Archive of Our Own ^beta

Minghao looks down at the paper in his hand and then out at the room full of international students. There are definitely more people here than there were when he was on the other end of this. It will take longer to find Wen Junhui than he expected.

Maybe it’s for the best. Minghao’s peer mentor was terrible, and he is determined to make Junhui’s experience as unlike his own as possible. It might as well be different from the very beginning.

He glances at the paper again and sighs. Then he starts scanning name tags.

When he finally spots him, Minghao almost misses Junhui completely, because Junhui is already chatting away with someone in clumsy Korean. Minghao doesn’t really want to interrupt, but he doesn’t need to. Junhui looks up, and his eyes fall on Minghao’s name tag. “Oh! Xu Minghao!” He chirps a “nice to meet you!” to the boy he was talking to and darts over. “Hello!”

His enthusiasm brings a smile to Minghao’s face. “It’s nice to meet you, Wen Junhui,” he says in Mandarin.

0o0o0

Minghao planned from the beginning to meet up with Junhui at least once a week, regardless of whether they got along. Minghao’s mentor lost interest in him by the end of the first month, and Minghao hasn’t seen him since. International students tend to flock together, so it’s honestly kind of impressive. For all Minghao knows, his mentor has gone back to China. Whatever. Good riddance.

In any case, Minghao has resolved to be better than that to Junhui, and so he intended to check up on him regularly to make sure he was settling into campus life and to see if he needed any help. He is coming to suspect that it won’t even take much effort. Even though they don’t have much in common, Junhui is easy to get along with. He’s cheerful and funny, and he isn’t afraid to make mistakes when he speaks Korean. It’s too early for him to have many friends, but Minghao doesn’t expect him to have trouble in that area.

Junhui does, however, have the same troubles as any other student just starting at a new school, and at the beginning of the third week, Minghao gets a text despairing over the campus layout and bemoaning the difficulty of navigating this exotic land. It’s followed by a screenshot of the map available on the school website and a shrug emoji.

Minghao rolls his eyes. “Watch my stuff?” he asks. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

“What’s up?” Mingyu asks. Seokmin doesn’t even look up. From the frantic typing, Minghao doubts Seokmin would hear a thing even if he wasn’t wearing headphones.

“My mentee from the international student program is lost,” Minghao explains. “I need to go rescue him.”

Mingyu laughs. “Go save him. Bring him back here, too. I want to meet him.”

“You’ll get the chance.” Minghao waves and heads out of the library, already texting Junhui for more information about where he is.

Instead of texting details, Junhui calls him. “Hi Minghao! This place is more confusing than I expected. I knew exactly where I was five minutes ago, but now I have no idea.”

“Right, but can you give me any clues so that I know where you are?”

Junhui giggles and describes his surroundings. It takes a few minutes, but Minghao figures out which buildings are around him and sets off at a jog. Luckily, it isn’t far. Minghao’s outfit for today was planned for the aesthetic, not for functionality, so he is perfectly happy to spend as little time running around as possible.

He sees Junhui before Junhui sees him. “Turn around, silly.” He hangs up.

Junhui turns and grins at him. “Minghao! You’ve saved me!”

Minghao laughs. “This is the business building. Where were you trying to go?”

“To the student center. I tried a different way. Turned early, and suddenly I didn’t recognize anything,” Junhui admits. “I am getting something to eat. Are you hungry?”

“Yep. My stuff is in the library, though. I left it with some friends.”

“Do you think they’re hungry, too?”

“If they’re not, one of them definitely needs a break.” Minghao tilts his head back the way he came. “We also know better spots around here than the student center. Let’s go.”

They are about halfway to the library when someone calls, “Minghao!” They both look up to see someone jogging toward them.

“Oh, hey, Soonyoung,” Minghao says. “Junhui, this is my friend Soonyoung, from my dance crew.”

Soonyoung laughs. “Oh, we already know each other!”

“Soonyoung is my roommate,” Junhui explains.

“How do you two know each other?” Soonyoung asks.

“Minghao is my…school friend? Because we are both from China,” Junhui says.

“Peer mentor,” Minghao supplies. “In the international student program.”

“Right.” Junhui nods. “Peer mentor, friend from the school. I was close.”

“We’re going to grab Seokmin and Mingyu and get some lunch. Want to come, hyung?” Minghao offers.

Soonyoung nods and drops into step next to them. “It’s cool that you already know each other. I was planning to introduce you, once the initial rush of the semester died down. You can still meet the rest of the dance crew, though, Junhui! That is, if Minghao hasn’t introduced you yet?”

Minghao shakes his head. “Not yet. Junhui, do you dance?”

Junhui bites his lip, and if the sentence wasn’t so simple, Minghao would assume that he just needed a few seconds to puzzle out the Korean. As it is, Minghao blinks at him and cocks his head expectantly. Now that he thinks about it, it is odd that Minghao doesn’t already know the answer to this question. Dance is a huge part of his life, and he has definitely mentioned it before.

“No,” Junhui says. “I don’t dance. Not really.”

“Not really?” Soonyoung says. He grins. “Sounds like something you would say if you danced a little!”

“No. I don’t dance,” Junhui says again, more firmly.

Soonyoung shrugs. “I bet we could convince you. We’ll have to take you out sometime. We can go someplace there isn’t any pressure, take some of our friends who aren’t in the crew. It’ll be fun.” He breezes on to the next topic, taking mercy on Junhui. Minghao appreciates it, because he thinks coming on too strong will spook Junhui off. Dance is just another thing they don’t have in common, Minghao supposes. Still, Junhui doesn’t need to be a new candidate for their dance crew to go out to clubs with them. Maybe he will join them sometime.

They reach the library, and Soonyoung drops onto a bench outside. Junhui sits down next to him and smiles up at Minghao. “Go get them! I need more friends.”

Minghao shakes his head and darts inside to get Mingyu and Seokmin. They’ll see about that. Maybe Junhui will hit it off with Minghao’s other friends. If he already gets along well with Soonyoung, that bodes well for his chances of getting along with the rest of them. Minghao had hoped it wouldn’t be difficult to be a good mentor to Junhui, but if Junhui joins his friend group, it will be the easiest thing in the world.

0o0o0

Junhui settles in quickly. Minghao’s resolution to meet up with him frequently turns out to be incredibly easy to keep. Junhui doesn’t need much help making friends, either. Minghao’s friends adopt Junhui and a cute freshman named Chan, and everyone gets into the swing of the term.

Chan joins the dance crew, which makes him not only the baby of the group but also Soonyoung’s personal baby. Minghao just tries not to treat the kid like he’s twelve. Sure, he’s a freshman, and freshmen are naturally clueless, but he does pretty well for himself. He definitely knows what he’s doing in the studio.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a baby,” Soonyoung argues. “I was doing competitions when I was like, thirteen. That means nothing.”

“I mean, were you any good?” Wonwoo asks.

“Wha—yes! Of course I was good!”

“Mm, actually,” Jihoon says, which effectively stops all work at the table. “I seem to recall seeing some footage one time of something, what could it have possibly been—”

“No, shut up, we don’t talk about that—”

“No, no, let him speak,” Wonwoo says. He’s smirking now.

“Just because I don’t look good in every clip of me dancing that has ever been taken in my entire life does not mean I’m not good at dancing!” Soonyoung folds his arms dramatically, completely abandoning the assignment Minghao is half sure he was only pretending to do.

“Okay, he’s got a point,” Seokmin says. “There are videos out there that would make you believe I can’t actually sing. It’s circumstantial.”

“Anecdotal! Statistically unreliable!” Soonyoung agrees.

“Found it,” Jihoon says. Everyone’s phones give off a synchronized buzz as he drops it into the group chat. Minghao opens it instantly. His paper can wait.

“Junhui,” Soonyoung whines. “Jihoon is being mean to me.”

Junhui looks up from his laptop, looking way too deer-in-the-headlights for the conversation. “Um. Is the video bad?”

Wonwoo taps open the video and immediately starts snickering. “Oh, shit.” He shifts so Junhui can see. “You still remember this routine, Soonyoung?”

“Nope, definitely not, not one move,” Soonyoung says quickly.

Minghao snorts. “You’ve never forgotten a routine that thoroughly in your life.”

“I’ll buy you dinner if you can do it right now,” Wonwoo offers.

Soonyoung’s eyes narrow. “You’re gonna have to try a little harder than that.”

“It’s not so bad,” Junhui says, demonstrating truly admirable loyalty. “That boom-boom-pah with the arms is good.”

