~*~

A swivel of the chair and a light thump resonated before a sigh and a shuffle of papers. The sound of a small motor echoed through the room before softening into a dull hum. A sigh and a pop here and there from stiff joints before turning forward and the start of soft clicks of a keyboard filled the room. Hair swayed to the side before being pulled back with a hand and being kept back with a pair of headphones signed by Chris Brown that was won over eBay.

Tired eyes searched through music before finding the latest album from Big Bang and turning the volume up loud so that some may even wonder what the necessity for headphones was even for.  Humming started as the song started and his nimble fingers soon brought up the Naver search engine.  Sitting back, the thoughts of how to word such a query evaded and perplexed the mind and the instinct before the sound of a squeaky chair and the sound of keys played once more, though the sound only fell on deaf ears.

Fun ways to work out

Less than a second passed before a new page appeared and a plethora of results appeared. As is usual, the mouse made its way towards the first result after careful eyes scanned the small snippet provided by the search engine.

A quick scroll and the return key was hit. Onto the next result, and after what seemed like a promising first impression, it was quickly turned down. It was nothing but graphics without any real help. After a minute, the mouse went over and hit the small “2” that indicated the following page.

The process continued. A quick scroll through the websites offered only for them to be closed. Some were nothing but graphics, some had nothing but gimmicks, and a lot of them seemed too repetitive. All of them felt cold and couldn’t attract any interest.

‘If they are not interesting, then they aren’t worth trying.’

Over an hour was spent searching with a bathroom break somewhere in the middle. It was down at page 186 that an exasperated sigh echoed through the room and the headphones were pulled off. Hands ruffled hair in frustration and the sound of grinding teeth followed.

“Why is this so hard?!” The yell echoed through the room, and not long after, a knock followed.

“Are you okay? Do you need any help?”

“I’m okay! Just a frustrated, but I’ll figure it out.”

“Alright.”

Head fallen, a deep breath opened and nerves calmed. Eyes rose once more and looked the screen before them.

‘One more.’ The thought echoed louder than usual. Maybe it was due to the absence of the loud EP blaring in the ears, but nonetheless, the sound of the silent thoughts startled before calming down.

“One more and that’s it.” The whisper was muffled by a thumb as a steady mouse made its way towards the last link on the page. A quick glance through, and a smile curved.  Curious eyes scanned through the page, taking time to look over the descriptions and the basic information about the routines. With a single click, the page transferred to a sign up page asking for credit card information.

Silence never had a chance of overtaking the area for the sound of a mash of keys being violently repeated. 

“Daniel, honey, you should stop smashing your head into things.”  Eyes squeezed closed even tighter before a groan escaped pursed lips. “You’ll get a concussion and I am not paying for your medical bills.”

“We have insurance, mom.” A roll of the eyes answered before a click and a soft trudge left Daniel alone once more. A sigh escaped the thick lips before he relaxed and raised his head once more. He clicked his way out of the tab, having deciding to give up for the day, and quickly checked his email before opening another tab, feeling comfort in having his email constantly in the background.

“Tumblr time,” he mumbled. The page loads quickly, and eyes are met with the blue he has become so familiar within the six months. A quick glance to the side and he notices that he had gained a follower, bringing his current count to 48. He smiled with satisfaction, and upon entering his statistics, he noticed how his new follower has liked a lot of his things even his sorry excuse for selcas, while another blog reblogged everything almost alternatively. He decided that the person must have two blogs, so he decided that the likes are the main blog.

“Wannabesun99,” he whispered. He bit his lip as he hovered over the icon and clicked, quickly being taken to his page. It was simple. The theme was dark and the text an adequate size considering how so many blogs have such tiny text. Music started playing and the first song that played was from Taeyang. He looked over at the description and laughed.

My personal fitness and dance blog. I only post routines and workouts I like and have fun with.  I made this my main blog by accident, so click the side button to get taken to my personal blog.

