"This is it. Everything these boys have been working for... all the practices, games, the entire season. It all comes down to this final pitch. All hopes of winning the championship lie in the talented hands of Jung Wooyoung."

A small smirk teased the corner of Wooyoung's lips as he listened to the announcer. The echoing words and roaring cheers from the crowd inflated his ego and made him puff out his chest.

It really did come down to him, though. After six grueling games, his team, The Stars, had entered into this final game determined to win. They had fought hard and were up by two runs, but now it was the final inning, bases were loaded, and there were three balls and two strikes on the board.

He had to strike this batter out or he would be a failure. He would disappoint his team, not to mention the entire school...

Wooyoung's arm was so tired. He could feel every strand of his muscles yelling at him, begging him to stop. He knew that's why the bases were loaded. He had thrown too many bad pitches, yet he had refused to let is coach pull him.

No... He wanted to be the one to win this game. He wanted to be the savior, the hero, the prince. Just like everyone always said he was. He couldn't let them or himself down...

As he rotated the ball he had memorized down to each single stitch in his hand, Wooyoung tried to visualize the perfect pitch. He could see it... He could see the ball flying perfectly straight, and he could hear the smack of it slamming into San's glove.

He stood up straight and brought the ball around to meet his loved, worn, perfect glove.

Across the field, he watched as San flicked two fingers between his legs a couple of times.

Fastball.

Once Wooyoung nodded in agreement, San shifted his weight and opened his glove.

The roaring cheers grew louder. They vibrated the air, sending a rush of tingles through Wooyoung's entire body.

This was it.

He gripped the ball tighter... drew his arm back... lifted his leg... and threw with as much strength as his weary body could muster.

Time stopped.

It was like Wooyoung could see each individual rotation as the baseball flew closer and closer to its target. For him, the cheers were silenced.

The batter's arms tensed... his eyes narrowed... he shifted his weight.

He swung.

And missed.

Thunder boomed as thousands of fans started jumping up and down, cheering at the top of their lungs. Then lightning struck in the form of aqua and teal confetti exploding out of cannons lining the top of the stadium.

It fluttered beautifully to the ground, swirling around The Stars while each member of the team ran from either the dugout or their position on the field to become a giant mess of bodies all trying to hug each other.

Soon, Wooyoung was being lifted on San's shoulders and his entire team started chanting his name.

To say he was glowing would be an understatement.

Wooyoung's smile, filled with pure joy and pride, was bright enough to light up the entire stadium on its own. It raised his cheeks and crinkled his eyes in a way that anyone looking at him couldn't help but smile as well.

And it continued into the next week when everyone stopped him on campus to congratulate him and thanked him for bringing the championship trophy back to their school. Even his professors forgave him for coming to class late because they knew he was now the most popular boy at uni now.

The pitcher was also proud to say he had a healthy collection of numbers given to him by both the boys and girls in his classes, although he quickly tossed any boy's numbers away. This included his long-time crush, Sunjoo, who had stopped him to slip him her number.

That tiny piece of paper burned a hole in his pocket and kept his cheeks a suspicious shade of pink the entire day.

"Are you feeling alright?" San asked when the two of them met up after their last class.

"Dude, I don't know." Wooyoung's eyes were wide as he spoke. "I think I might have died earlier."

San snorted and shoved his friend's shoulder. "Always so dramatic. I know you're everybody's hero right now, but you're going to have to come off your high horse and return to the real world eventually."

"First off, fuck you," Wooyoung narrowed his eyes, "Second, that may not be happening any time soon." He shoved his hand in his pocket and held up the precious piece of paper.

His friend cocked an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Yeah, so? Am I supposed to be impressed?"

"You will be when I show up to the party this weekend with one Ms. Kim Sunjoo."

San's jaw hit the floor. "No way. No way!"

"She gave it to me this morning." Wooyoung said, giggling when San tried to grab it from him.

It caused the older to growl with frustration and stomp his foot. "It's not fair! Just because you threw the game winning pitch does not mean you should get all the attention too!"

"San, oh San." Wooyoung brushed his knuckles against his chest, then threw his arm over his friend's shoulder. "See, you think that now, but just wait until I tell any of the other girls that I only won the game because of you, and that I couldn't do it without you?"

He could see the gears turning in San's head. "You'd do that for me?"

"What kind of friend do you think I'd be if I didn't let you join me on this high? Do you really have such little faith in me?" Wooyoung pushed his lower lip out in an over-exaggerated pout while batting his eyes.

This earned him another glare from his friend, but the promise of at least one hookup had each of them rambling on and on about all the possibilities before them.

And later that week, Wooyoung fulfilled his promise in the form of both him and San showing up to the party, thrown in the team's honor, with two of the most beautiful girls on their arms.

Sunjoo clung to Wooyoung's arm and looked up at him as if he held the world in his hand. To him, that easily translated to the baseball he had thrown to win the game.

He tossed it up several times, always sure of where it was so he didn't even need to look at it to catch it, which made his gorgeous date gasp and giggle several times throughout the evening.

Wooyoung was on cloud nine. He was the center of attention and it made him thrive. He had no problem recounting his final thoughts of the game over and over, basking in the wide eyes and constant praises surrounding his words.

And he never had to get his own drink or ask for anything else, someone was always there to get it for him. If it wasn't someone from the team, it was another guest of the party.

At one point, San whispered in his ear that he was going upstairs and that it was alright if Wooyoung left without him.

Wooyoung licked his lips and slapped San's ass, "Go get 'em, Tiger." Then he watched as his friend beamed the entire way while leading his date up the long staircase.

Next to him, Sunjoo wiggled in a little closer and started to kiss his neck. "Can we do that too?" She pressed herself closer to him while tugging on his arm.

He'd be lying if he said a small fire didn't light in his belly, but he found himself hesitating and searching for a reason or an excuse to say no...

Luckily, or maybe not so luckily, the front door slammed open, and everyone turned to see a group of three newcomers standing in the entrance. Hushed murmurs erupted immediately.

What were they doing here? They never came to parties!

They were the elite of the school. The Starlights. The university's prized dance team.

The Starlights were what their entire school was known for. Students would come from across the country, even from other continents, in order to have even a chance to tryout. Weeks were set aside before the school year began for these auditions due to the sheer amount of people, and even videos, they had to watch.

They had won more awards for the university than all the sports teams combined. And there was no end to the sponsors, partnerships, advertisements, and anything else that would benefit the school and the team.

Leading the way was none other than Jeong Yunho. The best dancer the school had ever seen. Literally. His solos had been noticed by dance companies worldwide. There wasn't a single one that didn't want to bring him into their crew and rumors were each one was willing to pay to move him there and pay for his living expenses on top of a standard contract.

Flanking him were two other members, Song Mingi and Kang Yeosang. Just as good and entirely worthy to be Yunho's friends, talent wise at least.

And all three were just as intimidating. They knew the power they held over their fellow students, even if they didn't let it show in their set expressions.

Yunho scanned the crowd, his dark eyes flicking from face to face, causing everyone to shift uncomfortably.

Then they landed on Wooyoung.

The sea of people parted instantly, all looking between what were arguably the two most popular boys at school.

A few of Wooyoung's team members shifted a little closer, but no one made any real move to come to his aid when Yunho started walking over with his long, graceful legs.

He kept his hands shoved in the pockets of his leather jacket, his black hair was styled so it flipped to the right, and he had several chains dangling around his neck. That, along with the ripped jeans and heavy, leather boots, made him look like he could easily be mistaken for some sort of biker and troublemaker.

But no, that was just the current style he was trying out. It was a well-known fact that Yunho was very close with the clothing designers on campus. He always made sure it was a student that created the outfits for their performances, and in return he'd act as a model for them.

And damn did he look good like this. Wooyoung noticed he even had some black eyeliner on...

His heart started beating faster the closer the dancers got. He could feel Sunjoo shifting next to him, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to look away from Yunho.

Yunho towered over the 'new hero', forcing him to tilt his head all the way back, even though the prince was standing right in front of him.

The pair stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before Wooyoung swallowed the lump in his throat and said, "W-Welcome to the party." He cringed internally at how small and pathetic he sounded.

So much for being 'Mr. Confident'.

Yunho just looked him up and down one more time, then smirked. "So. You're the shrimp who ruined my showcase."

Several gasps followed his words, mixed with shock and sadness.

All Wooyoung could do was blink a couple of times. For him it was fear that kept him frozen. The dark, furious look in Yunho's eyes kept him locked in place with no hope of escape.

He knew exactly what the dancer was referring to. And it had completely slipped his, and apparently the entire school's, mind.

Tonight was the night of Starlight's gigantic showcase. Each member of the team spent the entire year preparing for this, and it meant something different to each person.

