“And then, he told me that something had escaped, and he scared me, and it was really cute! And guess what he thought had escaped?” Key said excitedly as they sat in the library.

“Squirrel,” said Minho, not even looking up from his notes. “Key, you’ve told us this story at least 12 times this week.”

“But he’s just so-“

“Cute,” finished Minho. “Yup, I know.”

“So are you guys a couple now?” asked Minho and Key nodded furiously.

“I don’t understand how he’s so cute when he’s with you, but he isn’t like that at all when we’re there, “said Jonghyun as he flicked through his textbook.

“He is cute! He just doesn’t like bugs,” he defended. “He’s really sweet. I wish you guys would get along. Can you please just try one more time?”

“I don’t know if he likes us Key,” reasoned Jonghyun.

“Well, he doesn’t hate you,” said Key, not actually sure if that was the truth. “Come to lunch with us again. I’ll txt him and see if he is keen.”

Is it ok if Minho and Jonghyun come to lunch with us? ^^I promise I will kick their butts if they try anything stupid like last time! :) xx

Ok

Key grimaced at the one word answer.

Taemin scowled at the screen of his phone. He did not want to go to lunch with Jonghyun and Minho, but he wanted to be with Key.

“Anyong Taemin,” a female voice said.

He looked up and saw the brown haired Chinese girl who gave him his first smoke sitting in the seat next to him. She was in his English class and really good at English, and did his worksheets for him. They sat together at the back of the class because everyone else was a bit scared of them.

“Ni hao Lacey,” he smiled.

Lacey was pretty and hot, and if Taemin didn’t have Key he would totally go after this chick, and he was pretty sure Lacey liked him a bit too. They spent their lessons flirting, Lacey giving him mischevious looks whenever they accidently on purpose touched each other. Lacey was the first friend he had made here, and even though they couldn’t speak the same language, they got along well.

Onew sighed, seeing Taemin and Lacey once again giggling at the back of the class. He was glad Taemin had found a friend, but with the school bad girl?

Class ended and Taemin swung his arm around Lacey’s shoulder, and Lacey leaned into him, and he just knew then that she liked him. It was obvious.

Taemin felt powerful and manly with Lacey, because Lacey was very petite and skinny. Being with Key, he felt like he was the submissive one. Although it seemed logical because Key seemed like he knew what he was doing and Taemin liked it, he missed being the dominant one in the relationship, the boy.

And Lacey made him question whether he really was gay or not because she had the long hair that he had always been attracted to, and she had a nice rack. Taemin liked the soft smell of her perfume. She was a girl, and Taemin liked girls.

“Want to eat lunch with me?” he asked. If Key could bring his friends, he could too.

“Sure,” said Lacey smiling at him.

They walked to the park and sat down beneath the tree that Taemin and Key sat under everyday. Lacey laughed as Taemin pretended to trace a flower on her cheek.

Lacey shook out some cigerettes from her packet and they both lit up together. Taemin thought this was really romantic, but it didn’t hold the same feeling of deep and mutual intimacy he had with Key.

Taemin didn’t really feel like he like liked her. She was pretty but he didn’t know. He should be attracted to her, should be chasing her, but he didn’t feel like he wanted to right now. He was so confused.

He heard raucous laughter and craned his head to see Key, Minho and Jonghyun walking into the park a while away.

He smiled. He would prove to Key that he was the man and play him like the girls back on Seoul who always came crawling back. If Key really liked him he would come crawling back too.

Key caught sight of the brown hair and grinned when he recognised as Taemin’s. The grin slid off as he realised Taemin had his arm around a girl. It turned to disbelief as he saw Taemin’s head lean into the girls, and their lips connected, Taemin kissing her with a confidence Key hadn’t seen before.

 Maybe it wasn’t Taemin, he thought wildly. Maybe I’m mistaken.

The longer he looked the more it was shoved in face that it was undeniably Taemin.

 It was Taemin.

Key felt numb.

 He was kissing a girl.

