in silence ᴰᴼᴵᴸ

１１.

☄️🍾☄️

"No, no, again. Say it more...angrily. Also, act like you're frozen on the place. Yes, that's better."

In the cold days like these, the students were more than happy to be sitting in the warm chairs of the small auditorium, actually doing nothing—well besides from the two main and few of the side roles who took part in the play.

Taeil was one of the lucky ones as the past month he only sat there and watched. Of course, he had to act his lines a few times, but it wasn't that important anyway. He still practised his singing part though, but the teacher said he won't have to perform it there before the final rehearsal. So he just watched. Doyoung, on the other hand, didn't do anything at all, he even skipped few practices and Taeil always wondered why or where he went. It wasn't his business anyway.

That day, however, the dark-haired boy sat on his usual place in the back, looking distant like always. Taeil sometimes caught himself staring at the mute boy but diverted his eyes from him right away.

He still wanted to know some things and although he said to himself countless times he should leave it, it continued to bother his mind like some kind of virus he couldn't get rid of. He needed the vaccine in the form of answers to his questions. But again, it was none of his business.

When it looked like the teacher was ready to wrap up the lesson, Taeil stood up and went to his seatmate. He had a mission to do and to be honest — he was nervous.
Why couldn't Yuta do it himself? He heaved a frustrated sigh but shook it off when he was near the boy.

"Hey, Doyoung." Taeil greeted the younger and sat down next to him. Doyoung lifted his eyes from the display of his phone his eyes had been on till the other boy come, and gazed at him.

Taeil gulped.

"Yuta wanted to go somewhere tonight as for the birthday party because he didn't have any this year. So... There's this club he wants to go to celebrate. Are you joining us?" He asked with hope in his voice.

Doyoung bit his inner cheek but eventually shook his head. Taeil's heart fell.

"Oh."

The boy was looking at him for a while before he suddenly reached out for his jacket—as if he remembered something, and took out some mysterious paper from his pocket. Taeil took the yellow note, finding a message written by Doyoung's mom.

'Doyoungie don't forget to pack up the things for tomorrow. Since we're going there only for a day you don't have to take so many of them and please think of a gift we could buy for grandma (not sweets as she shouldn't eat them).
We will leave around 6 pm, okay?
-Mum'

Taeil let out big 'Oooh' and nodded at Doyoung when he handed him the paper back. He was still feeling sad, but now that he knew the reason the boy couldn't come wasn't him and his friends, he felt relieved.

He flashed a smile before standing up, ready to leave the room. Doyoung took his belongings in a hurry and both boys left the theatre together.

At least Taeil didn't have to worry about Doyoung seeing him and his friends drunk. Although Taeil promised not to drink that night at all.

✈✈✈

And he did keep his promise. Luckily.

After being picked up by his friends, getting compliments for his look like 'Wow you look great, bet ya girls gonna get crazy for you' from Johnny and then Yuta's 'Shut up he's probably gay like us', the big neon building came into his view. Loud music could be heard from a long distance and Taeil's introvert side started regretting his decisions. He wanted to turn three hundred and sixty degrees around and go home.