Author's Note: Hello, hello! Long(est) time no see~ I'm back, finally. We left off on the note of Jongin's confession, so let us finally see how Taemin takes it ♡

Taemin could feel wetness on his lips, the remnants of Jongin’s kiss. His lips were warm, feeling oddly like they were buzzing, and he was fairly sure his heart had jumped up into his skull judging by the way it was pounding in his ears. So many thoughts were thrumming beneath it, but he could hardly dissect one from the other. There were two main things though.

One: Jongin had just kissed him.

Two: Jongin had confessed.

What was he supposed to say, or do? Jonghyun hadn’t prepared him for this much. The plan had been for Taemin to go on a date – or maybe a few – and see if it made Jongin jealous. It had been hard to tell at first, but then Jongin had sort of seemed like he was going to kiss Taemin that one night – and Taemin had said no, like the absolute idiot he was, because he had been so confused and taken off guard and he didn’t understand why Jongin wanted to kiss him, so he had shut down. Stupid. But from then, it became a little bit clearer. Taemin could see the twenty percent Jonghyun had been referring to, though he constantly questioned if he was just being delusional. And Jonghyun had told him to let things happen.

But nothing had happened. And now – now…

“Did you just kiss me?” Taemin half-whimpered, voice struggling to come out in his shell-shocked state. He was pretty sure he was on the verge of collapse, hugely grateful for the tree behind him to lean against because oh my God. What was going on? Taemin’s head felt like it was spinning. Nothing had happened, and now everything was happening all at once.

His words seemed to draw Jongin out of a stupor of his own, making him look down for a moment as his eyes widened, visibly processing what he had just done. When they met Taemin’s again, Jongin’s eyes looked guilty.

“I’m so sorry,” Jongin said weakly. “I should have asked-”

In an instant, Taemin was shaking his head. No apologies. Please don’t apologize for kissing me… “It’s okay. Do- do you mean it?”

Had Taemin actually just been hearing things, fantasizing about Jongin professing his feelings after the high being kissed had left him on? ‘I like you.’ The words rang in his ears, already fuzzy and unclear and feeling sorely imagined. I can’t handle all of this being in my head. I can’t handle it all being taken away so fast…

Jongin’s face had become a little pink though. “That- yes, I do…” And he looked like he was planning to say more, but then someone passed and made a sound of distaste at the sight of them – of Jongin, practically pinning Taemin against the tree, both of their cheeks and mouths flushed. All of a sudden, Jongin seemed to become more aware of their surroundings, and so did Taemin. For a moment, he had completely forgotten they were in public, surrounded by couples and families and tourists.

Jongin kissed me. They all could have seen.

It was equal parts thrilling and terrifying. Taemin did not want the world knowing about his uality, but if they were going to find out any way, he wanted it to be with Jongin at least. Who cares? Jongin kissed me!

“Not here…”

Not keen on the prying eyes either, Jongin grabbed Taemin’s hand and started dragging him down the street. He headed towards the park, away from the busy blossoms, as far from the crowds as they could get. Eventually, they found a deserted bench, Jongin pulling Taemin down onto it.

“I can’t wait any longer,” Jongin explained quietly, leaning forward. “I’m sorry. I know this is sudden, but…” His brow furrowed, the way it always did when he was trying to think of the right way to word things. “These feelings… I’ve been having them for a little while now. And after your date, and then with Baekhyun-”

“Baekhyun?” Had their friend told Jongin about the kiss that had happened between them?

“I mean, it was nothing really, I just got paranoid because he likes guys and – why are you blushing?” Jongin’s eyes were on him, making Taemin feel even hotter. Why am I cursed with this? Why can’t I just be embarrassed privately?! For a moment, Jongin searched Taemin’s eyes, and then it was almost like a cap had been popped and he deflated a bit. He’s upset? “So there is something going on with you…”

Going on? “What? No, there’s not!” Had Baekhyun said something like that to him, to try and make Jongin more jealous? (Was Jongin jealous?) They hadn’t agreed to this. Taemin felt himself panicking a little. “I’ve only talked to him like, twice since we met, and it wasn’t anything like that…” Taemin would show Jongin their conversations on his phone, but they had talked about him and he was too embarrassed to reveal that.

“Then why…?”

