A few days after their talk, Taemin and Kibum met up during lunch hour. Minho wasn’t there today, he was participating in an important volleyball tournament apparently, but Taemin wasn’t all too sad about that fact.

It wasn’t that he suddenly hated Minho, but Kibum had told him more than once that his best friend was going to have ‘the talk’ with Taemin. What that meant, Kibum hadn’t explained, but Taemin could imagine it well enough.

“Let’s do something together after school,” Kibum suggested with a dimpled smile as he waited for Taemin to finish his lunch.

Today was a good day for him. That had been the first thing he had told Taemin in the morning and the younger couldn’t help being happy, too. Now that he knew more about Kibum’s identity, he realized just how much of a struggle school must be for him on days when he felt more feminine.

Despite all of Kibum’s attempts of belittling his struggles, Taemin knew to be grateful for every good day.

“I’m also going to get dinner with Jonghyun later, so I’m only free till six. But you don’t have dance practice today, right?” Kibum chattered on.

The mention of Jonghyun dampened Taemin’s mood slightly, but he still felt giddy and excited at the thought of spending the afternoon with Kibum – even if they were only on a friendly date of course. Therefore, he gave Kibum a quick thumbs-up, to show he agreed to his offer.

“I’ll hurry,” he tried to say through a mouthful of food, but Taemin miserably failed and earned a headshake of disgust from Kibum.

“Seriously, Taem, you’re worse than Minho. I’m gonna disown you.”

When he had finally gulped down his noodles, Taemin wiped off his mouth before turning to Kibum.

“I have two periods of music left, but after that I’m free.”

“Great, I have study hall anyway. Let’s meet at my locker afterwards, alright?”

“That sounds great, hyung!”

Taemin sent Kibum a wholehearted beam that was supposed to show just how happy he felt. Even though music was his favorite subject, Taemin found that he couldn’t focus on the teacher’s explanations at all today.

His thoughts kept straying, taking him to a later hour of the day when he’d meet with Kibum. It was a great thing that they were able to turn their plans into reality even after everything that had happened.

Even though they did not study English together anymore, they would still see each other a lot and Taemin loved it.

Before meeting with Kibum, he went to the bathroom quickly to exchange his uniform for an more fashionable attire. Taemin didn’t necessarily want to show up looking like the 15-year-old he was when spending time with Kibum. He had gotten lucky enough when the other hadn’t minded his age too much, but Taemin didn’t want Kibum to feel embarrassed because of him.

“What took you so long?” Kibum asked when Taemin arrived at their meeting spot. “Didn’t your lesson end 15 minutes ago?”

“I…uhm….I went to- I couldn’t find my book,” Taemin stuttered dumbly, a blush rising up his neck when he realized just how much thought he had put into his meeting with Kibum.

When the older threw a glance at his outfit only to comment, “you look really nice, Taem!”, Taemin couldn’t help gleaming with pride.

“So…” Kibum said as they started strolling down the school corridor side by side, “…is there anything specific you wanna do?”

“N-not really.”

Of course Taemin had thought up a lot of spots where they could go together, places he wanted to show Kibum. However, now he was too embarrassed by his own eagerness to propose them.

It almost felt like one of his first ever meetings with Key, where he had barely managed to get out a straight sentence.

Kibum didn’t seem to mind his awkwardness, though. He didn’t let the silence last long, immediately saying, “well, I was thinking of going to the city to shop for a bit. I need a few new pairs of socks and I was thinking of buying some fabrics I could use to make a top for summer. Did I tell you I like to tailor clothes?”

Taemin shook his head.

“No, you just said you were into fashion.”

“Well, I like making my own clothes. I’ve created a few skirts that I wear when it’s a little bit warmer outside, a few pairs of pants and I’m currently working on a dress. I mostly make those clothes for my girl days, because I don’t really want to go to the city to buy them.”

Understandable, Taemin thought.

He could imagine that many people would be irritated if they saw a boy buy from the women’s section in stores, no matter if Kibum felt feminine or not.

“I don’t really like attracting anyone’s attention,” Kibum added when Taemin didn’t say anything. “It’s hard enough as it is – not that I am complaining, though. Do you want to see a picture of my dress?”

“Sure!”

Taemin honestly wanted to take a look at Kibum’s work, even though he couldn’t imagine the piece being anything short of perfect. He had not known designing clothes was one of Kibum’s many talents, but it fit him very well.

Even when they had first met, Taemin had admired Key’s taste in fashion and he had to admit Kibum nearly always looked flawless. Meanwhile, the older had pulled out a wrinkled photograph that he handed to Taemin.

“That’s it!” he said and the pride in his voice was unmistakable. “I’ve been working on it for two months, so it’s still pretty basic. In September, there’s a ball organized by a group of art students from the nearby university. One of my friend, Taeyeon-noona, knows some people and she promised to get me cards!

