Bravery comes to you when you least expect it. That was what Baekhyun told him ever since they were little, that one time they both swallowed playing marbles and he forced himself to hold back the tears. Baekhyun had straightened his shoulders and shook the tears out of his eyes. He had smiled then, bright and easy, trying to reassure Kyungsoo. "See? I'm okay Kyungsoo. You'll be okay too!"

Baekhyun had always been there. It was only natural that Kyungsoo remained his friend through his life. Along the way, they picked up Chanyeol and Sehun, then they picked up motorbike licenses and then, black leather jackets with a panther eye wappen patch.

He couldn't remember whose idea it was to call them “The Panthers”, but the name had somehow stuck, and it became the name they were known by.

Bravery appeared at random times, and Kyungsoo still didn't understand the bravery he had felt when he first started to secretly date Kim Jongin.
 

Kisses stolen by the trashcan at Bob’s Diner, hands held underneath tables, conversations whispered behind the bathroom stalls in school- anyone could see them at any given time. Jongin wasn’t the most silent moaner too, which made the risks higher. Yet the thrills even higher.

Even more than the thrill though, being with Jongin made Kyungsoo feel safe. Even if it meant being forced to kiss only when eyes were averted. Jongin listened to Kyungsoo in a way no one else would, held his hand in a way no one else could, and made his hidden desires become a reality- in a way no one could ever do. Kyungsoo had never felt these emotions with anyone else. Hell, he didn’t think it was even possible to feel this deeply for one person until he met Jongin.

Kim Jongin - with piercings adorning his ears, another sitting on his tongue, and pink hair messily swayed over a mauvier undercut. Dancer Kim Jongin. Pink leather jacket-clad Kim Jongin. The Flamingoes' Kim Jongin.

Flamingoes. The biker gang infamously known for their pink jackets and uni members. They were also the gang that took up their spot at Bob's Diner. It wasn't really their spot per se, but there was an unspoken rule that when a gang frequented a place often enough, it immediately became their territory.

Long story short, Kyungsoo was fraternising with the enemy, Baekhyun was a really competitive man, and Kyungsoo didn't know where this bravery came from.

However, when he holds Jongin's hand in the dead of the night, both of them leaning against the railing that separated them from the fall of death, he knows that he appreciates those random bouts of bravery.

It didn't take much to realise that holding on to this secret relationship would be worth it. Jongin was worth just that much.










They met on the second day of school. Club activities were a whirl on the first day: ice-breaking, role-giving, etc. Kyungsoo was back at Musical Theatre. Familiar faces surrounded him, comforting him with their presence. Maybe there wasn't much of an ice-breaker needed this time after all.

That was until the theatre door opened, followed by squeaky wood and tapping rubber soles running up to the stage. The whole group looked up, staring at the newcomer. Kyungsoo paled as soon as the light hit the other's face, his panting form straightening and immediately making Kyungsoo panic.

Pink leather jacket, pink hair, pink cuticles- it was all too obvious. Jongin’s eyes looked up to meet Kyungsoo's, his smile warm and welcoming; a complete contrast to Kyungsoo's expression. He could feel his palms turning clammy, and his brain was repeating 'no'.

Jongin finally said something after a long moment of staring, eyes almost begging. "You guys are still finding new members, right?"

"No," Kyungsoo said at the same time Hyunsik said “yes”. They both looked at each other, Hyunsik's eyes questioning. Kyungsoo cleared his throat, facing Jongin again. What he saw immediately made him clamp up. The boy looked so… sad. Shoulders drooped in rejection, eyes on the ground. Kyungsoo sighed. "What position are you trying out for?"

"Performer." Jongin replied. Kyungsoo hummed, nonchalant on the outside but positively preening on the inside. They were pretty picky about performers (mainly Soojung, because she had that melodramatic flare and needed everything to be perfect). The girl herself perked up in interest, gesturing Jongin to come up on the stage. "Perform whatever you can, and we'll decide from there."

Jongin nodded, clambering up the stage excitedly. He took out a vinyl from his bag- a Quincy Jones record- then placed it on the record player they had resting against the wall. When the music played, Jongin immediately stuck his leg out, hands and hips moving fluidly with the music. His footwork were sharp, quick, and his expressions stole the whole show. Kyungsoo hated how his mouth gaped at every raise of Jongin's brows, or every smirk and wink that was thrown. And when the track was ending, Kyungsoo could see everyone looking equally as amazed.

A final smirk, and one last leap, before Jongin ended everything with both arms up, back facing the group with one side of his hips perked. Kyungsoo immediately knew what Soojung was going to say, if the excitement clearly making her shake in her seat wasn't enough of an indication.