“Thank you!” Soonyoung says. “You guys are just bullying me.”

“Okay, but how do we know who to trust here?” Wonwoo asks. “Junhui wouldn’t lie to us like this, but Jihoon is a pretty good dancer.”

“The critics can’t figure this one out,” Seokmin says. “We could always settle it with a dance-off.”

Junhui goes rigid, the movement catching Minghao’s eye. That’s not good. Minghao has mostly abandoned his peer mentor mindset now that Junhui is just another one of his friends, but he still feels enough responsibility to redirect this before it makes Junhui too uncomfortable. “Or,” Minghao intervenes, “we could see if Soonyoung can salvage this routine. Updated version challenge. Show us how far you’ve come. Wonwoo did say he’d buy you dinner if you did it right here and right now.”

“Okay, wait a second, that’s altering the terms—” Wonwoo starts, but it’s too late. Soonyoung’s face lights up, and he jumps to his feet, demanding a beat.

0o0o0

Minghao stretches out on the floor in the studio and sighs. “Fuck midterms,” he says conversationally. Two hours of hard dancing has drained the rage from his body. Now he, Soonyoung, and Chan are alone in the studio, and they still have fifteen minutes to decompress before the hapkido club’s reservation starts.

“Fuck midterms,” Soonyoung agrees. He and Chan drop onto the floor next to Minghao. “Boom Boom tomorrow night?”

Minghao hums. “Sounds good. The whole gang has had tests and projects. It’ll be nice to de-stress.”

“I’m in,” Chan says. “Seungkwan said he could use a night out. Mingyu-hyung hasn’t said anything, but he’s been stress-cooking lately. He keeps giving me food—not that I’m complaining, obviously, but there’s been a definite uptick.”

“Jihoon’s current project isn’t due till Monday, but I bet I can convince him to take one night.” Soonyoung pumps his fist. “Woohoo! It’s happening!”

Nothing much is happening at the moment, though, and that’s pretty nice. Minghao sighs again, reveling in the momentary stillness. He has one more test tomorrow, and then he is free of major academic obligations for a couple of weeks. He’ll have time to resurrect his social life, reset his sleep schedule, and maybe even get ahead before hell week for the dance competition hits. “Oh hey,” he says as a thought occurs to him. “You think Junhui will come? He’s had a lot going on lately, too.”

Junhui hasn’t made it out to the club with them yet. Soonyoung thinks he’s just shy. Minghao isn’t so sure. Junhui has turned him down on no fewer than four separate occasions with different combinations of friends—not that Minghao is counting—and the more times Junhui does it, the more evasive it looks to Minghao.

“Can’t hurt to ask, especially if we get a good bunch going,” Soonyoung says easily. He rolls across the floor to his bag and rolls back with his phone in hand, probably leaving a trail of sweat behind him. A moment later, buzzing fills the quiet studio as all three of their phones start going off.

“Seungkwan’s in,” Soonyoung reports. “Jisoo-hyung says Jeonghan needs to be dragged out, so count them in. As if that’ll take much dragging. I bet they both want to make sure the rest of us are alive.” Another buzz. “Oh, Wonwoo’s in. No surprise there. He’s been up to his eyeballs in essays.”

“It would be so nice if we could get everyone,” Chan sighs. “We’re never all together.”

Minghao hums his agreement. The ones they have so far are a pretty good crew for Boom Boom, but it would be fun to get the whole gang. It will also be harder for Junhui to turn it down if everyone else is going. Minghao doesn’t want to call it a personal crusade, because that just makes it sound obsessive, but he wants to get Junhui dancing. Junhui is weird enough about it to pique Minghao’s curiosity.

0o0o0

“Junhui!” Minghao darts across the quad and falls into step next to him.

“Oh, hey, Minghao!” Junhui ignores the shout from the person who runs into his bookbag as he spins and pulls Minghao into a hug. “Are your tests done?”

“Yeah, I just finished the last one. How about you?”

“Turned in my paper this morning. I’m free!” Junhui throws out his arms, narrowly missing hitting someone in the face.

Minghao tugs Junhui off the sidewalk and into the grass, where there will hopefully be fewer casualties. Maybe Junhui doesn’t dance because he’s afraid of collateral damage. “Well, do you want to go out tonight?”

Junhui freezes just long enough that Minghao is dead sure he already saw the group chat. “Go out where?”

“Boom Boom.” Minghao shrugs, trying to stay casual. “It’s our usual club. Everyone’s going.” This is technically a lie. They haven’t gotten confirmation from Jihoon, but Soonyoung swears he’ll come out with them. Not everyone responded in the group chat, so Junhui won’t know that, and it’s basically the truth, anyway.

“Everyone?” Well. Hopefully he doesn’t know.

“Yeah. You know the whole gang now, but you haven’t come out with all of us together yet. You should come.”

Junhui purses his lips. “I don’t know…”

Minghao pouts, just a little. After living in Korea for two years, he is not above trying to be cute to get what he wants. “You’re part of the group, Junhui. We’d like to have you.”

“Do you guys always go to clubs?”

“I mean, pretty often, yeah. We have a lot of dancers,” Minghao admits. “Boom Boom has good music, and the drinks aren’t bad, either. I’ve been to just about every club around here, and Boom Boom is the best one for a night like this.”

Junhui sighs. “Okay. I’ll come.”

Minghao smiles, trying to look more sincere than he feels. “Great! Ask Soonyoung if you need help deciding what to wear. He’s good at that. If you want help with eyeliner, though, wait for me.”

0o0o0

Minghao opens the door, and his jaw drops.

“Hey Minghao!” Junhui steps inside, his bright smile completely at odds with his transformed appearance. Minghao has been under the impression that 90% of Junhui’s wardrobe was made up of soft sweaters, but there is no trace of softness in what he has on now. He’s wearing ripped black skinny jeans and a shirt that shows his collarbones. His hair is gelled up, turning his already pretty face sharply attractive.

Soonyoung cackles as he enters the dorm behind Junhui. “Our Junnie is a little more dangerous than we thought, isn’t he?”

Junhui blushes and swats Soonyoung’s shoulder before turning his attention back to Minghao. “You said you do eyeliner, right?”

Minghao clears his throat. “Yeah. Yes. We have a few more minutes, since Seokmin’s at a meeting for a group project. As soon as he gets back and changed, we can head out to the hyungs’ apartment.”

“Excellent.” Soonyoung falls onto Seokmin’s bed with a thump. “I’ve been waiting for this since we planned it.”

“So…since yesterday,” Minghao says.

“Exactly.”

Minghao shakes his head and motions Junhui into his desk chair. “You look good,” he ventures as he studies Junhui’s eye shape.

“Ah, thank you. It’s been a while since I went to a club, so I thought I should keep it simple.”

Minghao starts drawing. “Do you not like clubs?” It occurs to him that perhaps he should have asked that question earlier, before he pressured Junhui into coming with them.

“Oh, no, clubs are fine!” Junhui says. “I like the music, and I like the…tone?”

Minghao blinks. “Tone?”

“What’s the word?” Junhui switches to Mandarin. “Atmosphere.”

“Ah, atmosphere,” Minghao translates. “Or vibe, maybe.”

“Yes. I like clubs.”

Minghao hums and turns Junhui’s head to the other side. So he knows Junhui’s weirdness about dancing doesn’t stem from a dislike of clubs, at least.

It’s possible that Minghao is the one being weird about this. Maybe Soonyoung is right, and Junhui is just shy. Minghao has met plenty of plenty of people who think they are bad dancers. Usually, it’s lack of confidence in their movement that makes them awkward, be it due to inexperience or embarrassment or lack of skill. Maybe Junhui is one of those people. Maybe he just doesn’t feel like a good dancer. “There.”

Junhui looks in the mirror and grins. “Ooh, I look good! Thanks, Hao.” He turns to give Minghao a once-over. “You look good, too.”

Minghao’s ears grow hot. “Thanks. I try.” Minghao also went the ripped jeans route, with a muscle tee and a flannel that will go around his waist the minute he steps on the dance floor. To top it off, he’s wearing eyeliner himself, along with a carefully curated collection of earrings. He knows he looks good, but it’s still nice to hear it.

The door slams open, and they both jump. “I’m baaaack!” Seokmin announces.

“Oh my god,” Minghao says. “You are so lucky I was done with Junnie’s makeup.”

Seokmin laughs and drops his backpack. “It could have made a statement, though! Bold, daring—”

“Avant-garde,” Soonyoung agrees. “Really, Minghao, what could have been.”

