“So what is it today?” Minho asks out of the blue.

Taemin turned their head to look at him, not moving anything else from their position against the back wall. They smiled a bit and turned back to face forward.

“Can’t really say. I guess it’s neither, I suppose,” they reply.

Minho smiles and nods to him, shifting a bit in his spot so that his legs were stretched out.

“So, your Majesty, what would you like to do today?”

“You’re never going to give up with that, are you?” Taemin asks.

Minho laughs a bit and shakes his head.

“Nope, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it.”

Taemin nudges him a bit, but the smile on their face gives it all away and Minho shoves them back just to get back at them.

“You haven’t answered me. Or, are you going out with that girl? What’s her name?”

“Her name isn’t worth mentioning, so no, I’m not going to see her again,” Taemin replied bitterly.

Minho looked down to them just as Taemin placed their head on his shoulder and Minho smiles sadly. “This really .”

“Want to talk about it?”

“What’s there to talk about? She was like all the others. I told her about me and she says, ‘that’s stupid; you can’t be neither. It’s one or the other,’ and I just got fed up. I couldn’t deal with her anymore so I got up and left and I don’t plan on seeing her again.”

Minho sighed and wrapped an arm around Taemin’s waist, bringing them closer to him. He places his head right on top of Taemin’s, wanting to soothe them so badly but unable to find the words to do so. It wasn’t as simple as just telling Taemin, “date me already,” because he wanted to. Minho wanted more than anything to finally be able to be with Taemin, but the teenager was clearly difficult- more difficult than Minho had originally thought they would be.

It was a constantly struggle with Taemin. Taemin was someone who sought the approval of others around them because they didn’t completely approve of themself. Minho understood that, to some extent. He understood that even years later, Taemin had yet to fully accept what they were out of simple fear of judgement, but he didn’t like the way Taemin went about resolving that fear. Taemin had been on a few dates, but not anything enough to ever officially call someone their significant other because none of those dates ended the way they were supposed to. In some way or another, their date would insult who they were in some way and in the end Taemin was left alone.

But Minho sat there silently, rubbing lightly up and down Taemin’s sides to try and cheer them up because he couldn’t bring himself to say “you’ll find someone who loves you for you,” without adding, “like I do.” In his own selfish way, he couldn’t wish Taemin luck with any person other than himself, and he thought humorlessly that perhaps that was exactly why Taemin had so much trouble finding someone who would care for them the way they wanted. Perhaps he truly was in control of something in this world- it just wasn’t something he had the right to control. There was a sadistic little pleasure that came with the guilt- the pleasure of feeling that Taemin was truly the only one for him, and vice versa. However, the sadism wasn’t truly at the root of his thoughts, and despite whatever little joy it brought him briefly, Minho couldn’t deal with his own cowardice and Taemin’s distress.

“You seem more upset than I am,” Taemin commented.

Minho sighed and gave them a small pout, whining obnoxiously to the point where Taemin couldn’t help but laugh.

“I’m trying to cheer you up because you’re upset, why must you ruin the moment? Am I supposed to clapping and laughing because your date didn’t turn out well?”

“Well no,” Taemin said, "but at least look a little lively. You’re making me more upset than I was, and I wasn’t even that upset.”

“I will never try to cheer you up again you little ,” Minho says, pushing the younger away.

Taemin’s laugh gets a bit lower, and Minho supposes this is a lot better than sitting there quietly and staring off into space, and much more effective too.  

“Shouldn’t you be more upset about this?”

“I guess I’m just so used to it, I can’t really bring myself to be as upset as before.”

“This isn’t something you should get used to Taemin, you shouldn’t be okay with this happening.”

“And then what?” Taemin asks.

“What am I supposed to do? As upset as I am, I can’t really say that I actually liked her enough to really be affected by this. Not to mention, it’s not really her that’s upsetting me. It’s the fact that everyone seems to have a problem with who I am.”

“I don’t,” Minho tries.

He tries his best, and he finds that this is the closest he’ll get as of right now to say the words that he really wants to.

“Yeah, but you’re you,” is all Taemin gives him as a reply, and Minho can feel all chances for more escaping his grasp.

Taemin is right though. Minho has always been a supporting structure, always there to lean on when situations got too out of hand and always there as a helping hand. He was never meant to be someone that put an end to all the searching, he was just meant to be the one that helped and supported throughout the trial and error of each attempt.

In a way, he should have realized that sooner. He and Taemin had been so inexplicably close for so long, since childhood really. There was no doubt that Taemin had come to see him as a brother more than a friend and at that rate, a sibling bond was something so much harder to break. Had he been labeled as just a friend, it would be so much easier to plant the seeds of romance, but as a brother, there was nothing much that he could do to change that.

