The director of the SM Town Concert clapped his hands loudly in front of the practice room to get everyone’s attention. Every male SM group was packed into the room - some were practicing in a corner, some were joking around with each other, others were talking amongst themselves about the daily happenings in their lives. It took all the leaders of each group to quiet down their respective members for the room to settle down.

“Alright boys, when’s the concert?” The director asked.

“Tomorrow!” Everyone yelled in unison, followed by loud whooping and cheering. The energy was high in the room, especially among the EXO members. After all, it was their first SM Town Concert.

Kai couldn’t keep the smile off his face. Taemin couldn’t help but smile too; Kai’s happiness radiated so brilliantly that it was contagious to any onlooker.

“Are you that excited?” Taemin asked, lightly nudging Kai with his elbow.

Kai scoffed. “Excited doesn’t even cut it. I’m… I can’t even describe it.” He had to bite his lip before he let out a squeal. It wasn’t everyday he got to perform various numbers with his company senior artists. He grew up listening to them and watching them perform from afar but now it was time for him to join them in the spotlight. And most importantly, he finally got to stand on the same stage as his best friend.

Kai looked to his right at Taemin, eyes sparkling. They trained together since they were young, mastering dance together to perfection. When Taemin debuted first in SHINee, Kai was determined to train harder by himself to join Taemin in the post-debut world someday.

And now, that time has come.

“...volunteers for fan service.”

Huh? Kai shook himself out of his thoughts and turned his attention back to the rambling director. The room was quiet as everyone awkwardly looked around at each other. He leaned towards Taemin.

“What did he say?” He whispered.

Taemin turned his head to whisper into Kai’s ear. “He asked if there are any volunteers to perform some fan service towards the end of the concert.”

Furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, Kai’s arm moved to raise itself. Why wasn’t anyone willing to volunteer themselves? Fan service was easy and all the fans loved it - it would only make the doer of said fan service that much more loved.

Before his hand was raised into the director’s view, Taemin grabbed his arm and yanked it back down. Kai looked to Taemin in bewilderment. What was so wrong about this?!

“I forgot this is your first concert so nobody probably told you yet... The director doesn’t mean any kind of fan service. This is… a special kind.” Taemin explained.

Kai was still confused. What was he talking about?

Taemin leaned in closer and whispered, “He wants two people in this room to kiss on stage.”

If Kai was drinking water, he’s 100% sure he would have choked. In fact, he still choked, on his own spit, coughing loudly and pounding himself on the chest. Taemin awkwardly smiled at everyone staring, silently reassuring them that Kai was okay and that he was not dying (though it certainly sounded like it).

The director narrowed his eyes at the room full of men. No one dared to make eye contact with him. They all developed a sudden interest in the cloud walls, the wooden floor, or their cuticles.

“I’ll give you all until tomorrow morning. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the same group or not. I just need two of you to step up. If no one volunteers by then, I’ll personally choose two people myself.” The director said as he walked out of the room. “Think of the fans.” The door shut behind him.

“Think of the fans,” Heechul imitated. “That’s what they always say! Fans love the hearts and we make with our hands - isn’t that enough?” The older SM groups nodded in agreement solemnly. They had more than enough experience with this particular kind of fan service. “What he means is our company will generate more hits online when the videos come up, and then our stocks will go up, and then the company makes more money… which we get none of.” The volume in the room rose to a low murmur in discussion on who should volunteer.

A few members suggested making bets. Other suggested a competition. The rest refused anything that increased their personal risk of being the ones to perform the fan service. Upon someone’s suggestion to simply run through the show a few more times, everyone got into place and began to rigorously practice some more, shoving the thought of fan service to the back of their minds.

Later that night, after everyone else had left to go home and sleep before the big day, Kai stayed behind to work on his solo dance a little bit more. He was nervous. Jittery. He didn’t want to leave any room for imperfection and ran his dance segment over and over.

While Kai was finishing up his personal practice, Taemin knocked on the door bearing Kai’s favorite snacks and drinks.

“I figured you’d still be here.” Taemin grinned. “You should really be getting some rest because it’s going to be rough later in the day.”

Kai wiped the sweat off his face with the sleeve of his shirt. “Then what about you? Why are you still up? Didn’t you leave a while ago?”

Taemin tossed him a water bottle which Kai accepted gratefully. “How can I sleep when my darling baby Jongin is still awake and working oh so hard?” He teased.

