It was with mixed feelings that Wonshik began his second year of college. On the one hand, he knew it would be good to get back into a normal sleeping pattern but, on the other, there was just something so liberating about staying up until the sun was rising and curling up in bed as the rest of the world came alive around him. And, of course, there was the absence of homework.

However, when his mother ripped open his curtains and dragged him out of bed by his ankle at half past seven, he couldn't remember his positive argument and could only manage to groan at the sight of the sky outside. Summer was still trying to cling on as long as possible, but the sky that morning looked dull and grey and he knew it would be best not to tempt the weather.

He tugged a shirt off of a hanger in his wardrobe, red and black check, arguing that he could roll up the sleeves if the sun decided to show itself.

Luckily for him, his mother had already laid out his breakfast, though he was left on his own to brush his teeth and nearly put his deodorant on his toothbrush. Somehow, after much grunting and fumbling, he managed to be out the front door on time for his meet with Jaehwan who lived only a few roads away.

His friend was known for his ready smile and bubbly personality and his ability to attract flocks of girls no matter where he went. It wasn't something that ever interested Wonshik but it always made Jaehwan the envy of most of the other guys in their year. However, when Wonshik met him at the end of the street, he was quite glad to find his friend was in much the same state as him.

His cheeks were pale, eyes watery from a recent yawn, and his hair looked to be a bit on the wild side, though Wonshik was sure it would be met with sighs of endearment from all of his admirers.

They greeted each other with no enthusiasm and, after a totally unremarkable twenty minute walk, their college loomed ahead of them. The red brick buildings looked about as enthusiastic as the students.

They'd just passed through the gates when a shout rang out behind them. Wonshik glanced back to see Hakyeon, another friend, jogging towards them, a bright, if mischievous, grin on his face.

Hakyeon lived in the opposite direction so he could never travel with them, but his house was closer and they'd spent a lot of time there the previous year whenever they'd had matching free periods.

His dark hair was smoothed perfectly over his forehead as usual and the sleeves of the grey sweatshirt he was wearing hung down past his fingertips.

"Taekwoon spent the night," he announced, proudly.

Ah. So that explains the sweatshirt.

It wasn't the first time Taekwoon had slept over, not even close, but Hakyeon always acted as if it was, like a hopeless romantic – though, really, Wonshik thought Hakyeon just liked to remind them that he was getting some and they were not.

"He obviously wasn't spent enough. You're still walking," Jaehwan observed and Hakyeon bristled.

"My parents were home!"

"They allowed him to stay over even though it's the start of college?" Wonshik asked, unable to keep a note of envy from his voice. His parents would never allow his boyfriend to stay over at all, let alone on a week night. That is, if he were to ever have one.

"You know what Taekwoon's like," Hakyeon explained with a dreamy sigh, his hands on his cheeks. "A flutter of his eyelashes and they're wrapped around his little finger."

Wonshik caught Jaehwan's attention behind Hakyeon's back and they both rolled their eyes.

Thankfully, they could catch a reprieve from their gushing friend once they got into the atrium and were ushered into the refectory to collect their timetables. A row of tables were set up against the opposite wall, each with a sign behind indicating which surnames needed to queue where. He and Jaehwan got in line in front of 'JKL' while Hakyeon split off for 'ABC' three rows down.

"What are the chances they'll have broken up by this time next week?" Wonshik asked.

Jaehwan glanced over at Hakyeon, who was bouncing on his toes by the window, and his chin as if deep in consideration. "One hundred percent," he answered bluntly and Wonshik snorted.

Before, it had actually been a game they could play – even placing bets a couple of times – but, after a two-year relationship full of break-ups and drama, they'd gotten too good at guessing the cycle and it got to the point where no one was willing to make a bet they were sure to lose.

To people on the outside, they knew their attitude seemed callous but the two always got back together within a week. They were such a good match, their opposite personalities complementing each other perfectly, even if Hakyeon didn't know when to stop sometimes and Taekwoon was lacking in the public affection department. They just weren't mature enough to realise that every little argument didn't need to end with a break up, unable to talk things over like adults (which they were so close to legally being).

Wonshik sighed and they stood in silence for a while after that, the haze of sleep still lingering after a whole summer of staying up until five AM. Glancing about as they inched forward, he raked his eyes curiously over the other half of the refectory.

The room had been cordoned off down the middle and the other entrance was being used to admit the first years, probably for some sort of 'ice breaker' event. There were banners all around the room with 'WELCOME' in bold yellow letters against a blue background but it was clear from the first year's pale, worried faces that the signs were doing absolutely nothing to put them at ease. Had he looked that nervous a year ago?

Jaehwan was on the same thought waves as him. "I wonder how Hyuk's getting on?" he mused and Wonshik hummed in agreement.

Their younger friend was in the year below and had been left in school while they'd all graduated ahead of him. He was starting college today, though a different one, the same college that Taekwoon already attended.

"Taekwoon had better be looking after him."

"Hyuk's probably gonna be running him ragged. You know what the dork's like."

Wonshik couldn't help imagining the two being like something out of a cartoon, Hyuk obliviously skipping across a minefield with Taekwoon bending over backwards in his attempts to avert the hazards. He couldn't keep back a laugh.

They reached the table eventually and after the staff had sifted through the sheets of paper for their names, they walked away with their new schedules. Wonshik scanned his almost feverishly.

"I've got a free period," Jaehwan announced with a whoop. "Lay ins on Mondays!"

Wonshik on the other hand couldn't help but groan. He finished an hour early on Monday and started an hour late on both Wednesday and Thursday but, other than that, all of his free periods were in awkward places.

"It's not so bad," Jaehwan consoled him. "Look, we've both got fifth set free."

They waited just outside the cafeteria doors for Hakyeon to join them and when he finally emerged, it was with a smile like a cat that got the cream.

Wonshik groaned again. "Don't even tell me."

"What have you got now?" Jaehwan asked.

"Free!"

"Same!" Jaehwan yelled and they high-fived.

"I'm going to class," Wonshik announced with a pout.

His friends were too busy doing a victory dance to respond and he gave them the finger. A member of staff, probably a dinner lady, was standing next to the doors and she gave him a cold stare of admonishment in response to the gesture. He quickly turned away to hide a smirk and hurried outside to the next building over before she could put her displeasure into words.

Once inside, he followed the flow of other students towards the nearest stairwell to make the short climb to his first English class of the year.

* * *

A whole week of college passed in the blink of an eye and it felt to Wonshik as if he'd never been away. It wasn't that that was necessarily a bad thing. He enjoyed his classes more than enough and the few new teachers he had couldn't be complained about. Things were no doubt going to be stepped up a notch now that the first week was out of the way and that suited him just fine. So far, it had been full of course introductions and simple worksheets and he was looking forward to really getting into the swing of things.

It wasn't until the Tuesday of that week that his life took a significant turn.

It was time for his third tutor session of the year and, now that the start of year formalities were over – like signing a copy of college regulations to show that you 'promised' to abide by them and the reminder that their tutor was there to listen to any concerns or problems they may be having – he fully expected the half hour slots in his timetable to become totally null for the rest of the year.

Sure enough, as soon as his teacher had registered them and handed out a flimsy newsletter that included an article and photographs of the first year's Ice Breaker, they were dismissed and he trailed leisurely from the classroom. The rest of his classmates seemed to be in much more of a hurry, so when he reached the ground floor, the only sounds were his own footsteps and the echoes of teacher's voices from tutor groups that weren't so lucky.

Rounding the banister at the bottom, he came to a grinding halt when he was facing the doors.

