After the little incident at the club, life returns to the easy flow. Daehyun hangs out with Youngjae, practices with Yongguk, trains to strengthen his vocals and his less than stellar dancing. His friend has recently picked up the hobby of photography, and Daehyun patiently stands as the younger snaps copious amounts of pictures.

 They haven’t discussed what had happened that night, but settled back into a comfortable kind of relationship. If one thing had become different, it is the fact that Youngjae begins to show his affection more physically. It isn’t uncommon for an arm to slip around his waist or a cold nose to nudge against the back of his neck. Everyone noticed but no one comments on it – Jongup tells him that they are afraid to make observations about it – and he himself is not averse to the touches. It is Youngjae, after all.

At the moment, he walks down the street towards the academy. His session with Yongguk is at three in the afternoon, but he is going early so that they could hang out.

The art studio is a second home to him; he spends at least half of his time in the hallways, greeting the new members, meeting with instructors and experimenting new music styles with friends. It is a sort of haven, where he could expand on his skills and be around those who shared the same sort of dreams as him.

Pushing open the glass doors with the academy name proudly emblazoned on, Daehyun shakes off his thin jacket, depositing his backpack into the locker he shares with Youngjae before making his way down the hallway by muscle memory. Two left turns, one right, push open the second door on the left. Youngjae is already there, fingers dancing over piano keys and melodious voice filling the room. Without a conscious thought, his feet lead him beside his friend and he slides onto the leather bench. It is one of his favourite songs, adapted from guitar to piano. Youngjae often sings it for him when he is sad or stressed.

As the last notes fade out, he is already expecting the warm fingers that slide around his waist and pull him close enough for their hips to bump. Daehyun raises his eyes to meet with the pianist, a smile already on his lips. Tapping his cheek childishly, a kiss placed there a second later. The same motion is given for his second cheek, Youngjae following his movements and pecking each surface that is indicated. Soon enough they are both laughing, the younger scooping him up into his lap and proceeding to attack his neck with wet lips against sensitive skin.

They ended up migrating to sit against a large glass window. Daehyun is situated between the others legs, leaning against a broad chest, fingers tangled together. His head lolls to the side, resting against a strong shoulder and Youngjae plants slow kisses down the strip of skin from his ear to his collarbones. A scrape of teeth has him shivering, tingles running from his spine to his fingers that tighten accordingly.

The silence is broken when Youngjae releases a sigh, mouth lifting from their place on his shoulder, “Dae?”

His response is a sleepy kind of hum, rising at the end of the note in a wordless inquiry.

“I…I’m sorry for letting you leave with Yongguk that night. I should have stayed with you.”

Daehyun turns his head, lips pursed together as he takes in the words. It has not really bothered him – he had gotten home safely and he knew that Youngjae probably wasn’t thinking clearly – but it is obviously bothering the younger. He can tell from the nervous flicker of eyes, a lower lip caught between sharp teeth, the way Youngjae can’t meet his gaze.

There is nothing to apologize for, but he knows that his friend would not leave it alone until he gets forgiveness. Daehyun grants it in the form of a light kiss to his lips and a soft smile. “It’s okay, Jae. Guk hyung took care of me,” He could even remember how he made advances on the elder and was rebuked. It made his cheeks flush red at the memory; he was not normally that forward. Alcohol had bad effects on him, “and he’s so nice.”

Youngjae pinches reddened cheeks between soft fingers, frowning slightly at the words. “Nice in what ways?”

There is a lift of lips as Daehyun recalls how the elder brings food to their meetings, regardless of the time; never forgets to bring an extra umbrella, knowing that Daehyun is prone to forgetting; always compliments him on his attempts of composing, as stupid and y as they were.

Yongguk is quickly working his way up his favourite list.

“I dunno. He just is. He takes care of me, like how you do. Except he doesn’t take advantage of me when I’m drunk.” The last sentence is lilted, teasing the younger. The humor has seemed to escape Youngjae because he is pushed away, jostled from his comfortable seat when the younger stands up.

“Don’t compare me to that sort of trash.”

The response was akin to being slapped in the fact. He never expected something like that to come from Youngjae’s mouth. The venom and hatred is clear as day, but Daehyun can’t fathom why his best friend would be holding such bitterness to the elder. From his knowledge, they had barely talked.

