Kibum sat on the floor by Taemin, holding the younger’s hand protectively as he gnawed on his lip in worry. Glancing at the time on his phone for the umpteenth time in the last ten minutes, Kibum sighed in concern as his eyes ran over the bruises adorning Taemin’s pale skin.

“Those ing s.” he whispered to himself, smoothing his hand through Taemin’s hair fondly as the boy’s eyes twitched in his sleep.

He sat there in silence for a little while longer, before all of a sudden he felt his phone vibrating in his hand as Jonghyun’s name flashed on the screen.

“Jjong, are you here?” he spoke urgently through the receiver.

“I’m at your school…where are you?”

Kibum glanced around at his surroundings hurriedly, taking note of the locker colours and classrooms nearby. “I’m in the first year block. If you go to the courtyard, there are a few tables outside a brown brick building. I’m in there.”

Jonghyun said nothing, but Kibum assumed he was nodding in understanding. “I’m running over now. Be right there, ‘Bummie.”

The phone call ended with a click, and Kibum let out a long exhale of relief. True to his word, around a minute later Jonghyun’s footsteps could be heard making their way down the corridor, the short male appearing hurriedly with a red tint shading his cheeks.

His pace slowed as his eyes landed upon Kibum, shooting him a small smile before they drifted to land on Taemin, eyes widening in horror.

“. What happened to him?!” exclaimed Jonghyun in panic, jogging over to the two dancers and kneeling down by Taemin.

“A bunch of ing losers thought it would be nice to pick on Taemin just because he’s ‘pretty’. How pathetic.” spoke Kibum angrily, running his hand through his blonde locks aggressively.

Jonghyun scoffed in disbelief before scooping the fragile boy into his arms, pouting at Kibum sadly. “Poor kid. We have to go get him some medical help…will my house do?”

Kibum’s stomach jolted at the thought of visiting Jonghyun’s house, but he supressed his feelings in consideration of Taemin’s wellbeing. “Definitely. I-I’m sorry I bothered you today, by the way. I didn’t know who else to call.”

The two walked side by side back down the corridor, Jonghyun flashing Kibum as reassuring smile. “You’re not bothering me, ‘Bum. This is serious. Don’t forget I’m always happy to help. Besides, I’m not complaining; I get to spend more time with you.”

Kibum had trouble concealing his grin at the older boy’s cheesy yet meaningful words, heart fluttering wildly at Jonghyun’s kind heart and beautiful smile. “Thank you, Jjong. Seriously.”

Jonghyun’s mouth widened in a toothy smile, watching the way in which Kibum’s dimples began to protrude slightly against the contours of his smooth skin. His hand was practically twitching in the urge to hold Kibum’s, however both of his arms were currently preoccupied with carrying the fragile first year and so regrettably he would just have to wait to feel the younger boy’s warm hand entwined with his once again.

They reached Jonghyun’s car within minutes, the older male gently sliding Taemin into the back seat before joining Kibum in the front. A mumbled hum began to ooze its way through his lips, and the chill that prickled down Kibum’s spine was inevitable.

“Is he your friend?” questioned Jonghyun quietly after they had backed out and pulled onto the main road.

Kibum laughed humorously to himself, thoughts drifting back to his previous attitude towards the younger boy. “Kinda, yeah. We never used to like each other too much, but the little is growing on me.”

Jonghyun quirked an eyebrow. “Little ? He looks so innocent though.”

Kibum scoffed, shaking his head violently with an amused grin playing at his lips. Taemin, innocent? “Looks being the key word in that sentence.”

Jonghyun chuckled heartily, Kibum discretely admiring the way his eyes crinkled in laughter and the pearly white teeth that reminded him all too entirely of a dinosaur.

‘Seriously adorable.’

“Second day in a row Kibum…that desperate to see me?” teased Jonghyun, casually changing the subject with a sly smirk etching onto his face.

Kibum rolled his eyes playfully. “Get over yourself; you’re the only person I know with a car.”

