Archive of Our Own

When seven year old Seoyeon thrusts a flyer for a father-daughter dance at her school into her dad’s hands, Jisung can only think of one thing to say. 

I’m fucked. 

Of course, what he actually says in response to his daughter is nothing of the sort, and he instead tells her that the two of them can discuss it later on that evening. 

Fortunately, Seoyeon doesn’t argue and hurries across their apartment to her room so that she can change out of her school uniform. 

While Jisung is granted an opportunity to cry for help, he calls the first person he thinks of who habitually picks up on the third ring.

“Heya, Hannie.”

“Changbin-Hyung, I need help.”

Unfortunately, Jisung forgets that often with being a parent, his friends will typically jump to the worst conclusions. 

“What, why, what’s happened?” Changbin spits- the sofa he’s sitting on quietly groaning as though he’s ready to jump up and sprint out the house at a moment's notice.

“No! No, it’s nothing like that, Seoyeon is fine.” Jisung hurries to assure, chuckling despite himself in endearment at his childhood best friend’s worry. “It’s me who needs help.”

“...Oh.” Changbin replies, sounding much less concerned. “What’s up?”

“Well, Seoyeon came home today talking about a father-daughter dance happening at her-”

Jisung doesn’t even get to finish his sentence as Changbin’s abrupt cackling cuts him off. 

Holding the phone away from his ear, Jisung stares blankly at the wall, waiting patiently for his friend to stop laughing at his misfortune. 

“Hah, o-oh, that’s so good.” Changbin eventually calms down, surely having to wipe tears from his eyes as a heavy sigh escapes him, “Is there any chance I can come as your plus one just to watch?”

“Hyunggg,” Jisung whines, “I’m being serious. I don’t wanna say no to Seoyeon, but you know why I’m stressing about this. Not only do I have to dance, but I’d have to do so in front of the other parents.”

From the very first day that Jisung had enrolled Seoyeon into school, he could feel the confused glances from the other parents milling about after she’d yelled ‘Bye, Appa!’ before heading inside for her first long day. 

At just twenty two years old, Jisung had expected to be one of the youngest, but he hadn’t expected to be the youngest by quite a large margin. And, almost four years on, Jisung still hasn’t learnt how to engage in congenial small talk with the parents during drop off and pick up times.

In terms of dancing, however, Jisung would pride himself as having excellent rhythm- having mastered the art of clapping along in time with a song. But every time he seems to step onto a dance floor, it’s only minutes later that he’s tripping over his own feet and losing all sense of coordination.

Changbin says it’s because Jisung gets into his own head too much. Meanwhile, the older man’s boyfriend- Hyunjin- thinks that Jisung's bambi legs and two left feet are positively unsaveable. 

“Ah, I know, Hannie.” Changbin answers much softer than before, clearly picking up on the subtle shift in the younger’s voice. “I could ask Hyunjin if he’d be up for teaching you? You know he’s always looking for the opportunity to dance with Seoyeon, so maybe he could give you a few pointers?”

“Really?” Jisung perks up, “Yeah, t-that’d be great!” 

“I’ll ask. And hey, even if he might be a little too busy for such a hopeless case like this one,” 

Jisung’s smile drops at the deliberate pause. 

“I’m sure Jinnie would know someone who can help at the studio if you’d be up for it?”

There’s a slight pause in Jisung’s response- his teeth nibbling on his bottom lip before he lets out a soft sigh. 

“Do you think I’m going a little too far?” He wonders aloud. “I mean, it’s just a dance at Seoyeon’s school. I-I’m not sure if asking a professional for help may be a slight overkill?”

Changbin takes a moment to think. 

“...When did you say this dance is meant to be happening?”

“Um…” Jisung audibly winces, “The end of the month?”

There’s a brief silence before Changbin lets out a low whistle. 

“Yeahhh, I’ll see if I can reach Jinnie before he gets home. If he can’t do it, I know he’ll recommend someone who can definitely help you. I’m sure this kind of help can only do you good, Hannie.”

Jisung decides he can’t argue with that. 

“Thanks, Hyung,” He sighs in relief. “I owe you one.”

“Anytime, Hannie. And say hi to Seo-yo for me,” Changbin tsks, “You know how much I miss my niece.”

Warmth fills Jisung’s chest as he nods to himself. “I will, Hyungie. Talk later.”

When the call ends, Jisung is left staring out ahead of him. 

Although he knew he was going to need some kind of help before the dance, he didn’t quite imagine he’d be enlisting the help of a professional. Especially when it might be someone other than Hyunjin- a man Jisung’s come to know very well over the last five long years he and Changbin have been dating. 

Luckily, he doesn’t manage to spiral too deeply before the pittering pattering of feet on the other side of the apartment steals his attention. 

An amused smile then appears on his face as he wonders what his daughter could possibly be getting up to, and he slips his phone into his pocket as he makes his way to Seoyeon’s bedroom. 

“Knock knock,” Jisung calls as he waits a second before pushing the slightly ajar door open wider. “Whatcha doing, baby?” He sings, resting against the doorframe of her room with a grin that’s laced with slight confusion. 

Currently, the floor space around her desk is covered with what is usually occupying the surface, and he notices the abundance of coloured pens dotted around the many sheets of paper. 

“Jieun and I have made our own company, n’ we give people makeovers.” Seoyeon answers, finishing the line she’s drawing before she holds up what she’d been working on to her dad. “Jieun is going to draw up the plans for our office, n’ I’m going to draw the before n’afters of our customers!” 

Even with being seven years into being a dad, Jisung still marvels at how his daughter constantly finds ways to both surprise him, and make him so unbelievably proud. 

“That sounds incredible, Seoyeon.” He says with fondness dripping from every word.

“Ooo! Can I draw you for reference, Appa?” Putting her finished picture carefully to the side, Seoyeon then scrambles for a fresh canvas and looks over to her dad still at the doorway. 

“Of course you can, baby.” Jisung nods. He walks across the floor, careful not to step on anything she hasn’t yet tidied away, and grabs a small chair that usually borders the table he got her for her tea parties. It takes a few tries for him to place it exactly where his daughter wants it, but eventually she deems the position perfect and Jisung sits down next to her. 

“Hmmm, put this crown on please.” Seoyeon lifts something from her side and hands it to her dad. Before it’s even touching his hair, she leans back to her left side. “Oh, oh, and this!” Handing over another accessory, Seoyeon doesn’t even look at Jisung as she then shoots to her feet. “Wait, I need to grab something else!” 

Soon enough, Jisung is wearing a pair of orange themed sunglasses, a bright purple feather boa, a golden crown, and a few other accessories he hopes he doesn’t cause to fall before Seoyeon’s finished. 

Not only that, but he thinks the position he’s been firmly instructed to hold will probably pull his muscles before he’s even stepped foot into the studio for his first dance lesson. 

No matter how much he mentally complains though, Jisung knows he’d hold such an uncomfortable position a hundred times over if it meant he was rewarded with Seoyeon’s beaming smile and bubbly laughter every single time. 

Later on, after Seoyeon has tired herself out and is snugly tucked into bed, Jisung gets a moment to settle himself in the living room and check his phone to see a bunch of notifications displayed on his lock screen- one from Changbin, three from Hyunjin, and a few more from an unsaved number. 

Jisung firstly thumbs up Changbin’s message saying that Hyunjin would be in touch, and moves onto the conversation with him. Hyunjin starts off by saying he thinks there’s another instructor at his studio that would be much better suited for the task at hand- someone who works with both adults and kids- and follows that message by telling Jisung he’d already passed over his number. 

Jisung makes sure to thank Hyunjin, and responds to the final message with a promise that he’ll bring Seoyeon to see her two uncles very soon, before moving onto the final unread messages. 

He’s pleased that ‘Minho’, as introduced in the first text, is fully caught up on his situation thanks to Hyunjin, and is more than happy to help Jisung and his daughter for free. He’s already offered a time slot for Saturday if Jisung and Seoyeon would like to come along and see if he’s what they’re looking for, and Jisung does his best to communicate just how grateful he is while confirming the proposed date and time.

Even though he notices a lingering anxiety about what he could possibly be getting himself into, Jisung knows he’ll happily risk a little embarrassment if it means he’ll be able to make his daughter proud. 

‎‧₊˚✧🪩✧˚₊‧

When Jisung had told Seoyeon that they’d be taking dance lessons at the same studio her Uncle Hyunjin worked at, she’d luckily promised that she’d keep the lessons a secret from her classmates at the idea they’d be surprising everyone on the night of the dance, and the relief had been instantaneous that Jisung would possibly be able to avoid even more sideways glances from the other parents. 

When the day of their first lesson arrives, Jisung’s cheeks are constantly bunched up in a smile with how excited Seoyeon is- not only did she wake up before Jisung and burst into his room to wake him up, but she’d also been babbling for the entire bus ride they’d taken further into the city. 

Stepping off of the bus hand in hand, it’s only a couple minutes walk before they’re passing through the sliding glass doors and strolling over across the wide open foyer to reach the reception desk. 

“Hello!” Seoyeon beams, standing up on her tiptoes to reach the counter. 

Jisung chuckles to himself as the receptionist looks up and grins at the sight of her rounded face peeking above the marble. 

“Why hello there,” She greets politely. Exchanging an amused look with Jisung, she then leans forwards so her gaze meets Seoyeon’s a little easier. “Do you have a booking here today?” 

“Yes we do.” Seoyeon answers with a firm nod. “Appa and I have a meeting with Teacher Minho. That booking may be under 'Han'. ”

Jisung can always count on his daughter to quell his nerves with just how unintentionally entertaining she really is, and he smooths a gentle hand over the back of her head in a loving gesture of praise.

“Thank you very much.” The receptionist is clearly trying to bite back an endeared laugh and moves her attention back to her computer screen. Only after a few seconds have passed does she return her focus to Seoyeon. 

“Yes, you’re on the schedule alright! Minho’s studio is on the second floor, and it’s the last door at the end of the corridor once you exit the stairwell or the lift.” After receiving a grateful nod from Jisung, she beams at Seoyeon’s wide and excited eyes. “I have a feeling that Minho is going to love having you as a student.”

Seoyeon lets out a soft gasp and turns to her dad, grabbing a hold of his hand as she bounces up and down. 

“Thank you!” She directs to the receptionist, barely giving Jisung a chance to echo the thanks before he’s being dragged over to the lift at the other side of the room. 

“This is sosososo sooo exciting!” Seoyeon squeals- Jisung’s hand still in her grasp which she tightly squeezes. “I wonder wha’he’ll teach us!” She gasps again and steps towards Jisung to look up at him. “Do y’think Teacher Minho can teach us how to breakdance!?”

In return Jisung gives a half laugh-half scoff and gently pokes her chubby cheek with his free hand. “Your appa needs to learn the most basic of basics before anything like that, baby.”

Seoyeon doesn’t get the chance to voice any kind of disappointment as the doors give an audible ding to signal they’ve reached their floor and her attention is stolen. She immediately darts out from the doors the second they open, causing her dad’s pulse to spike. 

“Baby!” Jisung calls after her while chuckling, stumbling out to try and catch her. “Slow down!”

She stops in place and gives a rather insincere ‘Sorry, Appa’, hiding her giggle behind one hand while her other one slips back into her dad’s. 

Since to their immediate left is nothing but a wall with a very packed bulletin board, and directly opposite the lift is a door to the stairwell, the two of them turn towards their right and walk to the end of the hallway where a door with a narrow translucent window splits the middle. 

When they reach it, Jisung smiles when Seoyeon looks back at him and nods as a ‘Go ahead’ to knock on the door. A cheery ‘Come in’ quickly follows, and Jisung reaches forward to take the handle and push open the door for his daughter to step into the studio first. 

He follows in behind and lifts his eyes up after closing the door behind him. 

And oh. 

Oh no. 

Looking at the man in the middle of the room, Jisung almost chokes on his breath. 

Why did no one warn him that the man he’d be working with would be so hot?

The man’s beauty is striking. Blonde hair tucked underneath a black snapback, sharp cat-like eyes, a nose that looks almost sculptured with how prominent it is, and yet he has a devastating smile with a plump upper lip pulled back to show off his endearingly crooked teeth, almost giving him a slight resemblance to a bunny. 

Jisung allows his eyes to wander downwards, but he quickly flicks them back up to the man’s face after seeing a thick waist and incredibly muscular thighs- noticeable even through the baggy joggers he’s wearing. 

“Hi hi!” Minho greets warmly, moving so gracefully for something so simple as walking across the studio floor towards them. “My name’s Minho, and I’m so excited to be working with the two of you!” 

Jisung is almost rooted in his spot while Seoyeon is bouncing on the balls of her feet. 

Minho smiles at the clear enthusiasm to begin and lowers himself to one knee in front of her. 

“So, you must be Seoyeon?”

Seoyeon nods excitedly, bunching her hands under her chin as her shoulders lift up to her ears. 

Minho’s smile only widens as he returns back to full height, letting out the quietest grunt at the stretch of his body.

“And you must be Jisung!” Minho looks to the younger man, holding out a hand which Jisung hurries to reciprocate.

He’s surprised to find Minho’s hands are smaller than his own, and much rougher than he expected. Still, the brief contact causes his pulse to subtly spike all the same. 

“It’s so nice to meet you both.” Minho concludes his greeting, stepping back to look between the man and his daughter. 

“And you.” Jisung nods in return, relieved his voice didn’t waver. “Thanks so much for doing this for us, seriously.”

“My appa really needs the help.” Seoyeon agrees, stepping in front of her dad to look up at Minho. 

“Wha-Seoyeon!” Jisung scolds, though his tone is clearly playful whilst also carrying a hint of embarrassment. “Give your appa some credit, would you?”

The surprise is clear on Minho’s face when he shifts his gaze from Jisung to Seoyeon to see a very serious expression. 

“I can tell you’re going to be a favourite student of mine already.” Minho remarks, chuckling to himself as he leans down for a high five which Seoyeon returns hard. 

Jisung exaggerates an eye roll at the thought of his daughter and recruited dance teacher already seemingly tag teaming at his expense. Then again, he can’t deny how grateful he is that the nervous tension that had been festering in his system since he'd woken up is finally beginning to dissipate. 

“So,” Minho eagerly claps his hands together. “What kind of things are you hoping to master in these lessons?” 

Having to verbalise his lack of knowledge, Jisung shyly rubs his nape. 

“Well, the dance I think will mostly just be wul- um, waltzing. You know, like, when they kind of move like,” He trails off to step around rather awkwardly, both arms held a little above hip height with no real coordination. 

Minho watches, and blinks a few times. 

“Yeah, okay.” He answers with a polite nod, obviously having picked up on Jisung’s lack of confidence…and skill. “I can absolutely help with that, no problem.” 

“Ooo, Appa, Appa,” Seoyeon turns to tug on her dad’s jacket. “N’don’forget to tell Teacher Minho ‘bout the disco part!” 

Jisung’s eyes widen almost comically. “...Disco?” 

“Yeah,” Seoyeon replies with a firm tone- almost like she can’t believe her dad would forget such a thing. “All the slow stuff is at the start, n’then we break out into freestyle- like this!” 

Jisung and Minho watch- one amused, one slightly horrified- as Seoyeon jumps to the side and begins flailing her arms and legs around in a way that, unlike her dad, is pretty coordinated. 

While Minho can appreciate that her movements slightly resemble the style of krumping, Jisung is fighting the urge to spin on his heels and sprint right back out to the safety of the lift. 

He seriously has his work cut out for him. 

‎‧₊˚✧🪩✧˚₊‧

After a brief yet thorough warm up that has Jisung realising just how shockingly bad his stamina actually is, the three dancers are standing in the middle of the studio with Minho’s back to the mirrors.  

“I was thinking that it’d be a good idea to get started and familiar with some very basic steps that will help with a waltz. I’m assuming at Seoyeon’s school it’ll be a nice and easy environment, and that it’ll mostly include some swaying in time to the music, maybe a box step, and the occasional spin.”

“Ooo,” Seoyeon rocks back and forth on her toes, clearly excited to get started, “Spinning!” 

Jisung thinks he might be going crazy. 

“You can just help Seoyeon to spin if that’s easier, Jisungie.” Minho speaks softly, unknowingly causing a small murmur to Jisung’s heart at how sweet his name sounds from the older man’s lips. “But, I’ll also show you how to spin each other as well. Just in case.” He finishes with a light chuckle- his smile widening when he sees how much the thought pleases Seoyeon. 

Skipping back over to the console, Minho selects a song that has a soft and slow beat, and asks for the two to just ‘move with the music’, looking at them in the reflection to demonstrate positioning his feet shoulder width apart as he lets his body leisurely sway from side to side, closing his eyes and tilting his chin up to show an extra sense of being care-free. 

Letting his eyes flutter back open, he watches Seoyeon copying him very enthusiastically, unable to hold back her high-pitched giggling while she raises her arms up overhead as though mimicking a tree in the wind. 

Minho’s soft smile shifts to slightly parted lips in surprise when he finds that Jisung has also closed his eyes, and is clearly feeling the music as though it’s second nature. 

Although he’d only intended for the ‘swaying practice’ to be brief since he’d only wanted to get a feel for Jisung and Seoyeon’s confidence with the music, Minho lets the song run a little longer and calls out a ‘Good job!” before turning it off and stepping back into the middle. 

“How did I do, Teacher Minho?” Seoyeon asks, her eyes wide as she awaits her answer. 

“Brilliantly!” Minho replies proudly, enthusiastically nodding his head. “I can tell you’ve got a real knack for timing! Do you listen to a lot of music at home?”

“Mhm!” Seoyeon answers, subconsciously stepping closer to him and craning her head back to meet his eyes. “Appa and I listen to all kinds of music. Also, my Uncle Binnie works at a record company, so he shows me loadsss of stuff there too! And, A-And my other uncle, Uncle Hyunjinnie, often dances with me n’shows me what he’s working on, so I know all kinds of music, and dances, and everything!”

“That’s lovely, Seoyeon! Minho replies, matching her enthusiasm, “I’m a good friend of Hyunjinnie’s, and next time I speak to him I’ll tell him all about my new star student.”

Seoyeon lets out a gasp, bunching her little fists under her chin in excitement. 

Just as she’s about to turn back to her dad, however, she lets out a small cough and places a hand to her upper chest. 

“Teacher Minho,” She begins politely, “May I please have a drink please?”

