A/N: This is by far the most I've ever written in one day.  Congrats, AFF readers.  This is what you've done to me. :) Thank you for all of your support.  Enjoy~ and don't forget to leave some feedback! ^^

===

            Jongup adjusts his gray cardigan, buttoning it up and then undoing everything because he just can’t seem to decide which style looks better.  Frustrated, the dancer decides to just put on his jeans first and focus on the cardigan later.  He makes sure the white shirt isn’t stuck in his jeans before gazing into the mirror again.

            “Definitely ed,” the brunette smiles into the mirror.  He fixes the one strand of hair sticking up and puts on his sneakers afterward.  As he’s wrapping his black scarf around his neck, Jongup’s mother calls from downstairs, asking her son to bring the mail into the house.  Being the admirable son he was, the dancer obediently accomplishes this task before he bids his mother goodbye and heads to the café for his arranged meeting with Daehyun.  Jongup wasn’t sure what he was supposed to call these meetings to be honest.  They weren’t really hang-outs since the two only sat and talked, but they were for sure not dates either.  But Jongup was determined to fix that as well.

            The brunette opens the door to the café, causing the bell on top to jingle as he stepped inside.  Scanning his new surroundings, Jongup finds Daehyun playing a game on his phone almost instantly.  The new earmuffs Jongup gifted him were hard to miss and the red scarf definitely stood out from everyone else’s winter outfits.  Jongup smiles and approaches Daehyun’s table before taking a seat across from him; the latter does not seem to notice his presence as he presses his glasses closer to his face and concentrates deeply on his game.

            “Hey,” Jongup says and Daehyun bounces on his seat in surprise, dropping his phone but then scrambling and catching it a millisecond before it hits the table.  Jongup laughs at this cute scene, but is interrupted by the waitress asking for his order.

            “A caramel latte please,” Jongup smiles at her before he notices that Daehyun currently doesn’t have a beverage.  “Make that two, noona.”

            She nods and disappears into the kitchen, leaving the two alone.  Daehyun returns to his mind-boggling game though, but Jongup doesn’t mind because the vocalist’s confused expression is adorable.  But when Daehyun finally feels Jongup’s eyes on him, he immediately sets his phone back down.

            “Sorry, that level has been bothering me all day…” Daehyun apologizes.  Jongup insists on trying and Daehyun merely scoffs.  “If I can’t complete it, how can you?”

            “Are you underestimating me?”

            “I know I’m right,” Daehyun claims, but nonetheless, he slides his phone over to the dancer.  “I’m always right, Jongup-ah.”

            “What happened to the honorifics?” Jongup sneers as he grabs the phone and attempts the level.  He notices Daehyun’s face going pink behind the screen though and Jongup can’t help but feel a little warmer inside despite the cold weather.  Daehyun has deemed Jongup close enough to drop the formalities.

            Daehyun is speechless and doesn’t reply, but he’s silently grateful when the waitress comes with their drinks.  The singer instantly grabs his and begins sipping to avoid the question.  Jongup doesn’t pay much attention though because the game is frustrating him now as well.  Daehyun notices this and chuckles to himself as he watches the other suffer.

            “Don’t laugh,” Jongup says, sliding his finger pad across the screen.  “I got this.”

            “Are you sure about tha—”

            “Done.”

            Daehyun’s jaw drops, causing the straw to fall out of his mouth.  “What?”

            Jongup turns the phone around so that the screen is facing Daehyun with LEVEL COMPLETE in big bold letters.  The dumbfounded expression on the singer’s face only makes Jongup’s smile widen.  The dancer returns the phone and takes a sip from his caramel latte.

            “So what did you want to bring up again…?” Daehyun asks, finally bringing up the whole purpose of this meeting.

            Jongup shrugs as if he doesn’t know, but to be honest, he really does.  This is when Daehyun notices that Jongup is wearing a cardigan during the winter.  The vocalist raises an eyebrow at this.  Something was definitely up… Why would Jongup dress this nicely at the end of December?

            “Please don’t tell me that white shirt and cardigan are the only layers you have on,” Daehyun mumbles, but Jongup catches it.

            “This white shirt and cardigan are the only layers I have on,” Jongup says and Daehyun almost spits his coffee into the dancer’s face.  He swallows the coffee in his mouth though and takes another sip, but as soon as Jongup finishes his next sentence, the drink does come flying out onto the table.

            “Will you go out with me?”

