seventeen
I Love You, Just Like This
Index:
(YJ) - Young Jae speaking
(SY) - Sooyoung speaking
(HC) - Himchan speaking
(DH) - Daehyun speaking
(BY) - Yongguk speaking
(L) - Myungsoo speaking
(Y) - Yuri speaking
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It had been over a week since Daehyun came to school. Young Jae had called Daehyun over and over again and he did get an answer, but... he could never get Daehyun’s location. Young Jae had even gone over to Daehyun’s apartment constantly, but either no one answered or Jessica would say that Daehyun wasn’t home.
Now though, Young Jae was staring out the window as he bit his lip. This was something he rarely ever did, but... he couldn’t help it. He really missed Daehyun and the only thing keeping him sane was the sound of Daehyun’s voice whenever the spoke on the phone.
“Mister Yoo. I know your grades are the highest in this school, but please.. pay attention.” Young Jae slowly looked up at the teacher, whom was now standing by his desk. Young Jae turned a bit red and quickly nodded before the teacher went back to the front.
“Psst.. Young Jae..” (L) Young Jae turned to look at his bestfriend, whom was currently looking at him with a worried look on his face. Myungsoo made sure to speak in a quiet voice so that the teacher didn‘t yell at them. Getting Young Jae into trouble again was the last thing on his mind. “Is everything alright? You.. have been pretty down lately.” (L)
“I-I’m alright..” (YJ) Young Jae let out a soft sigh before he looked up at whatever the teacher was writing on the board. Myungsoo though, already knew that Young Jae was lying. He knew that it was Daehyun related and he couldn’t help but feel liked he had to yell at Daehyun for making Young Jae act this way.
Time had passed before classes finally came to an end. Young Jae only let out probably his eighteenth sigh that day as he slowly began packing his things. Myungsoo watched his friend, agitation filling within him before he abruptly got up from his seat and left the classroom.
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“Yah.. Yongguk. I know you have Daehyun’s location. Where is he?” (L) Myungsoo had caught up to Yongguk and pulled him away into an isolated location once classes were over. Yongguk stared at him before he crossed his arms.
“What makes you think that I know where he is?” (BY) Yongguk had promised Daehyun that he wouldn’t say anything about his accident. Daehyun wanted to tell everyone else, so he was going to let Daehyun handle it.
“Because you’re close to him. Now, tell me.” (L) Myungsoo’s eyes narrowed as he glared at Yongguk. Just as Myungsoo had a cute, pretty boy face, he could still pull off being scary. He was probably a match with Yongguk’s angry face as well.
“Tch. That’s not good enough.” (BY) Yongguk walked forward, bumping his shoulder into Myungsoo’s before walking off. Myungsoo glared as he grind his teeth only for a small moment before he followed after Yongguk and pulled at his wrist.
“YAH! Tell me where Daehyun is!” (L) Yongguk stared at the hand that was holding his wrist, before his eyes trailed up to Myungsoo’s now angry features. He scoffed before pulling his wrist out of Myungsoo’s grip.
“What are you going to do if I don’t tell you?” (BY) Myungsoo wasn’t normally a violent person, but he just needed to know where Daehyun was. He didn’t like seeing Young Jae mope around like a widow. It just wasn’t something that Young Jae is known for. Before he could do anything though, Sooyoung came running up to them.
“What are you two doing?! Come on! It’s time for dance practice!” (SY) Sooyoung looked at the two, but she could see that both of them didn’t exactly have happy looks on their faces. The two males turned away from each other, though she still got no reply. “C-Come on. Let’s go practice. Even though Daehyun isn’t he-” (SY)
“Exactly. I don’t think we should practice if Daehyun isn’t even going to show his face.” (L) Myungsoo’s eyebrows furrowed deeper as he crossed his arms and looked at Sooyong. “What’s the point? If Daehyun isn’t going to come to practice, why should I?” (L)
“T-That’s not fair..” (SY)
“Tch.. Like I care.” (L) Myungsoo had started walking off when Yongguk pulled his arm harshly and turned him around. Myungsoo glared at a now angry Yongguk, clearly not caring how angry the male was.
