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Prom was coming up.
Till, personally, dreaded it. It was going to be loud, the place was going to be full of sweaty teenagers that tried too hard to look good, and the food was probably going to be shit too. And, worst of all, he’ll just be alone there! If he were to go, he’d just end up being one of those lame, awkward loners that stood at the side while everyone was having fun and dancing.
The mere thought of it made Till want to groan. He really wasn’t looking forward to it. But he used to, though. Because he did plan on asking Mizi out, hoping that she’d agree and come with him to the event. But, after seeing the sheer amount of people that tried to ask her out, Till gave up – not even bothering to try, knowing that he was going to be no match against the many people that tried to ask the kind, bubbly girl.
So, really, he planned on skipping it. It wouldn’t do anything for him if he attended. He was already imagining how his night would go when he skipped – he would probably be playing his guitar, writing a new song, or drawing up something new. Either way, it’d be more productive than whatever prom would be like.
He didn’t need to go to an event like that! Hell, no! And that was final.
“Till, are you going to prom?” Upon hearing that all-too familiar voice, Till spluttered. Stuttering and fidgeting like a fool, he looked up from his table to find Mizi with a kind smile on her face. Was this it?! Was he going to be asked out to prom?! By Mizi?!
He was going to have a heart attack – he could feel it by how quickly his heart was beating.
“Oh– um. I… I don’t, um–” He cleared his throat, trying to calm himself. He leaned back slightly in his seat, afraid to get any closer to Mizi. “I– I’m not– I’m not sure yet! Wh– what about, er, you?”
“I am! I’m so excited!” She clasped her hands together in joy, a bright smile on her face that made Till melt where he sat. “You should go! It’s going to be lots of fun!” Mizi held a proud fist to her chest, “We’ve done so much planning– and I think it’s going to be great! I hope I’ll see you there!” She gave him a quick thumbs-up before heading elsewhere.
Okay. So, maybe, he will go to prom.
Mizi and the other members of the student council did work a lot on it. She must be really proud of the work they’ve done… and Till can’t just let her hard work go to waste if he doesn't go!
“I take it you’re going to go to prom now?” Another familiar voice asked him. This time, Till was met with annoyance. He looked behind him, to the boy sitting in the chair before him.
With a deadpan look, Till met dark eyes. “What is it to you?” He spat out, sneering at the boy. “I’m only going for Mizi. Don’t get it twisted, Ivan.”
“I’m not trying to ‘twist’ anything,” The aforementioned man, Ivan, simply grinned. “I just didn’t know that was all it took for you to change your mind.”
Till scoffed. “ Of course, ” He said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “It’s Mizi! If she wants me to go, then– well, I’ll go .” He looked away, trying to hide the small blush on his face.
Ivan hummed in response. “It’s only five days away, though. Do you even have something to wear?” Oh, yeah. Till didn’t think of that.
Slowly turning back to face Ivan with a blank stare, he replied, “Right.” He furrowed his eyebrows. “I don’t.”
“Hm.”
“But I’ll figure something out! It’s just stupid prom– it’ll be easy. Besides, I still have five days!”
“...Sure.”
“Are you doubting me right now?!”
“Hm.”
“Don’t ‘hm’ at me!”
“Okay,” Ivan smiled. “But if you ever need help, I have a lot of suits at home.”
“ Okay,” Till parroted with an annoyed look. “Perks of being a rich boy, huh? Lucky you.” Really, Ivan was lucky. Being born into a rich-ass family with rich-ass parents and a rich-ass house. Ivan was probably living the life, being able to afford whatever it was that he wanted.
Though, it was probably suffocating. Ivan often told him about all the galas and events he had to attend with his parents. Till couldn’t imagine having to go to stuff like that regularly.
However, despite the frequency of which Ivan had to attend those events, he's never actually seen him in a suit.
Till scoffed. He probably had a suit made of gold or something. Imagining him in it made Till snicker. With Ivan’s stupid face, a suit would probably just look weird on him – especially with that stupid, messy hair that he had that always covered the top of his face with his bangs.
“I’m just offering, if ever that you need it,” Ivan kept a calm look on his face – he always did, and it pissed Till off sometimes. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“Sure, whatever.”
–
One day before prom, Till still had nothing to wear.
Trust him, he was searching every single corner and drawer in his room, but he found nothing. The closest thing he had that was acceptable for prom was a white, long-sleeved, button-up shirt, and a red bowtie that he wore that one time during elementary school choir. If he paired that with the black pants they wore for school, then it could probably be wearable for prom. But it was lame. If Mizi saw him wearing that, she’d probably think he was lame!
Till didn’t want that. But he didn’t want to go to Ivan, either! He could already imagine the smug look on that bastard’s face if Till came up to him for help.
“Finally came running to me for help, hm? How cute. You’re so adorable and helpless Till. Don’t worry, I’m here for you.” That was probably what he’d say! Just imagining it sent creepy shivers down Till’s spine.
Instead, he went to Hyuna, who was like an older sister to him – being a senior one year above them in high school. Or, well, she used to be, but she and her batchmates graduated already, now being in college. However, Till still regarded her as his senior. But regarding someone as his senior didn’t diminish the bratty, brash attitude he had – that was just a constant thing, he couldn’t change it.
Suffice to say, though, she wasn’t exactly glad that Till went to her for help. But she welcomed him anyway.
“I could probably lend you something from Hyun-Woo,” She muttered, motioning to their couch, gesturing for Till to sit. “I have no idea if it’ll fit you, though. Hyun-Woo’s kind of bigger than you.”
