“Is it off?”

Euisoo nodded as he lowered the camera, and Minho relaxed, his head resting against the wall of Taemin’s green room. “How much longer does Taemin have?”

“He’s done. He’s changing now.”

“Let’s get a few pictures for my Instagram when he gets back.” Minho rolled his head to the side, his focus on the back of Kibum’s head. He stared for a little too long and he knew it, but no one said anything. If they even noticed in the first place. He tore his gaze away when the door cracked open, revealing Taemin, who had changed out of his blue velvet suit and into a black tracksuit for heading home in. Kibum patted his knee as he stood. His eyebrows raised as Kibum looked back at them, smiling slightly when Kibum’s gaze met his. “Come on, over by the door.”

Minho let out a dramatic groan as he stood with Jinki. “What are we doing?” Taemin asked, the excitement obvious in his voice.

“Taking a couple of pictures,” Kibum said, passing his phone to Euisoo before he came over to stand beside Minho, who threw his arm naturally over his shoulder, like he had done with Taemin.

Kibum’s hand settled on his waist as Euisoo lifted Kibum’s phone. “How many do you want?”

The back of Kibum’s head rested on Minho’s shoulder. “Just take a bunch.”

Soon, once Kibum got his phone back, they were ushered into the parking lot where their car was waiting to take them home. Minho looked around--eyes wide, brow furrowed--at the lack of fans waiting to greet them. “It’s weird, isn’t it?” Kibum asked, and Minho glanced his way with a nod. “I didn’t think I’d miss it.”

“Miss what?” Taemin asked as he clambered into the van.

“All of the fans waiting for us,” Kibum said as he climbed in after him. Minho closed the door behind himself just as Kibum was buckling his seat belt. “I wonder when we’ll be able to see them again.”

“Soon, I hope.”

“Am I just taking you all home?” Euisoo asked as he started the van and Jinki turned to gauge where everyone wanted to go.

“We could all go back to my place?” Taemin said from the back seat, which drew a laugh out of Kibum. “What?”

“You just want us to pack for you.”

“It’s really nice of you to offer!” he said brightly.

Shaking his head, Kibum tapped Euisoo’s shoulder. “No, let’s go back to my place.”

Minho grabbed the armrest as Euisoo pulled out of the parking lot, smirking as he looked Kibum’s way. “What, and you don’t want us to pack for you?”

“Please, I’m already moved in. You can help me with the unpacking, though.”

“Just me?”

“Like I’d ask Taemin to do that.”

“Hey--”

Minho laughed, looking back at Taemin, who was doing his best to look affronted, but failing miserably. “You can borrow something of mine too so you don’t have to keep wearing that ing uniform.”

“Are you still on that?”

“Here we go,” Jinki murmured. Euisoo chuckled, shaking his head as he sped up on the onramp.

Kibum threw him an exasperated look, then rolled his eyes as he looked away. “Please, as if you didn’t know you would draw attention by wearing your uniform.”

“I just didn’t have time to change?”

Kibum scoffed. “No time to change on the five-hour trip from Pohang? Really?”

“What? Did you want me to change into clothes I didn’t have with me in the back of a moving car?”

“Did you not have your luggage full of civilian clothes?”

“Full of...just how many changes of clothes do you think I brought with me?”

“Wow,” Taemin said without a hint of awe in his voice. “I forgot how loud you two were.”

“I thought you’d be happy I was back! I wanted to see you all immediately! There wasn’t any ulterior motive to wearing my goddamn uniform.” Kibum’s eyebrows rose as he nodded sarcastically. “What, are you not happy to see me?”

Kibum started to retort, but Taemin said “Please, he wouldn’t shut up about how much he missed you” before he had the chance to say a word.

Silence settled over the van for the stretch of a few seconds. Minho sent a furtive glance Kibum’s way, finding him biting back a small, undoubtedly embarrassed smile and refusing to meet anyone’s eyes. “Yeah, well...I missed you, too.” Kibum looked up, then, the headlights of the cars on the other side of the highway twinkling in his eyes as he met Minho’s gaze. “All of you.”

Jinki cleared his throat. “Right,” he said, sharing a look with Euisoo before cracking a smile. For a split second, he considered defending himself. That he was tired, that he really did miss everyone in the ing van...but somehow, defending himself would only draw more attention to whatever this was between him and Kibum. He wasn’t sure exactly; they still needed to talk about it. But even now wasn’t a good moment, and truth be told, he wasn’t sure when one would arise.

After his upcoming V-live, there would be a flurry of schedules in preparation for the comeback, whenever that happy day would be. Who knew when they’d get a moment or two to themselves to finally sit down and talk.

