Dance For Attention | Nomin

☆08☆

Kiss or kill?

Jeno's breath got caught in his throat as he looked down at the toffee haired boy standing dangerously close in front of him. The darkening in the latter's eyes made his heart jump; oh my god, this was a kill!

But then...

But then the darkening stopped, and Jaemin's pupils shone like the prettiest of diamonds in a never-ending sunlight. How beautiful, Jeno thought, immediately scolding himself for thinking such things.

Jaemin shuffled his feet awkwardly and look down at them, finding them to be a perfect distraction for the situation. "Y-You know, Jeno," he began.

Jeno raised an eyebrow. Jaemin just used his actual name, as in he wasn't teasing him or anything. Why was he so serious?

Clearing his throat quietly, he continued. "I've got to come clean about something."

Jeno suddenly felt anxious. "Yeah?" His hand curled up on his chest above his heart absentmindedly, and the younger noticed.

The curtain rings clinked against the metal railing when the latter reached out to fidget with the velvet. The smooth fabric provided a soothing comfort for his unusually nervous state. "I just feel... I feel like lately I've been, well, figuring stuff out."

Jeno's eyebrow remained raised, and Jaemin bit his lip whilst trying to find better words. "Um..." His other hand tapped at his thigh as he pondered over how to phrase his next sentence. Looking just to the side of his friend's head, past it onto the wall, he said, "I think I'm developing s-something...?"

Jaemin thought he would understand what he meant or would get some sort of hint, and when Jeno widened his eyes and grabbed at his hand to bring it in to his chest.

Wow, he thought. He's actually smart.

"Jaemin, you're ill?! What have you got? Cancer? Are you dying?! Oh my god why didn't you tell me earlie--"

"Jeno!"

"What?!"

"I'm not dying!"

"Oh."

Jaemin blinked and dropped his expression. "You sound disappointed."

Jeno blushed in embarrassment. "No, that's not what I meant! What's wrong then? Can you try not being so vague?"

Jaemin looked down at his hand blanketed by Jeno's and felt his heart swoon. Johnny was right.

Jeno, naturally following his gaze, saw their hands and smiled. "You have pretty hands."

"Okay, I'm going to change back into my normal clothes now," the younger said in brief panic and he retrieved his shaky hand, striding into the changing room and whipping the curtain shut.

It was only after a moment of silence that Jeno could hear how rapidly his heart was pounding against his chest, and the force nearly sent him tumbling to the ground.

"Oh my," he mumbled. Same, said his heart when he finally put all the pieces together: Jaemin blushing, stuttering, straight up confessing. It was no wonder he became a professional dancer, because if he relied on his academic studies he'd have failed already; his brain wasn't the fastest.

Although it didn't take too long for him to shout, "Wait, Jaemin!"

The sound of ruffling clothing merged with, "Yeah?" He sounded a bit deflated.

His tone upset the older a little. How could he be so stupid? "Did you just try to confess to me?"

"Bloody hell, Nojaem, you got there in the end!"

"Oh my god." Jeno said shortly, sliding down the wall and softly sitting on the ground with his knees up in front of him. "Oh my god," he repeated quietly. His brows furrowed deeply and he bit his lip. "Seriously?" He shouted aloud so the other could hear, returning the question with an unsure,

"Y-Yeah?"

Thank God for Jaemin being a perfectionist when it came to how he looked, because his ministrations of adjusting, shaking his head, and readjusting his clothing bought Jeno some time to think about what to say.

Wait. Did that mean Taeil was right? Well, not that he'd even been wrong, but that wasn't the point.

When the curtain finally reopened to Jaemin in his original clothes, Jeno could do nothing but stare at him. Again. It must've been the hundredth time of his doing that within the hour, and it didn't go unnoticed by the younger, either.

"Let's go," the younger mumbled with a small smile.

"Jaemin, wait." Jeno got to his feet and grabbed his friend's thin wrist. "Did you really mean what you just said?"

Jaemin nodded sheepishly and stared at the ground.

"That you've developed feelings for me?" He added.

Again, a nod.

Jeno smiled warmly. "Really?"

"Yes, Jeno, I've alrea--" Jaemin cut himself off when he looked up and saw the bright beam of light radiating from the older's face. It was the way that Jeno's eyes creased into crescent moons that the younger loved, and he hated how handsome he thought he looked no matter his expression. "Yes, really. Why?"

Jeno scratched the back of his neck eith a hand whilst still smiling. Now or never! "I've developed something, too."

Jaemin slammed a hand to his chest and acted worried. "Are you dying?!" He mimicked Jeno's previous tone, although his knowing smile at the end sent them both laughing.

Then they both stopped and looked into each other's eyes. "Taeil was right..." he said absentmindedly. Jaemin tipped his head to the side in confusion, and he carried on. "Taeil helped me realise I actually liked you a bit more than a friend."

"He did? Johnny did the same for me... Wait, when was this?" The younger inquired as he thought back to when the older pulled him out of a dance rehearsal with Renjun.

"About two days ago," the taller replied, smiling at the memory. "They set us up, didn't they?"

Jaemin rolled his eyes. "Yep."

After a pause, he added, "I'm glad though," and moved his hand to intertwine their fingers together. How long had he wanted this? For a couple of days maybe, but his subconscious had been waiting for this day for years.

Jeno smiled again, wider if possible. "Do you want to head back now?"

"Hmm..." the younger tapped his chin in thought. "How about we go shoe shopping?"

"Sounds like a date," Jeno winked and made the other blush. He didn't deny it, though.