            Jongup is a bit shocked at Daehyun’s reaction, but he is quick to hand the other a handful of napkins.  Daehyun takes them and hurriedly wipes the table and his mouth before returning his stare to the brunette’s face.

            “W-What?”

            Jongup suddenly becomes nervous and this time, he is the one avoiding eye contact.  The confidence in his voice seems to vanish as he repeats himself, almost inaudibly, “W-Will you go out with me?”

            Daehyun catches the question though, but he is skeptical about it.  “Is… this a prank?”

            Jongup feels a throbbing in his gut, not because Daehyun hadn’t said yes but because he has been bullied too often to even believe Jongup is asking this question sincerely.  Jongup looks up to find pain in the other’s eyes as they gaze doubtfully back at him. 

            “Have you been using me?” Daehyun asks again, his voice breaking mid-sentence.

            “No…” Jongup responds as he takes the napkin and reaches to dab Daehyun’s eyes before the tears start spilling.  “I would never use you, Daehyun.  I like you, and I’m serious… Please don’t misunderstand.”

            “But you hang out with them,” Daehyun replies quietly, referring to the students who mistreat him.

            “That doesn’t mean I’m like them,” Jongup sighs and reaches into his pocket before retrieving a small navy blue box with a silver ribbon on top.  “I even stopped hanging out with them because all I could think of was meeting you on the rooftop… and I thought you had a thing for me, too.”

            Jongup pushes the box just enough for it to slide across the table to Daehyun, who stares at him still doubtfully as he hesitantly removes the lid.  Jongup’s heart is beating as fast as ever by now as he nervously waits for the latter’s answer.  Daehyun gasps as soon as he sees the item lying in the box.  It’s a silver-chained bracelet with Daehyun’s name attached to it in hangul.  The vocalist’s glasses slide down his nose because of gravity, but Daehyun doesn’t even seem to care.

            “J-Jongup?” he calls out, not looking at the other.

            “Will you go out with me?” Jongup repeats, his confidence revived.  “We won’t go public if you don’t want to.  I promise I’ll respect your needs.  I even waited a few days after Christmas to ask you instead of on Christmas Day itself because I wanted to get you two separate presents each year—one for Christmas and one for our anniversary… so please say yes.”

            Daehyun nods immediately, tossing all his doubts out the window and inserting all his trust into the boy across from him.  And Jongup can’t help but laugh because he had finally achieved what he set out to do.  Daehyun stays silent however as he takes another sip from his latte.  The crème rests on his philtrum when he sets the mug back down and Jongup smiles at how cute and clumsy the latter is.

            “Hey, you got something below your nose,” Jongup mentions and Daehyun raises his sleeve to wipe it off, but Jongup grips onto his wrist, stopping the vocalist from doing so.  “I got it.”

            And this time, Jongup doesn’t hesitate to lean over the table and attach his lips to the other’s.  It’s soft and sweet, lasting only two seconds before the dancer pulls away, leaving Daehyun as red as a tomato.  Jongup smiles at how cute the sight is.

---

            They act as if they don’t know each other at school on Monday to avoid any suspicions, but as soon as Tuesday comes around, they’re back on the rooftop  and Jongup is sly, sneaking kisses whenever Daehyun least expects it.  A month goes by and rumors are finally afloat, regarding their relationship, but no one really believes them because they all refuse to believe that Jongup, the school’s most popular kid, would fall in love with the nerd with glasses Daehyun.  The dancer notices Daehyun’s insecurity during the times the rumors are evident, and he is quick to comfort the other and assure Daehyun that he really really does like him.

            As soon as their fourth month together arrives, Jongup rips a flyer about prom tickets off the school board and rushes to his class with Daehyun.  He approaches the singer, who has his glasses on as he’s studying from the book, and does not wait to slam the paper down.

            “Go to prom with me.”

            Daehyun his head up so that he is looking at Jongup.  “What?”

            “Let’s go to prom together.”

            “And go public?”

            Jongup ponders for a bit before he nods his head yes.  Daehyun replies with negatively though.

            “Why not?  Are you still feeling insecure?” Jongup rests a hand on Daehyun’s shoulder because no one else is in class.  He had come early to first period because he knew Daehyun would be there alone.  It was the perfect time to ask.

            “No, I’m over that,” Daehyun laughs, removing the dancer’s hand.  “I have my vocal ensemble recital that night.”

