A/N: I am a sinner, douse me in holy water please. If someone could kindly set me a due date for the next chapter, I'll take it to heart! Enjoy :)

Jonghyun studied Kibum for a few long, silent minutes. His gaze raked over every inch of the student’s face, torso and arms, and the furrows between his brows only increased as he regarded the light bruises layering Kibum’s skin. “Is this—Is this why you don’t like school? Does this type of thing happen often?” he questioned, voice startlingly soft.

The couple were currently seated in Jonghyun’s car, merely sitting in silence while they reflected on the events of that gruelling day. Kibum’s eyes lifted tentatively, and although any trace of tears were long gone, a forlorn expression dominated the majority of his face. Kibum merely shrugged, feeling unusually uncomfortable in Jonghyun’s presence.

“I don’t know,” he muttered, picking at his fingernails. “Not really.”

Jonghyun’s frown merely deepened, not in anger, but in substantial concern. His hand reached forward and grasped onto Kibum’s, refusing to let go despite the younger’s surprise. “I really want to murder that dickhead,” Jonghyun grumbled.

A smile cracked onto Kibum’s previously stoic features, the light offering a meagre glimmer in his eyes before fading away once again. “Believe me, so do I.” he responded.

“I’m sorry, y’know,” mumbled Jonghyun in apology. Kibum’s head rose from its slumped, crestfallen position in astonishment. Jonghyun continued. “I mean sure, I kissed you because I wanted to prove a point to those s, but I was really reckless and you might get in trouble and I really don’t want you getting hurt because—“

“Jonghyun.” interrupted Kibum, face now noticeably brighter in fond amusement. “Don’t worry.”

He placed his long, delicate hands on Jonghyun’s face and gazed into his wide eyes, leaning forward to lay a soft peck on Jonghyun’s mouth.

“I can’t help but worry, Ki...” Jonghyun murmured, holding Kibum’s wrists gently and running his hands up and down the younger’s arms. “You’re my boyfriend.”

Kibum’s smile grew, and this time it reached his eyes. He placed another faint kiss on Jonghyun’s lips and allowed their foreheads to rest together, staring unblinkingly into Jonghyun’s brown, lidded eyes. “Don’t worry.” he whispered. He kissed Jonghyun again, and again, and laughed melodiously. “I’m stronger than you think.”

Jonghyun bore his teeth in a wide smile and pecked Kibum on the nose. “Probably a lot stronger than me.” he murmured, giving his skinny arms a half-hearted glance before laughing quietly to himself. “I used to pack quite the punch, to be honest. Can you believe I used to work out?”

Certainly, Kibum didn’t in fact believe that at all, and shook his head vehemently. “You did not, you stick!” He gave Jonghyun’s arms a little squeeze and laughed loudly. “What? Did you go to the gym once a year?”

A pout found its way onto Jonghyun’s embarrassed features, and he whined to himself in humiliation. “No, I swear I was muscly.” He murmured incoherently. “And then school finished and I never went outside again.”

Kibum found himself sniggering in amusement, and Jonghyun himself couldn’t contain the inevitable giggles that followed immediately after. Jonghyun himself couldn’t deny the truth; he was a hermit. Well not a fully-fledged hermit because he did in fact, leave the house at least once a week. And especially as of late, because he supposed Kibum had been encouraging him to interact and socialize a lot more than he would have usually. But nonetheless, Jonghyun was an introvert, and quite honestly preferred the company of himself, and Kibum, over strangers and acquaintances in whom he barely knew.

Long fingers traced Jonghyun’s jawline tentatively, and he felt himself shuddering involuntarily. “How is it?” Kibum began, studying Jonghyun’s skin intently. “That you’re so golden despite never going outside?”

“I…honestly have no idea. Probably ‘cause I bathe in honey.” spoke Jonghyun nonchalantly, reaching forward and running his fingers slowly through Kibum’s hair.

“Yeah, well—wait what?” deadpanned Kibum, shooting Jonghyun a wide eyed, inquisitive look as though he were a madman.

A chuckle escaped Jonghyun’s throat and he brushed Kibum’s dark locks from out of his eyes. “Just kidding.” he whispered, leaning forward to kiss the astonished expression right from Kibum’s face.

