Shutting off the engine of his convertible, Kyuhyun nervously ran his fingers through his tousled locks as he surreptitiously glanced at the man in the seat beside him.

Throughout the entire ride, the two of them had sat in near silence, awkward small talk failing to bridge the tension between them. It wasn’t the sort of tension that arose from hatred or anger. No, this sort of feeling is best described as the tingly, fluttering, heart-attack inducing sensation called first date jitters.

Or, in simpler terms, butterflies.

At this rate, Kyuhyun swore his whole car was filled with those irritating winged insects.

Stepping swiftly out of his car door, Kyuhyun pointed the automatic car keys at the vehicle and locked it, the soft click reassuring him that his baby was safe and sound in the crowded parking lot. Tenderly caressing the glossy hood, the cellist smiled in satisfaction. The vehicle was in pristine condition, all thanks to him and his weekly “Car and Me” pampering sessions.

He couldn’t help it. The man loved his red and black striped Mini Cooper. A lot.

Lost in his self-congratulatory happiness, Kyuhyun almost failed to notice the muffled pounding sounds coming from the interior of his car. Wrinkling his eyebrows, he eyed the tinted window quizzically before slapping his forehead in frustration.

He had locked Sungmin in the car.

Frantically unlocking the striped door, he gingerly held out his hand for the blonde to take. Eyeing the man nervously, Kyuhyun gulped.

Smooth Kyuhyun, be smooth, he chanted internally to himself.

However, Sungmin didn’t seem very mad at the man for forgetting him, the blonde only appearing a little flustered as he accepted Kyuhyun’s hand and stepped outside the car. Mumbling a quiet “It’s alright” to the cellist’s effusion of apologies, the duo walked down the crowded sidewalk towards the concert hall.  

Kyuhyun grinned idiotically as he tightened his grasp on the shorter’s hand. Their intertwined fingers felt comforting to him, as if signaling to him that Sungmin was willing to overlook his silly mistakes and flaws.

And anyways, there was no way he could screw this up even further right?

Hidden behind the bright floral foliage, Henry and Changmin simultaneously facepalmed at their friend’s idiocy.

After learning about Kyuhyun’s little date, the young conductor had immediately called up everyone’s favorite Canadian maknae for a little espionage/makeover session for their mutual friend.

After a brief 3 minute brainstorming pow-wow over the phone, the mischievous duo, out of their never ending generosity and love for the evil maknae, had stolen his house keys, snuck into his house, and sat expectantly holding out a brand new outfit for the cellist.

Nearly scared out of his wits as he strolled into his own house, Kyuhyun had let out a girlish little squeal when he saw the two stoically sitting on his couch, ominous chills running down his back as he eyed the duo with trepidation.

He had just come home from school, still rather high from the prospect of the date with Sungmin, and now his blood ran cold. To the outside world, Changmin and Henry seemed like beautiful angel children, reminiscent of chubby squirrels and pompom tailed rabbits, but no, Kyuhyun knew better.

Under every angelic face there was a demon waiting to come out.

Seeing the man’s nervousness, Changmin’s lips twisted up into a grin that eerily reminded Kyuhyun of a rather demented Cheshire hat.

Before the cellist could even utter a word, the duo pounced, holding the man down as if he was a kicking and biting infant alligator. With the effiency of a raging American Mid-West tornado, the conductor and the violinist easily stripped Kyuhyun of his usual button down and black jeans, outfitting him with what Changmin proudly declared as “proper date fashion”.

Kyuhyun eyed his new outfit wearily.

The two had him decked in a checkered black and white button down with a matte finished black suit jacket, the cuffs neatly rolled up to reveal the shirt sleeves underneath. A black bow-tie was neatly secured at his neck and the jacket flared out into old fashioned coat tails that floated gracefully whenever he moved. Slim fitting slacks adorned his long legs and tapered leather dress shoes completed the look.

Henry couldn’t help but fanboy. “Hyung you look like the perfect date! Sungmin’s going to love it!”

Changmin quickly shushed his dongsaeng. “Come on Henry. We’re not finished yet. There’s that mop of hair we still need to deal with.”

Ignoring Kyuhyun’s rapid protests, the leader of this whole mission quickly shoved Kyuhyun into a chair and powered up his mom’s curling iron that he had, in his moment of genius, brought with him.

