It wasn’t much of a kiss at first, more just the pressing of two sets of lips against each other. But they relaxed into each other, moving together, and it took Jimin leaning back to stop them.

It was the worst idea in the world, and he was very aware of that. He still didn’t regret it, though.

In the silence, Dahyun shifted her hand against his cheek, and all his senses were attuned to it. She wasn’t afraid of him anymore. He wasn’t sure why – if anything, this should have made her hate him. But it was the freest feeling in the world. He might as well be flying.

“Why are you still here?” He asked eventually, his own hand shifting down to the back of her neck. He kept their faces close, just for the comfort of her proximity.

“Why would I be anywhere else?” she asked eventually, in a small whisper. He felt like he could provide any reason, and it should be good enough.

The same was true for him. He was still a danger, even if she trusted him. He didn’t want her hurt. And she was living on limited time; a bright candle just on the verge of burning out.

“Because of the sun,” Jimin answered eventually. “It needs to come back.”

“I think it’s too late for that,” Dahyun answered, just an etch of misery in her voice. Jimin didn’t have an answer. After a moment, Dahyun shifted, resting her head against his shoulder, and he turned to look into the darkness. Feeling her presence was enough. However cold it had been before, everything was fine now.

“I think you were right,” she said softly, and he glanced towards her, not sure what exactly she was talking about. “A theocracy is no good. Mother Soonkyu leads, and the rest follow. The Council is redundant.”

“Why bring that up now?”

Dahyun laughed gently. “I’ve been thinking about it.” Her finger traced small circles on his hand, leaving tingling sensations in their path. “I wanted to bring it up to you. I just think that a plutocracy is bad as well.”

“It is,” Jimin said quickly. “Even though I'm here, and my parents were poor, my position is almost honorary. It’s not much against the rest of the council. And even if it was, my life was hardly representative of the average person.”

“I wish we could do something about it,” Dahyun said quietly. “Keep trying, okay?”

He looked down at her. This close, he could smell the flowery scent of her hair, feel the warmth flowing from her.

“After I die. Don’t give up.”

Her voice cracked, and so did his heart.

***

“Dahyun,” came Sana’s cheerful voice, and Dahyun looked over at her and smiled. “How are you doing?”

Sana tended to fret over Dahyun, ever since the first day, though it tended to be in subtle ways. Dahyun still appreciated it, though. She hadn’t managed to earlier, not properly, but the whole world was a little brighter now.

“I’m better,” she said, honestly. “I think things will be easier soon.”

He’d walked with her, wanting to part just as little as she did when the stars looked ready to fade away. He accompanied her all the way to the Sun Lodging, her hand in his, and it had taken such strength of will just to walk away.

“I hope so,” Sana said. “Do… do you know how much time is left?”

Dahyun’s smile faltered. “I don’t think there’s much. It’s… it’s okay. I’m trying not to think about it.”

Sana nodded, a faint pout on her face. “I don’t know if I’d be able to deal with that. But you’ll be making your mark on history, forever. I’ve read all about the past Sun Bearers. For every one, they add a star to the Grand Chapel back at the Enclave. There’s a paragraph embedded into the stone in one of the rooms, one for every single person, describing them and why they were chosen. You’ll never be forgotten.”

Dahyun listened with no interjections. Sana was right – she wouldn’t be forgotten. That was for sure.

She didn’t look forward to being hated. The reason why the Fox Clan grew stronger, one day in the future when they’d taken over the whole world. A representative of the lowest a person could sink.

She was so selfish. But she didn’t know what to do about her own feelings. An Eclipse wouldn’t care if she pretended she didn’t.

She wondered when the line had been crossed. When he took her breath away upon their first meeting? When she first said his name, smiling brighter than she’d managed in months?

Or maybe it had all been last night, when he’d kissed her. Maybe she really could have prevented it.

“Dahyun?”

She shook herself. “Sorry. I was thinking.”

“I can imagine what your paragraph would say. It will say how strong you were. How everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they knew it was you.”

“Kim Dahyun,” Mother Soonkyu said suddenly, gliding into the room, and Dahyun and Sana looked over quickly – shocked by the sternness in her voice. “Tell me honestly. Have you been seeing the Moon Bearer?”

It felt like she’d been hit in the stomach. All the air escaped her body, and she was choking for a second, not sure why her lungs weren’t working.

“Luhan says he noticed you looking at him an odd amount of times during meetings. You never want him removed. Miyoung claims you seemed strange when she asked if you’d continued your association to the man from the Moon Clan you’d met earlier. Yugyeom says he’s quite sure that that man was the Moon Bearer, and that you wouldn’t answer him, either, when he asked if you’d seen him again. We saw him in the Sun lodgings recently, with no reason for his presence given. And don’t think we haven’t noticed that you’ve disappeared every night.”

Dahyun wanted to say something.

She really, really wanted to. But wouldn’t open. wouldn’t budge. She was frozen.

“Do you know the consequences, Dahyun?”

She nodded quickly, tears sprouting in her eyes, and she looked down to hide them, or maybe to attempt at an apology.

“Dahyun, what?” Sana said suddenly, shock – and doubt – in her voice. That stung harder.

“Jimin told me all about the Eclipse,” Dahyun answered, voice choked up in spite of her wishes. “I’m sorry.”

“Dahyun,” Soonkyu said, with no suggestion that she meant to carry on. Just disappointment, laced through every ounce of her voice. Dahyun tried not to crumble further, but there was no use. The tears ran down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“You didn’t tell us anything. Why? Why did you keep seeing him after that?”

“I – I don’t know. I don’t know what I was thinking. I didn’t want to… I didn’t want to be alone anymore.”

“You could have told us you were feeling that way.”

