From: Taemin

Msg.: Hi there, hyung!! ^__^
Just thought I should let you know … we're gonna arrive around 9 pm tomorrow evening … I'm not sure about the dock we'll be at but I guess I can call you as soon as we're there … Would that be okay?

I smiled when I read the message.
Typing my answer quickly I sent the text message away and sat down on one of the seats next to me. I was on my lunch hour and had granted myself a somewhat expensive cup of Coffee – it was my favourite and I had been working pretty hard lately so I just figured I should allow myself to afford it.

Yeah, I started working in this Coffee-house about half a year ago in order to earn money. My parents had kicked me out because I hadn't been acting the way they had wanted me to – and because of my friendship with Taemin of course. Disliking the fact that I was friends with someone who was very poor they refused to talk to me ever since I moved out.
But I didn't care. I had my own flat now, my own job, I was earning my own money, I actually really enjoyed it. My best friend was coming over all the time so I was never alone anyway. And soon I would even have someone to share my flat with …

Drinking some of the hot drink in my hand I shivered when the sweet taste hit my tongue – damn, it's been forever since I last drank this.
When my cellphone vibrated I found myself smiling once more when I saw that Taemin had already answered to my last message.

From: Taemin

Msg.: Neh, I like that! Let's meet up tomorrow evening then! I can't wait to see you again, it's been so long ever since last summer … almost one year, right? Oh well, I have to get back to work. My mentor wants me to keep on working until tomorrow even though I quit already. But I'll give it my best, I promise.
See you later hyung. <3
- Taemin

I decided on not answering to that message in case he was already back in the kitchen of the cruiser he worked on. Because if he was, his mentor would probably get mad if he found out that Taemin was carrying his cellphone with him at work. I'd write back in a few hours when I could be sure that he was not working anymore.

Watching my colleagues work I drank the last sips of my Coffee and pushed myself up from the seat when I saw that my break was as good as over again. Stretching myself I yawned and covered my mouth with my hand and tried to shove the thought of Taemin aside.

' So much time to work … but not enough break-time … Well, get your over there, Kibum. You got work to do. Don't forget, you need the money. '

________________________________________________________________________________

When my shift was over at last I noticed how tired I actually was. Usually I was working until noontime but today had been pretty busy so I had agreed to stay until we were closing which was around 10 pm. I put off my working clothes and hung them up at the entrance of the shop so I could put them back on on Monday – luckily I didn't have to work this weekend, I was sharing my shift with one of my friends from work, his name was Jinki. I met him during my first week here and he had been so nice and friendly that I could really say that he was the one responsible for me feeling somewhat safe at work. I knew our other workmates just because of him as well.

„Hey, Kibum!“ I turned when I heard him calling my name. I had already put on my jacket, my bag and my iPhone were already in my hands. Jinki was leaning over the counter, waving at me. „You leaving now?“
„Yeah, my shift's over.“ I called back and grinned at how clumsily he was trying to climb over the counter – ' Aish, he could just walk around it instead of being like an unskilled monkey … '
He grunted when he realized that it made no sense trying to scramble over it so he just let himself fall back and trotted around it in order to get to me.
„Wait for me, will you?“ he said and inhaled deeply, he was kind of breathless. „I just have to change.“
„Fine.“ I replied and chuckled at him. „But hurry, I'm tired.“

We left the shop about ten minutes later, Jinki finally being fully changed into his normal clothes and me being tired as hell. Walking down the dark alley we were sharing my earphones, listening to some new songs. Jinki had an mp3-player but for some reason he was never using it. Instead he always liked listening to my music.
It was pretty cold already, it was drizzling slightly and the byroad we were following was a bit spooky compared to the high street we were heading to. It was just so dark and quiet, I didn't like it at all.

„Are you free tomorrow, Kibum?“ he asked suddenly and nudged me gently. I chuckled.

