"So, you're stalking him?" Taehyung's voice asked through the phone.

"I'm not stalking him. He knows what I look like when I dance. I just want to get an idea of how he looks like in his element," Jimin defended himself. After all he had giving Jungkook a free pass to changing parts of his choreography, so he should as well get no know what he had gotten himself into.

"Whatever you want to call it. I prophesize you that you will be in bed with him even before Christmas," his best friend mocked him.

"When have your predictions ever been accurate?" he huffed back.

"Never. But I have a feeling for this one," his friend said flatly.

"Yeah, dream on. I'm off now."

"Bye. Kiss Jungkook from me," Taehyung bid his goodbye and hung up.

"Stupid," Jimin murmured under his breath and stuffed the phone back into his pocket. He was not stalking Jungkook. Taking a look once was not stalking.

A group of girls caught his eye when he entered the wing for the modern dance classes. They were all crowding in front of a window and whispering.

Jimin swallowed when he saw that it was the room, Jungkook was supposed to be in right now. So, he was not the only one stealing a glance. Great. Put into one pot with a bunch of desperate girls, pining over hip hop boys.

The door cracked open. "Hey, girls, want to watch?" a young man asked. "We'd appreciate an audience."

The giggling crowd slipped into the room, leaving only Jimin to stand outside and look awkward.

"New recruit?" the man asked him.

"I'd like to take a look," Jimin kept it vague.

"Sure. We're currently in the last breath of our show for the Christmas Dance. It'll give you an idea of what we do, in case you want to join next semester," the one who must be the teacher said, and Jimin was grateful that he was not thrown into the same boat as the giggling girls.

"Thanks," he said with a smile and slipped in as well.

The studio was giant compared to what the ballet and contemporary department had, but it needed to be in order to accommodate the mass of people crowded inside. Were all those people from hip hop?

"Okay, since everyone is here now, we can start," the young man who had allowed them in raised his voice. "I want the breakers first, then the poppers and lockers of Hoseok with the freestyler intermezzos, and last the K-Pop crews."

Cheering ripped through Jimin's eardrums when the teacher vanished to start the music and suddenly a group of five men slid onto the free space in the middle, some on the knees, others with a backflip that looked as if it was the easiest thing in the world. Jimin was intrigued.

He only knew breakdance from movies and videos but never had seen people doing it live. It looked brutal. But then again, probably did everything compared to ballet. The moves seemed to push the physical limits of the crew but were performed with such ease that Jimin wanted to test whether those were real humans. When one of them let himself fall forwards only to catch his full fall with a push-up and then walk around on his hands like his massive body was weighing nothing, he was almost sure they were not.

But if breakdance had not already made him doubt the human in those dancers, the poppers and lockers in their over-sized dress pants and tight vests sure did. This was other-worldly. The control those handful of dancers had over their body was incredible, and to Jimin's surprise, Jungkook was one of them. The Jungkook who knew all five positions of ballet now and could move his hands gracefully was twisting his body in ways Jimin had not even considered once in his lifetime. Jimin did not know where to focus his eyes. Once the first freestyler came out, he became part of the cheering crew.

From the simple beat of the poppers, the music changed into something more radio-compliant and the dancers dispersed, except for Jungkook whom one of the new crew handed a jacket to put over his vest. So, this was K-Pop. Yeah, Jimin could confirm that at least. It was close to what was all over the TV and net. Just better.

And of course, Jungkook was performing for two groups. And shit, that meant Jimin was using him for a third one. He should have asked and made sure that he was not snatching practice time from Jungkook, but he had arrogantly assumed that he could have all the hip hopper's evenings to himself. What an egomaniac he had been. He had not even considered that Jungkook might be performing for scouts, too.

Groaning, he hid his face behind his hands and tried to be as unnoticeable as possible in the crowd. But his attempt of melting into the floor only lasted until the first beat drop when the dance crew began to roll their bodies in a way that did things to Jimin's crotch he would rather want to ignore. Maybe he should really give this a try next semester. He could mix it into his own style and create something new, something that was not as close to ballet as his current style.

Well, that was unless he would not be chosen by some scouts and continue his career at another school.

"Hey!"

Jimin twitched. He had been so caught up in already laying out a new style in his head with what he had seen just now that he had not noticed the change of dancers and Jungkook approaching him.

"Hey," he greeted back startled. Jungkook's smile was overwhelming.

"Did you like us?" the younger asked over the music with gleaming eyes and sweat glistening at his temples.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, it was... breathtaking, really." Jimin wanted to slap himself for his ineloquence. Could he not even formulate a simple compliment, for God's sake? He took a breath and focused. "I liked robot girl of the freestylers. She was crazy."

