Aimer (3/3) [for candyd1ve]

[defpepimod]

one | two | part three

Standing outside of the coffee shop, Jaebum took a deep breath as he glanced through the window. He knew that Jinyoung was working today, there being no rehearsal and Jackson having told him such too. The prankster had been a little confused when he had asked him about his friend's work schedule, but hadn't been wary enough not to tell him the information that he wanted. That was why he had gone to Jackson with his question and not the other member of their trio, Youngjae. The younger blond kid was a lot sharper than Jackson and no doubt would have grilled him before handing over any answers himself.

Of course, if this all turned out well, then everybody was going to know about him and Jinyoung anyway, but right now... the less people who knew, the better. There was always that chance that it wouldn't work out after all. So it was better to be safe than sorry.

After another moment of Jaebum giving himself a mental pep-talk, he entered the coffee shop and approached the counter. It was thankfully quiet, so he would have plenty of time to talk to Jinyoung without leaving a queue of customers waiting to be served. Not that his co-star was working on the counter today. The other kid... BamBam... was the one stood there, handing over a finished drink to a waiting customer.

Finally it was Jaebum's turn, and as he stepped in front of the younger male, a flash of recognition passed over his eyes. "Um... Can I speak to Jinyoung? I... want to ask him something."

The innocent smile that had been on BamBam's face morphed into a sly one as he nodded. "Sure. He's just out back. I'll go get him for you."

"Thank you." Jaebum managed to reply before the barista had darted off into the back. It was only a few seconds before he returned, pushing a spluttering Jinyoung out in front of him. He looked so completely surprised to see Jaebum that the older, for a moment, thought that maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. Maybe he should have waited until the end of a rehearsal? Oh well, it was too late now.

"H-Hi..." Jinyoung mumbled, his cheeks suddenly flaming in colour. He looked so cute and adorable like that, clearly flustered but happy to see Jaebum at the same time. And he was happy... he was smiling after all, if a little shyly.

But then Jaebum himself was smiling back at him the exact same way, so he couldn't hold anything against him. It was obvious what he was there to do after all. "Hi." He started before indicating to the side with a tilt of his head. "Can I speak to you for a moment? It's... important."

If it was possible, the blush on his co-star's cheeks intensified as he nodded gently in answer. "Sure. I'm only doing a stock count. I can take a small break." His eyes flicked to BamBam, who was watching them eagerly, waiting for him to nod that it was okay before he moved over to the edge of the shop, Jaebum following after him as he tried to subtly wipe his sweaty palms on his pant legs.

"I..." He started, once they were out of earshot of everyone else in the room, and pausing to take a breath. "I was just wondering if you, maybe, wanted to do something together again... like... another date?" He asked, his lips quirking up into an awkward embarrassed smile. "But this time, as a proper one... because... I really do like you, Jinyoung, more than a co-star should. You're beautiful, and amazing, and you have an amazing sense of humour. I took way too long to get to know you properly and I really regret that. But I enjoy spending time with you and I really like you, and I should probably shut up now and let you answer right?" Jaebum mentally scolded himself. He had let his nerves get the better of him and he had just rambled, making a complete fool of himself.

Thankfully Jinyoung was still stood before him, smiling at him rather tenderly. Well, that was a good sign. Not that Jaebum had really doubted too much, seeing as they had agreed to hang out again before. But this time he was actually doing something about it. "When you said about it last time, I didn't think you meant as a proper date... I thought you just meant as friends or something..." The younger started, his graze dropping shyly down to his feet for a moment. "But... I'm glad that you do mean it as a date. I feel the same way about you so... Yes, I'll go on another date with you, Jaebum."

Those words... were exactly what the older wanted to hear. Maybe not the first part, since that pretty much indicated that the younger hadn't believed him the first time. But the last part was definitely music to his ears. Jinyoung felt the same about him... "Great! I'll pick you up once you finish work then." Jaebum beamed at him, happiness practically exuding from him. He couldn't stop himself from darting forward and pressing his lips firmly to Jinyoung's for a moment, stealing a quick kiss. He didn't let it last long though before he pulled away, a cheeky smile now on his face. "See you later."

