Thump. Thump. Thump.

God, it was so loud.

Even after Jaemin managed to slip away from Yoonah's wandering gaze, all he could hear was the pounding of his own heart and the overbearing classical music - which, in theory, should not be stressful at all but the boy is honestly at the point where if a fly simply buzzed around his head, he'd breakdown.

Calm down. Don't be distracted.

His eyes followed his footsteps against the polished marble floors as he created as much distance from the brown haired girl as possible. Being twenty-five feet away from her made it slightly easier to breathe. Patting down his suit and taking a deep breath, he managed to put back on his mask - one of tranquility that he's mastered perfectly - before pushing past others and somehow managing not to trip over the millions of floor length dresses that dragged across the ballroom.

Jeno greeted him at the back of the room with a solid nod, handing him a red cup. "Something to hold you over before the after party." He whispers in his ear, a mischievous grin adorning his lips. Shadows danced across his daring face.

The brunette accepted it before sniffing it - a trace of honey, coffee and gin -- maybe a splash of vodka. One of his favorite drinks - one that only Jeno perfected. Many people would never get to see this side of Jeno - not the blunt, cold side for that was always a front he put up for others to notice. He wanted that intimidation factor. For others - rivals - to believe he was emotionless and careless.

Half of that was true, but there were moments like this where Jaemin could see the part of him that he loved.

Shattering his glass of thoughts, Donghyuck slaps him on the back. "Jaemin-ahhhhh," he slurred. "You didn't tell me you had the hots for uh," he furrows his brows before snapping his fingers. "Shit, what's her name?"

"Yoonah." Renjun coughs.

Donghyuck giggles. "For Yoonah-" He sways, clinging onto the others shoulder as he drags out the 'y' in the girl's name.

The brunette furrows the brows. How in the hell did he get drunk with no alcohol allowed?

As if on cue, Donghyuck pulls a metal flask from the inside of his jacket and takes a swig; swaying further before Jaemin clicks his tongue and snatches the bottle away from him. Pushing a whining Donghyuck away from him and into Chenle's arms, he waves the bottle in the air. "This can wait," he scolds before tucking it into his back pocket.

"You're such a wet blanket, Jaemin-ah!" The bronzed boy whined.

Jisung clicks his tongue, shaking his head as Chenle shakes with laughter. "How you managed to get this drunk already is beyond me, hyung." He laughed his high shrieked laughter that was recognized across the room.

The rest chuckle, continuing to converse with each other. Jaemin stands off to the side, observing. A part of him was proud to be a student at Yongsan. Not only was it known for it's long standing history, but also the amounts of success it's students could reach after graduating - if they could make it, that is. A shiver coursed through his body at the thought. The orchestra continues to play through his thoughts, which means students continue to dance. He could feel the tension in the room - all of it, no matter how hard they tried to hide it with killer smiles. They all knew what was to come after this dance. The excitement reverberated through their bodies, leeching onto the walls, the floors, until it felt like it was physically vibrating.

Donghyuck's Manse Bash was no joke.

It started in Freshman year, when the group first attended the Danse Macabre - being told it was the best 'party' of the year, and the one true place every student could let loose before finals. They walked in with high hopes and walked out with nothing but disappointment.

"How can there be a party with no booze!" Donghyuck whined.

"It is pretty lame." Renjun tsked, tapping his foot impatiently.

Jeno face palmed. "Well, what're we supposed to do all night? There's no way we're gonna stay here for the whole time, right?"

Suddenly, a smirk enveloped Donghyuck's expression. "My parents aren't home."

"So?" Jaemin deadpanned.

"So," he wiggled his brows. "Let's have an after party at my house! Get shit faced drunk until we remember nothing from the night!"

Renjun tilted his head. "Is that smart? We have a-"

Jeno pushed past him. "As long as we can get out of here, I'm in."

After that night, they told everyone about the after party, AKA Donghyuck's Bash and free booze. So naturally, everyone hauled ass over and partied till dawn. It was a hit, and would begin a tradition for the next three years.

So yeah, Donghyuck's bash is a pretty big deal.

A cold hand grabs his wrist and Jaemin allows himself to be pulled into the dark corners of the ballroom, already knowing who belongs to the hand. He's pulled behind a red curtain, under the stairs of the grand entrance. It's tiny, and Jeno's shoulders are against his and he smells faintly of sea salt and mint.

The blonde takes a quick glance from under the stairs before pulling the curtains shut, the chaos and noise from outside muffled.

"So," he kicks the floor. "What'd you get?"

Jaemin furrowed a brow and feigned confusion. He knew what the question meant, but a part of him didn't want to give an answer.

Jeno groaned. "About the girl!" He huffed.

He widened his eyes just slightly, not giving much away. "Ah," he reached for his nail, picking at it, pulling at the already torn skin. "I invited her to Hyuck's bash."

Jeno leaned forward, expecting more. "That it?" He questioned hurriedly, lacking patience tonight. Not like that's unusual, but normally he gave just a little more wiggle room when it came to Jaemin.

When Jaemin nodded, Jeno nodded too and hummed thoughtfully before a smirk engulfed his lips.

"Good," he hesitated. "That's good."

━

Hours passed by quickly, as they normally did for Jaemin. The blond couldn't enjoy much during the remaining time at the Danse Macabre. While others sneaked in pre-game drinks for Donghyuck's Bash, he was too busy scouting out the competition, as he ways did every single year. It's how the golden duo managed to get first and second place every year since they were freshmen.

