Taemin made sure he woke up early the next morning to log into the game; it was a Sunday and his parents would still be asleep and if he woke up early enough he could still play for a few hours before the maids arrived to wake them up and make breakfast. He had to be present for breakfast; they'd get suspicious if he wasn't.

Taemin poked his head out of his room and looked both ways before easing the door open slightly, cringing with the hinges squeaked slightly. He stayed still for a few moments waiting to see if anyone would call him out but the hallway remained silent and he let out a breath of relief he didn't know he'd been holding. He slowly crept out of his doorway, careful not to move the door too much farther. His socked feet padded lightly on the floor as he made his way to the east side of the mansion to the gameroom.

The minute he got down there, he plugged the game in and yanked his headset on, quickly signing in. He found his character sprawled next to Kibum's form on Kibum's bed. Taemin grew embarrassed before repeating to himself that it was just his character, not actually him, so he had nothing to be shy about.

"Kibum?" Taemin prodded Kibum's shoulder to rouse him, the other boy scrunching his face up.

"Mm? Oh, Taemin, you okay?" Kibum mumbled out

"Yeah, why?"

"I woke up a while ago and you weren't there." Kibum was still half asleep and Taemin could tell the gears of his brain still weren't functioning properly, but the question still made his heart pound.

"I'd gotten up to go to the bathroom."

"But I'd woken up to pee; you weren't in the bathroom when I went in there." Taemin panicked.

"I'd gone to get some water from the kitchen first, sorry." It was a lame excuse but Taemin hoped Kibum's sleep-clouded brain wouldn't be able to dissect the lie. Thankfully Kibum just mumbled a sleepy 'kay' and turned back around to burrow further into the sheets. When his back began rising and falling evenly with his breaths, Taemin figured he'd nodded off again.

He checked the time on the clock on Kibum's bedside table. 7:37. Taemin's parents' maids would be coming at 9:00 so he still had a fair amount of time to play, but he couldn't move until the other two woke up. So he laid back against the cushions on the floor of the gameroom and his character curled up in Kibum's bed and he waited.

Less than a half hour later, Taemin could hear Jonghyun bustling around in the kitchen so he eased off Kibum's bed and padded into the main area of the apartment, taking a seat at the breakfast bar. Jonghyun's back was to him, the older boy at the stove fiddling with a frying pan and the burners. He turned around and saw Taemin, a smile spreading across his face.

"Oh, hey dude. Sleep okay?" Taemin nodded and smiled back. "I'm gonna make some eggs, want some?"

"I thought you couldn't cook?" Taemin smirked.

"Don't sass me, I can at least make eggs! Kibum at waking up in the morning, sometimes he's not even up yet before I go to work, so I've at least learned this much skill. By the way, you mind going and dragging him outta bed? I thought it would be nice if we all ate together." Taemin nodded and slipped off his barstool, walking back to the bedroom and peering inside. Kibum was still asleep. Taemin walked over to his side of the bed and poked at his shoulder.

"Kibum?" Kibum groaned in response and tucked his head even further into the pillow. Taemin briefly wondered if he could breathe doing that before he wondered if Kibum even actually breathed at all considering he was a computer program. "Kibum, Jonghyun sent me to wake you up." Kibum growled before shooting an arm out to grab Taemin's and yanking him back on the bed. Taemin yelped and struggled before Kibum starting tickling him and Taemin groaned, thrashing around. Kibum wound his legs around Taemin's to hold him down, Taemin's screams of laughter growing more pronounced.

"You're such a brat you know? You don't even call me hyung and I'm older than you." Kibum laughed as Taemin accepted his defeat and began to plead for mercy. He slowly released the younger boy who sat up in bed, hair sticking up everywhere from their brawl.

"I thought that would make you feel old." Taemin retorted, hands reaching up to smooth his hair down.

"No, I've never had someone to call me hyung before, Jonghyun used to make me call him hyung before we became really close friends and then we just stopped. But I want you to call me hyung!" Taemin groaned.

"Ugh it makes me feel like such a little kid!" Kibum laughed and grabbed Taemin's hands, staring him in the face.

"You are a little kid. And I like it," Kibum said, looking directly at the younger boy. Taemin's eyebrows shot up and he flushed from his seat in the gameroom, gripping his controller. Did Kibum really just say that? His character mimicked his expressions as though he knew what Taemin felt, and Kibum grinned slyly at his expression, "the honorific? I like the title." Kibum added. Taemin's embarrassment grew and his shoulders sagged a little after Kibum corrected himself and he was sure after Kibum burst into laughter that the older boy had been teasing him all this time.

