Part of Jongin wished he could forget what had happened between them on that night. When he woke up, he and Taemin were pressed tight against each other as always, and he had to wonder if it was the result of old habits refusing to die. His bed was twice the width of the ones they’d had when they first met, and yet to see them sleeping together, you would never know this. One was always half on top of the other, or they were spooning each other, or clinging onto one another as if they were afraid of falling off the edge.

Jongin mused over these thoughts when he first awoke, but then the memories crept in.

What the hell did I do?

Mortified, he took a few minutes trying to sort out if the whole thing had actually been real or if it was just some vivid dream. Everything had been so dark in that bedroom that he had barely been able to see anything anyway, and the only visual memory was of Taemin’s blushing face at the doorway. Before Jongin had locked him in. And jerked him off.

I jerked off my best friend. My gay best friend. Who has a crush on me!

He tried to retrace his thoughts at that time, attempting to figure out why he had thought that had been a reasonable course of action. The logic was hard to follow. None of it had made sense; why had he even called Taemin there in the first place? Had he really needed a chaperone to e by himself? (No.) And then forcing Taemin to stay when he hadn’t even asked for it, touching him when it was something Taemin didn’t even like to do himself…

The memory of Taemin’s little sounds filled his ears, making Jongin’s face heat up as he recalled them. He couldn’t believe he had experienced that side of Taemin. A tiny part of him thought that the way Taemin had been was exactly how Jongin would have imagined him to be, fitting his personality to a T.

That is not what you should be focusing on right now.

Right. Jongin had done something beyond inappropriate, for no real reason other than… enjoying the feeling of power it gave him over Taemin. Was that it? Or was it to flex on all the girls who had tried to get with Taemin, showing off the way he was the only one who could unlock that side of his friend. What other reason was there?

I just wanted to help him… Taemin doesn’t let himself experience so many things. I just want to help him out of all the boxes he forces himself in… Jongin told himself this, but he was sure it was really just because he was a terrible person and a terrible friend.

There was no waiting to apologize. The moment Taemin’s eyes opened, Jongin knew he needed to speak about it right away.

“How did you sleep?” he asked Taemin first, knowing better than to bombard Taemin the second he woke up.

In response, Taemin gave a sleepy smile and rolled onto his back to stretch out fully, returning back to Jongin’s side after. “Good. Like a log.”

He seemed to be in a rather good mood, and it made Jongin want to talk himself out of bringing up the subject now. No. No backing out, coward.

“I’m glad…” Jongin said slowly, trying to force the words he really needed out. “Um… Taemin, I… wanted to say sorry for last night.”

“Hm? Why?” Taemin frowned a little, still not fully awake.

Does he not remember? Should I just not tell him?

No! Stop being a damn coward and own up to it!

“Don’t… you remember?” he asked cautiously, every word fighting to stay in his throat. “In that bedroom..?”

Taemin’s gaze lost focus as he dug through his memories. Once colour started seeping into his cheeks and his eyes began to widen, Jongin knew. “O-oh… Did- did that- really happen?”

He couldn’t put it into words, and Jongin couldn’t blame him. Jongin was avoiding having to say it too. “Yes, it did. And I’m sorry for it. It… it wasn’t appropriate. I was taking advantage of you, and I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry,” he repeated, feeling like he couldn’t say the words enough times. Especially with how red Taemin had become.

“It’s okay,” Taemin replied weakly. It was a good thing they were lying down, Jongin thought, otherwise Taemin might have fainted. “You- you didn’t make me, and I didn’t try to stop you.”

“You literally did try to stop me. And I should have listened, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me…” The memory of Taemin’s hold on his wrists when Jongin had been trying to undress him burned in his mind, a clear warning that Jongin had blatantly ignored. Like Jongin didn’t know exactly how Taemin was; he had literally told those girls off for pushing his boundaries when Taemin was too nice to stop them, and then what had he done? Taken it that much further. What the hell, Jongin?

