#an absolutely absurd number of times too its WILD being attracted to someone how do people live like this??

[eldritchmochi]

i got so excited to play educator that i am only now picking up on how this could be bad faith. someone was def peeking on the reblogs of that post cos i know yall who already know my reputation are fully aware of aspec folks being distressingly into one (1) scrawny beanpole of a wizard and only that one scrawny beanpole of a wizard. nonny are you the og asker?? because if you are, i promise the boner cops arent real. live your life, wank to whatever gets ur rocks off, and maybe look into therapy??

(i hope this doesn't come across as rude, i'm just genuinely confused) i saw your tags on a post you reblogged about how you like to jerk off to the thought of your work crush, and that you're aspec. but i thought the whole point of being aspec is that you *don't* feel sexual attraction? isn't thinking of someone to gain sexual pleasure also sexual attraction to that person? isn't wanting to have sex with someone sexual attraction to that person? i can't imagine jerking off to someone i'm not attracted to so maybe i'm just close-minded but what you said really doesn't sound aspec at all. again i'm not trying to be rude, i'm just not aspec so i really don't understand how *not* feeling sexual attraction can be a spectrum, but feeling sexual attraction apparently isn't a spectrum??

not rude imo! i am happy to play educator!!

so tldr, i have a particularly complicated relationship to.... relationships. i tend to label myself as broadly "aspec" as a whole as shorthand for expressing that i dont really experience attraction but it, like basically all the labels i use, isn't wholly accurate for my personal experience because labels--especially queer identity labels--are a broad stroke generalization for very individualized personal experiences of the same general gestures thing. not everyone who shares the labels i use for myself will agree with the way i use them or even the fact that i DO use them (hi, he/him bi lesbian here, eat me) and thats totally okay, as long as they mind their manners

i find "aspec" used as a specifically nonspecific umbrella micro label is convenient shorthand for the whole not really experiencing attraction thing because its more true than not. i really dont "really" experience attraction, either sexual or romantic..... except for when i do. those instances of attraction however are so incredibly rare that they're an exception, not the rule. i'm in my thirties and consider that tally to be two people i have legit thirsted after and possibly two??? people i am Romantically In Love With (as opposed to just In Love With, which is different for me, because i love all my friends in unique ways because they're unique people i have a unique relationship with, but i digress) (ftr i am not 100% sure on the romance bit because its *incredibly* hard for me to sus out the difference between my feelings for these particular people compared to everyone else i love because i just kinda go on vibes: if i'm happy with someone, i'm happy, and i dont really feel the need to Officially Label things)

btw, "aspec" as in asexual (and in my case aromantic) spectrum is very much a spectrum my dude, and that spectrum people generally report on does include occasional incidental attraction. other axis often involved in the spectrum are things like libido or even general willingness or interest in interactions that involve sex (or romance, or both!). some folks enjoy having sex and seek it out despite not experiencing sexual attraction, with or without a libido. some people are completely sex adverse when it comes to sexual situations involving themselves but will engage with sexual content, such as porn/erotica/virtual roleplay. some people want nothing do do with bumping uglies literally or figuratively. some people are absolutely baffled when it turns out no they just wanna bump uglies with this one particular person and they will DIE if they dont why are humans wired like this its SO INCONVENIENT (shhhhh dont ask me how i know). there are a ton of microlabels for any and all generalization of experience within the a-spec spectrum because there is just a HUGE variety of experiences but i personally dont like them for myself cos im a vague-as-possible kinda guy

so: complicated relationship with relationships and a complete disregard for the "rules" some people wanna insist on when it comes to identity labels. a buddy of mine has described me as her friend who is "all queer identities at once" which, yeah, i'm into that, its a good summation

i would also like to note for our viewers at home that you are totally allowed to stick yourself in whatever box feels right at the time, even if you change boxes a bazillion times or put a peet in a bunch of different boxes all at once, or play musical chairs with the boxes, or whatever. theyre made up and the points dont matter, what matters is having some facsimile of language to communicate an aspect of your experience to allow for communication and conversation about that experience, not that you tick off a check list of required traits to get your box assigned to you by The Committee. go forth, be weird, love freely, eat the rich, and fuck the (thought) police

