The rest of the week passed by in a blur. 

Taemin knew that he was going to class and making notes, going to eat and going to sleep, but everything was blending in together.

Monday night had ended in a blur of emotions. Jonghyun, the most sensitive, had finally broken down. He had managed to hold it together until Minho had finished making his notes and had cleaned Jinki’s up. 

Taemin had kept the photos, he refused to allow Minho to put them away. He pointed out that if their ideas turned out to be right then it really was Taemin in those photos and he deserved to get to see them. He tucked them in to his nightstand and Minho didn’t miss him gently the photo of him and Jinki that brought everything together. 

Key was ready to head back to the hospital right then, now with the firm belief that if Taemin talked to Jinki it would trigger something in his subconscious and the eldest would wake up. 

Minho was the voice of reason as much as it pained him. It was almost curfew by that point and while they were allowed to come and go as they pleased regardless (rich kids privilege) the hospital’s visiting hours would be over as well. Not to mention, he pointed out, that it would be so much more dangerous to change their patterns. 

Minho also hadn’t wanted to upset Taemin if there were no immediate results. He was skeptical that Jinki would wake up regardless, but he had to have a little hope. However him having hope and Taemin having hope were two different things. With the discovery that Taemin was likely Jinki’s younger brother, Minho’s feelings both increased and became more confusing. 

He didn’t want to think that he was starting to have feelings for his best friend’s brother, but what could he do if he was. At least, as morbid as the thought was, he wasn’t trying to sort out his feelings for Taemin in front of Jinki. 

So they all agreed that they would go on the weekend, like always, and see their friend. It was already clear that they were being watched, or at least Taemin was. It was agreed that they were to spend the week trying to work out all the angles and details of Jinki’s research and try and find the best way to bring Taemin back to his family. Something that Taemin really couldn’t find himself paying much attention to. 

While it was exciting that he may actually have a family, it was also terrifying. What if they didn’t accept him? What if he wasn’t what they expected? And worse of all, what if they were wrong? What if he wasn’t the boy in the photo? What if it was an elaborate deception? 

By the time Friday came around, Taemin was a mess and Minho had taken it as a reason to keep Taemin as close to him as possible, going so far as sticking ridiculously close to his roommate. He spent every waking hour with the younger boy, walking him to class and meeting him after to walk him to the next one, going so far as to be late for his own classes. Taemin had tried to tell him that he didn’t have to bother, but when the younger’s distracted thoughts had almost caused him to miss a step and fall down two flights of stairs, Minho simply stopped listening to his arguments. 

If Taemin had figured in any way shape or form that Minho would like him, it would have been obvious to him in the ways that Minho was helping, but he was oblivious to the fact. He never thought that someone like Minho would have a crush on someone like him and he hadn’t really begun to let himself crush on Minho.

Of course the fact that he had also almost used hair gel as tooth paste and tried to eat a decorative pear in Key’s kitchen had nothing to do with it. 

The four boys had spent Friday night together, gathered in Taemin and Minho’s room. Jonghyun had argued against working on Jinki’s work any more, whatever they didn’t have figured out could wait. 

The now oldest in the room had noticed the stress that Taemin was under all week and he demanded that instead of panicking or worrying any more, they take the night. He supplied half a dozen movies and demanded that Minho gather the snacks. 

The tallest did so, begrudgingly, only after Key promised to stay with Taemin for the hour after class that Minho would be gone. 

“Its good for him to get out too.” Jonghyun had argued, “he’s so stressed that he’ll be useless and he’s not giving Taemin any space.” He paused. “Didn’t he try to follow you into the bathroom last night.”

Taemin nodded. “When I went to shower. I think its an automatic reaction at this point.”

Key sighed. “This really can’t continue much longer. He’s been losing it more and more each week since this happened. Something has to happen one way or another.” Key moved over to lay beside Taemin on his bed. 

Taemin settled his head on Key’s chest, having become use to the skinship that the older ones like to share. Key’s fingers absentmindedly began to thread through Taemin’s hair. “We’re going to figure it out.” 

“Even if it turns out you’re not Jinki’s brother by blood, you are ours by choice.” Jonghyun said, sitting on the end of the bed and patting Taemin’s lower leg. “You’re one of us.”

Minho chose that moment to walk back in, the sounds of grocery bags clattering signalling the arrival of food. “Don’t tell me that you don’t have the movie ready yet hyung? Honestly you had one job.”

Jonghyun rolled his eyes and jumped off the bed. “Of course the movie is ready, we’ve been waiting for your slow .” He gestured to the large blank space of wall that was revealed behind the desks. “The desks are awkward to move so I had to wait for you to help me move them.”

Minho raised an eyebrow, not looking at Key. Everyone knew that he was questioning why the other couldn’t have helped. 

“I’m comforting my son.” Key informed him, answering the unasked question. “Besides, its your room.”

Minho sighed, dropping the snacks on his bed. “Fine.” He didn’t bother to point out that it was Taemin’s room too, the youngest would want to help and while he was filling out more with eating three proper meals a day, he was still the smallest of the group. 

Together Jonghyun and Minho moved the two desks and Jonghyun finished setting up the projector. It was one of Taemin’s favourite things about movie nights with his hyungs. The projector made it feel as though he was at the movies, but he had the safety and comfort of home. 

“Move.” Minho grunted, jerking his head at Key. “I’m not sharing my bed with Jonghyun.” 