Kai rolled his eyes and lightly punched Taemin in the shoulder, raising the water bottle to silently thank him for it.

“How’s it going? Did you finish practicing?” Taemin asked, taking a water bottle himself.

“Yeah but I’m still annoyed by this one part… actually can you check it for me?”

“Of course.”

Kai turned the music back on and started from the beginning, pretending he was on the stage performing in front of thousands of fans. He had his charismatic stare to full force, moving his body gracefully and elegantly with speed and power others craved to have. Taemin knew Kai could dance this way not simply due to talent but due to sheer hard work and determination, hours upon hours of practicing after everyone else went home.

Taemin couldn’t keep his eyes off of Kai. He watched Kai dance multiple times; after all, they trained together. But this particular performance was mesmerizing… as if Kai was dancing for him, and only him.

When the song ended, it took Kai shouting his name a few times for him to snap out of it. Kai looked at him expectantly, waiting for some sort of reaction or response. Taemin stood up and started clapping, smiling widely.

“It was perfect, Kai. I don’t think you have to work on it anymore.”

“Yeah but - ”

“Kai. Seriously. You killed it. Everyone will love it.”

Kai smiled gratefully, always so proud to receive praise from his best friend. Taemin another song with an energetic beat and the two began to joke around, freestyling to the dance as though they were having a dance battle. They laughed loudly, jumping around and dancing comically. It was always fun to let loose the way they always did around each other.

The playlist moved onto the next song, a slower song with a powerful beat but a sensual vibe. Taemin winked at Kai, languidly rolling and ing his body into each beat.

Now it was Kai’s turn to stare.

When Taemin performed slower songs, he became the epitome of on a stick. He bit his lip as he stared at his reflection, one of his hands sliding down the center of his body, his hair just barely covering his eyes.

Kai felt his heartbeat quicken rapidly at this glorious image, wondering if Taemin would be able to hear it as soon as the song ended.

Taemin turned to a staring Kai, suddenly aware of the charged energy between them. They silently stared at each other for a few more heartbeats. Then...

“Taemin, let’s volunteer.”

Taemin’s eyes widened in surprise. His eyes roamed around Kai’s face, looking for the slightest sign of amusement, just in case Kai was pulling a fast one on him. He found absolutely none. Kai was being dead serious. Taemin’s eyes settled on Kai’s lips… his perfect lips that looked really… soft… and...

Suddenly, those lips were really close to him leaving Taemin silently wondering when Kai moved. He looked up at Kai as Kai gently grabbed him by the shoulders and led Taemin backwards until his back hit the mirror. Putting his hands on either side of his head, Jongin leaned in close, Taemin’s lips only centimeters away from his own.

“Jongin…” Taemin whispered, his breath getting caught in his throat. He searched Kai’s eyes with hesitation. Should he just...

Kai allowed his lips to curve into his signature smirk. “You’re doing it again. Stop thinking so much.”

Taemin let a grin ghost his face. Kai knew him so well. He couldn’t help but feel a wave of disappointment as Kai backed off. An awkward silence ensued as Kai began to pack up his stuff. After muttering goodnight to each other, they split up in the opposite directions towards their respective dorm buildings.

Kai kicked little rocks along the way, disappointed and defeated. He was so close to finally feeling Taemin’s lips on his… but Taemin’s face said it all. He didn’t think of Kai the way Kai thought of him and he certainly wasn’t keen on the idea of kissing him either. Kai huffed in frustration.

Taemin walked slowly, deep in thought. Kai had looked so serious when he suggested they volunteer together to… but he was just messing with him? Taemin shook his head. Of course he was joking. There was no way Kai would like him like that. He shouldn’t even let that kind of thought settle in his mind before hope in his heart stirred…  but Taemin wanted to hold onto it a bit longer, even if it meant he had to deal with the hurtful aftermath later. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he walked home, keeping his eyes on the ground.

The next morning, once everyone was gathered on stage for a quick rundown of the schedule for the night, the director made the announcement everyone was nervously anticipating. Kai and Taemin stood on opposite ends of the mass, trying to subtly avoid eye contact with each other.

“Now, would any two brave souls like to volunteer?” The director asked, scanning his eyes across the group. No one dared to move a muscle or make eye contact with him. He sighed. “Alright. You boys leave me no choice. The two people I choose can’t opt out, understood?”

Everyone nodded. After a few seconds of looking around, the director made his decision.

“Taemin and Jonghyun.”

