Taemin lifted his arms above his head and then swung them forward forcefully to help himself up into a sitting position. With the scratch of his head, the young male slid off the edge of the bed, began out the door, and down the hallway. About halfway to reaching the lighted foyer, Taemin did all he could to stall time. If Taemin was being honest, he wasn't looking forward to eating a meal with everybody there. Everybody, as in Minho, Kai, and Mrs. Choi all together because he could imagine how awkward and sticky the situation could get.

The night before when Minho didn't attend the huge dinner for his mother, Jongin kept bothering Taemin by asking all sorts of questions like, "Where's Minho?"  or, "Your lover isn't coming down?" Embarrassing him in every way possible. Luckily, Mrs. Choi was busy conversing with the ladies on the other end of table to hear that. But who knows what that kid will do if Minho comes down tonight? Taemin was silently praying that nothing extreme would be said or done because he was tired of it. He hated people invading his privacy and pushing agendas that should be allowed to form on its own. Even if one of those people is brother-like, Taemin feels it's better to let fate take its course because there was nothing worse than pushing somebody-Minho in this case- to do something they don't want to do or aren't ready for.

The only reason why Taemin is afraid of dinner is that he'll most likely be having to sit next to Minho. Other nights, he never really cared because he hated the idol's guts and tried keeping a distance from him but now that Taemin found out the man's true feelings, he's felt uncomfortably awkward around him. It's not like he's disgusted by the confession- in fact he's far from it- he's just still a little shaken. Having your favorite idol share the sacred emotion of love toward a measly fan is wild and hard to believe. Taemin doesn't want to end up making any mistakes or looking a fool in front of him. To sum it up; he's being shy.

As he entered the chandelier-lit lobby, the butler looked down at his shoes while controlling his heavy, lagging steps when his radio blew up with static.

"Taemin-ah, are you waiting for us to starve or something? Hurry up; you're almost as bad as Minho." Kibum's voice complained. Taemin whined, hating that he was being hurried into the group activity that was giving him terrible anxiety and a tightness in his chest. What was he supposed to do if Jongin says something stupid? Crawl under the table and hide? More like crawl in a hole and rot in there for eternity.

The best thing to do would be to make an excuse to be late as he slowly makes his way to the dining room. Hopefully, by the time he gets there, people would already be finishing up their meal and leaving. "I'm in the bathroom. Start eating without me and I'll be there soon." He said nonchalantly.
Taemin could hear Kibum scoff, but it didn't come from the radio. More off in distance, he thinks.

"I'm not stupid, Tae. I can see you right now and you look like a lunatic with how you're walking. Get over here before I personally come and drag you out by your ear." The sassy manager replied. Immediately Taemin looked up and examined his surroundings, finding that the older man was half sitting-half standing against the backing of a couch in the living room straight ahead. Taemin blew a surge of air out from his nostrils and pouted as he started a normal approach to the room where his co-worker was stationed. 

Slumping past Key and entering the next room to the right, all eyes were on him as Taemin entered the dining room. On the furthest end of the table, Mrs. Choi was seated with a wide smile, "Glad you could finally make it. Take a seat," She held up her hand to two empty chairs next to Minho with placemats laid out in front of them. Taemin looked at the spots once, and needn't another glance to automatically head towards the most obvious choice for himself.

Returning the smile, Taemin bowed and sat a seat away from the idol, who was seated right across his mother at the opposite head of the table. Just as he began to scoot in and drape his knees with the white, satin table cloth, Kibum occupied the chair between Taemin and Minho. The mistress hummed indecisively at the sight, "Minho," she said in a sternly and catching mostly everybody off guard, "switch places with your cousin; I'm tired of seeing your face." The woman smirked and then eyed Kibum in a mischievous way.

Glad that he had such a smart aunt, Key pushed back his chair with a screech and stood at Minho's side a second later. "Up, up." He said as he flapped his upturned hand up and down repeatedly.

Minho only stared straight down the row of workers at his mom with his mouth hung open, "Are you kidding me? So then I'm supposed to sit-" The idol paused briefly and looked at the equally-in-shock young butler.

"Next to Taemin," The woman filled in, "now go, because I miss beautiful Kibum so dearly." 

