1. First Date

“Um, what would you like?” Minho softly asked and Taemin raised his gaze, his expression a bit lost. He had been trying too hard not to pay attention to how close they were, standing next to each other, a mere centimeter keeping their shoulders from brushing. He could smell Minho’s body wash (or was it his cologne? Or a mixture?). It was a fresh, delicate musky scent, and Taemin couldn’t help but find it comforting, tempting him to nuzzle into him. But of course, it was too early for that. Way too early. They hadn’t even held hands yet. They weren’t even officially going out, as a matter of fact. It was just a date.

“Do you drink coffee?” Minho asked again, seeing his lost expression, scratching the back of his neck in slight embarrassment, “I kinda just assumed you did and asked you out on a coffee date.”

Taemin’s mind finally caught up with reality, “Hazelnut Latte,” He answered, “It’s my favorite.”

The cashier had been eyeing them and punched in a Hazelnut Latte without even asking, “A Hazelnut Latte and?”

Minho turned to him, a bit surprised, “A white chocolate mocha, please.”

“Got it!”

They waited silently for their drinks to be prepared and their awkward silence broke when their drinks were handed to them neatly in a tray. Minho got it and softly asked Taemin to grab them a table.

As soon as they had settled on a table and placed their drinks before them, the awkward silence engulfed them again. Taemin was staring at his latte, trying to think of something, anything, so he could start a conversation. His heart was beating so wildly because he was finally with the person he had such a bad crush on...but now that he was, he couldn’t even think of a single word to say. He wondered how he had managed to spam the website with almost 100 posts about Minho when he could now say nothing at all.

But suddenly it struck him. A question he had wanted to ask, “Hyung…?”

Minho straightened up, his face brightening, “Ye-Yes?” He had been under a similar dilemma, not knowing how to speak and what to speak about.

“How did you know that the camera was mine?”

Minho’s eyes widened at his question and he averted his gaze, looking at his coffee instead. He began after a moment of silence, “That camera was a bit hard to miss. Especially when it was always in the first few rows of the crowd I often watched. So I knew it was your camera. I just didn’t know who you were. Well, until…” He trailed off, smiling.

Taemin blushed, knowing what that incomplete sentence meant, what that smile meant. He cleared his throat and looked away, out of the glass window, “I was drunk,” He softly answered, “That day.”

Minho chuckled softly. Taemin’s embarrassment was utterly cute and he couldn’t help but imagine him typing away what he did. He had never heard it, but his drunk voice was probably whiny and cutesy. He had never seen him, but he probably made a very clingy and affectionate drunk. He wanted to see it all. He so wanted to see it all.

He suddenly felt a soft kick to his shin, “Stop.” Taemin breathed, his face puffed up, his brows furrowed and his embarrassment painting his cheeks further.

Minho stopped laughing but his smile was wider. He slowly reached out to where Taemin’s hand was resting beside his coffee mug and held his fingers gently, slowly entangling them with his. Taemin was taken aback but he didn’t flinch away, instead, he just stared at the modest join of their hands.

Minho cleared his throat, feeling way more embarrassed than he had expected to feel when initiating that gesture. But he kept his gaze on Taemin, his smile losing its sheepishness but growing gentle, fond.

Taemin lowered his head, his fringe falling into his eyes, his glasses reflecting the lights around them and hiding the expression that his face had gained.

But Minho had no need to try to ascertain what was on his face...or on his mind. Because he had conveyed what was in his heart. By returning the hold on his hand.

2. Dynamite Knows

“You’re dating, aren’t you?”

Minho ignored that question, walking past Kibum to go check if the show was progressing as per the schedule.

“I know you are!” Kibum shouted at his back.

Although Minho hadn’t answered the question with words, it was evi