“Don’t talk about Yongguk hyung like that!” He scrambled to his feet as well, leaving them with a distance too great between them and a heavy sort of tension that Daehyun is afraid of.

“God, Daehyun! Have you seen him? A few months ago and you would have never even thought about talking to him.” Youngjae stepped forward and he mirrored it, taking a pace backwards.

He doesn’t understand what could possibly be so wrong with the elder that Youngjae would champion this anger towards him.

“Yes, but now I know he isn’t! Why are you acting like this? He’s my friend, Youngjae.” Hands balled into fists, chin raised in a defiant action. Daehyun wasn’t overly aggressive and he wasn’t well known for fighting, but he refused to stand by when his friends were being insulted.

The answer came in a rush of body and fingers and lips. Youngjae caught him by the shoulder and waist, lips crashing onto his unsuspecting mouth.

Daehyun isn’t sure how to react. They are not drunk this time and the arms holding him close were just a little too possessive. He responds because it’s Youngjae and he knew that that is what he wants.

The heady kiss ends when the younger pulls away, both breathing hard. Youngjae presses their foreheads together and sighs. Daehyun can feel the warm breath against his bruised and tingling lips.

“Want to tell me what that was about?” He asks, one hand reaching down to lace fingers with his friends. There is a brief pause before Youngjae sighs, raising their intertwined digits and kissing the back of his hand.

“Not really.”

Daehyun huffs loudly, “Jae…”

They both know that the younger will end up acquitting to his wishes.

“What if…I said that I don’t like the way you talk about him? It’s like you worship him or something.”

He doesn’t like the frown on the youngers lips, or the way his eyes are a little less confident than what he is used to seeing, “Jae, you aren’t…jealous, are you?” There is a quick shake of a head and Youngjae narrows his eyes, lips pressing into a straight line. Daehyun knows his friend well enough to know when he is lying. “Because if you are, don’t be. You’re my best friend.”

“That’s for now. You’ve been spending so much time with him, we haven’t gotten a chance to go to the festivals together.”

There is a pause as Daehyun thinks, “Jae, don’t worry, okay? You’re always going to be my best friend. You’re the most important person to me.”

Youngjae seemed slightly appeased at the words, a smile pulling at the corners of his lips, “Fine. Sorry for yelling. I just…I wish I was your partner for the showcase. Jongup isn’t as fun and I doubt you like being cooped up in that small room for hours on end.”

Nuzzling against the youngers neck, he raised and lowered his shoulders in a small shrug. It wasn’t that bad; cozy was a good word to describe the studio.

“We’re going to be practicing in this room from now on. We finished the song, so we’re going to practice it.”

Youngjae didn’t say anything else about the topic, simply smiling and unwrapping his arms from around his body, “It’s almost three. I need to meet with Jongup soon, and I’m sure Yongguk will be coming.”

“Let’s go together. I need to get my coat and the lyrics.” Youngjae loops an arm through his own and they exit the dance studio.

. . .

Daehyun returns alone, holding a folder of paper and his jacket draped over his shoulders. They had parted at the end of the hallway, Youngjae going towards the dance studios and he returning to the music room. When he opens the door, the room is untouched and in exactly the same condition that they had left it. Except for the single addition of a green rose, lying on the keys of the piano. He walks over, picking up the flower after checking for thorns. This one has none.

The petals are a light shade on the outer corners, gradually transitioning to a darker colour. The center is a deep green that reminds him of the broad leaves he has seen in documentaries of tropical plants. A smile lifts his lips as he does the same to the small card attached to the stem of the gift.

Green is for vitality.

It takes a quick google search to confirm what vitality meant - the state of being strong and active; energy – and Daehyun concludes that it suits him. Energetic is one of his main traits, and it is something that is easily observable.

Daehyun is busy placing the rose in a spot of sunlight that lays over the surface of the piano when there is a knock on the door and Yongguk enters.

The elder’s eyes flicker to the object in his hands and Daehyun can’t read his eyes to see what emotion is portrayed, but it doesn’t really matter.

Yongguk isn’t one that asks questions about things that don’t concern him though, so he simply tilts his head towards the piano.

The song that they have written is a simple song that relies heavily on their vocals. There is minimal instruments, which makes it easier for Daehyun to play the piano and sing at the same time. The elder, they have discovered, is worse than him with staying on beat while trying to rap.

