“So when are you going to introduce me to your future husband?” Taemin peered his eyes at him, a peculiar smile shaping his lips.

“How about... never?!” Kai stuck his tongue out at him. He had a feeling letting Taemin meet Suho would be a disaster. No way. That was never going to happen.

Taemin put up a hurt face. He knew he was just joking, but still it worked, giving him a big lump of guilt that started eating away at his vital organs.

“Am I even your best friend anymore? You're always with your boyfriend lately, and if I can't even meet him, how am I ever going to see you?” Taemin continued guilt-tripping him.

“Oh come on, you know you will always be my best friend, no matter what. But...” Kai bit his lower lip, not sure how to explain to him that he didn't want to complicate things by mixing his and Kaya's life. It was hard enough already to keep things separate so Suho wouldn't start suspecting anything.

“But I'm not Kaya's best friend... is that it?” Taemin crossed his arms, raising one eyebrow. “I'm not going to out you, if that's what you're worried about.”.

“No... I didn't think... I know... I just...” Kai sighed.

Taemin didn't say anything, he just watched him, waiting for him to finish his sentence.

“Fine!! We'll invite him for dinner...” Kai caved. Crap. Things getting more complicated, that was exactly what he needed, he thought, frustrated.

“Yay!” Taemin giggled and threw himself at him, hugging him to pieces. This had been his plan all along, to guilt trip him into saying yes and he knew it, and still he fell for it.

“Huh huh hah... finally I get to meet this mysterious man of your dreams.” Taemin giggled, a little too excited for Kai's taste. Kai had been nervous all week for this night, the worry knot growing like a weed inside him and now it had entwined itself so intricately with his insides, that it felt like there wasn't much left of his original self. It wasn't that he didn't want Suho to meet Taemin. Taemin was his best friend, his everything. But it was like introducing him to the family. It was a big step, an even bigger one when Suho didn't even know who he was, not really.

“You've met him before.” Kai reminded him, it was not like he was keeping him a secret from him, even though he had been deliberately keeping them apart.

“I know, but not officially... as your boyfriend.” Taemin grinned. Kai rolled his eyes.

There was a knock at the door. Oh no, not yet. He wasn't ready. But he could wait another thousand years and still not be ready. There was no avoiding this.

“I'll get it!” Taemin yelled and ran to the door. Kai wanted to stop him, but it was too late, he had already opened the door.

“Welcome, welcome!” Taemin did a weird bow and curtsy, like he was welcoming the emperor of China. Kai chuckled and hurried over to them. This was going to be some night.

“This is my best friend, Taemin.” Kai beamed, full of pride. Not everyone had such an amazing best friend. Suho did a very formal 45 degree bow and rigidly held his hand out. Taemin slapped it, like he was giving him a low, sideways high five. “No need for formalities. Any bae of my Kai ...ya, is automatically a friend of mine.” Taemin laughed awkwardly, giving Kai a 'holy , that could have been bad' look. Kai's brain was still paralyzed with shock, his stomach ready to empty its nonexistent contents. He couldn't believe Taemin had been so careless, almost outing him on the spot, forgetting he was a girl even though he was wearing a pretty, purple dress and heavy makeup to match it. He knew Taemin hadn't done it on purpose, but that was actually more worrying. This was already going worse than he had feared.

“So ehm... we ordered Thai food for a whole army, so let's dig in!” Kai dragged them both into the apartment, hoping that if they both had their mouths stuffed with food, they couldn't say anything compromising in the meantime.

“I brought dessert!” Suho grinned proudly, presenting him with a ridiculously expensive, special order chocolate cake. Kai tried to send him a sweet smile without Taemin noticing. He didn't want to drown Taemin in their cheesiness, but he was finding it kind of hard to be two persons at once. Taemin's best friend, Kai, and Suho's girlfriend, Kaya. He started feeling like he had a split personality.

Kai's plan worked, for about five minutes. At first they all attacked the mountain of food with such concentration that there was minimal opportunity for small chat. But then, after soothing the hungry hippo inside him, Taemin got a mischievous grin on his face.

“So.. I'm an encyclopedia when it comes to Kaya... is there nothing you're curious about?” he smirked. Kai started getting nervous.

“No...” Kai objected, but he could see in Suho's eyes that it was useless.

“Tell me everything!! You've known each other since you were younger, can you tell me stories?” Suho's face was glowing with curiosity.

Taemin didn't have to be asked twice, he proceeded to tell him all the most embarrassing moments from their past. Kai just sat there, turning redder and redder, wishing he could turn back time and cancel this dinner, and never ever let them meet. Taemin and Suho, on the other hand, were having a blast.

“Then this idiot right here remembered the apartment number wrong and knocked on the wrong door!” Taemin snorted, poking Kai's arm.

“Aigoo, so cute!” Suho giggled heartily, thoroughly engrossed in the story.

“And this huge, scary old man appeared! Man, I seriously thought he was going to wet his pants he was so scared.” Taemin could barely continue the story, he was laughing so hard.

“Wait.. he? The old man was going to wet his pants?” Suho asked, confused.

“What, no! Kai, of course!” Taemin impatiently corrected him, eager to get to the punchline of the story. Suho wrinkled his eyebrows, trying to understand why Kai had suddenly popped up in the story. Taemin realized what he had just said, turning white. Kai swallowed with difficulty. They were all just sitting there, silently looking at each other. You could hear a pin drop. Suho looked more and more puzzled, while Kai and Taemin were imploding with panic.

