The dark haired senior waited impatiently, wondering why it was taking Woohyun so long to go the restroom and back.  The sun was already dipping behind the stands but the ruckus around him didn’t seem to diminish in the slightest.  The program started a while ago and the thumping music echoed against the stands and made his whole body vibrate from the noise.  He decided to check up on Dongwoo and the others.  Sunggyu figured it was probably almost time for Junho’s team.  He sent the text and waited some more, deciding to head towards an area where a group of people gathered to dance to their own music, showcasing their own dance skills.

The senior spent a few minutes there, alternating between watching the individuals take turns showing their moves and texting his friend.  He just told Dongwoo where he was and was spacing out a bit.  His eyes were trained on what was going on in front of him but his brain not entirely processing the images until he was startled by something that was shoved in his face.  He turned in a panic, trying to find who scared him half to death when he saw Woohyun standing there behind him with a big smile on his lips, in his hands a miniature version of the green mushroom he tried to barter from the guy in the jegichagi stall.

He was unsure of what to do until Woohyun practically pushed the plush toy against his chest, forcing him to take it, “It’s for me?” Sunggyu asked, slightly confused.

Woohyun nodded, a tilt of his lips gave way to an amused smile.

“I thought you went to the restroom.”

“I found it on the restroom floor,” Sunggyu gasped in disgust and just as he was about to push it back for the younger male to take it, Woohyun laughed, “I’m just kidding!  I saw it on my way back and thought you’d like it.”

“Oh… thank you…,” Sunggyu said, at a loss for words. His heart was swelling with the kind gesture and he hugged the plush to his chest, hoping to hide the broad smile that was threatening to show.

He considered himself lucky the moment they heard Dongwoo’s distinct voice yell from over the crowd. The dark haired senior searched for them and finally waved them over when he located them.

“Hey guys! Had fun?” Dongwoo asked, directing the question to his best friend. Sunggyu gave him a quick glare before turning his attention to his pocket to pull out the passes Junho gave him.

When he got them out they were wrinkled, folded at odd angles and in bad shape.

“Sunggyu…” Myungsoo said as he took the one he was handed and scrutinized it.

“Hey, they were already crumpled up when I got them okay,” he said, “but if you don’t want it, I’ll—” he laughed when Myungsoo pulled the wristband out of his reach.

“What will these do, exactly?” Woohyun asked.

“We’ll skip the crowd and have seats,” Sunggyu explained simply as he wrapped the neon colored band around his wrist and taped it securely.

It was still a few more groups before Junho’s came on, according to the pamphlet, so they enjoyed the others. Some groups definitely left them slack jawed at the amazing and unique group choreography they saw. The crowd was loud and it was hard not to get carried away and swayed by the cheers, the music, and the people dancing on stage. It was fun, especially when he had a hyper best friend next to him, awing and practically jumping in his seat. There were a few minutes between intermissions and a host would come out to mc for a moment, maybe ask the dancers some generic questions and occasionally giving out the background of an exceptionally talented individual.

There was hardly any daylight left when the mc finally announced the Goyang Arts dance team. The roar of the crowd that followed startled Sunggyu. He shouldn’t have been surprised; the engagement of the crowd grew according to the act, and by the sound of it the Goyang dance team was pretty popular, and upon the sound of the music that started playing, he could imagine why.

Sunggyu’s jaw dropped in shock as soon as the hip ing and appeal was made obvious right off the get go. He was distraught. He wasn’t sure if he should stare or look away. To his (and possibly many people’s relief) it was merely the intro before the slow music was abruptly taken over by much heavier beats and shaking bass, prompting the guys to shed their white blazers to reveal the white tank tops underneath. It was hard to place a name to a body since they were wearing caps that were pulled low over their faces and the only lights that were on at the moment were behind them, making only their silhouettes visible until the acrobatics started.