He didn’t say anything more after Taemin’s comment. Choosing to just sit there quietly in comfort the teen in what seemed like a peaceful silence that was almost deadly to him. Taemin didn’t say anything either. They just sat there, leaning against him with all their warmth that was slowly burning him to a crisp. Still, like any moth, he was drawn to his flame no matter how likely it was to destroy him, whether the little flame knew or not.

It’s crystal clear to Minho now. Taemin is someone he’s meant to protect without being the indefinite protection that will stay there forever. At some point, he’s going to have to pass Taemin off to someone else who will take his place from him. It's inevitable, yes, but he almost looks forward to the day he can see the bright smile on Taemin’s face as they hold the person they love. He makes sure the sharp sting he feels along with the imagination, because his feelings shouldn’t matter much when Taemin is his main priority.

Taemin doesn’t even notice a thing.

Kibum’s tired- he has been for a while now. He’s tired of a lot of things, like waiting for his package to arrive and waiting for the plummer for finally come and fix the leak from his sink. He’s most tired of seeing his son lay on the couch like a spineless worm in self-hatred all because he can’t bring himself to say the words he most wants to. Kibum’s especially tired of that.

He’s stop counting the amount of times he’s heard Minho sigh within the past week. More accurately, he lost count of all the times. Minho’s brooding and whining over something that a few simple words can easily fix and he’s been so close to beating his son to a plump because of it. He’s sure that he’s raised his son to be more outgoing than his. He made sure that Minho didn’t suffer the same way that he did growing up.

He didn’t have parents who would tell him that it was okay to want to wear things that were supposedly only for girls. He didn’t have parents who accepted the fact that he didn’t want to be in a relationship. Instead, people who made it their job to keep him away from everything that made him happy and everything that made him feel like himself raised him. Set up dates were a must where mothers gossiped about how great the wedding would be while Kibum wanted nothing more than to go out with his friends instead of being stuck with a girl who wanted nothing more than to make her parents happy. Kibum didn’t care so much about whether he made his parents happy or not. He figured if his parents were willing to go out of their way to make him miserable, he’d put in no effort to their schemes.

Eventually he moved out, using only the money he had saved up, and cut most contact with them. It was only after he got his son that he allowed them back into his life, because he wasn’t going to deprive his child of family. He simply wasn’t going to allow them to have much of a place in his life either. He was going to raise his son right, in a way that would make his son happy to be whoever he wanted to be.

The boy he was looking at now was not the one he had raised, clearly, because this one was moping instead of getting work done.

It wasn’t until he sat himself down on his child’s stomach with a straight face as his son yelled at him to get up that he made any move to reprimand his child. The first move was a quick and easy flick on the forehead that left Minho speechless where he lay. He let Minho know his story as he grew up. He told Minho every detail of his childhood and how hard it was for him growing up the way he did. He hadn’t always been the confident man he was today; he had to work hard for that.

“I raised you to be strong willed, because I couldn’t be as a child. I understand what Taemin is going through, because they are suffering the same way I did. The only difference is that their parents don’t realize it. Taemin is scared, probably terrified, to tell Jonghyun and Jinki about what they are, and Jinki and Jonghyun aren’t making it any easier on him because they weren’t raised the way I raised you. They were raised with the idea that only boys and girls exist in this world and each has their own belongs that can never be shared. The biggest struggle they’ve ever had is making their parents understand that they were in love with another man.”

“I thought Uncle Jonghyun was bi?” Minho asked.

Kibum gave him another flick, this time harder than the last.

“This isn’t about his damn uality Minho. This is about the fact that Taemin is struggling with who they are and they’re too blind to see that all they need is right in front of them. You, on the other hand, are too blind to see that Taemin just needs a little push to see it.”

Kibum got off of his son, sitting on the floor beside the couch while running his fingers through his hair. Minho wasn’t a little boy anymore, that much was clear, but he was still so naïve at times that Kibum wondered where he got that from. Perhaps it was something that only came out when Taemin was the topic, and Kibum resisted the smile that came with the thought of them. Taemin always seemed to bring out the best, most protective side out of his son, and only with Taemin had he ever seen his son so willing to do anything.

He laid his head on his son’s arm, one hand still combing through his hair as he sighed.

“You’re so dense, you know that? I don’t know whom you got that from either because it definitely wasn’t me,” he said.

Minho laughed, moving his own hand to play with his dad’s hair.

“You love Taemin, right? And they no doubt love you back. You just have to understand that Taemin isn’t…. Taemin’s scared, just like you. It can’t be easy just getting into a relationship after having grown up together. Everything that you’re used to doing is going to feel a bit more intimate between the two of you and I can only imagine how awkward it’ll feel. But you can’t just ignore it either because you’ll both end up miserable.”

