Dancing King

Chapter 23

I mentioned this at the end of the last chapter but OH MY GOD UNDERCOVER CAUGHT ME SO OFF GUARD. I was not prepared apparently. But damn. A.C.E is not messing around.

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Yixing's POV

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I held the duster in one hand, flipping through songs on my phone to play with the other. Part of being a "team leader" as Hoseok liked to say was to make sure we all took turns cleaning up our favorite space. And this week was my turn. Usually it never amounted to more than dusting and making sure everything didn't freeze. I made sure to get the heat going. The last thing we needed was for our equipment to freeze over and be unusable. Getting it was hard enough the first time.

"Hey." I whipped around as a voice spoke, relaxing when it was just Taemin. He wandered over in the minimal light, glancing around. I'd never really taken the time to study the boy. I supposed he was pretty. Long eyelashes and longer honey blond hair that waved down to his shoulders. Lean physique too. And flexible as hell. I've seen him do things with his body I'd only ever read about. "Taking care of everything?" he asked, stretching his arms above his head.

"Yep," I answered, setting my phone down. "What brings you here Tae? Usually you're attached to Jongin at the hip it seems." At the mention of his best friend his expression darkened. He scoffed, and I realized I'd hit a very sore spot. "Sorry," I apologized. I'd also never really talked to him outside of the crew meetings.

"He's busy hanging out with Sungwoon," he answered at last. "I mean, sure, we were all friends at one point, but when those two began to date it was like our dynamic shifted." I turned my full attention to the boy, curious as to why I was the one he was spilling this all to. Then again, maybe he just needed to let it out. "And when Sungwoon dumped him and stopped talking to all of us it destroyed Jongin. He blamed himself for so long for that. Who does he think he is, just waltzing back in here like he didn't cause heartache in a boy who deserves the world." Taemin took a breath, closing his eyes. "Sorry Yixing, you really didn't need to know all of that. Minho and Jonghyun are just sick of me talking about it so I don't even bother anymore." I felt a twinge of sympathy for the boy.

"It's alright Taemin," I replied, reaching out and awkwardly patting his shoulder. I didn't really know much about the boy, but one thing was clear. He was jealous. Though I couldn't pinpoint the emotions behind it all. I couldn't tell if this was merely because Jongin found a new friend, or if there was more behind it. Taemin opened his eyes to find me studying him. His cheeks dusted pink and he looked away.

"Stupid Nini," he mumbled. "Who was the one who was always there for you, huh? Who picked you up after you fell, time and time again."

"So, Tae," I interrupted. He turned back to face me, arching an eyebrow comedically. "Do you like Jongin?" He looked taken aback. Finally he scoffed again.

"Of course I do!" he exclaimed. But I stayed silent, instead choosing to study him. He squirmed under my intense gaze. "Oh, like that," he finally said. "I... I don't know." I was a bit surprised by his willingness to tell the truth. In his shoes I'd probably lie my ass off. "Not that I could ever tell Minho, Jonghyun, Kibum, or Jinki," he mumbled. "I'd never hear the end of it."

"Friends of yours?" I asked. His gaze met mine again. I motioned to one of the benches, leading the way. I sat down, and Taemin sat at the other end, playing with fingers on his lap.

"Minho is my older brother," he said. "Jonghyun, Kibum, and Jinki are his friends. But I've grown up knowing them, and they never once left me out of anything. It was like I had three other brothers. It's been weird. I'm the only one left. Everyone else moved away or moved on." On that front, I was glad I didn't have any siblings. A lot less heartache that way. "I'm sure Minho wouldn't mind hearing about it," he added, tilting his head to the side. "But I still would never hear the end it."