His two friends were looking at him with the same incredulous expression.
Wonshik had just finished recounting his last encounter with the older boy, cutting out the personal details but giving them the general knowledge that Hakyeon fancied boys, he had been disowned for it and was now forced to work his off to make a living.
Sanghyuk almost choked on his juice when Wonshik dropped the bomb.

The younger boy had taken refuge in their class, during lunch time, escaping from his girlfriend ( “ex”, according to him ) and both him and Hongbin were more than interested to know what had happened during his encounter with lover boy because, as they proclaimed, he was far too happy for a simple chitty chat. He hadn’t missed the exchange of money between his two friends when he spilled out Hakyeon’s uality but as of now he was so used to seeing them bet on his private life that it didn’t even came as a surprise.
At least, this time, Sanghyuk won.

However the bet was quickly forgotten when their conversation changed on more serious themes; the disgust was so visible on their faces that Wonshik felt insanely proud of having such (relatively) good people as friends.

« It ing . »
Sanghyuk voice came muffled because of the straw between his lips but, nevertheless, it still was surprising. It was so rare hearing the boy swear that it always sounded so strange; Sanghyuk was a ball of sunshine and kindness and nothing more than nice words came out of his mouth, otherwise something was really wrong. 
In the time they had known him, the younger boy has cussed just three times other than that one: when he had broken his father’s car to impress his first girlfriend at the age of fourteen, when he managed to get the autograph of Jung Yunho of “TVXQ!” ( and still persisted that he wasn’t a fanboy  ) and the last was the year before, when Hongbin had kissed him quite passionately during a round of ‘spin the bottle’. ( Wonshik had the whole video on his phone, for future blackmail. )

« It really does, nice use of words, Hyuk. » Hongbin nodded, stretching his legs and twisting his lips in a rather vexed expression.
« Hakyeon hyung is giving up the best years of his life because of his ty parents. »

« I wish there was a job that could make him rest more, you should have seen him: he was exhausted. »

« There should be one, what is he able to do? » asked Hongbin, taking out a paper and retrieving a pen from Wonshik’s case. He wrote a capital ‘Cha Hakyeon’ and drew a line.
Wonshik briefly wondered if he should feel moved by his friend interest or amused by the little scheme that Hongbin just made, he knew that the boy liked to organize everything but that felt a little overboard and ridiculous.
Still, he leant closer to see better and started thinking.

« He can lift my mood, that should count something. » he said, shrugging his shoulders and smiling a little because his mind was full of beautiful views of a certain someone’s smile and his heart decided to give a painful tug.

« He is a magnet for idiots, pretty sure they pay a lot for it. Next one? »
Such sarcasm wasn’t really needed.
Wonshik jutted out his bottom lip, leaning back on his chair and glaring at his friend, that jerk actually wrote a big “attraction for idiots” under Hakyeon’s name.

« He is really hardworking, basically the only waiter doing something in that place », he said, concentrating hardly on something that wasn’t immediately linked with his obvious crush but on more practical sides.
« Another job in a restaurant, maybe? Something paid better. »

« He would feel guilty abandoning his actual job, his boss, Jungsoo, is a hyung he is fond of and he doesn’t feel like abandoning him », Wonshik had actually suggested the same thing yesterday but Hakyeon had explained, with a tender smile that the two of them were close and Jungsoo had gone through a lot of messes recently and, therefore, needed all the help possible.

« Oh, aren’t you jealous? », commented Sanghyuk, letting go of the poor straw, now completely munched, and switching his attention on playing with the edge of the paper, rolling it carefully.

« No, Jungsoo is too old, he’s thirty one. »

« So, something else? Like hobbies or abilities? ».
It was actually one of the rare times when the hidden serious side of Hongbin emerged and Wonshik remembered why the younger boy was the best in their class.
He was actually writing potential works based on what Wonshik told him about Hakyeon, as of now the paper ( aside from the stupid ‘ attraction for idiots’ ) counted of five possibilities that seemed incredibly good.