He heard Minho laugh a little, a light laughter that made him feel as happy ever.

“You’re giving me relationship advice? The man who’s been single all his life?”

He had to really explain, then. He had to go through every detail of his past failed attempts at romance. Each ended civilly, but an end was still an end no matter how you looked at it. There was never a simple beginning that just continued on for him in romance, and strangely enough that was the way he liked it. He much preferred a close relationship that began with no visible end in the future. A friend was all he felt that he needed in place of a romance that didn’t feel comfortable.

“And besides,” he said, “I read enough romance novels to know how intimate relationships work.”

“Taemin and I aren’t one of your books Dad,” Minho replied.

“Yeah well, you’re both so dense, dramatic, and unnecessarily complicated that it makes you seem like one.”

His son was laughing again, this time much louder than the last, and Kibum smiled and closed his eyes as he cherished the sound of his son’s laughter. There was no greater joy than making your child happy. He had figured that out long ago, and he reminds himself every time he has a chance to see a smile on his child’s face that he can proudly say he put there.

They didn’t move. Minho still played with his hair and Kibum could only stay and think about how it had been watching Minho grow up to the man he is now. He couldn’t remember the last time they had sat like this and just talked, because the times seemed few and far in between when he thought of it now. He’d fix that soon enough. However now, he had to make sure that his son did what he actually needed to do, even if it meant that the comfort had to be abandoned for now.

“Come on,” he said, lifting his head and getting up. “You’re going to get out of your pajamas, which are actually mine by the way, don’t think I didn’t notice, and you’re going to take Taemin out.”

“I can’t. Taemin’s on a date right now,” Minho said, almost immediately switching back to his self-pity.

Kibum gave him a clear smack on the forehead this time, staring down at him with narrowed eyes.

“I don’t care. Get your up to my room, put on some nice clothes, and go steal your love away from whatever buffoon is trying to take them.”

Kibum didn’t leave any room for argument, and Minho didn’t try arguing any further as he made his way up the stairs to his room. He smiled when he saw his son come down a few minutes later in a crop top and a pair of shorts that were no doubt his own. His son was finding his way into his closet.

“Nice choice, and stop going to the gym so much, you look like you could kill someone with those muscles,” Kibum said.

“Hey, no one is willing to mess with someone that has muscles like these,” Minho says jokingly while flexing his biceps.

The only problem with what he said is that Kibum is sure that no one will mess with him because of those muscles, that is no joke. Still, Minho likes his gym time, Kibum’s almost afraid he’s turning into an exercise junkie, and he won’t stop him from continuing if that’s what he wants.

“Yeah yeah, now go on. Show whomever it is Taemin is with that they don’t stand a chance,” he says as he pushes his son out of the house. “And stop stealing my clothes.”

“It’s a guy,” Minho said.

“Then you show off your muscles and intimidate him to make him leave.”

That was the last thing he said before he shut the door in his son’s face, watching from the small window as he got in the car and drove off to wherever Taemin was. He smiled, knowing that Minho was definitely going to try and scare the guy off, and he imagined how interesting it would be to watch Minho walking in with a lilac crop top and short shorts and still looking like one of the most intimidating males he’s ever seen with the amount of muscle he’s gained. A part of him was tempted to follow and watch how it all happened, but he figured he’d allow them some privacy. As long as Minho came home with a big smile on his face and an announcement that he and Taemin were now together, Kibum would be satisfied.

With that done, he sat himself down on the couch to watch some TV while he waited for Minho to return, hopefully with Taemin. He no longer had to worry about his son being a pitiful little thing on the couch and he had a lot of shows recorded and ready to watch that would keep him busy until they came back.

It doesn’t take long for Minho to get there. He makes it to the café Taemin told him the date would be in only a few minutes. The only problem is that with each passing minute, the courage he had managed to gather was slipping away. He was tempted to drive back home, but his father would no doubt hold it over his head. Still, he knows this is something he has to do now. With that in mind, he walks into the café fully prepared to interrupt the date.

The only problem is that there is no date to interrupt. When he arrives, it's only sitting Taemin sitting at the table, their head in their hands and Minho can see those shoulders shaking if only a little. It’s enough to make him forget everything he came to do in favor of his protective nature. This date ended just as the others have, he knows, but he doesn’t want it to be true.

He takes a seat across from them, and Taemin’s head lifts just enough for him to see the shine in their eyes of the unshed tears. He doesn’t have to ask, because Taemin already knows, and they’re ready to tell him what happened.