            Jongup scoffs.  “Why would Mr. Shin hold the recital on the same night as prom?”

            “I don’t know, go ask him,” Daehyun shrugs, flipping to the next page.  “I would have ditched the recital to go with you, but I have a solo so I can’t back out.”

            “Wait, so you’re telling me you’re willing to go public?” Jongup asks, taking the seat in front of Daehyun, who nods absentmindedly.

            Jongup’s mouth forms an “o,” even though the vocalist can’t see it.  He returns to his own seat right before a student enters the room.  She has her hair curled today and enters with a suspicious look on her face, probably because Daehyun and Jongup are the only two inside.  Shrugging it off, the girl approaches Jongup and sets her books on his table.

            “Oppa, will you go to prom with me?” she asks, battering her eyelashes.  Jongup finds himself about to puke, but he swallows and smiles back at her.

            “Sorry, Soomi, I don’t think I can go.”

            “Why not, oppa?”

            “I have no date to prom anyway, so I figured I’d go to the vocal ensemble recital.”

            On the other side of the room, Daehyun displays a surprised expression.  Jongup was going to ditch Himchan and all the girls fawning over him just to attend his recital?

            “The recital?” the girl asks questioningly.  “Who wants to hear those losers sing?”

            Jongup shrugs.  “I guess I do.”

            Upset and enraged, Soomi heads over to her own seat and pouts the moment she sits down.  A few more students enter the classroom then, and about two or three of the girls approach Jongup to ask him as well, but of course he turns them all down with the same reason, leaving them all confused and wondering what was going on.

            Later that week, Jongup waits for Daehyun on the rooftop, but grows impatiently as soon as the first ten minutes of lunch perish.  He sighs and assumes Daehyun might have forgotten before heading down the stairs and searching for his lover.  After checking the singer’s locker as well as the cafeteria, the dancer stops at the vocal ensemble room’s door only to hear the familiar vocals singing the emotional lyrics of 4MEN’s What Are You Doing.  Jongup is quick to recognize Daehyun’s voice, but it takes him a while to absorb the melody that sends chills down his spine.  As soon as the song ends, the dancer hears Daehyun excusing himself from the classroom and before he knows it, Daehyun had opened the door and run smack into Jongup’s body.

            “I’m so sorry!  I was going to meet you!” Daehyun explains in his panicked state as he helps the other up from the ground.  “You’re not mad at me, right?”

            Jongup stands up and gains his balance easily as he smiles at the vocalist.  “That was beautiful.”

            “I’m sorry!” Daehyun repeats himself.  “I know we were supposed to meet, but Mr. Shin said we would have a rehearsal at lunch today and I didn’t see you so I couldn’t tell you and the recital is next week, so—”

            Jongup shuts Daehyun up with his lips.  He pulls away instantly though and while Daehyun is still distracted, Jongup hurriedly tells him that everything is alright.  But little did they know that one of the girls had witnessed the scene.

            The rumors are even more intense during the following week, as news about Daehyun and Jongup kissing begin to stir.  However, most of the girls don’t believe it because Jongup had already claimed that he had no date to prom.  But they didn’t know that his date was going to be performing at the recital.

            Prom night arrives faster than expected, but it’s really recital night for Daehyun and Jongup.  The auditorium’s audience is a little more occupied than usual, and Jongup assumes it’s because of the news claiming that he will be there.  And it’s true because Jongup does arrive—in a white suit instead of casual clothing with a large bag in his hand.  The attention falls onto him the moment he steps inside and he hears lots of murmurings as he takes his seat alone in the second row.  Surprisingly, no one approaches the dancer though because they are all too busy admiring him from afar.

            The recital begins a few moments later and Jongup struggles a bit to find his boyfriend in the large ensemble.  It doesn’t help either that everyone is dressed in black buttoned shirts and slacks.  The first performance finishes and Jongup is still struggling but he finds the familiar head of dark brown hair by the beginning of the second song.  By then, half of the audience had left the auditorium, probably convinced that Jongup would not be leaving his seat.  And by the end of the fourth song, all of the girls are gone, probably leaving to the dance which was starting an hour later.  By then, only Jongup and the parents are left.

