After school, Minho decided to bring his friends home with him. He knew his parents wouldn’t mind, but he was more worried about Taemin. Taemin wasn’t even used to being around his parents yet. How would he react to being around his group of friends? His rowdy, slightly obnoxious, very strange group of friends.

Don’t get him wrong. He loved his friends dearly, but they really were a strange mix. They’re personalities all clashed, but that was probably the best part about them. They were all so different they kind of just fit.

They took Jonghyun’s car. He was the only one of the four who knew how to drive. Although Onew was very responsible, and the oldest, his clumsiness made them afraid of what he would be like while driving. Key was likely to be a violent driver because of his mouth, or so they had all guessed, so they made him wait to get his license. Minho wasn’t thinking about getting his any time soon, but now that Taemin was there, he wanted to, if only to be able to drive the boy around wherever his little heart wanted to go.

His friends asked him non stop questions about Taemin. What he looked like, what he was like in general, his past. They were shocked to hear that he had lost his parents only a few months prior, and Minho explained to them that Taemin still didn’t understand that they were dead. He just thought that his parents left him alone and forgot about him. He said that because of Jonghyun’s muscles, Taemin would probably look up to him, because Taemin had the idea that if he was stronger, no one would leave him. He made sure to assure Key that Taemin was not a brat, just a bit clingy, but it was understandable. He begged Onew not to run away from Taemin, and Onew could only promise to try not to.

The moment he opened the door, before he could even announce his arrival and fully step into the house, little arms had already latched onto his leg. He already knew who it was, and he didn’t mind it at all. He was actually happy Taemin was this excited to see him. It meant Taemin really missed him, and he liked the fact that he was growing closer to Taemin.

“Hey Taeminnie,” he said, ruffling the boy’s hair. Taemin buried his face into Minho’s leg, and Minho bent down to Taemin’s level to give the boy a proper hug.

“He sat on the couch by the window the whole day, waiting for you to get back,” his mother said. “Hello boys. It’s nice to see you. I’ll make you all some snacks, so feel free to make yourselves comfortable.”

His friends bowed to his mother and she left, leaving them to themselves. Minho lifted Taemin up so that he could let his friends into the house, carrying him and hitting him down on his lap once they reached the couch. Taemin clung to Minho’s shirt again, and Minho bent over to look directly at Taemin.

“Missed me?” he asked. Taemin nodded and pressed further against him. “I promised I’d come back, didn’t I? Did you do anything today?”

“C-Color,” Taemin said. He didn’t look away from either Minho’s eyes or his shirt, and Minho guessed it was because Taemin was too afraid to look at his friends.

“You’ll have to show me your pictures then,” Minho said. “Do you want to meet hyung’s friends?”

Taemin curled up further on his lap, but Minho wasn’t having any of that. He forcefully, but gently, turned Taemin so that he was facing his friends, who were all sitting on the couch across from them. Taemin buried his head in his knees, seeing as he couldn’t hide his face on Minho’s shirt anymore.

“Please Taeminnie? I promise they’re really nice. You’ll like them,” Minho said, trying to convince Taemin that his friends weren’t going to hurt him. Taemin turned his head to look at him before seemingly relaxing a bit, letting his knees fall and grabbing Minho’s pants with his little hands, anything for support. He turned his head back, hesitantly looking up before looking down again.

“Come on, introduce yourself,” Minho nudged him a little, and Taemin nodded.

“H-Hello. M-My name is T-Taemin...”

“Minho.”

He looked at Key, who was looked at him with a very serious expression.

“Yes?”

“He’s adorable!” Key started squealing on the couch, smacking Jonghyun’s arm repeatedly to try and contain his excitement. Jonghyun wasn’t exactly excited by this, but he did agree with Key, and Onew did too. Taemin offered them a small smile, and Key started squealing again. He was happy Key didn’t rush over to hug Taemin, because he knew Taemin wouldn’t like that. Plus, he had specifically told them not to be too forward with Taemin, and let him go to them.

Taemin looked up at him, seemingly asking for permission to get up, and Minho nodded, setting the boy on the ground. He watched as Taemin waddled his way over to Jonghyun who was on the middle of the couch. He just stared up at Jonghyun, just like he had with Minho when they first met, though Minho couldn’t tell if it was Jonghyun’s muscles or his spiked hair that attracted Taemin.