It was a planned choreography but the stage was so alive with movement everywhere it was overwhelming and exciting. It was hard to think it was only six of them up on the stage when they whizzed by in mid-air. But with the air flips and tricks, the hats started flying off and with the lights currently shining on their faces Sunggyu perked up, starting to recognize them.

Taecyeon was the first one he saw followed by Chansung but his eyes kept darting to the others until Dongwoo shook his arm and decided to enlighten him.

“Junho is in the back!  He’s the one fixing his hat!”

Sunggyu strained his neck to see past the ones performing their part and he found him. His group opened the floor for him and Sunggyu watched in awe as he performed a front flip followed by a back flip, landing securely before there was a change in music yet again. A deafening cheer erupted from the spectators and Sunggyu and Dongwoo found themselves cheering along as well. There was a bit more focus on breakdancing, their bodies sweeping to and fro peppered with a few dance breaks before finally ending in another amazing air show. It was a great performance, all the practice put behind it made it seamless and almost flawless.

Sunggyu
That was amazing! You did great!

The senior didn’t expect to get a response as quickly as he did. It was only a few minutes after the group walked off stage that he got a message in return.

Junho
come meet me
i’m on the left

Sunggyu’s head spun towards the sides before seeing a figure dressed in white looking around by the edge of the enclosed sitting area. He leaned over to Dongwoo, who was the only one sitting next to him, and informed him that he’d be back. His friend didn’t have time to ask questions before the other was standing and walking past his other friends, earning confused glances in his wake. It wasn’t long before Junho spotted him and a grin overtook his features.

“How was it?” he shouted over the loud music.

Sunggyu could note his eagerness and he couldn’t help but laugh a little, “It was great! You guys looked amazing up there!”

Junho smiled happily before taking the male by the wrist and leading him away from the commotion, behind the range of the deafening speakers. It became easier to hear at least.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to get you home. Taec is going back to Ilsan after this. He has an emergency and he can’t wait so I’ll have to take everyone back to Jinki’s…Unless you’re okay with sitting on someone’s lap?”

“No, no I’ll be fine. The guys came so I’ll hitch a ride with one of them,” the senior reasoned.

“Are you sure?” Junho asked.

The dark haired male nodded reassuringly.

“Who came?”

“All the guys: Dongwoo, Hoya…” Sunggyu trailed off.

“Woohyun?”

“…Yes, Woohyun too.”

Junho smiled, “I’m glad everyone came! You should go watch the show.  We gotta leave our dressing room tidy before we can leave.”

Sunggyu nodded.

“I’ll text you later,” the older male felt his body grow warm when the other’s thumb brushed lightly against his cheek.

“Okay…,” he managed to say before deciding to make his way back.

He pushed the feeling to the back of his mind and he ignored any and all questioning eyes as he returned to his seat, pretending to not notice someone’s particular dark brown eyes on him as well.

Needless to say, it took a moment for Sunggyu to realize that the decision to ride with his friends was a terribly bad one. He realized it even more so as he was standing in front of the motorcycles.

“W-where’s Hoya?” he asked, unintentionally stuttering.

“He met up with some friends and they invited him to dinner. So he’s long gone,” Dongwoo explained, knowing full well why Sunggyu was acting fidgety.

“Oh…”

“Let’s get going, or should we wait for the traffic to die down a bit?” Woohyun asked as he looked around, there was a huge crowd outside, some were standing about holding conversations, others hurrying to their cars and adding to the horrible congestion.

“Maybe we should wait a little,” Sunggyu suggested, trying to give his brain enough time to embrace the idea that he will be riding that which he has avoided for the longest.

They picked out a ledge to sit on and wait for a while. They talked about the performances and which group they liked the most and made fun of the ones that looked weird and of the people around them that were trying to dance with the groups. Dongwoo got up to mimic what he saw and had Sunggyu in stitches. It was embarrassing and hilarious at the same time. He was hiding his face in the mushroom plush.

“And then he went like this! Sunggyu! Hey, look!” the dark haired male peeked over his gift and started laughing again when he saw the male trying a ridiculous looking variation of the horse dance a group included in their routine.

