9 Nine

Elijah's finger lingered on the "Send" button and for a moment there, he almost didn't hit it. But without giving himself a chance to change his mind, he pressed it and quickly placed his phone in his pocket, letting out a nervous puff of breath.

He had written it to his parents, asking them to come to the theater where the showcase was going to be held at 8 p.m., but didn't really elaborate much on why. All he wrote was "It would mean a lot to me if you came". Honestly, he had no idea if they were going to show up at all. They never really paid much heed to what he wanted anyway. But he really, really wanted them to come and see him perform just once, to see how much he really loved dancing. That this was really what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He knew he wouldn't end up being as rich as his parents or even anywhere near, but the sentimental value dancing had to him was larger than anything monetary and he wanted them to see that.

Elijah sighed. It's not gonna be easy...

"What's up?" Lucas asked casually as he took a seat next to his partner on the hardwood floor, munching on an apple. Elijah simply shook his head.

"Nothing."

"Are you nervous about today?" Lucas inquired.

"A little bit, yeah. It's my first time actually performing in front of a crowd.”

"Don't worry," Lucas comfortingly patted his shoulder. "You'll do just fine. Just pretend you're dancing alone in your private studio. Except you should look at the audience and smile a lot."

"That's self-contradictory." Elijah scoffed, making the other male laugh softly.

"Performing on stage... It's hard to describe. You're gonna be nervous as shit the first few times but you really start getting the hang of it after a while. It just becomes second nature."

"Oh yeah? And what if I get so nervous I forget the steps? Then you're gonna forever regret being my partner." Elijah knew that wouldn't happen; he wasn't really one for nervousness. He was actually exceptionally good at staying calm no matter what situation he was put in. He only hoped that applied to this one too.

"You're not gonna because then I'd fucking kill you." Lucas said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Sure wouldn't want that." Elijah chuckled. "So are we supposed to practice today?"

"No. We should save up our energy. But keep going through the choreo in your head so you don't forget." Lucas munched some more on his apple, before offering Eli some. The latter crinkled his face in disgust.

"Your saliva is all over that." He pointed out.

"Suit yourself." Lucas shrugged. "Since we don't really have anything to do right now, how about we go over to my place? Mom prepared some 'good-luck' lunch for me, or at least that's what she calls it." The brunette laughed, "She always does that whenever I have a big dance performance. Why don't you join?"

Elijah smiled slightly. Despite everything, Lucas seemed to have a really good relationship with his mother. That was not a common sight to see, especially with high school students and especially if it was Lucas. It was endearing, to say the least. I guess people who go through tough times together are the closest.

"That's okay. I wouldn't wanna intrude on some intimate mother-son tradition. I'll pass."

"You're not intruding if I invited you." Lucas reasoned, "Besides, you might need the good luck. It's your first performance."

Elijah thought about it for a second. Ah, why the hell not?

"Alright. Let's go."

The two boys left the school campus together and got into Lucas's car. The ride this time was silent and Elijah took the time to look out the window and watch the buildings pass by. His head went back to his parents and when he checked his phone, he saw that there was still no reply from them. With a sigh, he shoved his device back into his pocket and closed his eyes.

He didn't think they were going to come.

"Is everything okay?" Lucas asked, briefly looking at Elijah before turning his attention back to the road.

"Yeah."

"It doesn't look like it."

"Why are you so nosy?"

Lucas scoffed, "I'm not nosy. I just want you to be in prime condition for the showcase. You look pretty distracted."

"I'm just wondering if my parents are gonna come." Elijah admitted.

"Why wouldn't they?" The elder furrowed his eyebrows, "It's your first performance."

"'They don't know that." He muttered under his breath, more to himself but Lucas heard it anyway. The elder looked confused for a second before understanding dawned on him.

"Ah, I see. You're planning on surprising them?"

Elijah almost wanted to laugh. 'Surprise' was the last word he would have used right now.

"Something like that."

When they arrived at Lucas' villa, the two made their way to the front door and Lucas typed in the passcode before walking in.

"Mom?" The elder boy called out as he walked into the kitchen, Elijah silently following behind him. Lucas beamed when he saw his mother preparing the food and leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"Ah, Lucas. You're back already?"

