Taemin was in the middle of counting the cups of sugar he needed to add to the sauce he was cooking when he heard his doorbell ring. He was startled—he wasn’t waiting for anybody. Past the shock, he finished adding the sweetener and wiped his hands on a towel before jogging to the door.

As he opened it, he was surprised again to see his neighbor Minho, and his first thought was that, maybe, the music he had put on was too loud. He felt guilty, but then his neighbor was also harboring an embarrassed look, so Taemin concluded that maybe, the music wasn’t the reason he had come.

“Hey, Taemin, hi,” Minho mumbled as he scratched his neck.

“Hello,” Taemin whispered back, slightly amused by his neighbor’s shifty eyes. “Is there a problem?” he asked slowly.

“Well, yes—I have an issue with my heater, so—I don’t have hot water at the moment—” Minho mumbled and Taemin nodded. It . “Would it be possible to take a shower at your place? I’ll be done in no time, I promise.”

“Yes, of course,” Taemin answered right away as his heart began beating faster for a reason he couldn’t understand. As soon as he spoke, Minho had a beaming smile on his face.

“Thank you! I’ll just go grab my stuff really quickly,” his neighbor said before running back to his apartment.

Taemin stayed in the doorway, quite stunned by his answer, his heart still thumping in his chest. He heard Luna meow behind him and he quickly turned around to prevent her from escaping—she always tried to do so.

As he got back up with his cat in his arms, Minho was coming back at a fast pace, his towel hanging on his shoulder and a small vanity bag in his hand.

“Thanks again,” he muttered as Taemin let him enter the apartment.

Minho seemed to know his way around—it made sense, their apartments had the same layout, except for the fact they were mirrored—and Taemin suddenly felt like he couldn’t breathe. He realized it was the first time he was letting someone inside his place like this, and he felt hyper-aware of all the things hanging on the walls or decorating the shelves.

“That’s a beautiful painting you have there,” Minho told him as they went through the open kitchen, making him slightly confused—this painting was a lot of things, but beautiful wasn’t a word he’d use to describe it.

“Thanks. My boyfriend painted it,” he answered absent-mindedly and immediately regretted it. Did he just out himself?

“Well, your boyfriend has taste.”

Taemin nodded with some difficulty and felt pinned in place as he caught Minho staring at him with a gentle smile. He turned the doorknob to the bathroom, and for some reason, Taemin felt the urge to not end this conversation.

“What are you eating tonight?” he asked his neighbor, feeling breathless.

“I don’t know… I’ll probably order Chinese or something,” Minho answered with a shrug.

“We can eat together if you want. I made enough for two,” Taemin explained. The second ration was supposed to be his lunch for the next day, but he put that thought at the back of his head.

“Sure, that’s great,” Minho whispered, a tiny smile forming at the corner of his lips. “Thanks,” he added and turned around, closing the bathroom door behind him.

Taemin nodded for himself and decided to get back to his cooking. He felt some pressure now that he wasn’t only cooking for himself, and he didn’t understand why he was feeling like this.

Everything about his neighbor was off. The way he was so familiar with him was unsettling, but the fact that he also felt at ease around him felt even weirder. Taemin wasn’t usually keen to have small talk with strangers, and yet there he was, inviting someone he barely knew to shower at his place and eat with him. Nothing made sense.

He couldn’t stop the thought of his neighbor shirtless——in his bathroom and suddenly, his cheeks felt hot. He was never thinking of people that way—except when it came to Kibum—and being flustered by the current situation was everything but normal.

He shook his head and took two plates from the cupboard before starting to set the table. He looked up when Minho got out of the bathroom, his hair still wet and slightly dripping on his shirt, and couldn’t complain when the man took the flatware from his hand to lay it down on the table.

“Let me help,” he said with a soft smile and Taemin could do nothing but smile back.

With dinner ready and the table set, they both sat down opposite each other and Taemin put some food on his neighbor’s plate, feeling somewhat anxious about his reaction. What if he didn’t like it? He kept staring as Minho took a bite, observing the corner of his mouth and eyes for any sign.

“Oh, it’s good!” Minho said in a breath and Taemin felt relieved. 

“Thanks, Kibum taught me,” he said quickly and started to eat too.

“Oh, is he your boyfriend? The man in th