He guessed it was the hair that did it, because Taemin reached up to his hair, and Jonghyun bent down to let him, letting Taemin’s little curious mind wander. Once he was done inspecting Jonghyun’s hair, he turned his gaze to his arms, and grabbed one of them. He poked Jonghyun’s biceps, before looking right back up at Jonghyun.

“Dinosaur,” he mumbled, and he, along with Key and Onew burst out laughing, leaving Jonghyun looking utterly defeated and Taemin confused.

“No no,” Jonghyun said. “I’m Jonghyun. I’m your hyung.”

“I-I thought Minho hyung was my h-hyung,” Taemin said. Jonghyun ruffled his hair and chuckled.

“He is. But we are your hyungs too. If you’d let us be.” Taemin smiled and nodded, now turning to Key. Unlike Jonghyun, Key’s hair was blonde, almost orange looking.

“Pretty,” Taemin said. Key looked confused.

“You think I look pretty?” Key asked. Taemin nodded and Key enveloped him in a hug, and surprisingly, Taemin didn’t seem to mind. “That’s it. I absolutely love you!”

He let go of Taemin, although reluctantly, and let Taemin go to Onew next. Onew moved away the more Taemin got closer, which caused the boy to pout. Taemin outstretched his hands to him, and Onew moved his face further away. The moment Taemin’s lip started quivering and tears gathered in his eyes though, Onew gave up and leaned closer, letting the boy do whatever he wanted. Taemin seemed pleased and immediately smiled, placing his hands on Onew’s cheeks and kneading them a bit.

“Dubu,” Taemin said. Jonghyun and Key snickered and Minho just looked confused.

“Why dubu?” Minho asked.

“H-He’s soft. Like dubu.”

That was enough of an answer for Minho, and he chuckled while Onew puffed out his cheeks, making Taemin giggled and pat his cheeks more. That continued for a bit, before Taemin seemed to remember something and moved away from them, to the papers and crayons that littered the floor. He picked up a few pages before walking back towards Minho. Once in front of him, he outstretched his arms, a signal for Minho to pick him up, and place him on his lap, his back once again his older brother’s chest.

“P-Pictures,” Taemin mumbled, and Minho held the pictures in front of them so that Taemin could point and explain them. The others had moved to sit on either side of him to see the pictures as well. They were just stick figures, but what more could you expect from a four year old? At least it wasn’t complete scribbles all over the page.

Most of the pictures were of him and Taemin together. A few were of Taemin and a little puppy. When he asked, Taemin said it was because he always wanted one, but his parents said he had to wait until he was older. He told Taemin to choose his favorite, which happened to be one of Taemin and himself, and he promised Taemin that he would put it on his wall, which the boy seemed incredibly pleased with.

His mother had brought them snacks, just as promised, and they sat on the floor, enjoying them and playing games with Taemin. He was pretty easy to entertain. He was young, and he found anything silly they did funny, sometimes even clapping if he really liked it. Jonghyun, being the lover of skinship he was, kept cuddling Taemin and asking for little pecks on either the cheek or the lips. Taemin, being as indifferent to skinship as he was, did nothing against it, and simply did everything Jonghyun asked of him. It wasn’t until Key said that Taemin would regret when he looked back on it later in the future that Taemin became more hesitant.

Onew was still a bit scared of being around Taemin, afraid that he’d hurt the boy, and Taemin seemed to be doing everything in his power to get closer to Onew. If Onew took a step back, Taemin took two steps forward. It was actually kind of cute to watch, funny too.

“So Taemin, has umma told you when you’ll be starting school?” Minho asked. Taemin visibly tensed and nodded.

“What’s wrong Taeminnie?” Jonghyun asked.

“I d-don’t wanna go to school,” Taemin replied. Minho sighed and motioned for Taemin to come to him, holding the boys hands in front of him.

“Taeminnie, you don’t have to be scared. School is fun. You get to color and play outside and make new friends,” Minho explained.

“B-But.. I don’t need friends. I have Minho hyung, and Jonghyun hyung, Onew hyung, and Key hyung,” Taemin mumbled. Minho sighed again and held Taemin’s hands a bit tighter, careful not to hold them too tightly and hurt the boy.