"Yeah. I brought my partner with me, too." He said, motioning to the doorway where Elijah stood awkwardly, "Thought he could have lunch with us."

His mother turned to the blonde boy, who politely bowed at the woman, and immediately smiled, "Hello there! Lucas, you didn't tell me Elijah was your dance partner."

"Well now you know." Lucas grinned.

Elijah thought she looked so different here. There was hardly any makeup on her face and she was just dressed in a simple T-shirt and pants, contrary to how he saw her the other two times. She looked very comfortable and not at all stuck up like his own parents.

"I'm so glad you could join us for lunch today." She smiled at him before lightly patting his back, "I hope Lucas hasn't been giving you hard time. I know he can be a handful."

"Oh no, not at all. He's an angel." Elijah said sarcastically, eyeing the brunette who just glared at him. The woman laughed heartily before telling her son to take Elijah to the living room and make themselves comfortable while she prepared the food.

"Your mom is nice." Elijah commented briefly as he sat on the comfortable white sofa next to Lucas. It sunk underneath him, instantly relaxing his body.

"Yeah. She's the best." Lucas said, his eyes shining somewhat fondly. It was obvious he absolutely adored his mother.

"Is she coming to the showcase?"

"Of course." Lucas answered like it was the dumbest question ever. "Mom never misses out on any of my performances."

Was it wrong that Elijah was a little envious of the elder? He also wished he could see the proud glint in his parents’ eyes just like Lucas's mother. Elijah had always done whatever they wanted, always gotten straight A's, always been obedient, and never so much as bent or broken a rule. And yet he never saw them being genuinely proud of him. They just showed him off in front of others like he was some sort of accessory and treated him like a stranger when there were no guests around.

"You have this weird habit of randomly going silent all the time." Lucas stated, slightly amused. "Sometimes I really wonder what goes on in your head."

"Don't bother yourself with me." Elijah sighed, leaning back on the couch and taking off his school blazer.

"So mysterious." Lucas snickered. "I have a really good feeling about today's showcase, though."

"Yeah, don't jinx it."

"Right." The brunette chuckled, rolling his eyes. He paused for a while before speaking up again, "Hey, Elijah? Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah."

"Why’d you pick medicine?"

Elijah froze.

"I mean... you're really good at dancing. And you look like you really enjoy it too. So why medicine?"

The blonde didn't say anything. Lucas was not someone he could open up to and have deep conversations with... yet, at least.

"I'm good at studying too, if you haven't noticed." He simply said.

Lucas' eyebrows perked up, "Yeah but do you enjoy it?"

Before Elijah could answer that question, Lucas's mother walked into the room, carrying a bunch of dishes, "Lunch is ready!" She said cheerfully as she placed the plates down on the dining table, before heading back into the kitchen.

"I'll go help your mom." Elijah said, getting up from the couch and following behind the woman. It was obvious to Lucas that the blonde was evading the topic so he simply sighed and slumped back on the couch. You and your mysteries, Elijah Quinn, Lucas thought to himself.

Lunch with Lucas and his mother was oddly comfortable. It was filled with warm, friendly chatter and Elijah didn't feel like a stranger or an intruder at all. He didn't talk much, only answering questions when he was asked, but Lucas' mother on the other hand was very talkative. So much that there was hardly a moment of silence. But surprisingly enough it didn't annoy Elijah at all. She talked about Lucas and his embarrassing childhood moments, making the boy cover his face with his hands and beg his mother to stop while Elijah chuckled amusedly, over pleasant, mouth-wateringly good home food. Elijah found himself unconsciously wiping his plate clean. He couldn't remember the last time his mother had ever cooked him something, she probably never did, but now he definitely knew that the books and the movies weren't lying when they said a mother's food had this certain flavor. Something that could never be replicated by even the world's greatest chef.

After lunch, they stayed for a little longer before they had to leave to prepare for the showcase.

"Good luck on your showcase, boys!" She said, wrapping them both in a sudden tight hug. Elijah's eyes widened in shock. It wasn't unpleasant at all, but just unexpected. And really, really... warm. When she pulled away, she pressed a big, noisy kiss on both their cheeks, making Lucas groan at his mom to stop embarrassing him. She simply dismissed his remark with a wave of her hands.

