Taemin watched the seconds tick away on the clock as he urged them to go faster. The teacher was at the front of the class, speaking in a language that didn’t fit his vocabulary. His arms were crossed on his desk as his head dropped into them. He watched the other students vigorously take notes which made him look at his own empty notebook. The margins were filled with doodles and the date was always messily written on the top of the page but the rest of the lines were left blank. His hand found his pencil and lifted it between his fingers as he began drawing a circle on the page. From there, two lines were added and before he knew it, it had begun to look like the flimsy figure of a person. He drew two small ovals for the eyes and a line in the shape of a ‘J’ for the nose. Underneath it rested smiling lips. He started from the center of the head and began curvy lines that imitated hair and shaded the curled lines. He stared at the face that poorly resembled that of another and lifted his pencil once more. Right around the drawing, he doodled hearts with different shapes and sizes. He blushed and reached for an eraser, attempting to erase the hearts. He in his cheek as he examined the faded remains that didn’t want to completely disappear. The class had suddenly gone silent as the teacher seemed to catch Taemin’s withdrawn attention. “Are you keeping up, Mr.Lee?” He smacked the board with a ruler, pointing to the work the class was currently taking up. “Yes sir.” Taemin said as he dropped his eraser and reached back for the mechanical pencil. “Alright then.” The teacher turned back to the board, quickly scribbling away, adding more paragraphs to the current ones. School had just started but Taemin was already falling asleep from boredom. He didn’t know how people could actually pay attention in class. What confused him more is how people could then go home and willingly do the homework. His eyes caught the hands of two girls passing notes back and forth between each other, silently giggling afterwards each time they read from the neatly folded and concealed piece of paper. Another girl across the room was braiding her hair before getting scolded for not having her priorities straight. Taemin suddenly felt ashamed as he looked at the boys around his class. They all had short hair, unlike him, and they all liked girls, unlike him. He was so different. The bell rang, interrupting his thoughts. Each student rose in their spots, walking out of class. The occasional person knocked his belongings off his desk, leaving Taemin to stay back, alone with the teacher in the empty class, picking up scrambled papers off the floor. Usually this would bother him, but since today was a good day, he wouldn’t let it get to him. Once the papers were stacked, he started towards his locker. “Taemin, can you come here for a second?” Taemin stopped and turned around, heading to the teacher’s desk. “Yes?” The teacher pulled out a sheet. “Tell me honestly, did you copy this from someone?” Taemin stared at the familiar sheet. “Ah! No, I didn’t! I had trouble with it so my friends explained one of the questions and I applied the steps they taught me to the rest of the questions.” The teacher’s finger slid up the paper to a read circle with a percent inside of it. “…100%?” The teacher nodded. “Yes. I must say, I was quite doubtful, but I guess you must have very smart friends. What class are they in?” He handed the paper over to Taemin, watching the boy tuck it away. “They don’t go to this school.” Taemin stared at the clock conveniently above the teacher’s head. “Oh, then what high school do they go to?” The teacher mentally mapped out the area and the nearest high schools. “They don’t. One’s in college, the other.. I don’t know. He’s from Japan but he’s old enough to be in college as well. Anyways, sir, I have to get ready for my next class.” The teacher nodded and let Taemin off. Taemin smiled as he walked out, looking at the brightly written three digits. He’s have something to show off later.

                Taemin watched in agony as the hands on the clock ticked away their last minute. There was one person he really wanted to go see right now and less than sixty seconds were keeping them apart. Taemin’s bag was pre-packed and on his back as he shifted back and forth in his seat. When the bell rang, he sprinted out the door. It didn’t take long for him to run through the school and outside, skipping the rest of the way down the blocks and into his house. There was a blue shoulder bag standing neatly on the table. He threw off all his school clothes, packing them into the bag and putting on cozy pants and a knitted sweater. He put his coat back on and swung the blue strap over his shoulder, making his way out and locking the door. He dialed a number as his walking sped up. “Annyeong Hyung! I’m coming over. See you in a few minutes.” Taemin made his way through the piles of snow, rushing himself. He wasn’t doing anything special, but he was excited. He had only been to Minho’s house a few times and it was never for a long time. After a few minutes, he approached Minho’s. To his surprise, Minho was walking in the same direction from the opposite side of the walkway, plastic bags in hand. “Hyung? What are you doing outside?” Minho stepped up to the stairs, waiting for Taemin to meet him. “You called on such a short notice; I had to run to convenience store to get some snack because my fridge was, like, empty. Did you bring your clothes?” Taemin raised an eyebrow as he bounced the bag against his