Minho jogged around the track one more time before he was done for the day. He'd done his final 8 laps. He could relax. The coach gave Minho a thumbs-up, but Minho wasn't feeling as great as he seemed.

Taemin hadn't come to school today.

It'd been three days since they'd slept together. Everything had seemed normal. They'd spent time together and (oddly enough) had a few laughs, and then today, Taemin just disappeared. Minho had searched high and low for the boy (English class had been ing confusing, as always) but hadn't spotted the boy. He'd meant to drop by Taemin's house (just for the homework help), but he'd gotten caught up in practice. The practices had moved to after-school practices now too. It was inhuman.

"Hey, mr. First-Place," Jonghyun teased as he jogged to a stop next to Minho. The taller boy looked at his friend, grinning. He ruffled Jonghyun's sweaty hair as he picked up his gym back and headed inside. He could hear his friend following him, his cleats clicking on the path to the locker rooms.

"Hey, have you seen Taemin?" Minho asked as he struggled out of his clothes. He felt better once he was topless, the sweat cooling on his chest and abs. Ah, the relief.

"No," Jonghyun replied as he tok a gulp of water before undressing. "You've been looking for him a lot lately, bro. Is there something up with you two? Since when were you buddies with a ?" The questions made Minho prickle inside.

"He's my tutor, you idiot. I just need a lot of help with homework. You know how I am with English," Minho snarled as he went to shower. He heard Jonghyun get in the shower next to him so that the conversation could continue.

"Alright, Mr. Defensive," Jonghyun chuckled as he started his water. Minho soaked under his own nozzle, sighing with relief as the hot water relaxed his muscles.

"I wasn't being defensive," Minho protested. "There's nothing to be defensive about. We're not even friends, okay?" He scrubbed himself, his hands lathered up with that cheap discount soap in the "sales" bin at the mall.

"Alright, I can just tell him," Jonghyun said as he rubbed some shampoo between his palms. "I'm sure it won't break his heart to find out that the feeling's not mutual between you two." Taemin had discussed his plan at length this morning. This was all according the the boy's elaborate script. The kid really was a genius.

"Mutual? You mean he thinks we're friends?" Minho asked, jumping at the question a little too eagerly, but not really caring. He wasn't even checking his behavior, to be honest. He wasn't eager about being friends with the . Just curious. There wasn't nothing wrong with that, right?

"Yeah, he's been saying 'My friend, Minho' for days now," Jonghyun said with a fake sigh. The water stopped in both their stalls, and Jonghyun stepped out to dress. Minho dressed in his stall, thinking pensively about Taemin. Did the boy really see them as friends? Did he really seem friendly? Could they possibly be friends?

It took him a few minutes to realize that he was putting his boxers on backwards. He dressed hastilly, his body moving fast as his mind mulled over the single thought of being the 's friend. Could it possibly happen?

"Hey, I'm getting a ride from Key, so I'm gonna head out," Jonghyun said. Minho's eyes widened and he burst out of the shower, one sock still in the process of being wriggled onto his foot.

"Wait! Wait wait wait," Minho said, hastily cramming all ten toes into the damned thing. He finished dressage before facing Jonghyun, panting from his battle with the sock of doom. "How are you friends with that ?"

"You know I hate it when you call him that," Jonghyun said, moving off of the script and crossing his arms. "Being homoual isn't inhuman, Minho. You know, Taemin's an awesome kid."

"He's a f—He's gay!" Minho protested. Jonghyun rolled his eyes and shook his head, clicking his tongue in disapproval. Quickly, he tried to recall the script.

"Being gay is just another part of him, Minho," Jonghyun said slowly. He gave a shrug and looked away. "He really was hoping you'd change like you'd promised." With a heavy sigh, Jonghyun moved to his bag, leaving Minho to hear the echoes of Jonghyun's last words.

He had promised Taemin that he'd change... He had promised it only so that Taemin would be his tutor, though! He didn't really want to get all chummy with the freak. Sleeping with him had just been a ing accident... Everything with that er had just been a damn accident!

But what if Taemin didn't want to tutor him anymore? Minho panicked at the thought. What if Taemin got angry and stopped talking to him? Minho's be lonely... And fail English. He'd just fail and that would be disastrous.

"How did you become friends with Key?" Minho mumbled, shuffling his feet. Jonghyun chuckled on the inside, but on the outside he just frowned at the taller boy. He crossed his arms and waited for the solutions to come to Minho. Like Taemin said, they did. "I should stop calling him a , huh? And... I should probably be nice to him in school... I should probably hang out with him for other than just for tutoring..."