For the freshmen, it was a chance to show what they had learned up until that point. It was also an opportunity for them to leave a good impression for the upperclassmen and increase their chances of having a more important position on the team the following year.

For the seniors, it was even more important. Scouts and recruiters from dance companies all over the world flew in to see what they could do. It was the biggest audition of their school days and would lead to their possible career.

And since he was the captain, Yunho was in charge of coordinating it all.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" The dancer snarled, his voice deep and menacing. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"I-" Wooyoung started to shake his head. "I didn't set th-"

"All of my teammates were crushed when they didn't have the school there to support them."

Wooyoung took a step back, hoping to put a little space between him and Yunho, but he was only met with a solid wall. At the same time, Sunjoo also let go of him and slipped away, leaving him even more alone than he already felt.

Yunho took advantage of this and slammed his hand against the wall while raising his voice, "Do you have any idea how much money you cost me and the department?!"

For just a second, Wooyoung allowed himself to look around the room, sending out silent pleas for anyone to step up and defend him since this wasn't his idea.

But no one did... Nobody wanted to risk getting in the way of Yunho's rage.

When his eyes flicked back to the dancer, the man growled and shook his head. "So what are you going to do about it?"

"Excuse me?" Wooyoung squeaked.

"How can they let someone as pathetic as you play for this school?" Yunho stood up straight once more and looked him up and down.

"Yah! I'll have you know I'm the best pitcher this school has ever seen!" Wooyoung balled his hands at his side. There was no way he was going to let this asshole insult his pride.

Mingi scoffed and crossed his arms. "You won one little pathetic game after letting yourself wear down to the point of exhaustion. On game seven." His deep voice punched each word into Wooyoung's heart.

"And," Yeosang's equally deep voice quickly followed, "If you were truly as good as you think you are, you wouldn't have let the other team win three times. You wouldn't have even let it get to game seven."

"Look at you." Yunho whispered. He lifted a hand up to run a finger under each of Wooyoung's eyes. "You still have signs of that exhaustion etched into your face. I bet you think you could hide it, didn't you? I bet you thought that with enough sleep, a good diet, and basking in the glow of your victory, you could hide the fact that you're weak, and that you have no idea what true exhaustion is."

The dancer stepped closer, forcing Wooyoung to tilt his head back even more to look up at him. He could feel his cheeks heating up at the intimate position, along with the obvious pounding of his heart.

When Yunho spoke again, it was but a whisper, meant only for Wooyoung's ears. "Tell me, Princess, do you know what it's like for your muscles to burn, begging for you to stop even when you know you can't because you haven't nailed the routine yet and it needs to be perfect in twelve hours? Do you know what it feels like when searing pain slashes at your knees and ankles from spinning wrong or landing funny? Do you know the suffocating weight of pushing your body so hard that you can barely walk or lift your arms, yet you have to in order to go to class or even worse, be at a performance??"

He waited nearly a minute, an agonizing sixty seconds, for Wooyoung to speak. Yet no words came.

"Just as I expected." Yunho chuckled darkly. There was barely enough space for a piece of paper to fit between their noses. "Come by the studio Monday night at seven sharp. You're going to pay me back for every cent you cost me tonight. Got it?"

The threat was painfully obvious, although how Wooyoung was going to succeed, eluded him. He was here on scholarship and his parent's money; he didn't have any of his own.

With one final scoff, full of warm air that caressed Wooyoung's forehead, Yunho turned around and followed his friends out the front doors.

An eerie silence remained in the room long after they left. Wooyoung knew his fellow students were waiting for him to do something, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't bring himself to move away from the wall.

"Hey," a gentle, familiar voice said as a hand squeezed his shoulder, "Are you alright?"

The pitcher slowly turned his head to see one of his teammates standing next to him. He attempted to clear is throat, although it felt like there was a lump there that would never go away. "Y-Yeah." He tried to smile, wanting to find the strength he knew his team relied on.

But Yunho's words echoed in his mind...

"Don't listen to him. He's just upset that someone else is getting all the attention now."

"Thanks, man." Wooyoung grabbed the other's shoulder before looking around the room.

Several people were still staring at him, curious as to what he would do next, while others had thankfully moved on and had returned to drinking and eating.

Wooyoung made a point to nod to anyone still paying attention to him, even thanking a few of them for coming, as he made his way around the room.

He knew he couldn't leave right now, otherwise his reputation would be forever painted as a coward.

Yet the second he felt safe to do so, he fled. Without saying goodbye to anyone.

Later, when he was finally in the safety of his own apartment, he let himself sink to the floor and let out a shuddering breath.

What happened back there?

He had been singled out by the one person no one wanted to mess with. And now he owed the man some kind of debt?? All while being surrounded by over one hundred students, none of whom came to his defense or tried to help him.

Not to mention Sunjoo abandoning him in the middle of it...

So much for being the most popular guy in school.

Wooyoung felt his chest tighten at the thought. Maybe... Maybe all of it had been a lie, and no one really cared about him or what he had done.

And those fears were heightened when Wooyoung tried to go to class on Monday and was followed by a sea of whispers.

Everywhere he looked had groups of students clumped together, leaning in close while giving him side-long glances.

He knew they were talking about him, and while he hoped some of them were still happy about the results of the game, he had a sinking feeling it was something else.

Which San confirmed before even saying anything.

The older was waiting for him outside his last class when it ended with a worried expression on his face. He was quick to grab Wooyoung's hand and dragged him behind the building so they were away from most of the prying eyes.

"What the fuck happened at the party??" He hissed, keeping his voice low enough so the few students walking by couldn't overhear.

Wooyoung sighed and fell against the brick wall behind him. "I don't even know where to begin! That dancing priss came in and ruined everything! Can you believe he accused us of ruining his little dance off?"

"That's not what I heard." San blinked a couple of times and pressed his lips together.

"And what exactly did you hear?" The younger growled.

"That he blamed the party on you. That you cost him thousands of dollars because the biggest event of the year didn't have nearly as good of a turnout. And that the way you two talked was like something out of a BL drama..."

Even though Wooyoung's heart started to race a little faster, he immediately shook his head. "Oh hell no! He totally threatened me!"

San cringed before saying, "People are saying you nearly kissed. Everyone thinks you're gay now..."

"WHAT?!" Wooyoung shrieked, causing everyone nearby to look in his direction if they weren't already. He slapped a hand over his mouth and shrank into his shoulders before hissing, "You're kidding, right? They all saw that I took Sunjoo to the party!"

"And saw that you never did anything with her." San rubbed the back of his neck and shifted in place. "Why didn't you? I'm sure she wanted to go do something after I left with her friend."

Even though he wanted to say he had a perfect reason, Wooyoung's mind went completely blank. Mostly because he didn't truly know why he didn't take Sunjoo up on the offer... In fact, it hadn't even occurred to him to try and call her to check on her over the weekend.

"Fuck." He closed his eyes and sank to the ground. "I ruined my chance with her. What do I do now?"

San sat in front of him and crossed his legs, then offered a kind smile. "Try to get through the next few days. You know how quickly gossip can change. Soon the school will have something new to obsess over. It's going to be alright. Do you want to order in and come to my place?"

"I can't. I have to go see how Yunho expects me to pay him back..." Wooyoung let out a long sigh. He pulled his phone from his pocket and cringed. "Which I should get going if I'm going to make it on time. I have to be there in fifteen minutes."

His friend helped him up and gave him a pat on the back before they parted ways.

Wooyoung walked fast and kept his head down, just barely managing to make it to the main practice room on time.

Music boomed on the other side of the door, vibrating the walls and even his own chest each time the bass went off. And it just grew even louder when he opened the door and slid inside.

Several students lined the walls, eyes fixated on the group of ten in the middle. Wooyoung instantly picked out Yunho and his two friends, so the others must be students either learning the routine or just practicing what they already knew.

He was able to confirm this when seven of them swapped out for fresh dancers and the same steps and music repeated themselves.

This happened five more times before everyone stopped and started clapping.

Yunho smiled brightly while bending down to grab a towel and his water bottle. "Great job everyone. I promise we are going to get a chance for all of you to shine. I've been working all weekend to get in contact with everyone. The school has already agreed to extend the stay of all the visiting recruiters."

Several surprised gasps came from around the room.

"You're amazing!"

"How did you do it?"

"Do you really think they will stay?"

"I don't want to get my hopes up."

"I just want to dance!"

With an even wider, slightly crooked smile, Yunho held up a hand to quiet everyone down. "I don't want any of you to worry about what I've had to do. Consider it my last gift to all of you before I graduate. Keep practicing and I'll come back to you with updates as I have them." He turned to look at everyone, then paused when he saw Wooyoung standing in the corner. "Ah." His tone changed as quickly as the smile left his face. "You're here."

