"Taemin, go in the car." 

Taemin grips Minho's shirt tighter while taking a step closer. "Minho-sunbae?" He sounds helpless and confused--as if he didn't want Minho to tell him to go away. Minho turns to him, placing his hand on the one on his shirt. He gently pries it off and gives it a hopefully comforting squeeze. "Go in the car, please. For me? I'll be there soon, I promise." 

Taemin's eyes flick towards the strangers before they land on his feet. "Okay." His hand goes limp and he turns away, jogging to the car and sliding in the front seat. Minho's gut twists as he watches Taemin pull his knees to his chest, and he curses himself. It wasn't like he was abandoning Taemin or anything. He just needed to make sure Younha and this man--whoever he was, and he sure as hell hoped he wasn't her new boyfriend--got home safely. 

"Hey, who is that little kid? Your boyfriend?" Younha asks, pointing at his car and pulling a lollipop from her purse. Her red lipstick is as dark as ever, and possibly even redder than before; Minho can't remember. Maybe he doesn't want to. "I bet he is, isn't he? He's cute!" 

"None of your business. Don't mess with him."

She snorts, twirling her lollipop in front of her eyes, watching the color glint. "Why so overprotective? You're never like that with anyone. Well, except for me..." Their eyes connect again, and she's smirking. Minho gulps, crossing his arms. What was Younha doing here? Why did she suddenly pop back into his life? He pushed the uneasy feeling in his chest away and cleared his throat.

"Times have changed. I have changed. Things aren't like before anymore." 

opens to ask something--he assumes "Like what?"--but the man interrupts her. "Who's this kid, Youhna? Another one of your little followers?" Minho clenches his fists, jaw setting. Who was he to call him 'kid'? Youhna smiles, teeth and all, as if she's enjoying the tension. She looks between them for a few seconds before deciding to speak up.

"Seungwoo, meet Minho. He's an old... acquaintance of mine. Minho, this is Seungwoo, my boyfriend." The two men shake hands, somewhat stiffly and glares apparent from miles away. So he was Younha's new boyfriend. Minho admits that this Seungwoo guy is pretty tough, his handshake firm and crisp, but he wasn't going to let him talk down to him like he was a speck of dirt. 

"Let me take a look at your car and see what I can do." Seungwoo scoffs, shrugging his shoulders. "Doubt you can do much." 

Minho narrows his eyes. Is that a challenge? "We'll see." 

Forty minutes later though, Minho had shedded his shirt, sweat indicating that he has yet to find a solution. "Give it up," Seungwoo says. "You're wasting your time." Minho grits his teeth. "Why'd you even drive with this ty engine? It's impossible to fix. And there aren't any gas stations for miles. You're probably going to have this leave this here and tow it later." 

Youhna sighs loudly, tossing her lollipop stick on the side of the road. "Now how are we going to get home?" She glares at Seungwoo, who in return grunts. "I told you I'd find a way. If you'd just stop whining like a little b--" 

"Hey, I can give you guys a ride. If you'd like, that is." 

Younha's ecstatic, whole being brightened. "That's perfect! Seunggie, Minho offered us a ride! How about it?" Seungwoo shakes his head, taking a few steps backwards. "No. We're not hitching a ride with... him. I told you I'd find a way, didn't I?" Younha pouts, but Minho butts in, "Hey, you're not going to find a bus station anywhere around here. Not for a few kilometers. I said I can give you a ride, so why don't you just take up the offer? It's better than staying out here in the heat waiting for no one to come." 

With a lot of convincing, Minho, Younha, and Seungwoo are walking towards the idle truck. Taemin sits up at the sight of Minho, but his smile fades as he takes in the other two figures. "Taemin, you don't mind if I give Younha and Seungwoo a ride, do you? It'll only be a while. I just need to get them to a station." Taemin nods slowly, eyes not meeting his, and Minho wonders what he's thinking.

"What about the project?" he asks quietly, probably so to not offend their guests. Minho finds Taemin sickenly adorable, resisting the urge to squeeze his cheeks and rub the soft skin and ki--He finds Taemin absolutely, unbearably cute, that's all. Nothing else. "We'll already ahead of the game, we can take a small break. And I promise it won't take too long. You trust me, right?" He pinches his chin and Taemin backs away, a cute pout forming on those irresistible lips. 

"Minho, I want to sit in the front. You know how much I like sitting in the front seat," Younha pleas. She hooks her arm in his and smiles up at him, and Minho remembers this so well. It's like high school all over again. How could he say no to his sunbae? The one who took care of him and his family as they suffered? The one who introduced him to people and made them befriend him just so he wouldn't be lonely? He couldn't say no to her. 

