"I...I cheated and he caught me and dumped me then and there."

A loud crash disturbed the flow of the music. Mino stood upright, glaring at the guy in front of him with his chest heaving, blood rushing to his head.

"Mino?" he heard Taehyun calling him and turned to face his boyfriend who was looking at him with surprise in his red-rimmed eyes. He looked down to the floor and realised he had flipped the table and broke a few beer bottles.

"The hell!" Siyoung muttered to himself but Mino heard it all the same and made a move to lounge at the guy but he almost slipped on the wet floor and had to stop to steady himself. Someone caught him by the arm and he turned around to see Bobby helping him stand upright. His head was cloudy with alcohol and he realised his reflexes were slower than normal. A few faces turned in their direction but they simply looked away, familiar with such happenings in parties involving alcohol.

"How dare you!" he pointed at the guilty person, unable to move with Bobby grabbing hold of him, and Taehyun had now stood up and held him back too, he realised. "You dare to even say you want him back after that? Have you got no shame? And you had the audacity to turn up at his doorstep asking for help?" Mino let out a garbled laugh at the sheer absurdity of the situation.

"Mino, what are you doing?" Taehyun whispered furiously next to him, trying to pull him to sit down.

"It was just a kiss!" Siyoung defended himself, standing too to challenge Mino, swaying a little from side to side, obviously quite drunk himself.

"Just a kiss? Are you ting me right now?" Mino garbled back as the freestyle rap battle grew louder in the basement. And suddenly an idea struck in his head like a big red light bulb. "I'm going to end you, right here and now."

"What? You're going to fight me? Well isn't that downright immature?" Siyoung scoffed.

"Song Minho!" Taehyun pulled at his arm, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but there.

"I challenge you to a rap battle," Mino's voice rang loud and clear, completely betraying his inebriated state.

"Wooooh!" Bobby could not hide his huge grin, eyes reduced to slits.

"Bobby, do not encourage him," Taehyun hissed.

"Challenge accepted," Siyoung tilted his chin, pulling up his pants which were nowhere close to falling, and grazed his nose, sniffing in a disdainful manner.

"If I win, you get lost. You leave and never try to see Taehyun ever again."

"Fine, and if I win, Taehyun's fair game."

"What the hell! I am not some prize you get to win in a rap battle," Taehyun threw away Mino’s arm he had been holding onto, stomping his feet in irritation.

"Taehyun-ah, men have fought for the right to be with their beloved since the beginning of time," Mino rationalised the decision.

"Mankind has evolved, Song Minho! Bobby, back me up here," Taehyun pleaded to the boy who was standing on the other side of Mino.

"Oh admit it Taehyun, this has got to be a little thrilling for you," Bobby smiled, crossing his arms on his chest and looked from Mino to Siyoung, waiting to see what was going to happen next. Zico, Kyung, and P.O. had arrived by their side asking Bobby what was going on, whispering furiously with each other.

"This will be utterly humiliating!" Taehyun persisted even though a slight blush had formed on his cheeks.

"You know what the problem with mankind is, Taehyun-ie?" Siyoung spoke up without his eyes never leaving Mino’s. Taehyun rolled his eyes letting out an exaggerated sigh. "We are now living with this strict code of reason and common sense and we restrain ourselves to the point that there is no more room for outbursts of passion and animalistic yearning," he continued, passionately flinging his arm about. "And right now, you have two boys who are willing to fight for the right to be with you, uncaring of the consequences. This is the very essence of life as we know it,"* he finished his dramatic speech with his arms open.

"Yeah... yeah... what he said. Totally," Mino piped up, looking a little flummoxed.

Zico came up to Mino and put his arm around the latter's shoulder. "A rap battle! Cool!" and he turned to Siyoung, "Mino is going to kick your !" he threatened. "Let's go, let's go," he shouted as he pulled Mino towards the circle the crowd has made to view the rap battle.

Mino turned back to make the sign of cutting throat to Siyoung. Taehyun shook his head at the turn of events and commented to Bobby "I am not going to watch this train wreck. They are not even rappers."

"You're choice, babe," Bobby dismissed his cousin and followed the group.

"Who's next? Who's next?" the DJ was shouting into his microphone and Bobby raised Mino's arm high.

"Here!"