“He said that I’m a freak of nature. You’d think out of all the people I’ve tried to date that at least one of them would be understanding, but not a single one gets it.”

“He was an , Tae. You are not the problem, he is,” he replies.

Taemin doesn’t seem to register it, or maybe they just don’t care. They could just be too far down the cycle to even comprehend it anymore. Minho isn’t sure.

“But what if he’s right? What if I am a freak of nature? So many failures; they can’t all be the problem Minho.”

“Listen to me,” Minho says, holding Taemin’s face between his hands and pulling him closer.

Taemin doesn’t resist him, but there’s an unwillingness to listen that Minho sees in their eyes that makes him snap.

“You are by no means the problem. You are who you are because that is what makes you happy and makes you feel comfortable and if they can’t see or respect that then that’s their own problem. They are the ones missing out on someone beautiful, inside and out.”

“You’re just saying that,” Taemin tries, pulling away a bit.

Minho doesn’t let them though. He squishes their cheeks tighter and pulls them closer and Taemin has no choice now but to listen.

“I’m not! You are perfect Lee Taemin, you’re ing perfect and I will make you see that!”

“How? How could you possibly do that? Who’s going to love me the way I am?”

Honestly, Minho isn’t sure. He doesn’t know how he’s going to make Taemin see that because Minho doesn’t even know where to begin in terms of showing them, but he has to think of something. He needs to think of something because he can feel Taemin slipping away from him.

Without thinking, he’s leaning closer. He’s impossibly close by the time he notices, and Taemin’s lips are so close to his own. He can smell the chamomile tea in Taemin’s breath and he wants more of it. He wants to taste it, feel what Taemin’s lips feel like and he doesn’t hesitate any longer when he places his own lips firmly against Taemin’s own. It only takes a few moments for Taemin to even respond, but the fact that they even responded to it is enough to set Minho’s senses ablaze. He doesn’t try much, he’s quite inexperienced himself, but he deepens their kiss the slightest bit, not wanting it to end anytime soon.

Taemin’s lips feel so soft against his own, and he’s savoring the feeling of them pressed against his own with the utmost concentration. It takes everything he’s got to pull away, and when he does, he doesn’t miss the way Taemin’s eyes fly open to stare at him in shock. Minho can’t help but laugh at how funny they look with their cheeks squished together like this.

“You’re a ,” Minho says.

He realizes a few seconds later that it’s probably not the best thing he could have said in that moment because Taemin pulls away too quickly for him to stop and hitting his arm.

“Who are you calling a ? You’re the idiot here. Why’d you even kiss me anyway?” Taemin says.

There’s a little red dusting his cheeks and Minho smiles and leans closer to him.

“You call me an idiot but you don’t even know why I kissed you? I love you, stupid.”

“Well, you’re an idiot for waiting until now to finally kiss me,” Taemin says quietly.

Minho grins, reaching out to hold their hand in his own if only to see the red fill up his face.

“If I remember correctly, I wasn’t the one going on dates when you’ve got a perfectly great guy right here,” Minho teased.

Taemin pulled their hand away and scoffed, narrowing his eyes slightly in his direction.

“Don’t be cocky, you . Don’t think I don’t know about those dates you’ve been on.”

Minho’s grin falls a bit at being caught, but he doesn’t allow it to stop him much. If anything, Taemin’s little description of him is getting to him more.

“Those only happened because you were going on dates,” Minho defends. Still, Taemin isn’t having much of it, and it isn’t until Minho smiles softly at them that they falter a bit.

“Well, if you had confessed sooner, those dates wouldn’t have happened.”

“You could have confessed too!”

“Yeah, but you know my confidence isn’t as high as yours! You should’ve brought it up!”

“Can’t we just agree that this just as much your fault as it is mine?” Minho asks.

Taemin smiles coyly at him and leans closer.

“I say it's about 70% your fault, take it or leave it.”

“You’re a little piece of ,” Minho replies, but the smile on his face gives him away quickly and he doesn’t hesitate when he places a little peck on Taemin’s lips that’s suddenly craving so much. “Fine then, it's all my fault.”

“I forgive you,” Taemin says, taking his hand into their own shyly. “And I love you too.”

Minho takes them back home just as Kibum had hoped, and the sight of their hands squeezed together is enough to let him know that everything turned out perfectly. He’s doesn’t bother saying anything past a greeting when they come in, and a congrats when Minho announces to him that they’re now dating. He just leaves the newly formed couple alone while he messages his friends to tell them the great news.