Taemin wouldn't mind. It wouldn't be for long. He gathers up the rest of his energy to knock on the door and ask Taemin to sit in the back. The boy glances at Younha, who's kicking her heel in the dirt, and scrambles out of the front seat. Minho watches Seungwoo climb in after him, and suddenly regrets his decision. "You... you gonna be okay back there?" 

Taemin nods, seatbelt clicking clearly in. He gives Minho a small smile and thumbs up. It doesn't make Minho feel any better, but he smiles back anyways, leaning forward to ruffle his hair. 

On the road they go, and Minho checks his map to make sure they are indeed going the right way. Meanwhile, Younha's on another lollipop and adjusting her makeup in the mirror. It's silent, save for tires rolling across gravel, until Younha started to get bored. She shuffled in her seat, legs crossed on the dashboard. And then she began watching Minho, smiling softly.

"Hey," she breaks the silence, turning to talk to Taemin and Seungwoo. "Did you guys know that Minho used to follow me around everywhere in high school? This kid was too cute!" She chuckled to herself, punching Minho lightly on the arm. "He was such a scrawny kid back then, you know? And I felt bad so I offered him my lunch. And from there he followed me around.
 

"I think he fell in love with me at some point." At this, Younha bursted into cackles of laughter, doubling over as she reminisced. "He kept sending me 'anonymous' love letters and he glared at any boy who went near me, scared them all off actually. Of course, as his sunbae, I couldn't lead him on, could I? Plus, there was this really really cute college guy at the time and Minho looked so puny next to him then. He grew up well though," she trailed off, a finger on Minho's bicep. 

She suddenly turned to Taemin, eyes wide and expecting. "Minho says you're not his boyfriend. Is he lying?" Taemin blinks a few times--Minho almost misses the cuteness, but he's glad he didn't because it gave him enough energy to stay up for another hour--before shaking his head. Younha leans back in her seat, releasing a sigh. 

"Thank goodness! That means more Minho for me~!" She hugs his forearm and begins belting a song at the top of her lungs, swaying back and forth. Minho's laughing, too busy to catch the two males' reaction in the backseat. 

It's hours before he realizes how quiet it is, despite Younha's singing. He remembers looking back quite a few times, but Taemin was always sleeping and Seungwoo had his arms crossed, angrily staring out the window. They make a quick bathroom stop at a convenience store where Younha ended up buying a few snacks for herself and Seungwoo apparently made a phone call while buying a pack of cigarettes. 

Minho snatches a bag of chips he heard Taemin once say was his favorite, and a few packages of kimbap. He hopes he can make it up to Taemin. The ride was taking longer than expected and the guilt was slowly gnawing away at him, tearing at his few hours of sleep. Before driving, Minho needed to check which road they'd be taking, since there'd be a fork somewhere ahead. He gave Taemin the chips then, waiting for a warm smile, but getting nothing in return. Taemin hugs the bag of chips to his chest, a quick 'thank you' mumbled. 

Minho sighs, not sure what to do next. Was it healthy for Taemin to be sleeping this much? He wasn't sure. He hasn't seen him sleep so much before. But that was before Minho dumped two strangers in their car and forced Taemin to sit in the back. 

"Younha, can you please check which road we're taking next?" he turns on the engine, rubbing his temples to rid of the guilt. Younha takes a few minutes, and she huffs out an uncertain 'right'. "Are you sure?" She nods vigorously, chomping on her ice cream. Maybe Minho should have gotten Taemin ice cream. 

"Okay. Almost there, guys." 

'Almost there' actually translated to five hours. Minho was sure they took the wrong road. "There's nothing but rocks," Seungwoo complains, exhaling a ring of smoke that lingered in the truck and set Taemin into a coughing fit. Minho sent him a look, but Seungwoo waved it off with a roll of his eyes. "Let the kid get used to it. He'll probably get addicted when he's older." 

Minho's grip on the wheel tightens, and he speeds up a little. When he looks in the rearview mirror, he sees Seungwoo staring at Taemin, who was napping comfortably and had one shoulder exposed due to the oversized t-shirt. It was probably Minho's. Their belongings were always mixed up, it was possible Taemin would have grabbed his shirt. The expanse of skin showing wasn't much, but it was enough to make Minho dazed for a few seconds. That sharp collarbone jutting out would look better with his lips on it an--

Oh God, what was he thinking now? Couldn't he go one day without thinking inappropriate thoughts about his partner? 

And wasn't it Seungwoo who was staring first? Minho glared at him, who was still checking Taemin out, and his knuckles grew white. He needed to get Younha and this erted creep home now. 

