Johnny found any reason to talk to Taeil. Whether he was beside him during the lunch meeting or twenty feet away down the hall which required him to yell out his name and embarrass him, he did so anyway. Taeil tried his best to ignore the tall pest, but what little attention the other gave him the more he annoyed him for it.

"What's your problem?" Yuta groans to the other as Johnny drags him afterschool to chase after the same boy mentioned before, "Are you okay in the head?"

"Taeil, you're coming tonight aren't you?" Johnny ignored Yuta and chases after Taeil, asking behind the back of the elder as he walks down the front yard of the school to get home, "You won't flake on me?"

"Johnny, I told you since the moment I got here – I won't flake on you," Taeil sighs irritably when he turns around finally.

Johnny smirks and pokes Taeil's cheeks, "You can't be late either."

"I won't," Taeil says as his hands hide behind his back, his fingers twiddling with each other. It would be a lie if tonight wasn’t making him nervous as hell, even if it was just with Johnny.

Johnny grabs Taeil's wrists and pulls him closer, smiling at Yuta as the other walks over to them rather gloomily. Yuta smacks the chest of the tallest boy he knew and snaps, "What the hell!?"

Johnny lowers his grips down to his fingers and intertwines them quick enough before Taeil can reject it. He raises their arms up in the way and smiles cheekily, "Did I ever tell you? He's my date to homecoming."

Yuta's eyes widen and he glances over at Taeil. Taeil blushes and shakes off Johnny's grip off as the other's attention is diverted away from him and he shakes his head. Yuta glances back at Johnny and then back at Taeil, eyeing the both of them suspiciously.

"I don’t know what he’s talking about. T-There's nothing between us," Taeil quickly goes to defend himself, "He's just being... Himself. You know."

Johnny glances over at Taeil, watching how the other's arms flap around as he tries to explain themselves in anything other than dates to the best of his capability. He can't help but feel disappointed.

"I don't blame you for trying to get away from this thing," Yuta snorts, "He's the biggest pain of the ."

Johnny then butts in, "Tell him I'm your date for the game today."

"Huh?" The other two say simultaneously.

"Tell him," Johnny repeats himself rather defensively, "Tell him you're taking me out to eat afterwards."

Taeil blushes once again and glances away from the two of them, "I... Have to go – "

Yuta starts snickering at the other and Johnny pouts and grabs Taeil's hand again, but the other shakes it off before he could get a secure grip. Taeil then says all under one big breath of air.

"I'llseeyoulateratthegame," He slurs his words and quickly walks away before another one of his handsome, tall friends can come up to them.

Once he’s far away, Yuta smirks at Johnny and bumps his shoulder teasingly, "You ing hoe."

"Me? A hoe?" Johnny snorts, "I'm just messing with him, alright? We're just friends."

"Just friends?" Yuta wheezes, "I saw how you got all offended when he denied it. When did you even ask him to Homecoming anyway?"

"That is... None of your business," Johnny flashes a cheeky smile to annoy the other, "Should we get going?"

"You're going to explain this to me," Yuta says as he stops Johnny's stroll to get to his car, "I'm not oblivious like he may be. You have a crush on him, don't you?"

Johnny rolls his eyes, "Unlike you ty hoes, I don't catch feelings for anybody I say two syllables to. He's the vice president, I have to get along with him. I'm telling you, we're just friends. He doesn't even swing that way, I think."

"He totally does," Yuta mumbles, "He's a gay . Perfect for you, because you're – "

"I know you're going to call me daddy and I'm stopping you right there," Johnny stops on his feet and stares deadpanned to Yuta, "You spread any dirty rumors about Taeil and me to anyone – especially Chittaphon – and I will expose your nudes. Don't try me."

"You cheap ," Yuta grumbles, "I sent you those because I thought something was wrong with it. But whatever, I give it a month before you come up to me and ask me for help on your one-sided crush on a straight guy."

"Not gonna happen," Johnny casually says as he clicks a button on his keys to unlock his car, "And you're the LAST person I'll come to for help. Come back to me when you can actually get a text back."

" off!" Yuta throws his school blazer at the other as he hops into the passenger seat. His nagging is muffled but he can still make out the curse words he's spitting at him. Johnny rolls his eyes and texts Jaehyun to hurry up.

"Where's Ten anyway?" Johnny asks Yuta when he enters the car, "Wait, I forgot. You guys haven't made up, huh?"

"Does that even matter?" Yuta mumbles, "After today we'll be fine. I'll text him."

"Alright, I'm going to call Taeil."

"Taeil?" Yuta raises a suggestive brow at Johnny.

"I mean Jaehyun, ."

