PAIRING: ten x dancer!fem!reader
GENRE: fluff, angst?, childhood friends to lovers
WARNINGS: cursing, kissing
SYNOPSIS: dancing has always been the passion that you've been working towards, and your friend, ten, cheered you on, until your careers led you astray
WORD COUNT: 9.9k
A/N: super incredibly late birthday gift for @jae10velies !!! idk how to write angst, i am full of love and positivity. i also don't know anything about dancing, oops
As a child, you always showed an interest in dance. Your parents didn't need to turn on music for you to try new moves. At parties, you were always on the dance floor, either tumbling around as a three-year-old or performing a solo dance at six years old.
Your parents agreed to let you join dance classes, sensing your passion and hoping to keep you busy. Whether it was ballet, ballroom, or contemporary, you were looking to expand your knowledge. They understood that a dance career was in view when you would win competitions at school, your dance academy, and even in regionals.
Your dance studio had a big gym where gymnastics classes were held. One day, when you were seven years old, you had to go to the gym to put back some equipment your teacher from down the hall had borrowed. When you opened the door, you saw the back of a boy in a black leotard standing in front of you, on a beam. You stood in place as he stretched, curiously waiting for him to do a trick.
The boy suddenly stepped back a little, and you straightened in anticipation. He stretches his hands up and suddenly does a handstand on the beam. You let out a small gasp as he starts using his hands to go to the other side of the beam. He goes back to standing normally on the beam, before flipping and landing on the right of the beam, facing you.
"Who are you?" The boy asks, tilting his head to the side. He has black, choppy hair and stands at the same height as you. You quickly rush over to stand in front of him, putting the box of equipment down.
"I'm Y/N! I was just returning things my ballet teacher took. You're really good!" You smile at the boy, who smiles in return. He seems nice!
"Hi, Y/N! I'm Ten! I was training for a competition I have tomorrow at 5 P.M. It'll be here, you should come!" Ten happily informs you. You're surprised he invited you, even though you just met.
"I would love to! If I get out of my contemporary dance quick enough, I will bring my parents!" You respond, and Ten nods at you. "Do you go to school near here? I do."
"No," Ten shakes his head, "I go to the private school in the city. I guess we will only see each other around here. Which is why you should come tomorrow! I'll come to your next competition too, just tell me!"
You giggle and nod, causing Ten to laugh along. You suddenly look at the box by your feet. You pick it up and put it in the storage room, and Ten follows you. "Okay, I should go back. I think my parents is waiting for me. Maybe our parents can meet, I know mine will say yes! I have another competition next week here for ballet, so you should come!"
Ten nods and waves you goodbye, hoping to see his new dancing friend.
The next day, Ten sits around the arrays of benches with other gymnasts. He scans the bustling crowd in front of him, excitedly waving at his parents, who wave back. He wonders if the girl from yesterday would be there too, and he searches for you.
Ten starts to frown when he doesn't see you, but then the door opens, and he sees you walk in with who he thinks are your parents. While you wore a black leotard with pink tights the day before, you stood at the door wearing black sweatpants with a white leotard underneath. You wave excitedly at each other as soon as you make eye contact. Ten runs over to you as he still had five minutes left.
"Hi, Y/N!" Ten says, bowing to your parents behind you. You see who you think are Ten's parents approach behind him, and bow to them. He turns around and smiles harder. "Mom, dad, this is Y/N! She's who I talked about yesterday!"
"It's nice to meet you, Y/N. Ten's told us you would come, so we saved seats beside ours." Ten's father says as he and his mom bow to yours. Your parents talk as they go to your seats.
"Good luck, Ten! I know you'll win!" You smile at the boy, and he nods shyly. You wave as you rush to your parents, who were looking for you.
The competition starts, but as you're watching all the contestants, you're slightly bored. Although you assured Ten that he'd win before the competition, you're sure of it now. The other kids did not stun you as much as Ten did yesterday, and you were ready to see Ten's act and go home with a gold medal.
The gymnast before Ten goes to the centre of the gym, and you make eye contact again with Ten, who smiles at you. You smile and bring your hands to your ear, closing your eyes to mimic sleep. You open them to find Ten laughing, which makes you smile.
Ten's teacher taps his shoulder, signalling for him to get up. He looks back up to you, and you give a small thumbs up, silently cheering him on. You, your parents, and Ten's parents all lean forward to watch the boy.
Ten walks to the beam, sitting on it and spreading his legs to the side. You didn't know anything about gymnastics, but you noticed everyone doing small stretches before finishing off with a big act.
Ten gets back up on the beam and takes long strides, stretching his arms and legs in many directions, and, despite doing small stretches on and off the beam, maintains a gracefulness you admire. You wonder how he would fare in your dance studios. You see him getting ready to do his final handstand walk act, which you caught him doing the day before.
When Ten gets off the beam and bows for the crowd, you get up from your seat, trying to clap and cheer the loudest, and the laugh Ten lets out as he looks up at you tells you you've succeeded. Your parents and Ten's parents were only clapping, but when they saw your enthusiasm, they cheered along.
Thankfully, Ten's was the last performance, which meant you could cheer without being shushed immediately. You could tell that even if it weren't for you, the round of applause for Ten was the loudest out of all the performers.
You hold onto your mom's thigh as the podium is announced. Ten hadn't gotten third or second, and you were sure he was first. You were staring at each other, and you smiled at him, reducing the nerves on his face.
