Is Butjongin really updating within 24 hours? Again, I'm sorry these are so short. 

It is without question, a miracle that Taemin is able to practice what he preaches. The usual morning mist, the usual painted dew, and the usual (yet obnoxiously so) dash of humidity all remind Taemin of the continuation of time. He remembers once when he told Jongin that “although there is sadness, the birds will still chirp in the mornings and the sun will still rise.”

Taemin wished he hadn’t been so wise, for playing the victim is frustrating enough, despite having the knowledge that a part of him was kicking him in the to get a grip. He deleted his search history of “how to be optimistic” and “why does college even exist” before rushing outside to catch the morning bus for school.

Nearing his usual waiting stop, he found a very familiar and white car parked just across the street. Seriously? Taemin refused to believe it for a few moments, so he just stared at the car until a very handsome boy stepped out from the driver’s seat.

“Heyy Taeminie! I’m driving you to school from now on. What are you staring at? Move your .”

Taemin blinked. After a moment’s processing, he hesitantly walked over to the beautiful image of a caring angel, his actions motivated by the happiness of Taemin.

Taemin opened the door to sit inside, but Jongin grabbed his bag and threw it in the trunk before Taemin could move another inch. “You don’t need that weight on you.” Jongin smiled, and so did his eyes.

When Taemin was fully buckled inside one of his favorite places to be, Jongin handed him a warm mug.

“I made some tea for you, sweetheart.”

“Sweetheart?” Taemin took a sip of the surprisingly calming oolong.

“Yeah, sweetheart. That’s you.” He pointed to Taemin’s heart, and then brushed his cheek with his thumb before pulling back.  

Taemin’s smile was so large and so pure, that it upgraded to a little laugh. “Wow okay, Jongin. I mean, darling.”

The morning sun shined through the branches of the trees, racing the car and providing the light to guide the world to another day. Another day. As it has done yesterday, and as it will do tomorrow. Taemin felt okay. He began squeezing in little bits of his time with Jongin into memory, creating a scrapbook of nostalgia.

“Hey, Jongin…”

Little birds flew passed their windows, laughing out songs and chasing each other. “Mmm, yes?”

“Are you doing this because you feel bad, or do you really want to spend all this time with me?”

Jongin took his eyes off the road for a moment to give Taemin a look of puzzlement and enigma. He reached for Taemin’s hand, and slowly placed his palm to his own chest.

Taemin’s world crashed in around him, as he felt the racing and pounding booms throbbing from Jongin’s heart. Every contradiction and every self-doubt was burnt with the physical proof of their mutual enamoredness. It was crazy. Absolutely insane. And it opened Taemin’s eyes.

“It’s called love, Taemin.”

Taemin didn’t know what to say. He figured this was one of those times when “silence says the most.” He took another sip of tea, tried to ignore his inner butterflies and light headedness and muttered rhetoric into the mug. “Well me sideways.”

“Can I?”

Taemin smacked Jongin’s arm, though they both laughed.

~~

Starting the day off with this eye candy definitely put Taemin in a wonderful mood. It lasted through the first half of the day, and was regenerated with another surprise attack from Jongin.

“Heyy Taeminie. Can I eat lunch with you?”

“The hell? I thought we were on different lunch schedules?”

Jongin smiled his crooked smile. “I asked to switch. Who do you usually sit with?”

“Uhh I used to eat with Jonghyun but he’s been hanging out with his girlfriend. So I just sit alone.”

“You sit alone?” Jongin looked as though he had been shot. “Tae. What about your other friends?”

“What other friends?”

Jongin looked lost in thought, finally realizing he had never seen Taemin with anyone else, besides Kibum, occasionally. Taemin clarified.

“Nobody wants to be friends with the skinny, sarcastic prick.”

Jongin laughed. “I do. I wonder who has been that much of an to you, that they have convinced you that those characteristics define you.”

Taemin shrugged, and they continued walking towards the isolated yet spacious place Taemin would go to eat. They basically ate each other’s food, Jongin especially enjoying Taemin’s dinner leftovers, and Taemin enjoying the sliced fruits Jongin had prepared himself. Jongin had packed a bag of sunflower seeds, so they decided to share them.

As they crouched together, knees touching and fingers scurrying over the cracking and disposing of sunflower seeds, Jongin finally spoke up between the chewing of the seeds.

“Taemin, it’s our one year anniversary today.”

