“What losers,” Jongdae drawled as he cast a look behind, staring at his friends sitting by the table. “They come to a dance club and choose to stay seated.”

“It’s their decision, Jongdae,” Minseok said, eyeing the busy dance floor with a hesitant look. “Maybe I should go back.”

“You can’t just ditch me,” Jongdae whined, turning around to grab Minseok’s hand and pulled him forward. “Besides, you’re not nearly nice enough to let me go out there by myself.”

“Hey! I don’t like the way you’re implying I’m a distrusting and desperate boyfriend.”

“Let me remind you for the hundredth time,” Jongdae said, leaning in to whisper into Minseok’s ear. “You’re the one who acted like a to me the moment we met, not me.”

“My behavior was completely justified, excuse me.”

“Do I really need to replay the scene, Minseok? You hurt my feelings real bad. I still cry at night whenever I remember it,” Jongdae sniffed, wiping a fake tear.

“Oh, shut it,” Minseok leaned in and placed a quick kiss on his boyfriend’s lips. “It’s not like you were doing anything to disprove the rumors.”

“Eh, true,” Jongdae said, cocking his head. “But, still, you were mean.”

“You just loved annoying me,” Minseok protested while allowing himself to be pulled into the dance floor by Jongdae’s hands. “I still want a semi-intelligent, caring boyfriend, by the way.”

“The definition of me, right?” Jongdae winked, wrapping his hands around Minseok’s waist. “Come on, dance.”

Minseok rolled his eyes as he lifted his head, eyeing the floor. “Where’s Baekhyun and Chanyeol? Weren’t they with us only minutes ago?”

“They left ages ago, Minseok,” Jongdae whined and reached out to hold his boyfriend’s face, forcing him to face forward. “Now. Look at me. Pay attention to me. Dance with me.”

“Who’s the desperate boyfriend now?” Minseok teased but nonetheless began swaying his hips, matching Jongdae. “You’re such a sap.”

“Just the way you like it, babe.”

“Oh my god,” Minseok groaned, but couldn’t help but grin at the indignant look on Jongdae’s face.

“You love me,” Jongdae argued, and Minseok snorted.

“You love me more, dork.”

Baekhyun nervously fumbled with his fingers, following Chanyeol to God knows where. He was busy shooting anxious glances back at their table, watching Luhan slowly stand up from his seat, Sehun remain seated down with a panicked look, and Jongin and Kyungsoo look like they were either having a mental breakdown or the shock of their lives.

“Come on Baek. You’re going to get lost.”

Baekhyun didn’t have the time to reply when he felt Chanyeol lean down to grab his hands and pull him forward. He let out a small shriek - one that went unheard over the blasting music.

“You’re in a bad mood.”

Baekhyun’s head snapped up as he stared up at Chanyeol, who was looking down at him with a blank look.

“Um - what? No, I’m not.”

“That’s not convincing,” Chanyeol deadpanned and swiftly spun around and pushed Baekhyun down to an empty seat. “You’ve been in a bad mood ever since this morning.”

“I’m really not,” Baekhyun argued weakly, but Chanyeol gave him a look that made it clear he wasn’t having any of it. Baekhyun sighed and looked down at his fidgeting fingers.

“I’m just scared. About things. My head...it blows things out of proportion. It makes me crazy at times and y at others. It seems like it chose y this time.”

“You’re not being y,” Chanyeol stated, “just extremely depressed. Jongin’s been fawning over you, and Luhan was glaring at you the whole trip here. Did you have a fight with him?”

“Not exactly?” Baekhyun replied, wincing. He knew Luhan had been sending him pointed looks, but he didn’t think anyone else had noticed. “I might have made him upset. I don’t think we had an actual fight, though.”

“Luhan got upset with you, but you guys didn’t even have a fight?”

“I just might’ve touched his sensitive spot.”

Chanyeol’s eyes widened, and it looked like he was trying hard to keep his jaw intact.