Minho tries not to chuckle in endearment at her extra manners, and steps back to gesture to the couch where Jisung had placed their belongings. 

“Of course you can! Whenever you want a drink, just go grab one. I’ll always wait until you’re ready to go again,” Leaning down, his expression shifts to something mischievous, “Plus, while you’re taking a break, I can always help your appa a little more.”

Jisung scoffs in jest, proceeding to exaggerate rolling his eyes to make his daughter laugh even more. Of course when he does meet her eyes, his faux stoic demeanour is wiped away, and he gives a gentle kiss to her forehead as she runs to him before hopping over to the couch at the far wall to dig through her bag and find her water bottle. 

“She is an absolute delight.” Minho awes, moving closer to Jisung so he can speak without being overheard. 

“Quite the character, isn’t she?” Jisung agrees, chuckling to himself as they hear her little ‘Aha!’ before she lifts her water bottle up into the air in accomplishment- not even glancing at the two adults since she’d been doing it entirely on her own accord. “I love her, so much.”

Minho smiles, utterly endeared at the fondness in Jisung’s eyes as he looks over at his daughter. Before he can appreciate the moment further, however, Jisung turns to him with bright eyes. 

“So,” He sighs heavily through a smile, “Do I dare ask how you think I’m doing so far?”

“Honestly?” Minho mirrors his smile, “It seems like Hyunjin had me worried for nothing. I mean, you’ve got an incredible sense of rhythm, and I’ll admit that’s not always a given in a lot of the classes that I teach.” 

“Wow, thanks. That’s-, definitely high praise.” Jisung rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, his cheeks bunching up a little at Minho’s light and airy giggle. “I’m okay with following the rhythm of a song as long as I’m sat down-...the second I’m stood up though,” Jisung pauses to suck in a harsh breath through his teeth. “It’s like my body suddenly doesn’t want to cooperate, at all.”

“It’s true.” Suddenly appearing between them, Seoyeon stands with her back to her dad as she nods to Minho. “Appa had to sit with an ice pack on his foot once becoz’ he twisted his ankle trying a line dance.”

Jisung rests his hands on Seoyeon’s shoulders, squeezing them as he bows his head as though reliving such a painful memory. 

“I-I see,” Minho stutters, looking at Seoyeon before moving his eyes to Jisung with compassion. “Well, line dances often do have tricky choreography!”

“Hah, yeah, so, about that,” Jisung laughs awkwardly, brushing his knuckle against the underside of his nose. 

“It wasn’t like that kind of line dance,” Seoyeon answers with a shake of the head. “Appa tried to join in on the conga.”

Minho can only blink a few times in rapid succession. “...Oh.”

“...Yeah.” Jisung bops his head, pressing his lips together. 

“Well,” Minho gestures out his hands before clasping them together at his middle. “That’s why we’re learning!” 

Jisung greatly appreciates the generosity. 

Now fully assured that Jisung and Seoyeon have more than enough of a natural feel for music, Minho decides to move onto their next lesson. 

“So! I think it’d be good for us to start with a very basic eight step routine.” From where he’d been looking at them through the mirror, he turns to be facing them. “In a traditional waltz there’s six, but I want to make sure that you feel comfortable just stepping for now.”

Once again Minho faces the mirrors, and asks for them both to watch his feet while he watches their expressions. He demonstrates stepping back on his left foot to then bring his right foot to meet it. Then, he takes a step to the right- letting the right foot lead as the left then joins it. Stepping forward on his right, his left meets it once again before he finally finishes with a step to the left with his left foot, letting his right foot join it to bring him back to his starting position. 

Jisung blinks. 

Seoyeon, meanwhile, looks pointedly down at her own feet before turning her gaze back to Minho. 

“So, is’ like I’m drawing a square on the floor with my feets?”

“Yes!” Minho answers cheerfully, “That’s exactly what we’re doing, Seoyeonnie.”

Jisung is very, very appreciative that his daughter had asked such a question since he hadn’t quite made sense of it at first glance. 

Minho clearly notices Jisung’s uncertainty as he then turns his attention to Seoyeon. 

“Would you like to have a go at it first?” Receiving a nod, Minho steps towards her. “Great, so we’ll go nice and slow for the first try and see how you feel,” Positioning himself at her side, he points to their feet. “I’ll do it with you like this, okay?”

Seoyeon follows the steps at half the speed Minho had the first time, though her level of concentration is all she needs to complete the box perfectly. 

“Well, well, well, would you look at that!? We’ve got a natural!” Minho beams, raising his hand up for a high five which Seoyeon gives a little softer this time, seemingly bashful from such high praise. 

Jisung, having been watching closely, feels his whole body soften at the pure joy in her eyes, and steps forward to lean around Minho to give a loving squeeze to her shoulder. 

“Great job, baby.” He speaks gently, letting out a fond sigh when Seoyeon giggles with her little fingers pressed to her smile. 

“And now Jisungie?” 

Jisung jumps a little in surprise when he realises just how close he is to the dancer, and coughs quietly as he takes two steps back to ready himself to begin. 

“Um…” He utters after a few seconds of waiting, “Could you show me one more time?”

“Of course I can.” Minho answers, nodding fervently as he moves to be at Jisung’s side like he had Seoyeon's. 

After watching Minho complete the square again, Jisung has enough confidence to step backwards on his left then his right, then he pauses. 

“Then the right foot again to this side,” Minho supplies with a gesture- the epitome of patience and kindness. 

Jisung does so, and immediately lifts his gaze up to Minho’s for validation, having to look away quickly at the stark appearance of gentleness as he works alongside Jisung. 

“And now, a little tricky,” Minho forewarns their final step, “You step to the left side with your left foot to arrive back at your starting position!”

When Jisung finishes the moves, Minho’s hand comes up to his back to pat in between his shoulder blades. “Very nicely done.” He grins. 

“Yayyy for Appa!” Seoyeon cheers, immediately letting out a squeal as Jisung lunges forward like he’d threatened to tickle her tummy. 

“We can try that move again a few times. Then, once you’re comfortable, we’ll move on!” Minho proposes, looking between the father and daughter to see their excited expressions of approval. 

Seoyeon, as expected, nails the steps and gets to pretend to be the teacher as she watches her dad attempt the same- both of them surprised that he only required two more tries with Minho at his side before he managed to master the move unaided. 

After diligently praising the two of them for their hard work, Minho returns to the position of standing in front of the pair. 

“Okay, so for what we’re going to try now, you will be using the swaying motion that we were doing at the beginning,” As he speaks Minho demonstrates just that, smiling as he watches them both nod along in understanding. “The only difference is that you’ll be facing each other and holding each other, just like they do in a typical waltz!”

Seoyeon already looks excited at the prospect and turns her body towards her dad with her top teeth biting down on her bottom lip. 

The moment their gazes meet, Seoyeon cheekily sticks her tongue out at Jisung, though she struggles to refrain from bursting out laughing as Jisung scrunches his nose up and lightly shakes his head side to side whilst bringing his face closer and closer towards her. 

Jisung can’t help but follow into her bubbly laughter, dropping his forehead onto hers as the sound of their joy echoes around the space. 

However, when Jisung’s head slightly turns to the side since what he was leaning on is trembling underneath him, he is reminded of Minho watching them, and quickly straightens up with a hint of guilt. 

“O-Oh, sorry,” He bashfully bows his head, resting a hand on Seoyeon’s shoulder in a subtle gesture. “We didn’t mean to keep you waiting.” 

Of course, with being such a kind and patient instructor, Minho simply returns a warm smile and gentle shake of his head. 

“Not at all. If anything, I want you two to be as comfortable as possible,” Gesturing to how they’re standing- Seoyeon still leaning towards Jisung, and the two of them still holding matching bunched up cheeks and crinkled eyes- Minho lets out a light chuckle. “This kind of elation in my classes is all I could hope to see.” 

Jisung tries not to think too hard about how warmth begins to spread throughout his entire body in response. 

“So!” Minho then steps towards them, “When it comes to standing, it is totally up to you whether you’d like to hold onto each other’s hands, or hold around each other’s middles.”

“I wanna hug Appa!” Seoyeon exclaims, jumping forward to loop her arms around Jisung’s waist. 

Jisung chuckles and smooths his hands over Seoyeon’s head to cradle it against him. He looks over to Minho, expecting to find an amused look like the one he himself is holding, but his eyebrows ever so slightly furrow when he watches Minho gulp with his gaze directed at Seoyeon’s arms. 

He could have sworn there was a red tint to Minho’s ears, but Minho is moving before he gets the chance to look close enough. 

“Perfect,” Minho nods as he speed walks to the console. “I’ll put some music back on, and hopefully you’ll be able to get a sense of how it can feel on the night!” 

The music starts up again, and Jisung’s entire focus is concentrated on his daughter giggling up at him as they shift their body weight from left to right. 

Despite how he’s a little hopeless with dancing, this position is not entirely foreign to Jisung. Many times over the last few years, Seoyeon has run up or tottered over to him and proceeded to wrap her arms around his middle and poke her chin into his stomach. It’s either been followed by something along the lines of ‘I missed you’, some kind of anecdote about her day, or even just silence since she’d purely just wanted to hug her dad. 

And because he knows he’s free to ease up a little on the concentration, Jisung decides to tease his daughter. Just a little. 

It starts small- a quiet hum that is only just discernible, easy to be passed off as instinctive but not yet obnoxious.

A few seconds later, Jisung takes it a step further, increasing the volume and the intensity of their swaying. This time, Seoyeon’s eyebrows slightly furrow, though there is something small in her eyes that looks intrigued. 

Once again, Jisung allows a few moments to pass before he takes it to the max. He gives an abrupt jerk of his body, dragging Seoyeon along with him, and roughly growls into the hum as whatever melody he’s come up with gets grittier. 

“Appaaa,” Seoyeon whines through a laugh, harshly poking her chin into Jisung’s tummy. “Be serioussss!” 

“But I am being serious!” Jisung retorts as he looks down at her, his wide grin only making her pout deeper in faux annoyance. “How on earth could you think I’m being anything else?” 

Knowing exactly what her dad is doing, Seoyeon lets out a defeated huff and drops her head back, throwing her body side to side in playful defiance. 

“Minho,” Jisung giggles as Seoyeon glares up at him. “Don’t you think we look super serious and sophisticated right now?”

Despite asking a direct question, Jisung isn’t met with a verbal answer. 

Jisung turns away from Seoyeon to look at the other man still at the console, and feels his smile slightly drop in surprise when he sees Minho having to blink rapidly to pull himself out of some kind of daze. 

“Oh, yes, sorry, um, yes, the two of you look great!” Minho nods, lowering the music just slightly. “If you feel confident that you’ve got the sway down, how would you feel about trying out the box step while in hold?”

The uneasiness from before suddenly returns to Jisung's mind with a vengeance. 

“...Yeah, erm, okay.” Jisung agrees. 

With their arms wrapped around each other a little looser than before, Jisung and Minho attempt the box step- Seoyeon being the one to step forward rather than backwards so that nothing changes from what Jisung had learnt before. 

Jisung takes it as a win that he only stumbles a few times- especially with how Minho and Seoyeon are anything but judgemental, instead laughing along with him and continuing to repeat the motions until they manage to try three full sequences without a hitch. 

The music they were listening to comes to an end, and Minho does a tiny little run towards the console before another song could play. He then leans his body against it and holds an elfin grin while glancing between the pair. 

“It seems there’s only one more thing to cover for our first lesson,” He starts, feeling his heart warm as he watches Seoyeon and Jisung tilt their heads in the exact same way while looking back at him. “How, do you two feel, about spinning?”

“YES!” Seoyeon cries. “Yesyesyesyes!” 

Jisung beams at his daughter’s excitement and gives an assuring nod to Minho that he’s at least up for trying. 

“Perfect,” Minho grins, “So I think it may be best if we keep a spin into the body to spin out from the body until our next session. But today, we can try an overhead spin.”

After Minho verbally explains how the spin is to be done, Jisung’s hands lift up towards his daughter, and then stop. 

Minho notices the hesitancy- assuming Jisung is a little unsure about the logistics of the spin- and steps forward with a gentle smile. 

“Is it alright if I demonstrate with Seoyeon first?” Receiving a nod from the younger man, Minho quietly thanks him and crouches down to Seoyeon’s height. “Is it alright if I spin with you instead of your appa for now so that we can practice?”

“Sure!” Seoyeon beams, already holding out her hands for Minho, “I love holding hands!” 

Jisung slaps both his palms over his heart and audibly pretends to swoon- even if he doesn’t have to pretend all that much with how devastatingly fond he is of her and her tender heart. 

“Wonderful.” Minho smiles at her, subconsciously smoothing his thumbs over her knuckles. “Now, this may be a little difficult because your appa and I are sooo tall.”

Seoyeon rolls her eyes, smiling through a light huff. “My appa isn’t tall.”

“Seoyeon-ah, listen to Teacher Minho,” Jisung says with faux sternness, tilting his chin up high. “Because the two of us are soooo much taller than you, you’ll need to concentrate extra hard, okay?”

Seoyeon glares at her dad, keeping her eyes on him until she turns her head back to Minho with a look of pure innocence. 

Minho laughs at her antics and squeezes her hands before he raises back to a stand. 

“To do this spin, my right hand will move down to the floor while the left hand will lift up towards the ceiling. This will make your left hand move down to the floor, and your right lift up to the ceiling,” Minho explains whilst beginning to move their hands very slowly, his amusement building when Seoyeon’s eyes widen and she lets out a little ‘Aha!’ in understanding. “Then, once we reach the top, they then swap over so my left hand and your right hand will fall down, and by that time,” Pausing to quickly spin them around and finish the move, Minho then stills them both and grins, “We’ll have completed the spin!” 

Seoyeon’s whole face lights up at the realisation. 

“Appa, Appa did you see!” She looks to Jisung, watching her dad tilt his head to the side while nodding. 

“I saw, baby.” He replies, fondness clear in his tone. 

“Can we do it again, Teacher Minho?” Seoyeon then asks the dancer as she turns her attention back towards him, giggling joyfully while bouncing on her toes. 

“Of course we can, Seoyeonnie!” Minho nods with just as much enthusiasm, and gives a steady countdown before they spin a little faster than before. 

“Woah!” Seoyeon lightly pants through giggles, “That, is so fun!” 

Minho’s laughter mingles with hers in the air, and he gestures his chin in the direction of her dad. 

“Are you ready to try the spin with your Appa now?”

Seoyeon’s lips twist to the side as she hums in thought. 

“Well, I was going to ask if I could have another drink,” Before Minho can reply, Seoyeon continues, “Can you teach my appa how to spin whilst I have my drink?”

Though Seoyeon couldn’t possibly have noticed, both Jisung and Minho feel their bodies slightly tense. 

“Yes, y-yes, of course I can do that.” Minho answers, blinking a few times before glancing over to Jisung. “Is that okay with you?”

“Well, yeah, ‘course,” Jisung nods a little too hard, awkwardly gesturing in an aimless manner. “I mean, who better to teach me than the teacher, right?...Heh.”

“Thanks, Teacher Minho!” Seoyeon calls as she runs off towards the couch, making herself comfortable as she jumps into her seat and holds her water bottle with both hands. 

Minho looks at Jisung. 

Jisung looks back at Minho. 

Both of them blink a few times before Minho steps forward with a mirthful smile and holds his hands out for Jisung to take. 

If simply shaking the other man’s hand had sent a subtle spark through his body, holding the two of them sends warmth through every nerve in Jisung’s body.

Jisung tries to will his blush away, and sets his gaze onto their joined hands. 

“So…” Looking between them and his arms, Jisung tries to remember what he watched. “Is this the one that will be lifting first?” He asks as he dips his left shoulder towards the floor and begins to raise his right arm.

“If that’s the way you want to turn, then yes!” Minho replies, sounding pleased with Jisung’s understanding. “See, whichever way you dip, as long as you lift the opposite hand to the shoulder that you’re dropping, you’ll always spin. Well,” He dryly chuckles, “As long as the person you’re holding onto spins in the same direction.”

Jisung tries his best to retain the information, watching closely while Minho begins to lift up his left arm. 

“Ahh,” Jisung’s eyes slightly widen with a realisation, “So you lifting your left arm, means my right arm will lift!” His excitement, however, slightly dwindles when he realises he’s just explained basic physics. 

“Exactly,” Minho assures, no trace of sarcasm as he does so, “But also, you don’t have too worry too much about which arm goes where, since whoever moves first will always take the other person with them by default!” 

Jisung laughs at his explanation- unbelievably grateful that everything about Minho’s teaching style has been so clear and polite- and gives the affirmative that he’s ready to attempt the spin.

His right arm lifts along with Minho’s left and they begin to turn. But, just as they reach the halfway point, Jisung completely forgets that his legs also need to move. 

With them being crossed over each other, Jisung loses his balance and gasps as he falls. 

Right. 

Into. 

Minho. 

With cat-like reflexes, Minho pulls his hands from Jisung's grasp and manages to catch him in his arms- placing his palms firmly on the younger man’s back to secure him against his body. 

Jisung’s hands practically slap against the hard muscle of Minho’s chest- meaning he’s not only closing his eyes in preparation for impact, but so he doesn’t have to see the defined shape of Minho’s pecs beneath his fingers. 

“Woah there!” Minho exclaims through laughter, attempting to steady Jisung further. 

Jisung slowly lifts his head up, and finds his breath is almost stolen from his lungs with just how pretty Minho looks up close. 

Before he falls into his desire to count the man’s eyelashes as they almost dust on his cheeks while Minho’s looking down at him, Jisung clears his throat and begins to push himself upwards. 

“I am so sorry,” Putting his feet the right way, Jisung steps back from the dizzying proximity. “I guess I should have remembered to ask what my feet would be doing.”

“It was almost perfect!” Calls Seoyeon from the couch. And, when both adults turn towards her, they notice she’s lowering her hands from her face as though she’d covered her eyes at the sight. “But also, Appa, I won’t be able to catch you like Teacher Minho just did.”

Jisung barks out a laugh, his mind supplying the image of Seoyeon’s wide and panicked eyes if that would have happened as a consequence of deciding not to take dance lessons. 

“That’s very true, baby.” He agrees with a firm nod, smiling at her to show all is well before he refocuses his gaze on Minho. “Do you mind if we take another spin at it?”

This time, Jisung doesn’t have to look over at his daughter to know she must have dropped her head back into her hands- something she usually does, along with her uncle Hyunjin, when Jisung and Changbin break out the dad humour. 