Oh, but admitting to what had happened was nearly as bad. Especially seeing the relief in Jongin’s features, knowing it wouldn’t make things any better. (Because Jongin was jealous, it seemed. Taemin’s heart felt like it was on fire.) And considering he didn’t know; Taemin should just not tell him, but he didn’t have a good lie to give him instead. “He- he kissed me. At your party. It wasn’t a big deal…”

“He what?!” Jongin burst out so loudly that a nearby pigeon took flight.

“Jongin, please, can you please just tell me if you really like me or if this is all just some messed up fever dream?” His hands were trembling a little, feeling overwhelmed by the variety of intense emotions his body was trying to contain. Jongin had kissed him, Jongin confessed, Jongin was jealous of Baekhyun for kissing him, but nothing seemed sure and he might have just been imagining everything.

Jongin didn’t miss it, taking Taemin’s hands in his own and holding them securely. “I’m sorry. Right. Yes, I like you. I’ve been so stupid for taking so long,” he admitted, as Taemin tried his utmost not to swoon. He had only dreamed of the day he would hear Jongin say those words to him. “I’ve been feeling things for a while that I couldn’t understand, and I finally realized – I mean, honestly, I just realized like a couple weeks ago-”

“When you tried to kiss me?”

This time, it was Jongin’s cheeks that were turning pink. “Yeah, then… It hit me then. And you weren’t interested… Am I too late, Taemin? I’m so sorry, I know I took so long-”

Without really thinking, Taemin leaned in and pressed a slow kiss to Jongin’s lips. It effectively silenced the younger, and also had Taemin’s heart stuttering dangerously as it occurred to him that he was kissing Jongin for the second time in the span of minutes. But he might as well enjoy it, he thought, closing his eyes and getting lost in all the butterflies. Only when he felt he might have calmed the other’s concerns did he finally pull away, though Jongin’s hands tugged on him to keep him close.

“I didn’t think you’d ever like me at all,” Taemin breathed after he found his voice again, and he truly was shaking at this point. That’s just a little humiliating, but no big deal, right? “I figured I would never even get a chance…”

Giving a slow nod, Jongin reached up to Taemin’s cheek lightly, the sensation leaving Taemin shivering. “You’re too good for me,” he murmured in return, the biggest lie Taemin had ever heard even if he didn’t mention it. “I’m sorry for keeping you waiting. Can I make it up to you now?”

And he did, very much so in Taemin’s mind. He kissed Taemin there, over and over until someone started coming along their way (which was probably for the best, because even sitting down Taemin felt like he was close to fainting by then, heart rocketing out of control as Jongin’s mouth was on his and their breaths were mingling and he was pretty sure he felt Jongin’s tongue at one point). Then Jongin dragged them home, firmly closing his bedroom door and throwing on a movie before kissing his heart out.

Months worth of those strange, pent-up feelings slowly released themselves one at a time, feeling so very right and making Jongin wonder why he hadn’t done this so much sooner. As for Taemin, it was years of pining over an impossible outcome that had suddenly become reality. One part of him had to hold back from crying at the very abrupt shift into what felt like a dream, while the rest of him had to hold himself off from jumping on Jongin. (After all, he’d only had two kisses in his life before this day, meaning he probably wasn’t very good at this. Not to mention that pushing things too far too fast might scare Jongin away.)

Things only settled down when Jongin’s mother came home with dinner, the two getting up to eat but remaining noticeably clingy. It wasn’t something the woman would miss, and she teasingly asked if they were taking comfort in each other on the lonely day. The boys just giggled to one another, slurping down the black noodles she’d bought and not feeling lonely in the slightest.

After eating, Taemin went off to brush his teeth extra well, and Jongin joined him. It felt so normal, so typical, that once again Taemin found himself asking whether or not anything had really happened between them today. Like a strange dream he thought he had woken up from, only to wake up again and realize it was all in his mind.

Indeed, everything went back to normal when they returned to Jongin’s room a second time, Jongin flipping on another movie. No more kissing, not even a suggestive touch or look.

Maybe I’m insane.

Taemin’s phone buzzed a few minutes in, checking it to find a message from Jonghyun asking how his day with Jongin had been. Some part of Taemin felt like he should hide his screen from Jongin as he typed ‘he kissed me’, afraid Jongin would ask when on earth he had ever done such a thing. But if Jongin even saw it, he didn’t comment. Not until Taemin’s phone started going crazy.

‘WHAT!!’

‘CALL ME!!’

‘RIGHT NOW!!!’

Chuckling under his breath, Taemin quickly started to type back that they were watching a movie and he would call later. However, before he could even get a word in, Jongin was stealing his phone and typing a message of his own. “Hey!”

