The next several weeks that passed left Taemin exhausted. He felt as if he was juggling so many commitments and responsibilities while managing a life of lies; he'd quit his job at the froyo shop while still going enough times weekly  to trick his mother into thinking he still worked there. He knew it wasn't as though she'd ever stop by to check on him at work since she had no reason to, so for the time being, he was safe in that lie. He'd also gotten a job in the game almost as soon as he'd levelled up into the seventh world at - ironically - a game arcade, and he'd been using the hours he would've worked at the froyo shop as his new job schedule for the arcade.

So far that was working out well for him.

Unfortunately however, Taemin had been right when he hypothesized how drastically his hours with Kibum would be cut as soon as he got another job. Worse yet was when he had a job in his world, he would just game whenever he got the chance. Now that his only chance to play the game is at work but he had to use the majority of those hours for his job in the game...he was barely getting to see Kibum at all. The most time he could even spend at the apartment now was probably just a little over an hour, if that. Enough for Taemin to come home from work and hope Kibum was home too, eat dinner with him and Jonghyun and get ready for bed.

It was downright depressing. Taemin had virtually no time for the only reason he was even taking on his job responsibilities. He tried to explain to Kibum that it would be worth it in bed at night before they fell asleep but he could usually tell that Kibum was tired of waiting up on him. Half the nights, Kibum would fall asleep before Taemin had finished telling him how well he was doing at work and how much money he was making. The amount of points he was accumulating was steadily increasing and soon Taemin would be able to either buy better upgrades or a bigger property. If he saved his points properly he could buy his way onto the eighth level if he tried. But as he excitedly tried to tell Kibum this, he was usually met with soft snores and the steady rise and fall of his boyfriend's back. He felt guilty for making Kibum wait up for him when he got back from work every night but...if he didn't, how else would they get to spend any time together?

The weekends were especially gruelling for Taemin because while Kibum mostly had weekends off, Taemin was worked even more hours than usual. He hardly complained, instead continuously checking his inventory in the game, greedily watching the point count go up. He was just another couple hundred away from being able to purchase a bigger apartment. He sighed, weighing the pros and cons of doing so. Pros? By making good investments like this, when he finally got into the game for real he would have a good start with a nice place to live and hopefully it would be big enough that he could offer Kibum a new place with him. He chuckled thinking about how he'd offer it to Jonghyun as well but he was positive the elder would never be able to give up his artsy loft. It would be a really nice space for them, and in a good area on a higher level as well. It screamed possibilities...but the cons? A bigger apartment on a higher level meant more rent to pay, and a higher rent meant Taemin had to invest more money into his apartment rather than saving up. The less he saved up would make it difficult to upgrade as fast as he wanted.

Taemin hung his head in his hands. He laughed bitterly to himself; he felt as though he was trying to understand the responsibilities of a grown man with a partner at the tender age of sixteen. And speaking of his age, Taemin's seventeenth birthday was rounding the corner in a few weeks. He sat back in his chair in the froyo shop as he listened to the bustle of customers and employees beyond the breakroom. When Taemin's birthday came around, he'd also level up as a reward for staying loyal to the game. Then he'd be on the eighth level, so maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to buy the new apartment now? He'd be levelling up anyway, right? He felt swarmed with confusion and opportunities that he felt he'd regret if he didn't take. He wanted to talk to Kibum about it, or maybe discuss it with Jonghyun. They had way better knowledge of how these things worked, especially Jonghyun, but he barely had any time with them anymore.

He rolled his chair back and for the first time ever, logged out of the game early. He felt exhausted and his brain was reeling. Maybe he'd just talk to Sandy about it.

***

"A new apartment, hmm? I see where you're coming from, but don't you think that's a little risky?" Taemin sighed around his straw.

"That's what I came to talk to you about." He paused to slurp his mango smoothie noisily from his cup until Sandy wrinkled her nose at him. "What?"

"What are you drinking?"

