Tease (EXO BOY x BOY)

XiuChen - Past Enemies, Future Friends

Jongdae's POV

"Oops! Sorry- shit! Dammit! Sorry dude," I grunt as I trip over yet another instrument case that's been carelessly left on the ground. These people know that I'm in an orchestra. They also know how clumsy I am, so you would think they'd know not to leave their things lying around. I will trip over them, possibly wrecking them in the process.

I finally reach my sax and as I pick it up, I accidently knock the violin case beside it onto the floor.

"Oh for fuck- ohhh!" I lean down and pick up the candy that fell out the case as it hit the ground.

I dust it off and then pop it in my mouth. Bad idea. I instantly spit it out and double over, choking and gagging. Who the hell would buy that? I hear laughter from beside me.

"Did you just try to eat my- you!"

I look up to see him. My arch nemesis. And he just caught me eating something out of his violin case. This is awkward. And very, very hard to explain.

"Yeah. Hi," I say, standing up straight and raising my eyebrow as if I wasn't just eating his...whatever the fuck that was.

"Why were you eating my lemon drop, Dae?" He looks incredibly confused, as if he's trying to work out what I could gain by eating his "lemon drop".

"Well I didn't mean it. I thought it was candy."

"Basically it was a candy. So...you stole it?"

"You wouldn't?"

"No. Not really."

I roll my eyes and turn back to my sax, giving it a quick polish before we have to go out onto the stage.

"Why do you even bother?" Minseok's voice continues from behind me and I turn to face him, leaning back against the desk.

"Why do I bother what?"

"Trying to make that-" he gestures towards my sax. "-look good. It's not going to make it sound any better."

"Yeah because your dying cat is greeeeat."

"Better than the fart impersonator? Yes. By a mile."

I raise my eyebrow. "We'll see."

He opens his mouth to respond, but is interrupted by the conductor's voice. "Alright everyone, time to go!"

After a couple of seconds we're all being herded out onto the stage and taking our places. I sit down and look up to see that I'm sitting four rows directly behind Minseok. Scanning the floor, I search for something to launch at his head. But again the conductor interrupts, announcing the first piece.

A couple of minutes into the song, I begin to get distracted by Minseok. He's playing so loudly that I can actually hear him over the rest of the orchestra. I can hear him above the trombones which are right next to me. That's an achievement.

But I'm not about to let him steal the show. I blow harder, getting louder until I start receiving weird looks from the people around me. Whatever. I'm not going to let Minseok win. Seconds later, I can hear the violin above my own instrument again, and raise my volume. The people around me begin to stop performing and I realized that the conductor has stopped, and is glaring down at me and Minseok. But he's still going. Time to raise my game.

I start to play some song's riff, making the conductors face turn red with anger, but people in the audience begins to clap along, apparently not realizing that this isn't actually part of the show.

Minseok adds the melody line in time with me and I have to admit, we sound pretty good. But still, I must outplay him.

I don't realize that we've finished off the song until the audience is cheering and clapping for us. From here I can see Minseok's smile, and I can't help but smile myself. Yeah, we sounded awesome.

The orchestra continues on to finish our part of the program, Minseok and I receiving still angry but more thoughtful looks from the conductor.

When we reach the end of our last piece, the crowd stands and cheers us off the stage. I feel pretty good.

"Kim Jongdae! Kim Minseok!"

Never mind.

We both cautiously approach the conductor, expecting to get shouted at until we go deaf. But instead, he slowly claps.

"I must say that when you two started your rivalry nonsense, I really was getting ready to throw you off the stage. But you proved that I was right not to, boys. I want you two to perform a duet in every show we perform; play more modern pieces, like the one you did tonight. It really was incredible. Well done."

With that he wonders off, leaving us both staring after him.

"Well..." I start. "I guess we're going to have to call a truce..."

Minseok looks at me and for a moment I think he's going to push the idea away and tell me to fuck off, but instead he nods and holds out his hand.

"Truce?"

I smile and shake it. "Truce."

-

Five years on and Minseok and I are still a duet, but no longer with the backing of the orchestra. We bonded in the first few months after beginning to perform together and have become inseparable. In fact, I've developed a little bit of a crush on my partner...okay; I've completely fallen in love with him. But c'mon, wouldn't you?

We finish our set and Minseok holds his violin above his head, smiling at the huge crowd that gathered to watch us perform.

"Thank you!" he yells into the microphone and then hands his violin to a member of the crew. "We're finished our set, but the night's not over quite yet. See, I have an important question to ask this man on the stage beside me so if everyone could shut the fuck up I would really appreciate it."

I frown and look over at Minseok as a crew member takes my sax and walks off stage as Minseok makes his way over to my side. It deepens as he takes my hands. Fuck, he's got cancer.

"Dae, I've known you for a good ten years now. From the moment I first saw you in the orchestra, I couldn't get you out of my mind. At first it was because I hated you," he chuckles. "Now it's because...well...I love you, DaeDae. I don't want to keep pretending, but being your boyfriend isn't enough. So here I am asking the man who has only just discovered my feelings for him the biggest question I ever could. Would you do me the honor of being mine? Kim Jongdae, you will be Kim Kim Jongdae, will you marry me?"

I stared at him for long enough that the crowd starts to mutter and the hope begins to fade out of Minseok's eyes. He sighs and looks down.

"DaeDae I-I'm..."

I gently place my fingers under his chin and tilt his head up so I can see his tear filled eyes. A small chuckle escapes my lips. "Of course I will, Minnie."