Minho’s jumped out of his sleep; eyes flew open as heavy pants escaped his mouth. A sheen of sweat could be seen all about his torso the remnants of his dream lingering in his mind.

His eyes wandered about his room, realizing that this was reality and not what he just dreamed.

Oh god, he was trembling.

He pressed his hands against his face now taking deep breaths and telling himself that it already happened. That this was reality. He was a college student not that.

Oh god, he didn’t mean it, he thought. They didn’t understand what he was trying to say. What he was getting at.

Taemin didn’t understand anything.

When the trembling subsided he got out of bed, staggering towards the bathroom. He turned the light on and leaned against the sink staring at himself in the mirror. There were slight bags under his eyes, and besides the sweat that ran down is face, he looked uncomfortable but normal. He was safe.

Minho closed his eyes.

He dreamed of when he sat upon a throne surrounded by darkness. Molten lava flowed through little channels all around him, glowing oranges and reds. There was never enough light for this place and so here he sat. Silence was his constant companion because no one visited him here.

Here he would think his thoughts in run on sentence. His eyes dark like coal as he stared off, envisioning things that he figured the others never really thought of. They didn’t question anything else, always busy with nurturing, always busy with nothing.

He wasn’t really needed here was he?

Later, one of them had stumbled upon a young one floating in the coldest part of the world. A youth clad in all white, vibrantly red hair atop small shoulders. He looked different than the rest. His skin appeared like marble, eyes wide and excited. Just at the center of his chest emitted a glow. Everyone had one but out of the five of them, the younger’s was brightest and larger.

Minho opened his eyes and looked down pulling his hands back and noticed that his ceramic sink now had glowing red hand prints. The heat created small wisps of smoke that floated in a sensual dance to the ceiling. Minho willed the heat to dissipate leaving black handprints on the sides of the sink. He stepped back staring down at his right hand.

He needed to keep himself together.

-*-

Taemin adjusted his dark blue scarf around his neck as he stepped out of his house. His grandmother had said that the weather was unusually cooler than the past years. Despite this, Taemin was comfortable and merely had thrown on a sweater shouldering his bag. His grandmother had made him put on the scarf before he left.

Taemin wondered if he could make it snow as he looked up at the graying sky. He shook his head, boarding the early train to school. It was dark for the sun hadn’t risen; frost still gathered on the leaves of trees.

Key wasn’t awake when Taemin had left the house. But Taemin did peak in the doorway and had noticed that he was shirtless, face smashed against the pillow hair tousled more than usual and his clothes from last night strewn across the floor.  Jonghyun’s face popped up in his mind and Taemin blushed as he walked on the campus grounds towards the art building.

He opened the art room door, which was a little haven for unfinished art and working projects, pausing mid-step. He saw Amber sitting on one of the stools staring at one of his paintings.

Oh.

His mind had to organize itself before he took in her short blonde hair, leather jacket and snow boots.

He cleared his throat, “Good morning, Amber. You’re up early.”

She chuckled, glancing back at him, “Good morning, Tae.  Are you usually up this early?”

Taemin shrugged, making his way towards her and dropping his bag on one of the stools haphazardly placed around the room. He stood beside her rubbing his neck, “Well no not really. I only came here to work on a project.”

She hummed in acknowledgement still staring at the painting. It was the one that he had painted earlier with the snow castles and white hills. He glanced over by the far wall and noticed that his unfinished painting, still covered, was there leaning precariously on another.

Amber’s head snapped over to the same direction and asked, “Do you have any unfinished work?”

He looked away, “I do. Just one.”

Amber stepped off the stool and turned to him, they were of similar height but Amber’s presence was always larger no matter who else was in the room.

“Can I see it?” She was staring into him, and an unmistakable jolt spread across his face. She laughed and said, “I promised I was going to see some of your paintings right? Two would do, wouldn’t it?”

Taemin shook his head, the atmosphere strange. He made his way to his unfinished painting and bit his lip before saying, “It’s not finished, though. I mean, I don’t really like sharing my unfinished work.”

Amber folded her arms across her chest grinning, “Hey it’s probably finished and you just don’t know it yet.”

Taemin hesitated before in a deep breath. He placed the canvas on the easel before uncovering it, his eyes never meeting hers.

Silence reverberated throughout the room.

“What inspired you to paint this?”

Taemin shrugged, “A dream.”

“Do you always have dreams like this?

Taemin scratched his head looking up at her to see her eyes glued to the painting a small smile tugging at her lips. “Not all the time.” He paused before frowning, “You know Minho asked me that same question.”

She looked at him than, “Minho?”

He nodded, “He says the dreams might be telling me something. Or that I should paint more often." Taemin shook his head with a sigh, "I don’t really get it. I mean my paintings aren’t exactly the best out there. Ipaint because I feel like it, not because there’s a meaning behind it.”

Amber shrugged, “You’re expressing your dreams through your painting. Although they might not be telling you something, they may be so memorable to you that you have to paint them.”

