Minho lay his head against Jinki’s chest, both men sweaty and slightly out of breath.  Jinki ran his hands through Minho’s damp hair, combing the dark locks away from the younger man’s face.  

Minho hummed in contentment.  

“You’re tired.”  Jinki felt Minho’s long body start to sink on top of his, limbs relaxing against him.  

“No.”  He argued, the sleepiness obvious in his voice.  “It’s just relaxing, being with you like this.”  

“We’ve had a long day.  You especially.  I don’t want to keep you from sleep.”  Jinki through his hair one last time before sliding out from under the tangle of arms and legs.  

“You aren’t keeping me from any.”  Minho looked up at him, head cradled under his arm now that Jinki’s chest was no longer his pillow.  “You could always stay.”  He said quietly, almost afraid of the other man hearing him.  

Jinki pulled on his boxers and turned back, looking at Minho fondly, cupping his face.  “Tomorrow.  I have something early to take care of, but when I get back I’m all yours.  You can lay on my chest for as long as you want.  No jobs, no frenzied s after my shower.”  Minho bit his lip and smiled, the sadness still in his eyes because as nice as all that sounded he hated when Jinki left him.  And he always did, to go back to his own room, his own bed.  

“I like the frenzied s.”  

“Me too.  But tomorrow we’ll take our time, hm?”  He leaned over and kissed Minho’s temple, the man’s eyes closing lazily, sleep trying to take over.  “Sleep well.”

~

Taemin’s thumb pressed down in someone’s cold half eaten eggs as he picked up the plate to drop it in the tub with the rest of the dirty dishes from the morning rush.  It didn’t matter how long he had been doing this or how many times it happened it still made him cringe and his stomach turn.  He didn’t miss a beat though, wiping the slop on the stiff black apron he wore to protect his clothes and kept going.  The faster he worked the faster he’d be done with it.  

The chime on the front door sounded and when he looked up he knew his morning was about to get a lot worse.  Taemin looked to the back and it was empty.  The cook had already gone home and hopefully his boss was dealing with paperwork in his office.  

The older lady hobbled in, the cane supporting her left side seemed to be an extension of her actual body she was so frail.

“Mrs. Young?”  Taemin spoke in a careful hushed voice as he stepped away from the cart wiping his hands across his midsection.  

She smiled at up at him, her body had withered in on itself with age making her appear much shorter than she actually was.  

“Mrs.  Young,  what are you doing here?”  

“You’re always working so hard Taemin.”  She took the hand that Taemin had reached out to her with.  “I’m here to see Jo.”  

Taemin’s face fell, he looked back again to check for any signs of the owner.  “Mrs.  Young…”  He knelt down do she wouldn’t have to look up, the sun reflecting off of the cataract in her eyes creeped him out a little too.  “…Mr.  Young isn’t here right now.”

The old lady braced her free hand on Taemin’s shoulder, looking around the diner.  Confusion started to replace the smile on her face.  “Well…where else would he be?  I always meet him after the breakfast rush.”  Her voice was uneven.  

Taemin closed his eyes, he hated lying, more than anything.  “Mrs. Young, why don’t you go home to wait for him?”  

“Nonsense.”  She shuffled over to take a seat in one of the booths.  “He’ll be back, I’ll just wait for him here.”

He cursed under his breath and stood up quickly when the office door slammed in the back.  “Taemin can you cl-”  as soon as the middle aged man saw the old lady sitting there his face hardened.  “What is she doing here again?”  He looked to Taemin, the bus boy was at a loss for words.  “I told you the next time she set foot through that door to call the cops!”  His voice raised.  

Taemin watched the old lady jump, bringing her arthritic hands to cover her ears, the cane falling to the ground with a click.  

“Mr. Daniels please don’t.  She’s just confused.  Let me take her home and I’ll come back and get ready for the lunch crowd, okay?”  Taemin desperately pleaded with the man.  “She won’t come back again.”

“You said that the last time and the time before that.”  He picked up the phone.

