Straight-ish (Hwang Hyunjin Fanfic)

9

Hyunjin's day went pretty much just like every other day. He got up, ate something, played with Kkami, took him for a walk and then headed over to the studio to work on choreography for his classes. He finished up at round 4, so ran a few errands then went home. As the day progressed, he became more and more nervous. He hadn't planned anything elaborate for them to do that evening. He planned on taking her to a nice restaurant, but nothing really fancy. He hadn't actually done this in a while and didn't want to put an extreme amount of pressure on himself. Just going on the date was a lot. If she was up for it, he wanted to take her to a little club that had live indie bands afterward to have a few drinks.

He ran his fingers through his hair as a final step in getting ready, satisfied with his look. It was a little early, but he headed out anyway. Maria was chatting with some of the other dancers when he got there. He didn't usually come in all dressed up and now he remembered why. The dancers looked him over and one of them flashed him a smarmy grin. Hyunjin had always been told he was attractive, but it made him uncomfortable when girls looked at him the way some of the dancers did. He had dropped his eyes to avoid the stares. He looked up to meet Maria's and asked, "Are you ready?" Instantly, the other dancers whipped their heads toward her in disbelief. She wasn't what most of them considered pretty. She wasn't incredibly slim, but she had a muscular build. She liked to work out and take care of herself, but she didn't really match the ideal dancer's body. She had a smile that could light up the room, though. Still, Hyunjin was here to pick her up. Hyunjin grinned seeing the flares of jealousy from the girls he wouldn't even respond to when they messaged him. They just didn't interest him. They were gorgeous, had great figures, were talented, but he felt nothing at all when he looked at them or talked to them. Maria grabbed up her bag and hobbled over, not limping quite as badly as the day before.

"What was that about?" she giggled quietly as they walked out the door.

Hyunjin rolled his eyes and told her that the dark-haired dancer had messaged him for the past few days, but he wouldn't respond, and the red-head had actually asked him out. He had dated Sasha for a while before he just gave up trying to pretend.

Maria thought about the info for a few seconds before responding. "I hear them talk about you, you know," she mumbled. "They all talk about how hot you are, how sexy, how you dance, but not one of them has ever told me that you're a nice guy. I don't think they know that." Hyunjin opened the car door and put her bag in the back then helped her step off the curb and into the car. He gave her a smile and walked around to get in.

"They don't care," Hyunjin answered with a shrug. "That's not what they're looking for. They want a hook-up, and I don't do that," he finished, unknowingly putting her mind at ease. She was worried that was exactly what she was to become. He began to drive to the restaurant as they talked.

"Sasha has talked about when you dated. She said um..." Maria blushed and looked away.

"What did she say?" Hyunjin grinned a little because he knew there wasn't much for her to say.

"She said she thought you were gay because you never tried to have sex with her," Maria mumbled, secretly hoping for confirmation that he was, in fact, not gay.

Hyunjin shook his head and sat quietly for a moment. He explained the best he could, "I didn't want to have sex with her, because I saw nothing attractive in her. That's why I broke it off. I just felt nothing. I didn't have a romantic connection, and without that, the lack of physical attraction was just enough. I didn't want to lead her on, so I broke it off when I realized it wasn't going anywhere."

Maria nodded in understanding and asked him, "Can I ask you a really personal question?"

He sighed, expecting the same things he always got. He was shocked at what she asked, and it took him a second to respond.

"Are you attracted to me? In any way?" she asked shyly.

He looked over to her and his face fell blank. He truly was surprised. His truthful answer surprised him more. "Yes," he whispered. He knew why she was asking. What was the point in going on a date with someone who wasn't attracted to you in the first place? The smile and relief spread across her face and her whole body seemed to relax.

She had many more questions, but for now, just knowing that he wanted to spend time with her was enough.

---

Seungmin had decked himself out in a pair of white jeans with an oversized baby blue sweater that hung just wide enough on his neck to show off his collarbone. He slipped on his white Converse high-tops and waited for Leo to message him. When his phone went off, he jumped. He grabbed a cute white beret and positioned it just right then headed out. His stomach churned as he walked out of the building and saw Leo waiting for him next to the car. He was hot, and Seungmin couldn't help his wandering eyes. He felt his ears go red when Leo caught him staring. Leo just laughed and opened the door for him. "Looking good, sexy," Leo purred as Seungmin got into the car. It made him feel good to be noticed. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

---

Maria and Hyunjin had dinner at a small but very nice hibachi before heading to the club. She was excited about the live music. She apologized a dozen times for not being able to dance with him. He just smiled and kept telling her not to worry about it. He wanted to get to know more about her. When they arrived, the band had already set up and seats were getting scarce. Hyunjin slipped the hostess a tip and asked if they could be seated somewhere a little further from the stage and out of the way so people wouldn't hit Maria's ankle as they passed. The hostess nodded and led them to a cozy little table in a back corner. They could see the stage, hear the music, but still hear each other. It was perfect. They ordered drinks and started chatting. Hyunjin had planned on spending an hour or so there listening to the band. One hour became two, then three, and they even got up and danced slowly to a few songs, minding her ankle so she didn't stress it. By the time they were ready to leave, they were laughing and felt totally comfortable with each other.

When he dropped her off at home, Maria asked if he would like to come inside, but he declined her invitation. He didn't want her to think badly of him on their first date and he was really tired. He held her hands and smiled, taking in her adorable features. They'd known each other so long, he wondered if it would be awkward if he kissed her. Based on the way she kept glancing at his lips, he decided to go for it. He kissed her softly, then backed away and smiled. "Can we do this again?" he asked. She nodded happily and opened her door. He watched her walk inside and listened to the click of her locks before going to his car. He went home, changed, and actually went to bed happy.

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