As Minho stepped off the late morning bus to the towns, he couldn’t fight the smile on his face. He was dead tired (mostly accounted for by the fact that his internal clock refused to let him sleep in), and the chill in the air was stronger than it’d ever been, but despite it all, he felt a buzz of anticipation and warmness claiming his body.

He plopped down on the bus stop bench and glanced at the time on his phone.

Two minutes until noon.

“Hyung!” called an oh-so familiar voice. Minho smiled.

“Taemin ah,” he greeted as the boy jogged over to him.

“So uh, before I forget,” Taemin started as he reached into his jacket pockets and fished around for something. “Merry Christmas hyung,” he said, taking out a small box that was nicely wrapped in red and white candy cane striped paper and adorned with a red bow.

“Bwoh? You got me a present? You didn’t have to,” Minho gaped.

“I wanted to,” Taemin smiled, handing the box to Minho’s reluctant frame.

Minho took the present, turning around with his fingers as his mouth turned upwards into a soft smile. He was about to start picking at the tape around the edges when Taemin stopped him. “No, don’t open it yet,” the blonde said.

Minho blinked at him. “Why not?”

The boy flushed. “Just, open it later.”

The elder of the two nodded, chuckling a bit at Taemin’s reaction. So he gets me a present and then gets embarrassed about it? Cute.

Minho’s sudden though startled him, and he shook it off before he could contemplate upon it any longer.

“So, where are we headed?” he asked.

Taemin shrugged. “Have you eaten yet?”

The raven haired boy shook his head.

“Then let’s go eat,” he smiled.

He took Minho’s wrist and pulled him along Busan, taking liberty to swing their arms back and forth as he felt necessary. But despite the younger’s innocent intent, Minho found himself flushing. He didn’t exactly know why he was, but even the slightest bit of pressure from Taemin’s hands that pressed on his arm only made his heart rate speed up.

He let Taemin lead him to a small, hole-in-the-wall style sandwich shop. It was pleasant, with the light colored wood of the furniture, the ash brown tiles, and the cream colored walls practically glowing in the warm lights in the shop.

The two walked up to the counter, scanning the menu.

“What can I get you?” asked the petite girl in front of them.

“A roast beef sub for me,” Minho said after he had decided.

“Can I have a chicken Panini?” Taemin ordered. Minho chuckled at the fact that he didn’t just flat out order, but actually phrased it as a question.

“Sure thing,” the girls smiled. “And to drink?”

“A medium white chocolate mocha for me,” Minho spoke.

“Um…” Taemin glanced over at the menu again. “A medium peppermint hot chocolate.”

The girl nodded.

“Taemin ah, go find a table, I’ll wait here.” Minho said.

“But I have to pay,” Taemin cocked his head to the side.

Minho smiled. “I’ve got it,”

Taemin’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “No, I can’t make you-“

“Just go find a table. It’s fine,” Minho cut him off.

Taemin nodded reluctantly and sauntered off to find a table. Minho laughed softly.

After paying and getting the food, Minho carried the tray around the restaurant until he found Taemin sitting in a table by the corner, staring at a frame on the wall.

“What’s that?” Minho asked as he sat down in front of the blonde.

“Probably just some photographs taken by the people who run this place. It’s really pretty though,” Taemin answered, still admiring the pictures.

Minho moved his eyes to the wall and smiled. The pictures were all black and white, but the beauty they captured was undeniable. There were many pictures, ranging from scenery to architecture, and many of them foreign as well, but each one was obviously unique.

“So, when can I open my present?” Minho asked idly as he took a bite out of his sandwich.

Taemin turned back to him and grabbed his own food. “Later,” he mumbled shyly, looking down.

“How much later is later?” Minho questioned, raising his eyebrow.

“Later.” He stated.

Minho laughed and took a sip of his coffee; sweet, just how he liked it.

The two talked and laughed, taking their time with their lunch. It was only when Taemin stood up and declared that they should go somewhere that Minho even though about leaving, much too content with just having friendly exchanges with the blonde.

“Where’re we going?” Taemin asked as they strolled through the familiar streets.

Minho shrugged. “What is there to do on Christmas?” He wondered aloud.

“Shop,” Taemin laughed, pulling Minho into the nearest store.

It just so happened that it was a vintage clothing store that Taemin had dragged them into. Minho scanned the aisles, the fabric of the faux leather jackets and faded denim as he passed them.

“Hyung! How does this look?” Taemin called from a different aisle.

Minho followed his voice to see him browsing the scarves, a grey plaid one with hints of black, red, and beige wrapped around his neck.

“It looks fine,” Minho said, shrugging nonchalantly, despite the fact that his insides warmed up at the sight. He spotted an accessory rack nearby and walked over to it, picking up a pair of aviators and slipping them on.

“How about this?” Taemin asked again. Minho turned to him and he burst out laughing

“What?” Minho furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

“You look like you’re a e with those on!” Taemin coughed through his laughter. “Mr. e Choi,”

Minho quickly swiped off the glasses and feigned a pout. “That’s such a demeaning nickname,” he whined.

“Ah, arasso, I’m sorry,” Taemin chuckled. “Mr. Pedo,” he snickered lowly after a pause.

“Yah!” Minho yelled playfully. “I’m leaving then,” he said, throwing up his arms in fake frustration and walking out of the door.

“Hyung, wait for me,” Taemin called running after him.

It went like that throughout the day, the two walking into most of the shops they came across and fooling around. Their attitudes gradually changed from casual to childish as they resorted to playing hide and seek in the aisles of particularly cluttered stores and having sword fights in almost all toy stores they stumbled upon.