 Taemin did not like him. That cuteness, the romance. It must have been a façade for his true character. His eyes couldn’t leave the scene in front of him and the container full of his salad that he had put in extra tomatoes for Taemin slipped out of his hands and landed on the path, and he was pretty sure it had spilt, but he didn’t care.

His blood ran cold as Taemin opened his eyes, and met Key’s smugly. Key’s mouth fell open as Taemin smirked and his lip as he pulled away from the girl and took a drag off his cigarette.

Taemin didn’t like it. She tasted like smoke and she wasn’t a very good kisser. In fact, she was terrible and he had to make all the effort. But what kept him going was knowing that Key was watching. When he had opened his eyes he saw Key staring at him with what looked like hurt and betrayal, and he felt better that know he was in control of Key and could play with his emotions too.

Taemin watched as Jonghyun and Minho both simultaneously gave him the dirtiest looks he had ever received in his life, before grabbing Key and walking briskly away.

Key didn’t look back.

Taemin didn’t know what this feeling was that was in his heart. He didn’t want to admit but. He felt guilty. And sad. He didn’t mean what he had just done with Lacey and wished he hadn’t done it now. He wanted to eat lunch with Key now. He realised that he had just hurt Key really badly.

“Taemin!”

Lacey’s voice interrupted his train of thought and he glared at her.

“What?” he spat.

“Why did you do that?’ she asked, looking confused and hopeful. Taemin wanted to crush out her hope and feel that rush of making someone feel bad, knowing he had the control. She had no right to be hopeful. He wanted Key.

“Because you’re a ,” he said. Yes, he knew what everyone said about Lacey. He didn’t care, but he knew he could hold it against her.

Lacey looked shocked, pushed Taemin and ran away. Taemin sat under the tree by himself, wondering whether what he did had really made him feel better.

But all he could think of was Key’s hurt face at him. How Key would have kissed him better. He had never felt remorseful before when he did this to girls back in Korea.

Key hyung was so good to him. And this was how he repayed Key. His heart hurt because he knew he had hurt Key like this too. He just wished he could rewind time and start this day all over again. He wanted Key to forget this. He still didn’t know if he was gay. But he knew for sure, that he liked Key a lot.

Key started crying when they were on the bus home. He had said nothing the whole time, and Minho and Jonghyun had told him that he should go home, and came with him because they knew Key was devastated, but wouldn’t show it yet.

“Taemin doesn’t know how to get on the bus by himself, “ he said aloud, before bursting into tears when he replayed what had happened. Taemin had kissed a girl. Taemin didn’t want him. Taemin probably wasn’t even gay.

“Taemin can go himself,” said Jonghyun, giving his best friend a hug, furious at Taemin. He couldn’t believe how low Taemin had stooped. What had he been trying to prove, making out with a girl purposely in front of them and ing smiling? He had wanted to hurt Key. This was unforgivable in front of Jonghyun’s eyes.

“He’s not good enough for you Key, he treats you like trash. You deserve better,” he said, his anger simmering underneath the sorrow he felt at seeing the exact moment his best friend’s heart had broken.

“What has he been doing with me then? He’s sweet, I know it, he’s not like this! How could he just lie to me like that, I l-l-l-love-“

“No you don’t,” said Minho firmly. “Don’t even say that word. That Taemin is the Taemin that me and Jonghyun see every time we meet, Key. He must have been pretending in front of you, he’s just a horrible person.”

“He’s not,” cried Key, wiping his eyes on the tissues he had pulled out of his bag. “He’s nice.”

“Key, listen to yourself and think,” said Minho forcefully. “You’ve barely been in classes and lectures since you met him. You’ve been getting bad grades, and you’re going to flunk if you keep going on like this. Would a ‘nice’ boy do this to you? Does he not realise how much you value education? Or does he not know? And if he doesn’t know, then he doesn’t know you and that isn’t very ‘nice’. On the days you do turn up, you look like you haven’t slept, and he hates us. And when we do see him, we don’t even need to catch him, he deliberately in your face smokes and kisses someone else. What a ‘nice’ boy Taemin is, Kibum, so ‘nice’ and thoughtful.”

