Best Friend - ten&twelve;

Taemin has been living for a decade when he discovers why he and Kibum are so different.

"Tae-ah, can I tell you something?"

Taemin turns away from his computer screen to look at Kibum, who is sprawled across his bed, flipping through a fashion magazine. "What is it, hyung?"

Kibum stands up and quickly walks to the door before shutting it and turning to Taemin with a serious expression.

"You can't tell anybody, okay, Taemin?"

Taemin is extremely interested but also a little scared by the secretive tone Kibum is speaking in. "Yes, hyung?"

Kibum grabs Taemin's hands. "I think I...I think I like boys."

"What?" Taemin deadpans. "You can't like boys! Boys are supposed to like girls! Girls, hyung! Not boys! That's wrong!" Taemin's voice progressively gets louder and louder and Kibum tries to shush him.

"Shh, Taemin! Why are you yelling at me?"

"That's wrong," Taemin whispers and pulls away from Kibum.

"No, you're wrong! There's nothing wrong with me. I like boys and that's that. Girls disgust me," Kibum says confidently and starts gathering his things.

"Why?" Taemin asks, not sure what he's asking.

"I don't know, Taemin. I just do, okay?" Kibum stands up to look straight into Taemin's eyes. "I'm going home. I'll talk to you...whenever. Bye, Tae-ah."

They don't speak to each other for a week.


When they do talk again, Kibum is spazzing about his new friend from his school. Taemin is still attending elementary school, as opposed to Kibum, who had graduated the year before and is now going to middle school.

"He's so handsome, Tae-ah! I think I like him!"

"But's he a boy," Taemin carelessly blurts out.

Kibum gives him a glare before replying, "I already told you Taemin, I am not going to repeat myself."

"I know, I know. What's his name?"

"Dongwoon. He doesn't look Korean, Tae-ah! He looks like Ira, no, Ari, no, ah!" Kibum stutters over the word, "Arab!"

"Arab?"

"Yeah. He's so handsome," Kibum repeats dreamily.

-

"Hyung! Hyung! Guess what?!" Taemin runs into Kibum's room excitedly. He accidentally pushes the door too hard and it bangs against the wall before flying back to hit him.

It doesn't hurt but what does hurt is Kibum shushing him with a glare from his bed, the house phone cradled between his head and his left shoulder.

Taemin sulks and sits down in Kibum's desk chair. On his desk are multiple sheets of paper, all covered by hearts and the name 'Son Dongwoon'. He sits there for another fifteen minutes, listening to Kibum talk animately on the phone.

"Bye, Dongwoon! I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Bye!" Kibum hangs up before rolling onto his back and cradling the phone to his chest. "Eek!" he shouts happily. "I think I'm in love, Tae-ah."

Taemin cringes. Love? Who talks about love these days?

"Hyung, guess what?" he asks instead, his excitement from earlier coming back.

"What, Tae-ah?" Kibum tosses the phone carelessly onto his bed and gets up to look at his reflection in the mirror beside the desk where Taemin is seated.

"Hyesun told me that I'm cute!" Taemin informs happily.

Kibum spares him a glance. "Hm. That's great."

"Does that mean she likes me, hyung?"

"I don't know. Does she flirt with you?"

"Flirt?"

"Yeah, like touch you, or giggle around you, or smile a lot at you, I dunno. Stuff like that," Kibum gently flips his hair back and forth repeatedly.

"What are you doing, hyung?" Taemin asks and starts to copy the action.

"Tae-ah!" Kibum suddenly turns to face Taemin, eyes wide. "Do you think I'm pretty?"

"What?"

"Pretty! Am I?"

"No," Taemin deadpans.

Kibum frowns and steps away from him.

"I mean!" Taemin corrects. "Girls are pretty, hyung. Boys are handsome. I think you're very handsome, hyung."

Kibum pouts, "But I think you're pretty." Taemin blushes. "Maybe that's why Hyesoom likes you."

"Hyesun!"

"Whatever. Girls aren't important anyway."

-

"Hello, Taemin-ah," Kibum's mother opens their door and smiles at Taemin politely.

"Hi, Mrs. Kim! Is Kibum hyung home? He was supposed to come to my house today," Taemin says brightly.

"He is but he's a little upset right now."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure. He won't tell me. Would you like to go talk to him?" Taemin nods furiously. "Okay, come on in. You know where to find Kibum."

Taemin enters and immediately runs to Kibum's room. He knocks lightly. "Kibum hyung? Are you okay? It's me, Taemin."