Everybody bursted into laughter    except for Taemin and Minho. Reluctantly, Minho kicked back his chair with an angry huff and plopped down next to Taemin who was looking the opposite direction. Minho swallowed hard younger male from the corner of his eye, crossed his arms, and sent his cheery cousin ablaze in his mind.

Moments later, the table of hyenas settled down and shared huge grins with one another. When Mrs. Choi gained her full composure, she cleared , "Dinner has been served!" She proclaimed. A game of nimble reflexes had initiated off of those words, as the animal-like workers reached for spoons, forks, and ladles as they served themselves hearty helpings of the delicious dishes placed in the middle aisle of the table.

It was like if you weren't fast enough, nothing would be left on the serving plates. Either you get the spoon first, or you barely have enough food in your stomach to last you thirty minutes before you become hungry again. Sure, the cooks could whip up a couple extra platters, but that could take hours; hence they start cooking dinner right after lunch has been made.  

Tonight, Lady Luck was not in favor of Taemin. Sitting right next to Minho, and sitting there dumbly with a spotless plate in front of him? Yeah, definitely not any luck. Even as a dancer, the butler's movements were no match against the swift hands of Minho and Jongin. Over the months that Taemin had been here, the head mistress of thecouls  house wasn't. Which meant that there were bigger portions on the serving platters and no need to fight. In a way, it seemed as if Mrs. Choi was purposely making her workers fight over a full dinner by serving smaller quantities, and by the grin on her face Taemin could only assume that it was true. 

Taemin examined the bare faces of porcelain plates lined all the way down the length of the table down his left. With an annoyed and disappointed sigh, the young man leaned back against the cushioned backing of his chair as we watched the other's enjoy their meal. The wonderful salty and savory aromas given off from the plates around him made Taemin's mouth water involuntarily. About two minutes of sitting there with his hands in his lap, Taemin figured that sipping on water could possibly be a temporary stomach-filler.

Minho was turning a mouthful of vegetables into mush as he picked up his knife to begin cutting off petite, bite-sized pieces of roast beef for himself. Puncturing four holes simultaneously into the tender, brown slab of meat, Minho sawed away at the edges in thin strips before catching sight of Taemin and the empty china sitting directly under his bobbing adam's apple. The waxed space between the idol's eyebrows were crinkled with concern.
Did he not get anything? He thought while eyeing Taemin as he gulped his cup of water and then down at his empty plate. Anything at all?

Completely frozen mid-action, it took a slight kick under the table from Key to get him back to his senses. Pausing partly to let his food digest and to think some more, Minho rested his wrists on both sides of his plate and stared down at the mountains of greed that he had piled up. Mindlessly, the man started to shovel large amounts of his food and transferred them over to Taemin's plate. 

The slopping sound of mashed potatoes against the plate gained attention from not only Taemin, but the other men and women in the room. Minho's plate was reduced to less than half now as he carefully finished off by setting the strips of meat atop a group of mixed vegetables. Using his knife to slide the last cut off of his fork, Minho looked at Taemin's surprised face.
"What are you waiting for? Do you need me to feed you too?!" He asked in a slightly annoyed tone. 

Taemin shook his head from side like he was breaking out of a trance and rejected his offer. "What? No!" Aware of the other pairs of eyes observing their interaction, Taemin wasn't at all hesitant in devouring all that Minho had served him.

"Aish! You little-... No thank you?!" The idol asked offended. All he got from the other was a 'mhm' sound from his throat. Irritated, Minho pursed his lips and started on the remaining bits in front of him.

As the men exchanged secretive glances and the women leaned in to gossip, one of the maids, Yoona, took no part in the whispering and paid no attention to what the others were saying. Instead, she jabbed her fork's sharp prongs into the meat with a kind of murderous intention behind every pierce in the brown cube. In her mind, she imagined that chunk of pork to be Taemin and continued poking at it while she thought of different ways to expose the trainee.