"Oh, you can hear it?"

"Of course I can, I'm probably the only person that can know when your real world behaviors are differing from your game behaviors." Taemin laughed at her and she smiled back. His character was sitting with Sandy on a park bench but Taemin was in the froyo shop drinking what he considered lunch because it was too much work to go get food. Sandy could pick up on his obnoxious slurping despite his mouth not moving in the game because she could hear it through his headset. He grinned.

"It's mango."

"Ah, delicious. So, this apartment?"

"Right, so I was thinking it'd be good to have some nice things for when I really entered the game, you know? But I'm just worried it will really rack up my expenses so I'll probably have to work harder to earn more to upgrade...but that means I'll spend way less time with Kibum and I feel like we already don't get to see each other at all." He trailed off as he allowed his character to look off into the sky. There was a slight breeze ruffling his character's dark hair in the game. Taemin watched longingly as he felt the stale, stuffy air in the froyo breakroom. There were windows just outside but he couldn't bring the game into the shop and if he stepped out the back door the cable wouldn't stretch enough for him to still be able to play while hooked up to the outlet. He sighed. He hoped he'd be able to feel that breeze himself one day but his chances were looking slim.

"It sounds good, making investments is an important part of being successful but it just seems a little too risky in your case. Why the sudden interest in a new apartment?" Taemin's character knocked his feet against the park bench, pausing a moment to cringe when he kicked it a little too hard. Taemin in the breakroom always felt very distanced from his game self at times like these. How his character could feel the pain he couldn't. How his character could never comprehend the heartbreak he was feeling.

"It just seemed like a good spot that opened up that was a fairly decent size in a nice area. Plus, I can afford it right now. I just wondered if I should take it before someone else came along and got it...I don't know when else a good place like that would come up again." He took another sip from his smoothie. "It's not like my place now is bad, I just always figure it I get some higher level stuff it might help me upgrade faster." He looked over at Sandy and found her smiling at him. "What?"

"It's just nice."

"What is?"

"The fact that even though it's your life you're still doing things that will benefit both yourself and Kibum. As a team. Never have I met a player like you before." Taemin felt his face redden a little.

"Is it obvious?"

"That you love him? Of course." She smiled back. Taemin averted his gaze for a minute and smiled shyly to himself. He was going to make this work.

***

A week before Taemin's seventeeth birthday, with the apartment still on the market and in fact slightly cheaper than before, Taemin made the decision to buy it. He messaged the seller and handed over a down payment before he could back himself out of it. When it was all done, he felt significantly poorer but also happier. Hopefully he was making the right choice for him and Kibum. That day, when he finished working at the game arcade, he went home to Jonghyun and Kibum's apartment and went straight for the shower. It had been a long day but he finally felt a little less stressed and he wanted to wash away his worries.

He stripped off his clothes and stepped into the shower turning on the water and watching as it hit his skin in small pellets. Taemin sighed, he couldn't feel it, but it was the thought that relaxed him anyway. He stood there allowing the water to wash over his face and body for a couple more minutes before shutting off the water. His character shivered as he hurried to grab a towel to dry off and Taemin laughed dryly, just another one of the things his character could feel that he couldn't. He just wanted to hurry up and get in the game and finally feel like he wasn't on the outside for once.

When he stepped out of the bathroom he heard shuffling in the kitchen and his heart leapt. Was Kibum home already? He finished towelling off his hair in a hurry, flinging the towel still damp into the laundry basket and rushed to the kitchen. He slid on socked feet across the tile until he stopped at the breakfast bar. "Kibum?"

It was Jonghyun. He turned around to face Taemin with apologetic eyes, as though he knew he would be disappointing Taemin with his presence. "Sorry, Kibum's working late today...I got off a little early and thought I'd come home to make dinner." Taemin gave a small smile. Even if Jonghyun wasn't Kibum, he was still like the older brother Taemin had never had and he still appreciated him and loved him, even if it wasn't quite the same as with Kibum.