“I know, it’s fine. As long as I’ll have something to wear,” Till responded. To that, Hyuna only shrugged.
“Sure, kid. But why come to me? You’re friends with that Ivan guy, aren’t you? That guy could probably buy you your own suit if you asked him to.”
“That’s the thing! He’ll do that and then he’ll use it against me– like blackmail or something!”
“You’re being dramatic,” Hyuna rolled her eyes with exasperation. “But if you’re so adamant on having me help you instead… Well, whatever. I still have to ask my bro if he’ll let you wear his suit, though.”
“Do you think he will?”
“Knowing him, yeah. So don’t worry about a thing,” She smiled at him. “I’ll call you when he does. Then, we’ll see if it fits you.”
“Thank you, Hyuna! You’re a lifesaver, really .” He smiled back at her. Hyuna only ruffled his hair in response. After a few hours of catching up, Till went home with a smile on his face. Prom was going to be fine, great even! All he had to do now was wait.
The day of prom, Till gets a call from Hyuna. Immediately, Till goes to their house, rushing like he was being chased on the way there. He’s greeted by Hyuna’s brother, Hyun-Woo, and he’s told to enter.
“Hyuna’s in the kitchen,” Hyun-Woo told him, pointing to where Hyuna was. “I’ll be in my room with the suit. You two come up whenever you’re ready.” He gave him a bright smile, and, shyly, Till nodded.
Till walked to the kitchen to find Hyuna talking to a blond-haired man, or… well, Till really couldn’t tell if he was a man or not. He looked quite young, but he really couldn’t be sure. Till watched as the two debated on something. As Till stared at the two, the blond man… boy… guy locked eyes with him.
“Is that the Till you were mentioning?” He asked, his voice, somehow, sounding melodically soft. Hyuna’s head whipped around and she looked at Till. The frown on her face quickly changed into a smile as she greeted him.
“Till! Sorry you had to see that–” She glanced at the blond dude before looking back at Till. “Come on, let’s get you into that suit. What time did you need to go to school, again?”
“Uh– like, in three hours.”
“That’s lots of time! Let’s go.”
“Can I come?” The blond dude interjected.
“Why would you want to come?” Hyuna asked, genuinely curious. The blond guy looked Till up and down with a certain look on his face.
“Just curious,” He shrugged.
Hyuna and the blond guy both looked at Till, awaiting for his response - for his approval. To which, he simply shrugged. “Whatever. I don’t care.”
So, the next thing they knew, they were upstairs, in Hyun-Woo’s room. Hyun-Woo helped him get into the suit, which was, surprisingly, a little difficult on Till’s part. That, and wearing it was also a little suffocating.
Hyun-Woo’s suit was simple-looking, really. It was gray and that was really it. There were no special, intricate designs, or anything. Till liked it. It didn’t scream for attention and it suited him quite well.
“This was the very same suit I wore to prom when I was your age,” Hyun-Woo smiled, fondly recalling the memory. And, somehow, he managed to make it sound like Till was years younger than him. “Did you have a specific tie color you wanted to wear?” He asked.
Till shook his head. “Not really. Anything will do, though.”
“You should wear this one,” Till heard the blond guy say. When he turned around, he saw blond guy holding a light blue tie. He held it up to Till, as if to imagine him wearing it. “It kind of matches your eyes, don’t you think?”
“I guess?” Till muttered, taking the tie from the other man. “Who are you, anyways?” He asked low, so that only the blond guy could hear him.
“I’m Hyuna’s boyfriend,” He said blankly, almost with pride. “I’m Luka. I don’t know if you’ve heard of me, but I was a pretty big deal back in high school…”
“I have no idea who you are,” Till responded, a little curious and weirded out.
“ Seriously?” His face was shocked, aghast even. “Prince of Anakt High? That Luka?”
Till shrugged, turning around to put the tie around his neck. “I have no idea who that is. The only prince of Anakt High I know is… eugh, Ivan .”
“They replaced me?!” Luka shrieked in surprise, earning a questioning look from Hyuna and her brother, who were having a conversation before their attention got redirected elsewhere. “I can’t believe this–”
Hyuna put a hand on Luka’s shoulder. “It’s fine, you don’t even go to that school anymore.”
“But, still!”
As the two talked, Hyun-Woo helped Till with his tie. “Luka’s right, though. This tie does suit you.” Once he was done, he stepped back and admired his handiwork. “So? What do you think? I, personally, think it looks great on you.”
Hyuna whistled, “Man, at this rate, someone might actually end up falling for you,” she said as Till walked up to the mirror in the room. And, yeah , it did look good. Prom be damned, Till could go with looking this great any day.
“Your hair’s still a mess, though. Oh- and you’ll need some makeup too,” Luka commented with his arms crossed.
“ Makeup? Are– are you serious?” Till asked, looking at the man incredulously. “I don’t need makeup!”
“Kid, trust me. You do,” Luka pointed at him. “It’s prom . Everyone will be wearing makeup, anyway!” Luka then looked over to Hyuna, beside him. “My love, how many hours do we have left before little Till here needs to go?”
Hyuna crossed her arms, “Like two hours? What, are you planning on helping Till get ready or something?”
Luka hummed, already walking in Till’s direction. “The kid needs it. As his senior–”
“You are not my senior!”