Minho giggles at Seoyeon since although she’s only peeking through her fingers, the unimpressed look on her face is irrefutable. 

“I think that would be a great idea, Jisungie.” 

Minho takes great care in demonstrating how Jisung should be moving to spin not only correctly but safely- positioning himself both in front and to the side of the younger man until he’s confident he will remember the steps. 

Their next attempt at a spin is done so very, very slowly. 

Luckily, it goes without a hitch, and after just three more practices (Jisung won’t admit he probably only needed one more before he fully understood), Seoyeon is standing back opposite him with the two being hand in hand. 

Just as Jisung is about to begin, however, Seoyeon steps closer and gently tugs forward so he lowers his head down. 

“Remember to move your feet, Appa.” She helpfully reminds in a whisper-yell. 

Jisung takes a deep breath to compose himself, playfully glaring at Minho when he can see him stifling a laugh from the corner of his eyes. 

“I’ll remember.” He leans forward and seals his promise with a loving kiss to Seoyeon’s forehead. 

Smiling at the affection, Seoyeon waits until he’s moved back before she gives a slight hop in excitement. “Okay…and spin!” 

It’s slightly awkward for Jisung with the height difference- even if it’s nowhere near as big as he was teasingly making it out to be- and yet the two of them laughing in both amusement and a sense of accomplishment is all Jisung could ask for while dancing with his daughter. 

Surprisingly, it’s Seoyeon who then falls forward once they’re back facing each other, and Jisung who reflexively wraps his arms around her little body to hug his daughter nice and tight. 

He plants another kiss to the top of her hair and pulls back just enough so he can cup her chubby cheeks and grin at her little smushed pout. 

Still with her face in her dad’s hands, Seoyeon tilts her head towards Minho to see him smiling fondly at the pair. 

“Wa’neow Teachu'Meemo?”

Jisung chuckles at the sound of her words and gives a final squeeze before removing his hands so she can speak properly. 

“Are we going to learn how to breakdance yet!?”

Minho’s gaze shifts to Jisung to catch the half-playful, half-serious look of ‘Please, no,’ that's directed back at him. 

“Hmm, not quite yet, Seoyeonnie.” He answers kindly. “Now, it’s time to do a full sequence of everything you’ve learned today!” 

-

The first run through of all the moves they had learnt goes much smoother than Jisung was expecting. The two of them sway together perfectly, complete the box step (both forwards and back!), and top it all off with a spin that, although much more polished than before, still leaves them giggling as they once again collapse against each other. 

Jisung’s heart feels even more full when he sees how proud Minho is at the two of them, but also how proud Seoyeon is at him- especially when she jumps up and down a few times in celebration before begging to be picked up so that she can smother her dad’s cheeks with frenzied kisses. 

“That was absolutely incredible, you two!” Minho praises once he’s switched off the music and moved back to be stood beside them to see Seoyeon’s cheek resting against Jisung’s shoulder. “All of that and it’s only been one lesson!” 

Seoyeon’s head lifts up in shock, “Is it really the end already?”

“It is the end for today, but you can definitely come back again next week if you’d like!” Minho assures, subconsciously reaching forward to give a small squeeze to her hand resting at the top of Jisung’s back. 

Seoyeon’s eyes hold stars as she snaps her head back to her dad. “Can we, Appa?” She asks as she squishes his cheeks in her tiny hands. “Please, please, pleaseeee?”

Jisung light-heartedly scoffs, taking one of her hands off of his cheek to instead hold at his chest. 

“Baby, do you really think your appa would only ask for one lesson before he felt ready to hit that floor?” He kisses Seoyeon’s knuckles and gives a slow sweep of his head. “I’ve already booked us in for next Saturday!” 

Seoyeon lets out a loud cheer and hugs her dad tight before squirming to get down. Once Jisung securely places her onto the floor, she bolts over to Minho and practically tackles him in a hug by encircling his legs with her arms. 

“Careful!” Jisung exclaims with worry, immediately feeling his heart leap up into his throat when he watches Minho wobble from the force. Fortunately, Minho is nothing if not steady on his feet, and easily regains his balance to return the hug. 

“Baby,” Jisung sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose in jest, “Please don’t injure my saving grace.”

Seoyeon laughs and steps back from Minho, though her attention is quickly caught by a box nestled in the corner of the studio. 

“Oooo, what’s in there?”

Minho’s gaze follows her point, and he smiles while bending down onto one knee. 

“Ah, in that box are some of the costumes for an upcoming show I’m doing with my younger dances,” He explains, watching her expression closely in amusement. “You’re welcome to check them out if you want! I’ll have to sort through them later today anyway.”

Seoyeon calls a ‘Thank you, Teacher Minho’ over her shoulder as she skips over to the corner of the room, settling herself down as she carefully starts to lift things out to inspect. 

Jisung grins at the sight and uses the opportunity to move over to the couch to grab a drink. 

After a few seconds pass Minho follows, giving a small gesture to Jisung’s side which the younger man is quick to respond to with a nod and soft hum. 

“So,” Minho lightly shrugs as he sits down next to Jisung, “How did you find today?”

“Incredible,” Jisung laughs after gulping down almost half of his water. “I know that I still have a long way to go, but this was actually so fun! I just hope that I won’t forget what I’ve learnt the second I walk out of this studio.”

“Tsk,” Minho clicks his tongue in a playful disapproval. “Where do you think the term 'muscle memory' comes from, hmm?”

Jisung laughs and takes another sip, though his interest is piqued when he notices the dancer looks a little deep in thought. 

“If I may, I have to say that you have a real air of naturalism when it comes to dancing. Not everyone can pick up the moves you’ve learnt today so quickly.” After his initial tone of delight, his voice becomes a little softer. “Honestly, it seems to me that maybe you get into your head a little too much.”

Jisung brings a hand to his nape as he sighs. “Yeah, my best friend Changbin always says the same.” He returns with a sheepish demeanour. 

While Jisung is looking at the dancer, there is something about how soothing his gaze is, and how comfortable of an atmosphere he’d managed to set, that he finds himself continuing without a second thought. 

“I think-, I think a lot of this kinda anxiety started when Seoyeon was born. She, um- her mum and I had a one night stand, and it wasn’t until six months or so of no contact later that she suddenly rang me and told me she was pregnant. I wasn’t really sure if we’d work as co-parents since we hardly knew each other, but when I brought that up, she told me she’d planned on giving the baby up for adoption. She told me she hadn’t wanted an abortion, but also didn’t want to raise a kid when she still felt like one herself. I mean, shit, we were both just eighteen years old.”

Letting out a rather humourless laugh, Jisung makes sure Seoyeon isn’t listening before continuing. 

“When I realised she was only telling me I was the father so I wouldn’t get the shock of my life however many years down the line later, I asked her to give me some time to think it all over. I was living with Changbin at the time- since throughout our childhood we’d always talked about going to the same schools right up until the end, and when I told him what had happened, he wrapped me up in a hug so tight, and told me however I wanted to go about everything, he’d be there for me. I called my parents a few days later after I’d made the decision that I wanted to raise my daughter as a single parent, and they sent over a bunch of money and said I could come home whenever I wanted. When I told them I was happy to stay where I was, they understood, but made sure to make it incredibly clear that I could call or visit them anytime I needed to.”

Recalling it all, Jisung allows himself to pause for a brief moment, his eyes still cast down to his lap.

“When Seoyeon was born and I’d brought her back to mine and Changbin’s new apartment that we'd bought off campus, I was able to move all of my courses online and get decent passing grades despite how being a parent was so much harder than I was expecting. Of course I was lucky that I never had any financial issues and that I had someone like Changbin living with me and helping but,” Jisung cuts himself off with a heavy sigh. “It just wasn’t the same…I-I didn’t know any other young parents, and any of the parent-baby clubs I tried to join just made me feel even more alone because I felt like they were always looking at me wrong because I was so young, and a young single dad at that…”

When Jisung registers the silence after he finishes speaking, heat rapidly rises to his cheeks. 

“I’m so sorry, that was so much for me to just drop onto you like that.” He speaks hurriedly, cringing as he runs a hand through his hair. 

“Hey, no, that’s okay.” Minho just as quickly reassures, shifting closer to Jisung and instinctively placing a gentle hand onto his knee. “I’ve heard a whole range of stories from parents by now- some young, some old, some first timers who still feel like they don’t know what they’re doing.” He quips, chuckling when he manages to elicit a humorous scoff from Jisung. His expression turns even softer than before, and he increases the pressure of his hand just slightly as he speaks, “...I guess you feel like you have something to prove, right?”

“Tch, yeah,” Jisung nods, glancing down at his fingers fiddling together- his gaze drifting a little over to the side where Minho’s hand is resting. “I just-, I don’t wanna let her down, you know?”

Minho lets out a soft sigh and retracts his hand- missing the way Jisung’s knee was about to chase the contact in search of the warmth before he quickly stilled his body. 

“Jisungie, you are being an incredible parent by taking this so seriously,” He says earnestly, “I’ve encountered so many parents who hardly care about the dance I teach. Most will just drop their kid off and pick them up, sometimes not even bothering to seem interested in how the lesson went. And, it’s really sad to watch- especially when the kids love to tell me how much they’re practicing while at home.”

Wanting to lighten the atmosphere a little, Jisung lightly bumps his arm against Minho’s. 

“Trust me,” He smiles rather mischievously when their eyes meet, “If we were a part of those classes, neither I or Seoyeon would leave you alone. If anything, you’d probably get sick of me bothering you with so many questions.”

Minho’s eyebrows lightly furrow, “You don’t bother me,” He replies quietly, offering a little shrug as the corners of his mouth lift. “I think it’s sweet.”

Completely caught off guard, Jisung finds himself having to duck his head as he feels heat travel up from his neck and bloom across his cheeks. Giving nothing but an audible exhale through his nose, Jisung goes back to watching his fingers twirl around each other. 

“...You know,” Sounding almost hesitant, Minho waits until Jisung is looking back at him, “I know with Seoyeon being in school throughout the week that these Saturday sessions are perfect- but, if you ever wanted me to teach you just one on one then you’d always be welcome to the studio when you have time.”

He gives a subtle clear of his throat and lifts a hand to his ear to slightly pull on the reddened lobe. 

“O-Or we could always practice steps at my apartment if you didn’t wanna come so far into the city so often. I live fairly close to Hyunjin, so.” He trails off with a hint of shyness noticeable in his tone. 

“That’d be perfect,” Jisung nods, excited at the prospect of being able to get even more practice in. “I’ve got your number, so I can tell you the days I’m free? My work is luckily quite flexible since, you know,” He laughs, knowing he doesn’t have to state the obvious for the dancer to understand, “So, we can sort something out for this week?”

“Great,” Minho replies, his eyes taking in Jisung’s features while he gives a light nod. “I’ll wait for your text tonight.”

Just then, Seoyeon hops back over to be standing in front of the two adults. 

“I put all of the costumes back the best I could, Teacher Minho!” Seoyeon declares proudly, holding her hands by her sides as she happily twists her body left and right. 

“Thank you very much, Seoyeonnie.” Minho smiles big, and it only widens when he looks back at Jisung to see the overwhelming affection held in his eyes as he looks at his daughter. 

Now that he knows a little more about their backstory, Minho can only imagine how much Jisung truly adores her. Especially, with just how much of a delight his daughter has come to be.

“Well, baby, we will be seeing Teacher Minho within a week, and I’m sure he’ll be looking forward to seeing how well we’ve been practising at home together.” Jisung takes a hold of her hand and pulls her to stand between his legs so he can place a lingering kiss to the apple of her cheek. 

“I’m so excited!” Seoyeon leans her upper body against her dad, though her attention doesn’t shift from the dancer. “Thank you so much!”

“Thank you,” Minho directs back at her. “It was an absolute pleasure to meet you, Seoyeonnie.”

Minho and Seoyeon lift their hands up for a high ten this time and after gently pushing his giggling daughter up to stand, Jisung makes sure they have all of their belongings before they make their way to the door. 

“Thanks, Minho,” Jisung says softly, his shoulders lowering as the events of the day finally catch up to him- both with it having been a rather strenuous activity, and from the relief that’s continuing to grow with how his first dance lesson had gone so smoothly. “I'm sure I’ll see you soon.”

Quietly alluding to their private sessions, lest Seoyeon hear and declare her want for extra lessons, Jisung smiles and steps out from the studio while looking at Minho.  

“Bye, Jisungie,” Minho returns as he leans against the door frame. “I’m very excited to see what we can get up to next.”

Jisung shakes his head in jest, and he and Seoyeon give one final ‘Goodbye’ call down the hall before they step into the lift.

For their entire journey home, Jisung finds he holds his daughter’s hand a little tighter than usual. 

After all, there’s now even more of a drive for him to make his daughter proud.

‎‧₊˚✧🪩✧˚₊‧

Three days on from his lesson at the studio, Jisung finds himself outside of the dancer’s apartment. 

Since his arrival was expected- and because he’d constantly been keeping Minho updated of where he was up to- Minho opens the door just seconds after the younger man knocks, and welcomes him inside. 

Jisung walks into the living room and sees how a long couch spans the back wall, the other furniture pushed to the side so they have ample room to practice. 

“This apartment has really good sound proofing, by the way.” Minho informs after watching Jisung eye the floor and ceiling in particular, guessing he was a little worried about being too heavy footed when stepping. 

Or falling. 

Jisung returns the playful attitude with a pleased nod, feeling the smallest swoop in his belly at Minho’s soft giggle as he steps into the middle of their makeshift dance space. 

“So,” Jisung gestures his arms out to the sides, “What are we working on today?”

“I appreciate that enthusiasm,” Minho responds, his words eliciting a laugh of blended surprise and amusement at the quip, “I was thinking about what you said on Saturday, and decided it might be a good idea to ease you into feeling more comfortable with dancing, so we’ll be looking at some freestyling moves that you can build up as you see fit.”

“Okayyy.” Jisung nods along, sounding both intrigued yet hesitant. 

“Plus, like this, it might help you with being in a more easy-going and relaxed environment. I know sometimes a dance studio can feel a little daunting with the lights, and the mirrors, and everything, so today is all about things you don’t need to watch yourself do, but more so feel yourself do!” 

The realisation of just how diligently Minho has curated his lessons to suit his ability, has Jisung feeling unbelievably appreciative. 

And, since the dancer is just as assiduous even at home, Minho officially starts their lesson with a gentle warm up. 

“Okay,” Minho claps his hands together, and Jisung marvels at how the persona of a dance teacher and their habits still remains outside of the studio. “Today, I’m going to teach you a sequence of steps that I’m sure you’ll have seen before- it’s a step behind, step, clap, and is exactly how it sounds.”

The corners of his lips lift while he looks at Jisung to see if he’s understood, and he waits until he receives a nod before continuing. 

“It’s a move I believe not only helps with coordination, but you can always give it more energy and really get into the feel of the move, you know?”

Jisung responds with an exaggeratingly unsure hum before clicking his tongue. 

“I think I’ll only be able to know by the end of the session.” He playfully teases. 

As the lesson progresses, Jisung becomes acutely aware that it really is just the two of them together. And with that realisation, he rather embarrassingly finds that his eyes are concentrating on the dancer for much longer than it did, and probably ever really would, when his daughter was with him. 

That epiphany, of course, comes with a few consequences. 

For example, now that Minho is wearing a T-shirt rather than the zip up hoodie he was wearing on Saturday, Jisung can see his arm muscles flexing, can see just how broad the man’s back is when he curls his shoulders inwards to really dig into that clap. 

Then, Minho’s thighs. 

Although he’s wearing sweatpants the same as in their previous lesson, watching the man cross a leg behind so that the two muscles are bulging together is almost too much for Jisung’s poor, extremely sexually deprived, mind to cope with. 

What causes him a sense of guilt on top of ogling the man, is how Minho must be taking his lingering stares at his legs and arms to mean Jisung is paying the kind of close attention a dance instructor could only hope for. 

Fortunately, however, when Jisung manages to shake away the horny, he does succeed in completing the four step movement. Not only that, but he is soon able to completely understand what Minho means about feeling a step, more so than simply watching himself in the mirror. 

With a pleased smile, Minho puts on a song that is much more upbeat with a quicker tempo than what Jisung was used to for their waltz practice, causing Jisung to momentarily still and prepare his mind for an onslaught of flashbacks of too many sworn off dance floors. Surprisingly though, with Minho at his side, Jisung’s confidence only grows with every left and right direction they travel. 

“You’ve got it, Jisungie!” Minho cheers, patting the younger man on the sleeve of his hoodie, proceeding to pick up his phone off of the couch so he can pause the music. “Are you beginning to feel it now?”

“You know what, I think I am!” Jisung responds with vigour, smoothing his hair back from his face now he’s already beginning to work up a sweat. “Honestly, I feel like I might have just enjoyed freestyling!” 

Jisung, knowing full well of their difference in stamina, is surprised to see Minho looking a little breathless. 

“...Really?” The dance questions with a quiet voice, “You’re enjoying dancing?”

“Yeah!” Jisung nods, unaware of the flutter he’s causing to the man's heart. “I mean, I know it’s only the first real move I’ve learnt outside of dancing with Seoyeon, but the fact that I’m managing to enjoy a dance step without someone holding onto me or reminding me of where to go? That's just not like me at all.”

“Wow,” Minho blinks, his cheeks bunching up to deepen his shy demeanour, “That’s, really cool, Jisungie.”

If Jisung had been looking a little closer, he might have noticed how it seemed as though Minho still had more to say, yet ultimately decided to hold back. 

“Do you think we could forgo a break and get straight onto the next move?” Jisung asks.

Minho finds it quite amusing that the man- still breathing a little laboured from exertion- is asking not to take a moment of respite. Then again, Minho decides it would be wrong to interrupt Jisung’s visible excitement. 

He very pointedly refuses to look at the beads of sweat trickling down from Jisung’s hairline to glide across the honey toned skin of his neck- for the sake of the younger man’s pride of course, nothing else- and gives a firm nod. 

“Of course, Jisungie,” He answers, “I think you’ll like the sound of the next move.”

Minho lied. 

The next item on the agenda still remains a sore spot for Jisung: Spinning. 

The moment that word leaves his lips, Minho throws his head back laughing after seeing Jisung’s bug eyed expression that almost conveyed something akin to betrayal. 