[unproduciblesmackdown]

My only problems with that bmc theory you mentioned is that 1) bmc was already really popular and 2) that’s kinda body shaming Roland :/ but yeah I agree that he can’t really sing for shit lol. And I hate how his go-to thing when he’s singing (it’s super evident in loser geek or whatever) is to just throw his arms out in a t pose

you should have problems with every part of that theory because everything in that post is about how the arguments are terrible and absurd, and i’m gonna use this opportunity to straightforwardly lay out why all that is, but first let me talk about the problems you did find with it

1) yes 

the off-bway run of bmc is unusual because it did (and existed because) already have popular support/demand. they absolutely had no motivation to try to increase its popularity. they already had that fully covered. 

2) yes

nothing wrong with having a preference or an attachment to the first portrayal you saw but there is no real reason to legitimately dislike or resent will roland’s performance to the degree that anyone wants to act like they have objective justifications for this. i will freely blame a ton of this on the fact that will r is not a super lanky guy who sort of looks like elijah wood’s fey woodland cousin or something, and he has a nasal voice, and the fact people find this less attractive leads to this extra resentment that gets rationalized as some kind of problem they have with his performance. surely i will come back to this but for now i’m going to argue against my own fake arguments

they didn’t approach will only because he was in deh and thus ~famous~ or famous by association or whatever. like i said in an earlier post, they were considering will for the part of jeremy even before will was considering himself for the part, as he said he didn’t consider auditioning for that role until it was suggested to him. and then he made it to callbacks, which means he was seriously considered and they already saw merit in the idea of casting him for the part. the fact that he didn’t get it doesn’t mean he wasn’t good enough: people Don’t Get The Part all the time and it isn’t for any certain reasons. for example, earlier will got cast in the black suits, while george salazar also auditioned and didn’t get cast, and yet we wouldn’t use this as evidence that george wasn’t necessarily good enough. not to mention that will would’ve been getting involved in deh at around that time of the bmc auditions, so evidently he was already good enough to be involved in like, any production.

also, the part of jeremy wasn’t the only change in cast between the productions. and they didn’t seem to leap on the opportunity to get Big Names involved, and in fact, they’ve said they didn’t want to do that. and, again, they did not need a popularity boost, they were in the unusual position of already knowing they had an audience. thus there’s no reason to believe that will’s casting, and will’s casting alone, was some sort of grab for increased attention on the production.

joe iconis had worked with will for years prior to 2018 and it’s just kind of ridiculous to suggest that will auditioned for his play and got turned down because he was terrible, and it’s only due to the fact that he was then cast in deh that made joe go “hm that roland guy can’t sing for shit and i’ve just been too polite to Not cast him in a previous musical of mine and work with him dozens of other times but he’s in a Popular Broadway Musical now so hmmm, maybe we’ll make a sacrifice to the quality of this show to get a popularity boost we don’t need” like

obviously it does not make sense. will was not Only offered the role because of being in deh. and, by extension, he was not offered the role in spite of any kind of inadequacy on his part. or in spite of anything at all.

also there is no indication that will connolly was just like, ditched or something. initial castings and casting changes are done for any number of reasons. and it’s not like joe iconis exactly has a reputation for ruthlessly screwing over people he works with, nor does will roland…and casting changes are basically inevitable if a show goes beyond one run or has a particularly long one. and it’s not unlikely people will have a preference or consider the first performance they see to be kind of the standard in their eyes, and there’s nothing wrong with the end of someone’s run / a casting change being bittersweet, cuz all of that is just how it’s gonna go. but like there’s no reason for animosity towards the replacement cuz then you’re gonna always hate everyone but the o(b)c

again like. maybe people really aren’t aware that will roland was cast in a musical of joe iconis’s back in 2012? the black suits? ben platt was there? george salazar wasn’t? will was 1/6th of the cast and did plenty of singing. and that was 3-4 years prior to him auditioning for bmc and getting the part for the off-bway performance, and as people tend to backhandedly point out, he only gets better with time and experience, and he was already doing great vocally in the black suits. he did that 2012 run, and then the run tbs had in 2013 as well. like, joe had plenty of experience working with him there. why would he think will is bad at singing.