« He told me that he can dance, he had won a lot of national competitions and participated in some of the international ones » he mumbled, scratching his head in a attempt to remember what the older had said about his past ( when actually his brain was set on the inconvenient thought of Hakyeon’s body against his and the feeling it gave him and he really shouldn’t have been thinking about that right now because it wasn’t the right moment but he still felt the elder’s perfume in his nostrils and it was kind of numbing his mind. )

Sanghyuk perked up, clapping his hands with clear excitement written on his features.
« I’ve an idea, wait for it, it’s brilliant », he cleared his throat, taking his time to make sure that the other two were paying attention and feeling the suspense. ( Wonshik surely was. )
« You know that I attend a dancing school, right? »
They both shook their head and Sanghyuk’s smile turned into a displeased frown.
« Do you even listen to me when I talk? I’ve bragged about it for a whole week! », he exclaimed rather offended, leaving his position to place his elbows on the end, squishing his face between his own hands and giving them both a gaze that wanted to be pitiful. ( It worked. )

« Sorry, Hyuk » Hongbin sighed, « we’ve been so busy with our exams that we’ve probably missed it and you know, since Wonshik has fallen in love, he only thinks about one thing and one thing only: Cha Hakyeon and his pretty . »
Hongbin totally deserved the smack on his head.

« It was sixth month ago, you were so free that you always hung out at my house to play games, and Wonshik hadn’t even met Hakyeon hyung », the youngest of the three mumbled, looking at them with a betrayed look that actually made Wonshik feel incredibly guilty.
Hongbin spread his palm onto the boy’s face with a straight face and a scoff.

« Yeah, we are terrible, I know » he snorted, poking the younger’s cheek, « so, now, do you have something useful or are you just trying to make us lose time, we are talking about serious stuff, lives may be lost if we don’t succeed. »
« Oh, my god, don’t be dramatic, no one is gonna die, Kong » groaned Wonshik.
« As I was saying », intervened Sanghyuk giving them a dirty look, « I attend a dancing class and my teacher quit since she’s pregnant, so the school needs to find a replacement. »

Hongbin, scrunched his nose in thought and traced another line on the paper, writing a capital lettered ‘dance teacher’.
« How convenient, really. »

« It would be perfect, he loves to dance and I’m pretty sure that if he got it as a steady job he could pay abundantly his bills without straining himself so much », Wonshik actually felt all giddy, almost tempted to grab Sanghyuk’s face and giving him a huge kiss on his cheek – his lips already had Hakyeon’s name on it, no discussion – because it was almost too good to be true.

« I’ll ask for information today and then let you know, okay? », Hyuk was clearly excited to have such an important part in that story, he cleared his throat and retrieved his bags, grinning widely at the both of them.

«  Han Sanghyuk! »
A tiny girl with long dark hair appeared in the doorway, a menacing look on her pretty features; the change on Hyuk’s expression was incredible, he hissed a “he found me” under his breath and looked at his two friends in a hopeful request of help.
He found none.
Hongbin seemed more amused by the situation than merciful towards the boy, pleased smile set on his lips and arms crossed over the table, his eyes never left the couple.
Wonshik was already texting Hakyeon, asking him for his schedule for the day and if he had free time to chat over the phone.

Hakyeon hyung » sure always 4 ya!

The reply made him wail just a little.
 

Hakyeon was  looking at the papers as if he was afraid they would strangle him, arms stretched in all their length, keeping them away from him; the blank expression on his face was kind of hilarious and the way his eyes skimmed from line to line, reading for the umpteenth time the same word, made it even better.

Wonshik was currently observing the boy ( and basking a little in his perfection ), analyzing his reaction; the older wasn’t really helping him since he had the same face Taekwoon wore most of the time.

« So, what do you think, hyung? », Wonshik had never been known for his patience and sure he wasn’t even trying to wait for some kind of response from the other.
The boy lowered the papers, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes slowly, then he widened them and looked at Wonshik completely lost and scared.
« I can’t do this! », he shrieked, high-pitched, « I haven’t danced properly since I started college, I can’t just go there and audition for the job! ».