For this type of spin though, as Minho placatingly describes, one foot is to remain planted to the floor while the other foot acts a pivot rather than lifting off altogether. 

And so far, series of steps have been fairly kind to Jisung. 

Once he masters the art of the ‘One foot pushing on the floor’ spin- a name which really helps Jisung to remember exactly what it is he should be doing- Minho again gives him a way to liven it up by adding a forward or backwards roll of the arms. 

Making his arms and legs do two different things simultaneously has never been a strong suit for Jisung over the years, but he can’t deny he’s beginning to believe that Minho might just be able to do what no one else thought was possible. 

He really is going to teach Jisung how to dance comfortably, and look good while doing so. 

After a well deserved yet albeit brief water break, Minho suggests a move that can be ‘dressed-down’ to give more of a laid-back, effortless look. He stands opposite Jisung and demonstrates sinking into his right hip while raising his left foot slightly off the floor, then switches to drop into his left while raising his right foot, to then finish with a double bounce to his right hip and an extra lift to his left foot- showcasing a kind of slinky looking hip roll. 

Jisung watches Minho with his heart in his throat and his pulse thudding in his ears as he wonders whether staring so intensely at the expanse of Minho's thighs is helping in any way. Aside from that, having to watch him roll his hips so sensually, even without him trying to be sensual, has him quickly flicking his eyes back up to the dancer’s face. 

“Um, do you think I could practice the more…less that kinda style of moves first, and then maybe revisit, um, that kind of style at another time?” 

Jisung seriously hopes his wide eyes and tightly pressed together lips is taken as a sign of visible hesitance and not a suppression of arousal. 

Minho either doesn’t notice, or decides to spare his dignity, and offers an understanding nod. 

“Sure,” He replies with poorly concealed amusement that brings a playfully grateful smile to Jisung’s face. “Besides, as much as I love that you’re enjoying this practice, I wouldn’t wanna keep you too long.”

Confused, Jisung picks up his phone from the couch, and his eyebrows lift when he sees he’s already been at Minho’s house for over two hours. 

“Woah,” He chuckles, his smile softening at the picture of him and Seoyeon on his lock screen. He gently clicks the power button and rests it back on the couch. “I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun, huh?”

Minho huffs a light laugh with a shake of his head. “Spoken like a true father.”

Jisung exaggerates a scoff in return, though he can’t hold back from following the older into gentle laughter at the remark. A few seconds pass, and Jisung turns his gaze back to Minho. 

“She’s been talking about you, you know.”

The shock is evident on Minho’s face. “R-Really? She has?”

Jisung’s heart swells with fondness as he nods, “She’s agreed to not tell any of her friends at school about us having dance lessons so that we can surprise everyone on the night, so that means the only people she can talk about you with, is with me, her Uncle Changbin, and of course her Uncle Hyunjin too.”

Minho’s hand lifts to his chest, and he holds it over his heart with slightly upturned eyebrows, “Wow, I’m honoured,” He speaks quietly, eyes softening as he speaks, “Has she been practising at home?”

“Every moment she’s been able to,” Jisung mirrors his smile, and pauses to snicker as he immediately thinks of how on Saturday night he’d caught her out of bed, and had needed to light-heartedly remind her that although he loves to see her so happy while dancing, it shouldn’t be at the time that she should be fast asleep. “She often video calls her uncles, but now when she’s on the phone to Hyunjin, all I can hear while I’m working or getting on with some chores is ‘Watch this, Uncle Hyunjinnie, watch this!’, and she’s put the camera on the floor so she can show him what she’s learnt and ask for any pointers to help her improve.”

Minho looks as though he could cry, his doe eyes covered with a noticeable sheen when the light from the windows catches them just right. “That’s so precious.”

“Isn’t it?” Jisung grins, the pride for his daughter unmistakeable, “Maybe I should have put her into dance when she was a lot younger, but there was always something else she wanted to try, then something else, and something else,” He exaggeratingly gestures rotating his hand, recalling the many, many activities she’s tried over the years. “Rock climbing was cool, but then she wanted to try these kid-cooking classes, and then she wanted to swim, and then it was painting and drawing. Honestly, drawing seems to have been the one that’s really stuck more so than the others- I think it’s been about a year now and nothing else has come up. Aside from dancing now, of course.” He finishes with a knowing smile. 

Minho is in visible awe of the man in front of him, “That’s really cool that you let her try so many things.”

“Of course!” Jisung responds in a playfully incredulous manner. “My baby’s got to find her passion after all! I’m always up for her trying as much as she wants to, even if it only ends up being a one and done kinda attempt.”

Looking at Jisung in front of him- really studying him from the sparkle in his eyes to his entire demeanour, Minho feels there is so much more to Jisung he’s dying to know about. 

“What was your passion growing up?”

“Me?” Surprised to suddenly be the focus of the conversation, Jisung stammers for a few seconds before ultimately sighing with a fairly bashful look. “I…wanted to be a cartoon artist.”

The air falls still, and Jisung slowly lifts his gaze up from where he’d dropped it to the floor to see Minho’s entire face has lit up. 

“Don’t make fun of me.” Jisung warns, feigning a glare. 

“I-I’m not!” Minho hurries to school his expression- initially worried that he’d offended the man, though his shoulders relax when he sees Jisung’s lips curl up into a smirk. “I think that’s really cool! And, now that I think about it, it makes perfect sense for someone like you.”

Although he hasn’t known the dancer all that long, Jisung immediately feels as though the underlying meaning to his words was complimentary, and can’t help but bashfully duck his head a little. “I’d mentioned before that Changbin and I went to the same university, but it was actually a university of arts which meant that he could get a degree in music and production, and I could get mine in visual arts.” As he speaks, Jisung brushes his knuckle along the underside of his nose. “When he got his job at a record company, he gave me as a recommendation, so I spent some time working alongside the creative directors, and even helped out with designing some album covers and the likes.” Finishing his explanation with a modest shrug, only then does Jisung brave looking at Minho. 

“Well no wonder you said that drawing for Seoyeon seemed to stick,” Minho gently pushes against Jisung’s shoulder- his teeth biting into his bottom lip to contain a wider smile. “When she has a dad as cool as you, how could she not look up to you and want to copy your interests?”

A lump immediately settles in Jisung’s throat as he finds himself a little lost for words. It’s only their second time meeting, and yet Jisung is becoming more and more sure every second he spends in Minho’s company that the dancer is the epitome of grace- in appearance, movement, and words. 

“...Thank you.” Jisung eventually whispers in response, certain that the gratitude warming his entire body is displayed on his face. “But, what about you?” He slightly deflects, his lips settling into a coy smile when he sees Minho raise in eyebrows as if to show he knows what Jisung is doing. “What made you wanna be a dancer?”

At the question, Minho audibly chuckles. “If you ask my family, they’ll tell you there was nothing on my mind except dancing.” He begins with a light shrug, “I loved dancing for myself so much, that I decided when I was old enough, I would teach other people to hopefully give them a love for it too.”

When Minho talks about dancing, his entire being seems to appear even softer in nature. His whole body looks completely devoid of tension, and there’s something about the look in his eyes as he speaks that makes it clear to Jisung that Minho’s appreciation for dance runs deeper than Jisung ever imagined his own could. 

“Well, I might not know about love just yet,” Jisung starts with a teasing smile- trying to hold back a laugh when he sees Minho’s eyebrows confusedly raise in a small prompt for him to continue. “But I think you’ve definitely helped me develop a like for dancing.” 

“...Jisung,” Minho exhales, noticeably affected by the younger’s words. “That means more to me than you could ever know.”

No words are exchanged as the two simply stare at each other, both taking in the weight of the moment. However, it’s only seconds later their lips simultaneously begin to quiver, and they burst into joyful laughter that delightfully fills the entire apartment. 

Letting his eyes flick to the couch, Jisung’s mouth settles into a reserved smile since he knows he can no longer delay the inevitable of him having to leave. Minho is also visibly disappointed- even though Jisung knows the frown he holds is definitely exaggerated- yet proceeds to help Jisung ensure he has all of his belongings before he walks the younger man to the front door. 

“I really enjoyed today, Minho,” Jisung says earnestly, standing at the threshold between the corridor and Minho’s apartment, “Of course I appreciated learning even more about dancing, but- it was also just really nice to feel so comfortable talking with you.”

The gently spoken admission causes Minho’s eyes to momentarily drop from Jisung’s as he shuffles a little in place before nodding. 

“I enjoyed it too, and, I’m really glad that you found today so helpful.” He replies, letting his body rest against his doorframe, and Jisung wishes he didn’t feel such a pull to his heart at such a domestic sight. “I’m glad I got to know a bit more about you too,” He continues, lifting his gaze back to Jisung’s which now carries a more teasing edge. “I think I’m now looking forward to Thursday even more than I was before.”

Jisung definitely felt his heart skip at that. 

“Me too,” Smile widening, Jisung responds with a light nod. “I’ll see you Thursday, Minho.”

After a final assurance and an even softer final goodbye, Jisung walks along to the corridor to reach the building’s stairwell. 

And so, Jisung’s first solo lesson leaves him with not only his pride intact, but also the lingering excitement that he’ll be seeing the dancer again in just two days' time.

‎‧₊˚✧🪩✧˚₊‧

When Jisung returned to Minho’s apartment forty eight hours on from his first solo lesson, he was given a warm welcome which immediately instilled in him the confidence he needed to show Minho how he’d been faring with his ‘homework’. 

And although he’d been fairly eager to show Minho, he still found his face growing warm when the dancer diligently complimented him with having achieved such a visible improvement in such a short amount of time. 

The entire focus of Jisung’s second solo lesson was ‘confidence training', with Minho mainly helping Jisung to ensure that he would always, always have his feet in the right places for all the moves they revisited and all the moves Minho proceeded to introduce.  

The other two main aims was for Jisung to first: never worry about looking right more so than feeling right while dancing, since the purpose of freestyling was all about having fun, and second: no matter what Jisung tried to do, it should always be done in a way that felt comfortable, and above all safe. 

Once Jisung was sure he’d grasped the concept, and was happy with his new skills that would be sure to impress his daughter, Minho and Jisung again slipped into casual conversation that flowed so naturally it warranted the break from dancing. 

Jisung got to hear about Minho’s dance shows from when he was as young as Seoyeon all the way up to adulthood, and how almost every single one had helped him to grow in confidence- even when some things hadn’t gone entirely to plan. Meanwhile, Minho got to hear about Jisung’s endeavours with his daughter- ranging from all the fun things they got up to day to day, to right back to the first time Hyunjin had met Seoyeon when she was just two years old. 

Minho was especially thrilled to hear that his best friend, who had always sworn off of teaching younger kids, had taken one look at Seoyeon’s chubby cheeks, wide eyes, and toothy grin, and had immediately folded- having caused the dad and daughter’s initial early afternoon visit, to have been extended well into the late evening. 

By the time Jisung was leaving his second session to go and pick Seoyeon up from school, he knew the smile he’d be wearing for Saturday’s lesson would most probably be rivalling his daughter’s.

‎‧₊˚✧🪩✧˚₊‧

“Teacher Minho!” Seoyeon excitedly yells as she sprints into the room.

“Hey, Seoyeonnie!” Minho beams, already holding out his arms to catch her at his waist in a greeting hug. 

Jisung follows in behind, smiling at the sight while closing the door behind him and walking over to the couch to set down their belongings. 

“I’ve been looking forward to this all week!” Seoyeon says once she steps back, her toothy grin on display as she looks up at the dancer. “Appa and I have been practicing together, n’Appa has been practicing on his own too!” 

“Has he now?” Minho teases, looking over to Jisung with raised eyebrows. “Well, I’m very glad to hear it.”

“Uh-huh!” Seoyeon nods, gently tapping Minho’s arm to regain his attention. “I even caught him doing a, um, the step behind step thingy while he was in ‘kitchen!” 

Jisung chuckles in agreement, smoothing his hand over his nape as he moves across the studio to stand behind his daughter. 

“Yeah. She gave me the fright of my life when she yelled at me.” He digs his fingers into her sides, eliciting a shriek that echoes around the space before she tapers off into laughter- holding onto her dad’s arms as she falls back against his body. 

“He looked funny,” She giggles, pulling her dad’s arms together so she’s enveloped in a back hug of sorts, “He never used t’dance at home, but he’s been doing it ev’ryday since we came here!” 

Minho’s lips lift into a smile that causes his cheeks to bunch and his eyes to appear mellow. After their talk on Tuesday- Jisung guesses it's not only because of Seoyeon’s infectious joy, but also because of her confirming that Minho is the cause for her dad finding enjoyment in dancing.

“Are we going to be learning some new things today?” Seoyeon kindly asks, swaying side to side while still in her dad’s hold. “Or are we going to stick to what we did last week so we can look even more super skilled next Friday?”

Minho and Jisung share a quick amused glance at her question, before Jisung leans down to place a gentle kiss to the top of her head- her hairstyle for the day being two high ponytails with many sparkly clips between them- and Minho smiles wide while nodding his head.

“That’s exactly it! We’ll do another warm up, like we did last week, and then make sure you’re still feeling comfortable with the steps we’d already learned before moving on to some freestyle perhaps?”

Seoyeon’s eyes light up like she’d just been given the best news of her life. 

“Does that sound okay, Jisungie?” Minho directs his gaze at the other man, mirroring his smile at how Seoyeon is practically vibrating with excitement- clearly raring to get going. 

“That sounds perfect.” Jisung answers, squeezing his daughter before he encourages her to let go so they can move to the middle of the room and follow Minho with the warm up.  

-

The waltz revisit goes without a single hitch, and Jisung smirks while confessing that he and Seoyeon had been putting on some slow music and dancing together around the house whenever they saw fit. 

Minho’s surprised his heart doesn’t burst out of his chest and fall onto the floor while picturing the sight. 

And while both Minho and Jisung are fully aware that the waltz could always be practiced more, especially since the dancer is now with the learners to offer any extra guidance, neither man wishes to delay Seoyeon from freestyling any longer. 

Additionally on Thursday, Jisung had politely requested for their Saturday’s session to be more focused on his daughter, and Minho had needed no convincing to comply- even having suggested that Jisung should keep some of his new solo skills a secret so he could surprise his daughter on the night. 

For most of the warm up, Minho and Jisung had often caught each other’s eye- the two of them having to bite back laughter with Seoyeon being blissfully unaware of the skills her dad already possesses.

Minho firstly teaches Jisung and Seoyeon a few partner themed disco moves- Seoyeon particularly enjoying standing hand in hand at her dad’s side while mimicking a wave passing through their bodies- before she looks to her dad, receives an encouraging nod, and kindly asks for Minho to teach her some moves she can do on her own. 

Minho of course agrees, and Seoyeon beams at her dad and gives a tight squeeze to his waist before she bosses him over to the couch so he can simply ‘watch and cheer’. 

Jisung knows better than to go against what she’s told him to do, and dutifully settles himself at the back wall- after managing to steal one last cheek kiss of course.

Jisung is overcome by a tide of emotions while watching the way Minho interacts with his daughter. A smile seems to be permanently etched onto the dancer’s face as he stands at her side to show her some easy moves to begin with, and he’s soon filling the room with cheerful laughter after seeing her reaction to being told he thinks she’s ready to try some harder moves.

“Appa! Did you hear that!?” Seoyeon asks as she whirls around to look at her dad. “Teacher Minho said he’s going to teach me even harder dance moves!” 

“You’ve got this, baby!” Jisung cheers, growing louder and louder until Seoyeon yells through giggles for him to stop distracting her. 

Satisfied, Jisung chuckles to himself, and catches sight of Minho’s entertained expression watching the two of them, before he rests back against the couch. 

As the lesson progresses, Jisung often notices Seoyeon’s subtle frowns and tense shoulders when she doesn’t quite get a move right in her first few attempts. And yet Minho’s kind and patient demeanour never wavers.  

Every time, he’s there to offer a gentle encouragement that not only soothes the little one, but also gives her the confidence to try again. 

Thinking back to their conversation on Thursday, Jisung wonders whether this is the kind of experience Minho had had with his own teachers, and it warms his heart to think Minho has strived to create such an uplifting environment for his own students in return.

A soft buzz from Jisung’s jacket next to him brings him out of his thoughts, and he lifts it out to see a text from Hyunjin asking how everything is going. 

Seeing that they still have plenty of time left until the end of the session, Jisung glances back at the pair to see Minho already looking at him in the reflection.

“Do you mind if I step out to make a quick call?”

“No, not at all!” Minho answers, moving his attention to Seoyeon who is still looking at herself to make sure her arms are correctly placed. 

“Seoyeon, baby, do you mind?” Jisung then checks with his daughter. “I won’t be too long.”

“Iss’ okay, Appa!” She replies as she turns her head back to meet his eyes. “Tell Uncle Binnie or Uncle Hyunjinnie that I says hi!” 

Jisung lets out a soft tsk, then moves to a stand and lets out another tsk. 

Despite how he’s never given the impression of anything different, Jisung still finds it funny that Seoyeon assumes he could only ever be talking to one of two people. 

Minho, also visibly amused at Seoyeon’s unintentional dig at her dad’s number of friends, receives a playful glower before Jisung fixes his face into a grateful smile and slips out into the corridor.

Hyunjin answers on the fourth ring.

“Well hello there, Skipper,” He greets, mirth dripping from his words, “How are you and Seo-yo getting on?”

“Jinnie,” Jisung light-heartedly sighs, “Everything is going so, well.”

“Aw, yeah?”

“Seriously! I mean, Seoyeon adores him as I’m sure you already know. Right now, they’re working on some freestyling moves together and she just looks so happy. Minho is so patient with her and so encouraging- anytime Seoyeon looks confused or was even getting a little frustrated with not getting the moves right first time, he was so great in assuring her and giving her the courage to try it again. And, God, the smile on her face when she does well?” He cuts himself off with a heavy exhale that says everything words couldn't. 

“Yeah, Minho has an incredible way with kids.” Hyunjin answers, clearly speaking through a smile, “Then again, Seoyeon would be anyone’s favourite student.” 

Jisung obviously agrees, even if he may be a little biased. “Well, she definitely stole your heart within seconds.”

“That’s because you have the cutest, sweetest, and most adorable kid in the whole world.”

Even though Jisung has heard such a sentiment many, many times from both Changbin and Hyunjin since Seoyeon was born, the words still settle deep in his heart all the same.

