¤ Surprise Yourself
Jack Garrett ↲

Talk without a taint or hold
The doubts that should embrace your heart
The calm and chaos of your soul
You know you might surprise yourself

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Mid-afternoon on Thursday, Namjoon declared that the crew could finish early for the day. Everyone was elated, ready to get home early for once.

Everyone except Jungkook.

"You couldn't have let us go early when I didn't have to stick around?" He pouted, moping after Namjoon as the elder went to his truck. "Can I transfer my early dismissal to tomorrow?"

Namjoon rolled his eyes at him. "Appreciate what's given to you, Kook. Why don't you hang out with your old roommate before meeting up with that guy again?"

He huffed, earnestly wishing he could do just that. "Jimin doesn't get back to his dorm for another couple of hours. I'm gonna be stuck roaming around campus until then."

"Sorry, man," Namjoon said, not sounding apologetic at all. "But I gotta go and there are no other supervisors around today. And I can't have you and the guys messing something up."

"Fine, whatever." Jungkook eyed his friend as he pulled out a nice shirt and tie from his truck. "Seriously, Joon. What've you been doing? I've never seen you wear clothes like that since knowing you."

The elder tossed the items over his arm and spun to face Jungkook. "I'm going on a date."

"A date?" The younger asked with emphasis, eyes big and mouth gaping. "You're dating?"

"Why do you sound shocked? I'm a catch. Of course I date."

"You never talked about anyone, so I assumed you were single like the rest of us," Jungkook shrugged his shoulders. "Where are you meeting the lucky person?"

Namjoon shook his head as he started heading for the university gym. "Don't know. It's a surprise. I'll tell you about it tomorrow, okay? I have to shower."

"Oh!" The younger shouted happily. "Let me grab my stuff. I'll shower with you. You have that nice smelling shampoo."

They both headed towards the gym, Namjoon muttering on about how Jungkook would not be showering with him. Twenty minutes later and they were both clean and wearing fresh clothes. They parted ways, Namjoon going to his date and Jungkook wandering around until it was time to meet Taehyung.

It seemed like his feet had a mind of their own, taking him to the Art Department. While he'd been here frequently over the last couple of weeks, he hadn't been to the photography wing in a long time. So, taking a deep breath, Jungkook headed that way.

The halls here were both familiar and foreign. Memories resurfaced as he took in some of the blown up photos on the walls, highlighting the top students' work. He spent time looking at them all, recalling the countless hours he used to put into mastering his techniques. Many of these images were better than anything he ever captured, and seeing them made Jungkook wish to start up again.

Rounding a corner, he was presented with a colorful photo, rich blues and purples complimenting the image of a forested lake. The picture invoked a sense of peace within him, a calmness he hadn't felt in a while. It brought him back to the day he took this picture, which was one of his last before he dropped out.

His fingers traced over the glass, right above where his initials were imprinted.

"Yours?" A deep voice asked from beside him.

Jungkook didn't have to turn to recognize its owner as Taehyung. "I was so cold that day. I was out there before dawn in order to capture these colors. But I stupidly forgot my gloves and my fingers almost froze off."

"Well, it was worth it," Taehyung said as they stood side by side. "It's beautiful."

Jungkook smiled softly before turning away from the photo. He took in Taehyung, who was wearing a bandana to keep his hair off his forehead. Where others may have looked silly, the style suited the elder.

"Are you done early for the day?" Taehyung asked him.

"Yup, my boss had a hot date and let us go. I was just going to chill before meeting up with you," Jungkook explained, shifting his duffel bag with his work clothes on his shoulder. "Did you want to start early?"

Taehyung's gaze flitted back to the photo on the wall. "In a bit. I have an idea."

Fifteen minutes later and they were behind the university's main buildings, looking over a hill to view the surrounding mountains. A cool breeze pricked the back of Jungkook's neck as he surveyed the sight.

"What are we doing here?" He asked Taehyung, who was sifting through his satchel carefully.

The elder pulled out a drawing pad and pencil. "We're going to have a competition, drawing versus photography. We'll have ten minutes to draw the view, and whoever's picture comes out better is the winner."

Jungkook's breathing hitched as he started to get excited. He hadn't had a free ten minutes to shoot in a while and with a view like this, he was easily inspired. "What's the prize?"

Taehyung considered for a moment. "How about the winner can ask whatever question he wants and the loser has to answer honestly?"

Both boys seemed overly confident as Jungkook extended his hand. They shook on it, a smile spreading over each of their lips.

"You may think you're at an advantage because I don't have a digital camera with me, but I can work wonders with a phone," Jungkook told him as he fished his phone out of his pocket.

But Taehyung was already a step ahead of him. He handed over his phone. "Use mine. The camera is supposedly pretty good."

Jungkook gratefully took it and Taehyung announced the start of their time. Outside of the far off chirping of birds and the wind whooshing by them, it was quiet while they drew and snapped pictures. Jungkook peered over at Taehyung a couple of times, who was completely immersed in his work.

In other words, it was the complete opposite from when the elder tried to draw him.

Once Jungkook got a picture he was pleased with, he went into the camera's editing tools and played with the colors. He bumped up the saturation in order to make everything appear more vibrant, then added texture by increasing the grain. If he had his professional software, he'd blur out some of the noise in the photo, but otherwise he was quite happy with the final product.

"Time's up," Taehyung called out, setting down his pencil. "Let's trade."

Jungkook handed Taehyung his phone back while he took hold of the drawing. His eyes flitted down to the paper for a second before moving back up to look at Taehyung.

"This is amazing," he breathed, utterly shocked that the elder was able to create this in only ten minutes.

