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If Yangyang could teleport himself and Ten immediately back into the dorms, he most definitely would’ve. Unfortunately, he is just a man bound by the laws of physics. He sat by the pile of bags and clothes haphazardly thrown on the floor near the door, so excited to go home that he had already fixed all of his things in about half the time it usually took him. He keeps catching glimpses of Ten, who was still on the other side of the practice room, talking to the choreographer, while preening himself in the mirrored wall.
"Can you be any more obvious?" Hendery sneaked up from the other side of his view, surprising Yangyang quite a bit and making him jump. "I have no idea what you’re talking about." Yangyang replied, pretending to be fixing his hair for the umpteenth time. But he knows that Hendery knows that he really can’t keep a secret from his friends. "You think I can't tell what’s going on? Can’t your little monkey brain wait until we get back to the car, at least?" Hendery rebutted.
Of all the members in the group, Yangyang found it the easiest to confide in Hendery, and not just because they’re the closest in age. For all his crazy antics, Hendery is actually a very good listener. "Earlier, he said that we needed to talk. We’re having "the talk" later, ge…" Yangyang admitted. Hendery thought he heard a little excitement and nerve in his voice, threatening to pierce through the facade he put on. Yangyang wouldn’t admit the fact that he’s actually really nervous. He’s not exactly inexperienced, and he’s not a virgin, but this is Ten, and he feels like none of his previous experiences amount to anything compared to the emotional somersaults Ten puts him in through no fault of his own.
Hendery gave Yangyang a serious look. Spending the later stages of his formative years in close proximity with a force like Ten and watching them get closer to each other, Hendery used to think that Ten and Yangyang just seemed to have a natural chemistry between them. They were naturally drawn to each other. He thought it was only a matter of time until one of them started falling for the other.
"You’ll be fine, Yang. I don’t think Ten will want to hurt your feelings.
"You really think so? What if he realizes I'm too introverted and lazy, and that’s not what h-"
Yangyang’s words were starting to get ahead of his brain. Hendery could only sigh.
"Bro, seriously, you need to chill. You know Ten. If he was just playing with you, he wouldn't prolong this agony." Hendery ran his fingers through his hair just in time for Ten to finish talking with the choreographer and walk towards where their things were.
"Where are the others?" he asks. Ten's gaze shifted from Hendery to the floor, then to Yangyang, then back to the floor before joining them."Well… Kun’s in the bathroom. I think Xiaojun is with him" Hendery replied. "I told you all the tofu was bad." Yangyang interjected. He didn’t even notice Ten was trying to pull his jacket from under Yangyang’s leg. "Yaaaang~" Ten whined, and Yangyang swears his brain started to crack like eggshells as he lifted his leg up.
The choreographer bid them goodbye, basically running towards the exit, and the door thudded shut, making them aware of the emptiness in the room. The three of them sat on the floor, minding their own business, though Hendery could sense the tension in the air from Yangyang's puppy-dog glances at Ten.
The silence was only broken by Hendery’s phone vibrating so loudly. "Kun-ge said he needs to see me," Hendery said as he stood up. "He needs to see you… at the toilets… I can go with you" Yangyang looked at him weirdly, and Hendery silently prayed to the gods that Yangyang was picking up on what he was trying to say. "Yeah, no, I can go alone. He probably just needs extra toilet paper or something. You guys stay here," Hendery said. He didn’t even wait for a response from either Ten or Yangyang, he just got up and left with a grin on his face.
With a loud thud of the door again, Yangyang is suddenly hyperaware of Ten’s presence. It's just him and Ten in this rehearsal room. Alone. Their managers won’t be here for another thirty minutes to take them back to the dorms, and that alone felt like a death sentence.
Before he could even calm himself, Ten nonchalantly leaned over and rested his head on Yangyang’s thighs. "I’m tired; let me lie down for a bit," Ten said, looking up at Yangyang, who was still frozen. "S-sure, ge" Yangyang said, trying to distract himself by looking through his phone. He’s afraid to move, or even breathe too loudly, and for what felt like an eternity, he was just doom scrolling on his phone. The moment he stopped, he realized Ten had been staring at him the entire time. Yangyang once again fought a blush that was trying to betray him.
"Do I have something on my face, ge?"
"I don’t like this..." Ten started, and Yangyang felt a ringing in his ears that was suddenly making him feel uncomfortable. He wanted to run somewhere far, far away. If only his legs would just work and let him escape.