Minghao rolls his eyes, but he can’t help smiling. “Seok, did you want eyeliner, too?”

“Oh, yes please!” Seokmin tugs his shirt over his head.

A few minutes later, Minghao surveys the room. Soonyoung, dressed to kill and ready to rumble. Seokmin, in very tight jeans and a shirt that shows off his broad shoulders. Junhui, looking far more dangerous than Minghao had ever expected. And himself, decked out in black and ready to dance the night away.

“Okay!” Soonyoung slides off the bed. “Let’s roll.”

0o0o0

By the time they pick up Jihoon and make their way to the apartment, everyone else has arrived. Minghao doesn’t even bother going inside. Junhui hesitates in the doorway when he sees that Minghao and Jihoon have stopped.

“You might want to back up,” Jihoon warns. Junhui steps back just in time for Seungcheol, Soonyoung, and Seokmin to burst out of the apartment, cheering and whooping. The others pour out after them.

Minghao laughs at the shock on Junhui’s face. “Come on, the club’s not far.”

Junhui grins and falls into step next to him. “Is it always this loud?”

“When everyone is together? Yeah.” Minghao swats Mingyu’s arm. “Especially this one.”

“Hey!” Mingyu protests. “Lies and slander, I don’t make us this loud all by myself!”

“He’s right,” Jihoon says, nodding sagely. “Soonyoung helps.”

“Um, where is my credit for our loudness?” Seungkwan calls from the front of the pack.

“Self-explanatory, goes without saying!” Jihoon yells back.

“Obviously I need to put in more effort and do my part,” Junhui jokes.

“That’s the spirit!” Jeonghan laughs. “Come on, Boom Boom is right up here!”

0o0o0

They lose Soonyoung and Wonwoo to the dance floor immediately. Junhui laughs as Soonyoung pushes past him into the fray. “I didn’t know Wonwoo liked dancing so much,” he remarks.

“Oh yeah,” Chan says. “Wonwoo-hyung isn’t a studio dancer, but he loves a good dance floor. It’ll be a while before they surface.” He nods to the two-tiered couches along the walls. “We always try to get here around 11, because there are usually still a few tables free. The dance floor will get busier as the night goes on. Since there are so many of us, it’s good to have a home base.”

Seungcheol laughs and pats Chan’s head as he passes. “Channie’s become quite the expert when it comes to clubbing.”

Chan flushes, but he’s smiling. “I just like dancing, hyung.”

They claim a table and start heading to the bar in ones and twos. Junhui perches on the back of the couch and leans back on his hands, taking it the atmosphere. Minghao hops up next to him. “Want to dance?” he asks over the music.

Junhui shakes his head. “Maybe later. I’m going to get a drink, so I’ll watch the table.” He smiles brightly. “You should dance!”

Usually, Minghao would be one of the first to vanish onto the floor, but he doesn’t want to leave Junhui without knowing if he is having fun. “I’ll buy you one. In honor of your first night out with us.”

Junhui smiles and nods, and they make their way to the bar. By the time they have their drinks and head back to their table, the crowd has grown thicker. Minghao retakes his spot on the couch and breathes it in. There is nothing romantic about a nightclub—blinding lights, sweat and alcohol, beat drops so loud he can’t hear his own thoughts—but it is a space with no obligations. Nothing can touch him here, and all he has to do is move. He itches to get on the dance floor, but Junhui’s presence holds him back a little longer.

They clink their glasses and drink. Half the group has disappeared into the crowd, but the rest lounge around the table, nodding to the music and sipping unhurriedly at their drinks. Idle conversation is difficult with the music so loud, but no one comes to Boom Boom to talk.

Junhui watches the dance floor with a small smile. In turn, Minghao watches Junhui, noting the way he moves in his seat—just like Minghao, as if the beat has burrowed under his skin. He had no trouble keeping up with Minghao as they moved through the crowd on the way to the bar, which isn’t a claim everyone in the group can make. After all, the easiest way to cross a club is to move to the rhythm. Everything about Junhui says he should be a dancer, and yet.

Minghao reaches the bottom of his glass and sets it aside. “I’m going to dance,” he says. “Coming?”

Junhui shakes his head. “Nah! I’ll watch you, though!”

Minghao has to laugh at that. “Like you’ll even be able to see me.”

Junhui grins and shrugs. Minghao suspects he won’t get anything else out of him now.

He knows Junhui was telling the truth about liking clubs, at least. Satisfied that Junhui is enjoying himself, Minghao stretches and takes off his flannel. Catcalls come from around the table. “Hao’s joining the party!” Seungcheol cheers.

Minghao laughs and steps into the crowd, already falling into the music.

0o0o0

Minghao doesn’t know how much time passes before he comes up for air. He spotted Jihoon and Seungkwan on the floor, but Minghao didn’t dance with them for long. He likes to wind through the crowd, dancing with anyone who catches his eye. He knows how good he looks, and he knows how well he moves. So he likes to show off. Sue him.

When he makes his way back to the table, he finds Soonyoung and Wonwoo sitting with Junhui. Soonyoung is drenched in sweat and gesturing emphatically. “Minghao! Good, now you can help me convince Junnie to come dance with us!”

Wonwoo offers Minghao a glass, and he takes it to avoid answering. It’s water. Bless Wonwoo.

“I told you, Soonyoung. I don’t dance anymore.”

Minghao freezes. Anymore? What did Soonyoung get out of him? He swallows and asks, “You used to dance?”

Junhui’s eyes widen. “Um. Yeah, some? But now I don’t.”

Well. That explains almost everything. Of course Junhui moves like a dancer if he used to be one. Really, the only question left is why he stopped, and that seems too personal to ask about. Minghao can’t imagine giving up dancing, can’t imagine anything that could make him stop. Between that and how weird Junhui is whenever the topic comes up? Something must have happened.

“You don’t just stop being a dancer,” Soonyoung argues. “I’ve seen you when I play music in the dorm. You’re always itching to jump in, and you never do it. Now’s your chance! Come on, Junhui! This is what we’re here for!”

“Soonyoung,” Wonwoo says.

“It is! Junhui, I know you. You can’t seriously tell me that you can sit here watching the floor like that and not want to dance even a little bit!”

“Hyung, stop,” Minghao says, sliding between them and forcing Soonyoung to scoot sideways on the couch. “Please, back off. He came out with us, and he didn’t even want to do that. Please don’t try to force him. Don’t ruin the fun.”

Soonyoung frowns, but he backs off.

“Wait,” Junhui says.

Minghao turns around.

“I’ll dance. For a few minutes.”

“You don’t have to,” Wonwoo says. “Soonyoung comes on strong. About a lot of things, but especially about dancing.”

“No. He’s right. I want to.” Junhui hops down and stretches. Arms, shoulders, neck, wrists. Familiar movements that flow like they’re worn into his muscle memory. Like they have a structure to them.

Minghao trades a look with Wonwoo and Soonyoung. Soonyoung’s eyes are wide.

Junhui closes his eyes for a moment and tips his head back, breathing in the bass. Then he cocks an eyebrow at them. “Coming?”

Soonyoung scrambles. Minghao is only a beat behind him.

0o0o0

Junhui is good. Minghao follows him into the crowd not knowing what to expect, but Junhui has the ease of movement that only comes from years of dancing. He hits the beats hard but flows between them, sharp where he needs to be and fluid where he doesn’t. Hours of popping practice are etched into every movement, obvious in the offhand confidence of his more complex combinations. Minghao catches a glimpse of Soonyoung’s gobsmacked face, but he can’t even laugh when he is sure he looks the same.

The surprise starts to wear off as the beat drops again. Soonyoung backs up, and Minghao does the same, widening their space on the floor.

Cyphers are funny things. They go against the natural flow of the dance floor, but they can happen on their own when the mood is right—or they can be built. None of Minghao’s friends here are bboys, but he knows plenty of people who like a good jam circle. He and Soonyoung have long since learned how to carve out space on the floor to show off.

Junhui turns around to find a patch of open space cleared for him. He smirks, sharp and dangerous, and steps in.

0o0o0

Junhui slows down around the time Minghao starts popping back at him from the sidelines. He motions Soonyoung into the circle and jams with him just long enough to pass the dance off, and then he slips into the crowd. Minghao is pretty sure that Soonyoung will be fine, basking in the attention as he easily picks up where Junhui left off, but he catches Soonyoung’s eye, just in case, and gets a nod.

Minghao follows Junhui to the edge of the dance floor. “You okay?” he calls over the music.