A man was standing on the other side, snug black jeans moulding perfectly to sculpted thighs and a form fitting white tee accentuating the golden skin of his flexed biceps as he struggled between a large, sealed cardboard box and getting the door open. His tongue was poking out in concentration before retreating so his teeth could sink into a plush bottom lip. He had big dark eyes and black hair sweeping across his forehead, being tousled by the gentlest of breezes as it shone in the sun just breaking through the dreary clouds overhead. An ID card was hanging around his neck, indicating that he was a teacher, but he didn't look like he could be all that much older than Wonshik.

Wonshik stared with his mouth agape, quite sure that this man was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

Mentally slapping himself back to Earth, he tottered forwards on wooden legs and pushed open the door, stepping aside to allow the man through as he held it for him.

The man turned to him and smiled, two perfect dimples blossoming on his cheeks and Wonshik knew it was game, set, match. His knees trembled and his jaw hung slack once again.

"Thank you," the teacher said, in a voice at once musical and masculine.

All he could manage was a nod as the man strode inside, following him with his eyes until he disappeared around a corner down the corridor – somehow retaining enough sense to not waste his chance to check out the man's back profile as he turned.

Yep. He was a goner alright.

* * *

Wonshik saw him again later that same day when he, Hakyeon and Jaehwan had been sitting in the cafeteria at lunch time. The man strolled in with two other teachers that Wonshik only knew by face and headed straight to the opposite end of the room but, as he passed, Wonshik was graced with a view that the cardboard box had previously been concealing.

The white tee, as it turned out, not only accentuated his arms, but also clung to an impressive set of abs hiding underneath.

Unluckily for Wonshik, he'd been midswallow of a mouthful of water when his eyes fell upon the sight and he'd tried to swallow, gasp and whimper all at once, resulting in a rather embarrassing coughing fit, streaming eyes and all.

Judging by the groups of giggling girls all around, it seemed this new teacher was quite the hot topic. For some reason, that was quite an unpleasant realisation.

The teachers turned the corner of the L-shaped room to where the food counters were and returned a moment later with their trays (teachers were a priority when it came to the lunch queue) which they took back the way they came. Wonshik followed the man with his eyes until he was out of sight.

After that, the same routine followed every day and Wonshik wondered how he hadn't noticed the older male sooner. If the man's glowing aura had never captured his attention before now, then the wave of silence (and subsequent tittering) that always met his approach should have.

Wonshik wasn't sure when it started, but he realised one day that, as he had nothing else to call him, he'd started referring to the teacher as Mr. . It wasn't something he'd ever say out loud, but the name was more than fitting. He just wished he could find out what his real name was.

It wasn't until nearly two weeks later that his prayers were answered.

His Monday morning free period was just beginning and he was wasting some time sitting in the cafeteria before heading off to the library when Mr. strode in, a small stack of paper in one hand, a staple gun in the other. Today he was wearing blue jeans and a red t-shirt with some sort of faded Marvel print.

Wonshik watched as he turned to the notice board just beside the door and held up one of his sheets of paper, considering where best to place it amongst the myriad announcements. They were all printed onto coloured paper, all vying for attention, but his were plain white.

With a furtive glance over his shoulder towards a cluster of cafeteria staff loading the vending machines, he slapped the sheet onto the board, front and centre, with no regard for the notices underneath. His full lips were pressed tightly together in an attempt to conceal a cheeky smile but a quivering dimple gave him away.

Wonshik had to stifle a laugh of his own behind his fist.

After smoothing the paper out and firing a staple into each corner, Mr. slipped out of the doors and was gone.

Wonshik glanced about, nervously his lips, but after wondering why he was acting as if he was about to do something wrong, he boldly stalked over to the display.

Half covering an advert for a charity cake sale the coming Friday and an inspirational quote from Albert Einstein, Mr. 's poster read:

PHOTOGRAPHY CLASSES

10 WEEK COURSE, 2HR SESSIONS

EVERY MONDAY AT 3:15, BEGINNING 6TH OCT

WILL COVER: HOW TO USE AN SLR CAMERA, COMPOSITION, DEVELOPMENT AND MORE

SEE MR. LEE IN ROOM A101 TO SIGN UP OR FOR ANY QUERIES

The words were accompanied by the generic clipart of a camera and a roll of film.

Photography.

Wonshik was surprised. If anything, he would have thought that Mr. would be better suited to being in front of the camera, a born model. It felt like such a waste for him to be behind it.

He stared at the poster for a few long seconds, reading and rereading it, wondering if he dared. Then he noticed some small print at the bottom:

ONLY 15 SPACES AVAILABLE

He felt his heart lurch in his chest.

He didn't want to seem too eager but, if there were only fifteen spaces... The prospect of missing out entirely was almost too much to bear.

Before he even really knew what he was doing, he'd passed through the double doors of the cafeteria and was making a left towards the art block. It was only when the entrance was in sight that he slowed his pace.

Mr. (Mr. Lee?) was still going around the college putting up his posters so he wouldn't yet be in the advertised room.

Gnawing on his bottom lip, Wonshik decided to wait where he was, attempting to lean nonchalantly against the wall as he fiddled with his phone. He was running out of menus to flick through when Mr. finally emerged, posterless, from one of the buildings further down and headed straight for the art block entrance, twirling the staple gun in one hand.

Wonshik gave it another minute before taking a steadying breath and going inside.

The first room on the left side of the corridor was alive with activity. A lot of people were on easels and there was a steady stream of them going in and out of the store cupboard but it was a focused, quiet atmosphere.

Art was one of Jaehwan's subjects but Wonshik was glad at the knowledge that his classroom was further down. He didn't want him to witness what he was about to do, preferring instead to tell him about it in his own time.

The room opposite – the one he needed – was empty. Except for Mr. standing with his back to the door, some cameras sitting on the table in front of him.

Wonshik couldn't help studying the way the material of his t-shirt stretched over his strong shoulders. An image flashed behind his eyes of sinking his teeth into one of them as Mr. moved above him and he shivered, coming back to himself with a jolt and very warm cheeks.

Taking a quiet, steadying breath, he tapped a knuckle twice against the open door and the teacher looked over his shoulder at him.

"Mr.," . "L-Lee?" he asked, giving his inner self a slap.

"Yes?"

He'd turned his whole body to face him now, giving Wonshik the faint but unmistakeable view of the delicate ridges paving his stomach and he could feel his eyes glazing over.

"I'm here about the Photography classes," he answered after bringing himself back to reality, though with much difficulty.

Mr. Lee immediately brightened up. "Oh! Do you want to sign up? Or do you have a question?"

"Sign up."

"Okay." Mr. Lee hurried over to the desk at the back of the room and Wonshik followed, watching as the man pulled a sheet of paper out of one of the drawers.

"Are you..." Wonshik paused to wet his dry lips. "Are you teaching the classes?"

"I am."

Wonshik's lips twitched, about to say good, but thankfully he managed to rein his tongue in.

"You'll be my first guinea pig!" Mr. Lee continued and he elaborated when he caught sight of Wonshik's baffled expression. "I'm just a university student working here for my placement year."

Wonshik's mouth made an 'o' of understanding. That explained why he looked so young.

"Name?" Mr. Lee looked up at him with wide, expectant eyes as he leant over the desk, pen poised above the piece of paper.

"K-Kim Wonshik."

He inwardly winced at his inability to pronounce his own name but he thankfully had the sense to use Mr. Lee's lowered eyes as a chance to read the ID hanging around his neck.

Lee Hongbin. Teaching Assistant.

He unconsciously mouthed the name, stifling a gasp when he realised how close he'd been to saying it out loud.