“The only sad thing is that Jjongie won’t be able to go with me – he’ll be in Japan with his sister Sodam-noona. But I’m still gonna rock that dress!”

Kibum looked adorably determined and Taemin couldn’t help but smile at the image of him wearing the dress in the photo. It still looked very basic, only made of a black body without many decorations, but Taemin had a hunch that it would fit Kibum perfectly.

They went on walking while continuing to talk about Kibum’s unusual hobby. By the time they had reached the bus stop, Taemin had learned more about fashion than he had thought there was to know about that topic.

Honestly speaking, he had never cared much for clothes as long as he looked good in them, but Kibum somehow made them seem like the most interesting thing. He kept smiling a lot as he talked and Taemin felt contended listening to him.

Seeing Kibum being so passionate about something was nice – it seemed like his love for fashion was the same love that Taemin harbored for dancing.

At some point, the two of them both fell into a comfortable silence. There was no tension to say anything, it was nice enough to watch the houses and roads fly by as the bus made its way into the city, but Taemin still had a question he wanted to ask Kibum.

“Hyung,” he spoke up after a while. “How did you meet Minho-hyung?”

“Minho?”

Kibum turned to Taemin wearing a neutral expression on his face, but his eyes were smiling.

“That’s a funny story, actually. I met him after I transferred schools, so it happened long after I met Jjong. But the second he found out we were together, he ran to hyung and threatened to break his back of he ever were to hurt me. I still can’t believe he did that.”

Kibum chuckled quietly and Taemin smiled too. What he had just heard sounded like such a Minho thing to do – after all, he was overly protective of Kibum.

That, Taemin told the latter, but he only got another laugh in response.

“Yes, he is. He ended up staying around hyung, though, but I’m pretty sure it’s because he has a giant crush on Sodam-noona. It’s hilarious how he keeps trying to get her number even though she’s so much older than him. He’s not even legal yet.”

“But…should I be afraid of Minho-hyung and his threats now?”

Taemin’s question was meant as a joke, but in retrospect he realized there was a grain of truthful curiosity hidden in it. He hadn’t consciously been worrying about the ‘talk’ Minho was going to have with him, but he still felt the need to make sure he wasn’t in danger of losing one of his only friends.

“Taemin-ah, don’t worry about Ming. He’s all bark and no bite. Besides, you’re too cute to threaten anyway, so you shouldn’t be afraid of him. He’s just overreacting most of the time. Did I tell you about the incident where he almost beat up an older student because he thought the guy had disrespected me?”

__________________________________

It turned out that despite Kibum’s words, Minho was very menacing as he towered over Taemin two days later. The younger boy had looked up from his Math textbook to find Minho standing in front of him, his eyes darker than usual.

“Can we talk in private?”

Even his voice sounded more dangerous than usual, as it somehow had a rough edge to it now. Taemin shuddered yet still nodded. As he trailed after Minho, he tried to recall what Kibum had said about his best friend.

Taemin shouldn’t worry too much. After all, it was just Minho – who was just making sure, apparently. Or wasn’t he?

This looked an awful lot like Minho was going to interrogate Taemin like a delinquent.

The two boys had reached a corner of the school where students hardly ever had to go. Years ago there had been science rooms in this part of the building, at least according to Kibum, but now its corridors were completely vacant.

“Let’s stay here,” Minho said, though his words didn’t sound like a suggestion.

Taemin awkwardly coughed. There was a weird tension in the air, one he had never felt with Minho before, and he didn’t know how much longer he would be able to stand this.

“What did you wanna talk about, hyung?”

Taemin tried his best not to sound too frightened, but his voice cracked in the middle of the sentence. Minho had seemingly sensed his oppressing aura as well and he stepped back a bit, eyeing Taemin’s body up and down.

“So, you know about Key now?” he finally said, lazily drawing out the first word.

“Um…yes,” Taemin said. He had no reason to lie. “I accidentally found out. But then we talked and resolved everything.”

“Do you mind telling me what you think?”

“What?”

“What you think? About Key, I mean.”

“I- I don’t…” Taemin stuttered helplessly.

He didn’t have the slightest idea what Minho wanted to hear from him, yet he wasn’t going to take the risk of saying the wrong thing.

“Are you gonna support Key?”

“Hyung, I didn’t…”

“Look,” Minho barked, his fists clenched now. “I’m not going to take any chances here. If you aren’t willing to accept Key the way she is, you will not go near her again. Understood?”

He looked ready to beat Taemin if he dared to disagree, but that wasn’t his plan anyway.

