Omo – Oh my gosh
Imo – Auntie/Aunt

                He counted all his bags and made a mental checklist of what he had to bring and whether it was there or not. He opened the door to some fliers on his doorstep, glancing over them quickly before folding them up and sliding them in snuggly into the crack between the door and the floor, keeping the entrance open. His rented car was parked right outside of the house, parallel to the steps. He lifted the first back and slung it over his shoulder, followed by another one he carried in his hand. He walked over to the trunk, dropping a bag to open it before placing them both inside. He made a seconds trip, fitting everything in neatly before going back one last time to lock the door. He hoped into the driver seat and turned the engine on. He slowly drove down the next couple of blocks, parking in front of a familiar house. He sat back in his chair, leaning back into it as he dialed a number and put the phone on speaker. After a few rings, the call was answered. “Hello?” A voice asked. “Hey, I’m outside.” A loud ‘ne’ came from the other end. “If you don’t have a lot of bags you can just shove them into the back seat.” He hung up as he reached for the cars GPS, typing in an address. A yellow line popped up on the map, showing directions, time, and traffic. Soon, a small boy came through the door and hopped on down the steps. He wore a simple, pastel blue dress shirt over black slacks that were cut like skinny jeans. He couldn’t deny the blush appearing on his cheeks as the boy waved towards him. He had never seen this side of him before. As the well-dressed figure approached the car, he looked down at his own outfit which consisted of worn out grey sweatpants and a warm, reversible sweater. As the back seat was filled up with another set of bags, the door closed, and soon, the passenger one opened. “Good morning, Hyung!” The boy jumping into the car said, a box on his lap. “Good morning.” Minho answered, ruffling the boy’s neatly combed hair. “What’s with the fancy get up? You’re making me look bad.” They both shared a laugh before Taemin situated his self, tilting his body in Minho’s direction. “How long is the drive?” Taemin asked, pointing to the GPS. “A good, couple of hours.” A sudden thought of being alone with Taemin in such a tight space for so long crossed his mind, and if hadn’t paid any attention, he would have missed his heart skipping a beat. “It’s colder than I than I thought it would be.” Taemin admitted, placing his warm hand against the cold window, leaving a small stamp of it against the glass. “Well it’s not that cold, you just happen to be wearing a minimal amount of clothes. Speaking of which, why so formal?” The car was now heading down the road, and according to the little computer above the instrumental panel, onto the highway. “Well I’m going to be meeting your parents, right? I want to make a good impression in case I meet them again in the future, you know?” Minho chuckled. “You’re making this sound more important than it is.” Taemin shifted, turning over towards Minho. This time, no laugh was shared. “It is important to me Hyung.” After a pause he continued. “I mean, they’re taking in a stranger under their roof for Christmas, no strings attached. I won’t be able to thank them enough. I made some cupcakes yesterday after you dropped me off, but that’s literally nothing compared to what they’re doing.” He said, pointing to the white, cardboard box on his lap. “So that’s what was in there. I was beginning to feel curious.” Taemin giggled, brushing his hand along the top of it. “You want to see them?” Minho shook his head. “Not while I’m driving, not really.” Taemin pouted, and Minho could see him peeking into the box. “Well then if you won’t look, taste. I made little itsy bitsy tiny ones for the road, but you can’t tell anyone, okay? Shh~” Before Minho could even move his eyes, something tiny and soft was pressed against his bottom lip. “Say ‘ah’” Taemin whispered in a hushed tone, as if it was the secret to life being shared in a room full of people. Minho shaped his lips around the foreign object before Taemin’s finger popped it into his mouth. First, his tongue recognized the base, and then suddenly, a deliciously sweet frosting hit his taste buds. “Wow. Wow Taemin. This is really good. What did you make it out of? Heaven?” Taemin blushed, nodding. “Yes, Hyung, that’s exactly what I made it out of. I bought some on sale the other day and thought I should make cupcakes out of it. Speaking of heaven, I got some on my fingers but I don’t have any tissues. Do you have one?” Minho nodded. “Yup, give it here.” He said, talking about Taemin’s hand. He took the younger boy’s fingers and put them in his mouth, around each one slowly until he could no longer taste any sweeteners or sugar. “Omo, Hyung, you’re horrible! Now my fingers are even worse!” Taemin exclaimed, nevertheless keeping his fingers where they were held. “Hyung, you’re so weird.” He stated with a heated face, placing the box far back into the leg space with his free, clean hand. “Yeah, but that’s what you love about me.” There was a brief silence. Minho instantly bit back the words; they came out of his mouth before his mind could even process them. As expected, Taemin took his hand away from Minho’s grasp and Minho couldn’t bring himself to stop him. He watched Taemin from the corner of his eye, too afraid of looking past that, thinking he might frighten him away or make Taemin hate him. Taemin wiped his wet fingers on his pants, his voice low and calm, just like it had been a few moments ago while the boy was innocently feeding Minho a cupcake. “You’re right, it is.” Minho felt his heart explode at the unexpected words, watching Taemin turn away from him as he reclined the seat. “Wake me up when we stop for food or something.” Minho swallowed loudly, probably enough for Taemin to hear him as he nodded. “Okay.”