Key put his head in his hands, hating the fact that everything Minho had said was right and made sense. He had always been played by Taemin. And only now did he realise that it had only been a game all along. Taemin had never asked questions about Key, it had always been the other way around. He didn’t know Key at all. But how could Taemin have done this with such a straight and innocent face... had that date been a lie? Had Taemin snuggling up to him every night meant nothing to Taemin? He must be nothing but a comfort pillow for Taemin, and he felt sick thinking about how stupid he had been.

“Are you sure?” asked the man. He had no hair, was fat and had an entire sleeve of tattoos on his arms.

Taemin nodded vigorously, looking in the mirror. The man had drawn little dots in his ears to show him where the piercings would go. The man had been surprised when Taemin had come into the tattoo parlour, determined to get 5 piercings at one go. 2 in one and 3 in the other, with two of them in actual cartilage. He had tried to talk Taemin out of it, but Taemin had shook his head at the explanations, mostly because Taemin didn’t understand what he was saying.

“Okay then buddy,” said the man, hoping that this little Asian kid wouldn’t regret it right after he got them. Cartilage piercings hurt.

Taemin bit his lip as the man aligned the gun to his left ear, and felt the needle push through his ear lobe. He definitely felt it, and it hurt. It started to sting hotly but Taemin didn’t care. All the lobe piercings had been done now, and they felt like they were on fire. Taemin anticipated the next pericings.

“Last chance to back out,” said the man and Taemin shook his head.

“Do it,” he commanded.

The guy sighed and put a needle against the side of his ear.

Taemin’s eyes watered as the needle really stabbed the earring through and pain exploded on his ear.

“All right?” the guy asked and Taemin nodded, wanting the next one to be over. He could feel the guy adjusting the gun so that the earring would go through Taemin’s conch.

Taemin mouthed an ‘ow’ and his body shook as the next earring was pierced through. He felt like his ear was going to drop off. At least his ear had already been in pain when this one was put through so it had already been a hot throbbing mess already.

The man gave him a mirror and Taemin turned his head to check out his new peircings, smiling at what he saw even though his ear was bright red.

He bought the solution and paid for the peircings.

“Why did you get them?” the man asked.

“My boyfriend has too,” he said, smiling despite the pain in his ear. “I want to show… I am same but no. Do pain to match for him too.”

“That is adorable,” said the guy. “Bye now. Clean them twice a day and don’t change them for 8 weeks, and rotate them once a day. The cartilage earrings don’t change for at least 3 or 4 months.”

Taemin nodded.

It was dark when he got out of the parlour. He realised something bad.

He didn’t know how to get home. He didn’t know where his busstop was from here.

He panicked. He was going to be lost in the city. He pulled out his cellphone from his bag to see missed calls and texts from Taeyeon, and he felt a bit better that someone remembered him.

Taeyeon picked up on the first ring.

“Where are you?” she demanded. Taemin smiled. Taeyeon sounded mad.

“Still in the city,” he said. “I don’t know how to get home.”

“How do you get home normally Taemin?” she asked. “I don’t understand.”

“Key hyung normally helps me,” he said sadly, hissing when he switched his phone to his other ear only to remember the burning pain and switching it back.

“Did he leave without you?” she asked.

“Yeah. I don’t know where I am,” he said. “I see a big sign saying..B-Ba-Baaarrnies and Nob-lies…”

He heard Taeyeon shuffling around. “I’ll get Jinki to pick you up okay? He’s just coming back from school. You sit there and don’t move alright? It’s dangerous and I don’t want you to get more lost.”

Taemin agreed and sat on a bench, waiting.

The city in the night was different. A lot of people were rushing, a lot were carrying groceries and he realised it must be dinner time. He also saw a lot of homeless people jingling for change in the night. He felt sorry for them and scared of them at the same time.

He zoned out, watching the cars zoom past, trying to ignore his throbbing ears.

“Hey kid.”

He turned his head to see a man smiling creepily at him. “Is this seat taken?”

He sat beside Taemin without listening to Taemin’s response.

“How old are you, boy? What’s your name? And are you Asian?” he asked.