„To be honest … no, I'm not.“

„Aww, how come? Got yourself a date?“

„Don't make me laugh.“ I replied dryly but still grinned at him – he knew about me not being into dating that much so he was always curious when I told him that I was busy some day. „It's not a date.“
„Denial won't help you to get out of this now.“ he teased. „So what're you up to? I was hoping we could hang out a bit since I don't have to work until eventide.“
„I gotta pick up a friend from the harbour.“ I narrowed my eyes a bit when the light of the high street hit my eyes – it was kind of blending me since the road we came from had been so dark. Jinkis home wasn't far from mine, in fact I could say that we were neighbours. „He's returning to Korea.“

„I see … Mind if I come along?“ I noticed the excitement and curiosity in his eyes and couldn't help but to giggle a bit. He could be kind of cute sometimes, that was for sure. „Why would you wanna come along?“ I questioned him and giggled louder when his cheeks flushed a bit – he reminded me of Taemin somehow …
„Does there have to be a reason?“ he mumbled and pouted at me by pushing his lower lip forward. „Yah, you look like a dog.“ I said. „And no, there doesn't have to be. I'm just curious.“ Jinki let out a somewhat relieved but annoyed sigh and shook his head. Pulling the zipper of his jacket a bit higher he exhaled and caused a cloud of hot breath to dissolve in front of us. He giggled and said: „I'd just like to meet the people you hang out with. I never even met that Jonghyun guy you always talk about.“
„Trust me, you wouldn't wanna meet him anyway.“ I joked and winked at him knowingly – he knew a great deal about Jonghyun already, knew what kind of guy he was. „I'm sure we'd get along.“ he insisted. „Anyway, tell me about that friend of yours.“

I had to spend the rest of our way home with telling him all about Taemin.
Telling him that Taemin was very poor and parentless Jinki was kind of pitying him, even though he didn't even know him yet. Still, I described Taemin as some kind of cute angel – a one with bright blonde hair, pearl white skin and a smile that could easily light up the whole city. I knew that I was sounding sloppy and cheesy but I couldn't have cared less. I wanted Jinki to know about how great that boy was, I wanted him to like him before they met. Of course I was planning on introducing them to one another, Taemin was bound to become friends with Jinki soon.

„Can you show me a picture?“ he asked suddenly and stopped walking abruptly. „I'm curious about what he looks like.“
„Uh, yeah sure.“ I said, a bit surprised about that because I spent the last fifteen minutes with talking about what he looked like but … oh well, it's natural for him to be curious, isn't it? I took out my iPhone again and scrolled through the folder with all sorts of pictures I took some day. I had a whole bunch of pictures of Taemin – of course, I was staring at them most of the time – but it took me one or two minutes to find the most beautiful one.
„There you go.“ I finally leaned over to him and handed him the phone. His eyes widened when he saw how beautiful the boy I was talking about actually was.

I had taken this one on my last evening on board. Taemin was standing at the railing, forming a „V“ with both of his hands which he held close to his face. His brown eyes were sparkling in the light of the setting sun and his hair seemed to be moving because of the wind blowing through them. A somewhat sad and innocent smile crossed his face – I sighed a bit when I remembered the way we had said goodbye to each other, it had been such a sad evening.

„Wow, he's beautiful.“ Jinki said and kept on staring down at the picture on the screen. „Damn, and he's really that poor? He looks like the child of some super-rich people …“
„I know right.“ I replied and narrowed my eyebrows at him – Jinki was getting kind of excited, I didn't like that at all … although I couldn't really explain why. „Taemin-ah is quite pretty.“
„Pretty?“ he repeated in disbelief and looked down at me. „Kibum, seriously, check your dictionary before trying to describe him. He's beautiful.“
I furrowed my brow at him, the hell was going on with him? He sounded like a fangirl.

When we finally reached the road to our flats Jinki seemed to be all about Taemin. He kept on repeating how beautiful he was, how great he was and he was actually starting to beg me to take him with me to the harbour tomorrow – I refused to take him with me though.

' God … Jinki hyung is getting on my nerves like hell. Won't he shut up? I know that Taeminnie is beautiful, I don't need him to tell me. After all, I'll be living with him from tomorrow on … if I wouldn't know better I'd say he's got a crush on Taemin-ah … '

„You really won't take me with you?“ he pouted when I took out my keys and started to unlock the door to the house I lived in. I forced a smile and tried to sound like I wasn't annoyed. „I won't. Taemin-ah is quite shy, especially around strangers, I don't want him to be scared when he gets here.“
„But I'm not scary at all!“
„Jinki hyung … you get the point, don't you?“ he pouted more and nodded in frustration, kicking a stone on the ground. „But you'll introduce me to him soon, won't you?“
„Sure.“
„Promise?“
„Neh.“ he did a kind of victory-pose and actually jumped one or two times before pulling me into a gentle hug. I frowned, being caught off-guard. „Thanks, Kibum.“ he said. „I'll give you a call, okay?“ I nodded and chuckled when he let me go.

