Taemin takes a deep breath to try and calm his shaking nerves. This is it. This the day he finally confesses to the love of his life. He looks down at the pink envelope tucked neatly into the side pocket of his bag, and his chest tightens at the thought of all the possible reactions to it, both good and bad. The dinging of the elevator snaps him back to reality and he jumps a bit.The doors open and there he is, the object of Taemin’s affections, in all his impeccably styled glory.

"Morning, handsome." he says, bow lips pulling into a playful smirk.

"Good morning, Kibum"
Taemin steps into the elevator and takes his usual spot. Today, though, the familiar setting seems smaller, the air feels thicker. He knows he’s blushing, he can feel the feet in his face, and he hopes with everything he has that Kibum can’t see it. Taemin shifts his weight awkwardly from foot to foot and keeps his head down, prays that maybe just this once Kibum won’t feel like talking because he’s not sure he can open his mouth today without stuttering.

"You’re awfully quiet."  Luck has never really been on Taemin’s side.

"Long night." is his short answer. He can feel Kibum’s eyes on him, searching him up and down for signs he’s not telling the truth. It’s not a lie; Taemin was up for most of the night, worrying himself into a fit. But he’s so tense right now he thinks anything he says could be taken as false.

"Looking up cat videos online again?"

"No!" Taemin protests, much to Kibum’s amusement. The older man slides up beside him and swings an around his shoulders,leaning in close.

"So, then?" Taemin slaps him hard in the chest, only serving to make the elder laugh at him.

"For your information," he says, "I was up pouring my heart and soul out into a perfectly crafted, extremely emotional letter for someone I lo- admire."

Kibum quirks an eyebrow at him. Yeah, right. Taemin doesn’t write letters. He has a better relationship with his fridge than with most of the people he knows. But then he spots it, the little pink envelope sticking out the younger’s bag.

"Who’s it for?" he asks, genuinely curious. And suddenly Taemin seems to shrink into himself. His cheeks flush and his head drops, and he’s back to that tense posture from a few seconds ago. He even jumps a bit when the elevator stops as they reach the ground floor. Kibum thinks it’s kind of cute to see him all ruffled like this.

"S-sorry, Kibum, I’ll tell you later." Taemin says as he rushes out the sliding doors. The elder chuckles behind him, and he can’t bring himself to look back as he hurries out the front entrance of their building.

~

Taemin leaves his last class of the day feeling thoroughly disappointed in himself. He hasn’t been able to focus all day long; he’s just been wallowing in his own self-pity for the past seven hours. He walks down the big stones steps with his head hanging against his chest, eager to get home and eat his feelings away with some ice cream.

"Hey!" Taemin turns to find Kibum sitting on a nearby bench, legs crossed and patting the empty spot beside him. "I got off early. Thought I’d pick you up."

Taemin sits beside him, leaning his head on the elder’s shoulder and closing his eyes. Okay, so he couldn’t express his undying love. That doesn’t mean it’s gone away. Kibum is still his warmth and his comfort, even if his heart cracks a bit when he looks at him. The older boy pets his hair affectionately.

"I’m pathetic."

"Confession didn’t go well?"

"You could say that."

Kibum pats him on the back and stands up, extending his hand and pulling Taemin up with him. They make their way to his and climb in. The drive home is quick as usual, but uncharacteristically quiet on both of their parts. They’ve made it all the way to the elevator before one of them speaks again.

"So are you going to drown your emotions in food like usual?"

"That’s the plan."

"Want some company?"

"I’d love some."

Taemin gets off on his floor, Kibum saying something about how he’ll be down in a minute. When he gets to his apartment he finds something taped to his door, a blue envelope with his name written on it in english lettering in glitter glue. He furrows his brow at it, but takes it in with him.

~

When he hears the knock on his door, he swings it open so fast he almost hits himself with it. Kibum is standing there with a smile on his face holding Taemin’s little pink letter in his hand. The younger’s knees feel weak and his mind is spinning. He has a million things he could say but he can’t get his mouth to move, so Kibum talks instead.

"You’re the cheesiest thing ever, you know that?" he says, pink beginning to dust his cheeks, "And your handwriting is ."

Taemin doesn’t think he’s hugged someone so tight before, or kissed someone so hard.