It’s awkward now with sleeping arrangements. Taemin is so used to just sleeping with Minho on his bed but now it seems more intimate than before. Now, their relationship has more meaning to it, and Taemin isn’t completely sure if sleeping on the same bed when you’ve just confessed is even okay. Minho doesn’t think much of it though- he pulls them down onto the bed and hugs him just as close, if not just a bit closer, as he usually does.

Their first date happens at the movies. They’ve gone there together countless times but now they’re holding hands during the movie and Taemin can feel the difference. They like the difference.

People at school don’t catch on very easily, and that’s when Taemin starts to realize that their relationship with Minho hasn’t really changed as much as they thought. They’re still unbelievably close and outwardly- it's impossible for them to get any closer. This is a difference that only Taemin feels, one that they enjoy thoroughly. They don’t bother telling people at school, mainly because they don’t really care to. They figure that it’s fine to let them think whatever they want to.

It’s a week later when they’re sitting against the back wall of the school again, because Taemin’s parents still have no idea about their relationship and Minho wants to be there when Taemin tells them.

Taemin doesn’t want him there though, because Taemin wants to tell them everything. Minho thinks he should still go, as support, but Taemin’s adamant, because they feel like this is something they need to do alone. Instead, Minho chooses to hold Taemin close here while he can, before Taemin goes home for the weekend to tell their parents. He can feel how nervous Taemin is as they clutch his jacket relentlessly, but he allows them to go about this however they want. He makes sure to remind him though, that he’s only a phone call or text away if they need him.

It’s the next day, on a warm Saturday, when Taemin decides it's time to tell their parents. They start by telling their parents that they’re dating Minho. Jonghyun is over ecstatic and Jinki’s smiling and telling them that they should bring Minho over one day so that they can celebrate because apparently their parents have known about their feelings longer than they have. Taemin’s happy that they have no complaints about that. Now, the only problem is that his parents don’t know the full story and they want to. Taemin isn’t sure how to go about it.

They start off as casually as possible, telling their parents about the failed date and how Minho showed up to comfort him. They also spoke of how Minho kissed him and how they argued a bit and Jinki laughs while imagining it; Jonghyun is a bit thrown off at the mention of his son being kissed so suddenly, even if it's by a boy he approves of.

But that’s where Taemin falters, because Jonghyun starts ranting about how Minho can’t just kiss his son like that and Taemin knows that they need to explain everything.

It isn’t easy. It gets quiet, especially when Taemin starts off by saying, “Dads, I’m not exactly a boy.”

They’re both thrown off then. Jonghyun’s a bit shocked while Jinki looks at them with a confused face.

“What do you mean? I changed your diapers, I’m positive that you’re a boy.”

Taemin wants nothing more than to stop right there, because they can feel this turning sour, but they put on a brave face. They need to get through this. “Physically, yeah, but not internally, I guess…”

Jinki’s quiet now, but Jonghyun picks up from there. They’re both confused, Taemin can tell.

“So, are you trying to tell us that you’re a hermaphrodite and that you’re pregnant?”

“What? No, dad, we haven’t even thought of doing anything like that. I’m not thinking of becoming a woman physically either I just…. I’m genderfluid, okay?”

That’s what really throws them off course. Jonghyun and Jinki are quite for a solid minute and Taemin can feel every bone in their body disintegrating as they wait for an answer.

“So… What does that mean?” Jonghyun asks.

Taemin almost doesn’t want to say. They want to pretend like this was all a joke and there’s a hidden camera and walk away but they’ve already started this and now they have to finish it, whether they like it or not.

“It means, sometimes I feel like I’m a girl, sometimes I feel like I’m a guy, and sometimes I just feel like neither.”

Jonghyun’s stuttering now, trying to think of how to reply, but it’s more of a reaction than what Taemin is getting from Jinki. His father is silent, only looking down while he processes everything and Taemin’s never felt more terrified in their life. It’s only when Jinki finally looks up with a concerned look on his face that Taemin truly feels scared. Concern isn’t an emotion they’d correlate with the situation and they aren’t sure what to think of the concerned look on their father’s face.

“Are you sure?” he asks.

Taemin knows they shouldn’t feel as hurt as they do. Their dad doesn’t know how long he’s been struggling with this, or all the tears they’ve shed because of this. Still, there’s a sting that hits them deep at their father’s words, and it’s currently imbedded in their side with no foreseeable exit.

“I’m sure. It’s not like I just decided this yesterday. It’s been years.”

Jonghyun understands. He’s gotten up and hugged his child and he’s letting them know that he accepts it and he’s okay with it but Jinki is silent again. He isn’t talking and Taemin isn’t ready for when he gets up and says, “I need to think,” as he walks away. It’s all Taemin needs to hear because their mind has processed this as “I can’t accept this,” and they didn’t bother holding back the tears. Jonghyun saw it all, comforting his child as soon as he notices.