Sensing Jongin’s worries, Taemin’s hands moved to Jongin’s wrists again, this time holding them gently. “Jongin, if I really wanted to stop you, I would have put up more of a fight…” Taemin felt a little embarrassed to admit this, but he didn’t want Jongin to carry any guilt on his behalf. Jongin gave a tiny nod, though he wasn’t so sure. After all, maybe Taemin had been too drunk to really make that choice. “But… can I ask you, why? Why did you do it?”

Why? “I don’t know,” Jongin admitted, trying to think back to the moments before. He remembered seeing Taemin, after he had finished himself – while Taemin had been there, listening – and seeing the desire in his best friend’s face. Or maybe he had just imagined that. Maybe he had just wanted Taemin to be wanting him… “I wasn’t thinking straight. I was just thinking… when will you ever? You don’t allow yourself to – do things. It’s not like you’ll sleep with a girl and you haven’t made any process with any guys either. You don’t even let you have yourself…

“I guess I was drunk, and I was taking advantage of you being drunk,” he confessed, knowing he was absolutely as terrible as he sounded. “Because maybe you would let yourself experience something for once. I thought I was helping you.” Something he hadn’t actually been doing. Taemin hadn’t ever even asked. “I’m sorry,” he added quietly.

Taemin’s thoughtful silence wasn’t much of a comfort, despite Jongin knowing the way he needed to think about things for a while. A painfully long moment passed, and then Taemin was shaking his head.

“I think you worry too much about me,” he murmured at last, shooting Jongin a soft smile. “I’m okay with not doing… those kinds of things. But it’s okay. I’m not upset about it, I know you were drunk.”

“Even so, I shouldn’t have done it,” Jongin mumbled in return, not feeling he deserved Taemin’s forgiveness. Taemin was far too good for him. Too kind, too selfless. “It was stupid, and wrong…”

In a blink, Taemin’s smile faded. Wrong. The word weighed heavy on him for a moment. “Do you regret it?” he wondered, the change in his tone almost imperceptible. Even Jongin missed it.

“Yes, I do,” he answered without hesitation. “It was just dumb, especially when I know you have feelings for me.” That made it even worse. Of course Taemin wouldn’t have ever said no to him, his crush, which Jongin was fully aware of.

Letting go of Jongin’s wrists, Taemin gave a slow nod. “It’s alright. I forgive you. Let’s not talk about it anymore…”

And even getting his forgiveness, Jongin didn’t feel it was very resolved, but he respected Taemin’s wishes and dropped the subject.

There was an air of awkwardness between them for a few days after that. However, Jongin was very lucky in that Taemin never seemed to hold onto things for long. Or if he did, he did a very good job of suppressing things so they wouldn’t show. Maybe it wasn’t the most healthy thing, but eventually things felt normal between them again.

Fortunately, they had more important things to focus on. Jongin had been able to make it into Taemin’s school – though it may have been more the result of money and connections than grades – so they spent the week before classes began touring around the campus. Taemin was very helpful in showing Jongin around, and they even met some of Taemin’s friends. As Taemin showed off the cafeteria where he liked to study, they bumped into someone Taemin was always mentioning – his older friend, Jonghyun.

“Taeminnie!” the man called from across the room when he spotted them, waving and making his way over. “Who’s this?” he wondered as he looked over Jongin. “Hi there, I’m Jonghyun.”

“This is Jongin,” Taemin introduced, sounding a little cautious. Jongin was too busy taking in the other to really notice. So this was Jonghyun. He was – well, a bit shorter than expected, but rather handsome, and had an inexplicably friendly aura to him. Despite being a lot older, Jongin felt at ease in his presence.

“Oh, so you’re Jongin!” He sounded immediately familiar, taking a step back to look Jongin over more fully. Then he gave an amused smile. “I’ve heard a lot about you. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Jongin shot a glance to Taemin. Did Taemin talk about him with his other friends? It was flattering, but also made him feel oddly shy. This guy was a lot older, and Jongin had only heard tidbits about him. Meanwhile, Jonghyun was treating him like an old friend. It made Jongin curious just what kind of things Taemin had said about him.