Kibum smiled, and Jonghyun kissed that away too, the cloth of Kibum’s shirt and pulling them closer together. Their eyes closed instinctively, and Kibum’s hands held Jonghyun’s face firmly in place as he gradually deepened their innocent pecks. It was awkward – leaning over the console, and slightly uncomfortable, but more importantly, it was perfect, and Kibum honestly wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Eventually they separated, both with lingering smiles adorning their flustered cheeks. Kibum placed one last, chaste peck on Jonghyun’s nose before pulling back into his own seat, hair slightly more rustled than before. As Jonghyun started the engine and Kibum buckled his seatbelt, the two wide, matching grins on their faces were illuminated with pure elation. Pulling out of the carpark, they began to cruise towards Kibum’s house at a measured pace, savouring the limited time they had with each other as carefully as possible.

“I was wondering…” Kibum began after a few, soundless minutes.

Jonghyun sent Kibum a quick side glance, a hint of a grin still lingering on his pink lips. “Mm?”

“Amber’s party is tomorrow night. She’s my best friend. And well, she said I could bring a friend if I wanted to. So…d’ya wanna come?”

Jonghyun laughed breathily, tongue darting across his lips. “You can bring a friend? Why are you inviting me then, ‘Bum?”

Tutting indignantly, Kibum slapped Jonghyun’s arm in playfulness. “You know what I mean, . Do you want to come or not? Taemin’s probably more than eager to go if you don’t—”

“No, I’ll come.”

Kibum rolled his eyes in amusement and sunk further into his seat. “Good, good. I needed someone to drive me anyway.”

“Gosh, Kibum. What a user. My petrol is draining so quickly because of you…” complained Jonghyun with a pout just as they to Kibum’s street.

Both boys could feel the imminent dread building up within their stomachs as they neared the younger’s house, and Jonghyun reached out one hand to grasp Kibum’s tightly. He ran the pad of his thumb over Kibum’s skin delicately, before pulling it closer to him and placing a gentle kiss. Flustered, Kibum diverted his gaze to look out the window, not wanting to allow Jonghyun the satisfaction of making him blush. The car halted across from Kibum’s house as he had suggested Jonghyun do, and they sat in comfortable silence for a few long seconds, simply staring outside.

Jonghyun tilted his head to look at Kibum and smiled widely. His gaze raked over the feline boy’s features greedily, not wanting the image of Kibum’s undeniable beauty to ever escape his mind. Kibum’s skin seemed to glow, and the gentle breeze blowing in from the open window brushed his hair back ever so slightly. It was enough for Jonghyun to have a clear view of Kibum’s ethereal, fox eyes though, and unknowingly he sighed in content. Jonghyun leant forward and took Kibum’s chin between his forefinger and thumb, directing the younger’s gaze towards him.

“I think all my luck ran out the day I met you.” Jonghyun spoke softly.

The house across the street loomed over them impatiently, but nonetheless, Kibum leant into the gentle touch with a scoff. “Don’t exaggerate.”

Jonghyun’s breath tickled his nose now, their lips a mere millimetre away from touching. “I’m not.” And then they were kissing again, feather-light presses against each other’s mouths.

Soon later, albeit with regret, Kibum reminded Jonghyun softly that they were close to his house, and the two pulled apart with reluctance. Jonghyun’s hand reached forward gingerly to muss Kibum’s hair and he placed one last kiss against his pale forehead. They spoke their farewells and Kibum finally made a move to leave the car, waving at Jonghyun enthusiastically as he trudged towards his large home. Jonghyun made sure that Kibum was safe inside before finally driving away, wheels clattering down the road as they turned the corner and disappeared into the distance.

As Kibum closed the door behind him, he looked both ways to make sure his parents were nowhere to be seen before hurriedly scurrying up the stairs, shutting himself away in his bedroom before they could ask him (yet again) as to why he was late. It was still fairly early considering it was a Friday night, and so Kibum, being the diligent and studious individual that he was, nestled down to finish his homework for the week.

It took a good hour or two to complete, but when he was finally finished Kibum breathed a huge sigh of relief before changing into his pyjamas. He conjured a quick text to Amber informing her that both Jonghyun and he were coming to her party tomorrow and then brushed his teeth before finally settling down into bed with a good book to read. The night was still young, at around 8pm or so, but Kibum really had nothing better to do with his time and simply read the night away, eyes promptly falling shut and spelling him into a deep slumber around an hour later.

