Minho watched as Jonghyun completed yet another set of bench presses, his best friend’s chest heaving with exertion.

“All I’m saying is,” Jonghyun paused to catch his breath, “no surprises.” He ran a towel over his face and the back of his neck. “Remember what happened last year?”

Minho rolled his eyes. “I was being nice.” He took a seat next to Jonghyun, “Taemin was the one that wanted to bake a homemade meringue pie. He brought the torch and he’s the one that set your kitchen curtains aflame.” Minho took a swig of water and sighed. This topic came up every year. Ever since the “Incident of 2013” which lead to a fire damaged wall, water logged records and a forfeiture of Jonghyun’s deposit. Now that Minho thought about it, maybe Jonghyun had a right to be a bit concerned.

“No ing surprises. Period.” Jonghyun ran his fingers through his hair and made his way to the weight wall. “But, you know, if you were going to do a party,” He kept his eyes locked on the dumbbells as he continued,  ”I would not be opposed to an almond honey cake from that one bakery down the street. You know, the one with the really pretty display window? Or a couple of those peanut butter truffle cupcakes?” He finally grabbed a pair of 10lb weights and began doing curls. “You could invite a couple of girls from that yoga class.” Jonghyun wiggled his eyebrows. “Or those cute guys from our spin class?”

Minho cracked a smile and joined his friend. “And I thought you hated surprises?”

The chime rang as he entered the shop, the sweet aroma of freshly baked goods lingering in the air as he approached the counter. Minho had visited the bakery much too often for his own good, slowly working his way through the menu and dangerously closer to a larger pair of jeans.

“Welcome to Studmuffin’s,” an unenthusiastic voice greeted from somewhere in the back of the bakery.

Minho perused the display case, his eyes lingering much too long on a decadent black forest cherry cupcake.

“Can I help you?” Kibum, the cashier and presumed owner, remarked. His head resting atop the glass as if to say the exact opposite.

“Do you greet everyone like that or is it just me?” Minho tore his eyes from the display and onto a much too familiar face.

“Everyone.” Kibum mumbled as he reached behind the counter to produce a small ticket. “It’s part of my charm, don’t you think?” Kibum smiled smugly. “Big plans this weekend?”

“It’s that time of year, again. Jjong’s birthday.”

Kibum snorted, his fingers flying across the screen as he rang Minho up, “Fun. I see you’re still trying to keep the fires to a minimum.”

Minho handed Kibum his card. “Oh, off. I’ve already heard an earful from Jonghyun. I don’t need another lecture from you, thank you very much.” He stuffed his receipt and his card back into his wallet and huffed. “ing Taemin.”

Kibum laughed obnoxiously loud, the way he always did when he found something legitimately hilarious. “Why people keep allowing him around an open flame is beyond me.” He wiped a tear from his eye and placed his pen back behind his ear, “Though, I seriously owe that kid a drink. He’s sent us most of our customers, you know.” Kibum paused, “Perhaps a fire extinguisher would be more appropriate.”

Minho laughed and turned to leave.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Kibum called as he gestured towards a small box resting on the counter in front of him. He nodded towards the kitchen, “Boss man has another sample for you.”

Minho took the package gingerly, fingertips brushing over the satin, crimson ribbon. He felt guilty, really he did. Ever since he had first started to frequent the charming, curbside shop he had been a recipient of numerous delicacies, each one more delicious than the last. He stole a glance at Kibum. It was just a shame that, though incredibly romantic and obnoxiously attractive, Kibum was simply not Minho’s type. He responded the way he always did, reaching for his wallet, “I really do insist, Kibum.”

Kibum rolled his eyes and grinned. “Just take it, Minho.”

But he couldn’t. Minho fiddled with the edge of his t-shirt, a bad habit he had managed to pick up in his teens, his eyes darting nervously around the floor. He took a deep, steadying breath and met Kibum’s gaze, his words rushing past his lips before he had the chance to second guess himself. “I don’t have feelings for you.” Minho bowed his head, mentally preparing himself for whatever fate was about to befall him, but was met with silence. Curious, Minho peaked at the cashier through his fringe.

Kibum gently nudged the ribbon clad container towards him. “Neither do I.” He pulled back his metallic cuff, and Minho automatically averted his gaze. “I know not many people show off their marks,” Kibum chuckled, “and I’m no exception. But I think this might clear up any misunderstandings, yeah?”

His eyes flitted over the words adorning the cashier’s inner wrist in a daze. Minho had only seen two other soul marks before, both of which had been revealed only after months of dating. It felt strangely intimate that Kibum, a man he barely knew, should be showing it to him so suddenly. A soft smile blossomed across his face as he read. If you were a vegetable, you’d be a cute-cumber. “It’s cute.”

“Cute?” Kibum scoffed, replacing his jewelry, “Can you imagine, waking up on your 16^th birthday the ‘best day of your life’ and seeing this?” He shook his head is disapproval. “I’m going to kick their . As soon as those words leave their lips. ‘POW’ right in the face.”

Minho chuckled. “I know what you mean.”

“Do you, though?” He sighed exasperatedly, “I bet you have a nice one. Something all cute and romantic.”

He grabbed the cupcake and made his way to the door, taking a quick glance at his own golden cuff, and repressed a sigh. “I wish.” He said as he leaned against the door, stealing a quick glance at Kibum. “It would have made things a hell of a lot easier.” 

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A/n:

Gotta love Key and all of his sassyness ^_^

Thanks for checking out our story! :)

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Kpopstarstruck here! Just wanted to say thanks to everyone that subb'd and commented!

We really do appreciate it.

I'll try to get a chapter going and update soon.

Also, may crosspost this to my tumblr. So, if you see it there, that's why. (I'm also taking prompts for short drabbles!)

Thanks, as always, for reading. ♥