Chaelin pulled into the driveway and raised a brow at the nameplate on the house, “Oh. You’re his sister.”

“No,” Taemin sighed. Clicking her tongue at the boy she grinned and turned to Minzy, “Can I come in?”

Minzy faltered, “Uh… not this time.”

“Fine,” she pouted as the duo fled from the car.”

 

“Hi, oppa,” Minzy grimaced opening the front door.

Taemin giggled and mimicked her, “hi, oppa.”

Seunghyun frowned and sat up from the couch, “Wait, Minz, is that a boy? Are you taking a boy back to your room?”

Minzy rolled her eyes and pushed the redhead back to her room. Taemin skipped happily around the room stopping in front of some of the knickknacks around her room.

“So, about Minho…”

“Mhm,” Taemin picked up a framed picture. She opened pondering her words for a minute only to be interrupted by knocking at the front door.

“Miiinnzzzzyyyy,” Seunghyun shouted from the front room, “get the door.”

The short haired girl huffed angrily and stomped to the front of the house, “you lazy old man. You are literally ten feet from the door.”

“Door,” he pointed as knocking resumed.

She narrowed her eyes and opened the door where a large figure grinned excitedly, “Oh, Minzy!”

“Yong Guk? What are you doing here?”

Seunghyun grumbled from the other room and made various noises, struggling to get up from the permanent dent in the couch. The sound of feet shuffled up behind Minzy and a pair of hands clutched tightly at her waist.

“And who is this cutie?” Yong Guk peered around Minzy.

“I’m a boy,” Taemin squeaked eying the various visible tattoos.

“Okay, who’s the cute boy?”

Taemin pouted behind Minzy while she giggled, “This is Taemin, my…” She glanced back at the boy, “friend?”

“How rude,” Taemin stepped back looking insulted, “of course I’m your friend.”

Seunghyun groaned from the archway, “Yong Guk, I didn’t know you swung that way.”

“Hey, there’s a lot you don’t know about me. I bat for both teams,” he laughed heartily.

Stretching his back, Seunghyun yawned, “so why are you here?”

“You forgot? Ugh, go get changed. You promised you would attend the concert. Go, go, go,” he hustled the angry tattoo artist away.

“Alright,” Yong Guk stepped back towards the two teenagers, “you guys wouldn’t want to go, would you?”

Taemin tightened his grip around Minzy’s waist and whispered into her ear, “who is he? Is he a hoodlum? Is he going to kill me?”

“Are you an idiot?”

Taemin shook his head.

“He’s just one of my brothers clients. You know, tattoos?”

Taemin’s face softened slightly and he glanced over her head, “okay.”

Seunghyun stumbled towards the front of the house pulling on a black leather jacket, “c’mon kids, hop in the party van.”

Minzy whined, “don’t wanna.”

“Okaaay. Taemin?”

“I kinda want to go…”

“That settles it, three-to-one, lets go Minzy.”

“Nooooooooooo,” Minzy cried as she was dragged from the house, “Taemin, how could you do this to meeee.”

 

~

 

Minzy crossed her legs under her in the large arm chair, watching as Taemin spun around in the swivel tattoing chair. Seunghyun was shuffling through some papers and pulling ink out of the cabinets. Other artists were walking back and forth in the hallway gathering materials for the day. A small girl sped past the door only to stop and pop her head into the room.

“Seunghyunnie?” She furrowed her brow, “are you tattooing today?”

He hummed in response, still setting up his materials.

“Hm,” she glanced back and forth between Minzy sitting calmly in the chair and Taemin giggling as he spun around.

“Not them, right?”

“Tymee,” Seunghyun responded not turning around, “do they look like they are geting tattoos done?”

“Alright,” she shrugged and skipped away. The dark haired man finished setting up his supplies and pushed Taemin out of his chair.

“When is Kibum coming to get you?” Seunghyun leaned back in the chair and glanced down at Taemin sprawled out on the floor.

“I dunno,” the redhead sighed, “he was suppose to be here like ten minutes ago.”

“Kim Kibum where are you?” Taemin sarcastically shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Oh my god,” a voice yelled back, “I’m right here. Cool your .”

 “What took you so long,” Seunghyun leaned out into the hallway, “did the dainty little Kibum have to get primed before leaving the house?”

“Aish, hush,” Kibum tossed a nearby roll of paper towels at the tattoo artist. Groaning Seunghyun dodged the object and picked it up off the floor.

“Ugh, whatever. Take Minzy with you or take her home, please?”

“You owe me,” Kibum glared at him, “lets go little ones. So how was the concert the other day? Did you guys hav-“

Kibum halted beside one of the small tattoo rooms and glanced inside, he bit his lip before shaking his head and continuing his thought. “So did you guys have fun?”

“No.”

“Yes,” Taemin contradicted, “Yong Guk is so not as scary as he seems. He’s actually super sweet.”

“Okay, but what about the concert?”

“It was cool,” Taemin pursed his lips, “not what I was use to. But definitely interesting.”

“I didn’t get any sleep,” Minzy lamented, “and it was all your fault.”

“You need to live a little, Minzy. Have some fun,” Taemin and Kibum nodded in agreement. The remainder of the car ride was silent as Minzy nodded off to sleep against Taemin’s shoulder.  Kibum pulled into the driveway of their one story house and heaved the light, sleeping girl onto his back.

