"Taemin-ah! You came!" 

Taemin turned around sharply, but recognized the face almost as soon as he recognised the voice. "Kai?" 

The tanned boy smiled. "Hey." 

Taemin just stayed quiet. Kai giggled. "Cat got your tongue?"

"No, I just ..." rarely talk to people at all. Except ... Well. "Don't really know how to keep up a conversation?"

Kai laughed. "Oh, it's fine. I'm awkward sometimes too." He bounded away. "Look, we can sit here." He sat down under a tree. "Did you bring lunch?"

Taemin nodded. He pulled out his lunch, and fiddled with the straps a little. Kai was already munching on his chicken. "Taemin?"

"Yes?"

"You can call me Jongin. My real name."

Taemin blinked. "O-okay." The boy smiled brightly. 

A few more minutes passed in silence before Jongin spoke up again. "So ... what's your favourite subject in school?" 

Silently thanking that he hadn't brought up home, Tamein immediately answered, "Dance. And maybe singing."

Jongin brightened. "Oh really? Me too!"

Taemin nodded. "It's just the movement ... And the freedom ... It's so ... I just love it." Something inside him gave a happy little pulse. Dance used to be his escape before he spent all his free time with ... 

"Do you know any dances?" Jongin pulled out his phone and speaker. "I wanna see you dance."

"Oh - uh ..." Tamein fumbled for a name. "EXO? Mama?"

"Great, I know that too ..." Jongin balanced his speaker on his lunchbox. "EXO are really cool."

"I think SHINee are more my style," Taemin said, almost jokingly, if he had remember how to joke. 

Jongin pressed play, then jumped back into starting position next to Taemin. "This is fun already," he giggled, then began to move. 

Taemin danced, but he was more focusing on Jongin than the music. The last time he had watched someone dance was quite a while ago, and Jongin was ... He was amazing. Taemin loved how the dance moves flowed through him, and the expressions he wore, and before he could lose himself any further, Taemin snapped his attention back and threw himself into dancing. 

"Whoa ..." Jongin sat back down under the tree, grinning. "You're really good!"

You too," replied Taemin, a slight flush creeping up his cheeks. It was rare for anyone to praise him ... Except for -

"But seriously, you dance better than I do! I thought I was a good dancer," Jongin faked a pout, and Taemin waved his hands around. "No! I mean - I like dancing, but you're - you're better, you're amazing -"

"I was kidding, Taemin," Jongin laughed. "We should do a duet or something. That would be awesome."

A duet? With Jongin? 

Taemin nodded awkwardly. "One day," he said.

You might not.

Tamein jerked slightly. The voice. 

You could be gone before then. 

No. Taemin growled back. I won't.

How do you know?

I'm staying.

Why should you?

The question caught him off-guard. 

Why should he stay? Why should he? What was worth staying?

"Taemin-ah?" Jongin's voice pulled him back. "Hello? Earth to Taemin!"

Taemin shook his head. "It's nothing."

Jongin smiled. "Never mind." 

The rest of the lunch passed in a slightly awkward, but still somehow comfortable, silence. 

"Ah, that was nice." Jongin clicked shut his lunchbox. Taemin stared. "You really love chicken."

"I do," grinned Kai. He stood up. "We should meet again. Like, to dance. Or just to talk. I like talking with you."

"I barely said anything," mumbled Taemin, dipping his head. Jongin laughed. "It's fine, it's you. I like you, you're nice. Fun."

I've never heard a more inaccurate description in my life. 

Shut up. 

"You too," said Taemin. Because he didn't really know how to reply. 

"See you, Taemin-ah?" Jongin smiled, and ran back up to the school. Taemin waved, and began walking where his feet automatically took him, before he realised where he was going. 

To the cove.

Shaking his head, he took a deep breath, and turned, walking towards ... well, so-called home. 

What's waiting for me there?

A/N: short chapter! I couldn't​ access AFF for a while, I don't know ... I still can't, but a downloaded an app so yeah ...

Comment? :)