Taemin looked up, and Jongin met his eyes.

“Really? What’s the date today?”

“March first.”

Taemin paused to chew his sunflower seeds, and spit out the shell before retorting back.

“Is that why you’re being so nice to me today? I thought you were really trying to spend time with me.”

Jongin half smiled and half scoffed. “It just happened that way. It’s just hard to believe a year has gone by. And I want to celebrate the best thing that’s happened to me.”

Taemin tried really hard not to smile, believe me. His fumbling lips eventually broke loose and he was a disarray of blushes. He caught Jongin by surprise with the touch of their lips. After he had pulled back and already began cracking another seed, Jongin enclosed their lips again.

This time, it was neither quick nor reserved, but intent on a goal much more tear demanding. Taemin’s mental camera snapshotted the flicks of Jongin’s tongue, and the way his lips seemed to roll into Taemin’s much like the waves of his dancing.

Just as Taemin’s fingers began to wrap around Jongin’s neck to enhance their session, a distinctly impudent voice interrupted them.

“Oh uhhh—sorry guys. Can I steal Taemin for a minute?” Kibum looked a little apologetic, but not nearly enough to formally apologize to Jongin, who groaned a little, faked a smile, and forced a nod. Taemin tried not to laugh as he stood up to walk with Kibum.

“What’s up?”

Kibum took a deep breath before starting. “Okay so, if I tell you something, will you promise to keep it a secret and not judge me?”

Taemin nodded. “Yeah of course.”

Another deep breath. “IlikeJonghyun.”

“YOU LIKE JONG—”

Kibum put his hand over Taemin’s mouth. “Shutup.”

“Wait you like guys oh my god oh my god why didn’t you tell me earlier oh my god that really would have helped out my self-esteem oh my god what the hell but why Jonghyun??”

Kibum shrugged. “Why Jongin?”

Taemin could think of a million reasons 'why Jongin' but he decided not to upset Kibum, so he remained silent. He also didn’t want to make Kibum feel bad for liking anyone, even if it was Jonghyun. Kibum continued his confession.

“The reason I told you is ‘cause I just want to know how you and Jongin actually got together. Like, how did you make Jongin love you when he wasn’t even gay in the first place?”

Taemin had no ing idea. This was a question he was still pondering himself.

“Uhh… Hey, Jongin!” Taemin yelled a little. Jongin grunted from the other room as his acknowledgement.

“What did I do to make you like me?”

“How the hell do I know. You’re the one who did it.”

“Seriously.”

“Seriously, I don’t know. I remember starting to like you after we danced together that one time but… I don’t know what it specifically was. I think it’s different for each person. You don’t fall in love with what they do, you fall in love with who they are.”

Taemin turned his attention back to Kibum. “There’s your answer.”

Kibum whined a little. “Okay well… if you can, you know, set us up to do stuff…”

“He has a girlfriend. I’m not going to ruin their relationship.”

“Stop being so damn justified all the time.”

Taemin shrugged, and Kibum turned to leave. “Thanks anyway. You’re really lucky Taemin, you know that?” And he was out of sight.

As Taemin returned back to Jongin, his thoughts began to creep up from the rock bottom of another one of his realizations. He looked at Jongin, how beautiful his jaw line defined the framework to the masterpiece that was Jongin’s complexion, how soft and luxurious his hair fell over his face, how perfectly sculpted his body was, and how perfectly it moved when he danced on clouds.

Jongin looked up from the one of the last seeds left. “What?”

“Nothing I just…,” in that moment, Taemin matured a little, “I really am lucky. I got to spend a year with you, I got to hug you, know your secrets, know your fears, kiss you… everything. Usually unrequited loves are never fulfilled, did you know that? Everything that has happened… I never really stopped and thought about it. How much you have impacted my life, and myself. I… thank you, Jongin. Thank you for giving me the experience that some can only dream of, if that. Thank you for loving me.”

~~~

Jongin ended up driving Taemin home, and waiting for a few minutes until Taemin was safely inside and waving from his bedroom window that he was perfectly fine. Taemin blew a few kisses, and Jongin caught them.

Taemin’s days began with a beautiful start, and were now ending with such. What luck, to find breathing proof that Taemin’s idea of perfection existed. And how lucky it was, to be reminded that this proof revolved around making sure Taemin would always be happy; so undeniably and finally happy.