"Yep," Jonghyun said. Suddenly, he found himself being hugged be a very distraught Minho. Awkwardly, he patted the boy's back.

"I don't know what to do!" he whined. "I can't just be nice to him! He's a ing freak of nature and I don't want to be nice to him."

"Stop being scared to be friends with him!" Jonghyun snapped. "Stop seeing him as just a , or a freak, or any of that! He's a kid just like you and me, so just see him as that! I swear, you're so ing thick sometimes!" He groaned and stormed away, leaving a very confused Minho to hug himself and think.

"He's... He's more than a ," Minho chanted to himself. Slowly, he moved towards his bag. Taemin... Taemin was Taemin. Minho sighed as he hugged his sweater to his chest. He knew Taemin the tutor, but who was the real Taemin? Who was the boy that he'd spent those happy hours with during the blackout? Who was that boy that Minho wanted to see again so badly that it ing hurt just to think about those memories?

And who was the boy that Minho found so beautiful?

~

Taemin hummed as Key fixed his hair. They'd spent so little quality time together that this was just a tiny bit awkward, but not to the extent that it was uncomfortably. Taemin giggles as Key with the hairbrush.

"Umma," he whined, batting at it. Key smiled and sighed, giving Taemin a tight hug. Taemin returned the embrace, smiling softly. He'd missed quality time with Key as much as the older boy had missed spending time with Taemin.

"You and Chang Sun seem very close," Key murmured as he pulled away, finally saying the one thought that had been nagging him for a while now. Taemin blushed and nodded.

"He's so nice," Taemin said happily. The older boy made him so happy. Truly, he was a one-of-a-kind friend. Key smiled softly and rubbed Taemin's shoulder.

"I'm glad you're friends with him, but be really careful, okay?" he murmured. Taemin looked at Key innocently, blinking at the warning. Key sighed and looked down at his hands. "He'll end up hurting you if you get too close... It's what he did to me.

"See, he was just a guy that I slept with all the time. At the time, I was in love with this knucklehead idiot that we now know as Jonghyun. I really hate him, but I really loved him too. I still cared about Chang Sun, though, you know? I mean, we were friends and all. I just... I guess I trusted him too much.

"Then one day, I hear that everyone in school's talking about Chang Sun disappearing. I don't see him for a few days and I start to worry, so I just give him a call to ask him how he's doing, and he tells me that he's transferred. He says it so normally, like he's buying milk or something. Then I ask him why he transferred, and do you want to know what he said to me?

"'I didn't want to see your stupid face anymore.' Then he just hung up, and... And I didn't see him since," Key mumbled. Taemin bit his lip and looked down, taking Key's hands and sighing.

"Do you think he'll do that to me?" Taemin asked softly. Key 's head snapped up, realizing that he'd just seriously disturbed Taemin. He shook his head frantically.

"A-aniyo, I'm not saying that he definitely will! He might not at all!" Key said, patting Taemin's hands as if trying to pat out a fire. "Just forget what I said, okay?" Taemin nodded mutely before another question came to mind.

"How did you know that you were in love with Jonghyun if you hated him so much?" Taemin asked. Key blushed and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. He chuckled nervously at the mere memory of it.

"Well... I always wanted to be around him... Even if I hated him, he was still so funny and great. We had an awesome time together when we were alone. I did whatever I could to be close to him, and when we talked, my heart would beat like crazy. I guess this whole Gayme is just how I—" Key wad cut off by a knock on the door. He kissed Taemin's cheek quickly and ran for the back door, leaving Taemin with a very perplexing notion.

Minho and he weren't friends, right? He hated Minho, right? And yet he laughed when he was with Minho and felt so happy when he and Minho were getting along. His heart broke whenever Minho turned away or called him something hurtful, like "" or "freak." He... He wanted to be friends with Minho. More than that, actually. He wanted to be with Minho, just smiling and laughing and acting like they were so close.

Was he in love... with Minho?

He heard the knock on the door again, but now he was too flustered to do anything. He had to operate under the mindset of hating Minho, of just wanting to make Minho realize his true self. That was all. That was all he could afford to want. He stood up and went to the door, calming down as he hand touched the knob. He opened the door to see Minho's face, red and full of nervousness.

Looks like Jonghyun had done job well.

"H-hey," Minho said, leaning forward and giving Taemin a shaky hug. The boy held himself back from returning the gesture, and Minho pulled away with a gulp. "I... I hope you're not sick..."

"Aniyo, I just had to wait for the power people to come and fix things," Taemin mumbled, the Korean word slipping in. Minho swallowed and looked around.