“True.” Jisung responds, smiling wide at Hyunjin’s hummed laughter. “But, I really have to thank you, Jinnie. All of this has made me so much more confident about the dance, and Seoyeon is having the time of her life in these lessons, as am I honestly. And Minho is just…”

“...Justtt?” Hyunjin teasingly prompts. 

“He’s…everything.” Jisung shyly laughs. “He’s given us these lessons out of the kindness of his heart, he’s never once made me feel stupid for the questions I ask or how long it takes me to understand the steps, and although this is only the fourth time we’ve met I-, I don’t think I’ve felt this comfortable with anyone so quickly. I mean, hell, you and I might not have clicked on our first meeting so well if it hadn’t been for Seoyeon. With Minho, though, it all just feels so natural.”

“Heyyy, don’t say that,” Hyunjin drawls, “If Seoyeon wasn’t there for our first meeting I’m sure I would have come around to you at some point!” 

Jisung huffs out a laugh, and hears Hyunjin chuckle at his own words before he continues. 

“But, seriously, I’m so glad that you’re getting on with him so well.” Hyunjin says earnestly, though Jisung’s smile that had been widening immediately wavers when he continues: “...He’s hot too, isn’t he?”

“Oh my God.” Jisung sighs, dropping his face into his hands, “I can’t believe you.”

Hyunjin clicks his tongue, “Well it’s not like I’m wrong-”

“-Don’t start with that. You’re not entirely off the hook here, Hwang. I’m still pissed that I got no warning whatsoever that the hottest man on this planet would just happen to be the one I’m given to teach me and my daughter how to dance.” Jisung hisses, glancing up and down the corridor to ensure he can’t be overheard. 

“Sooo,” Hyunjin remains unperturbed at Jisung’s rambling, “What are you waiting for then!?”

“No, Jinnie, I-” Jisung’s firm words are interrupted by his own sigh as his shoulders deflate. “It’s just not like that. Minho-, he’s doing something nice for us, and I don’t want to take advantage of that.”

When Hyunjin doesn’t respond straight away, and silence persists for a few weighted seconds, Jisung brings the phone from his ear to check if the call is still going. 

“You, Han Jisung,” Hyunjin eventually sighs, “Are impossible.”

“What? No, I’m not,” Jisung retorts, “I’m being realistic.”

“I literally cannot believe what I’m hearing right now.”

“He’s teaching me and my daughter, and I don’t want to ruin anything because I took his kindness out of context.”

“...I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.”

“Hwang, please don’t give me a crisis while I’m literally standing outside of the studio where my daughter and Minho are right now.”

“Okay, okay,” Hyunjin yields, “But you and I will discuss this another time, Han.”

“Mmm.” Jisung noncommittally agrees. 

Hyunjin sighs, though Jisung can easily picture the smile behind it.

“Seriously though,” Hyunjin continues, “All of that aside, I really am so happy that you’re enjoying the lessons so much.”

“I am,” Jisung softens, “And even though there’s under a week left until the dance, I hardly feel like I need to stress about anything. Minho-, really, he’s just been incredible.”

“Yeah,” Hyunjin responds, though he takes a rather weighted pause before speaking again. “Well, Sungie, I’ll love you and leave you. Go and learn more!” 

Jisung softens while his lips curl up into a gentle smile. “Thanks, Jinnie. I’m sure I’ll speak to you later tonight since I assume Seoyeon will want to video call and show you her new moves.”

“I’ll look forward to it!” 

Jisung echoes the sentiment before ending the call, letting his hand drop to his side as he stares out at the wall. 

He can’t deny that he’s been thinking about Minho a lot recently- it’s only natural with how much time the two have been spending together. But to actually hear Hyunjin allude to the kind of thoughts he’s had that aren’t solely connected to dancing, Jisung can’t help but try and push them out of his mind completely. 

The last thing he wants to do is let anything get in the way of giving his daughter the best possible night she could hope for. 

Slightly shaking his head as though it’ll help his mind clear and refocus, Jisung turns around in the corridor and strides back towards the studio. 

He slips back inside and instantly stills after closing the door to see Minho and Seoyeon dancing side by side. A lively song is now playing, though Jisung can barely hear it over the sound of their synchronised laughter bouncing off of the walls. 

At the sight of her dad in the reflection, Seoyeon breaks from her move and lets out a loud gasp. 

“Appa, Appa, wait!” She cries, skipping across the floor to reach him and take his hand. “I wanna show you from the beginning. Sit there an’watch!” 

Jisung verbally acquiesces, giggling to himself as he’s pushed all the way back until his butt hits the seat. Seoyeon squeals in excitement and rushes back to Minho so they can take their starting positions for the short sequence they’d been practising. 

To say Jisung is amazed at his daughter would be an understatement. She moves forwards and backwards, side to side, in perfect synchronicity with Minho- performing tricky and intricate footwork whilst her arms and hands are working in a flawless harmony. 

Not only that, but the look on her face is unrivalled as she moves. She switches between her lips being pulled back into a heart-shaped grin, and scrunching up her nose to show she’s already mastered the art of feeling the moves- just like Minho had been teaching Jisung in their last two sessions. 

While admiring his daughter, Jisung notices that his gaze often strays to Minho standing next to her. The way his body moves is effortless, though Jisung’s attention is held higher to see the pure unadulterated joy reflected in his captivating smile and crinkled eyes. Not only that, but how the dancer’s elation only seems to heighten when his eyes flick to the little one at his side, has Jisung’s heart skipping in ways he never expected. 

When their lively sequence comes to an end and they finish with a dramatic ending pose, Jisung instantly jumps to his feet in rapturous applause. He laughs in pleasurable disbelief, and strides across the floor until he reaches his daughter and swoops her up into his arms.

“Baby, that was amazing!” He cheers, peppering her bunched up cheek over and over again. “Wow- you put allll of that together while I was outside!?”

Jisung’s words are dripping with pride, his whole body warm while his cheeks ache with the force of his smile.

“Uh-huh!” Seoyeon eagerly nods, giggling as she pushes her dad back so their eyes can meet. She holds her dad’s chubby cheeks in her small hands and wears a grin that’s almost as wide as his own. “Teacher Minho said that I can pick up moves really, really quick! He said that I hav’great memory an’that you and me are gonna look sooo cool when we disco!” 

“Gosh, I am so so so proud of you, I- ugh!” Jisung cuts himself off with an exaggerated cry, kissing her cheek with a comical ‘Mwah’ since the emotions he’s feeling are almost too big for his body to know what to do with. “My talented little baby!” 

Seoyeon soaks up all the praise without complaint, only asking to get down so she can wrap her arms around his legs and squeeze him tightly. The sound of her boisterous giggles then fill the room again when Jisung forcibly rocks her side to side in jest, his low humming broken up by his own laughter.  

When they pull apart Jisung instinctively steps to the side, only to freeze when he realises he’s face to face with Minho. 

With his arms held out.

And his body slightly angled forward.

Just when he plans to apologise for potentially overstepping, Jisung watches in surprise as Minho mirrors his posture and lifts his arms as though he’s ready to accept and return the hug. 

Something in Jisung’s chest loosens, and the thoughts in his mind are momentarily silenced as he takes the step forward to embrace Minho. 

Jisung tries not to focus too much on how broad his back feels, or the way Minho places his hands so gently between Jisung’s shoulder blades. Instead, Jisung simply gives the man’s body a final, affectionate squeeze before they separate. 

“Thank you.” Jisung whispers, not wanting to disturb the tranquil atmosphere the studio had settled into. 

Everything he feels seemingly manages to be encapsulated by those two words, as Minho holds a knowing smile as he nods. “Anytime, Jisungie.”

“Teacher Minho,” Seoyeon then slips in between them- her back resting against her dad’s stomach while she stares up at the dancer. “After a quick water break, can we please learn some more moves, but ones that I can do wiv’Appa instead of on my own?”

At the thought that his solo moves will remain a mystery to his daughter, Jisung hides his laugh by bending down to press his smile to the top of Seoyeon’s head. He lifts his gaze just enough to meet Minho’s eyes, and it looks as though the dancer understands his reaction completely. 

“Of course we can, Seoyeonnie.” Minho nods to her, his smile widening when Seoyeon’s shoulders lift in excitement. “We can absolutely do that.”

‎‧₊˚✧🪩✧˚₊‧

Something shifts the following Tuesday when Jisung returns to Minho’s apartment for his penultimate solo dance lesson. 

The dancer seems more ‘hands-on’ with his teaching. Gently correcting Jisung’s posture, arm, and foot placement with light touches that continue to send sparks through the younger man’s body. 

And despite how Jisung knows that a lot of the contact probably wasn’t necessary, that doesn’t stop him from seeking it out. Too many times Jisung will assume the ‘hold’ position, purposefully lowering his arms or rounding his shoulders before asking ‘Is this right?’ just to see Minho’s eyes soften as he proceeds to physically correct Jisung’s stance. 

For every point of contact, Minho’s hands are slow to retract, and Jisung revels in seeing the subtle red hue dusting his ears and neck every time he moves away. 

At one point while Jisung is in position, his breath ever so slightly hitches when Minho appears in front of him- so close Jisung almost wonders whether the dancer is going to slip his hand into Jisung’s right and settle the left around his waist. 

However, just at the last second, Minho seems to think better of it, and lets out a delicate laugh while moving Jisung’s hands downwards, giving the younger man the reminder that his partner is just a little bit on the shorter side. Whatever tension had been brewing momentarily breaks, and Jisung shakes his head at himself when Minho’s back is turned. 

Missed glances and more light touches follow for the rest of the lesson, and when Jisung finally returns home and closes the door to his apartment behind him, he immediately heads to his ensuite to take a much needed cold shower. 

-

Just over twenty four hours before the highly anticipated event, Jisung’s final dance lesson acts as an evaluation of everything learnt over the past three weeks. 

It had been going as well as Jisung could have hoped. Especially after he realised the nerves he’d felt when Seoyeon had first mentioned the dance had been washed away- all due to the confidence Minho had managed to instil in him in spite of his newfound dancing skills. 

However, Jisung soon collapses on the couch with a groan when Minho playfully suggests revisiting the kind of sensual dancing Jisung had turned down during their very first solo lesson. 

“Seriously?” Minho teasingly asks with mirth in his eyes. He remains standing in the middle of the room opposite Jisung and grins. “Okay, so maybe this school dance isn’t the place for this kind of ‘sexy dancing’ as you so eloquently put it. But, you don’t even want to attempt it?”

“No!” Jisung fires back through laughter, a mixture of amusement and disbelief painted on his face at the question. 

Wanting to tease Jisung further, Minho suddenly lifts a hand to cover the upper half of his face whilst his other shoots down to settle on his hip. He drops down into a torturously slow body roll, splitting his thick thighs apart before smoothly bringing them back together, topping the move off with a breathy inhale that causes heat to pool in Jisung’s lower belly. 

As though he hadn’t just caused Jisung to almost choke on his spit, Minho raises back to full height, giggling before he sighs at Jisung’s blank expression. “...You really can’t be tempted?”

Jisung holds back from moaning at the unintentionally suggestive phrasing and tries to cover his rapidly rising arousal with a cough. 

“Nope.” He deflects, skimming his knuckle against the underside of his nose. “And besides, I don’t think any amount of training could help me.” He slightly changes the subject. “I have no idea how you can make something like that look so easy.”

“Practice.” Minho returns with a noticeably faux-proud lilt to his voice. He can’t hold back further giggles, however, as he watches Jisung roll his eyes, and he makes his way over to the couch to slump back next to Jisung with a heavy sigh. 

“That would, uh, make sense.” Jisung swallows hard when he takes a moment to admire the column of Minho’s throat from where he’d dropped his head back against the cushion. Though his eyes are quick to snap away when Minho lolls it to the side to meet his gaze. “But, I mean, practicing being sexy? Is that even something you can practice?" 

“Of course it is!” Minho playfully scoffs, “I’ve taught a lot of adult classes over the years that have been all about sexy dancing.” 

“You have?” Jisung doesn’t quite manage to keep the surprise, and slight intrigue, out of his tone. 

“Mhm,” Minho nods. “Plus-” He abruptly pauses, letting out a sigh as he runs a hand down his face. “God, Hyunjin might actually kill me for telling you this.”

Jisung shuffles closer to the dancer before propping his chin on his palm, and though his playful gesture is noticed and met with a grin, he doesn’t think to move backwards. Instead, he savours the subtle warmth stemming from where their knees are now pressed together. 

“Hyunjin and I, years ago- okay?” Minho cuts himself off with his hands raised, “We went to a dance class at a strip club, and we were taught not only how to pole dance, but one of the exotic dance instructors taught us an entire floor routine.”  

Jisung blinks. 

“Y-You did that?” He fights to keep his expression neutral despite how he feels his cock twitch as sinful image after sinful image circles in his mind like some kind of agonising conveyor belt. 

“Many, many years ago,” Minho reiterates with a laugh. “But, as I said,” He then taps his temple. “Muscle memory is no joke.”

“Could you show me?” The second the words leave his lips, Jisung’s whole body stills. He leans back and holds his palms up at his chest. “If you’d be uncomfortable with that, though, then of course you don’t have to.”

“I wouldn’t be uncomfortable.” Minho replies, his voice airy and soft. A stark contrast to his heavy-lidded eyes as he continues, “I told you I’d be happy showing you whatever kinda dancing you wanted, right?”

Minho’s gaze shifts to his phone as he declares he needs some music to help ‘set the mood’, and Jisung takes the opportunity to turn his head away and let out a long, slow breath in preparation for what he’s about to see. 

Jisung doesn’t recognise the song that plays, but it hardly matters when Minho moves back into the middle of the floor. An alluring, breathy voice plays into the room at the same time Minho slowly trails his fingers across his upper body. 

Jisung is in a trance as Minho dances with the epitome of elegance. Every move he executes looks effortless and almost instinctive as he follows the rhythm of the song. 

Minho peeks his eyes open just enough to look at Jisung, immediately having to bite back a smile at the sight of Jisung’s wide eyes and slightly parted lips. The expression he’s managed to elicit only spurs him on further, and he allows just a few more sensual drags of his hands across his neck and chest before lowering himself to the floor. 

Dropping onto his knees, Minho places a hand behind himself to support his weight and swivels his legs around so he's in a sort of reverse table top position. His other covers his face similar to before, and he once again thrusts upwards in perfect time to the steady beat. 

Jisung is nothing short of mesmerised. His body unable to remain still as every subtle twitch of the dancer’s features, every flex of his fingers as they drag across his jaw, is affecting him in ways he hasn’t felt in a long time. 

In all of their lessons Jisung had been charmed by Minho’s bright eyes and kind smile. Right now, however, the man looks so seductive it’s almost giving Jisung whiplash.

The song builds in intensity and so does the dancing. Minho pushes himself up to land on his knees, simultaneously turning his body so that he’s facing Jisung. He brings two fingers to his lips with his left hand, curling his right wrist against his temple as his chest heaves with a deep sigh.

But the move that threatens to steal the breath from Jisung’s lungs entirely, is how he watches Minho’s knees slide apart and he bounces shallowly towards the floor before he pulls his body back upwards. 

With how much he’s trying to refrain from letting a hushed curse slip from his lips, Jisung’s surprised he hasn’t yet drawn blood from chewing on the inside of his cheeks. 

Now upright, Minho rolls his shoulders and lets his palms drag down his thighs- Jisung’s eyes momentarily stuck on the sheer size of them against his small hands before they’re continuing forwards so he’s positioned on all fours.

The first time that Jisung saw Minho, he thought the man resembled a cute and sweet little bunny. But while Minho holds a dangerous smirk and his half-lidded eyes are locked onto him, Jisung now thinks he looks like a wildcat stalking its prey as he makes his way over to the couch. 

Instinctively, Jisung parts his legs when Minho’s just inches away. It’s all the assurance Minho needs, and he places one hand on the couch cushion and the other onto Jisung’s thigh for leverage as he seductively eases his body up until he’s straddling him.

It’s only then, when space is almost non-existent between their bodies, they both realise the song had long finished. And still, neither man so much as twitches. 

One moment they’re staring at each other, the tension palpable when both of their gazes drop to the other’s lips. 

Then, Minho leans forwards to softly brush his lips against Jisung’s. 

The contact is so featherlight that before Jisung can properly register what had just happened, Minho jerks back. His shoulders immediately lift to his ears as the realisation of what he’d just done hits him. 

“Wait, shit,” He shakily exhales, eyes wide with panic. “I’m sorry, I-”

Jisung wastes no time in taking hold of Minho’s chin to pull him back in, letting their mouths meet again in a longer, surer kiss. 

“Don’t be,” He murmurs against Minho’s lips, pulling backwards just enough to let their gazes meet. And despite the palpable tension from before still heavy in the air, Jisung feels something ease in his body at the sight of the noticeable uncertainty still swimming in the dancer’s eyes. “I want this too.” He quietly assures. 

Minho draws in an audible breath as his eyes flick between Jisung’s. “You’re sure?” 

Jisung’s lips curl into a smirk as he drags his finger along the sharp edge of Minho’s jaw. 

“When I’ve got something as pretty as you in my lap, why wouldn’t I be sure?”

Minho rolls his eyes at the brazen flirt, but gives no opposition as he’s pulled into another kiss. 

It heats up instantly, their bodies already starting to melt into each other. But, just as Minho parts his lips to coax Jisung’s tongue to slip inside, Jisung breaks the kiss. 

“W-Wait, fuck, I need to do something first.” Jisung sighs, though it trails off into a gentle laugh when Minho attempts to chase after his lips. 

He leans to the side where his phone is still resting on the cushion next to him, and groans low in his throat when Minho takes the opportunity to set his mouth onto the exposed line of his neck. 

Jisung effortlessly navigates to a particular contact and has to bite back another moan when Minho secures his lips around his fluttering pulse and sucks. 

Changbin picks up on the third ring. 

“Heya, Hannie.”

Jisung can feel Minho smiling against his skin and quietly tsks. 

“Hey, um, so, very short notice I know, and totally fine if you can’t, but do you think you could pick Seoyeon up from school later?” His entire body jolts when he feels the scrape of teeth against him, and he slips his hand between their bodies to harshly pinch at Minho’s thigh. It backfires, however, when he suddenly realises that he’s finally getting his hands on what he’d been ogling for weeks. “Y-You know, have some uncle-niece time?”

Despite how Jisung hadn’t put Changbin on speaker, he’s sure Minho can hear the other’s deep chuckle. 