The weight of a thousand bags of sand crashed onto Wooyoung's shoulders when everyone turned to look at him in unison. He winced and forced himself to look only at Yunho, not wanting to give into the suffocating pressure. "Did I have a choice?"

"Nope." The dancer started to walk forward. "Though I did expect you to chicken out and try to deny what you've done."

"I didn't do anything. The party wasn't even my idea, but you didn't give me a chance to explain."

Yunho scoffed and looked over his shoulder at Mingi. "Did you hear that. It wasn't his idea. How sweet. Mr. Hero is going to blame someone else." His eyes shifted to look at Wooyoung. "Pathetic. You can't even own up to what you've done."

Wooyoung opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly found himself at a loss for words. He knew he wasn't to blame here! Yet he had been willing to come and try to fix it!

He could feel his anger starting to rise, so he shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans to try and ground himself. "Why don't you stop being such an asshole for a minute and try to have a civil conversation with me instead of just assuming things? I'm here, aren't I? So just tell me what you want me to do so I can get back to my own life."

"You mean the precious life that has no direction now?" Yeosang asked while blatantly looking at his nails.

"Excuse me?"

"There's nothing left for you after winning that game, right? It's not like you're going to be given a contract with a professional team." Yunho spoke slowly, lacing each word with venom.

And they truly did sting. "H-How did—" Wooyoung shook his head the tiniest bit and took a step back.

All three dancers looked at each other and shrugged as if they hadn't just revealed Wooyoung's biggest secret to the entire dance team.

Hearing the words said out loud crushed the little confidence the pitcher had managed to muster up. Unfortunately, they were correct... He had received no offers from professional teams looking for a pitcher. That had been his dream... It wouldn't have mattered if it was a team in Korea, the States, or any other country that decided to have a professional baseball team, he would have taken it in a heartbeat because he truly did love the game.

It was a truth he had pushed aside going into the finals. That's why he had wanted to win so badly. Not just for his own personal glory, because yes that did feel incredible, but he had wanted to show the scouts that had passed on him that he was good.

"I'm sorry," Yunho tilted his head back to glare down his nose at the pitcher. "Did we strike a nerve?"

Wooyoung hadn't even realized he had started to tear up until he felt a single drop tickle his cheek as it rolled down. He quickly brushed it away and took a deep breath. "Just tell me what you want me to do." He repeated, dying to change the subject.

"Well..." Yunho licked his lips, letting his eyes roam over the boy in front of him. "I've heard the rumors floating around." He smirked when Wooyoung paled. "So, I'd say you can either get on your knees and suck my cock in front of all these people, or you can be my little bitch and do everything I say until I'm satisfied the show I'm preparing will go off without incident."

An uncomfortable heat pooled in the pit of Wooyoung's stomach when several chuckles followed the dancer's words. His eyes fell to the ground, and he tried to swallow, but his throat was too dry, and it ended up making him feel even more uncomfortable. "Y-You're disgusting. How can you a-ask me to do something like that?"

Suddenly two feet appeared in front of him, and he was forced to look up when a large hand grabbed his jaw. "You're kinda cute when you're flustered." Yunho whispered. "So, what's it going to be?"

Wooyoung let out the smallest of whines as he tried to pull free. He could feel himself blushing and prayed no one noticed. Why did Yunho have to be so tall. "I'll help."

"Pity." The dancer hummed, then leaned forward to murmur, "I would have loved to see those pretty lips wrapped around my cock."

The words made Wooyoung stomach flip. He shoved Yunho away from him, making a sound of disgust at the same time. "Fuck you! I changed my mind; you can go to h—"

"If you leave, I will make you regret it before the sun sets." Yunho growled, advancing forward until he once more had Wooyoung pinned against a wall. "You have no idea what kind of power I hold here. I could get you expelled if I wanted to. You, and your entire pathetic team. I can't believe the school wasted so much time on you. Not when all the real talent is present in this room."

"L-Leave my team out of this! They didn't do anything! We didn't d—"

"Shut. Up. I want you back here every day after class is done to report in and receive your task, and at before ten on the weekends."

"What?! No! You can't expect me to—"

Yunho grabbed his jaw once more to get him to stop speaking. "Careful, little Wooyoung. You've already made an enemy out of me. I'd hate to see you suffer a worse fate." He sneered, then shoved Wooyoung's face away.

Wooyoung stayed where he was while everyone else in the room started gathering their things and leaving. He was determined to stay strong during this. There was no way he was going to let Yunho get away with treating him so poorly, nor was he going to let anything happen to his team.

It was that resolve that helped him power through the ever-growing rumors the next day and show up at the studio again.

Several of the dancers shot him impressed looks, while most just ignored him and kept practicing.

Yunho being one of them.

He was circling around two girls who were using their legs to propel their bodies around in tight circles while staying on their toes.

Wooyoung shoved his tongue in his cheek and crossed his arms. How was he supposed to 'do his job' if he wasn't given any direction and was ignored? He could be doing much better things right now like studying for his exams next month or working on homework or—

"Alright Shrimp." A voice said suddenly, making Wooyoung shriek and spin around to face Yeosang. "You're working with Hongjoong today on costumes. Tomorrow, is sets. Then we'll see where you're needed."

"Don't do that!" Wooyoung placed a hand over his pounding heart and groaned.

"Get moving!" Yeosang snapped, then went to join another group of dancers.

Wooyoung stuck his tongue out and stomped his foot. "Why is everyone here such jerks?!"

"Maybe because a lot of us were counting on that showcase to further our dreams."

Once again Wooyoung jumped, then turned to see a boy about his age carrying several rolls of cloth. His bright blue hair had a slight curl to it and round glasses were perched on the bridge of his nose.

"Come on, chop chop. We have a lot to do." The boy said, walking past Wooyoung without really looking at him.

The pitcher huffed but followed.

He was surprised to see the room next to the dance studio had been turned into a giant sewing room with a small runway at one end. There were a few other students huddled together over sketchpads and sewing machines, but the corner he was led to held most of the rolls upon rolls of fabric and drawers upon drawers of other supplies.

"Wow..." Wooyoung bit his lip and looked around, feeling very out of place.

"I'm Hongjoong, recent graduate and friend to many here so I agreed to come back and design new outfits for Yunho's show, which I in turn get to use in my portfolio. I need you to be efficient and do what I say. I know you don't want to be here, but honestly we can use all the help we can get."

Wooyoung turned to the blue-haired boy and frowned. "I don't know how much help I'll be. I know nothing about this."

"Well, you're about to get a crash course."

And Hongjoong didn't lie. Over the next few hours Wooyoung learned how to take measurements, the different types of cloth, how to do a basic stitch, and just how much Hongjoong loved doing this. His passion showed in every stitch, button, sequin, and pearl placed.

They didn't stop working until nearly midnight, and Wooyoung was completely exhausted. Maybe it was just because it was something new, but even practice didn't wear him out as much as running around behind Hongjoong had.

It wasn't until he had returned to his apartment and collapsed in bed that he realized he hadn't seen Yunho the entire evening...

"Jerk..." He sighed, then immediately passed out without changing out of his clothes.

There was pressure everywhere, rubbing along his legs, his arms, his chest... Such large hands that made him arch his back, wanting more, more, more. They caressed, squeezed, kneaded, pinched, pulled. Oh, how they made him moan, whine, whimper, and beg.

And when they wrapped around his cock, one finger at a time, he cried out, vision blurring more than it already was.

It was a deep voice that sent him over the edge, tickling his ear with each push of air. "You ready for more?"

Wooyoung jolted upright in bed, breathing heavily, and clutching at his chest as if that would calm his racing heart.

"What the fuck??" He groaned when he realized the front of his boxers was wet. It had been a long time since he'd had a dream like that.

And imagining a man's voice speaking to him was the last thing he wanted...

He shook his head and tried to push it out of his mind, which he accomplished for most of the day fairly successfully. The students in class weren't paying that close of attention to him. It appeared the new topic was all the rumors floating around about Yunho's new showcase.

There were posters tapped up everywhere promising a night to remember with no cover charge, but donations would be appreciated, and that it would be something new that the school had never seen.

Hearing the excitement of other students struck a chord with Wooyoung. A tiny, miniscule flame of pride sparked within him when he thought about how he was helping make that happen.

But then he remembered he was being forced to, and that flame was immediately snuffed out.

Walking into Hongjoong's studio helped to further keep the flame away when he watched the designer arguing with another, slightly taller boy with soft, pink hair.

"You can't decide your makeup themes until I'm done! Why would you do this??" Hongjoong huffed.

"Because you're taking too long. I need to know what I'm doing, and we are on a very limited timeline."

"You don't think I don't know that Hwa?!" Hongjoong threw his hands out, gesturing to everything around him. "What the hell do you think I've been doing in here??"

The taller crossed his arms and arched an eyebrow. "Right now, it looks like nothing."

