Rating: G

Word count: 1779

Date: Aug. 6th, 2012.

Image Source: http://blinggersforever.tumblr.com/post/28675101976

NOTE: So I was going to finish this up on the 5th, but my mother pulled me away. So I'm going to be pushed one day back. And it's longer than a normal drabble. Welp. 

 

It had taken hours of pestering on the phone full of bribery, flattery and whining till Kibum broke and embraced defeat with open arms. The male had planned to spend the day lounging on his king sized, scrolling through fanfictions made by silly, hormonal teenagers, but due to his soft spot for his younger friend, he was now being forced to go to some ridiculous street festival. Normally, he didn’t mind festivals. The bright colours, booming music and stalls full of cheap trinkets excited him. But on the other hand, it meant walking through a crowd of sweaty civilians, being brushed every now and then by a fat man’s belly and attempting to maneuver around the usual drunkards; was what kept him at bay.

A frustrated groan escaped his lips as the fairly annoying dinging of the doorbell called out to him. He wrapped his fingers around the bronze doorknob, and lazily tugged the wooden door open to reveal the silhouette of a beaming teenager; Taemin.

Taemin was a childhood friend of Kibum’s, and the older male treated him like a younger brother of sorts. Taemin ruffled his deep red locks with an innocent grin. Kibum reached out and tugged at a strand of his hair, narrowing his eyes at the colour. Every month or two, Taemin decided to dye his hair a different colour. It’s not like Kibum did any differently, but watching the younger slowly kill his hair left Kibum feeling a bit guilty for being such a terrible influence.

“I did it myself.” Taemin chirped; a sheepish smile on his lips.

Kibum kissed his teeth and rolled his eyes skywards. “That explains why it looks like you dunked your hair in cow blood.”  He leaned forward and jerked Taemin’s head down, momentarily examining the crown of his head before backing away with an unsatisfied grunt. “You didn’t even get the roots. Do some justice to your hair and never dye it without me ever again. Got it?”

Taemin rubbed the back of his now aching neck, and nodded quickly, not wanting to anger Kibum any further.

His eyes ran down Kibum’s figure, examining his wardrobe. The male sported a plain white tee, topped off with a cream cardigan and a cashmere scarf, along with just-above-the-ankle khakis and his usual Toms.

Taemin attempted to bite back a smirk as he gently Kibum’s scarf. “And then you wonder why people think you’re gay, hyung.”

Kibum grimaced and started, “Well technically—“

“No. I mean they think you don’t like girls at all. They think you don’t want to get laid. 100% gay; not bi.”

Kibum paused, and scowled at the other’s words, as Taemin let out a teasing snicker. “Just shut up and take us there before my patience wears out.”

Upon entering the crowded plaza, bustling with people, Kibum was knocked back by the overwhelming aroma of food. His dark eyes flickered back and forth as he attempted to find the source of the smell, but just as the male turned around, he noticed Taemin’s jaw drop. His eyes were sparkling with glee and Kibum knew that that was never a good sign.

Taemin looked over at Kibum, his mouth still open in a circular shape. He brought a hand up to point at a small stall in the corner of the plaza, not too far away from them. Kibum followed his finger and his eyes landed on a cart selling delectable sweets, hot dogs, other fattening treats and of course; what Taemin was pointing at – banana milk. The older male let out a sigh, gently tugging at the scarf that was loosely wrapped around his neck.

“Taemi—“ He started, but was cut off when he glanced at the other to see the younger boy pushing his lower lip in a pout, his pink lips trembling. Kibum groaned and nodded. “Fine. We’ll get some banana milk.”

Taemin practically pounced on Kibum as he wrapped his arms around him in a suffocating embrace. “Thank you so much, hyung!” Just as quickly as he had clung onto the male, he let go, only to link their arms together and tug them towards the stall.

Kibum practically dragged his heels against the concrete, attempting to give Taemin the hardest time he could as they approached the stall that smelled of a deep-fried hell and grease. He wrinkled his nose as they took their place in line, behind a trio of friends. Kibum attempted to peer over the shorter male’s shoulder to see how long the line was, and froze when the male spoke.

“And man, you should’ve seen the way he squealed when my puppy attacked him. It was hard not to laugh.”

Kim Jonghyun.

The obnoxious boy that Kibum thought he’d never have to see again.

“Are you forgetting to tell them how you practically pissed yourself when I glared at you?” He spat out, loud enough for him to hear.

Jonghyun froze momentarily and then spun on his heels to face Kibum, a look of pure surprise on his face. His two other friends followed his lead and turned as well. The one to his left had to be the tallest by far. Kibum had a feeling he had seen the male before, and judging by the appalled look Taemin was giving him, they definitely knew one another.