“How do you do that?” He laughed. He then shut himself up when he remembered that he kind of did the same thing, except he couldn’t keep it so specialized, and after a week, had forgotten about its original purpose in general. At that moment, the realization struck him. “Ironic,” he mumbled as he took in the content of the blog.

The mouse made its way over towards the ‘Tags’ links before being transported towards another page. A neat and organized list was laid out that had a link as well as a description, and even little recommendations. He narrowed his eyes as he inspected the page, too skeptical to click any of them before deciding that he would start under the recommendations section.

Every post was a video with a detailed description and some even came with diagrams. After some hesitation, he finally clicked a video. The description had said that it was warm ups and concentration techniques. He sat back and watched.

~*~

Towel wrapped about a thin waist is soon discarded and replaced with a pair of black boxers. No shirt or pants were worn before sitting down in front of a laptop. Checking the regular accounts such as his email and bank account and Facebook, he went ahead and logged onto the all too familiar blue site.

Eyes widened as he took notice of the very first notification at the top of his dashboard, bringing his total follower count to 1,000 even. What surprised him was not the fact that he reached 1,000 followers so quickly, or that he has caught the count so quickly, but that it was the guy who he was blog stalking earlier before he had taken his shower.  A smile grew onto his face.

“Fulllips12,” he muttered. His smile grew to the point that his cheeks began to ache. He contemplated on whether or not he should send a message. His nerve got the better of him, so he settled on just stalking his blog for a little bit longer. Maybe then he can get the nerve.

~*~

After sitting in the chair for about fifteen minutes, he decided to follow the blog. It seemed like exactly what he wanted. His curiosity then peeked when he saw the link towards the personal blog. Without hesitation, he clicked it.

Almost instantly, he is brought face to face with a taunting smirk and mischievous eyes. A wave of heat passed through his face. He placed his hand against his cheek to try and cool down, but as he stared into the eyes, a shiver just ran through him. He smiled. Knowing that someone as attractive as him like and reblogged his selcas made him happy, but doubt soon ran through him.

He soon hovered over the first, which was his selca, and checked to see if the boy had his tags visible. Luckily, the tags appeared on hover to the right, though the font was rather small, so he had to squint a little.

#I just can’t get over those lips! #Do you not see them!? #fave #fulllips12

He smiled a little though the doubt still lingered. When he scrolled down, he saw that almost the entire page was of his selcas. One by one, he hovered, and one by one, he read. Little by little, his smile grew.

#He has such pretty eyes too #Almost like a cat #fave #fulllips12

#Why does he have such nice hair? #Why do you have such nice hair? #fave #fulllips12

#You look shorter than me #haha #fave #fulllips12

#Keep it PG Keep it PG Keep it PG #fave #fullips12

By the time he got to the last picture, he was a smiling and laughing mess.

#Woah #He’s cute #Look at those lips #I wonder if he has more #Off to check! #Let me tag him though #Just so I can fund it later #fulllips12 #what the heck #fave

As his laughter dies, he sat back in his chair and just smiled. He wasn’t used to people telling him how good he looked, mostly because no one really did. Every now and again, a girl will compliment him on passing, but that was all. Usually, people joked on him, so this made him happy.

He looked over towards the side image again. The mischievous eyes never left, and he saw the little tag on the side labeled, ‘Me.’

“Does he always have hat look in his eyes?” He asked himself.  He clicked the link and was brought face to face with the same set of eyes, but this time, they seemed to be challenging.  He scrolled down only a bit only for him to be met with defined collarbones and tanned skin. The shiver ran through him again. He contemplated whether or not it would be creepy for him to reblog it.

“Why am I hesitating!? He did it. And it’s Tumblr. He should be flattered.”  With a nod of the head, the mouse was clicked and swift fingers the board. A satisfied smile crossed his face as he was redirected back to the blog, only for it to falter when he saw the notes that the single selca had.

“58 notes.” Hesitant eyes checked the date posted, hopeful, but soon disillusioned when he noticed that it was barely posted two hours prior. Only a few hours and his selca had accumulated so many notes when his own hardly ever get more than two. As quickly as his eyes fell, mischief overtook. “At least he won’t notice if I reblog all of them.”