P.O. had gone to the DJ to tell him about the situation, which the DJ excitedly announced to the crowd, amidst loud drunken cheers.

"Seems Siyoung doesn't have a lot of supporters," Krystal commented looking at Mino surrounded by his friends. There was Kyung massaging Mino's shoulders like the guy was about to enter a boxing ring and Zico giving him a pep talk. "I'll cheer for you then, Siyoung," she said, slapping the guy on the arm.

"Yeah, we'll cheer for you," Minzy giggled into her hands, with Seunghoon and Sulli next to her.

Before Siyoung could say thank you, Mino wailed "He cheated on Taehyun guys," looking offended his friends were choosing Siyoung over him.

"It was just a kiss," Siyoung mumbled under his breath.

"Not cool, bro," Seunghoon shook his head, looking disappointed and walked over to where Mino was, making it clear where his loyalty lies. 

"A guy can make mistakes, just gotta learn from them," Krystal patted Siyoung's back, it was now time for the battle to start, the DJ has started the music.

The two guys stood facing each other inside the circle, bobbing their head with serious expressions on their faces. Mino’s friends are behind him acting cocky and rubbing their hands while the shrilly voices of Krystal and Sulli cheered behind Siyoung.

Siyoung clasped his right fist pretending it was a microphone and started.

"Yo yo yo Imma spit first Imma spit first yo"

"We can't hear you!" the crowd complained and he had to start again at the top of his lungs.

"Yo the name is Si to the Young and Imma spit first yo

Yo listen up yo lemme go

I’m not a rapper

I’m not a rapper but look at me go hard like a real hustler

Spaghetti"

The crowd went "Woo!" at the word they have heard before, it was obvious they were all too drunk to care about the lyrics.

"Me, me, me, me, me and Taehyun-ie

We go way back yo you don’t understand ! Imma get him back you watch me

Look at me so fresh with my million dollar smile. Watch your back yo his place is with me"

The crowd screamed, making Siyoung stick out his chin looking proud. Mino would not be outdone as he started.

"Yo...

It’s my turn yo

Not a rapper either but I bet my bars are better “

Mino had no idea what bars meant but he had heard it spoken enough times in rap battles, and he thought maybe he got it right because the crowd and his friends were cheering and patting his back, never mind he just spoke two lines.

“They call me M-I-N-O yo! Ya’ll better remember

 You think you're so cool with your  glasses

You sound like a chipmuck yo squeak squeak squeak

You’re so tiny you look weak

Thinking you're cute with your eye smile, smiling your way through tons of ...." He wasn't sure what rhymed with glasses and paused for a second. "...asses

But you're nothing more than a cheater yo!

And Taehyun will never take you back ever. Boom"

He made a show of dropping his non-existent microphone, remembering what rappers did when he went to all those underground rap battles. The crowd seemed to love it and he could not hide the eating grin on his face. Siyoung picked up the beat again, not to be deterred.

"Never say never

You think you're clever?

I may squeak but yo I never shut up

I can leave your ears … bleeding and ed up

No-nobody knows what tomorrow will bring yo

Time for Taehyun to dump your ...kaching!"

The crowd screamed at that too, and Mino pulled up his sleeves getting serious.

"Check this out yo! this mad prose

Me and Taehyun, we're tight like … bros," he started, talking about Taehyun, it didn’t matter that they don't exactly have a relationship like brothers, but hell, it rhymed.

He’s one in a million and I tell him that everyday

You’re a dime a dozen yo you’re just … child’s play

"Ain't no one can take Taehyun from me yo you'll see

So take your broke home and go cry to mommy," he made a show of doing the infamous 'Bbuing bbuing' gesture which caused Siyoung's face to darken and the crowd cheered louder than ever.

The DJ tapped into his microphone "Okay, okay, peeps got some sick flow. It's time to decide the winner, and you decide," he said pointing to the audience. "Same as before, the louder scream from the audience wins. Now, if you think Siyoung is the winner, scream!"

The crowd screamed their lungs out, with the exception of Mino's friends.

"That is pretty loud," DJ announced chuckling, there weren't more than fifty people in the audience so the shouts were mostly awkward noises. "And if you think Mino should win, scream!"

The gang screamed at the top of their lungs, enjoying every bit of the situation.

"And the winner is," the sound of drum roll filled the basement, "Mino."

