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Johnny is exhausted. He's been preparing for a comeback with his group for the last few months, and he's definitely starting to feel the consequences. He's tired all the time, since he's barely been sleeping, knowing that he needs to practice a lot to be the best he can for his fans and his bandmates. He doesn't want to let anyone down. It definitely doesn't help that sleep deprivation often makes him moody and cranky, so he's been snapping at his bandmates for no reason more often than not, and anything can set him off.
"Johnny, you did it wrong again. For the third time! I really don't think we can afford to make mistakes like that, not two weeks before the comeback", says Taeyong, the leader of their group and Johnny's roommate.
Now, Johnny and Taeyong get along really well, Taeyong often says that Johnny is the one who understands and knows him the best in the group, and Johnny would say the other was one of his closest friends, but, god, does he piss him off right now!
"Do you really think I don't know that, or that I'm not trying hard enough?" he asks, already annoyed, both at himself for constantly making the same mistake, but also at Taeyong, who looks like he's enjoying pointing said mistakes out every single time.
Essentially, Johnny knows Taeyong is right. He did make the same mistake three times in a row, always losing his balance at that one especially difficult part of the choreography. Not being naturally talented at dancing really makes a difference, and it seems like Taeyong doesn't really get that. Okay, more like, he forgot about it for a second. (Taeyong is pretty reasonable usually, it's just that comebacks always put everyone on edge). But second long enough to start nagging Johnny about it.
So, he continues, wanting to make his point very clear. "You don't have to correct every single one of my mistakes, I'm aware I'm making them, you know?"
Sure, they have all been practicing dance since their trainee days, and the number of hours he has spent dancing is bigger than most people spend on anything, but he knows he will never be as good as Taeyong. Or Yuta. Or Sicheng. He will never be as good as most of his bandmates when it comes to dancing and he has accepted it. But that doesn't mean he likes to listen about it from the dance king Taeyong, especially not now. And he knows he's being kinda unreasonable, Taeyong means well, he knows that, but he's also running on 4 hours of sleep, so forgive him. But, if he knows anything about Taeyong, it's that he's even worse than Johnny (and most of the guys) when he's under pressure, so really, he should've expected what comes next.
"If I were to correct every single one of your mistakes, we'd be here all day."
The tension around the room is palpable now, none of them like when someone among them is fighting, but nobody wants to meddle, and Johnny - well, if Donghyuck didn't interrupt, who knows what Johnny would do. He wouldn't hit Taeyong, obviously, but he was ready to argue, and he already had a few things in his mind he wanted to say to Taeyong. Probably something about his height or his awkwardness around people. He's petty when he's angry, okay, sue him! Anyway, thank god for Donghyuck.
"Guys, guys, let's not do this, okay? Let's not fight when we're tired and clearly on edge. You'll regret it later. Also, let's take a break, Taeyong, we all need it."
Good Donghyuck, reasonable Donghyuck, always trying to make peace. Naive Donghyuck.
"Yeah, break sounds great, but when I get back, I expect an apology from the midget," he says, already running towards the exit of their practice room, not waiting to hear what Taeyong had to say in return.
That sounded so much meaner out loud, but oh well, Taeyong will live (Hopefully he'll get to live too after Taeyong gets hold of him).
Fresh air doesn't do much to improve Johnny's mood, but it's calming in a way. He's still annoyed, but at least he's outside. That doesn't happen all that often if it's not preplanned by his managers or if his bandmates aren't by his side. Being alone outside is a rare and cherished occurrence for all of them, even if it's just in the park behind their company building. Johnny is sitting on a bench, trying not to think about anything comeback related. The weather is nicer these days, now that the summer is approaching, so the park isn't completely empty like it has been for the last few months. It's not a big park, nor is it especially nice, and its location is not that convenient, so it is almost always mostly empty, save for the employees of the local buildings. A little girl runs past him, her mother, probably, rushing after her, both laughing. Johnny's starting to feel better. As much as he can get really angry really fast, he cools down even faster. He'll apologize to Taeyong later.