They didn't get along immediately. In fact, it took weeks for Kyungsoo to even respond to Jongin's bright and cheerful 'hello!'s with more than just a grunt of acknowledgment. And after months of purposefully avoiding Jongin, shrinking in whenever the male so much as stood next to him, immediately starting a random conversation with another club member when Jongin so much as walked towards him, it all finally came back to knock him down.

"Kyungsoo, help Jongin with his lines please!" A stressed Hyunsik said, shoving sheets of paper towards Kyungsoo before running off again, to presumably, nitpick on something else.

"Is he always this stressed?" The newbie asked, eyes a little panicked.

Kyungsoo shook his head, chuckling a little. Forgetting himself a little. "He gets like this when deadlines are near, but don't worry about it." Kyungsoo turned to the first page of the script. It was something he had written, so the words were somewhat familiar to him.

"Modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet." Kyungsoo murmured to himself, reading the note Jongin had written at the top of the paper. "Did you actually have a problem with delivery or was Hyunsik just being… particular?"

"He said I wasn't soulful enough." Jongin shrugged. Kyungsoo nodded, and made a move for Jongin to begin. He slipped into his character; just a minor role as one of Romeo's close friends. Jongin wasn't even the main star, yet the grandeur he had in delivering the lines, and the emotions he conveyed seemed too good for him to stay as just a character in the backdrop.

"I think, Hyunsik was probably just being a little too particular." Kyungsoo said after Jongin was done.

The other grinned happily, bounding up to Kyungsoo. "You think so?"

Kyungsoo grinned, patting Jongin on his arm. "I know so."






And when the day of the performance came, Jongin went on stage like a star, shining bright even in his casted-in-the-shadows role. Kyungsoo watched with equal amounts of awe and worry throughout the whole production. The other writers- Sunyoung, Wendy and Myungsoo all grabbed each other's hands, including Kyungsoo's. Worried eyes slowly melted to satisfaction and even a glint of happiness.

As the last song played, Kyungsoo went up the stage, standing beside Jongin. They bowed, and when they stood up straight again, Jongin leaned in close, whispering his gratitude right into Kyungsoo's ear. This is too close! Kyungsoo screamed internally, but he didn't seem to mind as he usually would.

The blood drained from his face at the realisation that he was getting too used to Jongin’s presence..

A glance into the crowd, and he could see Baekhyun staring right at him, eyes confused and darting between himself and Jongin.

Kyungsoo could only manage a gulp.









Baekhyun would kill him if he knew a Flamingo was associated with him or his club in any way. What more if he found out that Kyungsoo actually talked to said Flamingo. And even liked said Flamingo.
 

It was a risk he was not willing to take.

So Kyungsoo stayed away, narrowly and expertly avoiding every encounter. Even at Bob's, he pretended like he couldn't see Jongin's smiles sent his way. The boy needed to stop. Stop before Baekhyun noticed something was out of course in nature.

So after Bob's, when the rest had left on their motorbikes, Kyungsoo approached Jongin, alone in his Skylark. "Stop this Kim Jongin."

The boy looked up, eyebrow quirked. "Stop what?"

"Stop barging in on my life." Kyungsoo said through gritted teeth. Jongin's eyebrow only raised even more before he let out a loud peal of laughter.

"Kyungsoo, I just like dancing. It's nothing personal."

"Well, stop trying to be friends with me."

"Why not?"

"Baekhyun will- we're from opposing groups, Jongin. You know why." Kyungsoo slumped his shoulders, leaning in to the window of Jongin's car to meet him eye to eye. "Don't talk to me, or smile at me. Ever."

Jongin chuckled, smiling again. It was only when Kyungsoo could feel the breath of every single one of Jongin's exhales that he realised how close they were. He gulped, eyes caught in Jongin's. He never seemed to realise before now, but Jongin was truly a handsome guy. Tall stature, sharp yet rounded nose, almond shaped eyes and thick lips. Truly a person worthy of being on stage.

"What if we do it behind Baekhyun's back?"

Kyungsoo blinked, shaking his head. "That's impossible."

"Baekhyun's not in the same club as you, so it's pretty possible." Jongin said, flickering his eyes towards the panther's eye on Kyungsoo's jacket. "Meet me tomorrow, after whatever it is you do with your group."

"Meet you where?"

"Here," Jongin answered, grin breezy and easy. "I want to bring you somewhere."

"I don't know..."

"Trust me." Jongin's eyes were wide, open and honest, and Kyungsoo found himself nodding before he even realised it.

