hey guys! it's been a month since I last updated and i feel really bad that I wasn't able to update this really fast. I still hope that you guys will like it. Thank you for reading!

PAINFUL THINGS

Lee Taemin's childhood was indeed unhappy. It wasn't all rainbows and butterflies. It was dull and lifeless. Without friends, without a family, it was boredom.

Some would tell him that everything was gonna be alright - but in the end, he realized that those were all just words. A lie. And there was once when he caught himself running and hiding underneath his bed trying to suppress his tears, hoping that his step mother wouldn't see him for she would recklessly beat him once she found out that he broke her most precious vase.

A vase with worth more than his entire being.

And his father wouldn't do a thing - nor those people who told him that it was going to be okay. No one would care to interfere.

No one would protect him.

No one ..

"NO SIR. You're wrong. Taemin isn't like that."

...Until now

Choi Minho.

The name became quite popular these past few days because of a certain incident that hailed him the 'savior' of the school.

Was he really??

No, to Lee Taemin, Minho could be just the same as the others. An annoying egoistic man who wanted to gain popularity. A man who thought he could but could not. A man who believed he could save but could never.

Choi Minho... was just like the others..

Someone who wanted to take a peek in his life, they'd open the door but never once got the courage to step inside. They would just stand there without trying to move forward. Eventually, they'd get tired and sick and would close the once open door leaving it behind....

Just like the others..

And that was the reason why Lee Taemin hated him. With Minho, he could surely feel unlike himself. He felt like he was being returned to his eight year old self. Someone who wanted recognition, someone who craved for attention -- but most impotantly, someone who wanted to be loved.

And he hated Minho's guts. His way of thinking. His actions and words that seemed to express hope and encouragement. His eyes that everytime Minho looked at him, he couldn't seem to fizzle. It was so annoying that he felt this way. So unlike him.

But what's very despising the most was that Minho was also the one who stood up for a person like him who lost a heart. Lee Taemin was long gone in this harsh realm. But with Minho, the broken pieces and fragments of his heart seemed to crawl its way back to him - back to where they truly belong.

"Choi Minho... you are the most pathetic guy i've ever seen.. Tell me, what do you want.. in return?" Taemin said as he averted his gaze back to Minho.

"What do you mean?" Minho asked in confusion. Once again, he sensed a bit of coldness when he caught a small grin on the other's face.

"C'mon. Saving me for nothing? Do you want me to owe you for what you've done? What? So you can use what you just found out to threaten me?? Really now Choi Minho, I dont need your pity. Tell me what you want. You want a night or two? Just say it." Taemin said.

Minho narrowed his eyes. Was this how Taemin thought of him? Every words that Taemin had said were as sharp as knife - and it was really painful.

"I want to be friends." Minho simply stated in hopes that the other would see his sincerity... but Taemin just let out a small laugh. A forced small laugh.

"Friends? I dont need those. Friends are nothing but collection of back stabbers who treat you with kindness at first , but turn your back and you're nothing but a gimpy topic of their goddamn mouth.. Friends.. don't exist Minho" Taemin said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. But Minho wasn't the one to give up.

"Then let me show you that they do... by giving me a chance.." Minho said as he walked closer towards him. He gently grabbed the other's hand and placed it on his chest. "Real friends do exist... and you have one right in front of you."

And just then he pulled him even closer and whispered, "Lee Taemin... you can always cry on me.. whenever you feel like it"

Though trying his best to stop the tears, Taemin suddenly remembered the night when he wasn't able to escape his step mother's wrath.

A strong sound of footsteps echoed within his room, getting louder as it got nearer to his chamber. He realized that covering himself with quilt was no use so he went down under his bed and when he did, the huge door opened wide and his step mother stepped inside, calling out his name with so much rage in her voice.

"TAEMIN! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU YOU BASTARD CHILD!"  She shouted.

She immediately flipped the covers to see that Taemin wasn't there. She opened the closets and found none... She was about to leave when a small squeal reached her ears making her stop. When she turned, she saw a small movement underneath the bed. She slowly walked and crouched --- and there he was! She dragged him out and pulled his hair. Taemin cried so hard and begged his step mother for forgiveness but her thoughts were too occupied with anger.

And there she used her delicate hands to slap him across the face and cursed him as if the child had made the greatest sin in the world.

