Neon strobe lights flash around in the rowdy darkness of the crowd as strangers grind against each other on the already jam-packed dance floor. The air is thick with noise and bass music and sweat and Taemin grimaces, because why did he even agree to go here in the first place?

 

"Taemin!" The blonde sitting across from Taemin catches his attention. The man has a shot glass in one hand, and with the way he is leaning on the shorter man beside him, he looks to be quite tipsy. "Wipe that look off your face! We're supposed to be having fun!"

 

Taemin manages to grimace at the blonde, because although he is terrified of the older man, Kibum probably wouldn't even remember a single thing of what happened tonight come tomorrow. The same goes for Jonghyun, who is being glomped by females at the moment. (Taemin figures that if Kibum weren't so drunk, the women would have been unconscious by now.)

 

Even more shot glasses are placed on the table by a staggering Jinki. Taemin has seen the number of beers and pints the man had downed since the beginning of their night out, and all Taemin has to say is that the man has an extremely impressive alcohol tolerance. But he isn't sure if the same can be said for Jinki's tolerance for hangovers, though. He cringes in sympathy, imagining how bad of a headache the older man will be experiencing the next morning.

 

Just when he breathes out a heavy, bored sigh, he feels something collide against his shoulder. He turns his head to the side and is met with Kai's raven hair, almost as black as the smooth leather of the booth they are occupying. He chuckles when he sees the tired expression on Kai's face, knowing full well that the younger man is hating this just as much as he is. Both of them had never really been fans of pumping ear-splitting music, large sweaty crowds and dark cramped places— so being dragged into a club with exactly those specifications really isn't fitting into their cup of tea.

 

"Taeeeeeeeee," The younger man whines, "Why'd you have to drag me with you?" He slaps away a stranger's hands from his neck in the process of his whining. (This has been happening for so many times that he doesn't even bat an eyelash anymore when fingers are suddenly creeping around his shoulders. He had girlishly shrieked the first time, but now he just wordlessly swats them away.)

 

Taemin looks behind them in amusement, trying to figure out which one of the females/males walking around was trying to feel up his best friend. He guesses that it is the redhead in the strap-less, see-through dress before he readily answers, "You said you wanted to spend some time together, didn't you?"

 

Kai looks up from his shoulder and pouts, "Yeah, I did. But... you know this isn't what I meant!" He sags back down and grumbles about there being and touchy strangers and stupid best friends, but he does not lift his head from its position.

 

Despite feeling guilty for forcing Kai into going through something like this, Taemin can only laugh because how is it possible for a man to whine and pout so adorably in a sleazy night club? He nudges Kai's head with a shrug of his shoulder and puts on his best convincing voice— the one that never fails to work on the younger.

 

"Come on, at least we're doing something together. You're the one who's been complaining that I haven't been spending time with you enough anymore." Taemin cannot help the childish lilt in his voice.

 

"I only said that because you've been too busy with your boyfriend these days." It amuses the brunette how sulky Kai sounds as he follows the younger's glare. He doesn't have to turn his head to figure out who Kai is shooting eye-daggers at, but he does anyway. On his other side is Minho, who is practically smothering him with kisses and nips and pecks, and at some point, tiny .

 

This has been going on for a while, since the moment Minho started downing his own servings of alcohol. When Minho had attempted to make his first advance on Taemin, he had tried to stop him, reminding the man of his reputation and how people might recognize him and be witnesses to the sight of Choi Minho feeling up another male. But the elder had smoothly convinced him that the club they are at is shady enough that people of their status wouldn't be recognized.

 

Minho has his arms wrapped around Taemin's torso as he peppers kisses to the brunette's neck. Taemin rolls his eyes, trying to ignore the pleasure that he is feeling from the chaste touches, figuring that the man is probably upset about something he did, because Minho is only ever this touchy whenever he is jealous. And maybe it was already a sign enough when Minho had possessively pulled Taemin to his side when he had told them that he brought Kai along. Kibum and the others were fine with it (Hey, the more the merrier!), but with Kai being the constant competitor for his attention (as Minho keeps labelling him), of course he'd act this way.

