Stay with me, baby stay with me
Tonight, don't leave me alone
Walk with me
Come and walk with me
To the edge of all we've ever known

 

Minho was leaned against the massive, floor-to-ceiling window near the creamy, satin white drapes that were tied to the side by thick, woven ropes revealing the beautiful scenery of downtown Seoul in darkness.  He basked in the soft sounds of the night and the silence of the expensive room.

 

Looking down at the streets, was the noisy hustle and bustle of vehicle traffic and talkative pedestrians, the sounds of the boats and cargo ships swiftly floating on the Han River and the twinkling of building lights that spread miles into the distance.

 

While the people below Minho moved about without a care in the world… he felt as if he was suffocating… as if his source of life and air had been snatched away from him.

 

Minho always thought most effectively in silence, it was the best time for him to reflect on his life… and his undying love. However, tonight, Minho couldn’t quite enjoy the tranquility like he usually would because he was the loneliest and most heartbroken he had ever been.

 

He could not believe that the one person he loved more than life itself had left him after many promises of being happy together forever. Minho rented the luxurious hotel room that they spent their first night together to reminisce on all of the good times he had with his precious little boyfriend. Yet, his decision only caused him more agony and more grief making him think about whether the boy he loved so dearly missed him as much as he did.

 

Lee Taemin was the boy of his dreams… absolute perfection in human form and the boy that he cherished with everything that he had.

 

They met on the day of orientation at Seoul National University for freshmen, and for Minho… it was an immediate case of love at first sight. Taemin was standing in line to register for his first semester classes with his best friends, Kibum and his boyfriend, Jonghyun. Minho was used to meeting attractive people and dating them even, but Taemin… Taemin was the only boy that could ever make Minho speechless, breathless, wipe all thoughts from his brain and make him focus only on him and his ravishing, unearthly beauty.

 

For most of his life, Minho only thought that angels or gods were perfect, but Taemin made him think differently and maybe… he could have been one of those heavenly creatures himself, just gracing Minho with his mesmerizing presence.  

 

But along with that beauty, came an abundance of hurt, betrayal, abandonment, and insecurities. Minho learned quickly that Taemin was far from perfect… but that never stopped him from showering the sweet, fragile boy with his unconditional love.

 

Taemin had been hurt and mistreated by many people in his life and it had always been hard for him to trust or open up to new people in fear that they would in turn break his heart again. The only people Taemin could trust with his whole heart were his childhood friends Key and Jonghyun, who had become like surrogate parents to him after suffering so much loss and pain. Minho spent nine months trying to prove to Taemin that he was different from the people in his past and that he would never betray or hurt the person that had so quickly become his entire world.

 

That was the reason for Taemin’s abrupt decision to end their fairytale love affair… his fear and insecurity that Minho would eventually leave him anyway. Taemin felt that it was better for him to leave first than to have his heart ripped from his chest in the end. Despite those two beautiful years they spent together… Taemin ended their relationship.

 

Minho has been heartbroken for three weeks now, wallowing in his own misery and depression. But Minho had a strong determination in him to bring his beloved Minnie back… no matter the cost or consequences. As he looked back on his life and the time that he spent with Lee Taemin, he realized that he had never been quite as happy before he met him. Now that he had a taste of that happiness, he certainly was not going to let it slip from his grasp.

 

When he brought Taemin back he wanted to reenact their first date – a memory that he cherished dearly – walking along the river, hand in hand, with the boy of his dreams.

 

 

****      ****      ****      ****      ****

 

I can see you there with the city lights
Fourteenth floor, pale blue eyes
I can breathe you in
No, I could not want you more
Than I did right then
As our heads leaned in
 

One of Minho’s fondest memories with Taemin was the first time Minho and Taemin went to spend the day at his beautifully-furnished, two-story, loft apartment (an apartment that Taemin adored very much).

 

It was a perfect, romantic day together, just the two of them chatting, laughing, cuddling on his sofa under a big, fluffy blanket, watching almost every movie Minho owned and chowing down on a ton of junk food.  

 

Minho had never had so much fun doing nothing and spending the entire day, from sun up to sun down, with one magnificent person… and he was glad that he was able to experience such bliss with the love of his life.

 

That night Taemin decided that he would stay at Minho’s apartment instead of going back to his dorm at the university and have to face his rowdy roommate. So there – in that fourteenth floor loft apartment – Taemin and Minho were warm, content and safe in the other’s loving arms that night, simply enjoying the tenderness of such company.