“Yeah, just tired,” Junhui calls back.

Right. Junhui hasn’t danced in a while, though Minghao would have been hard-pressed to call that from the show Junhui just gave. “Come on.” Minghao leads the way toward a hallway behind the bar and one of the many reasons Boom Boom is their group’s favorite club. The bathrooms are back here, but Minghao passes them, turning the corner. Tucked out of sight, this hallway houses a supply closet and some blessed empty space, even when the club is packed. The music still reaches back here, but it’s muted enough to speak almost normally.

Junhui leans against the wall and sighs happily. “I missed this so much.”

Minghao bites his lip. He still feels like it would be an intrusion to ask, but if any moment is the right one, this is it. He opens his mouth.

“Hey!” a voice calls down the hall. “Guy with the Ra vibes!”

Junhui goes rigid.

Minghao blinks. “Is he talking to you?”

“Hello?” the voice calls again.

Junhui takes a deep breath and pushes away from the wall. “I don’t want a battle!” he calls back.

Junhui thinks this guy followed him for a dance battle? “What the fuck?”

“I want a battle,” the guy says. “And you gotta get past me.”

Junhui closes his eyes. “Damn,” he murmurs.

“Junhui, what is going on?”

“Stay behind me,” is all Junhui says.

The guy rounds the corner and stops in the middle of the hallway. “Well?” He folds his arms. He’s wearing Air Maxes with worn soles.

“I don’t want a battle,” Junhui repeats.

“You’re the first new Ra user I’ve seen in months,” the guy says. “I’m not letting you go without seeing your skills. You want to pass me? You battle me.” He raises his arms and finger-tuts for a few seconds before flicking his fingers at Junhui as if to taunt him.

Junhui whips his hands up in an X, and Minghao blinks. Why is Junhui going along with whatever this is supposed to be?

The guy grins. “Oh, this should be fun.” He starts dancing, right there in the hallway next to the supply closet. Minghao has just enough time to register that the newcomer’s style is house before Junhui jumps in front of him and starts dancing too.

On the dance floor, Junhui showed confidence and skill, but now Minghao realizes that he was holding back. Now, Junhui dances with less control and more energy. His locking gets messy, shading toward popping as he gets more aggressive.

The guy laughs and moves faster, layering in counter-beats and building momentum. He snaps his hands up. Junhui spins and raises his arms in a block.

Minghao gasps as something shakes the air.

This is not a normal battle. Instead of taking turns and admiring each other’s skill, Junhui and his opponent dance together. The challenger snaps out again and again, tossing…taunts? Minghao isn’t sure anymore. Junhui blocks and deflects every time, and with the air shivering around him, Minghao can’t say that it is only a show.

Junhui gets sloppier as the battle goes on. It’s obvious that popping is his main style, but popping relies on precision, and Junhui is losing that. The other guy laughs and tosses in fancier and fancier footwork, sometimes even to the point of losing the beat.

Minghao doesn’t know what is happening here, but he can see that Junhui is flagging. He won’t be able to keep this up.

“Come on,” the challenger coaxes. “Show me what you got. You want to beat me? Show me something real!”

Junhui pauses for a beat. Breathes in. Then he snaps through eight beats and pops his chest hard. His opponent’s eyes widen, and he stumbles back, apparently taken by surprise. “Now that’s what I’m talking about,” he pants. “One free shot. You won’t get another.”

Junhui doesn’t answer. He stops locking entirely, focusing on popping. Every movement builds his momentum. Unlike the other guy, Junhui keeps to the muffled beat of the music. He throws an elbow at the challenger, who stumbles again.

He doesn’t get a chance to recover. Junhui is on him, moving in closer. They never touch, but the energy in the air sings aggression. Junhui backs the guy into the wall and spins. The guy gasps and slides to the floor.

Junhui stands over him for a moment, breathing hard.

“What the fuck was that?”

Minghao jerks his head up at Soonyoung’s voice. “How long have you been here?”

“Long enough.”

Junhui shakes himself. “Come on. We need to go.” He strides off down the hall.

“Wait!” Minghao darts after him. “Junhui, what just happened?”

“Let’s go,” Junhui repeats. “Please.”

“Okay,” Soonyoung says. “I’ll tell the others we’re headed back. Meet you outside.”

Minghao follows Junhui through the crowd, watching how he moves. Before, he was all understated grace. Now, the restraint is gone, and he slides between dancers like the transitions are choreographed.

A few minutes ago, Minghao thought he knew what was up with Junhui. Now, he is more confused than ever. The more Minghao sees, the less Junhui makes sense. He cannot wait to hear this explanation.

They push outside and stop. The air feels cold after the heat of the dance floor. Junhui puts his back to the wall and watches their surroundings. Minghao doesn’t know what he is looking for, but he backs up against the wall too. Whatever Junhui is involved with, it’s dangerous, and Minghao refuses to get jumped for failing to pay attention. He’s only any good in a fight if he can see it coming.

Soonyoung emerges a few minutes later. “Jeonghan-hyung gave me his keys,” he says. “Let’s go.”

The walk back to the apartment is fast and quiet, no trace of the exuberance from earlier in the night. Usually, they leave Boom Boom when it closes at two in the morning, and they all stumble back together in a giggly, half-drunken mob.

This night is just unusual in a lot of ways, Minghao supposes.

Soonyoung lets them into the apartment and flips the lights on. The apartment has three bedrooms, but only two are used that way. Jeonghan and Jisoo share one room, Wonwoo and Seungcheol share another, and the last is the game room. It really just serves as space for the three extra couches they picked up somewhere, as well as the unofficial sleepover room. With the apartment in easy walking distance from the bars, this room has seen a lot of use housing drunk friends.

Soonyoung detours into the kitchen to get them all some water. Minghao steers Junhui into the game room and sits him down on the squishiest couch.

When all three of them are sitting down with glasses in hand, Soonyoung leans forward. “Okay. You ready to tell us what the hell that was?”

Junhui swallows. “What do you think you saw?”

“Hey, no, do not start with that—”

Minghao cuts him off. “Some guy followed you off the dance floor. He challenged you to a battle. You said no, but he insisted. He wanted to see your skills, your…Ra skills?”

“Yeah,” Junhui mumbles.

“You had the weirdest dance battle I have ever seen—and trust me, I’ve seen a lot of battles—and then we practically fled the club.” Minghao spreads his hands helplessly. “What was that guy talking about?”

“I only understood half of it,” Junhui says. Which, okay, that makes sense. The guy had obviously had a few drinks, and while Junhui’s Korean has gotten much better, it probably is not that good.

“Okay. Then try this. What happened?”

Junhui takes a deep breath. “Okay.” He stares down at his water. “I love dancing.”

“That’s obvious,” Soonyoung says.

“Hyung, please don’t interrupt.”

“I love dancing,” Junhui repeats. “And I’m good at it. Good enough to use the Ra.”

He pauses. Minghao tries to sit patiently, but if Junhui doesn’t start talking again in the next thirty seconds, Minghao is going to have to be a hypocrite to Soonyoung.

“The Ra is your energy when you dance. You create it when you move. All dancers do. What is different…how I’m different…I know how to use it. I feel it. And I can do things with it that most people can’t.”

“You can knock people back by popping at them,” Soonyoung says. Minghao can’t read his tone.

Junhui shrugs. “Yes.”

“Why did that guy attack you?” Minghao asks.

“He wanted a challenge. He thought I was interesting. Everyone does it.” Junhui’s shoulders hunch. “I didn’t want it to happen here.”

“That’s why you don’t dance,” Minghao breathes.

“Yes. Ra users usually recognize each other easily. We know what to look for. I just…Soonyoung, you’re right. I can’t just watch the dance floor. I haven’t danced in months. I wanted to, so much. But I wanted to hide, too. I tried. I…I tried.”

“It’s hard, isn’t it?” Soonyoung says. “I don’t think I’d be able to stop.”

“I couldn’t,” Junhui says. He makes a helpless little gesture with both hands. “I gave in. And he saw me.” He laughs humorlessly. “I used to like battles. I used to challenge people. It was fun. But…I started winning too much. People started to challenge me all the time. They weren’t friendly battles, either. That guy from tonight was nothing new. I hated it. I tried to—well. It didn’t stop until I left.”

“And now it’s followed you.” Soonyoung sighs. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pressured you.”

Junhui just shrugs. “You didn’t know. I didn’t tell you.”

“So…what? Are you going to get challenges like this everywhere now?” Minghao asks.