Wonshik lifted his head towards him, palms pressing on the other’s shoulders in what he hoped was a comforting grip. « Hyung, I’m sure you’ll be amazing! And Hyuk said they are pretty desperate and need a teacher urgently. You can do it, you’ll do it, I believe in you. »
One of his hands travelled up, fingertips gliding over the smooth skin of his neck and pressing lightly into his nape. It was the first time Wonshik had initiated a contact different from rubbing the other’s back or being a pillow, it was Hakyeon the touchy one – both a curse and a blessing; after their discussion, Hakyeon decided to take a nap on the younger’s shoulder and while he was adorable snoring quietly on him, Wonshik still felt awkward with his hand tightly gripping to the other’s waist.
His fingertips were tingling at every soft brush of skin against skin and he shouldn’t have felt so affected by simple touches but he had shivers running along his spine and his heart was beating crazily in his chest.
Those touches were gonna hunt his dreams for a long time; dreams of shared touches and hushed confessions that left him breathless and wide awake. He had troubles keeping them at bay, every moment of rest was occupied by images and remembrances of Hakyeon’s smile, face or even just his voice, playing over and over in his head.
Wonshik was usually a heavy sleeper, hell, he had fallen asleep in a class full of bickering girls and screaming boys, he had drifted off in the middle of a classical concert; but now, he found it difficult to close his eyes for even more than five minutes, unless he had a certain voice whispering fondly in his hear.
He had trouble sleeping and it was because of a boy.
He was Hakyeon-addicted and he knew that.
His thumb traced small circles on the skin, moving along the other’s sketched jaw and stopping on the older boy’s cheek, slowly following the lines of the pointed cheekbones and the bags under his eyes. Touching it, Hakyeon’s skin wasn’t as perfect as it seemed at first look, it was just a bit bumpy, sporadic spots and little scars hidden under a thin layer of bb cream that in Wonshik’s opinion was rather useless.
He thought that Hakyeon was amazing even at his natural state, but the older claimed that with his life style he needed lots of skin care and lotions in order to prevent wrinkles and dehydrated skin.
Wonshik still thought the other was gorgeous, smooth or dry.
 
« You’re going and you’ll be awesome, okay? You’ve won competitions, you’re talented. Just have faith, hyung. »
His voice was now softer, eyes boring into Hakyeon’s dark ones and thought rapidly drifting towards the side of Wonshik’s mind where he kept every potentially romantic desire.

« You could be a motivation speaker, you know that? I feel quite comforted now. »
The high-schooler could feel the change of Hakyeon’s expression under his hand, muscles shifting and cheeks contracting to make way for a wide smile and soon a hand was joining his, fingers touching lightly his own and tapping affectionately on the back of his cupped hand.  
And now he kind of wanted to kiss the other.
It was a strange impulse, usually he could dissimulate his needs easily, coughing or changing argument or even more usual were the deep blushes and warm ears’ tips; this time, however, he had to hold himself back from leaning over the table and just press their lips together.
Maybe Hakyeon would kiss him back, maybe it wouldn’t have been such a bad idea and maybe he could just do it and get over with it.
A confession wouldn’t be bad too.
His eyes shifted automatically towards the other’s lips; they really looked appealing as of now and- was he still talking? Because Wonshik couldn’t grasp a word of what he was saying, his mind full of white noise, buzzing lowly.
He gulped once - maybe twice - and blinked a little, confused and hesitating.
« Wonshik, you okay? Got something in your eyes? »

He quickly pulled back his hands, looking down with flaming cheeks and a pounding heart because damn, Wonshik, damn, he had almost kissed him.
He was this close, a lot close, to kiss Hakyeon and he would have probably ruined their whole friendship.
« You were spacing out, you okay? »

At least the older hadn’t noticed his stare, it was a relief but at the same time he hoped for a sort of reaction.
Instead, the older seemed unfazed by the whole caressing his skin thing; he should have known, after all he had seen Hakyeon attached to Taekwoon multiple times and even with Jongdae, it was in his nature.
Touchy Hakyeon was touchy, no doubt.

