Alternate Love(Vminkook)

14||🦋

The quiet didn't leave.

It just changed... changed shape.

By morning, Taehyung could feel it again-not the full, constant presence from before, but something thinner. Like a signal cutting in and out. A voice that wasn't gone, just...further away.

Still here, it murmured once, faint as breath against glass.

Then nothing.

Eli stood in the shared bathroom, gripping the edge of the sink harder than he meant to.

The light overhead flickered once.

Too bright.

Too sharp.

"That's not better," he muttered.

Behind him, the door creaked open.

Jungkook stepped in, pausing when he saw him.

"You've been in here like ten minutes," she said gently. "You good?"

Taehyung straightened too quickly, turning the faucet on just to have something to do.

"Yeah."

He didn't move.

Didn't leave.

"You say that a lot." Jungkook said.

Taehyung shut the water off harder than necessary.

"I am"

Jungkook watched him in the mirror.

Not pushing.

Not backing off.

Just...there.

"Okay," he said finally.

But he didn't sound convinced.

Living together had always been easy before.

Convenient.

Comfortable.

Now-

it meant there was no space to disappear.

Jimin was in the kitchen when Taehyung walked out, leaning against the counter with a cup of coffee, scrolling through his phone.

He looked up once.

That was all it took.

A quick scan.

A quiet read.

"You didn't sleep," Jimin said.

Not a question.

Taehyung grabbed a glass from the cabinet. "I'm fine."

Jimin took a sip of coffee.

"Didn't ask that."

Jungkook brushed past Taehyung into the kitchen, grabbing a piece of toast he'd left in the toaster too long.

"Can we not start the day like this?" he said.

Jimin shrugged slightly, "I didn't start anything."

Taehyung exhaled slowly, gripping the edge of the counter.

The space felt smaller than usual.

Three people.

Too aware of each other.

Too aware of him.

---------

He hand only 3 classes but-

by the second class, the cracks started showing.

Taehyung missed another question.

Lost his place mind-sentence while reading out loud.