episode 3

Taehyung’s bottom lip trembles and he bites on it hard to distract himself from the piercing pain that fills him as water would to a cup. It isn’t common for one to reject their soulmate so no one really knows the consequences in doing so, but as unbearable grief fills Taehyung, spreading from his toes and up, up, upward, devouring him whole and souring the roof of his mouth, unraveling what remains of his heart, Taehyung feels a desperation he has never felt before, a burning need for the boy sitting just across from him, a need to touch him and hold him down and make him his.

Never let him go , the desperation urges. And if insanity is the price of unrequited love than Taehyung welcomes it with open arms. If insanity means he can keep his soulmate for all of eternity than Taehyung will willingly close his eyes and accept the darkness.

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Jeongguk stands up abruptly and dusts off his pants, wearily eyeing the man still sitting on the floor. He doesn’t know how this is possible, doesn’t know why he felt the Spark with this man when he already has a wonderful, amazing, incredible soulmate of his own, but right now, he just needs to get away from this place. Away from this man who can’t possibly be his soulmate, away from this bustling store full of curious stares and judgmental eyes, and back in Jimin’s warm, firm arms where he belongs.

He hastily picks up his basket and throws in everything that had fallen out, and turning without a second glance heads to the checkout counter with the shortest line. He’s just finished paying and slings the plastic bag over his shoulder when a commotion from behind catches his attention and he turns, far too slowly, however, to stop the man from running at him with full speed and pushing him to the ground, throwing all of his weight on top of Jeongguk.

Jeongguk winces as his back smacks against the hard floor and a pained whine escapes his lips as hands grab onto his shoulders and shake him roughly. What? He thinks dazedly. Blonde hair glints in the light, a limp halo that surrounds a handsome, tan face, and Jeongguk thinks soulmate before the man leans down and presses an insistent kiss to his mouth.  

Warm. Feels good. A tongue crams into his mouth and fills him with a mind-numbing sensation that takes away all his air and makes him breathless. Jeongguk feels like he is dissolving, being consumed whole by the man pressed up against him, holding him down and opening him up and not letting him think. His bones feel like they are on fire and Jeongguk hears the ocean in his ears and music in his soul but then it’s all over and people are pulling them apart. Someone shouts in Jeongguk’s face, “sir! Are you alright?”

Jeongguk’s head hurts and his back is aching and that man has such soft lips but- no! Jeongguk shakes his head in a vain attempt at clearing it. “What happened?” He asks, for some reason feeling so tired that all he wants to do is collapse right then and there and take a nap.

“Another customer attacked you,” the salesman says, “Don’t worry, we called security and he was escorted elsewhere.”

Muted anger at the man settles in his stomach but it’s not as strong as it should be, maybe because Jeongguk is hurting everywhere and all he can think about is the pain in his head, or maybe because the harsh press of foreign lips against his own is burning brightly in his mind, pushing every other thought into grey shadows. Jeongguk reaches up with two fingers to touch his lips, feeling how the skin bumps up against the pads of his fingers, plump and red.  

“Do you have anyone that can come pick you up?” The salesman asks quietly.

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