Fated Foes

19

Jungkook stared at Taehyung, trying to process what had just happened. Taehyung—of all people—was actually offering to fix this mess with him? It didn’t make sense. A week ago, they could barely tolerate being in the same room, and now they were partners in crime?

“You know,” Jungkook said slowly, trying to keep his voice steady, “this doesn’t mean I’m suddenly going to like you.”

Taehyung just smirked, tossing another chip into his mouth. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Jungkook could feel the weight of the situation settle back onto his shoulders, but it didn’t feel as heavy now. Maybe it was because, for the first time in a long while, he didn’t feel completely alone in this. Even if Taehyung was still Taehyung, at least he was here.

“Alright, let's get this done.” Jungkook rolled up the paper with the sundial pieces list. “We have to order parts and fix what we can. I’ll handle the technical stuff. You... handle the damage control.”

Taehyung’s eyes twinkled. “Damage control, huh? I can work with that.”

They both stood up, but just as they were about to head out, Jungkook shot Taehyung a look. “You better not eat my lunch again.”

“Relax, I’m not that desperate,” Taehyung teased. “But if you accidentally leave your food out again, don’t be surprised if it goes missing.”

Jungkook groaned and walked ahead, not bothering to look back. “You’re impossible.”

Taehyung caught up, laughing as they exited the room. “Maybe. But we’ll see who can fix the sundial faster, huh?”

As they stepped out into the hallway, it wasn’t just the weight of the project that was on their minds anymore. It was the strange, unspoken understanding that they’d made some kind of unspoken truce. Maybe they were still enemies, but at least they were enemies who could, for once, work together without wanting to strangle each other.

“Alright,” Jungkook said, looking over at Taehyung as they walked toward the lab. “Let’s fix this mess. But if this sundial breaks again, I swear I’ll—”

“I’ll buy you a new sandwich,” Taehyung interrupted with a wink.

Jungkook couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Deal."

~

The pair made their way to the university's supply room to figure out what parts could be salvaged before placing their orders. Taehyung, true to form, wasn’t taking anything seriously.

“So, what’s this part called again?” Taehyung asked, holding up a piece that vaguely resembled a medieval torture device.

Jungkook sighed. “That’s a gnomon. It’s the part of the sundial that casts the shadow.”

Taehyung raised an eyebrow. “You mean the fancy stick?”

“It’s not just a stick!” Jungkook snapped. “It’s the most important part!”

Taehyung grinned. “Sure it is, nerd. Without your ‘fancy stick,’ how will people know it’s noon?”

Jungkook groaned and snatched the gnomon out of Taehyung’s hand. “Why are you even here? You’re useless.”

Taehyung leaned against the table, crossing his arms. “Moral support, obviously.”

“Moral support my—” Jungkook stopped mid-sentence when the supply room door creaked open, and the dean himself walked in. Both boys froze.

The dean was a stern-looking man with sharp glasses and an expression that could turn water to ice. He looked at the scattered sundial pieces, then at the two of them. “How’s the progress?” he asked, his tone cold enough to chill the room.

Taehyung opened his mouth, but Jungkook elbowed him before he could make things worse. “It’s going great, sir,” Jungkook said quickly. “We’re just organizing the pieces before we start reassembling.”

The dean’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the mess. “It doesn’t look like much progress to me.”

Taehyung, ignoring Jungkook’s warning glare, spoke up. “Oh, you know how it is, sir. Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

Jungkook’s face paled. He didn’t just say that.

The dean raised an eyebrow. “And yet, Rome wasn’t built by two students who break university property.”

Jungkook wanted to sink into the floor. “We’ll have it done on time, sir,” he said hastily. “Three weeks, as promised.”

The dean gave them one last icy glare before leaving. As soon as the door shut, Jungkook turned to Taehyung, his eyes blazing. “Rome wasn’t built in a day?! Are you trying to get us expelled?”

Taehyung shrugged. “What? I thought it was a solid metaphor.”

Jungkook buried his face in his hands. “I’m surrounded by idiots.”

“Correction,” Taehyung said, smirking. “You’re surrounded by one idiot. Lucky you.”

Jungkook ignored him and went back to sorting the parts. “We need to focus. The clockmaker said the replacement parts would take a week to arrive, so we have to prepare everything else by then.”

“Fine,” Taehyung said, grabbing a random piece. “What’s this thing called?”

Jungkook looked up and groaned. “That’s a screw. You don’t need to name it.”

Taehyung grinned. “I’m calling it Steve.”

Jungkook threw his notebook at him. “Get to work!”

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