Minho smiled, his eyes drifting from his book to the sleeping boy on his chest. Quiet snores escaped his lips as their legs tangled under the sheets. Minho had stayed the night, a lie which had become a plan. They watched several movies varying from romance, to horror, to comedies. After the fifth movie, Taemin had dozed off, leaving Minho to tuck him in and go to bed himself. Their bodies melted together under the cold winter scene, sharing the only bed in Taemin’s apartment. Minho was now relaxing under Taemin; book in hand, trying to avoid interrupting his dongsaeng’s sleep. He occasionally glanced at the clock, keeping track of the time, noting the moment he should get out of bed and probably wake Taemin up so that he would not be late for school. That hadn’t seem to be an issue when an unidentified melody rung out. Taemin’s arm flung out unexpectedly across the bed to a small metal box on the bedside table as if by instinct. The sound soon ceased as Taemin groaned, rubbing his cheek against Minho’s chest. He tugged a thick blanket over his head, covering Minho up to the neck. “Taemin-ah,” Minho chimed in as he shook the younger boy, trying to rock him out of his sleep. “Taemin-ah, you have to wake up.” Taemin’s first response was to take the hem of Minho’s shirt and pull it over his head. His second was to whine and try to negotiate. “Hyung, just a few more minutes, please.” Minho began to sit up, the boy’s body shaping to his own. “Taemin, it was partly my fault that you stayed up so late, but you have school today and so do I. We have to get up. You don’t have to take my word for it, take your own seeing as you were the one to set that alarm.” Taemin shook his head, finding a more comfortable position for his now sitting figure. “Hyung, we don’t need school. Just stay in bed with me forever.” Taemin raised his hand to Minho’s face, slowly dragging his hand along the side of his face. “We don’t have to go anywhere; we can just spend the rest of the day together.” He spoke slowly, his voice caring but persuasive at the same time. “You understand Hyung, right?” Minho began leaning in to Taemin’s touch, his head taking the shape of something similar to a nod. “Yeah, I do. I understand how lazy you are and that you need to get off your and out of bed.” He rolled over, taking Taemin with him. Taemin squealed, a ‘humph’ coming out at his failed attempt to bargain. Minho leaned down to bite the younger’s shoulder, before fixing his slouched posture. “Let’s get out of bed and make some breakfast, ne? I’ll help.” He held onto Taemin’s wrist and stretched his arms in different direction, pulling the boys limbs this way and that. “Hyung~” He whimpered, “I’m going to punch you~” Minho chuckled, teasingly waving Taemin’s hand in front of his own face. “I’d like to see you try. Now, c’mon, up!” He dug his heels into the bed as he stood up, pulling Taemin up with him, to no surprise, with no cooperation. He settled for throwing the boy over his shoulder and hopping off the bed while walking over to the kitchen. He dropped him onto the counter, quickly taking a moment to tousle the boy’s hair. He walked around the kitchen as Taemin announced the location of each object they required. Soon they were sitting face to face at a small table while eating eggs and bacon. Minho was already dressed but Taemin was still in his pajamas. “I have some things to take care of so I’ll be leaving first.” Taemin would have responded but he was still half asleep. Minho stood up and Taemin’s legs unknowingly followed his lead. Minho opened the door and turned around and looked at the younger. “Ah, I just wanted to apologize for not completely informing you that the meet up yesterday was a group date although I think you handled it swimmingly. You were clearly a,” Minho cleared his throat, “-a big hit. With both genders.”  He smiled awkwardly. “I’m sure the guys would like to see you again in a more comfortable atmosphere, yeah?” Taemin nodded half consciously. “Take care, buddy.” Minho leaned in a panted a kiss on Taemin’s forehead, leaning away and ruffling Taemin’s soft hair once more before turning around and walking down the steps. Taemin’s lips curved upwards while he closed the door, but when the exit to the outside disappeared, so did his smile. His hand lifted to the spot where Minho had kissed him. His face heated up as his hand brushed over it. All it took was a simple touch of the lips on a meaningless part of the body and he was so flustered. Taemin knew that Minho didn’t mean it in any romantic way. He could guarantee that. They hadn’t known each other nearly long enough for it to be in any romantic way. People always kissed on the forehead all the time. If anything, it showed he saw Taemin as a little kid, a little brother. Taemin sighed, his heart beating insanely. He didn’t like Minho; he was just on his mind more than usual. It’s like when you pretend you have a headache to the point that you actually get one. It’s like a trick of the mind. He was his only friend and his feelings just got confused. He was the brighter side of his life. The only person who spared him a smile. He looked towards his clock and noted the time, walking over to his closet and fishing out his uniform. The familiar white collared shirt, under a cotton navy vest, over grey dress pants, topped off with a red tie. He was still surprised they were in good condition after all the abusive tugging and pulling they go through every day. He tossed his bag over his shoulder and stopped by the mirror on his way out, making he looked representable for all the people who didn’t care.