“Eeehhh... he he... no I … uhm... ah I meant Kai.. ahhh... right, I forgot... this was a story about Kai, not Kaya... ha ha! I totally mixed them up... huh huh... twins, you know... heh... even I still confuse them together...” Taemin scratched his head awkwardly, trying to cover his tracks. It wasn't very convincing.

“Right...” Suho finally said, deep in thought. “Right, right... of course you know Kai as well. It's almost uncanny how alike they are!” he agreed. “Oh, wait, it's you in the picture there, in the living room? With Kai?” he was slowly putting two and two together, getting twenty two.

“Yeah! Actually, I met Kai first... we were friends way before me and Kaya became friends.” Taemin explained. Technically, that was completely true, since he had only known Kaya for a short while, not much longer than Suho.

“Wow, and now you're best friends! Didn't Kai mind at all, having to share you, when you became so close with Kaya?” Suho wondered.

“Me and Kai have always shared everything. It's a twin thing.” Kai cleverly pointed out. Also technically true, since they were one and the same person.

“Uuuuhhhhmmmmmm... but you can't share me, though!” Suho burst into a super weird, very dramatic giggle fit. Kai had to fight to keep his smile frozen on his lips, so Suho wouldn't see that he had just stabbed a knife through his heart. If Suho found it this repelling to be with Kai, this thing between them was doomed. He couldn't be Kaya forever, that was impossible. Taemin put his hand on his shoulder and squeezed it, wordlessly sympathizing with him. The irony had clearly not been lost on Taemin, either.

“But don't you think our Kaya looks especially pretty today?!” Taemin randomly exclaimed to change the subject.

“Aw, she's beautiful every day.” Suho beamed, looking Kai warmly in the eyes. Kai could feel his insides melting, pushing their impending doom to the back of his head. It could wait.

“Don't we need some ice cream to go with that juicy cake?” Taemin offered. He seemed to have sensed that they needed some time to themselves, probably suggesting it just to give them some space alone. Ah, Taemin was just the best. He stood up, sent Kai a short wink and made himself scarce.

There was awkward silence.

For some reason, Kai got a bit shy. It wasn't like it was the first time they were alone together, but the atmosphere went so suddenly from a 'dinner with friends', to a 'couple alone time', that it was a bit disorientating.

“You do look really pretty today.” Suho told him, smiling softly, reaching over to plant a sweet kiss on his cheek.

“Stop it.” Kai waved his hand at him, secretly swooning.

“Don't you think Taemin's amazing.” he added, beaming, moving closer to Suho.

“Well... you and Taemin have a very special relationship.” Suho just said, treading carefully.

Kai snorted. “Are you jealous?” he snickered. He didn't exactly want him to be jealous, but he didn't hate the idea either.

“Eh.. naaaahh... I get the feeling...” Suho started, but halted mid-sentence and lowered his voice, like he was going to divulge the nation's secrets and was worried they were being bugged. “...that he's more into the bearded part of the population if you know what I'm talking about... so I don't think I have anything to be worried about.” he whispered.

It took Kai a second to realize what he was talking about. At first he found it ridiculous to suggest Taemin was into bears, especially since that was more of a foreign thing, Koreans didn't really grow enough hair to be classified as bears. But then it dawned on him that he was just referring to guys in general. It was such an obvious observation, that he laughed out loud.

“Ha ha!! Of course he's gay! Obviously! I mean, I'm g... ehh... I'm his best friend, so naturally I know these things.” he chuckled nervously after almost outing himself accidentally.

“Ah, yeah, that makes sense. I did find it a bit peculiar for a girl to have a best friend that was a boy, but turns out he isn't!” Suho nodded satisfied, as if he was putting the last piece of a 2000 piece puzzle in its place.

“He isn't?!... he isn't what... he isn't a boy?!?!” Kai gasped, appalled.

“Yeah, no.. I mean.. gay.” Suho tripped over his words.

“So if you're gay, you're not a man?!?!?” Kai hissed. He could feel a stream of scolding hot lava swoosh around inside him. He was so mad, he could hardly see straight. He couldn't believe his ears. His sweet, dorky, perfectly square, handsome gentleman boyfriend Suho was a raging homophobe! How could he not have noticed?

“No, no... ah... that's not what I meant... I uh... ahh it came out all wrong...” Suho tried to defend himself, not so successfully. He looked really taken aback, being confronted by angry Kaya in all her glory.

“Ugh!! Maybe you're just too stuck in the past for us to be together! You ancient dinosaur, you don't know anything!!” he spat at him, furious, before he stormed away from a very clueless Suho, locking himself in his bedroom after having slammed the door, loudly. Suho just didn't realize how much this affected them personally. If he was homophobic, there was absolutely no possible future for them, zero. They were over, before they even had a chance to make a proper start.

There was a timid knock on the door.

“Kaya...” Suho gently called through the door. “Kaya, please...”.

“Just go!” he yelled, the fury holding back the tears, for now.

He heard the front door close. Suho was gone. He bravely held back the tears, even though the corners of his eyes were burning. He unlocked the door and tip-toed outside, to make sure there was no one there. His heart sank. He was alone. So completely alone. His apartment had never looked so empty. So lonely.

“Got ice cream!” Taemin sang as he returned.

“Eee...where's Suho?” he asked surprised, looking around, sensing that something was up.

Kai couldn't hold on any longer. He collapsed to the floor, opening the floodgates, crying inconsolably.

“Aww... Kai... babe...” Taemin threw the bag with the ice cream into a corner and ran to him, taking him into his arms, hugging him as tight as he could.

“Ssshh... ssshhh... just let it out... it's all going to be okay.” he said over and over again, his back while Kai bawled his eyes out, his whole body shaking, he was crying so hard.

But it wasn't going to be okay. Not even a little bit.