 

Taemin was different from any Korean (or Asian person) he’d ever seen… what drew Minho to him and captivated him the first time he laid eyes on him were those mysterious yet intoxicating pale, blue eyes, harboring a hint of sadness and rejection in them also.

 

Taemin’s eyes were like a window to his soul, and as they lie in bed together just staring at each other… Minho saw it… in his eyes how much Taemin had grown to love and admire him with such vigor and passion that words were never needed to express those intimate feelings.

 

“Minho?” Taemin said, never taking his eyes off of Minho’s handsome, masculine face.

 

“Yeah Minnie?” Minho responded, voice calm and steady.

 

“Do you know how much I love you?” Minho shook his head in answer, wanting to hear exactly how much the sweet boy in his arms cared about him.

 

“I love you so much that I could not live if you ever decided to leave me. I’ve gotten very attached to you and your affection… and I never want our love to end.” He said rather shyly, Taemin was never good at expressing his feelings verbally but when he was compelled to do so he was always so eloquent that it astounded Minho.

 

“Taemin, you don’t ever have to worry about me leaving you because I never will. I love you more than life itself and being without you is an impossibility. You have to believe me when I say that I will never hurt, betray, or abandon you and that I love you… unconditionally.” Minho replied with such conviction and finality that he thought Taemin would believe him and truly understand his heart.

 

Taemin simply nodded and said with an embarrassed and flattered smile, “I love you just as much, if not more than you love me, Minho-hyung.” Not only was Minho completely enthralled by Taemin’s shy confession, he was also drunk off of the tempting aroma rising from Taemin’s body that reminded him of fragrant jasmine and Japanese cherry blossoms.

 

Minho moved his hand from Taemin’s narrow waist to his small chin, both of the boys’ heads leaning in and Minho finally captured Taemin’s adorable, full lips in the sweetest kiss they shared since their relationship began.

 

 

 

 

Minho snapped out of his wonderful day dream about the first time Taemin ever confessed his love to him, sighing deeply. From that day on, Minho thought that the two of them would do nothing but make blissful memories together and their love would only flourish. But he did not know quite how deeply Taemin’s pain stemmed…

 

 

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Baby stay with me
Tonight, don't leave me alone

He shows me everything he used to know
Picture frames and country roads
When the days were long
And the world was small
He stood by as it fell apart
To separate rooms and broken hearts
But I won't be the one to let you go
 

Standing at that window, Minho’s mind was full of nothing but his beautiful Taemin. He had never regretted letting anyone go as easily as he regretted allowing Taemin to leave without fighting for him and convincing him that he would be all that he ever needed. Minho knew that he went about the entire situation terribly wrong.

 

He should have begged him to stay.

 

He should have begged for at least one night more with his love.

 

But the attractive brunette’s own cowardice hindered him from enjoying total happiness with the amazing blonde… preventing him from having Taemin in his arms at that very moment.

 

 

 

 

Minho would always remember the time that Taemin wanted to show him his hometown. It was a small city far away from Seoul… a city nestled in the heart of the country, hidden away from the otherwise boisterous society… a city that was cute, comfortable and radiated pure warmth, much like his little angel.

 

As they drove along in Minho’s car, they went through the many small streets overflowing with nice, little, family-owned shops and restaurants.

 

Swiftly passing by neighborhoods filled with adorable, well-kept houses lining the edges of the many country roads, Minho glanced at Taemin who was thoroughly engrossed in taking in every aspect of his hometown with a small content smile settled on his face.

 

Minho also admired the endless stream of vibrant green vegetation at almost every turn in the form of small gardens of vegetables, shrubs and large trees surrounding the properties, and the sound of laughing from happy, playful children.

 

Minho had never seen a place so utterly breathtaking and he wasn’t at all surprised that his petite boyfriend had been raised in such an inviting environment.

 

Seeing the place of Taemin’s birth, Minho finally understood how a person could be quite as gentle and sweet as he was… it even made him think about the two of them living there with their own family someday.

 

Taemin’s childhood home was surprisingly exactly how he imagined it would be… warm, loving, and welcoming.

 

There was a cozy, – rather large – living room stuffed full of family photo frames and memories of all the pleasurable times the Lee family spent together before Taemin and his hyung moved out to attend college.

 

The bedroom that Taemin spent nineteen years of his life in had to have been Minho’s favorite room in the house.