Jonghyun gasped in mock hurt, flicking away fake tears dramatically. “I thought I meant something to you, Kibum! I thought we had a connection!”

Kibum looked out the window into the distance, placing his soft hands delicately against the cool glass. “So goodbye, don’t cry and smile,” he began to sing melancholically, causing Jonghyun’s head to whip towards him before bursting out into laughter.

“What the heck are we doing, Kibum?” he questioned amusedly, focusing his gaze back on the road with a grin twitching at his lips.

Kibum shook his head. “I don’t know; you started it.”

“Touché, my friend. Touché.”

The comfortable silence returned, Kibum yearningly breathing in the scent of the car which smelled exactly like Jonghyun. Cinnamon, old books and mint.

“My sister and mum are a little crazy. Just a warning.” spoke Jonghyun with a snicker as they to his street, the singer mentally praying that the two women wouldn’t say anything stupid in front of Kibum.

Kibum grinned mischievously. “So that’s where you get it from!”

The car finally pulled into the driveway of an average sized house, Kibum immediately noting the welcoming and warm aura the home seemed to behold.

“You are so rude, Kibum.” scoffed Jonghyun, smiling nonetheless at the younger boy’s cheek.

Kibum poked his tongue out before unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the car door. “It’s my specialty.”

The two males stepped out of the car before carefully lifting Taemin off the back seat, Kibum allowing Jonghyun to take the boy in his stronger arms whilst he closed the door and locked it shut.

“Maybe we should’ve taken him to the hospital…” spoke the feline boy hesitantly, biting his bottom lip as his eyes once again landed on Taemin’s frail, feeble form.

Jonghyun glanced at Kibum reassuringly over his shoulder, grinning crookedly as he hit the doorbell with his elbow. “It’ll be alright, ‘Bummie; my sister’s in medical school.”

Kibum sighed a breath of relief he didn’t even realise he’d been holding, coming to stand by Jonghyun with his arms crossed casually over his chest. “Why are you ringing the doorbell to your own house?”

Jonghyun chuckled quietly. “I wouldn’t normally, but I left my house key inside and my sister usually locks the door behind me.”

Kibum nodded in understanding and went to reply, however was interrupted as the door pulled open and a young woman’s face peered at them through the entryway.

“Hyun-ah, back alrea—“she began to question, only for her words to be caught in as her gaze dropped to the fragile body in Jonghyun’s arms.

Seodam let out a squeal of horror, opening the door wide and ushering Jonghyun and Kibum inside frantically. “What on earth happened to him?!” she exclaimed, gesturing for Jonghyun to place him on the couch before rushing into the kitchen to grab supplies.

“He got beaten up by some kids at Kibum’s school.” frowned Jonghyun, leaving Kibum to watch over Taemin as he went to assist Seodam gather medical supplies.

Kibum gently brushed Taemin’s hair off of his soft face, sighing in sympathy for the young dancer. “Where is Minho when you need him?” he questioned to himself silently, thoughts drifting back to when Taemin had told him of Minho’s protectiveness.

Jonghyun looked through the archway to the lounge from where he stood, heart clenching in jealousy at the affection Kibum showed the younger male. He knew that the two students were merely close friends, however he couldn’t prevent the surge of annoyance that drifted through his veins at their display of affection – He couldn’t help but wish he was the battered one lying upon the couch, despite the awfulness of the situation.

Jonghyun shook his head to rid himself of those negative thoughts.

‘I’m awful.’

“Hyun-ah, hurry up! Give me that wet towel and go back to the lounge room. I won’t be a second.” scolded Seodam, taking the now drenched towel out of Jonghyun’s hands and shoving him gently towards the lounge.

Jonghyun sat down softly besides Kibum, working up his courage and inching his hand towards Kibum’s. He cautiously placed his warm, masculine hands over Kibum’s feminine ones in tenderness and support, shooting the younger a sympathetic smile. Kibum’s heart leapt within in his chest, holding his breath at the tingles which ran over his skin as Jonghyun’s hand made contact.