"Were they here already?" he asked curiously. Taemin nodded, an Minho couldn't help but let out a grin. "Great! I was thinking that... If you weren't sick... Maybe we could hang out."

"Like... Friends?" Taemin asked with fake innocence. Minho's cheeks got red again and he nodded. Taemin smiled and shrugged, as if it didn't make a difference. After all, he'd been awaiting his.

"Yeah, I'll just get a coat," Taemin said. Minho nodded and shuffled his feet, not knowing what to say. This was so foreign, actually making an attempt to be nice to Taemin. It'd been so easy before...

"I'll be in the car," Minho mumbled, retreating from the door. He took a deep breath as he got behind he wheel. The passenger-side door opened and Taemin slid in, a pair of tight leather pants and a bright halter-top covered (barely) with a black skimpy jacket. Je looked like he was dressed for a fashion show.

"Do I look okay?" Taemin asked with a cherry-lipped smile. Minho could only gulp. He didn't know whether this outfit made it easier or harder to see Taemin as more than just a . Probably harder. He had no clue anymore.

"F-fine," Minho muttered, blinking as Taemin started fiddling with the hem of his jacket. They just looked at each other, trying to figure out each other's motives. Taemin was just trying to be friendly, right? Then why the -hardening outfit?

Minho was never going to fall in love with him, right? Then why the heart-thumping attitude?

"Drive," Taemin finally mumbled, looking away. Minho chuckled a little and leaned back, crossing his arms with a tentative smirk. Taemin raised an eyebrow.

"And what if I don't?" Minho challenged playfully, making Taemin smile a little. That red smile that made Minho's heart do a funny little jump-hop-skip.

"Then beware the wrath of a 186 IQ rant," Taemin said with his own threatening smirk. Minho's eyes widened in mock fear. "You gave me a book on advanced physics. Prepare to hear it read right back to you."

"Alright, alright, I'll drive," Minho relented. His smile was for Taemin, from Taemin. They were off to a good start.

What happened next was a trip to the movies, with Taemin's appearance earning them hungry gazes from the ticket booth. Minho felt the urge to slip an arm around Taemin's waist. Couldn't the prick see that Minho was on a mission here?

"What movie?" Taemin asked, looking up at the viewings. Minho shrugged, his ears red from the looks Taemin was getting. He moved closer to the slim boy, marking his territory with glares all around. Glares, glares for everyone.

"Let's see that Avengers movie," Minho said absentmindedly, not remembering that he had the damned DVD at home. Taemin chuckled and poked Minho's ribs.

"Don't you own the disc?" Taemin asked. "I saw it when I was at your house." He didn't imply any other memories in that house, for which Minho was grateful. Honestly, he was hoping that Taemin had forgotten.

"Oh... Let's go to my place, then," he said with a grin. Taemin's face seemed to shadow over, but it was so quick that Minho figured that he'd just imagined it out of paranoia.

"Let's," Taemin said with a sweet-as-sugar smile. "Let's go to the supermarket first for some popcorn," he suggested. Minho smiled and nodded, throwing a casual arm around Taemin's shoulders. He didn't realize it until he'd done it, and he didn't feel like pulling away. It felt... Nice.

"What kind of popcorn should we get?" Minho asked, taking jokingly long strides towards the awaiting vehicle. Taemin laughed, that sound ringing like bells against the dull purr of motors a million feet away.

"The most expensive kind. Oh, and you're paying," Taemin teased. Then grinned at each other before agreeing silently to a race. They both took off towards the car, Taemin's hands closing around the hem of Minho's shirt. Minho was pulled back with a jerk, but he was not to be deterred. He put in an extra spurt of speed and let out a low snarl, making Taemin turn just as Minho barreled into him. Taemin back hit the car, and Minho was pressed against him with a competitive flare in his eyes. Their bodies leaned into the other's, and Taemin pulled away before things went too far.

"I won," Minho said with a smirk, acting like his heart wasn't about to speed out of his chest. For just that split second, he was chest-to-chest with that boy, in one of those dangerous positions that made Minho want something he could never want again.

And yet, driving with Taemin next to him, bantering about who'd gotten to the car first, he could almost believe that it was alright to want it.

They ended up on the couch, a bowl of kettle corn in the ridge between the cushions, cuddled together. They hadn't started out cuddling. They'd been two cushions apart, stealing glances at the other.

