Epilogue

Kim Jongin didn’t know how to talk about his feelings.

Growing up in a pretty wealthy family, he wasn’t exactly spoiled, and had actually being showered with more than enough affection. But being the good looking young lad he was, people tend to pampered him with overly treats and fancies, he need no asking or saying what he felt— people did all the work for him.

Lee Taemin was the exception. While everyone tried to grab his attention, Taemin was the kid who picked diligently the people he spent his time and play with, even from a very young age. It hit Jongin pretty hard that he, Kim Jongin, wasn’t one of them.

Let’s play together.

What are your favorite toys?

Let’s be friends.

None of it ever really came out of his mouth.

During classes Lee Taemin had shown many of his capability and cleverness, much to Jongin’s chagrin. People loved Jongin for he was good-looking and knew how to be cute, but Taemin was everyone’s favorite; teacher’s smartest student, the coolest member of his peer group, and girls love him for being real kind even when the boys his age thought girls were too much.

It wasn’t that Taemin bullied him or blatantly ignore him, per se, but he could never coaxed attention from the older as much as he need. Yes, for the first time ever, eight years old Kim Jongin had given real effort to grab someone’s attention.

He’d brought his toys, the new arrival ones he probably had been the first to buy them in town. While most of his classmates gawked at it and plead Jongin to play with them, Taemin only stare at him from one corner of the class, and continue to jut down whatever it was he had been writing on his notes.

“Do you not like Bionicles?”

Jongin asked, pushing his toy to the middle of the table so Taemin could look at it, too. It was lunch hour and he decided to leave his usual circle of friends and sat with Taemin.

Taemin had greeted him a simple hello with a smile and hadn’t spared him another glance that he decided to talk first. Jongin didn’t do opening a conversation so it was not the best sentence. But he tried and he was proud that he did. Beside he really was curious.

“I do, I have that one at home,” Taemin grinned at him.

Jongin was glad that Taemin talked to him but what? He thought he was the only kid at school to own it.

“You do? But it was only out yesterday!”

Taemin just blinked at him. “It was?” He furrowed what little eyebrows he had before shrugging, “My Auntie sent it to me last summer. Guess they released it earlier in London?”

“What is London?” Jongin pouted.

Taemin stared at him with unreadable expression and they ended up not finishing their lunch because Taemin had used lunch hour to give him prim and proper education about geography and countries (complete with globe and map he snatched from the class’ cabinet) and emphasizing on no, the world doesn’t consist of Japan and Korea only Jongin, and yes great Britain is really far. The bell rang before they knew it. Jongin was also for the first time being the one to visit someone’s house and not the other way around because Taemin had offered to show him his Bionicle and Hot Wheels collection after school. Jongin was so happy that he nodded really fast and Taemin had to hold his head with both hands to make it stop, albeit he laughed really hard too.

Jongin thought his house was bigger, and his room was bigger too, but unlike his plain white walls Taemin’s was full of posters, of some musicians he never heard of and movies he never watched but it wooed him anyway.

“That’s Captain America,” Taemin told him.

Captain America wore the weirdest suit and his weapon was not cool, but Taemin liked him so Jongin listened and tried to like Capt too.

There were so many series of both Bionicles and Hot Wheels that he never knew existed, and yet there were piles of it before his eyes (“My aunt doesn’t have a child yet so she bought it for me instead,” Taemin told him again). He was sad at one point because why did Taemin had this all (Taemin’s toys were all in the humongous attic and he got all kinds of Hot wheels track that Jongin gaped at) and he didn’t but Taemin promised Jongin could always play with them if he would come to Taemin’s place more often.

“You could bring along your Wheels here and we can have a race!” Taemin said excitedly. “My dad can never race properly, sometimes I wonder who’s the adult between us.”

“…I can really come here more?” Jongin asked, and Taemin turned so he faced Jongin completely.

“Do you want to?”

Jongin beamed, “I’d really like that.”

Jongin got lectured when he got home because he didn’t tell his mother where he went off and instead looking guilty he came home all happy. Little did he knew that he’d spend much, much more time with the older and share much, much more than just toys.

“By the way,” Jongin muttered between crunching on his cereal, “Where did all your cars and robots gone to?”

It took some moments for Taemin to register what Jongin meant, “Oh,” he drowsily replied, “You mean my old Wheels? I donated them. You went with me the orphanage, remember?” He stopped his spoon mid-air, “That was forever ago, why did you ask? It’s early I barely remember my name.”