«  Yeah, I was just » he paused briefly, taking a deep breath, « thinking. »
 For once he had actually managed to restrain himself from blurting out something inappropriate and possibly rude.

« That's good to hear but did you listen to me? »

« I'm sorry, what was it, hyung? »

« Will you accompany me to the audition? I need moral support » the boy clapped his hands together in a supplicant position, head bowed and eyes shut tightly, almost in a praying stance.
He seemed afraid of rejection but he should’ve known that Wonshik wasn’t even able to think about denying him something, let alone actually doing it when the boy was asking so desperately.
« Sure thing, hyung, I wanted to see you dance anyway. »

Hakyeon snorted and retreated against the seatback, cheeks lightly flushed. « That’s a pity because you’re not going to. »

« But, hyung! », his whine resembled a growl, voice loud and rambling.
He, truthfully talking, had been thinking about the other dancing since he told him about that hobby. In his mind there had been multiple images of Hakyeon dancing in different styles: ballet, jazz, modern, hip hop. It didn’t help that he had surfed the internet to find videos and choreography, imagining the elder’s body rolling and twisting with the rhythm.
It wasn’t fair, he needed to see him.
« I’ll panic with you there, I’m shy. »

The high-schooler’s gaze was eloquent enough to make Hakyeon apologize for what he had just said.
The brunet was in no way shy, he was loud and sometimes even embarrassing; Jongdae called him “Chattyeon”, and even Wonshik did it behind his back because it was perfect and fitting and summed up perfectly the essence of Cha Hakyeon.

« I’m serious, though. » he coughed, smiling apologetically « I’ll mess up, I tend to turn shy in front of, yeah, people. »

« Okay, I’ll just be your bodyguard, then, but you own me a dance », he conceded, sighing loudly and giving him a pointed look.
Look which disappeared instantly under the sunshine like smile Hakyeon gave him, clapping his hands enthusiastically.

 

It was a Friday evening and Wonshik was currently waiting for Hakyeon, Sanghyuk beside him, dressed in loose pants and with a bag slung over his shoulder; since Wonshik didn’t have a clue about the location of the dance school (and Hakyeon had problems even remembering the way home), the youngest had offered himself as a guide to the dance school.
Obviously, Sanghyuk had been more than excited to finally meet the person that managed to ‘drag Wonshik to the dark side’, as Hongbin liked to put it.

« So, he’s hot, isn’t he? Hongbin hyung told me so, I trust his words. », the young boy was rocking on the back of his feet, hands clasped behind his back and eyes searching for a new face in the street in front of the bar.
Wonshik rolled his eyes, starting to regret the inclusion of the boy; after all, the little brat had spent a lot of time with Hongbin, he was probably corrupted at this point.  « You shouldn’t. »

« So he’s not? », Hyuk diverted his eyes from the street and inclined his head to send a glance at his friend, amused smile playing on his lips.

Maybe Wonshik had underrated Sanghyuk, perhaps the younger was even worse than Hongbin.
 « No, he is! », Wonshik exclaimed in mild panic, hands held up in front of his chest. « He is, he really is! Hakyeon is- »

« What am I? ».
Hakyeon blinked at him, a little smile set on his lips and eyes that looked straight at Wonshik’s face ( his breath hitched a little). The elder had popped out of nowhere and Wonshik was positively sure that he just lost half of his life in a bunch of seconds.
The high-schooler gulped nervously, the words he was about to say had died horribly in his throat, caught and transformed in an awkward grumble.
« -usually on time. »

« Oh, I’m sorry » the oldest piped up, his smile turning apologetic, « Jongdae cornered me because he thought I was going on a date », he then noticed the youngest of them, currently looking at him with this strange glint in his eyes and a bright smile on his lips that sincerely worried Wonshik.
Hakyeon glanced questioningly at Wonshik - who looked flustered and rather uncomfortable, a little pout drawn on his lips and his shoulders slouched – feeling as if he lost something.