"Sh-shut up," he mumbled, "anyway Jonghyun wants to eat breakfast together so let's go." Taemin allowed Kibum to leave the room first before he let out a sigh and climbed off the bed, heading to the kitchen. He silently hoped there wasn't color visible on his cheeks.

When Taemin reached the breakfast bar, Kibum was smirking proudly at Jonghyun who was looking irritatedly at him, hands on his apron covered waist. When he spotted Taemin he cried out.

"Hey, I want you to call me hyung, too!" Kibum barked out a sharp note of laughter and Jonghyun angrily tried to shush him. Taemin had quite the pair on his hands.

***

The next few days turned into weeks with the pair and Taemin found himself feeling more and more welcome in their apartment.

He felt at home with the Jonghyun and Kibum more than he felt in his own large house and delighted in playing the game nonstop. His birthday passed that summer and when he informed the two that he'd finally turned fifteen, Kibum had smacked him on the shoulder and whined that he should've told them his birthday was coming up, that they would've prepared something. Jonghyun ,the ever-emotional hyung as he was, teared up at the thought of Taemin growing up and Taemin had to console him while reminding him that he was fifteen, not twenty five, and he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Kibum had baked him a cake and he'd had a small party with the two of them, music blaring in the oddly decorated apartment, a party song Kibum later told him Jonghyun had been working on called View that according to him 'wasn't quite ready yet' and 'was still in the works'.

All in all, Taemin was having more fun with the pair than he'd had his whole life by himself in his grand home playing with all the material things his parents had bought for him. The rare moments Taemin wasn't playing the game he'd stop to think that this was what it felt like to have friends and to make memories with them. Occasionally, laying in bed as he stared up at the ceiling willing himself to fall asleep, Taemin wondered if this was going to backfire on him; Kibum and Jonghyun were just computer programs, and even if Taemin continued playing the game his whole life...they wouldn't be real. He would age and grow older and Kibum and Jonghyun would remain the same forever. He'd fall asleep with dreams of actually existing in their world, laughing and talking with them for real. He'd imagine the same look Kibum would give him after pulling him across the bed, and then he'd wake up and forget he ever dreamed of them at all.

Taemin make it his schedule to play the game first thing in the morning until his parents came home, have dinner with them, and be off again to play the game until bedtime and he'd been at it for several weeks when his mother finally decided she wanted a word with him. She invited him to sit with her in the living room as she sipped a hot cup of tea, Taemin taking a seat in front of her.

"So, Taemin, you're fifteen now. You're not a child anymore and your father and I think it's time you stopped acting like one." He waited for her to continue, "So we've decided it's time for you to get a part-time job."

"What? Why?" Taemin knew better than to argue with her but her logic confused him. Taemin came from a wealthy family, he didn't need a part-time job, he had no use for it.

"Because we think it's time you gained some responsibilities instead of sitting around the house all day playing video games." Her tone was stern and Taemin knew she was pissed off about how often he played the game. "So you have one month to find a job.

"A month?"

"It should be easy for you, you come from a good family. Find a job, if not, your father and I are going to cut you off from that game of yours." Taemin's eyes widened and he stood up.

"What? You can't take it away, please mom!" She glared up at him, an icy stare, from above her teacup. She placed it on her saucer with a light clink and stood up, smoothing her skirt down before turning to face him.

"Watch me."

***

His mother had been right; it hadn't been hard to find a job. He'd applied at an ice cream shop down the road from his family complex and they'd hired him right there without even so much as an interview. He'd begun training the next day, and the day after that he was already on the job, paid training, his employee status creating immense popularity among the traffic in the store. He knew they'd hired him for his wealthy blood, he would bring in many more customers than the shop had ever seen in its time. Really he should've been flattered but he was beyond annoyed and on the verge of becoming antsy. He hadn't had time to play in two days and Jonghyun and Kibum would know something was up. The last time he'd been in the game he had told the pair that he was going to visit a friend he'd made in a different World and he wasn't sure when he'd be back. It was a flimsy tale, but they didn't question it. He hadn't told them any specific World because he knew they could leave Paradise Planet if they wanted and go search for him. It was unlikely, but he wasn't taking any chances.

For now, Taemin was busy grumbling as he focused on working the froyo machine on the other side of the register behind the desk, swirling the cold treat carefully into a small cardboard cup to give to the girl waiting on the other side of the counter. He turned to give her the cup, grabbing a small, blue, plastic spoon and handing it to her before collecting her money and shoving it into the register. Once she'd left he pulled off his apron and tossed his hat into the back room; he'd take his break now and anyone who complained was going to get an earful.

