A few days had passed since news of the soulmate spark electric teen romance whatever thing broke, and Ten still wasn't quite sure how to feel. The first day after it happened, almost everyone had skipped class, Ten included. But eventually he couldn't miss any more class, and he had to come back to school. 

It was strangely fascinating to watch teens, from the nerdiest s to the most popular s, end up with people so similar or different to themselves. Where most people had once looked on in disgust as the couples of the school made out in the halls, now everyone who had met their match was doing it. And a good ten percent of the school had met their soulmates even three days into the whole ordeal, which meant kissing noises seemed to follow Ten every where he went. 

Somehow, Ten felt outside of it all. He'd always seemed to be outside everything though, ever since his peers had grown from children into tweens and now teens, so he wasn't phased. Ten had a few friends and acquaintances in the dance club at his school, but he didn't really have any close friends, so he didn't know anyone who had met their soulmate yet. He felt like his classmates were an experiment and he was the scientist, just watching and taking notes on everything that was going on around him. 

Navigating the hallways had become a disaster; with couples making out on the floors or leaning against lockers, or people holding hands and obstructing parts of the halls. Single people clung to themselves and tried to avoid touching anyone around them, walking so quickly that it was quite the chore to dodge them. Ten tried his best to continue on like normal, but that's nearly impossible. 

After angrily getting a freshman couple away from his locker and gathering his books, he began to walk down the hall, his head turned downwards. That wasn't anything unusual though; middle school had taught him that it was best for a guy like himself to always keep his head down and not make a fuss. 

Even though he wasn't looking down the hall, Ten was immediately aware of Lee Taeyong's presence when he began to walk through. Before this soulmate situation, kids parted like the red sea when he walked through the school, partially in awe and partially in fear. Now girls tried to get as close to him as possible, doing their best to brush up against him, see if they could be the ones to have their soulmate be the hands down hottest guy in their entire school. If Ten didn't know better he would've been one of them; despite the fact that Taeyong was an lazy uncaring , he was still model level gorgeous. 

But Ten just kept walking on, paying no attention to the popular senior one grade above himself. Maybe that wasn't as good of an idea as Ten thought, because Taeyong's cocky saunter left him distracted too. 

Bam, Ten and Taeyong's shoulders bumped into each other, hard enough to be painful. 

Ten kept walking away few paces but he could feel Taeyong frozen behind him. Why?

Oh. 

Sparks, flowing from the spot where they'd bumped shoulders, seeping down throughout the rest of Ten's lithe body. Ten felt somehow on top of the world, like when he was performing and he just finished and the applause filled his ears and the entire room. His whole body seemed to tingle as feelings sprung up like geysers in every part of Ten's heart. 

Taeyong. His soulmate. It seemed weird for Ten to even think, but not too foreign. He could get used to the idea, and maybe Ten could thaw out Taeyong's cold, cruel heart. Ten briefly remembered that he'd never heard of Taeyong being with men, but pushed it to the corners of his mind. Everyone knew Taeyong was a player and slept with tons of girls, maybe Ten had just forgotten he slept with guys too. 

Ten turned around to see how Taeyong felt about this, and all he saw staring back at him was a look of complete surprise on Taeyong's face. The hallways were abandoned; Ten figured the bell must have rang for class sometime when the two of them were processing. Clearly, neither of them had noticed though, the sensations and feelings overwhelming them too much to pay attention to anything else. 

Seeing the senior straight on Ten's heart thumped wildly in his chest, a feeling he was unused to, as Ten almost never actually dated (like Taeyong, he was more into sleeping around). He almost never let anyone into his heart, but the hormones had done that for him. He felt fantastic. He was ready for whatever was to come, with Taeyong by his side. 

But just as he was about to speak, Taeyong his heels and ran out of the school building as fast as his legs would take him. After a very confused pause, Ten furrowed his eyebrows and ran after him. 

After a few paces Ten found Taeyong standing in the middle of the bright parking lot, his face buried in his hands. 