"Okay." He whispered, stepping away from the window of Jongin's car. "See you then."

Jongin grinned, again, before driving off and leaving Kyungsoo staring at the oil spill on the road where Jongin's Skylark had just been.








The thrill of the night was only heightened by the secret glances Jongin gave him across the diner. Beside him, Baekhyun was angrily munching on some fries, grumbling under his breath. Something about how Minseok really shouldn't be getting her pretty over here, because after stealing the Panthers' territory, I am one step away from ripping those pink leather jackets up. Kyungsoo gulped, looking away from the seething male continuously  glaring at the table across the diner. In front of him, Chanyeol and Sehun were laughing over the waitress's short skirt, or something irrelevant. Kyungsoo never knew with those two.

A glance at the Flamingoes told him that Jongin was looking at him again, smirk lifting the corners of his lips. Kyungsoo had to look away, questioning the random flare of his heart. Something happened then, something terrifying, but Kyungsoo didn't exactly know what. He didn't want to know. It seemed better not knowing.

Yet with every other glance across the table, and every time their eyes met, that flare came back again, and Kyungsoo could only try to blink it away.

He didn't know what it was- that feeling- but he knew Jongin was responsible for it.







The sounds of motors whirring still rang in his ears as he turned, facing Jongin who was just by the corner of Bob's. His pink hair looked almost purple underneath the blue neon lights surrounding the diner. Jongin's face reflected the lights as he took another drag of his cigarette, offering it to Kyungsoo after. Kyungsoo shook his head, taking the cigarette from Jongin's hands and crushing it instead. He only felt a tiny bit satisfied at Jongin's shocked expression.

"Where to?" Kyungsoo asked, quirking an eyebrow. Surprisingly, Jongin wasn't that angry over the squashed cigarette. He seemed amused instead, eyes crinkled as a huge grin took over his face.

"Follow me on your little Black Hawk," Jongin said, making his way to the cherry Skylark, ignoring Kyungsoo's defence of his motorcycle not being little.

Kyungsoo does get on his bike and started to follow Jongin closely. They past the houses in the nearby neighbourhood, up through the forest and then finally to the road heading up to the cliff. Kyungsoo focused up ahead. The cliff had always been a quiet place, but at night, it seemed almost eerie.

Kyungsoo shuddered, repeating to himself that the eyes he felt on his back were just his imagination. Suddenly he wished he was in the car with Jongin.

When they reached the top, it wasn't empty like Kyungsoo had expected. A fire crackled in the middle and right by it's side, people were seated on the ground, one of them with a guitar on hand. The other two were singing- Blue Suede Shoes- Kyungsoo could recognise the vibrant and bubbly singing from anywhere, even if this was a more mellow and acoustic version.

As the last strums played, Jongin approached the trio, a bright greeting leaving his lips and handshakes exchanged between them. Kyungsoo went to sit by Jongin, offering a meek 'hello'.

After short introductions, Jongdae patted him on the back, asking if he had any song requests. Kyungsoo blinked, and shook his head.

"Oh come on, you must have a song Soo," Jongin said, looking at him eagerly. Kyungsoo narrowed his brows at the nickname, but made no comment on it.

He sighed, looking at the sky for a moment. The sky always reminded him of memories, of pasts, of love. Of his mother. "Tennessee Waltz?"

"Nice." Jongdae whistled, before gesturing at Yixing to begin playing.

Jongdae began singing first, bright and jovial, a smile quirking up the corners of his lips. And slowly, Seulgi and Yixing joined. Jongin sang too, quietly at first, but slowly increasing in volume.

Without realising it, Kyungsoo too, began lip-syncing, then singing, allowing his voice to come out clear in the night sky. The crickets cooed with them, not leaving any room for silence. In moments of worrying only about the next lyrics, Kyungsoo didn't care about anything else- not Jongdae's approving nod, not Seulgi's added adlibs- in fact, it only seemed to make the experience more enjoyable. Surrounded by smiling faces, bonded by one thing as of the moment.

He looked at Jongin, his wide grin reflecting back towards the other. The last strums played, and Seulgi immediately wanted another Elvis number. They got into another song, then another, and before long it all accumulated to even more.

Kyungsoo went home with a light heart, Jongdae's pat on his back still warming his chest. "You're always welcome." He had said. And Kyungsoo had promised Jongin he would come again next week anyway.

Jongin. The name was starting to bring a pleasant thrum in his bones.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

a/n: there it is ~ i hope u enjoy what's here so far. thank you for reading and comments are always appreciated<3