Jonghyun remained calm and seemingly unbothered through most of the rest of the trip. Jinki seemed pleased about this, and took it as a good sign for things to come. By the time they left the store, however, they were still under the spending limit, even though Jonghyun had gotten everything he needed, so they were on their way to a bedding store. Some sheets and a new blanket wouldn't do any harm, though Minho had some regret at the thought of giving the boy incentive to return to his own bed. Jonghyun wandered through the isles aimlessly. He wasn't sure what he was after, because he'd never bought bedsheets before. You were supposed to chose your favorite color right? But he wasn't sure what his favorite color was. He looked slightly stressed as he walked through yet another isle of blankets and pillow cases. Minho came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his hyung from behind.

 

"What's the matter?" Minho asked, resting his chin on top of Jjong's head.

 

Jonghyun sighed and thought about the things bothering him. He didn't want to sleep on the top bunk, but they would probably expect him to if he got the new sheets. And if Onew really was going to adopt him or whatever, how long would he be away from Minho? His guess was too long. He wouldn't mind some space to deal with the things in his own head for a few days, but what if it was weeks? Or months? He would be so upset. He liked the warmth and comfort the other boy offered. But he couldn't say any of that, so he shrugged a bit.

 

"I'm just not sure what to get." He said. Minho sighed a bit.

 

"What's your favorite color?" He asked. Jonghyun shrugged awkwardly. "Alright..well, you seemed to really like the blue and purple cloths Key picked out. Maybe we could look for one of those colors."

 

"Alright." Jonghyun agreed slowly, and Minho let go of him to start walking down an isle.

 

He hung back for a moment, thinking about the way the younger boy made him feel. He knew he trusted him, and he was comfortable around him, and that was why their skinship worked so well. But he wasn't sure if there was more to it or not. He knew he wouldn't really have much to worry about if that was the case..his roommates were all that way, and he was sure they would accept him. But he just wasn't sure how he felt, so he decided not to tell anyone until he was certain. He looked up suddenly, realizing he had no idea where Minho had gone. He sighed and resigned himself to start looking, when a group of people came into the isle. He took in a sharp breath and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his worn out jeans and went to go out the other end, when more people came in that way too. He swallowed hard, mentally kicking himself for not following Minho when he should have, and started walking the direction he'd seen Minho going. He glanced down the isles quickly, growing more and more frustrated and paniced each time he didn't see the taller boy. He was walking quickly, now, his eyes not stopping for a second as he searched, and finally, finally, he found him looking at a shelf with some mild confusion.

 

"Minho!" Jonghyun said. Minho looked up and smiled a bit, waving him over. Jonghyun all but ran to him, taking his hand immedietly.

 

"Woah, are you ok?" Minho asked, surprised by the other male initiating contact. Jonghyun nodded quickly.

 

"I just thought I lost you for a minute there. I'm ok, now." Jonghyun said, staring at the floor. Minho smiled and squeezed the shorter boys hand.

 

"It's ok. I'll always be here." Minho said. Jonghyun felt his heart skip, and looked up at Minho's grinning face.

 

"How do you know?" Jonghyun asked, insecurity etched in his tone.

 

"With some people, you just know." Minho said. "Now then, what do you think of this?"

 

Jonghyun looked at the blanket in Minho's hand. It was soft, like something you would expect a baby to have, but big enough that he would be able to wrap it around himself. It was a deep purple cheeta print, and Jonghyun felt oddly embarrassed at the thought of admitting he liked it. Like it was some kind of test, but he nodded anyway. Minho smiled and ruffled his hair, then put the blanket in the cart before grabbing some plain black sheets and a black comforter.

 

"I think this will cover what was needed to be spent." Minho said. Jonghyun sighed in relief. "We'll go and get lunch after this, then we'll head back to the home, ok?"

 

"Already?" Jonghyun asked, looking a bit put out. Minho raised his eyebrows.

 

"Well, what else did you think we were going to do?" He asked. Jonghyun sighed, squeezing Minho's hand a bit before looking at it in surprise, like he was only now aware of the contact. He shook his head and took a breath before responding.

 

"I was just hoping we would be able to actually spend some time outside that wasn't in the parking lot." Jonghyun said. "I don't like being inside so much."

 

"Well...we could always talk to Jinki. Maybe see if we could eat somewhere with an outside table?" Minho offered. Jonghyun thought it over for a moment before slowly nodding.

 

"Yeah..I guess that could work." Jonghyun said. Minho smiled at him before leading him over to where Onew was watching Taemin bounce up and down in excitement.

 

"Hey, what's going on?" Minho asked when they reached the others. Jinki smiled at Minho.

 

"I got approved." He said. "I can bring Jonghyun to my house tomorrow. And they said that, if I am seriously considering adopting all of you, I would be able to do so within the next month and a half."

 

"Really?" Minho asked. Onew nodded.

 

"They just need to make sure that Jonghyun adjusts well to each of you coming in, and they think the transition may be easier if I were to take you for weekend visits." He said. Jonghyun looked around slowly, feeling awkward as he tried to hide behind Minho, but stopped suddenly.

 

"Where's Kibum?" He asked. Minho glanced back at him, slightly surprised.

 

"He had to go outside for a few minutes." Jinki said. "He'll be right back."

 

"Is he ok?" Jonghyun asked, concern clear in his eyes. Minho furrowed his brow, but Taemin continued to look unsurprised.

 

"He'll be ok. He just needs to calm down. He's too happy right now, and it makes him seem a little weird, so he didn't want anyone to see." Taemin explained. Jonghyun nodded slowly, not sure he understood, but allowed himself to be lead to the check out nonetheless.

 

They were almost done paying when Key made his entrance, and Jonghyun noted that his eyes were a bit puffy, as though he had been crying. Minho made a serious attempt at distracting him from this fact, but now Jonghyun was worried about the self-proclaimed Umma. He detatched himself from Minho and went over to Key shyly.

 

"Are you ok?" Jonghyun asked. Key looked at him, startled, but nodded. "Ok..well..if you ever need to talk about it..I'm here, you know."

 

There was a long silence as what he said sank in to the group. The shyest boy in the entire group was actually making an effort to connect with the loudest boy in the group, and it was a bit startling for everyone, especially Jonghyun, who had still believed he didn't want to make friends. But, after seeing Kibum in such a state, he knew he would feel terrible if he didn't at least try to make it so the boy wouldn't have to cry anymore. Key, who seemed to be in a trance at what the boy said, suddenly smiled warmly and wrapped his arms around Jonghyun.

 

"Thank you." Key said, squeezing him, before letting him go. Jonghyun nodded a bit, before worming his way under Minho's arm. "So...have we decided what we're doing for lunch yet?"

 

"I have an idea!" Minho said, winking at Jonghyun. The older boy merely smiled in response, and picked up a bag to carry.

 

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The story is actually going to start picking up about two chapters from now, I want to say. I've got a whole plan for this. And before anyone gets confused, yes, Jonghyun is starting to question just how much he likes Minho, and in what ways.