his face.

"It's kind of... embarrassing. Why don't... you need this?"

"I... I do," she stammers. "I don't feel tired or sick anymore when we touch."

"I mean... why don't you need this... as much as I do. I seem more ill than you," Jungkook sighs, reaching for a nearby jacket, bundling it under his head.

"Different people react differently," she replies gently.

Jungkook almost smirked again at her repetition of Namjoon's mantra.

Jungkook couldn't, WOULDN'T bring himself to ask her hey-does-my-voice-make-your-heart-draw-sparkles-in-the-air-too.

After a moment of silence, she whispers sadly,

"I'm sorry this happened. I know it must be hard for you. Must be hard for Bighit, for Bangtan.

If it makes you feel any better...

...I didn't want this either.

I'm sorry."

And it must be the surprise.

And the bond.

Because just like that, without his approval, or even knowledge, a tear slips out and slides down Jungkook's face, in front of a girl he doesn't even know.

He freezes because even he is caught off guard,

the shock pinning him in place.

And right when he finally processes this, and is about to turn away and kill himself for being so weak...

She met his tear with tears of her own.

He stares at her.

She finally holds his gaze.

And they look at each other, tears falling silently.

And suddenly he wasn't so embarrassed, because she felt the same.

He suddenly didn't feel like a loser, because she understood.

And if it still hurt his pride a little that he was a man and he was crying... well, he'd just have to make up for it by being extra strong from now on.

He straightened his back.

"It's not our fault. It just happened. We'll get through it together."

He wipes his face roughly with the back of his hand.

She nods, but a tiny sob escapes her.

And her crying face yanks on something in him,

yanks hard.

So hard that his head spins for a moment and he doesn't know what to do.

And Jeon Jungkook swears that it is his bond, not him, that made him do what he did next.

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