Junhui shakes his head. “I don’t know. No? Maybe. If he has many friends. In Shenzhen, I was in the community. People knew me. Here…”

“You’re an unknown, but now you’ve drawn attention,” Soonyoung says.

“Yeah. And I’m an easy target now. No dance friends.”

“No dance friends?” Soonyoung sounds offended. “We’re your dance friends.”

“You don’t use the Ra.”

“I bet I could learn!”

“Can you teach us?” Minghao asks. “We’re pretty good dancers, Junhui. We could try learning.”

Junhui finally looks up at them, eyes narrowing as he assesses them. Minghao suddenly feels very seen. “Maybe,” he says after a moment. “Minghao, you’re a bboy, right?”

“Yeah. How did you know?” He didn’t bust out any of his flashy moves at Boom Boom. His roots are in breaking, but he doesn’t need floorwork to have fun.

“You feel like a bboy. And you…I don’t know the Korean for it, but it’s toprock.” Junhui mimes the arm movements Minghao uses. He looks ridiculous.

“I do?” He toprocks when he isn’t bboying?

“Yeah, sometimes. Enough. And Soonyoung…you move like you know a lot of styles.”

Soonyoung nods. No arrogance, but no false modesty either. “I focus on urban styles that are easy to turn into choreography for the dance crew. A lot of hip-hop grooves and house-inspired moves. Some popping, a little voguing if I’m feeling it.”

Junhui nods slowly. “Yeah. Maybe. We can try.”

“I’ll get us some studio time,” Soonyoung volunteers.

“No. We can’t use a studio for this. We need atmosphere. I’ll find a place.” Junhui cracks a smile. “Also, if you succeed, you might break the mirrors.”

There’s a pause.

“Might,” Soonyoung repeats.

“It’s possible,” Junhui says.

“Hmm. No studios, then. Good call.”

They settle in for the night, laying claim to the couches since they are the first ones back. As Minghao tries to calm his racing thoughts enough to sleep, he realizes that he got everything he wanted out of the night. He even got the truth about Junhui, something he had thought he would never get. Of course, the truth is ridiculous, for all that it actually makes sense, but now he knows.

0o0o0

“What kind of atmosphere are we looking for?” Minghao asks without saying hello. He breezes past Junhui into the dorm room.

“Hi Junhui. How are you? Oh, I’m wonderful today, Minghao. How are you? Absolutely lovely, Junhui.”

“When did you get so sarcastic?” Soonyoung asks.

Junhui smirks and raises an eyebrow. “You watch. I’ll learn more Korean.”

Soonyoung laughs and shoulders his backpack. “Looking forward to it. You kids have fun.”

“I’m older than you!” Junhui calls after him.

Minghao leans against the post of Soonyoung’s bed and folds his arms. “So? What kind of atmosphere are we looking for?”

Junhui purses his lips, considering. After a minute, he shakes his head. “Yeah, this won’t work.” He switches to Mandarin. “I’ve been trying so hard to stick to Korean, even with you, but there’s just no way I’ll be able to tell you accurately if I do that now. Okay. You said you’ve seen plenty of dance battles, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And if you were at bboy dance battles, you probably already have a pretty good idea of what it is that I’m looking for. It’s a street feel, or a particular kind of club. Industrial. Lots of space, but not too empty or sterile. Concrete and metal. You know, the kind of place that feels right for dance battles. That’s what the Ra is used for most often, and so we have to try and get as much of that vibe as we can. Obviously, we’re not going to get the real thing, since we’re going to be alone, but trying to capture the energy in a studio is a lot harder.”

Minghao blinks. Even including a couple of days ago, this is the most he has ever heard Junhui speak in one go. “Okay.”

“Honestly, even a basketball court or a parking garage would be better than a studio. There can’t be cars around, though. I don’t want you guys breaking windows if you get it right.”

“Is that likely?”

Junhui shrugs. “On your first try? No. But it’s possible, and I don’t want to risk it. I’ve had my share of accidents practicing in the wrong places.”

“Well, there are a couple of parking garages nearby, so we can check them out and see if you think they’d work. We’ll need to drop by the art department to see about getting some boxes I can put down for bboying, but other than that, we should be able to just show up. If we go late, it should be empty. No one overnights on the top floor of a parking garage.”

“I don’t really want to do this at night. It’ll be harder if I can’t see what you’re doing.”

“Floodlamps,” Minghao points out.

“They keep those on at night?”

“Usually, yeah. I’ve skated in the parking garages at night.”

Junhui frowns. “That solves the visibility problem, but if others are likely to run into us, that’s not great, either.”

“Well, let’s go check it out. You’re done with class for the day, right? We can go see about finding somewhere on campus.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

0o0o0

Junhui vetoes the parking garage. “Too many cars, some cameras, too much chance of being seen, even at night.”

Minghao falls into step with him as he starts back down the stairs. “We need someplace with no people at all, then?”

“Ideally, yeah. Most people don’t know about the Ra. Even most dancers don’t know about it. If you’d come up here a week ago and seen people battling with telekinesis, how would you have reacted?”

“Not well,” Minghao agrees. At the very least, he would have been freaked out. Junhui’s dance battle at Boom Boom unnerved him, and that was when he watched someone he knew do the magic. Turning a corner and seeing two strangers going at it like that? It would be a deeply weird experience, and he would be very tempted to get it on video…once he was reasonably sure he wasn’t hallucinating. “Why the secrecy, though?”

Junhui pauses. “Huh. I’ve actually never asked that question. I don’t know why it’s a secret, like, in general. Personally, I like being able to slip back into the rest of the world and pretend to be normal. In Shenzhen, it was just fun. When you’re in the secret dance scene with friends, it feels so cool and special. When I left, though…I could escape. No one knew who I was outside the dance community in the place where I grew up.” He shrugs and starts walking again. “I don’t know why it’s a secret. It just is, I guess. I don’t want to be the one to tell the world.”

“That’s fair.” Minghao imagines that the backlash from the community would be brutal. Junhui has already left his home over the Ra; he probably doesn’t want to lose more to it.

“I think it would scare people,” Junhui says quietly. “And they would get over it eventually, once they got used to the idea, but in the meantime, people would be afraid of me. Some people always would be. I don’t want that.”

That is a sentiment Minghao understands fully. As a martial artist and a bboy, Minghao knows how much fun it can be to intimidate opponents. He also knows it’s best for the intimidation to stay on the competition floor. At Boom Boom, he caught a glimpse of what Junhui’s opponents see, and he can imagine facing that across the floor and feeling a thrill of fear. In a battle, it would be fun. In the real world…not so much.

Junhui on the dance floor is a veteran battler, cocky and dangerous. Junhui next to him right now as they trek across campus is a kind college student who wears soft sweaters and laughs easily. Minghao would hate to see his smile disappear because people were scared of him.

“Hmm.” Junhui stops. Minghao looks around. As far as he can tell, this is a perfectly ordinary little piece of campus. There are far too many people around for Junhui to be considering this place for their dance practice.

“No,” Junhui says to himself, and keeps walking.

Minghao blinks and follows. “What was that?”

“Just an idea. I’ll let you know if it pans out.”

Minghao shakes his head. “Okay.” They keep going.

Five minutes later, Junhui darts away so quickly that Minghao takes four more steps before he realizes Junhui is gone. He backtracks and follows Junhui’s path between two buildings.

Junhui stands in the middle of a niche tucked between the student center and the newer wing of the administration building. The ground drops away into a wide pit, paved in cracking cement with a hole in the middle that suggests there used to be a tree here. To the left, steps lead down into the pit, mirrored by a ramp on the right.

“Huh,” Minghao says. “I didn’t know this was here.”

Junhui grins. “That makes it a good place to dance.”

“Really? I thought we were going for a very specific atmosphere?”

“This one is just as specific,” Junhui says. He tip-taps his feet as he walks around the pit, skirting the edge of a rickety-looking picnic table. “Since the Ra is mostly a secret, our battles usually happen in hidden places. At Boom Boom, we were back behind the bathrooms, right? Around the corner, out of the way. This place is the same. It’s tucked away just far enough to be out of sight but close enough to slip back into the world at a moment’s notice. I’ve had dozens of battles in spots that felt just like this.”

Minghao looks around, trying to see what Junhui sees. This little corner is definitely tucked away. If anyone came here to use the picnic table, it must have been before the new administrative wing was built. Now, this spot is closed in. Most of the windows that look out on it are made of frosted glass, and the few doors that lead outside are uniformly gray industrial metal.