Jungkook grinned even wider. "She brilliant, isn't she?"

Jimin nodded.

"Why did you-"

"I wanted to-"

They both shut up. Then Jungkook gestured him to go first.

"I wanted to watch you dance," he explained his appearance at the studio. "Since you sent me your whole schedule instead of just times," Jungkook smiled shyly, "I decided to drop by and spy on you through the window. The teacher let us in, though."

"I know. I saw you," the younger disclosed nonchalantly.

Great, so Jimin had never gone unnoticed. Embarrassing. "I'm sorry," he bloated since he did not know what else to say.

"Hu?" Jungkook asked confused. "What for?"

"For taking so much of your time," he specified. "It was egoistic of me to think you're free."

"But I am," the younger replied with a gesture of outstretched arms that looked like he wanted to invite Jimin to take full advantage of the body on display. And what a body that was. "I practice this," he threw a finger over his shoulder, "during dance class. December is always all about the Dance, so my evenings are free for you."

Jimin tried to ignore the double meaning of those words but could not help the smile that slipped onto his lips. "Then see you this evening," he concluded. "Oh, and bring the suit for my performance, too." He winked at the younger and watched amused when he received a wide-eyed look.

Then he turned around and fled the room. Enough embarrassment for a day. He needed to practice.

><

"It's basically a game of chase," Mrs. Kim explained to Jungkook. "You'll be chasing Jimin while he slips through your hold again and again. Broaden your gestures and moves in the go. Show your fury that you can't take hold of him."

Jimin cleared his throat. "Jungkook might want to change some things about this part," he said, unsure of the lady's reaction. Technically this was his choreography, but he did not like to disappoint her.

But Mrs. Kim had only raised one eyebrow in what Jimin knew was curiosity. "Well, should I still show him your version?"

He nodded. They had reached the part that Jungkook wanted to change from greed to longing. His idea would be the starting point for the younger to work, since Jimin did not expect him to know enough about ballet and contemporary to create a completely new set of moves.

This part was comparably easy regarding stamina but not so easy regarding memorizing. Many moves and sequences were similar, especially the one where Jimin would slip through Jungkook's arms or the different half lifts. Many of them where only partly danceable with Mrs. Kim because she could not hold his weight, but Jungkook would manage undoubtedly.

When they finished, Jimin's eyes searched for Jungkook and found him standing two paces from the place he had been sitting before with arms crossed and a look of serious contemplation on his face. He looked good like this. Trustworthy. Jimin had no doubt that whatever the younger would change, he would agree gladly.

"So, what do you think?" he asked nervously.

For a moment his question was answered with silence but then Jungkook spoke and Jimin knew that he had been right; Jungkook did understand. "First, don't look like you're running away. Less fearful moves, more playful. And look at me as much as possible. You're not scared, you're curious but shy."

Their eyes met for an intense second before Jungkook averted his gaze to Jimin's feet. "Also, for all the figures your arms are restricted by me. I don't like that. Like the fall to the side where you do your standing-splits thing." Jimin nodded. He loved that figure in particular for its intensity that came with the momentum of his body. It looked like Jungkook grabbed him out of the air. "Why don't you put one hand on my shoulder and move the other freely? It would look less like me capturing you and more like you beginning to trust me."

Jimin smiled. "Sure. Let's try." He gestured his partner to come.

"He's not bad," Mrs. Kim murmured into his ear when she left him to take her place where Jungkook had been standing. She shot him a sharp smile and her sour face, for the first time in months, did not look sour anymore. Jimin grinned happily.

"The lady likes you," he whispered to Jungkook when the younger reached him.

His doe-eyes blinked down at Jimin before he stole a glance at the woman and a satisfied smile curled his lips.

"Let's start," Mrs. Kim said sternly, all teacher again.

Relearning his own choreography was much easier than Jimin would have expected. Maybe that was due to the fact that Jungkook needed to be walked through every sequence and hence Jimin had the time to reform his moves at a slow pace, or maybe it was because Jungkook would always whisper 'Look at me' when Jimin forgot to do so and smile his adorable smile at him once he did.

"Stop grinning like imbeciles," Mrs. Kim snapped at one point, which only caused Jimin and Jungkook to break down in giggles. It was fun.

"Honestly," the lady griped. "If you cannot keep it together, I'll send you home and make you dance twice as long tomorrow."

"Sorry, sorry," Jimin was quick to say and slapped Jungkook's shoulder to make the younger stop. "Focus!" he hissed jokingly, which only helped for about two seconds before Jungkook burst out again.