“No,” Dahyun said quickly. “It’s – I didn’t want him to be alone, either. I’m sorry.”

“Do you love him?”

She managed to open to answer, but no words came out, and she wasn’t sure how to talk anymore anyway.

“Dahyun? Do you? Give me an answer.”

The urgency in Soonkyu’s voice made her shiver, but she still wasn’t sure how to talk. She managed to move her lips, but no words reached her mind.

“Answer me!”

“I’m sorry,” was all she said, but she knew the answer lay in the breaking of her voice, the tears that rolled down her eyes, the way she refused to make eye contact. “I’m sorry. I was the wrong choice. I’m so sorry, it should never have been me.”

“Clearly,” Soonkyu said coldly, and she shivered again.

“I’m sorry.”

“We’ll prepare to ritual for tomorrow. At the very least, we’ll free the Essence to be placed into somebody else.”

Dahyun didn’t say anything, but she listened to Soonkyu’s shoes hitting the ground as she stormed out of the room. She was still, quiet, and Sana was still opposite her, wordless. Eventually, Dahyun glanced up at her.

Sana stared, unreadable.

“You really…”

“I’m sorry,” Dahyun repeated, her voice almost reduced to just a whimper.

Sana stood. “I don't think sorry's going to make any difference,” she said, turning and leaving. Dahyun stayed where she was, shaking. It made sense.

They were right to be angry.

***

He knew what had happened. No one needed to tell him.

From the frantic running, the whispers and the urgency in the air, to the way suddenly no one would look him in the eye. It was perfectly clear, and honestly, Jimin couldn’t see the harm.

The whole world already hated him. Dahyun was already on the verge of death. And he had this strange strength with him now, carried from last night, keeping the pain away. This problem – if it could even be called that, rather than just a development – was the least of his issues.

He was reading, notes from the Councillors, something they all tended to do between every meeting. He’d skipped reading them occasionally, and no one had noticed. But he did it anyway, because he liked to keep up the pretence of belonging.

He was only distracted by the thumping of footsteps, the loud tearing open of the door, and then Tzuyu rushing inside, breathing heavily and throwing herself on a sofa opposite him. “So much reading,” she said, looking around at the empty room. “Where is everyone?”

He sighed, leaning back. “Busy. What are you reading?”

“I found some documents,” Tzuyu said. “So far underground. But they didn’t explode on me, or burn away, or anything like that. Not like the others. The crate just let itself be opened, and it was so full of papers. I’m going to be up all night.”

“Shame,” Jimin said.

“I don’t mind. I’m so curious. Everything else – it was like they didn’t want to be found. But this was the opposite. Maybe it’s a trap – Kookie’s worried about that. He worries all the time. It’s sort of endearing. I suppose. But more to the point – it just worked. I can’t wait to get reading.”

“Well, why don’t you start now? That’s less talking.”

Tzuyu giggled. “You’re unhappy about something.”

“Not particularly.”

Tzuyu looked at him, smile plastered onto her face – until it faded. “Wow. You’re actually upset. What happened?” She looked around again. “Where is everyone?”

“Probably preparing for the ritual.”

“They’re killing Dahyun!?”

Jimin looked up at her. Word had carried, enough for her to hear the name. “Of course. How else are they going to try and the sun back?”

“I thought there was longer! Did you ever end up talking to her?”

“What?”

“She was the one who looked for you, right? Don’t tell me you did. I was stupid, I told her you didn’t like me – I thought it’d be cute if you two… but that was so stupid. What if the sun doesn’t come back?”

“It won’t,” Jimin said instantly, and Tzuyu narrowed in on him.

“You love her?”

He hesitated, at first. But then he nodded. Of course he did. Tzuyu leaned back with a weary sigh.

“Why would you do that?”

Jimin smiled grimly. Her voice was more playfully chastising than disappointed. Tzuyu didn’t take anything seriously.

“I suppose I just enjoy ruining things.”

Tzuyu grimaced, looking at him strangely for a second. “She’s going to die in a few days.”

“I realise that,” Jimin scoffed. “Even if she wasn’t… it wouldn’t take long for me to ruin it anyway. She doesn’t seem to realise what I am.”

“Jimin, you’re not that special. Just a mopey man who accidentally convinced everyone to be afraid of him.”

It wasn’t something he heard often. “No one is that effective by accident. They have their reasons.”

“But what does it have to do with you? You’re a conduit for something bad, something that’s out of your control. It doesn’t make you a bad thing as well.”

Jimin was quiet, looking at her.

“It doesn’t take a genius to understand. It’s not my fault, or your fault, or her fault that most of the world are idiots.”

“You look at things too simply.”

“I do? This is simplicity?” Tzuyu stood up. “Believing that you’re wrong because of what everyone else thinks – that’s what’s simple here, Jimin. But it’s beside the point. We were talking about Dahyun.”

“I’d rather not.”

“I get that,” Tzuyu said, boring right into him with her eyes. “But you’re just some kid. Let yourself have feelings once in a while.”

He didn’t say anything, but maybe the way he avoided eye contact was communication enough.

“I have to do some reading. I think you should talk to Dahyun, Jimin. What is there to lose anyway at this point?”

She spoke as she walked out, calm and unbothered by things that should bother everyone. But she was right. Jimin’s whole life was dictated by things out of his control – as was hers.

She tossed that reality aside, though, directing her energy at a better one. She ignored the things she couldn’t control, added new things that she wanted around her.

With a sigh, Jimin stood. He’d walk right into the Sun lodgings.

a/n- I love Tzuyu so much. Let me know what you think! I found it hilarious that so much terrible stuff happened last chapter and you guys were all just like "omg a kiss!" lmao. you silly people, ily <3