Not that Jongin didn’t know, but the last thing Taemin needed was Jongin peeking at his private conversation with Jonghyun of all people. And what was he even writing? ‘Stop talking about me’? ‘I only did it so he wouldn’t be so pathetic today’? ‘He’s lying, we never kissed and that’s gross and weird’?

The message was short though, and after a few seconds Jongin handed back the phone without a word, a slight smirk on his lips though his eyes returned to the TV screen.

‘later, I’m kissing him again now – Jongin’

Taemin’s head spun a little reading it. Was he serious…? Swallowing thickly, Taemin glanced up to see the younger peeking at him out of the corner of his eye, smirk still quirking up his lips dangerously. When Taemin looked, Jongin turned to face him properly, eyebrows raising. “May I?”

He didn’t have to ask. From the second their eyes met, Taemin felt immediately mesmerized, drawn in. As if he would say no. As if he could resist if he tried. Not now that he’d had a taste of everything he’d been dreaming of for what felt like a lifetime. Taemin gave the smallest of nods, and when their lips met again he let his eyes close, melting into it and letting himself relax under the soft yet intense feeling of Jongin’s mouth.

Then he felt Jongin moving to crawl on top of him, without warning, and then he wasn’t so relaxed.

Taemin couldn’t help the tiny sound that escaped him – a mixture of surprise and curiosity and excitement. His eyes flew open, and Jongin pulled back, though he cupped Taemin’s face in one hand. “I really, really like you,” Jongin said, sounding less like a confession and more like a realization to himself.

It was still hitting him, apparently, and it made Taemin giggle. Just like him. Jongin wasn’t one to think about things he didn’t want to deal with, didn’t understand, until he couldn’t avoid it anymore. There seemed to be no exception for this moment either, but Taemin didn’t mind in the slightest. Was Taemin going to complain, when Jongin was bending to kiss him once again – his eyes full of affection over Taemin’s precious laugh that had Jongin’s heart doing its own backflips? Never.

*

They fell asleep that night, closer than ever. Taemin woke up to find his forehead pressed to Jongin’s, having to question if it had all been a dream. When Jongin awoke a little later, he held Taemin even closer, then leaned in and left a sleepy, tentative kiss on Taemin’s lips. It was real. It was all real.

If that day was long, Taemin hardly felt it. He floated through classes, through his shift at work, back home before he even knew it. After dinner and getting ready for bed, Jongin locked them in their room again. It seemed like he had a lot to get out of his system – two weeks of wanting to kiss Taemin but not, or perhaps, over a year of knowing Taemin’s feelings to apologize for. Whatever was guiding him, Jongin kissed him over and over, hands unable to stop touching. Caressing Taemin’s neck, running through his hair, tracing over his cheeks and trailing along his chest oh so gently. Telling Taemin that he was insane, that he’d been so stupid, that it was so obvious to him now; muttering about the time he’d wasted, kept Taemin waiting, that Taemin should have just kissed him long ago.

Taemin didn’t say much. On his own little cloud, everything felt so fuzzy, and every time Jongin kissed him it only seemed to lift him that much higher. There was no point in mentioning that if Taemin had kissed him before – a year ago, or even a month ago – it would have crossed a line for Jongin, because Jongin hadn’t gotten there yet. Still, Taemin nodded and hummed and returned little kisses in response, far too blissful to care about correcting him.

They stayed up past midnight, both giddy off their feelings and unable to fall asleep. Eventually, things did calm down, Taemin’s eyes starting to droop as Jongin played with his hair and watched him with blatant affection in his own eyes.

“Taemin,” Jongin breathed, nearly silent. “Before you fall asleep…”

Making a tiny sound to let Jongin know he was still awake, Taemin tried to rouse his mind. Jongin’s tone of voice sounded a little… serious, though his eyes were looking very warm. A (large) part of Taemin’s heart wanted him to tell him, just once more, about his feelings for him. That would be nice…

“I don’t want to be alone anymore,” Jongin whispered, a brief flash of – sadness? No; self-pity, loneliness? – crossing his face. Taemin’s voice seemed to have already fallen asleep, otherwise he would have said that Jongin could have him, that he would keep Jongin company and be with him for as long as Jongin wanted him. “I just… I like you, Taemin.”

Taemin’s heart gave a resound thump of joy, smiling as Jongin repeated himself for what must have been the hundredth time. He wasn’t upset about it in the slightest.