You're getting special treatment from Minho and his mother and becoming a trainee for the company? Lee Taemin, I will ruin you even before you can get a head start in this race.

~~~~~

Four chefs rotated clockwise around the long table, swapping dirty dishes for one filled with a single scoop of fuschia colored ice cream topped off with three raspberries. Taemin cocked an eyebrow at the familiar dessert that he had about a week ago,l and then looked up to find Jongin already smirking at him. Taemin squinted at him as if to say, "What're you talking about? This isn't new! This is a totally common dessert around here..."
Jongin shook his head, giggled, and spooned off a section of the once-perfect sphere to let it melt in his mouth.

Taking a few deep breaths, Taemin rubbed his tummy in a slow circle mentally making room and preparing himself to tightly pack his stomach for tonight. The butler scooted his chair about half an inch more and stole a fleeting look to the idol on his right. As he gradually extended his arm to grab the appropriate silverware, Taemin observed how the man, literally, gorged the ice cream down his throat in only a couple bites. 

God, if he was so hungry, he could have just kept his full plate. I'm not a part of a charity case here.... The boy sighed as he tore his secret gaze off of Minho's purple-blotched lips and chin. Whatever. He always goes for late night snacks anyway.
Ridding his thoughts completely of Minho, Taemin coated his lips with a thin layer of saliva as the spoon bearing the frozen sorbet in his hand neared closer and closer to it's destination.

One bite. At least, one bite, was all the boy wanted. But not even that small ration made it atop Taemin's eagerly awaiting taste buds. The clang of the metal and bowl    painted with a yellow flower    made Taemin wince as he stumbled at heels. The grip around his wrist was firm, yet not as commanding as it used to feel as the older man guided the butler out of the dining room    unexcused    and up the staircase.

"Minho! What're you doing? I didn't even get a bite of my dessert! It looked so good too..." Taemin whined but followed obediently as if he had a choice.

"I'll feed you as much dessert as you want as long as you come with me." Minho didn't bother turning back to look at Taemin.

Feed me? "You sound like you're kidnapping me right now. Where are we going and why?" The other replied and started to dig his heels into the carpet they were trotting on. 

Minho said nothing as they reached the door to his room in fear that if he opened his mouth, the pounding of his heart might be heard loud and clear. The idol twisted the knob and gently pushed it open. Letting go of Taemin's wrist, Minho placed one hand on the younger's shoulder, the other on his lower back, and then guided him inside like a small child needed to be directed to their teacher on the first day of school. But with the stubborn spirit he has, Taemin grabbed the wood frame of the doorway and looked up at the tall Minho.

"What's the big idea, here?" Taemin asked with a sliver of suspicion lining his tone. Minho rolled his eyes and huffed while adding more pressure to the places his hands were resting upon.

"Go in, and you'll see." He with his patience running out. The faster he could get through this, the less stress would weigh him down. Actually, when this is done, there won't be anything giving him a hard time and even work won't be a problem. Well, maybe just a bit    Minho realize it'll be awkward working with Sulli if Minho's heart belongs to someone else. Which brings up another problem: how will Taemin feel about Minho getting close with somebody other than himself? If everything goes well tonight, they can talk it out and work our the kinks. But first, thing is first. 

Confession, then the possible future.

"Get in there before-" Minho was using his full power now, "I hurt you!" as he finished the last part of the threat, the man heaved as hard as he could and succeeded in getting Taemin into the room. Minho stumbled forward in result of the sudden charge, but stopped himself with the arm of a couch before he could eat the floor. On the other hand, Taemin was a towel hung over the bottom part of Minho's bedpost. The older man giggled in amusement as he watched Taemin take his time in standing upright again. Minho made his way over to his dongsaeng, and by the time he got there, Taemin was already spitting out insults and profanity- obviously a cross of being furious and embarrassed.

"What the was that about?!" Taemin's face was reddening with emotion. Minho swore that he could see fumes rising up from Taemin's high cheekbones.

Well, this isn't a good start to my plan.... What do I do, what do I do? Minho thought to himself and bit down on the insides of his cheeks. "Sorry." Was what he came up with after a while. 

