Taemin went to bed early and had a good night’s rest as Ruki had instructed him to, because having dark purple bags sagging under your eyes wasn’t attractive. It was still early on in the day and his advisor was on his way over to cook a healthy, balanced meal to keep him going the whole day just as he had promised to. Taemin’s soft cheeks were glazed with a chill as he pulled his head out from under the thick and heavy covers.  He rolled over to meet his flashing phone, informing him of his 17 unread messages. He rubbed his eyes, forcing them into focus. His lips spread widely apart as he yawned, them over with his moisturized tongue. “’Good morning, Sleepy Head!’, ‘Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey!’, ‘I’m not going to eat breakfast. I’ll eat at your house, okay Tae-chan?’, ‘I’m all dressed! Making my way over! My tummy’s going ~rumble, rumble!~ I’m so hungry!’” Taemin laughed, looking at the time the messages were received. 15 Minutes ago. He didn’t actually know where Ruki lived. He supposed he’d ask sometime today. He dropped his numb body and quickly urged himself to crawl over to the door, unlocking it before hopping back to his warm haven that was his bed. Given a few minutes, the doorbell rang. “It’s open!” He yelled, and soon a skinny blonde boy ran inside, closing the door behind him before lunging across the room. He heard a thump and was unexpectedly greeted by freezing hands and a coat still graced with white snow. “Tae-chan! It was so cold. Oomph, you’re so warm! Warm me up Tae-chan, warm me up!~” Taemin screamed as he stretched his arms out, pushing the heavy boy up as a clump of snow met his nose. “Gyaah! Next time I’m not opening the door for you!” The older boy stripped off his coat and tossed it to the ground, his shoes sliding off his heel before he slid under the blankets. “Cuddles are the best way to welcome the day!” He shivered as their bodies touched and tangled. “You’re so weird, Ruki.” Taemin placed his hands on the other’s shoulders, warming them as he rubbed them quickly. Ruki nuzzled against Taemin’s neck, humming approvingly at the action. “Okay now out, out!” Taemin ordered as he sat up, forcing Ruki up along with him. “Make me some breakfast Mr. Chef.” Ruki nodded, hopping off and skipping over to get his back pack which seemed fully loaded. “It’s going to be so delicious and you’re going to be like ‘Ruki, you’re such a good cook, please marry me and be my wife!’ and I’ll say ‘Okay!’ and it’ll all be good. I’ll keep you well fed.” Clatter emitted from the kitchen as bowls and pans were put into place. Taemin laughed quietly at the prediction, watching Ruki shuffle around before making his way to the small closet located not far from him. He pulled out a white shirt with the school crest sown onto the right , followed by grey pants and an oversized beige cardigan. He managed to make his way over to the drawer and fish out some briefs. Changing in the bathroom was not something he always did, but with a guest in the house, it was his first option. After getting dressed, brushing his teeth, and completing all his out morning routines, he made his way to the counter where he was met by Ruki’s wide eyes. “Kawaii!” He cupped his mouth. “I didn’t think you could get any cuter! You look like you just walked out of an anime! Come here, I wanna touch you!” Taemin stepped closer cautiously, one eyebrow raised at the boy. He felt Ruki’s hands all over him as if probing the boy. “I’m really not imagining this!” Ruki proclaimed in a shocked tone. “O-okay then. Well, uhm, I made you lunch for school. H-here, take a look!” He held onto Taemin’s sleeve as he led him over to a white little box positions precisely in the middle the middle of a blue and white checkered, squared cloth. He carefully unlocked the lid on both sides and raised it, revealing a neat bento box. There was a figure made of yellow rice lying in the middle one layered lettuce. There was a black nose, eyes, and smile made of seaweed. “It’s Pikachu!” He pointed to the Pokémon in the center. Taemin begin to look in awe at the rest. There were little squids made of sausages and hearts made of thin slices of different kinds of meats and other small Pokémon made with fruits and vegetables. “Isn’t it so cute~?” He placed the lid back on it as he noticed Taemin’s hand reaching out. “You have to wait until lunch time to eat it, but don’t worry, breakfast is just as good! Here, sit down. You have to eat everything before you leave.” There were many plates laid out on the counter, a majority of which made up a tradition Japanese breakfast. “Looks delicious. Definitely looks like better than the canned foods I eat.” He grabbed his chopsticks as he didn’t hesitate to dig in. The both ate the meal with appreciation and had emptied the dishes in a matter of minutes. “Ruki, what are you going to do while I’m at school?” They stood side by side, washing the dishes. “I’ll stay here. You have satellite, right? I’ll just watch some TV for a few hours, snoop around a little, hehe. Anyways, don’t you go worrying about me, I can take care of myself, although I’d much rather have you take care of me. Hey, look at the time. Shouldn’t you be leaving? Grab your bag, c’mon.” He nudged Taemin towards the door, the boy just barely managing to round up his stuff. “Alright, alright! I’ll see you in a bunch of hours! See you!” Ruki stood in the doorway, waving Taemin off. “Bye, bye!”