“Thank you,” Jongin replied to be polite. “I’ve heard some things about you as well.”

“Good things, I hope,” Jonghyun said with a grin. In response, Jongin quickly nodded. Honestly, Taemin had never said a bad word against the man. “Good. What are you two up to then?”

“Jongin will be starting here next week,” Taemin explained softly, his aura having changed as his two previously disconnected worlds collided. Jonghyun was someone he confided a lot in – especially the things he couldn’t tell Jongin (that was, things about Jongin) – and Taemin had a separate personality reserved just for Jongin. It was hard to know how to act with both of them together. “So he wants to get to know the place better…”

“Great, well I guess I’ll be seeing you around then,” Jonghyun said to Jongin. “If you two aren’t too busy, why don’t you come have a coffee with me? I was about to get one. I’m supposed to be meeting with a prof, but she’s going to be an hour late now.”

“Oh- sure,” Taemin agreed, tugging on Jongin’s arm and then asking playfully, “Do you have a date, then?”

Chortling, Jonghyun led the way to the food area. “No, just talking about class things. You two get what you want,” he added, gesturing to the drink menu. “I’ll buy.”

“No, I’ll buy it,” Taemin insisted. “Since you’re both my friends…”

“No way,” Jongin disagreed immediately. As if Taemin had money to be throwing around like that.

Before he had the chance to offer himself, Jonghyun was taking out his wallet. “I’m the oldest. I’ll buy for you.”

“But you always do,” Taemin mumbled, a bit whinily. It was cute to see him with someone older, Jongin thought, remembering how Taemin used to behave with their older friends in the country. He always liked being babied.

“Because I’m always older,” Jonghyun pointed out simply. It was an argument that Taemin couldn’t really fight, so Jonghyun ended up paying for their three lattes. Although Jongin didn’t particularly like having someone he barely knew doing this on their first real meeting, he was grateful that Taemin had someone taking care of him when Jongin hadn’t been around.

Too bad Taemin didn’t have a crush on him… Jongin absently thought about it, looking Jonghyun over as the three sat and conversed, watching the way Taemin interacted with him. It quickly became clear that they were quite comfortable, and that Jonghyun was rather attentive to Taemin. The man seemed to know just how to react to Taemin, giving him the energy he needed, sometimes teasing but never going too far. Taemin had always been the playful type, so he had always liked teasing and being teased (even if he acted like he didn’t; he loved to sulk until he was given what he wanted – usually affection). Jonghyun could read him perfectly, and Jongin felt just a tiny bit envious.

Because Jongin felt like he always messed up. Didn’t say the right things, didn’t pay enough attention, didn’t understand Taemin’s thoughts and feelings far too often. Why did Taemin even have feelings for him, when he had someone like Jonghyun who treated him so much better?

Unconsciously, Jongin let out a sigh that didn’t go unnoticed. Before it could be addressed though, Jonghyun’s professor (friend?) arrived, and Taemin and Jongin were seeing themselves off.

“What’s on your mind?” Taemin asked him softly when they were alone again. “Was I neglecting you? You were being pretty quiet. I’m sorry; was it awkward?”

There was a strange pang in Jongin’s chest. Taemin was just as kind and observant as Jonghyun; they would be better for each other… “No, no. I was just lost in thought, nothing was wrong. He seems really nice…”

Taemin watched Jongin for a long moment, frowning the way he always did when he was thinking, but he didn’t say anything more on it.

*

Later that evening, Taemin had gotten a text from his friend asking to call. Taemin had gone up to the roof of their building (for privacy), quickly dialling Jonghyun’s number.

“So, that was Jongin…”

“Yes.” Taemin’s cheeks felt warm even in the cold winter air. “What did you think of him?”

“You weren’t exaggerating about him being handsome.” Jonghyun chuckled on the other end of the line. “He was quieter than I’d imagined. Is he always like that?”

Taemin shook his head, staring out at the glittering lights below. “Not normally. Something was off. He said something strange, but I didn’t want to pry…”

“What was it?”

