Title: Then Again, Probably Not
Pairing: Daejae, Banghim
Rating: PG
Summary: In which six boys try to put on a high school play of Macbeth and everything goes wrong.
an: idk why lj is making me split up my fic into such small posts but...
<< >> Daehyun chewed his bottom lip as he quickly paced backstage. It wasn’t out of stage fright, since opening night was still a few nights away, but it was because of Youngjae. Because Youngjae was furiously being yelled at by Himchan since they were at dress rehearsal, and his best friend had asked if he wanted to get dinner with him after rehearsal, and knowing Daehyun, he had eagerly agreed.
“Careful, you’ll drill a hole in the ground.” Yongguk smiled, popping in behind the junior.
“Oh, Yongguk. Don’t do that. You scared me.”
“Sorry.” Yongguk shrugged, “You seem pretty focused on something. Stage fright?” He asked, patting Daehyun’s back.
“No...”
“Then what?”
“I don’t know. I already tried to talk to this about Hyosung but she said I had gotten it all mixed up.”
“Got what all mixed up?”
“My feelings towards Youngjae?” The younger shrugged, “I think he likes me but I don’t know.”
Yongguk immediately broke out laughing, “Him? Hyosung was right, you really have this all mixed up.”
“What do I have mixed up?!” Daehyun exclaimed, angrily.
“It’s quite obvious that you’re the one in love with Youngjae.”
Daehyun stood there, mouth ajar, “No. I don’t love Youngjae! He’s my best friend!” He said a little too loudly, earning a few odd looks from some of the stage crew.
Yongguk shook his head.
“Okay, fine.” Daehyun said, lowering his voice, “So what if I was in love with Youngjae? I don’t even know what love feels like.”
“Well tell me what you feel when you think about Youngjae. When you’re around Youngjae.”
“Umm...I get nervous. But I think it’s cause I think it’s awkward since I know he’s in love with me. And when I see him with girls I feel...upset? I don’t know why. Also, I want to spend a lot of time with him. But that’s because we’re best friends, right? And when he sings while he works my heart clenches and I can’t help but smile...”
Daehyun stopped himself when he realized what he was saying and quickly looked back at Yongguk, who was smiling.
“Well?! Why are you smiling like that?! Okay, fine, fine! I’m in love with Yoo Youngjae! I’m admit it! I did have it all mixed up!” He buried his face in his hands.
Yongguk chuckled, “That’s the same way I feel about Himchan. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”
“Really?” Daehyun asked, lifting his head out of his hands.
“Yeah.” He replied, wistfully, “When I see Himchan...” He peaked out from behind the curtain and looked at his furious boyfriend, still yelling at Youngjae, “No matter how angry he is...I still think he’s the most beautiful man on the planet. I want to make him smile. I want to cheer him up whenever he’s angry. If he ignores me I feel like the worst. I just call him and beg for forgiveness and wait by the phone for his call back. I guess you could say I’m whipped, but I don’t really care. As long as I have Himchan in my life, nothing matters.”
Daehyun felt his whole body warm up, “Is that what love feels like?”
Yongguk looked back at him and nodded, “Love feels different for everyone. But it all boils down to just wanting to be around the person you love...no matter how far.”
“I love Youngjae.” Daehyun whispered, “I am really, hopelessly in love with Youngjae.” He buried his head back into his hands, “I’m in love with my best friend.”
“It’s happening! It’s really happening!” Himchan threw his arms open, as he watched Junhong and Jongup pull up the last wall of the beginning set. He was riding on cloud nine. Opening night was tomorrow and everything had gone according to plan.
Well, almost everything.
Himchan shot back a glare at the sound and light corner at the back of the theater where Yongguk and Jieun were a little too close for comfort, fussing over something.
This week had been one of the most stressful weeks of his life. Aside from preparing for the play, he had been keeping a close eye on Jieun. She always got her work done on time, helped out on set whenever she could, always asked Himchan if he was feeling alright and if she could get him anything, and had even helped alter some of the costumes. She was driving Himchan up the wall. She was driving him up the wall because she was perfect.
“Umm, hyung?” Junhong and Jongup shuffled off the stage towards Himchan, “There’s something on one of the walls and I think we’ll need a new-”
“Not now!” Himchan gave Junhong the hand as he stared daggers into Jieun and Yongguk. With a huff he quickly began up the aisles of seats, ready to come between them again.
“I have the costumes!” Hana, yelled through the theater, getting in the way of Director Kim’s war path.