~*~

A silent smirk engulfed his face as he took notice of all the notifications from that one blog he wanted to see. With a flick of the wrist, he checked it out once more. He used his extension to see it on his dashboard and paid close attention to the tags.

#I have a hot stalker

He chuckled at the simple tag, though he couldn’t help but to wish he had actually tagged him. Luckily, it seems like he was reblogging him back to back.

#My stalker is really popular #He probably won’t see these #So I can have fun

#Why are you always ? #Not that I’m complaining

#You have a really nice body

#I’m guessing you like that angle or something

#OH GOD #THAT DERP #... #ALL HAIL DERP KING!!!

#Stop growing s

#Bangs=Cutie #No bangs=Manly man

#Yup #you’re just a manly man

#But you seriously have a nice body tho! #Doesn’t he!?

#Why can’t I have a body like yours? #TT.TT

#You have hugging arms #Let me try them out

#Seriously #Stop growing s

#WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU’RE FAT!?

#WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU’RE ON A DIET!?!?

“This is too much fun.” I bite of the thumb and a smile followed as he took out his phone and snapped a quick selca with a smirk.

~*~

“He takes a lot of selcas.” A quick sip and hands were back on the keyboard. After an hour, he had finally gone through all the selcas his newest follower posted, and now he’s going back to his dash, which is dead most of the time due to the fact that he didn’t follow that many blogs, and those that he did follow were more of specialty blogs. The first post was a graphics tutorial. He followed the blog, and read the tutorials, but never got around to actually trying it. A few pictures and two text posts later, he came face to face with the smirk and mischievous eyes once more. He scrolled down towards the tags.

#I read your tags

His heart stopped. ‘No. It’s probably just a statement. Not me,’ he thought. He read the rest only for him to slump in defeat.

#At least your stalker has a nice body #Though you shouldn’t call me a stalker #More of an admirer #Fulllips12

A thump of his head hitting the desk resounded as his face heated up.

“Damn it.”

~*~

Weeks have passed with their indirect messaging and their very direct flirting, yet neither of them made the first move to directly message the other. Either they were shy or they kept thinking the other would move first. As the time passed, Daniel saw the influx of followers flow in, most of which came from his admirer’s blog. At this point, his blog now has a total of 243 followers, a large jump from the prior 48.

His admiration for his admirer has not dwindled either. He was always so engulfed in watching him work so hard, always putting so much effort in every video he does, always ending in him sweating. And with the dance routines he does, it’s always at the end of relentless practicing. He wondered how he could be so strong. Of course, he wasn’t afraid of taking off his shirt every once in a while. He was just so tough. He was a man. A manly man.  It just makes him want to message him first yet recoil just as quickly.

‘At least he still hasn’t found my YouTube,’ he thought. Sure he watches him nonstop, but he doesn’t know how he could handle him hearing him. He had always contemplated on whether or not he should delete his channel, but he always felt apprehension every time the idea came to his mind. He liked the idea of being able to go back and see just how much he had improved.  He also tried to post a new cover every week, but now that he was watching his admirer’s dance tutorials, he was thinking of learning to dance and sing. He just had to build up his stamina.

His mother would argue that it didn’t help that he was always on the computer,  but then again, he never made it a known when he went to the gym or when he went for a run or when his friend let him use his family’s empty dance studio. He would always just laugh it off, and even though he knew he could just tell her, he never felt the need to. He liked knowing that what he did was just him, and nothing more.

He logged into his tumblr only to see that he had a few messages. It was a delightful surprise to see since his messages were rare.

‘OMG I didn’t know you could sing!’ –Anonymous

A stutter in his heart resounded, but his face ached from the force of his smile. Before replying, he looked at the next message.

‘Why didn’t you tell us you had such a nice voice!?’ –Anonymous

Another one. His heart stuttered again, but for a completely different reason entirely.