"Do you take any of the art courses?" Hongbin asked as he carefully printed Wonshik's name.

"No."

"What made you decide to take the class?" He looked up to meet Wonshik's eyes and his curious gaze had the truth spilling from his mouth.

"You– Your poster... caught my eye." He winced, this time not so secretly, at his clumsy save though Hongbin thankfully didn't seem to notice. Instead, he laughed, charming dimples blooming on his cheeks.

Wonshik stared.

"That boring thing? Eye-catching isn't the word I'd use. More like eyesore. I'm not very good with computers so it was about all I could manage. On reflection, I probably should have had someone help me with it but... it caught someone's eye so I guess it wasn't a total failure."

Wonshik nodded dumbly and Hongbin's smile faltered for a moment before springing back into place.

"And I'm talking too much," he continued, eyes apologetic. "I'm sure you've got a lot of work to be doing. I'll see you in a couple of weeks."

Wonshik nodded again before turning on his heel and lurching from the room.

* * *

"Photography?" Hakyeon echoed from his seat beside Wonshik at their table.

It was lunchtime on the Friday before his first Photography lesson and the cafeteria was full of life, the clatter of plates and cutlery, the wild hum of conversation and the scraping of chairs against the floor permeating the air around them.

After college on Mondays, he'd usually meet Hakyeon and go to his house for dinner but he'd informed him, finally, about the classes he'd signed up for. It had been difficult to find the courage to bring it up but two weeks had passed, the first lesson was looming ever closer, and he knew he couldn't have put it off any longer.

"What the hell are you doing taking a Photography class?" Hakyeon asked suspiciously.

Wonshik avoided his eyes, opting instead to push a stray pea around his plate with his knife. "I thought it would be interesting," he muttered.

There was no way in hell that he was admitting to Hakyeon that his motives were less than savoury.

Hakyeon's eyes remained narrowed and aimed in Wonshik's direction, but he thankfully let the topic go.

Except Hongbin chose that moment to enter the cafeteria and Wonshik couldn't help but reflexively duck his head. For the first time since he'd been crushing on Hongbin, it didn't escape his friend's notice.

"What's up with you?"

"Nothing," he answered, a shade too defensive.

As usual, Hongbin disappeared around the corner and returned with his tray a moment later.

Wonshik sank in his seat again as he got closer and he was about to pass by their table when, to Wonshik's utter dismay, Jaehwan raised his hand to wave at him.

"Mr. Lee!"

Wonshik jerked when Hongbin approached them, but was confused when Hongbin winced.

"Oh, Jaehwan," he replied.

Jaehwan laughed. "You're still not used to it?"

"I'm twenty-one. I shouldn't be getting referred to as 'Mister'," he answered with a shudder.

Twenty-one. Wonshik was nearly eighteen. That age difference didn't look too bad.

Hongbin stood at the head of the table, looking down at them with a now pleasant smile. His eyes met Wonshik's and Wonshik took an extreme interest in his fork.

"You've got years of it to look forward to," Jaehwan replied.

"Don't remind me!" Hongbin answered with an exaggerated grimace. He sighed. "Well, I'll leave you to it. Don't want my lunch getting cold." He nodded his head at Jaehwan then said, "See you on Monday, Wonshik."

Wonshik gave an awkward jolt of his head in return, shrinking in his seat once again as soon as Hongbin's back was turned.

He remembered his name! Wonshik's mind started racing through all the things that could possibly mean but he crashed to a halt when Jaehwan threw him a provocative smirk. He narrowed his eyes in response, only just realising that Jaehwan had called Hongbin over because he'd known exactly why he was taking the classes.

"Who was that?" Hakyeon asked, head whipping between Hongbin's retreating figure and the tips of Wonshik's heated ears.

"The Photography TA," Jaehwan answered smugly when it became clear that no answer was forthcoming from Wonshik. "He's teaching the after college class."

"No!" Hakyeon bellowed, eyes wide and mouth open with the beginnings of a delighted grin. "Scandalous behaviour, Wonshik! Absolutely shameful!"

"Shut up, Hakyeon," Wonshik hissed, elbowing the older in the stomach; Hakyeon's shouts were drawing quite a bit of attention.

Hakyeon recoiled with a startled oof, but it did nothing to stop his teasing. "You're so baaaaaaaaad!" he whispered loudly in Wonshik's ear and Wonshik swatted him away.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he mumbled.

"Are you hoping to do a bit of enlarging? Some exposure?" Jaehwan joined in, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Jaehwan!" Wonshik whined, unable to take it anymore as his two older friends curled into balls of trembling mirth. This was the sort of situation he'd been hoping to avoid. He could feel his face flush dark at the images Jaehwan's words had racing through his mind, making his fingertips tingle. And other parts.

He was hardly a prude, but talking ually about someone he was actually going to have to make eye contact with (and a teacher at that!) was straying into dangerous waters. The thought of facing Hongbin now made him squirm, worried that the older male would somehow be able to see straight into his head.

"But what about you?" Wonshik asked Jaehwan, eager to deflect the conversation away from its awkward trajectory. "You don't take Photography, how do you know who he is?"

"If you take an art class it's impossible not to know who he is. You need to battle your way through his admirers as soon as you enter the building." Jaehwan eyed him pointedly.  "I can't believe you managed to get a place."

"But how come he knows your name?" Wonshik persisted, praying, in light of that new information, that no one would press him to reveal he'd been the first to put his name down.

"I'm Class Rep for my Art class remember? Mr. Lee's been sitting in on the meetings."

Wonshik was startled by a sudden swell of envy at Jaehwan's good fortune.

"I can't believe you're taking a Photography class just to on the teacher," Hakyeon sniggered. "Just wait until I tell Taekwoon."

Wonshik opened his mouth to vehemently deny the accusation, but closed it again with a sigh of defeat.

Who was he fooling? That was exactly his intention.

* * *

Monday arrived and, for the first time, Wonshik didn't see Hongbin at lunchtime. He grew more agitated as the lunch break wore on with no sign of him and Hakyeon started to snicker.

"Oh man, have you got it bad."

Wonshik was so deflated he couldn't even muster an answer.

"He is here today," Jaehwan assured him.

Despite Jaehwan's efforts, it just felt like a bad omen and the rest of the day passed with what felt like a rain cloud floating over his head.

His last class of the day finished at two o'clock so he would normally have been free to leave. Instead, with a little over an hour to kill, he decided to spend some time in the library, attempting to make a start on some homework for his other subjects, though concentration was in short supply.

The bell rang at three o'clock, signalling the end of the day and, even though Wonshik knew the class didn't start for another fifteen minutes – probably to give the attendees a quick break for a snack – he was unable to occupy himself for a second longer. He tried to walk at a leisurely pace but he still arrived at the art block with over ten minutes to go.

Through the window, he was relieved to see Hongbin having a chat with the teacher he must have been assigned to, his arms crossed over his chest, emphasising his biceps.

Wonshik swallowed hard as he let his eyes trail over his teacher.

It was if he'd pulled out all the stops in preparation for his first lesson. He was wearing a plain black t-shirt – that, once again, clung to his torso in all the right places – and black jeans with a studded belt that was only visible because his shirt was caught up behind the buckle. There looked to be a thin gold chain around his neck that dipped beneath the neckline of his shirt at the front. All of that would have been enough to bring Wonshik to his knees but it was nothing compared to his hair. It was in the same cut as always, black and shiny, but, where it was usually smooth, it had instead been artfully textured and tousled, sticking out in all the best ways.

Wonshik snapped his jaw shut when Hongbin noticed him through the window. He beckoned Wonshik inside.

