3.
Daydreams
Jongin's room was a mess. There were clothes, though clean, scattered everywhere. No matter what he put on, he managed to convince himself that there was something wrong with it that would cost him at the audition. If something looked good, it didn't allow movement and if it allowed movement, it didn't look good. Keeping in mind that years down the road he might have to perform in jeans, he slid into his favourite pair of black pants and a bold red sweatshirt. It wasn't perfect, but it would do.
He fixed his hair and dug into his drawer to pull out a eyeliner pencil that he saved mostly for concerts and special occasions. Mastering the art of looking like he wasn't wearing makeup was a must for his pride. He stood close to the mirror and tilted his chin up, using small to make a subtle difference, but it gave him the confidence that Taemin stressed was so dire to his success. Jongin looked himself over in the mirror and sighed.
He took a large intake of breath and let out a few staggered and controlled yelps, a vocal warm up Taemin had showed him. His phone blinked from it's charger across the room.
New Message:Taemin
Be there in 10. Don't forget to stretch!!:D
Right. Jongin found a spot on the floor and stretched his legs out in front of him and reached him arms forward, wrapping his hands completely around his feet with ease, bouncing a little before throwing his legs in a straddle. He flopped his stomach down flat on the floor and started deep breathing in attempt to calm his nerves. He heard 'get it' by SHINee play from across the room and stood up to answer his phone.
"Hello?"
"I'm outside. Hurry, I wanna take you somewhere before we hit the company building" The line went dead.
Jongin hastily grabbed his bag and checked his appearance out once more before flinging the door open and scurrying to the passengers side of Taemin's car. He hopped in to a blast of hot air being directed straight at his face. He never understood why the older boy kept his vehicle so damn hot.
"Holy eyeliner," Taemin admired fondly.
Jongin subcontiously reached to his eyes, he usually hated when people noticed that he was wearing makeup. ", is it too much?"
Taemin's mouth turned up in one corner as he turned the key, starting up the car. "Naw, looks hot."
Jongin suppressed an eye roll. He had already decided that he wasn't going to ask about the scene in the kitchen the day before, but Taemin wasn't making it easy. They had never done anything, and hints weren't enough for Jongin. He needed someone to practically wave a banner in front of his face yelling "Hey moron, I like you." for him even to believe someone had a slight interest in him.
The two girlfriends he had in the past were strong personalities that had made the first move and asked him out, because he had no idea how to. He shook himself out of his thoughts when Taemin pulled into a little icecream shop that Jongin wasn't even sure was still in business. The paint was chipping off all of the wood and there was duct tape lining a window.
"My mom took me here before my audition." He sighed. "I'm sorry, this is kinda personal. I hope you don't mind. I just really think you deserve this and I want you to do well. "
Jongin offered the older boy a smile. "No, it's fine. I love ice cream."
~~~
The two tossed their empty cups in the trash as they walked in a building and were immediately greeted by a lady working at a small cafe. Taemin greeted her by first name. Jongin kept his mind blank to avoid getting nervous, he moved,ate,and spoke when necessary but tried to keep in game mode. They walked in silence for a while , a surprisingly comfortable silence given that they had only just met and that Jongin wanted to rip all of Taemin's clothes off.
The two tossed their empty cups in the trash as they walked in a building and were immediately greeted by a lady working at a small cafe. Taemin greeted her by first name. Jongin kept his mind blank to avoid getting nervous, he moved,ate,and spoke when necessary but tried to keep in game mode. They walked in silence for a while , a surprisingly comfortable silence given that they had only just met and that Jongin wanted to rip all of Taemin's clothes off.
"Okay, he's going to ask you what you prepared for him. Just follow my lead." Taemin said, as if he were talking about the fact that they had run out of bread or needed to get toilette paper.
"PREPARED FOR HIM? Nobody said anything about-"
"Shh. I know, I did this on purpose. Confidence, remember?" Taemin spoke with such confidence all the time. He placed both of his hands on Jongin's shoulders. "I believe in you."
Jongin gave a weak smile, wanting to melt into the floor with the older boy's pleasantly warm hands resting on him, reassuring him. Taemin gave him a quick pat before turning around and leading the younger into a dance studio. The walls were painted an ugly yellow and the room was poorly lit, mirrors covering one wall completely. He expected the blue wall with the painted clouds, but wasn't about to complain.