                As Taemin arrived at school, he was greeted with all too common shoves and pushes on his way into the building itself. He walked down the dreaded hallways, ignoring all eye contact to the best of his abilities. When he reached his locker in what seemed like forever, there were five faces greeting him. “Good morning, Taemin.” A deep voice darted at him. He ignored it, trying to keep his mind occupied with thoughts of the fun night with Minho. One he hadn’t had in a long time. He reached for his lock but his hand was instantly smacked away. “Taemin, why don’t you look up at your Hyungs? And we were even being so kind as to come here early and wait for you.” Another one chirped in, the five forming a circle around him, separating him from everyone else. From safety. “You almost got me into some big trouble the other day at the part with that stupid boyfriend of yours. Lucky for you, you’ve managed to slip away from our hands for a few days.” Suddenly a rude hand invaded Taemin’s personal space, tilting his face upwards, his eyes refusing to comply. “Look at us when we’re talking to you!” A cocky boy yelled. “C’mon, apologize to him, you worthless brat!” His grip became tighter as the space between their faces became smaller. After a moment of silence, the boy raised his arm allowing his fist to collide with Taemin’s gut. Taemin’s throat instantly sealed, all air freezing in its spot. “Say it.” Jiyong demanded, landing another hit on the boy. Taemin’s eyes lifted and locked onto his in a vicious manner. Jiyong was never one with much patience, this proven by the way he growled, his knuckles now aiming for Taemin’s face. “I’ll en kill you!” His arm curled into its swing, and Taemin ducked, his fist mashing with the locker just a few millimeters above him. Taemin locked his elbows, sending the elder flying back. His body swung around and prepared for a sprint which couldn’t be initiated as someone latched onto his bag, pulling him back, the bag flying off. Several arms grabbed at him, stretching material and tearing hems.  He was dragged into some darker, suffocatingly small room and thrown at a wall. Although his back was sore, he kept his posture in attempt to keep his pride although the outcome of this battle was already determined. He was pinned against the wall by his wrists by two others, Seunghyun’s body pressing against his. “Just remember who’s still keeping you untouched in this school, okay?” His lips left an imprint his cheek, Taemin making a face of disgust. “See you later, Yeobo.” The group chuckled as they walked out, his bag being thrown at his feet. He mumbled scornfully as they walked around the corner. Sure they kept him untouched, but that’s only so that they could harass him by themselves. Like they owned him. Who did they think they are? Taemin thought, marching out of the closet and back to his locker. He dumped his books in, reaching for the only ones he needed for the classes before lunch. He crouched down as he sorted through his locker, his eyes finding his phone, a dim light blinking. He reached for it and swiped across the screen, watching it light up.  It presented him with a text, Taemin reading it over a few times.

From: Minho
Message: Hey Taemin. Did you get to school alright?
Sorry I couldn’t walk you this morning. I had some
things to do, but I really wish I could’ve. How has
your morning been so far? Did anything interesting
happen?

He pressed on the part of the screen that opened his contact list and pressed on the image of an envelope beside Minho’s name. The blank layout of a text message took over the screen; the only section being filled in was ‘name’. He lowered himself onto the floor, sitting down while his thumbs hovered over the screen. He began typing, words forming from the individual letters.

Name: Minho
Message: Yeah, I got to school alright. My morning
has been good. Like every other morning ^p^. What
do you mean how has my morning been though?
We were together less than an hour ago Hyung!

He put his phone into his pocket, smiling as he got up. He slung his scuffed bag over his shoulder, making his way to his first period class. Soon after, his pocket buzzed. He reached back down for it, lifting it to his face, ignoring all the dirty glance he was getting as he walked down the hallways.

From: Minho
Message: Haha, yeah I guess you’re right. I guess I
was just trying to come up with an excuse to talk to
you. That’s not all that bad, is it? Has school started
yet? Mine has. I have to be sneaky. Shh~ I was
thinking, do you want to have lunch together? I
mean, you have lunch at 12, right? So it should be fine.

