Aimer (2/3) [for candyd1ve]

[defpepimod]

one | part two | three

Time continued on and their rehearsals progressed well. They were making vast improvements, and slowly the set around them was beginning to be constructed, making the rehearsals that little bit easier. There was still some issues though, none more hindering than the clear awkwardness between the leads, Romeo and Juliet especially.

How did their 'director' think they were going to be able to just act like love-birds when they had never even had a conversation? Before they had even started this show, he hadn't even know, or remembered, the kids name! And Mr Park was expecting them to just suddenly act like they were in love? Impossible. He may have gotten the lead role, but Jaebum wasn't a miracle worker.

He still tried, though, feeling like the success of the show was lying on his shoulders. This was meant to be a punishment, he had to remember that, and strangely he had started to accept that responsibility. It was a lot more fun than he had initially anticipated after all. And it was giving him something to do in his free time other than lay on his bed and sulk up at his ceiling. So he tried to make it seem like he and Jinyoung weren't as awkward with each other as they were in reality.

Apparently it wasn't enough though.

They were in the middle of rehearsing 'Le Bal' and 'L'amour Heureux' where Romeo and Juliet meet for the first time. They were meant to be portraying the literal sense of love at first sight. It wasn't going well though. They would get about half way through the scene before their teacher would call out for them to stop, giving them minor directions before telling them to continue. But no matter how many times they went over it, the theatre head continued to call out, telling them to stop.

"No, no, no, this just won't do." He sighed, idly stroking at his chin as he stared at the two of them in thought.

Glancing to his side, Jaebum noticed that there was a soft blush on Jinyoung's cheeks. The younger was clearly embarrassed about it. Jaebum was too, he was just better at hiding it, apparently. The soft shade of pink, though, made Jinyoung look even cuter, not that the older allowed himself to dwell on that for too long. It was just a passing thought. Just a passing thought.

"Sorry sir, we'll continue working on it." Jaebum said, bowing his head apologetically before turning to face his co-star with a rather strained smile. "From the top?" He asked him.

Jinyoung didn't get a chance to respond though before Mr Park cut them off. "No. That would be a waste of your time. You two are just too awkward with each other right now. Yes, you are meant to have just met but where is the passion? Where is that gut-wrenching longing? You are meant to fall in love at first sight with each other, but right now it looks like you two love the floor more than you love each other. You need to pick those gazes up from the stage and direct them at each other!"

The criticism... was rather harsh, and it took Jaebum aback a bit, a wince passing over his features before he returned his gaze to the ground. He knew that it was directed at both of them, but he couldn't help but feel like it was a jab at him. He was trying his hardest but it still wasn't good enough. Maybe that was just telling of his whole life... never being good enough.

"Sorry, sir." He heard Jinyoung whisper next to him, no doubt mirroring Jaebum with his head lowered too.

"Oh, stop it you two. You look like two kicked puppies." Their teacher called to them, his voice light-hearted again. "I mean it though, there is no point continuing on with this just yet. So... for the success of the show... you two are to go and spend time with each other, get to know each other, go on a 'date', anything. Just get rid of this awful awkwardness that you two have."

Raising his head quickly, Jaebum all but gaped at the older male, not quite believing that their teacher had just ordered them to go on a date. Was he being serious? He couldn't be right? That was just way too far-fetched a notion and yet he was looking at the two of them rather... expectantly. He hadn't misheard him then... great.

Jaebum didn't even glance to Jinyoung before he spoke up, his voice coming out more resigned than he had wanted it to. "Now?"

"No, not now! We still have scenes to rehearse!" The theatre head laughed, before he sauntered up onto the stage and clapped the two of them on the shoulder. "Tomorrow." He nodded before walking off and over to some of the other cast members who were going over some choreography.

Finally, Jaebum turned to look at his co-star who nervously glanced up at him before returning his gaze to his feet. "So... I guess we have to spend the day together tomorrow then." He started, trying not to feel as awkward as he did. That was a nearly impossible task though.