Yuta giggles at his friend's cute mistake, eyeing the other with a new spark of interest with Johnny. His tall friend had always been the one to mock others about their crushes and thirst, but to see Johnny so invested in another quickly was a new situation. Yuta wouldn't let Johnny live a day without teasing him now until he can tell him, "I told you so."

"Taeil's kinda cute," Yuta randomly sighs, "If you don't want him, I'll take him."

"You called him a fat rat a few weeks ago," Johnny snorts, "Don't try me, I'm telling you."

"That's because he got in my way of getting to – " Yuta suddenly stops and Johnny looks over at him oddly.

"Anyway," Yuta quickly avoids his last words and skips over to what he initially wanted to say, "Taeil is like a secret hottie. If he was less awkward and stiff looking, I would definitely be all over him."

"Don't even disrespect him like that," Johnny scoffs, "I can't imagine Taeil being a Jaehyun 2.0. That actually gives me a headache."

"Eh, I feel he'll be more like a , like Ten."

Johnny shudders, "That's so – Oh, Jaehyun. You were on the line. You didn't hear what we just said, right?"

Yuta starts snickering and the glass window on his side suddenly bangs. He flinches and covers his head, glancing over to see the familiar mocking smile of Ten, laughing at the other hysterically. Yuta flips the other off and unlocks the doors. Ten then opens his door.

"The passenger seat is mine!" Ten whines as he tries to peel Yuta off his seat.

"What the ?" Yuta snaps as he swats Ten away from him, "Your height doesn't pass the limit, little boy. Go to the back."

"You aren't even that taller than me, fat !" Ten smacks the top of Yuta's head and Yuta reaches over to pull his ears.

The two keep going at it until a shadow casts over them. They both glance over and see its Jaehyun, wearing a clean white button up matched with black slacks rolled up to the ankle, holding a jacket in his arms. Ten had to remind himself to breathe and stop looking at the bulge in his pants, glancing away before drool started leaking from the corner of his mouth. Yuta whistles and doesn't hide the fact he's checking him out.

"Are you big down there or are you just excited to see me?" Yuta coos at Jaehyun as the other hops onto the backseat.

"It's the pants," Jaehyun tries to reason with a tint of red decorating his cheeks, "I brought the wrong pair."

"More like the right ones," Ten says as he gives up with fighting for the passenger seats and sits in the backseat with Jaehyun, "If Doyoung doesn't take you with that big monstrosity, I think I might."

The whole car fills with laughter – Jaehyun an uncomfortable one as he tries to figure out a way to fix this awkward bulge in his pants, wondering if he should ruin his look by untucking his shirt. Ten watches in full delight.

"Why did you even come all fancied up?" Yuta asks in the midst of Johnny telling an uninteresting story of the committee – or more like about Taeil – and turns around to look at Jaehyun, "You don't want Doyoung to think you're trying to out dress him or anything."

"You think he'd be offended?" Jaehyun hastily tries to fix himself.

"I think the only way he wouldn't be offended is if you take off your shirt right now," Ten give Jaehyun a slight wink and Yuta doesn't miss the sly smirk Jaehyun gives him back.

"Shut the up!" Yuta groans at Ten, throwing a sock in Johnny's car at him, "I'm starting to think you only came here with bad intentions. We're here to try to get Doyoung to his , not you."

Jaehyun blushes and shakes his head, "It's nothing like that, Yuta. Don't worry, me and him were… Nothing."

Ten glances over at Jaehyun, covering up the pain stinger that were his words stabbing into his heart. He musters up the best smile he can give at that and nods his head, "Don't be a ing because you can't get or – "

"Hey, hey, hey!" Yuta cuts him off, "I choose not to be a tramp, unlike you."

"Not like you're even given a choice..." Ten mutters under his breath when he sees they've arrived at the concert hall.

"That's right. You better shut the hell up – "

"Yuta, shut up." Johnny parks the car right after he says that and unbuckles his seat belt, "You guys have no idea how hard I tried not to crash the car with all your nonsense."

"I'm more surprised you didn't join in," Ten pipes in, "You okay in the head, beffa?"

Yuta smirks and turns around to Ten, "He's more love sick than okay – "

Johnny smacks the back of his head and hops out the car before he can hear Ten's squeal. He decides to go on ahead without them, not trying to listen to not only Yuta – but Ten – try to force their imagination into his reality. Taeil and him were just friends and nothing more. There wasn't any rocket science to it.

The boys regroup when they approach the backstage door like Doyoung had instructed them to. Jaehyun takes a deep breath and randomly pulls out a bouquet of flowers.

"Where the hell did you get that?!" Yuta and Ten ask simultaneously.

"I've had it smashed in my duffel bag the entire time. Do you think he'll accept them?"