"That sounds great. Can I help?"

***

Once dinner was finished, the two men took a seat at the table and dug in. Jonghyun groaned appreciatively at the taste and Taemin only wished he could do the same. As they ate, they made small talk about their day, the weather, when Kibum would be home, and if Jonghyun was making any more progress on any new songs. They'd just finished talking about the new song he was working on, 'View', when Taemin decided to tell Jonghyun about the apartment.

"I got a new place today." Jonghyun paused for a moment over his green beans before popping them in his mouth and chewing slowly, eyeing Taemin.

"Yeah? Didn't you have a place on the sixth level?"

"Yeah, but when I basically moved back in here and once the lease was up I just sold it back. I made some profit so I saved and I saw this better apartment on the eighth level so I thought..." He trailed off, allowing his character to stuff his face with some mashed potatoes before continuing, "I mean I could afford it and stuff it's not like I was doing anything reckless, I thought about it a lot before doing it." When he realized he was rambling he felt his ears prick and he quieted, shovelling more potatoes into his mouth. Jonghyun chuckled softly from across the table.

"Taemin, you know you don't have to run anything by me, right? I know you're capable of making your own decisions, you're a smart guy. Hardly a kid anymore if you ask me, I mean you've already moved out of one place for somewhere better, you have a steady relationship, and a job. Jeez, you're more of an adult than me and Kibum," he laughed, "you're doing well, man. I know Kibum probably doesn't voice it a lot, but he's proud of you, too. Almost a little jealous sometimes, if you ask me, because you make goals and work toward them."

As Jonghyun continued his praises, Taemin couldn't help but tune out. He was just so stuck on what Jonghyun had said. I know you're capable of making your own decisions...you're such an adult. Taemin was stunned, honestly. Never in his life had he ever had anyone believe in him the way Jonghyun had. His mother, well she thought Taemin was just a baby. Incapable of doing anything for himself. She thought his head was just so full of video games that he didn't have any room left to concentrate on important things. Taemin always figured she was right because...truthfully, that's all he was doing; spending his days playing a video game. But he seriously planned to live there, of course he'd want to invest a lot of time in making sure he had a good starting point for when he really did start living there. Of course...he was still skeptical that he'd be able to at all, but Jonghyun was right, wasn't he? He had a steady relationship, a job, and a place to live with plans to live somewhere even better. He was taking the necessary steps to improve himself for his future...a future with people he loves and cares about. How can he be considered anything except an adult?

" - you know what I mean? Taemin? ...Hey, Taemin!" Taemin's head snapped up, immediately refocusing on the conversation.

", sorry, what?" Jonghyun stared at him before his facial expressions softened into a smile.

"Are you okay? Working too hard?" Taemin gave a sheepish grin in return.

"Kind of...but thank you for what you said."

"Hmm? What did I say?" Taemin smiled widely at him.

"You believe in me. You think I'm responsible and you know that I can do things for myself. No one's ever thought I was capable of anything before. Where I come from, back home...my mom, she's not exactly my number one fan. My dad doesn't even care enough to scold me for anything and all she ever seems to do is doubt me. I don't have any brothers or sisters so I never really had anyone to talk to. And worse yet is I come from a kind of wealthy family. So I never really had to work for money or anything, I sort of got everything handed to me from early on and because of that everyone around me figured I was spoiled and talentless...so I just wanted to say thank you. For really believing in me." Taemin felt his eyes begin to pool with tears from in front of the game screen. This was the first time he'd ever let his true feelings out. He felt his face heating up and his voice trembled as he continued,

"I just wanted you to know that that's why I'm so set on making it into this world. Nothing has ever been important to me before because as long as I asked, I got it thrown my way. I've never had to work or suffer for anything before. I've never given an effort so no one ever thought I'd ever amount to anything. The flower boy son of two rich parents, you know?" He paused to sniffle, his character mimicking his actions as though for the first time, they were truly in tune. Taemin felt all his emotions rush forward and then he was crying openly as he continued to speak, "I really feel like I have a home here. This is the first place I've ever felt welcomed, wanted. I just want to be here with you and Kibum so badly...it's the only thing I want. And I'll work for it, I swear it. I'm so close, I know I am. I feel like this is what family really is and I've never felt so good around anyone before. I love you guys."