“Oh good!” Himchan quickly spread out the dresses and looked them over, “Yes, these are perfect! Hyosung!”
“Yes?” Hyosung appeared from the dressing room, makeup half done, as Sunhwa had been testing different makeup looks on her.
“Be a dear and try these on, will you? I want to make sure they fit.” He said, shoving the dresses into Jongup’s hands and sending him off to the leading lady.
“Ooo! Of course!” She replied excitedly, looking at the dresses bunched up in Jongup’s arms.
His mind off of the BangSong couple and the urgent news Junhong had been trying to tell him earlier, Himchan quickly went back to checking things off his clipboard.
“Nervous about tonight?” Sunhwa asked, plugging a black and red wire into their science table.
“Not really.” Daehyun replied, “I’m actually really excited! I wonder how Himchans doing...He must be bouncing off the walls right now.”
“I hope everything goes okay. Himchan has been working so hard on this play, I would hate to see anything go wrong.” Jongup replied.
“I’m sure everything will go fine.” Junhong said, helping Sunhwa set up their physics experiment.
"What about you, Sunhwa? Are you excited to put makeup on the actors?" Daehyun asked.
"Nope. I am genuinely not excited at all. I really don't like school events, to be honest."
"Really?" Junhong asked, "Why?"
"Because aaaalll of me hates aaaalll of school." She sing songed.
"Wow. You're actually a really good singer." Daehyun said, impressed. "Have you ever thought about becoming a singer or something?"
Sunhwa blushed a little, "Thanks...and yeah I have. But I don't think that dream is for me."
"Aw, cmon. Thats my dream. And I sing every chance I get!"
"Its true." Jongup added in, "When I was sick he came to my house and sung me a lullaby of Lil Jon's Turn Down for What."
Sunhwa did a slow clap, "Yup. That sounds like something he would do."
"You should sing it today at the performance." Junhong smiled.
"That reminds me, did you know it's considered bad luck to say the name of this certain play before a show?" Sunhwa perked up.
"Really?" Jongup asked, intrigued.
Sunhwa nodded, "Most actors just call it The Scottish Play."
Daehyun laughed, "That's bullshit."
"Hey! It's better to bring safe then sorry, hyung. We don't want anything to go wrong tonight."
"Fine."
"Good."
"MACBETH MACBETH MACBETH MACBETH MACBETH."
"Dammit, Daehyun! " Sunhwa exclaimed, "Now if we get bad luck it's all your fault."
Daehyun continued to laugh, "Sorry I just couldn't resist. But I highly doubt anything will happen."
Sunhwa shot him a look.
"I finished setting up!" Junhong exclaimed.
"Yay! We hooked up a battery! Okay, time to get started." Sunhwa said, touching the two metal tips together, creating sparks.
"Wow that's so cool!" Jongup said, trying to do the same with wires with clips on top, but failing.
"I wanna try!" Daehyun exclaimed, grabbing the clips away from Jongup and sticking a stick of pencil lead in between them. In a puff of smoke, the lead glowed red hot.
Daehyun hovered his hand close to and tried to touch it. Sunhwa quickly snatched his hand away.
"Don't even think about it."
Himchan tapped his pencil anxiously against his desk. His tapping was in rhythm with the clicking school clock.
"Relax." Hyosung whispered, rubbing her friend's hand. "Everything will work out." The jangle of her bracelets mixed with Himchan's tapping.
"Are you sure? There could be million things going wrong. An actor could get sick, something could break...oh god... Yongguk and Jieun could kiss!" Himchan whispered loudly, throwing his head on the desk at the last statement.
"Stop over thinking everything. Just focus on the lesson." She said, pointing her pencil up to the board.
Himchan looked up at the board and tried to get lost in whatever literature his English teacher was spewing. But to no avail; he just found himself making a mental checklist of all the things he needed to retrieve from home after school. Thinking he should instead write it down, he dug around in his folder, but it was empty. Turning to his notebook, he was upset when he realized he had already given up on trying to focus these last weeks of school and not a page had been spared from his doodling. Defeated, and too lazy to ask Hyosung for a piece of paper, he settled on a mental checklist and got lost in his thoughts.
Only once the bell rung, did he break his train of thought.
Daehyun could barely calm his beating heart. Mixed with the fact he was feeling slightly nervous over the play and that he had been sitting next to Youngjae all last period, he felt like he was about to vomit. The only thing he remembered from class was that one minute when he zoned back in upon hearing his history teacher say that the final would not be curved following Youngjae's 'I don't need curves they disappoint me.'