He made himself his own cup of froyo, tossing some coins into the register before he got barked at for 'eating the merch' and he made his way to a small table by the front of the shop. He thought back to the game as he spooned the cold treat into his mouth, worrying about the two of them and wondering if they were thinking about him too. He finished at four today which gave him two hours before dinner, and his mother had said he could play all evening if he wanted but not a minute after nine or she'd cut him off. It was annoying because Taemin was used to nearly falling asleep at the console after whispering hushed goodnights to Kibum in his bedroom and then trudging his way to his own bed but now he'd have to make his goodbyes long before that. Which meant he'd need a new excuse every night. Taemin finished off the cup of yogurt, dropping his garbage into the recycling bucket behind the desk as he strung the apron around his waist again. Two more hours and he was home free. He could do this.

When Taemin got home, he washed up as quickly as he could and raced off to the gameroom, turning it on quickly. When his character blinked onto the screen he could see himself crouched in his little hiding spot in The Deck where he'd left his character in case either Jonghyun or Kibum came to look for him. He'd dug out the small opening underneath The Dock himself and burrowed inside so no one could've seen him while he was gone. He slowly pulled himself out and allowed his character a good stretch before leaving The Dock and making his way back to Paradise Planet. He was on his way to their apartment when he passed by the flower shop he knew Jonghyun worked at. Figuring he was still at work he thought he'd stop in to see him and ducked inside.

Jonghyun was in the greenhouse at the back of the flower shop watering calla lillies in large pots and humming tunes to himself. His white hair was growing out and he had his bangs clipped up with a small plastic, pink clip. He looked up and grinned when he saw Taemin approaching, immediately setting the watering can down.

"Hey, Taemin, where've you been lately? Kibum and I haven't seen you in so long!" Taemin's face scrunched up. It had only been two days since he'd last logged on.

"It hasn't been that long, has it?" Jonghyun frowned a little.

"Well it's been like a week, man. You don't even have a phone or anything we can call you on. We know you stayed with your friend but you still technically live with us, don't leave for so long without giving us a rundown of your plans or something." He chided gently before walking past Taemin and removing the clip from his hair. He laughed, launching into a story about how Kibum wanted to give him a haircut since he kept stealing his hair clips to push his hair out of his face, but Taemin was only half-listening. A week? In his world, Taemin had only been gone for a few hours over two days. He'd never had trouble with his time zone not syncing to the game's before, so now he had to be extra careful about how long he spent away from the game. He made a silent plan to ask Sandy about it later.

"Sorry, hyung, I guess we got carried away. I hadn't seen that friend in a long time. Is Kibum at home, by the way?" Jonghyun looked up from cleaning some dirt off his hands with a towel.

"Well he actually said he was going out later, but if you swing by now you may catch him before he goes out.  You might not see him until tomorrow if you don't go see him now, anyway, when he parties, he parties hard." Jonghyun chuckled, "Too many times I've had to go pick that brat up at three in the morning, you know?" Taemin quirked an eyebrow.

"Why?" Jonghyun looked pointedly at him.

"Well...you're not a little kid, Taemin, you know how it is right?" Taemin stayed silent. He had a sinking feeling in his gut that he didn't want to think about as Jonghyun continued. "Well, Kibum goes out sometimes and meets people, you know? Sometimes he'll end up at somebody's place and when he's...you know, done, he calls me to come get him because he doesn't know where he is...anyway, just go up and see if he's there before he leaves, alright? I'll be finished here in a few hours and I'll come join you so you won't be alone when he's gone."

Taemin nodded, bidding Jonghyun farewell and ambled over to the complex and into the apartment building, thoughts swirling in his brain. He knew that Kibum was an adult, and he knew what adults did...but somehow he just never matched Kibum to that sort of lifestyle. Taemin had always pictured Kibum as being uninterested in those types of things, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized it was normal for people Kibum's age to become...involved with other people their age.

It hurt his pride a little every time Taemin had to remind himself that he wasn't Kibum's age. His mother considered him an adult enough to start working. Even Jonghyun considered him old enough to explain things like this to him...but Kibum? What did Kibum think of him?

He willed the elevator to go faster and when it finally dinged, he hurried to the front door, bursting in and bumping into Kibum who was on the other side.

"Ow, what the- Taemin? Where've you been, how come you were gone for so long? You didn't even call me, Jonghyun and I were worried about you." Taemin righted himself and watched as Key's hands settled on his waist, hip cocked to the side, his mouth pushed into a frown. Taemin might've laughed if he wasn't so busy taking in Kibum's attire.

Black leather jacket with a wide collar, popped of course, and tight, tight dark wash jeans. His pants were ripped and frayed over his knees and legs which were topped with black combat boots that ended midway up his calves. A belt that read 'moschino' hung from his waist, and his hair wasn't its usual messy blonde array of waves but instead perfectly coiffed up at the top of his head, not a single strand out of place. But what really did Taemin in was the dark liner his eyes - fierce as they were - and the strong smell of cologne wafting off his skin to meet Taemin's nose.