It had been a while since the topic had been broached...the first time Minho brought up his feelings for Kibum was way back in London during their Surprise Vacation shooting. When they had escaped their managers to explore the nightlife with just the two of them. Maybe he’d gotten a little tipsy, but Kibum did, too, so… But then, he had needed a little bit of liquid courage to finally speak his mind. To come clean about his feelings.

He had been expecting Kibum to laugh him off, or to yell at him for wanting to ruin what they had worked so hard for with SHINee...anything, really, except for Kibum grabbing him by the lapels of his coat and kissing him. Quite thoroughly, despite being drunk.

It had been a blissful few days--just the two of them, enjoying their newly confessed...well, love was probably a strong word for whatever it was.

But, all good things must come to an end.

The preparations for Dream Girl and Why So Serious took over their lives, then Toheart came into the picture, drawing Kibum further away from him. When he asked, Kibum denied that he was distancing himself from him, but Minho knew better.

Kibum dated a few guys, but Minho could never quite bring himself to try to put himself out there, despite his best efforts at the few dates he managed to get. And, with Kibum's encouragement.

“It’s really for the best, you know,” Kibum had said one night after an episode of whatever drama they were binging at the time finished. Minho hummed noncommittally, rubbing Garcon’s belly as he laid sprawled out on his lap. “Like, what if we broke up, Minho? What would happen to SHINee?”

Ah yes, the age-old argument. “We won’t break up.”

“With how much we fight, how can you be so sure?”

Garcons' head flopped to the side, and Minho reached up to fix his ear that was stuck flipped back. “We don’t fight. We bicker.”

“How is that different?” Kibum asked, laughing.

Minho shrugged with a small smile. “It just is.”

“Minho.” He sighed at the tenderness in Kibum’s voice, finally unable to keep from looking at him. “I love you. You know I do. Maybe sometime...in the future…”

“I’ll call out your name.”

Kibum snorted. “Okay, IU.” Minho laughed, though quietly, still loud enough to startle Garcons. He scrambled out of Minho’s lap and over to where his brother lay on their bed. “I just don’t want to get your hopes up, that’s all.”

“I mean, I appreciate that.” He cleared his throat, eyes darting down to the space between them. “Just, do me a favor?”

“Anything.”

“Don’t date anymore douchebags. You deserve better than that.”

Kibum gave him a wry smile. “Just because they’re not you doesn’t mean they’re douchebags, Minho.”

“That’s not what I said at all.” Kibum’s expression shifted from one of exasperated amusement to confusion and...his heart was probably playing tricks on him, but to Minho, it looked like longing. He scooted forward, sliding off the couch. “I should go.”

“But--”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Bummie. If you decided to show up to practice, that is.”

“Oh, off.”

Minho grinned, looking back at him from the door. I love you, too, you know. But he did know. And the words would remain unsaid. For now. Probably forever. “Goodnight.”

Even though he knew he would never change, no matter what, he couldn’t be the one to bring it up again. And so, he strove to hold his tongue, to keep the confessions that seemed to want to spill from his lips at bay. It was hard, but he knew that if he spoke his mind, he would only drive Kibum further away. And, as much as it hurt, being Kibum’s best friend was not a secondary prize compared to being his boyfriend. He loved Kibum--thoroughly and completely--and any time spent with him was a gift.

So when Kibum broke the silence and broached the subject a few months before his discharge from the military band, Minho could hardly believe it. He’d asked if Kibum finally wanted to coordinate their leaves so that they could see each other and work this all out, but it was too dangerous, according to Kibum. “We’ve waited this long,” he had whispered into the phone that night before Minho had had to turn it in. “We can wait until we’re both home. It’s safer that way.”

Which, unfortunately, was true.

Kibum didn’t bring it up again. He even dissuaded Minho’s attempts at a revival of the conversation, which had started to worry Minho a bit. Even more, now that he had had his cold-then-warm greeting barely an hour ago. He glanced Kibum’s way again, his eyes still twinkling and a hint of a smile toying with the corner of his lips, maybe he didn’t have to be worried at all.

Still, he hadn't anticipated Jinki and Taemin being there for this conversation. So it probably wasn't happening tonight.

Taemin’s phone lit up with an incoming text, drawing Minho’s attention to the back seat when he checked it. “Uh…” He looked up, his eyes on Jinki first before darting over to Euisoo. “Actually, would you mind taking me home? I’ve…” He stuttered when Kibum looked back at him incredulously. “I’ve got a migraine coming and I want to try to get rid of it before tomorrow.”

“Yeah, okay,” Euisoo said as he exited off the highway. “Do you want me to stop and get you some medicine?”

“No, I think I still have some leftovers from the last time.”

"Just take me home, too," Jinki said, quietly enough that Minho could barely hear him.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, though, and he pulled it out, finding that Kibum had messaged him.

22:39

Do you want to go back to the dorms too?