“Since when?” he prodded, trying to fight of sleep with his curiosity. Jongin had mentioned having feelings since that one night, but Taemin was intrigued as to when he had actually started liking him.

His answer took Taemin off guard completely. “Since we met, maybe.” Oh, Taemin could have passed out right there. But he needed to hear more. “I don’t really know. You've always been different... I don't think I had feelings for you, but... I think the seeds were planted back then, maybe even day one. But... maybe they were there, buried deep down all along. I don’t know. I don’t like to deal with feelings.” Taemin let out a soft snort, knowing this very well. In return, Jongin nudged him with a bashful grin. “But they made their way to the surface - this year. I've started noticing...”

The warmth that filled Taemin hearing that Jongin had maybe had feelings for him all this time was indescribable. Like standing next to a campfire while trying to roast a marshmallow. He could’ve sunken into it – at least this type was one he didn’t have to worry about being burned by. (Though it did make him want to curl up and pass out that much more.)

“What did you notice?”

“Like… the first time we went drinking together, and I saw you with that other guy.” Jongin’s brow furrowed, and Taemin made a slight face as he recalled the not-so-fond memory. “Most of me was angry, but part of me was jealous. I think it started then. I was always afraid of losing you, but it just got worse and worse… I realized – really recently, that it was because… because I like-like you. I don’t wanna lose our friendship, but I wouldn't need to be insecure over that. I finally realized I'm afraid of you replacing me, not as your best friend, but…”

“But what?” Taemin asked when his thoughts didn’t continue. He could tell that Jongin was coming to terms with all these ideas himself, processing as he spoke, because he kept pausing to think. Normally, Jongin spoke so smoothly, but Taemin quite adored him like this.

“As the person you like... because I want you to like me... because I like you too.”

It was a miracle that Taemin didn’t have a heart attack for real, because he was sure his heart kept stopping and starting again. “If you confess to me one more time, I might faint…”

This made Jongin laugh and kiss him instead. “Better?”

“No…”

“I like you, Taemin,” Jongin told him again anyway, Taemin closing his eyes in bliss. This. He just needed this for the rest of his life. “Really. I want you to be mine. Will you?”

Huh? Taemin’s head spun as he rocketed out of the grip of drowsiness. “Wh… Pardon?” Was he hallucinating now, or had he really heard that right? And did it really mean what he thought it meant?

“Be mine,” Jongin repeated softly, the blatant shyness in his voice – and his face – making Taemin melt inside. Maybe that was the reason for his own response.

“I am yours.”

If it was embarrassingly cheesy, Jongin didn’t mention it (thankfully). Instead, he seemed to glow when he gave another bashful smile and nudged Taemin playfully. “I meant be my – my boyfriend, Taemin…”

Oh, I’m dreaming. I must be… Taemin pinched himself. It hurt. Oh… Maybe that made sense. Jongin wasn’t usually one to stumble over his words, Taemin’s mind would have imagined it much more suavely. He must be really nervous to ask… This only made Taemin’s heart do the most, and Taemin couldn’t even tell it to calm down because his brain was in the exact same state.

Oh my God oh my God oh my God oh my God oh my God-

Taking a deep breath, Taemin tried to look Jongin in the eye. Doing so made him feel so overwhelmed though, that he had to hide his face in Jongin’s pajama shirt as he suddenly felt like he was catching fire. From there, he gave a nod while Jongin threw an arm around him.

“Really?” he had to clarify, doubting everything right now.

“Yes, really,” came Jongin’s easy reply.

“Okay… then yes, of course I’ll be…” Taemin mumbled, trying to contain his heart in his ribcage while Jongin chuckled at his reaction. After a moment, Taemin added, “Only if you’ll be mine too…”

“Taemin…”

Jongin’s voice grew serious again, and Taemin’s heart thudded in a nervous way. Had he said something wrong? Already? Taemin lifted his head, fearful he’d somehow crossed a line in asking what he thought was an entirely logical request.

When he met Jongin’s gaze again, the younger was smirking at him. “Of course I’ll be yours, idiot. I’m not gonna be anyone else’s…”

Thank goodness. Relief flooded through Taemin as he giggled, Jongin stealing one last, very delicate kiss before muttering for Taemin to go to sleep. Neither of them could stop smiling.

*

“Taemin!”

It was Taemin’s break between classes, and he had just seen Jongin off to his next class before heading to buy something to eat for himself. As he walked into the cafeteria, he heard his name – Jonghyun calling him from one of the tables. In seconds, the man had flown over to him – possibly literally, because how had he gotten there so fast?