Waking up the next morning to the sun’s vicious rays, Kibum regrettably knew deep down that he had to eat breakfast with his parents. As both his mother and father worked all day on weekdays, Kibum spent practically every other day alone, and his mother thought of the weekends as their ‘family bonding time.’ Personally, Kibum really despised the idea, but nonetheless grudgingly covered the odd bruises on his face with concealer and slumped downstairs.

It was safe to say that his mother was less than ecstatic to see him. For an entire minute or so she scolded Kibum on the importance of returning home straight after school or informing her if he planned to do otherwise. Kibum simply shrugged her reprimands off casually and reminded her once again about the project he was completing with Amber.

“Still?!” she questioned incredulously, tutting indignantly at her only son. “How the hell long is this stupid project meant to be going for?”

Kibum sighed and dropped down into his seat sluggishly, dishing a pile of pancakes onto his plate. “It’s all term, mum. You should be glad we’re getting it out of the way.”

The feline boy’s mother merely rolled her eyes exasperatedly before joining Kibum at the table, just in time for Kibum’s father to walk into the dining room and join them. He froze in his place and glowered at Kibum sternly, eyebrows furrowing in distaste. Kibum hurriedly shoved more pancakes down his throat and avoided eye contact, glaring at his plate as he chewed.

“You’ve finally chosen to return, have you?”

Kibum scoffed and rolled his eyes discretely. “I’ve been here since yesterday. Finally chosen to notice, have you?”

His father slapped the table with a bang, and Kibum jolted in his seat. “Don’t take that tone with me, boy.”

“Stop arguing at the table!” scolded Kibum’s mother, gesturing for her husband to sit down forcefully.

The rest of breakfast followed in reasonable silence, the only sound present being their chews and the light attempt of conversation made by Kibum’s mother.

“So Kibum…” she began, acting as nonchalant as possible. “How’s school going? Made any new friends?”

Although Kibum was about to shoot back with a sharp, short response, he halted before opening his mouth and weighed the options for a second. Jonghyun had expressed just last week that he ought to not lie outright anymore. It was better to stretch the truth a little so his lies became less frequent. Less severe. And so stretch the truth Kibum did. “Yes actually.” he replied. “I’ve been hanging out with these three guys at school lately. Taemin, Minho and Jonghyun.”

Both parents seemed quite astonished and intrigued by Kibum’s response, and their outright shock was displayed clearly on their faces. Kibum fought the urge to scoff. “R-really? How’d you meet them?”

Kibum really wanted to just remain silent and eat his breakfast rapidly like he normally would, but with a weary sigh answered his mother’s question nonetheless. “Well, Jonghyun is in my history class.”

That was plausible, right?

“And Taemin and I both dance at lunch sometimes and Minho hangs out with him so…”

Silence engulfed the room, and it was in that moment where Kibum realised his fatal mistake. His gaze shot up to be met with the burning glare of his father and Kibum gulped feeling all the food he had just consumed threaten to rise right back up.

“You both what at lunch time?” he questioned darkly, voice barely rising above a whisper. It was one of those occasions where Kibum’d rather him yell.

Kibum’s face flushed red, and he felt impending trepidation drop heavily into the pit of his stomach. “D-dance. Like...lessons for the school prom. People who don’t want to make a fool of themselves can take them for free at lunch every now and then.”

Nothing could be heard except for the wretched scraping of forks against plates and the soft breathing exuding from the room’s inhabitants, the awkwardness in the room stifling at best. Kibum, although usually quite proud at his exceptional lying skills, could feel his nerves on edge and inwardly prayed that his father would fall for his hasty, feeble excuse.

“What prom?” the man asked after a few long, tense seconds, and Kibum racked his brain for something fitting to reply with.

Gaze dropping back down to his plate to appear casual, Kibum replied with a tone as even as he could manage. “The school is hosting a prom for students in their third year since it’s the last chance we’ll have to relax with our friends before exams.”

Of course, every single piece of information spilling from Kibum’s mouth was absolute rubbish, but once he’d started a fake story Kibum knew there was no backing down. Although his father looked a little sceptical, he said no more, and the rest of breakfast passed by in an eerie silence. As soon as the whole ordeal had passed, Kibum rushed straight back up to his room to relax, still having the remainder of the day to get through before Amber’s party that night. Fishing out the same book he’d started reading yesterday, Kibum plugged his headphones in and began to devour the pages presented before him.