Messily wrapping short wisps of dark brown hair into the barrel, Kyuhyun successfully resembled a very ruffled and disgruntled poodle by the time the two were done with him.

Taking a wide toothed comb, Changmin brushed out the curls and patted the dark haired man on the back the way a father would before sending his son out on his first date. Wiping away imaginary tears from his eyes, he pointed a finger towards the door before dramatically whispering to the scoffing cellist.

“Go on Kyuhyun. Make me proud.”

Ignoring the man’s dramatics, Kyuhyun had eagerly grabbed his car keys and escaped the clutches of his friends.

The company of his Minnie was much better for his mental health and sanity.

Reaching the concert venue, Sungmin blinked in rapid succession as he attempted to take in the luxury and glamour of the music hall.

Red velvet carpeted the floors and the seats, ebony wood accents appearing in tasteful locations; the place screamed upper class society.

The ceiling was covered in hexagonal panels for the best sound quality, the futuristic design foreign to the boy used to his plain school auditorium.  

Fancily dressed couples and families milled around the aisles as light conversation filled the air. At the center of the stage, prominent members of society could be seen sipping on cocktails as they waited for the concert to start.

In short, all of the things that belonged in Kyuhyun’s world that will never be in his.  

A slight tug on his hand snapped him out of his revelry as he looked up into Kyuhyun’s eyes, concern being reflected at him through those wide chocolate brown orbs.

“Are you alright? Our seats are at the front so we’ll still have to walk for a bit longer.”

He quietly nodded his head to signal that he was fine, the taller once again leading him by the hand towards the private box that Changmin had reserved for them.

Just as they settled down into their seats, the lighting dimmed as the trickling of musicians stepping onstage could be heard beyond the closed curtains. The conversations ceased as all attention was now focused on the wide spacious stage that could hold an orchestra with over 100 members.

With a quiet swoosh, the curtains parted to reveal the musicians, all neatly dressed in black suits and dresses. They were the epitome of high class professionalism, all members quietly seated and awaiting the conductor’s signal to proceed. After a brief introduction of the pieces about to be performed, the concert master stood up to give the ceremonial A.

The crowd’s anticipation was almost tangible as they awaited the city’s best orchestra’s performance of the world-famous Salut d’Amour by Edward Elgar, a Romantic period composer.

The piece was well loved by all who heard it, the soothing melody pleasant to the ear with no need to analyze complex harmonies or tonal phrases to understand its beauty. It was short, but in the brief 3 minutes of time, all who listened would be captivated by the simple message it was sending.

It must be fate, Kyuhyun thought as he glanced at the blonde next to him.

Because Salut d’Amour is everything I want to tell him.

As the music filled the concert hall, Sungmin couldn’t help but turn to look at the man besides him, taking in his features as a small smile slowly spread across both their faces. He couldn’t deny that he was inexplicably drawn to the cellist, every little aspect of the man drawing him like a moth to an open flame.

Kyuhyun reminded him of what he loved most about music; he had the same effervescent qualities that music was capable of having: mysterious, comforting, and warm all at the same time.

The way the man wrapped his arms around him was like how music acted like a soft blanket for him when he’s sad, providing a buffer from the world and all its problems.

Kyuhyun’s smile was like a joyful waltz, light and effortless, always making Sungmin unconsciously wanting to smile back to mirror his happiness.

The way Kyuhyun held his hand reminded him of a Mozart Concerto Heechul had played for him when he was young, the incandescent touch filling him with hope the way the music had in his youth.

Yes, Kyuhyun was exactly like music. Even though he knew next to nothing about the technicalities and theories involved, he didn’t need to. For both, all Sungmin needed was the way to the heart. 

AN: Finally updated again! Just got back from a school orchestra trip to Orland Disney World and it was absolutely amazing <3 I thought I was going to have time to write on the trip but then I realized that 16 hours with 30 classmates on a charter bus was not the most conducive writing environment ever haha. But  I decided to watch the Mummy and thanks to my poor nerves, I almost destroyed my IPad by throwing it (luckily my best friend caught it ahahahaha). 
But hopefully everyone will enjoy this short update and part 2 of the date should be up soon as now I am officially on Spring Break (I only have 4 days of it left though =.=). Thanks for all the comments and love <3