“Key?!”

The sound of his old nickname caused him to snap his head to the source; a beaming older boy standing to the right of Jonghyun. The chestnut brown hair, older friendly smile and the bucket of fried chicken that he held in the crook of his arm gave it all away. Lee Jinki; or what Kibum had nicknamed him – Onew. Kibum had gone to elementary school with the boy and they had been the best of friends even though they hadn’t been in the same year. Jinki had always been like an older brother for Kibum, but just when Kibum had needed him the most, he had moved to another city. The two rarely spoke, but whenever they did, things seemed just like old times. And just like their primary years, he called him by the nickname he had given him.

“Key?” The sound of Jonghyun running the name over his tongue snapped Kibum out of his reverie. He turned his head to look up at Jinki. “You know him?”

Jinki nodded, his grin growing even wider – if that was possible. “Key and I went to school together.”

Kibum shot him a friendly smile and shoved his hands into his pockets so that he wouldn’t start nervously fiddling with his fingers. “It’s great to see you after so long.” It was then that Kibum realized that Taemin hadn’t said a word since he had laid eyes on the taller male. Kibum cleared his throat and arched an eyebrow at Jinki, expectantly.

“A-ah, yes.” Jinki fumbled with his words, but then turned a bit to gesture at Jonghyun. “Jonghyun this is –“

“We’ve met before.” Jonghyun simply replied, his eyes never leaving Kibum’s which made him feel fairly nervous. He broke his staring contest with Jonghyun and looked over at Jinki who seemed to be at a loss of words after Jonghyun had interrupted him.

“O-okay. And this is –“

“Choi Minho.”

All eyes turned to Taemin as he softly uttered the name. Jinki bowed his head, gingerly picking up a piece of chicken; not feeling the need to speak any further. Minho’s hard gaze sudden dropped down to his feet, and without another word he turned and walked away from the group of friends. Kibum watched the tall male saunter into the crowd of people and disappear from sight. He turned back to see Taemin staring down at his feet in thought.

Jonghyun cleared his throat, and for once, Kibum was happy that the male was sparing him from the awkward silence that had fallen over the crowd. “So, what’re you two planning to buy? We were kind of in line for Minho, but… I guess we have no need to be here now.”

“Ahh, well we were here to get some Banana Milk.”

“Hyung… it’s fine. We don’t need to anymore.”

Kibum frowned at the fragile sound of Taemin’s voice. He looked up and gave Jinki a nod, pulling Taemin away from the duo. Once they were out of earshot, Kibum grabbed Taemin by the shoulders and forced him to look up at him. Taemin’s eyes were dark and practically void of any emotion as he stared up at Kibum.

“Tae… what’s going on?”

Taemin shook his head quickly and plastered on an overly sweet smile. It sickened Key to see him putting on such a façade in front of him.

“It’s nothing, hyung. I’ll tell you later, ne?”

Kibum pursed his lips and nodded slowly. That was the best that he could get for now. “Arrasseo. Let’s go back and grab you some banana milk, alright?” Kibum slipped his hand into his back pocket to fumble around for his wallet.

His face paled considerably when all he felt was pocket lint. He d around his other pockets, feeling nothing but an empty air. His heart practically stopped as he frantically looked around his feet, searching for the wallet that held most of his money, bank cards, photo ID and many other valuables. Taemin had caught on as well, and was crouched down on the ground, checking to see if the wallet had fallen.

“Hyung! Over there!” The younger male suddenly shouted, pointing to a spot behind Kibum.

Kibum turned to find Jonghyun slipping his fingers into the leather wallet that should be safely tucked into Kibum’s back pocket. He stormed over to the shorter male and immediately snatched the wallet away from his grasp.

“Thief!”

The word that he spat out seemed to have been a verbal slap to Jonghyun as he flinched noticeably. Jinki’s eyes widened considerably, as he parted his lips to defend his friend. Before he could do so, Jonghyun narrowed his eyes at Kibum and hissed, “You should thank me.”

“For what? For stealing my wallet?!”

Jonghyun let out a cold laugh and looked back at Kibum. “I didn’t steal it. I’m not some petty thief. It fell out of your pocket and I – “

“Yeah and you decided to get your grimy fingers in it and take something didn’t you?”

Jonghyun stared at him; a mixture of anger, shock and hurt swirling in his pupils. The male seemed to be at a loss of words, and merely stared at Kibum loathingly.

Kibum wrapped his fingers around Taemin’s wrist and shot the duo a glare.

“Come on, Tae. We’re leaving.”