“Are you sure it’s okay I come over to your house on Saturday?” queried Jonghyun delicately in attempt to divert Kibum’s mind from concern.

Kibum’s lips tilted gently at the ends, dimples appearing softly against the crimson rouge that graced his face. “Yeah, it’ll be fine Jjong. Besides, it’s not like I’ve got anything better to do. You’re doing me a favour, trust me.”

Jonghyun beamed, eyes crinkling at the ends in contentment. “As long as you come watch me sing on Sunday.”

“No need to persuade me; I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” scoffed Kibum in a discretely flirtatious manner, a wave of delight crashing over Jonghyun’s body in a pool of butterflies.

Seodam stood in the doorway watching on amusedly.

‘This must be Kibum! At least ‘Hyun’s got good taste.’

Despite the adorableness of the situation before her, Sodam knew there was more important matters at hand and briskly strolled into the lounge with an armful of supplies.

“Sit back a little guys, give the poor boy some room.” she ordered gently, and then knelt before the couch as Jonghyun and Kibum jumped off to begin working on healing Taemin’s cuts and bruises.

The two older males stood by idly and watched on in concern, Kibum observing Sodam’s professionalism with awe. “She’s really good,” he commented offhandedly.

Jonghyun nodded with a fond smile. “Yeah...I have memories of when we were younger; if anyone hurt themselves she would be the first to comfort them or get help. I remember this one time when I’d fallen over, there were no adults around.  Instead of panicking or crying or looking for someone else, the first thing she did was rip a bit of her t-shirt off and hold it against the cut on my knee. It wasn’t even serious, but she was so mature about it…I just know when she graduates she’s gonna be a great nurse.”

Kibum’s lips quirked as Jonghyun spoke about his sister, enjoying the way the singer’s eyes lit up in tenderness and affection as he spoke about the young woman. It was times like these in which Kibum wished he had a sibling – someone to keep him company during his childhood and take care of him when his parents were away working. Sighing the thoughts away, Kibum focused his gaze back on Taemin, heart clenching in hurt for the scrawny boy.

“Kibum?” Jonghyun nudged, gaining the third year’s attention immediately.

“Mm?”

Jonghyun gestured to the kitchen, a lopsided grin plastering itself onto his handsome face. “Would you like something to drink? Noona may be a while…”

Kibum nodded eagerly, glad to finally have something take his mind off the bedridden boy. Jonghyun gently tugged at Kibum’s hand eliciting a blush from the younger, and led him into the kitchen before opening the fridge. After the two decided on a can of soda each, they took a seat on the kitchen stools and sipped at them leisurely.

“Is your mum home at the moment?” asked Kibum curiously, earning a chuckle out of Jonghyun.

“Nah, she went grocery shopping right before you rang. She should be home soon though.”

Kibum nodded, running his finger around the rim of his can casually. “Your family is so cute.” he commented before taking another gulp of soda.

Jonghyun shot Kibum a look of incredulity. “You haven’t even talked to them.” he laughed.

Kibum giggled. “I know, they just seem so cute.”

Jonghyun rolled his eyes playfully. “Sure, sure. Do you want to come see my bedroom?”

Kibum blanched, eyes widening in surprise. The mere thought of going into the older boy’s room with just the two of them gave him a pleasant, warm feeling in the pit of his stomach; however an abundance of butterflies also flew maniacally, evoking a feeling of nervousness to engulf his mind.

“A-ah yeah…if that’s okay with you?”

Jonghyun poked his tongue out between his teeth teasingly, standing up from his seat and pulling Kibum with him. “I asked, you idiot. C’mon!”

Kibum bit his lip excitingly and scurried along with Jonghyun, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he walked. As they strolled, his eyes glanced over the photos upon the wall, a light giggle spilling out of his lips as they landed on a photo taken when Jonghyun was a child.

“You were so cute!” he exclaimed in a squeal, causing Jonghyun’s eyes to widen and his face flush bright rouge.