"Excuse me?"

Wooyoung couldn't take it anymore. He knew first-hand how hard the designer had been working, so he rushed forward to stand between the two arguing men. "Hongjoong has been working incredibly hard. And he will continue to work hard if you would stop distracting him."

The man in front of him scoffed and shook his head. "You're the idiot who started this, aren't you? Wooyoung, was it?"

"None of this is my fault." Wooyoung growled. "But apparently it's easier to just lump all the blame on me! Doesn't matter that I'm here to help you!" He rounded on Hongjoong and glared at him, hurt that the designer wasn't saying anything after Wooyoung had just defended him.

When all he got was a disgruntled 'humph' from who he guessed was the makeup artist for the dancers, Wooyoung shook his head and stormed away.

He had planned on leaving all together, and he almost made it to the main entrance too before a hand grabbed his bicep harshly and yanked him back. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

Wooyoung shuddered at Yunho's deep, dominating voice. Of course, the dancer would pick now to suddenly appear.

"I just needed some air."

"Too bad. If Hongjoong doesn't need you right now, you need to get over to the stage."

"No." Wooyoung said and instantly regretted it. He could see the anger flash across Yunho's eyes a second before the taller stepped closer, forcing him to tilt his head back in a way that made him feel so small.

Yunho didn't speak right away, instead electing to use his other hand to slowly grab Wooyoung's chin.

"L-Let go of me!" Wooyoung tried to pull away, yet there was something about this position that had butterflies forming in his stomach.

Why??

The faintest of thoughts shot across his mind as he stared up at the dancer. His lips look so soft...

"Need I remind you what I can do?" Yunho growled. "Does your team not matter to you? Or..." He smirked and leaned a little closer. "Maybe there something else you're worried about?"

He knew. Yunho knew about the rumors.

Of course, he did. Why wouldn't he?? But for some reason Wooyoung had hoped that he didn't...

Before he had a chance to say or do anything, those soft lips he had been thinking about were pressed to his own.

The kiss was hungry, greedy, and Yunho was oh so dominant in the way he ran his tongue back and forth, begging for Wooyoung to open up and give him access.

Yet all the pitcher could do was stand there and just take it.

For a few seconds at least.

Then realization slammed into him, and he managed to lift both his arms up to shove the dancer away from him as hard as he could.

The action ended up making Wooyoung stumble back more than forcing Yunho to move, but it had put some distance between them and right now that's all he wanted.

"What the FUCK is wrong with you??" He shrieked, wiping furiously at his lips as if that would erase what just happened. His stomach felt like it was churning in a blender, being shredded into a million little pieces and his body had started trembling. "You can't just go around kissing people against their will! Let alone a—a—a—a guy!!"

Yunho laughed. He laughed, clutching his stomach, and doubling over, letting out amused, breathy, slightly squeaky chuckles.

And Wooyoung was mortified. He felt his face heat up with an intense blush and all he wanted to do was run and hide.

"You are clueless, it's actually rather cute." Yunho shook his head and took a few deep breaths. It looked like he was trying to regain his dominating aura, but when he looked at Wooyoung again, there was amusement and... something else... swirling in his eyes. "That was fun, Ball Boy, now get back to work."

Ball Boy??? Wooyoung whined to himself at the degrading name, hoping, praying that no one had heard it.

With a long sigh, Wooyoung slowly made his way to the main performance hall.

Once again, he was surprised by the sheer number of students that had gathered to help the Starlights. Besides the dancers themselves, who were on stage running through a few routines either by themselves or in small groups, there were several other students hauling wooden boards, lights, and other props.

It was like they were preparing to put on some kind of musical or something.

He noticed Yeosang and Mingi watching a group of five boys while counting them through their steps. They looked... proud. So very proud of what they were seeing.

Wooyoung's forehead creased a little as he was filled with emotions he couldn't explain. Hoping to forget about them, he walked over to the stage and tried to find whoever was in charge.

Luckily, he didn't have to look long. A boy with red-tipped hair jogged over to him with a wide smile. "Right on time. Wooyoung, right? Come with me." He turned and motioned for Wooyoung to follow, leading him to a giant ball of tangled fairy lights. "You have small enough hands; do you think you could help me sort this mess out to start?"

"Sure." Wooyoung set down his backpack and started turning the mess of lights and wires around in his hands.

He ended up really enjoying trying to solve the puzzle. It gave him something mindless to focus on but also allowed him to watch what everyone around him was doing.

Jongho, as he learned the boy's name was, didn't stop moving. He would help someone move a prop, then aid someone else with hammering something together, before running to observe how a set piece was coming together.

It seemed like he had some grand vision he was hoping to bring to life, and no one questioned him when he asked them to do something.

Even Hongjoong came by to check out the progress with his sketchbook, followed closely by the makeup artist, who's full name Wooyoung overheard was Seonghwa.

The three of them talked for several long minutes, all of them moving their hands in front of them periodically as if trying to outline what they were saying for the other two to visualize, before they broke apart to return to their previous tasks.

Everyone worked together like a well-oiled machine, and while they appeared to be stressed, the air buzzed with excitement.

Wooyoung couldn't help but feel like he was a little bit of an outsider, although he was probably still considered one... Even after he untangled all the lights, which made Jongho smile so wide his eyes creased into adorable little half-moons, he was quickly thrown into helping paint large wooden cutouts of trees.

He could still sense some of the sidelong glanced the others would give him. It was his fault they were having to scramble like this when they could be focusing on other projects.

And part of him was starting to truly believe them.

He had no idea what the other clubs or groups did on campus, and here they all were, or several of them at least, coming together to help the Starlights. To help Yunho.

Because if there was one thing he had learned, it was that they all loved Yunho. This was clearly his idea. Everyone came to him with questions or seeking clarification on things. He hardly ever had time to stop and breathe, at least that's what it looked like to Wooyoung over the next three days.

He had decided not to push his luck and willingly went to the dance all every day when classes were over, despite San's attempts to get him to forget about it.

If he was being honest with himself, he liked knowing he was contributing to something... That was why he had joined a baseball team when he was younger. He liked being part of a team, he liked helping others, he liked being a part of something.

So even if he wasn't wanted here, a small, secret part of him was happy to help.

By the time ten o'clock Friday evening rolled around, a large part of the stage had been completed. It was decorated with several trees, bushes, and rocks, made entirely by the students. A backdrop had been painted to look like a mountain with a waterfall crashing down into a pool of water.

The fairy lights Wooyoung had untangled were threaded throughout the scene, meant to blink periodically to look like fairies dancing at night.

It was all part of the theme.

Wooyoung was just putting the finishing touches on the last tree when he felt a presence standing behind him. Somehow, he already knew who it was and a chill ran down his spine. Yunho had hardly spoken to him since their kiss.

A kiss that had haunted his dreams every night...

"It's looking good." Yunho said. "Better than I imagined actually."

"Thank you." Wooyoung said, too scared to look over his shoulder.

That didn't seem to phase the dancer though. Suddenly he was pressed against Wooyoung's back and reaching forward to wrap his large hand around the pitcher's.

It swallowed Wooyoung's hand, flustering him instantly.

How? How?? How could someone's hand be so big?

Wooyoung had to force himself not to shudder or pull away. It took every ounce of willpower he had.

If Yunho could sense the inner turmoil going on, he didn't show it. Instead, he made a point to guide the paintbrush they were both holding over to a spot Wooyoung had missed. "Every detail is important if this show is going to be perfect." He said, his voice surprisingly gentle.

"S-Sorry. I'll check everything over b-before I leave." Wooyoung scrunched his nose, angry at himself for stuttering. Why did he let Yunho do this to him?

"Thank you, I'd appreciate that. Check in with Jongho too, make sure there isn't anything else he needs you to do. I'll see you tomorrow." Yunho released his hand, only to ruffled Wooyoung's hair before walking away.

The pitcher couldn't help but stare at Yunho's retreating back as he walked away.

WHAT??

He heart started beating a mile a minute, racing uncontrollably, but he couldn't figure out why!

Yunho had just acted like a completely different person.

A deep chuckle startled Wooyoung, making him cry out and hold the paintbrush in front of him like a weapon.

Mingi was sitting on a chair and had probably just witnessed everything that had happened if the smirk on his face said anything. "Looks like we were right about you. Welcome to the club, Ball Boy." He stood and left Wooyoung alone on stage, hating life and desperately trying to gain control of the emotional flood plaguing his poor mind.

San didn't have any answers for him either when he barged into his friend's room after midnight and recounted everything that had happened. He'd barely seen the older this week because of all the work he'd been doing, so San was anxious for the update.

"I don't know Youngie, maybe he's referring the rumors still going around?" San scratched his chin and tilted his head back.

"People are still talking about that??"