also will was involved with joe’s work even prior to his graduation

will was also involved with bmc producer jen tepper’s work prior to his graduation. had a solo in the “if it only even runs a minute” show

they’d know how good will is. they had already been willingly involving him in various works for years, over and over, prior to will auditioning for bmc. the fact he didn’t get the part the initial time wasn’t due to them thinking he can’t sing, okay. and already right there you have the issue that apparently a bunch of randos figure they just have better judgment than the industry professionals. 

also, you can prefer will connolly’s voice, but it’s not even A Valid Argument to say that will roland is a bad singer. like, this isn’t even about opinion. he is a good singer and this is an objective statement. He Is Very Skilled. his vocals Are Good. this is not opinion it is essentially fact. you may not like them but to say he’s bad is just to say either you don’t have the first clue what you’re talking about or are willing to skew your own perspective or just say whatever to pretend to justify this preference as “one of these is the performance i like better and the other is a performance that is inarguably Bad and Incompetent”

one thing is that will is so good that he makes it seem easy. he pulls off shit that you don’t even have to recognize as taking a crapton of skill. there’s all sorts of performances of his available and the way he’s able to emote during his singing isn’t just his also-strong acting, but it also requires the vocal ability to deliver quick shifts and jumps between differences in volume and pitch and soft/fragile vs forceful/angry and that requires a ton of skill and control. speaking of control and the stuff i’ve just said, there’s also a lot of smoothness to his vocals and consistency which reflects not only the quality of his vocals but also the control and endurance and knowledge of how to handle a performance within individual songs but also an entire show and also a string of shows.

like, dunno what to tell you. like i said before, these industry professionals think he’s good enough. the people he work with think he’s talented. i put myself through reading bmc reviews and i don’t remember anyone saying anything suggesting will’s vocals weren’t up to par, but i do remember a lot of acknowledgments about the opposite and how his performance is stellar and showcases great vocal talent and ability, whether or not the reviewers took to the rest of the show as a whole. and yet people who are mad about him not being will connolly have the take that he can’t sing. pretty wild how the people who would probably know better than you or me all consider will roland to be a very strong singer!! must be because they don’t know as well as various random people who resent will r.

it’s just a bonus when people argue he can’t sing the high notes. i’m guessing i need to say it’s called a falsetto? he has a gorgeous one and the way he’s able to snap right into it is kind of breathtaking? and the fact that joe iconis wrote lgw Specifically For Will Roland’s Voice, specifically designed to showcase and play to his strengths? and that this song, written by a professional composer to be ideally paired with will roland’s voice, features that falsetto so generously? hmmmmmmmmmmm

like, there’s so many amazing and beautiful performances of his online and like every available performance kicks ass and is certainly Vocally Competent but like, if you listen to this and think “he can’t really sing for shit” then you’re just telling on your own flawed judgment n Shit Taste lol��..like, again, to say he can’t sing is objectively incorrect.

also, there’s this. 

i’m also very suspicious of people just interpreting his singing as “bad” because of the fact that his voice is just nasal. or suggesting that he can’t have as ~serious or dramatic~ impact. for unspecified reasons. but what i am going to specify as “because he has a nasal voice and i have an automatic association with this meaning that the character is unsympathetic and a joke”

i now slowly turn around and pull down a slide reading “jared kleinman”

again, not like the “will roland was only cast for clout” idea holds any water in the first place, but it’s just extra good how his character in deh seems to be written off by like, everyone, from reviewers to casual audiences to most more-involved fans of the show alike, and largely overlooked or maligned, despite all characters getting an equally sympathetic treatment, and all of the teenagers being very similar in what their flaws and weaknesses are and what their desires are. 