' The hell is up with him now …? He rarely hugs anyone, especially not me. He only used to hug his ex-girlfriend … '

I waved as he wandered off and entered the hallway quickly, trying to get as much distance between us as possible. Somehow I had really felt uncomfortable around him.

________________________________________________________________________________


„Neh, don't worry, I'll come and pick you up. Yes, I'll be on time, I promise. Omo, Taemin-ah, stop asking so many questions!“ I laughed when I heard him letting out a somewhat disappointed sigh on the other end of the line – I could practically see him pouting. „Stop worrying, of course I'm not gonna forget you.“
I was lying on my bed, my legs crossed and leaning against the wall on the opposite of me. Pressing my iPhone against my ear I was fiddling with my sheets by using my other hand.

„I'm just nervous.“ he mumbled and I chuckled once more. „A-And I'm excited. I've never really lived with anyone …“

„Excited in a good or bad way?“

„Good, of course.“

„Well then I guess it's gonna be fine, right?“ he giggled and I felt my face heating up a bit – I hadn't heard his giggle for a while because we rarely called each other. Text messaging, yes, but calling was just way too expensive since he was sailing through the Caribbean most of the time and I was, well … I was here, in Asia.

„Hyung, I miss you.“ he whined a bit and caused me to smile at the wall.
„I miss you, too.“ I replied and hoped that he would know that I was smiling – he might cheer up if he knew that I really really meant it.

„Hyung, can I ask something?“

„Shoot.“

„Am I going to have my own room?“ I snorted at the unexpected question, how did he think of that all of a sudden? How did he get from 'I miss you' to something like that?

„Yah, don't laugh!“ he moaned and it was like I could feel the heat of his blush through the phone. „Sorry, Taemin-ah.“ I said and tried hard not to burst out laughing at his incredible cuteness. „Sorry to say this, but my flat is kind of small … I thought you and I could share a room? You'd get your own bed of course, I just didn't buy one yet. I wanted you to pick one out.“
„Aww, that's fine!“ he said loudly. „I don't mind sharing a room!“

I giggled and removed my legs from the wall, sitting upright again – I was pretty tired, it was past midnight already, I wanted to go to sleep now. „Taemin-ah, would you mind if we'd hang up now? I'm kind of … tired.“
„Oh, okay … sure, sleep tight hyung! I'll see you tomorrow, right?“
„Neh, of course.“

________________________________________________________________________________

Jinki texted me at least six times the next day, asking whether I had changed my mind about him coming along to pick Taemin up – my answer was still the same though, and I was definitely not going to change it, no matter how many times he'd ask.
I was getting the feeling that he was … kind of … crushing on Taemin, and I really didn't like that. If it was up to me I'd make sure that he'd get himself a girlfriend right away so I wouldn't have to worry about him starting to hit on my cute friend as soon as they met.
Because of that I didn't text him back after the third message but kept on ignoring him. When he called I didn't pick up and waited for my mailbox to get the call for me.

Instead of worrying about him acting all hyper about Taemin I cleaned my flat all day long, moving some of the furniture to a different spot just so I could put it back again – I wasn't satisfied when I was done but it looked better than before. I had prepared the couch for Taemin so he could sleep on it, I'd take him to a furniture-shop on Monday since we couldn't go to one on Sundays.
I ended up running to the next gift-shop, buying a teddy bear for him which I put on the pillow on the couch – I sure hoped he was going to like it …
I even prepared something to eat. Ever since I had lived on my own my cooking skills had improved quite a lot, I was actually able to cook a lot of dishes by now. Though I didn't really know whether they were delicious, but both me and Jonghyun could eat it without puking right afterwards, so I guessed it was fine. Putting it into the oven in order to keep it somewhat warm I noticed that I had to leave if I wanted to be on time … it was already ten past eight and I was bound to need at least half an hour to the harbour.
I grabbed my iPhone, wallet and earphones and stormed out of my flat while putting my jacket on. It was still cold outside but that was really the last thing on my mind now. Turning on a nice song I turned it to the maximum volume and headed towards the bus station quickly, my heart racing to no end and hammering against my chest – if this kept on I was going to faint as soon as I saw Taemin.