“He just said that you seemed nice, but… he didn’t seem happy about it. I don’ t understand why.” Taemin was frowning, still thinking about it. It had crossed his mind that maybe Jongin felt threatened by his friendship with Jonghyun, but that was such a strange thing. Jongin had never had a problem with him having friends before, and never taken any issue whenever Taemin talked about Jonghyun. So he had dismissed the idea as some silly fantasy. He just wanted to believe Jongin would be bothered and become more possessive…

“I thought so,” Jonghyun uttered, letting out another quiet chuckle. “Taemin, I think he’s jealous.”

Oh… Taemin didn’t want to hear that. Jonghyun loved to encourage him, feed his fantasies even if they were completely unrealistic and they both knew it. “No, I don’t think-”

“I do, Taemin,” Jonghyun interrupted. “You told me before, he said he would be jealous if you got a boyfriend. I remember that.” Taemin tried to chime in that Jongin was straight, but Jonghyun wouldn’t let him. “I’m not saying he likes you romantically. But I think that it’s not as hopeless as you believe it is.”

Taemin was silent. He didn’t want to let the words sink in, didn’t want to get his hopes up in the slightest. His heart would run wild with it if he didn’t keep himself thoroughly contained within the bounds of rationality. Even entertaining the idea might make things get out of control.

Finally, he said, “Give me a percentage.”

“A percentage?” Jonghyun echoed.

“Of how possible you think it might be. That… that he might… change.”

This time Jonghyun was quiet, considering. “Hm… twenty? Maybe twenty percent.”

It wasn’t high. But it wasn’t terribly low either. Taemin’s heart thumped in his chest, eager to get out. Oh, how that number would torture him…

“So… what do you think I should do then?”

Taemin could almost hear the grin in his voice when Jonghyun replied. “I think I have a plan…”

*

School usually started on the second day of March. However, that year the day fell on a weekend, so instead Taemin was busy doing other things. He had told Jongin he had to work – which Jongin thought was unfair, considering he would be working on the Sunday too – but of course there was nothing to be done about it. So Jongin spent the afternoon with his other friends, enjoying the last weekend he had before he started university.

Normally, Taemin would message him when he was finished his shift. But thirty minutes after he was supposed to be done, Jongin realized he hadn’t gotten a text from his friend. Jongin tried not to worry about it, but then an hour had passed and he still hadn’t heard. That’s strange, he thought, deciding to text Taemin himself and asking where he was.

‘Sorry, I went to get a haircut and forgot to tell you!’

His reply made Jongin chuckle but feel better, glad he wasn’t in some sort of danger. Now that he thought about it, Taemin’s hair had been getting quite long. He only cut it two or three times a year, obviously not bothered when it would get past his eyes. At least he was going to a professional; more than once Taemin had tried to do it himself and… well, it hadn’t been good.

‘I’ll come meet you.’ Jongin knew where his hairdresser was. Saying goodbye to his friends, he headed off to it, arriving twenty minutes later. Taemin hadn’t made any complaint about having to wait around (though he may have been too nice to), so Jongin made his way inside with ease, looking around at the chairs but not seeing his friend anywhere.

“Is Taemin not here?” he asked one of the hairdressers he was familiar with – Taemin’s usual – the woman gesturing to the back room.

“He’s just finishing up, I think,” she explained politely. Finishing up? How long did it take? He’d already been here for over an hour, were they cutting his hair strand by strand?

Jongin walked towards the back room, frowning a little. Had he gotten a shampoo done as well? The back was only for washing and styling, something Taemin typically skipped (as it was an extra charge). Maybe he was feeling fancy today.

Maybe he has a date. The thought occurred absently, making Jongin pout a little. Taemin hadn’t mentioned any such thing. But then, he also hadn’t mentioned getting his hair done today. Had it been on purpose? Oh, don’t be paranoid, Taemin wouldn’t keep secrets like that.

Just as he was reaching the room, the door swung open and another hairdresser made her way out of it, greeting Jongin. Jongin gave a tiny bow before his eyes caught more movement, someone else popping into the doorway.