“Do you even think? What if Daehyun got hurt, what then? It’s not his fault if he can’t come to school!” (BY) Myungsoo scoffed as he removed Yongguk’s hand from his arm. He had turned to start walking again before Yongguk turned him around once more. “What? You’re not going to say anything?” (BY)
“Do I care if he’s hurt or not? He’s not telling anyone where he is and you seem to know where he is compared to the rest of us so until he either tells us what happened, I’m not coming to practice anymore.” (L) Once again removing Yongguk’s hand from his arm, Myungsoo soon walked away. Sooyoung looked at Yongguk, both confused and sad about what had just happened.
“What did he mean, Yongguk? Do you.. know what happened to Daehyun?” (SY) Yongguk only shook his head before walking away, leaving Sooyoung to stand there all alone. “Daehyun.. I hope you’re alright..” (SY)
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Another day went by and still, there was no word from Daehyun. Young Jae walked silently to school with his head hung low. He stared blankly at the ground, not really paying attention to where he was going. Where could Daehyun be? It was just eating away at him and he couldn’t do anything about it. The only thing he could do was wait for Daehyun to show up again.
Young Jae closed his eyes and let out a sigh before he found himself bumping into a person’s back. He opened his eyes and quickly bowed, seeing the cast on the person’s leg. The male in front of him awkwardly turned around, causing Young Jae to quickly apologize. “I-I’m sorry! I-I wasn’t watching here I was going...” (YJ)
“It’s okay. You’re my cute boyfriend after all.” (DH) Young Jae’s eyes widened, instantly recognizing the voice. He stood straight up, seeing the hurt face of the man that he had been waiting for all this time. He bit his bottom lip as he fought back tears, quickly throwing his arms around the male and holding him tightly.
“Daehyun! W-Where have you been?! I-I’ve been waiting for so l-long...! Don’t do that ever again! I-I don’t like it at all!” (YJ) Young Jae buried his face into Daehyun’s shoulder, trying hard not to cry out loud. His body shook as he held onto Daehyun, but he refuse to let go. Daehyun gave a small smile, placing an arm around Young Jae and his other hand onto the back of Young Jae’s head, slowly caressing the male’s hair.
“I’m sorry Young Jae... I didn’t mean to hurt you like that. I.. I just didn’t want you to worry. I guess that didn’t work out as well as I planned.. huh.” (DH) Young Jae let his right hand release Daehyun’s coat before he began hitting his chest.
“You.. You.. Why? Why couldn’t you.. just tell me? You.. Pabo..” (YJ) Daehyun caught Young Jae’s hand before it could hit him again, enclosing his fingers around his. Daehyun smiled a bit as Young Jae looked back up at him. “I-I’m just glad that.. you’re safe.. but... what happened to your leg a-and... why do you have cuts and bruises on your face?” (YJ)
Daehyun went silent as he tried to think of how best to answer that. Young Jae questioned his silence as he slowly pulled away. His eyebrows furrowed as he continued to look at Daehyun. “Daehyun.. tell me! Y-You have to tell me.. please..” (YJ)
“Okay.. okay... I.. I got.. attacked..” (DH) Young Jae’s eyes widened as he continued to stare up into Daehyun’s eyes. Daehyun didn’t seem to be lying, but it was definitely something he hadn’t been expecting even if the signs were clearly marked on his face.
“I-is that it? When did it happ-... Was it that day when you walked me home?” (YJ) Daehyun bit his bottom lip as he looked away, but just by that.. Young Jae knew instantly that it was that specific day. “I-It’s my fault.. isn’t it..” (YJ)
Daehyun’s eyes widened as he looked at Young Jae, shaking his head. “No! It’s not your fault! Don’t ever think that, you hear me?! You’ll.. you’ll just make me really sad..” (DH) Daehyun held Young Jae’s chin before smiling a bit. “No matter what happens... I love you, okay? Nothing is your fault. It’s my own.” (DH)
Young Jae bit his bottom lip before nodding. He wanted to blame himself for not sending Daehyun straight home or completely refusing Daehyun’s offer to send him home, but.. he felt like he had to listen to Daehyun’s words. Young Jae nodded once more before Daehyun softly kissed his lips before pulling away and turning towards school.