Taemin cursed going back over to the old lady that was gently rocking back forth in her seat.  “Mrs.  Young…”  He tried to keep his voice calm but he needed to hurry and get her out of the restaurant before a bigger scene could be caused.  “Come on.  I’ll get you home.”  He picked up her cane and tried to hand it to her.  

She pushed at him roughly, the shove to his hip was barely enough to register from her weak arm.  “Go away.”  Her voice was shrill.  “I-I need to wait for Jo.”  

“Mrs.  Young please.  You need to leave.”  Taemin knelt back down.  

“Who are you?  What are you doing here?”  Confusion took her over.

Taemin heard Mr.  Daniels huff and start dialing the phone.

“I need to wait for my husband.”

He sighed, going back over to his boss.  “I said…”  He grabbed the phone from his hand, hitting the off button before slamming down on the counter.  “Let me take her home.”  He gritted through clenched teeth.  

The owner of the deli looked at him eyes wide in disbelief before a smirk grew on his face.  “Okay.  Take her home.  But don’t bother coming back.  I’ve had it with this.  With her, with you.  The only reason I kept you around is because nobody else would work for this cheap!”

Taemin’s jaw tightened.  He opened and closed his fist trying to compose himself.  “Go on!”  The man shoved him.  Taemin stumbled back a few feet but didn’t back down.  “Get out you punk!”  He grabbed Taemin by the arm.  

Mrs.  Young had stood up watching the scuffle, crying out as Mr.  Daniels grabbed her too and escorted them both out the door.  “If either of you come back through this door again I’ll call the police!”  

A string of obscenities outside the window caused Jinki to sit back in his seat.  His brow furrowing when he saw the young man he had been waiting for and an older lady being shoved out of the deli his car was parked in front of.  He watched the old lady fall to the ground and young man immediately try to help her up.  She brushed him off, limping away, looking back every so often.  

He watched the thin young man look after her before he started yelling another string of curses, kicking over the trashcan in front of the place, flinging off his uniform hat and tearing off the dirty apron he had been wearing.  He slammed them down on the pile of trash now scattered across the sidewalk.  He turned to face Jinki’s direction, pulling at the longer strands of blonde hair, getting them away from his face.  The young man’s dark eyes burned, his jaw was clenched and tight, bringing out the sharp line before it gave way to his long neck.  He was dressed in all black, a thin black t shirt and black jeans hung to his slim frame, his legs seeming to go on forever as he walked away.  

Jinki got out of the car walking in the direction the old lady went, treading carefully around the garbage on the sidewalk.   He had given the blonde plenty of time to get away without being noticed but he was certain he’d be able to catch up to her.  She had only gotten about a block before he did, and he followed quietly, finding it difficult to stay behind matching her pace.  She crossed the street to an old apartment building.  Jinki picked up his stride getting to the door first and kindly opening it for her.  

She looked at him confused at first but her face softened as Jinki smiled.  “Such nice young men.”  She mumbled her face suddenly stricken with worry.  

“Is everything okay?”  Jinki placed a hand on her shoulder and she paused.  

“I…I’m afraid I lost myself again and caused that young man so much trouble.”  Her face twisted, wrinkling even more as she looked like she was about to break into tears.  

“What’s wrong?”  Jinki knelt down in front of her much the same Taemin had just inside the doorway to the run down building.  Rusty mailboxes lining the walls.  

She sighed and tried to brush him off but Jinki’s hand stopped her, gentle on her elbow.  

“You look like you aren’t from around here.”  She eyed him suspiciously as if she had just noticed the way he was dressed, the gold cuff links, the expensive Italian loafers, the tailored suit.  

“You’re right.”  He chuckled softly.

Her eyes narrowed further and Jinki wondered how she could see anything out of them at all.  

“That poor boy.  He’s done nothing but try to help me and I’m such a burden.”

“I’m sure he doesn’t feel that way.”  

She patted Jinki’s shoulder, her hand curled in on itself.  “That’s kind of you to say.  I wish I could do more to help him.  He’s alone.  He shouldn’t be bothered with his elderly neighbors, looking out for them when he’s just a baby himself.”  