Overall, Daehyun is happy with the song. It is the first that he has taken an active part in other than acting as a mouth piece, and he is glad that he has such an experienced hyung to help put his thoughts onto paper and turn the unsaid words into melodies.

The only part that he is not happy about is the fact that the song is sad. It is haunting, telling of happier times that were now gone. It leaves him restless and anxious, but Yongguk told him that that is a sign of a good song.

He supposed it just meant that he would learn to channel those emotions at their showcase.

“You read over the lyrics and practiced?” Yongguk produced a bag of chips and two cups of bubble tea. Milk tea and pearls for the elder, taro tea with pearls, coconut jelly and pudding for Daehyun.

Their tastes in everything were so radically different that Daehyun often pointed out that they were like the day and night. Where he was loud and brash and all tiny puppy tripping over too big paws, Yongguk was quiet, thoughtful, silently watching before he made a move. They were completely opposites, but Daehyun could openly admit that he fed off the calm kind of aura that the elder had. Yongguk could harness his energy and direct it into something useful; Daehyun made the other flare and burn brighter than he did before.

It was an interesting kind of relationship.

Making grabby hands, Daehyun waited until the bag and the cup were placed in front of him before he nodded. He had practiced the song and gone over the lyrics and dutifully imprinted them into his brain.

They settle down - Daehyun situated on the bench, Yongguk leaning against the piano – and when he receives a nod, he starts playing.

One reason he loves this room is because it’s so open and bright and his voice can carry without being stifled by concrete walls and close quarters. Daehyun starts the first few bars of the song and then begins his adlibs. Some seconds later and Yongguk is bursting in through the almost-ballad with strong rapping.

Just like their personalities, their voices are completely different but manage to blend together into something that works.

. . .

It is six at night and Yongguk has finally allowed them to stop. Daehyun’s throat is warm from use, jaw sore from mouthing the same words over and over. Yongguk fares no better; his part is more passionate and angry, leaving him out of breath and wearing only jeans with a tank top.

From the elder’s magical bag of food, he produces four pork buns. They sit in compatible silence, talking about whatever crosses their minds and laughing as the sky darkens from what they can see in the windows. Somehow, Daehyun has moved from the piano bench to where the elder sits on the floor, and now their fingers brush at their sides.

“Yongguk hyung?” Turning to the elder, Daehyun blinks wide eyes and offers a small kind of smile. There is a question that has been hanging on his tongue since the talk with Youngjae, and this is not something that Yongguk would be able to wiggle out of.

The rapper tilted his head towards him, eyebrows raised, “Yeah?”

“Are we friends?”

“Yeah, of course. Why?” Daehyun seemed to have caught Yongguk’s attention. Dark eyes focused on his, food forgotten as Daehyun attempts to explain the sudden question.

“I don’t know. I just thought it would be harder to become your friend, you know? You’re so cool and tough, and it isn’t like we are even part of the same kind of social groups.” He shrugs, chewing on his lip.

Yongguk laughed.

“You think I care about those titles and what not? About me being a rapper and you’re a singer?” The elder raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of his bubble tea, “Besides, I could say the same about you. You’re popular with pretty much everyone, sociable, not bad looking.” Yongguk pinches his cheek lightly, squeezing the supple flesh between thumb and forefinger.

And truthfully, Daehyun had never thought about it that way. They were both popular in different ways; he at academy, Yongguk with the outside world. His bubble of popularity only fit with those who were like him, whereas Yongguk had a kind of passion and drive that anyone could see and identify with.

Smiling brightly, Daehyun caught the elders hand between both of his own and shrugged, “I guess. But still. I wouldn’t expect you to want to be friends with me.”

Yongguk ruffles his hair, albeit awkwardly, and rests an arm over his shoulders. Daehyun can immediately tell that the elder was not used to physical contact. It feels like there was a bar lying over his back.

“Well, I guess it’s good to have different kinds of friends, right? You’re not like the other people I hang out with, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t like you.” Yongguk smiles at him and he returns it, teeth and lips and a mouthful of the pork bun that he has almost finished.

The arm stays around him as the sun sets behind them.

At nine, Yongguk decides to send him home.

“You need to rest your throat. Go home and take a shower or something.” To Daehyun’s delight, the rapper pulls out a small box with a local bakery logo stamped on.