“Come on. I don’t want to be late on my day back.” (DH) Young Jae walked next to Daehyun as he held his free hand. Right now, Daehyun only had one crutch with him, so it was possible for them to hold hands. “I’ve missed holding your hand like this.” (DH)
Daehyun turned to look at Young Jae and gave him a brief smile. Young Jae smiled as well and nodded. He would have rested his head on Daehyun’s shoulder, but he wasn’t sure if it would cause any trouble for Daehyun. “What are you going to do..? Y-You.. you can’t dance like that..” (YJ)
“Oh, don’t worry. You’re going to dance in my place.” (DH) Young Jae stopped in his tracks, causing Daehyun to turn around and looked at him. He chuckled a bit as he saw the surprised and already doubting look on Young Jae’s face. “Don’t worry. You know the choreography already! You just have to practice with everyone else.” (DH)
“I-I don’t know if I can do it Daehyun..” (YJ) Young Jae bit his bottom lip as the pair began walking once more. Was this alright? He doesn’t really know if he could dance in front of people. Sure, he was going to be dancing along with everyone else, but.. he’s never even spoken in front of the class before without getting flustered or confused.
“You can do it. I believe in you. Isn’t that enough?” (DH)
“I-I guess.... b-but.. do you really think that.. I could do it..? Do you think that.. I could really dance as good as you?” (YJ)
“Of course! You can dance even better too! You just have to practice, okay?” (DH)
“O-Okay..” (YJ) Young Jae smiled slightly as he tightened his grip on Daehyun’s hand. He really missed the warmth that had radiated from these strong, but soft hands. Young Jae brought Daehyun’s hand upwards before giving it a soft peck on one of his knuckles. “You make me stronger everyday.. Daehyun..” (YJ)
“Oh? Then that means I’m doing a good job, right?” (DH) Young Jae looked at Daehyun, once more making eye contact with him before nodding. Young Jae smiled happily before letting their hands hang to their sides as they finally entered the school building.
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“Omo.. Daehyun! What happened to you?” (SY) Sooyoung gaped as he looked at the cast that Daehyun was trying so hard to hide underneath the table. Sadly, the crutch was a dead giveaway and there were people either staring at him or crowding around the table. Getting a bit agitated, Sooyoung quickly turned to the crowd. “YAH! GET AWAY! GO BACK TO YOUR DESKS, PABO’S!” (SY)
Sooyoung swatted at a few people before they finally all made their way back to their desks. Ever since Young Jae had brought him to his classroom, people had been nonstop asking him what had happened. He chuckled nervously as Sooyoung turned her attention back to him. “I’ll tell you later in the dance studio, alright? Make sure to gather everyone with you.” (DH)
Sooyoung grumbled and pouted a bit before nodding. She knew Daehyun usually kept his word, so she decided not to bother him anymore about it. She turned and quickly made her way back to her seat as the teacher finally walked in.
Soon, school was over yet again and everyone went about their way. Although Yongguk and Sooyoung offered to walk with Daehyun to the dance studio, he only shook his head and sent them ahead. As he tried to push himself onto his feet, Daehyun lost his balance and soon found himself plummeting down to the ground. With a harsh landing, Daehyun laid there in pain as he shut his eyes tightly in order to withstand whatever injuries he had sustained.