He’s patting their hair and telling them everything is going to be okay but Taemin doesn’t feel like it will be. They feel like everything has just crumbled beneath them.  The last thing Jonghyun does is telling them to call Minho before he lets them know that he’ll fix this. Taemin doesn’t hesitate to take their phone out, and hands shake as they click on the one name that’ll make everything better. They’re in their room moments later, not wanting to risk running into their father right now.

Minho doesn’t waste any time in getting to them. Taemin doesn’t even respond to the fact that Kibum is there with him or what he’s saying. They just want to get away from there as quickly as possible. They’re lifted into Minho’s arms in no time, and they bury his face in the crook of his neck when Minho lifts them because they don’t want anyone seeing them like this. They barely even register Kibum’s words of encouragement or the hand on their head when Minho’s putting them down so gently just to get their shoes on and lifting them back up as soon as they’re done.

They’re in the passenger seat of Minho’s care only moments later, and a few moments after that Minho is sitting beside them in the driver’s seat. There’s a hand on their lap while Minho drives away. Taemin knows Minho is trying his best to make them feel better, the light squeeze on their thigh tells them so, but they aren’t sure what Minho can even say to fix anything.

Frankly, Minho isn’t sure either. He didn’t have this problem. His father raised him with an open mind but Jonghyun and Jinki didn’t think that way with Taemin. They kept them away from things that were traditionally for girls until Taemin could hide it from them. Kibum was accepting of anything Minho wanted to be, he wasn’t sure how to deal with the opposite. He couldn’t sympathize with Taemin.

Still, that didn’t stop him from trying to make them feel better. His first stop for that is at the café they like to frequent. He buys Taemin a piece of their favorite cake and a milkshake before making another stop. He comes out of that store with a large bag in his hand; Taemin can’t tell what’s inside.

It isn’t until they get to the park that Minho hands them the bag, revealing its contents. There’s a nerf gun inside, with an extra set of fake styrofoam bullets and Taemin can’t help but watch in confusion as Minho steps a few feet away from them and says, “Shoot me.”

Taemin only stares in confusion, but Minho has that big, goofy smile on his face that always warms Taemin’s heart so much.

“What? Hyung, I’m really not in the mood for this right now,” they say. But Minho’s still smiling and he’s nodding and Taemin isn’t sure what’s going on anymore.

“Exactly, so shoot me. You’re going to take your anger and sadness out on me until you feel better,” Minho replies.

Taemin feels like crying all over again as they open up the box and load the toy. Minho’s too sweet to them, too perfect, and Taemin feels their heart swell when Minho does nothing but smile and encourage him to shoot already.

“Are you a masochist or something?” Taemin asks jokingly.

Minho’s grin only grows when he sees Taemin’s mood getting better and he laughs.

“Only if you need me to be,” he says, and that’s all Taemin needs.  

The first shot goes right to the stomach. Upon Minho’s flinch, Taemin remembers Minho’s sensitivity in his stomach, his greatest weakness; they keep aiming for that area. It isn’t until they get to the final shot that they aim for Minho’s head. All the while, Minho’s being over dramatic, pretending that he’s being shot with every styrofoam bullet that hits him and it’s when the last one hits his head that he finally falls back against the grass.

Taemin walks over, finally with a true smile on their face as they sit beside his head and nudge him a bit. Minho waits a few seconds before playfully peeking up at them before smiling and placing his head on Taemin’s lap. Soon after, Taemin feels the elder’s palm on their cheek, cradling their face even if awkwardly in the position he’s in.

“Do you feel a bit better now?” he asks.

Taemin smiled down at him and nods, leaning into Minho’s touch as they whisper a soft “thank you.”

That’s all it takes for Minho to sit up and face them properly. He leans closer as he says, “I know it’s hard, but you have me and dad. We’ll always accept you, you know that.”

There’s a few more tears trying to escape Taemin’s eyes when he nods and leans closer to give Minho a quick peck on the lips for being so sweet before moving away and biting their lip shyly. Minho’s grinning again, because he’s sure this is the cutest he’s ever seen Taemin act. He doesn’t even bother to try to stop himself when he practically tackles Taemin down to the grass and smothers their face with kisses all over. He’s holding onto his small lover as tightly as possible because Taemin’s trying to get away from him now, but he’s too happy right now, despite the original situation.

He doesn’t miss the few kisses that Taemin leaves on his face as well.

