Dancing King

Chapter 6

I'm back from vacation ya'll.

Remember how in Royal Temptations I listened to Blue Rose like fifty thousand times in a row and I wrote like seven chapters in two days? Well Monsta X's Play It Cool was in the background as I wrote the last two. So yeah.

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Yixing's POV

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I let myself into the house, clicking the door shut behind me and making my way up the steps to my room. Each wooden step creaked beneath my feet, years of walking the same path wearing them out. At the top, I paused, running my hands over the banister and glancing down to the living room. Sights I'd seen a million times.

"Yixing?" a soft voice called, pulling me from my daydreaming. "Is that you?" mother continued, her bedroom door opening to reveal her, donned in a bathrobe over her pajamas. "Oh good, you're back," she said, seeming relieved. I chuckled and walked up to her, throwing an arm over her shoulders. I gave her a soft squeeze, watching as her eyes crinkled at the sides as she smiled. She was very pretty, even now. How my so-called father couldn't see that was beyond me.

"I didn't mean to take so long," I said. "I ran into Junmyeon down there. We kinda got caught up talking." Of course mom knew what I got up to on the weekends. I didn't want her to ever worry. "We have a lot more in common than I first thought," I continued. "I kind of like the guy. He's easy to talk to. It's like we've been friends forever, even though we hardly speak to each other."

That was the problem. I couldn't allow myself to slip now. I'd allowed myself Jongin and Hoseok's friendship. And Luhan only because we hailed from the same country. At school I was known to keep to myself with my head buried in a book, which suited me just fine. That's how I liked it. How could I make friends in a country I'd never stay in? How could I open up to anyone when I'd just leave them in the end? It seemed like torture, both to myself and the other person involved. But Junmyeon... Before I left I wanted to know every single quirk about him. I wanted to know all the things he loved and hated. Every dream he'd ever had or was going to have. Experience every triumph and every pain.

I had no clue what was wrong with me.

I bid mom goodnight with one final squeeze and slipped quietly into my room. I tossed the beanie and mask I always wore onto my small desk, ruffling my messy hair as I strode to my bed. I flopped down, my legs dangling over the side, one arm slung over my face. Stupid feelings go away. Leave me alone. I sighed, sitting up, gripping the sheets and staring at the floor. Maybe if I watched it long enough it would open up and swallow me. I picked up my phone at last, settling comfortably against the pillows.

"Hey Jongin," I greeted when he picked up. "Whatcha up to?"

"About to go to the basketball game with Chanyeol and Minseok," he replied. "You can come if you want." I wrinkled my nose at the prospect. Stuffed into a gymnasium with my whole class watching two teams pass an orange ball back and forth while the crowd loses their god damn minds? No thanks. I'd rather stay home. Actually, what I really wanted was for everyone to gather in the tunnel and to lose all control as dancing took over.

"Thank you for the offer, but I think I'll stay home," I politely declined. "Enjoy." He hummed in response, and with a shout from the background he hung up. I sighed, letting the phone fall to the mattress beside me. It's not like I needed people to entertain myself. I was fine on my own. But it felt kind of nice to surround myself with people for the first time in years.

"No, no," I heard from the room beside mine. I squeezed my eyes shut, attempting to block out mom's voice. But my curiosity had been piqued, and I couldn't resist listening in just a little. "Not tonight darling. He's home. I don't want him to know." At that a frown crossed my features. Mom was dating? Or at the very least interested. And she didn't want me to know.