"Yeah." Came the younger's softer voice. "Um... I know a coffee shop that we could go to... Would that work?"

A coffee shop? Well... it was better than nothing. Lifting his shoulders, Jaebum shrugged, "Sure, just give me the address and I'll meet you there after class." He said, pulling his phone out from his pocket and idly throwing it to the other.

He watched as Jinyoung fumbled with the device for a moment before hurriedly typing on the screen. "Okay, um... I'll see you there then?" He asked, a soft blush on his cheeks as he handed the phone back to Jaebum.

"Sure." He repeated, shrugging offhandedly. The younger gave him what was clearly a mix between a nod and a bow before scurrying off and joining his friends, blush still evident upon his cheeks. Jaebum, himself, dropped down onto the floor by the wall, next to where Jimin was going over his script. He wasn't excited about this supposed date. No, of course not. The jumping in his stomach was because he was hungry. And the thudding of his heart was because... okay, so he didn't have an excuse for that, but it definitely wasn't because he was looking forward to tomorrow, and he certainly wasn't nervous about it either. No, not at all.

---

Jaebum had to admit that he had been a little naive. He had gone to this date with the assumption that they wouldn't still be completely awkward with each other. But oh how wrong he was... From the minute they had seated themselves after ordering their drinks, they had just sat in silence, awkwardly looking around and occasionally catching each other's eyes.

It was even more awkward than their attempts during rehearsals. But he didn't really understand why? Yeah, they barely knew each other but that didn't mean that they should be so stilted and uneasy in the other's company.

No matter what he tried to think of to do or say, though, Jaebum could just not break the ice. Thankfully the younger finally broke the silence they had fallen into by clearing his throat, his expression a combination of sheepishness and embarrassed. "I guess we had better start getting to know each other. Otherwise Mr Park might order us to go and do something even more embarrassing."

Jaebum couldn't help but laugh gently at this, his head nodding in agreement. "You're right about that. And knowing that old codger it would likely be something inappropriate too. I think he forgets sometimes that we're still just students, and even though we're in our late teens, we're still just that... teenagers."

"At least that's better than him trying to make out that he's 'down the kids'." The other laughed, his eyes disappearing into gentle crescents, which Jaebum did not think was really quite pretty... at all... maybe a little. "I have Mr Yang for English class and all he ever does is try to speak with like prehistoric slang, trying to act all 'hip'... it's embarrassing for both us and him." He finished with a giggle.

That wasn't cute either. Nope, not at all. Nothing about Jinyoung was cute, nothing. Though Jaebum was starting to think that maybe he should stop trying to kid himself... his co-star was cute... very cute. And maybe Yoongi had been right at the cafe... maybe Jinyoung was beautiful too.

They fell into silence again, though this one not quite as awkward as before. The ice wasn't completely broken, but there was a few chips in it now at least. Maybe this mission was doable after all? All it would take was them to talk, get to know each other a little better, and for Jaebum to stop being so stubborn and actually be honest with himself.

Jinyoung, once again, broke the silence, though he was back to looking sheepish and apologetic. "Jaebum-hyung, I..." He started before letting out a soft sigh as he dropped his gaze to the table top. "I'm sorry about all of this. I know you didn't want to take part in the show and that the only reason you are is because it's a punishment. Jackson... I tried to get him to stop and leave you alone but he didn't listen to me. He's too hard-headed at times and refuses to listen to me or Youngjae when he's in one of his moods. So... I'm sorry."

Was he seriously apologising for something that wasn't his fault? As sweet as that sentiment was... it was greatly unneeded. It wasn't Jinyoung's fault that Jackson pranked him and he retaliated. It wasn't Jinyoung's fault that he got such a strange detention. It wasn't Jinyoung's fault that Jaebum got a lead role. So why on earth was he apologising?

