Two weeks had passed since Taemin and Kibum's split, and as fast as people started talking about it, the hype died down. It wasn't that interesting in all honesty - mostly everyone knew the senior was screwing around with someone, they just didn't know who. It seemed apparent to everyone...everyone except Taemin, of course.
Lucas and Mark eventually warmed up to their friend, and even though they could probably never be as close as they were before, they were much friendlier than when Taemin first got back into the group. They also welcomed a few new transferred students; Taeyong, Baekhyun, and Chittaphon...though they just called him Ten since that was easier than his name. He was Thai, but his Korean and English was good, which meant he fit right in with the other guys.

Taemin still hung out with Jonghyun from time to time, as well as Jinki, but avoided Kibum and Minho as much as possible. They didn't seem to be together anymore, which wasn't that much of a shocker; Taemin knew they were probably just on a break, and that everything would be back to normal with them the next week.
It was the start of February, and only three weeks before spring holidays. But there was one more school event before that time came and seniors got the chance to stay home and prepare for upcoming exams (though they probably were already).

Spring formal / Valentine's Day.

“I think we should go as a group to the formal. That would be good,” Taemin suggested once they were at lunch. Today was somewhat dry pasta and chicken pieces - not the greatest, but not as bad as some of the other things they got served.
“Ah, you think so? I was planning on going with Kyungsoo though...” Jongin said as he played with his fork; they had recently started dating, so it wasn't much of a surprise Jongin wanted this.
“I see,” The older one said while trying to mask his disappointment. Although he knew his best friend was smarter than he was in relationships, he still hoped Jongin wouldn't push aside his friends for his boyfriend.
“What do you say, guys?” He asked the rest of the group, each of them thinking about the offer for a few seconds before they spoke.
“I don't even know if I'm going,” Ten answered.
“Same,” Baekhyun shrugged.
“I think it's a good idea,” Mark said with a nod.
“Yeah, I'm down,” Lucas replied.
So, to summarize, they all seemed to have different things in mind.

“You could always go with Jinki,” Jongin pointed out, and Taemin glanced at his friend as if he had lost his mind. Sure, it was an idea, but Taemin didn't want the older one to take it the wrong way. Of course, Jinki was mature and if the junior had to tell him just what it meant for them to be going together (which would only be as friends), then the older one would understand that...but there was still the thought that maybe he'd hope that him and Taemin would become more than friends at some point.

He didn't answer, though everyone's eyes at the table were trained on him from curiosity. They knew Jinki was mildly interested in the younger one, but they didn't think it was enough for Taemin to want to avoid going to spring formal with him.
There was silence at the table after that for some time - Lucas especially wanted to find out the story as to how close Taemin and Jinki really were, but he didn't want to push their friend and force him to speak about something he wasn't so comfortable with. Maybe, hopefully, he would speak about it sometime in the future.
“So, what are we going to do?” Taemin asked eventually, and they all glanced at him again.
“I don't know. Just do whatever you want, I guess,” Baekhyun said, and Taemin shook his head quietly; sometimes the group could be just like a group of girls. Hard to plan with, hard to go with.

As Taemin walked to his next class, he debated on what to do. It would be nice to go, but did he really want to? What if Kibum and Minho were there?
“No,” He said quietly to himself, “I won't let them intimidate me anymore,”
He would go, and if he saw them, then who cared? Maybe it would hurt, and maybe Taemin's night would be ruined, but he wanted to show them he was stronger than before. That he wasn't as naive as he was before, and maybe he would get some respect from them.
He paused by his locker to get some books for the end of the day, still mulling his choice over in his mind. He wasn't sure how well he would take it, but he really did want to try.

“Well, if you're going to be like this, then why don't you just go back to him?!” Taemin looked up when he heard that familiar voice; it was Minho, and the younger one could only guess that him and Kibum were fighting again.
“Yeah, maybe I will. He was better than you, always kicking that stupid ball around on the field,” The junior peeked around him as inconspicuously as he could to see where they were, and whether he was in danger of being seen or not. He saw them by the water fountain and they spoke with hushed voices, obviously not trying to be heard, but they seemed so involved in their argument that they didn't even see Taemin.
“You weren't saying that when you were getting fuc-”
“Shut up! You can't use that as your argument,” Kibum interrupted Minho with an annoyed sigh, “geez, you're so annoying...”

How odd that Taemin would be in their midst at a time like this. It almost seemed like the junior planned to be here when they fought, even to himself who didn't even know whether they were at school or not.