How many people are in there? he wondered as he briefly glanced at the stranger. Jongin was just about to bow politely again when their eyes met, but then he froze. Stared. Gaped.

“You made it!”

Taemin beamed, his bright smile even more blinding than usual. But it wasn’t because of his face, but rather due to his hair – which was bleach blond, shining like white gold under the lights. It hardly looked cut at all, though it was styled differently – parted slightly off-centre, in pretty, delicate waves. He was like a fairy come to life.

Jongin’s heart thumped, utterly stunned, his words stolen from him. For a minute, all he could do was stare, taking in his best friend in awe. “Taemin?”

“Is it that different?” Taemin laughed weakly, looking back at his reflection in the mirror beside him. “I guess it is. What do you think?” His eyes returned to Jongin, looking a little uncertain. Waiting for Jongin’s judgement.

What did he think? What did he think? Jongin was struggling to formulate any thoughts right now. Finally, one question came through. “How? Just... how?”

This made Taemin giggle. “I lied about going to work today. I’ve been here for hours. It took a long time…” he confessed, finally stepping out of the room and toward Jongin so he could see up close. Jongin remained stunned. He’s so…

“Pretty,” Jongin breathed as he reached up to touch Taemin’s hair. It was admittedly a little bit dead, but still shiny and nice from whatever products they had used on it. It looked good. If Jongin was being honest, Taemin looked good. (And if he was being very honest, Taemin had always been pretty. His features were soft and feminine, his eyes were so big, his lips so pouty, his jawline so soft and delicate. But something about him having blond hair seemed to add to it, emphasizing his fair skin and pretty features.) But… “Why?”

Taemin’s lips quirked up as Jongin continued to struggle to make more than one or two word sentences. “Ah… I was taking a leaf out of your book, actually,” he admitted, nodding to Jongin’s hair. “I thought it would be fun to do something different for the new school year. We were thinking of dyeing it brown or something, but when we did the first round of bleaching, my hairdresser said she thought I would suit the blond better.”

“It looks amazing,” Jongin confirmed, shaking his head to try and clear himself from his daze. And though Taemin blushed a little, his smile widened.

“I’m glad you like it,” he replied, sounding shy but content. Then he was leading the way to the front desk to pay. The whole thing was quite expensive, and Jongin was surprised by Taemin’s willingness to pay, but then Taemin explained, “I’m using the money my family gave me for the New Year.” Ah, that was why. His parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles had all given him varying amounts of money, just enough to pay for this.

“We really do recommend you buy this shampoo,” the hairdresser told him, gesturing to a bottle on display. “It’s especially for bleached hair.” Taemin looked to it, then dropped his gaze. Not missing it, Jongin pulled out his wallet.

“I’ll get it for you,” he announced, Taemin’s eyes flying to him and shaking his head. But Jongin wasn’t letting him argue. “And one bottle of hairspray too. So we can style your hair every day,” he told Taemin with a smile. He liked this look far too much to only get to see it once. It needed to be a regular thing.

“But – they used a curling… thing,” Taemin said with a pout.

Jongin shrugged. “My mom has one of those. It’ll be fine!”

And indeed, his mother was quite accepting when he asked if they could use it. She absolutely adored Taemin’s new hair, letting him know repeatedly how well it looked on him. It made Jongin laugh, the way she treated Taemin like her own son, but he was also grateful for his mother. She always helped Taemin feel loved.

For the rest of the evening, Jongin could barely take his eyes off Taemin. Once again, he felt like a completely different person, the type he would see in the areas he hung out in with his friends. Who knew Taemin could look so cool? His best friend had come a long way since they first met – so much more modern in his clothes (constantly inheriting the things Jongin no longer wanted), and now having ear piercings and blond hair? Younger Taemin wouldn’t have even recognized himself. He was glowing up so well.

Almost too well.

It was going to make people like him. And… surely there had to be other gay guys at his (their) school. They would notice him too. What happened when they tried to shoot their shot with Taemin?