“D-Daehyun!” (YJ) Young Jae quickly ran over to Daehyun once he had spotted his figure on the ground, kneeling next to him as he placed his hand on Daehyun’s chest. “D-Daehyun.. a-are you alright..? Please tell me you’re alright..” (YJ)
“I-I’m fine.. I.. I just lost my balance.” (DH) Young Jae helped Daehyun up into a sitting position, letting him rest against the wall. Daehyun slowly opened his eyes as he let out a slight grown. “.. See? I-I’m alright..” (DH)
Young Jae had a sad expression on his face, causing Daehyun to feel bad about making Young Jae worry so much. Daehyun forced a smile onto his face as he took a hold of Young Jae’s hand and gave it a light squeeze. “See? As long as I can squeeze your hand, I’ll be fine. Okay? Now come on! Cheer up! Come, help me to my feet. We.. we have to head to the dance studio.” (DH)
Young Jae nodded before getting onto his feet and once he was stabilized, he pulled Daehyun onto his good foot and quickly handed him his lone crutch. Once Daehyun had his things ready to go, they pair began making their way. “Um.. Daehyun..?” (YJ)
Daehyun looked at Young Jae as the two slowly, but surely, made their way down the hallway. It really was nice to be walking alongside Young Jae like this. Just as he made Young Jae feel safe, Young Jae seemed to have that same effect on him. “What is it?” (DH)
“Why are you only using one crutch? I-Isn’t it easier if you had two..?” (YJ) Young Jad hadn’t really thought about it until now and although it meant that he could still hold Daehyun’s hand, it was actually a lot harder to have only one crutch at his disposal. After all, putting all his weight on one crutch wasn’t good for him.
“Oh.. I couldn’t find the other one and I didn’t wanna be let.” (DH) Young Jae let out a small sigh as he lightly knocked on Daehyun’s head. “O-Ow..!” (DH) Daehyun looked at Young Jae, whom was smiling a bit. “What was that for?” (DH)
“Punishment for losing your crutch.” (YJ) Young Jae chuckled quietly as Daehyun smile a bit, looking back to the path in front of him. Young Jae has grown a bit more and Daehyun didn’t know how he felt about that. In one way, he liked the quiet, shy, and easily flustered Young Jae. In another, he also liked this playful, but still shy version of him. Either way, as long as Young Jae didn’t change too much, he was okay with whatever personality Young Jae stuck with.
They walked in silence, as the pair took in each other’s presence. After a week of being separated, Daehyun just wanted to cherish this moment of being with Young Jae again. Young Jae however, was thinking of something else. “Um.. D-Daehyun..?” (YJ)
“Hm?” (DH)
“W-Well.. I’ve been thinking..” (YJ) Ever since he found out about what happened to Daehyun, he couldn’t help but still feel like it was partially his fault. Even though Daehyun told him to stop thinking like that, he couldn’t help it. So, throughout part of the school day, he had come up with a brilliant solution. “Well.. I-I think that.. I should live with you.. j-just for a few weeks or until you’re fully healed.. I-I.. I know you told me to stop thinking that it was my fault, but.. I still.. feel a bit responsible for what happened so.. I.. I want to help you until you get better. I-Is.. that alright?” (YJ)
Young Jae looked at Daehyun, whom had been listening intently. Once Young Jae had finished speaking, Daehyun slowly nodded, now being the one to think about Young Jae’s words. Young Jae bit his bottom lip as he waited for his answer.
Had it been a bad idea all along? They already slept in the same bed once, so.. was it alright if they did it just for a few weeks? Though, Young Jae seemed to instantly feel relieved once Daehyun smiled and looked at him. “Sure! Why not? It sounds like a great idea! Plus, it means I get to spend more time with my cute boyfriend and we might get to do... you know...” (DH)
Daehyun raised his eyebrows twice, causing Young Jae to instantly blush and turn away. Daehyun chuckled a bit as he gave a gentle squeeze to Young Jae’s hands. “I’m just kidding. If you’re not ready for that, then I’ll continue to wait.” (DH)
“T-Thank you..” (YJ) Young Jae smiled a bit before he looked out the window. He was so glad that Daehyun was an understanding person and he hoped that Daehyun would stay with him for as long as possible.
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Finally, the duo entered the dance studio and they could see that basically everyone was waiting around for them to show up. Myungsoo, Yongguk, Sooyoung, Yoona, and even both Yuri and Himchan were there. They didn’t look as surprised as Daehyun would have thought, but he probably should have expected as much when Sooyoung was here.