"And first place is... Ten!" The announcer says. You immediately jump up and scream. Ten's parents laugh and cheer, and your parents just watch how excited you were for your friend of one day. Ten went up to get his medal, bowing at the presenter once his gold medal was put on his neck.
Ten laughs when he sees you and his parents at the stands, cheering along with you. When the event is over, you all run down to him. You wait for Ten's parents to stop hugging him and telling him how proud they are of him, so you can have your turn. Ten immediately turns to you, and you immediately put your arms around his neck.
"See! I told you you would win! Nothing to be nervous about!" You exclaim in Ten's arms, and he laughs in your ear.
"I should have believed you!" Ten seconds before letting go of you. Your parents congratulate him, and he bows before turning to his parents. "Can we come to see Y/N's ballet competition next week? I haven't seen her dance, but I know she'll win!"
"Yeah, I win all the time at all my dance competitions!" You add, turning from Ten to his parents. His parents look at yours, who laugh and quietly tell them they should come.
"Before that, I believe this calls for something..." Ten's father says, putting his hands on Ten's shoulders, "A celebratory dinner! We would like you to join us. We can discuss Y/N's dancing over food."
Your father laughs, "We would be delighted to." You smile as you turn to Ten, who has the same smile on his face.
You and Ten, from then on, were inseparable. As you didn't go to the same school, you only saw each other at the academy or at each other's houses. Your parents had agreed to alternate drivers each week. One week, your mom would pick you up, and the following week, Ten's dad would.
You had many competitions, and because Ten's parents were busy, your parents would pick him up to be there for your dancing. You had met his grandmother, who would also tag along as she liked to watch dancing.
"You know, my grandma wants me to dance too." The now 13-year-old Ten says as you sit across from each other, picking at the noodles on his plate. You and your dance partner had just won a ballroom dancing competition, and you were sitting in a bright red dress, while Ten wore a dress shirt and bow tie. You raise your eyebrows at this.
"Really? And what do you think?" You ask him, leaning a bit forward. Ten was relatively shy, especially now that you have grown. At some of the parties his parents invite you to, you'd have to convince Ten to join you on the dancefloor, but his fluidity carried over from gymnastics, matching your steps immediately.
"Well, she shows me a lot of K-Pop groups. I think Super Junior's really cool. I kinda want to, but I still don't know. I feel like this is something you should be doing." Ten answers, looking up at you with sad eyes. You couldn't tell if it was guilt in his eyes for wanting to be a K-Pop idol, or if he didn't want to be a K-Pop idol.
"Don't think about me, Ten. This is about you. It's kinda funny that your grandma introduced you to K-Pop, though." You smile at him, and you watch as he laughs, still picking at his food. "Plus, I don't sing, I only wanna be a choreographer. I've heard you sing, you're good. You're a good dancer, too, but gymnastics isn't giving you confidence. You should switch to some of my classes. Then we can finally be classmates!"
You look to your parents, who are talking to Ten's father and grandmother. Ten's little sister is sitting beside you, silent. She always preferred you over her brother. Your mom raises her eyebrows at you, indicating that she heard your conversation.
After coming home, your mother pulls you aside, "Ten's grandmother told us she wanted to put Ten in one of your classes. How do you feel about that?"
You shrug, knowing your mother was worried, "I really don't mind, Mom. I think he'll be good. I don't think he'd be stealing my spotlight." Your mother pats your head with a small smile, although she can see the unsure look on your face.
Next week, Ten joins you in your contemporary class. Your teacher, who is on the gymnastics faculty, happily accepts Ten, knowing that he can transition easily, given his gymnastics skills. You were nervous when you saw that Ten had easily learned the choreography your class was practicing.
Over the next few weeks, you saw Ten progress faster than you ever could. You felt proud of your friend, but slightly jealous. You knew he was doing this to be an idol while you just wanted to be in the world of dance, but you didn't want to see him at your competitions as your enemy rather than your supporter.
The classes before your teacher had to prepare you for the contemporary dance competition were met with an awkward tension between you and Ten that only you felt. Ten could tell that you were slightly agitated, as you were almost entirely silent in the car instead of talking about school and your friends as you always did.
"How's Ten been doing in your classes?" Your mother asks as she drives you back from your ballet class. Your face scrunches up, and your mother spots it in the rearview mirror.
"He's been good. He caught up quick to everyone's dances, and I heard my teacher tell him he could even do a solo next time." You sigh, and your mother sees your eyes well up with tears.
"I know it's hard, Y/N. You've worked so hard on this dream of yours, and you don't want to be overshadowed, especially by your best friend. But know that he's not doing it on purpose. Your father and I will always support you, and I know Ten and his family do too. You have to be supportive, too, okay?" She reminds you, and you feel a few tears fall.
You didn't want to harbour jealousy, especially not towards the cute guy you've been best friends with for almost half your life.
During class, Ten tried to pry you open, standing closer to you than usual during stretches, and asking you for help with some dance moves that you knew he didn't need. When the class ended, you stayed behind to talk to your teacher about the upcoming competition. As it was a regional, you were worried if you would even be chosen, as only one person from your class could be chosen.
"Of course you're our representative, Y/N. Why would you think you aren't?" Your teacher reassures you, patting your shoulder as you're slumped over.
"Oh, I just assumed Ten might be chosen. He's a fast learner and doesn't make many mistakes." You admit. You look up at your teacher, whose eyebrows are raised.
"You haven't heard?" Your teacher asks, and you look at her in confusion, "Ten's gonna be on that new idol show that's coming. He can't participate in the competition, but you were always our first choice." She smiles at you, and you nod, feeling a swirl of emotions.