“I swear you live in this cafeteria,” Taemin uttered as Jonghyun grabbed his shoulders. In response, the other shook him slightly.

“Where have you been?! You didn’t answer your phone at all yesterday! Why are you ignoring me?!” Jonghyun said all of this loudly while Taemin went limp to let him get out his frustrations by shaking him. Then Jonghyun’s voice lowered. “You can’t have been kissing him this whole time!”

This had Taemin feeling warm, in equal parts embarrassment and pure happiness. Even so, he waved Jonghyun off, asking for a few minutes to buy his lunch and promising to tell him everything after that. Jonghyun groaned impatiently, but hurried him along to buy some food and dragged him to his table. Then he sat and looked at him expectantly. “Well?”

“We haven’t been kissing the whole time,” Taemin mumbled, not wanting to be overheard. He slurped up a mouthful of ramen, then continued. “But… a lot of it.” His heart swooned at the memories of the past couple days. Jonghyun, meanwhile, gaped at him.

“What!?!”

Taemin shushed him with a whine. “Don’t be so loud, the whole school doesn’t need to know!”

“This is big news, Taemin!” Jonghyun exclaimed, this time in a loud whisper. “What happened? Tell me everything!”

So Taemin explained, keeping things brief but trying not to miss anything important. Their cherry blossom date, and the way Jongin had kissed him and confessed; the past two nights of cuddling and kissing in their room; and in the late hours of the night – technically this morning – how Jongin had asked him out.

“Wow,” was all Jonghyun could muster for a moment. Then he added enthusiastically, “I knew he would crack! So you’re dating! Officially. I didn’t really expect it so suddenly.” His brow creased for a second, but then he was smiling again. “It’s great though. I’m happy for you!”

If he was being honest, Taemin hadn’t expected it either. Dreamed of it, yes, but… It had felt quite out of the blue. Then again, that was sort of Jongin’s way, so it didn’t affect Taemin too much. Life was full of surprises with him. His boyfriend.

“I still can’t believe it…”

“Of course you can’t, it’s still your first day. What day-” Jonghyun pulled his phone from his pocket and checked it, then shot Taemin a grin. “April sixteenth. You better remember that date – your anniversary.”

Hearing that made Taemin feel like turning into a ball of mush. It made everything so much more real. “Then I should do something on the sixteenth next month-”

“Hey, hey, don’t worry about that,” Jonghyun told him, waving his hands. “Just worry about enjoying your new relationship. Your first relationship, one day at a time.”

The way he said first made Taemin frown a little bit. Was Jonghyun implying that there would be others after this one, which was to say, he and Jongin wouldn’t last? “I hope it’s my only relationship,” he mumbled in return, making Jonghyun smile in a very fatherly way.

“That would be great,” he nodded. “Hole-in-one. You better invite me to the wedding if that’s the case then.” Oh. At the mention of a wedding, Taemin’s heart was pittering and pattering in a most embarrassing fashion. Jongin had literally become his boyfriend today, that was so far in the future. (Not to mention, they couldn’t even get married. But Taemin wasn’t thinking about that right now. He was still on his cloud; the rain could come later.)

“I can’t believe this,” Taemin said under his breath, thinking for the hundredth time about how he was in a relationship – with Jongin. In ways it felt the exact same as a week ago, but at the same time it couldn’t be any more different. Taemin didn’t have to hide his feelings anymore – that was going to take a while to get used to. And now he could kiss Jongin and be openly affectionate and not have to worry about Jongin being bothered. And most of all, Taemin didn’t have to worry anymore. The threat of someone else getting into a relationship with Jongin while Taemin had to sit by and watch it no longer loomed. It was peace.

“Enjoy it,” Jonghyun replied, still seeming very proud. “Where is he, anyway?”

“In class.”

“Well, I can’t wait to see you two lovebirds together,” Jonghyun grinned, patting Taemin on the back. “And congratulate him on finally using his head.”

And though Taemin pushed him lightly, he couldn’t stop beaming.

Author's Note: And just like that, these two innocent boys have become one happy couple! ♡ Stay tuned for their silly (and maybe y?) shenanigans as a pair - Taemin's first ever relationship (and Jongin's first with a boy!). They've truly just taken the plunge, so let's see how it works out for them~ ♡

PS. I haven't been able to write as much as I would have liked, so for the time being I'll only be updating once a week! (Here's hoping I can write more soon!!)