"Oh, thank God you're here. Sorry I don't have time for formal introductions. Sit. You, Jongin? Stand over there." The man's voice wasn't harsh, just rushed. He moved over on a wooden block slightly, making room for Taemin to scoot in next to him. Jongin made his way awkwardly to the center of the room.
"Okay, what have you prepared?" The man in the suit asked expectantly.
Taemin grinned and sat up straight, voice full of pride. "That's the thing. He hasn't prepared anything, I told him not to. Watch."
Taemin nodded towards Jongin who gave him a slightly annoyed and mostly confused look. The boy in the center of the room was getting nervous, breaking a sweat when he hadn't even moved and a knot twisting in his stomach. The older boy mouthed the word 'confident' before he actually spoke. "Jongin, do 'Lucifer'."
Jongin understood now. He did the most intricate part of the dance first, adding in vocals as he moved. He was just getting into the one song before he heard Taemin shout again.
"Replay!"
"Sherlock!"
"Hello!"
"Juliette!"
"Amigo!"
By the end, Jongin had given up on singing and focused solely on the moves that he had spent hours perfecting. He was a panting, sweaty mess as he tried to make the moves look effortless, trying to make them look like Taemin did. When he saw the man in the suit wave his hand for him to stop he crouched down low on the ground, near sitting from exhaustion. His hair was sticking to his forehead and he had given up trying to keep a nice appearance, peeling off his sweatshirt to reveal a mere black tank top underneath.
He stood up just in time to here the man say to Taemin, "Get him showered and show him around. He's a gem, good job Taemin." before rushing out to where ever he needed to be.
As soon as Jongin heard the door close he collapsed on his back , throwing his head backwards and letting out a somewhat insane sounding laugh that echoed through the studio. The laugh turned into a groan as he let his eyes fall shut, enjoying the cold temperature of the hardwood floor.
Taemin was grinning down at the younger boy. "I told you. You're good. Do you believe me enough to have confidence now?"
Jongin ignored the other boy for the first time since they'd officially met. He was basking in his own glory , which he hardly ever did. He was so ing proud of himself, he could feel how close he was to accomplishing everything he'd ever wanted.
But he couldn't do that from the floor.
Standing up he let out a heartless, bitter laugh."What exactly does confidence mean to you, Taemin?"
The older boy gave Jongin a questioning look. "It means being sure enough of yourself to pursue what you want."
Jongin was now walking slowly towards Taemin, who was backing up towards the wall. Giving the older a 'taste of his own medicine' so to speak, he moved his eyes slowly from Taemin's plump, now parted, lips to his feet and slowly back up. Jongin bit his bottom lip, eyes glued to Taemin's as the older boys back hit the wall.
Jongin cocked his head to the side. "You know what I want?"
Taemin stood still. He knew exactly what the other boy wanted.
"I want more of that ice cream, can we go back there?" Jongin asked, a -eating grin spreading across his face before he burst out in laughter, turning around and teasingly pretending to walk away.
Taemin let out a long breath, one he had obviously been holding. His long breath turned into a laugh and he ran directly at Jongin, reaching out to lace his fingers behind the youngers neck. He twirled in a half circle around the younger who had been jokingly walking away and face him.
Still laughing and smiling, Taemin shook his head at the boy he was holding on to. " you."
Jongin was unexplainably thankful that the adrenaline was still rushing through his veins because otherwise he probably would have passed out. He put his hands on Taemin's hips gently, pulling him closer as he began to tilt his head. When he saw Taemin reacting positively he swooped in, claiming the older boys lips with his own. He s his hands from around the older's waist to grip around his back. They kissed innocently before smiling against each others mouths and pulling apart. Even through the adrenaline Jongin felt his heart flutter and a lump form in his throat.
Taemin was the first to break the silence. "Is it bad that I spent more time watching your video's because I thought you were super hot then because of the dancing? Like I've seen those dances a hundred times but an like that you only see once in a lifetime." Taemin reached around Jongin's body and pinched his before bolting out of the room.
"Hey, what the ?" Jongin giggled as he chased after Taemin, reaching out for revenge on the older boy.
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