Kibum doesn’t remember the last time he had ever been this angry. He can’t recall a time when he felt this upset either. The second Minho and Taemin are out of the house, he’s on his way to Jinki and Jonghyun’s room, not hesitating as he slams the door open and pushes Jonghyun out of his way. He grabs Jinki by his ear, not caring for the fact that Jinki is older than him and that he should be respectful because as of right now, Kibum feels no respect for the elder.

He pulls the eldest out of the room by his ear, knowing that Jonghyun will follow soon after. Jinki’s complaining the entire time, complaining that Kibum should be showing him some respect, even though Jonghyun knows for a fact that Jinki is only saying it out of surprise and frustration. Jinki’s never cared about those kinds of things. Kibum practically tosses Jinki to the couch and motions for Jonghyun to sit beside his husband, and Jonghyun doesn’t argue.

“Listen Jinki hyung, I don’t care if you’re older than me or not. How dare you make Taemin feel like that?” Kibum asks.

Jinki’s clearly still aggravated, and he’s trying to justify himself in any way that he can now. Jonghyun wishes he’d stay quiet, but Jinki’s too far now. “He’s my son, Kibum.”

“They are your child, though as of right now, they don’t exactly feel like that, do they? And how could they; when their father practically told them that he can’t accept them?”

Jonghyun’s confused now. As far as he knew, Taemin was their only child, but the way Kibum was speaking made it seem like there was more than one. He asks, and he learns; he learns of this neutral speech. He learns about all the things that Taemin is been struggling with, having been constantly referred to as their “son” when they didn’t always feel like a “son.” Taemin could be their daughter if that’s what he felt like, and he need to learn all of these things.

Jinki is quiet throughout Kibum’s lessons. He doesn’t say a single thing or ask any questions. He just sits there quietly, absorbing everything as they go.

“Right now, Taemin is out with Minho because they called him to save them. Until you can learn to accept everything, Taemin is staying with me. We are going to take care of them, support them no matter what, and make them feel loved no matter what. They stay with us until you realize that it’s perfectly fine that they don’t always identify with the gender they were born with.”

Kibum leaves after that. Minho came back to pick him up and Jonghyun’s protests go unheard as they drive off. Jinki can’t help but feel like he’s been punched in the gut because of Kibum’s words. He’s driven his child away from him for something that isn’t much of a big deal to anyone other than him. He’s struggling to accept it.

Jonghyun’s looking at him now with eyes filled to the brim with resentment.

He tries to say something, but Jonghyun’s stopped him before he can, his stance firm and his glare fierce.

“You really ed up now Jinki. Our child currently thinks they aren’t welcome here because of you,” he says.

Jinki feels like he needs to defend himself. He tries the best that he can to sound convincing, more for himself than for Jonghyun, but he doesn’t even fully believe himself when he says, “It’s unconventional Jonghyun. Am I supposed to just be happy when the child I’ve been raising as a boy suddenly tells me they aren’t exactly a boy?”

“This isn’t about your happiness Jinki, this is about Taemin’s. If we cared about what was conventional, we wouldn’t even be married, let alone in a relationship. You don’t have to like it, but you should at least accept it.”

Jonghyun doesn’t even give him a chance to say anything else as he walks away to their room, locking the door behind him.

It’s a full week later of Jinki sleeping on the couch that Jinki’s anxiety is at the point of eruption. Kibum will hang up on him the moment he mentions getting Taemin back and Taemin ignores any calls or texts he sends. Jonghyun hasn’t spoken to him all week, and the most he gets out of his husband now is a firm glare as a result of his actions. He can’t just barge in there and risk scaring Taemin off any more than he already has, but he’s scared now. He’s terrified that he’s truly lost his little ray of sunshine, and he needs Taemin back.

He doesn’t bother telling Jonghyun when he leaves the house. He just walks out with a mind filled with determination as he takes his car and drives towards Kibum’s house. Kibum will have a harder time saying no if he just shows up, won’t he?

As it turns out though, Kibum doesn’t have a hard time saying no and slamming the door in his face. Jinki’s knocking on the door, begging to be let in because he misses his child and he needs to tell them that he’s sorry and Kibum’s smiling from the other side of the door as he listens to Jinki use all the right pronouns.

It isn’t long after that he opens the door for him, and Jinki stumbles inside, immediately asking for Taemin’s whereabouts before Kibum is shushing him and having him sit on the couch.

“You've been learning for the past week, haven’t you?” he asks.

Jinki nods slowly and Kibum smiles.

“Good. Well, Taemin is out with Minho right now, off on a little date I suppose. They’re doing just fine.”

“Do you know when they’ll be back?” Jinki asks. He’s getting anxious again, though he feels a bit better than he did before now that he knows that Taemin’s been doing well.

