Your punishment will end, Daughter Zion; he will not prolong your exile. But he will punish your sin, Daughter Edom, and expose your wickedness.

Lamentations 4:22

Minho looked around the blackened café, fascinated.

"Where are we?" he asked with an excited smile.

"I thought this would be a warmer getaway."

Taemin took his lover by the hand and led him down the stairs. His eyes rested disreputably on the older man. He was already enjoying Minho's sight even if his body was still enveloped in unnecessary fabric.

Minho's dark eyes wanted him. He looked deeper at his full lips that would drive him out of his mind again in a few moments. Minho's neck also looked seductively attractive, Taemin wanted to bury himself in it and leave many expressions of love there.

Summer was slowly coming to an end and it was getting colder inside the stone walls with each passing day. Even though their bodies were in flames when they made love, Taemin wanted to feel the sensation of Minho's skin on his own for much longer. He wanted to lie completely as he was in all his being next to Minho. He wanted to let the tender touches linger after the passionate play of their bodies and lose himself in them.

The cold of the cave would make them get dressed sooner or later, but he didn't want to hide from Minho again, ever. Eternally he wanted to be with him, skin to skin, heartbeat to heartbeat.

"Does your family own a café too?" Minho wanted to know. Taemin had to laugh.

Each of the outsiders owned a key to this room, he knew that. And he also knew that the outsiders only met here on weekends. He was sorry he had stolen the key from his big brother, but he would put it back on Jinki's key chain as soon as he got home. Jinki wouldn't even notice.

"Something like that." He said and unlocked the door to the gloomy room.

Dim yellow light provided sparse illumination in the windowless room. A grey blanket lay over the sweaty bodies. Taemin looked spellbound at the glow as Minho took a drag on his cigarette.

Here in the blurry light, the glow was not quite orange like in the daytime, but not bright red like at night either. To Taemin, the colour reminded him of a sunset. Lovingly, he watched the small sun announce dusk again and again, scattering its midnight haze. It was like a ritual.

Minho's long, slender fingers had touched him only a short while ago. Now his index and middle finger embraced the cigarette, right at the point where mouthpiece and paper met.

Gently, Minho tapped the ash into the ashtray. He rolled the glowing side of the cigarette along the edge so that every last bit landed in the tray.

Taemin's eyes followed the process by heart.

Minho's veins traced lightly on his hands; Taemin knew their ways and would be able to follow them again and again.

He wondered how long Minho was forced to hide it from his wife, that he had made a habit of making any evidence of it disappear, no matter how small.

He smiled gently as he watched the reassuring ceremony over and over again.

With him, Minho would not have to hide, ever. With him, he would be allowed to be who he was for all time, because that was exactly what he was allowed to do with Minho, just be himself. No judgement, no questions to which he would not know the answers.

Only their love would be in the foreground, in all of who they were.

With a bemused smile, Minho looked at his hand.

"I find your hands just so beautiful." Taemin said a little shyly as he realised he was caught.

A soft smile enveloped Minho's lips.

"And I find you just so beautiful."

The smoky kiss made Taemin fall into his trance once more. That scent held so many promises. Promises of love, warmth and passion. He relished in the scent and devoured it. Only reluctantly did the two men break the eager kiss.

They knew their nights together were limited.

"What if you say you're stuck in traffic?" Taemin tried to make it sound like a joke, but his hungry eyes told Minho he was serious.

"That might certainly work." replied the older man, putting out his cigarette before pulling Taemin fiercely towards him so their tongues could dance together.

Only vaguely did Taemin perceive that the lock of the door was turning. But he couldn't tear himself away from Minho's lips, they wanted him, were consuming him.

"I must have misplaced it." sounded a dark voice in confusion. Jessica dropped her keys abruptly and held her hand over in shame as she opened the door.

Confused, Jinki looked at his girlfriend, but immediately followed her gaze.

All colour drained from Jinki's face as he looked into the room.

Taemin had opened the car door, but heard his brother sternly say his name and closed it again.

They had driven Jessica home and were now standing in their driveway. The entire ride had been silent.

Taemin looked intently at his nervous fingers. Jinki sighed and ran his fingers over his closed eyes.

"Taemin I..." He quickly realised he didn't know what to say.

The whole situation seemed unreal to him. He took a deep breath and decided to talk to Taemin calmly about everything, even though there was a roaring turmoil inside him.

"Is he treating you well?" Jinki asked, therefore, a little uncertainly.

He hoped Taemin would understand that he didn't want to argue.  He just wanted to understand everything.

Taem