Mentally berating himself when he realised that he'd started to tremble, he entered the building and hovered in the doorway to the classroom.

"Take a seat," Hongbin said, waving him towards the many stools in the room.

Now that the window was no longer separating them, Wonshik could see that Hongbin's appearance wasn't just stunning. It was absolutely criminal.

His clothes went flawlessly with his deep, dark eyes and glossy hair and his skin looked like it was glowing now that the dull glass wasn't there to tarnish it. Even his lips looked redder, somehow swollen and even more inviting. All in all, he looked like he'd just participated in a particularly steamy makeout session in the store cupboard.

That comparison did absolutely nothing for Wonshik's sanity. It was the first time that he wondered whether signing up for lessons had actually been a good idea. He was already in need of a bucket of cold water to be dumped over his head and the class hadn't even started!

He perched on a stool at the table nearest the door, still wearing his rucksack, feeling as if it would work as some kind of protection against Hongbin's dazzling appearance, a weight to keep him grounded.

Hongbin was checking the cameras Wonshik assumed they would be using, the other teacher hovering behind.

He was sure he'd heard about the other teacher from Jaehwan, who was always singing his praises. He taught art as well and was really popular, apparently not minding if someone missed a lesson or two as long as they made up the time in their free periods. Wonshik wished he had a teacher that laid back.

The teacher soon excused himself, telling Hongbin that he'd be in the office if he needed anything and that he'd check in on them from time to time. Hongbin nodded, totally at ease, and sat behind the desk as soon as he was gone.

"You're early," Hongbin noted after a few seconds of silence. "Don't you want to take a break and have something to eat?"

"I had a free period," he mumbled.

"So you finished at two? But you're voluntarily staying until quarter past five?" Hongbin sounded amazed and he was smiling a teasing, though good-natured, smile.

He really was crazy wasn't he? And now Hongbin thought he had no life. Well, if he had nothing better to do than cater to an irrational crush, that could only be the case. The prospect of finishing at gone five o'clock didn't feel at all like a chore.

Other students arrived not long after that and Wonshik was half disappointed and half relieved. Receiving Hongbin's full attention was exactly what he'd been dreaming of but it wasn't doing his heart any good. It also gave him a chance to freely study Hongbin without the man looking back at him.

The teacher already knew all of the students by name and he ticked them off on the register as soon as they entered. Wonshik felt a childish sinking in his stomach; he wasn't special after all.

Counting the students as they arrived revealed that all of the other attendees were girls. Part of him wanted to laugh hysterically in response but, instead, the more rational part had him shrinking dejectedly on his stool. The attentions of these girls were going to be much more of an interest to Hongbin than his.

When everyone was seated, Hongbin wasted no time in starting the lesson. He gave a rough outline of the course, explaining that they'd start with learning the basics about the SLR camera and developing their images and then move onto portraits and would eventually be able to take the cameras outside. He said that they were restricted by the darkness due to the time of year but it would give them an opportunity to play around with exposure (Wonshik shifted uncomfortably here) which could produce some interesting effects, especially with a tripod and a moving light source, like car headlights.

He went on to give a demonstration on how to use an SLR camera, the types of film, the functions of the buttons. Wonshik got a bit lost when Hongbin was talking about shutter speed and different rings but Hongbin assured them they'd pick it up as they proceeded with the lessons. He encouraged them to try out the things they learned with digital cameras if they had access to them and just a phone if not.

Wonshik had been imagining that he'd zone out as soon as the lesson started, content to just look at Hongbin and soak in his voice, eager to hear him talk for an extended period of time. Instead, Hongbin's unmistakeable passion for photography was infectious. He was paying rapt attention, eyes hungrily following all of Hongbin's gestures, and he found himself itching to get behind a camera.

After about half an hour, Hongbin informed them that they had six cameras to use between them and they'd each already been loaded with a film. He pointed out the closed door to the left of the room, explaining that it was called a darkroom and that it would be where they would develop some photos in next week's lesson.

When the time came to divide into groups, Wonshik was more than pleased that the girls split into groups of twos and threes, leaving him with a camera all to himself.

Hongbin directed them to the store cupboard where some objects were kept for still life drawing in art class, which is what would be the focus of their photos for the lesson.

"I know it's not very interesting but it's fine for a bit of practice," Hongbin explained and the girls all piled into the cupboard.

Wonshik trailed along behind, taking his pick from what was left over when they were all finished. He selected a vase of fake flowers and nearly dropped them when he turned round to see Hongbin leaning on the doorframe, watching him. His arms were crossed, showing off his muscles once again and Wonshik could feel himself flush cherry red when he found he was wishing that Hongbin would come in and shut the door. He was unable to meet Hongbin's eyes, afraid that the older male would be able to read his thoughts if he did.

He tried to shuffle past but Hongbin didn't move at his approach, forcing him to squeeze between the older male and the other side of the door frame. Hongbin turned his body as Wonshik moved by him, his abs dangerously close, and Wonshik couldn't help but inhale deeply, the man's aftershave heady but delicate in his nostrils. Keeping his eyes averted, he headed back to his table.

Needing a moment to collect himself after surviving that sweet torture, he placed his vase down and sank onto his stool, breathing deep lungfuls of fresh air to try and remove the overwhelming scent of Hongbin from his body. When he thought he was ready, he picked up his camera.

However, now that the time had come, he was hesitant to begin, all too conscious of the fact that these photos were unable to be deleted. On top of that, the camera didn't have a screen like he was used to so he had to make do with looking through what Hongbin had called the viewfinder and hope for the best.

He kept watching Hongbin out of the corner of his eye as the older male made his rounds about the room, spending a few minutes with each group. His anxiety grew the closer Hongbin got.

"Mr. Lee?" one of the girls called.

Wonshik could see a flicker of discomfort in Hongbin's eyes and he had to stifle a laugh. Did he really hate being called mister that much?

Hongbin leant on the girl's table to answer the group's questions, but Wonshik wasn't listening to what they were saying. He was instead entranced by the way Hongbin rested his weight on his palms flat against the table, bent at the waist and t-shirt pulled tight across his shoulder blades.

He couldn't help imagining what it would be like to between the two, legs around Hongbin's waist as he thru—

With a thundering heart, he averted his eyes and took a steadying breath, though he was unable to keep away for long.

When he looked back, Hongbin was smiling, still patiently answering any questions, and he could feel his heart fluttering at the sight of Hongbin's dimples. That view never got old.

He lifted his camera and twisted the lens, focusing, not on the flowers in front of him, but Hongbin on the other side of the room and, before he knew what was happening, his finger hit the shutter release.

A tremor swept through him as he inhaled sharply. Uh oh.

Swallowing hard, Wonshik shut his eyes and mentally shook himself. He'd just twisted the zoom the wrong way and had been too eager with the shutter, that was all. An easy mistake to make.

Except, he made the same mistake at least a dozen more times throughout the duration of the class. The only time Hongbin had been safe from Wonshik's prying lens was when he'd stood behind him to offer some advice.

Wonshik's hands were trembling at their close proximity and Hongbin reached out to steady them.

"It's okay," Hongbin breathed in his ear. Wonshik was sure the older man hadn't gotten this close with any of the other students but he was not complaining. "The camera won't bite."

But I wish you would. Wonshik stifled a groan at the voice in his head that had so clearly been corrupted by Jaehwan and Hakyeon. But he couldn't help it. Hongbin was still breathing into his ear, the warm air cascading down the side of his neck, and he could feel his eyelids fluttering at the knowledge that if Hongbin leant forwards just a few inches, he could have the man's teeth grazing at the soft skin beneath his ear.