“You insulted Sehun?”

“No, no, of course not. Sehun’s perfectly fine,” Baekhyun swatted his hand, as if the thought itself was ridiculous. “I didn’t do anything to him. I was just deep in thought, Sehun was on my mind, and Luhan catched on. He took it the wrong way and thought I was pissed off at Sehun or something. I don’t even know.”

“So....Luhan’s in a bad mood, Sehun’s in a bad mood, Jongin’s in a bad mood, and you’re in a bad mood. Wow, aren’t we a happy group of friends,” Chanyeol said, sighing. “This is quite depressing.”

“I’m sorry?” Baekhyun squeaked, looking up at Chanyeol sheepishly. Although he had gotten much more comfortable around Chanyeol, there were times he still felt like the same exact boy caught cursing himself by his crush.

“Don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault,” Chanyeol said, taking a seat across from Baekhyun. “Just, whatever your worried about, try to forget it, yeah? At least for now. With me.”

Baekhyun gave a sharp intake of breath. “Yeah. Okay.”

“Good,” Chanyeol nodded. “So, are you into dancing?”

Baekhyun laughed, shaking his head slightly. “Oh, definitely not. I like the music, and Jongin usually makes me go to the dance floor, but I never had the chance to get into it. I just come here to have fun with friends.” He bit his lips. “Do you like dancing?”

Chanyeol’s eyes widened. “Hell no. I trip over my own two feet.”

“Me too!” Baekhyun exclaimed enthusiastically, pointing at the boy in front of me. “Jongin always says I’m too clumsy for my own good and that all that sleeping doesn’t do anything to help my foot eye coordination.”

“I don’t think I’m that bad,” Chanyeol teased with a wide grin, his legs swinging back and forth, occasionally hitting Baekhyun’s with a playful push.

“Now, let’s not be too modest,” Baekhyun said, mouth threatening to break out into a large grin. Chanyeol always knew how to make him feel better, and he felt his previous worries slip away.

“I wonder where all the sarcasm was back when we first met,” Chanyeol said, pointedly ignoring the way Baekhyun turned an interesting shade of red.

“Don’t bring that up!” Baekhyun hissed, hitting Chanyeol’s arm. “That was a moment of my life I want to erase forever.”

“Oh, come on. I thought you were adorable,” Chanyeol chuckled. “You definitely left an impression.”

“Yeah, because that’s exactly how I want someone I like to remember me.”

Baekhyun froze as he heard the words exit his mouth. His mouth left hanging, he stared blankly ahead, mortified beyond words.

“Baekhyun?” Chanyeol quiet voice could barely be heard, but Baekhyun somehow caught it.

Baekhyun refused to meet Chanyeol’s eyes. this, he wasn’t prepared. This wasn’t how he wanted to confess. He wasn’t even planning on confessing. And even if he was, he definitely didn’t want it to be in a dance club where he was previously in a ty mood. This was horrible, and all he wanted to do was run away.

“Just kidding!” Baekhyun blurted out. “Hah - wow, I’m ing hilarious.” He laughed, trying to stop himself from cringing at how forced his own laughter sounded. He was so screwed.

“You were kidding.”

Baekhyun nervously lifted in his head, and had to blink twice at the look on Chanyeol’s face. Chanyeol’s eyes were casted down and his lips were curled up into an uneasy smile. It almost looked like he was disappointed.

“I.....,” Baekhyun’s voice trailed off, eyes jumping everywhere. Right, he was panicking. Wasn’t that just great. “I think so?”

“Are you sure?” Chanyeol asked again, finally looking up and locking Baekhyun’s gaze with his pleading eyes. Baekhyun felt his throat try and he felt himself freeze up once more.

“.......no,” Baekhyun finally said, voice visibly softer. “No, I’m not sure. I don’t think I was joking.”

Chanyeol’s stiff smile softened, his eyes brightening.

“Yeah, that was what I was hoping for.”