Five hours later, his book was finished as was two rounds of Mario Kart, a packet of chips and a can of soda. Kibum had grabbed a small sandwich at lunch time to put an end to his mother’s banter, but soon later had found his stomach groaning in a desperate cry for more food. Obviously, the junk Kibum had consumed probably wasn’t the best option, but after that awkward confrontation with his father earlier Kibum had vowed to stay out of his parent’s way as much as possible.

He spent the next few hours watching soapies on television and getting ready for the party, putting in an extra amount of effort than he normally would for the sole sake of impressing Jonghyun. Making sure he had everything he needed in possession for the night, Kibum made his way downstairs, taking a seat on the lounge room sofa to await Jonghyun’s arrival. His mother, upon seeing her only son with a questionable amount of eyeliner on his face, shot Kibum an appraising look and furrowed her brows.

Kibum gazed back innocently and offered her a rare smile. “Amber’s having a party tonight. I can go, right?”

She sighed, obviously used to Kibum’s spontaneous antics. “Yes, Kibum. You may go. You just look a little bit… dressed up, don’t you think?”

“I don’t reckon so,” responded Kibum, shaking his head. “It’s not a sin to look good, mother.”

An amused laugh escaped the woman’s mouth, and Kibum felt a strange sense of pride rising in his chest. “Of course not, ‘Bum. Of course not.”

Just at that moment the doorbell echoed throughout the large house causing Kibum to jolt in his seat, jumping up in anticipation. He hurriedly fixed the loose strands of hair atop of his head and smoothened out his shirt with his hands, looking towards the door with a loud exhale. His mother watched his behaviour in curiosity, but it seemed as though both mother and son were distracted from their actions as they noticed Kibum’s father making his way towards the front door.

Kibum’s eyes widened in horror, and with haste he began to scamper towards his father in desperation. For the umpteenth time in his lifetime, Kibum cursed the sheer size of his house as the sound of the door opening made its way to his ears. His father stood there, confused for a second, before his seemingly permanent glare sharpened and he looked the person on the other side of the door up and down in distaste.

“And you are…?” came Kibum’s father’s impolite voice, and Kibum quickened his pace.

“Um…I’m Jonghyun, sir. I’m Kibum’s—“

“—Friend! This is my friend from history class, father. The one I was telling you about.” interrupted Kibum suddenly, diving into the conversation. His gaze landed on Jonghyun and softened immediately, raking over the older male’s groomed appearance with admiration. He offered Jonghyun a wide smile before returning his attention to his father.

The stoic man seemed to be assessing Jonghyun’s appearance with no subtlety whatsoever, and Jonghyun, much to Kibum’s amusement, straightened his back. “I-It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr Kim.” spoke Jonghyun respectfully, ducking down into a ninety degree bow.

Kibum didn’t think he’d ever liked Jonghyun as much as he did in that moment. His father’s expression lightened ever so slightly, and his mother’s face peeked out from behind the door. At least somebody in his family had some etiquette, Kibum noted, as his mother reached forward to shake Jonghyun’s hand.

“And it’s a pleasure to meet you, Jonghyun! Tell me, Jonghyun, what’s Kibum like at school?”

Kibum face palmed and sighed deeply in embarrassment. Jonghyun’s eyes crinkled in complete amusement. “I must say, Mrs Kim, Kibum is definitely one of the smartest in the class. He helps me with my history work all the time. But,” he added with a sly smirk, cupping his hands around his mouth before whispering loudly for everyone to hear. “He’s a bit of a teacher’s pet.”

Kibum laughed out loud, quite astonished at Jonghyun’s accuracy. He reached forward to slap the singer’s arm playfully. “That’s not true!” he whined.

Jonghyun nodded adamantly at Kibum’s parent’s curious expressions. “Take my word for it, Mr and Mrs Kim. Don’t worry though, he’s definitely going somewhere.”

Biting his lip, Kibum suddenly felt flustered at Jonghyun’s authentic tone. Jonghyun and his parents exchanged a few final words but Kibum found himself zoning out, staring at Jonghyun with pure, unadulterated appreciation. It was his only his father’s brash tone directed towards Kibum that knocked him out of his reverie, eyes being met with the man’s icy ones. “Boy,” he began crudely.

