The pair stumbled their way into Taemin's room, the two pairs of lips never disconnecting for a second. The older of the two lightly kicked the bedroom door, barely closing it. Gently pushing Taemin on the bed, Minho crawled on top of him, leaning on his arms to keep from crushing the dance with his weight. With Minho's tongue exploring the hot cavern that he already knows very well, Taemin couldn't help but moan lightly into the steamy, yet loving, kiss.

It was this moment of the day when the couple had no worries in their heads. Jonghyun and Onew were out filming Star King, while the maknae line, including Key, all had a day off. Seeing as how Key planned to go shopping from 9 AM to 2PM, the couple decided to take advantage of that.

But they were too focused on each other to notice that clock that struck 1:58 PM.

Key came rushing through the door, trying to fit with the rather large shopping bags. He kicked the door close before stumbling his way down the hall and into his own room with the bags. After plopping himself down with a sigh of content, he proceeded to examine his purchases. 

"Ah..."

Key's head snapped up at the familiar voice, but continued on with his business when no other sound was audible.

"More..."

His head snapped up once more but this time with wide eyes, slowly turning his head to bore holes through the almost closed door across the hall from him. Slowly rising from his bed, he silently walked across the hall and to Taemin's room. He peeked through the crack of the door and gasped and nearly choked on his own tongue. The horrifying sight of Minho cornering his baby on the bed was almost enough to give him a heart attack. Not wanting to wait a moment longer while his baby gets '', the blonde shoved the door open. The couple's heads jerked to the side to see the intruder, expressions of complete horror etched on their faces.

The couple quickly scrambled apart as Key let out a high pitch sound before rushing to Taemin's 'aid', shoving Minho off the bed and yanking Taemin closer towards him where he was standing to hold his baby into his own chest.

"What the hell were you doing to him?!" He shrieked, shoving Taemin's head onto his shoulder. Key was panting as though he ran a hundred miles without stopping. What the hell did he just see? "Taemin's just a little boy; he's too young to even think about girls! And boys! Especially a boy who happens to be as ugly as an alien..." Key said that said part through gritted teeth.

"Why do you care? What Taemin and I do is none of your business!" Minho yelled back, the loving expression he had on moments ago, now long gone and replaced with wrinkles of fury. No one calls him ugly. No one.

"Um," Key started sarcastically, "I think I have the right to care when someone is about to molest my baby!" Key had his bottom lip placed tightly between his teeth, as though if he were to let his lip leave from its current spot, so would his sanity.

"Your baby?" Minho scoffed. "Well listen, umma, Taemin is not a baby anymore." His voice finally lowering, but still firm enough to still leave an impact. "He's old enough to make his own decisions without someone like you fawning over him all day and night. But before you start ing to me for talking to you like this, just remember, I'm not the only one who thinks this."

"Oh?" Key raised a brow challengingly as Taemin winced at what he knew was to come, his eyes glazed with tears waiting to fall. Please don't say it, Minho... Please...

"Taemin

"Taemin, you... You said that?"

Taemin had his head down the whole time. Only when he felt Key pull away a little to look at him, did he look up, and he did not like what he saw. He was met with two faces, both silently pleading for him to take their side. He looked from Key to Minho. Then back to Key. Then back to Minho. Who was he suppose to choose? His sweet, romantic, and caring boyfriend, Minho? Or Key. His sweet, nagging, and caring Umma-figure, Key? Taemin shook his head to himself. There was no way he was going to choose. No, he was going to find a way out of this.

"If you both really care, you wouldn't make me choose over either of you." He struggled to stop his voice from quivering and let out a breath after hearing himself succeed. He head his chin up high, proud of himself for his mature response. He inwardly smiled, thinking about what he had just said. Not only did he just settle a fight, but now he may be treated like the man he was.

"Baby, we're not making you choose." Key tried to reassure him sweetly, running his fingers through the younger's soft blonde locks. "I'm just asking whether or not you said what Minho claims." His voice turned bitter at the last two words. "So, is it true?"

Crappers.