Taemin didn't really know if he found men attractive in general but he knew he found Kibum attractive. He'd known since day one, but he didn't know he could be this attractive. Taemin had never seen Kibum dress up before; always clad in odd colored clothing inside the apartment, his fashion choices seemingly matching the decor where he lived. Taemin had no idea Kibum could look so...put together.

"-ing? Taemin, hello? I'm talking to you!" Taemin snapped out of his reverie and his clouded brain struggled to regain focus and pay attention to what Kibum was saying.

"Sorry, pardon?" He meekly replied. Kibum looked annoyed.

"I said what were you thinking? Really, the least you could've done is call. Jonghyun said you'd be fine and you'd be with your friend but do we even know this friend? Taemin you're fifteen, you're not an adult, you have to be more careful, or at least tell us where you're going." Kibum's irritated tone had turned softer and more worrisome and Taemin ached watching Kibum's eyes smolder from behind the makeup and he mulled over Kibum's words. 'You're fifteen, you're not an adult' replayed several times over in his head. So Kibum was the only one who still saw him as a child. It hurt a little and it was confusing because Taemin wasn't that much younger than Kibum, they were only three years apart, he reasoned with himself. But here Taemin was, getting scolded by the man he was beginning to have feelings for about being out too long while said man was about to go to a party and...and...

Taemin shook his head a little, he didn't want to think about that right now and focused on answering Kibum instead.

"I was just having fun with my friend, sorry. When we hang out we lose track of the time, I didn't even mean to be gone so long," at least that was the truth, he thought, "and I missed you, hyung." Kibum's mouth twitched up in a small grin at his words, suppressing a full on smile as he stepped forward.

"Get out of my way, you brat. I'm late already." He grumbled, attempting to maneuver past Taemin's body in the doorframe, but Taemin's hand shot out to block him.

"Where are you going?" Taemin knew he didn't have much time to play the game tonight and he had truly missed both Jonghyun and Kibum. He'd never admit to missing Kibum more but he wanted to know if he'd even get to see him before he had to log off for the night.

"Party."

"For how long?"

"Oh, now my whereabouts are concerning? Think about that next time before you stalk off and leave us for a week!"

"Kibum, I'm sorry. I did miss you, hyung, a lot. I'm glad I'm back now. I came back because I wanted to spend time with you again, can't we just hang out tonight?" Taemin bit his lip from his seat in the gameroom. He was jealous, he knew he was, jealous of people he wasn't even positive Kibum was going to end up with tonight. He knew it was childish to be so jealous but he couldn't help himself. More than anything right now he wanted to keep Kibum from leaving the apartment.

"Taemin, I'm going out, okay? I'll try to be back before you go to sleep but I can't guarantee anything." He sidestepped Taemin and made his way to the elevator, punching the button to call it before Taemin could protest. The elevator opened and Taemin rushed out to grab Kibum's arm before he got in.

"Hyung, please? Wait." Kibum wiggled out of his grip.

"Taemin, you got to have your fun, now I'm gonna have mine. Dinner's in the fridge, kay? Be back later." With a wink, he stepped into the elevator and blew Taemin a kiss before the doors slid shut. Sitting in the gameroom, Taemin could feel his heart pound with embarrassment at the gesture as his character walked back into the apartment. He put his character to bed, leaving a note for Jonghyun in the kitchen before logging off of the game early and making his way upstairs to his own bedroom. He changed for bed and burrowed under the covers thinking back to when Key had been laying beside him in the elder's bed, sleeping soundly. He felt pathetic harboring feelings over a game character, but he'd never felt so close to someone before.

He fell asleep after convincing himself that Kibum wouldn't do anything to the soothing dreams in which Kibum was real.

Hey guys, LifeisSHINee here! I'm sorry this chapter took so long to put up, exams took a lot out of me and I've been relaxing this past week or so so I haven't made updating a large priority. About half of this chapter has been sitting in my drafts for a while because I wasn't very satisfied with it but I plan to move the plot along in the next few chapters. As for Taemin's new job and his mom buckling down on him and cutting his gametime hours, it's all going to come together for the plot; sorry if it seems random right now but I promise it's part of my idea. Just a quick note: I've edited a small part in the first chapter; I originally stated that Sandy couldn't give Taemin info about higher level Worlds because she was only Tech Support for the First level Worlds, but I realized I continued to make Taemin go back to her for advice despite progressing through Worlds so I just made Sandy knowledgable for all the Worlds instead. It'll be easier to keep track of her character that way anyways. So besides that, as always, take care!