“–it is only right for me to help out a junior.” All of a sudden, Luka pulled out a bag of makeup out of nowhere - what the fuck -, bringing it closer to Till in a… somewhat threatening manner. “You can thank me by outshining the new prince of your school. That Ivan guy, or whatever.”
“I– I can’t outshine Ivan!” Till exclaimed, trying to get away from him.
“Shh, this will only take a second.”
Till screamed for help, but Hyuna and Hyun-Woo only watched as Luka terrorized Till with makeup brushes and powder.
–
By the time they’re finished, Till is already, somehow, running late, and is soon dropped off by Hyuna, Hyun-Woo, and Luka.
“Have fun, Till!” Hyuna exclaimed as he got out of the car, acting like a proud mother. Hyun-Woo gave him an encouraging pat on the back, and Luka gave him a determined look.
“Make sure to knock some sense into that Ivan for taking my title, okay?” Luka reminded him. Till only scowled at the blond.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever…” He looked at the group before waving at them. “Thank you for all the help, really– it means the world to me.” He smiled earnestly at Hyuna and her brother.
“You’re most welcome,” Luka placed a hand to his chest as he spoke.
“I’m not talking to you!”
“But you should be thanking me. You look great now– better than before!”
“Okay, thank you . Or whatever,” He sighed. “Thank you again, Hyuna, Hyun-Woo.”
“Aw, it’s nothing, really!” Hyun-Woo replied. “Just make sure to have fun, ‘kay?”
“You’re welcome, kid! It’s nice to see Woo’s suit getting some use for a change,” She snickered, waving at him as he walked away from the car and closer to the school’s entrance. Although he was only late for a couple of minutes, it seemed as though everyone was already inside – much to Till’s dismay.
And even though Luka already helped him get ready earlier, he couldn’t help but feel a little estranged – out of place. This wasn’t like him, not really. He didn’t wear makeup – well, he wore eyeliner, yes. But this?
He, subconsciously, reached up to his face to touch his cheek. Luka had gone as far as to put blush on him, even foundation and whatever else it was that made his skin look clearer than it actually was. It was a little uncomfortable, truth be told. Luka even put mascara on him, and if Till focused enough, he could see, within his vision, the effect it had on his eyelashes.
But it was fine. He didn’t even plan on attending this thing if it weren’t for Mizi encouraging him to a few days ago. At that, his thoughts went to imagine Mizi’s dress. It could range from either fancy or simple, but it would all still fit her perfectly – it didn’t matter what kind of dress! Till just knew that she’d look amazing no matter what she wore.
That night, this was his plan; he’s going to try to hang out with her, but only if she didn’t have a date already with her – which was, to be honest, probably not going to be the case. But can you blame a man for hoping? After that, however, he’s going to dip and simply head home.
He really didn’t want to stay for too long. He was just here for Mizi, no one else.
As he looked for the entrance to the gym, where their prom was being held, his phone buzzed. Fishing it out of his pocket, he checked his messages. His brows knitted together when he saw who it was.
<< Where are you? Are you coming? >>
While looking at the message, he continued walking. It was Ivan that had messaged him. In an instant, he sent a swiftly-typed response.
<< im omw. where are you? >>
<< is it starting already??? >>
<< I’m in the gym. It just started. >>
<< Where are you? >>
<< chill dude. i alr told u, im omw >>
With that, Till turned his phone off, returning it to its place in his pocket. As he neared the gym, the sound of muffled music began to become audible. Right then, he felt his hands jitter with nervousness. He hoped that no one would notice him arriving late. He’d probably run away and go home if anyone did.
Pushing the doors open as quietly and discreetly as he could, Till stepped in. Immediately, he’s greeted with the sight of students crowding in the middle of the gym, with loud, blaring music and lights changing into different colors every few seconds. He hadn’t even been in there for a minute and he already felt overstimulated.
It already seemed so lively, too. One would think that Till had been late for hours, because how was it already this chaotic?
As he looked at the other people around him, he took in all of their outfits. The girls wore amazing dresses, they always did, especially for special events like prom. The boys had eye-catching outfits as well, some even breaking the norm of wearing just simple suits. Meanwhile, Till was just… there.
After closing the doors, he immediately began searching and scouring the area to find a familiar face – preferably, Mizi’s face. But, with how many students were present, bumping and running into him as he navigated the place, it seemed like a herculean task.
Due to the sheer chaos of his surroundings, he could barely even feel the buzzing his phone did in his pockets. Barely.
Hoping that it was Mizi – even though it, honestly, probably wasn’t –, he pulled his phone out with such swiftness that rivaled even the speed of sound. As he pulled farther away from the crowd of dancing students, he checked the message.
<< I’m heading to the food table if you want to meet up. >>
It was Ivan again. Till was slightly disappointed, but it was better than no one. Besides, maybe Ivan knew where Mizi was. While wondering where the food table was located, he typed out a response.
<< give me a sec. im coming >>
Hurriedly, Till tried to raise his head above the crowd in hopes that he could even just catch a glimpse of where Ivan could be. Muttering apologies as he bumped into people whilst he walked, Till made his way across the large gym, having nothing with him but his hope of going the right way.
As he walked, he caught sight of some of the teachers. They, too, wore interesting outfits. It looked like they were trying to be as flashy as the students but inherently lacked the finesse to pull it off. They were talking about something with seriousness written all over their faces while holding red cups in their hands.
At the sight, if the red cups were anything to go by, Till hoped that he was close. And he was right. After getting a glimpse of a table decorated with several finger foods and a huge, whole bowl of punch, he let out a relieved sigh.
