It was like nothing Jinki could have imagined.

Anyone can dance (it was a fact of life,) and Jinki believed that anyone who wanted to dance should be able to. But there was something about professional and really advanced dancers, a certain quality to their dancing that could only be achieved through sweat and tears and never-ending practice and the pure need to dance. It was this quality that made true dancers stand out from the rest, and it was this quality, this effortlessness that Taemin possessed that made Jinki choke up almost instantly.

Taemin kept his eyes closed the whole time, feeling the music. He had a small smile on his face and he looked completely peaceful. He fluidly moved from one move to the next as if waves were moving over his body. He slid on the floor with ease and extended his legs to impossible heights effortlessly. His spins were flawless, his technique impeccable. The music spoke of loneliness and pain, and his arms and legs reached out with need, energy extending through and out of his fingers and pointed toes.

It was like nothing Jinki had ever seen before. Taemin has his own unique style of dancing. His soul was beautiful. It was on full display for Jinki, he wasn't hiding anything from him anymore. The thought that a part of him was somewhere in Taemin's movements made his eyes, already b with tears begin to overflow.

Taemin ended the piece curled up on the floor, arms wrapped around himself. He stayed like this for an extra few seconds after the music ended, catching his breath, and then he sat up and looked at Jinki. His eyes were just as watery.

Jinki scooted over on the floor to sit next to Taemin and they wrapped their arms around each other, wiping their eyes on the other's shoulder.

"Taemin, that was incredible." Jinki whispered.

"You're incredible." Taemin whispered back as he hugged Jinki closer.

The longer they stayed like that the less they each wanted to let go. Both of them were so tired of having so much pressure put on them for so long, and in that moment nothing mattered but each other. When they were together they didn't have to pretend, they could talk openly and be themselves. And the worst part was that they both knew it wouldn't last forever. Everything changes eventually so they silently agreed to cherish this moment of love and vulnerability while they had it.

They clung to every second as they eventually stood up and left out the back door, hands still clasped firmly together. Even as Taemin drove away they didn't let go of one another. They stopped by a drive through to get food, and next they drove to a park by Taemin’s house. By this point it was dusk and the sky was getting dark.

They brought the food and some blankets from the back of his car. Taemin led the way to a secluded area of the park where they could lay the blankets out on the grass and lean against a large tree trunk. Jinki served the food and they ate in silence until...

"Taemin," Jinki whispered. "What are we?"

He’d been afraid of this conversation for weeks, perhaps ever since he started to grow close to the other boy. He knew it was inevitable, but he had wanted to push it aside for as long as possible. However, (especially after this afternoon) he realized he didn’t want there to be questions lingering over their heads anymore. He wanted to be honest with Taemin, and this conversation was a big step. Jinki knew that conversations like this could ruin a friendship and he was terrified of the outcome,  but he hoped more than anything that his relationship with Taemin had grown strong enough to withstand whatever might happen next.

Taemin was just as nervous, answering back after a long pause.

“I...I don’t know.”

Jinki released the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

“Me too.”

Taemin gingerly picked up Jinki's hand and interlaced their fingers as he shifted his seated position. He moved closer until Jinki could feel Taemin’s breath ghosting over his face. Taemin's eyes glittered large, dark, and unreadable in front of him.

“Jinki,” Taemin said, his voice barely audible. “Do you want to kiss me?”

Before Jinki had a chance to answer Taemin closed the distance between him. He felt Taemin’s eyelashes flutter against his skin as Taemin softly pressed their lips together.  Jinki was frozen, rooted to the tree behind him.

Taemin gently pulled away and wrapped his arms around Jinki. He sat on the older boy’s lap and rested his face on his shoulder.

“I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know.” He mumbled into Jinki’s shirt. “I don’t know what I want.”

Jinki held Taemin close as one of his hands swirled calming circles onto the younger boy’s back.

“Taemin...I feel closer to you than I ever have to a friend, and probably anyone. You know so much about me, sometimes I feel you know me better than myself. I want to spend all of my time with you, because having you around makes everything better. I love that we can hug and hold hands and it’s no big deal, and if you want to kiss every now and then that’s ok too. But honestly, none of that matters. None of it matters as long as you’re here for me and you want to spend time with me and we understand each other. We don’t have to put a label on it because it’s not going to change the way I feel about you.”

He waited patiently for Taemin’s response.

“I feel the same way. I think your smile is beautiful, and when you’re happy I feel like I can do anything. I like that when I talk to you about my problems almost all of them melt away, and you don’t freak out when I talk about my brother or I’m not feeling okay. But what I like most of all is your heart. You’re so compassionate even though you’re hurting. You reached out to me that night even though you were upset too. You’re really special to me, and the fact that you care about me makes everything alright. I don’t care what we are as long as we’re together. “

They stayed at the park until they could barely keep their eyes open, and once they got back to Taemin’s house and the lights were turned off Jinki slipped off the bed to join Taemin on the floor and they fell asleep side by side.

Ahhhh, I'm really nervous about this chapter >///< Writing the kissing scene made me so uncomfortable I have no idea if it's any good.

I really wanted to leave things open to interpretation. In my eyes their relationship can still be platonic. They never admit to romantic or ual attraction, and like they said it doesn't matter.  I know I labelled this story as angst but after rereading this chapter it kind of feels like fluff. I'm sorry if it wasn't really angsty. :( I just felt bad making more situations for them to cry and be upset when I wanted them to be happy. I guess it's more hurt and comfort? Like they're two broken people who meet each other and help to fix one another? If you have any thoughts about this I'd love to discuss. Comments make me really happy. <3

Should I end it here or should I write more? There could probably be another chapter, but I don't want to overdo it if you guys think it would be too much. 

Thanks again for reading and subscribing. I love you all. <3