When I finally reached the information desk at the harbour and asked where the next big cruiser would dock at – the woman gave me a somewhat disgusted look as she stared at my dyed hair and leather jacket but gave me the info I needed nevertheless. I joked a bit and told her that I was going to visit the captain because he was my father, you wouldn't believe how shocked she looked like when I said that. I chuckled and quickly ran off, heading towards the dock she had sent me to.

Somehow the harbour was very crowded, especially the dock Taemin would arrive at was full with people … ' They're probably the new cruise guests. '

Walking around the crowd I checked my watch and realized that the ship should be here within the next twenty minutes, which meant that it'd be probably be less than ten minutes until I would be able to see it. I sat down on one of the benches around and scrolled my song list in order to find something better to listen to when my phone started ringing all of a sudden. I received a couple of weird looks, again, when they heard my rather unusual ringtone.
I sighed in annoyance when I saw that Jinki was calling. For a second I was about to decline him, but I picked up nevertheless – he was my friend after all, wasn't he?

„Hello?“ I asked and held the phone against my ear, keeping my eyes busy by watching the many people around me.

' Yup, they are definitely the new cruise guests. Just look at their clothes and their hair and … god, I can't believe my parents are like that, too. '

„Kibum!“ he replied loudly and I could literally hear how excited he was. „Kibum, where are you!?“

„Uhm … I'm at the harbour … Why do you ask?“

„Is Taemin-ah there yet?“

„No.“

„When will he arrive?“

„Soon.“

„When exactly?“

„Gee, Jinki hyung, why are you so … so … worked up because of Taeminnie?“ I heard him sigh on the other end of the line and rolled my eyes slightly – this was bugging me and I couldn't really say why. I just didn't like the thought of him flirting with Taemin, even though me and him were not a couple. I had a crush on him, yes, and I believed that Taemin had one on me, too but neither of us had really said it like that. The way we said „I love you“ was more like the way friends told themselves that they loved each other.
„I'm just curious about him, you know?“ Jinki answered and giggled a bit. „Please, promise to introduce me to him soon, I really really wanna meet him!“

„Neh, calm down. You'll meet him, I promise. But not today and probably not tomorrow … Maybe Monday.“

„Okay, thanks Kibum!“ I mentally slapped myself – Monday was so soon already … „By the way, would you mind if I came over tomorrow morning? I left my bag over at your place when I visited you two days ago …“

„Yes, of course you can.“ I said. „When will you come?“

„8 am? I have to be at work at 9.“

„That's fine.“

„Alright. I gotta go now, boss is calling … See you tomorrow morning then.“

„Sure. Good luck, hyung. Catch you later.“
We hung up and I put my phone away again, staring around the dock once more. When I finally saw the bow of the cruiser I literally jumped to my feet, excitement rushing from my head to my toes. The big ship actually didn't need much time in order to fully get to the dock and to stop with a loud toot. I felt my cellphone vibrating once more and blushed slightly when I saw that Taemin was the one calling now. I picked up quickly and before I could say anything at all I heard him laughing loudly and calling my name.

„Kibum hyung!“ he chirped. „I can see you! Look up to the top, I can see you!“ I looked up and gazed up to the top of the multiple-storey cruiser where I could actually see a slender frame waving and jumping in excitement. „Can you see me, hyung!?“
I chuckled and nodded, also raising my hand in order to wave. „Neh, I can see you.“ I replied and laughed a bit harder when I heard him giggling loudly – he jumped higher and waved more enthusiastically. „Yah, Taemin-ah, you're quite excited, huh?“
„Yes, yes, yes! I'm excited!“ he said. „This thing should go faster! I wanna leave it right now!“
I couldn't help but laughing louder and waved at him again, smiling up brightly. „Calm down, Taeminnie … You'll be here within the next few minutes, right?“

„Probably not. The staff is leaving lastly … after the guests have left. I think it'll take a few more minutes for me to get off of this thing.“

