Six months ago

Junmyeon was always the shy. It didn’t matter who he was with and how close he was to that person — he was shy. So when he met the other 11 trainees that he would be practicing with, he did not utter a word. He watched instead. He watched and observed every single one of them. He made note of their singing, their rapping, their dancing, their personality, their looks, their everything. 

The first to catch his eye was a Chinese trainee. His hair was long, like a girl. He always wore a beanie and he was a dancer. And his name was Yixing. And he was handsome. He got along well with the other dancer, Jongin, Junmyeon noted.

He grew close to the vocals, Baekhyun, Jongdae, Kyungsoo, Minseok, and Luhan, but kept his distance from the rappers and dancers.

One day the twelve of them practiced a piece of choreography to Chris Brown’s Take You Down. It was difficult for Junmyeon because one, he can not dance to save his life and two, he looked quite awkward trying to do body rolls.

“No no no! Stop!” The dance instructor turn the music off. “Junmyeon, it’s 1, 2,3, and four. Then a body roll!” The teacher demonstrated. Junmyeon silently nodded and looked down to the floor. He is holding his team back, again. 

“Take 10.” The instructor sighed and exited the room. Everyone plopped onto the floor, tired and sweaty.

“Sorry, guys.” Junmyeon softly apologized, his eyes still on the floor.

“No, it’s ok, Junmyeon hyung! The choreography is pretty difficult. I’m struggling with it too. You’re doing great.” Chanyeol cheerfully replied.

Junmyeon looked up and a small smile was displayed on his face. “Thanks, Chanyeol. I’m still lacking the most, though.”

“Oh, don’t say that hyung! Practice makes perfect.” Jongin chimed.

“Easy for you to say.” Junmyeon muttered, sighing. 

“Don’t beat yourself up over it, buddy! You’ll get better.” Luhan enthusiastically patted him on the back.

“Sometimes I wonder if you really are Chinese.” Minseok inserted, making everyone laugh.

At the end of the day, Junmyeon was still messing up. Sure, he cleaned up most of his mistakes, but those body rolls kept getting him. It was making him frustrated. 

Everyone left the dance room after practice was over but Junmyeon stayed behind. He was not going to hold his team back ever again. He stretched his body one more time and turned the music on, practicing his body rolls over and over again. After the fifth try he grew angry and kicked the water bottle that was lying on the floor.

“Why can’t you get it right, you idiot?” He asked himself loudly before falling onto the floor, completely exhausted. 

“I can help you.” He heard a familiar, slightly accented voice. Junmyeon shot up and turned towards the door where the voice came from.

“Oh, Y-Yixing.” He stuttered, looking at the floor once again in embarrassment.  

“Hello, Junmyeon hyung.”

“How long were you here?” He asked, his face growing red.

“Just for a little while. I noticed that you didn’t come out with us, so I came back.”

“Oh.” Junmyeon lamely replied.

Yixing placed his bag down next to Junmyeon’s belongings and walked towards him. “I’ll help you hyung. It’s easy once you get a hang of it.”

“You only say that because you’re a dancer.”

“Oh, c’mon hyung. Have more confidence. I’ll help you, just trust me. You’re going to learn how to do body rolls.”

Junmyeon only nodded. The younger one demonstrated a few times, giving instructions along the way, but still, he was having trouble.

“Why can’t guys stick to easy, manly dances? Why do we have to roll our bodies for?” Junmyeon muttered. 

Yixing chuckled, hearing every word the other said.

“Here hyung, how about this?” Yixing walked up behind Junmyeon and gingerly placed his hands on his hips.

“Wha— What are you doing?” Junmyeon squeaked, freezing up.

“Relax hyung, I’m helping you learn how to do body rolls.” Yixing smiled, his grip growing tighter. “Ok, hyung, relax your body. And I think it’ll help if you slightly lean your body against mines.”

Junmyeon did as he was told, still a bit shocked from the sudden skinship. Yixing began moving his body.

“Relax hyung,” He whispered, “just follow my body.” 

Junmyeon’s body naturally followed Yixing’s, his body perfectly rolling with the latter’s. 