 

Not that Taemin doesn't like the attention. He likes it – no, scratch that – loves it whenever Minho is jealous. He always ends up showering Taemin with attention and kisses and cheesy pick-up lines, and it just makes the brunette giddy inside. He likes seeing how far Minho would go just to get him back. So he lets the elder continue with his ministrations, letting out a few involuntary moans here and there whenever Minho finds a particularly accurate spot on his neck or thighs.

 

He lets out another tiny moan, and he blushes, because he realizes that he was having a conversation with Kai and it would be weird to have his best friend watch him and his boyfriend getting all cozy. So when Kai shoots him a thoroughly weirded-out look, Taemin decides to distract him by pecking him on the forehead. (It is a good thing that Minho is too drunk to notice the going-ons around him)

 

"Ignore him." He says, referring to Minho. "Just try to have some fun, okay?" When Kai only furrows his brows warily, Taemin frowns cutely. "For me?"

 

The raven-haired boy concedes, sighing and leaning back on his seat. "Fine, fine." With that, he excuses himself to go get some non-alcoholic drinks for the both of them, climbing out of his seat in a huff.

 

Now that his best friend is dealt with, Taemin gets the chance to give his full attention to the other man clinging onto him. The way Minho is touching him everywhere makes him feel insanely hot and bothered, and it took every ounce of self-control in his being not to pounce on Minho during the whole time he was conversing with Kai. He glances around the table carefully to make sure if any of the three drunken men were watching them before he leans into Minho.

 

"Pretty touchy today, aren't we?" He says it right in Minho's ear, just because he knows the elder likes it when he does that and also because if he doesn't, Minho probably wouldn't hear him over the loud music.

 

The man pulls him impossibly closer and whispers right back, just as flirtatious as Taemin, only with touches of a possessive growl. "Only 'cause he's here." He lightly bites the brunette's ear, "Why'd you have to bring him?"

 

"Stop talking about him like he's a pet, Minho." Taemin pouts. "And would it really hurt to be nice to him? I mean he is my best friend. You should at least try to make friends with him too."

 

"But—"

 

"I know, I know, you think he likes me." The elder now has a frown tugging on his lips and Taemin only has to lean forward and kiss it away. He had never really been much for PDA, (especially ever since he'd gotten with the famous Minho) but at the moment, he doesn't mind his blatant displays of affection because Kibum is too busy accusing Jonghyun of cheating on him and Jinki is too occupied with cleaning up the drink he'd spilled a few seconds ago. "But I'm telling you, he likes someone else."

 

MInho's response is a dismissive 'Hmph.' He caresses the brunette's thigh before continuing in a slur. "I still don't like him."

 

The younger crosses his arms and huffs at him, puffing out his cheeks. It frustrates him that his boyfriend is so stubborn, but he understands that his and Kai's relationship may be giving off the wrong messages, what with their touchiness and all.

 

He is in the process of reasoning out with the drunken elder again when a pair of arms suddenly drape on Minho's shoulders from behind, effectively cutting him away from their intimate embrace. Taemin twists around in astonishment, furious at whoever dares to wrap their offending arms around Minho.

 

"Hey there, cutie." The sultry voice is accompanied by a— to put it frankly— whorish looking woman with stylishly ripped clothes and impressively applied make-up. What she lacks in the facial department is made up for by her heavily endowed bust. And as furious as he is, Taemin forces himself not to laugh at the obvious cheesy one liner that is to predictably follow. "Would you mind if I kept you some company, hm?" (Bingo, there it is!)

 

The woman's chest is shamelessly pressed up against the back of Minho's head, and the man looks utterly lost and clueless to what is happening. It seems that he is too drunk to even realize that someone is literally throwing herself on him. So Taemin steps in, snapping his head to the direction of the floozy intruder, trying not to scrunch his nose from the strong scent of her perfume.

 

"Excuse me," He roughly yanks off the woman's arm and smoothly places himself on Minho's lap, wrapping his own arms around the man's shoulders. Both Minho's and the woman's attention are caught by his snappy tone. "—but my boyfriend here is gay, and is very much taken by yours truly. So I suggest that you leave before I rip your fake hair off." To top it all off, he sweetly smiles at the woman in what could only be a silent threat of: 'Leave-now-or-I-swear-I-will-cut-you'.

 

The woman gapes at Taemin, leaving only when she collected herself enough to bring her jaw back up— but not before throwing Taemin a dirty look. The brunette turns his nose up at her, not caring in the slightest how catty he may appear to other people.