“Wow, she really didn’t get any sleep,” Kibum settled Minzy onto the couch and covered her with a blanket.

“You know, Kiki, you’re a lot stronger than you look,” Taemin snickered.

“Shut it,” Kibum snarled, “I’m delicate and fragile.”

“Not in that sense,” Taemin giggled to himself.

“Ugh, go away pipsqueak.”

Minzy stirred and groaned at the fighting step-siblings, “you guys… you’re so loud.”

“Sorry Minz,” Taemin helped the sleepy girl up, “come on lets get you to bed.”

Minzy grumbled and glanced around, “wh-where? Why am I at your house?”

“Sleepy girls should go to sleep,” Taemin pushed her towards his bedroom.

“No !” Kibum yelled after the two.

Scoffing Taemin yelled back, “you’re one to talk, besides, you know me better than that.”

“THAT WAS ONE TIME!”

“No it wasn’t,” Taemin whispered to Minzy once Kibum was out of range. She giggled and flopped down on Taemin’s fluffy bed.

“What’s up with Minho?”

“Oh,” Taemin sat on the floor and leaned against the side of the bed, “you’re awake now?”

“I’m awake,” she rolled over and perched her head on her arms, “so…”

“Same old, same old.”

“That’s no good.”

“Like anything is different with you and Jiyong.”

“…true.”

Minzy groaned and pushed her head into comforter, “we’re pathetic aren’t we.”

“Yeah, yeah we are…”

 

~

 

 

Kibum cracked the door to Taemin’s room and smiled, the two friends were sleeping soundly. Minzy was curled into a little ball on the edge of the bed while Taemin was sprawled out on the other half of the bed, hogging the blanket.

“Yes, I swear, she’s fine,” Kibum whispered into the phone as he closed the door, “I’ll make sure she gets to school in the morning. Yeah. Goodbye.”

He shook his head, Seunghyun was such an overprotective brother. Poor Minzy, any guy that wanted to date her would have to go through Seunghyun first. He wished them luck, that wasn’t an easy feat.

 

~

 

“Wakey wakey, children,” Kibum yanked the covers off the two, “breakfast in five. Get up, get showered, get dressed.”

Taemin grumbled as Kibum grabbed his ankle, pulling him out of bed. Beside him Minzy yawned and slipped off the bed, unconsciously making her way out of the room.

“Kibum oppa,” she rubbed her eyes, “I don’t have any clothes.”

He pursed his lips and led her towards the bathroom, “shower, I’ll leave a set of clothes on the sink counter, “scoot, scoot.”

Minzy yawned again and scuttled into the bathroom to wake herself up with a shower. After a nice hot steam Minzy stepped out of the shower and was confronted with the ‘clothes’ Kibum had left for her.

“Ugh, you dummy.”

Wrapping a towel around her she stuck her head out of the bathroom, “Kibum. What am I suppose to do with this. I wont wear it. Bring me something else.”

“But why,” he whined from across the house, “it’s so cute!”

“At least bring me some different under garments, please!” the desperation in her voice obvious.

“Party pooper,” Kibum slid up to the door and passed her another set of underwear.

Minzy stared at him, “why do you even have these types of things…”

He shrugged, “maybe I’ll tell you when you’re older. But I promise, they’re unused.”

“Gee, that makes me feel a lot better,” she shook her head and closed the door.

 

~

 

She sighed and pulled at her top, it stuck to tight to her skin and was far too short. Seunghyun would never let her step outside of the house wearing this, if he ever found out Kibum would end up with a black eye. She and Taemin were sitting in the back seat of the car in relative silence as Kibum drove them to school. The red head was fiddling with his phone, glancing in Minzy’s direction every so often.

“It’s fine,” he rolled his eyes, Minzy was still trying to pull the cropped shirt down further.

“But, this is so weird. It’s not me…” Taemin groaned and examined the outfit Kibum lent her. She had on a pair of combat boots from the previous night, a black, boat necked cropped shirt, jean shorts and a pair of suspenders.

“Ya look fine,” Taemin pulled at one of the suspenders, “if you don’t like these you can just leave them loose.”

Minzy pouted, “no, its alright.”

Kibum pulled to a stop in front of the school and ushered the teens out before speeding away. Grumbling Minzy slung her bag over her shoulder and trudged after Taemin.

“Doesn’t the drama club have anything I can change into?”

“Nope. Maybe if you were part of the drama club…” Taemin trailed off, “anyway, lover boy is approaching post haste. Catch you later.”

A pair of feet stomped up behind her, echoing against the walls of the hallway. Minzy squeaked as a hand gripped her arm with brute force and dragged her down the hallway into the stairwell.

“What’re you wearing!?”

“Owww,” she rubbed her arm, “what’s up with you, Jiyong?”

Jiyong sighed and covered his mouth with his hand, a faint but obvious pink glow on his cheeks. Snorting Minzy giggled at the blonde, “seriously, whats up with you?”

“Hmm,” he rocked from one foot to the other before quickly pulling off his jacket and draping it over her shoulders, “zip it up and don’t take it off. Got it?”

Minzy held up her arms, the sleeves hanging far off her hands, “okay?”

Jiyong made a strangled noise as Minzy flailed her arms around in the oversized jacket as the tardy bell rang.