Kibum’s eyes widened considerably and he took a minimal step backwards.

“What is that…stuff on your eyes? Is that eyeliner?!”

Cheeks flushing red, Kibum instinctively looked to Jonghyun for help. Jonghyun watched on concernedly and bit the inside of his cheek. Despite just having met the man, he already understood Kibum’s underlying dislike for him, and had to inwardly fight himself from protectively grabbing Kibum’s hand.

“Mm,” Kibum mumbled. “What about it?”

A growl emitted from Kibum’s father’s throat. “Eyeliner’s for girls, Kibum. Go wash it off. Now. I won’t have any son of mine wearing makeup, for goodness sake.”

Looking towards the hallway and then back to his father, Kibum made no signs of movement. He stood defiantly, but one could clearly see the hidden layer of fear lying behind his masquerade. Jonghyun his lips nervously and took a shaky breath. Normally, Jonghyun wasn’t one for bravery. But he figured there was a first time for everything, and took a tentative step forward.

“Ah, sir? The party is starting very soon, and I’d rather not be late. Kibum could wipe it off in my car if you’re really that concerned about it.”

The man’s head shot to Jonghyun, emitting the singer’s shoulders to slouch in intimidation. “If I’m really that concerned about it? Of course I’m concerned about it, you fool.”

Jonghyun flinched.

“I won’t have any son of mine wearing…” the man cringed, as though the mere words he were saying were poisonous. “…makeup. Only poofs wear makeup and Kibum’s not a poof. Right, son?” He asked as though Kibum had a choice. Kibum bit his lip hard, but replied monotonously.

“No. That’s disgusting.” He stared at the floor unblinking, and Jonghyun wanted nothing more in that moment than to hold Kibum in his arms and kiss his worries away. Obviously, any such activity was more than prohibited in the presence of his family, and so Jonghyun resorted to simply offering Kibum a reassuring smile.

Kibum’s mother remained silent throughout the entire ordeal, but both boys could practically feel her gaze piercing into their skin and studying them closely. “The boys best be off.” she said finally, pulling her husband back and gesturing for Jonghyun and Kibum to leave.

Neither hesitated in the slightest before complying with her wishes and hurriedly leaving the house, making their way hastily to Jonghyun’s car parked across the road. Sliding in and closing the doors after them, Kibum and Jonghyun merely sat in silence, allowing the sound of nothingness to seep in to the cramped space and suffocate their thoughts. Jonghyun looked at Kibum, concerned, and took note of the blank expression clouding his features.

“Are you alright, Ki?” he questioned softly.

The younger male simply nodded, but one could clearly see that the student was anything but alright. Jonghyun interlaced his fingers with Kibum’s and used his other hand to gently caress Kibum’s cheek. “You know all that stuff he said is absolute rubbish, right? You look beautiful right now. That eyeliner really brings out your fox-shaped eyes.”

His soft words thankfully weren’t falling on deaf ears as Jonghyun noticed Kibum’s lips twitching slightly in concealed mirth. A light shade of rose blushed his cheeks and Jonghyun found the sight to be simply endearing. He leaned forward and placed a lingering peck on Kibum’s forehead, buckling the younger’s seatbelt as he did so.

“C’mon, yeobo. We have a party to get to.”

When the two eventually arrived at Amber’s house, Kibum was honestly quite surprised by the lack of cars scattered around her driveway. He’d been to a few of Amber’s other parties before, but they’d all been a lot more hectic than this one it seemed. Jonghyun, obviously not knowing what to expect in the first place, seemed quite content with the size, but Kibum figured it had to do with his antisocial tendencies.

Kibum insisted that they stay in the car for a few more minutes because he didn’t want to arrive too early, and Jonghyun complied with no hesitation simply because he didn’t want to let go of Kibum’s hand. “No romantic stuff in there, right?” he had asked with a crestfallen expression on his face. Judging by that, he already knew the answer, but Kibum answered his question nevertheless.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure a lot of y people from school are here. Besides, I don’t really want news about us spreading like wildfire, y’know? Who knows where it’ll end up…?”

The atmosphere was comforting; just the two of them conversing casually with no interruptions, but they figured they ought to go in eventually, or else they’d never work up the courage to leave the car. They, albeit with hesitation, unlinked their hands and started towards the front door, sharing one last affectionate gaze before stepping inside. Immediately, they were met with loud music and the strong scent of alcohol, and Kibum had to wonder yet again how Amber managed to get a hold of this stuff.