You walked to the exit, where Ten was waiting for you. Questions filled your mind: Why did he not tell me? I thought I was his best friend?
Ten smiles at you when he sees you, but you can't bring one to your face. You see a flash of concern on his face, but it's quickly replaced with shock as his grandmother walks up to the two of you.
"Hi, Y/N," Ten's grandmother greets you as she turns to take you into Ten's father's car, "Are you ready for your tournament next week? I'll be there to watch, but Ten and his parents won't be."
"Why's that?" You ask. Your tone is polite enough that Ten's grandmother won't notice it, but Ten looks at you, sensing some anger in your voice.
"You haven't told her?" Ten's grandmother looks at Ten with surprise, and you take this moment to glare at Ten. His eyes are on you, shining with guilt.
"I've been accepted into the new idol show. I won't be around during it. If I win, I could go to South Korea and train like a real K-Pop trainee." Ten answers, scratching his neck once you approach his father's car. You just hum, not wanting to say anything without thinking first.
The car ride is awkward. Ten waits for you to say something, evident by the way his knees are facing you, and you can feel his gaze shift from your face to the front of the car, seeing the car get closer and closer to your house.
As the car stops at your house, you turn to Ten, who has a pleading look on his face, and his hands are on his thighs, but you can tell he's itching to hold yours and ask you to say something, anything.
"Good luck, Ten. We'll be rooting for you." You finally say with a small smile, putting a hand on his shoulder before reaching for the door. He smiles, putting his hand over yours, and nods. When you get out of the car, you look back at him. You can barely see it through his window's tint, but you could swear that you saw a tear fall down his smiling face.
You watched the show with great interest. Ten was always away, and you felt awkward going to his house without him there. His grandmother would visit your competitions, as Ten's parents grew too busy. She would gush over Ten's progress.
You were proud of your best friend. You saw his talent, and it was rewarding for the country to see it. He was easily the best participant on the show. His singing and stability while dancing surprised you, and you wonder why you never asked to see him perform before he left. You were excited to see him once he came back and made a note to tease him about his red hair.
However, you were increasingly busy, as well. You were travelling a lot for your competitions, and you were now good enough for nationals. You had many offers to go abroad to improve your dancing, but your parents deemed you too young to go away alone and were considering moving all together.
Ten's show was coming to a close, and his family started inviting you over to watch the final episodes together. You had a lot of fun, holding hands with your mom and Ten's grandmother while praying he wouldn't get eliminated.
You remember the final episode. Ten's family had you over once again, and the nerves were high. The dinner on the dining table was growing cold as everyone stood around the TV in anticipation, even though the show had just started, meaning you still had to sit through everyone's performances. You were surprised at the strength with which Ten's grandmother was holding your hand.
On screen, you could see Ten's nervous expression, which he easily masked from anyone who didn't know him, and he showed no weakness. In that moment, you couldn't help but wonder if he knew you were watching. Of course, he would. I'm his best friend.
Finally, the show was coming to an end, and all the participants were standing on stage, holding each other's hands. Ten was fully nervous now, and the relief on his face mirrored yours as contestant after contestant was eliminated.
Everyone's grip on each other's hands somehow tightened even more as more people were eliminated, until finally, Ten and one other person were on stage, standing on either side of the host. You leaned closer to the TV, even though you could hear and see perfectly well.
You try to grip onto your mother and Ten's grandmother's hands harder.
The house erupts in cheers. You jump, hugging your mother and father tightly, tears streaming down your face. You might now be friends with a K-Pop idol. You turn to Ten's parents, but his grandmother grabs you first, sobbing into your arms.
"Ten really wanted to be an idol not just for me, but for you. He was inspired by you and wanted to pursue a career similar to yours so you'd stay together." Ten's grandmother tells you, still crying. Your sobs become louder at this fact, hating that you ever were mad at him. He just wanted to stay by your side.
You hug Ten's parents and sister, jumping up and down in celebration as his grandmother goes to heat up all the food. You walk back to your mother, sobbing in her arms again, not out of joy, but guilt. Your mother pats your back and tells you it's okay, having heard Ten's grandmother's words to you.
After dinner, you go back to Ten's room, which you were allowed in whenever he wasn't at home. You look at his gymnastics medals and trophies, which stopped after he joined your dance classes last year. You sit on his bed, looking at his photos around the room. As this was his family's house, he barely had pictures of them in his room; instead, there were many pictures of you and some of his school friends.
You walk up to one of the pictures. Ten was holding a trophy you won from ballet, while you had one from ballroom. You had back-to-back tournaments that day, and Ten was with you the whole time. The smiles on your nine-year-old selves made you smile, and you wish you had Ten beside you with an arm around you, like in the picture.
You sit back on his bed, putting your face in your hands. Would his parents let him be a trainee? Would you and your family move before he goes to South Korea? Would you never talk again? Suddenly, your father calls you down to leave, and you smile before closing the door to Ten's room, excited to be back with him one day.
To your surprise, Ten came back. His parents also thought he was too young to go abroad alone, and didn't allow him to become a trainee in South Korea just yet. Ten expressed his disappointment to you the day you saw each other again, but he wore a big smile, happy to finally see you.
You tried to spend more time together outside of dance class and competitions, but it became increasingly difficult as you got older, and the pressure felt harder. Whenever Ten was in your house, you would find yourselves sitting on the stairwell, listening to your parents' conversations.