Mino raised his arms in excitement as he jumped up and down screaming at his friends' faces who were congratulating him and hugging him as if he just scored a goal at the World Cup. He looked around for Taehyun but his boyfriend was nowhere to be found.

"Okay, okay. Who is next? Anyone else here wanna battle over a girl, or some fight that needed to be ended on a stage?" the DJ announced.

"Me! Me! Me!" P.O. raised his arms, completely overcome with the exuberant atmosphere.

"And your opponent?" the DJ asked.

"That guy next to my friend Sulli," he said pointing at Choiza who had stuck by Sulli's side all night long. Choiza looked confused at being suddenly called out.

"Hey, you wanna get with my friend, you have to go through me first, and all of us. Now show me you're good enough to date our girl Sulli," P.O. challenged. Sulli blushed a deep red.

"Your loss, P.O. He is a real rapper," Krystal warned, laughing.

"You don't have to do this," Sulli whispered to Choiza, embarrassed of her friend

"So what? He needs to prove himself he's gonna treat you right in a rap," P.O. dared the guy.

"It's fine. If I win, I get one date with you okay," Choiza beamed with hope in his eyes, and Sulli agreed with a shy nod of her head.

The DJ started the beat but Mino couldn't wait till they finish. He left the group and went to look for Taehyun. He couldn't find him in the basement and went out to look for him. He sighed with relief when he saw Taehyun's familiar figure leaning against the wall of the building, stubbing out his cigarette on the sidewalk.

"You didn't even watch my amazing performance?" he shouted before he reached his side.

Taehyun turned around and scoffed. "You are embarrassing," he said, hitting Mino's chest lightly when he was at arm's reach.

"I won!"

"Over a wannabe pop singer? I wouldn't call that much of a win though," Taehyun sneered.

"If I lost I would have to put up with him flirting with you," Mino could not hide the sudden sadness in his tone. He pressed his back against the wall next to his boyfriend, mirroring Taehyun's stance.

"And what made you think I would even consider taking him back?" Taehyun questioned, turning towards Mino.

Mino let out a sigh and was quiet for a moment, trying to figure out the exact reason why he acted the way he did. "I don't know. It's just..." he let out a defeated sigh. "He knew so much about you, which tells me you guys were pretty close. And you were the person he came to when he needed help. And I... this must be jealousy, right? Man, it's an ugly feeling."

"I cannot believe you're experiencing jealousy for the first time," Taehyun laughed out loud, incredulous. "Maybe I should make you jealous more often."

"How many more people do I have to have a rap battle with? I swear if some ex of yours turn up at your door again..." Mino simmered at the possibility.

"Or maybe not. Your jealousy is not cute at all," Taehyun muttered to himself. He released himself from the wall and stood in front of Mino, directly facing him. "You..." he jabbed a finger on Mino's chest, making him look in his eyes. "You don't have anything to worry about, all right? I have no intention of getting back with any of my exes."

Mino opened his mouth to retort but thought better of it. The fact that he is still 'just a college fling' did not give him any confidence at all, but he already told Taehyun he was okay with it, so he had no right to argue about it now.

"Thought you quit smoking," he said instead.

"I did. For you," Taehyun sighed and Mino was about to protest. "I know, I know, you didn't ask me to quit or anything. But I know you don't like the smell, so I tried quitting. But you're kinda making me stressed these days, so I picked it up occasionally."

Mino was surprised at the confession. He didn't know Taehyun liked him enough to try and quit his addiction. But there was a more pressing matter at hand now. "How am I making you stressed?"

"Tonight, for example. Battling Siyoung for my hand in front of a lot of people," Taehyun complained.

"Hey! Like Siyoung said..."

"I know, I know, I am still mad though."

"Would you rather have me battle it out in a boxing ring? Or a wrestling match?" Mino challenged.

"!" Taehyun laughed hitting him on the chest. "Absolutely not!"

"See? Now come here and give me my congratulatory kiss," Mino smiled, pulling Taehyun closer by the waist, pressing his boyfriend's body against his.

"We're in public," Taehyun whined, but he made no move to get out of Mino's grasp.

"It's the middle of the night," Mino whispered next to Taehyun's mouth. "We haven't even seen one person passing by this whole time," he said, pressing his lips against Taehyun's proffered ones, he pulled away slightly to see a soft smile form on Taehyun's lips as the boy’s palm rested on his chest, right above his beating heart. He connected their lips again, easily gaining access to the compliant warmth.