He tries to imagine the kind of battle Junhui has described. “So…what, you just meet someone and your eyes lock and you know it’s going down? If two Pokémon trainers’ eyes meet, they have to battle?”

Junhui shrugs. “Honestly? Yeah, sometimes. Most of the time I would hear about interesting newcomers before I met them, or I would meet people I recognized from the dance scene outside of it. But sometimes…well, you use the Ra long enough, and you start to pick up subtleties in it. A challenge is easy enough to convey.”

Minghao studies the space again. He thinks he can see it. There is no way he is picturing the right vibe, though. He has never seen a battle like that.

“Well, this is our spot,” Junhui decides. “It’s clandestine. I like it. It isn’t quite what I had in mind, but it’s just as good.”

0o0o0

They start immediately. All three of them are between tests and projects, and hell week for the dance crew is still two weeks away. Minghao knows better than to believe he will figure it out on the first try, but he hopes he can get a good start on it.

Junhui hops down into the pit and starts pacing, like he can’t contain his urge to move now that he has started dancing again. “Okay. The Ra is hard to explain with words. It’s easier if you can feel it. Right now, you can’t, but I think you can learn.”

He stops in front of Minghao. “For you, it should be simple. Not easy, exactly, but simple. You’re a bboy. Just dance. Focus on your own energy. Get in the zone. You need to feel it before you can use it.”

He turns to Soonyoung. “You don’t have one style. That’s good and bad. You’re flexible, and you can change forms easily. In battles, it’s an advantage, and if you get this, it will really help you. Right now, it complicates things. Pick one style, or mostly one style. Your best one. I don’t want you to think about what you’re doing. Get in the zone.” He holds up his phone. “I have a playlist for you, all the longest house songs I know. Ready?”

Soonyoung blinks, but he wouldn’t be Soonyoung if he didn’t rise to the occasion. “Okay.” Soonyoung jumps down into the pit. Junhui hits play.

The music comes out tinny and weak, too quiet for the space. Junhui insisted that they not use a speaker. Minghao supposes it fits the covert vibe Junhui is so intent on capturing.

Soonyoung closes his eyes and stands still on the old concrete. When he moves, he starts small, feeling out the music before he really gets going. Minghao watches closely, trying to pick out the style he chose, but Soonyoung’s personal style has always been hard to describe. Minghao learned to dance from YouTube and from experimenting with his friends. With Soonyoung, it is obvious that he does a lot of choreography. They’re different in their roots.

Junhui is right; Soonyoung’s style is fluid and adaptive. Minghao keeps watching as the music changes, searching for any trace of the power Junhui uses, but nothing comes. Still, Soonyoung is interesting to watch and always has been, and he gets smoother as he falls into the second track.

The music cuts off suddenly, and Soonyoung stumbles. His eyes flash as he whirls around to complain.

“You’re doing well,” Junhui says before Soonyoung can get started.

Soonyoung blinks. “Really?”

“You won’t get it right away.” Junhui shrugs. “You’re good, but no one is that good. You should practice. Like this. Drill until you don’t have to think. You match the music well. Use that.”

Soonyoung nods, his irritation already shifting into determination.

“Minghao,” Junhui says, and Minghao nods before Junhui can finish. They dropped by the art building and snagged some cardboard boxes before coming here, and now Minghao pulls out the packing tape and assembles a space where he can dance without tearing up his skin.

“I don’t have a playlist for you,” Junhui admits. “I didn’t know what would fit. You have one, right?”

Minghao has several playlists, actually. He scrolls through them for a minute, but he already knows which one he wants. His playlists are organized by purpose and mood, not by genre. He has one for practicing high-energy power moves, another for rhythm and finesse. One for getting into the zone for battles, though that one hasn’t seen much use since he arrived in Korea.

The one he wants is designed for relieving stress. It’s his most curated playlist and his least comprehensible one, the playlist he listens to when he just needs to move. Most importantly, every song on it is well-worn and familiar. He knows the beat drops and the rhythm changes without having to think, and when he shuts himself into an empty studio and dances to them, it feels almost meditative.

Part of Minghao objects to playing a mix so personal in front of other people, but if his experience so far is any indication, this is exactly what he will need.

He hands his phone to Junhui and says, “Shuffle it.” He steps back until his feet fall on cardboard, and when the music starts, he tries to lose himself in it and forget that anyone is watching.

0o0o0

Minghao falls face-first onto his bed and groans into his blankets. Seokmin makes a concerned noise, and a moment later, a hand falls on Minghao’s back to rub soothing circles. “What’s wrong?”

There is no way Minghao can share the depth of his frustration with Seokmin. The dance crew is halfway through hell week. That’s bad enough on its own, but he has been practicing his breaking too, and he is ridiculously out of shape. Junhui’s challenge has made Minghao realize how much he has let his skills go.

It is not a pleasant realization, especially since breaking is his core style and his most likely path to the Ra.

Minghao has gone back to the basics. Toprock, get-downs, simple floorwork and easy freezes. Drilling fundamentals. It’s both the best way to get his groove back and the safest way to practice with a competition approaching.

He rolls over and makes a vague, expansive gesture with both hands. “Hell week. Stalled progress. Choreography. Bboying.”

“Ah,” Seokmin says wisely. “Dance problems.”

“Dance problems,” Minghao agrees.

Seokmin pats his head. “You’ll figure it out. You always do.”

Minghao shrugs. He wants to believe that, but the Ra is different from his usual dance problems.

“Maybe what you need is to stop thinking about it for a bit,” Seokmin offers.

Minghao sits up.

Huh. There’s a thought.

“Hao?”

“You’re right,” Minghao says. “Seok, let’s go to Boom Boom.”

“Wha—right now?”

“Yes.”

Seokmin blinks. Looks at his watch. “They’ll only be open for another hour.”

“That’s fine.” Minghao makes a beeline for the bathroom and pulls out his eyeliner while he considers his reflection. What he’s wearing sucks. He’ll need to change his shirt, at the very least.

“Uh, only Chan’s responding, so I guess—”

“You asked the group chat?”

“…should I not have?” Seokmin sounds confused. Minghao can’t blame him.

“Nah, tell him to come on over. We’ll leave as soon as he gets here.”

0o0o0

The music shivers through a transition as they walk in the door, thrumming against Minghao’s skin—a good sign for the night’s DJ. Boom Boom is much quieter on Wednesdays than it is on weekends, but there are still enough people to make it worthwhile. Young workers, probably, or other students trying to blow off steam and keep from going crazy during the busiest part of the semester. He doesn’t care as long as the atmosphere is decent, and right now, it is good enough.

Minghao heads straight for the dance floor. He loses Chan and Seokmin immediately. He loses himself only minutes later, falling into the beat of the music.

Sometimes, dancing is the easiest way to work through his thoughts. Other times, it is the easiest way to get out of his head.

Eventually, someone taps his arm, and he turns to see Chan next to him. “They close in ten,” Chan says in Minghao’s ear.

Minghao pulls out his phone and blinks down at the screen. Has it really only been half an hour? “Huh,” he says.

Chan nods but doesn’t comment. He seems content to groove casually until Minghao pulls himself out of the music.

The way Chan moves, like the beat hits somewhere beneath his skin, makes Minghao wonder. If he and Soonyoung can figure out this whole Ra thing, what’s to say their other dance friends couldn’t?

“Okay, let’s go.” Minghao starts off the dance floor, Chan following in his steps.

Seokmin joins them at the edge of the floor. “You got your fix?”

“Yeah, I’m good.” Minghao is great, actually. He may not be any closer to figuring out the Ra than he was before, but he no longer feels so stalled. The tension he has been carrying has loosened. It isn’t gone—the crowd isn’t enough for him to really let loose—but he feels much better.

“You dancers are all crazy,” Seokmin complains as they leave the club. “It’s like watching a sports movie or something. Soonyoung-hyung came here all by himself after your dance crew practice on Saturday, and now you’re doing it too? Who’s next? Chan, are you going to start doing this?”

Chan laughs. “You say that like you don’t sing all your strong emotions out, hyung.”

Seokmin points at him. “That’s different, and also something I can do in my own room. I don’t go to karaoke bars alone to blow off steam.”

“Then it might just be one of those things, hyung, where if you don’t already know, I can’t really explain it to you.” Chan shrugs.

Minghao side-eyes him. Chan catches him looking and raises his eyebrows.

Chan gets it.

Minghao probably shouldn’t be surprised. Chan clicked with the dance crew fast and hard, and he and Soonyoung have become very good friends. Minghao has seen him in the studio, of course, but there is a world of difference between studio dancing and club dancing. Chan practices hard, but he doesn’t usually freestyle much. Apparently, Minghao hasn’t been paying enough attention to him.