The scent of Hongbin's aftershave was swirling around him and the man's hands were warm over his, long fingers strong and sure as he expertly twiddled the knobs adorning the top of the camera. He was whispering all the while about his methods but Wonshik was unable to comprehend a word he was saying.

It ended with one of Hongbin's fingers pressing down on Wonshik's over the shutter release. Then Hongbin's hands were gone, leaving Wonshik feeling cold and empty.

He turned his head to look up at Hongbin still behind him, hoping to catch a glimpse of the older man's dimpled smile, but felt his stomach clench at Hongbin's unreadable expression.

"Keep trying," Hongbin said, before striding to the other side of the classroom without another word or glance.

Feeling strangely disheartened, Wonshik took Hongbin's advice but, after four more photographs – only one (maybe two) being of the older male – the film strained when he tried to wind it and he knew it must have been the signal Hongbin had mentioned that meant the film had run out.

After throwing a few glances Hongbin's way but finding the older man to be much too preoccupied to notice him, he finally held his hand in the air.

"Mr. Lee?" he called, irritated that he'd been forced to address Hongbin in a way that he hated but also proud that he'd remembered he and Hongbin weren't – yet – both on first name terms. "I think my film's run out," he continued when he had the man's attention.

"Let's take a look." Hongbin took the camera from his hand and confirmed his suspicions. "Can you remember what to do next?" he asked, holding the camera out for Wonshik to take.

He accepted it hesitantly, but was pleased to realise he could still remember what Hongbin had explained.

After pressing what he thought was called the rewind release button, he began to turn the crank in the direction indicated by the arrow and kept winding until the turns got a bit stiffer. He glanced at Hongbin questioningly and the older man nodded.

"Keep going."

A moment later, the crank twisted easily and he knew he'd successfully rewound the film. He opened the back of the camera and removed it, slipping it into a canister that Hongbin handed him and popping on the lid.

"I think that's it for you for today," Hongbin said, glancing at his watch, and Wonshik saw there were only ten minutes of the class to go. "If you write your name on here," he continued, collecting a sheet of sticky labels from the teacher's desk, "We'll put it on your canister and then we can get to work developing a few next week."

At the mention of developing his photographs, Wonshik could feel the blood draining from his face, the edges of the canister digging painfully into his hand as he squeezed. He was loath to let it go when Hongbin held out his hand for it.

Taking a deep steadying breath, he repeated Hongbin's earlier words to himself. A few. They'd only select a couple and he'd be able to make sure Hongbin didn't creep into the frame of any of them and everyone would be none the wiser to his disturbing lapses of focus.

He scribbled his name onto one of the stickers and watched Hongbin place it on his canister and move to the back of the room to set it in a draw marked ACC-H.

"See you next week." Hongbin dismissed him with one last smile and Wonshik was embarrassed by the way his stomach sank when he remembered the childish fantasies he'd been allowing himself all week of being the last to leave and getting a minute or two alone with him. He knew it was greedy considering he'd already gotten his wish before the class started but he couldn't help wanting more.

"Bye," he mumbled, but Hongbin had already turned away to tend to the needs of one of the other students.

He hovered at his table for a moment before plodding from the room with a heavy heart.

He didn't even really know why he felt so disappointed. He'd spent the past two hours listening to Hongbin talk about his passion and had been able to stare almost as much as he wished without consequence. What exactly had he been hoping for?

* * *

Another week passed, with only two run ins with Hongbin outside of the usual lunchtime glimpse.

The first was at the beginning of his morning break on Wednesday when he was passing the art block. Hongbin had just been leaving and their paths crossed with a rushed greeting as they each followed the flow of other students in opposite directions – well, Hongbin said hello while Wonshik just gaped.

The other was at the end of college on Friday when Jaehwan needed to collect his portfolio from the art block and Wonshik found an excuse to accompany him.

Hongbin was leaving his classroom just as they passed to exit the building and Jaehwan stopped to wait for him as he said his goodbyes to the teacher he was working with. He was in the process of buttoning his coat – a smart, double-ed jacket – arranging his headphones so they dangled over the collar and pulling the strap of his satchel over his head.

Wonshik wanted to slip his arms inside and around Hongbin's waist and have the older male wrap it cosily around them both. He stifled a sigh of longing.

Once Hongbin was ready to brave the dull, windy October weather, he fell into step beside them.

"Any plans for the weekend?" he asked and Jaehwan immediately rattled off a list but Wonshik was so intent on naturally placing one foot in front of the other that he didn't catch a word of it. His hands gripped the straps of his rucksack with almost white knuckle ferocity.

"What about you, Wonshik?" Hongbin asked, leaning forward slightly to glance at him around Jaehwan.

"Huh? Oh. Not really." His answer made the conversation fall painfully flat and, if he hadn't been accompanied by Jaehwan, it probably would have stayed that way. As it was, Jaehwan had the ability to start a conversation with absolutely anyone about absolutely anything and he managed to salvage the awkward atmosphere as Wonshik hovered beside them like a black hole.

Hongbin accompanied them to the college entrance and their pace slowed when they reached the gates.

"I'm going this way so I'll see you next week," Hongbin said, gesturing towards the bus stop a few yards down the road.

"Have a nice weekend," Wonshik managed to force out.

"You too," Hongbin replied, his smile heating Wonshik's wind-whipped cheeks.

As he and Jaehwan walked down the road in the opposite direction, he couldn't help glancing back at Hongbin now waiting at the bus stop amongst gaggles of students. It was dark but he could just make the older man out by the headlights of passing cars, hands in his pockets, headphones in his ears, isolating him from the students around. It had a strange jolt going through him as he realised how juvenile they all must seem to him, the university student. Wonshik could remember how he'd felt when he'd first moved up to college and had looked back at the kids still in school. He imagined the jump to university would come with a similar sensation.

Their suddenly didn't feel so small anymore and Monday no longer looked so appealing.

* * *

The weekend came and went without any highlights and the prospect of his second lesson with Hongbin did nothing to lift his dampened spirits. He'd been dwelling on his last sighting of the older male all weekend, unable to shake the idea that Hongbin would never be able to see him as more than a child. His mood had sunk even further when the small voice at the back of his mind had piped up.

He doesn't even like men anyway.

Wonshik stabbed angrily at a piece of chicken with his fork, looking up when Jaehwan joined him at his table.

"Where's Hakyeon?" he asked when he realised his friend was alone.

"You haven't heard? He and Taekwoon broke up."

"Again?" Wonshik groaned. He couldn't believe he hadn't heard about it yet. It was already lunchtime but it was the first time he'd had a break to see his friends all day, having had a heinous amount of homework, so he had only just been made aware of Hakyeon's absence.

"This time it's final," Jaehwan answered, with the air of a person parroting someone else's declaration.

"They say that every time."

"Mmhmm."

Wonshik could understand Jaehwan's total lack of regard, but he knew that if he didn't contact Hakyeon soon, he'd be added to his bad books.

Where are you? He text him. He didn't even have to wait a minute before receiving a reply.

at home

The total lack of punctuation and emoticons had Wonshik sighing. Before he could muster up a reply of his own, a second text came through.

i dont want to be alone

Wonshik sighed again, knowing that a good friend would drop all of their classes and hurry over but feeling ashamed that he was deeming Hakyeon's situation as not all that important. He knew Hakyeon would be feeling bad but he and Taekwoon would be back together before the week was through, heartbreak forgotten.

I finish at 2 today. I'll come and see you then. It was only after he'd hit send that an icy hand gripped his stomach and he sat bolt upright. His Photography class! They were developing the photos!