Without even waiting for a response, Jaebum turned and swiftly exited the coffee shop, purposefully ignoring BamBam who was shooting him a thumbs up. He had a date to prepare for now, and it had to be perfect. Jinyoung deserved perfect.

---

The next time rehearsal rolled around, Jaebum and Jinyoung walked through the doors together, hand in hand. Their date had gone well, really well, and they had actually ended up meeting every day over the weekend, once the younger had finished his shift at work. They hadn't been able to spend much time together during school hours, since they were in different grades and classes, but once classes had finished for the day, they had met up so they could go to rehearsal together.

Jaebum didn't think he could be happier. He was now dating Jinyoung, allowing his feelings to develop freely while the two of them grew even closer. And by the seems of it, his co-star, and now boyfriend, was just as happy as he was; If the pleased blush that had appeared on his face when they walked into the hall to a chorus of wolf whistles was any indication.

Glancing over to the younger, Jaebum shared a smile with him, squeezing his hand gently before there was a loud thumping commotion from behind them and they were suddenly pulled down by arms around their necks. "I totally called this!" Jackson crowed from in between them, his grip on them firm. "Didn't I call this? I so totally called this."

"Shut up, Jackson." Jinyoung grumbled, releasing his hold on Jaebum's hand in favour of trying to tug his friend's arm away from him.

The prankster wasn't listening though, apparently, for he turned to Jaebum with a rather sly smirk on his face. "Now... Im, you better not hurt Jinyounggie here, because if you do..." He warned, unhooking his arm from around Jinyoung's neck to playfully draw a line across Jaebum's neck.

Truthfully Jaebum had been expecting to hear such things from his boyfriend's friends. They were protective of him, just like how his own friends were protective of himself. However it sounded sort of redundant coming from Jackson, which was evident when Jinyoung punched the shorter in the shoulder with an embarrassed blush on his cheeks. "Shut up."

A laugh echoed from their side, and Jaebum turned to see Youngjae, the last member of the trio joining them. "Everyone knows that Jinyoung-hyung can take care of himself." He said, shaking his head in amusement at Jackson. "He's stronger than you, so I don't think we have to worry about him."

The offended look on Jackson's face caused the small group of them to all laugh at his expense, not that the prankster really seemed to mind. He quickly bounced back, grabbing Youngjae into a headlock and ruffling his hair.

A loud clap from the stage quieted them down, though, and they looked over to see the theatre head grinning at them. "Okay, enough now boys. We still have work to do. We can congratulate the new couple later." He said, encouraging Jackson to release Youngjae and return to the stage, grabbing Jinyoung as he did so and tugging him after him.

Jaebum just watched them go with an affectionate smile on his face. A smile that Youngjae didn't miss. "His feelings for you are legitimate, by the way. And though I'm almost certain that yours are too... please don't hurt him."

"I won't." He answered simply, gifting Youngjae with a gentle smile to which the younger simply nodded before following after his friends and heading towards the stage. Jaebum bit his lip, trying to hide his giddy smile before he too followed the rest of them, joining the small forming crowd. Of course as soon as he reached them all, he immediately slid behind Jinyoung, wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him back to rest against his chest, Jaebum's chin settling comfortably on his boyfriend's shoulder. He couldn't help himself, he just wanted to be with the younger at all times now, and was happiest when they were physically touching or cuddling like this.

They listened to their teacher, giving out the orders for the rehearsal, him wanting to focus on one of the first numbers 'La Haine' which mainly involved the ensemble and the two 'mothers'. That was fine by Jaebum. That meant he had more time to just sit with Jinyoung in his arms.

As they made their way to the side of the stage, ready to go sit down in the seats until they were called, a soft voice caused them both to pause. "Um... Jaebum-hyung, Jinyoung-hyung..." It started, the two cast members turning to see one of their youngest cast members, Yugyeom, smiling shyly at them. "I just wanted to say... that I think you guys make an amazing couple, and that I'm so happy that two of my favourite hyungs have gotten together."

