Shared spaces

The professor’s voice droned on, chalk squeaking against the board. Jungkook scribbled notes furiously, determined not to fall behind.

Then came the words that made his stomach drop.

“Pair assignment. Choose someone beside you.”

Chairs scraped. Conversations sparked. Jungkook froze, chewing the end of his pen, until a shadow fell over his desk.

“Guess we’re partners,” Taehyung said, already dropping his notebook onto Jungkook’s table.

Jungkook blinked. “But—you weren’t sitting next to me.”

“I am now.” Taehyung’s grin was shameless. “Fate, right?”

Jungkook wanted to protest, but the professor’s glare cut across the room. He sighed, nodding reluctantly.

---

They spent the afternoon in the campus courtyard, papers spread between them. Jungkook tried to focus, but Taehyung’s attention span was practically nonexistent. One moment he was jotting down notes, the next he was lying back on the grass, camera lifted toward the sky.

“Clouds make better models than people,” Taehyung murmured, clicking the shutter.

Jungkook frowned. “You can’t turn this into an art project. It’s statistics.”

Taehyung turned his camera, snapping a shot of Jungkook mid-glare. “You’re underestimating my creativity.”

“Yah!” Jungkook reached for the camera, but Taehyung rolled away, laughter spilling out of him, warm and unguarded.

Jungkook froze. He’d never heard it like that before—loud, messy, alive. Something inside his chest shifted.

“Don’t waste film on me,” Jungkook muttered, looking away.

“Not wasting,” Taehyung said softly, lowering the camera. “Collecting.”

The words lingered, brushing against Jungkook’s skin like static.

---

By the time they returned to the dorm, the assignment half-finished and Taehyung humming with satisfaction, Jungkook felt off-balance. Like the ground beneath him had tilted, just slightly, but enough to make him stumble.

As Taehyung climbed onto the top bunk, Jungkook lay awake staring at the ceiling, one question pressing in harder than the silence:

Why did it feel like being partnered with Taehyung was more dangerous than any exam he’d ever face?

The cafeteria was louder than usual, buzzing with weekend energy. Jungkook sat at the end of a crowded table, half-listening to the chatter of classmates, trying to focus on his food.

Across the table, Taehyung had his camera out.

“Hold still,” Taehyung told the girl beside him, tilting the lens. She laughed, tucking her hair behind her ear as the shutter clicked.

Another angle. Another laugh.

Jungkook’s fork paused mid-air. Something in his chest twisted—not sharp, not painful, just… off.

He looked down at his tray, shoving food into his mouth as if chewing harder would drown it out.

But Taehyung kept going, capturing fleeting smiles, crooked gestures, the messy beauty of the people around him. His eyes sparkled in a way Jungkook hadn’t noticed before—like the world was a puzzle only he could see the edges of.

And Jungkook hated—hated—how much it bothered him that someone else was in the frame.

---

Later, back in the dorm, Taehyung tossed his camera onto the desk, humming as he kicked off his shoes.

“You take pictures of everyone?” Jungkook asked, sharper than intended.

Taehyung raised a brow. “Not everyone. Just moments.”

“Looked like a lot of moments today,” Jungkook muttered.

The room went quiet.

Then Taehyung leaned down from the top bunk, head dangling upside-down until his eyes met Jungkook’s. His grin was lazy, but his voice was steady.

“You jealous?”

Heat rushed up Jungkook’s neck. “No! Why would I—?”

“Relax,” Taehyung chuckled, climbing back up. “If it helps, none of those photos matter as much as the ones I haven’t shown anyone.”

Jungkook’s heart stuttered. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

But Taehyung didn’t answer. The bunk creaked, the room settled into silence, and Jungkook was left staring at the ceiling, pulse racing with questions he didn’t dare ask.

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