He forced himself to take a steadying breath. Photography started at three. All he had to do was run over to Hakyeon's, show his face, baby him for half an hour, then run back in time to intercept his roll of film and burn it if need be.

But when he rang Hakyeon's doorbell a couple of hours later and was greeted by a red-eyed, snotty-nosed, trembly-chinned mess, he realised, with a plummeting stomach, that he would not be leaving the house at any point in the very near future.

He followed his sniffling friend up to his room and watched as Hakyeon wrapped his duvet around himself like a shroud. Taking a seat next to him, Wonshik put his arm around Hakyeon's trembling shoulders and they sat like that for a long while.

"Have you heard from Taekwoon?" he eventually asked.

His mention of the ex-boyfriend's name was met with a shuddering sob.

"He's such a bastard," Hakyeon whispered.

"I know."

Wonshik couldn't keep his eyes off of the clock hanging on Hakyeon's wall, all too aware of how time was speeding up just as he needed it to go slower.

It got to three o'clock and he knew he couldn't push it any longer.

"Hakyeon? I've got my Photography class so I need to go," he mumbled awkwardly.

Hakyeon hiccupped and turned to face him, eyes wide and bloodshot and swimming in tears.

"You're leaving?"

Wonshik stared back at him, body turning numb as his life force drained away.

Keep his friends or drop out of college? Going by the look in Hakyeon's eyes, he didn't have a choice.

Three-fifteen came and went, as did four o'clock and he spent all of that time repeating It's okay over and over in his head like a mantra, staring blankly at the opposite wall as Hakyeon repeated, for the third time, the grievous – read frivolous – argument that had sparked this whole hellish situation.

He'll leave your roll of film in the drawer. He's not going to touch it. No one will. He'll just make you do it next week. Stay calm. Stay calm. Oh God.

Five o'clock started to approach and Wonshik knew that Hakyeon's parents would soon be finishing work. Hakyeon's mother would come home and offer him dinner as she usually did and he'd have no way of refusing.

At five-fifteen, tears started to prick at his eyes and he was on the verge of tearing Hakyeon's duvet off of him and curling up in it to bawl himself into insanity when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," he announced, numbly.

He descended the stairs on legs like noodles and was tempted to burst into tears and throw a punch when he opened the door to reveal Taekwoon.

Instead, he did neither, just waved Taekwoon inside and sank down to pull his shoes on in such a rush that his laces got pushed inside and tangled between his toes and socks. He didn't even spare Taekwoon a greeting before swiping up his bag and tearing out of the house and down the street like a firework.

It was half past five by the time he arrived at college, panting and shaking.

Most of what he could see of the campus was dark except for the bottom floor of the drama building where he could catch a glimpse of a cleaner moving back and forth with a vacuum.

He rounded the main building that housed reception and the cafeteria and felt his legs go weak when he saw the lights were still on in the Art block, though if it was out of relief or disappointment, he couldn't tell.

He laid a tentative hand on the door handle when he reached it and gave a gentle push, half expecting the doors to have been locked already. It swung open beneath his palm and he crept down the corridor to the first door on the right, peering carefully through the windows.

The room was empty.

With a quick glance up and down the corridor, he darted inside and made a beeline for the ACC-H drawer. He shrugged off his rucksack, getting ready to place the film inside, praying that the action would make everything run in his favour.

Heart in his mouth, he gripped the handle of the drawer in trembling fingers and slid it open.

An audible sigh of relief permeated the room when he spotted his lone canister rolling about in the bottom. He reached in and picked it up and then felt as if he was about to be violently sick.

Because it was empty.

He tried to breathe, but the air was either much too thin or his lungs no longer knew what to do with it because his vision swam and he had to lay a hand on the desk to steady himself.

After a moment of deliberation, he knew there was only one option left to him.

He turned to face the door that led to the darkroom and marched over to it, swaying as if he was walking on stilts.

Inside, the room smelled similar to the sharp tang of vinegar, probably a result of the different chemicals used to develop photographs, and it did nothing to improve his nausea. The eerie glow of the red safelight was illuminating a scene from his worst nightmare.

All of his photos of Hongbin were hanging from the line stretching across the room in front of the door. All of them. Not a single one was of the flowers he'd meant to be capturing. There was the one that he'd planned to pretend was just an accident, the one where Hongbin had crouched down to pick up a group's upset fruit bowl, the one where Hongbin had stood to gaze out of the window during a quiet moment. Even the most outrageous one where he'd seen Hongbin stretching onto his tiptoes to reach a book about a famous photographer on a shelf in the corner of the room nearest Wonshik's table. He'd snapped it just as a strip of golden skin had been revealed between the hem of Hongbin's t-shirt and the royal purple waistband of his boxers peeking enticingly above his jeans. He'd be lying if he said the memory hadn't been haunting him with some very hot and bothering thoughts all week.

He stood rooted to the spot, wondering whether to just turn and run and never show his face at college ever again or to tear them all down and deny their existence. He was saved the trouble of making a decision when the door clicked shut behind him.

He stiffened, shoulders hunched, listening to the footsteps at his back. He was all too aware that he didn't have his rucksack to protect him.

"Wonshik." Hongbin's voice, low and filled with an emotion Wonshik couldn't place (though probably revulsion), had his knees knocking, unable to turn around. He felt like a fly caught in a web, an unfortunate who had stumbled into a monster's lair.

"Sorry, S-Sir. There was an emergency so I c-couldn't make it to class." Damn you, Cha Hakyeon!

He heard Hongbin's footsteps circling around him.

"Th-that's all I came to say. Bye!" He span round, making sure he kept his back to Hongbin, and d madly for the door handle, getting it open all of three inches before a hand collided with the door beside his head and slammed it shut.

He was sure he could feel his soul leaking out of his mouth.

"Missing the class set you behind everyone else so I took the liberty of developing your photos myself. I hope you don't mind." Hongbin's voice was honey in his ears.

"M-Mind? N-No... I-I—"

"You've got a real gift for candid photography. I especially like how you captured my profile." He felt the older's breath at his ear as he made a sound of amusement.

Hongbin was laughing at him! His ears burned at the humiliation and tears began to well in his eyes. He tugged on the door handle desperately, but to no avail. Hongbin was leaning all of his weight against his palm still pressed to the varnished wood beside Wonshik's head. In fact, his efforts just made Hongbin push forward harder, now with both hands, his whole body pressing up against Wonshik's.

By this point, Wonshik was weak in the knees and all but panting, from nerves but also from a sick sense of excitement. He was confined in a dark, secluded room with a man he very much desired pressed flush against his back, alarmingly similar to many fantasies that he'd been allowing himself (despite earlier claims that those sort of thoughts were a bad idea). It didn't help that the chemicals were making him light-headed.

"Look at me," Hongbin murmured in his ear.

Wonshik shut his eyes tightly and shook his head. He wanted to stay in that dark room and never face the light of day ever again, have it swallow him whole.

Hongbin's hand lowered from the door to grab his shoulder, clearly intent on spinning him round to face him, but it was a pivotal mistake. Wonshik took his chance in both hands, literally, and wrenched open the door. He sprinted across the classroom, scooping up his bag on the way and grabbed the door frame to swing himself round into the corridor outside, ignoring Hongbin's calls of his name ringing out behind him.

* * *

He didn't sleep that night. Worry bubbled incessantly beneath his skin: that he'd have to see Hongbin again, that he'd tell people, that he'd report him to administration for his... unhealthy behaviour.