"Well, yeah." His friend shrugged. "It's all been tied together now. The performance is the hot topic, and once people start talking about it, someone mentions how you are helping now because everyone is convinced you like Yunho. You're the 'It' couple right now."

Wooyoung groaned and fell back on San's bed. "Gross. I—That's so ridiculous." He said with a pout.

He did not like Yunho. No. Never. Impossible.

Yunho was an asshole who was just taking advantage of him.

It didn't matter if he had a perfectly sculpted body or big hands or... kissable lips...

At the thought, Wooyoung shrieked and ran to the bathroom, leaving his friend in a stunned silence. He slammed the door and turned on the sink so he could splash some water in his face.

"Youngie? Are you alright?" San knocked on the door but thankfully didn't open it.

"No! I just want all this to be over!" He whined, about ready to let water fill up the sink and drown himself. Maybe then all this confusion would go away.

"Do you want me to go with you tomorrow?"

Wooyoung blinked. Three times. "You'd do that?" He yanked the door open and ignored the look of concern he got when San gave him a once over.

"Well, yeah. I'm offering, aren't I? Then maybe I can see what's really going on."

With a soft sob, Wooyoung rushed forward to hug his friend. He was always so much stronger with San by his side. San would make everything better.

Or so he thought...

As soon as they walked into the auditorium, Wooyoung instantly cringed when he heard Yunho shouting from the stage.

"Where is he?! How could he do this to me?!" He spun in a circle and threw water bottle in his hands at the auditorium seats, leaving behind a glorious arch of water droplets that glistened in the lights for a split second.

Then his eyes fell on Wooyoung cowering in the doorway.

"You! Get over here now!"

Wooyoung hurried forward instantly, ignoring the protest coming from San. When he was within reach, Yunho grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked him closer.

"Explain."

"E-Explain what??" Wooyoung could feel his heart pounding in his skull, fear and adrenaline fueling him instead of oxygen and blood.

Yunho growled, then turned to make him face where a few of the trees had fallen over and torn the backdrop. "THAT!"

The pitcher's jaw dropped at the horrible scene. All those hours... gone... He went lax in Yunho's grip, instantly heartbroken. "No..."

"You're just trying to ruin this for me again, aren't you??" Yunho let go of him and shoved him away.

"N-No. Please, I—" Wooyoung turned to the dancer and shook his head. "Everything was fine when I left last night, I swear." His head started to whip back and forth, looking between Yunho and the damage. "Everything was fine..."

"Bullshit. You waited until I started to—Until the best moment to destroy it all!"

Wooyoung looked around the room, silently begging for help from those he had been helping. "No, I would never do this! I've put just as much work into this. Please, you have to believe me. I-I- I'll fix it." He nodded, more to himself than anyone else, as he ran to the backdrop.

He thought he heard everyone dispersing behind him, but that didn't matter right now. All he could focus on was the tear in the paper. The three-meter-long tear...

One small blessing was that it hadn't gone into the waterfall, but the fairy lights had all fallen behind the backdrop and would have to be fished out.

His mind churned, trying to figure out how he was going to fix this and make it right.

San appeared at his side a few minutes later, looking extremely uncomfortable. "Is that really how he's been treating you?"

"Doesn't matter." Wooyoung commented, his eyes still darting over the backdrop. "Jongho, I need Jongho!!" He suddenly shouted, spinning on the balls of his feet.

"He's not here." One of the girls helping with the set said, her eyes downcast. "When he saw the damage, he..."

Another piece of Wooyoung's heart shattered at the unfinished statement. But he was determined to fix this.

For one second, his looked to where Yunho was standing off to the side with Yeosang and Mingi.

He needed to fix this.

"Alright, I need our paint supplies and ribbon, lots of ribbon." He said to the girl. She gave him a skeptical look but thankfully started walking toward their supplies.

Wooyoung hurried to Hongjoong's room, a small spark of happiness shooting through his when the designer smiled in welcome. "Hey."

"Hi. I need to see your ribbon, please." He said while grabbing a travel sewing kit and scissors.

"Why?" Hongjoong arched an eyebrow and stopped trying to thread the needle in his hand.

"No time. Just need it." Wooyoung danced in place impatiently while Hongjoong pulled out a large tub.

"This is everything I—Hey!"

Wooyoung grabbed the tub and ran from the room while shouting, "Thank you!!" There was an idea in his mind that he was desperate to not loose sight of.

When he returned to the rip, he set down the tube and started sifting through all the beautiful colors and interesting textures while muttering to himself.

He fell into his own little world after that. All other sounds and movement faded from his focus. He barely even spoke to San, instead telling him to go talk to Hongjoong or Seonghwa to see if they needed help.

Hours ticked by so fast, yet so slow at the same time.

And all Wooyoung did was focus on the backdrop.

He was aware of other students working to fix and touch up the fallen trees, of the dancers rehearsing their parts over and over, of someone insisting that he stop to eat or even drink.

But none of that mattered.

All Wooyoung could focus on was weaving the ribbon through carefully cut slits on either side of the gash, stitching the wound together pass by slow, patient pass.

When he was finally done, he had several spots on his hands where he was bleeding from poking himself with needles and they were shaking. His back ached. His knees trembled. His eyes drooped.

He was so utterly exhausted...

Yet that wasn't important when he stepped back, hands on his hips, to admire what he had achieved.

Several surprised gasps came from behind him, followed closely by clapping or excited cheers.

To cover the tear and save the backdrop, Wooyoung had created a ribbon dragon twisting its way through the twinkling fairies. The long, serpentine body was a pearly white and it had a row of blue and gold running down the middle of its back to give it some color. Brilliant flames of red, yellow, and orange burst from its open mouth. He's even added a few strips of the same colors in different places to give the fire more life.

Wooyoung had never felt prouder of something he had done than at that very moment.

Especially when Jongho walked on stage and covered his mouth. He took a long moment to study the change to his backdrop, which had Wooyoung feeling a little nervous since he hadn't consulted Jongho about the change first, but he soon ran to Wooyoung with tears in his eyes.

"Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I—I can't believe you did this! It's beautiful!" Jongho lifted Wooyoung off the ground and started spinning him in circles.

A joyous laugh burst from the pitcher as he hugged the younger back.

When his feet touched the stage again, he turned to look for San, then froze.

Yunho was there. Standing off to the side looking at the dragon.

Mingi and Yeosang were behind him, both looking like they were about to cry from happiness. They were the first to move, too, coming over to Wooyoung to bow at the waist.

"Thank you. Your quick thinking has saved us." Yeosang whispered.

"Yes, it has. You have no idea." Mingi kept his eyes down when he straightened up again. "Thank you."

"It's not a big deal. I'm happy to do it." Wooyoung clasped his hands in front of him, basking in the praise. It made him feel so good.

And it was instantly crushed when he saw Yunho walking away.

Fire roared inside the pitcher, and without thinking, he followed, stomping with each step.

"What the hell?!" He shouted at Yunho, who was now at the end of the hall.

The taller stopped but didn't turn around.

Oh, how Wooyoung wanted to punch him. "Really?? You're just going to walk away without saying anything?? I didn't have to do that!" Wooyoung started marching down the hall, the soles of his shoes slapping against the laminate flooring. "I could have just left after you wrongfully accused me of trying to sabotage you again! What the hell did I ever do to you??"

Yunho still didn't turn around. He stood at the end of the hall, back perfectly straight, and hands shoved in his pockets.

"Answer me!" Wooyoung yelled. He reached out to grab Yunho's arm with the intention of forcing him to turn around, but instead he was caught by surprise when Yunho moved faster.

The dancer pulled him into a side room, closed the door, and pressed Wooyoung against it, trapping him there while capturing his lips in a kiss.

Wooyoung instantly melted. The hands he had placed on Yunho's chest in an automatic reaction to push him away curled in on themselves, fisting his shirt and trying to pull him closer.

He knew he would regret this later. This was wrong. He wasn't gay. He didn't like guys. He didn't.

But he liked Yunho. For whatever insane reason that he had yet to figure out, he liked the feeling of Yunho trapping him against the wall and kissing him like this.

Like it was the last thing either of them would do.

Nothing on the other side of the door mattered. Not the set, not the dragon, not their friends and colleagues.

It was just Wooyoung and Yunho.

And when Yunho swiped his tongue against Wooyoung's lips, the pitcher opened them gladly, moaning when Yunho took over the kiss even more.

Ages passed before Yunho finally pulled away, his lips glistening with their shared spit and eyes glazed over slightly.

Both of them were panting slightly and Wooyoung was pretty sure that if Yunho wasn't still pressing him against the door he would have collapsed.

Yet somehow, he was the one who managed to speak first. "Wh—What was that f-for?"