„Aww, it's okay. I'll wait for you.“

„Neh, thank you, hyung!“

I sat down on one of the bollards and kept on talking to him via phone until most of the cruise guests had finally left the ship. About one hour had passed until I saw him waving at me, saying that he was gonna go and get his stuff now because he could leave and watched him as he ran to the lower deck.
„Hyung, will you wait at the entrance? I'll be there within the next few minutes!“ I promised to wait and pushed myself to my feet, hastily walking over to where he wanted me to wait for him.
The music I was listening to now was turned up to the maximum and I could still hear my heart beating loudly – I've never been this excited before, it was a great feeling, knowing that the person you liked was gonna be with you soon.
When I finally spotted Taemins blonde hair between the many black-heads I could hardly hold my happiness in anymore and started waving and jumping, just like he had done it before as well. Continuing to do that I waited until he had finally spotted me as well, answering to my waving with the cutest of all smiles. He fought his way through the crowd, dragging his suitcase and sleeping bag with him until he was finally just ten meters away from me.
Tears crawled up in my eyes as he ran the past few meters and jumped into my arms, dropping his stuff and straddling my waist gently. I felt how his slender hands were looping around my neck and noticed how he was pressing his face into my shoulder – he was giggling like hell.
We continued on hugging each other for what seemed like hours until we broke away – I put him down and quickly wiped my tears away because I didn't want him to see them. He might get the wrong idea … like I was sad or something like that. Though when I looked into his eyes I saw the same tears of happiness streaming down his cheeks.

„Don't cry, honey.“ I mumbled and wiped them away with my thumb. „We're back together, right? No need to weep about it.“
„N-Neh.“ he whispered and chortled happily, closing his eyes for a second. „I'm just … happy … you know? I missed you so much.“

I felt how my mouth curled up into a bright smile and ruffled his hair gently, being happier than ever.

“Is this all of your stuff?” I asked as I bent down and picked up the suitcase he had been carrying.
“Neh.” Taemin replied and grabbed the sleeping bag. “I don't really have many things … Is that bad?”
“Yah, that's not what I meant, dummy.” I poked his forehead and earned a blush and giggle from him. “I was just wondering. Shall we get going then? You must be tired, right … ?”

“Uhm … I'm a bit exhausted but not very tired … “

“That's the same.”

“More or less.”

“Close enough.” of course I was just teasing him, but it was pretty amusing to see him blushing at that so much. I shook my head and offered him my hand, still holding his suitcase. “You ready to go?” Taemin nodded and intertwined his fingers with mine, smiling shyly as we left the dock slowly.

' This is even better than I expected it to be … Did he become more beautiful or is it just me … ? '

Just when we were heading for the bus station I noticed two people ahead of us – they were terribly familiar, and I would've rather ignored them but … I knew I couldn't. I hadn't seen them for months now, but now that they were here I had to say Hello at least – they were my parents after all.
Taemin hadn't noticed them yet, and I hated myself for telling him that they were there, he had bad memories when it came to them.
“Hyung.” he mumbled and I felt his grip on my hand tighten, just like I had expected it to be. “Can we go somewhere else?”
I sighed before I shook my head and answered: “Sorry, Taemin-ah, let me just say 'Hi', okay? I haven't seen or talked to them for months now … It'll only take a second, don't worry.”
He held onto me like a scared child and followed me obediently as I headed straight for them – when they saw me I could immediately see the eyebrows of my father narrow deeply, he didn't seem to be happy that I was there, not at all.

“Hello.” I said and stopped, just like they did, Taemin moved to the side and tried to hide himself from my parents.
“Hello, Kibum.” my mother said and I saw how her nostrils widened when she exhaled deeply. “How have you been?”

“I've been doing fine, thank you.” I was watching my tone a lot now. Usually I didn't care about their opinion but right now … I wanted to show them that I could handle my life on my own. “What about you?”

“We are going on a cruise again.” my mother answered and glanced over at the ship. “For three weeks.”

“How nice.”
I waited a few seconds, feeling how Taemin was clinging to my hand and arm as he loitered behind me. “What have you been doing lately?” my mother asked as she took a little step to the side, trying to glimpse at the boy behind me. “Just fine.” I said in response. “I got myself a job right after I moved out.”
“You really got yourself a job?” her eyes widened at that while my fathers expression remained stern and unimpressed. He merely said: “You do know that we are paying alimentation for you each month, right?”

I nodded and shrugged, of course I knew that, I was saving the money they sent me. I planned on using it to go on a vacation as soon as I had saved enough.
“I know.” I replied. “But I want to earn my own money, I'm saving the money you send me.” for a moment I thought I had seen a glimpse of pride in my mothers eyes which confused me a bit – but when I blinked and focused on her again that expression had vanished completely, being replaced by the same stern look from before.
' Right, there's no reason for them to be proud of me … '
I knew it was a bad idea but at the moment I really didn't care.