"I like the idea of moving a month after Y/N graduates next year. Her graduation is before Ten's. I don't want her to miss it." You hear your mother suggest. You and Ten look at each other solemnly. You knew you were going to move for a while, and Ten wanted to learn all the details so that he could find you again.
"I think that's good. She gets some time to visit her favourite places here before we leave. We'll have to talk to her about which offer she prefers. I think there were union offers, dance academy offers, and even auditions from big names around the world. Hopefully, a talent agent, too, so she can get helpful advice." You hear your father say, much closer to the stairs.
"Do you think she'd take a Korean offer? That way, she and Ten would be able to support each other in another country." Your mother asks, walking closer to your father. Your mother knew you were each other's sources of happiness. Recently, since you turned 16, she keeps asking you if you had a crush on him, and you just blush before telling her to leave your room. Ten leans closer to the bars on your stairs to listen better.
"I don't think we have any Korean offers just yet. Maybe soon, but I think America would be better overall. I think Ten's father told him to wait until he graduates before auditioning for Korean agencies. I hear it's hard to be an idol, but I think he can easily make a name for himself." You can hear the smile in your father's voice, and you look over at Ten, who is giddy. You quietly go back to your room, ready to debrief.
"Please take Korean offers, Y/N. Please. If you ever get offers from SM, take them. I'm gonna make sure I get in." Ten smiles confidently as he drops down beside you on your bed, making you giggle.
"You're so sure. Why don't you get into SM first, and I'll think about it. I need more international experience before I get Korean offers. My resume isn't as good as yours." You tease, nudging his shoulder with yours.
"Trust me, I'm gonna be a K-Pop idol, and you're gonna be my choreographer. I'll make sure my members listen to you, and if they don't, I'll let you slap them."
As the school year ended, you and Ten were extremely busy. You barely had time to be together, and when you did, you were studying together. You and Ten left the dance academy as exam season approached, thankful that some of your stress had been alleviated. You left to take a brief break before working hard abroad, and Ten was preparing for auditions with different Korean agencies.
You attended each other's graduations, full of happiness and tears. You watched him grab his diploma, and he watched you grab yours. You sat across from each other during dinner, as if you had won another competition, but it felt bittersweet. This was going to be your last dinner with Ten and his family for a while, you're sure.
You look at the 17-year-old Ten in front of you. His hair had long returned to being black. It was shaggy, and you found him to look cute like this. Your crush never faltered, only strengthening as Ten had always brought your favourite snacks every time you met up to study.
You were going to miss your best friend. The one who immediately wanted you to see him do gymnastics exactly 10 years ago. The one who always wanted to see you, no matter the occasion. The one who had more pictures of you than anyone else in his room.
"I can't believe it's been 10 years. I could make a lot of jokes with my name, but I know you'll be pissed." Ten jokes, but you can see the frown on his face as he plays around with his food. You frown, knowing he's reduced his food intake in order to be an idol.
"I'm gonna miss your bad jokes." You humour Ten, who sticks his tongue out, now smiling as he pushes his food around with his fork.
The following month, you and Ten spend as much time together as possible. You were at his house watching him dance and sing along to K-Pop dances, or he was at yours, watching you learn harder choreographies, sometimes joining in to challenge himself.
Whether you were sitting beside each other on your beds or standing in line for a store, you and Ten were closer than ever before. You didn't know if he realized your knees or shoulders were touching, but you were always too afraid to bring it up. He probably sees me as his sister.
Finally, the day came. Ten helped you empty your belongings in the days leading up to your flight, and there were barely any smiles between you.
Ten luckily got accepted into SM before you left, and his parents arranged his flight to be the day after yours.
"I told you I would make it. Now, whenever you have the chance, you better come to SM. Just call my parents, and they'll tell me." Ten barely whispered to you in tears on the car ride. His entire family was dropping your family off at the airport.
You let your tears fall, gripping onto Ten's hand on your lap. You didn't want to leave. You didn't want to lose contact with him, but you knew you would. You knew he would not have any time to himself, especially not with his family and friends, as a trainee; it was a known fact. You knew he couldn't have any rumours, so you kept your feelings to yourself.
As you stand before security, you're even quieter. Ten's father holds your shoulder as his mother and sister are hugging you, tears rolling down their faces and onto your shirt. His grandmother holds you tight, muttering in your hair to stay safe and work hard.
You turn to Ten, face red and wet. Your heart breaks at the sight of him, knowing you were the reason behind the tears, but it makes you feel selfish, happy even. You were grateful to have an amazing friend who stuck by you for so long. If he was truly the one, which you hope he was, you know you'll find him again.
Ten hugs you, and you think this is the hardest he's ever hugged you. He squeezes your neck with one arm, squeezing your waist with the other. You can feel him sobbing in your hair, and you're sure you're doing the same thing.
"I'm seeing you again. Just wait." Ten says in your hair, and you nod, your face in his neck.
"We've got a few more requests for you." Your talent manager says as you pick up her call. You were with your family after having been a backup dancer for almost an entire year, as many artists had decided to tour.
"I don't know... I think I need a break. I'm with my family after so long, I don't think I need to be a backup right now." You groan into your phone, and your mother laughs as she watches TV beside you.
Your mother and father have been living in the same house since you first moved 12 years ago, and you wanted to sleep in your family's home rather than in your apartment.