He couldn't really understand or even explain this overprotective shield he had over Taemin, but he just knew that Taemin was off limits to everyone, excluding him. Maybe it was because they were so similar and Taemin gave him a sense of... home. He felt like he was home when they talked, when they ate together, when they worked together. And well, it was also his job to look after Taemin wasn't it, as his partner? He was just watching out for him, making sure he didn't get hurt or anything.

Taemin stirs and stretches away his drowsiness, emitting a few mewls. Minho snatches this chance to call him forth. Taemin sleepily leans in, laying his chin on the seat. "You hungry?" Minho asks, quietly enough so only Taemin could hear. Taemin raises his eyebrows and Minho repeats his question, grinning at this ball of perfection. But Taemin frowns and shakes his head. 

"Hm? Are you sure you're not hungry, Taemin? You haven't eaten for a few hours? I wouldn't want you getting sick." 

Taemin nods. "I'm too tired," he yawns. 

Minho purses his lips. Well, Taemin needed to eat, and he was going to whether he felt like it or not. Minho leaned in until his lips grazed the younger's ear--he slowed down as to not crash into any cars that were never around--and whispered, "Taemin, I'm going to stop by a restaurant, okay? Do you think you'll be hungry by then?" 

He shivers at the huffs of warm breaths pressed into his skin. Minho grins. "Okay? You'll eat for me, right? It's only about ten minutes away," he murmurs, nuzzling the soft skin of his cheek. He couldn't resist, really, no matter how much he tried. Taemin nods, either too tired or embarrassed to speak. Minho doesn't miss the shades of red adorning those pretty cheeks. 

Seungwoo makes a disgusting sound not a few seconds later and Minho sees him scoot away from Taemin. "What is this? Are you guys gay? Freaks." He lights another cigarette and sticks his head out the car window, as if he couldn't stand breathing the same air as them. Taemin's blush is gone and he closes his eyes, choosing to nap some more. Minho was very close to kicking Seungwoo out the door and leaving him on this road to suffer and shrivel to the size of a peanut. 

Did that offend Taemin in any way? Was Taemin gay? Or did he feel awkward about being close to him? Was Taemin upset? Is that why he's sleeping so much? Minho doesn't know what to do, a horrible knot settling in his stomach. 

He does, however, pull up to a restaurant, as he said they would. Younha exclaims her excitement and tugs Seungwoo towards the front door as Minho unbuckles the seatbelt securing Taemin. "Minho! We'll grab a table for you!" Younha calls, waving her arms wildly. Minho nods, offering a small wave back. He ducks back in the car to see Taemin rubbing his eyes cutely with two coiled fists. 

""Morning, cutie. Had a nice nap?" Taemin sticks out his tongue playfully. "I'm still tired," he admits, laughing. Minho joins in, happy to hear that beautiful sound again. "You ready for some meat?" 

Taemin nods enthusiastically, turning to get out of the car. "Um, Minho-sunbae? Could you please move so I can get out?" 

"Oh, uh, yeah, of course." He moves, turning away to hide his red ears. Nice move, weirdo. Taemin laughs again and tugs him by the wrist towards the restaurant. 

Minho wipes a piece of meat off of the corner of Taemin's mouth and he chuckles as those eyes widen. "Slow down, you'll hurt yourself." Taemin swallows the mouthful of rice and smiles gratefully. Minho looks out the window of the restaurant's patio. Younha and Seungwoo had excused themselves for a talk a few minutes ago. He wondered if they were alright.

What if Seungwoo was yelling at Younha like before? 

Minho tells Taemin he's going to check on them, and Taemin nods, chewing slowing down. His eyes are back to avoiding his, and Minho wants so badly to forget about Younha and Seungwoo and just sit here and eat with Taemin forever. 

But he owed Younha his life and he wouldn't be able to live with himself if Younha was hurt. So he left, promising he'd be back very soon. Taemin just nodded his head, heading for another large piece of meat. How many promises will he break today? He stops chewing altogether, an ache bursting in his chest. Taemin blinks away the few tears that slipped without him knowing. He goes back to eating, goes back to pretending everything is alright and perfectly normal. Just like before.

"You--ugh, I can't believe you! I knew I should have dumped your back there and left you! You despicable !" 

Minho grabs the hand in front of Younha's horror-stricken face and yanks it backwards as hard as he can. "What the hell do you think  you're doing? Didn't your mother teach you never to lay a hand on a woman?" Seungwoo sneers, brushing his hand on his jeans. "This" he spits at Younha's feet, "is not a woman. It's a conniving little lying, cheating , that's what it is."

