Some people say there are moments in life when you just can't see anything around you. Everything goes dark and blurry, and your vision narrows to a single bright spot right in front of you, making sure you understand exactly what you're witnessing. From this point on, I'm going back to telling Wave and Dan's story from my perspective again, mostly because I need to talk about some feelings the older one was experiencing—feelings he didn't even understand himself. And I warn you…this realization won't come quickly, even with Wave's eyes and heart fully locked on the 'serious boy' in front of him.
When Wave saw Dan standing on the stage, his eyes fixed on him, no longer holding the anger and disappointment from before, Wave felt his heart stop for a few seconds and then start pounding violently. His breathing was heavy, and his gaze was a mix of confusion, wonder, and curiosity. His body, which had been slumped in the chair, now leaned forward, as if the guy on stage was his own personal magnetic field.
When he heard Dan say, "I want to audition for the role of Adrien," Wave didn't quite process the words. If I can explain anything to you right now, it's that he seemed to have lost all sense of reality, like his hearing, or any other perception of what was happening around him. The only thing he noticed was the moment Dan's gaze shifted away from his and his mouth began to move as he read some lines from the script.
He noticed everything: the way Dan's jaw moved as he spoke words that Wave didn't even try to understand, the serious look on his face that gradually shifted into something more confident with each word, and the expressions that completely changed as he read on. Once again, Wave was watching Adrien come to life right before his eyes, as if Dan were some kind of magician conjuring a character from another world with just his words. It was incredible to see. But what truly drew him in was the simple fact that Dan was up there on that stage, auditioning, after everything that had happened between them. And more than that...
"He looked at me…" Wave whispered to himself, unable to take his eyes off the tattooed guy on stage. "He looked at me again!"
The audition went exactly as it should have: perfectly! Yeah, I'm not going to lie to you and say that Wave, because of some hidden feelings, saw something more in Dan's performance and thought he was the perfect Adrien. The guy truly knew how to embody the character; even in a raw form, or without technique, he could understand and internalize all the emotions like a human catalyst, expressing in his gaze, his expressions, and his voice every feeling he was reading. Each word he spoke had a unique nuance that seemed to belong to that character alone. It felt like there was only one person in the world who could deliver all that.
Magic? Natural talent? A little bit of both? Maybe. I won't explain right now why Dan was born for this role, but I can tell you that fate had a hand in this too. Yes, the king of clichés.
"What the…??" Marco nearly shouted when Dan finished speaking. The director was practically standing on his chair with excitement. "What did I just witness??"
The loud tone snapped Wave out of his trance; he hadn't heard a single word Dan had said, but he had seen everything and understood perfectly why Marco was so thrilled.
"Can I go now?" Dan asked on stage, looking shy and adopting a posture that made it seem like he wanted to escape.
"No!" Marco interrupted, raising jumping off his chair. In seconds, he ran under the stage, then quickly climbed up and hugged his nephew in an unexpected move. "I can't believe this! You…a hidden talent right under my nose!" He ruffled Dan's hair in the hug, making it hard to see his face. "Wave!"
"Hi?" Wave was still a bit stunned by what had just happened and remained in his seat, holding back a small smile as he watched the scene on stage.
"You! Did you know about this?" Marco asked, pointing at Dan like he was a masterpiece on display.
"Well…" Wave hesitated, unsure what to say, because he didn't want Dan to think he was taking credit for 'discovering' him.
"I knew it! He was the Adrien you wanted to show me, wasn't he?"
"Marco…" Wave still didn't know what to say and wanted to choose his words carefully.
"Uh…uncle, can I go now?" Dan said, trying to politely but firmly pull away.
"Go? Of course not! Before you go, you need to know," Marco said.
"Know what?" Dan was clearly worried about whatever was coming next.
"The role is yours!" Marco announced, unable to contain his excitement. "I know! I know! It's against protocol to make a decision like this, and I haven't even discussed it with Wave, but I know he'll agree, right?"
He looked at his assistant sitting in the seats below the stage. Wave furrowed his brow and bit his lip slightly, his eyes moving from Dan to Marco and back to Dan, as if seeking silent permission to say what he really wanted.
"I mean… Dan really gave us the best Adrien. But..." He took a deep breath and adjusted himself in his seat. "Before we give him the part, we need to know what he wants."
"What do you mean? He came all the way here, got up on stage, and asked to audition! That's a pretty clear sign he wants to be involved, right?" He turned to his nephew, gripping him by the shoulders, his face radiating all his enthusiasm. "Isn't that right, Dan?"
"Marco, don't do this…" Wave got up from his seat and walked toward the front of the stage. Dan's discomfort was obvious; his shoulders were tense, and he avoided his uncle's gaze. "Dan, think about it. You really are the best Adrien, but only take the part if you actually want it. If you don't, it's totally fine."
"What do you mean, 'it's fine'?" Marco asked, his voice rising. His brows furrowed, clearly frustrated.
"Dan…" Wave sighed, ignoring the director. "You can let us know in a few days, okay?"
"But the…" Marco began to protest, but Wave cut him off.
"Marco, you said you trusted me, right? Then trust me," he said firmly, staring him down. Seeing Marco wasn't going to argue again, he turned to his junior. "You can go now."
Dan looked at him with a confused expression, but his eyes quickly darted to the exit. He decided it was the right moment to leave the stage and get out of the situation. And so, he left. When Wave was alone with Marco again, the director started talking:
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Wave?" He was serious, more serious than usual.