Of course, Chan did come to Boom Boom with no notice on a Wednesday, so maybe Minghao should have figured this one out earlier.

Minghao tosses his arm around Chan’s shoulder. “At least you understand me,” he says, mostly for Seokmin’s benefit. Chan grins.

Seokmin throws his hands in the air. “Where’s the understanding for me?” he laments. “I’m outnumbered.”

They poke fun at each other all the way back to the dorm, where all three of them crash in Minghao and Seokmin’s room.

0o0o0

Hell weeks are always weird, and this one is no exception. It moves like molasses, but as the dance crew steps onstage for their tech rehearsal, it feels like time has flown.

In the waiting area, Minghao focuses on stretching and conserving his energy. The moves are ingrained in his muscles from months of practice. All he has to do now is execute.

Some of their friends are in the audience, he knows. He’ll see them at the afterparty. Junhui is here, and if one good thing has come out of all this, it is that Junhui is dancing again. Minghao is pretty sure he can convince Junhui to join the crew after this competition—if he even has to say anything. Soonyoung could very well get there first.

They can’t hear anything from out here. Inside the theater, there is music and cheering and applause. Out here, it’s quiet. Not silent, though—there is always the rustle of fabric and the tap-tap of shoes as dancers go over moves one more time.

Minghao doesn’t bother. Instead, he finishes stretching and sits down, closing his eyes and breathing deep.

When they’re called, he rolls to his feet and shakes out his arms one more time. They’re on.

0o0o0

Minghao loves competitions. He loves the tension, the rush, the culmination of weeks of work, and leaving everything on the stage.

He loves the competitions, but afterparties have their own charm.

Soonyoung is raring to go as soon as the clock ticks into official party time. He likes to arrive early and be the one to start up the dance floor. Minghao, Chan, and a couple other members of the crew head out with him. Sure enough, they are some of the first into the club, and an empty floor stretches out before them, theirs for the taking.

There are only five of them. Minghao knows that will be enough. In the meantime, they groove, taking turns jumping into a cypher that doesn’t quite exist yet and hyping each other up. Other dancers start to arrive, and slowly, the space begins to fill.

An arm settles around Minghao’s shoulders, and he startles and throws an elbow. Junhui huffs in surprise and pain.

“Don’t sneak up on me like that,” Minghao scolds, but Junhui doesn’t move away, and Minghao doesn’t try to shrug him off.

“I was saying hello,” Junhui complains. He nudges his way into the tiny gap on the edge of the cypher between Minghao and the guy next to them. “What’s the mood?”

“A little tentative, but not bad. It’ll get better.”

“You could jump in. Show off.”

“Nah, not yet. The energy isn’t high enough.”

Junhui hums. They watch for a bit, cheering on dancers from other teams. Minghao loves afterparties for this alone; choreography is fun, but he is a freestyle dancer at heart. Jams and battles are where he comes from. No matter whether he’s in Korea or China, he can always meet other dancers on ground that feels like home.

He will jump in eventually. He could do it now, despite his words to Junhui. He doesn’t have to bust out the floorwork. It isn’t like he doesn’t know how to dance on his feet.

But all Minghao wants to do right now is break, so he is willing to wait until the time is right. He bets it won’t take long. Besides, Soonyoung is having a blast. In fact…

Minghao blinks. He has watched Soonyoung freestyle a lot over the past month. Something in what Soonyoung is doing now looks different, though Minghao can’t quite say what. He nudges Junhui. “Do you see that?”

Junhui’s eyes narrow. Then a smile spreads slowly across his face. “Oh. Now, that is a good sign.”

“What is it?”

“Flow state,” Junhui says in Mandarin. Minghao can’t tell if it’s for vocabulary or secrecy. “Mostly. He’s vibing. If we weren’t in public, I’d battle him right now. Pull the Ra out before he even knew he was using it.”

“Are you sure you can’t pull it off? It’s not like you can see the Ra. I didn’t figure it out, and you battled that asshat at Boom Boom right in front of me.” Minghao is pretty sure that Junhui and Soonyoung could trade a volley and have everyone else think it was just extremely cool teamwork.

Junhui bites his lip. “It would fuck up the atmosphere.”

“Not that much. The only way to really fuck up the atmosphere is to kill it. I don’t think that would happen.” Even if it did, they could start another cypher later. With a crowd full of dancers, it is inevitable. Minghao smirks. “I could always try to save it with bboying.”

Junhui’s mouth quirks into a smile at that. “Well, with backup like that, how can I refuse?”

“Then get in there quick, before he finishes.” Minghao nudges Junhui forward. People only stay in the center for so long. Soonyoung won’t kill the party by hogging the spotlight.

Junhui steps jerkily into open space, already articulating moves so cleanly that Minghao can almost hear the clicks. Soonyoung sees him and grins, turning to face him so they can dance together.

Minghao draws in a breath and holds it.

Junhui smirks, and Soonyoung blinks, surprised. The mood shifts, ever so slightly, as Junhui winds up, moving like every joint is independent from the others. He raises one hand like Iron Man and pops his arm, and Soonyoung jolts back.

Around them, the crowd goes nuts. Minghao stands frozen on the sidelines, the only person on the edge who stays quiet.

Soonyoung’s jaw sets. He rolls his shoulders once, twice, and lets the movement continue down his body, impossibly fluid in contrast to Junhui’s sharpness. His feet slide, and his arm snakes into a mirror of Junhui’s Iron Man pose. He pops once, crisp and final as the period on the end of a sentence.

Junhui snaps his arms into an X, and the air shakes.

The tension snaps. Air floods Minghao’s lungs. Soonyoung’s eyes widen, and Junhui grins at him and grooves, taking on some of Soonyoung’s fluidity. Soonyoung mirrors him for a few moments as the cheers around them subside before bowing and stepping out, leaving Junhui to fill the cypher alone.

Junhui catches Minghao’s eye as he starts to dance for the show of it. Minghao nods and steps back from the edge. As he does, he sees someone else hop into the circle to challenge. Junhui grins.

Minghao smiles a little at that, even as he vanishes into the crowd. Junhui was worried about ruining the vibe, but all he did was up the ante. If he gets back in time, Minghao will have a go himself.

Soonyoung looked rattled; he probably left the dance floor. Minghao makes his way toward the bar and turns to scan the club. Nothing, nothing…ah. Leaning against a railing where stairs lead to a seating area. Minghao asks the bartender for a glass of water and goes to join him.

Soonyoung sees him coming and smiles. “I hope that’s for me.”

“Oh, no, it’s all for me. Hyping you up is hard work, hyung.” Minghao passes the water over.

Soonyoung gulps half of it down in one go. “Did you see that?”

Minghao nods. “How did it feel?”

“Crazy. I just—holy shit, that happened. I did that. Right in front of everyone, too.”

“Nobody could tell who didn’t already know, hyung. Don’t worry.”

“Junhui is intimidating!” Soonyoung laughs. He holds up a shaking hand. “Wow.”

Junhui emerges from the dance floor and makes a beeline for them, whooping when he gets close. “You did it!” He throws his arms around Soonyoung. Minghao rescues the cup as it starts to tip.

“You did it,” Junhui says again.

“Wait, are you—Junnie, no, don’t cry!” Soonyoung pats his back.

“I can’t help it!” Junhui pulls back enough to wipe his eyes. “I’m just so happy, you did it, Minghao can’t be far behind, I missed this so much—”

Soonyoung flails an arm out wildly. Minghao rolls his eyes but goes in for the group hug anyway. Junhui latches on as soon as he’s close enough.

They stand there for a minute on the edge of the party, letting Junhui sniffle away his tears and Soonyoung breathe away his adrenaline. Minghao holds them both and hopes he is helping.

Junhui takes a deep breath and raises his head. “Sorry,” he says.

Soonyoung swats his arm. “Don’t apologize for that, silly.” He steals the water from Minghao and bestows it upon Junhui. “Come on, get hydrated and let’s dance. Can’t miss a perfectly good afterparty, can we?”

Minghao smiles and rolls his shoulders. Maybe he won’t find the Ra as spectacularly as Soonyoung just did, but he might be able to find some other bboys in this crowd. He’s feeling a battle.

0o0o0

The dorm room door opens and Seokmin lets out a piercing shriek. Minghao winces, lets one arm buckle, and twists out of the handstand, onto his back, and up to his feet.