"What gives?" Ten shouted from a slight distance. Taeyong looked up at him then quickly back down at the asphalt, shaking his head. 

"No...no," Taeyong mumbled, just loud enough for Ten to hear. 

"What?" Ten asked. 

Taeyong continued shaking his head. "I...I can't do this," he responded. 

Ten still stared on, unable to figure out what the hell Taeyong was talking about. "What do you mean?" 

"We're not soulmates," Taeyong said. 

Ten scoffed. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm feeling all those sparks and that everyone's been talking about--"

"I'm wrong, you're wrong, this is wrong, this is all wrong. This wasn't how it was supposed to be," Taeyong spoke. 

"I-I don't understand," Ten responded, his heart beginning to drop in his chest. All of those good feelings were now pushing up against fear and sadness; the foreboding feeling that Taeyong wasn't going to treat him like a soulmate. Taeyong didn't respond, and Ten sighed. 

"A-are you straight?" Ten asked, and Taeyong didn't respond to that either. He just grimaced uncomfortably and stared at the ground. 

"I don't let myself do the disgusting things you do," Taeyong mumbled, and Ten rolled his eyes. Just Ten's luck, his soulmate was a straight up homophobe. 

Taeyong shook his head again and stared up at the sky in anger. "I don't give a about you, I don't give a about this soulmate bull, I don't give a about any of this, alright? Pretend it never happened, okay? Live your ing nasty life, don't force me to be a part of it," Taeyong said before shaking out his hair and storming away. Ten stood still in the same spot, face expressionless, watching Taeyong go. He watched as Taeyong walked all the way to his car, got inside, and drove way above the speed limit off campus. Once the car was out of sight, Ten simply sat down on the asphalt. 

Ten's heart was beaten and broken but he didn't cry. No, he'd been through this too many times before; he was almost numb to the feeling. 

Loneliness had been the biggest factor of Ten's life ever since he started the sixth grade. His flamboyant, slightly feminine nature had made him an easy target for the bullies in his grade, and anyone halfway decent didn't want to be associated with Ten for fear that they'd get bullied too. So Ten was left this way, all his friends leaving him and no one new stepping into his life to fill the void. By the time the people in his grade had gotten to high school, everyone was well established in their cliques, and nobody wanted someone new to befriend. So Ten continued to stay lonely, but it was okay, he was used to it by that point.

And if Ten was unable to find friends, he was sure as hell unable to find someone to date. He'd stopped confessing to his crushes by the seventh grade, for fear that he'd get beaten up by them yet another time. He didn't even bother with kids at his school at all after that, instead getting a fake ID as soon as he started high school and going to gay bars. He never found genuine human connection, but at least he could hook up with older guys there and spend the night with another person. It had to be enough. 

So he was used to it. Used to being left by people who were supposed to care about him, used to be yelled homophobic things by people who should have loved him, used to being all alone. This was nothing new. Ten could handle it. 