“I’m not sure. They left a few hours ago, but knowing Minho, he’s going to keep them out almost all day. How about we call Jonghyun over and we can all wait together?”

Kibum was the one to call Jonghyun, because knowing him at the moment; he’d ignore any message he got from Jinki. It didn’t take him long to get there. He came on the assumption that he’d finally get to see Taemin again and almost walked back out when he found Jinki sitting on the couch until Kibum stopped him.

“Jonghyun, get over here and sit down. I will not be tolerating any stupidity on a good day like today. When Taemin gets back, Jinki is going to talk to him and fix everything and you’re going to shut up and wait for that to happen without interrupting, got it?” Kibum asked.

Jonghyun nodded, taking a seat beside his husband, but saying nothing to him.

They waited there for hours, passing the time by watching movies. Kibum wasn’t lying when he said that Minho would keep Taemin out for a long time. By the time they had arrived, there were a few boxes of pizza waiting for them. All three adults had felt too lazy to actually make anything, but Minho wasn’t complaining.

Taemin however, only stood quietly at the entrance of the living room when they noticed their parents there. They were shocked, but they didn’t say anything as Kibum dragged Minho and Jonghyun out of the room, leaving them with Jinki alone.

There was an awkward silence that neither was very willing to break, but Jinki was the adult here. He needed to do something, and the first thing he could think of was patting the space beside him and gesturing for Taemin to sit. They took their time, but Jinki smiled when they were finally sitting next to him so that he could pull them into a tight embrace.

Taemin didn’t make any effort to move away, but they didn’t make an effort to hug back either, something Jinki should have expected.

“I’m so sorry, Taemin. I didn’t mean for the way things turned out, but I want you to know that if being like this makes you happy then I’m okay with it.”

That was all Taemin needed to know for them to hug back. Jinki smiled as he felt his child’s arms wrap tightly around him. His smile only widened when he felt Jonghyun join in, and soon enough it was only them in the living room, the sound of the movie faded with Taemin little sniffs and Jonghyun’s coos of how everything was going to be okay now.

“Hey, hyung?”

“Yeah?”

“What are we going to do when you graduate?” Taemin asked.

Minho looked over to them, a confused look on his face at the question. “What do you mean? I’m going to a college like 20 minutes away by car and you’re going to finish high school.”

“So, you’re not going to start looking at college people, right?”

“Are you seriously asking me that? I’m not going after anyone other than you.”

“Yeah, but isn’t college filled with alcohol and parties and what not?” Taemin asks. Minho scoffs at the thought.

“So is high school, but we never bothered going to any of those parties,” he replies.

Taemin snorts a bit, because during his first year, they haven’t heard a single thing about any parties. Of course, they still have two more years to go until they graduate, but even so, parties don’t sound like their type of environment.

“What’s really the matter?”

“I’m afraid that I won’t see you as often,” Taemin admits. Minho smiles and pulls them to sit on his lap, loving the way Taemin immediately curls into him.

“Listen, I already told you, I’m not far away, just a few minutes. I’m not even going to live on campus; I’m going to be staying at home, so that you can come see me whenever you want. Okay?”

“Yeah,” Taemin says. They nod and Minho pulls him just a bit closer.

“I love you, okay? Nothing is going to change that.”

“I know,” Taemin replies. “I love you too.”

Thinking back, Minho’s really thankful that his father pushed him to talk to Taemin. Had that not happened, everything would have been so different from how it turned out, and it isn’t a different that Minho is willing to welcome.

Luckily, he had been a compliant, a bit stubborn though, child and had talked to the small little kid playing in the sandbox all alone. At the age of six, you’d never imagine that you’d be meeting your soulmate in a sandbox. However, Minho knows now better than ever that life has a way of throwing nice little surprises at you that will stick with you until the end.

Taemin just happens to be one of those surprises, and he isn’t letting go no matter what.

Yay! Final chapter! 

Thank you so much to everyone who read it. I know a lot of your were coming up with ideas about what you thought Taemin was. Taemin in this story is genderfluid, as mentioned before. Minho is panual, so he doesn't really care about gender. Jonghyun is bi and Jinki is gay. Kibum is aromantic, which was why he has been single throughout this entire fic. He prefers a close friendship over something more intimate. So yeah, as you can see, this fic kind of explored a few different themes (even though I never felt the need to go into Jonghyun being bi past Minho's question about it. I figured it was okay to leave it as "Jonghyun is bi and happily married to Jinki who's gay. They work.")

A special thanks to midnightmoonlightmusic for correcting all of my stupid writing errors (because the amount of mistakes I make is awful lol. Thank you for putting up with that).

Thanks for reading! Please comment and let me know what you think!

Bye bye!