Was this kid for real? Was he really this adorable? Jaebum was finding it hard not to just jump on the younger and squeeze his cheeks with how cute he was being. Jinyoung's hand still in his was what stopped him though, and his boyfriend seemed to take the lead for a moment. "Thank you, Yugyeom. That means a lot to us."

Yugyeom bowed his head sheepishly before his expression turned apologetic for a moment. "I also want to say that... I'm sorry..."

"For what?" Jaebum asked, completely confused as to why the younger was apologising. He hadn't done anything wrong, not as far as he knew anyway. So why?

"For... for making you two die during the musical."

Of course... Yugyeom played Death, a silent character who played with all of the other characters and took Romeo and Juliet's lives. It was so beyond adorable and sweet for Yugyeom to be apologising for something that his character did to theirs' during the show they were in.

Jaebum couldn't help but laugh softly, Jinyoung's own giggles complimenting the sound as they both smiled at the younger. "It's okay, don't worry about it." Jaebum said.

"It's only a show after all. You're not really breaking me and Jaebum up."

The soothing words from his boyfriend seemed to do the trick for Yugyeom was soon smiling at them again, bowing his head in gratitude. "Okay." He said before he indicated towards the stage with his head. "I better go rehearse... I'm needed for this scene."

Jaebum nodded towards the younger in acceptance before watching him scurry off towards where the rest of the needed cast was beginning to get into position for the song to start. That whole interaction just felt precious to Jaebum, and it made him feel even more that getting into trouble and taking part in the show was definitely worth it. Not only had he met someone as amazing and perfect as Jinyoung, who he was now dating, but he had also met many other people who would become firm friends of his, like Yugyeom.

He was definitely going to have to thank Jackson for this... later.

---

With the final performance dates and opening night drawing closer, rehearsals for the cast intensified. They became more frequent, lasting longer, and they were beginning to rehearse in costume, with props, on the proper set. The orchestra that would play the music for them had begun to attend their rehearsals now too, so they were no longer singing to a plain soundtrack but to actual instruments.

It was great, Jaebum found himself singing harder and putting more into his performance now that the pressure was on. He was really living by the phrase 'perform every time like it's the last performance', and it was working well for him. He hadn't realised how much he had missed performing on stage, not until he was involved in this production. He was thriving under the pressure, every rehearsal filling him with adrenaline. He felt like he was on top of the world.

His relationship with Jinyoung was going well too. They were spending a lot of time together, much to all of their friend's amusement. When they weren't in class, they were practically glued to each other's sides, and that was just how Jaebum liked it. Having his boyfriend close enough where he could watch over him and make sure he was always okay, made the older feel calm. He didn't like not knowing where the other was, so spending so much time together was ideal for him.

However, by doing so, Jaebum began to notice just how many people spoke to his co-star... in a more friendly way than he was comfortable with. When had Jinyoung become so popular? And though he knew that the younger attracted a lot of people, he had never realised just how many. There seemed to be a never ending stream of people who were after Jinyoung's attention. And if he was being honest... Jaebum didn't like that... at all.

Every time he saw somebody speaking to his Jinyoung, his temper would flare and he would glare daggers across to whoever the culprit was. And if he wasn't occupied with a task himself then he would waltz over and possessively wrap his arm around the other boy's shoulders, staking his claim and showing that Jinyoung was already taken so the other should just back off. He couldn't help it. He liked, no, loved Jinyoung so much that the thought of losing him to someone else struck fear into his heart. He couldn't lose him. So he had to make sure that everybody knew he was taken.

Even when Jinyoung was just hanging out with Jackson and Youngjae, Jaebum would grow moody. He would sulk silently, throwing frequent glances over to the younger. He wouldn't stop until Jinyoung sighed, gave his apologies and returned to his side. Only then would he be happy again, pulling his boyfriend close and burying his face into his shoulder. He never missed how tense and annoyed Jinyoung was each time, but he never commented on it either. In his opinion it was okay for him to be selfish like this from time to time, and if his boyfriend really had a problem with it, he would say something.

