Chapter Text
Leo can't say he didn't know where he'd be standing when they planned out the show. He'd been there to figure out the whole show after all. And yet, while fans are streaming into the arena and he's setting up his camera just how he likes it, he kind of regrets picking the spot closest to Yungy. He swears he's his own downfall more often than not.
He pulls at his collar, blowing out a breath. Already, the place is growing hot with anticipation, not to speak of the humid air already around. The long sleeves in his outfit aren't the greatest decision he's made in life, he must admit. He looks good though, no one can deny. To compliment his otherwise fully black outfit for his stage job, he's wearing a yellow tie as a belt, something a certain someone mentioned liking. To finish everything off, he's wearing a subtle gold chain and several gold rings. Not that he's wearing those for Yungy, of course not; Leo would never want to distract him during his own show.
Some might call him a liar, but everyone who might is too busy running the show.
By now, all he can do is wait. Everything is done according to plan, which means all he has left to do is execute it when BING actually gets on stage. He blows out a long breath, checking his setup for the millionth time. He's definitely lost count of how many checks he's done.
At some point the sun sinks below the horizon and the clock counting down to the show gets down to fifteen minutes, and Leo is called backstage. Curiosity sparks him to jog through the place to where he's been summoned. He's already wished everyone good luck, hasn't he? And if they still needed him for something, why didn't they ask through the earpiece specifically designed for this purpose?
The answer to his confusion arrives in the shape of a hand grabbing his wrist and dragging him behind some crates. He's about to voice his surprise loudly when his mouth is covered by another hand. His heart rate spikes, then his shoulders drop when he recognises the man in front of him, and then it spikes all over again at the realisation it's Yungy.
"Shh, okay?" the other whispers, then looks past the crates to see if the coast is clear. Deeming it safe, he finally lets go.
"What the fuck is your problem?" Leo gapes at him, but he can play nice and keeps quiet too. "I have shit to do, what the hell are we playing hide and seek for?"
Yungy raises an eyebrow at him like he's offended. "I just wanted to say hi, bro."
"You could've said hi over comms, bro."
"No, bro." Yungy checks again, and a stupid grin spreads his lips wide enough to show off the white of his teeth. Leo makes a point of not staring at his pretty face—he hopes. "Wanted to see you to say you look good, bro. Nice fit."
He might be dying. Leo has to look down at his own shirt and pants and then back up at Yungy, as if he needs a reminder of what his outfit actually is. He knew perfectly well how good his outfit was, but to be told by Yungy like this?
Something about it has him unable to breathe in properly before he chokes out a "thanks."
The other laughs. The nerves also seem to do him in a little, because he doesn't jump on the opportunity to make fun of the obvious gay panic Leo's having. Instead, he pats him on the shoulder and grins, hand lingering right there. His hand could burn right through the fabric and he wouldn't be surprised, it's so hot out. Yungy's so stupidly attractive. Leo hates him.
"What do you want?" he still asks. His heart is pounding in his throat, Yungy is inching closer, they're hidden away from view but Leo has the feeling there are some hidden cameras, just to catch him acting like a fool. Would Yungy be so cruel? He can't get himself to say yes to that question.
Yungy hesitates. For the first time since their stupid little back-and-forth started, he takes a breath and swallows down words that are about to escape him. The hiccup doesn't linger and Yungy shakes his head with a massive smile, as if that pause never happened. Leo's expression twitches into a frown at the man in front of him.
"Aren't you gonna wish me luck?" It's innocent, too innocent. His hand reminds Leo of its presence by squeezing his shoulder gently but encouragingly.
But Leo laughs, almost forced. Almost. "Bro." They're friends, this is just banter, he doesn't have to take it so seriously. "You don't need luck, dude. You're gonna kill it out there because you're a fucking rockstar." Pushing the hand from his shoulder, he playfully punches Yungy in the shoulder, side-stepping him to free himself from this little inconspicuous corner.
Yungy scoffs and rolls his eyes, but not without a growing grin. "Is it that hard to wish me luck, bro? You can't say anything nice to me."
"I just said you're amazing, what more do you want?" All the tension seeps from his body. He can't be mad, he can't be mad at all.
"I could name a few things."
Leo isn't allowed to leave. A hand wraps around his wrist, much gentler this time, and keeps him there. That grin still sits proudly on Yungy's face, but his eyes shine with something else, something Leo doesn't dare to call nervous. It sure as hell isn't because of the concert.
He's rooted to the spot by Yungy, unable to form any kind of response. What is he supposed to make of this? He stands, uselessly, hoping Yungy will fill in the blanks for him, tell him what those few things actually are. And yes, maybe he's a coward for refusing to dwell on what's wanted of him here, but he refuses to make a fool of himself.
Yungy does it for him. He lets go of his wrist only to raise it to his cheek, a gentle stroke to Leo's skin with his knuckles before he lowers it to take his chin. He's close, closer than before, Leo can't tell which of them is stepping closer, if it isn't them both.
"You could kiss me, for example." His eyes drag down to Leo's lips before shooting back up. There's an obvious joy at his misery. Yungy leans in a little closer, and by now he can feel his hot breath ghost over his lips. It conjures up images in his head, beautiful, evil images of their lips connecting, so vivid he can almost feel his lips tingle like they've already kissed.
This is not happening. Leo's breath gets caught in his throat. His peace shatters instantly. He clears his throat, straightens his back and pulls his head free from Yungy's loose grip.
"Good luck on your performance, Yungy." Something heavy settles like a stone in his stomach, but he can't tell if it's guilt or regret, or something else entirely. "I have to get back to my camera. See you later."
He doesn't stick around to watch his face. Whether or not this was a set-up, he knows he'd be met with disappointment either way. So he turns on his heel and walks off, a little faster than he needs to go, unable to breathe until he walks from behind the curtains into the open air. There, he gulps in a deep breath, stays for a moment until some over-excited fans see him and scream and wave. At that, he puts up a grin of his own and waves back.
The grips of his camera ground him back to reality. He's here to be a good cameraman, and he's going to do a damn perfect job at it. Yungy can be shoved to the back of his mind, at least the almost-kiss they shared. All he needs to do now is put him in good light.
More than ever, he hopes this concert never ends. He hopes he doesn't need to talk to Yungy again until at least next week. Fuck, he's done for, isn't he?