‘First you flirt with him and now it turns out you have the voice of an angel. I hate you.’ –Anonymous

‘OMG Do another one! Can I request a song?’ – oomph27

“Oh no.” He quickly went to his dashboard and looked into his tracked tag, and sure enough, he had posts.  The very first one left him whining into his hands with disbelief and embarrassment. Sure, he posted some of his covers in his blog when he first started, but with over 5000 posts, he was sure that they were lost. Now, the one person he didn’t want to see them had posted them. It wasn’t even shame, but pure embarrassment. He hasn’t even let on to his friends that he sung seriously. He isn’t popular on YouTube, so he wasn’t worried about his friends seeing them, as well, as the fact that he was the one that spent the most time online without playing video games.

After some hesitance, he looked up from his hands and looked at what he said.

I’m going to post every video you made. 
#fulllips12

After a quick scroll, he saw that, indeed, his admirer had posted only three of the videos. He let out a sigh of relief. The relaxation he felt was only trampled when he returned to his dashboard only to see twenty more posts from him.

#fulllis12 #Dude #you like MJ?!?!?!?

#fulllips12 #Like how can you do this? #And how come you don’t record your face?

#fulllips12 #I wish I had your skills

#fullips12 #If I get my friend to write you a song #Will you sing it?

#fulllips12 #YOU’RE VOICE

#fulllips12 #You’re voice is able

He had to stop there. He just had to stop right there and sit back. His face was heating up and he had to place his hands against his cheeks to try and cool himself down. It was a first for his admirer to be so direct, or well, for anyone to be so direct with him. He liked it, but he had to let the shock pass.

He spent the next few minutes reading all the tags he had added, and when he was done, he refreshed just to see more. His finger itched to send him a message, but in the end, he just posted a simple textpost.

Maybe.
#wannabesun99

~*~

“I wonder if he’ll like it.” Nervous teeth bite at his lips as he sits back and contemplates on whether or not he should click the send button. It’s been two months, and he’s been putting off messaging him first. He liked their exposition and their indirect messaging. He wanted him to message him first, but it seems that he’s just as stubborn as he. 

“Just send it already!” He looked back at a thin figure lying atop his bed. “You already got Minsoo to write you that song for you, now stop being a baby and send it to him! Either that or take me to eat now!” Legs flung about in a childish manner before the room was engulfed by silence again. The boy bit his lip once more, feeling guilty for making his friend wait, before he pressed the button and closed his laptop.

“Stop being a baby hyung.” He smiled as he walked out with his friend, chest nervous but anxious.

~*~

He had to refresh his page in order to make sure it wasn’t a glitch in the system.  He had gotten a message from his admirer. After two months of so much indirect flirting, he sent the first message. 

It wasn’t a “Hey,” or a “My name is…,” but a link. Well, not just a link. A request accompanied it-if you can call it a request-, but mostly a link.

‘You said maybe. http://www.youtube.com/watch/..........’

At least he sent the link through fanmail instead of the ask box. With a hesitant finger, he clicked the link.

The video was started with a black screen that soon switched to his admirer once again. He was bent in front of the camera and soon walked back. He was entranced with him. It was in a darkened room and the dim lights accentuated his sharp bone structure. Even though he’s seen videos of him before, from him working out to him dancing, this is the one time he’s seen him with his guard down and him being still.

“Hey.” His voice entranced him as much as his lips with his little chocolate chip. “You said you would sing a song if I get my friend to write you one. So here it is!”

The video changed scenes so he was in front of a microphone and a music stand. There seemed to be someone off camera who he was looking at, most likely waiting for the cue. A simple hip hop beat filled the air, and after the intro, he started.

He was entranced by the voice of his admirer. It was different then what he usually hears. It was smooth and pleasant to his ears. It sounded as if there were two other voices every now and again, but he could only really pay attention to him. It was something he could fall asleep to and wake in the morning to.