As he's reaching to take a sip of his iced americano, something sharp hits him in the head and the surprise causes him to spill his drink all over his white jeans. It honestly feels like the universe is fucking with him today.
"I'm so sorry, I can't believe I managed to hit you in the head with my phone! Like, honestly, how does that even happen?"
A boy is standing in front of him, apologizing in English, talking about phones. A very pretty boy.
"I don't know. I don't know how that happens." How what happens, what is the boy even talking about? "How what happens, what are you even talking about?"
Oh no, he's getting weird, he knows he's getting weird, he's giving off a weird vibe again. "Weird," is what he ends up saying, out loud, to a pretty boy. A pretty, nice boy who was apologizing to him. He doesn't deserve to talk, he doesn't deserve to have the ability to speak!
The boy is looking at him now, puzzled, of course he is, probably thinking Johnny's being rude. Oh god, what if he knows who Johnny is and thinks he's one of those mean celebrities who don't treat their fans right.
"I treat my fans right," he blurts out, immediately cringing at his own words, but it's too late. The words are out, making the other boy snort loudly.
Honestly, if Taeyong showed up right now, with a whip in his hand, ready to show him who's the boss around here, he would gladly take that over this embarrassment right here. But, for some reason, the boy is still standing in front of him and he doesn't look like he's gonna run away. Or hit him. Johnny would understand if he did either of those things.
"Did I mess something up in your head when I hit you or are you always this weird?" the boy asks, while the prettiest smile Johnny's ever seen appears on his face. Oh, wow! And he's funny, too!
He can do this, he just needs to answer him normally, like he would if Taeyong said something funny. Bad example, Taeyong never says funny things. Donghyuck then. Although, Donghyuck does have a very specific sense of humor, it shouldn't be compared to the pretty boy's. Oh, fuck it!
"I don't know. Sometimes, but not always. Depends on who I'm talking to," he says, and the boy's looking at him fondly and he suddenly feels brave, so he adds: "It definitely doesn't help that you're really pretty". Again, sounded better in his head, but it doesn't matter, because the boy is smiling.
"What's your name?"
"You can call me Ten," the boy, no, Ten, says.
He can't say he's all that surprised when his - "I'm Johnny," gets interrupted with - "I know". The boy, Ten, is not Korean, and Johnny still can't get used to his band's success outside of Korea, so he still never expects to have foreign fans. He doesn't mind Ten being a fan, though. He's clearly cool and he seems like a great person, and just because he likes Johnny's music and probably has a few of NCT pictures in his phone (the same phone he hit him in the head with, fuck, he almost forgot about that. Maybe it was Ten's beauty that made him forge - no, Johnny, just don't) doesn't mean Johnny can't continue talking to him and maybe, possibly, ask him out later (soon, his brain supplies, he needs to get back to practice, dammit). But one thing is for sure - he can't make it seem like he's a stupid celebrity, or talk about himself as a celebrity, or even mention the damn word in front of him. He can't scare Ten off, he's already walking on thin ice, he knows, with the whole thing from earlier still hanging in the air.
"Just so you know, just because I'm a celebrity doesn't mean I don't want to hang out with normal people." Wait, what? "I mean, just because you're my big fan doesn't mean that I don't want to go on a date with you this weekend." Stop talking, stop talking, for fuck's sake just stop talking! "What I'm trying to say is, we celebrities, we're not all the same, you know?" Goddammit Johnny!
If Taeyong showed up right now, with a gun in his hand, Johnny would gladly take that bullet. He's blushing now, he knows he's blushing and he is embarrassed and, honestly, he can't even begin to grasp why Ten is still standing in front of him. He knows he should say something, make the situation better, but is that even an option anymore? Him saying the right thing? Sadly, he doesn't think so.
Ten's looking at him funny and Johnny doesn't know him at all, but for some reason, he knows the other boy is not offended. It's not that he can read people easily, there's just something about Ten that makes Johnny feel like he knows him (it's weird and it still doesn't help with his nervousness, clearly he can only be a blabbering mess around him). He does seem slightly amused, though. And then he starts laughing.