like i and other people and mike faist will tell you, yeah jared’s character provides a break from Heavier scenes into lighter tone, which is necessary for good pacing, but that doesn’t mean that the character and the things he says aren’t serious or genuine. watch me avoid going off into a longer tangent about jared and bringing it back around to will roland: it just Sure Is Interesting that the character is one that tends to be seen as unimportant or even dispensable despite being absolutely crucial to multiple elements of the play. hmm

and anyways it’s kind of funny that you’d really have to already be a fan of will’s to like, make his casting in bmc make you care about bmc if you hadn’t already (#me, lol) and like. otherwise it’d be like “hey this guy who’s in bmc was in deh” “oh really that’s neat” and maybe it’d make some new people pay attention, but not to the degree that it would like, be expected to carry the show’s sales or anything lol. plus uhhhhh haven’t noticed the marketing saying anything about WILL ROLAND of DEAR EVAN HANSEN and you’d think that if they’d deliberately cast someone who sucks just cuz he had a part in a well-known show, they’d uhhhh take advantage of that? and yet. 

that theory’s total shit is what i’m saying

and it’s interesting that will has a nasal voice and isn’t Serious Enough and his Singing is Bad

by interesting i mean total shit

i’m also totally gonna say that people are mad at will for not being super tall and super skinny and seeming attractive to them.

absolutely gonna say that. there is a real, documented bias towards considering someone seen as Attractive as being more sympathetic than someone who isn’t. for example i am tilting my head 270 degrees when anybody decides jeremy is an unsympathetic character. i am tilting my head 583 degrees when anybody decides that will roland’s performance as jared is the Unsympathetic one. my eyebrows are so raised they’ve just graduated college. 

just yknow people are mad at will roland b/c they don’t find him as hot as will c and resent him for not seeming attractive enough and like, there’s the people who will at least own this and insult him for being too ugly for their tastes and their inability to keep their shit to themselves, and then there’s people who also have this inability to keep their shit to themselves but don’t wanna say they think he’s too ugly for their tastes and will instead be like mmmm dunno the way he follows the written changes to the script is bad………mmmmm idk he just can’t sing ://…………mmmmmmm his performance isn’t the same so uhh fuck him for not being will connolly………………://///……….

i don’t know if anybody sees him as fat rn, there’s this window of being Average where i truly cannot see it even though its supposed to just be Objective Judgment territory. but that sure never helps. also he just doesn’t have the willowy fragile body type of will connolly’s at all, no matter what. and that also cannot ever help. couldn’t’ve helped when he played jared either.

maybe it’s an utter coincidence that the majority of his film roles, where your body and face are always gonna get hq closeups, and in which we also have audio of one’s nasal voice, have him as Nerd Types who aren’t meant to be particularly sympathetic. not saying this is all him being typecast based on being written off from certain types of roles as characters meant to appeal to the audience / win sympathy, except, my eyebrows have now finished grad school.

in fact, although the realm of live theatre may be more “”forgiving”” of these superficial traits, it’s not as though will’s roles haven’t been largely uncool losers in various ways lol…but all of them have been sympathetic. he’s even mentioned how being cast as a romantic lead way back in school changed how people saw him. and here he is in a role where he feels like he isn’t allowed to be the main character even in his own life, and where he feels that he can be treated Like a well-liked, attractive person, but not necessarily be one. will roland is out here just outright saying how lgw is about himself and about you and about me (and for trans and non-hetero fans) and people are really out here going “he’s ugly he shouldn’t have this role” like, i’ll freaking slap you, lord

again. loser geek whatever alone is evidence that the take that He Can’t Sing is objectively false. and it is. move on. love yourself

also just thanks for mentioning the thing about throwing his arms out. that’s just like, one of the peak examples of “i resent will roland for not being will connolly but i need to invent justifications for this” and deciding that totally arbitrary things about him are reasons to be annoyed by him, and thus to think that there’s anything actually wrong with it. like, so he has a tendency to gesture with both arms out whereas other people don’t always do this? you’re mentioning loser geek whatever and it’s pretty crazy how when you watch him perform the song he actually employs a variety of gestures and you’re just picking out the one thing he does and going “ugh god you’re killing me will roland” like god….of all the arbitrary inconsequential things to focus your dislike on and pretend it’s a Legitimate Critique, this one’s a classic. if anything it’s a quirk that puts an individual stamp on things in the midst of all the other ways he moves and gesticulates during songs, but yeah, i suppose you could just decide you hate it. truly, between will roland putting his arms out and the people who see this as some kind of real flaw, whose reach is greater……..

anyways the point is none of you have any real reason to be bothered by will roland, and every “oh my god he’s so incompetent” take is ridiculous, and at least the people who outright insult him based on appearance are being honest about their bullshit since it’s all insults anyways. the oc album is right there. the performance with will connolly also continues to be right there. everybody just might consider why they’re so resentful of will roland for having the part, and also consider getting over it.