Rolling his eyes, Key unwound his fingers from Taemin’s hair and threw his legs off the bed. “So that means Jonghyun and I can make out during the boring parts?”

Minho didn’t answer but let out a sad sound. 

Jonghyun laughed as the opening credits began and Taemin squealed with delight as he recognized a blockbuster movie that he had wanted to see but for obvious reasons, couldn’t. 

Minho tried to hide the smile on his face at Taemin’s happiness but Jonghyun caught it and gave him a Look. The elder didn’t need to speak for Minho to understand what he was saying. 

Minho shook his head with two quick movements to show that he didn’t want to discuss it and mouthed ‘not now.’ He knew that his actions that week hadn’t gone unnoticed. He felt heat crawl up the back of his neck and resigned himself for an interesting talk later. 

Jonghyun settled beside Key, snuggling in to his chest and demanding Minho throw snacks his way. Another eye roll from Minho as he handed out the treats. They were skipping traditional dinner in favour of more snacks. 

His jealously of Key’s easy skinship with Taemin complicated things, he was originally going to stay on his own bed like usual and watch Key and Jonghyun fight over who sat where, but having discovered Taemin’s secret, he found himself wanting the younger to himself, even if not really to himself. 

Conflicted now, he went to sit on the floor beside Taemin’s bed but was stopped by Taemin’s hand on his arm. “You know you can sit up here hyung?” The younger asked. “I’ll even share my snacks.” He shook the bag in his hand and made Minho laugh. The taller then settled on the edge of the bed. As long as he didn’t get too close, maybe nothing would come up. 

Taemin scooted towards the wall more and patted the space he had just vacated. 

Letting out a pretend, long suffering sigh, Minho moved over. A smile crossed his lips and he hoped it didn’t look the way he thought it did. 

Unfortunately for him, it did and both boys missed the look that Jonghyun and Key shared. “You’re going to have to tell me what you know.” Jonghyun whispered in Key’s ear. “I know you know something.”

“Of course I do.” Key answered, placing a quick kiss to Jonghyun head. “And I know you know more than you’re letting on too.” 

“I love that you can read me so well but sometimes, its just annoying.” Jonghyun grumbled. 

“Stop whispering and watch the movie.” Taemin said, shoving a handful of food into his mouth. 

A few muttered playful insults back and forth and the four set in for their movie marathon and it wasn’t until after the third movie that Key looked over and saw Taemin and Minho fast asleep. “Look.” He whispered, pointing them out to his partner. 

“Thank god.” Jonghyun said sleepily. “I doubt those two got more than a couple hours of sleep a night all week.”

“Its got to be stressful. I mean, Taemin potentially has a family now, parents and a brother who love and miss him.”

“And his brother is mostly dead in a hospital after nearly half a decade of looking for him and Minho clearly has a soft spot for Taemin.” Jonghyun spoke the last words quickly. 

“What do you mean?” Key asked quietly, wanted to keep his voice down to not wake up his sleeping friends. 

“Isn’t it obvious? Minho has a crush on Taemin, has for a couple weeks now.” Jonghyun felt excited that he knew something Key didn’t. 

“Minho’s not gay.” Key said, the usually eloquent boy finding himself at a loss. “He’s not like us, he would just tell us if he was.” 

“Not if he’s a B in the LGBTQ.” Jonghyun said, watching as the two on the other bed snuggled closer together. “He generally likes girls but now and then a boy catches his eye. I think Taemin caught it from the beginning but Minho was too angry at that time to see it right away.”

A nod to the other bed, where the talking two saw how their sleeping friends had gravitated towards each other in their sleep. Their bodies touched, Taemin’s head on Minho’s chest and Minho’s arms wrapped around Taemin’s waist.

“But…” Key trailed off, thinking back to Minho’s easy reactions to Taemin; shopping, letting him share food in their dorm kitchen. “Crap I hate it when you’re right.”

“And yet you still love me.” 

“You know that this likely won’t end well?” Key questioned, snuggling himself onto Jonghyun’s chest. 

“How do you know?” Jonghyun muttered, trying to angle his head to look at Jonghyun’s face. 

“Because Minho will never confess. If you’re right and he does like Taemin, he will never confess if it turns out that Jinki really is his brother. Minho would rather suffer in silence than risk upsetting …” Key’s voice trailed off as he remembered that Jinki wasn’t really likely to wake up, even with all their hopes. He could image and pray for good happenings, but life wasn’t a movie and things didn’t usually happen that way. 

“We’ll just have to wait and see. Now I’m getting tired, change the movie so we can go to sleep.” Jonghyun snuggled down further in Minho’s bed, letting the weariness in his eyes begin to show as he dragged Key down further with him. 

“I’ll have to move to do that.” Key muttered, closing his eyes instead. 

“Screw it, sleep now deal with movie later.” Jonghyun began drifting off listening to the sounds of Minho and Taemin sleeping in the bed beside him. His last thought before falling asleep was Key argued that Minho wouldn’t confess, not that Taemin wouldn’t accept it. 

For the first time in nearly a week, the four boys slept comfortably. The nerves and excitement having finally given way to exhaustion and sleep. 

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Sorry this is a day late, I found a prompt that I just had to write and it may have taken up more of my time than I anticipated.... It's called Squirrel if anyone is interested in reading it! I'd set a link here for it, but I won't lie I'm totally not sure how to do that anymore!!!

As always, thank you all for reading and commenting and all your love! You guys are amazing!! 

Tell me your thoughts, ideas, questions and everything and anything!

Loves to you all

Kat