"Out!" Mrs. Kim demanded and pointed them at the door. "You may come in again when you've calmed down."

Still snorting and twitching with laughter, the two slipped out onto the hallway and took some deep breaths to calm down.

"I don't even know what's so funny," Jungkook wheezed once the worst of it was over.

Jimin did not either, but still he could not stop the sporadic giggles that erupted from his chest. They would get a stitch if they did not stop.

"Okay," he said and closed his eyes to focus. This was his chance to get scouted, so silliness needed to be postponed to after the training. "Let's review the first part and then go home," he decided.

Jungkook had calmed down, too, and nodded. "My face hurts," the younger said quietly when they walked back inside, and Jimin felt like his body wanted to laugh again but gratefully it was too exhausted to do so.

"Part one again," he told Mrs. Kim who nodded.

"With music this time," she decided and started up the sound system.

Curious at Jungkook's reaction, Jimin watched the younger when the first violines began to cry.

He was completely still. Not a single muscle was moving while he took in the orchestra and the violins that echoed their wild dance. He seemed gone, like he was no longer in the same room with Jimin and Mrs. Kim.

Entranced by such a still Jungkook, Jimin watched the younger's chest rise and fall. He seemed to breath with the music, fill his body with it. Jimin had been wrong, he was not still, he was moving. Not here on this dancefloor but inside his head, and his twitching fingertips betrayed him. He saw the music.

When the last strings faded off, he did break out of his stupor.

"I could see it," he said wide-eyed. "I saw us."

"I know. We are music," Jimin replied mischievously, a small smile spreading on his lips.

Jungkook only nodded slowly, apparently not noticing Jimin's mockery.

"Are you ready to dance?" he asked.

"Yes. Let's make you fly."

Jimin's heart was already soaring. Undoubtedly his body would follow with ease.

><

"I'm doomed, Tae," Jimin whined into the phone.

"Why? Did you already sleep with him?" his best friend asked bluntly.

"No! But your prediction might as well come true," he admitted. "He understands it, Tae."

"Like I?"

"Better than you," Jimin said. His best friend fake-gasped. "He can see it."

"You sound like you've fallen damn hard, Jimini," Taehyung noted concerned.

Jimin whined. "How am I ever going to dance with someone else, Tae?" he wanted to know frustrated. "This bastard has ruined me."

"Well, well. Let's not decide the pay before the work is done," his friend scolded him. "After all you still have me."

Jimin knew that this was true. Taehyung was an exceptional base. It was just that Jungkook made everything so easy. It was like drifting. Jimin only needed to follow the current Jungkook was creating. There was a mutual understanding of the other body that even exceeded Taehyung's steady hold.

And maybe Jimin was a little big bit infatuated with the hip hopper. Who could blame him?

"Hello? Are you still there?" Taehyung asked.

"Yes, sorry," Jimin was quick to answer. "When will you be back to Busan? I miss you."

"I miss you, too. My leg's almost ready for walking without crutches again, so I might be able to hobble my way into the Christmas Dance without help. Until then mom won't let me go anywhere, I fear."

Jimin sighed. It was boring in the flat without Taehyung. They would cook and watch TV together in the evenings, but now everything was quiet.

"Bring Jungkook over," his friend suggested like he had read Jimin's thoughts.

"No, absolutely not," Jimin blocked him off. No affairs with colleagues. He had learned his lesson and would not make the same mistake twice.

Maybe after the Christmas Dance. Maybe.

"Okay, but then stop fawning over him on the phone," Taehyung sighed. "I don't want to hear how he's a better base than I am."

"I'm sorry," Jimin murmured. Obviously, Taehyung had his pride, too, and he had just walked all over it by saying that a hip-hop dancer was better than him. It was not fair.

"As you should be. Now tell me all about him. Is he strong? Tall? Black hair or dyed?" his best friend asked curiously.

Jimin grinned. "He's not as buff as you," he tried soothing the wounds he had created earlier. "He's more on the lean side."

"Did you just call me fat?" Taehyung gasped.

"I called you massive, you imp," Jimin barked back but chuckled in the next second.

"Okay, so I win the muscle category." His best friend sounded pacified. "What about his face?"

And Jimin talked and talked until there was nothing left to tell about Jungkook, and Taehyung prophesized once more that they would end up in bed before the performance before he hung up. Maybe this time his friend would be right. But Jimin was disciplined. He could manage a strict diet, so he should as well be able to manage a little flame of infatuation.

I'm your desire, flashed through his mind. He groaned. Two and a half weeks suddenly sounded very long.

>><<