“So are you. You think you're such a princess, and that everyone has to bow down to you, when the world doesn't owe you a damn thing,” Minho said, and Kibum cupped his hands over his mouth as he gasped. Even Taemin had to hold back a gasp - funny, friendly, sporty, popular Minho could really say some mean things.
“You make it sound like I'm some spoiled brat!” Kibum said with annoyance, and the taller one folded his muscular arms as he looked down at his on-and-off boyfriend, “because you are,”
“I'm not! Why are you saying this all of a sudden?” The senior demanded and poked Minho's chest.
“Because it's true. Do you think I like being on and off with you all the time because of your moods? One time, you're happy with me, you say we should go public. Next, you hate my guts and swear at me. What am I supposed to think? Anything I say or do is wrong to you. I'm not your personal toy you can play with when you're bored,” The junior replied, and Taemin felt the urge to applaud Minho - he had summed up everything the younger one felt while he was dating Kibum...minus the toy part.
“Stop being a big baby about it. You're being worse than Taemin now, and that's saying a lot,” The mentioned male felt his heart sting at the words - how was he supposed to know he was being too clingy? It was his very first time being in love! He didn't know anything when it came to things like that. It hurt hearing how Kibum thought of him, but then again, it hurt knowing his ex had been messing around the whole time.
“You're probably right,” Minho chuckled, and Taemin felt his heart sink a little more as he closed his locker quietly before rushing off to his next class; he didn't want them to notice him, and he didn't want them to notice him when he was in tears, either.
“Look, Valentine's day is coming up, and so is the dance. I'll make a bet with you regarding Taemin...” Kibum said, and explained what would happen as to what the bet entailed - if he succeeded, he would go public with Minho and become official, and if he didn't succeed, then Minho could decide if they should stay together or break up.
Though the junior didn't really like the bet, it still piqued his interest, so he agreed.
But what they both didn't know, was that someone else had heard of the bet, someone who was hellbent on protecting Taemin from both Kibum and Minho.

The day eventually came, and Taemin internally groaned when his alarm went off. He didn't mind going to school today - it had been fun with his friends since everyone opened up to him again, even people he hadn't really talked to before - but he would've just skipped it if it meant that he wouldn't have to watch all the lovey dovey couples around school.
Roses with notes would be handed out, and Taemin had organized that everyone in his friend group get one. He didn't mean it in a weird way, but rather just to make them happy in case they didn't get one. He also organized that Jinki get one; he wanted the senior to know his feelings weren't ignored.
As for himself, he had no idea whether he would get one or not.

After a few more seconds of pitying himself that he was single on Valentine's day, Taemin got out of bed to get ready for school. His platinum blonde hair was still nice to him, but he was planning on changing it soon. Maybe to a darker one, like a dirty blonde. That seemed nice.
When he got to school, he already wanted to throw up just from all the cute couples around him holding hands, kissing, whispering cute things to one another, and just doing general couple stuff. He wondered how many people were planning on losing their ities tonight.

The roses were delivered during third period, and the junior glanced up surprised when he received not one, not two, but three roses! He had to check them all twice to make sure they weren't given to the wrong person, but no, they were each labelled for him.
He picked up one to look at the note, smiling to himself when he saw the words,

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐝 𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮?
— 𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧

Taemin got the next rose, smiling a little wider as he read the note.

𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞'𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞.
— 𝐉

He of course knew that could be from none other than Jinki, and even though he didn't want a gift from the senior, he did feel a little happy to know the black haired male was thinking of him enough to get him a gift.
He checked the last rose, but wasn't sure what to think of it.

𝐈 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞?
— 𝐊

His heart leaped and then dropped at regular intervals - he couldn't even focus on his class anymore. Jinki, or Kibum? He couldn't just take Jinki's gift, and then go see Kibum. But he couldn't ignore Kibum either. He wanted to, he really wanted to, but he didn't know if he could. And if it came out that Taemin went to see his ex instead of meeting Jinki, the senior would be more than crushed. He probably thought it was completely over, but Taemin was still going to see him on Valentine's day...

As always, the junior consulted his best friend on what to do.
“What should I do? I mean, I want to see Jinki, but I want to hear what Kibum has to say too,” He said after showing the notes to Jongin who looked at him with a shake of his head.
“You know Kibum is probably up to no good again. Just stay with us and see Jinki,” He suggested, but he could see from the way Taemin hesitated, he had other ideas in mind.
“Okay, fine...” The freshman sighed, “I'll keep Jinki busy when he comes, and you can see Kibum. Just don't ditch us the whole break, okay?”
“Thanks,” Taemin said with a relieved smile and gave his best friend a hug, “I owe you one,”
“Yes you do! And don't forget it!” The younger one called out as Taemin dashed for his next class before breaktime.

