Friday had finally come and Ten was freaking out. The week had gone by smoothly; Ten and Taeyong had finished the routine, surprisingly quick with the help of Ten’s hyung from Hit The Stage, and they were just polishing up some of the moves. Having been preoccupied, Ten had forgotten all about the date. A text sent from Jae and Tae reminded him, and both parties seemed excited. Ten already had his outfit planned, so getting ready was not an issue, or even the issue. Dread was starting to set in, and even though he had been the one asked out, he couldn’t help but feel something bad was going to come out of the day.

Pushing all those feelings aside, Ten went to the living room to watch some tv and calm his nerves. Lucas and Kun were engaged in a drama that was playing, so Ten quietly sat beside Lucas trying not to disturb. Lucas noticed a shift beside him and gazed to his side to see Ten. He sensed Ten nerves and placed a loving arm around behind Ten to bring him into a cuddle. Ten appreciated the notion and snuggled deeper into Lucas’ side. Kun glanced behind him from where he was lounged on the floor and gave the two a soft smile.

The three sat like this until there was a knock on the door. Kun went to answer, while Ten and Lucas separated stretching their limbs. Jaehyun came in with a big bouquet of flowers, “Hey,” he smiled. “These are for you, I hope you like them.”

“They’re lovely, thank you” Ten dipped his head shyly.

The two were enjoying their moment when Lucas disrupted, “Where’s Taeyong hyung?”

“He’s bringing the car. Tae managed to convince manager hyung to let us borrow his car,” Jaehyun grinned proudly. “He should be here any minute. We were supposed to come get you together, but I couldn’t wait,” a rosy blush forming on Jaehyun and Ten’s cheeks.

Taeyong’s head popped round the door, which Kun swore he closed. Recognising his confusing, Tae silently waved his own key with a smile. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, j-just let me put these in water.”

“It’s okay,” Kun piped up. “I’ll do it for you, go enjoy yourself.”

“Thanks, hyung,” Ten beamed. “I’m ready”

“Great, let’s go,” said Jaehyun. Taeyong ran ahead to open the door to the backseat for Ten and Jaehyun, while Jaehyun linked his arm with Ten’s. Being with the both only made Ten more nervous, but the soft squeeze of Jaehyun’s arm made him relax.

Taeyong and Jaehyun planned to take Ten to his favourite bakery in a secluded part of town. Ten had spent most of his time there during pre-debut days when thing became too overwhelming, so he was very close with the owners. They were the first people in Korea he told about his dilemma with Jae and Tae. It came out by accident, but the couple never judged Ten. Instead they took him as their own and treated him like a son. While planning the date, Jae and Tae remembered how excited Ten was to show them the place. He let them into an intimate place in his life and from then on, some of their greatest moments were spent in that bakery.

Ten’s eyes lit up in joy when he recognised the building. It had been so long since he had been, too busy with practice, and trying to prove himself worthy to be in NCT. The owners noticed Ten the second he stepped foot in their establishment; the ahjumma letting out a tiny squeal. She rushed from behind the counter to hold Ten in a tight embrace, whispering a quiet, “I missed you.” During their moment, the ahjussi came out from the back and gave the other two a quick hug welcome. The bakery was empty, which was expected considering the time. Normally the bakery would have been closed, but Jaehyun had convinced them to stay open a little later for the surprise for Ten. Lucky the owners loved Ten so much, it was not a problem. Once the woman let go of Ten, the three of them took a seat in their regular booth at the back. They sat in a comfortable silence, Taeyong and Jaehyun were watching Ten as he marvelled at the scenery he missed dearly. 

Ten went back to the dorms a happy man. The date went great and he had never felt this good before. Ten finally felt more secure in his relationship with Taeyong and Jaehyun; he wanted nothing more than to as much as time with them as possible, before they could potentially get separated. There wasn’t anywhere Jaehyun or Taeyong went that you couldn’t find Ten. Although Taeyong and Jaehyun were happy with the improvement in their relationship, the two couldn’t keep up with the other’s enthusiasm and constant presence. Both were exhausted from endless rehearsals, and barely had any time for themselves, let alone one another.

Ten was aware of the amount of pressure both boys were feeling and wanted to make them feel better. He had gone down to the bakery to pick up their favourite cakes and was heading to their dorm, when he got a text from Johnny informing him of Tae and Jae’s arrival. Not wanting to waste any time, Ten hurried to the dorm being careful not to damage the cakes. Once he entered, before he could ask, Johnny pointed to Jae’s room where the two were relaxing. Ten gave a nod of thanks heading towards the room. He had raised his hand to knock when he heard Jaehyun’s voice, “… I know, but he’s probably just excited for the comeback. It has been a long time.”

He heard Taeyong groan, “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean he was to be so clingy all the time.”

“Tae…”

“What! It’s true. Don’t get me wrong, I love Ten but I wish he would just leave me alone and give me some space.” A pause. “Is it only me?”

“No… I feel the same too.”

Tears b in his eyes, Ten dropped the bag on the floor rushing out of the dorm. Johnny, who had witnessed everything tried to stop him, but Ten quickly escaped his grasp. Taeyong came out of Jae’s room confused by the noise. He noticed a bag on the floor and when he looked up Johnny gave him a disappointed look, “I hope you’re happy. I think you’ll finally get your wish.”

Baffled, Taeyong picked up the bag and looked inside, letting out a small gasp. Jae peaked out, “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“I think I made a big mistake.”

On top of the box of cake, Ten had written a note. The simplicity of it warmed the boys heart, and a guilty feeling crashed over them. They both rushed to their phones trying to call Ten, but neither could get through. Taeyong and Jaehyun spent the rest of the night texting and phoning Ten, but received nothing but silence. Both had messed up, and they knew it would take more than an apology to fix things.

Ten felt so stupid and humiliated. All he wanted was to be the best boyfriend he could possibly be, and he never felt more like a failure than now. He knew he was acting quite clingy, but that was only because he missed them and wanted things to go back to the way they were. Guess not. With tears streaming down his face, Ten held back his sobs, and searched for the letters he wrote. Ten clutched his chest in pain, as the emotionally distress he was feeling manifested physically, making it feel as though his heart was truly breaking. He never thought that he would have to look at these letters again, having hidden them far out of sight, but now it was time for him to face reality. His phone was switched to silent and left in the corner of his room, he couldn’t bear to look in case he crumbled at any apologise Taeyong and Jaehyun may have left, that’s if they even cared. Ten knew he had to do this, there was no turning back.