A smile teased the corner of Yunho lips and he leaned back just a bit. "A thank you" He whispered. His long fingers grazed Wooyoung's cheek before tucking some of his hair behind his ear. "And... an apology. Keep up the good work, Wooyoung." Yunho added even softer.

Then he slowly moved Wooyoung to the side before slipping out the door, leaving the poor pitcher in a state of utter shock.

His new favorite sentence of 'What the fuck' flew threw his mind several times before he could bring himself to return to the auditorium.

Where he was met with a thunderous applause. Every single person working on the showcase had gathered to see what he'd done to save the show.

Hongjoong and Seonghwa were quick to come over, ranting in a mixture of anger and excitement and how they were going to redo their entire theme to match what Wooyoung had done. Both talked non-stop and at the same time, so Wooyoung stood no chance at understanding them, yet it made him feel so incredibly happy.

At some point someone ordered food to be delivered, which took ten of them to bring in. Wooyoung had a feeling it was Yunho based on how he did most of the work serving others, but he wasn't going to say anything.

Instead, he sat off to the side with San and watched as everyone took a much needed break.

Everything here was so different than what they had experience on the baseball team. There it was all about winning and doing better at practice and striving to be better.

While there was some of that here, Wooyoung felt like there was so much more.

"It's nice here. I see why you keep coming back." San said, nudging his shoulder.

Wooyoung didn't tell him about his little make-out session, although that didn't stop him from blushing heavily. "Yeah. It's nice. Stressful, but a different kind of stress than what we're used to."

"Do you know what it is they are planning?"

"No." Wooyoung shrugged. "I'm just along for the ride. But I don't think it's going to be the typical showcase normally put on by the team every year. I think Yunho is planning something special."

San hummed, looking around the room. "When is it?"

"Next Friday I believe."

"So, you're going to be here all next week then?"

Wooyoung smiled. "Definitely."

And he was, with San by his side. The two of them did whatever they could to help the Starlights finish preparations, which also led to other members of the team coming by to help out of pure curiosity.

With everyone working together, they were able to make the props even better, Hongjoong finished redoing all of his outfits, and Seonghwa was able to practice a few different makeup techniques to match. Wooyoung was one of his willing victims most of the time and usually sported some kind of black eyeliner or sparkling flames painted on his face.

There was one time he thought he caught Yunho watching him from the other side of the stage as he let Seonghwa jerk his face back and forth to see his makeup at all angles, but there was so much going on he couldn't tell for certain.

"Why on earth did you chose to play a disgusting, sweaty sport when you have such flawless skin." Seonghwa tsked.

"I like the rush." Wooyoung giggled when the older rolled his eyes. "The feeling of control I have over the ball, whether I'm throwing it or hitting it, is incredible."

"Well, you should come by and let me practice on you, because damn do you look amazing."

"Yeah, he does." Mingi commented as he walked by. Seonghwa immediately froze, then started digging furiously in his makeup bag, earning an amused chuckle from the dancer. "Excellent work as always, Hwa."

All Seonghwa did was clear his throat and bite his lip in response. 

They day before the showcase was the big dress rehearsal. Teachers from all across campus were invited to stop by and watch their students perform as a special treat.

Wooyoung, however, did not get to watch because he was busy helping Hongjoong perfect any outfits that came back after the run through. They worked tirelessly to secure sequins and pearls or repair any seams that may have ripped.

Who knew he would be able to pick up sewing so fast?

But he didn't have time to think about things like that.

Before he knew it, the performance was upon them, and everyone was crammed into one of the practice rooms waiting for Yunho to make his final speech.

In the corner, Wooyoung noticed Seonghwa standing in front of Mingi and fussing over his makeup, eyes narrowed in careful concentration while Mingi watched him with a soft look in his eyes. It was clear they were in their own little world, oblivious to those around them. It almost made him jealous...

As soon as Yunho stood on a chair, silence fell.

Yunho took a long moment to look around the room, his eyes lingering on Wooyoung slightly longer than anyone else. "This is it. Everything you've worked so hard to achieve. I am so proud of you. All of you. All the hard work is done now. The sets are built, thanks to Jongho and his crew," applause erupted, "everyone looks spectacular thanks to Hongjoong and Seonghwa," more applause and a few cheers, "and to my Starlights," Yunho placed a hand over his hear and took a deep breath.

Wooyoung was surprised to see tears coming to the dancer's eyes in a moment of vulnerability that he had never seen before. Even Yeosang and Mingi looked emotional.

"My Starlights, you've grown so much. This is all for you. I have made sure all the scouts either stayed or came back, just for this. You are all going to get your chance."

Several people let out a few sobs and hugged each other. They were getting another chance at their dream.

An ache settled into Wooyoung's chest that he couldn't explain. He was so proud of everyone in the room, and himself too, for accomplishing their goal.

"They have no idea what we have planned, as far as they know," Yunho continued, "This is going to be a standard performance. Let's go and show them just how talented you really are!"

Cheers exploded and the floor vibrated from everyone jumping up and down.

Even if none of that speech was directed at him, Wooyoung found himself cheering right along with them.

Once everyone finally calmed down and started filing out of the room, Wooyoung found himself straining to look over the heads swarming around him.

"Youngie! We need to go!" San called out, reaching for Wooyoung's hand to pull him forward.

"I know, but—" He looked over his shoulder again, disappointed and hurt slowly filling him.

He was forced into the hallway and toward the side entrance to the auditorium. There were front row seats waiting for him and the rest of the baseball team, set aside on Yunho's orders since they had come to help get everything finished.

But he wasn't ready... Before coming today, he had promised himself that he would talk to Yunho and at least wish him luck.

He needed to do it. He needed to see if there was any chance that Yunho might...

"Youngie, hurry up! Curtain in two minutes!"

With a sigh, he slipped inside and took his seat.

Then the show began.

A single spotlight turned on, revealing Yunho with his back to the audience. He was dressed all in black but the end of his sleeves and leather pants had been decorated with sparkling sequins, designed to look like flames, and he was holding several ribbons.

Each one matched Wooyoung's dragon.

Yunho's dancing was exquisite. He flowed so perfectly, telling a story with each movement, each twist and turn, each graceful leap.

When his song ended, others appeared on stage and the backdrop was revealed, twinkling as beautifully as Wooyoung had hoped it would. He was so happy when he saw the lights illuminating the dragon's flame as well.

The entire performance was a story, each dance a chapter.

Some were about playful fairies who flipped and twirled, while others were about powerful battles between warring parties.

Each song and dance were more intense than the last one, filled with more difficult routines and stronger moves.

Hongjoong's ribbons were used to show magical attacks and Seonghwa was waiting offstage to quickly add makeup to someone if they needed to show wounds.

But the best part was during the climax, when Yunho came out with his ribbons and moved flawlessly among everyone.

That's when it all made sense and Wooyoung couldn't help but tear up.

Yunho was the peacekeeper, working hard to unite everyone and bring them closer together.

He was the dragon.

The show ended with him standing in the middle of the Starlights, arms spread wide and ribbons fluttering to the ground, while everyone else was posed around him to make it look like they were lifting him up.

Everyone in the audience immediate rose to their feet clapping, cheering, whistling, crying out as loud as they possibly could.

And Wooyoung screamed even louder.

It took nearly thirty minutes for all the final bows to happen and for the auditorium to clear out, during which San and the rest of the baseball team said their goodbyes.

Wooyoung wanted to stay, though, to see everyone involved and congratulate them. He managed to see a few of the other set designers, along with Jongho, Seonghwa, and Hongjoong, who all thanked him with big hugs. Even Yeosang and Mingi gave him a quick hug before returning to celebrate with the rest of their team.

From what he could overhear, it sounded like they were planning on going out to eat.

But Wooyoung wasn't ready for that to happen. There was one person he still needed to see... One person who visited him every night in his dreams now. One person who had changed everything.

And it was the one person Wooyoung couldn't seem to find...

No one else could point him in the right direction either.

Eventually he gave up and found himself stepping into the smallest dance studio to catch his breath. The room was bathed in moonlight coming from a single window in the corner.

It was the same room Yunho had kissed him in the second time.

A kiss that had left a mark on Wooyoung's heart like a brand.

He lifted his fingers to trace his lips, trying to remember the moment. Why was he letting this affect him so? It wasn't like there was anything between him and Yunho. Hell, Yunho had made it very clear that he blamed Wooyoung for ruining the original showcase.

But then why the kiss...? Was it just a game? Something to toy with Wooyoung's emotions?

If so, then Yunho had clearly won.

The sound of a door opening drew Wooyoung's attention, making him turn slowly, only to have his very breath stolen from his lungs.

Yunho fell back against the door to push it closed, looking at Wooyoung with dark eyes outlined with black eyeliner. His black shirt was unbuttoned, revealing some of his still sweat-covered chest. "What are you doing in here?" He asked slowly.