Jonghyun was wide eyed as Taemin freely sobbed in front of him and he immediately got up, abandoning his now cold food, and rushed to pull Taemin into a hug, the younger boy reaching up to grip his shirt between shaking fists. He was probably going to stretch Jonghyun's shirt at this rate but neither of them cared. Jonghyun raised a hand to run through Taemin's hair softly, trying to quiet him. He rubbed his back as Taemin's sobs subsided and only his sniffles remained.

With his face squished to Jonghyun's chest, he mumbled out, "hyung, I'm going to try my best. I belong here, I know I do."

And suddenly, the bright 'level up' banner was shining beautifully in front of Taemin and Jonghyun's astonished eyes.

***

When Kibum returned home that night, both Taemin and Jonghyun were curled up on the couch sleeping, their chests rising and falling in time to each other, the TV forgotten, the sound of some comedy rerun emanating softly from the box. Kibum shrugged his jacket off and toed off his shoes before walking over to Taemin and shaking his shoulder gently.

"Mm wha-?" Taemin mumbled, breaking out of his sleep. He ungracefully sat up while scratching at the back of his head until he opened his eyes and saw Kibum staring down at him with an amused smile on his face. The smile dropped however the second Kibum got a good look at Taemin's face.

"Tae? Jesus, your eyes are all red and swollen, are you okay?" He worried over Taemin for a bit until Taemin was fully awake, the younger grabbing at Kibum's hands and pulling him down into his lap. He burrowed his face into Kibum's shoulder despite the older boy's protests. "Taemin, stop, I need to go take a shower, I'm dirty, I haven't even washed my hands yet."

Taemin just squeezed him tighter mumbling out a 'just let me hold you for a few minutes, I missed you', and Kibum was quiet. He relaxed back into his boyfriend's embrace figuring he could leave the questioning about the obvious crying he'd been doing until later. Right now...right now, being together was the most important. As Kibum felt Taemin start to doze back off, he reached over and touched his hand lightly to the back of Jonghyun's hand. The elder stirred gently in his sleep before relaxing again into a different position at Kibum smiled. It had been weeks since they'd gotten a chance to all be together like this, even if it was just sleeping together cramped on the couch in front of the TV. Kibum figured it was better than nothing, and he cherished it anyways.

It wasn't until he felt himself nodding off as well that he decided to sit up and break out of Taemin's grasp, the other boy falling backwards onto the couch and cutely curling around Jonghyun's large bicep, snuggling his face into his newfound pillow. Kibum smiled and made his way to his and Taemin's shared bedroom yawning along the way. He stripped out of his clothes tossing them in the laundry basket before grabbing a fresh towel and heading to the bathroom. The water felt good on his skin as he washed away a long day of work. He scrubbed his entire body down until he felt nearly raw and decided his face needed a good shave. He set to work getting rid of all the uneven patchy areas of stubble on his face and chin and when he was done he thoroughly washed his hair, reaching for the conditioner bottle with the dye mixed in. He chuckled as he thought back to Jonghyun's words:

'If you're going to have white hair, you have to maintain it!'

Kibum remembered the day he traded in his honey blonde for the ashy white blonde he now was. It was a couple months after Taemin had left and Kibum was lethargic and unmotivated to do anything. The day had come that Jonghyun picked his up off the couch and sat him down in the bathroom at the edge of the bathtub. Kibum had complained for a bit, argued with Jonghyun that changing his hair wouldn't change his life and Jonghyun had scoffed at him.