And, right when Baekhyun’s slow brain was trying to register what was going on, Chanyeol leaned in and placed a tender kiss on the shorter boy’s lips.

“I like you too. And I’m pretty sure of it,” Chanyeol muttered, smiling down at the shocked boy.

“Oh,” Baekhyun managed to say. He took a deep breath, and when he finally realized that this was real, that it was actually happening to him, that Park Chanyeol, the definition of perfection, liked him back, his brain felt like it might explode. “Oh. Wow. T-that’s......let's do that again, yeah?”

With that, Baekhyun threw his arms around Chanyeol’s neck, pulling him in for another kiss.

Kyungsoo blinked as he saw Sehun rush away. Luhan had overreacted - that much was obvious to him. Sure, he could understand that Luhan had probably been building up frustration for a long time, and this was probably just one stupid trigger, but he couldn’t help but shake his head as he remembered the confused look on Sehun’s face. The boy could be so stupid sometimes it was physically painful.

“He didn’t mean anything by it.”

Kyungsoo turned to the side to his eyebrow at Jongin, who was scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

“Luhan, I mean. He does that once in a while. He’s usually the sweetest, most patient guy in the whole world. I think that makes him scarier. He just kinds of.........erupts when things are most unexpected. Baekhyun and Sehun were just triggers - Luhan’s not even that mad Sehun didn’t go dancing with him. I just think he’s frustrated. You know, with the fact he’s crushing on a straight guy and that his friends suddenly seem to have more active love lives that he does. Not to mention Baekhyun and I aren’t the nicest to him all the time.”

“Sehun’s still been pushing his luck,” Kyungsoo said.

“I don’t really think it’s entirely Sehun’s fault,” Jongin replied, a weak smile tugging at his lips. “It’s probably mostly me and Baekhyun, really. Us two - our personalities are really similar. We know behind all our insults are strong trust and loyalty. We’re basically open books for each other. We don’t need to try to make ourselves heard, because it’s already audible to the other. It’s not that way for Luhan though. He’s our best friend, but he’s not exactly like us. He has a completely different personality,” Jongin sighed. “Sometimes, I think Baekhyun and I have too strong of personalities for him to handle. We say things and treat him in ways that go fine at first, but it still impacts him and the hurt builds up. If you noticed, his smiles really aren’t all that genuine all the freaking time.”

“He’s human, I guess,” Kyungsoo muttered, shaking his head.

“He’s an extremely nice person. Good, too. One of the best guys you could possibly find out there. He likes practically everyone, and his optimism goes to limits not even understandable to a normal human being. Doesn’t mean he’s not vulnerable, though.”

“So what? It’s a bit of everyone’s fault?”

Jongin let out a small laugh. “Yeah, I guess so. Baekhyun and mine for pushing him to his limits. Sehun for being an oblivious and being possibly one of the most whiny guys in the planet. Honestly, he complains about everything. And, of course, Luhan for letting it all go to his head.”

“Ah, we’re all so perfect,” Kyungsoo drawled sarcastically. Jongin chuckled, eyeing him nervously.

“People have flaws. That’s what makes us us. I make poor judgements, Baekhyun speaks before he thinks, Luhan piles up the littlest things before bursting, Minseok has the tendency to believe in rumors, and Jongdae doesn’t know what’s appropriate and not,” Jongin sighed, leaning back to slump in his seats. “What about you and Baekhyun’s little boyfriend?”

Kyungsoo cocked an eyebrow. “Are you calling Chanyeol little?”

“He’s taller than me, and that hurts my pride. I mean, think about it, I’ve been surrounded with people like Baekhyun, Luhan, and you my entire life.”

“Shut up, Jongin.”

Jongin visibly brightened. The idea of having a fluid, natural conversation with Kyungsoo was thrilling, and whenever Kyungsoo joked and acted like he would with a friend, Jongin’s heart couldn’t help but swell.