Lifting his hand, Jaebum waved off the other's apologies, flashing him a quick yet honest smile. "It's okay, don't worry about it. It's not your fault, so no need to apologise. You also don't need to apologise on Jackson's behalf. Yeah, I was angry to start off with but truthfully... it's not that bad a punishment. It could definitely be worse." He chuckled, nodding his head gently.

"Oh... So you're okay with being in the show?"

Jaebum chuckled softly again, his eyes crinkling for a moment as well as he nodded, reassuring his co-star. "Definitely. It's a lot more fun than I originally thought it was going to be."

The smile that the older received in reply from Jinyoung was more than a little breath-taking. Now that he had stopped sulking, he could truly appreciate just how beautiful his co-star actually was. There was no maybe about it now. The boy was stunning. And from what Jaebum had seen so far... he had a personality to match too. He still wanted to get to know him better, though not just for the purpose of the show now, but because Jinyoung intrigued him... He was going to get teased mercilessly by his friends once they found out.

He didn't get a chance to say anything else before another, rather chirpy, voice invaded their little bubble, the barista having completed their order and serving them. "Sorry for the delay, I had to change one of the filters." He explained, his soft voice slightly accented. "I've thrown in a slice of cake for you to share, free of charge."

"Thank you." Jaebum replied, smiling at the newcomer. Free cake was never a bad thing, and it didn't feel like they had been waiting that long for their drinks, not really.

"You're welcome." The barista replied, smiling gently as he hugged the tray to his chest. Jaebum turned, expecting the other to leave but was incredibly confused when the young male turned to his date instead. "Jinyoung-hyung, when you are working next? It's weird to be on shift without you..." He whined, his lips pushing forward into a pout, and wow... that had been entirely unexpected.

What was going on? Did Jinyoung and this young kid know each other? Obviously, by how the barista was acting and the rather affectionate expression on Jinyoung's face. Not for the first time did Jaebum feel completely clueless.

"I don't have a shift today, Bam, but I'll be back in tomorrow." Jinyoung said, smiling up at the young male gently.

Apparently those words were enough to appease him, for Bam grinned brightly before replying. "Great! I'll see you then, Hyung! Bye!" And before Jaebum could even blink, he was gone again, leaving the two of them to their date in peace.

That whole interaction was more than a little strange to Jaebum, and it took him a while for his brain to catch up with events. Once they had... it still didn't all piece together exactly, so looking to Jinyoung he tilted his head to one side in question as he blinked at him. "Um..."

Jinyoung, for what it was worth, did look rather sheepish and apologetic when he returned his gaze to Jaebum. Hopefully that meant that the younger would explain everything. Otherwise he would just continue to remain clueless and in the dark, which would not help with their awkwardness at all. But just as he had hoped, his co-star did begin to explain. "Sorry about that. That's BamBam, he's originally from Thailand, hence the slight accent." He started, indicating to where the young male was working behind the counter again. "His parents own this coffee shop, and... I work here."

Okay, so that explained why the two knew each other but that small explanation just left more questions. "You work here?" He repeated, prompting Jinyoung to nod in confirmation. Okay, so he had heard correctly but... it still didn't make sense. "Why? I thought you were here on scholarship?"

"I am." The younger answered, quick to nod his head again. "But... it doesn't cover my living expenses, only my classes. So I work here to cover what my scholarship doesn't."

The puzzle pieces about Jinyoung were starting to fit together now. Jaebum knew that not all of the scholarships offered covered living expenses too, and if, like the younger had said, he had received one of those then it only made sense that he would get a job as well. This coffee shop was fairly close to the school and received good business, so it was a good place to get such a job. But still... to take on so much on his own...

"Couldn't you ask your parents to cover it?" He asked, wanting to get the whole story locked into his head. He hoped he wasn't upsetting or annoying Jinyoung with all of these questions, he just wanted to know more about him. "I'm not trying to pry, honest, I'm just trying to get everything straight in my head." He continued, flashing the younger a sheepish smile.