“Sure I can, Hannie.” Changbin replies in an exaggerated saccharine tone. “Jinnie’s with me right now so we could take her to the park. Are you perhaps wanting her to have dinner with us as well tonight?”

The teasing drags of lips and teeth against his neck pause. 

Minho leans his head back just enough to meet Jisung’s eyes- the silent question spoken between them very quick to be asked and answered. 

And so, the corner of Minho’s mouth curls up into a pleased smirk as he ducks back down and brings his lips back to the sharp line of Jisung’s jaw. 

Jisung swallows down a whimper. “I-If she’d be okay with that, that’d be great, yeah, thanks, Hyung.”

Changbin offers a long hum in return. “And would you also be wanting me to take her to school in the morning?”

This time, Minho pulls back entirely- the implications of this question obviously a little more weighted than before. 

When silence prevails, Changbin barks out a laugh. 

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing, Jisung-ah.” He scolds, though there’s clearly no real heat in his tone. “I’ve known you for almost all my life. And, my boyfriend is literally Hwang Hyunjin.”

Minho and Jisung exchange sheepish looks, both of their lips twisting to the side in shy smiles. 

“Well, I’m sorry to be so predictable,” Jisung childishly retorts, chuckling when he can hear Changbin’s faux huff of exasperation. “But, seriously, Hyungie, thank you, I really appreciate it. If she wants me at any time though, I can leave.”

Jisung flicks his eyes back to Minho’s just in time to see his shoulders soften in something akin to understanding, and that in itself is one of the hottest things he’s ever seen the dancer do. 

“Don’t stress, Hannie,” Changbin reassures. “I’m more than happy to be the cool uncle getting to drop her off at school tomorrow. I’ve got your spare keycard so I can grab her uniform for tomorrow on the way to pick her up later. If she wants anything we can’t give her, I’ll call you immediately.”

“Thanks, Hyungie.” Jisung sighs in relief, absentmindedly dragging his fingers along Minho’s sweatpant clad thigh. “I owe you one.”

“I’ll add it to the list!” Changbin returns, quickly ending the call while laughing so he gets the final word. 

Jisung lets out a soft tut, and carelessly tosses his phone on the cushions away from him. 

“So,” He focuses his attention back on the dancer, smirking as he flattens his palms to drag them up and down the muscles caging one of his legs. “Seems Hyunjin might know more than I thought, hmm?”

Minho’s upper body sags as he frowns, and Jisung has to hold back a soft coo with just how cute the older looks. 

“I-I was freaking out a little bit, okay?”

“Ah, Minho,” Jisung says through an exhale, sliding his hands up to hold onto Minho’s thick waist as he narrows the distance between their faces. “You really have no idea what you do to me.”

While their lips once again meet in a passionate kiss, the first roll of Minho’s hips against his own is dizzying. How his defined muscles squeeze around Jisung as he drags his clothed cock just right along the younger’s thigh.

Still with his hands holding Minho’s waist, Jisung repositions himself so that Minho’s right knee brushes up against his own cock, and he lets out a soft groan as the dancer rolling forwards causes the desired friction against his rapidly hardening dick.

“Y-You're sure that this is okay?” Minho asks against Jisung’s mouth. And though he continues to slowly move, Jisung can tell by the pacing that he’s still holding himself back. 

“More than okay.” Jisung breathlessly answers, after stealing another kiss. 

He draws his head back and raises a hand to Minho’s face, intending just to press his thumb into the kiss-swollen plush of his lips. A hushed moan falls from his own, however, when Minho parts them wide enough to let his thumb slip inside- his mouth quick to encase the digit as he bops his head to take it further. 

“God, you’re filthy.” Jisung awes, pressing down on the man’s tongue just to feel the salvia pooling underneath. “So fucking hot.”

Now assured, Minho resumes the slow rolls of his hips with more vigour, continuing to suckle against Jisung’s thumb before the younger man whispers a curse and drags him forward into another kiss- retracting his thumb so he can replace it with his tongue as it laves into his mouth. 

The kiss soon becomes nothing more than panting into each other’s mouths as the pace increases.

At a particularly rough grind forwards, Minho drops his head back with a stuttered moan, and Jisung can’t resist leaning forwards to drag his lips along his neck.

The shift in positioning brings their bodies even closer, and Jisung lightly nips at the skin while the pleasure coursing through his body is already bordering on overwhelming.

He can already tell how close Minho is to coming undone. His breathing appears more laboured with audible little whimpers trickling from his lips, and it’s only a few more seconds of Jisung’s thigh flexing beneath his cock until his hips suddenly jerk forwards before stilling entirely. 

Jisung giggles into his neck, and gives a teasingly slow kiss as he then slumps back enough to look over the man’s face. 

His attention momentarily shifts to the blazing red of Minho's ears that has spread all the way down to the bare skin peeking out from his shirt’s neckline, and he holds a sly smirk when their eyes reconnect.

“Am I making you feel good, darling?”

At the nickname, Minho’s eyes widen. 

“Y-Yeah, um,” Minho’s throat bobs with the force of his swallow. “I-I didn’t wanna come so soon.”

“No?” Jisung coos with a mocking pout. Both hands settle back onto Minho’s thighs, his hands inching dangerously close to where Minho wants him most before he pulls them away at the last second. 

“Wanna…W-Wanna come with you inside.” Minho stutters when Jisung’s fingers ghost along his waistband. 

Jisung’s cock jumps at the thought, and he knows Minho felt it when his previously shy expression morphs into a coy grin. 

“Oh, darling,” The smugness returns to Jisung when Minho’s eyes immediately drop down to his lap, his body trying its best to suppress a shudder. “I’ll make you come as many times as you want- as many times as you can take.” He quickly rectifies, cupping Minho’s face to regain his full focus. 

To affect him even further, Jisung suddenly kicks up his thigh, his pulse jumping at the audible hitch of breath he elicits. 

“God, you look so, so pretty when you're falling apart for me.” Jisung praises quietly, letting his eyes take in Minho’s glassy eyes, and red, swollen lips. 

Determined to bring the dancer to the edge, Jisung lets his hands fall lower to the curve of Minho’s ass, and he swallows the moan the older responds with while lifting upwards to push their bodies flush against each other. 

Jisung had already figured that as a dancer Minho’s ass would be well defined- hell, he’d heard enough from Changbin over the years with him going on about Hyunjin’s- yet he’s still enthralled by how malleable the plush of it is as he sinks his fingers into the fabric of his sweatpants and squeezes. 

Minho drops his body forwards and settles his face into the crook of Jisung’s neck. Little puffs of air buried into honey-toned skin as he allows for Jisung to take full control of his movements. 

While one hand continues to knead at his ass, Jisung’s other slips under his shirt, and Minho’s body roughly jolts at the featherlight drag of a finger down his spine. 

“You’re so responsive.” Jisung remarks, moving his hand higher until he’s grazing the smooth skin between Minho’s shoulder blades. 

Minho shivers at the touch while their still clothed bodies continue to desperately move against each other. The air is thick with arousal, and both men feel it heavy in their stomachs. 

With Minho’s face still tucked away in his neck, Jisung has a perfect view of his body. His broad shoulders continue to quiver, and his back remains in a sinful arch so that Jisung’s hand can remain firm on his ass.

“Fuck, close.” Minho shakily exhales, though the admission is hardly needed as Jisung had easily picked up on his subtle tells. His breathing is now significantly more laboured with soft hiccups that are more felt from the jolts of his body than heard, and the drags of his cock become stuttered from a lack of coordination despite how Jisung proceeds to lead him. 

“I’ve got you, darling.” Jisung sultrily whispers directly into Minho’s ear. He increases the pace of both of their movements, knowing the sudden increased intensity would push Minho to his edge, and it’s only a few more weighted seconds before Minho’s body completely locks up and he comes in his boxers- nothing but high-pitched whimpers and sharp inhales falling from his lips as he reaches his high. 

Jisung decides against tugging Minho forwards to milk his orgasm, and instead cruelly rakes his nails down Minho’s sensitive back just to watch his body shakily deflate through a deep exhale. 

“So good for me.” Jisung punctuates the praise with a gentle kiss to Minho’s temple, and feels warmth spread through his chest this time as the dancer lets out a tired hum. 

When the post-orgasm bliss begins to settle, Minho attempts to slip his unsteady hand towards Jisung’s still hard cock, though he’s foiled when his hand is lightly batted away. 

Jisung waits until Minho’s heavy-lidded eyes are on him before his mouth curves into a playful smile. 

“You want me to take you even further apart here?” He asks while brushing a few loose strands of Minho’s blonde hair back from his face, and a quiet chuckle sounds in the room when Minho preens at the affection. 

Content with melting into the gentle drags of Jisung’s fingers through his hair, Minho soon lets his eyes flutter back open and gives a small shake of the head. “My bedroom may be better.” He teases with a small scrunch of his nose. 

Jisung hardly gets a chance to draw breath as Minho regains his strength and hurriedly stands up to drag Jisung through his apartment. The short journey is extended by the two being unable to keep their hands off of each other- both of them almost taking it in turns to pin the other up against any surface they can to kiss each other through excited giggles. 

Eventually they reach Minho’s sizable bed, and Jisung feels like time stops when he soon has Minho naked underneath him. His hair is fanned out in a blonde halo, perfectly contrasting the crisp white of the pillows beneath his head, while the rest of his pale skin is striking against Jisung’s golden skin. 

Jisung’s eyes trail down to his soft tummy, and he stares unabashedly at how Minho’s cock rests hard and heavy on his stomach, still slick with his earlier release while precome once again beads from the tip. 

Having picked up on just how sensitive the dancer is, Jisung cruelly swipes his fingers over the shiny head and watches Minho arch up at the touch. 

“God, you’re perfect, Minho.” Jisung marvels, allowing himself just a few more seconds to stare at what’s in front of him before he carefully lowers his body down and brings his hands to the underside of Minho’s thighs either side of his own. His fingers dig into the plush skin, and he begins to push forwards and upwards until he’s granted the sight of the dancer’s pink, puffy rim. 

Jisung subconsciously licks his lips, feeling his own cock dribble with arousal when he notices something. 

“...You already stretched yourself, didn’t you?”

He flicks his gaze up to Minho’s face and smirks at the sight of a pinkened face and quivering, parted lips. 

“T-This morning.” He admits quietly, his fingers curling into the sheets in spite of feeling caught out. 

“Ah, darling.” Jisung lightly tsks, giving a small pinch to Minho thigh in a silent command for the older to look back at him. “When you were making yourself feel good, did you picture me having you just like this?”

Minho lets out a soft whine, his eyebrows furrowing as a soft pout settles on his lips. 

“Tell me, pretty.” Jisung prompts, pinching the skin a little closer to Minho’s crotch to elicit a louder whimper. 

“A-Almost.” 

Before Jisung can speak, Minho reaches down to cover Jisung’s hands with his own and applies pressure whilst simultaneously pushing Jisung's hands forwards. 

“You can push harder t-than that.”

Realising Minho is asking to be folded, Jisung stills his body and gives a gentle laugh while shaking his head. 

“Fuck, you really, really don’t know what you’re doing to me, Minho.”

Jisung had expected that as a dancer Minho would have incredible flexibility, and yet he’s still letting out a sharp exhale when Minho’s knees settle against his shoulders and the older man does nothing but coyly bite his lip. 

As he then looks down to watch the way Minho’s hole is left pathetically clenching around nothing, Jisung wastes no more time, and dives in to lick a fat stripe along his rim. 

Debauched moans and breathy whimpers spill into the room as Jisung eats him out like a man starved. He keeps his fingers buried into Minho’s pliable thighs and squeezes to not only increase the pleasure rushing through Minho's body, but also to keep himself grounded as he slurps and suckles around him. 

Jisung uses every bit of strength he has to keep Minho in place as he bullies his tongue inside. The older continues to writhe beneath him until he stills with a sharp gasp as the first finger prods at his rim. 

From their combined efforts Jisung is soon able to slip two inside, deciding to withhold from attempting a third lest he cause Minho any discomfort. 

He drags his head back and sucks in a breath, blowing out directly against Minho’s soaked hold before he flicks his attention to his face. He almost chokes on his next breath at how wrecked Minho looks whilst attempting to keep his eyes open and connected with Jisung’s. 

“Where’s your lube, darling?”

Minho huffs in embarrassment and slips his hand below the pillow underneath his head, fumbling around for only a few seconds before he pulls out a small tube that is very well-loved. 

“Wow.” Jisung smugly raises his eyebrows, “You wanted me that badly, hmm?”

“Shut up.” Minho snaps in response, though there’s hardly any strength in the warning with how his voice comes out noticeably hoarse. 

Jisung can’t hold back a surprisingly endeared laugh, though appeases with a gentle kiss to Minho’s knee beside his head as he takes the tube from his fingers. He pops open the cap and drizzles an abundance onto Minho’s perineum, grinning at the audible hiccup of Minho’s breath from the stark difference in temperature. 

Slowly pushing three fingers into Minho, Jisung watches his expression closely for any sign of discomfort. Rather unsurprisingly, Minho’s lips part around a silent moan and he pushes his head back against the pillows- his chin angled up to the ceiling with feeling so full. 

Jisung looks to his right and stretches forward to reach for a pillow, stuffing it underneath Minho’s tailbone before he takes a hold of his own aching dick. He groans low in his throat at how hot it feels in his palm, and he pumps himself a few times with the residual lube before positioning himself at Minho’s awaiting entrance.  

He’s slow to ease his hips forwards and drops his head back while biting his lip. The feeling of Minho still so tight around him is overwhelming, and even though it’s been a few years since Jisung last had someone like this, he knows in the back of his mind he feels a lot more than just a surface level desire. 

Minho is hardly faring much better. Blood rushes in his ears, and he’s gripping the sheets so hard his knuckles are turning white when Jisung finally bottoms out. 

“Okay?” Jisung asks breathlessly, feeling a bead of sweat trickle down from his hairline as he lifts up his chin to look over Minho’s face. 

The dancer flutters his eyes open, and his mouth parts around a huffed laugh as he shakily nods. 

“Y-You can move.” 

Jisung smiles and lets his eyes drop back down to where their hips are connected. He draws back barely even halfway, and watches transfixed as Minho’s hole flutters around him as he pushes back forwards. 

It’s almost instinctive the slow pace Jisung sets of moving his hips back and forth, his gaze on a constant swivel between Minho’s blissful expression, the sharp line of his jaw decorated with blooming marks, and the flush spreading down from his ears to his perfectly rounded pecs. 

“You’re taking me like you were fucking made for me.” Jisung awes, the words hushed as though weighed down by the sexual tension layered in the air. 

Minho answers with a stuttered moan, having to push past the strain in his throat to speak. “Feels s-so good, Jisungie, shit.”

Jisung’s cock twitches at the sound of his wrecked voice, and it only serves to make Minho clench around him harder at the feeling. 

Glancing upwards, Jisung looks at Minho’s cock that remains untouched on his stomach- continuing to leak with precome that mixes with the mess of come and sweat already covering his skin in a glistening sheen.  

Without warning, Jisung abruptly snaps his hips forward, eliciting a loud scream that bounces off of the walls. 

The second it tapers off into a sigh Jisung repeats the rough movement and watches as a single tear escapes the dancer’s eye and slides down his reddened cheek. 

Minho sniffles as he catches Jisung’s eyes following the movement, and gives a pitiful whimper when Jisung again thrusts his body forward. 

“Oh, darling, I know.” Jisung mockingly coos. After setting a hand beside Minho’s head, Jisung lowers himself down and licks a stripe up his cheek to catch the salty droplet before it can slip from his jaw. “Feels so good I’m making you cry, hmm?”

Minho’s upper body trembles as he continues to softly weep, causing Jisung to chuckle low as he places an open-mouthed kiss to the apple of Minho’s cheek and pushes his body back up. 

Keeping Minho’s knees pressed to his shoulders, Jisung resumes the brutal pace of snapping his hips forward. 

The sound of their skin slapping is obscene. Paired with Minho’s pleading whines and Jisung’s low groans, it only acts as a catalyst to their impending orgasms. 

Jisung leans his upper body back just enough to grab Minho’s right thigh and cross his ankle over his own right shoulder to change the angle, and he’s rewarded with Minho’s hand flying to his forearm now he’s hitting his prostate with every forward thrust. 

“There! Fuck, right t-there!” Minho sobs, drool now trickling down from his slack mouth while helpless moans continue to tear from his throat. 

Jisung grins and pushes through the strain in his body as his eyes remain stuck on the dancer’s face. He can see from the edge of his gaze how Minho’s chest is now rapidly rising and falling- a tell-tale sign that he’s just moments away from reaching his second climax. 

Jisung shakes his head to rid the sweat falling into his eyes, and feels the coil beginning to tighten in his own stomach. 

“Gonna come for me a second time, darling?” He asks through gritted teeth, his tone sharp as he speaks over the sound of his hips meeting Minho’s pinkened ass. “Make another mess of yourself, huh?”

Minho doesn’t, can’t, utter a single coherent syllable- now choking on hiccupping breaths as he desperately tries to make sense of anything but his approaching orgasm. 

Jisung, despite knowing Minho can’t see the gesture, juts his chin towards Minho's cock burning an angry red on his stomach. 

“Put your hand on yourself.” He instructs, surely leaving red crescents in Minho’s thigh with how tightly he’s clutching the skin. 

Minho can barely open his eyes, but when he does all he sees is a blur until he blinks the remaining tears from his vision. Jisung keeps his gaze pointed, and Minho shakily brings his hand to his cock, instantly wailing at the contact. 

Jisung lets out a guttural groan at how Minho’s tiny hand only just fits around the girth of his cock- his hand stuttering against the long length with the uncoordinated state of his body.

“G-Gonna, nghh, gonna come.” 

“Me too, darling.” Jisung nods, swallowing hard before gasping for breath as he tries to maintain his pace. The strain in his body is threatening to throw off his rhythm, though he’d be damned if he faltered when they’re both just seconds away from coming together. 

Reaching euphoria, Minho’s body abruptly jerks from the force of his inhale.

“Coming, coming, fuck!” 

Jisung desperately holds out until Minho comes first. But the second the dancer finishes and his body locks up, the feeling of him clenching around his cock is all Jisung needs to be pushed over the edge. 

His whole body shakes with the force of it, his head dropping back as a drawn out moan rips through the air. His release paints Minho’s inner walls in hot, thick spurts, and he flattens his palms onto the warm skin of Minho’s thighs. 