Jaebum didn't even acknowledge that anything was wrong when he began to snap at his own friends. He didn't hesitate to introduce Jinyoung to Yoongi, Hoseok and Namjoon, them being his closest friends. It was only fair for him to meet them since Jaebum was on good solid speaking terms with Jackson and Youngjae. It didn't take long, though, for him to be scowling at them as they tried to flirt with his boyfriend. So what if Namjoon was technically taken? He shouldn't be acting so friendly with somebody else's boyfriend. He was still a threat. Yoongi and Hoseok even more so. Everybody was a threat, and Jaebum couldn't help but become possessive.

Eventually his friends had stopped prodding him to hang out with them, not wanting to deal with his ridiculous temper and childish behaviour whenever any of them so much as looked at Jinyoung. They had left Jaebum to it, with Yoongi's departing words of "Call us when you grow up from this toddler clinging to his favourite toy."

He wasn't that bad was he? He was just being protective over his boyfriend, which was normal. There was nothing wrong with his behaviour. So everybody just needed to get off of his back.

Jaebum couldn't help but begin to pay even more attention to himself and to Jinyoung after that though. He wanted to make sure that all of their comments were completely unfounded. But by doing so, he noticed the more quiet and silent pursuers of his boyfriend. He hadn't realised that Jinyoung was so close to the head of the orchestra, a Gong Chanshik who often offered tutoring services to the younger students. Jaebum knew him, fairly well actually. They shared many classes together, and he had believed the slightly older student to be a decent respectable guy. But seeing him laughing and joking with Jinyoung caused him to rethink his initial assumptions about the conductor. He didn't do anything though, simply seething on the sidelines as he watched them.

Relief flooded through him when Mr Park called for them to begin rehearsal, and he watched as Chanshik left Jinyoung to return to the orchestra pit. Then did Jaebum walk over to his boyfriend and squeeze his shoulder. It was more to reassure himself that Jinyoung was still his. But he did receive a gentle smile in reply, though, which helped to ease his upset. However... it didn't last long.

Mr Park wanted them to rehearse the start of the ball scene, before Romeo and his friends gatecrashed the party, the scene where Juliet and Paris talk. Another kid from a few of his classes was playing Paris, Mark Tuan he remembered his name being. He was older than Jaebum, which was why he didn't immediately storm onto the stage the first moment that the other placed his hand on his boyfriend's cheek. It was for the play, he knew that, but it still upset him to watch. That was his boyfriend the older boy had his grubby mitts all over.

And it just continued on, the older boy's touches getting more and more daring as the scene continued. He was really pushing it, in Jaebum's opinion, and he had every right to go up to the American exchange student and punch him square in the face. As dramatic as he was though, he didn't want to cause a scene in the middle of rehearsal. Or, not something that would warrant him gaining another detention anyway.

When their teacher finally called an end to the scene, turning his focus onto something else, Jaebum wasted no time in storming over to the two, and ripping Mark's hands away from Jinyoung. He glared angrily at the older male as he spoke, his voice seething in warning. "Scene's finished."

Mark simply laughed in amusement as he held his hands up innocently. "Calm down, man. It was just acting. I know that Jinyoung is your boyfriend. No need to get so defensive."

"I'm not getting defensive." He replied, his eyes narrowing even more in his anger.

"Sure. Whatever." Mark snorted, rolling his eyes before he turned his attention back to Jinyoung. "Hey, let me know when you're free next. My Dad sent me a load of DVDs if you want to work on your English listening skills." He must have received some sort of silent response, for he nodded before turning and walking over to the side of the stage, rummaging in a bag for a bottle of water. Jaebum had missed whatever response it had been since he had been so focused on the older student.

When he turned though, he expected to see Jinyoung smiling at him in his usual gentle way. But what he actually saw was a very angry, obviously fuming, Jinyoung. Jaebum hadn't really seen his boyfriend angry or upset, only when he had been acting out scenes for the play. Those were just fake, but this? This was real emotion, and the older boy didn't understand why his boyfriend was apparently angry at him. "What?"

Jinyoung's expression just darkened as he stepped away from Jaebum, putting unneeded space between them. "You and me need to have a little talk, Jaebum. You are being ridiculous."