The door swings open and Taemin is pulled in. Kibum immediately shuts the door and flops back onto his bed, face-down.

Taemin stands paralyzed beside the door. "What's wrong, hyung?"

It takes a couple minutes but Kibum eventually sits up. There are faint tear trails on his cheeks and his eyes are slightly red.

"Hyung?"

"Tae-ah!" Kibum whines and throws a mini-fit, legs kicking and hands punching his pink bed. Taemin makes his way to the bed and sits down beside the older boy.

"What's wrong?"

"At school, I told Dongwoon that I like him and he called me a...a bad name," Kibum whispers.

Taemin doesn't know how to reply.

"Why would he call me that, huh, Taemin? What's wrong with liking boys? Girls don't say that to boys when they confess! Why did he say it to me?!"

"Hyung, I-I don't know," Taemin stutters.

Kibum groans in frustration and lies back down. "Ugh! I'm tired of people, Tae-ah. I'm tired of girls and boys and everybody!"

Taemin bites his lips and watches his hyung breathe for a couple minutes.

Suddenly, Kibum shoots up into a sitting position. "Let's run away, Taemin!"

"W-what?!"

"Let's run away and get married, Taemin, hm?"

"I can't, hyung."

"Why not?!"

"I don't like you like that, hyung!" Taemin yells and jumps off the bed. "I like girls! Boys are supposed to like girls! Boys don't like boys!"

Kibum stares wide-eyed at him for a few seconds. "Get out."

Taemin blinks. "What?"

"Get out! Get out of my room! Go! NOW!" Kibum closes his eyes, covers his ears, and starts shaking his head furiously.

"Kibum-hyung," Taemin tries.

"Lee Taemin. Get. Out."

Taemin stares at his hyung and tries to hold back his tears.

There's a knock at the door. "Are you boys okay in there?"

Taemin turns away from Kibum and opens the door. "I'm going home, Mrs. Kim. Bye."


Kibum stops talking to Taemin after that incident. Their parents notice the change and try to resolve the dispute but Kibum is stubborn and once he's made up his mind, it can't be changed.

"Umma, can I tell you something?" Taemin asks his mother one day as they're pulling out weeds from her flower gardens.

"Yes, baby?"

"Kibum hyung said I can't tell anybody," Taemin pauses before continuing, "but this is why he's mad at me."

"What is it?" Taemin's mother stops working and makes Taemin face her.

"Um," Taemin squeezes his eyes shut before blurting it out, "Kibum hyung likes boys!"

"Taemin!" Taemin freezes at the voice and slowly turns his head to look at the owner.

Kibum is standing at their fence, eyes wide and tearing up.

"Hyung!" Taemin gets to his feet and runs to the fence. Kibum steps away and glares at him through the fence.

"I can't believe you, Taemin! Why did you tell?!" Kibum shouts.

"Hyung, I'm sorry! Forgive me!"

"No! I hate you!" Kibum yells. "I was going to forgive you, Taemin, but you told. I hate you! I don't want to be your friend ever again!" he concludes and runs back into his house.

Taemin is left at their fence, alone and shocked. His mother comes up behind him and pats him gently on the back. "Umma!"

"Taemin-ah, do you know what it means if a boy likes another boy?"

"It's wrong! Kibum hyung is wrong!" Taemin shouts.

"No, it's not wrong, baby. It's definitely not wrong and Kibum is not wrong either." Taemin sniffs and his mother pats his cheek comfortably. "And this is not your information to tell, okay, baby? If Kibum wants to keep this a secret, then we keep it a secret until he tells us. I'll pretend I never heard what you told me but you can't tell anybody else, okay?"

"Okay, umma. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me, Taemin. You need to find a way to apologize to Kibum."

"But hyung says he doesn't want to be my friend again," Taemin pouts.

"He'll come around, baby. He'll come around."


Taemin had been living for a decade when he discovered why he and Kibum were so different.

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I'M NOT DEAD! I'M STILL VERY MUCH ALIVE!!! However, I will be starting school in a couple days D:

where has my summer gone?! :(

Sorry I haven't updated. It's because AFF has been all glitchy and stuff lately and it still kind of is but I guess you and I will have to deal /sighs

This chapter is pretty angsty but I hope that it gets better! (the next chapter's actually already written but I'm not sure what happens in it. Will have to read over it~)

OH! and omg, TO ALL MY SUBSCRIBERS, I LUB YOU ALL <3333

-hanny