"W-Waiting for..." Wooyoung paused, too scared to say what he truly wanted to, "For the crowds to clear." He crossed his arms over his stomach and shuffled in place. "Tonight was amazing. You dance beautifully."

The dancer's gaze softened a little. "Thank you." He gave a short, huffed laugh and shook his head. "I can't believe it's already over. It all went by so fast."

"What will you do now?"

A smirk twisted Yunho's lips and he tilted his head back. "That depends."

Wooyoung froze and whispered, "On?"

"What are you doing here?" He asked again, advancing slowly, his tone a touch harder.

It sent a chill down Wooyoung's spine, and he allowed himself to be backed against one of the mirrors on the far wall. Caged in place like he was used to, he tilted his head back to look up at the man who had somehow managed to steal his heart.

"Waiting for you." He said, no louder than a murmur.

Surprise flickered for just a second in Yunho's eyes before his smirk returned. "Oh? Why's that?"

How was it that the man could make Wooyoung feel so incredibly small under his gaze, yet had him loving it so much?

"T-To congratulate you. And—" Wooyoung gasped when one of Yunho's hands caressed his jaw. "And—Yunho... please."

"Please what, baby?"

"Kiss me?" Wooyoung couldn't believe his words, even though he had clearly managed to say them. He blinked rapidly, as if that would erase everything that had just happened.

But it didn't. And all Yunho did was smile. "Before I do, and trust me, I want to, I need to know if this is what you really want." He moved his hand down to let his fingers dance across Wooyoung's neck. "I've kissed you twice now, I don't think I'll be able to stop if I'm lucky enough to kiss you a third time."

Everything paused for Wooyoung. He did his best to soak in everything the taller was saying, hanging onto every word, utterly bewitched.

"Despite how angry I was, ever since that first night at the party I— I haven't been able to get you out of my head. Seeing you so, so..." He growled and turned his head away. "I have very particular tastes, Wooyoung, I don't want to scare you away." When he turned back, he captured Wooyoung's gaze once more and ran him thumb up and down Wooyoung's neck, pressing down slightly. "Now is your chance to walk away."

"You hated me... How... Why?"

"Because no one knows." Yunho's head dropped and he sighed. "I know they suspect, but no one truly knows that I'm gay except for Mingi and Yeosang. A lot of the dance companies I'm trying to get into are still very old fashioned and I didn't want to ruin my chance of being accepted. But you... You stole my heart the first time I saw you pitch."

Wooyoung's mouth opened slightly, and he tilted his head. "I don't..."

"I've been to every single one of your games. Watched you work your way from relief pitcher to starter. I was at your final game. I followed all the news, used my connections to find out what the scouts wanted. I had even promised myself I would confess if you won the championship. But then that party happened, and my showcase was ruined. I saw my life, all my hard work vanishing before my eyes. I'll admit, I overreacted. Blaming you and the team was idiotic and cowardly." He sighed harshly and finally looked at Wooyoung again. "And unfortunately, you made it all to easy for my dominance to come out, for me to toy with you. That's my other secret, my dark desires... Can you forgive me?"

So much information flew around in Wooyoung's mind, he wasn't sure he fully understood what Yunho was saying.

"I won't blame you if you can't. But god, Wooyoung, I just want to devour you." The dancer growled, slamming his hand against the mirror. "And it's been so long since I've been able to truly let go. Please, please, say yes. I know this is scary and new for you, and this isn't how I wanted any of this to happen, but... I need you. I promise to take care of you and fucking cherish you."

Desperation had entered the dancer's voice. It was so endearing, and it only made Wooyoung fall for him even more.  He wasn't sure he'd every understand why Yunho had stolen his heart but leave it to him to fall for someone he'd never expected.

And when he fell, he fell hard.

So instead of speaking, he took the initiative and kissed Yunho first.

A surprised sound came from the back of the dancer's throat, then he was pushing Wooyoung flat against the mirror, one hand fisting his hair and the other on his ass.

Each touch, squeeze, lick, and kiss left a trail of fire over Wooyoung's skin. He knew it was foolish to be doing this with someone he hardly knew, but he had always been one to follow his heart.

The couple only stopped kissing long enough for them to pull off their shirts, which Wooyoung allowed himself to openly gawk at Yunho's muscular and toned body, perfectly sculpted from years of dancing.

Then he was being lifted off the ground by his thighs and pressed to the mirror once more.

Now Yunho was the only having to look up at him before the hungry kisses resumed.

Oh, how he loved the feeling of Yunho's large hands kneading his thighs and ass.

For a fleeting second, he wondered why he ever thought he'd been straight?? This was pure heaven for him.

Being picked up and turned around like he was nothing maybe Wooyoung whimper and moan.

"Fuck, Woo, I've waited so long for this..." Yunho whispered while licking and nibbling at his collarbone and pecs.

When his tongue found a nipple, Wooyoung tilted his head back and cried out.

No one had ever touched him there before, not even himself, not in this way.

Yunho knew exactly what he was doing, though. He knew where to place his hands, how and where to tighten his grip, when to let up.

He was the puppeteer and Wooyoung was his willing doll.

The first truly euphoric moment for Wooyoung came when Yunho grabbed his neck and squeezed, cutting off his airway just enough to send that spark of fear through him. He made a sound somewhere between a whimper and a moan, bucking his hips at the same time to rub his clothed cock against Yunho's abs.

"Tap my shoulder twice or say red if it gets to be too much." Yunho panted before taking one of the pitcher's nipples into his mouth again and biting down.

Pure pleasure rocketed through Wooyoung's veins. He needed more.

"I want to fuck you so bad. Can I? I know this is a lot, but please." The dancer begged, rocking his hips to grind against Wooyoung's ass and between his legs.

Wooyoung wasn't at a place where he felt like he could say no. If they ended things now, he felt like he'd waste away into nothingness.

All he managed to say was, "C-Condom?"

"Wallet." Yunho answered quickly, wrapping one arm around Wooyoung's waist to hold him up while pulling his wallet out of his back pocket.

Then he lowered Wooyoung the ground and forced him to turn around, so he was bent in half and facing the mirror.

Wooyoung was startled for a moment, not fully recognized himself with his tousled hair and already destroyed expression. His lips were swollen and red, and his eyes hooded and filled with lust.

Suddenly Yunho grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked his head back. "You look so pretty like this." His whispered, nibbling on the shell of Wooyoung's ear. "All for me."

"Y-Yes. Y-Yun..." Wooyoung whined, trying to find the words to ask the taller to keep going.

"Don't worry, baby, I'm going to take good care of you. Don't look away from the mirror."

All Wooyoung could do was nod while the dancer proceeded to kiss down his spine. Then his jeans were unbuttoned and yanked to his ankles along with his boxers, exposing himself to the man behind him.

Yunho hummed, taking one of Wooyoung's cheeks in each hand and spreading them wide while squeezing them hard. "Fuck." He shifted one thumb over to tease over the younger's hole. "You're perfect."

Wooyoung felt his heart flutter and he started to turn his head to look over his shoulder. He was quickly stopped by Yunho grabbing his hair once more and forcing his head straight.

"What did I tell you?"

"S-Sorry Yu—ah!" Wooyoung cried out when one of Yunho's hands came down hard against his right cheek. While it hurt and was unexpected, arousal also shot straight to Wooyoung's cock, which was now leaking slowly onto the studio floor.

"I just knew you'd be perfect for this." Yunho gasped, now slowly rubbing the spot he'd slapped. "So pretty and red. I want to mark you up, make you glow for me, make you scream." The older groaned and Wooyoung watched as he forced himself to keep his desires under control. "Maybe next time..."

"I'd like that." Wooyoung whispered. He blushed when they made eye contact in the mirror despite how startled Yunho looked to hear that.

Call him crazy, but there was something about the way that Yunho was treating hi that made Wooyoung feel safe.

For a moment, Wooyoung thought he'd ruined everything, because Yunho just stood there. But soon the hunger returned, and he watched as the taller sank to his knees and proceeded to spread his ass open once more.

Then he nearly collapsed when Yunho started to lick at his entrance. Long, wet passes with his tongue that had Wooyoung legs shaking with the possibility of giving out.

It was so hard for him to remember the order to keep watching in the mirror when every part of his brain wanted to focus on what Yunho was doing to him.

Especially when he felt a finger pressing into him slowly.

"I wasn't expecting this, so I'm not prepared, I'm sorry." Yunho said, taking a moment to breath while working his finger in deeper.

Wooyoung's moan echoed in the room. The intrusion felt so foreign, so wrong, but oh so right. Even more so when Yunho crooked his finger just right to hit that special bundle of nerves and made him scream.

Just like Yunho had wanted.

The dancer seemed to glow with pride and continued to rub against that spot, while slowly more fingers in to stretch him out.