Taemin didn’t know what to do. He was getting a bad feeling about this, the way the man looked at him made him feel slimy.

Taemin’s eyes widened when the man put his hand on his knee, not even looking like he was doing anything wrong. He stood up, moving away from him, his heart pounding in fear.

“What’s wrong, did I scare you?”

“Get away from him.”

Taemin turned around, knees wobbly with relief as he saw Onew walk to them, Onew’s expression dark and stormy and glaring at the man with ferocity.

“I wasn’t doing anything wrong,” said the man, holding up his hands as if trying to prove his innocence. “Just talking. Is that a crime?”

Taemin hid behind Onew, not wanting to be close to that man. “He touched my knee, Onew hyung,” he whispered in Korean. “He’s lying.”

“I saw,” Onew said in English. “I saw you touch him. Now walk away before I call the police and file for molesting a minor.”

The man’s eyes narrowed. “Chill dude! I’m leaving anyway. I’m done with you two.”

He walked away and Onew and Taemin watched him go. Onew turned to Taemin and surprisingly grabbed him into a hug.

“The city is dangerous in the night! I’m so glad I found you!”

Taemin hugged him back, a little bit grateful he had been saved. This was what it must feel like when girls got hit on by sleazy guys. He felt sorry for himself, and grossed out and slimy that someone had did that to him and had been looking at him in that way.

Onew hyung had a nice car but played the most obnoxious Korean 90’s disco music that Taemin’s parents also had listened to. He knew the tunes and it was comforting to hear them again, and to listen to Onew hyung singing to the trot songs, because he was an amazing singer. Taemin had to admit, Onew hyung was talented.

“Have you had dinner yet?” asked Onew, and when Taemin shook his head, he grinned and pulled over to what Taemin saw as KFC.

“Hyung, really?” he said, rolling his eyes. “Chicken?”

“I’m sorry Taemin if this offends you,” said Onew. “But my favourite food is my favourite food, and you’re not going to change that.”

Taemin finished his 5^th drumstick and looked at Onew. They were still in his car in the parking lot.

“Don’t tell your noona,” Onew said. “She’s sick of me eating chicken.”

Taemin nodded and the streetlight caught the silver in his ear. Taemin was startled when Onew leaned in and studied him seriously.

“Taemin….did you always have piercings?”

Taemin shook his head. “I got them done today.”

“Oh dear. Your noona is not going to be happy tonight.”

Taeyeon squeezed Taemin. “I was so worried! Why didn’t you text me! It’s not safe for a 17 year old boy like you to be hanging around town in the night.”

“Yah, I’m not a girl,” said Taemin.

“Some people aren’t interested in the girls,” said Taeyeon seriously. “Don’t do it again!” she scolded, and Taemin shuddered at the memory of the man’s hand on his knee.

Taeyeon reached out to his hair and gasped, grabbing his face and turning it.

“LEE TAEMIN!” she screeched, and Onew cringed behind her.

She screeched again when she saw his other ear.

“When did you do this? And where? Why?” she demanded.

“Today, and at a clean tattoo place, I swear noona! I did them all at once because I don’t want to wait for another day. And because Key hyung’s got them.”

“What? Because Key has them? If Key jumped off a bridge, would you?” she scolded.

“I would think about it,” said Taemin. “He’s my only friend here noona. I can’t live here without him, and I don’t want to.”

Taeyeon and Onew stared at him with wide eyes.

Taemin tossed and turned. He stared at his clock. Midnight. He couldn’t sleep without Key. Maybe it was time to do what Key did for him every night. He got up and walked out into his balcony.

A/N I am so sorry to revert to the cliche of Onew and fried chicken but if i make them too different then they won't be them anymore! And omg i wrote this and then the next week my second piercing on my left ear started to be sore. i don't know if it's infected or not. I do not take care of my second peircings very well at all! But piercings are addicting, yo! I only got ear piercings when a certain someone started getting them and popped up all over tumblr and pics of him in the gym too resurfaced as well.

I wonder who this could be.... :P haha!

But yeah, some creepy guys out there. And Taemin is so mean. Poor Key.

What did you think? Please tell me!