The walk from where Taemin and Sulli started to the dorm felt like the longest walk Taemin had ever taken. His sides ached and he had to fight to keep from clutching his side and in agony. 

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Sulli asked as Taemin’s footsteps slowed for the third time. She sent him a worried look.

“Fine.” Taemin said softly starting to move again. “Its nothing.”

The look on the young girl’s face said that she didn’t believe him, but she wouldn’t push him to find out. 

“I’m just tired.” He said, hoping that the excuse would hold out. “Jet lag.” That excuse would only hold out so long and then Taemin knew that he’d have to find another one. 

The people at this school were much more observant than the kids at his old schools. Either that or they actually liked him and cared about him after only one day. 

“Okay, well if something is wrong, just tell me and I’ll see what I can do to fix it.” She sent him one of her 1000 watt smiles. 

Taemin nodded, leaving Sulli satisfied for the moment. 

He knew that it wouldn’t be long until she figured things out, she was too curious not to. 

“Do you remember the way?” Sulli asked at they reached the building his dorm was in. 

Biting his lip and hating to admit it, Taemin shook his head. He’d only been shown to his room once and he had been a little flustered during the tour. The fact he had made it out of his room that morning was still slightly shocking to him. 

“That’s okay, don’t tell Jonghyun I told you, but he was still getting lost after Christmas his first year here. Key and Minho still from time to time about it.”

Taemin tucked his head and chuckled. “Really?”

“Really.” Sulli giggled as they walked into the dorm building. Teenagers loitered in the hallways, staring at Taemin as they walked by. Whispers about him and Sulli filtered down the hall. 

Sulli ignored all the gossip and continued with her own. “Jonghyun is really smart, and he’s really talented musically, but his sense of direction is practically non-existent. I swear without Key helping him find his way, Jonghyun would never make it anywhere on time.”

Feeling a bit better, Taemin let Sulli continued to chatter on as they made their way through the staring crowds. 

“Look!” Someone hissed, “Its the new kid.”

“Yunho really has it out for him. He’d best just leave before he does anything else to piss him off.” Another said none too quietly. 

Sulli bristled having heard that comment. “Why those...”

Taemin placed his hand on her arm gently, he had hesitated for a moment but the look on the younger girl’s face spoke volumes. “Its okay. Just ignore them.” 

“Did Yunho say anything else to you?” She rounded on him, staring into Taemin’s eyes as if daring him to lie. 

Taemin shook his head. It was true, the upper classman hadn’t really said anything new to him when he was punching him. 

Again, Sulli looked at him like she didn’t believe him. “I’ll have to have a talk with him.” She muttered, more to herself than to Taemin. 

“Don’t!” Taemin yelled in English, frighted about what the older man would do if he thought Taemin had ratted him out.

Sulli glared at him, looking as if she was going to defy him, but she thought better of it. “Fine. I’ll wait. For now.” Her tone made it clear that she would only wait as long as she thought it was alright. 

The whispers continued until they reached the door of Taemin’s room. 

He went to dig out his key, but Sulli simply reached ahead and grasped the doorknob. It swung open. 

“Minho tends to leave the door unlocked when he’s in here.” She explained. “No one would mess with his stuff if he’s here and even though the rules say to keep the door locked at all times, Key and Jonghyun and myself are usually wandering in and out. Its too much bother to have to knock and wait every time for Minho to let us in.” She entered the room first. 

It was obvious that she was more comfortable in this room than Taemin was. Hopefully he would feel the same way soon enough. 

“Found him!” Sulli called out as she danced into the room. 

What happened next shocked poor Taemin who was already in disbelief at the sight in front of him.

Key, who had been pacing the length of the room when they walked in, flew towards Taemin at an unspeakable speed and squeezed Taemin into a spine cracking hug. 

“Where did you go?” Key said, frantically searching Taemin for any marks or indications he had been hurt. “Umma was so worried!”

“Umma?” 

Jonghyun snorted with laughter. “Key is your new self appointed umma, remember?” He explained, giving his younger friend a funny look. “He has decided that because you don’t have an umma he will take on that roll.” 

“Stop laughing.” Key said, glaring at Jonghyun. “You shouldn’t be laughing at your son.” 

“Wait. My son? I don’t remember knocking you up.” Jonghyun eyes were wide as he stared at Key. 

“Well you’ve compromised me enough that my son must be your son.” Key rolled his eyes, “So just man up and deal with it.” One arm wrapped around Taemin’s shoulders and Key led Taemin over to the one of the couches and sat down, pulling Taemin with him. 