Taemin was happy and he couldn’t deny it. Minho had gone out of his way to text him. During class, nonetheless. He wants to have lunch together? Taemin was glad. That’s great. One thing bothered him though; he had to go to the library at lunch. He sighed, looking up as he neared his class. He made his way to the back of the room where he preferred to sit, dropping his bag and resting his body across his desk.

To: Minho
Message: Mianhae Hyung. I would love to go have
lunch with you, but that’s really not an option for
me today. //sigh  <(_   _)> I have to study lots cuz
I’m not very good at many subjects but I can’t
afford to fail the year. (;; ^ ;; “) I don’t know how
you manage to be so smart, Hyung! You could even
say that I’m a little jealous. How about another day
though? Class is starting now but I can text you
after school or when my break starts if you’re really
that impatient! Kekekeke. Annyeong!

            He places his phone softly into his bag as if it was his lifeline, because truthfully, it was his only contact with Minho when they weren’t together. He rested his head in his folded arms, slowly drifting away as class began. He knew he should pay attention in class but he couldn’t understand a single word of what the teacher was saying. It’s like he was speaking another language. Taemin had fallen too far behind and it was too late to start now. His classes went by slowly but it was finally lunch. Taemin left his class to go pick up his lunch and headed to the library, trying to avoid the crowds on their way to the cafeteria because why would you want to put yourself in a room of hundreds of people who hate you? The library was quiet too. It was harder for people to pick on him there. He made his way to an empty table somewhere in the corner behind tall bookshelves. Out of sight, out of mind he thought as he leaned down and ped his bag, taking out his textbooks and setting them down on the table. I could be having lunch with Minho right now, he whined in his head. He opened his science textbook and just stared at it. He skimmed over a few pages, reading every fifth and sixth word, something about cell division and nucleotide bases. He sighed loudly, leaning his head on his palm. I might as well skip this year. What’s the point to even try? It’s a miracle I’m passing with a 54%.He raised the cover of the book, letting it close. “Well, so much for studying.” He mumbled to himself. He looked around the large nearly empty library. The only people there were those who study most of their days. The ones in the prestigious programs. Taemin didn’t fit in anywhere. He wasn’t allowed to eat in the library but he couldn’t leave either without getting into some sort of trouble. To him, eating was more of a luxury than a need. He could pass. He picked up his phone once more, smiling to himself as he read a text on the screen.

From: Minho
Message: Taemin ah~ I’m so bored. You have lunch
now, right? Send Hyung a picture of yourself to
cheer me up. It’ll make me so happy! Class is so
exhausting. The professor keeps repeating the same
stuff over and over. He’s like a broken machine on
repeat. You understand, ne? Anyway, don’t forget
to smile!  \( ^ ∇ ^ )/

                Taemin blushed. A picture of himself? There’s no way he could do that! It was far too embarrassing especially with all the people around! What if they saw him? He would feel like the biggest idiot in the world! But Minho asked. Could he really turn him down? I mean, maybe, but he didn’t really want to. He opened up the camera app on his phone and his face was suddenly plastered all over the phone. He ducked his head down hoping many people wouldn’t see him. He began pressing the camera button, taking picture after picture. He wasn’t satisfied with any of them. Either his eyes looked weird or his hair was sticking up. He began deleting all of them when a thought came across his mind. Maybe I could.. send him a video? A short one.. I could try it. His eyes darted around the room, checking all the angles that people could see him from. He lifted his bag from the floor and placed it in front of himself on one side, stacking his textbooks on the other. He ducked down and pressed the record button.

                Minho was sitting in his class of 113, the rounded desks all turned to face the teacher in the middle. He was explaining how Collodion dry plates were built, influencing the development of gelatin dry plates. Students all around the room were taking serious notes while Minho caught himself doodling in the margins on his notebook. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and he took it out. He looked at the message, an icon indicating that it was a multimedia message. He saw Taemin’s name bolded and opened it.

From: ★~Taemin~ ★
Message: Press to download

                He clicked on the bolded words, a small bar appearing.

                Finally when it was done, a short video appeared on his screen.