As he neared, he opened his mouth to call out for his friend. “Ivan? Ivan!” He nearly shouted, but his voice was easily drowned out by the music that was being blared out by large speakers. Frowning and already sweaty, Till pulled slightly at his collar to let himself breathe better.
Letting out another sigh, he neared the table. He grabbed an appetizer that had a toothpick through it and put it in his mouth, pulling the toothpick out as he chewed on bread with a combination of other ingredients that he couldn’t quite decipher. He grabbed another before looking around the table, only to find no one.
He grabbed his phone again, sending a message to Ivan.
<< asshole where r u??? >>
<< im here already >>
<< Wait. >>
Till huffed at Ivan’s reply. That bastard.
Slightly annoyed, Till violently bit the appetizer in his hand, throwing the toothpick away when it proved no use to him afterwards. Grumbling quietly, Till took another one from the table, and then another, and then one more.
Hey, they had food here for a reason. Can you really blame the guy for eating?
While he stuffed his face full of the small finger foods and appetizers, he didn’t even notice when a familiar figure walked up to him. Till was only broken out of his mission to eat every single thing in sight when a hand came up to tap his shoulder.
In the air, some stupid pop song played – one that Till really couldn’t find himself to care about. It was just another corporate song that meant nothing, only being produced and written to appeal to the masses, for the sake of being a ‘popular’ song, and not as a means for the singer to express themselves. Till really didn’t like music like this, but damn did it sound good. It sounded just like the type of song that would be played in clubs and parties.
When Till turned around to face whoever it was that tapped his shoulder, his eyes widened. All the food he stuffed in his mouth almost fell out as his jaw was left slightly agape. “What the fuck,” He said out loud, words muffled and almost in a squeak.
“Till, I finally found you,” Ivan smiled at him. His dark eyes slowly trailed from Till’s face then downwards, and Till did not want to see where he was looking. It sent small shivers down his spine that made Till want to hide himself.
Normally, Till would bark out a retort or insult, but this bastard– this bastard. Till was just left speechless, with eyes wide and staring.
“What?” Ivan’s voice had a certain lilt to it. “Is there something on my face?”
Yeah, Till wanted to say. But it wasn’t just Ivan’s face – it was his everything .
In front of him, Ivan stood with a stupid smug look on his face, smiling and all with his snaggletooth poking out as if it were teasing him. But that wasn’t what Till was fixated on– hell, no. Instead of the absolute mess that Ivan’s hair usually was, now, it was slicked back with stray strands falling to decorate his face like a halo. His whole face was more visible now, especially his eyes. And, god, his eyes.
His eyes, now without any hair coming down to obscure it, stared deeply into Till’s, like an endless, dark, captivating ocean that Till just wanted to drown in. Trailing down, Till’s breath got caught in his throat. Because Ivan’s outfit– holy shit, his outfit? It made him look like a damn prince.
Till didn’t quite know how to describe it really, but the first thing he noticed was that it hugged Ivan’s figure in all the right places. His shirt was buttoned up high, all the way and with a black tie around his neck that made Ivan look more sophisticated than he sounded. The waist coat he was wearing wasn’t loose or too tight, no, it fit him perfectly – like it was made just for him. It made Ivan’s waist look smaller than Till thought, and he couldn’t believe it, he just couldn’t accept it.
His coat was wrapped around his shoulders, with one pin of the double brooch he was wearing pinned on the lapel of his coat with a chain that connected it to the second brooch on his tie. All that was missing from him was a crown, then he’d look like a full-fledged prince.
Till couldn’t tear his eyes away. Ivan looked so good that it pissed him off.
“You’re staring,” Ivan said, making an astute observation, as if it wasn’t already obvious that Till was. “See something you like?” He teased, his head tilting slightly to the side as he spoke. Small strands of hair fell to his face as he moved. It made Till grit his teeth.
“Shut up, asshole,” Till coughed out. How elegant. That only made Ivan look at him with even more curiosity.
In an feeble attempt to hide from Ivan’s unending, analyzing gaze, Till looked over to the side, holding one hand up to hide his mouth and the small blush forming on his cheeks. However, he couldn’t help it when his eyes flickered back to look at Ivan’s waist because– damn. Like, seriously! This couldn't be real!
For a moment, he wondered what it would feel like to wrap his hands around-
Till cleared his throat. Tearing his eyes away from Ivan was like fighting a physical war with himself, as he had to pinch his own thigh in order to snap himself out of it. He could still feel Ivan’s eyes on him, though, savoring every single thing he saw.
Till suddenly felt the urge to wet his dry lips. When did they get so dry in the first place?
“You know,” Ivan said, low and calm. “You look great– amazing, actually. You look amazing.” Till could feel him lean closer, inspecting him. “...Are you wearing makeup?”
Stuttering, Till turned to face him, only to realize that their faces were mere inches away. He stepped back, almost stumbling. “I– So what? You got a problem with that?!” Till could only watch as Ivan took a step forward, closer to Till. He gulped, mouth suddenly dry.
“No, I don’t mind,” Ivan replied. “It looks really good on you. Who did your makeup?”
“That’s none of your business, bastard.”
“I just wanted to know. They did a great job.” Till didn’t realize when Ivan’s hand had come up to touch his cheek. “At this rate, girls will be flocking towards you.”
Speak for yourself, asshole! Till wanted to say, but he bit back his words. He pushed Ivan’s hand away. “Girls? Flocking towards me? Don’t make me laugh,” Till scoffed. “That’s more likely to happen to you, don’t you think?”