"Good boy, so good. You're doing so well, baby." Yunho praised, running one hand over Wooyoung's back to sooth him when he showed signs of discomfort at having three fingers inside him. He did the best he could to gather what saliva he could to help ease the pain.

But the thing that worked the most was when he finally gave Wooyoung's aching and neglected cock some attention.

It was only a few strokes, but it was enough to nearly tip Wooyoung over the edge as the younger bucked his hips and fell into the mirror.

Yunho's hand was big enough to engulf the entirety of the boy's length.

"Oh, what's this? Is your poor, little cock feeling needy?" Yunho said, slightly hesitant, as if gauging how Wooyoung would react. "Are you sure you even know how to use this pathetic thing?"

Wooyoung groaned again, feeling himself twitch at the degrading way Yunho spoke to him. He wanted to argue and say that he did, but right now that all felt like a lie. His mind was so fogged over with pleasure that he didn't know what he knew. It was a mess.

He was a mess.

A glorious mess ready to be taken apart and fucked for the first time.

Yunho watched him with a dark smirk while smothering the head of Wooyoung cock with the palm of his hand to gather the precum that had gathered there.

Then he stood and used his other hand to unbutton his leather pants, pulled them down, and bring the condom wrapper to his lips to rip it open with his teeth.

But Wooyoung saw none of that.

Instead, all he could focus on was how truly well endowed the man behind him was.

There was no way that was going to fit!

He could feel panic rising within him, and he started to stand up. Yunho was quick to place a hand on his shoulder to keep him still. "You're alright, it's ok. Do you need to stop?"

Wooyoung blinked a few times, still fixated on the monster behind him. He was scared but he didn't want this to end.

With a tiny shake of his head, he pushed his hips out a little and bit his lip.

"Good boy." Yunho purred, rubbing Wooyoung gently. "I'm going to make you feel so good. I promise."

In a matter of seconds, he rolled the condom on with one hand and speared Wooyoung's precum on with the other.

Once ready, he spat on the younger's hole, rubbed it around, then started to press against his entrance.

Wooyoung felt his eyes roll back more and more the further Yunho's cock slipped inside him.

He felt so full.

It was amazing!

Before he knew it, Yunho was fully seated within him. He waited until he received a nod, then unleashed the pent-up feelings he'd been harboring before the boy below him.

He pounded into Wooyoung mercilessly, forcing him up against the mirror until his chest and cheek were pressed against it. His own sweat drenched the reflective glass, allowing his body to move up and down with each thrust of the dancer's hips, all of it accented by the wet slapping of skin.

It was fast, unrelenting, and better than Wooyoung had ever imagined it would be.

He was so incoherent, he pathetically kept trying to dig his fingers into the mirror for something to hold onto while babbling nonsense.

Then Yunho catapulted him over the edge by bringing one hand up to grab his throat once more. The restriction made Wooyoung's vision explode with stars, and he came harder than he'd ever experienced before, screaming brokenly in pleasure.

For a fleeting moment, the pitcher thought about how embarrassed he would be if someone walked by. Neither one of them were hiding what they were doing. Yet somehow that just added to the thrill and kept him aching for more.

The overstimulation started to kick in as well when Yunho never stopped thrusting. He even managed to loop his arm under Wooyoung's left leg to lift it up and change the angle at which he slammed his cock into the younger, adding yet another layer of pleasure bursting throughout Wooyoung's body.

"Fu—Woo—I—cl—" Yunho started muttering in his ear with each and every thrust, panting heavily. His hand twitched against Wooyoung's neck, the silent, struggling, needy threat of gripping tighter, yet he managed not to.

Instead hips lips and teeth began to run over the younger's neck and shoulders, leaving mark after mark against his skin.

When even the words stopped, Yunho groaned and jerked his hips even harder. The hand around Wooyoung's neck ran down the length of his body, nails scrapping against skin, until it found Wooyoung's cock smashed against the mirror.

He had managed to get hard again? When had that happened??

Wooyoung could barely process what was going on as Yunho grabbed it, once again covering it entirely with his hand.

Then he pulled Wooyoung away from the mirror and growled, "Look."

Wooyoung obeyed, tilting his head as much as he could muster to take in the scene before him.

The toes of his right foot just barely touched the floor, even leaving it sometimes depending on how hard the dancer slammed into him. His skin was rosy and flushed, yet it glistened in the moonlight coming from the window because of the sweat clinging to it.

"Yunho, Yun—Yu—Yunho!!" He cried out when he was brought to a second orgasm the same time Yunho gave one final, harsh thrust and started pulsing inside him.

His eyelids fluttered, exhaustion immediately starting to take over.

With a groan, Yunho slowly pulled out and eased both of them down to the floor. He turned Wooyoung to cradle him in his arms and brush his hair out of his face. "Are you alright?" He asked.

All Wooyoung could do was make a small sound and blink. His entire body felt like jelly. He ached. He was exhausted.

It was delightful.

Yunho's face lit up with a kind, gentle smile before he kissed Wooyoung's forehead a couple of times.

At one point, the pitcher registered being covered with a shirt, then Yunho using his talent as a dancer to stand while keeping Wooyoung tucked close to him with one arm.

Then warm water tickled his skin, sending a pleasant warmth over him that had him sighing contently.

He and Yunho stayed in the showers for a long time, letting the water wash over them while they enjoyed each other's embrace and soft kisses.

At one point, Yunho started tracing each of the marks he'd left on the younger's skin. "Beautiful." He whispered.

Wooyoung bit his lip and nuzzled into the dancer's neck.

Yunho immediately hugged him tightly, pushing his nose into Wooyoung's hair. His shoulders started to shake a little, sparking Wooyoung to hug him back just as hard.

"Did that really just happen?" The dancer asked.

"I think so, either that, or I am having the best dream yet."

"Yet?" Yunho pulled away and flashed a teasing smile.

Wooyoung's eyes grew wide, and he immediately tried to hide his face in Yunho's chest with an embarrassed groan.

But Yunho stopped him by gently cupping his chin and tilting his head back. "You... You've been dreaming about me?"

"Yes. Almost every night since the party." Wooyoung whispered.

Yunho's eyes glistened for a second, then they were kissing once again. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for everything." He panted between each kiss. "I'm sorry."

It was like he was a completely different person, which Wooyoung would later learn was because Yunho had finally been able to let go and relieve the stress that had been building inside of him over the past three weeks.

The Yunho he got to see now was bubbly and playful and so full of life. He was waiting for Wooyoung outside of his apartment every morning to walk him to class, sometimes with breakfast and coffee if he had enough time to stop. He showered Wooyoung with all the hugs and caresses and praises the pitcher could ever ask for, showing him what it was like to be loved, truly loved, for the first time.

They even gave each other the courage to come out to their friends and eventually the rest of campus, simply because neither one of them could contain how happy they were to be together.

Truthfully it was Wooyoung's fault when he had discovered Yunho waiting for him after one of his final exams. He had been so anxious about the test, seeing his boyfriend afterword had filled him with so much joy, he couldn't help but sprint forward and jump into Yunho's arms. They spun in a couple of circles before finally managing to calm down enough to realize people were staring.

But that excitement died, just as all rumors did with time.

And with that passing of time, Yunho and Wooyoung's relationship flourished.

Wooyoung studied up and learned about what 'Dom Space' was, and why it helped Yunho so much when he was able to slip into that. He has grateful he finally understood why Yunho had been so dominant during the two weeks preparing for the show. The dancer had been fighting an internal battle to keep himself from slipping. Wooyoung did everything he could to make that transition easier for Yunho when needed, but also allowed himself to experiment and try new things.

His favorite part quickly became the end of their sessions, when Yunho gave him the softest, sweetest aftercare to make sure he was alright. And once Wooyoung was out of his own headspace, he'd return the favor to Yunho, usually in the form of cooking for him or even just clinging to him like a koala and showering him with kisses.

And when the time came for Yunho to pick a dance company to join, he and Wooyoung had several long talks about what they wanted for their future. The most important thing to them was that they were together.

Wooyoung was willing to follow Yunho wherever he wanted to go. Since a baseball career hadn't worked out for him, he had decided to teach himself to cook, and that was something he could do anywhere.

Yet Yunho had learned to read the younger like an open book and knew Wooyoung would be happiest if they stayed, so he picked a company in Seoul.

There would still be traveling involved when the company went on tours, but Wooyoung was there every step of the way.

Who knew it would take one misunderstanding to open the door to a brand-new life? He certainly would have never guessed it.

But he would always be thankful for the day that he gave Yunho that third kiss. That third chance. The third play needed to end the game of his old self, allowing him to begin again.

Now all he had to do was take the plunge and live his life to the fullest.

Side by side with the man he'd fallen in love with.

The dancer and the pitcher, two paths predetermined to become one.