"Ahem," a voice interrupted them, causing them to almost jump out of their skins. "Get a room guys," Krystal smirked at the two.

"You little !" Mino growled. "First you sided with Siyoung now you're interrupting a hot make-out session," he stretched his arms out and lunged towards the unrepentant intruder.

"Sorry, sorry," Krystal giggled, rubbing her palms together as a plead for forgiveness. "He was cute, and he looked lonely," she defended herself as Mino put her in a headlock. "Taehyun-ah, save me!"

"He's gay, you ," Mino laughed, her neck still locked in his arms as she keeled.

"Taehyun-ah!" Krystal flailed, gesturing for Taehyun to come and release her.

"No way. As Mino said, you burst in on our moment, you pay," Taehyun stood his ground, enjoying the sight.

"Okay, okay, if I ever see you guys making out again I will pretend I didn't see, okay?" she promised and Mino let her go from his grasp.

"I'm gonna tell on you to Jong Suk, flirting with a gay guy," Mino tsk'd in good humor.

"Whatever, he completely stood me up tonight," Krystal said flinging her hair back and straightening her jacket. "Anyway, we were planning on leaving so I wanted to know if you were coming with us."

"Already?"

"Yeah, each of the boys had their turn making a fool of themselves in front of all the underground rappers," Krystal gave a disdainful face. "I think I should take them home before they pass out on the floor, and I already have enough camera footage to blackmail them for a year," she said laughing as the couple followed her back to the basement.

--------------

Mino woke up the next morning with a bad headache and a parched throat. He carefully moved Taehyun's arm from his belly and got out of the bed quietly, careful not to wake his boyfriend up. He padded his way to the kitchen to get water when he heard laughter coming from Bobby's room. Curiosity got the better of him, wondering what could amuse Bobby so early in the morning. The door to the room was open and he barged in to see Bobby and Siyoung sitting on the bed and laughing at a phone screen.

"Oh, hey! You're up!" Bobby greeted him, Mino could hear some music playing on the phone.

"Damn it guys, how are you okay after last night? Was I the only one who drank?" he asked with his eyes fixed on the phone Bobby was holding, Giriboy's legs were on the floor while he hid his face on the pillow.

"I can say you were totally sloshed last night, and Siyoung here too," Bobby laughed, beckoning him to his bed.

Mino moved to sit on the bed while Bobby held the phone in front of him and pressed play. Mino could see footage from the party last night as well as him and Siyoung standing in the middle of a crowd. Realisation quickly dawned upon him.

"!"

Bobby thumped the bed with his hand in glee and tried unsuccessfully to hold in his laughter during the entire video. "I watched this like ten times and it doesn't stop being funny."

"Please delete it," Siyoung begged.

Mino's cheeks were burning hot as the video ended. "What was I thinking? ! I thought it was the coolest idea at the time, and I thought I was spitting some awesome ! Damn!"

"Siyoung's was even funnier. Spaghetti!" Bobby laughed clutching his stomach. "Where the hell does Spaghetti even come in the picture?"

"Why the didn't you stop us?" Mino punched Bobby in the arm, but not too hard to bruise.

"Well my drunken brain obviously thought rhyming Spaghetti and Taehyun-ie was a lyrical genius," Siyoung joined the laughter.

Bobby recovered enough to defend himself. "The other guys all had their turn, don't worry."

The sound of their laughter probably woke Taehyun woke and he was standing at Bobby's door looking very much un-amused. "What the hell are you guys screaming about so early in the morning?"

Mino quickly hid the phone behind his back as he heard Taehyun's voice and whispered furiously to Bobby to never show the video to Taehyun ever.

"Come on, it is almost noon! Wakey wakey. I swear, for college kids you people do not know how to drink," Bobby replied as he got off the bed.

"Mino, do you know how to make hangover soup?" Taehyun whined as Mino approached him, bloodshot eyes pleading the older as he wrapped an arm around Mino’s waist for good measure. Mino could only laugh at how Taehyun could still manage to look cute even with a bad hangover.

Mino got exactly what he didn't wish for at the breakfast table as Krystal uploaded videos of last night to their group’s Kakaotalk chatroom. The blood slowly drained from his face as Taehyun's face grew darker every passing second.