Taemin bit his lip, “I guess you’re right. But what do you think?”

She laughed and shook her head, “It’s not what I think, Taemin. But If you really wanna know, I wouldn’t be sitting here drawing dreams like they matter. Getting attached to such little things is like constantly looking in the past. ” She chuckled, “No one really has time for that.”

Taemin looked back at his painting, “But isn’t looking back at the past a way of learning? So you won’t do it again later.”

Her eyes were twinkling a grin on her face, “If you don’t remember most of it or just have pieces of a dream what exactly are you looking at, Tae? Your own misconception of a truth that’s much greater than what you thought you had? I’m sorry, but no thanks.”

Taemin’s eyes widen. The conversation had turned to a rather dark one. He ran his hand through his hair before sighing, “Oh, you probably want your book back, don’t you?”

Amber was now staring back at the painting, “Not really. But you’re enjoying it aren’t you? The poetry of a faraway realm filled with magic and gods.”

Taemin shrugged, “There were only five of them and they weren’t exactly gods. Not even the goddess.”

“Did you read the end? What happened to them all?”

Taemin nodded, “I did.”

He remembered the text. After the fire element had put his plan into motion, and nearly destroyed the ice element in front of the wind element a war began. The water element joined forces with the wind element, and battled against the fire element whose reasoning was now lost. Everything that they had nourished and fathered was destroyed as they fought. The earth element who was strongly against the idea of standing against his own kin did not take part in the war. It wasn’t until the wandering goddess revisited the place that the battles ceased and the elements were punished.

Amber eyes were dark as she stared at him, “Did you think what the goddess did was right? I mean, she ripped open their bodies and consumed them.”

Taemin thought about it before shaking his head, “It’s not a question of right or wrong. I think…she was just desperate.”

Amber’s eyes widen.

Taemin rubbed his arm, “Desperate because the elements were made from her soul and that the only good thing that they could do was destroy and fight amongst each other. She was banished from her realm for a reason, wasn’t she? It may have been because she had caused destruction. The same destruction that she had done in her own realm, the elements had done here.”

There was a silence, and the room had grown cold, “But what about the ice element?”

Taemin sighed, “I think he was her loneliness. That’s why when he was wounded by the one element that he was closets with he felt betrayed. So betrayed that he built up a wall around himself and ceased to live. ”

Taemin blinked a few times before looking up, “But it was just a fairytale though.” He smiled, “A well written one.”

He noticed that Amber had stood up, her back towards him. Before he could ask what was wrong she murmured, “I’m heading out. It was nice seeing your paintings.”

Taemin glanced at the painting.

A curled pale figure outlined with thick black lines clutched its neck that seemed to be burned with a handprint. A pool of tears surrounded it in the pale canvas that was its domain.

-*-

Minho stared down at his phone, noticing that there were no new messages. He would have thought Taemin would have texted him earlier this morning. Maybe he had gotten distracted with something else.

“Hey Minho!”

Minho suppressed a groan before looking up and seeing a grinning Jonghyun standing before him. He was rolling back and forth on the balls of his feet, his face alive and dancing.

They were just in front of the university’s most noticeable landmark: the water fountain. But because it was winter, the fountain was dry and there was only the copper statue of a giant floundering fish surrounded by imposing waves.

Jonghyun grinned, “Care if I walk with you to our only class together?”

Minho fixed his scarf before heading towards one of the buildings where a majority of the science classes were held, “I don’t care.”

Jonghyun fell in step with him stealing glances before smiling, “So I heard that you and Taemin might be an item.”

Jonghyun did not miss the falter in Minho’s step. Minho’s voice was low, “Where did you hear that?”

“Key.”

Minho swiveled his head to look at Jonghyun, who was looking back at him with wide innocent eyes, “What?” he asked.

Minho could have sworn Key would have been after him already if he had heard about it. And how did he know? Did Taemin tell him? But Taemin wasn’t exactly in favor of exposing their relationship from the very beginning.

So how…

Minho shook his head turning to look at the bricked path leading to the large building and western architecture. Past the path were concrete stairs that met glass doors that students past through in nonchalance.

“Seems like Key and I have talked, you know, about us.”

Minho resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He wasn’t interested. If anything he would have wanted to skip class and find Taemin. He wanted to talk about ‘them’, where they stood. Now that they were together, he wanted to test the waters. Touch him like he’s always wanted from the very beginning. And even talk about his gift.

“…dating Onew-hyung though. I never really thought he cared much about Key, despite the smiles.” Jonghyun’s words now coming into focus when Minho glanced at him.

Jonghyun’s hands turned to fist, “He didn’t really care much than either.”

Minho pretended that he didn’t hear.

Jonghyun’s hand grabbed Minho’s arm stopping him in his tracks for an electricity seemed to run through his whole being. Minho flinched. When Jonghyun looked up his eyes were dark, his words slow, and like a growl, “If you hurt Taemin like you did before, I’ll kill you.”