It takes Jisung a while to blink past the stars dancing across his eyes, but when he does and he looks down, he’s met with the breathtaking sight of Minho smiling up at him. 

The only way to describe how Minho looks right now, is ruined. Blonde strands are matted to his forehead with sweat, there’s clear tear tracks on his cheeks, and his lips are swollen and almost as red as the entire top half of his body. 

If the sight alone hadn’t threatened to bring Jisung’s spent cock back to life, Minho slipping a hand in between their bodies to slide his finger up the mess of his stomach before sucking it into his mouth makes Jisung’s stomach churn with an almost carnal need. 

He lets out a soft groan, and his mouth settles into a smirk at Minho’s satisfied hum. 

“Filthy, filthy, filthy.” Jisung tsks as he leans down, taking a hold of Minho’s wrist and pulling it towards himself so he can initiate a lewd kiss. He leads with his tongue and moans into Minho’s mouth at the salty taste. 

Jisung spends a lot of time kissing Minho as they come down from their highs- being able to feel the light scrunch of Minho’s nose when he begins to pull out. He shuffles backwards and is mesmerised by his come leaking out and pooling onto the sheets. 

He’s only pulled from his stare when he feels Minho’s knee nudge against his side. 

“Stop staring.”

“Stop being so hot.” Jisung childishly retorts, though quickly appeases. He gently smooths his palms over Minho’s legs and slowly sets them back down to the bed. “You feeling okay?” He checks as he props himself up on his forearm to lie next to him. 

“More than okay.” Minho lightly scoffs, “That might be the best sex I’ve ever had.”

Jisung holds a smug little smile as he coyly circles his finger around the space between them. “Really?” He exaggeratingly pitches his voice higher while raising his eyebrows. 

“Well yes,” Minho answers, suddenly appearing serious. “I really-” Though whatever he was about to say goes unheard as he abruptly cuts himself off and lowers his gaze to the sheets. 

Jisung’s expression immediately switches to a light frown as he reaches forwards and tenderly tilts Minho’s chin. “...What?”

Minho’s lips part, though a few weighted seconds pass before his body relaxes with a sigh. 

“You’re just really pretty.”

Whatever uncertainty had just been brewing dissipates as Jisung’s cheeks bunch up with a flustered smile. 

“Smooth talker.” He scoffs while lightly shoving at Minho’s shoulder. After soft huffs pass through both of their grins, Jisung runs a hand through his sweaty hair and glances at the mess surrounding them. “You alright if I tidy us up?”

“Yeah,” Minho slowly nods, “I can change the sheets. The bathroom is just on your left when you step out.”

Jisung quietly thanks him and doesn't think as he leans forward to place a tender kiss to Minho’s cheek before he walks out- missing the way Minho remains seated for a moment with his eyes cast downwards before he lets out a long sigh and hauls his body upwards. 

Jisung is incredibly gentle as he passes the damp flannel over Minho’s body, whispering gentle praises that have Minho blushing all over again, and the two of them quietly giggling between stolen kisses. 

After making sure that Minho is comfortable enough from where he’s now lying in bed half-dressed, Jisung steps out of the room to call Changbin to say a ‘Goodnight’ and ‘See you tomorrow’ to his daughter. He smiles wide as Seoyeon tells him all about her amazing time at the park and the self-care pamper night she had with them in preparation for her and Jisung’s big day tomorrow, and he ends the call after assuring her that he’ll see her after school tomorrow. 

He walks back into the bedroom and thanks Minho again for the spare bottoms before he slips under the fresh sheets to snuggle up against the dancer. 

He can’t help but notice how tired Minho looks, though the worry slightly eases when Minho smiles over his shoulder before sluggishly pulling Jisung’s arms around his body. 

The shared warmth from their cuddled bodies is extremely welcoming, and Jisung easily settles into the mattress as he rests his chin atop Minho's hair. 

His sincere 'Thank you for everything' is only met with a quiet hum, and Jisung decides that they can leave the bigger conversation until the morning. 

For now he’ll savour the moment, and hold the man whose taught him so much in just a short amount of time close to his heart.

‎‧₊˚✧🪩✧˚₊‧

Jisung wakes up with a soft groan, still feeling the subtle ache throughout his whole body that serves as an instant reminder of what had happened the night before. It brings a gentle smile to his lips and he keeps his eyes closed as he reaches out in search of Minho only to be met with nothing but a cold spot next to him. 

It takes a while for his eyes to adjust as he flutters them open and runs a hand down his face, though he very quickly realises that he’s alone in the bedroom. Sitting up at the headboard, the covers pool at his waist, and he strains his hearing to discover he’s completely alone in the apartment. 

That’s when a brightly coloured post-it note stuck to his phone on the nightstand catches his eye. 

‘Had to leave early for a class and didn’t want to wake you! I hope the dance goes well tonight and don’t forget to let me know how it goes!’ 

Jisung feels a slight pull at his heart that they didn’t get to talk about anything, and a horrible feeling creeps in at the thought that Minho may have been viewing last night as simply happening impulsively in the heat of the moment.  However, it’s quickly overtaken by the more pressing panic of him having no concept of time. 

He swiftly peels the note off his phone and lets out a heavy sigh of relief when his lock screen shows him it’s just a little past eleven in the morning. Then, his gaze drops to the texts from Changbin letting him know that Seoyeon was dropped off at school without issue, and others from Hyunjin telling him he’d be happy to pick her up and bring her back to his and Changbin’s apartment so that Jisung can have a few ‘surely needed’ hours to himself. 

Jisung tries his best to convey how grateful he is, whilst also trying not to worry either of them with getting too sentimental so early in the day.

And so, Jisung tidies Minho's bedroom up as best he can, and gathers all of his belongings from the living room- trying not to concentrate on how quiet and lonely it feels before he makes his way back home. 

Not only does he have a lot to think about after the night he just had, but he also has a dance to prepare for.

-

“Seoyeon!” Jisung grins at the sight of his daughter running around the entryway's corner to meet him. He bends down in time to catch her and hikes her up into his arms as he stands. “How’s my little baby, hmm?” He punctuates his question with a kiss on the cheek that makes Seoyeon squeal and hug her dad tighter. 

While she happily babbles about her day at school, Hyunjin walks around to join the pair, and Jisung can’t help but occasionally glance over to him as he notices his slightly suspicious aura. 

After Seoyeon finishes speaking Jisung makes sure to dutifully praise her, then fixes a playful glare at Hyunjin. 

“Why do you look like that?” He asks without preamble and gestures lightly to Seoyeon with his chin. “Is there something you’ve taught my daughter I should be scared of? Perhaps even taught her some funky moves to make her Appa look even more lost on the dance floor?”

His last words cause Hyunjin to scoff, tacking on an eye roll before staring pointedly at Jisung. 

“You’re not going to look lost- you’ve had so much practice! If you keep telling yourself that, you’ll freak yourself out!”

“No, no, but, Appa, Hyunjin does have a surprise for us!” Seoyeon captures her dad’s attention with frenzied pats to his shoulders. “But he wouldn’t let me see until you came home.”

She makes a point of wanting to get down by almost causing herself to tumble out of Jisung’s arms, and then leaps towards her uncle to wrap her arms around his legs- poking her chin into his stomach as she pulls out her best pout and widest eyes. 

“Uncle Hyunjinnieeee,” She drags out, remembering the tactic Changbin had shown her and proceeded to regret very quickly, “Now that Appa’s home, can you show me the surprise like you promised, please, please, pleaseee?”

Hyunjin grins at her, resting his hands on her shoulders to tenderly squeeze them. 

“I did promise that, didn’t I?” He teasingly responds, his hand on his face as though he’s thinking before he’s laughing at Seoyeon jabbing her chin into his stomach. “Okay, okay,” He caves, pinching her chubby cheek before he takes her hand and looks at Jisung. “If the two of you would be so kind as to follow me.”

Jisung and Seoyeon sneak a quick look to each other- Seoyeon looking excited whilst Jisung exaggerates raising his eyebrows in curiosity. 

They’re led through the apartment, and pass Changbin who’s sitting on the couch. He offers nothing more than a grin and returns his attention back to his phone as the trio make their way into the couples’ own recreation room. 

Hyunjin pushes open the door and ushers them over towards his sizable walk-in wardrobe. 

“So,” He enunciates, stepping backwards while continuing to face the Hans. “I know that the two of you wanted some advice on what to wear for the dance,”

As he speaks, Jisung’s heart jumps into his throat, and Seoyeon audibly gasps. With the two of them having known Hyunjin for so long, they’re now more than accustomed to his flair and penchant for going above and beyond. 

“And so, after searching high and low, I believe I’ve found the best possible outfits for you both.”

Hyunjin lifts two opaque black bags off of the rack, and places them both down onto the central dressing table. 

“Please try these on,” Smoothing both out, Hyunjin then steps away and beams at the pair. “Then come back into the living room to show us.” 

Hyunjin leaves without another word, only letting an excited chuckle slip when he returns to the living room and reaches Changbin on the couch. 

Dropping his phone onto his chest, Changbin welcomes his boyfriend with a sweet peck, and the two of them lean against each other as they both await the arrival of the guests of honour. 

Neither are quite sure of how much time has passed- but soon enough, they can detect the sound of footsteps approaching them. 

“Close your eyes!” Seoyeon yells the instruction which Changbin and Hyunjin immediately follow. “And no peeking Uncle Binnie!” 

“I won’t!” Changbin promises, laughing when he feels Hyunjin’s hand come atop of his own to make sure he doesn’t. 

“Andddd, open!” 

Changbin’s jaw drops, and Hyunjin’s entire body lifts in delight. 

“Holy sh-” Changbin is quickly interrupted by Hyunjin roughly jabbing his elbow into his ribs. He clutches the side of his body with a hushed whine, but doesn’t- can’t- look away from Jisung and Seoyeon standing in front of him. 

On Jisung’s top half is a silk red jacket with a white shirt peeking out from underneath, and on his bottom half are navy dress pants that fit him almost as though they’d been tailored to his body. For Seoyeon, she’s in a dress the same colour as her dad’s jacket. Both of the thick shoulder straps have little bows at the top, and the length finishes just past her shins and billows around her legs for every hop, skip, and jump she plans to do.

“This is perfect, Uncle Hyunjinnie!” She awes, letting her hand fall from where it was holding her dad’s hand to instead smooth over her dress. “Thank you so much for getting me such a pretty dress, an’-an’-an’ for making me and Appa match, and for putting us both in our favourite colour- red! Just- ahh!” She cuts herself off with a squeal and barrels across the floor to jump into Hyunjin’s body. 

Hyunjin, having expected such a reaction, easily catches her with a light and airy laugh and nuzzles against her head while embracing her tightly. 

“I’m so glad you like it, Seo-yo!”

“I love it!” She corrects, squeezing her uncle around the neck before sitting back on his lap to look at Changbin. “Isn’t the dress beautiful, Uncle Changbinnie!?”

“Not as beautiful as my niece wearing it.” Changbin playfully responds, grinning at his own charming response. Seoyeon lets out a yell of delight and propels herself off of Hyunjin to hug her other uncle just as tight. 

Jisung, meanwhile, is stuck staring down at himself. Lifting his arms and turning them this and that way as though he still can’t believe what he’s wearing. 

He finally looks up when all has fallen quiet and finds all three of his little family staring back at him. 

“Hyunjin, I-” He stammers a few syllables, noticeably at a complete loss for words, before he ultimately sighs and lets his hands drop heavily back to his sides. “I seriously can’t thank you enough for this. For any of this.”

“Of course you can!” Hyunjin shakes his head, knowing just what to say to steer Jisung’s mind away from any doubt. He lets his hands settle onto Seoyeon’s legs from where they lie across both his and Changbin’s lap. “You can put your skills to good use and give my niece, and yourself, the best dance ever.”

Jisung feels a little lighter at the words and mouths another ‘Thank you’ to Hyunjin before shifting his attention to Changbin as the older man nods.

“Seriously, Hannie,” He says whilst lovingly smoothing his hand between Seoyeon’s shoulders, “Just enjoy it! 

“I will.” Jisung quietly responds, a little too overcome with a blend of nerves, excitement, and pure gratitude for his friends. 

“And you!” Changbin turns his attention to Seoyeon, leaning against Hyunjin’s shoulder as he pokes her chubby cheek. The sound of her giggles bringing elated smiles to both their faces. “Don’t wear your appa out too much, yeah?”

“I will!” Seoyeon cheekily responds, instantly holding up her hands to fend off Changbin’s threats of tickling her tummy. 

“You have fun too, okay?” Hyunjin leans forward to hold his boyfriend’s wrist as he stares pointedly at Seoyeon. “Go and show off those amazing moves that you’ve learnt. You do them exactly how you’ve been showing me and your Uncle Binnie, and everyone is going to be in awe of you, Seo-yo.”

Seoyeon happily nods, and pushes her cheek forward to receive kisses from both of her uncles. After giving them both one in return, she hurries back to her dad’s side and slips her tiny hand into his. 

“Well then, baby.” Jisung exhales, his teeth biting into his bottom lip as he grins down at his daughter- his heart full with the palpable excitement radiating off of her. “I guess there’s nothing left for us to do but get to the dance!”

-

The journey there is almost exactly how Jisung had envisioned- Seoyeon constantly babbling in the backseat about how excited she is to dance the night away with her dad. Though while just a few weeks ago Jisung had  pictured his hands tight on the steering wheel, his teeth nibbling against his bottom lip while he hopes his nerves will settle just enough so that he can accompany his daughter on the dance floor without falling over, now he finds himself smiling with the confidence that not only is he going to enjoy dancing with Seoyeon, but that he just might be able to make her proud too. 

When they park up outside the school’s gymnasium, Jisung steps back from opening the door for Seoyeon with a deep bow and exaggeratedly spoken ‘M’lady’. His outstretched hand is taken to the sound of happy giggles, and she skips along at her dad’s side as they walk through the open doors. 

The hall has been transformed with bright lights and a myriad of decorations set perfectly for the party mood, and the space is already bustling with suited up dads and their sparkly daughters. 

Luckily, Jisung is spared from awkward greetings with the other men passing him as Seoyeon drags him to the middle of the floor almost immediately. The DJ behind his grand booth clearly recognises the anticipation hanging in the air and declares that the first slow dance of the night is ready to begin. 

Jisung and Seoyeon assume the position that’s become so familiar to them in the past three weeks, and Jisung draws in one final deep breath before relaxing his shoulders and mirroring his daughter’s wide grin. 

The music starts.

‎‧₊˚✧🪩✧˚₊‧

The second the door to Changbin and Hyunjin's apartment beeps open, Seoyeon shoots forward. 

“Come with me!” She cries, grabbing Changbin’s hands while jumping up and down. “I need to tell you and Uncle Hyunjinnie about the best, night, everrrr!” 

While she sprints ahead into the living room Changbin and Jisung share a soft look. The older man lovingly claps Jisung on the back and closes the door behind him as they follow in after Seoyeon.  

“Okay, okay,” Looking at the adults on the couch- Changbin and Hyunjin sat opposite to where she’s standing, while Jisung is sitting on her right side- Seoyeon stands proudly with her hands held up in front of her. “So we walked in, an’everyone started saying how pretty my dress was and how cool Appa looked in his suit! The place looked soooo cool! There were banners, an’-an’ balloons everywhere, an’they had an actual DJ! They looked like you do when you’re in the studio, Uncle Binnie! There was a snack table too, an’-an’-”

“-Baby,” Jisung interrupts softly, holding up his palm, “Slow down a little bit.”

Seoyeon takes an exaggerated deep breath that has Changbin and Hyunjin grinning in amusement, and gives a subtle glance to her dad to make sure he’s happy with her pause before she continues. 

“Anyway, the DJ started the dance wiv’ slow songs,” She then stops and twists her lips to the side, tapping her chin with her finger a few times before she turns to Jisung. “H-How many would you say, Appa?”

Jisung gives a soft hum as he tilts his head left to right. “Hmm, I think it might have been three, baby.”

“Yeah, yeah, three,” Seoyeon nods vehemently in agreement, snapping her gaze back to her uncles. “So he played all them slowy songs, and Appa did every step sooo good! He didn’ mess up even once!” 

Noticing Changbin and Hyunjin look over at him with similar expressions of pride, joy, and relief, Jisung can’t help but scoff and duck his head bashfully at the attention. 

“An’ like, I saw sooo many girls stepping on their Appas’ foots, but-but Appa didn’t step on mine at all!” Seoyeon’s eyes are practically sparkling as she speaks, the pure elation clear in her tone and body language with the way she can’t remain still for even a second. “Even when we tried the harder steps that Teacher Minho showed us, Appa was all like this!” 

She begins humming enthusiastically as she demonstrates the steps, her chin tilted higher as though mimicking her dad’s confidence, before her upper body drops from the force of her deep breath out. 

“And he made it look so easy!” 

While Changbin and Hyunjin cheer in response, Jisung feels completely overwhelmed with emotion. Not only is daughter boasting about him, but is doing so about his dancing of all things. 

“That sounds amazing, Seo-yeo!” Changbin beams. 

“I haven’even got to the bes’part yet!” Seoyeon fervently shakes her head and hands simultaneously, “After the slow songs was the disco part, and Appa was so so so cool!” 

“He was?” Hyunjin asks, looking a mix of playfully surprised and genuinely intrigued. 

“Yeah, yeah!” Seoyeon answers with heightened enthusiasm, “He started doing all these crazy moves and it actually made everyone else stop just to watch! Everyone was clapping and cheering for him n’after the music stopped he got a shout out from the DJ who said my Appa was the best dad dancer of the night!” 

Letting out a high-pitched shriek, Seoyeon then sprints over to tackle her dad in a bone crushing hug. 

“I have the best Appa ever!” 

As a lump settles in his throat, Jisung feels tears build in his eyes. He wraps his arms around his daughter’s body and nuzzles his nose into her neck. 

He lets his eyes close while he savours the moment, and hopes that she doesn’t pick up on the subtle quiver in the slow breath he draws in. 

Just as he had hoped, all of those lessons had paid off. 

Getting to enjoy the dance with his daughter, without any worries of embarrassing her playing at the back of his mind, was all he could have ever asked for.

And so, getting to hear how ecstatic she is with the entire night, it's almost too much for his tender heart to take.