“Taemin, I have to go to school, and in a while, umma and appa have to go back to work. You can’t stay home alone. And I promise, I’ll drop you off and pick you up from school everyday,” Minho promised. He’d been making a lot of promises to Taemin lately, but he couldn’t help it. And it wasn’t like they were difficult either. These were promises he could easily keep, no matter what.

“Pinky promise?”

Minho chuckled but complied anyway. Nothing was official with Taemin unless it was a pinky promise.

“Don’t worry Taeminnie! You’ll definitely have a lot of friends,” Jonghyun said.

“You think so?”

“I know so! And if anyone bothers you, you tell me, alright? I’ll teach him a lesson!”

Minho couldn’t help but think that helping Taemin with bullies was supposed to be his job.

The next monday, Minho wasn’t sure what to do. He got Taemin dressed, washed his face, brushed his teeth, gave him breakfast. Taemin seemed so excited.

That is, until they stopped in front of the school.

Today was Taemin’s first day of school, and although the boy seemed so happy at home, the moment his eyes saw the school, he froze. Taemin looked absolutely terrified to go in there, and Minho wasn’t sure why. Sure, Taemin was extremely shy, and a bit awkward, but that didn’t mean he had to be so scared. He remembered his own kindergarten days, and he thought they were fun. Although he admit, he was scared to go in at first too, and he didn’t want to leave his mother’s side. His thoughts were paused when he felt a tug on his hand.

“I want to go back home,” Taemin’s voice was soft and quiet, almost a whisper, and Minho kneeled down in front of the boy, so that they would be, at least almost, eye level. Even on his knees, Minho was still taller.

“I’m sorry Minnie, but we can’t. You have to go to school. I know you’re scared, but it’s alright. You want to hear a secret?” Taemin nodded and Minho ruffled his hair before holding both of the boy’s cheeks, holding his head in place so that Taemin wasn’t looking anywhere but his eyes. “I was scared on my first day of school too. Terrified actually. I cried and held on to umma and begged her to let me go home,” Minho said.

“B-But Minho hyung is s-so strong,” Taemin replied.

“Even strong people cry and get scared Taemin. It’s natural. But just remember, I’m always here for you. If someone bothers you, you tell the teacher, or if not, you tell me as soon as you see me, okay? If anyone hurts you, I’ll make sure it never happens again. I can’t be with you while you are in school, but if I hear anything is happening to you while you are in school, I would run out of my class as fast as I can, just to help you,” Minho said.

“R-Really?”

“Really. I’m sure you’ll make friends here. You’re a nice boy Minnie. And you’re smart too. And I’ll be here to pick you up as soon as school is over. I’ll be waiting for you right here. Would you feel better if I walked you to your class?” Minho asked. Taemin nodded and held Minho’s hand again, as tight as before, as they walked into the building. Taemin’s classroom number was given to him at the office, and they even gave Minho a pass in case he was late to school, so that he could give to the high school office, which Minho was grateful for.

Ironically, Taemin was placed in the same class Minho was in when he started school. The same teacher was still there, her looks clearly having changed with her age, though she still looked very young, only 38 years old. She was still nice though, and she even remembered Minho, and gave him a friendly hug. He introduced her to Taemin, who had chosen a while ago to hide behind Minho’s leg.

“Hi there Taemin, I’m Mrs. Kwon Yuri, and I’ll be your teacher from now on,” she said. Taemin stared up at her with curious eyes, something he did to everyone he met.

“P-Pretty,” Taemin said, and Minho and Yuri chuckled.

“Thank you Taemin. Now, why don’t you come on in and say hello to everyone. They are very nice, I promise. Say bye bye to your brother,” Yuri said. Minho could already see the tears in Taemin’s eyes when he heard Minho was leaving, and he quickly knelt down again to wipe away a stray tear.

“It’s okay Minnie. It’ll be okay. You’ll have fun, have nap time, and you’ll get to play outside with the new friends you make. It’ll be fun. Just remember, if anything happens, you tell me, or Mrs. Kwon, and we’ll help you. And once school is over, I’ll be right outside that gate, waiting for you. We’ll even go out for ice cream after. Sound good?”

