It was some time after 2pm when Minho awoke. After everything that had happened that night, he still felt exhausted, but he knew he couldn't sleep on Taemin's couch forever. He groggily sat up and wiped the sleep from his eyes, while looking around the apartment to see if the boy was up and about.

He was obviously still asleep. It was probably for the better. Sleep was a nice reprieve from the pain of waking life.

He thought of preparing some supper for the boy, but his phone rang before he could put that thought into action.

He pulled it from his pocket and looked at the unexpected name flashing on the display. "Dad".

He had done a lot of thinking before he fell asleep, and it was as if his father knew.

Gathering up his resolve, Minho put the phone to his ear and answered. "Hello?"

"Minho," his dad's voice came from the other end. He sounded surprised, like he didn't think his son would actually pick up. "It's been a while..."

"Yes, it has," Minho agreed, as he opened the front door to Taemin's apartment and stepped into the hall, so his talking wouldn't have the slightest chance of waking his friend.

There was an awkward pause in the phone conversation, as if father and son didn't quite know what to say to each other. Then again, they never did. They hadn't been very good at communicating since his mother died.

"I miss you, son," his dad said bluntly.

Minho was surprised. His father wasn’t usually so honest when it came to the feelings between them. It must have really taken a lot for him to admit that, and knowing that made Minho smile. And after reliving the pain of losing his mother, he had been starting to miss his father as well. He realized his relationship with him was not something he wanted to waste.

"I miss you, too," he admitted quietly. Being honest with him was hard.

"I want you to come home, Minho. Whatever you want to do with your future...I don't care. I just want you to be happy."

"Really?" Minho asked with a devious smile coming to his face, "Then I have a proposition for you."

When Minho went back into the apartment, he found Taemin awake. He was also dressed in his feminine garb and his work uniform. He looked at Minho only once - and it was an awkward glance - before he slipped into his shoes.

"What are you doing?" Minho asked, confused.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going to work," he replied curtly.

"Taemin, you can't go to work.”

"Of course I can. This apartment can't pay for itself and I'm certainly not taking money from you for that, so if you'll excuse me."

Minho grabbed him by the shoulders as he tried to go through the door, stopping him firmly. "Taemin, your mother just died."

"You don't think I know that?" he snapped, trying to shrug him off. Minho only held him tighter and pushed him back away from the door, all the way to the couch. He protested as Minho forced him to sit down.

"I called your boss and told him what happened. He says to take the week off."

"A week?" the boy repeated, like he couldn't even fathom it.

"You need to take some time, Taemin."

"I can't sit here for a week, I'll go crazy."

"But you can't run from your pain, I know. Trust me, you need to take some time."

The boy quit his fighting and slumped back into the couch, looking utterly depressed. Minho pulled the purse from his shoulder and set it on the floor, to remove any idea about leaving from his mind.

He took a seat on the table across from him and took a moment to just let the boy sit in silence. He was so grief-stricken, so pretty...

"Why did you kiss me?" Taemin asked, breaking the long silence.

Minho looked to the floor awkwardly, hoping the boy would choose to pretend it didn't happen. "I don't know," he answered honestly.

"You said you're not in love with me, and you don't like men. So why?"

"Well why did you kiss me?" Minho retorted.

"Because it felt good," he replied without pause, "and when you feel awful, it's nice to feel something good."

He supposed he could understand that.

Taemin leaned forward on the couch, closer to him. "So what's your reason?"

Minho shrugged. "You looked like you needed it."

"I suppose I did..."

The boy's sorrowful gaze wandered, and Minho thought it was as good a time as any to mention his proposition. He reached across the space between them and moved aside a strand of Taemin's hair, catching his attention.

"I want you to move back home with me," he said plainly.

"What?"

"I'm going back home, to my dad's house. I want you to come with me."

"...Why?"

"Because I think you'll have better opportunity there than in this small town."

"But I can't just up and leave everything here and move to another city without a job or a place to live."

"You have a job."

Taemin looked at him strangely, "What do you mean?"

Minho thought of the best way to word it as leaned a little closer to him. "My father needs an assistant. He's agreed to hire you."

"He has?" Taemin asked, unsure. He looked like he knew there was more to this than Minho was saying, and he was right. He figured it was better to tell him.

"I made a deal with him: I'd go to school if he'd hire you. He agreed to it."

For a moment, Taemin thought about what he said, though he couldn't tell what he thought about it. Minho at least hoped he wouldn't discard the opportunity because of pride.

"You're going to school?"

"Only if you accept the job. Otherwise I'm just...going home."

"You're leaving?" Taemin looked suddenly fearful. Minho wasn't aware he had grown so attached to him.

"I want you to come with me."

The boy was thoughtful again, weighing the pros and the cons.

"What do you have in this town now that your mother is gone?"

"I have friends. They may not be many, but they're still my friends. Besides, I've lived here for years. It's home."

Minho couldn't argue with that.

"And what about your father?" Taemin asked warily, "What if one day I decide to show up dressed as a girl?"

"He'll take you however you come...that's part of the deal."

Another long pause followed. Minho wondered if it really was a good time to bring it up to him. Could he really expect him to decide so soon after his loss?

He was starting to think his proposal had no chance of working.

"I need time to think about it," Taemin said in the end.

"Take all the time you need."

A/N: Yeah, for those of you who were expecting some passionate love scene...sorry. Not sorry. :P

I guess I should let you all know this story is nearing the end. :(

That was partly why some of those chapters were so short. I was trying to drag it out as long as I could. lol

But there's a few chapters left yet! So stay tuned! :)