Taemin scoffed and crossed his arms impatiently; he wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. "Okay, I'm here," HOe stated, "what the hell do you want?" The younger transferred all of his weight to his left leg and stuck out the hip on that same side, reminding Minho that he was acting a bit like Kibum. Monkey see, monkey do, right? More like mother teaching her son.

Minho opened his mouth but all of a sudden it seemed as if he swolllwed sand. His tongue begged for the moisture it needed to talk and suddenly Minho felt himself begin to perspire under his armpits and abruptly ripped his eyes away from Taemin's. The vital organ he hated the most was speeding up and causing a light feeling to bubble inside of Minho. A feeling that was becoming all too familiar to the idol, whenever he was around the young butler.

He knows that Taemin is probably the only one who could ever make him feel this way. In his mind, Minho had all the things he wanted to say all planned out, but he can't seem to figure out how to actually say it. He was running out of time, though. By the way that Taemin watched Minho's every movement with a hawk eye the worker was on the verge of leaving. It was now, or wait two months. No, now or never. What if Minho comes back, and Taemin is clinging to another person?

The provoked young man was about ready to slap Minho in the face in hopes that he would stop stuttering and looking around the room like a madman.

"Yah! I'm here waiting, if you didn't know. Hurry up, or else I'm going to leave-"

"No! Don't leave..."

The younger male's eyes widened with surprise. To Taemin's ears, that sounded almost like a desperate plea.. Automatically, Taemin let down his fierce guard and listened intently with furrowed eyebrows.

" I-I have something to tell you..." Minho looked down at the wide space between himself and Taemin. Taking three steps toward the other, the men’s chest were now only half a foot away from each other.

It's just a couple of words Minho; just a sentence or two is fine. No need to go overboard with this, like Jongin wanted it to... That kid seriously needs to be put in his place-
As Minho's mind digressed to unimportant subjects, Taemin became vexed yet oddly nervous with every second filled with silence. Time was precious to him and this wasn't how he wanted to spend the remainder of his night.

"You know what? If you're just going to stand here staring at    whatever    then I'll be leaving now. Goodni-"

As soon as the boy took a step towards the cracked bedroom door, Minho was taken back into reality. His fast reflexes caught hold of Taemin's wrist once again and twirled him around. Before his mind could even evaluate his actions, the idol planted his other hand on the back of the younger's head, fingers curling around a good hold of Taemin's chocolate hair. Slowly but surely, Minho inched his scorching hot face closer to Taemin's until their noses touched lightly. He looked into Taemin's dark, wide open orbs yearning for the boy to understand exactly how he felt about him. 

"Minho..." The butler said, barely above a whisper.

Oh, how good his own name sounded coming from that pair of lucious, coral-pink lips. Then it hit him. There was no need for words.

None at all.

Taemin felt Minho's hand tilt his head just ever so slightly to the left. When Minho's nose lifted from its spot plump, full sized lips met Taemin's for a chaste kiss that seemed too short for his liking. Barely pulling away for a second, Taemin wrapped his arms around Minho's neck and pulled him down for another, this one maybe just a bit far from chaste.

Almost immediately, Taemin slipped his tongue in between Minho's baby-soft lips. Their slick muscles gliding over and under and around each other effortlessly as the two men took turns fanning their hot breath over the other's face. The grip on Taemin's hair was tight and the hug he was locked in was even tighter. It was hard to breathe but neither one cared. Hell, Taemin wouldn't mind suffocating at the hands, or more specifically, tongue, of the famous Choi Minho.

Taemin whimpered in pleasure as he pressed his body closer to Minho's. His mind trailed far off into a place of bliss which bordered lustful fantasy. He found himself lost in the moment and even the occasional beeps Taemin kept hearing in the background were not bothering him; He assumed it was Minho's cell phone begging to be put on a charger.

Their session went on for only a couple seconds more until the two of them simultaneously pulled back, each with a huge smile.

This is way better than any ice cream. Taemin thought.

~~~~~

Screw this stupid camera! I need to get one with a silencing feature.

A/N: First of all, I'm sorry for not updating for a couple of days! ^^;; Forgive me, please. Second of all, I WAS FEATURED ON AFF'S "MOST POPULAR TODAY" SECTION A COUPLE DAYS AGO! You all don't even know how amazed and happy and grateful I am! Welcome to all of my new subscribers! Thank you all so much for making me smile like an idiot with your comments and whatnot. Oh, and thanks again for the birthday wishes!
     Annyeonghigaseyo!~ Queen S