From: ★~Taemin~ ★
Message:

                Minho covered his mouth, a huge smile riding his lips as Taemin spoke “Ah, I’m getting fatter.” His eyes were mesmerized by the replaying video and he kept his phone between his legs, staring at it for quite a while. Geez, why is Taemin so adorable? ‘I’m getting fat’ he says. He’s stick thin! Minho thought, daydreaming. “-ho” Minho ruffled his hair. “Choi Minho!” Minho’s head suddenly jerked up to find his professor and who class staring at him. “Y-yes sir?” he managed to stutter out. “Is there something interesting about your crotch?” The whole class began laughing. “No, sir.” Minho shook his head, embarrassed. “Then can you please read the Rule of Thirds out loud?” Minho swallowed hard, trying to quickly hide his phone as he stood up, book in hand. “The rule of thirds is a "rule of thumb" or guideline which applies to the process of composing visual images such as designs, films, paintings, and photographs.” He started. He wanted to reply to Taemin right away, but it would have to wait seeing as 228 eyes were watching him. In twenty minutes his class would be over and he would be on his way home. Morning classes were something Minho dreaded when he woke up but thanked for in the afternoon when he was able to spend the rest of the day relaxing and spending his time at ease. He finished the long paragraphs and sat back down. He looked over at the clock watching each tick the second hand made until the end of class.

                1200 seconds later, Minho was the first to leave his class. As he walked for the bus stop, his eyes fought the suns glares against his phone. He took refuge in the small three walled, glass, roofed bus shelter. He switched his front view camera on and stuck his arm out, pressing on record. As he finished, he saved the clip and pressed on the share button. He jotted down a quick message and input Taemin’s name as the receiver and brought his phone down. He stuck his head out every few minutes until the bus finally arrived and he got on, showing his bus pass. When he was on, he once more decided to record a short video. He wasn’t very shy, if anything, he liked being on camera, so the amount of people around him didn’t bother him. He smiled at the lens, imagining that it was Taemin.

                Taemin was already on his way to his next class when a quiet, barely audible chirping noise went off in his pocket. He received glares at the sound as if he was the loudest person in the hallway, as if there weren’t at least a hundred other people screaming although they were only feet apart about that show they saw last night, who their favourite celebrity was dating, setting plans for after school. They were judging him as if he had no right to emit any sound whatsoever. 2 Messages. When Minho’s face was the first thing his phone unlocked to, he and giggled. His thumb over his Hyung’s face.

From: Minho
Message: Taemin, you’re not fat!
I’m waiting for the bus!~

From: Minho
Message: Finally onboard! ( \=  ^ w^)= Ahh, I'm so sleepy!