His co-star fell quiet for a moment, chewing on his lip before his shoulders dropped as he sighed. "I can't. My family... we're from Jinhae, and my father runs a moderate fishing business. It's not enough to pay for me to study here in Seoul though, and I don't want to drain his earnings by asking him to help pay for my living expenses. I'd rather he kept that money for home. I don't mind having a job as well as school. I mean it's not the best paying but... it more than covers what I need it to, even with Seoul prices."

Jaebum nodded slowly in understanding, another hum echoing from his throat before a rather playful and teasing smile passed over his lips. "So... you chose to come here for our date because..."

The younger bit his bottom lip, his eyes crinkling as he smiled in embarrassment. "Staff discount..."

Well... at least he was being honest, and Jaebum had to commend him for that. "Thought as much." He laughed softly in amusement, and he couldn't stop himself from flashing Jinyoung a wink. He was just teasing, and really... it was okay if that was the reason as to why he had chosen this coffee shop. It was a nice place, and Jaebum certainly didn't mind coming here. Free cake, staff discount... and amazing company. But if this was going to feel like a proper date... "Come on, let's go somewhere else now, somewhere more... fun. My treat?" He offered, his eyes widening in an attempt to persuade the younger. He didn't often try and turn on the charm offensive like this. Mostly because whenever he tried it on his friends they just pushed him away and told him he looked like a constipated dog. But it was worth a shot at least.

Jinyoung seemed to mull over the idea for a moment before he returned Jaebum's smile, nodding his head gently, both of them now hoping for an exciting second part of their date to come. "Okay, let's do it."

No matter how old somebody got, they were never too old to visit an amusement park. It was just an added bonus that Jaebum and Jinyoung were still young, being eighteen and seventeen respectively. They had already had their more serious part of the date, and like the older had said... it was time for a little fun now.

As soon as they had walked through the gates, Jaebum paying for both of their entry tickets, the two had shared matching grins before they had bounded towards the rides. Of course they had started off with the more tame ones, so as to not risk them bringing up their previous hot drinks, and slice of cake, from their stomachs. But as they got closer to the more hardcore rides, the rollercoasters and other such attractions that went really high and really fast, Jinyoung began to look a little anxious.

"I'm... not that great with heights." He admitted, his expression sheepish and incredibly embarrassed.

It just came across as endearing to Jaebum, who cupped his cheek and grinned at him. "Don't worry. You'll be perfectly safe, trust me." He grinned before he took hold of the younger's hand and dragged him towards the next of many queues.

As anxious as his co-star was about the rides, Jaebum had to give it to him... he was still giving every single one a go, even if he did end up closing his eyes and whimpering throughout some of them. Eventually though Jaebum took pity on him and guided him over towards the food stalls instead of any more rides.

"Hungry?" He asked, grinning at Jinyoung once again.

The other blinked at him with a raised eyebrow for a moment before his serious expression melted and he giggled, nodding gently. "Surprisingly, yes... I didn't think I would be after all of those rides, but I don't feel queasy at all."

"That's probably because you had your eyes shut tight throughout most of them." He teased, poking his date in the side and eliciting a squeak of surprise from him followed by another blush. Jinyoung really was incredibly cute, there really was no use denying it any more. And this whole date idea of their teacher's... it was a good idea after all.

Once they had bought their food, which was a rather unhealthy concoction of fast food and other such treats that would be found at an amusement park, they made their way over to a picnic bench, sitting down either side of it so they could face each other. Though it was later in the day now, the weather was still pleasant. The sun was still shining, though not unbearably hot. But, give it another hour or so and the sun would finally begin to set. Jaebum almost didn't want that to happen, because if it did then their date would have to end and he would have to say goodbye to Jinyoung... at least until the next rehearsal anyway.

"This has been really fun." Jinyoung said, yet again breaking the silence that had befallen them. Though the silences were no longer awkward, the older was still thankful that the other knew exactly how to break them.