“Hey guuys. Sorry for taking so long.” (DH)
“You pabo!” (SY) Sooyoung went up to him and gave his arm a quick slap before crossing her arms and turning her head away. “We waited so long for you to get here but.. I’ll be nice for now and look the other way.” (SY)
Sooyoung turned back to him as her facial expression softened a bit. The three made their way to where everyone else was before they all sat down. Luckily, Sooyoung had gotten a chair earlier for Daehyun to sit in. After all, it was a bit difficult for someone in a cast to get up from the floor. “Okay.. so.. I guess I’ll have to explain myself.” (DH)
“Yes, you do.” (BY) Daehyun took in a deep breath before he began explaining what had happened. Daehyun did make sure to leave the part out where he had been walking Young Jae home but otherwise, he explained everything after that in as much detail as possible. Once he was done, the group either looked shocked, sad, or angry.
“Aish.. that Tiffany! I knew it was her!” (SY) Daehyun knew at least three of the four faces there, due to past competitions. Tiffany was basically Sooyoung’s ‘rival’ and Sooyoung just didn’t like that girl whatsoever. “I’m going to kill her the next time I see her! How dare she lay a hand on m- I-I mean, Young Jae’s man! She’ll pay for this..” (SY)
“Yah. We should pay them back and just break all of their legs.” (L)
“T-That’s not a good idea at all!” (YJ) It was true. They couldn’t risk all of them getting disqualified from the competition nor going to jail. Sure, they could have easily just reported the other dance team and gotten them disqualified, but Daehyun seemed to have a different plan in mind.
“No, no. I don’t think we should worry about them for now. Right now.. we have to worry about the competition.” (DH)
“But you can’t dance with your leg like that and Yuri doesn’t do ballet.” (SY)
“And Himchan at dancing.” (L) Himchan pushed Myungsoo as hard as he could, though Myungsoo had been able to prepare himself before Himchan had been able to do so. “Do you have anything in mind?” (L)
“In fact.. I do. Young Jae will take my place.” (DH)
“What?! But he doesn’t even know the choreography!” (SY)
“Tsk tsk tsk. Don’t doubt Young Jae just yet! He knows the choreography, I promise you. He just has to get in synch with everyone as well as learn the positions. Other than that, you guys will do just fine.” (DH) Everyone looked from one to the other. Some were worried, others were convinced that it was a good idea. Still, there were still some doubts lingering about that had to be taken care of.
“Okay, then let’s test it. We’ll see him do the choreography and if he’s passable, then he’ll take my place. If not, then either we have to find someone quickly or we’re forced to drop out.” (DH) Daehyun looked around at everyone and they did seem to be in agreement. Well.. except Young Jae that is.
Once everyone except Young Jae were off to the side, Daehyun looked at Young Jae’s reflection, whom happened to be staring back at him. Daehyun nodded, before Young Jae gave a hesitant nod, signaling Daehyun to start the music. Young Jae began, but... it wasn’t how he had done it the week before. Although a week out of practice, he still did remember the choreography. He was just.. nervous being watched by everyone else.
“Hold it.” (DH) Daehyun paused the music and Young Jae stopped, looking over at Daehyun as he slowly hopped his way over to him. Daehyun turned him to face the mirror once more as he put as much of his balance as possible on his good leg. Wrapping his right arm around Young Jae’s waist and holding Young Jae’s hand tightly, he moved closer to the younger’s ear and spoke in a low voice.
“Relax. You’re all stiff and look like an awkward penguin.” (DH) Young Jae let out a quiet laugh before he quickly calmed himself down. “See? You’re all relaxed already. Now.. just remember how I taught you last week. You have the skills.. you just need the confidence now. What made you calm down last week?” (DH)
Young Jae bit his bottom lip as he thought for a moment. He stared at Daehyun’s reflection, which happened to be staring back at him and he smiled for a bit. “U-Um.. You.. you helped me keep my focus.” (YJ)
Daehyun chuckled a bit before he gave Young Jae a quick squeeze before letting go and taking a hold of his crutch once more. “Good. Then keep your focus again this time, alright? You think you’re ready this time?” (DH)
Young Jae nodded, both males smiling a bit to each other before Daehyun turned and slowly hopped his way over to the music player before he started the music. This time, Young Jae did a lot better than before. Sure there were a few mistakes here and there, but the others seemed quite surprised and this definitely made Daehyun happy. Once the song was over, Young Jae turned to everyone else, whom had gotten to their feet and were not making their way over to him.