"Probably not," Yuta answers bluntly, earning himself a smack behind his head by Johnny and Ten.

"It's the thought that counts anyway," Johnny reassures Jaehyun before he opens the door and enters first.

When they enter, they hear an infinite amount of instruments in the process of being tuned in designated rooms. A few of the performers walk past them in a haste, a few crouched over to ease their nerves. They avoid the rest and go on a search to look for their friend Doyoung. Suddenly, an announcer speaks on the megaphone and introduces the first performer.

"There he is!" Ten points across the room and he's right – Doyoung stands in front of a mirror fixing his suit.

Jaehyun takes a deep, shaky breath and walks over with the rest, making sure he's breathing correctly. Doyoung looked so surreal in that suit, like a walking mannequin of beauty and talent. He didn't notice his friends approach Doyoung until Johnny spooked him by shaking his shoulders harshly.

"You !" Doyoung whines as he fixes his suit's blazer, "You're going to wrinkle my suit."

Ten and Yuta whistle at Doyoung, checking him out from head to toe. Jaehyun does so as well, but it wasn't as if it was his first time doing so in the short seconds he's been standing there.

"What are you guys doing backstage at this time?" Doyoung asks his friends – not yet noticing Jaehyun hidden behind Johnny's figure practicing his breathing – and goes on to say, "You should be at your seats already!"

"We had to wait for one other friend," Johnny smiles as his hand reaches behind him to pull Jaehyun forward, who was counting under his breath and squeezing his eyes shut to ease his nerves, "He wanted to come with us."

Doyoung small, existing smile fell as soon as his eyes landed on the face of the other. Jaehyun glanced up at Johnny with widened eyes, shaking off his grip and turning to look at Doyoung. And all he was welcomed with was the subtlest dagger of hate thrown his way behind the fake nonchalant expression. Jaehyun swallowed hard and tightened his grip around the flowers behind his back, glancing at the others hoping for some help.

"The more, the merrier right?" Ten chuckles nervously as he watches Doyoung's fists tighten and his jaw clench.

"Make sure to pay your entrance at the front," Doyoung simply says before walking off.

When Doyoung is far enough, the other three turn to Jaehyun and smack his shoulder. Jaehyun winces and swats their hands away but it just earns a harsher smack from Ten.

"Why didn't you say anything?!" Ten snaps.

"Did we bring you here so you can just stand there and undress him mentally?!" Yuta groans and glances over at Johnny for what he has to say.

"Why didn't you give him the flowers?" Johnny reaches over to his arm and pulls the bouquet to the center of them all, "It was perfect timing with all of us there. He’d have to take them!"

"I thought he'd get uncomfortable," Jaehyun mumbled as he touches a delicate petal on a red rose about to fall off, "Should I give it to him before he goes or after?"

The three stand silent and ponder for a moment with what would be a better choice. Now that they thought about it, they weren't too sure if giving the bouquet to Doyoung now would be the best choice. Or at least, that's what Jaehyun felt.

"Just give it to him now – "

"You don't give someone flowers before they perform –"

Before they all started breaking out in a full fledge argument, a backstage attendee calls out the next set of performers to go on standby.

"Oh, Doyoung is going to perform soon. Let's go to our seats!"

The boys rush over to find their seats, wandering around the area before they find some seats. They all sit down but when they realize one person still remains standing, glance up and see it's Jaehyun.

"What are you doing?" Johnny asked the other, "Aren't you going to sit?"

"Y-Yeah, but I saw a bathroom and it reminded me that I have to pee. I'll be back before Doyoung performs," Jaehyun smiles at the others and get a short reply – or more like a jumble of grunts of reassurance – and walks away. He finds the door that leads to backstage and sees that this time unlike before, two security guards stand by it.

"What's your business here?" One of the men asks, glancing at the bouquet Jaehyun holds lowly.

"I just need to drop these off," Jaehyun honestly answers as he holds up the bouquet, "I promise I'll be out quick, just let me in please."

The two security glance at each other and sigh, "How do we know you're telling the truth?"

"I wouldn't lie in a situation like this."

One of the men snorts at his blunt honesty, "Alright. Let me introduce you to my daughter and I'll let you go."

"Yeah, you're a handsome kid. Reminds me of myself when I was younger," The other security snickers to himself, "Doesn't he look like those popular celebrity idols?"

Jaehyun laughs through the irritation building up in him with how impatient he's feeling and nods, "I'll be glad to meet your daughter. Can I pass now?"

The two security shrug and open the door for him, Jaehyun rushing in and following his instinct as to where he will find Doyoung. He stops by a door and peaks it open, seeing a group of students with woodwind instruments laughing and talking. The little music playing halts and they all glance