He was confused. In denial over his crush, but mostly confused. Could it be? Could it have been him the whole time who was in love with his best friend? Daehyun didn't know what to do. Did he want Youngjae? When did he fall in love with him? What if Youngjae didn't love him back? No, he had to be overthinking this. He had definitely had to be overthinking it.
Sunhwa dusted powder over Daehyun's smooth skin, watching the loose powder flutter down to the towel wrapped around his costume. Daehyun almost sneezed when Sunhwa ran the brush under his nose.
"Please don't sneeze. I still need to do highlighting and contour."
"I have no idea what is but is it gonna take long? I really have to go take a piss."
"Yeah. Just wait a couple more minutes."
"Okay everyone! Gather round." Himchan clapped his hands excitedly. "The house is open and in just half an hour the Scottish play will begin! Remember, it's considered bad luck to say this certain play in the theater." Himchan's cheerful expression went dark, "So don't let me catch any of you fuckers saying it."
Daehyun was trying to peer past Sunhwa and into the crowd gathered around Himchan, "Oh. You got it wrong, Sunhwa. It's only bad luck if you say it in the theater."
"Oh so I did." Sunhwa absent mindedly replied, grabbing a highlighting powder.
Daehyun began to open his mouth, and Sunhwa's eyes went wide when she realized what he was going to do.
He took a deep breath, "MAC-" Sunhwa clamped her foundation covered hand over Daehyun's mouth.
"Jung Daehyun!" Himchan angrily screamed, pushing through the crowd and shoving Sunhwa aside, "Don't even think about doing that."
Daehyun smirked, "Its a load of bullshit."
Himchan clamped his hand over Daehyun's mouth, nearly suffocating him.
"H-his makeup..." Sunhwa squeaked from behind.
Himchan leaned in close enough to smell the powder on his face. He stared deep into his eyes, "Don't. Even. Think. About. It."
Daehyun muttered back a muffled reply.
"I'm going to let you go but you need to promise me not to say it." Himchan hissed with a hostile look.
Daehyun nodded.
Himchan released his hand and wiped the smeared makeup on a shuddering stage crew first year. Sunhwa rushed in to fix his makeup, armed with a tube of lipstick.
"Places people!" Himchan called.
"MACBETH MACBETH MACBETH MACBETH MACBETH."
The whole room turned around, a scared expression on their faces. Daehyun sat there with half of his nude lipstick applied and the other half smeared across his cheek. Sunhwa stood there, stunned.
"I fucking told you!" Himchan screeched, hands already in a strangling position as he barrelled through the crowd towards Daehyun.
"Himchan! Himchan! Come quick!" Yongguk ran in, forehead covered in a thin layer of sweat and a distressed look on his face.
"What is it?!"
"One of the beams on the castle wall snapped!"
Himchan ran out from the backstage dressing room and onto the darkness of backstage. "Lights!" He screamed.
The backstage lights went on and Himchan quickly laid eyes on the slightly askew wall and the two boys holding up the beam.
"Junhong! Jongup!" Himchan gasped, seeing the boys hold up the toppling wall without much effort. "What happened?!"
"The beam already had a crack in it and snapped. Luckily me and Jongup were able to hold it up in time."
"It doesn't look that bad from the audience and stage." Yongguk said.
"Oh god... " Himchan wiped some sweat from his brow, "is there some quick fix we can do to hold it up for tonight's show?" He asked, turning to Yongguk.
Yongguk shook his head, "We can get a new beam tomorrow, but for now I'm afraid there's nothing we can do but hold it up."
Himchan once again glanced over to the two boys and sighed, "I guess you two will have to hold up the beam tonight."
"What?! No! I don't wanna hold up this beam all night." Junhong protested.
"Its not all night. Its just for like, three hours." Yongguk replied.
Jongup let out an exasperated sigh, "Yeah, because that's such a big difference." He said, rolling his eyes.
"Please just hold it up!" Himchan begged.
"And why should we?" Junhong narrowed his eyes.
"I'll give you twenty bucks each." Himchan sighed, rolling his eyes.
This immediately peaked the youngers' interest , "Okay. We'll do it!" They said in unison.
Himchan blew his bangs out of his eyes. With that problem solved he ran back to the dressing room to try to solve Daehyun's problem.
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