Just as promised, Taemin returned after school. He was greeted by Ruki opening his door for him and tugging him into a hug. “Welcome home, how was school?” He took the bag off the younger boy, hanging it from a hook. “It was alright, Mom.” Ruki’s hand found its way into Taemin’s hair and he was shot a look of displeasure. “What is it?” Taemin asked. “Your hair’s all icky, knotted, and frozen! Go take a shower before we start getting you ready for your date, okay?” Taemin nodded and went towards the shower. Within 15 minutes he was in and out with a towel around his waist and dripping hair. “Dry your hair with a towel first before I blow dry it, hai?” Taemin did just that while Ruki brought out a hair dryer and several different brushes, placing them on the table. “Where’s your nearest outlet?” Taemin pointed over to a nearby wall. Once his hair stopped dripping, he sat down beside Ruki, back towards the tanned boy while recognizing the hum of the hair dryer. The bristles of a brush dragged down his scalp as he felt it heating up. More followed as Ruki’s hands swiftly shaped each strand of his hair. Ruki chuckled as the boy’s head slowly fell backs. “Tae-chan, I know it feels good but please don’t fall asleep~ you need to be awake.” The boy nodded, but his body did the opposite as he kept leaning back. “Tae-chan, just a few more minutes, please.” He raised his knee in front of him, keeping the boy at a distance, stopping him from slipping back any further. His heavy hair retained its silky form as it waved in all directions. He turned the machine off and placed it to the side of him, as he began running his fingers to the lengthy hair. He reached over for a bottle and squeezed some droplets onto his palm before massaging them into his hands and soon after, Taemin’s hair. “Okay, I’m done. I hope you don’t mind, but while you were at school, I went out shopping and bought a few outfits for the date. I also bought the movie tickets for an artsy movie.” Taemin turned around. “How many outfits did you buy?” Ruki’s fingers began sprouting up as he mumbled to himself. “Ichi, ni, san, shi… shichi. Shichi… Ilgop. Seven. I bought seven.” The younger boy began shaking his head. “I- no, I can’t accept that. That’s way too much.” He was hushed with a finger pressed to his lips as he was hushed. “Hush Tae-chan. I told you I’d make you unresistable, didn’t I? Well that’s what I’m doing. Now go try each one on. There’s, like, seven bags, but that’s because I separated each outfit. So each bag should have a shirt, pants, and so on. Now go, don’t waste time!” Taemin was thrown a few bags and ushered to the bathroom. From ripped jeans and leather jackets to pink leggings and frilly shirts, after a few hours, an outfit was finally chosen. He was standing in the living room fully clothed from head to toe. He had a thick, dark brown jacket that buttoned on the side and a slightly lighter dark brown scarf overtop a French terry, dark grey cardigan. Underneath was a white and yellow horizontally striped, long sleeved t-shirt and dark blue skinny jeans. To complement the outfit were boots with fur and a packed shoulder bag that matched the jackets colour. “One more thing~” Ruki added as he turned the boy around, tying a yellow bandana around his head, fixing his bangs. “You look so handsome, Tae-chan. Maybe I shouldn’t let you go on the date and just keep you for myself.” Taemin blushed as he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. “Wouldn’t that mean the day was wasted?” Ruki pinched the boy’s pink cheek. “Are you calling me a waste?” Taemin felt his soft looking hair, as he laughed. “Of course not. You helped a lot today. I couldn’t thank you enough.” Ruki smiled as he cleared his throat, patting the Taemin’s shoulder. “So do you know how you’re going to confess?” Taemin’s head swayed back and forth. “Well… let’s try it then, huh? Pretend I’m him. C’mon, while you still have time Tae-chan.” His sentence was cut off by the door bell ringing. “H-he’s here, oh my God, he’s here. Go, go, hide, hurry!” He pushed Ruki into the bathroom. “Coming!” He yelled as he offered Ruki a tight hug as a physical ‘thank you’ before rushing off to open the door. “Hyung! Hey!” Minho looked Taemin down before offering him a smile. “You look good. Planning to pick up some girls while we’re there and leaving me?” He chuckled as Taemin pouted, playfully punching Minho’s chest. “Oh, stop it. Let’s go.” He stepped out into the prematurely dark evening. “So how was school?” Taemin shrugged, “It was fine.” He stared down at his lips, noticing the white mist seeping from between them. “Uhu, so what movie are we going to see?” Taemin tried to recall what Ruki had mentioned earlier. “Ah, I… I actually don’t know. Something artsy. I guess it’ll be a surprise?” He bit his lip. I’ve ruined my chances already… Minho laughed. “Well this is a first. Can’t say I’ve ever been this excited to go to the movies before, not knowing what movie I’m going to see and all.” I don’t know what to say or do… what if I say something wrong? What if he leaves? “It’s gotten really cold, huh?” Minho commented. “I hope the bus doesn’t take too long.” Taemin added, the cold becoming more notable. “That makes both of us.”