"Yeah it has." Jaebum smiled, nodding his agreement as he slid a fry into his mouth. "I guess we just needed to try harder, because this really wasn't hard to do at all."

His co-star smiled as well as he hummed gently, nodding again himself before he focused his attention on his 'meal'. As they ate though, Jaebum kept stealing glances at the younger, unease gnawing at his insides. They still weren't completely there with their current relationship and that was his fault really. Jinyoung had explained about himself after all, his situation and what not. But Jaebum hadn't said anything about himself yet, which he needed to rectify. Where to start though?

Eventually he decided that just talking was the answer, just talking and seeing where his words ended up. "When I was a kid, I was big on theatre and performing and stuff." He started, smiling a little when his date turned his attention back onto him. "I just... I loved it, you know? Being on the stage and entertaining people... it felt like it was what I was meant to do. I loved dancing the most though, so I ended up focusing on those skills more than the rest of it."

"You are an amazing dancer," Jinyoung started before blushing in a rather cute flustered way. "I've watched you practice a few times... Not on purpose or anything, um... please continue..."

Jaebum just laughed softly, his eyes crinkling as he teasingly reached over and tugged on the younger's cheek. "So cute." He laughed, pulling back before Jinyoung could swat at his hand. "You already know, then, that hip-hop is my main style. I wanted to be a professional b-boy. Part of me still does but... I have to put my school work and education first now. I have to graduate with decent grades. I promised my sister after all."

Everybody already knew about his sister and what was wrong with her. It had spread around the school from the start, and had become common knowledge about him as he had grown and made his way through the years. Jinyoung, even as a scholarship student who had only been at the school a year or two, would know about it. And the understanding nod he received from the younger was evident of that. It was a relief really, not having to talk about that in detail. Maybe one day he would... but it didn't feel that appropriate right now.

"Anyway, that wasn't the only reason why I gave it up... you know how famous my bad temper is? Well... it was starting to get worse with the competitive nature of dance. I was starting to fly off the handle for no reason and... I didn't like it. Especially when I started to lash out at people. So I stopped and tried to control my temper. I'm not always the best at it, like you've seen, but I'm trying." He continued on, his expression turning sheepish again.

"You're doing really well in rehearsal." Jinyoung's voice interrupted him, not that he really minded. "There have been so many times where it would have been understandable for you to snap at me or Jackson or any of the others, but you haven't. You're doing really well." He smiled, and Jaebum felt a warmth surging through him. He would have been lying if he said that nobody had said such things to him before, they had, but hearing it from Jinyoung actually made him feel like he was doing well. He didn't know when it had happened, but at some point he had started to want to please the other and make him happy.

"Thank you." He smiled, bowing his head in gratitude. "I'm actually really glad that I'm in this show, even if it is meant to be a punishment. I'm learning a lot about myself, and I don't know... maybe I should have returned to performing a lot sooner. It has been a lot more fun than I thought it would be." What he didn't mention was also the fact that by being in this show he had also got to meet Jinyoung properly, and not just as the unnamed friend of Jackson Wang...

Jinyoung, unaware of that, smiled in return at Jaebum and nodded his agreement. "It has been. Even with the extra workload of rehearsals and what not... it's tiring but... I don't regret auditioning at all. It was probably one of the best decisions I've actually made."

"I'm glad you did." Jaebum said, unable to stop the words from slipping from his lips. "I couldn't ask for a better co-star." The blush that appeared on Jinyoung's cheeks was so worth the slip up. What he said was true though. Now that they had been on this date, he realised that there was nobody else he would really want to play the romantic lead across from. And he was confident now that they would work well together. "I'm sorry about, you know, being so awkward with you before this. We really should have just done this sooner."

The younger male, still with the blush on his face, cleared his throat before replying, his gaze shyly flicking up from the food in front of him to meet Jaebum's eyes. "I wanted to... I just didn't know how to approach you about it. I thought you would say no..."