“Oh, really?”
“Speaking of which, I’m surprised no girl’s come up to you by now. I thought they'd be all over you.”
“What is that supposed to imply, Till?”
“It– it doesn’t–” Till stammered. “I’m not trying to imply anything– you’re overthinking things, asshole!” Yet, his eyes didn’t dare meet Ivan’s.
“Sure,” Ivan said in a low voice, almost in a purr. And, god, did that make Till’s knees weak. His eyes widened at the sensation.
Was he going insane? What the fuck was he thinking?! And why the hell did his body react like this??? This was crazy– what the fuck.
“I– I need a drink,” He muttered mainly to himself as he stepped away from Ivan and headed to the punch. Till didn’t need to look to know that Ivan was following him. Till grabbed a cup full of the red liquid and immediately began to chug, only to gag after swallowing two whole gulps. He pulled the cup away from his mouth, coughing violently. “The hell?! This is disgusting!”
Ivan didn’t waste a second. He took the cup in Till’s hand and raised it up to his own mouth, taking a tentative sip. Till watched Ivan in disbelief. Ivan, however, only stood there for a second, licking his lips as he measured the taste. “Oh, yeah. That’s definitely spiked. The alcohol is way too strong, though.”
“I thought so,” Till said, sticking his tongue out, trying to get the taste out of his mouth. He didn't miss the way Ivan's eyes eyed his mouth. A second later, he watched with surprise as Ivan downed the whole cup. “How the hell can you drink that shit?”
“I can take it,” Ivan replied, his lips lingering on the cup where Till's were just moments ago. “Besides, we shouldn’t waste food. If you won’t finish it, then I will.” He smiled innocently, but Till could see through his schtick.
Yet, somehow, he couldn’t focus on anything else except for the way Ivan’s tongue darted out to lick his lips, which shined with the mixture of punch and saliva. He really shouldn’t be thinking like this, Till knew that. But, at the same time, he also really couldn’t look away – it was like he was hypnotized, under a trance.
Till licked his own lips without thinking. What would Ivan taste like if-
“You’ve been staring a lot,” Ivan’s voice brought him out of his thoughts, his eyes shining with a mischievous glint as he pushed his hair back. And the sight made Till feel like something was fluttering in his stomach.
Till hated, absolutely loathed, to admit it, but Ivan was hot . Like– incredibly so.
What the fuck. What the fuck. “What the fuck,” He said intelligently in a quiet, reserved whisper. That earned Till another look from Ivan. The dark-haired boy quietly raised an eyebrow.
“You’ve been acting weird, are you okay?” Till tried to act normal, he really did. But when Ivan’s hand reached up to adjust his collar, Till just stared . Ivan would be stupid not to notice that - Till hoped he was, though.
“I’m– I’m fine. Great , actually. Splendid. Wonderful,” He ignored the way his heart pounded in his chest. “ Everything’s fine. ” Despite saying that, it didn’t sound convincing at all. Ivan didn’t believe it for a second, either.
Till avoided Ivan’s eyes, instead, dropping his eyes lower. And, wow. Wow. Was Ivan’s shirt that fit before? What the hell. He could practically see the muscles on Ivan’s arm through the fabric of his shirt. What the actual hell.
All of a sudden, he was noticing every little thing. The folds in Ivan’s clothes, the grip he had on the cup in his hand, the sweat that trailed down Ivan’s neck, the strands of hair that stuck to his forehead– and holy shit. Holy shit. Fuck. Was he dying?
The song changed into something that sounded more passionate – more sensual. It was one of those songs that alluded to something sexual, and Till had absolutely no idea how a song like that got through the school staff’s strictness – usually, they wouldn’t allow a song like this to play, especially so loudly through the speakers. But, still, it played loudly for the whole world to hear.
And it didn’t help Till’s situation one bit.
Not a coherent thought went through his head as the song started, it felt like everything in his mind was swirling. The lyrics that rang in his ears gave him ideas that he did not want to think about. Especially not when Ivan was looking at him like that. Like he wanted to grab Till and just-
He needed something to distract himself- now. Without sparing another thought, he spun around and swiftly took a cup full of punch. Already imagining how it’ll taste, he winced, grimacing inwardly. Nonetheless, he brought the cup up to his face and drank the whole thing in one go. Meanwhile, Ivan stood there, stunned.
“Hah!” He breathed out, huffing, trying his best to shake away the taste of alcohol lingering in his throat.
Ivan began to reach out to him then, worry, confusion, and amusement all at once displayed on his face, “Till?”
God, Till prayed silently, if you’re real, get me out here– or send someone, anyone!
“Oh, it’s Till! And Ivan! Sua, I found them!” Till had tears in his eyes, thanking whatever god was out there for this divine intervention as he heard Mizi’s voice. Till turned to face the girls with a grateful look on his face.
“M- Mizi!” He exclaimed, waving his hand to greet her.
“Hi, guys!” The two girls walked up to them, Mizi with a bright smile and Sua with a shy one. “How are you guys enjoying things so far?” Mizi asked with a prideful look on her face. “The decorations this year are better than last year’s, right? We spent a lot of time on making this place look good!”
Honestly, Till hadn’t even noticed the decoration. But, looking at it now– yeah. It was great, the place didn’t even look much like a gym anymore thanks to the student council’s hard work. They definitely put a lot of effort into it. Something in Till felt happy for Mizi, too, seeing her so proud of their work made him share the same sentiment.