hip. “No.” Minho rolled his eyes as he brought the boy in with his arm, leading him up the stair. “Hyung, let’s stay up all night.” Taemin offered as they entered the heated apartment. “Let’s not.” Minho chuckled as he took Taemin’s coat off, leading him to the living room. “Why not?” Taemin whined as he jumped onto Minho’s bed, making himself comfortable. “It’s a weekday, what do you mean why not?” Minho took the plastic bags over to the couch where he shuffled through them. He took out a bag of candies and tossed them over to Taemin. “I’ve never stayed over at your house before! I want to make the most of it!” He tore open the top, dropping some colourful drops into his hand. “And we will. Until maybe 11PM.” Minho stated. “Then I’ll just keep you up!” Taemin challenged as he handed the candies over. “Then you’ll be sleeping outside.” He his tongue as he stared at the elder, crossing his legs. “Let’s play some video games, Hyung. I’m gunna kick your .” Minho perked an eyebrow and he reached for a remote, turning the TV screen on along with a beep following from the console. “I’ll have you know, I am quite the hard core player.” He reached for the controllers and dropped down beside Taemin, passing one to him. “Well, I’ll have you know that… anything you can do, I can do better!” Minho laughed as he pinched the boy’s nose. “I can do anything better than you.” He finished as he watched the console load up and turned the game on. Taemin leaned on Minho’s shoulder his lips clean of the liquefied sugar remnants from the snack. “Hyung, did you buy any gum~?” He sang as the older boy nudged him off, walking over and bringing the food with him. “Bonne Appetite. Enjoy getting fat.” Taemin searched until he came across an unopened pack. He popped two into his mouth as he began chewing them, molding them around his tongue. He began blowing a bubble as dramatic music began playing. The bubble grew larger and larger and the boy smiled. Minho turned to Taemin, seeing the boy’s proud expression. He opened his mouth and pressed his lips around the rubbery texture, bursting it with his teeth. Taemin gasped as he slapped Minho’s shoulder. “You literally burst my bubble!” Minho leaned back, laughing as he clapped. “Now I’m definitely going to beat you up! Let’s go! Press whatever button you have to make me win!” Taemin mashed the buttons as he watched the screen. “That would be the off button.”  Taemin face Minho as he smiled innocently, his hand sliding onto Minho’s thigh. “Oh, you’re clever.” He dug his nails into his leg, watching the older boy flinch. “Ow, ow, ow!” The older boy rubbed the spot as Taemin’s hand landed on his cheek, slapping it with each syllable before pinching it, tugging it. “So clever, my Hyung is.”

                Screaming and arguing finally reached its max as the score read 11-12 at 1:23 in the morning. “One more, just one more!” Minho shook his head quickly as he turned off the TV. “No! Too bad! to be you!” Taemin stood up as he stumped all over Minho’s bed. “You’re so mean Hyung! I hate you! You know that if we play one more round, I’ll beat you! You’re just a sore loser!” He flumped down to the floor like a ragdoll, sprawling across the elder’s feet. “Oi, get up.” Minho ordered, kicking the boy with his heel a few times to no response. “Taemiiiiin~” he groaned as he rolled off the bed himself, tumbling onto the boy while spooning him. “You never let me win, Hyung. I’m super mad at you.” Taemin voiced as he looked away from the elder. “I’m sorry, please forgive me.” Taemin shook his head as he felt Minho turn him over, now facing the dark haired boy. “Even if I make you some s’mores?” Minho bargained as he saw the younger’s confidence waver. “You can’t keep bribing me with food, Hyung! It.. It doesn’t work like that!” He crossed his arms in rebellion but the yearning in his stomach was undeniable. He looked back to Minho with large hopeful eyes. “C-can we make a tent out of blankets and pretend to have a fire?” He fumbled with his fingers as Minho smiled at the adorable request. “Yeah, we can. How about I get the s’mores ready and you make the tent?” Taemin nodded briefly before hopping up and looking around the apartment, gathering all the blankets within reach. As Minho went off to get the ingredients for the treat, Taemin used up all the creativity he could scrounge up. He brought a few stools opposite to the couch and began draping the blankets one over the other. He was constantly crawling in and out, perfecting each fold and angle. He brought a few pillows in; outlining the edges as he also flattened a fuzzy blanket on the wood floor. He parted the blankets, creating an entrance facing a larger window for light. He sat in the middle, admiring his handiwork. “Hyung, look how awesome this is? Aren’t I amazing?” He shouted, hearing Minho shuffle over. “I have to admit, this looks really good. Woah, you even made the floor all soft.” Taemin nodded proudly as he caught a plastic tray with crackers, marshmallows, chocolate, and two chopsticks. “Did you not melt them?” Taemin asked. “I thought it’d be more fun to make them ourselves.” He set the tray down in front of Taemin and he sat down himself. “But there’s no fire. How’s that going to work?” Minho reached back and pulled out a metal container with a candle and a lighter. “It’ll definitely take longer, but we have time.” He yawned as he lit the candle. He placed the lighter down and grabbed one of the chopsticks, stabbing it into a marshmallow. He lifted it over the flame. Taemin watched Minho before slowly doing