Once the bell rang to signal class was over, Taemin almost ran out of the room and up the stairs which led to the rooftop. He hated that he was even willing to see Kibum after what he had done and hadn't even apologized for it; was he really still so desperate?
He tried to compose himself before he opened the door, brushing a hand through his hair to somehow make it neater and fixing his shirt before he took a deep breath. He had to be strong, to not fall for the senior's charming ways and beautiful words - he had to say no, and put an end to the madness...if Kibum wanted to try again. The junior didn't even know what Kibum wanted.

He opened the door, and then walked out into the sunny atmosphere. It was a warm day, with barely any clouds around, which meant there wasn't going to be rain...perfect for tonight. No one wanted to go to a school dance if it was raining.
He saw Kibum waiting by the balcony, and the senior turned as he heard the door.
“You came,” He noted - he was surprised, but not too much. Taemin was still as gullible as ever, just as the older one knew he would be. Just because they broke up, didn't mean Taemin would get over him quick, Kibum knew that.
“Yeah,” The junior murmured and then walked to stand beside the other one, looking down at the cars that passed back and forth on the street down below.
“So, you're still interested in what I have to say then. That's why you came,” Kibum said and looked at Taemin who looked back at him. Even though it had only been two or three weeks since they last spoke, the younger one felt as if he was seeing Kibum's face for the first time in years. Even that eyebrow scar the older one had still gave him chills down his spine.
“I just wanted to know why you'd want to see me,” He replied; he didn't want Kibum to think he had an advantage over the younger one.
“Didn't the note say it all? I miss you,” The senior answered, and Taemin turned fully to face his ex. Hearing it so blatantly made him suppress a small squeal - he hated the effect Kibum had on him, but it was his heart, not him.
“You don't miss me?” Kibum questioned when his ex didn't reply, and Taemin glanced at him for a moment, “no,”
“Then why did you come if you didn't miss me? If you wanted nothing to do with me, you wouldn't have pitched,” He reasoned, and Taemin sighed. He knew Kibum knew him too well to really pretend - his facade was broken the moment he came.
“Okay, maybe a little. But not enough to consider getting back together,” He would put his foot down at this, and Kibum came closer until their breaths mixed together from the closeness.
“Really? So I don't even have even a little chance of getting you back?” He asked, his one hand grabbing Taemin's to pull him even closer until their chests met.
“N-no...” Taemin was trying to be strong, he really was, but Kibum was much too smooth with his words. The younger one could feel himself beginning to crumble, and he knew he wouldn't last against the senior for much longer.
“Baby, you still love me. We both know that,” The older one murmured softly as he cupped the blonde's one slightly chubby cheek, gave it a small squeeze, and then began to lean in.

The younger one knew it was wrong - everything he had told himself he wouldn't let happen, was happening anyway. He was falling for the older one's trap all over again, and he hated it. He didn't want to be the fool again, but how could he refuse when Kibum was being like this? He knew the junior too well.

So the blonde didn't pull away when their lips met, and instead found himself melting and kissing back. He was tired of trying not to care when he saw his ex in the hallways - he wanted to be held again, to be told nice things. He didn't want to pretend he didn't still feel something for Kibum.
“I want you back,” The senior breathed against the younger one's lips once they pulled away, and Taemin shook his head. As much as he wanted things the old way, he couldn't embarrass himself again.
“I can't,” He said, and then pulled away from the older one's embrace, “I have to go,”
He knew that the longer he stayed, the faster he would lose the battle, so he left while he was ahead.
“I'll see you at the dance tonight, and then you'll be mine again, Taemin!” Kibum called out before the younger one could properly escape.

He went to the cafeteria and saw Jinki there talking to the others; Taemin felt wickedly guilty for everything that happened now that he saw the senior that seemed so happy to see him.
“Hey! I didn't know you had a science assignment due,” He said as he greeted Taemin with a hug, the younger one shooting Jongin a questioning glance. The freshman shrugged.
“Yeah...forgot to do the last part,” Taemin replied and scratched the back of his head, Jinki holding out a bunch of roses.
“You deserve more than just one rose,” He said with a smile, and the junior felt even guiltier as he took them. How could he accept such a gracious gift from someone who liked him so much?
“Thank you...” He said softly as he took them, leaning over to kiss Jinki's cheek.
“Will I see you at the dance tonight?” He asked the younger one, and Taemin nodded without really thinking about it.
“Yes,” He answered. Jinki then smiled.
“Great,” And with that, he went to go tutor some other students like he usually did.