                They stood in front of the crowded, well lit theatre, walking through the crowds and past the ticket purchasing booths. “Oh wow, the popcorn smells so good!” Taemin began rustling through his bag, pulling out the tickets. “Well what’s a movie without popcorn, right?” Taemin handed the tickets to the worker as they were directed to their designated theatre. “Right.” Minho placed his arm around Taemin’s shoulders, walking him to the counters. “So then let’s get some. Is there any combo that’s good?” Taemin looked away embarrassed as he shrugged. “I haven’t gone to the movie theatre since I was six, I don’t even know what they sell anymore. I remember when my dad brought me here, all they ever sold was popcorn and some pop if you were lucky.” Minho laughed. “Well I’d say they expanded a lot since then. Just pick whatever you like then.” Taemin looked up at him, his mouth agape. “Really? Anything?” Minho chuckled, nodding. Taemin’s smile didn’t fade as they approached the counter. “Good evening, what can I get you?” The man asked. They looked at each other before Minho eyed Taemin, signaling him to order. His head jerked in all directions and he looked at the hanging menus and encased snacks. “Can we get a large popcorn, two large sodas, uhm, some Skittles and M&M’s, oh and some powdery stuff to go on the popcorn, like maybe cheddar and ketchup. Also can I get a bag of the chocolate covered pretzels and one big pretzel? Oh! And two Kinder Surprise eggs!” Both of them stared at Taemin, their eyes growing in size along with the list. “I-is that all?” The employee asked. “Taemin, are you really going to eat all of that?” Taemin blushed. “I-is that too much? I mean, I thought it was fine, I just-” He stared at his feet. “No, of course not! If you’re going to eat it, then it’s totally fine!” The worker began inputting numbers into the register. “That’ll be $43.85.” Taemin reached for his bag once more before being stopped by Minho, his hand holding Taemin’s wrist. “Don’t worry, I’ll pay.” He said. “I can get it, though!” Taemin argued as his wrist was dropped. “It’s fine, you paid for the tickets, I’ll get it.” He took out his wallet, handing a few bills over to the countertop. “So what’ll those drinks be?” The worker asked as he grabbed two cups. “I’ll take a Root Beer, and you?” He asked, looking over a Taemin. “A coke’s fine, thanks.” After a few minutes, their order was ready and they both had full hands. “I’m glad they gave us a bag for all the snacks. This all looks so yummy though! I don’t even know where to start!” He admitted. “How about the sitting down part?” Minho joked as they entered the theatre, the commercials still on. Taemin pointed over to two empty seats in the center of the packed rom and they rushed towards them. Situating themselves with their coats taking up a seat, they placed their drinks in the cup holders and Minho held the popcorn in his lap while Taemin kept the bag of treats still between his legs. “Hyung, can I put that powdery stuff on the popcorn?” Taemin asked as Minho popped a piece into his mouth. “Sure why not.” Taemin began digging through the plastic bag, lifted two packets. “Which one do you want to try, the ketchup or the cheese?” He waved them both in front of Minho as more people entered the theatre, scavenging for seats. “Let’s try ketchup. I’ve never had ketchup powdered anything. Well, except for chips.” Taemin nodded as he tore the packet open and began sprinkling it over the bag of popcorn as Minho took the liberty of shaking it and spreading it out evenly. Once the popcorn had taken on a pink tint, Taemin reached for one. “Hyung, you’re the guinea pig, test it.” He took the piece and lifted it to Minho’s lips, slightly pressing it against them. Minho chomped down on Taemin’s fingers along with the popcorn, causing the boy to wince. “Ouch! That hurt Hyung!” His response caused the elder to laugh, his lips. “It’s good. Try some.” He offered the bag and he took a handful, eating it in one go. A message was on the screen alerting people to turn off their phones because the movie was starting.