« You must be Sanghyuk, right? The one I have to thank for this opportunity », Hakyeon bowed his head at the grinning boy and, for once, Sanghyuk was kind enough to reciprocate the greeting with a ninety degrees bow and an enthusiastic wave of his hand.

« It’s nice to finally meet you, hyung. Wonshik always talks about you. »

Said Wonshik was now deeply regretting bringing the younger along. He couldn’t even elbow him or physically ( try to ) hurt him because Hakyeon was there and would surely get suspicious and then, he would be screwed.
( Even if he really liked Hakyeon, the guy was a pain in the most of times. )

« Oh, really? ».
At the moment Wonshik wanted to both punch Hakyeon in his smiling perfect face and hide somewhere, possibly away from Sanghyuk and his teacher Hongbin.
« Only good things, I hope. »

« Oh, yeah. He basically worships you », the youngest spoke in a singsong voice, mischievous smile still stuck to his lips « and now I understand why, you really have a great behind. »
If Hakyeon was smiling, before, his face was now contorted in an half accusing and half flattered expression. Wonshik didn’t know which one was worst, to be honest, but he found it appropriate to splutter a little ( just a little ), face growing hot and cheeks flaming violently.
« I didn’t! » he defended himself, shaking his hands in front of Hakyeon and taking a step back for good measure. « I have never talked about your , Hongbin did! », and he was pretty sure that the red haired had convinced Sanghyuk – now grinning like a maniac  – to say that.
Wonshik looked frantically between Sanghyuk and Hakyeon, looking for help; the latter just looked more offended.

« Not that I don’t think it is » he added, mouth trapped in one of his usual cases of word-vomit. « Because it’s nice, really nice. I said you were pretty and kind but I haven’t made any inappropriate comment about your rear out loud, I swear. »

He had just thought them, after all.

The look on Hakyeon’s face turned bewildered and a little uncomfortable; the older shifted his weight between his feet but still not lowering his gaze from Wonshik’s face. That fixed stare was making him quite anxious because he couldn’t read, or understand, his expression. He kind of wanted to crawl into a hole and die because this had been the worst case of rambling ever experienced in his life.

« Wow, that was record worthy », Sanghyuk clapped amusedly, cackling in satisfaction before turning to Hakyeon with a smile plastered to his face. « He said the truth, he is too nice to make certain comments, he just told us about your incredibly nice personality, still, you’re handsome, hyung. »

Now, Wonshik appreciated that his friends were so supportive and all ( lately it had been the only thing he appreciated about them ) but what was with them trying to woo his crush?
Sanghyuk liked girls and Hongbin had lots of admirers.
Hakyeon was his.
They needed to stop the whole ‘ let’s make comments about Cha Hakyeon’s great figure and nice face so that he’ll likes us more than Wonshik’.
Maybe he should have started doing it too, maybe that was the secret way to conquer someone?

« Oh, thanks, then. Can we go or do I have to be worried about Wonshik ogling me while I walk? »

Wonshik wept pitifully.

« Oh, don’t worry, he stares only when you bend down. »

 

Look who's alive !
Okay, I'm really sorry for the loooong wait; it was my last year of high school and May and June were entirely dedicated to study and then my parents took me away for the holidays so I've been without internet and now that I'm back I have to make sure everything is okay because I'll start college in like six days and I'll move to Venice in two, so yeah, I'm really sorry.
Also because this chapter is uneventful and boring, I know ;; And I think my english has gotten worse, just ignore the mistakes, please ; ;
Hopefully the next one will be better ~ ( yes, I've alredy written it; yes, I hope to post it soon; nope, don't know when TT TT )

And hey, we're almost at the end of the story !
Thank you so much for reading, commenting or just putting up with the long wait ! ♡