"You alright?" Minho had asked as he popped a few of the sweet puffs into his mouth and chewed. Taemin had nodded, fiddling with the tassels of the pillow that he had been crushing to his chest. However, as Loki broke through the portal, the two had shifted closer together, pressed closer by the loud sounds and the body count. Then, Nick Fury had been shot and Taemin leaped at Minho with a small shriek.

"Oh my gosh they shot him!" Taemin squeaked as he'd hurried into Minho's grasp. Minho's arms closed around him, hiding Taemin's eyes as Loki broke out of the building. They weren't even 20 minutes in, and Taemin was already trembling.

However, by the time Steve Rogers was breaking sand bags, Taemin had relaxed. He was comfortably leaning against Minho's shoulder, and he was warm, so Minho didn't really protest. After all, the house was chilly, wasn't it?

"You cold?" he asked as he noticed a small shiver run down Taemin's body. The smaller boy smiled and snuggled closer in response. Minho's arm moved lower, holding Taemin to his chest. The younger boy's eyes never left the screen.

"It's so cool," Taemin whispered, another shiver slipping through him, but the tremors came from something other than an inadequate external temperature. They came from the fact that he could feel Minho, hear Minho, experience every breath Minho took. He felt so happy just being there with Minho, joking about how good Pepper and Tony looked together, yet would probably be apart for the rest of the film. Seeing Minho's smile because of his company... This was the happiness of being in love, right?

"I love Steve Rogers," Taemin confessed. "He's so cool..." He didn't notice how Minho looked at him. It was an almost-blank stare, but something was beneath the blankness. A bitterness and a curiosity. As the team captured Loki in Germany, Taemin laughed at Captain America's joke about Hitler.

"He's not that funny," Minho muttered, going back to the film. Tony Stark/Ironman arrived, causing Taemin to clap happily and slip more kettle corn past his lips.

"Yay! They caught him!" Taemin said gleefully. Minho smirked at the younger boy's glee. It was... Cute. To say the least, if Minho was being an absolute cynic, if he was refusing to anything else about the boy, he had to admit that Taemin was cute with his unrestrained jubilance.

"Wait for it," Minho muttered, laughing as Taemin's jaw dropped when Thor came bursting in. Minho fell back on the couch, laughing until his gut ached, at the sight of Taemin's absolutely flabbergasted face. The wide eyes, the slack jaw... It was too funny. Minho finally caught his breath as Captain America stopped Ironman and Thor from killing each other, and his body immediately sought out Taemin's again. His arm wrapped around the slim body, and he rubbed Taemin's shoulder as the younger pouted.

Of course, the "he's adopted" line had Taemin all in smiles again, laughing as he leaned into Minho's chest. He watched with a languid smile as Nick Fury threatened a nonchalant Loki. One of his hands was just barely touching Minho's knee, but the older boy could feel the tingled all up and down his leg. Gently, he nudged Taemin's hand, and it rested firmly on the joint instead. It was better than the light touch, so Minho let it go. The proceeding scenes were met with happy laughter as the team hilariously went through their business. Then, came the big scene.

As the attack was launched on the airship, Taemin gasped and his hand tightened on Minho's knee. Minho couldn't help but tighten his embrace on Taemin's supple body as the tension mounted. The Hulk was released, knocking Black Widow to the ground, and Captain America was trying desperately not to cause Ironman's death. Taemin's breath hitched as Thor went after the Hulk, squeaking as they threw punches at each other.

"No!" Taemin screamed as Phil was blasted by an escaping Loki. Minho let out a low snarl as Taemin shrieked at the screen. "You bastard! They're going to rip you apart! I hate you! I hope you die in a fiery explosion of supernovas!"

"Yeah! What he said!" Minho shouted, throwing a punch into the air towards the screen. Taemin sat back in Minho's arms and grabbed the bowl of popcorn. The two reached in and grabbed handfuls, stuffing huge chunks into their mouths.

Then came the moment when Phil slipped out of the living world, and Taemin started bawling. Minho had to admit, even he could feel a few emotions welling up in him. Taemin beat at Minho's chest weakly.

"Why him? He was innocent! He was innocent, Minho! Why did he have to die?" Taemin wailed as Minho rubbed his back. He managed to calm down to watch the Avengers mobilize against Loki, joined now by Hawkeye. Taemin's fists pressed to his chest with anticipation as they landed in a chaotic New York.

"'s about to go down!" Minho cheered happily, Taemin bouncing enthusiastically in agreement. The enemy surrounded the city, gliding on brackish ships and armed to the teeth. It was looking hopeless, with the police overwhelmed, when suddenly...