“Hyung,” He is too busy unwrapping the pretty ribbons and tearing the container open to look up, “you’re going to make me fat like this.”

Inside is cheesecake. Daehyun’s favourite. There are two slices, one for now and one for later, Yongguk tells him. It is amusing how well the other knows him at this point.

While he scarfs down a mouthful of rich heaven and tart berries, Yongguk packs up the sheets of paper, closes the piano and draws the blinds down over the windows.

They say goodbye at the door, Yongguk saying that he is going to stay for a few more minutes and fix a few of the lyrics while it is still fresh in his mind. Daehyun instinctively throws his arms around the elder, hugging him loosely and offering him a sweet smile before he shrugs his coat on and grabs the green rose off of the piano. He doesn’t miss the way that Yongguk’s eyes linger on the flower in his hands, but he doesn’t notice the tiny satisfied smile on Yongguk’s lips.

. . .

The room is dark except for the lone figure that paces around the piano, stopping every few minutes and scribbling out a word or replacing a line with another variation. Yongguk should leave soon – he has a long drive back home – but he needs to fix the song. He needs to make it perfect for the showcase. For Daehyun.

The younger had become something of an obsession for him. In a few months, the boy has confirmed the fact that Yongguk is gay, worked his way into his group of selective friends, and bled his wallet completely dry from the copious amounts of food that he has been buying for him. It is a subtle show of affection. Yongguk isn’t the kind of person who openly flaunts his attraction to others; not like Youngjae, the other boy that Daehyun is always around. Even if he was not interested in the younger boy, he would still have found the skin ship between them to be sickening.

Seeing Daehyun holding the rose made a smile twitch on his lips. He wasn’t exactly sure what the singer had been doing with them – maybe he had simply been throwing them in the garbage – but seeing Daehyun hold the gift so gently confirmed his hopes. Another sly way of trying to make the boy happy.

A few months ago, he would have laughed at those love struck fools in those movies. The ones that chased their loved ones through airports and sold everything that they owned just so that they could follow this supposed happiness. And although he wouldn’t actually give everything away for Daehyun, he didn’t mind having a little bit of his paycheck going towards coloured roses and little edible treats.

Behind him, the door opened.

Yongguk turned around, fully expecting to see Daehyun. The singer was so easily distracted and absentminded that he probably forgot the keys to his apartment or something.

But it wasn’t.

It was Youngjae, and Youngjae didn’t look very happy.

Raising his eyebrows, Yongguk set down his notebook and pen, leaning against the piano without a word. If the boy was looking for Daehyun, he would quickly realize that he was not there and hopefully leave.

“I want you to stay away from Daehyun.” The command came suddenly and without infliction, like Youngjae was speaking through a robot.

Maybe it was the deep set jealously and dislike for the brown haired singer, but Yongguk laughed and it boomed through the room loud enough that he saw Youngjae flinch.

“Yeah, great. Anything else? A car?” Daehyun was right. He didn’t get along well with most of the singers at the academy. They were soft spoken and well kept, crooning words and standing pretty for the crowds. Yongguk, on the other hand, used rapping to express his unhappiness with society, growling into the microphone and commanding presence on underground stages.

They are fundamentally different.

“Stay away from him. You aren’t good enough for him.” Youngjae seemed to gain back his confidence, striding forward so that he could wave dismissively at the lyrics scattered around the piano. “You think he wants to sing this? The only reason he went with you is because he had no choice.”

Yongguk knew all of that. It was nothing more than coincidence that they had been put together, but it didn’t change his feelings and thoughts about Daehyun. He shrugs, turning his back on Youngjae so that he can begin to pack up his stuff.

Youngjae continues speaking behind him, “He’s better off without you anyway. The only reason he’s being nice to you is because he’s nice to everyone.”

The door clicked shut as Youngjae left, and once again Yongguk was left alone.

____

hi! it's been like twenty days since I last updated...hahaha. i tried a new kind of writing style for this - i realized that im switching between past and present tense - and im trying to not make such large paragraphs of text. i also realized that i dont have a lot of talking in my stories...orz. anyway, a little more bangdae and daejae for you guys here! and drama between jae and guk ohohoh. the next chapter gets even better, trust me. ill be trying to revise the other chapters tomorrow, if you see ive just combined the rose colours together, and writing the next chapter.

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