“Neighbors?”

She nodded, starting to walk away.  Jinki stood up.  “That’s how we met.  He moved in right next to us before Jo passed.  Started working at the deli we owned then.  Since then he’s kept an eye out for us.  For me.  Helped with chores I was too weak to do and I made sure he was fed most days.”    

“Do you need help getting to your apartment?”  Jinki wanted to know what room was hers, and that would make it easier to find the blondes’.

“No.  No.  That’s okay.”  She started up the steps one at a time and paused looking back.  “What are you doing here anyway?”  

“Your neighbor.  I was looking for him.  I’m a friend.”  Jinki smiled and the old lady mirrored him, smiling back.  

“Ah.  That’s nice.  It’s good to know Taemin has friends.  That boy works so hard, please look out for him.”

Taemin.

“Yes.  Of course.”  Jinki bowed before opening the door to head outside.  

~

“You better be dead if you’re calling me this early Taemin.”  Jongin’s voice was thick and raspy from sleep.  Taemin was still too wound up to feel any immediate guilt for waking his friend up when he knew he had probably gotten home from work around the same time Taemin was going in.

“Dead would be cheaper right.  If I was dead I wouldn’t have to worry about money or the gas bill or eating food out of the dumpster.”

Jongin sat up, lifting the eye mask from his face, it was unusual for Taemin to go off this bad.  He blinked a few times adjusting to the bright late morning sun coming in through his bedroom window.

“I mean when your dead at least that wouldn’t be an issue.”

“Taemin.  Just…what happened?”  

“I was fired.  From that deli I’ve been working at for the last six years.”  He stopped, not even sure where he was going and sat down on the curb in front of a stoop in a residential area.  “It wasn’t much but at least it was an everyday job and I just…”  He cursed loudly, hearing his own voice echo back at him over the phone.  “Sorry…I…it’s just….who do I need to talk to at the club?”

“Taemin I know you don’t want to work there, if it’s money you’re worried about I’m sure we can….”

“I’ll try serving and dancing.  And go from there.  You were right yesterday.”  

Jongin sighed.  “Come by today at 4.  Heechul gets there early to get to the bank.  I’ll let him know you’re coming.”

“Thanks.  And I’m sorry for waking you up.”

“It’s fine.  I’ll see you tonight.”

~

Taemin walked into the foyer to check his mail before heading up to his apartment to clean up for tonight.  Mrs. Young was at the mailboxes as he came in.  

“Taemin I’m sorry…”  Her eyes filled with tears seeing the boy, remembering what she put him through that morning.  

“How are you?”  He ignored her apology, her tears and continued on with the interaction like nothing had happened earlier that day.  She smiled sadly knowing what he was doing.  

“Ah…I think it’s going to rain tonight.  Make sure you take an umbrella if you go out.”  She placed a hand at her elbow, rubbing the joint.

“I don’t need the weather report because I have you.”  He chuckled before turning to unlock his mailbox, and a large red bloom was seated inside and a tiny note card.  He picked it up carefully, brushing his thumb gently along the soft red petals.  

“Oh my.  It’s a lady.”  Mrs. Young looked over at the bloom Taemin was holding.  

“Excuse me.”  

“The flower.  It’s a type of lily.  Sometimes they call them ladies.”  

“Ah.”  

“That’s some admirer you must have. Stop by for dinner, I’ll have something nice for you to eat.”  She patted Taemin on the as she made her way out the door.  He was too distracted by who could have possibly left the flower in his mail box than to pay her any mind.  

He flipped open the tiny note card and hand written in gold ink was For Taemin.  And an arrow drawn underneath his name. 

This is a picture of the flower in Taemin’s mailbox and a little story behind it.

The Greeks called these Amarullis, which means “splendor” or “sparkling.” The word seems to come from a character in a popular poem by Virgil. The nymph Amaryllis had a dramatic way of declaring her love for a gardener named Alteo. She pierced her heart with a golden arrow at his door every day for one month. That’s why amaryillis flowers are often a deep red.