“Father, do you remember Taemin-ah?” I forced Taemin to get into the spotlight by pulling him over gently and only felt a bit of guilt rising in my chest when I saw the shocked expression on his face – the poor boy looked like he was ready to faint any minute.
“Aren't you that waiter boy?” my father snapped and examined Taemin from the top of his head down to his feet.
“N-Neh …” Taemin mumbled in response and quickly bowed his head at my parents. “I'm Taemin. I-It's an honour to meet you …”
I narrowed my eyebrows at my parents when they only scanned him quickly, a look of obvious dislike in their eyes. I bet they only remembered him as the poor boy who had spilled their god dammed wine.

“Yes, I remember.” father said slowly. “That waiter boy … Have you returned to Korea to go back to your village?” Taemin twitched at that, looking a bit hurt when father practically spat the last word into his face – I grabbed his hand and squeezed it softly, trying to assure him that he didn't have to be scared.
“I-I returned … because I wanna live in Seoul now …” Taemin mumbled and glanced at me, begging me for help.

“He's moving in with me.” I then said, nodding in final. I smiled at the boy next to me, letting go of his hand so that I could put an arm around his shoulders. “We're gonna live together from now on.” my fathers jaw dropped at that – my mother put on some kind of poker face and remained still. I could already tell that father was very mad at that and I was assured that I had been right when he said: “Are you two gay?”

Taemin blushed furiously and took a tiny step backwards.
“Well, are you!?” he snapped and glimpsed between me and Taemin continously – I figured it'd be a good idea to end this now … I didn't want to get into a fight with them any more.
“Have a nice cruise.” I said and raised my hand in order to wave them goodbye. There was a faint smile on my mothers lips as we simply left them there, quickly walking off and heading for the bus station.

Taemin was actually quite tall but after that encounter he seemed incredibly small. We headed for the bus-station without saying anything at all. I looked back one more time just to see my parents giving me a slight look of confusion before shrugging it off and heading for the big cruiser. I sighed and dragged the flushed Taemin with me, him being a bit slower than me because of the kind of big sleeping bag he was carrying.
It was uncomfortable and I didn't like it at all but we spent the whole bus-tour in silence, only talking when Taemin was asking whether we were there yet – he sighed when I told him that it would take a few minutes to walk.

“Are you that tired?” I asked and smiled at him, receiving a rather confused look in response. “It's not that I'm tired.” he answered. “I'm just drained from work …”
“Aww, it's okay … As soon as we get home you can rest, I promise.” he returned the smile and turned his gaze ahead, watching the giant buildings around us pass as we finally left the bus and made our way through the crowded streets of Seoul. I didn't talk to him now, I felt like I should give him some time to take a thorough look around since he had probably never been to such a big city before. I seemed to be right when his eyes got so big that they looked like they were gonna pop out soon. He was clinging to my arm and staying as close as possible, causing me to almost stumble over his legs sometimes – of course I didn't mind the closeness though. Still, I was kind of relieved when we finally entered the house I lived in – I unlocked the door to my flat and let Taemin go inside first … it didn't take him more than a second to look astonished and taken aback. In fact, he looked like he was ready to cry soon.

“You okay, Taemin-ah?” I asked and closed the door behind me. Dropping his bag onto the floor I moved over to him and put a hand onto his shoulder, waiting for an answer. When he didn't reply I was kind of worried and shook him softly, asking one more time. He only turned around though, looking at me with his big, brown eyes. He was a bit teary and I was confused about that … though, that turned out to be okay when he muttered: “Hyung, I'm happy.” he closed his eyes and smiled widely, causing my heart to stop beating for a second. I returned the smile and pulled him into a hug by holding him close and wrapping my arms around him. Taemin didn't hesitate to return to hug and buried his face in my chest – I felt how my shirt got a bit wet, but that was fine with me.
I his hair and put my chin onto the top of his head … was it weird for me to think that Taemin smelled incredibly good?

When Taemin let go of me I had to fight with myself to let go as well and pulled away from him kinda sadly. He quickly wiped his cheeks and rubbed his eyes, trying to get the few tears away. Right then he got his hands onto his bag and sleeping bag and asked: “Where do I stay, hyung?”
I blinked a few times before chuckling and pointing at my room straight ahead. I got him into the room and helped him to put his stuff into the closet – I had made room, especially for him … I usually disliked sharing something as precious as my closet, but Taemin was different.