“That was so good Young Jae! You were like THIS and like THAT and it was just great!” (Y)
“Never thought you would have it in you.” (HC)
“You never think he has it in him.” (L) Himchan gave Myungsoo yet another push, but both males were smiling. Himchan placed his hands on Young Jae’s shoulders and smiled approvingly.
“You are definitely growing up. Maybe.. maybe that Daehyun is doing a good job.” (HC)
“Of course I am!” (DH) Daehyun had finally made his way over to everyone, with Sooyoung’s help of course. He was probably the one grinning the most out of everyone as he looked at Young Jae like a proud parent looking at their child. “You did good!” (DH)
“D-Do you think.. t-that I’ll be ready to be up to everyone else’s par..?” (YJ)
“Of course! You matched my movements almost perfectly last week!” (DH)
“Tomorrow, we’ll start practice since today is the ballet club’s practice day.” (BY) Daehyun had completely forgotten that it was the ballet club’s practice day today. Looking off to the left, he could see that the ballet club was currently warming up.
“Yes! You’ll have to come back tomorrow! Come on, off you go~” (Y) Yuri quickly began lightly pushing everyone off, causing a few mumbles here and there as they all quickly went off to get their things before leaving. The only ones whom stayed with Daehyun were Young Jae, Myungsoo, and Sooyoung.
“What happens if they come back?” (SY)
“Who?” (DH)
“The guys who beat you up! What if they come back and try to beat up more people!” (SY) Daehyun thought for a moment. That was a good question. There was a very good possibility that they actually would come back and hurt any one of them.
“Then we’ll just have to keep ourselves from going out at night, right?” (DH) It seemed like a good idea. During the day time, people were out walking about and doing their daily chores and such. It would be near impossible for anyone to be able to corner any one of them without being seen or heard. “And anyway, we’re going to beat them at the dance competition and that’ll be our revenge.” (DH)
“Tch. Sure we will, especially since we have a better dancer now.” (L) Myungsoo smirked as Daehyun glared in his direction. Even while he was injured, Myungsoo just seemed to love teasing the poor guy.
“Ooh um.. Myungsoo..?” (YJ) Myungsoo looked at Young Jae, whom was once more fiddling with the hem of his coat. By now, Daehyun already knew that when Young Jae did this, it meant that he was nervous about something. “C-Can.. you come over today? I.. I need help with something.” (YJ)
“Yah. How come you don’t ask me?” (DH)
“Because you’re injured and useless, if you didn’t remember.” (L) Myungsoo held that smug look on his face as Daehyun glared at him once more. Myungsoo put an arm around Young Jae’s shoulders and pulled him in closely. “Sure. I would LOVE to help you out.” (L)
Myungsoo ignored the obvious glaring from Daehyun and quickly began moving Young Jae away from everyone else and towards their intended destination. “YAH! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?! GET BACK HERE MYUNGSOO! YAH!” (DH)
Sadly, by the time Young Jae turned to give him one last glance, the pair were gone and out of sight. Daehyun sighed as Sooyoung smiled a bit. “You know, I’m glad that you’re full of energy today. That means that you will recover easily!” (SY)
“Aish.. what are you talking about?” (DH)
“Yah. Don’t question me! Now, let’s get you home!” (SY) Daehyun sighed before he nodded and walked along with his arm over Sooyoung’s shoulders. He wished that he knew where the other crutch was so that he didn’t have to basically use Sooyoung as a human crutch, but it couldn’t be helped. Either way, at least he wasn’t heading home all alone this time. Heading to school on his own was horrible enough as it was.
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[[ My Own Thoughts:
YAY Chapter 17 is up >3<..
Dunno if it's any good buut..
There ya go. x3
And yay >3<..
Although a month and a week or two into the relationship....
The pair will be living together 8D!
Yanno cause.. Young Jae feels responsible..
So not only is he going to be dancing in Daehyun's place
But he's also going to be taking care of his boyfriend >3<.. ]]
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