"Stupid." He chuckled, shaking his head in amused affection. "I definitely wouldn't have said no." His smile turned fairly shy, his own cheeks gaining a light dusting of pink, but Jaebum didn't really mind... not with how Jinyoung was apparently feeling the same as he was. They shared a shy smile with each other before the older, feeling a burst of courage, reached across the table and gently took Jinyoung's hand into his own. "We should do this again some time... without prompting from Mr Park."

This wasn't the first time that Jaebum had asked someone on a date. Of course it wasn't. He was eighteen years old after all. But this was the first time he had felt so nervous about it, and he hadn't even voiced the words directly. He feared, for a moment, that Jinyoung would turn him down, which was rather stupid considering what they had just spoken about, but his fears were put at ease by another shy smile and a gentle nod of the other's head. "I'd like that."

---

The first rehearsal after their date went, as everybody was hoping, a lot better. The two leads were no longer awkward with each other. In fact... they were now incredibly close, sharing smiles and playfully shoving each other when a cut had been called and extra directions were being given out.

The theatre head was trying to get them to rehearse the kiss scene, and though he wasn't having to tell them off for being awkward, he was having to call breaks frequently still. This time with more amusement than anything. Jaebum and Jinyoung would start off fine but the minute they drew in close to each other, one of them would start giggling, which would then set the other off and they were then back to square one.

After one such occurrence, Mr Park called for a break, laughter of his own highlighting his voice as he turned away, shaking his head with a smile on his face. At least they weren't getting in trouble this time, though Jaebum couldn't help but think that now they were just amusing and entertaining everyone else rather than annoy and irritate them.

Looking over to Jinyoung, they shared another shy smile before averting their eyes as they both laughed and giggled again. They didn't get a chance to move, though, before Jackson had appeared and looped his arms around their necks, yanking them down to his, smaller, height.

"Look at you two... You're acting so different with each other! Not that I'm complaining." He grinned, his own boisterous laugh ringing loudly in their ears. "What magic occurred between you two?" He asked. He didn't give either of them a chance to respond though before his grip tightened around their necks and he let out a rather dramatic gasp. "Could it be?" He purposefully looked between them, causing Jaebum to raise an eyebrow at him, before the shorter grinned slyly as he continued. "Could it be... love?"

"Shut up." Jaebum laughed, placing his hand on Jackson's face and shoving him away. "Stop being stupid." He added, though Jackson merely cackled again as he pointed at the older's, clearly, blushing face.

"I think the evidence speaks for itself."

Lifting a hand, Jaebum made a move to playfully hit the shorter again, Jackson just ducking away and barrelling off to jump onto the tall fifteen year old who was playing 'Death', Yugyeom, Jaebum thought his name was. Shaking his head though, he turned his attention away from the annoying prankster and looked to Jinyoung just in time to catch a blush on his cheeks too. They shared yet another shy smile before they split ways, moving to opposite sides of the stage ready for the cast to rehearse another scene instead.

---

If they had been nervous about rehearsing the scene in which they kiss, they were practically wrecks when it came to rehearsing one of the other scenes. It was the scene after which Romeo was banished, when he had gone to see Juliet for the last time and they shared a night together.

Mr Park, thankfully, had arranged it for when it was a rehearsal with only the three of them. That helped a little to dull the nerves and embarrassment, as did the fact that they were both fully clothed still, even underneath a blanket. That would change for the final performance, though, since they would both have to be shirtless and have the sheet carefully covering their lower halves so the audience wouldn't see the shorts they would be wearing.

It was still embarrassing for them however, and though the two of them were trying their hardest, they couldn't help but be awkward. Jaebum knew that, on his part, it was sort of due to the real feelings he was realising he had for the younger. He was suddenly having to be extremely close to him, and be rather intimate, even if certain things they were faking. Currently Jaebum's legs were just to one side of Jinyoung as he hovered his upper body over him, but Mr Park wasn't satisfied. He had called out to them to rearrange the scene a few times but it certainly wasn't working.