After a little, another voice came in to rap. It sounded familiar to him. He felt like he knew the voice, but he couldn’t pinpoint from where. He soon shooed it away, too entranced by his admirer. He listened to it various times, each time falling for the voice even more.

He didn’t reply to the fanmail until late that night, the song on repeat.

‘You keep the song. It suits you a lot more than it would suit me. And by the way, your voice is just as able Mr. Manly Man.’

~*~

Once the first message was sent, they talked every day.  They were limited to Tumblr messages in their inbox and when they hit their limit, they would message each other through fanmail. They memorized each other’s schedules and messaged each other religiously, yet they still never asked about names. That one piece of information seemed to bug them the most.

They have been contemplating asking for the longest, but neither wanted to be thought of as rude in case their name did pop up, and it was just passed over. All they knew each other as was ‘fullips12’ and ‘wannabesun99’, and that only made them even more curious. It was late at night, and lips were nervously chewed while a leg nervously shook.

He knew he shouldn’t be scared, but infatuations can do that to you. The fears of making yourself look stupid or making the other feel bad was a fear everyone has when they care for the other.

An hour is spent typing and retyping, wording and judging his message before finally hitting send. As soon as he switched back to his dashboard, he saw that he had a message.

“That was fast,” he thought. He clicked it anxiously, only for him to laugh at the irony placed before him.

‘I don’t think I ever caught your name. I would like to know the name of the guy with the nice voice.’

‘I don’t think I ever learned your name. I don’t think I want to call you Mr. Manly Man all the time.’

He smiled as he quickly typed a response. A smile engulfing him as he clicked send and a laugh knowing he wasn’t the only one.

‘Jonghyun’

‘Daniel’

~*~

Who would have known that you could have gotten so fond of someone online? They’ve always heard stories about people falling in love and getting married after meeting online, but they never really expected it to happen to them.

Maybe it was because they weren’t physically close that they felt like they could share everything with each other. They shared their life stories, the good and the bad, their everyday presence, and their hopes and dreams.

‘You’re starting your own business?! But aren’t you 18!?’

‘Yeah! My parents are helping me out for the licensing and stuff, but I have enough saved up from side jobs to get it started in a few months.’

‘That’s crazy. I want to have my own business too, but I don’t think I can do something like that anytime soon.’

‘Really? What type of business? I bet it’s a dance studio run by Mr. Manly Man. It is. Isn’t it?’

‘You know me too well. It would be for the little kids until the old grandparents. Everyone! I can make my mother and sister proud.’

‘You haven’t heard from your father, have you?’

‘No. Not in a while. But anyway, when is the grand opening? And what are you gonna name it?’

‘November 16! And I still haven’t decided yet.’

‘That’s on my birthday! I bet it will be awesome Dani’

He bit his thumb as he looked at the nickname. It felt comforting. He liked it.

On the other side, Jonghyun is worrying that he may have made it weird that he so suddenly used such a pet name on him. Did he make it weird? Did he mess it up? He was relieved when he saw his inbox light up, but he still felt some hesitation.

‘I think I just thought of a name. I’ll talk to you later Jonghyunnie~!’

He sat back and smiled. No. he didn’t make it weird. Maybe just a little bit better.

~*~

A little red bubble with a number 1 above the little digital envelope greeted Jonghyun, and a smile graced his lips as he clicked it. He was expectant for Daniel’s most recent reply, for he had fallen asleep the night before on the keyboard. They have gotten used to falling asleep on each other, but neither was ever upset. It just made them feel fonder.

When his inbox loaded, he was confused that he just found a link. No message attached to it, just a link.

It led to an unlisted YouTube video entitled, “A present.” He sat back and waited for it to play.

The screen faded from black to show Daniel in front of a microphone in what seemed like a small studio. He was smiling at the camera before he started speaking.