“Hyung, let’s go in there,” Taemin laughed as they ran out of yet another shop where the owner nearly kicked them out. Minho had to catch his breath because he was laughing so hard at the extremity of their immaturity.

Taemin led them into a store that was filled with nothing more than everything cute and adorable, in every essence of the word. The walls were lined with plushies, hats with ears attached, clocks, piggy banks, and a myriad of other things. The center of the store was occupied by decorated mechanical pencils and other writing tools, and accessory racks.

The blonde immediately waltzed over to the cell phone straps and examined them. Minho walked behind him and eyed the racks along with him.

After a small while, Taemin backed up and smiled. “Let’s go.”

Minho nodded. “You can head out, I’ll be right there.” Taemin gave him a confused look but shrugged and left the shop.

As soon as he was out of sight, Minho picked up a particular cell phone strap that he saw Taemin smiling at. He brought it over to the register and paid for it, asking the cashier to wrap it in simple white casing.

When he exited the shop, he found Taemin staring across the street. He followed the blonde’s eyes and smiled. The sun had already set long past, and the Christmas lights in town were all switched on. A particular shop across the street had decided to go all out in their decorating, and it simply lifted all of Minho’s spirits as he admired the work they’d put into it.

Taemin looked up at him and waved. The two went back to walking aimlessly, their arms brushing past each other as they unconsciously moved in to ward off the chill. They walked in peaceful silence, the hype of the afternoon gone for the time being. They didn’t go into anymore shops, only continued to walk side by side across the moderately crowded paths.

Minho felt himself resisting the urge to hold Taemin’s hand. He had no idea just where that impulse came from (perhaps it was the fact that their arms were touching almost every given moment, or the fact that his hands were just really, really cold), but it was a strong one.

“Minho hyung! It’s snowing,” Taemin smiled softly, slowing his pace down.”

Said person snapped out of his thoughts and paid attention to the small, almost invisible, white flakes that fell gently down.

This was the second time it had started snowing while Minho was with Taemin. But unlike the first time, Minho had the thought of hugging the boy cross his mind, to hold him in the falling snow and whisper sweet nothings in his ear.

He shook his head to rid the thoughts, but a small flutter in his heart told him something he hadn’t even admitted to himself yet.

“It’s snowing,” Taemin breathed again, his eyes following a few flakes.

And then a memory made its way into Minho’s brain.

It’s just water. It’s nothing special.

No. Minho argued with the voice in his head. It is special. It always has been, I just hadn’t noticed it.

As he moved his eyes over Taemin’s flawless face, he felt something change inside him. It’s beautiful. How could I have ever hated this? I like the winter.

He gasped softly, not loud enough for the blonde to hear. I like the winter, he repeated in his mind. And then he smiled, and for the first time, he could honestly say that he had truly grown to love the winter.

The two made their way to a bench that sat nearby. They sat in quiet for a few more moments before Taemin spoke up.

“You can open your present now,” he said softly.

Minho looked at him, his chest constricting as he laid his eyes on the shyly flushing blonde. He took out the present from his pocket, only to remember the one he’d bought for Taemin.

“Ah, here Taemin,” he mumbled, pulling out the flat wedge of paper wrapping from his pocket. For some reason, even the simple gesture of giving a present had him nervous in a small sense.

Taemin looked at him, his eyes widening when he saw Minho’s outstretched hand. “Merry Christmas,” Minho smiled.

“But… when did you…?” Taemin asked in confusion. And then his face flushed even more as he recalled Minho staying behind in the last shop they’d gone to. “Ah, you didn’t have to,” he said.

“I wanted to,” was all Minho replied as he dropped the paper into the blonde’s hands.

“On the count of three?” Taemin asked, a small bit of challenge in his eyes.

“One,” Minho cracked a smile.

“Two,” the younger continued.

“Three!” They both yelled and ripped open their presents.

It was almost instantly that they both fell silent for a brief moment.

Minho’s eyes scanned the charm that lay inside the small box. It was a teddy bear made purely out of sparkles with two black eyes and an adorable smile.

What the…? It’s-

Minho’s thoughts were cut off by Taemin’s laughter. “I-It’s the same thing,” Taemin laughed so hard that he had to clutch his sides. The blonde held out the cell phone strap that Minho had given him, and Minho found himself looking at the exact same charm that he held in his hands.

“But, I thought…” Minho frowned, utterly confused by the chain of events.

“How’d you end up getting me the same thing?” Taemin asked after his laughs had subsided.

“At the store…. I saw you smiling when you looked at the charms,” Minho said dumbly, still not quite comprehending how such a thing happened.

“I was smiling at it because it was what I got you,” Taemin laughed again.

And then Minho found himself laughing along with Taemin.

“It’s almost like a couple set,” Minho chuckled out. He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. “Ah, sorry, I didn’t mean…” he flushed as he turned towards Taemin. The blonde was staring at the strap, his face hidden by his cascade of hair. Minho could only guess that he was as red as a tomato, considering how he himself was blushing from the mention.

It’s like a have no brain to mouth filter, Minho cursed himself.

“Yeah,” Taemin mumbled, gaining Minho’s full attention. “It almost is.” He shyly lifted his head just enough for Minho to see his hint of a smile.

And suddenly it was if he could only see one color. He didn’t have to be told what the color meant, because he knew it in his heart.

I’ve found pink.

…

I like you, Taemin.

Anneyong ^^

Ah, what is this? >__> 

Haha, seriously, I moped around before I wrote this xD I'm too lazy to do this D: 

But I'm actually pretty satisfied with the way this chapter turned out :)

2Min <3 haha

1 Chapter Left! :) and 2 more days til the deadline. Wish me luck~~~

Until next time~

xoxo