Lin’s heart was in his throat. TI(G)GER’s show had been over for half an hour already, and the boy had been held up by Lana, a friend of his. Lana worked at the coffeeshop Lin frequented, and in the span of only one week, she had already memorized his usual order. A mocca iced coffee with whipped cream, caramel syrup and chunks of hazelnut. She would always hand him a small spoon for the whipped cream, as he liked to scoop it out before drinking the rest.

She was a cute, blonde girl, born and raised in Russia, who was studying a specific Fashion course abroad that Lin didn’t understand anything about. Something with costumes. Turned out she had a knack for punk and goth clothing, and had come to the same concert Lin had gone to. For inspiration. Uhuh.

If Lin wasn’t so nervous, he would have grinned at how Lana had talked with such enthusiasm and how she was ogling any and all visistors who caught her eye. Tartans, studs, rips, black combined with any bright color, she loved them all. She had even complimented his outfit, a striking blue sweater with a wide neck that occasionally slid off his shoulder, and his favourite figure-hugging jeans in black. He had been really glad she hadn’t looked at his combat boots, because they were close to falling apart.

The door to the dressing room was ajar, and resisting the urge to peek, he knocked on the wooden doorframe instead. It had been a month since their last meeting, would Alex still remember him? Was he even still here? Lin was kinda late after all.

“Come in,” a voice spoke, one that the blonde boy recognized with ease. He really was there.

Curious green eyes watched as Lin stepped inside.

“Oh hey, it’s you!” The singer’s eyes lit up, “Sorry, I didn’t ask your name last time.”

“Ah, it’s Lin. Lin Renma. Nice to meet you,” Lin smiled, kinda shy, but happy to see this guy again. Who wouldn’t be happy to see their crush?

“Nice to meet you too, Lin. I’m Alex Romano, but you probably knew that already!”

Alex got up from the couch he was sitting on and offered his hand for Lin to shake, all the while beaming a wide grin. In the warm light of the dressing room, he looked better than last time Lin had seen him, back in the alleyway. He gestured for his fan to sit down.

“How’s your leg?” Lin started, the memory of that night still engraved in his mind.

“It healed up just okay! Kail, Johan and Xavier helped me moving around the first week, after that the wound didn’t feel like splitting open anymore, haha.” He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

Lin huffed lightly. “Still you should have gotten it stitched up. Now you’ll probably get a nasty scar from it.” He didn’t mean to sound too harsh, but he really didn’t like it when people didn’t took care of their body properly.

“Just one more memory to retell later in life.” Alex shrugged it off. “Hey, want something to drink?”

The blonde gladly took up the offer. “Sure. Do you have something non-alcoholic?” He eyed the small collection of beer cans on the table. How much did these guys drink? “I’m not much of a drinker myself.”

A small chuckle escaped the singer’s lips. The sound gave Lin goosebumps, in a good way. He wanted to hear more of his laughs.

Alex got up and opened a small fridge stuffed in the corner of the room.

“Is a Coke okay?”

His fan nodded and reached for the beverage the tall guy was handing him. Lin felt the heat rise on his face when their hands brushed against each other. Alex’s fingertips were soft, softer than he had expected them to be. Before his brain could form dirty thoughts about the singer’s lovely fingers, he forced himself to ask the first question that popped up that sounded casual enough.

“Were are your band mates?” He hadn’t seen anyone here beside Alex.

“Ah, they left early,” the guy said before sitting back down on the couch, maybe a tad too close for Lin’s liking. Carefully he opened the can to distract himself.

“They had some other stuff to do,” Alex continued, a small smirk tugging at his lips, “So we’re pretty much alone here.”

Flustered, Lin took a small sip, not quite knowing what to say. Here he sat, together with his idol crush, with no one to disturb them. He quickly swallowed his drink before he could choke due to rather questionable mental images invading his mind. He was not like that.

“I got you something,” Alex said, and he reached one of his hands to a small table next to the couch they sat on. The black-haired singer handed him a small square package. Jin took it and carefully took off the blue wrapping paper.

“Thank you,” he said in awe. He couldn’t believe it. In his hands was TI(G)GER’s newest album, that was supposed to be released next week. It was even signed.

“I hope you like it.” A small chuckle filled the room when he saw his fan nod furiously.

^^^^

Lin left happy. They had been talking for almost the whole evening, until the bar owner came telling them they would close and they had to leave. They had even exchanged phone numbers. His heart was filled to the brim, he had been so excited to get to know the singer better.

Though there was something that gnawed at his mind, worrying him. Throughout their conversation he noticed some small hints of sadness in his words, especially when it came to his family. He didn’t want to push it, so he didn’t ask any further. For now he would just cherish this memory until he died.