"THAT VASE -- is worth more than who you are! Do you know how much expensive that vase is!!? YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO PAY IT EVEN IF YOU SERVE ME YOUR WHOLE LIFE!"

And Taemin could just utter words asking for forgiveness, hoping that maybe she would see his heart -- but she never did.

She pulled him again and few maids saw , he gazed at them for help but none of them made a move ... and the first thing that went inside his mind was that all along he was wrong...

Everything isn't gonna be better like what they say -- he was fooled. The innocent child now knows how to play.

Taemin took a small grip on Minho's shirt and cried. He just wanted to take it all. Take all the pain out that was inside his heart for a very very long time. Waters may help to hide the tears , but it wasn't enough to mend all the drastic pain within. And just like how a small child cries, Taemin could no longer hold on to what he said to himself : he will no longer cry.

Because truthfully, he had been waiting for this ever since. For someone to bravely tell him that he could.

Minho didn't speak as Taemin clutched onto his shirt. He let his hands gently pat the other's head to comfort him - and it broke him to see that this was how Taemin was really like. Just as fragile as the others.

And Minho learned that titles are just titles.

They may represent something in you -- but they couldn't create entirely who you are - and he decided, that from now on he would no longer let Taemin feel that he's worthless because he certainly worth more than what anyone thinks of him.

He worths more than that.

***

"Hey Minho!" Key shouted as he saw his friend in the hallway. The class just ended and he had been looking for him ever since he found out that Minho hadn't returned after the teacher asked him to get a certain file.

"Hey." Minho said and did his usual greeting to his friend : he ran his hands through the other's hair and ruffled it.

Key immediately grabbed a hold of Minho's hands and said, "hey! Stop!" and Minho grinned.

"I was looking for you!" Key said and Minho stared at him with an eyebrow raised. "Why is that?" He asked. "Your teacher was really worried because he asked you to get an important file and you didn't return!" Key explained.

Crap. Minho suddenly remembered that he was supposed to take the file to his teacher - and he completely forgot about it because of the incident.

"Where were you!? I was so worried! and what are you doing here??" Key said as his eyes went straight to the door behind Minho with a sign that said: Men

"Oh I was waiting for---"

"Me." Taemin interrupted with a towel around his neck. "He was waiting for me. Got a problem with it?" Taemin said to Key as he handled the towel back to Minho.

Key widened his eyes in shock and glared at Minho. "What is he doing here!? Is he bullying you? Or threatening you??" Key asked in confusion.

"N-no it's not--"

"Huh. You're overreacting..." Taemin said,  "...little " and flashed him that insulting smug grin again.

Key went straight to Minho and pushed Taemin out of the way, "Minho what are you doing with that jerk!!?" He said as he pointed a finger on Taemin.

Taemin immediately barged in and pushed Key back in return. "We're friends now." Taemin said with an eyebrow raised, draping his arm around Minho's neck.

"--WHAT!? NO WAY. No way MINHO! I wont allow you!" Key said and grabbed Minho to his side. "He probably blackmailed you or something! Minho, don't worry I wont give you back to him!"

"K-Key, it's not lik-"

"And who are you to say that!?" Taemin snatched Minho away from Key back to his side. "You.Dont.Own.Him." Taemin slowly stated to emphasize the words.

"Huh. wait.. what's going on?? You suddenly have an interest towards him? It's not like you. Aren't you the bullying king?? You act like a child right now don't you know that??" Key said. And he was right.

Taemin really did act like a possessive little child who was afraid that his precious toys would be taken away from him - and for that, Key earned a glare from the younger. Taemin clenched his fist in annoyance. 

"What? Planning to punch me?? Go on! Do what you did to the president! Afterall, you don't deserve to have Minho as your friend."

"Hey stop..." Minho tried to get in between the two but Key continued with his words, "Go back to your ignorant friends. You belong there."

"You're really testing me you "

"STOP!" Minho said before another commotion starts again. "Please the two of you .. get along will you?"

"NEVER!" Key exclaimed and Taemin glared in return.

"Fine. I dont wanna be in here anyway."   Taemin was about to leave when Minho abruptly took a strong grip of his arms.

"No. You will stay with me." Minho said with authority in his voice, eyes fixated upon the other.

"MINHO!" Minho's sudden act shocked Key. He didn't expect his friend to do this. "I dont understand what's going on!"

"Key.. from now on, he's gonna be with us."