"I'll be there by 7:30, okay?"

"Okay, mom. Thanks for the lunch!"

"You're welcome. Now go on!"

On the car ride to the theater, Elijah checked his phone again. Still no reply from his parents.

Ah they're not coming. I shouldn't have even had my hopes up.

Just as he was about to put his cell phone back in his pocket, Noah texted him.

Noah:

‘Hey! Best of luck for your showcase! I'll be there to watch. Don't get nervous, okay? I'm sure you'll do great.’

Elijah smiled when he saw his friend's message.

Elijah:

‘Thanks, Noah :)’

Elijah waited before Noah texted him again.

From: Noah

‘...

Tell Lucas I said good luck, too.’

Elijah looked to his side to find Lucas focused on the road, tapping absent-mindedly at the steering wheel.

"Noah says good luck."

Lucas blinked a few times before looking at Elijah, slightly shocked, "Really?"

Elijah rolled his eyes, "Yeah."

Lucas smiled before turning his attention back to the road, muttering quietly, "Tell him I said thanks."

Elijah looked at himself in the mirror. He was backstage in the changing room with the rest of the dance club members. Noisy chatter filled the room as students dressed in their dance costumes walked around, put on makeup and rehearsed their routines. Elijah was dressed in matching black dress pants and a shirt, along with a black suit jacket. His hair was elegantly gelled back and his eyes were lined with kohl, courtesy of Lucas Kim. He was against the idea of putting on makeup at first but as Lucas had said, it really did bring out his eyes.

"Lookin' good." Lucas commented as he stepped out of the changing room, dressed in identical attire. He stood in front of Elijah and looked him up and down, before shaking his head. "Just one thing missing."

The elder boy reached over and popped open the first few buttons of Elijah's dress shirt before smiling, "There."

Elijah rolled his eyes and stepped away from Lucas, looking up at the time. The showcase was just about to start and their show was going to be the third, but the group routine was the seventh. There were people from other schools competing too, a 'small' detail Lucas had apparently forgotten to mention. It was a little difficult to not get his heart thumping in his chest when he saw the amount of people in the audience. The show hadn't even started and there was hardly an empty seat.

"Let's do a brief rehearsal. Just to make sure we don't forget the steps." Lucas said.

"Okay."

Lucas played the song and the two boys briefly moved their bodies to their choreography, not wanting to waste too much energy.

"Okay... we're gonna nail this." Lucas said confidently, "Don't get nervous."

"I'm not." Elijah denied, but even he knew he was just a little nervous.

"Sure." Lucas rolled his eyes, "Just be confident, okay? Don't hesitate. Just like we practiced."

"Oh God. How many times will you tell me?"

"I just really wanna win this time, okay! Don't ruin it for me." Lucas glared at him.

"I'm not gonna fuck up, okay? Now stop talking, you're making my brain hurt." Elijah said as he took a seat. He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes, trying to calm his nerves by taking a few deep breaths.

"Fine." Lucas grumbled and sat down next to him, taking out his phone and scrolling through Instagram since there was nothing else to do. Elijah opened one eye and almost scoffed when he saw Lucas taking a selfie, holding up the peace sign next to his face. Once he took the picture, he started scrolling through the filters to find the perfect one. Elijah rolled his eyes and closed them again.

"Hey, which filter do you think compliments my skin better? Amaro or Valencia?" Lucas asked as he showed Elijah the picture with both filters, face as serious as ever.

"Does it matter?"

"Of course it does!" Lucas gasped, looking offended, "Don't you know that rule number one in the art of selfies is picking the right filter?"

Elijah lifted an eyebrow incredulously, hoping for this to be some kind of joke. Lucas still looked extremely serious though. Elijah leaned back in the chair again, "Amaro." He said, sighing resignedly.

"Knew it." Lucas grinned as he started typing in a caption. A few seconds later, Lucas was nudging Elijah's shoulder.

"Come on, let's take a commemorative picture." Elijah scowled when he saw the camera being held up in front of them, Lucas flashing a handsome face while the blonde just looked like he hated his life. Before he had a chance to protest, Lucas had already taken the picture and grinned evilly.

"Oh God, your face looks priceless." Lucas burst out laughing and was already scrolling through the filters.

"Wait you're uploading that?!" Elijah gasped, eyed widening.

"This is a fucking masterpiece, of course I'm uploading this. People will be double tapping this shit all day."

"Double what?" Elijah furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"For fuck's sake where do you live, under a rock?"

"Whatever." Elijah shook his head, deciding he didn't care whether or not Lucas uploaded the picture anymore.

"Done! Hey, check out this caption."

Elijah looked at the bright screen in front of him. Underneath the hideous picture, he could see the caption:

'kim_kewl69: Backstage with this little piece of sunshine xD #Fabulous'

"I don't know what I should be more worried about- the fact that you called me a little piece of sunshine or the fact that you look so damn proud of what you wrote." Elijah stated.

"I know I know, I'm the best." Lucas said smugly, smiling when he saw the first like and comment on the picture from one of his classmates.

'ariari_blue: Damnnn. Is that Elijah? He looks really handsome >.<'

"Here's your first fan." Lucas said with a shit-eating grin. Elijah on the other hand was having a hard time figuring out whether or not the girl was just being sarcastic.

"The showcase just started, everyone. Let's go out into the main backstage area." Mr. Lee announced loudly, making the room go silent for a moment before everyone started heading out. Elijah could feel the bile rising in his throat as he walked out of room with Lucas next to him. He took a moment to process that this was really happening, that he was really going to perform in front of so many people. Once they reached the area where all the contestants were on standby, Mr. Lee walked towards the two boys and smiled.

"I know it's your first time but don't get nervous, okay? I'm sure you guys will do great."

"Thanks Mr. Lee." He said, exhaling. He was frankly getting a little tired of hearing that line but knew it was all in good intent. Once the teacher left to talk to some other students, Elijah felt a tap at his back. He turned around and instantly smiled.

"Noah! How'd they let you in here?"

The elder boy simply grinned, "I managed to convince Mr. Lee to give me special permission." He winked, "Anyways, how are you feeling?"

"A little overwhelmed..."

"It's okay." The elder patted his back comfortingly, "Just go out there and surprise everyone. Show them you're not just about those grades. Surprise me."

"Yeah... okay." Elijah blushed softly, but now he had some new-found determination to impress his crush. He was the one who encouraged him from the start, after all and for that, he wanted to give it everything he had. "Thank you. For everything."

"I didn't do anything." The elder said with a soft look on his face, "It was all you. Good luck out there."

Elijah nodded and suddenly wrapped his arms around Noah in a warm hug. The elder, slightly taken by surprise, was stiff at first but relaxed into it, lightly tapping Elijah's back and the latter pulled away from him before it got too long and awkward.

"I should get going now. I'll be in the audience, and I'll be rooting for you guys." Noah said, also looking at Lucas who awkwardly stood behind them with an unreadable expression on his face. Elijah had actually completely forgotten about his presence and only remembered when he saw Noah looking at him.

"Th-Thanks..." Lucas said awkwardly. Though they made up, things were still weird between them. Sure, Noah forgave him, but that didn't change the fact that what happened really happened and that he still felt guilty about it. He would still feel that harsh pang of guilt in his heart whenever he saw Noah.

"I'll see you after the show." Elijah said, breaking the awkward atmosphere.

"Sure. I'll see you later." Noah said, smiling, before looking at the brunette again. "Bye, Lucas. Break a leg out there."

"Thanks shorty." Lucas said with a smile. He had always called him that back when they were friends. He half expected the smaller boy to be angered by it but instead his features softened and the corners of his lips curved upwards before he left. The two other boys were left in silence, though it was noisy all around them.

"Hey Eli... can I ask you something?" Lucas finally muttered and the blonde gave him his full attention.

"What is it?"

Lucas slightly tilted his head to the side, his face unreadable, "Were you... Were you serious when you said you uh... loved Noah?"

Elijah felt the blood rush to his cheeks immediately. He had hoped that Lucas forgot about that but obviously he didn't. Honestly, he wouldn't really say he loved the elder, but he did have feelings for him. Maybe even a little crush. Yes, it was weird at first, but with a calm and rational mind, he accepted the fact that maybe he wasn't so straight after all. The outburst he had that day though was just out of impulse. But he didn't expect Lucas to up and ask about it like that so suddenly.

"I-Is this really the time for that now?" He evaded, looking anywhere but at the elder, who was now smirking.

"Look at you, you're fucking blushing." Lucas laughed, "Plus you look at him and talk to him so differently. You smile like a teenage girl and your voice gets all soft and cheery.”

Eli felt even more heat rushing to his cheeks at that. He scowled, “I do not!”

“Oh yes you do!” He teased.

“Lucas Kim, I will not hesitate to punch you in the face right now if you don’t shut the hell up.”

"Why gotta be so rude~" He sang, a disgusting pout on his face.

Elijah rolled his eyes, "You might be decent at dancing but please, never sing again." The blonde knew that wasn't really true. Lucas didn't have such a bad singing voice. In fact, his voice was really smooth and warm. But it wasn't like he was going to admit that.

"You hurt my poor feelings." Lucas' pout intensified. Honestly, he looked like an innocent little kid right now but Elijah knew he was anything but.

"Do I look like I care?"

Lucas simply stuck his tongue out before looking through his phone to see a message from Sam.

"Hey, Don't... tell him." Elijah mumbled, looking down at the floor.

"What?" Lucas furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"Don't tell Noah..." Lucas smirked when he understood what the younger was talking about.

"My lips are sealed.

"Ladies’ and gentlemen, please welcome the next duo on stage, Elijah Quinn and Lucas Kim!" The host enthusiastically introduced.

Elijah could hear his heart thumping in his ears as he stepped up onto the large stage right behind Lucas as the lights around them darkened. He could hear people in the audience cheering so loudly that it was almost deafening. For a moment there, he felt completely detached from reality. It was as if he couldn't feel his body anymore. Yet, he willed himself to keep walking and took his position on the stage.

"It'll be okay." Lucas whispered to him and Elijah slowly nodded to himself. Soon enough, the lights were shining down on them and the song started playing. Without realizing it, Elijah was moving his body to the now very familiar choreography absentmindedly. He just let the music control his body.

"Look at the crowd." He remembered Lucas's advice.

Elijah looked up ahead, curving his lips up in the slightest smirk just as Lucas had taught him. It helped that he couldn't really see the crowd as the blinding lights were shining down only on them. The two were moving in sync and cheers suddenly erupted when the first chorus kicked in.

With every classy snap of their fingers, every precise body roll, every subtle movement of their hips, every smirk or wink, the crowd was going crazy and Elijah felt as if he was flying. He wasn't nervous anymore. He felt like he was there but at the same time he wasn't. Like he had so much control on his body but at the same time he didn't. Just like Lucas had said before... being on stage, it couldn't be described with words at all. Elijah felt free, and that was as close as he could get to describing the feeling. He knew the crowd was loving it and it just gave him so much confidence so he went all out.

The crowd then really went berserk when they both took off their suit jackets and threw them to the side during the middle of the second chorus. They went about their choreography until the end of the song, with every little detail, every twitch of their muscles and wave of their bodies polished and executed to a T. If Elijah were to describe perfection, it would be this performance.

After they finished the dance and bowed at the crowd, everyone was cheering for them so loudly that he felt like there was nothing he would have changed at all. It was simply perfect. He felt numb and dazed once he got off the stage, as if he was just in a dream and was met with a lot of wide-eyed looks from the people backstage. He could still hear the crowd screaming for them even though the announcer had already started announcing the next act.

"Did you hear them cheering for us? Holy shit we completely blew their minds!" Lucas exclaimed happily. "You did fucking great. We did great."

Elijah still felt numb but found himself smiling, "Yeah... We did..."

And then it hit him. This wasn't a dream, this was reality. The dream that he was dreaming ever since he was a child copying dances on TV along with his brother. To be on stage and to have people screaming for him. That was his dream, and it was no longer just a painting, no. It was finally reality.

Even if it was just for a little while.