Who was he going to choose? He, once again, looked from boy to boy. Taemin sighed. If he couldn't trust his gut, he'd have to trust honesty. If that was even possible. But... He didn't really have to... Did he? No. He didn't, if he could stall long enough, they'd forget about the incident.

He let his head drop down and began counting the little lines on each wooden tile, to pass time as he waited for them to forget. Even though the three members of the maknae line were just standing in the tense atmosphere, waiting for a real response from the boy.

"Taemin..." He heard Minho attempt to bring him back from his counting.

Taemin pressed his lips into a straight line. There's no way to get out of it. He'd have to go with honesty. "What was the question?" He muttered quietly in defeat, still looking down.

"Didn't you say that you need some space from Key hyung, a while back?"

He held his breath, nodding weakly, barely noticeable. But they noticed.

Key inhaled, then exhaled. Then inhaled again.

Taemin kept his head down, but looked through his bangs to see Key's face.

Blank.

No emotion.

"Well, then if... If that's what you think, then... Then I won't bother you anymore, Taemin." He said quietly.

And with that, he steps out the room, and gently closes the door shut behind him.

"Hyung..." Taemin's voice quivered.

"It's okay, Taemin." Minho said soothingly, pulling the blonde into an embrace. "Everything will be alright."

Taemin looked up, letting Minho see his tear streaked face. "No..." he whispered. "No, nothing will be alright." He pounded weakly on Minho's chest. "Why did you have to say that? Why..." The rest of his words turned into a mumbled mess, as his body shook with heavier sobs. Minho only pulled him closer, and Taemin let him.

Key gently closed the door behind him, still wearing the same stoic expression he has moments ago.

He casually walked across the hall, and into his own room, closing the door shut.

It was when his hit the bed, did he let the tears fall. His once steady breaths, now shallow as the hot tears came streaming down like a never ending waterfall. Letting out a quiet sob, he tightly closed his eyes shut.

He opened his eyes to see a Polaroid photo of him and Taemin before SHINee had debuted. They were both wearing their matching argyle shirts while holding a peace sign up to their cheeks.

Key brought one hand up to his mouth, muffling the uncontrollable sobs.

"My baby..."

"Dinner's ready!" Key called out in his most casual tone.

By the time Key had forced himself to calm down after the incident, deciding that it was all for the best and that it would happen sooner or later, it was nearly time for dinner. He made homemade kimchi stew    Taemin and Minho's shared favorite dish    as a silent apology towards the couple.

As Key stepped out of the kitchen, Jinki ran straight in, being the first one. The two eldest of the group came home starving, but Key would not let them eat anything, seeing as how he was almost finished making their dinner at the time.

"Jonghyun, go tell the other two the food's ready." The triple threat of the group instructed, heading back to his kitchen, hearing a groan from a certain dinosaur. Said man jogged down the hall to Minho's room, assuming the two were in there.

He poked his head through the door to see the two hungry maknaes playing videogames. "Guys, dinner's ready."

He heard the controllers being thrown to the ground, and two pairs of feet following after him down the hall.

Stumbling into the kitchen, Jonghyun frowned a little at the sight. "Where's my bowl?"

"What do you mean?" Key asked, looking up from his own bowl to Jonghyun with a somewhat challenging gaze.

He avoided the younger's eyes, shuffling his feet. "Well... There's... usually all of our bowls on the table by the time we come in... Isn't there?"

Key silently scoffed. "You expect me to serve you every day? You're not a baby, you can do it yourself."

He gulped loudly, "Y-yes, Key..." and then proceeded to get his own bowl of rice and stew.

Taemin winced at the words Minho had also said earlier that day.

Taemin is not a baby anymore.

Not a baby anymore.

Not a baby.

He looked up beside him to see Minho, blankly watching a sulking Jonghyun get his food.

Weeks later, the incident seemed to have been forgotten by everyone but Key. Every time he thought about the image of Minho trapping his ba    Taemin, he had to refrain himself from chopping Minho apart.

Taemin yawned. "Goodnight, hyung. I'm going to bed."