Their eyes drifted around their room in search for familiarity but were met with nothing of the description, and the two males were left to linger by themselves. Well, for a whole twenty seconds until a high pitched ‘woop’ sounded from beside them and Kibum was engulfed in a rib-crushing embrace. “Kibum!” squealed Amber excitedly, pulling back and taking in his appearance. “My my, you do scrub up well! And my gosh, who is this stud? Is this by any chance the famous Jonghyun I’ve been hearing all about?”

Jonghyun scratched the back of his neck shyly and bore his teeth in a wide grin. “That’s me, I guess…” he laughed softly, quite shocked at this girl’s forwardness.

“, Kibum,” she muttered, and immediately Kibum knew she’d already gotten into the vodka. “He looks exactly like me! Dinosaur buddies for life right?” And with that, Amber fist bumped a hesitant Jonghyun and twirled away, moving on to mingle with the other guests.

Kibum and Jonghyun looked at each other oddly before promptly bursting out into a fit of soft laughter. “She’s a pretty cool chick.” nodded Jonghyun unsurely, as though trying to convince himself. Kibum made a sceptical action with his hands and pulled backwards in disagreement.

“Look.” he spoke, faking the aura of a specialist. “She has her good and her bad days, but we’re trying as best we can.”

Jonghyun snorted into his hand. “What—“

He stopped suddenly, and looked in the direction of where they arrived from. “Oh—! Taemin and Minho are here. So much for Taemin being my replacement…”

Kibum tilted his head towards the direction Jonghyun was referring to and found himself sighing deeply in frustration. “What does that stupid frog think he’s doing? Bringing innocent Taemin to a party like this…”

The two boys in question spotted them across the room and waved enthusiastically. Or in more accurate terms: Taemin waved enthusiastically and Minho offered a small smile in greeting. Jesus, that boy was going to need to warm up to them sooner or later, Kibum thought. He knew the soccer player was hiding some crazy personality deep down there somewhere. At the sheer thought, Kibum smirked. Perhaps it was a good thing after all that there was alcohol at this party.

It was only around half an hour later, once the four males had had a bite to eat and settled down, when Amber called for silence. “Listen up, peasants.” she announced loudly. “We’re gonna play a game of truth or dare, whether you like it or not. Here are the rules: Unless you’d rather down a shot, you do the dare and you tell the truth. Got it? Good. Now gather around, folks!”

Jonghyun and Taemin looked a little confused at the girl’s sudden demand, but Minho and Kibum could only groan in dismay for what was to come. It was safe to say that Amber’s party games often got a little…chaotic. They joined the large circle of where everyone was clustered and sat themselves down together, watching on in interest. Kibum looked around at the circle’s occupants with intrigue. The majority was compiled of just girls that Amber hung out with at lunch time, and whilst Kibum didn’t care for them in the slightest, they weren’t as bad as some could be. The rest consisted of just their small group along with several other soccer players which Kibum had seen with Minho a few times in class. He let out a deep sigh he didn’t even realise he’d been holding. The soccer players usually meant bad news, but thankfully Amber knew good from bad and had only invited the rare, neutral population of the bunch.

“Alrighty,” Amber spoke, setting a bottle of vodka and a dozen shot glasses in the middle of the circle. “Since it’s my party, I’ll start. Let’s see…Eric! Truth or dare?”

Eric, one of the soccer players, looked in contemplation for a short second. “Dare.”

Amber smirked, and for the first time since he could remember Kibum actually felt sorry for a member of the soccer team. “Oh Eric, you precious bean. I dare you to strip and wrap yourself a toilet paper nappy.”

“…” Eric was speechless and rose a dubious brow. “You want me to what?”

Amber cackled loudly and pointed towards the bathroom. “You heard me, smol bean. Hurry now!”

Dejectedly, Eric slumped off to the bathroom, but not before giving the vodka in the middle a long, calculating glance. Soon enough he returned, stark except for the hastily wrapped toilet paper covering his important bits. Immediately, all of the occupants fell into a fit of laughter, leaving poor Eric blushing from his toes up. “Shut up,” he muttered. “It’s my go, now. Minho.”

