Somehow, Minho had been able to survive the meal with Taemin and his mother. He only hoped he would never have to endure it again. It was just too uncomfortable. Although Taemin had told him later that his mother liked him.

He supposed that was a good sign. Perhaps it wasn’t as awkward as he remembered it.

He passed another week in the small town, no closer to knowing what he wanted to do with his life, or himself. In all honestly, he had no reason to stay with his uncle. It wasn't like he had a girl to stay for anymore, and his friendship with Taemin could only keep him there for so long. He needed to make a decision.

That night, he laid on the couch in the empty house. His uncle had gone off to work on another of his sporadic shifts. It was raining heavily outside, too heavily to go out and do anything. If his uncle were still home, he might have taken his car and gone somewhere, but there was no chance that he was going to walk anywhere.

Bored, he scrolled through the contacts in his phone - through the list of school friends he hadn't talked to in weeks, through the names of the assistants and housekeepers, all the way down to his father's number.

It had been two weeks since his father tried calling him. Two weeks since Minho rejected that call. He wondered how much longer his life would go on like that, before something changed.

A loud knock at the front door jerked him from his thoughts. Who would be there at that hour? And in that weather?

He rose from the couch and went to the door. He answered it to find none other than Taemin standing there, soaked from head to toe with a rather dopey smile on his face. Minho stepped aside and he charged right in, out of the rain.

"What on earth are you doing here?" he asked.

"I had to work late, and your house is closer to mine. I thought I might wait out the storm here."

"Oh...um, okay," he answered, still surprised that he was there. He was dripping water all over the floor. "Let me get you a towel."

He quickly made his way to the bathroom and grabbed the first clean towel he could find. Taemin was still by the door when he returned, pulling his phone out of his wet purse. He thanked him as he took the towel and began drying his hair. He was calling his mother no doubt. While he stood waiting for his call to be answered, Minho found himself staring at his wet clothes.

He was glad he knew he was a boy, otherwise he would have found the soaked white shirt...interesting.

Taemin's mother answered the phone and Minho left to go to his bedroom. He supposed he might have some clothes that would fit Taemin, or at least suffice while his clothes dried. He hadn't brought much with him from home, but he was able to find a clean shirt and pair of jeans. He carried them out to him, while Taemin was wrapping up the conversation with his mother.

"I'm just gonna wait out the storm. I'll be home as soon as I can, but don't stay up for me. Alright?...Alright? I love you too, Mom. Bye."

After hanging up, he turned to Minho and smiled awkwardly. "I think she thinks we're still dating."

Apparently she wasn't completely convinced after their conversation.

"I have some dry clothes if you wanna change," Minho offered, handing him the small pile.

"Thank you." Taemin eagerly took them from him.

"The bathroom's just right over there."

Taemin went to go change and Minho took the opportunity to check the forecast from his phone. It was supposed to rain for hours yet. Taemin would be stuck there a while. He supposed they should find a way to pass some of the hours. A movie could work.

He was in the process of raiding the refrigerator when Taemin emerged again. The clothes were a little loose, but they fit well enough. His fake s - or whatever it was he wore underneath - were removed, and he once again looked like a boy - a pretty boy with long hair and make-up.

It was an interesting site.

"Do you wanna watch a movie?" Minho asked, while pulling out the various snacks he had gathered.

"Sure."

"Like anything in particular?"

"No, I'll let you pick."

The two of them met at the couch and Minho laid everything out on the coffee table, before going through his uncle's meager collection of movies. He decided on a random action movie he had never seen before, hoping it would be at least a little entertaining.

He sat beside Taemin. As the previews at the beginning were rolling through, he couldn't help but glance at his friend. He was slumped against the couch, relaxed and sitting...like a man. It was everything he normally wasn't. In that moment, Minho felt that he got a glimpse at the real Taemin for the first time.

By the time the credits came, Taemin had fallen asleep. He was curled up at the end of the couch with his head on the armrest. He was breathing deeply, so completely out of it that the heavy metal song playing through the credits didn't even phase him. Minho turned off the TV and inched closer to him.

"Taemin?" he asked softly.

The boy didn't stir. He looked so exhausted, like he had finally crashed.

It was still raining heavily outside, and since there was no way he could go home, Minho decided it was best not to wake him. His uncle would be out all night anyway, so it wasn't like he would inconvenience anyone.

Minho grabbed the throw blanket off the back of one of the chairs and draped it over him, being careful so he wouldn't wake him. Tucked in with his body covered up, Minho couldn't tell what gender lay beneath, and he was reminded of the girl he had fallen in love with.

He certainly had gotten himself one strange friendship.

Smiling, he left Taemin alone on the couch and went to his bedroom to get some sleep.