                After several hours of driving, Minho finally pulled over in front of a larger, tourist-orientated pit stop. He drove around for a few minutes before driving into an empty parking spot. He looked over at Taemin, who head had covered in a spare blanket. “It would be a shame to wake you up.” He said, with clearly no intention of in fact waking the boy up. He raised his hand to the boy’s tied back hair, feeling a few strands in his hand before cautiously moving his hand onto the hairband, pulling his hair undone. He continued to run his hands through the silky hair before taking a glance the parking lot. Once he had identified a fairly open window of time, he turned back to the sleeping boy. He unbuckled his seat belt and raised both of the arm rests separating them. He closed his eyes as he leaned down and nuzzled into the back of Taemin’s neck, shocked internally at his obedience to the sudden urge. His sides faced uncomfortable angles as he pressed his lips against Taemin’s neck, through the thick strands of hair. I’m not ually assaulting him or anything… I mean, just because my lips touch part of his body doesn’t mean it’s a kiss. Plus… he likes me right? So even if I did do this… he wouldn’t be mad. Not that I’m doing anything that would put me in the wrong here… Minho ran the tip of his nose along Taemin’s scalp as he tried to convince himself. He finally pulled, but not before reaching around and grabbing Taemin’s hand, making the boy lay flat on his back. It’s so weird… Taemin likes me. But we’re both guys… I’d be lying if I said I hate it… He raised the smaller boy’s hand to his lips, kissing over each fingertip slowly. He didn’t stop until he noticed Taemin’s eyes peek open. “Hyung? What are you doing?” An awkward smile took over Minho’s lips as he dropped Taemin’s hand, both of his shooting up into the air. “Surprise, it’s time for lunch!” he yelled, his loudness being enough to make Taemin jump in his spot. “You must be really hungry if you’re this excited Hyung..” Taemin stated as he yawned, sitting up while adjusting his chair, curious as to the blanket he didn’t remember falling asleep under. “Y-yeah, so let’s go.” Minho wasted no time getting out of the suddenly small car, the opposite speed of Taemin’s slowly working, groggy body. “Hyung… I want some bimbibap…” Despite the desire for more space, he offered his arm to Taemin, who gratefully clang onto to it. “I don’t think they have any here, Tae.” Taemin look up at Minho with a slight pout. “But Hyung, I’m craving it~” softly whined. He thought to himself for a second as he walked the boy in. “How about something else? Like a snack? My mom can make bimbibap for you later when we actually get to my parents’ house. Maybe we can get you a red bean dumpling or something? I know. I’ll buy you some macaroons. They have some here.” Taemin shook his head. “No, you don’t have to,” His voice being anything but persuasive. “Don’t worry, it’s my treat. You fed me in the car, right? So now it’s my turn.” They walked into the restaurant and headed to a the front where there were several colourful treats along glassed shelves. “Wow, that’s a lot of colours…” Taemin stared In awe at the rainbow-like assortment of macaroons. “Hyung… I want to try all of them.” Minho quickly counted over them, turning back to him. “But there are twenty six different kinds.” He stared at Taemin, expecting a response but clearly not getting one. “We’ll see…” Once their turn finally came, Minho took out his wallet. How much does a macaroon cost?” The lady turned a sign towards the two. “There are five for four dollars, ten for 8 dollars, and 20 for fifteen dollars. Or you could just buy one for seventy five cents.” Twenty and seventy five… and taxes… “Can I get one of each?” The woman nodded, going off. “We each get half of one, okay?” Taemin hummed. “Can we eat in the back of the car? I promise I won’t make a mess!” He pleaded repeated the condition several times. “I won’t drop a crumb, I promise!” Before slight hesitation, he handed Taemin the key and the boy sped off.

