Chapter 5

White powder drifted down through the still air of the kitchen.  The apartment was quiet in a way that it had never been since the SHINee boys had moved in. 

Then Lex coughed and the spell was broken.

A snort drifted over from behind the cameras.

A few stifled giggles broke out from Taemin, with Key quick on the dancer’s heels. 

And then Onew felt it bubbling up.  The sense of adrenaline filled-shock that had suddenly abated and now sought to flee his body in whatever manner possible.  He clenched his lips together in a vain attempt to stop the escape of the surging laughter, but as Lex reached up slowly and removed her glasses revealing the suddenly clean skin behind that which stood out with a bright pink hue as an embarrassed flush took her face, Onew couldn’t hold back.

“Oh-ho, Lex…” he said, reaching out and swatting at some of the flour that had settled on her hair, but it didn’t make much of a difference.

They were filming in the SHINee dorm and Lex had been making breakfast for her “brother-in-laws,” when it had happened.  She had been setting about to make pancakes, from scratch, using her grandmother’s recipe.  It was a western style pancake that most of the members of SHINee had never had before and they were kind of excited.  They had apparently decided to help out in the kitchen…but too many cooks just lead to problems.  The bag of flour that she had brought had been taken up by Jonghyun, who got into a mock-fight with Taemin using it – and it had wound up being tossed in the air, where it banged against a chair and popped, just as Lex turned around and she had found herself covered in the powdery substance. 

Lex smiled ruefully up at Onew, “Um…so that happened…”

“Noona…you’re a mess…” Minho laughed from his position leaning against the counter.

“Really?!” She shot back, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “I hadn’t noticed.”

The decision came from the staff to have Lex shower and put on some of Onew’s clothes as she didn’t have any spare things to wear, not having anticipated the boys’ antics and their result this morning. 

Lex disappeared into the bathroom and Onew felt a little niggling sensation in his stomach at the knowledge that behind that door, that small little barrier, Lex was showering in the same place that he had been this morning.  And showering meant .  Lex was in his apartment, in his home. 

He was almost dizzy at the prospect and turned to focus on cleaning up the mess in the kitchen – but mainly just ordering Jonghyun and Taemin to take care of it since they had caused this whole mess in the first place – anything to distract himself from thinking about Lex.

He had almost succeeded too, until he heard the water shut off and he was forcibly reminded that Lex was soon to be re-appearing.

He froze up trying to figure out what he should be doing and knew that the camera crew was going to make a field day of his reaction.  He could feel his face heating up and knew that the blush was going to show even through all of the make-up. 

He stutter-stepped through the kitchen, trying to figure out where he should be when the door clicked open.  Lex’s manager darted forward with a black plastic bag that Lex dumped her dirty clothes into.

Then she stepped into the kitchen proper and Onew had to try to swallow past the block that seemed to have mysteriously formed in his throat. 

There was something entirely too gratifying and just downright hot about seeing a girl dressed in your clothes.  They didn’t fit her exactly, and hung off kind of baggily at some spots, but as Onew spotted little pink toes peeking out from the pooling fabric by her feet and the hallow created by her collarbone as the shirt slid down her shoulder he thought he could feel a part of his lower anatomy tighten.

Oh please, not now! He begged silently, hoping that he didn’t have to try and hide a woody on camera.  Onew turned away and tried to focus back on the mixing that had brought this whole situation on in the first place.  He had started to get the wet ingredients together as the recipe had stated, while Lex had been occupied with the shower. 

Seeing her in a pair of sweatpants that he usually wore, seeing her in the long sleeve shirt that he would wear to bed when it was cold…

Onew clenched his teeth.  This had to stop!  He bit the inside of his lip, glad that the guys were talking with Lex long enough to give him time to calm his little self back down. 

Before he knew it Lex had sidled up next to him at the counter once again. 

The smell of his shampoo wafted up from her.

Onew sighed and put down the recipe card he was holding, why did he even try?

“Changing tapes!” someone yelled behind them.

Lex turned to the sound and Onew made his escape, sliding out of the kitchen and into the room he shared with Taemin and Key.