“You’re doing it hyung!” Yixing grinned. He let go of Junmyeon and the latter stifled a whine because of the heat loss.

Yixing turned the music back on, and the two of them executed the choreography perfectly. 

They hit the final pose and the music ended. Junmyeon smiled widely. He did it! He finally got the whole entire choreography down.

“Thanks, Yixing!”

“You’re welcome hyung.” 

Junmyeon’s eyes twinkled with his bright smile, and it made Yixing’s heart skip a beat. “What can I do to make it up to you?”

Yixing did not hesitate to answer, “You should be my friend, hyung. And you should smile more often. That’d be enough for me.”

His hand shot up to cover his mouth and he blushed. “A-alright.” And so from that they on, Junmyeon became friends with Yixing. 

The next day they were back in the dance room, and Junmyeon proudly did his thing, showing his dance teacher that he perfected the dance routine.

“Wow, Junmyeon! That’s great! Your body rolls are fantastic!” The dance teacher praised him endlessly that day and all he could do was smile and cast thankful glances towards Yixing.

At the end of practice, Junmyeon grabbed Yixing’s wrist. “U-um, can I take you out to eat? I can’t thank you enough.”

“Sure hyung!”

The two of them went to a ddeokbokki stall near the company to have an early lunch. “Sorry, this is all I can afford for now. When we debut, I’ll take you out to a fancy restaurant.”

“It’s ok, hyung. It’s the thought that counts, right?” Yixing smiled at him.

“Y-yeah.” He blushed, looking at his small plate of ddeokbokki. I been blushing and stuttering lately. He noted to himself.

“Hey, hyung. Since we don’t have practice tomorrow, do you want to hang out?”

“S-sure,” he replied. “I have vocal lessons in the morning, but we hang out during the afternoon.”

“Alright!” He looked up to see Yixing cheerfully grinning.

That night, all he could think of was hanging out with Yixing the next day. It got to the point where he didn’t sleep at all. But it didn’t really matter to him. He worked his hardest during the vocal lessons, so he could get out of there as quickly as possible.

“Good job, Junmyeon! At this rate, you’ll be a great vocalist!”

“Thank you,” Junmyeon bowed gratefully to his vocal teacher and exited the room in a hurried manner. He saw Yixing waiting for him at the end of the hallway. He excitedly waved at him and Yixing waved back, equally excited.

The two left the building, walking comfortably side by side. “We should just walk around for a while. I really don’t know what to do, I’m still not familiar with Seoul. Maybe if we were in China, I’d be able to take you to fun place.” 

Junmyeon shrugged, “I doesn’t matter what we do. As long as I’m with you.” He slapped his hand over his mouth as soon as he realized what he said.

Yixing stared at him amusingly. The other still had his hand over his mouth, a tint of bright pink painted on his face.

“S-sorry. I don’t know w-why I said that.” He honestly didn’t know. It just slipped past his lips.

“It’s ok, hyung.” Yixing chuckled. He too had a tint of pink on his cheeks.

The pair continued walking in silence. Their knuckles would occasionally brush against each other, and Junmyeon’s heart would beat so loud he could hear it in his ears. He hoped Yixing couldn’t hear it though. 

Yixing did not know what took over him, but he knew it was what he wanted. He grabbed Junmyeon’s hand and held onto it.

The latter was shocked, and he stole a glance at the former. Yixing looked straight in front of him, a smile displayed on his face. Junmyeon bit his lip to hide a stupid grin from appearing. Yixing soon let go of Junmyeon’s hand, much to Junmyeon’s disappointment. However, Yixing laced his fingers inbetween the other’s. They walked past many stores, but neither of them were paying attention to their surroundings. The only thing on their minds was the fact that their hands molded perfectly together.

It became a habit for them — to hold hands whenever they were together. They held hands when walking to practice, they held hands leaving practice, they held hands when they went out to eat with the other 10, they held hands when it was just them two, they held hands for everyone to see.

Everyone teased them for it and called them love birds.

“Oh, you two cute love birds,” Minseok would coo.