                “Is that you’re boyfriend? Y’know, you make me so jealous sometimes, Taemin.” Taemin dropped his phone into his bag, holding it as close to himself as possible. “I don’t know how someone can even stand looking at somebody like you for more than a second. You’re disgusting.” The older boy swung and arm around Taemin, laughing. “What do you want Jiyong?” Taemin demanded as he tried to throw the boy off of him but failed to. “You’re so sweet Taemin. Running into you twice a day is really a blessing.” He ruffled the boy’s hair, leaving his fingers tied between strands. “Too bad the others aren’t here as well. Maybe I should call them?” Taemin shook his head. “Jiyong, just leave me alone.” Jiyong stepped in front of him, blocking his path as his finger pulled at Taemin’s hair harder now. “Hey, do you want to get punched again? Don’t say my name. You don’t deserve to.” Taemin had gotten bullied since elementary school, but there had never been a moment where he hadn’t stood up for himself. He knew he wasn’t the strongest, that he would most likely always lose the fights, but that didn’t mean he had to lose his dignity completely. “You know what? Go ahead, punch me!” he raised his voice, garnering a few people’s attention. “Do you really wanna go, brat?!” Jiyong’s blood was starting to boil. A ring of students was now beginning to form around them. “Yeah, I do!” Taemin threw himself at the taller boy, trying to stagger him. Jiyong’s fingers pierced into Taemin’s side as he grabbed him, aiming him at the ground and dropping him towards it. He straddled him, his long fingers growing tighter around Taemin’s neck while his fist repeatedly came in contact with his face. Taemin’s was holding his own ground as he brought his knee towards the top’s crotch, mashing into it. Jiyong fell on him but before Taemin had the chance of pushing him off, a teacher did it for him. Another one broke through the wall of kids soon after and pulled Taemin off the ground. They were both hauled to the principal’s office where they sat down and were given detention. Hours later, after school, they were in an empty classroom. “Aisshi! Look what you got me into you stupid piece of .” He looked over his shoulder at the boy seated behind him. “If it makes you angry, then good.” A smile cracked on the elder’s lips. “You know, you’re not as weak lately. You’ve been getting a bit mouthy. Maybe I should fix that.” He shifted his body so that he was sitting facing Taemin now. “I like you a lot Taemin, you know that. And so I care for you. Me and all the other guys. We all do. We hurt you so that others won’t. We’re doing you a huge favour. You should be grateful.” Taemin ignored him, looking out the window. Jiyong’s hand landed on Taemin’s neck and he began dragging his fingertips down slowly, outlining the curve. He fondled the stray tips of Taemin’s hair, causing the boy to flinch. “You know, you’ve grown a lot since I first met you. Maybe you could become my toy? At least then you’d be good for something.” Taemin began to pull away. “Over my dead body. I’m not your property.” Jiyong chuckled. “Well it’s not like you’re anyone else’s. Humor me. You have a girlfriend? Someone who likes you?” Taemin immediately cleared his throat, staring at the older boy. “Y-yeah, I do.” Jiyong made his lips into an ‘o’ shape, sarcastically imitating shock before laughing. “Oh really now? Who?” He held onto Taemin’s chin, keeping him in his spot. “You saw so yourself. Or are you too dumb to remember? He was on my phone.” A microexpression took its form on Jiyong’s face. He was genuinely surprised. Had Taemin not been so observant and so close, he might have missed it. The elder masked it almost immediately with that of cockiness. “What a fib.” Taemin tried his best to appear confident. “It’s true!” Jiyong his lips. “Well then show me what made him choose you. It couldn’t have been your brains or personality, so it must have been your body.” The door opened and an older, raspier voice sounded. “What do you think you’re doing?” Jiyong pulled away, slamming his hand into the desk as he looked angrily into the teacher’s eyes. “What does it look like?! We’re going to make love, old man! Now get out!” The teacher whipped his arm out toward the door. “Jiyong, I will not be talked to like that! You get out of this room right this instant!” Jiyong sprang up, the chair flying behind him as he trudged out of the room. “This is bull.” He disappeared from view faster than anyone else and now the teacher’s attention came to Taemin. “Mr. Lee Taemin, I’m not your parent, but I trust that you will keep your personal life and ual urges out of your academics.” Taemin had given up on explaining and just simply nodded, knowing the teacher wouldn’t listen to him anyways. “Alright then, you are free to go. Today’s incidents shall not repeat, am I correct?” Once again, Taemin nodded. He picked up his bag and left. Taemin made his way to the bathroom; stopping by the sink and washing his cheek and neck where he was touched. And they call me disgusting. He huffed. He brought his cell phone out and set it down on top of the sink, away from the water, commanding it to call Minho and putting it on speaker as he continued to wash himself. “Hello?” A voice answered after a few rings. “Hi, Hyung.” A sigh came from the other side. “Taemin, I tried calling you five times but you didn’t answer. I was starting to worry!” Taemin smiled, the smile evident in his voice. “Sorry Hyung, I was in detention and couldn’t call you.” Minho was silent for a moment. “Detention? What happened?” Taemin reached for a tissue and started to dry his neck. “It was just a small misunderstanding.”
“Are you sure?” Minho questioned. “Yeah.” After another moment, Minho spoke up. “Are you in the washroom?” Taemin nodded but then realised Minho couldn’t see the gesture. “Yeah, I’m just washing up. So why’d you call?” Taemin questioned. “Oh, I wanted to maybe go to the arcade or something but I couldn’t reach you and you never really told me where your school was. I mean, I had an idea, but there are two different high schools in the area and I didn’t want to stop by the wrong one.”
“Ah, I see. I’m terribly sorry Hyung. We could still go though, if you let me go home and change.” Taemin offered. “Ah, that sounds manageable. Alright, well, I’ll see you soon then, yeah?” Taemin smiled. “Ne.”

*Mianhae: Sorry
**Annyeong: Hi, Hello, Good bye (In this case, good bye)
***Aishhi (can also be spelt as Aish - 아이씨): This one's a bit complicated. If a girl says it, it's okay. It's kind of like "Oh come on." But if a guy says its, it's considered more of a bad word? It depends entirely on the context it's used it. Kind of like.. if you say Hell, as in the place, it's not considered a bad word. If you say "What the hell" though, it's considered worse and possible offensive.. I hope this makes sense. 

A/N: Sorry for being so late! If you read the last update you would know that my house got flooded. Anyways, hope this longer chapter makes up for it. This more focuses on the typical day in Taemin's life.

The Bullies:

How could someone so evil be so cute?! Kyaa!~