“I can see how much effort everyone put into this,” Ivan said with a smile. “You did an amazing job, Mizi.” He gave Mizi a once-over, and something about that made Till clench his hands into fists. “You look great tonight, as well.”
Mizi nearly jumped with joy at Ivan’s compliment, while Sua and Till glared daggers at him. If Ivan saw their piercing eyes, he didn’t pay it any attention. But he did give Till a sly look.
“Thank you! I worked really hard– I made the dress myself!” Mizi gestured to her dress, posing as she did. She wore an elegant, off-shoulder, black dress that reached her ankles, with frills that didn’t draw too much attention but managed to decorate her dress in a flattering manner.
“You’re so talented, Mizi,” Ivan praised her. Mizi bowed dramatically in response, giggling as she did. Till could only watch their exchange, finding that he had nothing to say. Every time he tried to open his mouth, he’d end up just gritting his teeth after catching a glimpse of Ivan.
“Guilty as charged,” She singsonged happily. As she raised her head, she wrapped an arm around Sua's shoulders. “Actually, I was supposed to wear Sua’s dress,” She pointed at the other girl, who stared at Mizi with fondness. “But, when I realized it would look better on her, we switched!”
Shyly, Sua tucked her hair behind her ear, smiling at Mizi sweetly. Till could see the love in her eyes, even in the colourfully lit atmosphere of the gymnasium. When he saw the way Mizi looked back at her with an equal amount of tenderness and adoration, Till had fully expected to feel something – jealousy, maybe? But there was nothing but a warm feeling in his chest. He was happy for them.
But, when he looked over at Ivan, who talked to the two girls happily, something weird stirred in his chest in lieu of the warmth he felt just seconds ago. Till watched as Ivan adjusted the tie around his neck, pulling on it a bit. Till could almost see the veins in his neck as he flexed it to the side. It was only then that his heart tightened, and, damn , did that make him feel sick.
He didn’t know why, but things hardly made sense to him anymore as his head began to feel lighter. Was his face always this warm? Maybe… However, he didn’t worry about it more than he needed to.
“–What about you, Till?”
Huh?
“Whuh– um, what? Sorry,” He shook his head, trying to get it together.
Ivan looked at him with interest, even more so than before. “Mizi and Sua were asking if you wanted to dance,” He pointed to the dance floor, which was full of students dancing and singing their hearts out.
Till was about to say no, but then he called back to what Ivan said. Upon realizing that Mizi had apparently asked him if he wanted to… then, who was he to say no?
“Sure,” He muttered, tripping and stumbling slightly when he tried to walk closer to the group. He barely even registered the arm that came around to hold his shoulder, helping with his balance. “S– sorry. Ugh, I’m just a little dizzy right now…”
“You don’t have to dance if you don’t want to,” Ivan’s voice said quietly, so that only Till could hear. Till, meanwhile, didn’t even realize it was Ivan holding him until he looked up, their eyes locking. With how close he was, Ivan’s breath practically ghosted against Till’s cheek. He could even smell that expensive cologne the dark-haired boy was wearing and – god, it smelled good. Pulling himself away, Till heaved for air, as if he just ran a mile.
“I’m– I’m fine,” He wheezed. “So, d– dancing?” He looked at Mizi and Sua, doing his best to give a convincing smile.
Thankfully, they believed him. The duo smiled back at him and began rushing to the dance floor. “Yeah! Come on, guys!” The excitement in Mizi’s voice lit sparks in Till’s chest. He was quick to follow them, with Ivan trailing behind him.
The moment Till stepped foot on that damn dance floor, he already began to regret it. The next song played, impossibly more upbeat than all the previous songs. Everyone around him cheered, immediately singing along to the lyrics. Till had heard the song over the radio once before, so he was quite familiar. But he didn’t even know the fucking lyrics– let alone sing along to it like everyone else was.
And, just like that, he already lost sight of Mizi and Sua.
Around him, people were jumping, pushing, and shoving. At some point, someone’s elbow hit his chest, making him wince. It was so lively, everyone was dancing like it was their last day on this planet, doing dance moves that Till couldn’t even begin to name. Till, himself, had no idea how to dance, though. Why was he even there? He asked himself, trying to maneuver himself out of the crowd.
Where was Mizi? And Sua? And even that bastard, Ivan?!
It was like he was drowning – it was loud and cramped, the ruckus around him made his head spin. Eventually, he found that someone was practically grinding themselves on him. They were drunk, probably, Till could tell that much if the half-empty cup of punch in their hand was anything to go by. He was left stunned, though, unable to move, just staring into space as shock slowly seeped into him.
He stood there for god-knows how long. A few seconds maybe? A whole minute? Maybe, it was more, because the next song had started to play already. He wanted to run, throw up, and cry all at the same time. Fortunately, he managed to not do that. He took a deep gulp, instead, trying to calm himself down.
Ivan– where was Ivan? He needed to get out of there, he needed to find Ivan. Or anyone, anyone at all! He didn’t care! Anyone would do–
Hands wrapped around his waist, pulling him away from his spot with such strength that it made Till gasp. The hands holding him gripped him right, almost afraid that, if it were any looser, Till would slip out their grasp.
“That looked pretty awkward, you weren’t even dancing,” Till nearly cried tears of joy for the second time that night upon hearing that voice.
“I– Ivan?”
“Till,” Ivan’s stupid face smiled at him when Till craned his neck to look up. And Till’s first thought after seeing him was, what the fuck.