He needed to get off the ledge if he didn’t want to fall off, “Make him stop!” he yelled at Woohyun who seemed to be the only one not dying of laughter like Myungsoo and himself, “I can’t breathe!”

Woohyun laughed at him, “Stop looking when he calls you!”

“But-but it’s already in my head,” Sunggyu tried to argue and just as he was controlling his breathing Dongwoo would call to him and all Sunggyu needed to do was remember to start laughing again.

Woohyun found himself holding the senior up eventually and entertained by the whole situation. He liked it. It was fun to see them laugh so whole heartedly. He looked up to survey the area and found that the major traffic jam almost disappeared. He pulled out his phone to check the time.

“We should head home soon. It’s getting late.”

Just as quickly as Sunggyu forgot why they were waiting he remembered again and he groaned. He didn’t think mental prepping would be useless in the end but the dread was starting to come back. 

“I’ll ride with Myungsoo since he knows where I live, plus I promised him ice cream," Dongwoo said sheepishly.

Sunggyu didn’t pay him much attention, he simply nodded. Dongwoo bit his lip, unsure if having his best friend ride a motorcycle was in his best interest. He patted the male on his back and peered into his line of vision.

“Are you okay?”

The dark haired senior blinked and focused his attention on Dongwoo, “Yeah, I’m okay. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?  We can flag a taxi down if you want?” Woohyun suggested.

Sunggyu was left to stare at the younger male before turning his attention to Dongwoo. His friend shrugged but agreed to the idea, “What? You don’t think I can ride a bike?”

Woohyun raised a questioning brow, “It’s pretty obvious you’re scared.”

“I’m not…! I just….”

The others waited for the inevitable excuse that he was about to spout, but Sunggyu realized there was no point in hiding what they already knew, “Okay, fine... I am scared but can you blame me?”

“Then try it once. Trust me to get you home safely,” Woohyun urged, “and if you really don’t like it, we’ll know from now on.”

The senior stared at him for a few seconds debating his options before arriving to a decision. His sister was brave enough to at least give it a try and survived all those rides she was offered after school. At least both guys owned a clean enough history with the bikes. It made him feel slightly better, but only slightly. Although he'd be lying if he said he never wondered what it would feel like. It was an intriguing curiosity to know what it felt like to ride so freely.

Sunggyu sighed, “Okay.”

Familiarizing himself with how to get on, where to place his feet and how to hang on wasn’t hard at all. It was pretty simple until the bike was kicked up to stand and soon roared to life, nearly startling him to death. The only thing he could do when they started moving forward was grip onto the man in front of him tightly.

Woohyun promised to go slowly and he kept to his promise. The grip around his waist was pretty strong and Sunggyu would tighten it whenever he felt the bike swerve a little more than usual or when Woohyun made turns. The most tense the dark haired senior would get was when there were cars around them. It was at those times that Woohyun’s left hand would leave the handlebar to hold onto his hand. Sunggyu wasn’t sure if it was to signal for him to relax because it hurt or if it was to comfort him. Either way it did both effectively. 

The green stuffed mushroom and Yeunja’s plush were digging into Woohyun’s back unpleasantly during the whole ride, at least Sunggyu figured since he was practically pressed flush against him. He relaxed only slightly when he realized they were near, recognizing his surroundings and heaving a sigh. They were almost home.

The senior didn’t lean back until the vibrating machine under him shut off, the silence announcing that it was safe again. He didn’t remove the helmet he was wearing until he saw the male in front of him do it. He waited until the helmet was locked in place on a handlebar, handing his over when Woohyun asked for it.

“Be careful when you climb off,” the junior cautioned, prompting Sunggyu to move awkwardly behind him, taking hold of both stuffed toys and using Woohyun to hold himself steady before climbing off as cleanly as possible.

