Taemin shifted the weight of his school bag onto his other shoulder as he stood outside the school gates, panting slightly. Pulling up his sleeve, he tried not to see the purple and brown bruises scattered across his arms as he checked his watch - 6:30. Still half an hour before the gates open. Shivering slightly in the cold, Taemin hugged himself a little tighter as he absently kicked rocks across the gravel, watching with mild intrest as they bumped and skittered across the ground. The plain, empty grey sky hanging overhead did nothing to lift his mood. Again shifting the bag onto his other shoulder, he closed his eyes and leaned back on the wall, decided to wait, until the gates opened, until school ended, until he came back to the cove, when he could see Minho.

The memory of the boy's smile brought one to his own face. The voices didn't disturb him when he was with him, and he didn't really know why. Perhaps it was because it was someone whom he just ... clicked with? Minho could easily be someome at his school though. He would be popular, Taemin imagined. Lots of friends. Lots of girls running after him.

Maybe, if Minho was his friend at school, Taemin wouldn't be so ... alone?

You'll still be alone, what d'you think? sneered the voice, and unconiously, Taemin flinched, his eyes still closed. Just because someone doesn't ignore you doesn't mean that you're any better, does it?

But ... Minho hyung likes me, he protested faintly, already starting to crumble under the pressure of the words - of his words. He doesn't hate me, he doesn't ignore me, he doesn't run from me -

He knows nothing about you though, does he? hissed the voice. You've never told him, and I can't really blame you for that can I ... Who would want to know about someone as disgusting as you, someone -

"Um ... Hello?"

Taemin jerked slightly, opening his eyes. A stranger - wait, no, he was in his class, Kim ... Jongin? Was standing over him, looking slightly awkward. "Um ... The gates are opening. Just ... to let you know."

"O-oh. Okay." Taemin gritted his teeth as the bag shifted its weight onto a tender spot on his shoulder, and tried to smile at him. "Thank you."

"It's fine," the boy assured, smiling back brightly. "It's Taemin, right? Kim Jongin. Nice to meet you." He held out his hand, and slightly dazed, Taemin shook it.

"See you around, Taemin!" Jongin waved, and jogged off towards a small group of boys who seemed to be his friends. Taemin, still slightly dazed, waved back and hurries into class, picking out a seat at the back of the class as usual - but as he sat down, he retorted in his head, See? People apart from Minho hyung do notice me. I - I'm not that ... I'm not too disgraceful, am I?

This time, the voices stayed silent.

After the school bell rung, Taemin quickly stood up and quickly swung his bag over his shoulder, wincing as the strap cut into his shoulders as he briskly walked out. Before he reached the door, however, he caught Jongin's eye.

Jongin smiled at him.

Walking down tp the cove, Taemin dragged along his bag on the ground behin him, not caring whether it got smeared with wet sand or not. He could just clean it whilst he was waiting outside the gates tomorrow - it would stop him from falling asleep if anything, and there was no point in his shoulder being rocked around any more than it should be, whether he deserved it or not.

Brushing off one of the rocks, he sat down, and since there was no sign of the dark haired cheerful boy in the water, he pulled out a couple of books and began to get started on his homework.

After a while, the surface of the water rippled and Minho emerged, shaking the wet fringe out of his face as he grinned up at the younger boy, his smile brighter than ever. "Hey Taeminnie!"

"... Taeminnie?" It slipped out of his mouth and he froze, but Minho didn't seem affected. He quirked an eyebrow and replied, "It's cute. Like you," he added a second later.

Cute?

Me?

Taemin felt a strange hot flush creeping up his face and he thrashed around in embarrasment as Minho cooed at him, teasing him.

"Aww. Don't worry Taeminnie, you'll always be cute to me." His smile seemed to make all his worries and the voice disappear into the back of his mind, where he couldn't hear them. Almost without meaning to, Taemin replied quietly, "You're not too bad-looking yourself either, hyung."

Minho actually stopped, blinking in surprise. "Who - me?" he seemed genuinely surprised. Taemin felt himself blushing again, and in an attempt to joke, he said, "Who else do you see around here?"

Minho laughed, then spotted the exercise books scattered over the rocks. "What's that?"

"Homework?" Taemin watched as Minho reached out and pulled the books slightly closer. Vaguely, Taemin wondered why the paper pages weren't getting dampened at all, but he kept most of his attention on the words and numbers on the paper. "What is it?"

"You don't know?"

"... No?"

Taemin would have laughed at the look of childish confusion on the elder's face if he remembered how to. "It's, um, when the teachers give the students extra work to do at home so they know they, um, understood the lesson?" the end came out more of a question than an answer. Minho opened his mouth for a second - then nodded. "Oh ... Okay. Do you give it in again?"

"Yeah. Sometimes in a few days, sometimes in a week or two. It depends how long or how important the task is."

Minho smiled at Taemin again. "Thanks - you're good at explaining stuff, you know."

Taemin blushed again, and shook his head. "Not really."

"But you're cute about it," teased Minho, resting his chin on his arms as he stared up at Taemin. "It makes it even more entertaining to watch."

This time, Taemin let out a whine and covered his face as Minho's familar, almost calming laugh rang in his ears, bringing a trace of his old smile to his lips.