Taemin let himself be man-handled, unsure of how he should react. 

“Are you hungry?” Key asked sweetly, “You ran out before we could eat and those neanderthals have been complaining about wasting away.”

Stomach hurting too much to think about eating, Taemin shook his head. 

Key looked put out and quickly Taemin backtracked trying to keep his new friend happy. “I mean, I could eat?” The infliction at the end of his sentence turned the simple statement into a question. 

“Good!” Key clapped his hands and jumped up, “I’ll go and cook something for us. Sulli you and Amber can come help.” 

Rolling her eyes, Amber pulled herself off of one of the beanbag chairs and let herself be dragged by Sulli into the kitchen area. 

“Minho, go make nice to your new roommate.” Key ordered, shoving the taller boy as he walked past. 

Minho’s quick reflexes kept him from falling, but it didn’t stop him from glaring at his prissy friend. 

“It’s okay if you don’t want to.” Taemin said, misinterpreting Minho’s look. “I can move somewhere else if you want to sit here.”

“No you will not!” Key shouted brandishing something that looked like a spatula, “Minho sit!” 

Minho sat. 

He’d been on the receiving end of Key’s famous spatula temper enough to know that the diva meant business. 

“I wish he’d stop using that thing as a weapon.” Minho muttered to Taemin as they watched Key cook.

Jonghyun laughed. “Like that will ever happen. He calls it the source of his umma power.” 

“Umma power?” 

“Yeah, he says that as long as he has that spatula, everyone must respect him because he has umma power. Don’t ask.” Jonghyun finished seeing the look of confusion on Taemin’s face. “He’s just a big weirdo.”

“And you’re a big dino who won’t be getting anything from this umma if you don’t mind your manners.” Key threatened from the kitchen. 

“Don’t try to understand them.” Minho said softly as Jonghyun and Key began to argue, letting the girls take over the kitchen. “I don’t even understand them and we’ve been friends since forever.”

Taemin nodded. 

“Do you smile?” Minho asked suddenly taking Taemin’s attention from the fighting pseudo-couple. 

Taemin blinked. 

“Really, I don’t think I’ve seen you really yet.”

“Its only been a day.” Taemin said softly. 

“Yeah well most people smile at least once in a day.” Minho prompted. 

“I don’t really have that much to smile about.” These words were softer still and if Minho hadn’t been sitting right beside him, he might have missed them entirely. 

“How about we change that?”

The gentle words drew Taemin’s eyes from the floor to Minho’s face. Everything he saw in the large, dark eyes and the sweet smile said that Minho spoke the truth. 

Taking a deep breath, Taemin nodded. 

Minho’s smile brought out a tiny one from Taemin. If he could be around Minho all the time, there would be no way he could keep from smiling. 

"Something is odd about Taemin, don't you think?" Jonghyun said casually to Key as they made their way back to their room after dinner. "I mean, he seems nice enough but there is just something, I don't know, different about him."

"He's from America, of course he's different. Everything is different there." Key's voice sounded as if he was explaining something to a very small child. "I expect that he thinks that we're odd as well. I mean he was raised American not Korean."

"I wonder if he'll have to do the mandatory service like the rest of us." Jonghyun wondered.

"Really? You go from saying he's odd to wondering about military service. I think there is something wrong with you." Key rolled his eyes as he dug out his room key. He was used to Jonghyun's quick changes of thought but it never ceased to amaze him how fast the older boy could change topics in one conversation.

"Hey! There's nothing wrong with me." His bottom lip jutted out and quivered. He knew that Key would roll his eyes at the action but he couldn't help it, he did love the attention.

"Yes there is, but we still love you." Key patted his head similar to the way he pet Jonghyun's dog Roo when they were home for the holidays.

"Hey!" Jonghyun's yelled as he pulled his head away from Key's hand. "Watch the hair."

"Watch it do what? Does it do tricks? Has it finally decided that the way you treat it is too much?" Key teased as he opened the door and gestured for Jonghyun to enter.

"Shut up." The words came out like a whine. "You treat your hair worse than I do with all your dying and cutting."

"All's fair in love and style." The door banged shut and Key threw the deadbolt on. "Anyways I look damn good and so does my hair."

"You're so vain." Shoes were kicked off in disregard as Jonghyun headed through the living area shedding clothing as he went.