Kai looked to Taemin in shock, who looked equally stricken. Everyone else who held their breath released it loudly, obviously relieved they weren’t chosen. They patted Taemin and Jonghyun on their backs sympathetically.

“It’ll happen really quickly. Don’t worry.” They reassured them. Taemin found that he could only nod numbly, his attempt to thank them for the support they tried to offer. He briefly met eyes with Kai who quickly looked away. Taemin felt a pang in his heart and couldn’t help but feel rejected.

The director called for a run through of the entire show and wanted everyone to get in place. Everyone rushed to get into position. Kai desperately wanted to beg the director to choose someone else, anyone but Taemin…

Soon enough, it was time for the fans to start filing into the stadium. Cheers erupted from every section as each fan group chanted for their respective artists. When the lights went off, everyone went wild.

Taemin was called on standby. He was up next for his big kiss with Jonghyun. Taemin shuffled around other artists in the hallway to the stage door… when he was suddenly yanked into a dark room. He fumbled for the light switch on the wall and turned to his captor… Kai?

Kai placed his hands on either side of Taemin’s head, trapping him in his arms, reminiscent of what he did in the practice room the night before.

“Jongin, what are you - “

Kai leaned in and captured Taemin’s lips with his. Taemin’s eyes widened, gasping into Kai’s mouth. Kai pulled Taemin closer to him, wrapping his arms around his waist, and kissed the older boy with a sense of desperation, pouring bits of his melting heart into the kiss.

The kiss left both of them breathless after they broke apart.

“I… I just couldn’t bear the idea of you kissing someone else before I did.” Kai murmured, avoiding Taemin’s eyes. “I was serious last night. I wanted to volunteer with you for this dumb fan service...”

“So why didn’t you?” Taemin asked quietly. He realized he quite liked being wrapped in Kai’s arms.

“It was obvious you didn’t want to. Not with me anyway…” Kai said, realizing he just overstepped his boundaries and tried pulling his arms away.

What?

Taemin quickly reached up and wrapped his arms around Kai’s neck, placing his hands on Kai’s face to make him look straight at him. Taemin then placed a series of pecks around his face and finally one longer kiss on his lips.

“I was going to say yes, you know.”

Kai looked at Taemin in surprised. “You were?”

Taemin playfully punched Kai, silently chiding him for being so foolish. Kai leaned in and kissed Taemin once more. He was hopelessly addicted to the taste and feel of his best friend’s lips.

“Where’s Taemin?!” The director demanded out in the hall. Taemin sighed as the two unwrapped themselves from each other’s arms.

Kai winked at him as he turned the handle of the door. “Taemin, don’t worry about the fan service.”

Confused by this behavior, Taemin walked out and followed the fuming director to the stage. Jonghyun and the rest of SHINee were waiting, adjusting their ear pieces in front of the stairs. Minho massaged Taemin’s shoulders to calm his nerves. “You ready?” He asked. Taemin shrugged. He lightly touched his lips, Kai’s kiss still fresh on them.

On stage, SHINee performed perfectly without a single mistake. The of their last song was coming up, the part where the infamous fan service was about to happen, forever to be immortalized in fans’ photos and videos. It was now or never.

Jonghyun reached out to Taemin just as they had rehearsed and brought him in close. Fans started screaming wildly. Tilting his head, Jonghyun leaned in… but brought up his arm to cover their lips. Taemin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as Jonghyun got close but never locked lips with his.

“Jongin says hi.” Jonghyun whispered.

Leaving an inch or two between their lips, Jonghyun winked and closed his eyes, as though they were actually kissing. Taemin couldn’t stop the smile that bloomed on his face as he closed his eyes to play along.

This was, by far, the best fan service he ever performed.

[EPILOGUE] Previously…

“Jonghyun hyung!” Kai shouted, running to him after he walked off stage from their practice run.

“What’s up, Jongin?”

“Hyung… I… Tae...”

Jonghyun laughed. “You like Taemin and you don’t want me to kiss him.”

Dumbfounded, Jongin could only nod. Jonghyun patted him on the shoulder. “Buy me drinks after the show and I’ll do what I can to save my maknae’s precious lips for you.”

Kai squeezed Jonghyun with a huge hug, eternally grateful for such an understanding hyung. Kai was finally able to breathe properly, his racing heart calming into a steady beat.

Now to find Taemin…

- - -

A/N:

How was it? Was it okay? Isn't Jonghyun a true homie?!

Please read and review! Thank you, friends! :)