Title: Honey Ramen (11/?)
Author: jaesunbb 
Rating: PG-13
Pairing(s): 2MIN, slight!JongKey
Genre: angst, AU, school life, romance, drama
Warnings: language, OOC
A/N: Sorry for short chapter, the next one will be longer!

    Sleep didn't come to Taemin that night. His head was too full of things that didn't make sense. He felt dirty that he had with a person he just knew for two weeks. But at the same time, he felt content to be with someone even though their relationship weren't known to anybody, expect Key.

    It was the next morning at school in first period when he was finally able to put his head down on his desk and rest his mind. 

    Taemin told his mom he wasn't feeling well before school and she just gave him some medicine and told him that he shouldn't waste his days at such an important time in his life. She gave him night time cold medicine, which always caused Taemin to fall asleep easily when he had a cold. 

    As soon as he sat down at his desk and the other kids began to pile into the classroom, he was out like a light, not aware that Minho was actually already seated at the table.

    After a few minutes, Taemin felt a rough poke on the arm and he slowly rose his head, his head resting in the palm of his hand. He turned his gaze to the direction he felt the poke.

    Minho furrowed his eyebrows when he saw the dull look Taemin gave. "You alright, kid?"

    "Yeah… I'm fine… just tired," Taemin answered, rubbing his eyes. The cold medicine also made it hard for him to concentrate. 

    Minho teasingly smirks, "Of course you are."

    Taemin rolls his eyes at Minho's cockiness as the bell rings, signifying first period to begin. Many students scrambled to their seats. Key ran through the classroom door, followed by tomboy Amber as Mrs. Jung walks over to it to shut it. 

    She snaps at them, "Key and Amber, you should be here earlier! Get in your seats!"

    The class finally settles down with notebooks spread out on the desks, pencils ready to write in their hands. 

    After about fifteen minutes into class, something white flies across Taemin's vision and lands on his desk. It's a note with his name scribbled in pink ink on the front. He snatches it before Minho can reach for it.

      Taemin looked to his right and saw Key waving at him to open it as Minho gives them both a curious look. He doesn't bother to try and see what the two are writing to each other about.

    Taemin unfolds it and there's a scrawled paragraph that takes up half the page, with many parts crossed out and underlined.

    OMO!!! are you and douchebag Minho really dating?! this is so scandalous! kekeke
    you are too good for Minho though...
    oh yeah! did Minho tell you about the party this Saturday? you should come ;)
    write back this stupid class will make me fall asleep 

    Taemin smiles as he reads it. He takes out his pen and begins to write back as Mrs. Jung talks about a test coming up.

    i don't know if we're really dating...
    too good for Minho? hmm.
    and you'll just drag me to it like last time!

    Taemin throws it back at him. He gets a reply soon enough.

    ah so you guys are just friends with benefits? :|
    yeah you are too good for Minho. he's handsome and everything but yuck... his attitude ! talk about uncharming
    kekeke I will drag you to that party if Minho doesn't!

    Taemin's heart sinks when he reads the words 'friends with benefits' and this time, he doesn't write back a response and crumples up the paper instead. 
 

    The bell rings for lunch and Taemin walked towards his locker nearby and spins the dial, opening it and neatly stacking the heavy textbooks inside.

    "Taemin!" someone yells from behind him. He pauses and sees Key waving at him from the end of the hall.

    "Hi," Taemin greets when Key reaches him, closing the metal door to his locker.

    Key crosses his arms and pouts at him, "You didn't write back. I was so bored during class!"

    "Oh, sorry. I was afraid Mrs. Jung was gonna take it," Taemin lies, giving him an apologetic smile. Key grins at him.

"You're such a goodie-goodie," he says, pushing brown strands of hair out of his face. Taemin zips up his backpack and swings it over his shoulder. "You sit with the freshman nowadays, huh? You should sit with us at lunch today~ Jjongie misses you. "

    Taemin rises an eyebrow, "Jjongie?" 

    Key laughs as he covers his mouth with one hand, "I call him that. He hates it, but whatever. I know he likes it," he says, linking his arm with Taemin's, "C'mon. Let's go. I'm in' hungry." Key drags him towards the cafeteria before they sat down at the table where Taemin first sat when he was new with Hongki and other juniors he wasn't familiar with. Taemin sat across from Jonghyun while Key sat beside him.

    Once Taemin sat down, Jonghyun greeted him brightly, his pearly whites fully visible as he smiled at him, "Hey, Taemin, Long time no see!"

