Backstage hummed with exciting and nervous energy. No one was really ready for what was ahead of them. Jimin sat in a chair near the back of the room, waiting for his turn. The material of his silk shirt gently rubbed against his body, and the loose flowy pants hugged his hips. He wringed his hands, anxious. Around him, several dancers whirled around him, rehearsing to themselves. The humid June air was permeating through the walls.

                “Sorry, but is this seat next to you taken?” a soft-spoken voice asked.

                Jimin looked up, and his heart almost burst. Minjoon was standing in front of him, his stage outfit put on, and a big smile on his face. He lept out of his seat, embracing the other boy, squeezing the laughter out of him.

                “Of course it’s not taken,” Jimin said. “Why did you never answer my texts? I was worried.”

                Minjoon sat down and smiled. “I had a lot of tests. We’re the honour class, so we get a lot more tests than the regular classes. I read all of your texts though, don’t worry.”

                Jimin grinned back. Before they could talk anymore, Ms. Lee came into the room and said, “Boys, I hope you’re ready! This is the big night!” With that, she her heel and walked out of sight, pulling students towards her and telling them to get in position to go on stage.

                “Ms. Lee is super nice,” Minjoon commented.

                Jimin turned around, confused. “You know Ms. Lee?”

                “Yeah I do. She’s my dance teacher, but I’m in the advanced class and you’re in the beginner, so our lesson days are different,” Minjoon explained. “Mom told me she would find your mom and sit with her. I hope they got good seats.”

                Jimin nodded. He tapped his foot on the ground. This was the first time in a long time he had seen Minjoon. Minjoon had grown a lot taller, his cheekbones and jawline becoming more defined and his body growing taller and leaner. Jimin looked up jealously, wishing he had grown taller since the last time they met. Unfortunately, puberty didn’t seem to be cooperating with him.

                “When do you think the performances are going to start?” Minjoon asked. The stage was quiet, save for Ms. Lee running around, asking hurriedly, “What’s wrong with the sound system? It’s not working!”

                Jimin shrugged. “I guess we just wait and see.” He stared down at his shaky hands and took a deep breath.

                Suddenly, from the stage, the sound of someone tapping a microphone could be heard, and someone started talking. Jimin bit back a shy smile.

                “Ok, listen up, you bunch of pricks,” Yoongi’s low voice drawled over the speakers. “Sorry, not sorry, but there’s a poor kid back there who’s been suffering a severe case of blue balls, so if you could just give him some time to get his back together, that would be great.”

                A shocked silence washed over the audience. Jimin quickly walked towards the curtains and peered out to see Yoongi standing at the sound system in the back of the auditorium with a microphone held to his lips. A snarky quirk brightened up his face when he made eye contact with Jimin.

                “Look, there he is, the little shy baby! Let’s give Park Jimin a big round of applause!” Yoongi announced, setting down the mic and clapping his hands.

                It was slow, but soon the whole crowd was clapping as Jimin walked to the center of the stage. He looked all around, spotting Namjoon sitting just to the side of Yoongi, a big smile on his face. And then he looked down, and the faces of his mom and Minjoon’s mom smiled up at him.

                “Now, if you could be so kind as to pulling out your equally dorky boyfriend, that would be amazing,” Yoongi said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

                Jimin’s face flushed red, but before he could turn around, Minjoon approached him from behind and took his hand into a tight grasp. Jimin looked down at his feet.

                “What do you have to show me?” Minjoon asked. “I don’t remember you telling me about a special performance.”

                Jimin racked his mind and remembered the song Yoongi was making. He chuckled to himself and said to Minjoon, “Minjoon, I think there’s an empty seat next to your mom. Go sit down, please, and enjoy the show.”

                Minjoon comically raised an eyebrow, as if to say, “Yeah, right”, but he walked off the stage and joined their parents in the crowd.

                The lights changed to a soft blue tint, and the mood shifted, cool and serene. Jimin stood on the stage with thousands of eyes staring at him. The music started, the familiar soft piano playing on top of synths, and he moved. His first steps were hesitant, unsure, but soon he found the flow of the music, where each beat was, when to move his arms and legs. Everything was falling into place. He danced across the stage and the crowd gasped.

                Jimin didn’t know how it happened, but soon Minjoon was beside him, and they waltzed on the stage, dancing to their hearts’ content and smiling. It couldn’t have been any better. The song ended too soon, but with a cheeky grin, Minjoon rushed forward and swooped down, scooping up Jimin’s tinier body up in his arms and kissed him on the lips.

                The crowd exploded, and the two teenagers twirled on the stage. And in the audience, Yoongi sat down next to Namjoon and said, “Look at those goony kids, kissing each other on the stage. Wish we were like that when we were young.”