[jonghyundroppedthesoap]

My Number One Fan

Chapter 1 Pairing: JongKey Word Count: 2,909 Summary: Kibum goes to the same, run-down bar every week to watch the man of his affections sing his heart out with a mere guitar for company. He wasn’t expecting the coffee, nor the beautiful personality within the singer. And he definitely wasn’t expecting to fall in love.

A/N: originally posted on @ourshineeshrine, was written a while ago so might not be my best writing!! enjoy <3

The light patter of feet could be heard making its way down the dim street, merely a few street lights and the moon illuminating the long, dark road. Kibum unconsciously fixed the loose strands of hair atop of his head for the umpteenth time that night, his breath coming in short, even puffs that wisped forward and fogged in the cool, winter’s air ahead of him.

Slipping his hands into the large pockets his jacket was donned with, Kibum kept his head down as he strolled briskly towards the shady, brick building by the corner of the street. This particular route, despite its gloomy atmosphere, had become a familiar one to Kibum, barely blinking an eye at the drunkards who roamed the sidewalks.

Upon reaching the splintered, wooden door, Kibum opened it quietly and slipped in unnoticed, smiling at the immediate change of atmosphere. The dim lighting had turned to faded, yellow lamps; and panelled, wooden flooring had replaced the mismatched cobblestone, lying vertically across the worn ground. The unsettling silence had disappeared completely also, mild chatter filling the fern green walls and lingering in a comfortable glow.

Kibum made his way through the cluster of chairs seated around the contrasting tables, trekking his way over to the crowded bar.

“Kibum, you’re back again this week.” stated the bartender; a tall man with a variety of piercings and a charming smile.

Kibum grinned in response, taking a seat at the counter and casually drumming his fingers along the chipped surface.

“Couldn’t help myself, I suppose.” he spoke, nodding slightly as the bartender held up a bottle of soju.

“Jonghyun often has that effect on people,” the man replied, pouring a glass of the alcoholic beverage with the swiftness of an experienced mixologist.

Kibum accepted the glass gratefully, lifting it to his lips and sipping on it slowly. The bartender was more than correct in his assumption, of course. A person such as Kibum wasn’t someone you’d usually see frequenting a bar like this, however he had first found himself there a few weeks back when he’d laid eyes on a poster advertising a live performance by ‘a new star’. Not that Kibum was that interested in music. Sure, he loved to dance, and sang along to all the songs on the radio, but he definitely wouldn’t call himself a music lover. That title was reserved for people like Jonghyun. The one who’s beautiful face had led Kibum to the cold and gloomy street in the first place. The one who’s beautiful face was situated right in the middle of the poster that had taken him to a whole new world. And sure, perhaps it was Jonghyun’s face that had attracted Kibum originally; however it was his gorgeous, emotional voice that had induced Kibum to return again and again.

Kibum took small sips of the beverage in his hands, checking the time on his phone nonchalantly as he waited in anticipation. 7:24pm, it read. He sighed in boredom and ran his finger over the rim of the glass, leg bouncing up and down impatiently as he waited for it to reach 7:30pm. The time ticked by slowly, like watching grass grow or paint dry, however half past soon came and Kibum couldn’t prevent the inevitable grin that spread over his face. The lights dimmed even more, and Kibum quickly paid the bartender before pushing his way politely through the crowd to stand before the stage. The 19-year-old’s heart sped up, and he mentally slapped himself for being so stupid. Here he was, sneaking out of the house whilst his parents were at work to go and see a boy who didn’t even know his name. Who didn’t even know who he was. Despite the absurdity of his decisions, Kibum didn’t regret it in the slightest, feeling like a young teenager with an old fashion school girl crush.