 

He gets distracted from his venomous thoughts about the woman by the shiver-inducing feeling of teeth tugging at his earlobe. He turns his attention back to Minho when the elder growls into his ear.

 

"You have no idea how attractive I find you right now."

 

Taemin smirks at him, voice suggestive. "Oh, I think I might." He knowingly eyes Minho's lap, very aware of the effects that his possessive actions had on the elder.

 

", Taemin I—"

 

"Is that my phone vibrating or is that your—?"

 

Minho groans. "It's your phone."

 

The brunette pulls out the object from his pocket, ringing from an incoming call. Minho is pouting up at him, not wanting to let Taemin escape. In response, the younger smiles apologetically at him before pecking him on the cheek and sliding out of his lap.

 

The cold, quiet night air immediately greets him when he steps out of the club and onto the sidewalk. He takes a deep, fresh breath before answering the unnamed caller.

 

"Hello?"

 

'Taemin! It's me!'

 

"... Why the are you calling me?"

 

 

 

Minho sulks in his loneliness, gulping down another shot. Right when Taemin had left, Kai came back bringing a whole new batch of drinks. He would have told the guy to go away, but he remembered that Taemin had asked him to be nice.

 

"Where's Taemin?"

 

Neither Kibum nor Jonghyun acknowledge him because they are now too busy making up/out from their arguments minutes ago. Jinki tries to reply, but the only things that come out of his mouth are unintelligible pieces of words. Minho sighs, deciding that he should probably answer since he seems to be the least drunk among all of them.

 

"On the phone with someone."

 

"Oh. Okay."

 

If the loud music was taken away, Minho is pretty sure that an awkward silence would be mercilessly hanging above them. He and Kai are the only ones sober enough to hold up a conversation, and neither of them are doing a pretty good job at it. Minho tries to ask him how old he is and what he does for a living, and he receives friendly answers of '21,' and 'Oh, I'm still looking for a permanent job, actually. In the meantime, I teach in a dance school.'

 

Then Minho replies with a friendly, 'Ah.'

 

This goes on for a while, with Kai interrogating Minho every so often, until finally, to their great relief, Taemin returns from his call. The elder immediately brightens up, expecting to pick up where they had left off, but to his great disappointment, Taemin doesn't sit on his lap and instead seats himself between him and Kai. He is planning on seducing the brunette back to their previous position, but then he sees the dark look that had settled on Taemin's face, so completely different from his cheery disposition minutes ago.

 

"Hey," He pulls Taemin close, "What happened? Who did you talk to?"

 

The boy jumps at his touch and then looks at him with wide eyes. He then quickly shakes his head and smiles at Minho before saying, "Just someone from work." Then suddenly, a smirk creeps its way back to Taemin's lips. The brunette runs a finger up and down his thigh, seemingly oblivious to Kai's presence (Minho noticed that Taemin wasn't as responsive whenever the damned best friend is there), and mumbles into his ear, "Now, where were we?"

 

Minho eyes him, and then smirks back, choosing to shrug off his boyfriend's sudden changes of mood. He wouldn't want to not take advantage of the sultry Taemin at the moment. He touches their foreheads together and smiles meaningfully.

 

"I think we were just about to leave."

 

"Aw," Taemin pouts, "You're sending me home?"

 

"Of course not. I wouldn't want to leave you alone at your place. That's dangerous." Minho feigns worry. "You're going home with me tonight. I wouldn't want you to feel lonely." 

 

"More like you just want to get me in bed tonight."       

 

"Well, that too. So what do you say?"

 

"Let me just say, when I'm done with you..." Taemin whispers the last words into the elder's ear, and the other four men who have begun to watch the hormonal couple are only left to wonder how creative Taemin really is with his innuendos to make Choi Minho blush the way that he is now.

 

They hurriedly slide out of their seats, with Taemin pecking Kai on the cheek and assuring him that Taesun is coming over to pick him up.

 

 

Apologies for the cliche lines dsfjalfjsdsdfkljasdf. In other news! There may be more chapters than I had previously estimated! :D So, correction: Maximum of five chapters left, haha? By the way, thank you to those who pointed out the mistakes in the last chapter!