"CAPTAIN AMERICA!" Taemin squealed, jumping up enthusiastically as Steve Rogers came onscreen, clad in tights and authoritative glory. It pissed Minho the off. Taemin's eyes were alight as he watched the tall, blond, handsome man order the police.

"He's not that cool," Minho mumbled, looking away. Taemin giggled, causing Minho to roll his eyes. Taemin relaxed back into Minho's arms, taking a little of the weight off of the older boy's chest. They watched the team take on as many of the battleships as they could, with Ironman zapping stray bad guys, until the huge war monster came.

"What is that?" Taemin screamed, causing Minho to laugh. He looked at the boy's frightened face, smirking. The huge, scaled dragon slithered between buildings, shaking up party. Of course, Bruce Banner roared and turned green, his fist obliterating the war dragon. Taemin pouted. "Anti-climatic..."

"Wait for it," Minho chuckled, causing another one of those shivers to run down Taemin's spine. He was so in love...

"OH MY GOSH!" he shrieked as a legion of the same huge war dragons s their way through the vortex. He scrambled into a laughing Minho's lap, his arms around Minho's neck as he shook with fright. His eyes were filled with terror as the Avengers tried to fight the monsters, with Hawkeye taking some foot soldiers from roof tops while Steve Rogers captivated the boy for brief spurts.

"You're so absorbed," Minho observed as he gently slid Taemin onto the couch again, the boy's arms still loosely wrapped around Minho's neck. They watched the battle unfold, watching the fluid moments with admiration (and a bit of unacknowledged jealousy on Minho's part).

"Puny god," the Hulk scoffed as he sauntered off after rendering Loki immobile. Taemin laughed as Minho gave a few chuckles, a loose fist in front of his mouth to catch his laughter. Taemin's company made this movie a lot funnier than he remembered it being.

Then, the bomb was launched.

"THEY'RE GOING TO KILL THEM!" Taemin shrieked, pointing at the screen as a missile headed for the heroes. He clung to Minho as the weapon got closer and closer. Only Ironman's heroics saved the day, but the man crashed into the ground, depleted of power.

"Don't cry," Minho murmured to Taemin, although the fat tears were already rolling down the boy's cheeks. Minho's arms drew Taemin closer, and he was about to plant a kiss on Taemin's head when the Hulk roared, interrupting all thought and action. Minho's head snapped up as Ironman woke up, eliciting a cheer from Taemin.

Finally, the farewells of the ending scene came, and Minho sighed happily as Taemin snuggled into him to watch. The boy's eyelashes flickered as he leaned his head onto Minho's chest. The older boy's hand gently glided up and down Taemin's back, and their chuckles mingled as the final scene showed the team eating shawarma in a beat-up restaurant.

"I want shawarma," Taemin mumbled absentmindedly. Minho hummed in agreement as the film turned into a black screen, and he turned off the TV. Taemin sat up and stretched, smiling at Minho. He leaned over and kissed Minho's cheek chastely before taking the bowl and bringing it to the kitchen. The kiss seemed to melt into Minho's cheek, and he found himself smiling dreamily at Taemin.

"He's not bad," he sighed to himself, a smile on his face. Taemin came back and flopped onto the couch, nonchalantly resting his ankles on Minho's thighs. The two boys laughed at the action.

"Hey, are you taking me home, or am I staying here?" Taemin asked. Minho shrugged, and Taemin sat up. "Let's go," he said with a teasing smile. "I don't want to hear your snoring again."

"Fine, it's best that I get you out of my house before the neighbors start to wonder where the rest of the Ugly Show is," Minho retorted with a laugh. Taemin chuckled and lightly hit Minho's chest before they found themselves in the car, chatting happily about the movie.

By the time they got to Taemin's house, the younger boy was sure that he was in love with Minho. They said goodbye at the door, hugging without hesitation. They agreed to do this again as soon as possible.

"Why don't you come to the football game tomorrow?" Minho asked. Taemin nodded enthusiastically, giving a small thumbs up. Minho chuckled. "If we win, I'll treat you to shawarma," he promised.

"Yay! I'll be cheering for you!" Taemin promised. They hugged again before it was time to say goodbye. Still, a little drunk in each other, they didn't let go yet. Taemin's arms were still around Minho's neck, and Minho's hands rested on Taemin's sides. Their eyes twinkled in the others, making Taemin's cheeks grow red. Minho caught himself first, tearing himself away quickly. Taemin managed a quick "goodbye" before the car sped off.

He was going to need to get ready for the game. He knew just who to call.

A/N - Keke~ I love the Avengers, btw.

More to come! Comments are love!