Taemin nodded and sniffed, blinking away his tears. He hugged Minho tightly, whispering something in his ear before grabbing Yuri’s hand and walking into the classroom. Minho sat there with a small smile on his face, hoping that Taemin had fun on his first day.

“Bye bye hyung. I’ll see you later.”

Minho couldn’t be bothered by anything that day. Not by the giggling girls trying to flirt with him and not by the guys trying to figure out what happened to him, thinking he just had a good screw. No, nothing could bring Minho’s mood down. He was just too happy. Taemin was making an effort to be happy at school, and that was all Minho could ask for.

He told his friends during lunch what had happened. He explained to them Taemin’s reluctance to go in, and how he had to reassure Taemin that everything would be okay. He told them about how Taemin had the same teacher he had in kindergarten, and how he eventually got Taemin to go to class.

Everything was so new to him. He wasn’t used to taking care of someone else, someone so much smaller and much more fragile. He didn’t know he was capable of caring for someone so much, of wanting to protect someone so badly, but he guessed it was to be expected when you have a sibling.

It was weird though. He heard so many people his age, complaining that they had to take care of their little brother or sister, or that their little sibling was annoying them, but Minho couldn’t think like that when it came to Taemin. He could only think about how shy and sweet Taemin was, doing things to please others before thinking of doing something for himself. He thought it was cute that Taemin still had that little bit of selfishness that every kid had, but he was too afraid to voice it out. Instead, he showed that he wanted something in the simplest of ways: some unintentional aegyo.

Minho was happy whenever he was with Taemin. He liked the feeling of that responsibility. He liked that he had someone to protect. It made him feel just a bit more complete.

So just as promised, he was standing outside, waiting for Taemin to come out. He could see all of the little kids running to his parents. He was curious, because he was sure Taemin would have run to him as soon as the bell rang, but no. Minho was actually happy he didn’t. The sight was much to heart-warming.

Taemin was walking out of the school, smiling and laughing with a few other kids. Two girls and one other boy. It was such a sweet sight, and Minho was happy that Taemin managed to find a few friends on his first day of school.

“Minho hyung!” Taemin ran from his friends the moment he spotted Minho, and although Minho was extremely happy that Taemin was so excited, he felt a little bad for pulling Taemin away from his new friends.

“Hey there Taeminnie. How was your first day?”

“It’s was fun,” Taemin said, a bright smile on his face. “We colored, and I’m learning a lot! And I made some friends! Hyung! Come meet my friends!” This was different. Taemin was so excited, jumping up and down and tugging at Minho’s hand after releasing him from his tight hug. Minho chuckled and allowed Taemin to pull him forward to his group of friends.

“This is Sulli, Krystal, and Jongin!” Taemin said proudly. His friends all waved to him, and Minho waved back. He listened to their stories, them telling him about their day, how they met Taemin, and all the games they played. Taemin was apparently the oldest, and also the quietest in the group. Jongin met Taemin first, because Jongin was curious when he saw a boy that looked quite a lot like him. Minho couldn’t deny their similarities, though something about Jongin seemed more masculine, whereas Taemin’s looks were a bit more feminine.

Sulli was next. She was coloring and saw Taemin alone, with no crayons, so she let him share with her. Taemin was apparently too shy to accept, but Sulli wouldn’t take no for an answer. She had confused Taemin for a girl, and instantly apologized, feeling bad, and was then even more insistent on Taemin using her crayons. In the end, she had to force Taemin to use her crayons, and although Taemin was a little scared at first, he warmed up to her, and they got along great.

Krystal was already friends with Sulli, so during recess, when Sulli brought her over to meet Taemin, they got along pretty well. Apparently, Krystal was Jessica’s little sister, one of the few girls Minho actually liked in his school. She was actually nice, and didn’t pretend to be dumb to get a guy’s attention, so Minho had no problem with her. They didn’t talk much, just a light greeting in the hall when they saw each other. Jessica was older than him anyway.

After saying goodbye to his friends, Taemin left with Minho, holding his hand tightly. Just as Minho said he would, he bought Taemin some ice cream and walked around the park a bit. Taemin told him more about his day at school, and Minho listened wholeheartedly, loving this new, brighter Taemin. It was refreshing, and although Taemin was still his shy self, he was slowly breaking out of his shell.

Minho wished times like this would never end.