"Oh, it's cute how you think I'm your fan, it really is."
Out of the corner of his eye, Johnny sees an angry looking Taeyong, but, really, he hears him first, yelling out Johnny's name in the middle of the park, for everyone to hear, like a savage that he is (there's two people in the park beside him and Ten, but still). Oh, right, Ten.
"I really have to go now, my poorly behaved bandmate is calling me, as you can hear."
Ten's looking at him like he's enjoying this whole situation, and, honestly, Johnny is already so fond of him, that he doesn't even hesitate when he asks: "I really wanna see you again, though. Do you maybe think we can go out sometime?" He's not expecting a yes, he is not, Ten is apparently not even a fan (what's up with that?), and, so far, he's only embarrassed himself in front of the boy.
"Johnny, get your ass over here right now, I'm not repeating myself for the third time!" Taeyong screams from the distance, his voice cracking a little bit from how loud he's being.
And this proves his point from earlier, if Taeyong was at least a little bit funny, he would've made a joke about Johnny making the same mistake for the third time earlier, but no, these things just go past him, it's a shame, really. Ten's still smiling, while writing something in Johnny's phone. His phone? He should probably get a password. Also, is he writing his number? Probably.
"You're probably writing your number," he cleverly points out, smiling back at Ten when the other smiles at him first.
"You really are a genius, wow." He's teasing him again. It's better if Johnny doesn't say anything anymore, he concludes. Safer, really.
"I'm gonna go now, and it definitely looks like you should too," Ten says, still mostly amused.
Taeyong is walking towards them now, and angry doesn't even begin to describe how he looks. Fuck.
"Yeah, I should. But, I'm gonna call you tonight. Or tomorrow, you'll probably sleep tonight. Or maybe you wouldn't, I don't know your sleep pattern of course, why would I? I, for example, don't sleep much. Not that I'm partying, I've literally never been to a night club, I just practice a lot."
He's losing interest, fuck, Ten's losing interest, stop talking! And it all goes to shit then, with Taeyong yanking at his sleeve, begging him to go inside, swearing like a sailor, all while bowing politely to Ten. What a weirdo. But, Ten is still smiling, and, honestly, is he even real? Is he seeing this shit?
"Let go of me, you tiny man! Can't you see I'm having a conversation here? Just because you can't talk normally to new people doesn't mean you should ruin my moment!" (Taeyong will never know how this particular conversation went, so he can say whatever he wants).
When he finally frees himself from Taeyong's hold and turns around, Ten is gone, and Johnny - well, if Donghyuck didn't show up, he would've caused Taeyong some serious pain, and, despite everything, he knows he would regret it later. So, he's thankful for Donghyuck. But, Taeyong, he should really watch out today, Johnny's had enough of his shit.
As Donghyuck's calling them upstairs, his phone buzzes and, without even looking at it, he knows who sent it (more like, he really, really hopes it's who he thinks it is).
Oh, wait, never mind, it's a text from someone named Chittaphon. Johnny's more confused than disappointed when he opens the message. Does he know anyone by that name? He doesn't think so, he never even met anyone from Russia. Chittaphon is a Russian name, isn't it? He briefly considers confirming it with Taeyong, but changes his mind quickly. That bitch would be too smug if Johnny turned out to be wrong. Which he probably isn't, but still, he can't risk it.
from: Chittaphon
Hopefully you're not gonna be too hurt when your friend is done with you
I'm gonna need you in one piece
For that date
This weekend? ;)
Not Russian, then. Good thing he kept his mouth shut, he probably never would've heard the end of it.
Feeling giddy with excitement, he hurries back and spends the rest of the dance practice with the biggest smile on his face and not even annoying Taeyong can ruin his mood.
"I get that you don't like NCT DREAM, they're ridiculous, we all know it, but 127? Not one song? Not even cherry bomb? There's this really cool part in the mv where I'm laying on a couch which is being pulled by this really cool truck and-"
"Stop talking!"