"Stop, stop, stop." He called out again, adding a sigh onto the end of his words as the two boys pulled away from each other. "It's still not natural enough."

Natural? He wanted this scene to be natural? This was a school production! There was only so much they could put into this before it ventured way past the boundary lines of what was acceptable or not. Jaebum was starting to fear that the older man had lost his mind.

"What should we do, Mr Park?" Jinyoung asked, his brows furrowed as he glanced nervously at Jaebum. The older reached out to squeeze his shoulder, trying to reassure him though he himself felt just as nervous. Who knew what their teacher would answer with?

He was stood there, looking towards the two of them with one finger tapping against his lips. "Hmm..." He started before nodding, dropping his arm to instead cross in front of his chest. "Okay, Romeo... try actually straddling our Juliet this time. A more natural position might just make this scene work."

The two young actors froze, not quite believing what the theatre head had just asked them to do. He wanted Jaebum to straddle Jinyoung... talk about drawing close to those boundary lines. Glancing sideways at the younger, Jaebum noticed how Jinyoung had turned a rather deep shade of red though he had nodded his agreement. Well... if he was okay with it, then it was worth a go at least.

"Okay sir." He called out in reply himself, watching as Jinyoung laid himself back down before he moved to slide his leg over the younger male, straddling him gently though making sure that their lower halves didn't actually touch. They couldn't be seen down there due to the sheet after all, and as long as it looked convincing then that's all that mattered.

"That's great! Just get yourself lower, Mr Im. This is the act of love, after all... you need to make it look like your bodies are pressed together!" Jaebum wanted to look over at their teacher in disbelief again but he knew it wouldn't change matters any. So instead he followed his instructions and lowered himself down more, only stopping when he heard a pleased cry from the stands. "That's great! Perfect!"

Letting out a sigh of relief, Jaebum closed his eyes for a moment before he opened them again to look down at his co-star. Jinyoung was still a rather startling shade of red, and he looked so unbelievably nervous. "Are you okay? Is this okay?" He asked, ready to move if the younger answered in the negative.

"Yeah." Jinyoung quickly replied, nodding softly too before he flashed Jaebum a small flustered smile. He clearly wasn't, neither was Jaebum himself okay with this... but they didn't really have a choice. They had to do it for the good of the show, and there was no way Mr Park was going to let them get away with doing anything else, they certainly couldn't cut the scene either. So they had to do it... no matter how awkward it might be for the two of them.

---

Being so busy with rehearsals, Jaebum found himself with less and less time to just hang out with his friends. So the minute there was a rehearsal that they didn't need him there for, he jumped at the chance to meet up with his motley crew at their usual cafe.

"So..." Hoseok spoke up, his mouth full of burger, "How's the show going?"

"Dude, swallow before you speak, seriously." Yoongi piped up, throwing a napkin at the younger's face before he went right on back to ignoring them, his gaze focused back on his phone again. Hoseok sheepishly picked up the napkin and wiped at the spit and crumbs of food he had sprayed the table with, though he did still look to Jaebum for his answer.

Shrugging his shoulders softly, he sipped at his milkshake before responding verbally. "It's actually not as bad as I feared it would be. Mr Park is still completely insane but... when has he ever been anything different? We're all working well together though, it's fun."

He received hums of acknowledgement in reply before their youngest, Namjoon, spoke up, finally pulling his eyes away from the pretty waiter who had served them. "You've not murdered Wang yet then?"

"No." Jaebum laughed, smiling in amusement. "He's actually not so bad once you get to know him. And I don't think Jinyoung would like it very much if I killed one of his friends."

"And why do you care if Jinyoung would like it or not?" Hoseok asked, his elbow flying out to dig into Jaebum's side... again. No matter how many times they asked him not to, the idiot continued to jab them when he teased them, regardless of how bony and sharp his elbows actually were.

He didn't get a chance to actually reply though before Yoongi had placed his phone down onto the table and was smirking across the table at him. "Because our darling Jaebum has a bit of a thing for his co-star. Don't you Jaebum?"

