Weightless [HSMTMTS]

Chapter 6

"Any plans for homecoming?" EJ asked as they walked down the corridor.

"You know the answer to that, Caswell."

Since he spent every homecoming hanging out with his family friends, Ten had never developed a liking for these school dances; the atmosphere and the people were a bit much. He preferred lounging in the living room with food to standing stiffly in a crowded space.

"Wait, really? I thought you would come since it's our senior year."

"It isn't my thing."

"Could you consider the thought? Doesn't Jeonghan want you to explore new things?"

"I'm not sure what Eric would think if I cancelled on our plans."

Truth to be told, Jeonghan would have wanted Ten to jump on this opportunity. In fact, he'd always told Ten to go instead of 'wasting the night talking and playing board games'.

"He'd definitely say yes. He wouldn't want you to miss out on the fun."

"I'll text him and see what he says."

A couple of minutes later, Ten picked up his buzzing phone. There was a mass of messages all in capital letters and emojis, followed by questions about what outfit and colours he would wear.

Ten could sense Jeonghan's excitement burst through the roof. He was too late in hiding his phone screen and looked up to see EJ's smirk.

"Well," EJ said cheerily, "it looks like you've earned yourself a homecoming partner."

---

"How are Vernon and Joshua?" Ten asked as Jeonghan sifted through Ten's closet.

Like the friend he was, Jeonghan had insisted that since they weren't hanging out that night, he was going to help Ten pick out his homecoming attire. It was a kind gesture, despite them both knew that Ten was more than capable to put together an outfit for the event.

"Studying. They said it's good you're going," Jeonghan replied. "It must be your first time going to a dance in a long time."

"You're right. The last one I attended was in middle school." Ten glanced at his reflection in the mirror; a much more cleaned up version of himself stared back. "It better be fun."

"It won't be so bad. You're going with EJ." Jeonghan pulled out a blazer and two dress shirts before placing them gently on Ten's bed. "When you have him as your best friend, that's already fun."

"Sometimes, I can't tell whether that's a good thing," Ten laughed.

"Pair this white dress shirt with the black blazer." Jeonghan pointed towards the clothing, now focused on footwear. "Dress shoes?"

"Hallway," Ten replied as he looked to his drawers for a suitable tie to complete the look. He settled on a plain black one, simple but still classy.

"Make sure to eat something."

"I had a salad right after school so I won't be hungry. What's your dinner?"

"Joshua is making kimchi jeyuk bokkeum so we're eating that with rice."

"That sounds really good," Ten replied, suddenly craving the spicy stir-fried pork over a hot bed of rice. Joshua's cooking was always tasty. He had to invite them over soon.

"EJ is meeting you there, correct?"

"Yup. He said that he had something to settle."

"Let's go then. Your adventure awaits."