Key glared at the mess left behind by his friend and roommate. "You know for once you could put your shoes away when you come in." He picked up the offending items with two fingers each and wrinkling his nose, shoved them onto their shelf beside the door. "And if you wanted to wait to strip until you made it to the bedroom that would also be fantastic." His own shoes were neatly put away and as he headed to the bedroom, he stopped to pick up a sweater, t-shirt and one sock.

"And deprive you of telling me off every day? I think not." Jonghyun winked at his roommate. "And anyways, don't you just love staring at my body as I take off my uniform?"

"I'd rather watch Minho play football ." Key said dully.

"Who wouldn't." Jonghyun teased. "I mean he is handsome and popular and I know he's packing."

Key groaned as Jonghyun grabbed his crotch suggestively. "Pig." He insulted as he pushed his way past Jonghyun and into the bedroom. "I can't believe you just said that, although I guess I shouldn't really be surprised."

Jonghyun followed Key into the room and closed the door behind him, watching as Key tossed his collection of the older man's dirty things into their shared laundry bin. "If you don't want to pick up after me, don't do it anymore."

Key scoffed. "As if. You need someone to take care of you."

"I could take care of myself!" Jonghyun squawked. "I got along fine without you while you were off spending your trust fund."

Key snorted and rolled his eyes, "I was not spending my trust fund, and that's besides the point. I know perfectly well that your sister made sure you didn't end up dead on the sidewalk."

"Why do you always think the worst of me?" Jonghyun pouted.

“Because I’ve lived with you for 3 years at this school and I’ve been your friend a lot longer, I know you better than you know yourself.” Key answered simply, stripping off his own clothing and walking over to his dresser.

Jonghyun’s eyes followed his walk, focused on the sway of Key’s hips and the way he shifted from foot to foot almost as if he was dancing.

“Stop staring at my .”

“How do you know I was staring at your ?” Jonghyun gasped, eyes jerking up to look at the back of Key’s head.

“You just admitted it.”

Key smirked over his shoulder before stepping into cotton sleep pants and tugging a matching shirt over his head.

“I hate you sometimes.” Grumbling, Jonghyun dug out his own sleep clothing and stripped the rest of his uniform off. “You act like more of a mom than my own.”

Key shrugged before heading into the bathroom to preform his nightly rituals.

Jonghyun knew better than to follow him so he took a seat on Key’s bed, the one closer to the bathroom, and continued talking. “But back to what I was saying before you decided to trash my habits. There’s something weird about Taemin. I mean, the way he ran off at dinner and how he was walking oddly when Sulli brought him back after finding him.” He picked at an imaginary loose thread on the comforter.

Without bothering to stop his ritual, Key spoke. “He’s probably just nervous. He hasn’t been in the country for more than a day, it has to be a huge shock for him.”

“Well yeah, but come on Key, there has to be something more.” Jonghyun’s voice was determined.

Emerging from the bathroom Key sighed and placed himself in between Jonghyun’s legs. His hands went to Jonghyun’s shoulders as he bent to look the shorter man in the eyes. “Jongie, if there is something in Taemin’s past that he wants to share, he will when he gets comfortable with us.”

“But...”

“No buts, we’re not going to make him do anything he’s not comfortable with. We’re his friends, its what friends do.” One delicate hand moved to Jonghyun’s strong jaw, rough with stubble. “I know its going to bother you but just try and let it go for now, I promise that things will work out in the long run.”

Jonghyun nodded and Key pulled back. “Now lets go to bed.”

The older man perked up, causing Key to laugh, “I mean in your own bed, you silly man.”

Pretending to pout Jonghyun stood up as Key moved out of the way. Hitting the lights on his trip across the room, he crawled into bed determined not to let Taemin's weirdness keep him from sleeping.

Soon soft snores from Key filled the quiet night. The younger man always denied that he made the undignified sounds, but after years of friendship and denying it, Jonghyun and Minho had recorded him sleeping and proved him wrong.

He hadn't spoken to either of them for over a week, the longest time Key had ever stopped talking Minho had teased afterwards.

As Jonghyun lay awake listening to the soft sounds, he wondered what he could do to make Taemin trust them enough to share his secrets.

The thoughts plagued his mind long after his eyelids dropped and his breathing slowed. He dreamt of what he assumed Taemin looked like as a child, his dream depicting all the worst horrors television and movies had shown him.
 

-------------

So its been a while, but slowly I'm getting back on track with this whole writing thing!

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Ideas on whats going to happen?

Anything! Anything at all!

Okay, I'll stop being desperate and sign off here.

Loves you always

Kat