But Taehyung just shrugged his shoulders, his attention on his phone.

Jungkook now had a better understanding of why this guy was regarded as the top art student. A beautiful rendition of the scenery before them was sketched out on the paper in surprising detail. A picture like this deserved to be framed in a gallery . . . it was that good.

"You win," Taehyung spoke after a minute or two. "I don't know how you did it, but you managed to make this photo seem more alive than the actual mountain."

The younger whipped his head up. "You're kidding. This . . .," he waved the drawing around, "this is incredible. I know when to admit defeat."

"I'm giving you the win, Jungkook. You should take it. But," Taehyung reflected, "that's only because your specialty is landscapes."

"What's yours then? We can add a second part to the challenge," Jungkook offered, wanting to see what else the elder could create.

"Portraits."

A laugh escaped his throat. "I thought that's what you've been struggling with?"

Taehyung took off his bandana and stashed it in his bag. "I've never tried to draw your portrait. It's your body that's been tripping me up. But your face . . . I think I could capture that very well."

"Okay, then. Ten minutes for you to draw me and ten minutes for me to take photos of you. Deal?" Jungkook sat down across from the elder, both of them cross legged.

"What about your question for winning?"

Jungkook grinned to himself. "I'll hold onto that for now. If I end up winning this second round too, that may change what I ask."

Taehyung rolled his eyes, but a smile tugged on his lips. "Fine. I'll start."

He flipped to a blank page in his pad of paper and grabbed his pencil. "Look at me and relax your mouth. Think of something that puts you at ease."

Jungkook kept his eyes trained on Taehyung as he began drawing. He tried to do as was requested - to think of something peaceful - but he didn't have too much to draw from at the moment.

So instead, he studied how Taehyung's mouth tightened in concentration. He observed the long shadows his eyelashes created against his cheeks. He even watched as the wind raked its fingers through Taehyung's hair, pushing it in front of the elder's eyes. Jungkook frowned, wishing he could see the them more clearly.

Ten minutes must have gone by because Taehyung set down his supplies. But instead of showing the drawing to Jungkook, he flipped the image over.

"You'll see mine at the end. But now you're up," the elder explained, hand reaching into his pocket for his phone.

"I'll use mine," Jungkook said quickly, getting up on his knees and opening his phone's camera.

Taehyung arched an eyebrow, but didn't push the subject. "How do you want me?"

"Lean back on your hands and look out at the view," the younger instructed, angling his own body to get everything lined up correctly. "And then . . . uh . . . your hair . . ."

"Fix it," Taehyung demanded, bringing his eyes to meet Jungkook's.

Why Jungkook's heart started racing when he leaned closer, he wasn't sure. Tentatively, he brushed his hand over Taehyung's forehead, sweeping the thick strands out of his face. Despite its unruly nature, his hair was so soft. Jungkook's fingers lingered a moment longer than necessary before he pulled away.

And the entire time, dark eyes were locked on him, peering up through those long lashes. Taehyung's expression was unreadable, though that familiar intensity was completely focused on and directed at Jungkook.

"Am I presentable now?" Taehyung murmured lowly.

Jungkook quirked his lips up, unable to put words together. Something tightened in his stomach and he tried his best to calm his increased breathing. His fingers fumbled as they adjusted some settings on his phone, but he soon got himself together. He started snapping pictures with ease.

But of course it was easy. Taehyung was so damn photogenic, it would be more challenging to take an unattractive photo of him.

He captured a photo he particularly liked, so he got to work editing it. Nothing needed to be done to Taehyung, so he focused on making the scenery in the background pop. When time was called, Jungkook had come up with a truly stunning picture of the elder.

He was glad he captured it on his phone.

"Let me see," Taehyung said as he slid over his drawing to Jungkook.

Their fingers touched briefly, the smoothness of Taehyung's fingers brushing against his own. Jungkook noticed there were now black smudges on his hand, but he didn't mind it.

He took hold of the drawing and sucked in a breath. His face etched in blended charcoal gazed back at him with an incredible amount of detail. His eyes were clear and piercing, his mouth parted and relaxed. Even the scar on his cheek and beauty marks were illustrated. But this wasn't what he looked like . . . was it? To see himself through someone else's eyes like this reminded him of his silly wish last night.

To be seen.

"I'm declaring you the winner of this round," Jungkook spoke at last, still roaming over the drawing of his face. "Even though you drew me better looking than I am."

"I only draw what I see, Jungkook," Taehyung said, looking up from the phone. "And this is what I saw. I don't believe in beautifying for the sake of saving someone's pride."

He stood up, stretching his arms slightly above his head. The bottom of his shirt rode up, revealing a tan expanse of skin Jungkook couldn't tear his eyes away from.

"Alright, playtime's over. Let's head to my place," Taehyung said with a yawn, handing Jungkook his phone back.

"What about your question?"

Taehyung threw him a smile, a wide one that lit up his whole face. "Oh, I haven't forgotten. I'm saving that for a little later."

"Oh, boy," Jungkook muttered under his breath. "Should I be afraid?"

The brightness of Taehyung's smile magnified as he led them down the hill.

"You'll find out."

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》 V A L E N W R I T I N G 《

I already love these characters so much and we haven't even gotten that far into it.

Something I wrote a little bit ago really fits this chapter in my opinion. I ironically wrote it about my passion for writing, which thankfully I've had more time to dedicate to recently! Here goes:

You are my biggest passion in life
Yet it is so hard to give you the time you deserve
You occupy my head
More than my reality

- @s.a.valen (the writing 'gram, which I haven't updated in months whoops)

I hope that can be a reminder to go after your dreams and never fear the consequences of chasing them!