"He had his hands all over you!"

"We were rehearsing a scene!" The younger replied, before closing his eyes and sighing in clear frustration. "Look... We'll talk later, okay? We've got more scenes to rehearse."

"Fine." Jaebum snapped in reply, his own temper flaring. What was Jinyoung so angry about? Seriously... He was the one that was spending a little too much time with others. English movies with Mark? Was he for real? Jaebum turned around, stalking down to the seats and flopping down into one with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

The rest of the rehearsal Jaebum spent sulking, glaring at anybody who dared approach his boyfriend. Jinyoung shot angry glances of his own over to the older, though they were more filled with hopeless frustration than actual anger. Jaebum had seen every single glance, and they managed to calm him down at least a little. They calmed him down enough for him to actually concentrate on the scenes he was asked to rehearse. Which was good, because whether they were angry with each other or not... they were still in a show with the opening night drawing increasingly closer. They couldn't let their personal life interfere with that.

Finally, Mr Park announced that they had finished for the day, and everybody began to pack up, grabbing their bags and departing through the doors. Jaebum lingered, though, waiting for Jinyoung. It was something he would have done anyway even if they weren't fighting with plans to 'talk' about whatever the problem was. He still didn't understand why Jinyoung was so upset with him. He was the one who should be upset and he was. His boyfriend was the one going off and flirting with other people, not him.

Thankfully he didn't have to wait long, before the younger male curled his hand around his arm and dragged him over to the side of the room. With everybody else gone, they had the privacy to talk about this, just the two of them. Jaebum was rather relieved about that for he knew he had a tendency to raise his voice when he was angry or upset.

Jinyoung turned to him, a tired sigh falling from his lips before he spoke. "Okay... What's going on, Jaebum? Why are you being like this?"

The question was only a simple one, but it was enough to ignite Jaebum's temper again, who scowled as he practically glowered at the younger male. "As if you don't know." He snorted. "I would have thought it was obvious."

"You're not making any sense."

"I don't like seeing other guys flirting with my boyfriend, and said boyfriend flirting right back!" Already his voice was raised but he couldn't help it. He was upset and he had every right to be in his opinion.

Jinyoung, however, seemed to disagree as frustration shone on his face. "What are you talking about? What flirting?" Of course he would try to deny it...

Lifting his hand, Jaebum began to reel off names as he held his fingers up, one at a time. "Mark, Gongchan, Jackson, Youngjae, Namjoon, Yoongi, Hoseok... do I need to continue?"

"Are you being serious, right now?" The younger asked, disbelief in his voice. "I have not and never have flirted with any of them!"

"I saw you! I was there!"

It was new to see his usually calm boyfriend, growing angry. His voice was rising to meet the same levels as his own, his accent peeking through with his words, and it was strange. "If you seriously believe that I was flirting with all of them then you are being stupid, Im Jaebum. Jackson and Youngjae are my friends. Namjoon, Yoongi and Hoseok are your friends. Mark is a member of the cast! Gongchan is an old tutor of mine! I am a big boy, Jaebum, I can talk to who I want and hang out with them when I want. I can be only friends with them. Just because I'm talking to them, it doesn't mean that I'm flirting!"

"But-" Jaebum started before he was immediately cut off by the younger's raised voice.

"I'm not finished!" His chest was heaving as he spat out every word. "If anybody did flirt with me, Hyung, I would turn them down. Why? Because I'm with you. Because I'm dating you. Because I'm in love with you. I don't want to be with anyone else!"

"Well how was I supposed to know that!?!" Jaebum responded, practically yelling out the words as he narrowed his eyes angrily at his boyfriend. "You don't exactly make it obvious how you feel about me. How am I supposed to know that you love me?"

The older could have winced after those words left his mouth. He knew how much saying that would hurt Jinyoung. But it was too late now. The words were out there, he couldn't take them back. He could apologise, yes, but he was still too angry to do such a thing. He would do so later... maybe. But right now, in his frustration, there was no way he was going to apologise for anything.