Minho jumped in surprise. It seemed as though he wasn’t expecting to be picked. After realising just what he was getting into, Minho slumped deeply where he sat as though he wanted to sink into the floor. Considering the embarrassment Eric was currently facing, Kibum couldn’t really blame him.

“Um…” he stuttered. “Dare, I guess. Just, Eric? Be a buddy, alright?”

The smaller soccer player laughed from his spot on the floor. “Aye aye, Captain. I dare you to kiss Amber.”

Upon hearing the dare, Minho blanched, but shrugged off his shock and leant in towards Amber anyway. The girl, who now looked completely smashed, didn’t hesitate in the slightest before reciprocating, eliciting Minho to squeak in surprise. Cat calls were jeered from everyone in the room, including Jonghyun, Kibum and Taemin, and when the two team players finally pulled apart it was clear to observe the evident pride on Minho’s face.

Amber celebrated to herself and stuck the rude finger up at her group of friends. “I’ve tasted the God Minho’s lips girls...are you jealous?”

Minho blushed brightly at her reference to God Minho and hurriedly took a sip of beer to shield his flaming cheeks. “Alright.” he spoke, once the redness had faded to a natural rose. “Kibum. Truth or Dare?”

Slapping his forehead into his palm, Kibum groaned loudly in denial. “God darn it…Dare, you head.”

Snorting to himself, Minho looked between Jonghyun and Kibum and his smile turned into something more akin to a smirk. Kibum narrowed his gaze into a glare, but the tall male paid no heed and simply crossed his arms with smugness. “Sit on Jonghyun’s lap…For the remainder of the game.”

Kibum and Jonghyun’s eyes widened in surprise and their heads shot to each other in distress. A mutual expression passed between them – one that seemed to say ‘act like you you’re disgruntled about it’, and so Kibum let out a forged grunt of anger. He shot Minho a dirty look before ‘grudgingly’ adjusting himself and sitting (awkwardly) in Jonghyun’s lap. Jonghyun felt his lips twitching slightly in bliss and diverted his gaze as quickly as possible, trying to pretend as though having another male on his lap was more than discomforting. In order to hide the thin layer of enjoyment on his features, he attempted to imagine Kibum as a large cat on his lap instead, however his diversion didn’t seem to work too well as he noticed Taemin raising his brows suggestively. Usually, Jonghyun didn’t like cats. But he supposed that Kibum was an exception.

“I bet Kim’s enjoying that, right?” spoke one of the girls, smiling arrogantly as her fellow friends laughed along.

Their laughter was cut short though as Amber them in anger. “Oi! Don’t talk about my best friend like that, got it? We’re playing truth or dare, so you either play and shut up or leave.”

Silence engulfed the room at Amber’s blunt words, and Kibum felt a sense of happiness swell within him. Despite how drunk Amber was, she didn’t hesitate in the slightest before standing up for him and well...It was a good feeling. He cleared his throat softly – the room was silent already, so volume wasn’t needed – and their attention returned to him.

“Taemin…Truth or dare?”

Taemin blinked rapidly, and tilted his head. “Well…I guess I’ll be the first to say truth.”

A few of the girls awed at his ‘innocence’, but Kibum simply rolled his eyes and paid them no attention. “Have you…Ever dated anyone before?”

Minho seemed as though he already knew the answer, but Kibum, along with Jonghyun, was still very curious to know the young teenager’s response. He knew Taemin’s innocent act was only that – an act – but he still couldn’t help but wonder about the sixteen year old. Besides, Kibum didn’t really play these games often and was lost as for anything else to ask a first year. And he sure as heck wasn’t going to work up his courage and ask a soccer player. The idea in itself was simply ludicrous.

Immediately, Taemin shook his head with fever. “Nope…” he spoke, smiling widely. “I don’t think I really want to date anyone either. Too much drama if you ask me.”

The girls cooed again at his response, and Kibum had no other urge at that moment than to slap them into silence. Kibum nodded in understanding – Taemin’s response was perfectly understandable. After all, he was only sixteen years old. There was so much other stuff he should be worrying about at that prime age.