"I don’t like that you’re suddenly like this around me." Knowing Yangyang, Ten knew he probably should’ve started with that. "Hey, don’t be like that. I didn’t mean anything bad, Yang." Ten moved Yangyang’s face with his palm, so he could directly face him. It was probably a mixture of stress, hormones, and general fatigue from all the rehearsals, but Yangyang looked like he was about to burst into tears.
"Hey, Yang…" Ten's body seemed to move on its own when he found himself tightly hugging Yangyang, cheek on his shoulder, and slowly stroking his hair from behind. "Can’t you be normal, baby. Seriously, look. Your crush is about to confess to you, and you’re being like this…" Ten continued. "Are we having the talk right now? Wait…" Yangyang suddenly came back to his senses, pushing Ten off of him in the process and held him by the shoulders instead.
"By the way, I wasn’t being emotional or anything… I’m just tired and sleepy…" Yangyang stretched out his arms with an exaggerated yawn. After living with him for some time, Ten knows it’s best not to dig over this matter. He just grabbed Yangyang again in a tight hug. Their legs were in awkward positions, sprawled all over the floor but he didn’t care.
"I should thank you for keeping me sane, back when I was in China."
"Hmm~"
"And I should thank you for taking care of my babies while i was away."
"Hmm~"
"I should add that I have no idea where or when it started, but..."
"I love you; I’ve loved you since a long time ago, and I’ll keep loving you until you tell me to stop."
Ten’s words got trapped in his mouth, and he was surprised at Yangyang’s sudden confession. Yangyang’s eyes remained shut, but his hands on Ten’s back were cold and almost shaky. Ten might have underestimated just how much Yangyang loves him, and he’s all of a sudden feeling warm all over.
"And even when you tell me to stop, i’ll probably still love yo-" Without warning, Ten kissed Yangyang mid-sentence. His hands shifted away from the other's back and crossed on his shoulders, luring Yangyang closer. Yangyang felt like his brain short-circuited the moment their lips met, it was nothing like he expected but everything he ever wanted in his life. Surprisingly, he had the self-control not to push Ten onto the floor and kiss the life out of him. And no, there was no fight for dominance like he expected, their tongues and lips were dancing, giving space for the other and taking what the other offered. There was no sense of urgency. If Yangyang were to ignore the heat that’s bellowing from inside him, that is. The sounds that Ten was making every time he gasped for air were igniting certain parts of him.
"Ge…wait…"Yangyang tried to speak, but the soft glide of Ten’s tongue on his lower lip shut him up again, not to mention the grip Ten had on his hair. He gently pulled Yangyang’s neck to a tilt, and Ten moved his lips to dot wet kisses on Yangyang’s neck. "Ten… gege… stop," Yangyang said, and Ten immediately pulled away and looked at Yangyang. His hair was messed up, his lips were gently bruised and wet, and his hoodie was pulled more to the side, which exposed his neck, now littered with little wet marks where Ten’s mouth had been. Even without asking, Ten knew what was wrong—well, what went right if this happened back in the privacy of their dorms.
"Just some kissing and you’re already like this…" Ten smiled and giggled while he gently rubbed Yangyang’s leg "Consider this your punishment for ruining my confession." Yangyang immediately stood up and grabbed his other jacket on the floor. Ten caught a visible boner even through Yangyang’s very loose hoodie covering his pants. He tried tying his jacket around his waist to help hide what was going on below his waist.
"You’re lucky. I love you so much." Yangyang ran towards the AC at the other end of the room and turned it to full blast, hoping that the cool air would calm things down. Ten just giggles, happy that he has this effect on Yangyang, and follows after him. With a hug from behind, Ten kissed Yangyang’s cheek and whispered, "We can continue some other time, ba-"
The atmosphere in the room was suddenly shattered when Hendery’s voice pierced the quietness. He was unusually loud, almost like he was warning the room’s inhabitants that their peace was about to be broken. "Alright! I’m opening the door now!" he yelled, and he found Ten and Yangyang doing jumping jacks in front of the AC.
"Now why in the fresh hell would you be doing that?" Xiaojun asked. He was followed by Kun, who also gave them a weird look. Hendery just shot Yangyang a knowing stare, and the latter blinked, as if that signified something only the two of them understood. "It’s always good to exercise," Ten and Yangyang replied in unison, which surprised even the both of them.
"You guys are so weird, you’re meant for each other." Xiaojun just rolled his eyes and grabbed his own things. Yangyang, Ten, and even Hendery had to fight back laughter. If only he knew.