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CONNECTION.

BLOSSOM.

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“Oh! Here it is!” yelled Taemin gladly; eyes twinkled and face brightened up.

Taemin’s head materialized between the clothes that were piled up in a small mountain. Minho let out a happy sigh and descended his phone from his ear. He tapped on the ‘End Call’ and sprouted a smile on his face. His hand that held the costly gadget shoved itself into the pocket. He kept his phone in the pocket and stood on his spot with a proud smile decorating his charismatic face.

“Told you, my method will work.” said Minho, still had the self-satisfied smirk on his face.

Taemin whispered a soft giggle and scuttled his way clumsily towards Minho, holding his phone tightly in his small hand. His contented beam was somehow permanent on his visage. Just a meter away from the older, he accidentally slipped on the cluttered-up floor and lost his balance completely. Reflexively, the older launched forward and caught the younger boy in his long beefy arms.

The world stopped around them.

There was only silence, interrupted by their hurrying breaths.

Taemin’s flushing face was hid in the rapper’s right stiff shoulder. His thin arms hanging on his sides, immobile. His breathing rushed in attempt to calm his rapid-pumping heart down. His face was pinkish. Someway, the other boy was stock-still in his position too. The arms that were tightly enfolded around Taemin’s frame seemed not going to loosen. Blood surfaced under his suddenly peaky skin. His face was scarlet and embarrassing. Lucky that Taemin was facing the other way; he would not see the shy countenance of Minho.

“P-phone saved…. I did a great job, didn’t I?” said Minho, his nervous words splitting through the uneasy stillness.

“Hyung, it’s just a phone. You talked as if you just saved the world.” mumbled Taemin, his line muffled by the textile of Minho’s shirt.

After all, it was yet understandable enough for Minho to know. He gradually slackened the tight embrace. He undraped his arms from around the midriff of the small body and let them dangled freely on his sides. Instinctively, Taemin took an awkward step backwards and stabilized his body on his own, being embarrassed by their position momentarily before.

Taemin coughed the discomfiture between them away. A prepared chuckle streamed out from his throat, billowing in the air. He stopped his futile funny act and cleared his throat as he gained zero respond or laugh from Minho shortly.

“We’re not always this gauche.” stated Minho out of blue, voicing it as a matter-of-fact.

“Wha…at?” asked Taemin, mystified by the sudden statement.

“Are you feeling unwell, Tae?” asked Minho curiously.

“No! I am absolutely 100% fine! Dude, you’re the one who’s sick.” said Taemin with a fake grin; his hand mischievously punched Minho’s shoulder.

Minho shrugged the incessant thoughts away and curled an innocent smile. He draped his arm around Taemin’s shoulders and playfully squeezed them. Taemin let out a chuffed whine and leaned into the source of warmth. Minho chuckled and ruffled Taemin’s silky locks of hairs.

“You’re just like him, Taemin.” mumbled Minho unconsciously, a small longing smile played on his lips.

Taemin dropped the cheerful smile that just momentarily appeared on his face. He turned his head around to look at Minho, demanding for explanation on his mumble shortly before. Minho gazed at him for a long time; a craving expression on his face. A soft contact under his chin brought Taemin to sense. He looked at Minho’s chubby lips, biting his lower lip in attempt to hold himself. Shortly after, he shifted his stare into Minho’s round eyes. Minho tilted his chin. Unexpectedly, he angled his face, still holding on Taemin’s chin.

A perfect angle for him to kiss Taemin.

Taemin closed his eyes gradually and waited for it.

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“What’s wrong with him, Jonghyun?”

The idiotic smile still lingered on the boy’s face, refusing to be wiped away by any talking of the others. Taemin brought his forefinger to his lips and let it danced lightly on the pinkish flesh. For a few minutes, he could not help but streamed out adorable giggles into the air. Being conscious that his face was toning with cherry color, he promptly curtained his shady-pink visage from the others with his palms. His cheeks were unusually heating up. The preceding incident ran in his mind unstoppably, causing louder giggles to flee from his mouth.

“Key, did you feed him anything out of the ordinary this morning?” asked Jonghyun, nudging at Kibum’s forearm.

“No, hyung. Why would I do that, idiot?” replied Kibum, eyes glued on the giggling boy on the couch.

“Then, why is he acting like that? Giggling? That’ll be the last thing on his daily list, usually.” said Jonghyun, eyebrows crossed in puzzlement.

“Maybe Minho had given up using the touches he used to do and used something else to calm him down? He’s been like this since they came out from his room. It’s totally weird.” said Kibum, suggesting the unknown reason to Jonghyun.