"Just being reasonable. I've talked with Dan a few times, and I know he's not interested in acting in the play. We don't want anyone in the cast who isn't happy with what they're doing, do we?"
"If he didn't want to be in the play, then why did he audition?"
"I don't know, maybe someone pressured him into it."
"And who would do that?" Hearing that question, Wave's throat tightened.
"I have no idea."
That made him stop and think about why Dan really auditioned, especially after the argument they had and how clearly Dan had expressed he didn't want any part of it.
So, after assuring Marco that Dan would give them an answer in a few days and that if he said no, they'd go with Sandee as Adrien, Wave decided to wait for Dan in the parking lot. When he got there, he saw the tattooed guy's bike still there. He leaned against the wall and resisted the urge to sleep; the sleepless nights were catching up to him, and he was afraid he might doze off right there.
After a few minutes, Dan came out through the side door of the theater, and before he realized it, Wave took a few steps toward him, grabbing him by the wrist before he reached his bike.
"Dan!" he called out as he seized his arm, catching the other off guard. "I need to talk to you."
"..." Dan didn't respond, but he didn't pull away either; he just looked at him with a mix of seriousness and curiosity.
"You… why did you come to audition?"
Hearing this, Dan sighed and shook his head, turning his body to pull away from Wave's grip. But Wave didn't let go; instead, he held on tighter, pulling him back to face him.
"Dan, I need to know! Why did you audition? It makes no sense!" Wave was genuinely confused by all of this, as he hadn't even understood if he'd been forgiven.
"..."
"Did you audition because of me? Did I pressure you into doing it?" His eyes were wide, his face tense, and the hand holding Dan's arm started to tremble slightly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pressure you."
"I didn't audition because you pressured me," Dan said with a sigh.
"No? Then why…"
"I did it because I wanted to prove you were wrong," he said, still not looking at Wave.
"Prove I was wrong? About what…" Wave began, but then let his thoughts wander for a moment. After realizing what Dan meant, he looked at him with surprise. "You wanted to prove I was wrong about you being the ideal Adrien?"
"…" Dan didn't respond; he just stared at him.
"You really…" Wave started, but a few chuckles escaped his lips. "You thought I was overreacting? You doubted my judgment?" Despite the questions, he was laughing.
"Yeah…"
"I gotta tell you something, Serious Boy," Wave said, stepping a little closer. "I'm good at what I do."
"I…" Dan began, but he hesitated and took a step back, avoiding eye contact with his senior.
"I never had any doubt I was right about you," Wave said with a sincere, yet tired smile. "And now that you see your uncle thinks the same as I do, are you convinced of your talent?"
"I don't know." Dan murmured, closing his eyes in brief reflection.
"You don't have to know now," Wave said understandingly, and then continued, "Dan, have you forgiven me?"
At that moment, Wave was still holding Dan's arm, and they were very close, their eyes, for the first time in the conversation, locked on each other. Hearing the question, the tattooed guy sighed, his brow furrowed and voice hesitant. His gaze wandered to the floor before he finally muttered:
"Not exactly."
"So… there's still a part of you that hates me?" Wave asked, oddly maintaining his smile.
"I don't know, maybe."
"That's perfect!" Wave exclaimed enthusiastically. "Are you busy today?"
Dan shook his head, saying no.
"Then I need you to help me with something!"
Without waiting for a response, Wave quickly put Dan's bike in the trunk of his car. Not fully understanding what was happening, Dan settled into the passenger seat, being driven to an unknown destination. Deep down, despite the lack of clarity, he didn't seem reluctant to go along with the other guy.
On the way to the mysterious place, trying not to fall asleep because of his exhaustion, Wave decided to turn on the radio to a random station and hummed along to a song in a gentle tone, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel:
"Kiss me beneath the milky twilight, lead me out on the moonlit floor. Lift your open hand, strike up the band and make the fireflies dance, silvermoon's sparkling." As he sang this part, he glanced playfully at Dan. "So kiss me."
While humming with an easy smile, Wave shot a playful look at Dan, who had turned his face toward the window. Unaware of the gesture, Wave continued, turning his gaze back to the road.
"Do you like this song?" he asked, distracted by the melody as he bobbed his head to the slow rhythm. "I do. I wish I could sing it to someone someday, or have someone sing it to me… maybe on a piano. That would be pretty romantic."
Wave's mind was brimming with vivid images, each corner detailed with the scene he'd imagined, even though he still didn't have a face for the person in it.
During the drive, he kept humming songs in the same soft tone while Dan remained silent beside him. The quiet, which might have once bothered him, now felt comforting. Wave felt completely at ease with Dan there, even without the conversation.
The destination they were heading to wasn't surprising: Wave was taking Dan to his own place. However, it raised several questions in Dan's mind, who kept a skeptical expression throughout the drive up to the apartment door. When Wave finally closed the door behind them, Dan couldn't hold back his question any longer:
"Why did you bring me here?"
This time, to everyone's surprise, it was Wave who didn't answer; he simply gave a subtle smile and headed toward his bedroom, pulling Dan's hand with a sense of urgency. Dan, now beyond trying to understand, allowed himself to be led. However, when they reached the room, he was stunned to be guided and thrown onto the bed.
"But what…" Dan exclaimed, unable to make sense of anything, as he looked up at his senior standing before him with an unreadable expression.
"Dan… sleep with me," Wave said softly, staring at the confused boy lying on his bed. "I need you to sleep with me."