"These aren't backup dancer requests. It's a few choreography request. From a company called SM Entertainment in South Korea." You sit up straight at your manager's words, and you can hear a small smirk in her voice. You hadn't told her about Ten despite being close to her, but you told her you wished for SM. You were afraid she would try to look for him, and you were scared.
You knew you should have looked up Ten's name whenever you were free, but you were worried whether he had even debuted, and if he didn't, you knew it would crush your heart. Your parents regularly contacted Ten's parents when you first moved, but they didn't have many updates on Ten. Recently, everyone has been too busy to call each other. You've rarely had alone time on your phone, and when you did have time, you only thought about being with friends and family.
"SM Entertainment? We've never had any requests from them. How do we suddenly have a few?" You ask, and your father turns to look at you from the single sofa beside you. Your mother also straightens up and whispers to you to put the call on speaker, which you do.
"I'm not sure. It seems the one who's requested you wants you to choreograph his entire solo album, the single for a Japanese album, and the company said if they like your work, they might have you as a regular for their groups." Your manager says, and you can hear her mouse click as she reads out the description requests.
You look over to your parents, who have both leaned closer to hear your manager. You had choreographed for many K-Pop groups when they came to America, some in smaller companies and some in bigger ones, and you wonder whether SM had scouted you or if it was your old friend.
"What's his name?" You breathe out, holding onto your mother's hand.
"His name is..." You hold your breath, wondering if your manager was keeping your entire family on their toes on purpose, "Ten. He's a member of... WayV, which is part of the larger group NCT." Your manager reads from her screen, but you feel your body go numb.
You can feel your parents happily turn to each other, but fear starts to settle in. What if he's doing this to confront you? "Why have you never contacted me?" You can hear in his voice, but you're sure it's changed now, "I hate you."
"Y/N? What's your answer?" Your manager's voice snaps you out of your trance. You look to your parents, who are nodding hysterically. You smile as you nod at them.
"Yes. I would love to." You respond. Your mother puts a hand on your shoulder and squeezes it.
"Oh? You would love to?" Your manager teases, and your whole family playfully rolls their eyes, "You've never said this about anyone before. Is he your celebrity crush?"
"No," You laugh, "But he was my crush like 12 years ago. We were best friends, and I know he's gonna get on my ass for not trying to find him."
You suddenly cover your mouth at your words, looking around at your parents. They laugh, knowing you're past the age where you should care about swearing in front of them.
"Oh, what? You're telling me about this later. In that case, though, I'll make sure to get back to his team. I believe they would like you to fly in in two days, but I'll ask again. In the meantime, start packing up!" Your manager suggests. You say your short goodbyes and end the call. You can now feel the butterflies in your stomach.
"Wow. I can't believe it's actually happening." Your father marvels as he sits beside you.
"You'll finally see him after so long, and I'm sure he won't be mad at you." Your mother reassures you, like she always did. You nod, trying to fight back the tears threatening to appear.
"Are you excited to see him, then?" Your manager asks from beside you. You're out of the plane and at Incheon Airport, waiting for your bags. You've been nervously fidgeting, even though you were to go to SM Entertainment tomorrow.
"Fuck," You gulp, "I really don't know. Of course, I miss my best friend, and I want us to be able to tell each other stories now that we've achieved the lives we've been working toward, but I don't want him to view me negatively. Like I've forgotten him or have been avoiding him."
"I'm sure he'll understand. If he doesn't, then maybe don't go back to him. You don't know how these idols are." Your manager lectures you, and you smile, feeling as if your parents are with you, although they believe Ten will be the same as he was as a child and have told you to send him their regards. You were going to video call them with him anyway.
"Yeah, you're right. I hope he's the same." You mutter, more to yourself than your manager. You pick up your luggage, which has finally arrived, and head to your hotel. You wanted to meet Ten first before touring Korea, hoping he would be your guide.
The next morning, you can hear your manager let out small giggles as you get ready. You woke up early and spent more time on your teeth, chose your clothes carefully, and kept redoing your makeup.
"I've never seen you so nervous for something. It's cute how much you wanna impress him." Your manager says as you leave your shared hotel room, gaining an eye roll from you. She told you she got a text from SM's representatives, who had sent a car for you.
Your manager tries to calm you down on the ride to the SM building, which wasn't far. Your leg was shaking, and she asked you about your life with Ten before, hoping to calm you down. You told her about how you met, how he transferred into your dance class, how you were always carpooling and hanging out at each other's houses. She kept pausing your storytelling to express how cute she found your friendship, letting out many "Aw"s.
You feel the car stop completely, and your nerves that were gone came back. The driver tells you you've arrived, and your manager puts a hand on your shoulder before signalling to get out of the vehicle.
Once you were out of the car, you saw two women, masked and wearing all black, standing by the door. Your manager smiled at them, and they hurried over to them. One woman spoke in Korean, and you assumed the lady beside her, who was listening attentively, was to translate for her.
The interpreter turns to you, "Hi, I'm one of Ten's staff members, and this is his manager. Ten requested to meet with you alone before working on choreography, but we wanted to make sure that's okay with you first."
"Yes, that's fine." You answer before your manager can, and she gives you a slight smirk. The women nod before leading you into the building.
You see many people in the building's lobby, with service desks and even cafes. You wonder how lavishly Ten must have been living. You figured on looking up Ten online since you were called to SM, but preferred to hear everything from the source himself.
The women bring you into an elevator and press the tenth floor. You try to stop yourself from giggling, still finding sightings of Ten's name funny. You've missed hearing his annoying jokes.
