Though he was slightly worried about Eun Ji, he was left in the dark as to why she wouldn't answer until they met the next day for their group study session. She kissed him lightly on the lips and shrugged with a smile. She was sorry, she had gone silent to study for their upcoming end-of-term exams. This was enough for Taemin, Eun Ji had always been the most serious of the two when it came to studying.

- Will you go to Minho's after class? she asked casually.

- I think so, yes. Wanna come?

- I'll pass. Taem', shouldn't you work a bit more? I don't want you to fail your exams. 

Taemin brushed off her concerns and promised he'd do his homework diligently after checking if Minho was alright. Eun Ji nodded, defeated. Their other friends had gotten curious about Minho after Taemin's encounter with him and his accident, Eun Ji had to bear with their eager questions and their comments and it only aroused her desire to accompany Taemin.

She knew it meant nothing but she had been flattered and happy when she saw he followed her on Instagram. If she already did her best to post nice pictures, she felt some extra pressure to do well when there was a chance it would end up on Minho's feed.

The group spent the day together, revising their lessons and no matter if it was already dark outside, Taemin still went to Minho's house. Mrs Choi was already home, she was the one who opened the door and invited him inside warmly. He knew the way to Minho's room so he climbed the stairs and knocked.

- Taemin! Come in! Minho exclaimed, pleasantly surprised.

The younger nodded but he quickly noticed Minho's condition. His eyes were shiny, his nose reddish from blowing it too often and his hair looked ruffled.

- You're unwell. You should have told me, I'd have let you rest. 

- Yeah, It's worse today. His voice was hoarse when he spoke.

Concerned, Taemin put his hand on Minho's forehead and his other one on his own forehead. The warmth his skin emitted concerned Taemin who advised him to go to bed. Minho nodded slowly, he looked as if just standing and speaking were too much to bear. He sat heavily on his bed and slid his legs under the duvet. Taemin sat on the edge of the bed.

- I won't stay long. You look like you need rest.

- I slept through most of the day but I'm still exhausted.

- Do you want me to accompany you to the hospital? I've got time.

Minho shook his head. He promised he'd go the next day and of course, Taemin insisted on coming. Touched by his consistent care, Minho softly took Taemin's hand. 

Trying to ignore the heat that was spreading on his cheeks, Taemin looked up to face Minho's feverish look.

- Minho?

- I can't thank you enough for being there when I feel like . Why are you so kind to me?

The question genuinely surprised Taemin, as if Minho was implying that he didn't deserve to be treated nicely.

- It's only natural, I'm glad to do it. I'll come back tomorrow, ok? 

- Can you... can you stay for a bit? It's fine if we don't talk...

The young boy smiled and nodded, allowing Minho to close his eyes and rest with the comfortable presence of someone by his side. Silence filled the room but it wasn't awkward, it was just calming. Taemin patted Minho's hand for a moment then he bent over to grab his bag lying on the floor. There was enough space between Minho and the edge of the bed for him to lie on his tummy and review his notes. That way, he'd be able to tell Eun Ji he had studied for their exams.

- Taemin... hey...

Someone was gently shaking his shoulder, he opened his eyes. When had he fallen asleep? His head was resting on his computer. He looked up, he remembered he was in Minho's room. The latter let out a hearty laugh when he saw Taemin's keyboard imprinted on his cheek. 

- Have I been sleeping for long?

- Dunno, I didn't notice right away. 

- Well...I'm off then. See you tomorrow.

It was still dark when Minho woke up from a feverish sleep. The night had been restless as he had awoken several times feeling uncomfortable. It was only 7 am but he was annoyed to go in and out of sleep. Checking his phone while eating a bowl of cereal, he noticed he had a text from Eun Ji.

"Taemin told me your condition hasn't improved. I wish I could come to lift your spirits but I'm knee-deep in work for the end of terms exams. I hope you'll recover soon so that we can go and get a drink with Taemin!"

What a sweetheart. He felt weird reading the text again. He had the unpleasant feeling that he was on the verge of messing up something that was simple and beautiful. And what was even more unpleasant was that deep down, he wanted to do it.

By 9 am, he was dressed and ready to go out. A knitted wool hat on his head, a black mask on his mouth and a thick black scarf around his neck would protect him from the biting cold outside. 

Taemin soon rung his doorbell. They left together to the nearest hospital, busier fighting the sharp wind than chatting. It is only when they were in the waiting room that the atmosphere was more comfortable to have a chat. They talked about Taemin and Eun Ji's exams and how they were opposite when it came to studying. Taemin laughed it off and actually admired Eun Ji's seriousness while Eun Ji loved how Taemin managed to calm her and make her relax when she got too in her head. 

They got cut off from their conversation by the doctor calling for Minho. Dr Moon was quick to understand what was Minho's problem after adding his symptoms and checking on him. The young man received a prescription for a bunch of medicines to fight the bad flu that had settled in his body and a paper certifying he had to stay home for a few more days. 