“Where do I sleep?” Taemin asked when he was hanging up one of his many jackets.
“Uh, I thought you could sleep in the living room.” I said and pointed through the small hallway. “There, I prepared the couch for you.”
“Oh …” Taemins smile faded a bit. “Thank you, hyung …” I narrowed my eyebrows – he looked so sad suddenly, did I say something wrong? Though, when I asked him about that he said it was nothing and put his smile back on again.

As soon as we were done I took Taemin to the kitchen in order to give him something to eat – of course I warned him about my food, but he said it was probably gonna be delicious so he just trusted into my cooking skills.
Since my kitchen was small Taemin had to squeeze in between the counter and the table, but he said it was okay since he was so skinny and slender anyway. We ate in complete silence – sadly – but Taemin told me a few times that it tasted good and that I shouldn't worry so much. In fact, when he said that it caused me to blush to no end and I could have kissed him for praising my cooking skills.

When Taemin told me that he wanted to go to sleep already I was pretty sad but could understand that of course – after all, he had worked all day long. So I took him to the living room and closed the curtains.
“Do you think you'll be up for breakfast?” I asked and watched as he looked around inside of his bag in order to find his pyjamas. He looked up. “Hm?” he hummed. “What did you say?” I smiled and repeated my question. It confused him for a second, so I pointed at the clock – it was almost one am by now, and I had to work today.
“Can't we have breakfast at lunchtime?” Taemin asked. I shook my head. “Sorry Taemin-ah, but I have to work today.” the soft smile from before faded even more and he nodded sadly. “But if you want I can come and pick you up during my lunch break.” I quickly offered. “You can stay at my working place then and meet one of my friends … What do you think?”
“Your friend …?” Taemin repeated and blushed deeply. He looked down on his stuff and twiddled his thumbs a bit. “But … hyung, I'm no good around strangers …” I waved him off and said: “You'll feel comfortable around Jinki. He's a heart-warming person – and he really likes you.”

With that I probably broke the cooler inside of Taemins head. His face became so red I was afraid it might explode so I quickly left the room in order to give him enough space to change into his pyjamas. Meanwhile I did the same and sat down on my bed, reading until Taemin knocked onto my door. I thought he'd just come in afterwards but when he didn't I called him in and found it really cute how he was kind of hiding behind of the door before stepping inside.
He was wearing a white pair of pants with a Snoopy print on it and a also white shirt with Mickey Mouse – he was just the same as back then on the ship.

“You look cute.” I cooed and moved over to him. He smiled and thanked me while I started his hair and patting his head. “You wanna go to bed now?”
“Neh.” he said and grabbed my hand. “Hyung, if you're going to work tomorrow … then will I be alone when I wake up?”
“Probably yes.” I said and shrugged. “I'll put something to eat out, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Oh, and Jinki is coming over tomorrow morning in order to pick up his jacket – I'll leave together with him.” Taemin blinked in confusion. “Means that, if you hear any stranger voice tomorrow morning,” I started explaining and cupped his face with my hands, “then just go back to sleep and don't worry, okay? No robbery or anything like that, everything's fine.” Taemin giggled and puffed his cheeks out so that he looked a bit like a squirrel. I laughed and nudged his nose with my index finger before telling him to go to bed already. He nodded and hugged me before waddling out of my room again – he closed the door behind him.

With a soft smile I sat down on my bed and put the book aside before lying down. I turned the light off and closed my eyes in order to fall asleep.

Still, it seemed like only seconds had passed when I woke up by feeling someone shaking my shoulders. My name was being called softly and I felt the warm hands of someone on my bare arms. I yawned widely and forced my eyelids open – that way I found myself looking up at Taemin who was standing in front of my bed. His eyes were red and puffy, he looked like he had cried.
“Taemin-ah?” I moaned and pushed myself into a sitting position. My eyes glanced at my alarm clock on my nightstand – five am. “Are you okay?” he shook his head and whispered: “Kibum hyung … I had a nightmare … Can I sleep with you …?”
I was way too tired to feel excited or happy about that, not to mention that I couldn't even blush now. So I just pulled the blanket aside and moved backwards, making room for him. He let out a relieved sigh, thanked me a lot and crawled underneath of the blanket with me. I felt his clothed legs getting entangled with my bare ones – I was wearing boxers during the night only – and gently put my arms around him so that I could pull him closer. He didn't seem to mind and rested his head on my arm and his hands on my chest – it was quickly getting very warm, but I really enjoyed it like that.
I felt safe with him like that and even kissed the top of his head before lying back again and falling asleep one more time.