Finally, after what seemed like far too long for Kibum’s liking, the boy in question finally walked on stage, sporting an adorable hat (in Kibum’s opinion) and a wide, beautiful smile.

“Good evening everyone!” Jonghyun greeted warmly, sitting on a stool positioned in the middle of the stage.

Kibum smiled even wider, if possible, and bit his lip in excitement.

“This first song I’m singing for you guys is called ‘U & I’, I hope you enjoy it,” he introduced gently, grabbing his guitar which rested against the stool and strumming it experimentally.

As the first line of the song cascaded from Jonghyun’s mouth, Kibum swore he nearly fainted, chills running down his spine and an indescribable warmth flooding through his veins and filling his body. A light blush spread over the younger boy’s cheeks, looking up at the singer with pure admiration in his feline eyes. The song finished soft and breathily, and Kibum applauded loudly along with the rest of the crowd that had gathered.

Jonghyun began the next song almost immediately; a soft ballad that had Kibum’s heart clenching and a melodramatic wave enveloping his petite form. Not that the song wasn’t good. It was much more than that, with meaningful words and a sad yet beautiful tone. Jonghyun had called it ‘Diphylleia Grayi’, and looked almost in tears by the end, Kibum not far behind him.

‘How is he not famous?’ Kibum asked himself in disbelief yet again, mouth agape in awe at the pure talent spilling out of this young, handsome man.

Of course, there was no answer to his internal question, but that didn’t stop him from contemplating the unfairness of the situation. A few more songs went by and finally, much to Kibum’s delight, Jonghyun began to sing ‘Hallelujah’, Kibum’s favourite by far. Totally entranced in the lyrics of the song, Kibum began to sing along softly, thinking only of the male on stage as he did so. Shaking his head to rid his pathetic, romantic thoughts of the older male, he focused his attention back to Jonghyun’s face, flushing crimson as he realised that the man was staring straight at him. And smiling, nonetheless. Kibum bit his lip softly, gazing up at the singer shyly through his long eyelashes with the same blush still lying upon his cheeks. And if Kibum didn’t know any better, he could’ve sworn that he saw an identical pink hue upon Jonghyun’s face, before the male diverted his gaze abruptly. But no, of course he wasn’t blushing because of Kibum. That thought was absolutely ludicrous. Well…in Kibum’s point of view at least.

Much to Kibum’s chagrin, the time flew by quickly, and before he knew it Jonghyun was saying goodbye and leaving the stage with his guitar in tow. The school student sighed tiredly and rubbed his eyes with a yawn, checking the time on his phone once again and breathing a sigh of relief.

8:06pm.

Kibum knew he had to be home by 9:00 at the latest, and figured he had enough time to down one last drink. He sat himself on the familiar stool by the bar, smiling at the bartender as he nodded towards the bottle of soju from before. The pierced man placed a glass of the alcohol before Kibum, leaving the student to his own devices as he left to serve other customers. Kibum took the glass in his long fingers and downed a mouthful of the substance, scrunching up his nose as the liquor burnt his throat on the way down.

“Don’t you think you’re a little young to be downing soju the way you are?” came a playful voice from beside him, and Kibum snapped his head around so fast he swore he received whiplash.

His eyes widened at the sight that met him, and if it wasn’t for the liquor inside his mouth, his jaw would’ve dropped too. Sitting there, right next to Kibum, was Jonghyun, the man of his (not so pure) dreams. Kibum swallowed his drink with a gulp, an immediate glow forming on his cheeks at the mere sight of the singer.

“I um…turned 19 around a month ago,” he stuttered in reply, slapping himself mentally at how stupid he sounded.

“Oh thank God. I was worried you were underage,” Jonghyun smiled, his pearly white teeth showing in a way that reminded Kibum of a dinosaur.

It seemed his smile was contagious, because all of a sudden Kibum’s dimples were on display as an impish grin grew on his face.

“Worried? Why would you be worrying about me?” Kibum asked curiously, biting his lip shyly as he drummed his fingers against the rim of his short glass.