"Song Minho! What the hell! And you too, Siyoung! !"

Mino took that as his cue and quickly left the table saying he had to take a shower, quickly gulping down his hot coffee and Siyoung excused himself from the kitchen too saying he got a call from his mom.

"Don't think for one second I am going to leave this alone," Taehyun shouted after him while Bobby got a bad case of the giggles again.

"You just love making me embarrassed, don't you?" Taehyun accused Bobby as he rested his forehead on the table.

"You gotta admit, it's pretty funny. And Zico and the others were a lot worse," Bobby was defensive.

"Yeah, gotta admit that," Taehyun chuckled at what he had just seen. "But what the hell! 'Tight like bros'? And using my name and fighting over me. I wanna crawl in a hole and die!" Taehyun exclaimed in a dramatic fashion.

"Get over it!" Bobby shushed as Taehyun continued hiding his face on the table

"But seriously though," Taehyun raised his head after a while, his voice reduced to a whisper. "Do you think Mino has been acting strange lately? Did I make a mistake letting Siyoung stay here?"

"What do you mean?" Bobby asked over his cup of coffee.

"He seems so possessive all of a sudden. Like every time I tell him I am hanging out with Baekhyun, he turns up out of nowhere and sits right next to me. We almost got into a fight a few days back."

"What happened?"

"I don't know. We were just walking together on campus and some people passed us by and suddenly he was like, 'You're literally boring holes into that girl's shirt,' and it took me a moment to figure out what he was saying. He thought I was staring at a girl's chest," Taehyun confessed, still whispering lest Mino heard them from the bathroom.

"Did you say something to make him feel insecure? You do have a tendency to make people feel like that," Bobby said with a serious face. Taehyun thought for a while and suddenly it dawned on him. He cursed at himself, banging his forehead against the counter top repeatedly in frustration. "You did, didn't you," Bobby stated like he wasn't surprised, and made no move to stop Taehyun from getting his forehead swollen.

"I...  ... I didn't think...  the last time we had a party at my place..." Taehyun explained what happened that night.

"You stupid... Stupid..." Bobby looked downright livid.

"What?" Taehyun crossed his arms in front of his chest, defensive and defiant. "You know my rules on dating. And you know I can't get serious now."

"Oh you and your rules. Boo hoo hoo, poor little rich kid. Just because you see your parents going through a bad divorce doesn't give you the right to assume love doesn't exist or is bad," Bobby sneered.

" you, Bobby. Don't forget whose place you're staying at," Taehyun was ready to leave and stood up from his chair in a huff. "And you have no idea what I saw as a child okay. It leaves permanent scars."

Bobby was not the least bit intimidated. He held on to Taehyun's wrist and forced him to sit back down. "No, you listen here Nam Taehyun. You're my cousin. You're family and I am going to tell it to you straight. Mino is one of the best guys you and I have ever met in our lives. I have never seen you smile so much or look so comfortable with yourself as you are with him, and you're a much nicer person. It doesn't take a scientist to figure it out."

"But..."

"No buts babe. Don't you think you should just tell Mino the truth so he can decide for himself? I know what happened with your parents, I know your past relationships never ended well. But most of your relationships ended badly because you never gave a about other people’s feelings, you mentioned that was probably why Siyoung cheated back then. And right now you're acting like a spoiled brat who thinks he is too good to fall in love.”

Taehyun visibly bristled at his cousin's comments and cocked his chin up in insolence. "I do not have time to listen to your crap," he spat and stood up. This time Bobby didn't stop him.

"You know I'm right," Bobby called after him as he walked into his room and slammed the door shut for good measure.

Mino could hear the loud slam of the door and he took his sweet time to finish his shower. He stepped out of the bathroom with caution and saw Taehyun lying face down on the bed. He stood there contemplating on his next movement when Taehyun spoke without looking at him.

"Are you just gonna stand there?"

"You're not seriously mad at me right now, are you?" he asked with a hint of credulity as he walked closer to the bed. Taehyun finally turned around to sit up and face him.

"Of course not. I am embarrassed, yes. But I already knew what I was getting myself into when I dated you," Taehyun smiled, pulling Mino down by hooking his finger on the waist of the towel wrapped around Mino.