            But Jongup doesn’t leave his seat.  The songs don’t put him to sleep, because he is too captivated by Daehyun’s eyes that seem to glisten under the spotlight as he sings in unison with the ensemble.  The group splits in half during the ninth song though, which catches Jongup’s attention, and he is definitely taken away when the pathway opens for the familiar appearance of Daehyun, without his glasses.  The boy slowly walks down the steps and steps toward the microphone before adjusting it until it is the appropriate height.  Another student takes her seat at the piano and cues Daehyun by making eye contact before her fingers begin to press down on the keys.

            The singer’s deep voice rings throughout the auditorium, flashing right into Jongup’s ears as the dancer is close to tearing as he watches his boyfriend do what he does best.  The flaming passion that drives Daehyun’s voice on appeals to Jongup to no end, and the brunette realizes he has not blinked since Daehyun began singing.  By the end of the song, Daehyun’s gaze shifts toward his left and he stares directly at Jongup for just one second before looking straight forward once more, hitting his last note with the perfect pitch, ending the recital for the night.

            Jongup is first to stand and clap and the parents follow right after.  The applause is long as Daehyun and the piano player bow with the ensemble doing the same behind them.  Daehyun runs off the stage and Jongup jumps off of his seat abandoning the bag as he scrambles toward the vocalist and immediately embracing him.

            “You were amazing,” Jongup whispers into Daehyun’s ear, not letting go of the vocalist who is surprisingly wetting the dancer’s shoulder with his tears.

            “Thank you so much for coming.”

            Daehyun’s parents approach them when they are finished hugging, and the singer’s mother immediately embraces Jongup as well.

            “Thank you for everything, Jongup-ah,” she says, patting his back.  “You revived the self-esteem that Daehyun had lost.”

            Jongup smiles and nods, hugging the woman and shaking hands with Daehyun’s father who was silently thanking him as well.  They offer to drive Jongup back home, but he asks for permission to go to Daehyun’s house instead.  A whisper from Jongup into Mr. Jung’s ear causes Daehyun’s father to say yes immediately as Jongup goes to retrieve his bag before they all get into the car.  Daehyun and his mother wonder why his father is slightly speeding on the way home, but Jongup is strangely not worried.  Jongup pulls Daehyun as soon as they enter the house and leads the vocalist up to his room with his bag in his other hand while Daehyun’s father explains to Mrs. Jung the whole situation in the kitchen, which causes Daehyun’s mother to jump in delight.

            “Why are you so rushed?” Daehyun asks as he takes his glasses off of the nightstand and puts them on, sighing in relief.  “Ah, perfect vision again…”

            “You don’t wear glasses when you perform?” Jongup asks curiously.

            “I do better when I see the audience in a blur… it makes me less nervous,” Daehyun cheekily smiles as he strips out of his clothing and sets his pajamas on the bed before leaving to the bathroom to take a shower.

            As soon as the bathroom door shuts, Jongup quickly opens his bag and retrieves what’s inside.  He takes Daehyun’s pajamas from the bed and puts them back in the closet before replacing the outfit with a stainless white suit that matched his own.  He waits patiently for the other to return from the shower as he fixed the few out-of-place strands of hair on his head.

            A few minutes later, the bathroom door opens, revealing Daehyun with a towel around his waist and his hair wet and messy.  Jongup gulps and Daehyun immediately notices his presence before running back into the bathroom and closing the door.

            “You’re still here?” Daehyun asks from inside the bathroom.

            “Y-Yes… I asked to come to your house for a reason, y’know,” Jongup laughs.  “And we’re both guys, Daehyun… and more importantly, I’m your boyfriend, so get out and look at my surprise.”

            A sigh is heard before the door opens once more and Daehyun shyly approaches Jongup.  He stops in the middle of his tracks though when he realizes the outfit on the bed.

            “S-So this is why you’re wearing that,” realization finally hits the vocalist, but he doesn’t seem too happy.  “Prom started an hour ago though…”

            “And we still have three hours left,” Jongup smiled as he helps the other into his clothing.  They blow-dry Daehyun’s hair until it is voluminous and breath-taking.  Daehyun puts his glasses on and takes a look of himself in the mirror before frowning.  Jongup notices this and embraces Daehyun from the back.

            “You look great,” Jongup compliments him before softly inhaling the scent of Daehyun’s shampoo.  Daehyun stares a while longer, his expression not changing.  He seems to be pondering on something.  A few moments pass before Daehyun removes Jongup’s arms from his waist and pulls the other into the restroom, where he opens the cupboard and removes a container from it.  Daehyun hesitates to open this container though but with Jongup’s encouragement—even though he had no idea what was inside—the vocalist eventually takes off the lid, revealing a clear liquid.  But as soon as Daehyun puts his finger inside the water and pulls out a transparent and slightly curved circle, Jongup knows exactly what it is.  Daehyun owns contact lens!