“You two are quite adorable; not as adorable as Zitao, but still adorable.” Kris would chuckle.

Junmyeon would blush every single time and his heart would beat super fast, but there was always a pang of disappointment. Because every single time someone would tease them, Yixing would say, “Of course we hold hands! We’re best friends, this is how I show my affection!”

Just best friends. But it was ok, as long as he got to hold Yixing’s hand.

In the time that they became best friends, Junmyeon opened up more. He talked to everyone now, even the dancers and rappers. He finds Zitao cute and Sehun endearing. He wondered why he never really talked to the two adorable kids. Kyungsoo pointed out to everyone that Junmyeon was coming out of shell.

“Yeah! Of course he is! I helped him open up. I was the first one he actually opened up to!” Yixing would happily beam. And that would just leave Junmyeon happily dying on the inside.

Two months after they became friends, Yixing swore he was going to go crazy.

“Hi, Yixing!” Junmyeon smile at him.

“Hi, hyung!” He replied. Junmyeon smiled at him again and he ran off to hug to Sehun.

“Ah, hyung!” Sehun playfully whined.

“What? I just want to hug my little cutie!”

“Hyung!” Sehun whined again. “I’m not a little cutie.”

“Yes you are,” Junmyeon laughed, ruffling the other’s hair. “You’re my little cutie.”

“I’m going to tell Luhan hyung on you!”

“Oh no!” Junmyeon gasped, placing his hands on his cheeks. “I’m scared!”

Sehun, who was embarrassed of his hyung’s antics, buried his blushing face into Junmyeon’s neck.

Yixing could feel the jealously swimming into ever vein, artery, organ in his body. He didn’t even know why.

“You know, hyung, if glares could kill, you’d be considered a murderer.” He heard Baekhyun whisper into his ear.

“Leave me alone,” Yixing softly growled, not wanting to make a scene.

“You’re obviously jealous, hyung,” Chanyeol whispered into his other ear.

“I am not!” Yixing replied. 

“Yes you are,” The two simultaneously whispered. Yixing angrily threw his hands in the air, stomped towards the other two, grabbed Junmyeon’s wrist and pulled him away from Sehun.

“Hey!” Junmyeon cried as Yixing dragged him from the room.

“What did you two do?” Jongdae sighed. Baekhyun and Chanyeol merely shrugged.

Outside, Yixing had pushed Junmyeon against a wall, far from the practice room. “What are you doing, Yixing?” He asked, rubbing his burning wrist.

“I should be the one asking you that!”

“What are you talking about?” Junmyeon asked, his eyes watering. He innocently looked at the fuming dancer, and tried blinking the tears away. Yixing wouldn’t reply.

“You’re scaring me, Yixing. What’s wrong? Why are you mad?”

Yixing glared at him, still not giving an answer.

“You hurt my wrist,” He whimpered.

Yixing’s anger dissipated in an instant. “I’m sorry, hyung. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He grabbed the other’s wrist and tried rubbing the pain away.

“Why are you mad?” Junmyeon repeated after a couple moments of silence.

“I was just — I — you…” Yixing didn’t know how to reply. He didn’t want to tell him Junmyeon that he was jealous of the poor maknae.

Junmyeon looked at him expectantly, waiting for an answer. 

“I,” he sighed, “I was just jealous, ok? I don’t know why. But I was jealous when I saw you hugging and playing with Sehun.”

He looked every where, avoiding Junmyeon’s eyes. “I’m sorry.” He was ashamed of his actions. 

Junmyeon placed his hand on Yixing’s chin and brought his face up. Junmyeon searched Yixing’s face.

After finding his answer, he closed his eyes and softly placed his lips on Yixing’s. The latter froze but soon melted into the sweet kiss. He kissed back and could feel Junmyeon’s lips curling into a smile.

When they pulled apart, their faces were red and their hearts beated irregularly fast.

“You’re an idiot, Yixing.” Junmyeon stated before leaning in for another kiss.

“I’m only an idiot for you.” Yixing whispered against his lips, resting his forehead on Junmyeon’s forehead.