Jinyoung fell silent, his face a careful mask of indifference though his eyes shone clearly with his shock and upset. He didn't let Jaebum see for long, before the younger turned around so his back was to him instead. Just before he had done so, the older had caught a brief glimpse of his boyfriend's beautiful eyes filling with tears. That alone calmed him down slightly, but not enough to dispel his anger and upset completely. It just made him feel guilty for verbally lashing out.

"Maybe..." Jinyoung's voice sounded, rather thick and barely restrained, "Maybe we should take a break... give each other some space. I think we both need it."

Jaebum couldn't stop the irritated scoff from falling from his lips and he rolled his eyes before throwing his hands in the air. "Fine, whatever." He hissed before turning and stalking off, out of the auditorium.

They hadn't broken up... they were just taking a break. All couples went through this. Or that was what Jaebum was trying to reassure himself with. They hadn't broken up... right?

---

The break turned out to last much longer than only a week. The two of them barely spoke to each other when in the same vicinity, and when they weren't needed to be anywhere near each other, then they tried to avoid the other's presence at all costs.

Initially, for Jaebum, it had been because he was still angry with the other, still upset over Jinyoung's supposed flirting with others. But eventually the anger burned away, and he was just left with an unyielding feeling of pure guilt. He knew that he should have spoken to Jinyoung about his jealousy before it had festered to the point where they blew up at each other. He knew that after he had said such accusing things to the younger that he should have apologised.

Jaebum had a terrible habit of lashing out at those people who meant the most to him. He had done it to all of his family. He had done it to his friends. And now he was doing it to his boyfriend too. He always managed to hurt the ones he loved, and he hated that about himself.

He wouldn't blame Jinyoung if the younger didn't want anything more to do with him. He didn't deserve to be treated in such a way that Jaebum was treating him. He deserved so much more than that. And Jaebum didn't deserve someone as beautiful and amazing as Jinyoung.

He couldn't approach him and sort this all out, though. He felt too guilty to even look at the younger's face during rehearsal, so no way could he face him and apologise for his biggest failings as a person. There was also the matter of his pride. Even though he knew that this was all his fault, he couldn't bring himself to admit that to anyone or take the blame for it. He couldn't. He was too prideful to do so. But the biggest reason as to why he couldn't apologise to Jinyoung was because he was scared. He was scared that this was all going to result in the younger leaving him... that he would lose Jinyoung for good. So it was safer to just continue hiding from the problem, even if it did hurt him by doing so. This pain, he could deal with, but if his boyfriend did leave and break up with him for good... he didn't think he'd be able to handle that pain.

His friends worried about him, with how quiet and withdrawn he had become, they had immediately known that something had happened. And even though they had been initially angry at him for how he had treated them because of Jinyoung... they didn't hold it against him. In fact as soon as they saw him struggling, they had all come right back to him and helped to support him. Though not without the reoccurring words of 'You should talk to him'. That was easy for them to say... they weren't facing possible permanent heartbreak.

They weren't the only ones to throw him constant concerned glances. Even the rest of the cast did so as well. Though their glances and words seemed to be split equally between him and Jinyoung. The tension between them was thick, and not even the youngest of cast members missed it. Yugyeom, especially, looking incredibly worried.

Opening night rolled around, a lot faster than any of them had anticipated, and Jaebum and Jinyoung still were not speaking to each other. It was tearing Jaebum apart if he was being honest about it. Not having Jinyoung there by his side, not being able to hold his hand, pull him into his arms, share a kiss... not even being able to share a smile with him... it was practically killing him, and he couldn't stop himself from occasionally glancing longingly at his co-star.

He was doing just that, gazing after Jinyoung who had just disappeared into his dressing room to finish getting into his first costume. Jaebum was already dressed in his completely blue outfit, his hands idly brushing against his thighs as he just stared at the now closed door. He just wanted to go over there and pull his boyfriend close, but he couldn't. He just couldn't do it.

Suddenly a hand curled around his arm and he was yanked over to the side and into a quiet nook. "Look." Youngjae said, once the older had gotten his bearings back. "You need to speak to Jinyoung. You are both being so incredibly stupid right now, walking around like kicked puppies... You are both pining for each other and it's rather gross actually." He said, letting out a sigh. "You both clearly still love each other and miss each other... so why don't you two just make up already?"