The elevator finally opens, and the women lead you to the door of what you assumed to be a green room, which is right beside a large practice room with windows looking in. Your heart beats fast, and you're unsure if it'll only be Ten and you in there, or if he'll still have staff around.
Ten's manager checks her watch before turning to the interpreter, speaking to her in Korean. Your manager turns to you with a light smile, knowing you were nervous.
"Ten asked for 15 minutes with you. He told us you're friends and wanted to catch up. If either of you forgets to come to the practice room right beside, using the door in there, one of us will knock." The interpreter informs you.
"You'll be fine, right?" You ask your manager, turning to her. She raises an eyebrow at you, and you can see by her eyes that she was going to ask you the same thing. You playfully scoff before giving her a hug.
"I hope you have fun. Make sure to take a picture for your family!" Your manager calls out as she is led to the practice room beside. You laugh before turning back to the door in front of you.
You wipe your hands on your pants, wiping away the sweat that's accumulated on them. You can hear your heartbeat in your ears, and take deep breaths to calm yourself down. You knock on the door a few times, hoping to hear a response.
"Come in!" You recognize the voice that calls out. His voice has only slightly deepened, despite it being 12 years since you've heard it.
You open the door slightly, trying to take a peek before walking in fully. You can see a bit of Ten's back, his pants loose and black, and a white sweater. From what you can see, his hair is blond and down to his neck.
You open the door completely, and the man in front of you turns around. You feel your eyes raise as he looks a lot like he did before you left, maybe even younger. You can't tell whether he was completely bare-faced or had a little makeup on. His smile is the same as it always looked when he looked at you, and you wonder if he's been told to tone down his toothy smile for his image.
"It's been over a decade, and you're just gonna stand there?" Ten asks, causing you to giggle. You walk towards him, and he opens his arms out for you, which you happily fall into. His arms are placed in the exact spot they were that day in the airport. You feel your eyes brimming with tears again, happy to be back in his arms, no matter how different he may have become.
"Last time I hugged you, I probably looked like a mess." Ten sighs in your hair. You nod in his neck once again.
"I could feel your tears and snot in my hair." You joke, and Ten laughs before pulling away. You're standing much closer now, and Ten's hands hold onto your forearms.
"I can't believe we're together again," you feel your heart skip a beat at his words, "How are you? How's your family? I heard your portfolio from the choreography staff, you've made it!" Ten suddenly exclaims, gesturing for you to sit beside him on the futon at the edge of the room.
You sit down first, and Ten moves to sit almost directly beside you. His knee is touching yours, and you smile at the fact that he isn't reserved with you after so long.
"I'm good! I just finished a bunch of backup gigs and was about to take a break and spend time with my parents, but then I got your request. I almost said no because I wanted to be with my parents, but they lowkey told me to leave them alone and spend time with you." You joke, and Ten laughs. "How are your parents?"
"I always knew your parents loved me more than you." Ten nudges your shoulder. "My parents are okay. You're gonna be surprised by how big my sister is now. I haven't told them I'm seeing you today. Should I call them?" He smiles, and you nod hysterically. You let Ten call his parents first.
"Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad! Oh, is everyone there? Great, because I have a surprise for you all." Ten talks over his family, who already started excitedly talking right when they picked up. You laugh as you hear them complain about how they haven't heard from him in so long. Ten moves the camera to put both of you in frame, and his family takes a quick pause to let out gasps of surprise before making a lot of noise again.
You hear a chorus of "Y/N!" You can hear Ten's mother start to ask about you, his father asking about your parents, and his sister tries to calm them down while also chastising Ten for not showing you sooner.
"Calm down!" Ten almost yells, and his family quiets down at this, "I just saw Y/N! I asked her to choreograph for my album, and it hasn't even been 5 minutes since we reunited! She was going to call her parents too." Ten laughs and nods at you. You do exactly that, and Ten sushes his family as you call your mother.
"Y/N? Are you okay?" Your mom asks, and you giggle. Of course, you were okay, but your mom always answered with those words just in case.
"Yes, Mom." You answer, and you see your dad peek from behind, "Look who I'm here with!" You turn the phone to show Ten, and your mother shrieks as your dad greets him. Ten's phone is alive again, and his parents are trying to communicate with yours. There's a lot of noise, and you and Ten laugh.
"I don't think we'll have enough time to talk all together, but once Y/N and I catch up, we'll make a group chat with all of us, and we can finally all catch up." Ten suggests, and you hear small yeses come from both phones. You say your goodbyes and hang up.
"Wow, so diplomatic." You tease, and Ten just shrugs with a smirk.
"What can I say?" Ten says, leaning back on the futon and bringing his hands to his head. "Now, I know you think I'm angry with you. I'm not, and I hope you're not mad at me." He says, and goes back to sitting normally, setting a serious gaze on you.
You let out a silent gasp, and you've never seen such seriousness in his face all your life. You don't bother asking how he knew what you've been thinking, just shaking your head.
"I know we've both been busy, and I've barely had time to do anything other than dance, and I know for a fact they work you to the bone here. I guess I was scared you would ask why I've never just searched your name and hit you up. But I can't reach out to you as a dancer, so I've been kinda waiting until you could reach out to me." You explain, and Ten nods as he continues staring at you. You see his eyes scan your features, as if he were memorizing how you looked now.
"I understand, Y/N. I'm not mad at all. I've been waiting to have you here somehow, to make a choreography for me, my group, or any other group here. Now that I'm having my second solo, though, they've given me a lot of creative liberty. I even argued for the single, which you'll hear soon." Ten smiles as he looks up at the clock. You look up and see you have 5 minutes left before you have to start work.