Mino knelt on the edge of the bed as he allowed himself to be pulled down. "Did you... were you fighting with Bobby just now?" he asked as their faces were inches away from each other.

"Don’t!" Taehyun's face was a mask of displeasure.

"What?"

"Don’t say other people's names when you're looking like that," Taehyun gritted out.

Mino did not quite understand what Taehyun meant. "When I'm looking like what?" He turned his face down to look at himself, clad only with a towel around his waist.

Oh. Ohhhh.

"Seungyoon. Seunghoon." Mino smirked, teasing.

Taehyun shoved him away with a hand on his chest and Mino laughed, barely managing to break his fall with his hands.

"Come here, you jealous child," he smiled and grabbed the front of Taehyun's shirt, pulling them close again. "So I'm allowed to only say your name when I'm half ?" he asked, millimeters away from Taehyun's lips.

"When you’re looking like on legs, yes, mine and only mine," Taehyun mumbled, eyes closed.

"Taehyun. Nam Taehyun. My Taehyun-ie," Mino cajoled before connecting their lips.

*****

"You guys are acting weird," Mino commented as he looked from Taehyun to Bobby. The cousins seemed to be studiously avoiding each other the whole day. Mino had suggested a lot of activities for them to do together, and he was only greeted with one worded sentences while the two were in the same room.

"What about laser tag? That's fun," Mino had suggested.

"Cool."

"Sure."

"You don't seem enthusiastic. What about skating? We can go skating at the park nearby," he had tried again when they didn't even look at each other. Bobby and Taehyun usually fought over everything as they both are opinionated.

"Okay."

"Cool."

Mino looked over to where Siyoung was sitting, who simply shrugged his shoulders as a reply to the question in Mino's eyes. He seemed as clueless as Mino.

"I am perfectly normal. And I am down to whatever you guys wanna do unless your boy over there disagrees," Bobby commented, talking about Taehyun.

"I am not some stubborn child who doesn't care what other people think, okay? So I am okay with whatever," Taehyun retorted.

Somehow, they all ended up in front of the TV watching movies instead of going out. They ordered take-out and watched the Rush Hour movies back to back. At some point, Taehyun fell asleep on Mino's shoulder seated in the loveseat.  When the third Rush Hour movie ended Siyoung announced that he was packing up to move out.

"Because of last night?" Mino asked as Siyoung got up from his seat.

"No. Not at all."

"Because you know last night was just a drunken outburst. You don't have to go, I mean it."

"I know. But my mom called this morning and she told me dad has cooled down. He agreed to let me continue my music as long as I graduate, with any subject of my choosing," he seemed satisfied with the turn of events.

"That's good news," Mino exclaimed, giving him a thumbs up.

"Yeah. That's great!" Bobby agreed, patting him on the shoulder. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

Siyoung's eyes shifted nervously from Bobby to Taehyun who was still asleep on Mino's shoulder. "I thought I would take you all out to lunch as a thank you and tell you guys my news then, but...," Siyoung trailed off, obviously worried about the tense atmosphere between his hosts.

"Oh. Don't worry about us. We just had a slight disagreement, that's all," Bobby said, also casting a glance at Taehyun's sleeping form.

"I still have money saved because you guys took me in. We can still go to dinner, I am sure I can afford a fancy one," Siyoung beamed, looking relieved.

"That'll be great. It will be nice if you can stay one more night."

"Korean beef!" Mino exclaimed. "I haven't had authentic Korean beef in ages." His excitement stirred Taehyun awake who looked at the three boys in confusion.

"We are going out for dinner," Mino told him.

*****

Taehyun barely watched the movie as he nestled himself at Mino's side. He found himself unable to concentrate on the movie as Bobby's words keep repeating in his head. He was annoyed at Bobby for acting like he knew him better than he knew himself. He looked over to where Bobby was sitting on the couch with Siyoung and was even angrier at how he was laughing at the TV like he didn't just give Taehyun hard-hitting questions to think about. Bobby didn't seem to have any idea about how difficult Taehyun's situation is right now.