“Hey Jonghyun,” he said. His voice was soft. “I know it’s been hard at home. I know that it’s getting hard for you with your dad being gone constantly and you having to take care of your sister and mother. I wish I could be there to lend you my shoulder when you need it. You’re so strong. Mr. Manly Man must feel tired too.” He took a deep breath and Jonghyun just kept watching, too enthralled by what may be happening. “You keep bugging me about showing my face on my videos, but his is kind of a secret from my family and friends. This video is unlisted so only you can see it, so don’t post it on your blog!” Daniel pointed at the camera with a playful smile that Jonghyun just couldn’t help but to smile at.

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” he whispered.

“This song is just for you, because right now, I think you need it the most. It’s a little out there than what I’m used to, but I hope you like it.” He smiled as he nodded before fiddling with a computer next to him and getting back in front of the microphone. He put his headphones on before pressing a button and starting.

“Time, is going back so much faster than I,
And I’m starting to regret not spending all of it with you.
Now I’m wondering why
I’ve kept this bottled inside.
So I’m starting to regret not telling all of this to you.
So if I haven’t yet
I’ve gotta let you know

You’re never gonna be alone
From this moment on
If you ever feel like letting go
I won’t let you fall.
You’re never gonna be alone!
I’ll hold you until the hate is gone

And now, as long as I can
I’m holding on with both hands
‘Cause forever I believe
That there’s nothing I could need but you
So if I haven’t yet
I gotta let you know

You’re never gonna be alone
From this moment on
If you ever feel like letting go
I won’t let you fall.
When all the hope is gone
I know that you can carry on
We’re gonna see the world on
I’ll hold you until the hate is gone

You gotta live every single day
Like it’s the only one
But if tomorrow never comes
Don’t let it slip away
Could be our only one
You know it’s only just begun
Every single day
may be our only one
But if tomorrow never comes
Tomorrow never comes

Time, is going back so much faster than I,
And I’m starting to regret not spending all of it with you.

You’re never gonna be alone
From this moment on
If you ever feel like letting go
I won’t let you fall.
When all the hope is gone
I know that you can carry on
We’re gonna see the world on
I’ll hold you until the hate is gone

I’m gonna be there all along the way
I won’t be missing one more day
I’m gonna be all of the way
I won’t be missing one more day”

He was in tears. They both were. Daniel had tears streaming down his cheeks, but he was smiling at the camera. He pulled down his headphones to around his neck.

“I hope you like it. I mean every word of it. I’ll talk to you later. I know everything will work out.” He seemed to be hesitating a little, but he just smiled and turned off the camera.

Jonghyun just sat and cried into his hands. How could someone make him feel so weak and vulnerable while holding him up and making him strong? He went back up to his inbox and typed a reply. It was simple, but it was how he truly felt.

‘Thank you.’

~*~

A year. They have been talking for a year, and now they were finally meeting each other. Jonghyun had graduated High School and was now in the same city as Daniel.

They still haven’t met up, and they haven’t spoken to each other. The thought of using skype or calling each other on the phone had come up, but they liked using tumblr. It was how they met. It was how they flirted. And that’s how they were falling for each other.

Today was the grand opening of Daniel’s business. It is a small café.

Café Dani

And today was the day that they would finally meet. It was to be special. They wanted to meet earlier, but Jonghyun had to settle in with his mother and sister. They had left their father, and they were set to move on. All of them were moving forward without regrets. All of them were going to be happy.

And now, Daniel waits anxiously in his café. He’s excited to meet the man he fell for.

“Watch where you’re going!” Daniel turned around to see someone on the floor being scolded by one of his employees. He stands immediately, not liking how his employees are being so rude to a customer. He quickly walks over to her and stares her down.  She quickly bows to him. “Yes, Mr. Ahn?”

“Don’t be rude to our customers. If someone falls, help them up. If someone spills anything, clean it up. Do not talk down t or yell at anyone.” She nods with her head bowed, embarrassment taking over her. “Go to the back and go home for today. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” She nodded before quickly hurrying to the back. Daniel quickly turned around to help up the poor boy.

“Daniel?” He smiled upon hearing the voice.