"W-What?" If the stutter hadn't given him away already... the blush that had sprung onto his cheeks definitely confirmed to his friends the truth of Yoongi's words.

"A little birdy has told me that you've gotten quite chummy with the kid... flirting every rehearsal..." The shorter continued, though Jaebum was already working out the many different ways he would kill Jimin once he saw him again. That kid could never keep his mouth shut, and of course Yoongi would use him to keep tabs on Jaebum. Not for anything sinister but because his friend was actually incredibly protective over the rest of them, not that he would ever admit so.

Jaebum tried to think of what to say, his brain momentarily losing the ability to form actual sentences. He knew there was no point denying it. His friends would get the truth out of him eventually, so it would just save time if he was honest with them from the start. "Well... he's not wrong." He eventually replied, continuing to blush gently. "Jinyoung is cute... really cute, and I really like spending time with him."

If asked later, Hoseok would have denied ever squealing happily at what the older had said, but the truth of it was... he had squealed, complete with throwing his arm around his friend's neck and tugging him close. "Our Jaebummie is in love~!" He cooed, reaching up with his free hand to tug on Jaebum's cheek.

"Get off." He laughed, swatting at his friend as he struggled to free himself. "I wouldn't say I was in love, it's too early for that yet. But yes, I do like him. There, happy?" He asked, looking between his friends with an amused raised eyebrow. He just received satisfied grins in reply from Yoongi and Hoseok whilst Namjoon merely glanced at him before returning his attention to the waiter.

"You should ask him out." The tallest mumbled, still taking part in their conversation even despite his obvious distraction. But then... Namjoon was practically a genius, so multi-tasking like this was probably an easy feat for him. Jaebum often wished he knew how his friend managed it.

Not that he ever had chance to ask, for every time he remembered, he was then demanded to reply to something else instead. This time being his friends' prompting of him to ask his co-star out on a date.

"Come on, man. You like him. From what I hear he likes you too. So ask him out."  Yoongi said simply, though his usual cunning smile was making another appearance on his face.

"But... I already have... after our forced date by Mr Park. I asked him then. We just... haven't gone on it yet." It was a weak attempt at rescuing himself from the situation and he knew it. Jaebum knew full well that the other's weren't going to let him get away with not asking Jinyoung out on another date. They had sources, after all, who could tell tales and even try to meddle if he didn't do something himself. And no way did he want Jimin or any of the other younger kids to get involved in his love life.

Just like he had expected, Yoongi just rolled his eyes as he continued to push him. "Well then... ask him again and actually go through with it this time."

"Yeah, you don't want to, like, miss this chance and then find him dating some other douche do you?" They were deliberately trying to bait him, and Jaebum knew it, but he couldn't help but grow a little concerned at Hoseok's words. Jinyoung was stunning, with a great personality, and the cutest accent when he let it slip through. He was incredibly attractive and Jaebum knew that he wasn't the only person in the school to think so. There was a high chance that somebody else would go and ask Jinyoung out on a date...

"Okay, I'll do it." He nodded, his eyes practically flaming in determination before he glanced over at the youngest again, a cunning smile of his own appearing on his face. "But... only if Namjoon asks the waiter, he's been eyeing, out on a date too."

This finally managed to draw Namjoon's attention to them properly, him blinking at them a little in shock. Jaebum had hoped that by moving the attention on to the younger that they would all forget about him and Jinyoung. He was still going to ask his co-star out, even if Namjoon didn't go through with his side of this plan. He just didn't want to get the third degree from his friends about it.

Surprisingly, though, the tallest shrugged before standing up. "Fine." He nodded, before he slipped out from the table and calmly approached the waiter, calling out to him to grab his attention. "Hey, Seokjin-hyung..."

Well then... there was no excuse for him not to ask Jinyoung out now too. If Namjoon could do it, then so could Jaebum.

one | part two | three