He sighed, standing up and gathering his things. He might as well go back to class. As Taeyong said, pretend it never happened. 

~~~~~~~~~~

The only way Taeil could explain how he felt was that he was torn. On one hand, he still saw Johnny as the annoying asshat who got joy out of disrupting class and ignoring anyone below his own social status. Part of him still viewed Johnny as the guy he'd hated since the sixth grade who'd made his school life a living hell (even if Johnny hadn't known he'd existed). 

But part of him was getting more and more attached to Johnny by the second. Yes, Taeil assured himself that all of it was due to the hormones flowing through his body because of the damn soulmate thing. But it didn't stop him from looking over at Johnny whenever he got a spare moment in class, and blushing like a freaking idiot whenever Johnny threw him a greasy wink or a bright smile. 

And it was also probably the reason that Taeil agreed to a date with Johnny after school that day. Maybe it was also because Johnny, although he'd avoided Taeil in real life, had bombarded Taeil with text messages ever since the day they'd first discovered they were destined to be together. Some of the messages had been simple questions about how Taeil was doing, some were saying how cute he looked that day, but most were begging Taeil to go on a date with him. Taeil ignored pretty much all of them, but finally he got fed up, texting Johnny 'FINE I'LL GO ON A DATE WITH YOU JUST DON'T TEXT ME' (yes, in all caps). 

Taeil spent a lot of time thinking about just how weird these soulmate feelings were. It was completely random that he'd suddenly have such romantic feelings towards Johnny. Plus, whenever he went a long time without seeing him in person or getting a text from him, he'd start to feel overwhelmingly strange: he'd get a headache, or nauseous, or even just be extra tired. It was like his body was literally working against him. 

All during his last class, Taeil couldn't tell if he was excited for or dreading the date. Taeil could barely pay attention in class, just bouncing in his seat in watching the clock. But at the same time, the thought of spending alone time with Johnny made him sick to his stomach. But Taeil realized he really was just nervous. 

As soon as the bell rang Taeil was hurrying out of the room, much to his own chagrin. He was scurrying out so fast that he didn't realize Johnny was waiting right outside for him, bumping head first into his chest. 

"," Taeil muttered, rubbing his head where sparks were flowing from it. "Sorry," he groaned. Great, Johnny already knows how much of an awkward clutz you are, Taeil thought. 

"It's okay," Johnny responded, looking down at Taeil with a genuine smile. Despite himself, Taeil blushed and he immediately rolled his eyes. He was so ing weak. 

Johnny suddenly chuckled and Taeil looked at him curiously. "God, you're so cute, always blushing and huffing and stuff. I can't believe I didn't notice you before. Now come on, let's go to my car," Johnnys said. Taeil didn't know whether to be angry or feel complimented, so he glared at the floor beneath him and followed Johnny out to the parking lot. 

Taeil stepped into the passenger seat of Johnny's car as Johnny drove off of school grounds, down the high way. 

"How does Granite Run Diner sound? It's a bit early for dinner so we could just get ice cream and coffee," Johnny said. Granite Run was the hot date spot for the teenage residents of Morrisville, a fairly casual restaurant with low prices and halfway decent food. Since Taeil had never actually had a date before, he'd never been to Granite Run and only heard stories about the place from his friends. 

"That sounds great!" Taeil responded a little too excitedly. 

Johnny chuckled. "It's just Granite Run," he responded. 

Taeil turned bright pink. "I-I've never actually been," Taeil admitted as they pulled into the parking lot. Johnny parked and turned off the car, staring at Taeil in shock. 

"You've never been to Granite Run? Where do you go on dates then?" Johnny asked with confusion. 

"I don't...go on dates," Taeil admitted. Johnny paused for a moment before slowly grinning. 

"Then this will be really fun. Although I have no idea why you don't go on dates," Johnny mumbled. The two of them walked into the restaurant, sitting down at a booth as the waittress, a kid from their school, passed them the menu. 

"What are you getting?" Taeil asked, perusing the menu as Johnny just put it off to the side. 

"An ice cream sundae and black coffee," he responded. "You?"

"An ice cream sundae sounds good...I'll get that. No coffee for me though. I'm more of a tea guy myself, unless it's those sugary drinks from Starbucks," Taeil said. Johnny chuckled at him as the waittress came back, and Johnny ordered for the both of them. 

Once the waittress left, Johnny leaned on his arm and looked over at Taeil. 