He folds his arms. “Where’s the fire?”

“Okay, that was cool as fuck,” Seungkwan says.

“Thank you.” Minghao raises an eyebrow at Seokmin.

“You never do that,” he defends. “When did you start practicing in here?”

“Yesterday.”

“Why did you start practicing in here?”

Minghao shrugs. “Competition’s done. I can focus fully on breaking for now.”

Seokmin groans.

“Come on, hyung, you have to admit that was cool,” Seungkwan says.

“I freely admit that it was cool! All of Minghao’s moves are cool! I’m just wondering how I got surrounded by dancers who are also nuts! And it’s contagious.” Seokmin lowers his voice conspiratorially. “Junhui-hyung is doing it now, too.”

“Breakdancing?”

Minghao winces. “Not every street style is breaking.”

“I know, hyung.”

“Junhui isn’t a bboy. He does a couple of different styles, but his best one is popping.”

“Oh, I’ve heard of that.” Seungkwan raises his arms and does—what is actually a pretty respectable hit. Huh.

“Yeah, exactly,” Minghao says. “You interested in it?”

“Noooooo,” Seokmin whines. “Seungkwan, no, you can’t do this to me, it’s spreading.”

“A little, yeah,” Seungkwan says. Seokmin groans again. Seungkwan offers him an apologetic grimace but doesn’t take it back.

Minghao laughs. “I’d be happy to show you some moves. Junnie would probably like it if you asked him for tips. Soonyoung-hyung does it too, sometimes.”

“Channie showed me that,” Seungkwan says. “So that’s three for three for friends on the dance crew. Four if Junhui-hyung ends up joining.”

“You can’t just say that,” Seokmin complains. “You’ll mess up the bet.”

“What bet?” Minghao asks.

“Nothing,” they say together.

“Are you going to be practicing in here a lot?” Seokmin asks in a transparent attempt at changing the subject.

Minghao rolls his eyes but lets it slide. “I’m going to be practicing anywhere I have the space,” he admits. “I’m not as rusty anymore, but I’m not where I want to be.”

“Okay, I understand that, but: have you considered that your standards are unusually high?” Seokmin asks.

Minghao can’t hold back his grin any longer at that. “Actually, I was thinking my standards aren’t high enough.”

Seokmin lets out another theatrical groan. Minghao laughs at him and grabs his bag. “I’ll clear out. I could use some more space, anyway. See you later.”

“Have fun!” Seungkwan calls after him as he leaves.

0o0o0

“Junhui said we were running the risk of breaking mirrors if we used a studio,” Minghao points out.

“Ah,” Soonyoung says, “but we’re not trying to use the Ra. We’re just getting our groove on.”

“From the way he said it, I don’t know that much trying would be involved.”

Soonyoung closes the studio door and starts setting up the speaker. “I’m serious, though. This has to be frustrating for you, but I really do just want to jam today. Don’t worry about the Ra.”

Minghao holds back a sigh. Easy for Soonyoung to say, but Minghao knows he understands. “Any new music?” Minghao asks.

Soonyoung nods. “Couple new songs, yeah. I stuck them into the rotation. I tried to balance the playlist a little with songs for breaking.”

“Thanks.”

Soonyoung taps his phone, and the speaker spills music into the room.

“This isn’t breaking music,” Minghao teases.

“Stretching is the most important part of a jam session,” Soonyoung says loftily. “Just like breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

They do their standard dance team stretches, and then Minghao runs through his own set of bboy warmups. As his muscles loosen up, he finds himself feeling more relaxed despite his rising heartbeat. Maybe Soonyoung was onto something when he suggested this. Minghao hasn’t felt too frustrated, despite the lack of progress on the Ra front, but evidently, he has been wound tighter than he realized.

“Ready?” Soonyoung calls.

Minghao rolls to his feet. “Yeah.”

The music changes, and Soonyoung crosses the room to stand in front of Minghao like they are about to battle.

“Don’t break any mirrors,” Minghao says.

“No promises!”

At first, Minghao has to make a conscious effort to dance with Soonyoung and not just in the same space. Their styles are very different and not particularly complementary. Soonyoung is more versatile and better about dancing together, filling negative space wherever Minghao leaves it, and only Minghao’s excellent spatial awareness lets him keep up. As they keep going, it feels more natural.

They don’t click together so much as flow. The realization that they are perfectly in sync comes to Minghao between beats that leave no time for surprise.

He twists into a freeze that thrusts his feet toward Soonyoung, and Soonyoung stumbles backward and lands flat on his butt.

Minghao’s eyes widen. He cartwheels out and darts to Soonyoung’s side. “Hyung!”

Soonyoung looks up at him. “Minghao,” he says. “That was you.”

“What?”

“You felt it, right? We were—” Soonyoung makes a vague gesture with both hands. “We were in tune. Like, perfectly in sync.”

“Yeah,” Minghao says. “We were doing really well. Why—?”

“You knocked me on my ass with the Ra,” Soonyoung says. He laughs. “Minghao, that was it!”

Minghao sits back on his heels. “No,” he says. Really? Just like that?

Soonyoung topples backward, sprawling out on the floor, and pumps his fist at the ceiling. “You got it!” he cheers. “You seriously didn’t notice it?”

“You didn’t either, until Junhui got in the middle with you,” Minghao points out.

“Crazy, since it feels like that,” Soonyoung says.

Minghao thinks about it. “That really wasn’t normal,” he realizes out loud. His spatial awareness is good, but he remembers feeling where Soonyoung was. “Did you suck me in?”

“Maybe?” Soonyoung hums. “Yeah, maybe. I don’t know. I noticed that there was a lot of energy in here, but I don’t know who started it.”

“Huh. We should try this with Junhui, see—oh, I need to call Junhui.”

Soonyoung laughs. “Yeah, you better get on that.”

Before that, though— “Are you okay?” Minghao asks.

“Yeah.” Soonyoung thinks for a moment. “Okay, my butt hurts, but I’ll be fine. And uh, the alternative was proving Junhui right and breaking a mirror, so this is for the best.”

Minghao winces. That would not have been good. “Practice happens outside from now on,” he decides.

“Yep, that sounds like a good idea.”

0o0o0

Junhui is thrilled and immediately demands to see. Minghao and Soonyoung meet him at their clandestine battle spot. It isn’t a responsible time of day for it, and the light is fading fast, but all of them are too excited to wait.

Junhui bowls Minghao over with a hug as soon as he sees them. Minghao laughs and pats Junhui’s back.

Soonyoung taps away at his phone and starts the playlist right where they left off in the studio. The sound quality is just as awful as it always is out here, tinny and too-quiet even after Soonyoung turns the volume up all the way.

None of that matters. Minghao can feel the energy in the air already. At first, he thinks it’s just the anticipation, but as Soonyoung starts to move, it picks up.

“You feel it?” Junhui asks.

“Yeah,” Minghao breathes. He does, doesn’t he?

“Come on!” Soonyoung calls. He slides his feet in a smooth bit of footwork, backing across the cement and leaving plenty of space for them.

Junhui grins and bounds forward, dropping in on the beat and mirroring Soonyoung’s movement with his own flair. Minghao waits a few moments longer, feeling the energy shift.

Then he hops in to complete the triangle, twisting on a recurring piece of the backing track and feeling the electric buzz under his skin.

They should feel like idiots, but Minghao doesn’t care. Junhui’s arms ripple through a wave, and the flow of the energy following it is almost visible, a heat shimmer in the air. Minghao catches it and falls backward, scraping his palms raw as he completes one inverted spin and snaps the Ra toward Soonyoung on the way back up. Soonyoung flickers it down his body—neck, shoulders, chest, legs, and right back up and back to Junhui, who pops once and stops it in its tracks with his usual snapping arm movement just as the song ends.

“God, I’ve missed this,” Junhui murmurs in the second of silence between tracks.

The next song starts, but they don’t keep dancing. Minghao slings an arm around Junhui’s shoulders, and Soonyoung follows a moment later from the other side.

“Everyone can use a few dance friends,” Minghao says.

“You could have more of us if you joined the dance crew,” Soonyoung says slyly.

Junhui laughs. “You know, I think I’d disappoint the betting pool if I didn’t.”

With the twilight fading to night around them, the music still playing from the edge of the concrete, and the frisson of energy still alive in the air, anything feels possible. Junhui is bright and alive, Soonyoung is sweating but pumped, the next crew competition looms in the distance, and Boom Boom is, as always, not far down the road.

Minghao can’t wait to see where this goes next.