Their eyes clashed, Jonghyun’s grip tightened before he let go. As they stared at each other an easy grin spread on his lips. Jonghyun stepped forward hands in his pockets before looking up at the sky, “It’s been colder than usual these days, Minho. You should probably check up on that.”

And with a wave, Jonghyun jogged towards the building and disappeared behind the glass doors.

Minho gritted his teeth.

-*-

Taemin’s phone jingled as he just stepped into the familiar café with Key. It was a text message from Minho saying he had just finished classes and wanted to talk at their secret spot before Taemin headed home for the day. Taemin made a quick reply that he would. Taemin couldn’t suppress the smile that spread across of his face, but it quickly evaporated when he looked at Key who sat across from him.

Key’s eyes looked red behind his black rimmed glasses, which was the only flaw seen on him.

Taemin asked, “Are you okay, hyung? You look like you didn’t get much sleep last night.”

Key’s eyes narrowed before he thanked a waiter who gave them their menus, “No, I didn’t sleep much last night.”

“Was it because of Jonghyun-hyung?”

Key eyes widen, his voice a shrill, “What?!”

Taemin winced putting his hand up in defense, “I thought he must have said something to you because he was at our house last night.”

Key seemed to have sagged in his seat before he sighed, “You could say that.” Key glanced at Taemin who was looking at him warily.

“I’ll tell you something. You know Onew and I are dating right?”

Taemin’s eyes widened, “Really? I would have never had-"

“It doesn’t matter though because we broke up this morning.”

Taemin eyes couldn’t go any larger, “What? But why?”

Key smiled, chin now held in his palm his elbow resting on the small table. The other hand played with the sugar packets stationed at the middle of the table, “Because when I told him that I slept with Jonghyun last night, he merely smiled at me and forgave me.”

“But isn’t that a good thing?” Taemin asked, a frown on his face.

Key barked a laugh, “You see I’ve done this before. I go to him on the verge of tears feeling guilty of what I’ve done, expecting him to yell at me and break up with me. But he didn’t. He just smiled and accepted the apology like it was nothing. Always forgiving, always platonic, never giving a . He doesn’t care about our relationship, so I ended it.”

Taemin shook his head still surprised, “But from the very beginning I didn’t really feel that you were dating. I mean you never said anything.”

Key shrugged, “Onew doesn’t care much for a relationship status. But if you didn’t feel anything between us than that’s a sure sign we aren’t compatible.”

A silence fell between them when the waiter came and took their order. Taemin sighed, “I’m sorry, hyung.” He hesitated, “But does that mean you’re dating Jonghyun-hyung, now?”

Key looked out the window, “I don’t think so.”

“Why not?”

Key shrugged, “Because I’ve have learned from my mistakes. I’ve dated Jonghyun many times. We’ve known each other since we were kids too. But a friendship transforming to a lover's relationship always seems to end in complications. It’s not healthy. Just this once I want to stand on my own.”

Taemin smiled at him, “You look really cool right now, hyung.”

Key deadpanned, “I look like .”

The waiter came with their drinks and food. Taemin sipped on his drink, “When you asked me to go to lunch last night, did you know that you were going to sleep with Jonghyun-hyung?”

Key poked a chopstick at his potato salad, not looking up, “Yes, I did.”

Taemin bit his lip.

A silence passed between them as they ate. It wasn’t until they began sipping their drinks in leisure that Taemin had noticed Key staring at him.

Taemin looked back, “What?”

“You’re dating Minho now, aren’t you?”

Taemin stiffened.

Key sighed, “You don’t have to get so rigid. I’m not going to bite your head off.”

Taemin blinked, “You’re not?”

“As I said before, you’ll learn from your mistakes. Besides, when love is involved you can’t really help yourself can you?”

Taemin face flushed, “I’m not really in lo-“

Key chuckled, “Of course you’re not because your face says otherwise.” The smile slowly left his lips, before he grasped Taemin’s free hand startling him.

"Even though everything that I said about him still stands, just promise me that you won’t get yourself hurt.”

Taemin looked at their hands. Key's hands felt so cool and soothing and soft. He looked back at Key, “Yeah. I promise.”

Minho wouldn't hurt him, Taemin thought.

A wave of relief seemed to wash over Key for he reached across the small table and pinched Taemin’s cheeks. Taemin grasped Key’s wrists, tears sprung in his eyes.

“Minho doesn’t deserve someone like you, but I’m hoping he’s changed himself for the best.”

Taemin whined, “Hyung, it hurts…!”

A/N: Okay, yes, I owe you guys a big apology. I'm deeply sorry for making you wait for so long. My excuse? Lemonade is not made in nature, you have to make it yourself. So I made a 3000 word chapter to overcompensate my negligence. OTL

As always please leave a comment below!

((The Dream Girl MV (~X_X)~))