________________________________________________________________________________


I woke up by the sound of my alarm clock – six fifty in the morning.
With a groan I tried to lean over in order to shut it down, but my movements were restricted by something next to me – it was then that I remembered that Taemin was still there. I stopped trying to lean over him and looked down, seeing that he was blinking sleepily up to me.
His blonde hair was sticking out to every direction, causing him to look ridiculously adorable. His legs were still entangled with mine and I could still feel his hands on my chest. He moaned a Good morning before closing his eyes again and leaning back against my chest. I felt myself blushing deeply but also noticed a wide smile on my face. I returned the Good morning and finally leaned over him completely so that I could shut down the alarm.

“Taemin-ah.” I said quietly and nudged him softly. “Taemin-ah, I need to get up. Jinki hyung will be here in ten minutes.” Taemin shook his head and buried his face in my chest. “Don't go, Kibum hyung.” he moaned. “You're comfortable.” I chuckled and patted his head before pulling my arm out by force. He complained a bit when I climbed over him but huddled himself back into the sheets quickly and I could tell that he had fallen asleep fast.
So I just got ready quickly and put on the usual clothes for work when I heard the doorbell ringing already. I hurried out of my room and closed the door behind me before opening up to Jinki. He was wearing his working clothes as well, he was smiling brightly, just like he usually was.

“Hey there.” he said and saluted to me. “How's it going?”
“I'm damn tired.” I said and rubbed my eyes to prove that statement. “Didn't sleep a lot.” he laughed. “How come?” he asked. “Did you watch TV all night or did your friend keep you up?”
“Second.”
“Oh, so what did you do?” he grinned so ertedly that I knew exactly what he meant and slapped his arm in order to tell him off. Since we had still one hour left until we'd have to leave for work I invited him to breakfast – he took that offer gladly and stepped inside.

“Be quiet though, hyung.” I said when we sat down in the kitchen. “Taemin-ah is sleeping.” Jinki mouthed an O. “I see …” he said quietly and pursed his lips. I offered him a Coffee and handed him a cup. “He came last night and said he had a nightmare.” I told him with a slightly embarrassed smile on my face. “He asked whether he could sleep with me.”
“Sleep with you?” Jinki repeated and snorted with laughter. “Probably not in the way I think, right?”
“Of course not. You're a erted monkey, Taemin-ah is not like that.”
“Yeah, right.” he gave me a weird look and started drinking his Coffee.

We were talking for a while until I suddenly heard knocking on the kitchen door. Jinki and I both fell silent and turned to the door – just to see that there was nothing there. I narrowed my eyebrows, especially when the knocking was there again.
“Taemin-ah, you can come in if you want.” I then said and chuckled when he peeked around the door. He had my blanket wrapped around his shoulders and looked very sleep-drunken even though he had just slept again. I glanced at Jinki and saw him staring at Taemin.
“Did we wake you?” I asked and gestured for him to come over. He shook his head and came over very slowly, keeping his gaze at the floor. “You should go back to sleep, Taeminnie. You haven't slept a lot yet. Even I'm still tired.”
“Neh …” he mumbled. “But I'm thirsty …” I chuckled and got up so that I could get him a cup of water. “By the way,” I said, “that guy over there is Jinki. He's nice, don't worry.”
“Hi.” Jinki said and I heard his chair being pulled back. “Nice to meet you.”
“Uh, neh … Nice to meet you, too.”

When I turned around again I saw how Taemin bowed to Jinki and saw how Jinki was smiling wider than ever – I didn't like that.
“Here you go, Taemin-ah.” I said and handed him the water. “Now, go back to sleep … I'll come and pick you up during my lunch break, okay?” he nodded, took the cup and waddled out of the room again.

“Isn't he cute?” I asked and sat down on Jinkis opposite again. “He's pretty shy.” Jinki said and looked after him. “But he really is beautiful.”
“Yeah, I know.”


*


So ... to people who do read this (or don't) what do you think ...? C: