“AHN DANIEL YOU LITTLE , COME BACK HERE!”

Everybody sprinted to the walls. Students and teachers alike made way for the boy with honey hair caught in a low ponytail, stumbling through the corridors for his dear life. It was of no use telling him they forbid running inside the school building. The moment a roaring Dongwoo decided to chase his enemy slash best friend meant only one thing: run!

That is what Daniel had done, stomping up the stairs to the next floor, before the pissed off teammate caught on him. Their football coach finally announced the new captain and despite months of heated battles, none of the two won. Instead, a third one, with whom Daniel got along extremely well and even encouraged to apply for the position, earned the title and Dongwoo’s rage.

It was rare for the outgoing, happy go-lucky boy to have such temper. He usually was the first to cheer up the team, speak of a better future ahead and cry whenever they lost. Given the fact that Daniel ripped his manga and trashed his CDs (the second was an accident, yet Dongwoo wouldn’t hear it), the black haired guy standing with his arms crossed in front of the blond fell from his angel status and became a demon with a murderous gaze. The perpetrator’s momentum was by far too hard to control in that very moment and as much as Daniel tried to brake in time, he all but crashed over Dongwoo, who then tackled him to the floor, pressing over his shoulders.

“Let go of me!” the one under screamed in Dongwoo’s face, grabbing a handful of his hair.

“Not until you apologize!” wincing and on the verge of tears from the pain across his skull, Dongwoo pressed harder, ignoring the way Daniel’s legs tangled around his body in a desperate attempt for freedom.

“YOU TWO!” before any of them could punch the other, heads turned to the right and faltered at the sight of the headmaster. The plump man with a fancy haircut and a thick moustache above his thin lips made them both stifle their chuckle before getting back on their feet. “What’s the meaning of this?!”

They both pointed fingers and accused each other with various reasons piled up in those couple of months, creating a ruckus of sentences no one could understand.

The man grabbed their ears and pulled the two naughty and much taller boys to his office.

---

None facing the other, both muted from the reality of school exclusion, they succumbed to their own thoughts and wished for a miracle to save them. Their prayers came in the form of their homeroom teacher, a lady in her 40s with a wicked sense of humor and a passion for skirts of all sizes. They both eyed her with hope, sensing she might be their savior, only for the woman to bow deeply at an almost 90 degrees angle and apologize on their behalf, adding ‘they need to learn a lesson’ at the end of her plea.

That is how Dongwoo ended up telling the truth and nothing but the truth, of how Daniel destroyed his manga and CDs.

The headmaster had to remind the young fellow there was a ban on anything not school worthy. It made Daniel slam the back of Dongwoo’s neck and both adults sigh as their penalty worsened because of Dongwoo's big mouth.

They were role models, both important in club activities and doing relatively well with grades, so something too harsh could only bring them parents shouting about unfairness. With the mentality changing day after day and parents having more power than teachers, the headmaster mumbled something before sending both to write a letter of apology in the nearby empty office and wait for new instructions.

Dongwoo left twenty minutes later. The homeroom teacher found him a place to volunteer, something Dongwoo wanted to do in a long while. It was enough to clean that day’s incident from their records.

Daniel on the other hand had to agonize for the entire hour, reading and rereading the letter until his eyes bled and his mind shutdown completely. Placing his head over the table, he decided to take a quick nap until the woman returned after him. He worried she might have forgotten about the blond or they were all playing one crude joke on him by enlisting boredom into his system. 

Trapped between a dream and the fragrance of sweet alyssums hoarded at the window, he didn’t hear the door open. He only felt the breeze playing with his locks from the strong current and soon, an unfamiliar scent captured his nose. The subtle cologne washed away his jaded mind, slowly lifting his head and adjusting his orbs on the stranger.

“Hey,” he received a smile. The sound of a chair pulled from the table deafened Daniel, both of his palms shooting to protect his ears “oh , sorry!”

Flustered, the stranger grinned away his embarrassment and extended his welcoming hand.

“It’s okay,” Daniel took it and shook it, smiling back. They fit perfectly. “They grounded you too?”

“Ah, actually,” they both let go, only the sensation of sweat remaining “I’m your punishment.”

“Huh?”

The stranger kept on smiling.

“Nice to meet you Ahn Daniel. I am Lee Sungyeol, we’re going to work together at the drama club.”

---

“What’s wrong, honey?”

Daniel stared at the wall, spoon in mouth, not ready to face the consequences of his actions. He had been part of the football club for what felt like decades. Suddenly forced to switch camps tore him between weeping and starting a revolution.

Worse, his coach agreed with everything. Starting from that morning, Daniel was no longer part of the team and had to act instead like a clown in front of students and parents every single month. He still couldn’t believe that they ditched his sorry that fast.

Oh, Dongwoo was going to pay.

“Niel?”

He snapped out of his revenge plans, blinking at the concerned mother and puzzled father.

“I’m okay,” he admitted, peace returning for a moment “sorry, I was thinking about school.”

“Anything bad happened?” both parents abandoned their plates and focused on their only child.

The blond was grateful. He never knew how to express the love inside his heart, never knew how to thank them. Instead, he faked whenever something disturbed him, enough to want and hide under his blankets for the rest of his miserable life.

“No, nothing,” he left his seat, grabbed a banana from the fruit basket, his bag, lunch and hugged his mother goodbye “We’re going, stay safe.”

“You too!” the woman yelled after him and her husband, waving at the two men.

---

Daniel learned over the course of several weeks just how good of a helper he was. Since the drama club couldn’t fit another member on stage, they put the blond do all sorts of jobs, from fixing the lights with the crew or rehearsing with fellow actors when one of them went missing.

During that period, Sungyeol watched him carefully, scrutinizing his every move. The way Daniel always made sure not to show how tired he became or gathered his last strength to finish the day made him want to know the kid better.

“I’m a burden, aren’t I?” the blond mumbled with two soda cans in hands. He gave one to the other who sat with him on the stairs. Sungyeol accepted it, refreshed from the cool sensation sticking to his fingers. “…coming out of nowhere to your club.”

“Nah,” he assured him, their knees hitting from standing too close. “Every person needs to find their place in this world. Even if you don’t feel at first like you are meant to be there,” he turned his head to Daniel, messy shoulder-length hair giving him a rebellious air “you might be in for a surprise.”

“What if I never find my place?”

Sungyeol went silent.

The boy had a determined face, eyebrows furrowed, mouth shut tight. He was deadly serious, not soon after too ashamed to face the older boy.

“Hey,” the blond tried not to be too shocked when Sungyeol’s face almost touched his “you will find it, you hear me? If not, shove yourself in that goddamn place.”

Daniel burst in laughter, Sungyeol joining, echoing throughout the empty building floor. Each vibration went through their bodies, trembling, tensing their muscles, rushing their hearts.

---

“Dani!”

“Why does he never call you Niel?”

“What’s wrong with Dani?”

“Hi WooDong, how are ya?”

“Dongwoo! It’s Dongwoo! Told you a million times!”

“I don’t know chibi, WooDong sounds awesome.”

“Chibi? Well, if I think about it… that fits better than WooDong.”

“Yeah, it’s what Judal called Aladdin.”

“For real Niel?! I didn’t get to read that chapter yet!”

“Sorry~ By the way, I haven’t seen you in a while. How’s University?”

Months passed. The three friends decided to have a small break during a bitter winter. While two of them were preparing for their last high-school exams, the third had bigger fishes to fry. Even if Daniel never told Dongwoo a thing, Sungyeol kept in touch mostly with the blond.

He still had the same shoulder-length brown hair, a few piercings mirrored in Daniel’s ear and the good mood atmosphere the two naughtier boys adored. The blond didn’t know back then why he felt the need to keep his meetings with Sungyeol a secret. They weren’t lovers or in some kind of twisted relationship. They were only friends and nothing more, close friends who talked about trivial things like the latest Magi volume or the worsening weather. From time to time, they put in discussion deeper subjects, like the meaning of life, or whatever appeared in the press.

On the other hand, there was a single thing Daniel could never talk about, and that was love.

He was too afraid.

Of what? He was never sure, permanently arguing with himself and the feelings piling up whenever Sungyeol decided to praise him.

He told him he is charismatic, handsome in his own way, more beautiful than he could ever imagine. He was the one that found out about Daniel’s passion for poetry and constantly encouraged him to write more and more, ending up exchanging poems and short fiction whenever they had the chance. After he graduated, he put in a good word with the drama club and that landed Daniel his first role, minor, but it was better than never knowing the spotlight. Sungyeol was also the sole reason Daniel paid more attention to flowers.

For Sungyeol only loved flowers.

He studied plants, tendered to their needs, made sure people understood the importance of flora. He breathed botany like children breathe fairytales, cartoons and candy.

“Good,” the older of the bunch finally replied, searching through his backpack. He placed a book on the table. “This is for you,” he pushed it to Daniel, the same smile present on his face “Tell me what you think about it after your last representation. I’ll come see you.”

True, they had one left before graduating, one in which Daniel played the main role.

“Ah, you don’t have to come…,” Daniel pulled the book at his chest, worried foremost that Sungyeol might not enjoy his performance. He wasn't that curious about the book since it wasn't the first time they borrowed each part of their personal library.

“Sure I am!” he messed Daniel’s hair, hand falling down on his back. “You’re playing Night of the Galactic Railroad, aren’t you? You’ll do good as Giovanni, I’m sure of it, since you’re a natural.”

“Not as good as you.”

His hand felt warm. His hand felt like everything Daniel wanted in that moment.

For he wished Sungyeol to tender to his needs as he did with his flowers, wrapping a red string on both of their pinkies for eternity.

“Nothing for me?” Dongwoo pouted.

The two of them laughed at the boy.

---

Some more weeks passed. With the chaotic schedules, drama rehearsals and dealing with the unknown – Where should he apply? What major should he take? Would that job satisfy him in the future? Would he be happy with his choice? – Daniel barely had any time to read Sungyeol’s book.

It was more like a diary, an intimate retrospective from childhood to adulthood, and Daniel felt like he was undressing his dear friend with each page. On the night of the representation, the final one for that year’s drama club, he reached page 93 backstage. The way Sungyeol described the character, the boy with a dazzling smile resembling a spindle tree, gave him goose bumps.

Daniel couldn’t stop his heart from hammering at his chest, threatening to ruin his acting.

Was he talking about him? Was he the one? Or had Daniel’s paranoia, his feelings never reciprocated, caught him from behind and drove him as crazy as the main character?

Sure, he thought then, that maybe Sungyeol wasn’t talking about himself. Else, why would he confess not to know much about botany? Or have dark thoughts in the beginning, thoughts he had never ever read off Sungyeol?

It was something his dear friend came up with, a marvelous lead for an equally stunning novel. Daniel regretted not having more time to finish it.

That same regret lingered while on stage. Although he had an almost perfect rendition of Giovanni, he knew it wasn’t as amazing as the one Sungyeol played a year before.

Moreover, he was nowhere in the audience. He couldn’t find him even after lights dimmed and he could see every single spectator as they applauded and cheered for an entire minute.

Returning backstage, he wasn’t there either.

Partying for two hours with the crew, fooling around with more make-up, having a blast where he let loose of all his worries, Daniel had never once heard his phone ring. He didn’t check it until everything calmed down, until they were ready to head home, ready to sleep on their success and pump that energy elsewhere.

There was nothing, even there, on the small screen - absolutely nothing. It worried him.

---

“Sungyeol?!” the blond banged at the apartment door before he entered the code – his birthday – and rushed inside.

He should have been more careful, should have had more courage and should have opened his mouth in time. He should have taken off the blindfold made out of lies he always told himself and others.

Daniel loved Sungyeol, he loved him with his every fiber, yet never told him.

He never told him.

6 chapters to go~

I regret nothing... WHO'S THAT BAD GIRL HEEE~EEE~EEEY~~~ 8D /slap

If it's not obvious (ofc not orz), I'm trying to catch up with Magi since I finally can (Alibaba my y idiot sniff <3) and I love crack couples/couples out of the ordinary/couples out of the same band-agency sphere n__n /sighs/ I'm trying really hard not to write more author notes since I'll have one bigass rant at the end of the fic.

Thank you for reading! >w<