“You knowww,” Changbin speaks up after letting the two have their tender moment, “Jinnie and I have actually been following some of the dance?”

Seoyeon turns around in Jisung’s hold to sit on his legs, tilting her head at her uncle in confusion. 

“You have?” She asks, watching him nod impishly. “How?”

“We may, or may not, have found a dad who was filming his daughter before all the attention moved to your Appa in the dance circle.”

“...What?” Jisung blinks. 

Sure enough, Changbin lifts out his phone and turns it to show the two a video of Jisung breaking it down while loud whoops and applause surrounds him. 

“You’re going kind of viral, Sung-ah.” Changbin says, biting his lip to contain his grin. 

“Woah, cool!” Seoyeon jumps off of Jisung’s lap to run over to sit next to Changbin- Hyunjin making room for her so his boyfriend can wrap an arm around her body and show her the collection of videos they’d fortunately stumbled upon. 

Meanwhile, Hyunjin silently taps Jisung’s knee to get his attention, then cocks his head for Jisung to follow behind as they make their way into his bedroom. 

“Sooo,” Hyunjin begins, quietly closing the door behind him. His eyes and smile kind as he looks at Jisung. “How are you feeling?”

Jisung mimics a balloon deflating, sitting down on the bed as he rests his elbows on his knees and cradles his head. 

“I don’t know what just happened.”

Hyunjin lets out a high-pitched laugh, crouching down to place his hands on Jisung’s knees in a grounding gesture. 

“You made your daughter unbelievably proud is what!” He replies with such a gentle tone Jisung almost feels like crying again. “You learned how to dance in barely three weeks and showed up every single dad and kid in that place!” 

“Jinnie.” Jisung reprimands, following the older into light laughter.  

“I knew you’d be able to do it, Sungie,” Hyunjin then shrugs, “Then again, I think I underestimated you a lot.”

Letting out a light scoff, Jisung pushes at his shoulder.

“I mean, for these past few weeks of course I’d been asking for updates, and though all I heard at first was about the potential you had with dancing, Minho soon couldn’t stop complimenting you and how great this was, or how great that was.”

Jisung’s eyes suddenly widen as the words register in his mind- one sticking out more than the others ever could. 

Minho. 

He’d been so caught up in the dance and making sure that his daughter had the best time, that he’d completely forgotten about the man who’d made it all possible. 

Hyunjin notices the shift in Jisung’s demeanour, and his expression softens as he gives a small shake to Jisung’s knees.

“You know, Minho is actually waiting to hear how it went.” His gaze momentarily drops to his hands before lifting back up to see Jisung’s eyes reflecting his surprise. “I’ve been a little mean with not telling him anything, but I thought it’d be best if he heard it from you.”

Jisung can feel the way his heart has kicked up in his chest- the nervous energy from before now returning. 

“I think I need to see him.” He responds, unable to deny that everything he wants to say would feel wrong if only done over the phone. 

With having known the younger man for so long, Hyunjin would pride himself as being very well versed in the many expressions of Han Jisung- The nibbling of his bottom lift and inability to keep his hands still from where they’re now fiddling together in front of him a clear example of his urge to run. 

“You know you’re always welcome to leave Seoyeon with us when you need to.” Hyunjin reminds as a way to eliminate the excuses he’s sure are circling in Jisung’s mind for why he shouldn’t dare go for this. 

Fortunately, it seems as though Jisung doesn’t need too much of a push, and the corners of his lips slowly lift into a grateful smile. 

“Thanks, Hyunjin. I just, I can’t not see him. I- I need to thank him, for everything.” 

Before Jisung can move even a single inch, Hyunjin reaches upwards to take a hold of his shoulders. 

“And tell him how you really feel?”

Jisung ever so subtly flinches, wondering if he’d somehow been that obvious in conversations before a thought shoots to the front of his mind. 

“Has he said anything to you?”

Hyunjin holds a rather sympathetic smile, inhaling deeply before giving a soft hum. 

“He’s told me enough,” He settles on answering, letting his thumbs glide over Jisung’s shoulders before he retracts his hands to his body. “It sounds like you two have a lot to talk about together.”

Jisung remains still for a moment, the previous rush of adrenaline having morphed into something more worrisome. 

“...Do you really think it could work out between us?” He asks, voice small while his eyes flick between Hyunjin’s.  

Hyunjin offers a rather sarcastic eyebrow raise, though Jisung knows it’s not unkind. 

“I think you need to give yourself a little more credit with these kinds of things, Sungie,” He says softly, helping to clear any anxious thoughts still lingering. “First of all, you are an incredibly kind guy who is so passionate in everything that you do. And although Minho taught you how to dance, I’m sure he’s also helped you to discover some things you might not have thought would come from those lessons alone. 

Jisung drops his gaze to the floor, once again nibbling on his bottom lip at the jolt that passed through his heart from Hyunjin’s words. 

“If there’s any guy out there who I think is good enough for you, it’s Minho.” Hyunjin continues earnestly, “Plus, not only would he be great for Seoyeon, but you saw how quick she took a liking to him. She’s an incredibly personable girl, but I feel like this goes much, much deeper than that.”

Sometimes, Jisung feels like he knows his daughter better than he knows himself- she wears her heart on her sleeve, and Jisung would be damned if someone were to ever take that away from her by his doing. And since he’d noticed how Seoyeon talks and engages with Minho almost the exact same way she does with Changbin and Hyunjin after only being in his company twice, Jisung knows there’s no point in denying himself any longer. 

“You’re right,” He says to Hyunjin with a nod as he flicks his gaze back up to him. “I don’t think there’s anyone else I’d want for me or her.”

Hyunjin looks nothing short of ecstatic. “What are you waiting for then? Seoyeon’s perfectly fine to spend a couple hours more with us, and I bet Minho will already be hoping to hear something from you.”

"Yeah." Jisung's nod now appears even more determined. "I-I'm going to go and see him."

Jisung stands from the bed, but before he can take a step forward Hyunjin draws him into his arms in a tight embrace. 

“I’m so proud of you, Sungie.” He whispers, knocking his head against Jisung’s when he feels the younger man’s stuttered inhale. “What you’ve just done, and what you’re going to do for her and for yourself, is everything I could have ever hoped for you both.”

Jisung is rendered speechless, though he knows that Hyunjin has still heard his gratitude loud and clear as he tightens his hold about his best friend. 

After he ensures that Seoyeon is content with staying with her uncles- finding that she’s already preparing to begin teaching them how to dance like her and Jisung- he leaves her with a tight embrace and loving kiss to her cheek before he walks out into the hallway. 

He steadies himself with a deep breath and begins his journey to Minho’s apartment. 

-

Since he hadn’t been expecting anyone, Minho opens the door with a little less enthusiasm than what Jisung had gotten accustomed to, though it’s inconsequential when the dancer freezes at the sight of Jisung in his suit. 

“J-Jisung, hi.” He greets, giving a small clear of his throat after his eyes had dropped down to Jisung’s feet only to snap right back up to his face. “Please, come in.”

Jisung thanks him with a smile and slips off his polished shoes before walking inside, chuckling to himself when he notices the cluttered coffee table in front of the couch.  

“Wow.” Minho hums once their eyes meet, “You look great.”

Jisung bashfully ducks his head, “Ah, yeah. Thanks.” He replies while smoothing his palm over his jacket with a light shrug. “Bit different to sweatpants and t-shirts, huh?”

The joke manages to break a little of the awkward tension, and Jisung takes another deep breath before he speaks. 

“So, I came here to properly thank you for everything you’ve done. Seoyeon-, i-it was just incredible. She loved every minute of the dance, and I was able to enjoy it almost as much as she did. And she was just so proud,” He then exhales through a gentle laugh. “I still don’t really know what just happened.”

Minho mirrors his amusement as his lips quirk up in a wide grin. 

“What happened is you learnt how to dance, and all of that hard work paid off! I’m really glad that it went so well. I wasn’t lying when I said that I was happy to help, and getting to see the two of you develop a love for dancing was so rewarding for me as a teacher.”

The sound of Minho’s gentle voice paired with the kind eyes he’s staring back at Jisung with, gives him all the courage he needs to refuse holding himself back any longer. 

“Um," Jisung starts, "I also wanted to come and see you because I wanted to tell you that,” Pausing for a second, he easily feels the way his sudden serious demeanour causes a shift in the air. “I don’t want this to be it. For us, I mean.”

Minho’s lips part as he tries to process the words. He can do nothing more than rapidly blink before he eventually finds his voice. “W-What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that, I’ve really enjoyed not only learning how to dance but also getting to know you. At first, I was just hoping to learn how to not fall flat on my face, or feel so awkward that I’d ruin an experience for my daughter, and now…now, that I got what I wanted, I realise that I still want more,” He swallows hard while watching Minho’s expression closely. “...I want you, Minho.”

“You do?” Minho’s eyes are wide and constantly flicking between Jisung’s- almost like he’s struggling to comprehend what’s just been confessed.

“Why do you sound so surprised?” Jisung’s shoulders loosen as he lets out a light scoff, though it’s clearly not unkind since he is also surprised at Minho’s words. 

“I thought I was intruding.” Minho admits, his gaze dropping to the floor while he takes in a heavy breath. “I-I realised that I’d started to want more, but because I wasn’t sure if you’d be wanting the same I…I guess the easiest thing for me to do was run away.”

“Minho, I’ve loved every minute that I’ve spent with you.” Jisung replies in a soothing tone. “I know we were only getting together in the name of dancing- but just because the dance is over, that doesn’t mean I want whatever we could have to be over too.” As he thinks a little more, Jisung’s eyebrows slowly knit together, “...What do you mean run away?”

At the question, Minho grimaces as a strained wince passes through his lips. He pulls at his quickly reddening ear before he lifts his gaze from the floor and looks back at Jisung. 

“Yesterday I, I didn’t have a class to teach. Or well, I did- but it wasn’t as early as I made it out to be in the note I left.” Once again, he sighs and glances away from the shock painting Jisung’s face. “I just got too in my head that maybe I crossed a line, and although you went along with it I couldn’t stop wondering if maybe it was just a heat of the moment kind of thing for you. So today I decided that if all I got after the dance was a text from you saying something like ‘Tonight went well, thanks for the help’, then I’d know where that would leave the two of us and I'd back off.”

“Oh, Minho,” Jisung says through an exhale, feeling a weight in his chest at the idea he’d indirectly caused the dancer so much worry. 

“Yeah,” Minho lightly chuckles, nervously smoothing his hand over his nape. “I’m sorry- I know I shouldn’t have lied. I was just so worried that I’d started to want something I had no right to.”

Feeling the subtle spike in his pulse, Jisung instinctively steps towards the dancer, lifting a hand to his face to gently cup his cheek. 

“Well…what do you want?”

Minho’s lips pull down into a frown- the thoughts racing in his mind making him doubt if they should truly be voiced. 

“If it’s too much, I’d understand,” He begins hesitantly, trying to relax into the soft drags of Jisung’s thumb across his skin. “But I really like you Jisung. Though, it scares me that since you’re a parent you wouldn’t want something like I do because it’d be too much to introduce someone new to Seoyeon. You two have such a lovely bond, and I’d hate to come between that just because I want to be a part of it.”

Jisung’s heart almost leaps out of his chest at the fact that Minho wants this, wants them, just as much as he does. 

“Believe me that I can assure you with all of that,” He grins, continuing the gentle glides of his thumb that’s clearly helping to ground them both. “I really like you too, and Seoyeon likes you almost as much.” He teases- his smile widening when he elicits a gentle, amused hum from Minho. “I know that it might take a little bit of time to get used to since it has just been the two of us for all of her life, and because she’s only ever seen me alone whilst seeing how happy Changbin and Hyunjin are together. But despite all of that, that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to try.”

Jisung increases the pressure of his hand just a little before letting it fall back to his side. 

“Actually, there was something she said the other day, and I guess I didn’t think too much of it at the time.” He watches Minho’s eyes lighten in intrigue and continues, “She told me she thought I looked so happy when I was dancing around the house, and that it was almost as happy as I looked when I was dancing with you at the studio.” He stresses, shaking his head with a gentle laugh. “She even said that she wished you could be with us like Changbin and Hyunjin always are.”

There’s an audible hitch of Minho’s breath as his eyes widen, “She really likes having me around that much?”

“Yes!” Jisung answers with a nod, “You know, she enjoys all the days she spends with her uncles, and getting to see them so happy together, that I don’t think she’d be able to stop smiling for days if I told her you and I were dating like Changbin and Hyunjin are.”

When the words he’d just said register in his mind, a cold shock zips through his body. 

“Wait, sorry, that was too forward wasn’t it?” He panics, “That seriously just came out, I didn’t even think to ask-”

“-No, no, I do want that,” Minho is quick to assure, placing both hands on Jisung’s shoulders to keep him steady, and his face falls soft at how amusing it is to see them both panicking about the exact same thing.  “I would love to date you, Jisung.”

Jisung’s shoulders drop beneath Minho’s hands, and he brings his own to Minho’s waist as he sighs. 

“You know what, I think we’ve done all of this backwards,” He jokes, drumming his fingers against Minho’s sides to prove his point. “I mean, most people don’t slow dance before their first date.”

Minho playfully shrugs in return. “Well then I guess we’re just a little weird like that.”

Jisung lightly tilts his head to the side whilst letting his eyes trail over Minho’s soft features. “...I like weird.”

The flush covering Minho’s ears begins to travel down his neck, and he fights to keep his eyes on Jisung’s despite how much he wants to look away with how flustered he is. 

Hopelessly endeared by the sight, Jisung fights back the force of his smile and pulls Minho forwards to let their lips meet in a gentle kiss. 

Minho allows himself to melt into the feeling, sliding his hands up to either side of Jisung’s neck as their mouths separate only to join again. It’s not rushed or unhurried- no trace of the desperation that was coursing through their bodies the night before- and both feel their bodies warming at how perfect they seem to fit together. 

“So,” Minho slowly pulls back with a subtle smirk, seemingly having regained some confidence. “Where are you going to take me for our first official date, hmm?”

“That depends,” Jisung shrugs, feigning nonchalance before he breaks out into a wide grin. “Am I telling my daughter now or later that we’ve started dating. Because I’ll have you know that if I tell her now, you might not be able to get me all to yourself for a while.”

“Mmmm, I think I could deal with that.” Minho dismisses, giggling when Jisung pouts and squeezes his sides in retaliation. “I’m kidding,” He says before kissing the pout from Jisung’s lips. “I’ll be happy be anything, jagi.”

The nickname causes Jisung's stomach to flip, and he attempts to hide just how affected he is by leaning forwards to lessen the space between them. 

“I’ll have a little think of what we can do and get back to you.” He settles on, muffling Minho’s playful hum with his mouth slotting against his own. 

He plans to step back, ready to say goodbye and get back to his daughter, when he’s thwarted by Minho’s hands keeping him still after slipping down so both palms are flat on his ass. 

“...Do you have to leave straight away?”

Before Jisung even gets a chance to answer, he feels his phone buzz in his trouser pocket. The two meet eyes and Jisung smiles in apology as he withdraws one of his hands from Minho’s waist to lift it out. 

As if by divine intervention, it’s a text from Hyunjin. 

‘Ur too quiet so I’ll assume it’s going well’ the text starts, followed by a crude wink emoji, ‘Seoyeon currently napping with Binnie on couch. If you wanna stay a little longer, all is perfectly fine here’ it finishes with three red hearts. 

“Well would you look at that.” Jisung turns the screen around, feeling that now familiar heat pooling in his stomach when he sees the realisation dawn on Minho’s face. “I just became completely available.”

The sound of their excited giggles is quick to be muffled by their smiles pressing together. 

-

After a couple of hours Jisung returns to Changbin and Hyunjin’s to pick up Seoyeon. He carefully scoops his sleeping daughter up from she’d been cuddled into Changbin’s body and thanks his two best friends (with the promise he’ll be filling them in on what had just happened very soon) before he drives himself and Seoyeon home. He manages to wake her up long enough to get washed and dressed before she’s snuggled up in her bed and can return back to her deep sleep after such an eventful day. The following morning, the news that her dad and Minho are now dating gives her more energy than that sleep ever could. And when she’s told that Minho will be coming over on Tuesday for dinner and a film night, Jisung’s stomach soon hurts from laughing after she jumps into his arms and thanks him over and over whilst placing frenzied kisses to every inch of his face. 

When Jisung takes Seoyeon to school on Monday morning, he’s almost overwhelmed by all of the parents greeting the pair with huge smiles- their kids rushing forwards to ask Seoyeon if she will teach them her moves, as well as asking Jisung if he’d be able to teach their parents too. And though Jisung is incredibly grateful, he appreciates how the parents steer the kids away from crowding him- a flush on his cheeks as they only do so after singing his praises for being crowned ‘Best Dad Dancer of the Night’. 

Jisung does cry on Tuesday when one of the first things Seoyeon does after Minho arrives is ask him to waltz with her in celebration of him now being part of the family, though he has to quickly dry his tears when Seoyeon later turns to him and instructs for Minho and Jisung to dance together as well. Further into the evening while the three of them are cuddled up on the couch, Jisung finds an onslaught of texts Seoyeon had sent to Changbin- many pictures of two blurry figures dancing since Seoyeon had been too busy squirming in delight to properly focus. However, when he comes across a single picture of his wide smile after Minho had trapped him in a body spin to kiss his cheek, Jisung has to put his phone down just to squeeze his daughter extra tight.   

Jisung, Seoyeon, and Minho enjoy many days both in and out of the house- sometimes being accompanied by Changbin and Hyunjin to make one big happy family. When several months into the relationship Jisung floats the idea of Minho moving in with him and Seoyeon, the little girl is nothing short of ecstatic. 

Almost a year later, Jisung has to put his dancing skills- and the fact that he’s dating a professional- to the test at Changbin and Hyunjin's wedding with him as Changbin’s best man and Minho as Hyunjin’s. Not only does Jisung shock the room when he braves getting onto the dance floor, but he also manages to survive the entire night without a single injury- even after he attempted joining in on the conga. The pictures that come from that night- in particular Jisung in the middle of a dance circle whilst his two best friends, his daughter, and his boyfriend all cheer him on- are set to be printed and framed in almost every room of their house. 

As the years go by, Minho and Jisung almost find it scary how well they continue to adapt and fit into each other’s lives, and find that whatever hardships may come of parenting as Seoyeon grows up, the three of them will always find a way to dance through it.