the next few days passed in a strange sort of tension, one that joong couldn’t quite escape. every time he walked through the hallways of the engineering faculty, his eyes would unconsciously dart toward the art department’s entrance. he knew dunk didn’t belong here, that the chaos of the art world was far from the structured, orderly world joong thrived in. yet, there was something magnetic about the way dunk existed in that space—something that annoyed joong and intrigued him in equal measure.
on the other hand, dunk was clearly having a blast. he seemed to thrive in the chaos, his bright smile always present, his laugh never far from his lips. he didn’t care about the boundaries joong had built between himself and the rest of the world.
and it drove joong crazy.
it was a normal afternoon when the unexpected happened. joong was at his usual spot in the student café, going over some notes for an upcoming exam. aou sat across from him, scrolling through his phone and occasionally making sarcastic comments about something he’d seen online. joong half-listened, his mind still caught on the feeling of dunk’s presence that seemed to linger even when he wasn’t around.
“you’re really not gonna talk about it, are you?” aou finally asked, his voice breaking through joong’s thoughts.
“talk about what?” joong replied, not looking up from his notes.
“dunk. you two have been circling each other like some weird little dance for days now. it’s getting hard to ignore.”
joong’s pen stopped mid-sentence. “there’s nothing to talk about,” he muttered, his voice tight.
aou raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “if you say so. but don’t act like i don’t see it. i’ve known you long enough to know when something’s bothering you.”
“i’m not bothered,” joong snapped, his gaze flicking up to meet aou’s. “i don’t care what he does.”
aou just smirked. “right. sure. whatever you say.”
the conversation died after that, but joong couldn’t shake the nagging feeling in the back of his mind. aou was right. something *was* bothering him.
later that afternoon, as joong was leaving the library, he saw dunk standing by the entrance, his arms crossed as he chatted animatedly with boom. the two of them were laughing at something—probably at some ridiculous idea of dunk’s—and for a moment, joong stood frozen in place, watching them.
dunk’s laugh rang out, loud and unrestrained, and joong couldn’t help but notice how different it was from his own quiet demeanor. dunk was so… alive.
boom noticed joong first and nudged dunk’s side. “hey, look who’s here,” he said with a grin.
dunk turned around, his gaze locking with joong’s. for a brief second, there was a flicker of something—recognition, or maybe amusement—but then dunk broke into a wide grin.
“well, well, well. if it isn’t mr. serious himself,” dunk said, his voice light, teasing. “didn’t expect to see you here.”
joong’s jaw tightened, but he forced himself to remain calm. “just finishing up some work,” he replied coolly.
“sure, sure. work’s gotta come first, huh?” dunk’s grin only widened. “well, don’t let me keep you. i’m sure you’ve got more important things to do than talk to an art student like me.”
joong’s gaze flickered briefly to boom, who was watching the interaction with mild amusement. the last thing he wanted was to get drawn into another back-and-forth with dunk, but the playful edge in dunk’s voice was like a challenge he couldn’t ignore.
“i don’t have time for distractions,” joong said, his voice firm. but something in the way he said it felt hollow, even to him.
dunk raised an eyebrow. “distractions, huh?” he stepped a little closer, lowering his voice so only joong could hear. “is that what you think i am?”
the tension between them thickened, and for a moment, joong felt a rush of heat flood his chest. he looked into dunk’s eyes, seeing that familiar mischievous spark that seemed to throw him off balance.
“i don’t have time for games,” joong said again, his words more clipped this time.
dunk just laughed, the sound rich and full of life. “i’m not playing a game, joong. i’m just trying to see what’s under that perfect little surface of yours.”
joong’s heart skipped a beat, and for a second, he couldn’t think. couldn’t speak. something about dunk’s presence made everything feel sharper, more intense.
“you’re wasting your time,” joong managed, his voice quieter now.
dunk’s smile softened, his eyes still locked on joong’s. “maybe. but i don’t mind wasting a little time.”
the words hung between them like a challenge neither was willing to back down from. dunk turned away, but not before flashing joong one last grin. “see you around, mr. perfect.”
as dunk walked off, joong stood frozen, trying to make sense of the swirling feelings inside him.
he hated how much dunk got to him. hated how easy it was for him to shake joong’s composure.
but despite himself, joong couldn’t stop thinking about that smile.
YOU ARE READING
inches : j&d
Fanfiction"theres just- inches in between us." joong and dunk? they were fire and ice. but once dunk melts and starts boiling, then they both are on the same team of hot, arent they?