Jaebum opened his mouth, about to respond with his usual answer of 'That's easier said than done.' but Youngjae cut him off before a sound could even leave his throat. "I know what you're going to say, Hyung, and quite frankly... that's a load of rubbish. Isn't Jinyoung-hyung worth more than your measly pride?"

That simple question struck the older hard and he blinked at the blonde kid in shock for a moment as realisation finally hit him. He was putting himself and his pride before Jinyoung. How stupid was that? His boyfriend was worth way more than his own pride. He loved Jinyoung, and the younger loved him. So why were they still acting like this? Jaebum still didn't want to admit it though. "I-I..." He started, before trailing off, the words dying on his tongue as his throat closed up.

Youngjae just sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder and squeezing it softly. "Look... Just... When you perform the crypt scene later, picture Jinyoung-hyung as actually being dead. See how you feel then. It might just help you to realise a few things." He said, nodding gently and offering a small smile before he walked off, heading towards the dressing rooms and leaving Jaebum stood in the shadows with his own thoughts.

Jaebum had managed to shake himself out of his stupor and had then thrown himself into the show. And it was running smoothly. Everything was working correctly, they were all hitting their notes, and the musical was being pulled off without a hitch. Soon enough, it was the scene that Youngjae had told him to pay attention to, the scene in the crypt. He hurried onto the stage and over to where Jinyoung was laid, incredibly still.

When rehearsing this scene, he hadn't really focused on how the younger boy had looked, instead more focusing on the emotions he was trying to portray. But walking out onto the stage and seeing Jinyoung led there, pale as a sheet... unmoving... it caused Jaebum to pause in shock. Now that he was actually paying attention... Jinyoung looked dead.

He knew that the other was actually fine, that he was just acting, that this was just a show that they were performing. But his boyfriend looked so realistically dead, that it shook Jaebum. It shook him to the core. He felt his heart breaking in his chest and it took all of his strength to continue on with the scene. He managed it... though he knew that this was the most emotional performance he had ever given. He hadn't cried during the rehearsals after all, but here he was... singing his heart out with tears sliding down his cheeks.

Jaebum felt as Yugyeom approached him from behind and he gripped the 'potion' bottle that was slid into his hand. Looking up at the audience, he uncorked the bottle and finished off the scene as he 'drank' the 'poison', acting out Romeo's final breaths before stilling next to his boyfriend.

There was only a few beats before Jinyoung stirred and Jaebum had to keep himself as still as possible, remaining unresponsive to the other's actions and cries. It was hard. A lot harder than it had been during rehearsal. The emotion in his boyfriend's voice made the older want to just sit up, pull Jinyoung close and beg for his forgiveness. He couldn't though. He couldn't even react to the younger crying. He had to just lay there.

It was practically torture waiting for the show to finish, but when it did they were gifted with a standing ovation. The cheers that they received, when taking their bows, was almost overwhelming, and Jaebum couldn't help but grin out at the audience as he and Jinyoung took their own bows. Throughout the whole time, he gripped onto the younger's hand tightly, unwilling and almost afraid to let him go.

He ever so softly gave the younger's hand a squeeze, wanting to reconnect with his boyfriend and silently make the first of many apologies. He held his breath, in anticipation and a little in fear, before he felt the squeeze being returned and he turned to look at Jinyoung with a hopeful glint in his eyes. The younger was looking back at him, with that beautiful smile Jaebum loved so much on his face, and tender acceptance in his eyes. But more importantly... there was forgiveness.

Finally, Jaebum could relax. Everything was going to be okay now, he just knew it. And though they would likely still have a bumpy road ahead of them... They could work through it.

Though it had taken Jaebum a while to realise and push his pride aside, he now knew what he wanted. He wanted Jinyoung. He wanted a future with Jinyoung. And he would do whatever it took to make this work between them. After all... Not every tale of Romeo and Juliet had to end in tragedy.

one | two | part three