Minho blood boils and rages and before he knows it, he's raising his fist, ready to strike. But Younha stops him. "Don't, Minho. It's not worth it." 

"He just called you a lying, cheating... yeah! How can you let him do that to you?"

Seungwoo laughs, stumbling towards the railing. "Because she knows I'm right." 

Minho tells him to shut up, but he silently questions Younha if he's right. She sighs and plops down on a chair, placing her purse on the table and grabbing another lollipop. "Tell him," Seungwoo urges, cigarette bouncing off his bottom lip. "Tell him what you did." 

Younha fumbles with the candy wrapper, obviously guilty. "I... I might have given you the wrong directions..." she bites her lip, looking up at him through the corner of her eyes. "What?" Minho asks. "What do you mean?" 

"She wanted to stay with you longer so she purposely gave you the wrong directions," Seungwoo explained. He didn't sound angry anymore, but he still refused to acknowledge her. "Said she missed you and wanted you back." 

Minho frowns at her, and Younha just shrugs. "I just... after all these years, you grew up so well. And I thought maybe... you know, you might still like me." Seungwoo makes a move to leave, but Minho stops him. "Where do you think you're going?" 

"Back to eat. I don't want to hear this anymore than she wants to say it." Minho doesn't want to leave him alone with Taemin, but he's right. He wouldn't want that either. So he lets him go, half of him wanting to follow, the other determined to set things straight. 

He sits down across from Younha. "Okay, shoot. Tell me everything." 

*~*~*

"Goodbye, Younha-ssi, Seungwoo-ssi," Taemin says, waving. Seungwoo doesn't react, continued to inhale his cigarette, whilst Younha waves back, uncharacteristically winking as well. Taemin shuffles towards Minho as the train hoots and groans away. "Your friends are weird." Minho grins, throwing an arm around his shoulder. 

"Finally got them off my back though. We should get back to work, don't you think?" 

Taemin sighs, claiming he forgot about that. They get back in the track and sit there for awhile, staring at each other. Taemin breaks away first, strapping on his seatbelt. "Should we go?" 

Minho grins, shifting the car into drive. "As you wish." 

"I think your friends' weirdness rubbed onto you."

"Nah, they just made me realize something." 

"You like him." 

"Who?"

"Taemin." 

"What are you talking about, Younha? Stop making things up."

Younha tsks, wagging her forefinger at him. "You do. I can tell. That's why I decided to stop chasing you. I was hoping Seungwoo wouldn't freak out, but yeah." Minho kicks her from under the table. "That's what you get for being a bad girlfriend. You guys have such a weird relationship." 

"I know, I know. We need to work a bit on communicating, but we like each other a lot. He's been very reliable and he can support us." She pauses, a pitiful expression overcoming her features. "I don't think you'd be happy with Taemin though."

"Why?" It came out suddenly, he didn't really mean to say it out loud.

"Well, look at him. How old is he anyways? And does he even eat regularly? He looks so skinny. Like sick-skinny, Minho. And like, what's with the long hair? Does he have gender issues or something? Look, I don't really care how he looks, but I don't think he's right for you. He's a little... I don't know, not your type. Plus, last time I checked, you weren't gay." 

Minho's nails dug into his palm as he tried to calm his heart. He didn't want to accidentally say something hurtful to Younha, but how could he just sit back and let her badmouth Taemin? 

"First of all, I'm bi, Younha. And second of all, I really don't think Tae--" 

Younha shoots both arms in the air and jumps out of her seat. "Kidding!" She bends over the table to poke his nose. "Kidding, Minho, jeezus. I just wanted to see your reaction. And see--you do like him!" She claps her hands and looks at him triumphantly, pleased to prove him wrong. 

"You like him," she repeats as Minho sulks to himself. "Truthfully, I wish I could be more like Taemin, so maybe you could like me again, but I know that won't ever happen. The way you loved me is different than the way you like Taemin. You may have thought I was your first love and that we'd get married, but I knew it was just a silly little crush. I acted like a noona and paid attention to you and you just took it all in, tried to keep it for as long as you could, because no one had ever done so before

"But Minho, now you really like someone, and instead of wanting to follow him everyday and do whatever he tells you do, you want to take care of him. You worry about him and you make sure he's eating right and you want him to be happy, but also to be the reason he's happy. You're selfish in an entirely different way than you were with me. Because although you kept the boys away from me, you let me have boyfriend."

Younha smiles and holds his hands, sandwiching them between hers. "Remember that later, okay? When in times of doubt, this will solve everything." 

"I like him," Minho breathes, trying it out. 

She nods, patting his arm. "I know."