A few more rounds passed and Jonghyun and Kibum were left in peace – after all, the students from school barely knew Kibum anyway, let alone Jonghyun. Amber had excused herself to go get a drink of water, and although the life of the party was gone, so was the filter on certain dares. Kibum was still seated in Jonghyun’s lap, quite comfortably now, and was amusing himself by drawing circles on the back of the older boy’s hand. Their memory had simply neglected their previous promise to avoid any suggestive/romantic actions, and although Jonghyun knew there were too many people in the room, the feeling of Kibum’s hand on his was simply too enjoyable.

“Ahem. Kibum.”

Kibum’s head darted up, only to be met with one of the giggling girls from before. “Huh?”

She rolled her eyes and snickered to herself. “Truth or dare?”

“Um…” stuttered Kibum, nervously removing his finger from Jonghyun’s hand. “Dare. I think?”

The girl smirked slyly and whispered something inaudible to her friends. “Alright. I dare you...” she began. “To kiss Krystal.”

Kibum and Jonghyun’s jaws dropped in disbelief. Head racing at a million miles an hour, Kibum stared deadpan at the group of girls, shaking his head. Amber had been gone for about a minute, and they were already planning on torturing him so? Kissing Krystal was out of the question. Him being gay wasn’t even the problem here, it was the sheer fact that at that exact moment, he was seated on his boyfriend’s lap. And judging by the murderous looks on the girls’ faces, they had a pretty good idea of exactly that. So without another second to spare, Kibum picked up a prefilled shot glass and downed it in one gulp, slamming it back onto the floor in anger.

Jonghyun watched, startled, as Kibum promptly lifted from his lap and stormed off down one of the corridors. He sat motionless for a short moment before he finally regained his bearings and shot the girl a severe glare, rising hastily and following Kibum’s footsteps down the hall without a second glance. He arrived just in time to see the second last door slam , and quickened his pace to catch up to his younger boyfriend. Pushing the door open tentatively, Jonghyun’s heart wrenched at Kibum’s lone figure on the bed, slumped over and staring at the door dejectedly.

“Kibum,” he spoke softly, closing the door behind him as quietly as possible. He pattered over to where Kibum was seated and joined him on the bed, causing the mattress to sink marginally at the added weight. “Are you alright?”

He received no response and twisted his head to look at Kibum in concern. But all of a sudden, Kibum’s lips were firm on his and his hands were the collar of Jonghyun’s shirt roughly. Jonghyun groaned into the kiss instinctively, and soon enough, found himself tugging at Kibum’s now rustled hair. Somehow, their position had changed entirely throughout the whole situation and now Jonghyun was lying flush on his back, Kibum straddling him confidently.

Surely, that one shot hadn’t been the cause of this abrupt behaviour…

Jonghyn’s train of thought was cut off immediately as Kibum’s mouth found his once more, nibbling and teasingly on his now swollen lips. “Kibum,” he breathed. “What—?”

Pulling back slightly, Kibum stared directly into Jonghyun’s eyes. “I’m sick of people trampling all over me because I’m gay.” he muttered, pecking the side of Jonghyun’s lips softly. “Shindong, these stupid girls, and even my own father. I can kiss a guy if I want to.” He accentuated that fact by kissing Jonghyun yet again, eyes half-lidded. “I can like guys if I want to. I can wear eyeliner if I want to because it makes me look ing good!” Kibum’s voice was raising louder now, but Jonghyun simply stared at him in surprise, wonderment and awe. “Why does everyone judge me for the things that make me happy? It’s my life, not theirs. If they want to go kiss a guy, then do it! Because I sure as heck ain’t judging their ty mouth.”

“Kibum.”

“I need to stop letting everybody get to me...”

“Kibum.”

Kibum blinked, seemingly only now becoming aware of the other presence in the room. “Hm?”

Jonghyun chuckled quietly and reached his hand up to fix Kibum’s hair, his cheek softly and leaving it there. “Do you know how beautiful you look right now? How absolutely stunning you are? Your eyeliner is doing things to me right now and I…I don’t know about you but…This feeling, of liking and kissing a guy; It’s the best I’ve ever felt. And if people are going to shun us and trample upon us because of it, then it doesn’t really matter. Nothing could ruin how you make me feel, Kibum.”

Coral streaks aligned Kibum’s cheekbones and he gaped down at Jonghyun in a silence of astonishment, admiration and uncertainty.

“Nothing?” Kibum questioned sceptically, after a prolonged, tranquil silence.

Jonghyun smiled before he pulled Kibum down and kissed him languidly.

“Nothing.”