The world for Lee Taemin was either black or white.

The only thing that gets these two worlds mixed together is a certain tall someone with fluffy brown hair and eyes so big Taemin could see the entire universe reflected in them, that someone also goes by the name of Choi Minho.

Just like the way the sun rises each morning from east to west, the way it just soars up high in the sky demanding and unannounced, that’s what Taemin’s relationship with Minho felt like. It just felt natural, like they were born to only fall in love with each other, mind you, they never had to confess their feelings to each other, because when the sun rises, it never asks for permission.

It just came to them naturally, the way they shared a room at the dorm, the way Taemin wakes in the middle of the night to crawl in Minho’s bed and they would hold onto each other till morning only to have one of the members walk in on them and tease them about it for an entire week, or the way they would greet each other with a kiss to the cheek, forehead, or, sometimes not so accidentally, to the lips.

It also felt natural for Taemin to seek Minho out when he was upset or stressed out, because that’s how it’s been ever since their group debuted. Ever since then, Minho became Taemin’s first and closest friend and he would console the younger when he’s crying because he either misses his family or is just too exhausted from all the work they had to do, and just like so, Taemin would also share his victories with Minho first, like the time his first solo album was said to be released, he and Minho ended up celebrating as quietly as possible with a bottle of champagne and some balloons in their dorm room in the middle of the night only to get lectured by none other than Key for being too noisy. They didn’t care though, they spent that night talking, cheering, laughing, crying, and getting lectured some more.

They went on like this, sharing stolen kisses and keeping their a-bit-too-affectionate touches behind closed doors. It was okay like that. It felt like something that belonged only to them. But sometimes, when you’re so in love with someone, when you just can’t hold all of that love inside, it starts leaking out without permission because there’s so much of it inside you that it’s getting too much to bottle up, too much to satisfy with secretive looks and meaningful touches.

It was during a concert in Japan that Taemin was feeling extra-affectionate towards the taller boy, whether it was the way Minho was moving so gracefully yet so forcefully to the beat of each song or just because Taemin’s heart was filled to the brim with adoration it was starting to pour out, but he ended up pointing out to the necklace resting against the older’s skin, stating that it was making him slightly jealous, because damn it, that thing could be that close to Minho and he couldn’t, it was pissing him off and Taemin could swear it was gleaming so brightly just to get on his nerves.

That necklace was a birthday gift from Jinki to Minho, and Taemin knew that Minho would willingly take it off and put it around Taemin’s neck since he asked, because Minho would give him the sun if he asked for it.

As the taller boy came behind him to put the chain around his neck, Taemin felt his heart nearly jump out of his chest, because no, Minho didn’t make his heart stop beating, he made it go wild, pound so impossibly fast, Minho made him gasp for breath.

And he could hear Minho nearly panting as well as he fumbled to do the clasp, the tips of his finger touching the back of Taemin’s neck so lightly it made him shiver.

After finishing up, Minho moved to stand a few feet away probably just to contain his feelings, and he and Taemin shared a knowing look as the youngest of the two said jokingly that this means they have to become a couple after this.

But the thing is Taemin wasn’t really joking and that necklace was nothing but a declaration of their overflowing love.

Taemin’s world may only be either black or white, but Minho was his perfect shade of gray.