“Well I have to protect my number one fan, don’t I?” he asked rhetorically, and all Kibum wanted to do at that moment was shield his blush from the adorable smirk on Jonghyun’s face.

“I really wouldn’t call myself your biggest fan…” began Kibum awkwardly, placing his beverage down to reposition the wild hair on top of his head.

“I beg to differ. Nobody else comes every week to watch me perform like you. And they sure as heck don’t know the lyrics to my favourite song.” argued the older male, and Kibum’s jaw dropped in surprise.

“It’s your favourite song too?” exclaimed Kibum excitedly, and Jonghyun chuckled heartedly at the younger boy’s glee.

“Definitely. And besides, if you were underage, I wouldn’t really be allowed to ask you out for coffee, now would I?”

If Kibum had chosen to take a sip at that exact moment, he would’ve found it sprayed all over Jonghyun’s face. Thankfully however, Kibum had opted to leave his drink alone, but that didn’t change the fact that he was utterly and most doubtlessly shocked.

“E-excuse me?” questioned Kibum, and Jonghyun had to cover his face to prevent the large blush on his face from showing.

“You heard me,” he repeated cheekily, and Kibum felt as though his face was ablaze, cheeks heating up furiously.

“You’re asking me…out for coffee?”

“Last time I checked, yes.”

Kibum would’ve squealed had it been that Jonghyun wasn’t there, however he was and so the former had to push all of his excitement down to the depths of his stomach.

“W-well…sure I’d love to, I suppose.” he stuttered quietly, quite a contrast to the incitement he really felt about the situation.

Was he dreaming? Was Jonghyun playing a joke on him? But after pinching himself in the arm a numerous amount of times, Kibum came to the conclusion that this definitely wasn’t a dream. And he was more than ecstatic about it.

“Fantastic! I was afraid you’d say no, but I’m really glad you didn’t. Did you want to swap numbers then?” spoke Jonghyun, and Kibum had to force himself to not look at the older boy’s lips as he did so.

“Yeah, alright.” agreed Kibum happily, fishing his phone out of his pocket and passing it over to Jonghyun.

Jonghyun tapped in his number swiftly, before switching over to camera mode and walking over to Kibum.

“Let’s take a selca together, okay?” he suggested, and Kibum nodded enthusiastically.

Jonghyun crouched down from behind Kibum, resting his chin on the younger’s shoulder and placing his hand on the student’s waist. Kibum’s eyes widened as he flushed crimson, licking his lips nervously as Jonghyun held his other arm in front of them.

“Smile!” he proclaimed, before snapping the photo of the two of them, both with large grins resting upon their faces.

“Wow, you look so cute in this!” Jonghyun commented, unknowingly causing butterflies to go wild in Kibum’s stomach.

“T-thanks,” replied Kibum shyly, a small smile appearing on his cat-like face.

“No worr-“, Jonghyun began, only to be cut off as Kibum’s phone buzzed in his palm.

“Ah! Kibum…you’ve got a message,” he exclaimed, eyes widening slightly.

“Oh, thank you,” said Kibum, gently taking the phone out of Jonghyun’s grasp. “But how did you know my name?”

Jonghyun laughed softly, scratching the back of his neck in a cute manner.

“Your mother seems to be rather angry…’Kibum, where the heck are you, young man? Answer me this instant!’” he imitated with a chuckle, Kibum’s eyes widening in horror.

“Oh no! I forgot all about my parents…they have no idea that I went out!” he spoke worriedly, paling considerably in horror.

“Aish…you little rebel. Do you want me to drive you home then?” offered Jonghyun kindly, eyes furrowed in concern.

Kibum blinked at the politeness of the older male, falling for him even more than he thought possible.

“Y-yes, please. I’d love that,” Kibum smiled in response, standing up and bravely wrapping his arms around Jonghyun’s torso in thanks.

Jonghyun looked surprised for a few seconds, before he sunk into the hug and wrapped his own arms around Kibum’s waist.

“No worries, Kibum. Let’s go then, my car’s parked out the back,” he stated, pulling away gently and ruffling Kibum’s hair.