“That’s a plainly nonsense. Minho wouldn’t do that. Or maybe he’s sick? A fever, perhaps? He’d been working hard a lot these days.” guessed Jonghyun, totally rejecting Kibum’s speculation.

“Impossible, hyung! He looked okay since yesterday till he came out from his room just now. Ah! Maybe something funny, in you-know-what-I-mean way, happened in there?” guessed Kibum’s again, looking over the boy who was giggling.

“What do you mean, Key?” asked Jonghyun, raising one of his eyebrows in puzzlement.

“A…kiss?” replied Key hesitantly.

“That’s freaking illogical! I know that Minho is a homo but I’m pretty sure Taemin is not one. Though he acts all chuffed when Minho touches him but that wouldn’t confirm him as a homo too. He…he…” blurted Jonghyun out, apparently unsure of his choice of words.

“Out of words? I’m not blind, hyung. I can see that Minho sees Taemin as something more than friend. Taemin is not acting discomforted by it anyway. He seems to like, no, I think he loves it.” stated Kibum confidently, absolutely certain with his standpoint.

“B-but…but-” the flow of Jonghyun’s words was cut by Taemin’s interruption.

Taemin was looking at them with a pair of beady eyes, twinkling in pure bliss. His hand balled up into tiny fists; his small head resting on them. He puffed his cheeks out and exhaled soundly. He sighed contentedly and closed his eyes happily. A short second later, he opened back his eyes. A wide delightful beam beautified his flawless face.

“Jonghyun-hyung, Key-hyung.” called him in his innocent voice.

“Y-yeah?” replied both of the boys standing near the couch in synchronize.

“Life is beautiful, isn’t it? Ahh… I should have known about it earlier. This is pure happiness. I love you guys, as a brother, of course.” said Taemin, exposing his innocent side.

Both of the elders’ jaws were figuratively on the floor at that moment.

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‘A perfect angle for him to kiss Taemin.

Taemin closed his eyes gradually and waited for it.

Their faces were just inches away, that Taemin could feel the warmth of Minho’s hot breath against his face. He opened his eyes and stared into Minho’s eyes. Their heartbeats were speeding up rapidly, creating a bubble of anxious anticipation around the pair. Their eyes were glued to each other. They just did not find the reason they should break the stare. Somehow, it just made them felt more comfortable with the eye contact, instead of looking somewhere else.

“Min-ah…” whispered Minho huskily, expressing how craving he was at that moment.

“Y-yes, Minho?” replied Taemin, containing himself.

Minho straightened back his face and shifted his limbs to a more comfy position. He draped his right arm around Taemin’s slim waist and held a loose grip on the cotton shirt of the boy. The other arm s its way to the behind of Taemin’s head. He ran his long fingers into the glossy hair. With a light force, he brought their foreheads to unite together; their noses touched at the tips.

Taemin was feeling extremely nervous. His breathing was a little rushed along with the quick pumping of his heart. He could taste the minty breath of Minho that entered into his mouth through the thin slit of his lips. His arms hang limply on his sides; palms turning uncomfortably sweaty all of a sudden. He was not sure whether they were doing the right thing or not.

“Min-ah, please…” murmured Minho sensually; his mounting desire conveyed in his tone of voice.

Both of them shut their eyes down slowly.

Minho angled his face again and was ready to plant the sweetest thing on Taemin’s lips. Their lips touched each other lightly. Taemin could butterflies forming in his stomach. Minho slowly pressed his lips against Taemin’s plump ones. Instinctively, Taemin slanted his face to an ideal angle to fit Minho’s lips in between his. He widened the small gap between his lips, letting Minho’s lower lips sandwiched in between.

Taemin felt as if his heart just exploded with joy. The butterflies doubled up and flied around freely in his stomach. Colorful fireworks blasted imaginarily above his head. His first kiss was with Minho. It was more than he hoped for at that moment. He could never be more grateful than he was currently being.

They were stock-still in their position. Minho embraced the frame of the boy tighter, bringing their body glued to each other. Their body heat was shared evenly. Minho was the first one to disconnect the lips contact. Taemin whined inwardly. He wanted and needed the luscious lips on his lips again. Both of them breathed each other’s air after holding their breath for a good moment.

Shortly later, Minho pressed his lips again on Taemin’s lips. Taemin made a gap for Minho’s lower lip to fit in between his. They kissed for about a second and broke the contact. They kissed again and again. Their lips were lubricated by their mixed saliva and made it easier for them to move their lips against each other.

Once, twice, thrice, they could kiss eternally if the priority of oxygen did not materialize. Taemin was the first one to pull away from the kiss. They were panting, breathing as much air as they could. Taemin was a little dizzy because of the lack of oxygen. The fact that this was his first experience did not help much to abate his wooziness. He his lips to remove the layer of saliva coating them.

