Hold Me Tight (Or Don't) → INDA

Chapter One

He stops when Taeyang comes out of the back room, freezing at the sight of Sanghyuk's expression and Inseong's burning face. "Did I- should I...?" His gaze drops to the floor and he scuffs the toe of his sneaker against it, blushing. "Am I interrupting?"

"Nope!" Sanghyuk chirps as if the conversation had never happened, and Taeyang looks up to Inseong, who shrugs in annoyance and smiles at him encouragingly. Taeyang nods back, grinning, before sliding a black hat over his bleached hair. "What should we start with?"

"You need to stretch if you didn't in the changing room, so let's do that."

Inseong starts to space out after the two dancers start to work on their routine, finding himself watching his reflection in the mirror across the room. The rain outside has begun to come down harder, choking out any light from the other side of the street, where Inseong knows a fast food joint is bustling with customers at this hour. It wouldn't appear that way from the storm and the haze rising up from the ground, but he knows from personal experience that McDonalds is wilding at 8:30PM. The lights flicker when a burst of thunder rumbles from above them. He yelps, catching Sanghyuk's lip turn up in the corner from the mirror. Their eyes meet, and he immediately picks up his phone to check the time.

8:47. An hour and thirteen minutes more and he could leave, unless he killed himself or Sanghyuk before the night was over. In the more probable case of the two, he'd be going to prison immediately unless Taeyang took up a shovel and buried the body with him.

Speaking of the blonde, Inseong looks up curiously when he begins to step back, taking a nervous breath in.

"If you can get this, then we're getting an easy A," Sanghyuk shoots him a thumbs up, stepping back and turning around so his back presses against the mirror. "You can do it."

"Shut up," Taeyang snaps, but Inseong catches the bashful grin he hides when he ducks his head down. "I've done it before."

Sanghyuk shakes his head, scoffing. "Prove it."

Inseong has no idea what Taeyang's doing, but leans forward in anticipation when the blonde takes another step back. He shoots backward when Taeyang runs and lunges forward, body folding over sideways into a flip. He lands on his feet, stumbling to the side, before falling. Inseong jumps up and catches the laughing boy just before he hits the ground.

"I told you!" Taeyang giggles, dusting off his pants as he stands up. "I just need to stick the landing." Inseong slips back against the wall.

Sanghyuk claps, closing his eyes. "I love a legend."

8:55. Holy fuck. Inseong was about to commit the worst crime upon this dance studio.

Taeyang tries again, this time not falling sideways after landing but instead completely fucks the landing, not even able to catch himself before going down. His head hits first.

Sanghyuk falls next to him. "Shit!"

"Woah- you okay!?" Inseong crouches next to Taeyang, eyes widened.

Taeyang coughs, the corners of his lips turning upwards even though they tremble a bit from the lack of breath and shock running through him. "'m okay," he gasps, the wind knocked out of him completely.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Taeyang nods, laughing quietly. "I'll be okay."

Sanghyuk looks up to Inseong with worry, and, for a moment, Inseong doesn't hate him. But then he remembers who he is and he hates him again. Sanghyuk pulls his lips taut, staring down Inseong, who glares back at him challengingly.

"Let's take five," says Sanghyuk, not breaking eye contact. His blonde hair bounces as he stands up, brown roots showing through the strands. Inseong squares his shoulders in response.