“Were?” the singer questioned mischievously, raising his eyebrows suggestively at the younger boy.

Kibum scoffed. “Yes, were. Now you’re leaning more on the handsome side.”

Jonghyun felt his heart leap at the compliment, biting his lip in contentment as they reached his bedroom door. “Why thank you Kibum...I’ll let you be the cute one between the two of us.”

Kibum’s cheeks reddened considerably, however their distinctive pink shade thankfully went unnoticed as Jonghyun pushed his door open and stood back to let Kibum inside first.

“Welcome to my shrine.” he exclaimed extravagantly, presenting the average sized bedroom with his toned arm.

Kibum took a cautious step in and looked around with interest. A large, double bed covered by an abstract, blue duvet lay in the corner (not that Kibum was getting any thoughts), and a dresser sat beside it; the other side of the room decked with novels and cd’s within a bookcase and a lone guitar lying to the right.

Jonghyun rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I mean…it’s not that great. But it serves its purpose, and that’s all that really matters.”

The dancer shook his head in denial, eyes shining at the simplistic yet comforting aura the room expelled. Kibum took slow steps towards the bookcase and laid his eyes upon the extensive collection of cd’s lying within. His eyes widened at the sheer amount of English artists, shooting the older male a sceptical look.

“Can you even understand these? You don’t take me for a linguistic person.”

Jonghyun gasped in mock hurt.

“Again with your rudeness Kibum! I may not be able to understand the words, but the music speaks to me.” he spoke passionately, joining Kibum by the bookcase and reaching out to an album’s spine dramatically.

Kibum threw his head back and chuckled loudly. “You are so cheesy, stop!” he choked out in laughter, holding onto Jonghyun’s arm for support and unknowingly causing a large flutter of chills to run down the elder’s spine.

“And why the heck are you the album?! I know you love music, but damn Jjong!”

Jonghyun adopted a fake look of anger, crossing his arms over his chest and aiming a glare at Kibum. “You dare kink shame me in my own home?”

This sent Kibum over the edge, barking out a boisterous cackle that unwillingly tugged at Jonghyun’s lips and lightened his heart. At that moment, Jonghyun found that Kibum’s beautiful laugh was contagious, following the younger boy’s lead and laughing loudly at his own immature stupidity and god-awful acting. They laughed and laughed until their stomach’s ached and their breaths came in short, audible puffs; and as it seemed, their booming chuckles had been distinguishable throughout the entirety of the house, a small knock rapping at the door soon after their laughter had died down.

“Jonghyun-ah?” came the voice of said boy’s mother, causing the two males to immediately straighten up and divert their heads to the chipped, wooden door.

“Come in!” granted Jonghyun, his voice inducing the door to open and a middle aged woman’s head to poke through the gap.

“’Hyun-ah, your friend will wake up soon. Do you and…” she spoke, trailing off towards the end and shooting Kibum a curious look.

“Kibum.” assisted the said boy with a bright smile, Jonghyun’s mother nodding in gratitude as a questionably sly and knowing gleam glinted in her gaze.

“Do you and Kibum want to sit in the lounge until he awakens? The poor boy probably has no idea where he is.”

Jonghyun nodded, gesturing at Kibum to follow behind him as he strolled out the room. “He doesn’t even know who I am, so you better explain Kibum.”

Kibum trailed behind Jonghyun, taking one last glance at the cozy room before exiting with the hopes of seeing it again soon. Upon entering the lounge, Kibum and Jonghyun immediately took notice of the change in aura, a more light-hearted feel adorning the room instead of the previous gloomy, urgent one. The afternoon sun shone in through the open curtains and brightened the room considerably, the light rays peeking through the window landing on Taemin and giving him the appearance of an angel.

Jonghyun and Key sat down on the sofa nearby, Jonghyun turning on the television to fill the silence that lingered throughout the room. It was a comfortable silence, but that didn’t stop Kibum from worrying about the fragile boy beside them.

“Next time I see those guys…I assure you I’m going to slit their throats.” muttered Kibum angrily, emitting a hum of agreement from Jonghyun.