Taemin was on his phone, texting Eun Ji when Minho left the doctor's office. He immediately stood up to meet Minho. The latter suddenly realised Taemin tended to stand and speak from up close. In any other case, Minho would have enjoyed this aspect of his personality and would have even dared to get even closer but being ill, he took a step backward.

- Sorry. I have flu. I wouldn't want you to catch it. I hope you didn't get contaminated yesterday. I'm stuck at home for a couple of days.

Taemin nodded and promised he'd visit him. As they were exiting the hospital, they noticed snow was falling again but it didn't feel whimsical or poetic with the strong wind sending snowflakes flying in their face. The younger who had already forgotten about not being too close to Minho, wrapped his arms around Minho's to keep steady and suggested stopping by a coffee shop to wait and see if the wind would drop a little. The tall young man could feel his heartbeat quicken at the sudden touch, it seemed so loud and so rapid that he wondered if Taemin could feel it too. He nodded quickly, fighting the urge to break free from Taemin's soft clutch to hold onto his hand and lead him away from the cold. 

With Taemin holding him close to his side and his heart pumping blood through his body at a fast pace, Minho felt warmer but he couldn't wait to be able to sit down and drink something hot. His fever was slowly creeping back up and some occasional shivers shook him but he hid it because he didn't want Taemin to worry or feel guilty for keeping him away from his bed and he just wanted to spend some time with him when he had the chance to do it.

Once he found himself in a comfy armchair with a steaming hot cup of coffee, he immediately felt better. Taemin, once he felt comfortable with someone, could be quite the chatterbox so all Minho had to do was sip his cup, nod from time to time or ask a question to make the younger go on.

His rather low voice, the slight shyness of his laugh, the pale hand that covered his mouth when he did so... Minho captured every detail he could. Minho's smile grew slowly as he appreciated all that made Taemin special and unique. 

As he was enjoying the moment, he recalled imagining sweet dates with the cute boy, one being drinking coffee in a cozy place. He mentally crossed that one off his list and wished the others would end up happening soon. 

The sound of a buzzing phone against a table took him off his reverie. He picked it up from the table and checked the text. 

"Hey! Taking a break from my study session! Are you feeling okay? Did you go to the hospital?"

"I did. Taemin took me there. We're getting a coffee then I'll head home. Thanks for asking. Study well!"

"Yeah, he told me. I guess you're stuck at home for some time until you feel better...Thanks! Please tell Taem' to do the same, this dummy will fail his exams if this goes on."

"I am, indeed. I'll spread your message of hard work and dedication to this heathen"

"Praise be! XD"

Minho let out a small laugh and shared Eun Ji's message with Taemin. The latter huffed and clicked his tongue. He assured Minho he'd study hard after this.

The younger man kept his word. He studied so hard that, the next days, he was too engulfed in his revisions to contact Minho much, though he did apologize for not being able to come and visit him, contrary to Eun Ji who enjoyed texting him when she had a minute to spare. Minho enjoyed chatting with Eun Ji, she was a funny, witty and kinda spunky girl. 

His friends from college also chatted with him through their group conversation, commenting on some boring lessons, pointing out funny stuff that some professor did or gossiping about such or such students from their class when in the middle of that gossip, Kim Kibum's name appeared.

"Kibum's been acting like a prat again. I can't stand how he always contradicts the teachers as if he's smarter than them or I don't know what else."

"Yeah! He's unsufferable. Like teachers got a degree and he thinks he can do better?"

"Had you been there Minho, I swear you'd have rolled your eyes like crazy."

Minho didn't like Kibum much. What his friends had told him was pretty much what annoyed him the most about him. Kim Kibum was a cold, conceited and haughty young man who was rather lonely, hanging around with one or two dudes who were as equally unpopular as him. But in Kibum's defence, he was aggressively brilliant. His seriousness and dedication in class were unrivalled and his scores were always top of the class.

Minho was guilty of having talked ill of Kibum behind his back with his friends but now he knew he was Taemin's friend and if the younger man learnt about it, no doubt that he'd be hurt. Minho realised that he and his friends had been blinded by a certain jealousy. What they saw as defiance against their teachers was a deep desire to understand or to confront his views on a matter to his teacher's. 

Not wanting to be alienated from his friends by defending Kibum but not wanting to talk ill of Taemin's friend, he changed the subject, inviting his friends to go and get a drink once he had recovered from his flu, to which all of them agreed. 

The few days he was ill at home coincided with the days Eun Ji and Taemin were studying hard for their exams. Once he felt better and ready to go back to college, the couple were taking the said exams. His friends greeted him happily and they went to class together, motivated by the prospect of going to a bar in the evening to celebrate Minho's recovery and the upcoming Christmas holidays.