But he also realised the truth behind Bobby's words. He never allowed himself to fall in love or even entertained the idea of true love's existence. He never really knew where it stemmed from. Of course, his parents' divorce must have played a part, although that only seemed part of the reason. Then there was Siyoung who spared no actions to prove to Taehyun that he liked him, and Taehyun had every reason to believe his feelings were genuine. And he still cheated, while telling him he loved him. But his situation with Mino was an entirely different problem. He looked up at the boy whose fingers were intertwined in his. It may sound clichéd but something tells him Mino is different from all the people he dated in the past. He had never been the jealous type, he never cared what his partners were doing as long as he got what he wanted from them.

But Mino had the ability to bring out the best and the worst in him, tying his stomach in knots with just a smile. The physical yearning to spend every waking moment with him. The need to feel his skin at the tip of his fingertips. The desire to share his everyday experiences with him, however mundane.

He thought back to that night when the words slipped out of his mouth so easily like it was the most natural thing in the world. He was furious at Bobby now because his damn cousin was right. Taehyun sighed, knowing exactly what he had to do. That knowledge gave him some sort of relief and he smiled to himself, snuggling further into Mino's embrace. He could hear the low rumble in Mino's chest as he chuckled at whatever was on TV. He had already seen the movie, so listening to the sound of Mino's laughter and feeling the broad chest rising and falling as the boy breathed was much more important to him, and before he knew it, he was lulled to sleep.

.

.

.

Siyoung was enthusiastic as they entered the restaurant that Mino chose. It was one of those traditional places where they serve soju and beer along with the food that the customers had to grill or cook themselves. The place was huge, and it was packed since it was dinner time, the restaurant was famous for its beef. Luckily, they managed to get themselves a table and took off their shoes, sitting cross-legged in a circle.

Taehyun found out earlier that Siyoung was going back home, which gave him relief. It was clear, based on recent events, that his ex-boyfriend still had feelings for him and he wasn't entirely clueless about how Siyoung's presence affected Mino so he was glad the tension will be over. Although, after what happened the night before, Mino and Siyoung seemed to be getting on quite well. However, that could also be attributed to the boy leaving the apartment.

He also knew he had to apologise to Bobby for the way he acted, which made him a little uncomfortable with his cousin brother. But with a few shot glasses of soju in their system, the awkwardness left the table as they each recalled their funny pasts and laughed about movies and mangas, with Siyoung studiously grilling the meat for all of them. Bobby acted like the eldest and delegated the task to the youngest, Taehyun, who wouldn't even touch the grill, still traumatised by his mishap at the camp. So the task fell on Siyoung.

"So what was your argument about anyway?" Mino asked in a casual manner, recalling Bobby's admission that he and Taehyun had a disagreement. They had finished their food and their bottles were almost empty.

"You," Bobby smiled, just as glib, raising his shot glass and downed it.

"Me? No. That's awful. I don't want you guys fighting because of me," Mino exclaimed, looking mortified.

"It's nothing," Taehyun quickly replied, glaring at Bobby because of his flippant answer to Mino's question.

"It can't be nothing. I have never seen you guys acting like this, ever," Mino differed and Siyoung agreed.

"Really, we're fine now. It was nothing," Taehyun begged Bobby with his eyes to corroborate his statement, which he did.

"But if it is about me, I would like to know. If I had done something wrong or..." Mino insisted.

"You didn't do anything wrong," Bobby supplied.

"Will you just drop the subject," Taehyun said in irritation, staring Mino down.

"Fine," Mino said in a huff, throwing his napkin on the table and got up. "I'm going to the restroom," he announced and left the table.

"Go after him," Bobby ordered Taehyun and the latter did not need to be told twice. He quickly put on his shoes and ran after his boyfriend. He caught up with him just outside the corridor, leading to the restrooms.

He placed his hand on Mino's shoulder and turned him around to face him. "Damn it, you're ruining everything!" he blurted out.

"Well sorry I am such a pain in the ," Mino snubbed him, turning back around. Taehyun was almost scared of the angry face that met him. There were people going in and coming out of the restrooms but other than that, the place was quieter than the main restaurant where the customers are seated. Taehyun felt his heart beating faster, louder. So loud his ears seemed deafened by it. He couldn't care anymore if there were people around. He pulled at Mino's wrist to make him turn around and face him again. Mino turned back around to protest but he closed his mouth when he saw the look on Taehyun’s face.