                The movie was playing and around the middle, Taemin was torn away from it by his thoughts. Shoot! This is a date but this whole time I’ve been acting like it’s nothing and it’s turned out like a casual get together! He looked over at Minho, who seemed completely engrossed by the moving pictures. What do I do? He was staring down at his lap until Minho tapped his shoulder. “Hey, do you mind? I just need to grab my sweater.” Taemin nodded and leaned forward as Minho reached over behind him. Wait, what am I doing? This is my chance! As Minho began pulling back, Taemin leaned back with full force, stopping his arm. He could feel Minho’s eyes on him, probably waiting for an explanation. “I, um, if you’re cold, I can keep you warm.” Minho cleared his throat before leaning back with a quiet chuckle. “Alright then, come here.” He lost control of his heart as Minho pulled him in, his cheek brushing against Minho’s chest. They were in that position for a while but Taemin began noticing small movements. Subconsciously, Minho began Taemin’s hair, twirling his fingers around the strands. Taemin was thankful for the dark, seeing as his face would be really red and he’s have no reason to give

Once the movie was finished it was around nine in the evening. They stepped outside the building back into the outdoors which they came in from just hours ago, Minho holding Taemin’s bag. “Okay Taemin, you ready to go?” Time was running out and Taemin’s stomach was in his throat. He nodded. “Okay, come on.” He pushed Taemin forward and walked along with him until he was stopped by Taemin. “What is it, Taemin?” I like you, Hyung. Just say it! “It’s… nothing.” Idiot. They waited in the bus stop as Minho gave the movie a review. How do I say it? “Hyung, I really…” He cursed at himself once he realised he cut Minho off in the middle of his sentence. “I really… want to walk home. Instead of taking the bus.” Minho looked confused, moving his head in a slow nod. “O-okay…” Taemin walked ahead faster, leaving Minho to catch up. “S-so anyways, as I was saying,” Minho kept talking but Taemin couldn’t concentrate at all. Can I say it now? Should I say it now? I don’t know what to do! Maybe I should call Ruki and asked? Wait, I can’t just do that. We’re in the middle of this and I just call him ‘Hey, Ruki, how do I tell Minho I love him? Yeah, he’s right beside me.’ God… I don’t know what to do. Ruki did mention… “It’s really cold now, isn’t it? I should start wearing three jackets one on top of the other, huh?” Taemin nodded, looking away. He brushed his hand against Minho’s before sliding his hand in. He was lucky that Minho could talk enough for him to be able to stay quiet because right now, nothing was going right. About thirty minutes in though, even he ran out of things to say. When they made it to Taemin’s house and there was still no confession, Taemin took to the first things that came to his head. “Do… do you want to come in maybe? Like, for coffee?” He felt Minho’s grip lessen so he began walking up the steps, and rushing to get the door open. This. This is all I have. He let go of the taller boy’s hand and walked a few feet, freezing. “Taemin, you’re acting really weird. Is everything alright?” Minho was shutting the door as Taemin stood with his back to him. Do it. DO IT! “Actually, Minho, I didn’t… this whole thing, this whole day, it wasn’t for no reason. Uhm…” He noticed the older boy silence as he turned to face him. “Minho… I uh, I really like you.” Minho began shaking his head in confusion. “What are you talking about?” Taemin could feel his shoulders shaking and he couldn’t control them. “I like you… Hyung. Like… I like you… more than a friend. I just…” His voice went up a few pitches as his breath shook. “Taemin, what are you-” Taemin slowly walked towards Minho the optimism he had with Ruki just washing away. “Minho, I…” His whole body took it’s time, the distance between them decreasing. His eyes shot to Minho’s lips. The house was so quiet. It was clearly vacant soon after he left with Minho, Ruki cleaning up their materialistic mess. He leaned up, shutting his eyes tightly, an action that took a few seconds but it felt like hours. A kiss. Such a warm action. A warm action turned cold when the other’s lips weren’t present. He peeked through his eyelids, seeing the door behind Minho. The