While their teacher talked of international laws, Minho's attention was focused on him. The subject was tedious, full of nitty-gritty details that had to be taken into account to grasp the subject and its issues but the student was glad to busy his mind with something like that. It was better than being home with a stuffy nose and a headache, going to sleep to escape those unpleasant symptoms. In the lecture hall, three rows before him, Kim Kibum was also busy listening and taking notes diligently. From time to time, he'd pull up his glasses with a slight push of his index finger on the brim. 

As usual, he asked a couple of questions with that particular inquisitive tone of his that made everyone think that he was questioning the teacher's knowledge, but Minho, with his new opinion about him, actually found his interventions useful to understand the subject they were dealing with more clearly. Some teachers took offense in being talked to like that by a student but Mr Paulson, their international law teacher was a rather laid-back man who took the time to rephrase his information or explain more in depth what he had said. 

Three hours later, Minho's attention had lost its sharpness and when he received a new text on KakaoTalk, he read it avidly to enjoy some welcome distraction. It was from Eun Ji. 

"Hey Minho! We're done with our first exam, we have another this afternoon and then we're finally free! Wanna go and get a drink to celebrate?"

"Hello! I promised some friends I'd go to a bar with tonight! Want to join us? We can do a joint drinking party!"

She was silent for a moment, probably debating with her friends whether or not they wanted to go with Minho and his friends before she answered that they were fine with joining him and his friends for a night of fun. 

Their afternoon classes felt endless, after two hours of business law and three of criminal law, Minho's head was filled with extracts of the Korean penal code and various case studies they had to try to understand and resolve. The sky had already gone dark when they left the college buildings to head downtown and drink to their heart's content. Minho's group was the first to arrive at the bar, they chose an empty area with long and comfy sofas for everyone to sit. 

A bunch of college students stepped inside the bar, seeking some warmth and some good company. Minho recognized Taemin and Eun Ji among them. He waved in their direction while calling their name loudly enough to cover the loud electro music playing.

Everyone introduced themselves and the party started with a large variety of alcohol. Minho offered Taemin a beer and enquired about his exams. Taemin's smile dropped and he heaved a little sigh. He wasn't sure about the results he'd get and confessed that he was dying to go home and check his notes to see if he had answered correctly. If Taemin's smile had gone, Minho's grew slightly. He put down his glass on a coffee table and put his hands on Taemin's shoulders.

- Hey, forget about this. You can check your answers tomorrow. What's done is done, for now, relax and have fun.

Raising his eyes from his glass, Taemin met Minho's gentle look and felt the ball of worry in his throat melting away. The power those big dark eyes held was incredible, they could calm down anyone in a second. The younger man nodded and took a sip of beer. 

- You know... Eun Ji is so academically gifted that I feel like I'll never be able to do it like she does.

They both shot a glance at the girl chatting with her friends before turning back to face each other. Once again, Minho's eyes showed such concern and warmth that Taemin felt that the older one cared for him. Minho assured him that it was not because Eun Ji had done better that he had failed and added that he really should stop thinking about something he had no means of changing anyway. His advice soothed the grappling anxiety that had latched onto Taemin ever after the end of his exams. 

The bubble of stress that dulled everything seemed to pop and he felt more aware of his surroundings. Some catchy electro k-pop song was blasting from some speakers, the room was dimly lit by some blue-ish and purplish spotlights and his friends were having fun around him so there was no reason he couldn't join them.

- Come, let's dance! Minho asked, taking Taemin's glass to put it down on the coffee table next to his and grabbed the younger one's wrist to take him to the dance floor. 

Taemin followed him obediently, it didn't take him long to feel the beat running in his veins, the tempo aligning with his heartbeat and sending an itchy feeling to his muscles as if dancing had become an urge he couldn't ignore. From time to time, his consciousness seemed to slip away and he'd look distant, absent, his body moving by itself with a natural ease, then he'd come back to his senses and send a smile in Minho's direction.

They started a conversation about their favourite music artists, being forced to talk close to each other's ear to be heard by the other. This style of music wasn't Taemin's favourite but he admitted that it was the perfect one to dance on: upbeat, quick-paced, allowing dancers to let loose. 

Minho's efforts to understand Taemin's commentary on electro music were fruitless. He was too enthralled by his somewhat androgynous moves, the way his plump lips came close to his face, his soft and shiny hair that he pushed away from his eyes when it fell on his forehead. He was intoxicated, drowning, under the influence of bottled feelings he couldn't let out. 

He only snapped back to reality when Eun Ji joined them. She briefly embraced Taemin, wrapping her slender arms around his waist and kissing his jaw, then she let go of him to dance freely. 

It didn't help Minho one bit. Eun Ji and Taemin together. Hips swaying, chests popping, shoulder blades rolling... Now he couldn't help but stare at both of them. He refused to accept that that night would end and he'd have to take his eyes of off those two stunning people.