I think it’s time to accept the fact that he’s going to leave. I can’t keep him forever…

But it was so unfair. Jongin had finally, finally made it to Taemin’s school. They were both adults now, their lives finally coming back together completely. Why should someone else get to steal him away? How was that right?

That night, he held Taemin extra close. Even Taemin noticed his clinginess, asking if everything was okay. Jongin didn’t tell him the truth, just hugging him a little tighter. Please don’t leave me.

The first week of school helped him take his mind off things a bit. It was busy, trying to find his classes, meeting endless amounts of people, and just trying to stay on top of everything. Getting to go to school with Taemin every day was great, and they did indeed garner quite a lot of attention between them. Taemin’s hair made all the difference, not to mention being seen with another very good-looking guy. It was a huge change from the quiet loner with a bowlcut who blended in so easily. Lots of people were suddenly coming up to talk to him, asking to work with him in class, giving him their numbers.

Taemin admittedly found it rather superficial, but he preferred it over being teased.

And then it happened. The inevitable.

“You’re not working this Sunday, right?” Jongin asked Taemin one evening. They had reached the second week of school, the chaos of starting over finally settling down. After finishing their homework, the two were huddled up in bed watching a movie to relax. Taemin’s eyelids had been getting heavy, cheek rested on Jongin’s shoulder. He didn’t move at the question, just grunting softly. “Let’s go do something fun.”

“Mm… actually, I have plans,” Taemin told him softly. His heart raced at admitting this, but Jongin wouldn’t have been able to tell from how calm he was externally. Jongin’s heart, on the other hand, sank into his stomach. Plans?

“You… do?”

Jongin didn’t have a problem with Taemin having plans. Taemin had other friends, and he hung out with them. Sure, Jongin was an adult now, so he could easily be included in any plans Taemin had, but he wasn’t going to into Taemin’s friend group like that. That wasn’t the issue. It was the way Taemin said it. Not, I’m going to hang out with so-and-so, or Jonghyun and I are going to the library. No. Just plans. Extremely vague, extremely suspicious plans.

Taemin’s answer didn’t help ease anything, either. “Yes.”

What do you mean, yes? Why are you being so secretive? “Oh. What are you doing?” Jongin wondered, trying not to sound too nosy or desperate to know.

“I have a date.”

Thud.

…a date?

“Oh. That’s good…” Jongin was pretty sure he said this. His ears were ringing too much to actually hear himself. He felt sick, not looking at Taemin as he thought he must have truly been green with envy.

This is a good thing. Taemin deserves to go out with someone else. You can’t hold onto him forever when you’re not even interested in return, it’s not fair. And he believed this, but it also wasn’t fair that he was barely even allowed two weeks of being back at the same school together before someone was taking him away. He’s my best friend. I deserve him more.

But no, that was selfish and he knew it. It was childish, immature, unreasonable. And anyway, it wasn’t like Taemin was going to just stop being his friend. Even if he did end up moving out, spending more time with this mystery guy… Jongin could still see him. But… he’d already lost him so much to work – not to mention the way Jongin was going to have to get a job himself soon, something he was putting off still because he didn’t want to think about it – and to Taemin’s other friends (though Taemin did prioritize him over them). It just felt like sand draining in an hourglass; his time was running out.

We’ll still be friends. Don’t be stupid. We’ll still be friends…

“Taemin?” Jongin breathed after a long silence. So long, Taemin had nearly dozed off. He grunted again as he regained awareness. “Can you just… promise me something?”

“…okay?” Understandably, Taemin sounded unsure, because what could Jongin possibly ask of him when he told him he was going on a date? There were a lot of possibilities, to be honest, but what would Jongin ask of him?

“Just… I know it’s selfish, but… promise me you won’t leave?” whispered Jongin, feeling a lump in his throat. It wasn’t right to ask Taemin this, and of course Taemin could say no, but he was too selfish not to at least try. “Even if you spend a lot of time with him or go to his place or whatever… don’t leave, please.”

