Jungkook stood leaning against the door frame, his hands on his chest and a distracted expression. Lately he had been doing it often, with each passing day it became more and more difficult for him to sleep, eat, exercise. He missed her, her look, her smile, her touch, the way she ruffled his hair while he lay in her lap, he missed her voice, her warmth.

His eyes slid over her face, she looked peaceful in her sleep, but her frequent twitching eyelids were evidence that she was nowhere near as calm as she should have been. Her body was covered in bruises from gym workouts, some had begun to fade ,others were just forming and darkening. He wanted to lie down next to her, hug her, reassure her that she wasn't alone, that she could count on him, that he would never leave her no matter what happened, but he knew Athena wouldn't let him. 

He wanted to know how to fight her demons. After the demonstration, Athena pulled away from him, avoiding him, fearing that what happened could happen again and this time she would lose control, give in, kill him. Jungkook had tried several times to talk to her, but she categorically refused to listen to him, as after each conversation, the chasm that Athena dug between them grew bigger and deeper.

"I miss you, sparkle" I miss you too, Jungkook, I know it hurts, I see it in your eyes, I feel it in your posture and movements. I miss you so much, I wish I didn't have to stay away, but I have no choice, I can't afford to hurt you. Try to trust me, give me a little more time, don't give up on me, fight and wait, Jungkook, just a little longer, just until I'm sure that what happened won't happen again, and if it does, I'll be ready and able to resist it, not to hurt you.

Athena was training almost to the point of unconsciousness, being away from Jungkook was taking its toll and she was losing strength more and more often. Her body ached, her flames were getting weak, she had the feeling that she was a candle that was burning down and would soon go out. Maybe it was time, she needed him, and almost ten days had passed since the incident and it hadn't happened again.

Athena stood on the sides of the stairs, trying to remain inconspicuous as she watched Jungkook and the others train. "He looks tired" Athena thought, she knew that for the past few days he had been spending his nights watching her, instead of sleeping, she felt his presence, most of the time she was awake as he stood at the door giving her the time she needed.

Jungkook felt his skin prickle, hot shivers ran down his spine and he looked around. He knew he was being watched by the shivers down his spine and the crazy beating of his heart, he knew who it was. "I know you miss me too, spark,I wish you would give me a chance to convince you that you have nothing to fear and that you are strong enough, that we are strong enough to get through anything together"he thought as his eyes searched for her, but when he didn't found nowhere, he sighed and went back to his training.

"She's fine, she's tired and scared, she misses you, but she's fine, at least for now" Jungkook didn't even turn around when Mykena and Jimin stood next to him. He just stood looking up at Athena who was standing on top of the tower with her chin on her hands and seemed to be talking to the stars. "It's easy when you read other people's minds" grumbled Jungkook with a slight annoyance. "Not always" Mikena answered simply and Jimin squeezed her hand. "Ask and you shall be answered, baby" he smiled gently and also looked up at Athena.

"I'm her knight, Athena should have more trust in me" Mykena sighed. "She trusts you, Jungkook, a lot more than you think." he huffed and Mikena looked at Jimin. "I'll leave you, I'm hungry, I'll wait for you at home, baby" he apologized, leaving the two of them alone."Jungkook" started Mykena when the two were alone. "Athena has always been closed off, quiet, her friends were less than the fingers on one hand" Mykena chuckled, remembering how many times she had tried to approach her, but her friendship had always been rejected until now.

"But thanks to you and what she feels for you, little by little she started to accept herself, to accept us too, to realize that it's not her fault" Mikena fell silent, looking uncertainly at her feet. "Guilty of what?" Jungkook looked at her in surprise. "Maybe it's not my job, but I started anyway. Athena and Tyra's parents, her mother was a guardian, a telepath, like me, she and her father had white chains, but also like me and Jimin, they fell in love . However, their love didn't last and instead of bringing them together, it drove them apart. Athena and Tyra were there when their parents threw off the chains, and you know what that means" Jungkook looked at her horrified, no child should witness the scandals between their parents, and what Athena and Tyra saw was even more traumatic.

"Unlike Tyra, who quite logically refused to take the blame for someone else's mistake and live as a victim, Athena began to blame herself. She was such a sweet and charming child until that moment, smiling, funny, loved to bully her sister, doing mischief and making Tyra guilty" Jungkook smiled at the thought of the cheerful child Athena. "But after what happened, she accepted that she was to blame, because the start of the scandal was about who should take her to the ballet, imagine for a four-year-old what it's like, it's normal to accept that she's to blame. Tyra was almost seven, so that, her logic was a little more logical." Mykena sighed, shaking her head as the memories flooded her one after the other.

"At the moment, Athena's mind is like a rabbit hole. The more you dig, the scarier things you see. She is tired and scared, so much has happened to her in a short time, that according to her, the only solution is to become stronger. You showed her what it's like to be happy and she's determined to fight at all costs to keep that feeling, you too of course" Jungkook bit the corner of his lips.

"Athena loves you Jungkook" he held his breath and looked up sharply to where Athena was still standing facing the night sky. "She loves me?" he rather muttered to himself, trying to suppress the feeling of euphoria that came over him at Mykena's words. "Didn't she tell you?" Mykena asked in surprise, but she didn't need an answer, even Jungkook knew that while they were talking, she was digging into his mind. "Of course, typical of Athena. Just give her time, be there for her, she'll come back to you soon enough" Mykena squeezed his shoulder lightly and shook her head and left, finally leaving his thoughts only for him.

"I love you too, spark" as if she heard his thoughts, Athena looked down and met his gaze. Jungkook smiled at her and waved, she returned him with a small gentle smile, and then disappeared from his sight. He sighed, she would be home before him to lock herself back in her room and avoid them meeting. But unlike before, this time it didn't hurt him, he knew what was wanted of him and he would be patient. If Athena needed time, he would give it to her, and in the meantime, he would make sure to follow her example and become stronger for both of them.

Athena closed the door to her room and leaned against it, sighing dreamily. The tickling feeling in her stomach that Jungkook's smile and look had caused didn't leave her, making her feel calm and confident. He wasn't mad at her, and that was important to her, that was her biggest fear, that Jungkook wouldn't understand why she stayed away from him, her feelings, and would abandon her. But he didn't, night after night, day after day, he patiently waited for her. "Just a little more Jungkook, just a little more time, that's what I need" she pushed herself away from the door and into the bathroom, thinking about the man she heard coming into the next room.