"What about you, Minho?" Euisoo asked before he could start typing.

"Nah, I think I'll catch up with Kibum. Since, you know, it's been so long since we've ing seen each other in person."

Kibum's cackle filled the van and Minho grinned as he looked his way, pocketing his phone again. "Look, it's not worth it to get looking all nice just to hang out with you guys. You know that."

"But it is for Taeyeon, I get it."

"Oh my god," Taemin said, half laughing.

"Just try to keep the fighting to a minimum tonight, you two," Jinki said, looking over his shoulder at Minho, then craning around so he could glance at Kibum. "I'd still like us to be a team in the morning."

"Hey--"

"You know we're just kidding around, right?"

Jinki scoffed but didn't reply.

He was dropped off first, the SM dorms closest to the Inkyago building. Taemin clambered up between them to sit beside Euisoo in the front seat. Minho watched him for a second as he talked animatedly to their shared manager, looking Kibum's way when he cleared his throat. He nodded for Minho to lean closer, and he immediately did, his smile growing as Kibum slid his hand over his shoulder.

"It's kinda funny how close they've gotten since we've been gone," he whispered in Minho's ear, pulling away to gauge Minho's reaction before he leaned back, his cheek brushing against Minho's as he started speaking again. "It's cute, but don't tell him I said that."

"Of course."

Kibum huffed a laugh, the puff of breath tickling his ear as he pulled away. His hand on his shoulder lingered for a second longer before he retreated to his seat.

Minho took a deep breath, feeling warmer than he had since he had started the stupid training he had gave up his final leave for. The warmth bloomed within him the longer he watched Kibum, blossoming with wild abandon. He was grinning like a lovestruck fool; he couldn't help it. Not even when Kibum met his gaze once more.

I love you. I can't believe I get to see you again. I missed you so ing much.

The thoughts tangled in his mind, all remaining unsaid as Euisoo pulled to another stop.

"This is us," Kibum said, unbuckling and watching Minho expectantly as he waited for him to unbuckle himself and let them out of the van.

He hurried to do so, following Kibum and Euisoo, who had grabbed his luggage, inside the building. Kibum led them up to the third floor, chatting with Euisoo about the schedule for tomorrow. A day off for everyone but Taemin.

"If you want you can send us the pictures we need for your V-live," Euisoo said as he set Minho's luggage just inside Kibum's new apartment. Minho stepped past him, glancing around the room without actually noticing anything yet. "In the morning, of course."

"Okay. Over text?"

"No, you can email me, I'll pass them along." Something clattered in the distance, drawing Minho's attention away for a second. At least until Euisoo spoke again. "I'm glad you're back in one piece, kid," he said as he pulled him into a quick, tight hug.

"Me too. Thanks for taking such good care of our Taemin."

He smirked as he stepped away. "I'm expecting a raise for that."

Minho cracked a grin. "Take it up with Lee Sooman, then." He laughed, and Minho waved goodbye as Euisoo turned to head back down the stairs.

He closed the door before he crouched down to untie his laced boots.

The clattering of paws from the backroom drew Minho's attention, his smile growing as Garcons and Comme Des ran--tails wagging-- toward him. Kibum was calling after them, but Minho opened his arms wider for them to hop into his arms, both at his face. He squinted as he grinned, trying to pet them both.

"Hey, kids, knock it off," Kibum said as he hurried over to where Minho was crouched on the floor, pulling Comme Des off of him. He had changed out of his street clothes into something comfier--a pair of gray sweats with something written on the leg and a plain navy sweatshirt. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay, Bum."

"No, they know better." He held Comme Des a little tighter, his teeth at him when he tried to wriggle free. Minho scooped Garcons up, kissing the top of his fluffy little head. "Looks like they missed you, too."

"I feel like that's safe to assume."

Kibum slapped his knee lightly with a small smile. "But, really, if you want to raid my closet, go right ahead. I kinda want to take them for a quick walk, if you're up for that."

Minho glanced to the balcony and the night beyond the railing. "Yeah, sure, I think I can handle that."

Kibum scoffed, shaking his head, and called Garcons away as Minho stood. "My room is the one I was just in."

"Okay."

He hefted himself up, smiling down at Garcons when he started following him back to Kibum's bedroom until Kibum called him to come get his sweater on. He left the door ajar flipping the light on.

He dug through the drawers, being careful not to mess up Kibum's organization. "Come on, I know you've got sweatpants some--" He stopped muttering when his hand hit something crinkly. It was a wrinkled piece of paper. Curious, he pulled it out, unfolding it carefully.

Kibum-ah,
I love you ♡
by Choi Minho

He wasn't sure how long he sat there, staring at the note he had apparently left. When was this, even? Why didn't he remember? Based on the handwriting alone, he had to have been very drunk, but, how long had Kibum kept this? And...why?