“We both definitely have faults. Chanyeol is hot-headed, and I’m.....,” Kyungsoo spared a glance at Jongin. “I tend to be stubborn about my beliefs. Even flawed ones. But I’m sure you know that already.”

Jongin smiled weakly.

“Hey Kyungsoo. We’re okay, right?”

There was a moment of silence between the two, the only sound the faint music bouncing off the walls, and Jongin watched as Kyungsoo’s eyes dropped to the ground, teeth biting down on the bottom lip.

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo finally said as he met Jongin’s eyes. Suddenly, much to Jongin’s surprise, his mouth turned into his rare but sweet heart-shaped smile.

“Yeah, we’re okay.”

Jongin breathed out in relief and met the smile with as much enthusiasm, practically beaming in the dimly lit club.

Then, being the impulsive, stupid boy he was, Jongin reached out slowly, fingers barely touching Kyungsoo’s. At the touch, Jongin finally realized what he was doing and was about to retract his hand when he felt Kyungsoo’s hand slip under his and squeeze it slightly.

“Sorry for making you wait.”

All Jongin could do was smile even brighter.

Daehyun made his way through the crowd, eyes wide in panic.

, , , , .

He was almost halfway there when he caught sight of Minseok and Jongdae involved in a heated dance session. He stomped over, grabbed the two by the back of their shirts, and pulled them out.

“Daehyun-hyung?” Minseok asked in surprise.

“No time to talk. I’ll explain later,” he said in hurry and led the two back to their table. He saw Kyungsoo and Jongin stare at him as they slowly stood up from their seats in alarm.

“What’s wrong?” Jongin said, voice tense.

“Sehun and Luhan are in a fight,” Daehyun explained. “We need to go help them. Now.”

“What the ? Why are they in a fight? What’s going on?”

Minseok, Jongdae, and Kyungsoo asked in unison, ignoring the way Jongin let out a frustrated groan as his expression darkened.

“He lived here when he was younger. Was involved in an iljin gang. Now, his old homophobic friends are bothering Luhan, and he’s not pleased. Thus, a fight breaks out. Simple enough?” Daehyun snapped impatiently. “Look, you four go find Baekhyun and Chanyeol and wait in front of the entrance. I’ll find Yongguk and meet you there. We need as large a group as we can to stop this fight before it gets ugly.”

As Daehyun walked away, the four made their way to the entrance, eyes scanning the club for signs of their two friends.

“, Baek is going to kill me,” Jongin groaned.

“You knew about this?” Jongdae hissed. “You didn’t think of telling anyone? Not even Luhan or Sehun?”

“I didn’t think it would matter, alright? We were just coming here to have fun.”

“We need to find Baekhyun and Chanyeol. I saw no signs of them ever since we split up in the beginning.

“Maybe they’re making our or something. Wouldn’t be surprised, with all the between them,” Jongdae deadpanned as he turned around from his friends opening every door they could find, and pulled open the bathroom door. He then chortled and slammed it open the whole way with a loud bang.

“Wow guys. I would make another cheeky comment, but the situation is kind of serious.”

Baekhyun was blushing furiously as he quickly hopped off the counter. Chanyeol cleared his throat and pressed his hair down as flatly as he could.

“Really? In the bathroom?” Jongin said, eyebrows cocked. Baekhyun shot him a glare as the two walked out.

“It’s not my fault. It just....sort of happened,” he argued with a blush. “Anyways, what’s up? We’re leaving already?”

“Apparently Sehun and Luhan are involved in a fight,” Minseok said with a frown. Baekhyun immediately stiffened, and Chanyeol sent him a worried look.

“Oh my god. I knew this was going to happen,” Baekhyun groaned. “This was exactly why I wanted to stay away.”

“Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but let’s not blame anyone, alright? We need to go meet Daehyun-hyung by the entrance. Let’s get a move on.”

Baekhyun’s worried expression deepened as the six friends headed towards the exit, both worried and angry at the situation they were being forced to deal with.