 

Taemin’s room was like a reflection of himself when he was younger; showing his likes and dislikes, friends and family, favorite movies and music, his endless love for dance and singing… simply everything that he valued in life.

 

Minho felt honored that Taemin wished to share such an intimate part of his life with him because not only had they become lovers and explorers of each other physically, they also begun to explore the depths of the other spiritually, mentally and emotionally.

 

The days they spent touring the place Taemin was raised, Minho – for the first time – witnessed Taemin’s true beauty. Of course, no one could ever look at Taemin and not see just how magnificently stunning he was on the outside but on the inside.

 

The inside that Taemin had so diligently hidden from the rest of the world in fear of being taken advantage of or used, that sacred inside that even Minho – the man Taemin had said became the only person he would ever passionately love – had never seen.

 

His heart and soul… in that moment… had been bared and put on display for only Minho to see.

 

By taking him to his hometown, Minho had been let into the most protected areas of Taemin’s fragile, delicate heart… something so extremely beautiful, that he vowed would never be broken.

 

 

 

 

Minho and Taemin’s week and a half vacation in Taemin’s hometown was – and will always be – one of Minho’s most cherished memories of the boy he loves.

 

Yes, loves… because no matter what happened between the two of them, whether they broke up and Taemin shattered his heart into a million, little pieces.

 

Minho would always harbor a vast amount of love – taking up substantial space – in his heart for the delectable, blonde dancer that no one else would be able to fill… always willing to allow his ray of sunshine back by his side no matter how long it took.

 

 

****      ****      ****      ****      ****

 

 

And it's hard to love again
When the only way it's been
When the only love you knew
Just walked away
If it's something that you want
Darling, you don't have to run
You don't have to go
Just stay with me, baby stay with me

 

Since the day Taemin left Minho’s heart broken in two, Minho had tried to find another reason to live on. He dated other people, drowned himself in his work, created ridiculous distractions to keep himself from dwelling on his Taemin’s timeless beauty, and participated in continuous rigorous exercise… sadly, nothing worked to keep his mind off of the loss of his blonde lover. 

 

Minho thought that he had experienced many hardships that would prepare him for whatever challenges life had to offer him, but he was never prepared for the love of his life to end their relationship so abruptly.

 

He realized that it was hard to erase memories that had become engraved in his heart, mind, body, and soul like a needle sketching a tattoo into the flesh of his skin.

 

He realized that it was hard to love again, when the only true love he’d had was with Taemin… when the only love he knew just walked away.

 

He never thought that he would experience a loss as great as this.

 

A loss… that reversed his whole view on life and on eternal love.

 

A loss… that would forever haunt him until he made everything right.

 

 

 

 

Minho realized that if he really, truly wanted Taemin to be by his side for the remainder of the time he had left on this beautiful planet… that he would have to fight for it.

 

He would have to make sure Taemin realized the amount of love, caring, compassion and affection he had for him.

 

He would have to extinguish all of the doubts and insecurities Taemin had about being close and vulnerable with someone.

 

He would have to show Taemin that he would never hurt him like others had in the past and that he would be safe with him.

 

Because no matter how many times Minho told Taemin how much he loved and cherished him… words were not enough to convince him, his feelings and actions would have to speak for themselves.

 

Minho knew how much Taemin cared about him.

 

Minho knew how much Taemin loved him.

 

Minho knew that Taemin thought of him as his lifeline… his key to living a happy life.

 

Now, he just had to show him that if it’s something that he wants that he does not have to run from it, he doesn’t have to leave… that all he needs to do is stay with him and he would spend his life proving it to him.

 

 

 

 

But what Minho didn’t know is that Taemin felt the same way…

 

 

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I'm not sure what this is gonna be
But with my eyes closed all I see is the skyline
Through the window
The moon above you and the streets below
Hold my breath as you're movin' in
Taste your lips and feel your skin
When the time comes
Baby don’t run
Just kiss me slowly

 

As Minho continued to stare out at the view of Seoul’s night skyline, he was broken out of his revere and silent thoughts by a loud, forceful knocking at the hotel suite door.

 

Dnnnn, dnnnn, dnnnn. Dnnnn, dnnnn, dnnnn.

 

“MINHO!!!” shouted a soft, exasperated voice that Minho recognized immediately.

 

Dnnnn, dnnnn, dnnnn. Dnnnn, dnnnn, dnnnn.

 

“MINHO!!! ARE YOU IN THERE!!! MINHO!!!” The voice shouted again.

 

Minho moved quickly from the midnight view towards the thick, wood door, unlocking and opening it later.