He didn’t think his legs would fail him the moment he applied most of the weight on them. Woohyun reached for his arm to try and keep him steady but Sunggyu’s momentum forced the other off the bike. Woohyun collided with Sunggyu but both were spared from falling to the cold hard ground. Sunggyu’s back hit the gray Kia that was permanently parked on the Nam’s driveway. The dark haired senior braced himself for another impact from the other but was surprised to not feel anything.

He was lucky that Woohyun was able to stay somewhat upright, keeping himself from falling by holding himself up with his free hand. He opened his eyes and was surprised to have the other’s handsome face less than a foot away from his own. They were both startled and it didn’t help at all that they were in an awkward position. Sunggyu was using the car to hold himself up halfway towards the ground and Woohyun was crouched in front of him.

“Are you okay?”

“I… yeah, I think so…” he let go of the younger male’s arm and let his head rest against the car before a small, quiet laugh left his lips. That was probably the most afraid he’d been the entire night and it was pretty ridiculous.

Sunggyu slid down the side of the car and sat on the warm pavement. He wasn’t sure how ready he was for standing. His legs were still shaking. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and opened them when he felt the younger male sweep his bangs to the side. The senior figured the helmet he was wearing misplaced a few strands. He found himself diverting his eyes.

“I can’t tell if you you’re pale or not…but you’re still pretty like this too,” Woohyun smiled.

Again with the pretty? Sunggyu still couldn’t get used to that nor the blush that he was sure was trying to take over his complexion. He didn’t say anything and kept his gaze down. Woohyun’s fingers left his hair and instead took the older male’s chin to get him to look up. The younger male leaned down to inspect his features better.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

No, no he wasn’t. He was anything but okay at the moment. His heart beat started picking up and he was so frustrated he wanted to yell out. Why was Woohyun doing that? Why was he pulling him back when he was already gravitating towards another sun?

Sunggyu nodded and managed to breathe out a small affirmation. The dark haired senior wanted to think he was seeing things; that he was imagining the way Woohyun’s soft gaze traced over his features was almost exactly the same way Junho looked at him and both of their touches, just as gentle. But the warmth that spread down to the very tips of his being when Junho touched him just didn’t compare with Woohyun’s. The junior was leaning impossibly close now.

“I’m fine,” Sunggyu said and smiled, trying to break the tension that was layered on them thickly.

He was careful to get up, with help from the junior, but he moved quickly, “Thanks for the ride, Woohyun,” he said before turning heel and hurrying home.

He got to his room surprisingly quickly. His sisters weren’t on the lookout like usual so he managed to reach his room quickly and quietly.  He let out a huge sigh the moment the door closed.  He rested his head on the wood before pushing off and going to his balcony. He peeked down, careful that he wasn’t in complete view.

Woohyun was still standing outside by his bike looking down at the plush toys in his hands. Sunggyu didn’t realize he forgot them in his haste. He held his breath when the junior looked up at his balcony and ruffled his hair. Pleasant warmth took over the dark haired male as he watched the other.

The roar of Myungsoo’s motorcycle didn’t register until he saw the younger male pull up on the driveway. The engine shut off and it was a few minutes of the two talking. Woohyun made some curious gestures before using the mushroom plush and placing it a few inches away from the other. The younger brother took the toy and got off the bike. Sunggyu watched as Myungsoo wrapped an arm around his older brother and led him towards their house.

He sighed yet again as he stood there, staring out into the night without focusing on a single thing.  He wasn’t sure what just happened but he was definitely sure that simply remembering made his heart palpitate.  He thought of Woohyun and his hand went up to cover his mouth. Was Woohyun going to kiss him? And as if that wasn’t enough, the look he was giving him. It was driving him mad just thinking about it.

He groaned in frustration, his hands forming fists and finding themselves at his temple as he slid down the glass door of the balcony. There was so much running through his mind. He needed to talk to someone. He needed to confide in someone. He quickly reached for his phone in his pocket. He had a little trouble finding what he was looking for, somehow managing to find Dongwoo’s number in his state.

It was only a few rings in when the phone was picked up, “Gyu?”

“Dongwoo…”