"I want to do this in a more romantic place but of course, you just wouldn't allow that would you?" Taehyun huffed, unable to meet Mino in the eyes. He focused instead at the place where his hand was in contact with Mino's wrist.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You..." Taehyun's free hand pointed straight at Mino's chest. "I don’t know what is it about you that made me feel these things I have never felt before. I was used to being courted like a prince, or treated like one. But you made me experience things like raiding a college cafeteria as a first date, made me wait to the point I had to beg you to ask me out and I have never done that. Why did I even think you would allow me to confess in a more appropriate place instead of a place that stank of piss?"

"Taehyun... what..." Mino's hand took hold of the hand that was jabbing a finger repeatedly into his chest.

Taehyun blocked out Mino's words in his head because he needed the confidence to say what he wanted to say. If he waited any longer, he would probably combust spontaneously or die from embarrassment.

"I have never said these words out loud to anyone because I want them to mean something when I do finally say it. People these days walk around telling everyone they love them. Strangers they meet on the internet are lavished with the three magic words. Phone conversations are ended with 'I love you's' and the words have become as commonplace as mere greetings. They don't seem to have any real meaning anymore..."

"Wait. Taehyun-ah, are you..." Mino interrupted, retracting his hands from Taehyun's grasp.

"Let me finish, ," Taehyun retorted, finally looking at Mino's face.

"No no no," Mino waved his arm in protest and hit a passerby right on the chest. He quickly bowed to the man to apologise but his bum hit a waiter who was carrying a bottle of soju and shot glasses, causing the poor guy to reel off trying to stop his plate from crashing onto the floor.

Taehyun firmly caught hold of both of Mino's wrists as the latter finished his apologies. "Will you ing listen to me," he uttered the words trying to remain serious. It was difficult to hold back his laughter at that point, but he had to finish his important monologue.

"But I want to say it first," Mino complained.

"You were the one forcing my hand so you don't get a say right now," Taehyun countered and took a deep breath. "What I am trying to say here is, when people tell someone they love them, the words are barely heard. But I want you to know, as I am saying the words today, I want you to know they hold all the meaning the word contains, all the promises and the feelings it evoke," Taehyun chanced a glance at Mino who was looking at him like he was the only thing that existed in his world, and he was quite sure that was what Mino would see in his eyes too. "I love you, Song Minho."

"You," Mino breathed out. "You..."

It was obvious Mino never expected to hear the words from Taehyun’s mouth.

"Excuse me," another stranger called out to them, asking for entrance to the restrooms, clearly not realising the magnitude of what just happened between the couple he interrupted.

"But..." Taehyun continued, he wasn't finished.

"What 'but'? No but's okay. No. You love me, that's all that matters," Mino shushed him.

"But Bobby..."

"Why are you talking about Bobby now while we are having a moment," Mino objected, using Taehyun's own words against him. Taehyun nervously chewed on his bottom lip, unsure. "Gods, I want to kiss you so badly right now," Mino let out with feeling, bringing a blush on Taehyun's cheeks.

Another waiter coughed beside them, the couple was making it difficult for the restaurant to operate. Mino caught hold of Taehyun's hand and pulled him back towards the main dining area of the restaurant. They reached their table where Bobby and Siyoung sat, deep in conversation.

"The two of you are not allowed to come home early tonight," Mino warned them and fished out his wallet. He painstakingly removed the cash with one hand as his other hand didn't want to let go of Taehyun. He threw the cash down on the table as the two looked on with mouth agape. "Find a karaoke bar or something and stay there for a few hours," he said when knowing smiles formed on the boys' faces. And without even managing a goodbye, Taehyun happily allowed himself to be dragged out of the restaurant.

*****

But 
if each day, 
each hour, 
you feel that you are destined for me 
with implacable sweetness, 
if each day a flower 
climbs up to your lips to seek me, 
ah my love, ah my own, 
in me all that fire is repeated, 
in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten, 
my love feeds on your love, beloved, 
and as long as you live it will be in your arms 
without leaving mine.

- Pablo Neruda

*A/N: I stole these lines from the TV show Boston Legal. Allan Shore has the best lines in the history of TV shows.

Damn! I checked statistics and every chapter of this story has more than a thousand views. I am so so thankful you guys, you have no idea. And damn you guys must be thirsty as hell haha. 300 subs and approx. 1400 views for each chapter, you guys must be reading this over and over, I am so sorry and so so thankful.