The nausea that had settled in since he found his empty canister remained well into the next day. He'd been unable to get out of bed in the morning and his mother had taken one look at his grey complexion and shut his bedroom door again. He spent the rest of the day wrapped in his duvet, much like Hakyeon had been the day before.

Hakyeon! Taekwoon. The pair made him seethe even though he knew the situation was a result of his own idiocy. He shouldn't have let himself be swayed by Hakyeon's teary eyes. He shouldn't have taken the Goddamn pictures!

His phone buzzed on the nightstand next to him but he didn't want to look. It would be Hakyeon asking if the creepy rumours were true or Jaehwan to say he'd seen the photos.

He flushed hot and cold, hot and cold at the thought of other people seeing them. He'd never be able to show his face in front of anyone at college ever again. He'd have to avoid his friends forever.

That thought had him bolting upright. It was nearly one o'clock which meant Jaehwan would be finishing college in a little over an hour. What if he'd text to say he was coming over?

Wonshik fumbled with his phone, trepidation forgotten in his moment of terror, but he was surprised to find the texts he'd received were... normal. Things like Where are you? and Are you okay? (ó﹏ò｡).

But were they too normal?

Wonshik forced himself to ignore the doubt creeping up his spine and sent an identical text to both Hakyeon and Jaehwan.

I'm just sick. Don't come round. I don't want you catching it.

A text came through from Jaehwan immediately that had Wonshik's stomach lurching.

Mr. Lee was asking after you at lunch time. I thought that might cheer you up a bit~!

No, Jaehwan, it certainly doesn't, Wonshik thought to himself miserably.

He didn't reply and his friends remained silent after that.

For the rest of the day he didn't eat, even when his mother brought him a meal to his room. She felt his temperature with her hand and said they'd see how he felt in the morning.

Thankfully, he managed to squeeze out another day off but, come Thursday, his mother was rousing him from bed and forcing breakfast in front of him.

"I don't start until ten today!" he whined.

"I know, but if I leave you won't get up at all. Now, text Jaehwan and tell him to meet you here. Yes, right now," she ordered, in response to his grumbling.

She hovered over his shoulder and watched to make sure he did it. "You'll feel better with a bit of fresh air," she promised him, kissing him lovingly on the cheek. He couldn't help but eye her with a bit of resentment.

Jaehwan turned up at half past nine and they began a slow, meandering walk to college.

"You really don't look so good," Jaehwan commented.

"Thanks."

"No, really. Are you sure you can't stay home again?"

Wonshik sighed. There was honestly nothing that he would have liked more (well, other than the ability to erase the past two weeks from history) but he knew he'd have to face college sooner or later and, until he did, his 'illness' wasn't going anywhere.

He was expecting to arrive to everyone pointing and laughing at him. Instead, everyone was moving about their lives as usual and he was free to go to his classes without a fuss. He kept a frantic eye out for Hongbin but, other than that, things felt just like normal. Now, if he could just keep this up for the rest of the year...

At lunchtime, he went to the library but didn't tell Jaehwan or Hakyeon of his whereabouts until afterwards. Perhaps he was being too paranoid, but he was worried that Hongbin would 'ask after him' again and the only way he'd be able to get his friends to lie would be to tell them about the situation. And that was most definitely not going to happen.

Luckily, he only had one sighting of Hongbin all day and it was from an upper floor window where the older male would be unable to reach him even if he'd spotted him too.

Somehow, he'd forgotten how handsome he was. The brightness of his smile, the line of his jaw. It made him ache.

He felt more optimistic Friday morning, even though he knew that it was more statistically probable that he'd run into Hongbin as more time passed. However, it would soon be the weekend and he'd have two worry-free days to collect his thoughts and try to come up with some sort of explanation for the photographs.

The first part of the morning went without incident but, on his way to his tutor session at eleven o'clock, he had to pass through the double doors where he'd first seen Hongbin. It felt like returning to a scene where he'd made memories with an old sweetheart and he hated himself for the infantile sensation. There'd been absolutely nothing between them!

He trudged up the stairs to his tutor room and his teacher's face lit up when he saw him. "Wonshik!" He fumbled around in one of the drawers of his desk and then withdrew a sealed, brown A4 envelope. "This is from Mr. Lee."

Wonshik all but snatched the envelope from his tutor's hands and hugged it to his chest, flushing all the way to the tips of his ears. He knew exactly what would be inside it and was horrified that Hongbin could be so careless with them. Anyone could have opened it!

His tutor looked a bit troubled by his behaviour but didn't comment on it. "He dropped it off on Tuesday and seemed quite desperate for you to go and see him in his classroom. We won't be doing anything of importance for the rest of the period, so you can go now."

Wonshik had absolutely no intention of going to see Hongbin but he left the room regardless, shuffling to the door like a crab in order to keep the envelope hidden from the rest of the class. He felt as if everyone in the room would be able to see straight through the brown paper concealing his greatest shame.

He burst out onto the stairwell and leant over the banister to check that all the floors were empty before wedging himself into a corner and sliding down the wall. He tore open the envelope with trembling hands, needing to see if his suspicions were correct.

They were. All of his photos were inside and he sifted through them slowly, his nausea returning. He saw these, he saw these, he thought, over and over as he made his way deeper through the pile.

Then he reached a photo of himself and stopped to stare at it, totally nonplussed.

It was a printed photograph and was half the size of his developed photos, meaning that it must have been taken with a digital camera.

In the picture, he was wearing his red and black check shirt and he was laughing, looking off at something to the left. In the background he could glimpse a section of a sign with the letters 'LCOM'.

The photo had been taken on the first day back at college as he waited in the queue to receive his timetable and, if he was remembering correctly, it was the moment that Jaehwan had predicted Hakyeon and Taekwoon's break-up.

He could remember the flimsy newsletter his teacher had handed out in their second week. He'd only given it a glance but the front page was something about a successful first day for the first years and there had been photos of the event. Hongbin must have been tasked with photographing it.

Did this mean that Hongbin had seen him first?

I need to sit down, he thought to himself, shakily, and then realised he already was.

He moved on to the next photograph. It was another one of himself, from the same day, this time with an innocent pout as he stared at something in the distance.

The one after that had a post-it note stuck over his face that read: This one's my favourite. It was written in the same handwriting that Wonshik could remember from witnessing Hongbin write down his name. He peeled the sticky note off to reveal a photo where he was mid-yawn, his cheeks slightly puffed up from trying to contain it and one of his eyes squinting. Even he had to admit that he looked kind of cute.

He was blushing now and had the beginnings of a blissful smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

The next photograph had another wave of shock going through him.

This time it was a developed photo like the one's he'd taken and, also like his pictures, it had been taken during the Photography class. How had Hongbin...?

He remembered Hongbin giving them a demonstration on how to use an SLR camera and that he'd made a point to say there was no film in it. Then he'd pressed the shutter release.

The sneaky bastard!

In the photograph, it was clear that he was paying no attention to the camera as he should have been, totally entranced, instead, by the photographer.

The final photograph in the pile was strangely romantic.

It was the photo they'd taken together of the flowers and just looking at it sent him back to the classroom: Hongbin's comforting presence behind, warm hands against his and the cosy fragrance of his aftershave. He closed his eyes to bask in the sensation but a door banging open on the floor below had him falling from his cloud with a jolt.

He carefully slid the photographs back into the envelope and hugged it to his chest, his smile now spreading fully across his cheeks. He tried not to let his imagination get away from him but it was so difficult. Here were photos all but proving that Hongbin felt the same way. What else could they mean? Why would Hongbin have those photos, focused solely on him, when he was supposed to photographing other people (or no one at all)?