'Wasn't it you who always used to move on from things in the past so easily? Remember the last time I got dumped? You told me I just needed to stop feeling for other people and start feeling myself and the first step to doing that was to improve, and the easiest way to improve was just to change a little something about the way I looked. Buy a new shirt, some guitar strings, maybe change my hair. You called it therapy. What happened to that Kim Kibum?'

After that Kibum hadn't been able to argue anymore and had let Jonghyun apply to bleach to his hair. A few hours of bleaching and toning later and Kibum felt his newly damaged hair in the mirror and agreed that maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Some blow drying and styling later and Kibum was feeling like maybe Jonghyun was right. Change was for the better.

Kibum sighed stepping out of the shower and running his towel through his hair a couple times before towelling down his body and then slinging it around his waist. Back then he'd thought Taemin would never return. He'd tried to forget about the younger boy and nearly slept with a few people before Taemin had made his appearance again. He truly cared for the younger boy and he'd been so afraid to lose him. The thought made him wonder about his current situation. If Taemin couldn't actually make it into the game...wouldn't he become disinterested and leave? Kibum was afraid to be left by Taemin again; he'd given the guy so much of his heart already.

But what about Jonghyun's old friend, Jinki? He'd been able to pass the border between worlds. And Kibum knew Taemin kept Jinki's old journal in the dresser drawer next to his bed. He knew that even after he fell asleep most nights, Taemin would stay up reading the journal and trying to understand what Jinki had been thinking and studying. Kibum knew Taemin was actively trying to familiarize himself with techniques that would allow him to enter into Kibum's world but he was worried that it just might not be enough. What if it just wasn't possible? What if Taemin could just never enter into their world?

He thought it should be possible since Jinki could escape their world. But no one - at least no one Kibum or Jonghyun knew - had ever entered into their world. He was worried that Taemin was psyching himself up for something that just couldn't be.

Kibum sighed, flopping down onto his bed as he rested on his bent elbow. He figured he could try to talk to Sandy about it and see if she knew anything. He was about to close his eyes when he heard footsteps outside his door and he looked up to see Taemin in the doorway, a small smile on his face.

"I heard you in the shower."

"Oh, sorry, did I wake you? I meant to let you keep sleeping but I guess I made a lot of noise, huh?" Taemin shook his head and walked over to the bedside, sitting beside Kibum's stretched out form.

"I love you." Kibum flushed instantly, averting his eyes from Taemin's gaze and he spluttered out.

"W-what was that for?" Taemin smiled gently at him.

"I just wanted you to know. I'm really going to try my best, Kibum. There's only a little time left." He leaned forward to press a kiss to the older boy's mouth, grinning into it when Kibum arched up off the bed as Taemin leaned away to make the kiss last longer.

"I just hope everything will be okay in the end." Kibum replied, chewing on his lip. Taemin shifted to lay down behind Kibum, spooning him as he wrapped his arms around him to bring his body closer. When they were chest-to-back Taemin assured Kibum that they'd make it. They definitely would.

Too tired to argue about it anymore, Kibum hummed quietly and the two drifted off to sleep with the same thoughts of 'I love him more than anything and I can't wait to be with him' in their heads.

Hey guys, LifeisSHINee here! Ah, cheesy ending is cheesy. Sorry I've been pretty AWOL lately. I had about a quarter of this written out when my laptop screen suddenly got overridden with dead pixels and I had to send it in for repair which took some time. Then when I got it back I suddenly when through this phase of being disinterested in this story. Honestly the first couple chapters should've been worked on a lot more - I find them sort of lacking now. But I'm not going to change them right now because I want to finish the story first. Maybe once it's done I'll revise them, but for now I'm leaving them as they are. Anyways, Taekey might happen in the next chapter - I'll be marking it as a rated M chapter for anyone who wants to skip it. I was going to put it in this chapter but decided to save the scene for a separate one so people could skip it if they wanted. The story will be done in a few more chapters (I'm aiming for only 2 more and maybe an epilogue). Anyways, as always, take care!