"Goodnight... Taemin."

It was just the two dancers in the dorm tonight. Minho, Jonghyun and Jinki were filming 1 Night and 2 Days, so they had to be at the filming location for... well, one night and two days.

The second Taemin's back hit the mattress, he felt the drowsiness take over.

 "Mr. Lee, I have bad news. Unfortunately... Your mother... She didn't make it." The man sighed

"W-what?" Taemin croaked out.

"She's gone." Taemin watched as the doctor faded.

"Taemin?" The sobbing boy quickly turned around to see Key.

"Hyu     ... Umma    "

"Oh," Key scoffed, "So I'm your 'Umma'  only when you need one, is that it? Well why don't you just go to Minho. You had him to make it quite clear that you don't need me anymore. And I don't need you. Obviously me taking care of you wouldn't be for my benefit, but for yours. But since you don't need me, we may go our separate ways."

"Umma, would just let. Me. Finish?!"

 Taemin sat up, gasping for air as the salty combination of sweat and tears dripped off his chin.

Right at that moment, the door to his bedroom flew open, bringing in light from the hallway. "Taemin, are you alright? I heard screaming." Key panted in one breath. It took a few seconds for him to notice the tears trailing down the maknae's cheeks through the dark. "Poor baby..." he cooed. Taemin sniffled in response."Wait a second, I'll be right back." he added softly, quietly yet quickly going down the hall. So softly that Taemin didn't even hear it.

 He might have not heard what the older had said, but he did know one thing; Key left. Key was gone. He did not need Taemin.

 No one needed Taemin. Not even Minho, he could've gotten a boyfriend way better.

Taemin's eye blurred with fresh hot tears. The thought of someone not needing him has never made him feel like this before, so why is now any different? He knew he would be useless to many people, but the thought of Key being one of them never crossed his mind.

Key always spoiled him with care, and what did he do? Make Key feel unwanted. So it was only fair that Key makes him feel unwanted too, right? Especially when it's true.

No one wanted Tae    

A blurry mess of yellow came into his teary view, interrupting his thoughts. He wiped his eyes clear with his sleeves, but was pulled into a tight embrace before getting the chance to actually see the unknown item, but he let it go, preferring to lean into the warm comforting touch. He didn't need to look up to know who it was, the contact was familiar and something he'd never forget for anything.

He wrapped his frail arms securely around the older's slim waist, nuzzling his head into his chest and inhaling his hyung's fresh sweet scent.

If only he could cuddle with this hyung like this every time he wanted to.

You were able to, you idiot, but you threw that away yourself.

Taemin only held on tighter. Who knows if this will be the last time he'll be held like this by his special hyung ever again? Might as well savor it to the very core. Although the reason for him taking up what he had at the moment and caused fresh hot tears to gather up, only to be soaked by Key's purple sweater.

He whimpered as he felt the warmth pull away slightly, putting enough distance between them so the older could set the yellow object into the maknae's view. Before he could understand what it was, a straw was slid into his mouth. Out of instinct, he the plastic white tube, letting the familiar sweet substance invade his mouth.

Once the bottle was empty, Taemin's tears were long gone. The only evidence left of his earlier emotions were the tear stained cheeks and light sniffles once every few minutes.

Resting his head on Key's head, he whispered "I love you, umma." It was barely audible but the latter still heard it.

Key smiled. "I know. And I love you too, Taebaby."

Oi. I'm so sorry for taking so long for this. D:
I've been procrastinating from writing this, because I was stuck on Taemin's dream. Had no idea what to write. D:
 

Completely irrelevant, but I'd really appreciate it if you were to like this page on Facebook. It's a dance group I'm in, and we cover kpop dances. :D A few other members and I are not in the picture, but we're going to post a few dances on the 4th or 5th of July, and I'll be in it. ^-^
If you do decide to look at our future dances, my name's Brittney, I have long black hair, full bangs, big framed perscription glasses and I'm the only Asian member(just so you'd know which one I am. ^-^).

I hope you all enjoyed this short story. :D (Now I can finally go update my other ones...)