 

And to Minho’s surprise, stood the very person he had been thinking of…

 

His sweet, adorable, talented, beautiful, blonde dancer.

 

“Minho,” Taemin breathed in and out heavily, seeming to have run down the hallway from the hotel’s elevators, “I’m so happy you’re here. I went to your apartment thinking you’d be there and you weren’t, so I tried my luck and came here.”

 

“Tae… What are you doing here? How did you even get here? I thought you moved back to your home town, what made you think I’d be here?” Minho asked quickly in complete shock.

 

He was stunned that the boy he had just been daydreaming about, the boy that he was just thinking about, they boy he had just convinced himself to fight to the death for… found him in the hotel room where they’d made love for the first time.

 

Taemin looked up into Minho’s eyes with his own teary, pleading ones, “I-I’m so s-sorry Minho!! I-I thought I was m-making the right decision… but I wasn’t, I just ended up hurting you and myself in the end. I t-thought that I could g-get over you… but I c-couldn’t… I never could because I l-love you too much. I am s-so sorry Minho!!” Taemin said loudly while ignoring Minho’s questions, stuttering through his tears, begging, pleading for Minho to understand that he made a big mistake.

 

“Tae… baby… please don’t cry. You know how much it hurts me to see tears staining your perfect face,” Minho replied, bringing the small, lithe body close into his comforting embrace.

 

“I understand, Minnie… there’s nothing you have to explain to me. These have been the hardest three weeks of my life, I felt like I was going to go insane from missing you” Minho said, to soothe the sobbing boy in his arms.

 

“Minho, I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean it. I never want our relationship to end, I want to be with you for the rest of my life,” Taemin said in a low, muffled voice between sniffles, so quietly, Minho had to strain his ears to hear.

 

“I know, baby, I know. Stop apologizing because you have nothing to be sorry for, I know that you were only trying to protect yourself but you never have to shield yourself from me or my love, understand?” Minho asked Taemin, whose head was still buried in his chest nestled under his chin.

 

Taemin simply nodded and sniffled in reply, “Taeminnie, look at me.” Minho grabbed Taemin’s small, reddened face between his big hands, tilting it upwards so he could stare into Taemin’s bloodshot, pale blue eyes.

 

“I love you and nothing will change that, no matter how hard you try to sabotage your own happiness, I will always be there for you.”

 

“I-I love you too, Minho. Kiss me… Kiss Me Slowly like you always have,” Taemin responds between hiccups.

 

Minho leaned in, capturing the luscious, full, pink lips that he’s dreamt about since the day Taemin walked out of his apartment. He pulled Taemin flush against his body, one arm wrapped securely around the boy’s waste and the other one holding his head in position so they could share an intense, passionate kiss. Taemin wrapping his arms tightly around Minho’s neck, sent thousands of butterflies fluttering in his stomach.

 

Minho had never felt such joy, he was more content and excited about this kiss than he was when he and Taemin kissed for the very first time.

 

It was confirmed then and there… that Taemin was his earth, air, sky, water, sun, moon, and stars. Taemin was his light, his galaxy, his universe, his only love, and his everything.

 

Taemin is everything that sustains him, he is everything that makes his life worth living and he is a miracle to him… for that, Minho could never ask for anything more.

 

They were determined and adamant from there on out to be with each other for eternity.

 

Because that’s what they had promised each other…

 

They promised to be together forever.

 

 

 

 

A/N: Hey everyone!!! I’m sorry that I took forever to post a new oneshot. I just had a difficult time thinking of a plot for this song but I was determined to do so because I love the song too much :D Like I said in my forward, I thought 2min was the perfect SHINee couple to write about with this song because they are such a fluffy, romantic couple~!! I really hope that you enjoyed reading this story (even though I think I could have done better writing it (especially the ending) and because I rushed it a little, I’m still pretty satisfied with the result *shrug*).

 

Excuse any grammar and spelling errors that may be in the text and DO NOT plagiarize my work!! Please comment and subscribe, and let me know what I need to work on in the future when writing a one-shot or chaptered story (Please be kind, I’m still a newbie :D).

 

Thank you so much for reading!!! <3

 

*NOTE: the bold words in the second part of the one-shot are slightly modified lyrics - to fit the story - from the inspired song which is located - in full - in the forward. Everyone (possibly) mentioned or talked about that is not a SHINee member is an OC and made up by me. S/A/N means – Story Author’s Note.