Kibum blushed slightly before furrowing his brows in anger.

“God damn it, Jonghyun! Do you know how long it took to get my hair perfect?” scolded Kibum, trying desperately to fix each separate strand of hair as quickly as possible.

He was stopped in his failed attempt as Jonghyun grabbed his hands and took them in his own, successfully stopping Kibum in his tracks as well as reddening the boy’s cheeks for the umpteenth time that hour.

“Calm down…besides, your hair looks perfect either way.”

That comment shut Kibum up immediately, the student biting his lip with glee at the small compliment. How could someone seriously be so perfect? And why was someone so perfect being so nice to him in the first place? Kibum didn’t really understand the luck he’d been receiving that night, but decided not to question it. After all, it does no good to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“Come on then,” prompted Jonghyun friendlily, releasing one of Kibum’s hands but keeping the other locked firmly with his own.

With Jonghyun leading the way to the back door, Kibum couldn’t help but look down at their entwined hands, smiling brightly as his stomach did flips upon flips within itself.

Arriving at the older male’s car, Kibum nearly laughed aloud, not expecting the bomb his eyes were met with.

“This is your car? You’ve got to be kidding me!” Kibum exclaimed with a giggle, muffling the majority of his laughter in the sleeve of his jacket.

“Nope, this is definitely my car. I don’t get paid a whole heap for these gigs, you know.” he laughed in reply, unlocking it with a slight struggle.

Kibum hopped into the passenger seat with a small frown, earning a curious look from Jonghyun.

“You should, you know. Get paid more. You’re amazing. Better than half the celebrities out there these days.” he spoke softly, risking a glance at Jonghyun who was blushing furiously.

‘Cute.’

“No…I’m not that good. All those celebrities can dance and have stage presence, but all I can do is sing and write songs. Nobody would buy my albums.” replied Jonghyun humbly, starting the engine of the car and backing out of the parking lot.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. That’s what music is, you idiot! Meaningful songs and beautiful voices to go along with them. That’s exactly what you have, and you’re crazy to think otherwise.” Kibum argued, his diva side taking over and leaving no room for disagreement.

“T-thank you, Kibum. You truly have no idea how much that means to me.” whispered Jonghyun, just loud enough for Kibum’s ears to pick up on it.

Kibum smiled softly, and began to direct Jonghyun to where his house was situated. They reached it within a mere 5 minutes, and Kibum would be lying if he said he was happy to be home again.

“Thanks a ton for driving me home, Jonghyun. You didn’t have to,” thanked Kibum as they pulled up before his house, undoing his seatbelt and facing Jonghyun.

“No worries, Kibum. Besides, I couldn’t leave a pretty boy like you wandering the streets alone at this time of the night. Who knows what could’ve happened,” replied the singer, laughing heartily as Kibum shied away in embarrassment.

“Don’t say stuff like that. You’ll jinx it,” replied Kibum in a whine, playfully hitting the older male on the arm.

“Text me about our coffee date tomorrow,” reminded Jonghyun, just as Kibum was about to open the car door.

Kibum turned around, a cute smile displayed on his face.

“Date?” he asked cheekily, Jonghyun turning rouge as he realised his slip up.

“Y-yeah…that’s what all the kids are calling them these days, right?”

“Yeah, sure…whatever floats your boat, Jonghyun,” giggled Kibum, running a hand through his wind-blown hair.

“Oh and Kibum, before you leave…” started Jonghyun, reaching out for Kibum’s hand as he got out of the car.

“Neh?”

“I um…I like your dimples,” blushed Jonghyun, purposely avoiding eye contact with Kibum as the younger boy stared in astonishment.

“T-Thank you, Jonghyun. I like your nose…it’s a very cute shape.” responded Kibum awkwardly, running his hand through his hair again as he bit his lower lip.

Jonghyun laughed softly, nodding in farewell to Kibum as he started the engine.

“Good luck with your parents, Kibum.”

Kibum merely waved with a smile in reply, closing the door softly and walking briskly up to his front porch. Jonghyun waited until the younger boy was safely inside before taking off back home, a large smile on his face as he anticipated the text message he would receive tomorrow.