“Jonghyun!” He yelled out. No one paid them much attention, all too consumed in their own personal lives.  Daniel quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him up before attacking him into a hug, which Jonghyun reciprocated full force, nearly knocking his breath out.

“Dani!!!” Both laughed as they let each other go, still patting each other on the shoulder with a smile. It was awkward, but a pleasant awkward. They sat in a corner booth and waited while one of the servers got them some food. They didn’t say a word, not sure who should speak first.  The waitress wasn’t long in bringing them their order. Jonghyun had just ordered Coca-Cola and rice while Daniel just ordered some cake and hot chocolate.

“Thank you,” they said in unison. They laughed before digging into their food. Daniel cocked an eyebrow as he watched Jonghyun pour half his coke into his rice.

“Are you an alien or something?” Jonghyun just stirred his food before answering.

“No. The aliens won’t answer my messages. I doubt I’m family.” Daniel wanted to laugh, but Jonghyun’s expression was completely serious. He didn’t know if he should find that cute or not, but he did anyway.

“Oh, so you believe in aliens.” Changjo nodded with a mouthful of coke soaked rice. “At least you never asked me if I was an alien.” Daniel thought back to school when the kids would pick on him for his looks, calling him an alien constantly.

“You’re too cute to be an alien.” Daniel smiled at how Jonghyun’s face went red at the realization of his words. So far, it wasn’t what either of them was expecting, but then again, they didn’t know what to expect. Did they expect to fly into each other’s arms? Did they expect for fireworks to explode? Did they expect to get married?  

No. They didn’t but they also didn’t expect it to be so awkward.

“It looks like your café is a success.” Daniel smiled as Jonghyun tried to make conversation.

“Yeah, I guess it is. Although I was worried that no one would come.” Jonghyun raised an eyebrow.

“How come? It looks great, smells delicious, and how can anyone say no to you?”  Daniel smiled as he bowed his head. It may be awkward, but he liked it. It felt right.

“I don’t know. It’s just better to prepare for the worst and hope for the best instead of expecting the best and receiving the worst.”  Changjo nodded, understanding what Daniel meant all too well. He has expected for the best many times only to be disappointed. Even now, he had expected the best, yet he wasn’t so sure if this was the best.

“Want to go out?” He had to do something. He had to. He felt like he couldn’t just sit back and let things move on their own anymore. He regrets not sending Daniel a message sooner. He regrets his need to feel in control even though he never is. He needs to change it.

“Sure. Where do you have in mind?” Daniel’s face had lit up. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to meet at his Café, but he didn’t really know where else to meet him. Jonghyun bowed his head and fiddled with his fingers, hesitant and a little shy. He wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to ask, but feeling like he was going against himself once more made him straighten up some. Daniel was amused by the inner struggle that the boy was undertaking, but he made no push for him to continue. It was a nice change after only ever seeing him with the taunting smirk and him powering through so many different dances and workout routines.

“Can I go see the studio you use?”  Daniel just smiled before grabbing his hand and leading him out, never missing the pink that touched the cheeks of his Mr. Manly Man.

~*~

“Why are we at a dance studio?” Jonghyun looked around at the somewhat rundown but still nicely kept dance studio. Daniel spun around as made his way deeper still.

“The studio I use is through this door in the corner.” Jonghyun nodded in understanding, trying to brush off his near trip and fall. Daniel didn’t say anything, but he saw, and smiled. He was clumsier than he thought he would be.

They walked through the door into a small studio. It was dimly lit and was only minimally equipped. Daniel sat on his stool and looked up at Jonghyun, expectant. Of what? He wasn’t sure.

“So this is where the magic happens.” Daniel could only laugh. “What?”

“Nothing. It’s just the first time anyone has ever called it magic.”

“Your friends don’t compliment your singing?” Daniel shook his head.

“They don’t even know I sing.  Not even my family.” Jonghyun was a little shocked, but smiled upon realizing that he’s the only one that knew the talent that Daniel possessed. made him feel special.  “So far, I’m definitely not letting them know I’ve been dancing either.” Jonghyun’s mischievous smile that Daniel knows so well has reappeared.