elder was facing the wall to the right of him, his eyes avoiding him. His feet flattened against the ground and they stood there for moments, a soundless noise. “I’m sorry.” His bag was shoved into his hands. The door creaked open, and was shut soon after in his face and he was alone. His hand cupped his face and he sniffled. He didn’t want to cry, he didn’t feel like it. He threw his bag across the room, sitting down on the floor. It hurt. It really did. But it hurt less that he got rejected. It hurt so much that he lost his closest friend since years. It made this awkward and Minho probably never wanted to talk to him again and in return, Taemin wouldn’t know what to say if he saw Minho after this. He stood up and walked over to the spilled bag and lifted his phone, dialing. “Hello?” Taemin swallowed, trying to find his voice. “H-hey…” He climbed onto his bed, hugging his knees. “Oh, Tae-chan! How are you? Did you just get back from your date? How did it go? So you’re not single anymore, huh? Does this mean I can’t hug you?” Taemin felt his eyes get hotter. He heard cars honking in the background, assuming Ruki was probably driving. “I…” He tried calming his shaky voice. “I messed up.” More whirring. “What?” Taemin pushed his head back against the wall with more force than needed. “I messed up. I didn’t say it at the right time, I wasn’t cute enough. Whatever I needed to do, I did it wrong!” His lips began quivering. Taemin couldn’t remember the last time he was this emotionally hurt. He became desensitized to all the loneliness and negativity he got at school, he forgot it wasn’t something normal that happens to everyone. He forgot that he was the kid who sat alone in his closet for half his life crying because he couldn’t figure out why everyone hated him. He was that kid because after a while he just stopped caring. So why was that same feeling coming back to him? That cluelessness of why he couldn’t get this right? “Taemin, Taemin are you at home?” He swallowed loudly, taking in a breath. “Yeah.” He heard an engine roar on the other side of a line as Ruki’s voice barely managed to overpower it. “Okay, just… just don’t leave, I’ll be there as soon as I can!” Ruki hung up and Taemin was left listening to a repeating beep until the phone closed the call completely. He sat in his bed, staring at the ceiling until Ruki did as he said, bursting through the door with his helmet still on, eyes shooting around the room until they found Taemin on the bed. He ran towards the boy stopping only at the frame of the bed. “Taemin… I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have forced you into confessing!” He was hurt by how silent the boy was. He wished he was angrier with him, but he wasn’t. He stood up, a quiet sniffle that couldn’t pass by Ruki. He placed his hand on the boy shoulder, looking up at him. “It’s fine. You didn’t force me into anything. You helped me so much, I just… all I had to do was confess. You did everything else for me. I had one job and I messed it up.” There was this beautiful boy that left the house today came back and stood in front of him but he just looked so… “Broken.” Taemin looked up, temporarily distracted. “You look so broken right now. You don’t look like the Taemin I see every day. You’re so sad… just let it out.” Taemin began turning away. “Look, it’s fine. This isn’t the first time I messed up. I just-” He gasped when his arm was grabbed; flipping him back and revealing the tears he tried to hide. “Just cry! If you’re sad, just cry! Because… Because I’m here right now!” he was pulled into a tight hug without consent and held. He heard sobs and was surprised. He glanced towards Ruki but was meant with a dry face and shut mouth. He was the one crying. He held onto the tall figure, digging his nails into the cloth that separated their bodies. Soon, new sobs joined his and he knew for a fact that his voice was not the one they belonged to. “I’ll cry with you until you feel better, okay? I’m s-so sorry Taemin.” Their two trembling bodies stayed locked in each other’s until the early hours of Saturday morning.

“I love him…”

“I’m sorry.”

A/N: :(

Things don't always go the way you want them to the first time. With determination and Ruki by his side, or maybe just by pure luck, Taemin will find his way into Minho's heart! Patience my friends! \( ;; ^   ;; \ "" )