“Minki-ah…” mumbled Minho inaudibly.

Taemin was unconscious of the name Minho had just uttered. He raised his head to look at Minho. Minho’s eyes were rounder than usual. There was a small gap between his wet lips. He looked shocked. His countenance was kinda ominous to Taemin. The longs arms that were enveloping Taemin’s body slackened and lost contact with it subsequently. Minho’s arms dangled on his sides.

Minho took a scared step backwards and looked flabbergasted. He tried to speak proper words but everything was muddled up into useless babble. Taemin shaped an encouraging smile on his face and hoped that it would calm the rapper down. In some indescribable way, Minho was calmer by looking at the smile.

“Taemin, I’m ... I’m really sorry about that.” said Minho, apologizing for nothing.

“It’s okay, Minho. I’m-” said Taemin, his line was cut.

“No! It is not okay, Taemin. I got carried away just now. You…him… I’m really sorry about the kiss. I … need to go. Sorry.” said Minho; face was red.

Minho turned around and quickly walked towards the door. Taemin looked at the way Minho unnatural steps. He was hiding something. Taemin was sure about it. His eyebrows crossed in curiosity. As Minho closed the door, Taemin got a glimpse at the reason of Minho’s weird act. There was a tent in his pants, exactly at the crotch.

“I couldn’t have aroused him that much…” mumbled Taemin idly; his hand was brought to his mouth.

His first kiss was taken by Minho. The boy that he just realized, he loved all of this time.

Nevertheless, that was not the core issue at the moment. The thing that Taemin did not know, and Minho himself was unsure about…

That kiss, Taemin’s first kiss, was not meant for him but for Minki.’

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With every second that was ticking on the clock, Taemin was being more and more different in SHINee’s point of view. It was truly scary to them. The youngest had never put on a smile all day long. Either there were cameras around or not, that was not a reason to kill the smile. He was happier than usual and that freaked the other members out quite a lot.

Yes, they should be glad about that but the reality that their maknae was acting unusual was creepy. Yet, there was a thing that nobody other than Kibum had recognized. There was too much of 2MIN lately. It even overshadowed Jongkey moment acts. Moreover, the moments of 2MIN looked too real to be called ‘fanservice’. Kibum was a little provoked by them but, as an understanding hyung, he knew very well that Taemin was in love.

“Taemin…” called Jonghyun from the boy’s back; the caller was flicking through a magazine.

Taemin turned around to face the older. A flashy smile was plastered on his face. His eyes sparkled with delight. His innocent side. Jonghyun hoisted his head and crept out by the bright smile. He shook his head and did some calming breathing.

“Yes, Jonghyun-hyung?” said Taemin cheerfully.

“There’s no camera. Man, he’s creeping me out.” muttered Jonghyun, barely audible for the boy.

Kibum, who happened to be passing by them, was seized by Jonghyun’s strong arm. The diva-like boy was surprised that he let out a yelp. He elbowed Jonghyun’s ribs angrily and nagged about his wrinkled jacket. Jonghyun ignored the typical nags and neared his mouth to Kibum’s ear. He whispered something into the ear and causally walked away.

“What the shoe! You wrinkled my precious clothe for that? You make me mad, Jonghyun!” yelled Kibum, loud enough to make people ran away.

There was a faint ‘Sorry, Key!’ before silence greeted them. Kibum stepped nearer to Taemin and heaved out a sigh. Taemin looked at him with a cute interested face.

“What’s wrong, hyung?” asked him; his eyes were round like marbles.

“Our manager wants to meet you, Taemin-ah. And, please. Stop smiling or talking like that in front of Jonghyun anymore. You crept him out.” said Kibum.

“Really?” said Taemin, his eyes became rounder.

“You’re weird now, Taemin. You’re different. You’re usually, more matured than this. What’s wrong with you?” asked Kibum, clearly knew the answer.

“I’m in love, perhaps?” replied Taemin, smiling suggestively.

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It’s double (late) update! I’m sorry about that. I know I’m not a disciplined writer. They kissed but sadly, it was not meant for Taemin. The ‘Minki’ in here is not NUE’ST’s Ren. I just find that the name is sweet. He’s just Minho’s past boyfriend and died of a disease. I’ve no song to be shared for this chapter. So, that’s all.

P.S: Excuse me, guys. I'm curious about this boy. I saved his picture but I can't recall his name. Can anybody kindly tell me about him? Thank you. Here's the pic and credit to the owner of the picture. He's cute anyway.

Sapphire_Headphone

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