Jaemin - the scout; the observer; the brains and Jeno - the doer.

His eyes scanned the ballroom. Classmates he's known since he was fourteen - some even younger. Now he viewed them as his - as Jeno's - prey. This isn't the first time he has viewed them that way, as ones that will be taken down, shown no mercy, but he still can't shake off the feeling of dread and hopelessness every time that he does. The blonde gulped, taking his bottom lip into his sharp teeth. He shouldn't feel disgusted by what he does anymore - Jeno has taught him for a long time now that the only way to go forward is to take, never give. That's how they win, how they stay on top.

Jaemin has been the reason for student's downfall for three years now. They'd shiver when his sharp eyes landed on them, cold and knowing, and they knew exactly what he was thinking about; not because he was easy to read. No, he could never afford that in these times. Jeno would chop his head off if he dared interrupt his path to the top (metaphorically, not literally. He hoped). They knew what he was thinking because he let them. He let them know what he was doing - judging, calculating, planning. He was mapping out the steps for Jeno to eliminate them.

He liked to tell himself that he let his victims see what he was thinking as an intimidation factor, but perhaps it was more of a pre-warning.

Save yourselves while you can.

He's coming.

"Hyung!" A shrill voice called from afar. Bright orange hair suddenly appeared before him, a bubbly smile peering at him. "Are you coming or what?" Chenle bounced.

Jisung came behind him, a worried look on his face. "Hyung, they're going to tear themselves apart if you don't hurry!"

Jaemin furrowed his brows. "Who-ah," he looked towards the exit door was, where the rest of his friends were attempting to pull the flask from Donghyuck's hands. Jeno held his shoulders down, grunting in frustration as Renjun held his feet, leaning his head back to avoid the squealing boy's thrashing feet.

"You're gonna have to pry that bottle from my cold, dead hands if you want it!" He ripped his hand from Jeno's grip and pointed a threatening finger towards the eldest.

Renjun barked, "I don't want it you dumbass--" he groaned. "You were supposed to be the designated driver!" He whines.

Jaemin stifles a laugh by covering his mouth with his hands before marching over and digging through Donghyuck's back pockets.

The sun kissed boy gasps and giggles. "Jaemin you could have just asked if you wanted a piece of this scrumptious a-"

Jaemin dangled his car keys in front of his face. "Shut up."

The boy chuckled again and shrugged. "All I'm saying is there's enough of Hyuckie to go around." He coos.

A sigh escapes his lips, following by the others as they quite literally drag Donghyuck out of the ball, ignoring the snickers and bright camera flashes.

"That's gonna come back and bite you in the ass, Hyuck." Jisung face-palms.

Donghyuck begins to settle in Jeno and Renjun's arms.

"Don't get too comfy, you brat."

The boy hums sleepily. "And what're you gonna do about it, Nono?"

Jeno glared. "Who told you-"

Jaemin placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let it go. He'll sleep and sober up in time for the party."

When he received a nod from the other, he unlocked Donghyuck's car before hopping into the drivers seat. Jeno sat in the passenger's side while the others somehow all managed to squeeze in the back with Donghyuck laying lazily on top of all them, mumbling something inaudible.

Headlights flashed through the dark hills as Jaemin drove the familiar path to his friend's childhood home. A trail of cars followed him closely behind.

The hills were lush with green grass and bushes hanging over the winding road. Silver quarters of the moonlight lit a path on the road. A thick fog misted over the sky, making Jaemin's vision limited. But that didn't matter. He knew these roads like the back of his hand.

Large mansions began appearing more frequently until they slowly began forming neighborhoods. The higher and farther they travelled from the school, the more houses and more memories began to form. Soon, Jaemin pulled into a long driveway, parking in front of a two story, white brick home. A sign hung on the bricks: DONGHYUCK'S MANSE BASH.

Students began piling out of their cars, holding their dresses high to their knees to keep from getting dirty from the wet grass. Giggles erupted throughout the crowd as they watched the seven boys stumble to the front, Jaemin hastily unlocking the doors to their insanity.

This is it. This is your last moment to sanity. Your last year and your biggest downfall.

Music was already blasting from inside the home, neon strobe lights filling the spacious home with brightly colored lights. Jaemin's head already began pounding, yet he didn't have much time to think about it before he was being dragged to the "punch" bowl.

Jaemin stood at the table awkwardly, watching as his classmates settled in easily. Red solo cups in their hands as they swayed with their eyes closed, bodies moving with the beat. It all seemed so natural and all the boy could think was -- how?

It has always been difficult for Jaemin to be relaxed. It was very easy for him to look the part, but to actually be it seemed impossible. Perhaps it was the way he grew up, or some weird, deep psychological reason he hasn't unlocked yet - who knows.

At least Jeno finds a use in his difficultly to be a normal fucking person.

Soft brunette curls entered the door, wide doe eyes searching for familiarity. Jaemin sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm his thundering heart.

What is this?

Icy blonde hair and cold skin take over his senses as strong hands grab his arms. Suddenly, Jaemin can breathe again.

Dark eyes narrow into his. "Are you ready for the plan?"

As ready as I'll ever be.

i warned y'all this
would be a slow burn.

i'm not exactly sure if
i'm happy with this
chapter, but i've rewritten
it three times now so
this...this is what you get lol.

leave a vote and comment! <3