Everyone was surprised with the bunch of roses Taemin carried around with him - so surprised, that he wanted to give them to Jongin instead so all the attention would be on him.
“Do you want me to come over so we can check the suits together?” The freshman asked once school was done and the two were walking out together.
“No, I'm okay,” Taemin said as he walked down the stairs, not exactly sure how he would be able to properly think with Jongin chatting all the time. He needed some time to think what he could do about the situation at hand.
“Are you okay? You've been quiet ever since you saw him,” Jongin didn't need to say the name for the older one to know who he was talking about.
“We kissed,” The blonde decided to just tell the younger one what happened instead of hiding it; he knew it would only bother him more if he didn't tell someone, as embarrassing as it was.
“What?!” Jongin exclaimed, then looked around before lowering his voice.
“It was a mistake!” The blonde tried to defend himself somehow, but his friend was having none of it.
“You kissed him back, didn't you?” The younger one said, and groaned when Taemin didn't reply, “he's playing you, hyung! Why can't you see that?”
“I do see that. It really was a mistake. I don't know why I did it...he came onto me, okay? Not the other way around,” He explained.
“Just promise me you won't go back to him,” The younger one said, and Taemin nodded with a small smile.
“He wanted to, but I said no,” At least he had something to tell Jongin that he was proud of.
“That's good. Keep that attitude. I gotta go now, though, so see you later,” And they split up to get ready at their homes.

Taemin arrived at school at just past 19:00 - the dance had started at 18:30, which meant he had come at a good time he was sure. Not too many people were there, but the hall wasn't completely empty either.
It didn't seem that Jongin and Kyungsoo were there yet, and Taemin hadn't seen Jinki, so he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do in the mean time. He didn't know if Kibum was there; would he be with Minho? The thought disappointed the blonde more than he liked.
As he got some punch - fruity, nice, but a bit too sweet - he felt someone tap him on his shoulder.

“I said I would make you mine again tonight,” It was Kibum and he smiled as he held out a hand, “may I have this dance?”
The younger one couldn't even use the excuse that he had to find his friends since no one was here (yet, hopefully), so he had no choice but to accept the older one's offer.
It was a slow dance, which left them both in silence as they glanced at each other from time to time. The excitement from the kiss had long worn off for Taemin, so he felt more embarrassed and confused than anything else. Kibum was obviously just keeping him as a second option, considering the fight him and Minho had, and Taemin would have none of it. He deserved better, he knew that much.

“Why are we doing this?” Taemin asked eventually, “why are you trying to win me over when you know there's nothing left for us?”
“I know you still feel something for me. You proved that earlier today,” Was the response as Kibum's hand tightened around the younger one's.
“Maybe it was a mistake,” The junior said just before Kibum twirled him only to bring him back again, their chests pressing against one another's.
“You know better than me that you coming to see me was no mistake, honey,” He was using that sultry voice right by Taemin's ear; the voice that always made the younger one weak at the knees.
“So, have you thought about it? Have you thought of being mine again? I promise I'll do better for you...things are over between Minho and I now, for good,” Kibum said when the blonde hadn't given an answer to the previous statement, and Taemin rolled his eyes.
“I know that's not true. He was your “ex” before, right? But you were still messing around with him,” The junior answered dryly.
“I know you don't trust me, and I don't blame you. But I'll really try this time to make you feel more loved. I miss you, honestly,” His ex said, his hand holding the younger one's lower back firmly.
“Give me one more chance. You know I love you,” He murmured as his lips brushed against Taemin's, the blonde stiffening slightly.
“Kibum, I...” What was he planning to say, anyway? The older one knew which buttons to press to get what he wanted, and the younger one was so close to caving in.
“Say yes. You know no one could give you the butterflies like I could, and we both know I'll always have a place in your heart,” The older one said before he dipped Taemin, looking into his brown eyes. It made the younger one's heart race, and he clawed into Kibum's sleeves not to fall.
“I...I...” He said repeatedly, not knowing what to do or say. The senior's lips found Taemin's neck, trying to locate his sweet spot; Kibum knew this was the last nail in Taemin's coffin, and then he would win the bet.

“Taemin!” Both the senior and junior looked up when they heard someone call out through the crowd, and Kibum lifted the younger one for him to stand up straight again.
“Yes?” The blonde asked as he noticed a small figure push his way through the people, “you can't say yes! He's playing with you!”
It was Jonghyun, and he looked more furious than ever.
“He made a bet with Minho that he could get you to date him, and when you said yes, he would break up with you and spread word that you slept with him!”