    Taemin nods his head and gives him a small smile. He wasn't really sure what to feel or think about Jonghyun after what Minho had told him. But he figured it wasn't really worth his time to hate on someone, especially Jonghyun who had treated him pretty well since day one.

    Key scans Jonghyun up and down, laughing as he spoke, "Wow. That is either a phone in your pocket or you're just happy to see him."

    Taemin blinks, confused about what's happening in front of him as Jonghyun playfully shoves Key and starts laughing along.

    They finally calm down and Jonghyun asks Taemin a question, "Oh! Taemin, are you going to the party tomorrow?"

    Key elbows Jonghyun in the side, "Stupid. Everyone is going."

    "Nuh-uh! Not everyone." Jonghyun retorted, returning the nudge.

    Taemin watches Key roll his eyes and wonders if the two are always like this.

    "So... are you?"

    Taemin thinks for a brief moment before replying, "Key's just going to drag me there if I say no."

    "Oh, cool, I guess," Jonghyun comments as he grinned.

    They chatted with one another until Taemin curiously glanced towards where Minho sat and saw him laughing with his junior friends. He felt his stomach knot up and the words 'friends with benefits' raced through his mind. What if what Key had said was true? That Taemin's relationship with Minho was just a fling?

    Taemin shook his head sadly at his thoughts. If it were truly just a fling, Minho wouldn't had bothered to tell him about his personal life. He quickly turned his head back towards the two boys in front of him as Key called out for him.

    "Taemin, you're now my son."

    Taemin furrowed his eyebrows and gave Key a confused look at his randomness while Jonghyun laughed.

    "Wow~Steven~" an odd sing-song voice said in English from behind Taemin.

    Taemin turned around and looked up to see the senior, Onew, with a creepy smile spread across his face. The three boys looked at Onew with a dead-pan look.

    After a few seconds of silence, Key and Jonghyun created a beat on the table with their hands, "Whatever he does, it's Onew condition~" They both sang in unison. Taemin was only put into deeper confusion as they giggled away. Taemin wasn't familiar with Onew for he only talked to him once which was a long time ago so he doesn't know what Key and Jonghyun meant by 'Onew condition'.

    Onew squeezed between Taemin and some other junior and waved at the three boys, "Hi."

    "Hey, Onew," Jonghyun starts, "What are you doing here?"

    "Just wandering around."

    Jonghyun nods his head and then turns to Taemin, "Did you get a new phone? Because I tried calling you and it said the phone was no longer available..."

    "Oh, um, yeah. Here, I'll give you my new number." Taemin takes out a small piece of paper but Jonghyun shoves a pen and his hand in his direction instead.

    "Just write it on my hand. I'll forget later if it's on a piece of paper."
    
    Taemin takes the pen and Jonghyun's hand hesitatingly, writing the digits to his cell phone onto Jonghyun's skin.

    "Ooo! Lemme have your number too. But don't write it on my hand. Ew." Key pipes in, taking the paper Taemin had taken out earlier after Taemin scribbles down his number. "I'll just text you later telling you it's me."

    "Can I have your number too?" Onew chimes in and Taemin turns to him with risen eyebrows, "I don't even know you."

    Jonghyun and Key laugh at Onew's expression until Taemin decides to give his number to the older boy, feeling slightly sorry for him.

    The bell finally rings and the four boys waved goodbye to one another before parting ways.
 

    Taemin laid down on his stomach on his bed with weekend homework settled in front of him. His phone vibrates on his bedside table, startling Taemin before he stretched his arm to reach for it. An envelope icon flashed on his screen, indicating it was a text message. He pressed OK and viewed the message.

    hey my son~~ ♥

    Taemin knew right away it wasn't his mother since he hadn't told her about his newly bought phone and his mom never texted. He tapped his fingers at the characters spread across his touch screen phone.

    Key?

    Not even seconds later, he recieved a reply. 

    no you're supposed to say mommy Key kekeke 
    i texted Minho to bring you along to the party so you better come!!
    but... keep Minho a distance away from Jjongie since he's coming too
    don't want a fight!

    Taemin didn't reply back as his mom entered his room to check on him, telling him to finish his homework quickly so they can go grocery shopping.

    After she had left, Taemin thought about the party being held this Saturday and was actually excited for it since people would most likely be far too drunk to notice Minho and Taemin together.

    If he wasn't so happy about this, he would be completely miserable about the fact that they had to hide everything and act like they barely didn't care about each other's existence.

    He really couldn't wait for tomorrow night.