Because Ivan’s hair seemed messier than before, his perfect slick-back being reduced to a sight of disarray, almost as if someone ran their hands through it with a purpose. It was so fucking hot that Till swore smoke began to come out of his ears.
Ivan’s face was slightly flushed too, sweat trailing down his face as he breathed and huffed for air through parted lips. Even like this, he looked good. It seriously pissed Till off. But, at the same time, something inside Till wanted to mess the guy up even more–
Okay, what? He did not just think that. Right? Right????
He was seriously going insane. What in the fucking fuck.
“Till?” Ivan’s voice called out for him. Someone ran into them then, and Till staggered backwards, his back bumping his friend’s chest. Hands around his waist tightened. Till could feel a hot puff of air hit his neck, making him shiver. “Are you okay?”
“I– I need–” He stuttered, “It’s– it’s so fucking crowded. I– I need out. ” Till didn’t need to explain further, because Ivan nodded in understanding.
“Of course,” Ivan removed one hand from Till as he pulled him through the crowd, muttering quiet ‘’excuse me’ s and ‘sorry’ s as they found their way out of the sea of students.
“That was so stupid,” Till gasped out once they found themselves in a more secluded part of the gym.
"I told you, you didn't have to dance if you didn't want to."
“I did it for Mizi! And I didn't even get to dance with her...!” He cursed, pulling his hair in frustration. “Hey, do you even know where they–”
Till’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he looked at Ivan.
Ivan sighed, breathing heavily. His eyes were closed, his head leaned against the wall they were both standing by. He ran a quick hand through his hair to get it out of his face before his hands went to his tie. And, then, Ivan pulled. The bastard pulled on his own fucking tie, making it looser around his neck. And Till, for some odd reason, found that so attractive that he was left slack-jawed.
If that wasn’t enough, Till just fucking stared as Ivan unbuttoned his collar, exposing more of his neck to the world.
Till really wanted to know how Ivan would sound if Till just sank his teeth-
His brain probably stopped working by then. Because, the next thing he knew, his mouth acted faster than his mind and the next thing that came out of his mouth was, “Holy shit.” It was barely a whisper, but Ivan had insane, stupid, exceptional hearing when it came to whatever Till would say.
“What was that?” Ivan had a smug grin on his face.
Till snapped his head away, embarrassment adorning his face with a bright red flush. Till hoped Ivan didn’t see it in the shitty lighting of the gymnasium. “Nothing. Fuck you,” He said, louder than his previous words.
“Till,” Ivan touched his shoulder, making Till flinch away. “Are you sure you’re okay?” The concern in his voice was obviously fake, this fucking guy. Till clenched his jaw, his breaths coming out quicker than he wanted.
Ivan thought for a second before asking him, “Do you want to get out of here?”
There was something left unsaid there. It was an offer of something, Till knew that. But his self-control already died and was cremated the moment he saw Ivan in that fucking suit.
“Y– yeah,” Till breathed, voice cracking a little. “ Fuck. Come on, let’s– let’s just go.” He grabbed Ivan’s arm and pulled. He didn’t care who saw them at that point, the only thing his hazy mind could focus on was getting out of this fuck-ass gym.
Till quite literally kicked the doors open, pulling him and Ivan through it with haste. The moment they got out of there, Till let out a sigh of relief. He suddenly became conscious of how sweaty he was, but that didn’t stop him from walking towards one of the many bathrooms the school had.
“Fucking– shit,” Till cursed, stepping into the bathroom, his voice echoing along with each step he took.
Till watched through the bathroom mirrors as Ivan entered after him. His eyes followed Ivan’s hands, where they came up to remove the brooch on his tie. The brooch connecting his tie to his coat was now off, and what followed was Ivan throwing his coat onto the tiled floor. Before Till could say anything else, Ivan was already walking up to him. He grabbed Till's collar with force, pinning him to one of the stall doors. There was a certain look in his eyes – like hunger. Till bit the inside of his cheek at the sight of it.
“So, are you going to tell me why you’ve been undressing me with your eyes all night?” Ivan asked, eyebrows raised and a teasing grin on his face.
“I– I haven’t been– I wasn’t-”
“That’s a lie,” Ivan interrupted. “Don’t lie to me.” Till gulped. “If you want something, you should ask for it. You never know, maybe you’ll get just what you want.”
“I have no idea what– um. F– fuck ,” His voice was shaky. It was embarrassing.
Ivan’s hand cupped his cheek, using a thumb to caress Till’s lips, pulling them apart. “Just tell me what you want, Till. Tell me and I’ll do it. I’ll do anything.”
This was fucking crazy. Till’s head was spinning, he was so light-headed he might just faint right there.
“Nothing– I don’t want– I…” His eyes darted down to watch Ivan lick his lips. Fucking hell. “Fine , you bastard.” He couldn’t take it anymore. He threw his shame away, he had no need for it anymore. He grabbed the other boy’s neck, pulling him closer.
With his eyes shut tight, Till closed the gap. The kiss was quick, with Till pulling apart as quickly as he went in. He opened his eyes to gauge Ivan’s reaction. “There, that’s what I want. Satisfied?”
Ivan, however, was not.
Ivan pulled him in, and their lips were back together. It started with small pecks on Ivan’s part, smiling and humming as he closed the gap between them. Then, it soon turned into passionate, deep kisses. Ivan licked Till's lips, and it was a needy thing, like he was begging for Till. In response, Till’s hands wandered down to his waist, pulling him closer.