"I was gonna search up stuff about you, but I didn't. I wanted to hear you explain it. Maybe we can hang out like old times after this or any time before I leave." You offer, a little scared. You weren't sure if he'd have time for you, but the bright smile on Ten's face gives you hope.
"Yes! Give me your number, and I'll text you my address. Come over tonight. I'm still a bad cook, though, so I'll just order something." Ten grinned, handing you his phone. You take his and give yours to him, putting in your details. You watch Ten make a group chat from your phone, and add himself and your family. He gestures for his phone back and adds his family's numbers to the chat.
"Should mute this group chat or put our phones on Do Not Disturb. They're about to go crazy." Ten jokes as he types that you two are about to work, before putting his phone on Do Not Disturb. As you are about to, you suddenly get a call from the group, and show Ten, who laughs.
"Okay. Let's go, and I'll show you how much better I've gotten at singing and dancing." Ten says as he gets up, offering his hand for you to help you get up.
"Definitely not a better dancer than me, though." You tease as you get up with his help, "Your hair looks nice. I'm glad you have professionals doing your hair now."
"Bitch, I know you're thinking about my red, pre-debut hair. I still look good with red hair." Ten lightly pushes your shoulder, causing you to giggle. He leads you to the door that connects to the practice room. As you enter and greet everyone, your manager looks at you with a slightly endearing, slightly playful smile.
"I'm so excited to meet your cats!" You squeal, and Ten laughs as he unlocks his door. After finishing choreography for some of his album, mostly for Stunner, Ten somehow convinced your manager to let you stay with him as he showed you around some of SM. You managed to meet his... exuberant members.
"And this is my band's usual practice room." Ten explains as he opens the door in front of you. You watch as four men jump and make loud noises as they turn to you. "Oh, I didn't realize you guys were still here."
"Did you forget we work here?" One of his members sarcastically asks. His features are sharp, his brown hair reaches down to his neck, and he's the tallest there. You forgot that idols are supposed to be attractive, but Ten's band is stunning. You're pretty sure the man who spoke was Hendery.
"Is that your old friend?" A man with black hair and a slightly flat nose asks, bowing to you. He was calm and composed, and you knew that was the leader, Kun.
"Yeah, I'm Y/N. How did you know?" You ask, and you hear a small giggle come from the blond member with bushy eyebrows, Xiaojun.
"He still has all your photos together from back then. They're on his wall." Yangyang, the member with the gummy smile and middle part, smiles at you before smirking at the man beside you.
"Oh, really?" You smile, turning to Ten, who is now red as he nods, "I do, too. They're all in a photo album, though, but I still like to look at them whenever I'm home."
"See, you're not weird, Ten!" Hendery sings before Ten rolls his eyes and leads you out of the room.
Ten opens the door and goes in before you. You take off your shoes and stand beside Ten as he sets your takeout onto the kitchen island. Suddenly, one of his cats jumps onto the island, sniffing around.
"Leon! Get off!" Ten says, pushing Leon a little so that he understands, and he walks towards you, sniffing you. You offer your hand, and he smells it before sitting down beside you.
"This is Leon," Ten motions to the brown cat whose head is against your leg, "The one on the couch with the dark face is Louis, and this one..." He picks up the cat with a gray face now that the food is set up, "is Levi."
"Aw, they're so cute." You say as you let Levi sniff your fingers, and he gives you a little lick. You aren't aware of Ten's eyes on you, even though your faces are very close, which allows you to interact with Levi.
You look over to the side, making eye contact with Ten. His nose is close to your cheek. You feel his breath on your face, and you quickly pull back, looking to the food so that it's not awkward. Ten puts Levi on the floor, then grabs plates and utensils.
You sit on Ten's couch, where Louis now lies against your lap, and Levi sits in between you and Ten. Leon is sleeping by the TV. You and Ten continue telling each other about your lives, as there are many details to share.
When Ten told you about his life as a trainee, you told him about your life as a dance major in university. When Ten told you about his life touring with his band, you told him about your life travelling with different artists every few weeks.
Your plates are on the table by the couch for a few hours as you and Ten reminisce about your lives back then. You remember some of your biggest rivals during competitions, and you remind Ten of all his different hairstyles.
"Your hair has to be the most fried out of all your 20-something members. You've been going at it, maybe your whole life." You joke as you ruffle Ten's blond hair, and he laughs as he lets you. You are now much closer, leaning against the couch, facing each other, as the cats have left to sleep in their beds.
"You actually have to see just how many times some of them have dyed their hair. My hair is so much healthier than theirs." Ten rebuts, and you just look at him, shocked. His hair wasn't as brittle as you thought it would be, though. Of course, you remember, he's rich.
"How are you with jet lag?" Ten asks, picking up your plates and taking them to the sink. You quickly follow him, thinking he was going to wash your dish, and you were going to stop him, but he immediately puts your plate in the dishwasher, so you stay silent.
"I'm actually not tired at all. I slept on the plane, and I arrived last night. I was a bit tired at SM, but I guess I had enough energy that I'm not tired right now. Why?" You ask, checking your phone for the time. 11:45 P.M. You wonder if your manager has already fallen asleep.
"Well, you don't have to go back to your hotel. We can have another sleepover for old time's sake." Ten smiles, leaning against the island directly in front of you. He uses his elbows to support himself, and he looks good. "But I'd understand if you wanna go back to your manager."