            “I haven’t used these before,” Daehyun mentions.  “It seems so uncomfortable, touching your pupil and then squeezing it…”

            At that moment, Jongup bursts into a fit of laughter.  Daehyun is a little offended by this but then Jongup reaches to his own eye and gently squeezes his pupil, removing his own contact lens.

            “You wear them and you never told me?!” Daehyun asks with a shocked expression.

            “Because they’re not that big of a deal,” Jongup smiles, but then it fades.  “If you’re only deciding to wear the contact lens because you don’t think you look good enough for me, then don’t because I love you just the way you are.”

            Daehyun nods his head no though.  “I know you love me the way I am and I know I don’t embarrass you.  But I don’t want to look like a nerd at the dance of my life.”

            The dancer hesitantly agrees, but when Daehyun kisses him to reassure him, Jongup immediately begins to help the other put the contact lens on.  As soon as they are done, the two skip down the stairs where Daehyun’s father is waiting with the car keys.  He hands them to Jongup who bows in thanks before guiding Daehyun to the vehicle.  Meanwhile, Mrs. Jung comes with the camera, but is blocked by her husband.

            “They’ll have lots of pictures from the dance,” he simply states as they watch the kids leave from their window.

---

            Jongup parks the car in the lot and gets out before hurrying to the passenger seat’s door and helping Daehyun out, causing the singer to laugh.

            “I’m not a woman…”

            “But I love you.”

            “That doesn’t make me a woman.”

            “It makes me want to open the door for you.”

            This quarrel continues until they reach the door, where Jongup hands the security guard his purchased tickets.  Daehyun finally realizes that Jongup had paid for his ticket, which meant two hundred dollars in total, but before the latter can complain, Jongup has already opened the door, allowing the intense beat to seep through their ears.  Gasps are heard when Jongup enters.

            “J-Jongup-oppa?”

            “I thought he wasn’t coming?”

            “He had no date!”

            “He went to the recital!”

            “I saw him there in the same white suit!”

            “He arrived so fashionably late…”

            “But he looks amazing.”

            “He’s leading someone inside!”

            “Who’s that?”

            “Is that his date?”

            “He looks familiar.”

            “Is that Daehyun?”

            “Why does he look so different?”

            “He’s not wearing glasses!”

            “Daehyun looks—”

            “Handsome…”

            “They are dating!”

            Daehyun is nervous as he steps inside, too overwhelmed by the endless bickering from the students on the dance floor.  Everyone’s eyes are on the couple at the door and Daehyun silent curses the fact that Jongup had chosen white as their color.  They were so noticeable!  He was okay with going public, but he never agreed to be the center of attention.  His thoughts are interrupted though when the DJ switches the song to something much slower.  The colorful spotlights start to drift smoothly and a bright white one shines directly at the couple on the door.  Daehyun squints as his eyes try to adjust, but Jongup doesn’t seem bothered as he guides his date to the dance floor.  The dancer takes the lead and guides Daehyun with no direction, gazing deep into his lover’s eyes.

            “Thank you for going out with me,” Jongup whispers a steals a kiss at Daehyun’s forehead, not bothering to scoot the hair away, “and for coming with me to prom.”

            There are a million things that Daehyun wants to thank Jongup for at the moment—for saving his life, for comforting him during his moth difficult times, for noticing him when no one else did, for treating him like a human being, for simply just being there for him.  But at that moment as he stares into the dancer’s loving eyes, Daehyun cannot put his thoughts to words.  But Jongup silently knows what he is thinking just by the gleam in his pupils.  The dancer doesn’t need to hear Daehyun say it because he already knows how thankful the latter is.  Daehyun opens his mouth as if he is going to say something, but he closes it in hesitance.  Nonetheless, the sparkle in his eyes doesn’t disappear.  Determined, Daehyun forces all of his thoughts and thanks into one statement, allowing the words to escape his lips.

            “I love you.”

            Before Jongup can reply, Daehyun has already leaned in and claimed his lips in the most breath-taking kiss of his life.  And Jongup eagerly returns the kiss, allowing the endless murmurs and gasps behind them to fade into thin air.

Fin