Ivan nipped and bit Till as they kissed – and Till should’ve known he’d do something like that. Ivan really did seem like the type to do so. The sharp snaggletooth Ivan had dug into Till’s bottom lip, making Till groan helplessly. A hand slithered up to pull at Till’s hair, and his breath hitched at the sensation. This gave enough time for Ivan to slip his tongue into the other boy’s mouth.
In retaliation, Till grabbed Ivan’s tie, trying to pull him impossibly closer. He tilted his head to the side, allowing Ivan more access as his tongue clashed against the other’s. It was wet and warm, and it made Till’s knees weak. He was probably shaking by the time they both pulled away from each other, a long line of saliva connecting their lips.
Till’s eyes were hooded, staring into Ivan’s, which were hazy and dark.
“F– fuck. Fuck. Ivan, I…” He breathed heavily, trying to catch his breath. Ivan leaned back in to kiss his jaw, making Till raise his head, hitting it against the stall door behind him with a soft thud. “I– I need a second. Wait. ”
Ivan didn’t listen, he never did. Because he was already in the process of unbuttoning Till’s collar. He kissed down until he reached Till’s throat, where his adam's apple bobbed whenever he’d swallow deeply. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted this,” Ivan whispered into his neck, voice raspy and low.
It’s almost enough to make Till’s eyes roll back. Almost.
Till bit his lip, trying to stop the pathetic noise that threatened to spill out of his mouth as Ivan sucked and nipped on his neck like it was just some toy for him to play around with. He didn’t try resisting, though – hell, no.
He clutched at Ivan’s own neck helplessly before moving a hand up to tug at the other’s hair in lieu of letting his moans slip through. Something light and quick fluttered in Till’s stomach, making him gasp for air.
Ivan bit his collarbone, and that was the final straw for Till. His brows knitted together as he let out a pathetic whine.
“Are you a fucking dog or something?!” Till pushed him away, “Control yourself – oh, holy shit.”
Ivan had begun to unbutton his shirt even more with one hand and pulled his tie with the other as he stared at Till with intensity. “I’m sorry. I just–” Ivan leaned into TIll, giving him a quick, yet sultry kiss before he could speak again. “ Please,” Till’s knees buckled at how absolutely needy Ivan sounded. “Do whatever you want to me,” He brought Till’s hands up to his chest. “Please.”
“You– you’re fucking insane.”
“Only for you,” Ivan had the audacity to say. Till is quick to wipe the smile off his face by pulling him in for another kiss. Taking initiative, Till entered Ivan’s mouth. There, he sucked on the other man's tongue, not bothering to wipe his mouth when drool began to leak out.
Ivan gasped shakily as Till’s hands searched his body, planting it anywhere and everywhere that he could. Eventually, it settled on Ivan’s ass, squeezing it, which earned him a groan. Ivan was the first to pull away.
“Till,” He said. “Till, Till.” It was like he was under a spell, repeating his name over and over like it was the only thing he could think of – and, maybe, that wasn’t too far off from the truth. Ivan’s eyes were so full and obvious with want and need, pupils dilated and staring at Till like he was all that he wanted, and Till wasn’t much better than him there.
He was going to leave Ivan a mess. He was going to make sure that, by the time the sun rose, his suit was completely irreparable. He was ready to wreck this man, even if it took him all night.
–
By the time they’re out of there, half of the student body had already gone home.
The duo walked out of the bathroom looking like messes – like they both just got out of bed. Ivan’s collar was popped up and crinkled, the tie around his neck was completely loose, and his hair was a tousled mess. His waist coat wasn’t even buttoned up anymore, and the coat that was wrapped around his shoulders earlier that night was left forgotten on the dirty bathroom floor.
Meanwhile, Till’s collar was unbuttoned, exposing not only his neck but also his marked collarbone to whoever was there to see it. His hair, too, was a mess. It was already a mess earlier, having been styled a bit by Luka, but now– well. It stuck up in random places, looking similarly to a bed head.
And, to top that all off, both of their lips were swollen - a spot on Till's lips was incredibly red, having bled a little when the Ivan bit too hard. Ivan, however, somehow managed to keep a straight face. Till, on the other hand, looked completely fucked out – sweat still trailing down his throat and back.
As they walked back to the gym, unaware of their respective appearances, Till’s legs shook. He had to grab onto Ivan, hand gripping his bicep, to help him walk straight. Even then, Till couldn’t help but feel weak.
“You should probably button your shirt up all the way,” Ivan told him as they neared the entrance. Embarrassed, Till cursed him out before doing just as he said. Only then did he realize that his tie was missing.
Fuck. Well. He hoped Hyun-Woo wouldn't hate him for that.
“Woah, what happened to you guys?” Mizi suddenly appeared in front of them with an extremely curious look on her face.
Ivan had the gall to smile at her. “Nothing important. I just needed to talk to him.”
Till scoffed sarcastically. “ ‘Talk,’ yeah, right.”
Ivan gave him a side glance before putting a hand over Till’s ass, pinching it. Till let out a surprised sound. Without hesitation, he punched Ivan’s shoulder, but it didn’t deter the bright smile on the other boy’s face.
“If you say so,” Mizi said, but she raised a brow in suspicion. “Anyway, everyone’s heading home already. You guys should too! It’s getting late.” After saying that, she quickly waved goodbye to the two as she, herself, needed to go home as well.
At that moment, Ivan and Till shared a look. A smug smile was on Ivan’s face when he asked, “My place?”
It was a temptation Till couldn’t resist. “Fine.”