Minho folded it once more, stuffing it back exactly as he remembered it being before he found it. Though he was distracted now, he was able to find an all-black sweats and sweatshirt combo that wouldn't be too small for him. He changed into it quickly, folding his uniform out of habit and setting it on the foot of Kibum's bed before he hurried out to where Kibum was waiting for him.

"Took you long enough."

"My bad. Got distracted."

Kibum sniffed a laugh and passed Minho one of the leash handles. Garcons, of course. "Let's go!"

Minho slipped into one of the pairs of slides by the door as he hurried after him, falling into step beside him once they reached the stairs.

It was a nice night for mid-November. The moon was out, bright and shining and beautiful. A few wisps of clouds drifted into its glow, covering the spattering of stars he could see in the light of Seoul. Neither of them spoke as they walked along. The silence, while comfortable, was weighted with anticipation. For Minho, at least. He wasn't sure if Kibum was feeling it, too.

But he wouldn't be the one to bring it up. Not right now, anyway. Maybe later if the lack of discussion was starting to drive him crazy.

Eventually, Kibum cleared his throat. "I thought you said you were going to go visit your parents first."

"I was, yeah."

He glanced Kibum's way when he didn't respond right away. “What changed your mind?”

He gave the pavement a wry smile. “Do you really want to know?” He didn’t have to look Kibum’s way to know that he was watching him. “Minhyuk showed me what you commented on the post. On Instagram.”

“Ah.”

“I just...I really wanted to see you, Bummie.” Kibum stopped walking and Minho did as well, both ignoring the dogs tugging on their leads. Minho met his gaze, holding it. “Should I have told you?”

“It doesn’t matter now.” His gaze traced Minho’s face, lingering on his lips before he met his eyes again and turned to start walking again. Once again, Minho fell into step beside him, breathing in the night air and the heady scent of the Han River just beyond the railing. “It’s funny.” Minho hummed in question. “Jonghyun always said this would happen. That we’d end up here.”

“At the river?” Kibum laughed, his hand clapping on Minho’s shoulder, though he didn’t shove him away. “He never said that to me.”

“He wouldn't have, would he?” His hand slipped down from his shoulder and hooked around his arm. Minho smiled immediately, he couldn’t help it. “I talked to him after we got back from the Surprise Vacation shooting. About you. Us.”

Minho stared at the moonlight shimmering on the waves of the river. “What’d he say?”

“Just that. That’d we’d get here eventually.”

“Where is here, exactly?” When Kibum didn’t respond right away, Minho cleared his throat. “Have your feelings towards me changed?”

“No.” Minho blinked rapidly, looking down at him. “They didn’t have to.” Kibum looked up at him, grimacing as he looked back at the deserted street. “Let’s head back, I’m getting cold.”

“Kibum--”

“I know.”

“No, Ki--”

“I know, I should have said something sooner, but...but I didn’t want to ruin things. Like before, you know? I just...You know how I am when it comes to relationships. They don’t work out. They’re basically extended flings. I didn’t want that for us.”

Minho was staring, he knew he was. How long...had he returned his feelings the whole time? Did it even matter, at this point? Kibum broke eye contact first, glancing around at the night before he turned back to Minho. They must have been truly alone because Kibum fisted his free hand in the front of Minho’s sweatshirt and pulled him into a kiss.

It was exactly how he remembered.

Then, all those years ago, they had been walking hand in hand beside the River Thames, and now they were here beside Han River. Kibum had kissed him then, too. Then, it had been exhilarating, feeling the excitement radiating between them, filling the air around them. But now, after all this time, it felt like coming home. Yes, the excitement was still there, bubbling up within him, nearly fit to burst. But, it just felt right. As if the world had been off-kilter until this moment, and now it had finally shifted back into place.

It took a second for Minho to open his eyes after Kibum pulled away, and longer still to unwrap his arms from around him. He had felt like flying before when he was reunited with Kibum and Jinki and Taemin, but now it was all he could do not to float up to Kibum’s apartment. Instead, he walked beside Kibum, letting the kids lead the way back.

Minho locked the door behind them as Kibum crouched to take care of his puppies. Once they were roaming free, Kibum turned back to him as he stood, and once he reached him, he wrapped his arms loosely around him, watching him curiously. Expectantly. He rested his hands around Kibum’s waist, joined together at the small of Kibum’s back as he searched the rich, warm depths of Kibum’s dark brown eyes.

“We can take this as slow as you’d like, Kibum.”

Kibum’s gaze dipped down to Minho’s lips before he met his eyes again. “We’ve waited long enough, don’t you think?”

True, he’d never deny that.

Not that Kibum gave him much of an opportunity to do so.