When Jinki first meets Minho, he instantly takes a liking to the younger boy. Minho is quieter than the rest of the SHINee members, always observing with his large eyes and listening intently to every word spoken by the others and soon enough, Minho becomes Jinki's haven, someone he seeks for solace.

Years later, Minho grows up to be a fine young man. His body is sturdy and strong, hours working in the gym totally paying off. He's become much more confident, his charming smile and captivating eyes capable of melting even the toughest of hearts.

And of course, Jinki's.

Minho could have had anyone; anyone in the world so it comes to a surprise for Jinki when one day, the rapper confesses to him: raw, unadulterated love shining in his eyes. There's a hint of insecurity, Jinki notices. The fear of being rejected lingering behind the adoration the younger man had for his leader.

"Minho," Jinki whispers softly, taking Minho's larger hand in his and presses it firmly to his chest, letting the younger feel his heartbeat and as Minho looks up to meet Jinki's orbs, he understands.

The worry fades away as quickly as it came.

-

When Jinki and Minho become official, the younger man manages to surprise Jinki once more. In front of a crowd, Minho is cool, calm and always collected but with Jinki, he takes a three-sixty degree turn, constantly sprouting cheesy, nonsensical things to him.

Minho, in other words, was a hopeless romantic.

"What are you staring at?" Jinki asks as they spend a lazy afternoon to themselves, lounging on the couch, the shorter man's legs propped on Minho's lap.

"Your beautiful face," Minho answers, short and honest.

Jinki drops the book he was reading onto his stomach and looks at Minho, his mouth twitching with slight amusement and embarrassment. "Shut up."

"I'm serious," Minho smiles. "You really are beautiful."

"A man can't be beautiful, Minho-yah," Jinki retorts.

Minho laughs softly, the rumbling of the low sound sending jolts to Jinki's heart. "Yes, a mancan't be beautiful but you're an exception, Jinki. You're not just any man, you're my man."

A soft tinge of red colours Jinki's cheeks and like always, he gets a little speechless. "Aish, you're crazy."

"Yes, that's true. But for you, my love. I'm crazy for you."

Jinki decides to shut Minho up with a kiss.

-

When they first fight, it's over something insignificant. Jinki's tired, Minho's frustrated and they end up screaming at the top of their lungs, scaring the three other occupants of the dorm.

"ing hell, Choi!" Jinki shouts, hand grasping a fragile object and throwing it onto the floor with a loud shatter. Minho flinches slightly, not from the impact of the now broken glass, but rather from Jinki's language. The older man rarely cursed but that wasn't enough to make Minho back out of the fight.

"What? What are you gonna say now? That I'm a liar? That I cheated on you when I only kissed her for a drama? Tell me, Jinki. Tell me what you really want to say!" Minho screams back, his knuckles white from clenching them too hard. He isn't sure how their fight had escalated to this.

"I hate you!" the older man yells and tears are making their way down his cheeks and he cries even louder as he sees the flash of hurt in Minho's orbs. He doesn't wait for Minho's reply, instantly running off into his room and locking the door behind him.

It takes them three days to speak to one another again because neither can stand being apart for too long.

They meet half-way to each other's rooms and no words are spoken as Minho quickly pulls Jinki in for a passionate kiss, pouring all his feelings into it; Jinki returning the press of lips with the same eagerness.

Soon enough, everything falls back into place.

-

When SHINee disbands, Jinki and Minho's relationship crumble. Their schedules are too different; Jinki a busy pastry chef and Minho a busy actor.

They come to a mutual conclusion that thing's are not working anymore and break up.

Jinki feels empty though.

He doesn't tell anyone, not even his former bandmate and bestfriend Kibum, that he watches Minho on tv every single night and cries himself to sleep once it's over because that's when he feels the void the most.

But Jinki's mom notices and decides to take action.

-

When Minho steps into the Lee Bakery, Jinki's mom's eyes widen. "Minho! You aren't supposed to be here until tomorrow."

Minho bows down low. "I'm sorry. I just couldn't stand it anymore. Please let me see—" his speech is cut short when a loud clatter resounds from the kitchen entrance and Minho looks up to see the man he's loved ever since the beginning.

"Minho," Jinki whispers, tears quickly clouding his vision.

"Jinki," Minho replies and immediately rushes to the older man, taking him into his arms tightly. "I'm sorry, I love you."

Jinki sobs and Minho does the same. They cry for a long while and when Jinki pulls back to look Minho in the eyes, he can see it again, knowing that it never once went away.

Love.

fin.