"Since when were you so understanding? The old Ten would have been annoying until I said yes." You tease, stepping a little closer. Ten smirks and stands up straighter, still leaning against the island.
"Maybe because I know you're not gonna say no." Ten leers. You try not to waver, keeping up the playfulness by rolling your eyes. "I was thinking we could go out and take a walk."
"Since you want me to so bad, sure." You groan, but Ten can see the excitement in your eyes, and he smiles. He nods towards the door, and you put your shoes back on. He puts on a cap and a mask and grabs a sweater before opening the door, saying bye to the cats as you leave.
Ten takes you on a walk from his building to the park nearby. There's a comfortable silence as you look around at the greenery along the road you're walking and the bright city lights nearby. Ten watches your face through his peripheral vision, enjoying the curiosity and wonder on your face.
Ten stops you once you've reached the entrance of a park. It's simple, with a few trees lining the entrance like a fence, and you can see benches and fountains along the path. The small lights illuminating the path make it feel more romantic, and you're thankful the night sky is masking your blush.
You follow Ten to a bench directly in front of a larger fountain. Your view overlooks a cliff, offering a glimpse of the bright buildings. Ten takes his mask and cap off as he sits down beside you.
"I really like this park. It's very peaceful, especially late at night." Ten whispers, still looking at the view. "Does this remind you of exam season before we left?"
"Of course it does." You answer with a small nod. You were terribly stressed that year, and one of the only things that gave you solace was going for walks with Ten to nearby parks, sometimes sneaking out of your house late at night to meet him.
"Whenever I go to a park, whether it's here or in another country, I just think about us back then. I really missed having you around." You can hear Ten's voice waver, and your heart beats fast. "Maybe it's the benches. I feel like when I sit down beside anyone, I just think about you. But now that I'm finally with you, it's... strange."
"How so?" You ask, turning towards your friend, who's now looking down at his feet. You turn your knees to face him, and Ten takes notice, looking at them. He looks up to you before speaking.
"I don't know. You're here, and I still wanna know everything. I know we've spent the whole day talking about ourselves, but I want to see if you still do things the same and have the same opinions on everything. Like, I don't want distance between us again." Ten confesses, and your heart is somehow beating even faster. Is this him being a good friend or more?
"I also just want to be with you like we used to be. I'm just happy I finally have your number. I'd rather live my life only seeing you through a screen than not seeing you at all." You respond, now looking down at your lap. When you look up again, though, you can see a frown on Ten's face, despite how dark it is.
"Did you know I had a crush on you?" Ten suddenly drops, and you're sure he can see the shock on your face. "My mom and my sister always told me it was really obvious, and when you left, they might have thought I'd fall into depression, so they took me out the entire day before my flight and asked the staff and other trainees to watch over me 'extremely closely.'"
"I had a crush on you, too. I feel like my mom sensed it years before I did. I know she cared about you, but sometimes when she asked about you or us, it felt like she was giving me a small therapy session. I never explicitly told her, I think, but it was kinda unspoken between us." You admit, and Ten's frown has turned into a small smile.
"I brought all of the pictures of us here. When I moved into my dorm as a trainee, everyone made fun of me. Kept calling you my girlfriend. They're all nice, though, they would ask about you a lot. When I moved in with WayV, they still didn't mind. Now I'm almost 30, and I still have our old pictures up in my room." Ten chuckles, and you move closer to him on the bench, letting out a small laugh.
Ten feels your sudden heat and moves an arm to rest behind you on the bench. This allows you to move a little closer to him, even though the night air isn't cool.
"Do you think your company will like me? That way, I can keep making choreographies and see you?" You ask, slowly moving your head to lie on his shoulder. Ten puts his head on top of yours so that you can land on his shoulder faster.
"Of course. Everyone already loved your dance for Stunner's chorus. I honestly think I'm super lucky that you see my vision for that song and can help me show everyone it was the best choice." Ten breaths. He lifts his head up a little, turning it to look more directly at yours.
Your faces are close again, and you take the time to admire Ten's face, which is brightened by the path's lights and the moon. He looks over your face, colourful from the city lights behind him.
"I think spending all this time with you just made me realize I've always loved you." Ten professes in whispers, and you feel his warm breath on your face. You want to melt in your spot.
"Me too, Ten." You swoon, and you would have cringed at your delivery if it weren't for his hand on your cheek, lifting you from his shoulder.
Ten places his other hand on your waist, making you straighten up. You put your hands on his neck, bringing your bodies closer.
"Fuck, I've been waiting for this." Ten whispers before finally putting your lips together. The kiss is tender, and you're thankful it was empty in the park. Between each kiss, you would touch foreheads, looking into each other's eyes before going back for a kiss.
After a few kisses, Ten pulls away, and both of his hands are on your cheeks as he gives you a big smile. "I've waited too long. After practice today, I want to take you out on a date. Stay with me tonight, though? I don't want you to be tired in the morning. I just want to be beside you." He pleads.
You put your hands on Ten's cheeks, nodding as you didn't know if you could express how cute his words were and how admired you felt. He smiles before getting up, then takes your hands and pulls you up. He puts his disguise back on before putting an arm out for you to link yours through.
"I hope your manager doesn't kill me for stealing you," Ten jokes, and you laugh. "I also hope she doesn't kill me when I ask for you to stay a few days so I can introduce you to my friends. Maybe even longer so that my family can fly out and see you again. Should I arrange for your parents to come too?"