“So you dance too?” Daniel chuckled.

“I’ve been following your lessons, but I’m not anywhere near as good as you.”  Jonghyun looked away. He has always been complimented on his looks and body and talent, but it meant so much more coming from Daniel.

Daniel enjoyed watching Jonghyun get shy. It’s a side of him he could never see online because he can’t hide it. He liked seeing him more his age. It was a softer side that he enjoyed.

“Can I see you dance?” Jonghyun looked at him in surprise.

“Only if you sing for me.”  Daniel nodded in agreement before heading back out into the studio.

Jonghyun was nervous. He had danced in front of large crowds at school and in street battles, but Daniel made him nervous. Maybe it’s his cat eyes or his smile that seems just all too serene.

“What song do you want me to use?” Jonghyun thought for a moment, not too sure, when an idea popped into his head.

“Let me take care of the music and you get me a chair.” Daniel snapped up, alarmed by the tone in his voice and the request. He knew where it was going, but did as he was told.

As he hurried out, Jonghyun went to the speakers and took out his phone and loaded up ‘Nice and Slow’ by Usher and waited. Daniel came back in with a chair above his head and an anxious smile on his face. It made Jonghyun want to act out. He quickly changed the song before taking the chair from Daniel.

He quickly grabbed the chair and placed it in the middle of the room. Daniel sat in front against the wall and waited. Jonghyun raced back to his phone and pressed play before quickly running back to the chair and standing atop.

Daniel sat in anticipation.

The beat started.

Thump

Thump

Thump

 I don't wanna be a chicken.
I don't wanna be a duck.
I don't wanna be a chicken.
I don't wanna be a duck.
So I shake my .
na na na na na na na na na na na na 

Daniel couldn’t help but to fall over in a fit of laughter upon seeing Jonghyun dance out the chicken dance with the most serious face that he could muster.  He admits that he set himself up for that.

~*~

“You could have been more serious with the song,” laughed Jonghyun. They were walking back to the café from the studio with after stopping to buy some ice cream.

“You could have been more serious too, but I didn’t complain.” Daniel smiled as took another , and he acted like he didn’t see how Jonghyun stared at his lips or his tongue.

“But I didn’t blow your ears out with obnoxious screeching.”  Jonghyun took a from his and smiled at how Daniel so openly stared at him. He likes having his attention.

“I thought you said you liked my voice.” Daniel mocked offense, but they both just laughed. He like how different Jonghyun was in person. He was silly, a little weird –but then again, he’s been called weird plenty of times-, and cute. He liked him.

“I do, but you can be so loud.” They laughed as they finished the last bit of their ice cream.

They had made it to the cafe just before closing. Daniel let everyone go one home while he closed up.

“What time are you going home?” Jonghyun shrugged.

“Whenever I feel like it.” Daniel smiled as he continued wiping down the counter.

“You should head home. You don’t want to worry your family.” Jonghyun nodded, but he didn’t want to leave yet. Daniel came close to him, and came closer still. Jonghyun was caught a little off guard and moved, but Daniel just grabbed onto him and held him still. “Don’t move,” he whispered. Just as quickly, his lips were overtaken.

Soft and slow movements kept him entranced by the older boy. He was under Daniel’s control, and he liked it. It was a first, and he sure liked this first. He liked the feeling of Daniel’s fingers in his hair. He liked the feeling of being incased by him. He liked the feeling of his soft breaths against his cheek. He liked the feeling of his lips. It was over all too soon.

He had to keep himself from breathing too heavily. He opened his eyes only to see Daniel looking back at him with a gaze that he wishes to see every day.

“Go on home. I’ll still be here tomorrow,” whispered Daniel. Jonghyun nodded but otherwise, he didn’t move. Daniel stood back and pulled him to his feet and walked him to the door.

“Promise?” Daniel nodded. He stepped outside into the darkening evening and smiled.  “Tumblr?”

Daniel nodded.

“Tumblr.”