“Text me when you do, I’ll come help.”

Kibum laughed and Jonghyun followed promptly, finding that the younger boy’s laugh was quite infectious.

“How did you manage to get rid of them today, anyhow? I won’t be bailing you out of jail anytime soon, right?” chuckled the singer in question, nudging Kibum gently with a slight smirk.

Kibum scoffed. “If you can get arrested for verbally slaying someone, then maybe. I gave those s a piece of my mind and their puny brains just couldn’t handle it.”

Jonghyun rose an incredulous eyebrow at Kibum’s blunt words, however the smirk on his face didn’t fade in the slightest. “I quite like this diva side of you.” he commented, lying his arm next to Kibum’s so that he could relish in the warmth and comfort that the other boy’s presence gave him.

Kibum’s eyes widened with a blush, not expecting the older male’s reply. “Thanks, I guess. You’re one of few.” he mumbled, down casting his eyes cutely in embarrassment.

“Well then aren’t I lucky?” grinned Jonghyun, inching his hand over slightly to rest on top of Kibum’s.

Kibum lifted his gaze slowly with his lower lip trapped between his teeth, Jonghyun internally cheering as their eyes met. “Besides, who could dislike someone as adorable as you?”

Although Jonghyun was mentally slapping himself at his straight forwardness and cheesy comments, he couldn’t will himself to stop. The different facial expressions that flashed across Kibum’s face were all too fascinating to Jonghyun, and he just wished at that moment he had a paper and pen to capture the pure adorableness of the beautiful, feline boy.

Unfortunately he didn’t however, so he opted for merely looking at Kibum; studying the way his lips tilted gently when amused, the slight crease that appeared between his brows when confused or surprised, and especially the enticing pink hue that glazed across Kibum’s cheeks all too often when embarrassed.

Kibum’s blush only continued to intensify after he noticed the older boy’s staring, awkwardly diverting his gaze back to Taemin upon the couch. He stole secret glances out the corner of his eye every once and a while, only to see that Jonghyun was still looking at him with that stupidly adorable smile etched upon his chiselled face. It was just a few minutes later however, when he looked back towards the youngest male in the room, where his jaw dropped in surprise, noticing Taemin’s fluttering eyelashes and stirring body.

“Jjong…I think he’s waking up!” he exclaimed, jumping off the couch hurriedly (much to Jonghyun’s chagrin) and rushing over to Taemin’s side.

Jonghyun stayed seated, not wanting to scare the boy with his presence once he had awakened. After all, the two had never even met. He watched while Kibum’s grin began to widen as Taemin’s eyes squinted at the light, the frail boy groaning in discomfort as he tried to shift up into a sitting position.

“Stay lying, Taemin-ah. You have to rest.” coddled Kibum in a soothing tone, running his hand through the young dancer’s luscious, brown locks.

Taemin’s brows furrowed, and he looked in struggle for something to say. “K-Kibum…Where’s Minho?” he stuttered, tilting his head to the side frantically in search for the other boy.

“Calm down, Taem…I don’t have his number. Tell me his number and I’ll ring him now.” spoke Kibum gently, fishing his phone out and preparing to tap in the frog-like male’s contact details.

Taemin hoarsely told Kibum the digits to Minho’s phone, Kibum tapping them in hastily and pressing call. The phone rang a few times, but Minho answered almost immediately, voice sounding frantic from the other end.

“Hello?!” it came gruffly, although Kibum didn’t miss the slight amount of concern that laced the soccer player’s voice.

“Minho…It’s me, Kibum. I’ve got Taemin right now, he’s safe.”

Kibum heard a huge exhale from the other side of the line. “Thank God…where are you? I’ll be there soon.”

“I’ll text you the address, okay?” replied Kibum, smiling at the care and worry Minho held for Taemin. It really was quite adorable.

“Okay…Tell Taemin I’m coming now.”

“Will do. See you soon, Minho.”

“See ya, Kibum.”