"So what's your thing?" Johnny asked. "What do you like?"

Taeil thought for a moment. "Well, I'm on choir," he responded. 

"Oh! I bet your voice is beautiful," he spoke, and Taeil immediately blushed. "Do you know Jaehyun?" Johnny asked. 

Taeil nodded. "Yeah, I know him pretty well actually. And my voice isn't actually that great." 

Johnny shook his head. "I have a feeling you're lying. I'll have to get Jaehyun to tell me what your voice really sounds like." 

"Stop," Taeil whined, hiding his blushing and smiling face. Johnny just watched him with a sweet and comforting smile, and Taeil was becoming more comfortable with the way Johnny made his heart pound in his chest. 

"What about you?" Taeil asked. "What's your, uh, thing?"

Johnny chuckled. "Well, I used to be on the baseball team before I got too lazy....I guess now I just party a lot, I guess. Don't worry! I don't drink or do drugs or sleep around super often," Johnny spoke. 

"What else is there to do at a party?" Taeil asked with a chuckle.

"Talk to people." 

Taeil chuckled. "I wouldn't know, I don't really ever get invited to parties. I probably wouldn't go anyways; I'm not really into talking to people I don't know well," he admitted. 

"You've got to at least experience a high school party! I'll definitely take to the next one. And don't worry; you can cling to me the whole time. I'll do the talking for you," Johnny spoke as the waittress came over and put their ice creams in front of them. 

"That's...actually very sweet. Wouldn't you be embarrassed of me though?" Taeil asked, digging into his food. 

Johnny looked back at him in blank confusion. "Why would I be embarrassed of you?"

Taeil chuckled sadly. "Because I'm not exactly....."

"Not exactly what? The cutest guy in the world? Because I can guaruntee that you are the cutest guy in the world, and if I took you to a party every single person would be like 'Is that boy really Johnny's soulmate, because damn'," Johnny responded. 

"I think you and I have different definitions of cute," Taeil responded. 

"Do you think you're cute?" Johnny asked seriously. 

Taeil shook his head. "No way."

Johnny frowned. "That's...that's kind of sad. Because you're so ing cute and you deserve to appreciate yourself." 

Taeil blushed for the millionth time that afternoon and finished off the last bite of his ice cream, not quite sure what to say. 

"The sun is starting to set. Do you have a curfew?" Johnny asked. 

"Yeah, on school nights I have to be home before dark," Taeil responded.

" then, let me give you a ride home." Johnny grabbed the waittress and got the check, slapping down some cash before Taeil could even protest. The two walked back to Johnny's car and sat in the front seat, Taeil punching the directions back to his house into Johnny's phone. 

As Johnny began driving out of the parking lot and back onto the highway, Johnny sighed. "I know you don't exactly have the highest opinion of me, and probably me texting you over and over didn't help much. But I had a really, really good time with you today, you know? You may not be that happy, but I'm really happy it's you. From the moment I laid eyes on you I could tell you were special, and not just because of the soulmate stuff. So...yeah," Johnny spoke, ending his little monologue with an awkward chuckle. 

Taeil didn't quite know how to respond to Johnny's words. On one hand, part of his years long resentment towards Johnny partially remained, but this afternoon had been literally perfect. Johnny had been nothing but funny and kind and caring towards Taeil, and he was slowly beginning to realize that there wasn't anything to hate about Johnny. But Taeil had never been good with his words, so instead of formulating a proper response, he reached across the space between their chairs and grabbed Johnny's free hand. 

This was only really the second time Taeil was getting those soulmate sparks, and it felt almost as insane as the first time. His hand felt like it was on perfect fire, and his whole body was warmed from the inside out. Clearly Johnny was shocked by their touch as well; he jumped at the feeling of those sparks before softly smiling, and the tiniest of blushes even dusted his cheeks. Cute, Taeil thought. 

They quickly reached Taeil's house and Taeil shyly let go of Johnny's hand, the pair turning towards each other. 

"I-I had a lot of fun..." Taeil stuttered. "I'll see you at school tomorrow?" 

"Yeah," Johnny responded, smiling wide and looking at Taeil affectionately. He started to lean in closer and Taeil wasn't quite sure what was happening, but then Johnny was shutting his eyes and  Taeil was way too nervous to have his first kiss sprung on him so suddenly. 

"Bye!" He suddenly yelled, almost running out of Johnny's car and out onto his street. Even though he felt sort of bad for leaving Johnny like that, it couldn't shake the warmth in his heart from such a lovely date.