This time, Taemin’s heart was thumping in a different way. A mix of sadness, strange affection, and a reminder of his feelings for Jongin washed through him. “You mean, this apartment?” Jongin nodded, though he was sure both of them knew that that wasn’t what he really meant. “I won’t leave, Jongin. I promise…”

He gave Jongin a tiny squeeze, and it made him feel a little better; but the worries remained in the back of his mind.

*

“I’m home!”

Jongin bolted up off the couch, skittering across the apartment and running to hug the man at the doorway. “Daddy!”

His father laughed, patting his head which was nearly up to his shoulders by now. “Aren’t you a bit old for this?” the man chuckled good-naturedly. When Jongin pulled back and looked up at him with a hesitant pout, he added, “I’m just kidding!”

“He missed you, dear.” Jongin’s mother came in, kissing her husband on the cheek and petting Jongin’s hair as he pulled away from the man. “He was wondering if you would ever come home.”

Giving another laugh, his father removed his jacket and patted Jongin’s back. “I’ll always come home, kiddo. Don’t you worry about that. I’m not gonna sleep at the office – there’s no bed, or dinner!” Jongin giggled, and then he joined his father as the man sat at the table, his mother reheating the meal that they had eaten without him. Even so, they all sat together, the man telling them about things that had happened at work, explaining different aspects of the business as he always did. Jongin loved to listen – he hoped to work at the company some day, wanting to be just like his dad. He loved his father, admired him, and strove to make him proud.

“A girl told me she liked me today,” Jongin told him excitedly when his father had finished eating. “But I rejected her, because she’s not that smart or pretty.”

“Jongin!” his mother chastised. “I hope you didn’t tell her that. You should be considerate of people’s feelings…”

“And anyway, you don’t want to be settling down just yet,” his father chimed in with a playful look in his eyes. “You don’t want to have to be stuck with the same girl to nag you for your whole life, do you?” When his wife smacked the back of his head, Jongin giggled. “Only joking, dear.”

“He’s only twelve years old, he’s not getting married any time soon anyway.”

“I don’t want to get married yet,” Jongin put in. “I already get nagged enough from Mom, I don’t need two girls on my case!” The woman merely shook her head while Jongin beamed innocently.

“Girls will only break your heart anyway,” Jongin’s father told him somberly, barely containing a grin. “Unless you break theirs first.” His wife scolded him again, and at this he did grin. “Love is just like business, Nini. Lots of investments, lots of risk. Sometimes you win big, sometimes you lose even bigger. Eventually you’ll find the one who reaps the most benefits for you – or at least, actually sticks around.”

“You mean, learns how to put up with you?” his mother teased, making Jongin laugh again.

“That too,” Jongin’s father hummed. “If you can’t find someone like your mother, who puts up with you as much as she puts up with me… Well, you might have fun, but it won’t last too long.”

Jongin pouted at this. “I don’t trust girls. I don’t want them to just leave. Can’t I just stay with you guys forever?”

“Of course you can, baby,” his mother assured him with a fond smile.

“Trust me, you’ll be the one wanting to leave us someday,” his father added.

“No I won’t! I want to stay with you.” Jongin’s eyes pricked with tears, his mother giving her husband a look that the man knew all too well.

“Well, if that’s the case… I guess it’ll have to just be the three of us forever.”

This made Jongin smile brightly again. “Deal!”

Author's Note: Jongin finally (finally!) has a moment of clarity? Who ever saw that coming? He's becoming aware 👀 Both of his absolute BS behaviour, the abandonment issues he's developed (and where they came from), and of just how pretty his best friend is, cough cough. ♡ Let's see if Jonghyun's secret plan is enough to get that twenty percent! (Taemin's blond hair might be enough on it's own...)

On that note, Taemin's really glowing up! They officially are looking like Pretty Boy era, which was my inspiration behind this part of the story for their looks (though that was 2014 and in the story it's 2013, but shhh). And now Taemin's got a date! Do you think he will really keep his promise, or are we coming to the end of the roommates era? (There's only two chapters left of part 2, and - spoiler! - it will be ending on a big note. Stay tuned~) ♡