“You won’t remember it even if it’s seven pm if you just wake up.” Jongin argued, “And it’s not early. It’s nearly lunch.”

Taemin grunted at that, mumbling under his breath and Jongin kicked him in the shin under the table.

“OW,” He looked up at Jongin accusingly.

Jongin merely stuck out his tongue childishly.

“Why are you my boyfriend,” Taemin teethed.

Jongin waved it off, “Because you love me too much, obviously. You got your perfect type of girl falling for you and you chose me still,” and Jongin paused to think, “Or you’re just gay, I don’t know. Either way I’m too hot for you, you can’t resist me, so now you’re my boyfriend.”

Taemin wanted to just dip his face in his bowl and let the milk cool him down because this banter was too much to wake up to. He wasn’t upset or anything but he hoped there wouldn’t be much of this kind of mornings in the future because it might cause him a migraine and he couldn’t stand headaches. He loved Jongin and waking up to that smile felt wonderful but he would love some peace in the morning, thank you.

“I’m kidding,” Jongin softly said, hand atop of Taemin’s on the table all of a sudden. “I’m sorry,” the hand squeezed, and Jongin started to bit his lip again. Taemin groaned internally because not this again. He hated seeing Jongin like this so he turned his hand upside down and tug, bringing the hand in his to his mouth and kissed it, and held the younger’s palm onto his cheeks.

“Stop being such an insecure and act more like yourself, okay? I like you for who you are—well, I hate you for who you are too but when I imagine myself to have a boyfriend, I was thinking of my best friend Kim Jongin so, can I still have him? I’m yours now so no need to be careful or scared of doing the wrong moves. Okay?”

Jongin stared at their hands, then at his eyes deeply and he knew that stare really well, knew what Jongin’s going to say so he beat him to it.

“I—“

“—I love you. Ha! I’m faster.” He grinned, showing all his teeth and continue to eat with his left hand because his right is occupied and he didn’t plan to unoccupied it anytime soon.

There was another kick on his shin though.

He stopped moving and shifted his eyes to Jongin slowly, in a manner he hoped intimidating.

Jongin was whistling, his fingers on the table knocking to a beat and really, Taemin had enough, he didn’t want to be mean to his boyfriend but this was a five years old Jongin and this Jongin needed to be punished.

So he kicked Jongin back, who looked at him bewildered as to how could you be rude you promised not to be rude. And here we go again, Taemin thought, being the best friends they are, playing kicks under the table and he never felt more content in his life, Jongin filled his every void. It was more than enough; Jongin was all he needed.

The laughter that filled his kitchen was the most beautiful, Jongin’s eyes twinkle in happiness and he loved it, it was all his and he couldn’t help but to stand up from his seat and kiss Jongin square in the mouth.

“I’ll do the dishes,”

He snickered, walking away from the still stunned, flushed, and red cheeked best friend now boyfriend of his.

Their relationship hadn’t been easy. Jongin was still kind-of bipolar at times, being playful and then being insecure in an instant, it worried him, and Taemin hadn’t told his parents about them. Jongin never pressed or pushed, not once making him feel uncomfortable about it, but he could tell Jongin was disappointed, even just a little.

School had been pain in the to he both of them also, making it little to no time to go out and have dates. There are nights when Jongin just couldn’t sleep and Taemin ended up opening his apartment door for Jongin at two in the morning. He hated being waken up, but he also wanted his boyfriend to have decent sleep so he let the younger curled in to him.

There were also times when Taemin really wanted to cage Jongin and made him homeschooling because people wouldn’t stop ogling his boyfriend. It was partly Jongin’s fault because one day the tanned male had decided that it was too hot, so he stripped shirtless in the middle of a basket ball game during P.E. Jongin was probably not doing it on purpose, he was just that careless of a person. But people were not. Jongin abs’ picture was posted on an SNS by a creepy friend for fun, but it got around and they won’t stop starring all the ing time even though they knew Jongin’s boyfriend was right there.

It wasn’t easy and there would be more fights in the future, whether it be playful or significant, but he was gonna have to go through it. He wouldn’t like it and it would be hard but as long as he had Jongin, he thought he’d make it. They’d be okay.

A familiar chest pressed onto his back, arms encircle his stomach. Taemin leaned back, letting Jongin hold him. A kiss was planted to Taemin's temple and he smiled in contentment.

We’ll be okay.

Fin.

Aaaand it's done! thank u so much for reading!