“Hyung, st-stop!” he squeaked, walking backwards until there was more distance between him and Minho’s tall looming figure. “I didn’t even say that. I…don’t care if Key is different. She’s still Key. And Kibum.”

“Go on.”

Minho still didn’t look too convinced, but at least he had opened his palm again and was now looking at Taemin with raised eyebrows.

“I was really stupid, hyung,” the younger boy finally willed himself to say. “I shouldn’t have run away from Key-noona when I found out, but I was just too perplexed. I never knew there were people who felt the way she did.

“But she explained it all to me and I really don’t mind. She isn’t a different person than before. And our friendship really means a lot to me, I’d never willingly let her go and…”

“Taemin,” Minho interrupted.

Taemin immediately shut up when he heard how different his voice sounded all of a sudden, all too soft like he was about to tell him a secret.

“You have a crush on Key, don’t you?”

“I- What?”

Taemin’s voice immediately jumped upwards a few levels. He had not expected Minho’s words at all. But the moment the words had left his mouth, Taemin felt like his heart would stop beating. An ugly feeling welled up inside his chest, the feeling of being exposed, stripped of everything he had used to conceal himself before.

Even though it had stood still only seconds ago, Taemin’s heart now started to race wildly as he tried his hardest to look Minho in the eye. He couldn’t act suspicious, but Taemin had a feeling that his shaking hands were giving away far too much about his true state of mind.

“You have a crush on Key,” Minho repeated, but this time he didn’t phrase it as a question. “I’ve been wondering about that for a while, actually. You always look at her like she is the only person you can see and when you talk about her, it becomes really obvious that you’re a teenager in love.”

“I’m not- I don’t love Key!” Taemin huffed, yet it felt weird to say that.

Truthfully, he didn’t even know if he had a crush on Key. Before they had made up, he had wondered a lot about the difference his discovery would make regarding his feelings. He had been convinced he was in love with Key for such a long time and after learning that she was Kibum, he didn’t know how to feel.

However, they had reconciled a week ago and in all that time, Taemin hadn’t once thought about the crush he had once had. Didn’t that mean Key’s confession had changed it all?

“There’s no point in denying,” Minho sighed. “Look, I know what it looks like when someone’s in love. I’ve spent enough time around Key and Jonghyun-hyung to know. They’re in love with each other, and you’re in love with Key.”

“I-“ Taemin was at a loss for words.

He thought he had just come to a conclusion, but Minho made everything else seem plausible again. Why was this so hard?

“I don’t know, hyung, really,” Taemin finally said, defeated. “I used to have a crush on noona. Actually, I’ve never felt closer to any other person before. But then I found out she and Kibum were the same person and I was so confused by that. Things didn’t make sense anymore and I just…I just don’t know.”

“I’m not saying that there’s something wrong with her or her gender, though,” he quickly added when he realized how wrong his words had sounded. “Really, hyung, you have to believe me! I don’t want anything to change between Key and me but this is all so new to me and I simply…”

He trailed off and averted his eyes, unable to keep his gaze locked with Minho’s any longer. Meanwhile, the tension from earlier had resolved into thin air, leaving Taemin exhausted. His shoulders slumped as he quietly said, “her gender doesn’t matter to me. I- I’ve never made a difference before either.”

Unbeknownst to Taemin, Minho’s eyes widened slightly, but he didn’t address the hint he had just been given. Instead he simply said, “it’s okay not to know, Taemin-ah. Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough. But if you want to know how I see it, to me you still seem to be in love with Key.”

“Do I? Well… I honestly don’t have much experience.”

“But you’re young, Min.”

“I know I am. ing young.”

Taemin was almost surprised at himself when the curseword slipped out of his mouth, yet he also understood why he had said it. In the past months, he had spent so much time hating his age, especially in comparison to Jonghyun’s, that he still disliked it when someone addressed that topic.

“I’m sorry for threatening you earlier, Taemin. I just need to make sure Key gets to graduate and leave this school in peace. If anyone finds out about her secret, she can’t do that – I know exactly how nasty high school students can be, I experienced it myself. So, please excuse my behavior from earlier.”

“It’s okay.”

Taemin offered him a weak smile.

“But hyung,” he then said, “what do you mean by experience? You’re not…like Key, are you?”

“No, no, it’s not like that.”

Minho went silent for a minute before he looked around.

“Let me just say this much: Things happened in the past, but I don’t think it’s my story to tell. If you want to know about it, you have to ask Key yourself.”

_______________________________

here i am again! just a short note bc it's late and i have school tmrw - but we got the results of our finals today and i'm rlly happy bc i got more than i hoped for. i hope you're all doing well too! (i also got tickets for monsta x in berlin - is anyone seeing them live this tour? i think they're gonna be amazing, i've always wanted to see and hear them live, esp rapline and kihyun)