Biting his lip in attempt to contain his emotions, he climbed to his feet, knowing that he really couldn't avoid Hongbin any longer.

He hobbled to the art block with legs of lead, hands trembling when he reached out to open the door. When he reached the classroom, he planted his feet in the doorway.

The art teacher was leading the tutoring session, with Hongbin sitting at the back of the room.

The breath left Wonshik's lungs when he laid eyes on him, suddenly all too aware that there was no way someone so beautiful could actually return his feelings. But it was too late to leave now; Hongbin had noticed him immediately.

The older male stood up abruptly and the teacher stuttered to a halt.

"I asked Wonshik to see me about his Photography work," Hongbin explained.

"Okay." The teacher waved him in but Wonshik's feet would no longer move. "Well, come in," the teacher commanded, impatiently. The class watched him curiously as he stumbled inside, following Hongbin into the darkroom.

Hongbin had put on the normal light this time. Wonshik was glad; if it had been the safelight again, he was sure it would have triggered some sort of breakdown.

"Shut the door," the older male ordered, his expression stony.

Wonshik trembled as he closed the door behind him, knowing that there would be no going back once it was sealed.

As soon as it clicked shut, Wonshik found himself gasping aloud because Hongbin had hooked his hand around his neck and crashed their lips together in a searing kiss that had Wonshik groaning low in his throat. He was glad there had been no one to witness such a shameful display. And, of course, because he most definitely should not have been kissing a teacher, assistant or no. Yes. Of course. That was the real problem here.

But then Hongbin backed him gently against the door, one arm snaking round to push his palm against Wonshik's lower back, bringing him closer, and he no longer cared if someone saw.

He feebly clutched at Hongbin's upper arms, knees weak, trying not to whimper as Hongbin tilted his head to kiss him even more deeply.

When they eventually parted, Wonshik's head fell back against the door with a thunk. They stared at each other wide-eyed, waiting for someone to check if everything was okay inside. When they were sure no one was coming, shy grins of relief tugged at their lips and Wonshik couldn't hold Hongbin's gaze.

"If you'd have just turned round on Monday, we could have gotten to this part a lot sooner," Hongbin whispered, his thumb over the skin beneath Wonshik's ear.

"I thought..."

Hongbin shushed him with another kiss, teasing brushes of his lips that had Wonshik pushing forward needily. Hongbin smiled against him.

Was this... really happening? He pulled back and studied Hongbin's face, from his bright eyes to the swell of his lips to his emerging dimples, absolutely floored that he would want to give him more than a second glance. He'd never truly believed that his wishes could come true.

Hongbin's body was warm and firm against his and he couldn't keep from pressing a hand to his abdomen, marvelling at the hard muscle beneath his shirt. He was definitely real.

Hongbin laughed and eyed Wonshik with a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry," he said, quickly pulling his hand away, but Hongbin put it back and placed one of his own on top of it.

"You know... at first, I just thought you were probably jealous of my body."

It was Wonshik's turn to laugh, though his was incredulous. "What?"

"You were always checking me out—" (Wonshik grimaced at his lack of subtlety) "—but it was too much to hope that you could actually want me too."

Hongbin kissed him again with a sigh and Wonshik knew they were both thinking that too much time had passed with too little kissing.

"I couldn't believe my luck when you signed up," Hongbin mumbled against his lips.

Wonshik shivered. Had Hongbin been as nervous as he was when he put his name down for the classes? He definitely hadn't shown it. Had he remembered his name because it was important to him? And what about that moment where he'd blocked his way out of the store cupboard? Had that been because he wanted to get closer?

Hongbin's lips were moving languidly against his, tongue snaking out to its way into Wonshik's mouth, and he realised with a jolt that the answer to all of those questions could very well be yes.

Wonshik thought his heart was going to beat out of his chest when he tasted him and he couldn't keep one of his hands from at Hongbin's t-shirt, the other tangling in his hair, around the older's tongue as he felt how soft the strands were.

Hongbin withdrew to trail kisses along Wonshik's jaw and down his neck where he nipped lightly with his teeth and began to .

"Hongbin!" Wonshik whispered in warning, trying to move Hongbin's head away. How was it going to look if he exited the room with a lovebite he most definitely didn't have when he entered it?

Hongbin groaned against his neck. "Say it again."

"Say what?"

"My name."

Wonshik wasn't even aware he'd said it, already so used to referring to Hongbin that way in his head. He was lucky that he'd never – yet – used it in a more public setting.

For his second utterance, it was barely a breath past his lips as he tasted the two syllables on his tongue.

Hongbin sighed and leant his head against Wonshik's shoulder. After a few seconds, he spoke.

"I'm sorry I frightened you," he apologised, quietly. "With the pictures. I didn't mean for you to get so worked up." Wonshik could actually hear the pain in his voice. "I just wanted to surprise you and then show you that I felt the same way. I had the pictures of you with me and everything."

"It's okay." Maybe he'd find the energy to get mad at him later but, in that moment, all he cared about was the fact that he was in Hongbin's arms with the older male placing fluttery kisses along his jaw.

"I've got another confession to make," Hongbin said, pulling back to meet Wonshik's eyes. "I took a look at your film as soon as the first class was over." He waited for the information to sink in.

The revelation set Wonshik's cheeks aflame.

"So you knew all week?" he shrieked and Hongbin hurried to place a hand over his mouth, biting his lip to hold in a laugh.

Wonshik glared at him over his fingers. That meant, on the Friday when they'd walked out of college together, Hongbin already knew about his shameful secret. He tried to remember anything Hongbin did that could have given him away but he'd either been too focused on appearing normal himself or Hongbin hadn't let anything slip.

"Forgive me?" Hongbin asked innocently, though he was unable to keep a straight face for long.

Wonshik tried to bite his palm in response and Hongbin withdrew his hand with a giggle. Wonshik caught it in one of his and laced their fingers together experimentally.

"You know... I don't actually give a damn about photography," he admitted.

"Didn't think so."

Hongbin pressed their lips together again and Wonshik shut his eyes, but pulled away to add, "Unless you're involved."

He felt Hongbin's lips curve into a smile against his and then he stopped thinking for a long while, focusing only on the feeling of Hongbin against him: the softness of his mouth, the warmth of his body, the strength in his shoulders. He felt electric, a fire devouring him from the inside out, and Wonshik never wanted to let go. He was like nectar on his tongue and a map beneath his fingertips and whenever his lungs cried out for breath, they were filled with his scent; he was surrounded by him, drowning.

The kiss eventually began to slow, though none of the passion died, and the passing of time began to sink in.

"We've been in here too long," Wonshik mumbled into Hongbin's mouth.

"I know." Hongbin didn't stop kissing him and he knew that translated to I don't care.

After a minute more, Hongbin pulled away and opened his eyes to regard Wonshik with what he thought could be classed as adoration, though the idea felt entirely foreign to him and had the heat in his cheeks intensifying.

Then Hongbin's smile turned playful.

"If you don't turn up for next week's class, I'll have to punish you," he whispered. "It's such a coveted spot, it would be a shame to waste it on someone not fully committed."

Wonshik silenced him with another kiss. He'd be at the class.

But maybe he'd request a punishment anyway.

Whew! This ended up being a lot longer and taking a lot longer to write than I thought it would!

There's a PWP extension in the works, but it won't add anything to the story (obviously) so it's not required reading if that's not your sort of thing. Parts of the fic just inspired some interesting situations and I couldn't resist. I have no self-restraint. Or shame.

Anyway, thanks for reading~ I hope you enjoyed it! Your opinion would be very welcome :)