the same. His lips shaped into a smile and the smile broke into a giggle. “Hyung, you’re so weird.” Taemin hugged his knees and rested his chin on them. “What? Why?” He fell under to Taemin’s contagious laugh. “This is so dorky.” Minho nudged him with his foot, chuckling. “You wanted to do it.” Minho stated. “You suggested it.” Taemin corrected. “Hey, Minho, let’s talk.” The older boy nodded as his marshmallow began to slide off. “Sure. What do you want to talk about?” Taemin handed Minho a cracker with a block of chocolate on it, being thanked with a silent nod. “I just want to know about you. Tell me a story.” Minho thought for a few minutes, before finally deciding on a story. “When I was little, my parents made me stay in for a long time to study. Once I got upset because all the other kids could go outside to the park but I couldn’t, so I decided to sneak out.” He paused as he heard Taemin giggle. “I’m guessing this doesn’t end well?” He shook his head, a smile forming on his lips as he recalled the events. “Well if you let me finish, you might find out. Anyways, I decided to sneak out. My room was on the second floor so I had to climb onto the tree outside my window. I snuck out and climbed onto the branch. It was going really great until I had to jump at this odd angle. I jumped anyways. My feet landed on the branch but I suddenly slipped back. Luckily for me, there was a branch right under me that caught me. Well, it caught my pants. I got stuck, hanging there from the branch by my pants, about 15 feet off the ground.” At this point, Taemin was slapping his knee, laughing as his s’more fell apart in his hand. “I had to call my parents in front of all my neighbours and friends. It was horrible. After that, I didn’t even want to go out anymore.” Taemin wiped his eyes from the tears as he ate in a shaky, laughing voice. “Alright, alright, tell me a story about yourself.” Taemin nodded as he swallowed. “When I was little, me and Kai went in a kayak. I was really young so I don’t really remember it, but my dad recorded it. We were kayaking in the lake and I saw a huge fish and I was convinced that it was some type of water dragon or something. I began whipping my arms around and tried to stand up on it to get further away from it. That was probably not the smartest thing. Since Kai was younger, seeing me freak out freaked him out and he did the same and we ended up in the water, screaming. Kai’s dad had to jump in and save us.” Minho raised his eyebrows, “Wait, you’re telling me your parent’s thought it was a good idea to let two little kids on a kayak by themselves and your dad figured it was a better idea to record the situation then jump in? Your family’s hilarious.” Taemin blushed at the logic of it all. “Hey, quit laughing.”

                The tray was robbed of its crackers and chocolate, leaving Taemin and Minho to eat a bag of marshmallows half awake. They were tied together in a thick blanket, watching the snow fall against the purple shades of the night sky. “I really wanted a little brother so I kind of just brought him home..” Taemin admitted. “You kidnapped a little kid!” Taemin shook his head. “He was crying that he was lost and I was innocent and young and I took him home and asked to keep him! It sounded like the most reasonable thing!” Minho placed the marshmallows to the side, slouching, Taemin coming with him. “You’re horrible.” Their legs were tangles up as the snowflakes hit the glass. “Minho…” Taemin whispered. “We didn’t change into our pajamas… C’mon, let’s just quickly do that.” He got ready to get up but was held down my Minho’s hand around his waist. “It’s too late now Taemin. Let’s just sleep.” Taemin was too tired to argue as stayed in his spot. They sat there in silence as Taemin rested his head on Minho’s chest, listening to his slow heartbeat. He looked up as the elder’s head dropped. He sat up slightly, turning around as he watched the taller boy’s chest expand, quiet snores escaping his mouth. He lifted his hand and brushed it up against Minho’s cheek, sliding around to the back of his head, guiding it back onto a pillow. He leaned in a kissed Minho’s shut eye as his fingertips curled into the wavy hair. “Hyung, do you know that I like you? I’ve been trying to keep it a secret, you know?” He eased back into Minho’s arms as he tucked them in. He rested his hand, blushing deeply as he felt his fingers brushing against another pair. His hand cautiously d around, making out the rest of the elder’s hand. His fingers slithered between Minho’s, interlocking them. He watched the buildings in the distance slowly lose their glow as the households inside were dominated by the darkness of night. He found it interesting that less than a few feet away, it was sub-zero temperature, yet in here, in this house that wasn’t his, he was warmed from the inside out by someone he liked. What would it be like if Minho wasn’t the one who had saved him from the car? Would he be alone just as he’d always been before? Would he be just as unhappy and lonely? Would he be dead? He shook the thoughts away, because regardless of the “what ifs” and “Maybes”, he was here with Minho. It wasn’t a dream and this was his life. He looked up at Minho one last time before closing his eyes. “I wonder how you’d react if you knew how I felt… Maybe I should just tell you.” His eyes shut for the night as every screen in Seoul read 4:00 AM.

A/N: Sorry for being a day late! I was working on this at 11pm last night and then my computer shut down and iojhrsgoihjgroi anyways, here you go!