                Once he had paid, he walked outside into the cold and made his way to the lit car, with a soft tune flowing out of it. Taemin was sitting in the back seat, waving him over in a rushing manner. Minho rushed over, opening the door to see a now-empty back seat and the radio playing pop tunes in the background. “I moved my bags to the back so we have room to eat, see?” Taemin gestured to a small cloth spread out between them. He placed the plastic containers in front of the hungry boy, closing the door behind him after making his way in. He chuckled, seeing Taemin raise the colour filled boxes at different angles, examining the colours. “Are you going to try one? Or keep it as a memento?” Taemin shrugged, considering it slightly. “Which one should I try first? Which one’s the best?” Taemin questioned the elder. “We have time. You can pick whichever one you want. Eat up.”

                After a while, they had split most of the macaroons except for a few. Taemin had a lime flavoured one in his mouth, with half of a mandarin flavoured one occupying one hand and a coffee flavoured one occupying the other. Minho had been eyeing the lime one for a while, but with his attention being spread out over all the other flavours as well; Taemin had managed to get to it first. “Taemin, can I try the green one?” Taemin looked back and forth between his full hands, going cross-eyed at the macaroon between his teeth. Before Minho could offer a hand, Taemin had propped himself up on his knees, placing the clean back of his hand on Minho’s shoulder, using it as leverage while he leaned in. Minho watched as Taemin’s face came closer and closer until the only thing between them was the requested snack. “Taemin, I-” Before he could finished, his heart pounding, the macaroon was jabbed against his lips with more pressure. “Hurry up, Hyung! This is really uncomfortable!” Taemin’s wrist began to tremble, Minho urging himself to take the bite. It was smaller than what he really wanted but he was scared of the fact that his lips might have brushed against Taemin’s. The boy finally pulled away leaning back against the door as he the rest into his mouth. He wiped some stray crumbs onto his sleeve, using the cloth as a cover for his reddening cheeks, before he himself finished the half. As he blinked, a single image contaminated his thoughts. His gaze fell onto Taemin’s plush lips. When he leaned it, his lips looked so soft. He’s really pretty for a guy. If he was a girl, I’d probably date him. I mean, he did say he liked me. But what about as a guy? Does he still like me..? His attention was brought back by Taemin just as it was taken by him. “You missed a spot.” He smiled, picking up a missed crumb between his fingers, turning around as he flicked it out the opening window. Minho cleared his throat. “Okay, yeah, so uhm, let’s finish up and let’s get going. There’s about an hour and a half to a two hour drive.” Taemin nodded, wrapping up all the left overs and placing the garbage back in the empty, clear container. Minho reached over to take the trash, their hands brushing, maybe accidentally, maybe not. They both exited the car and took their places in the front seat, Minho’s eyes continuously, yet subconsciously, landing on Taemin throughout the ride.

                As Minho had predicted, within just less than two hours, they were driving through a white-fence-type gated community. Taemin was curled into the seat, playing a game on his phone while Minho watched the numbers on the houses grow. “86, 87, 88, and… 89! Here we are!” This caught Taemin’s attention as the boy suddenly sat up, eyeing an expensive looking house. “Oh no… oh no, no, no! I didn’t know your parents were this well off… I mean I didn’t think they were poor either, obviously, but-” He pulled down the small board folded up against the top of the car, checking himself out in the mirror. “I look horrible!” He began combing through his hair with his fingers as Minho began backing the car up into the driveway. “Don’t worry, you look fine.” Taemin’s panic didn’t seize as the boy dug in his pocket, taking out a small, skin coloured tube. Minho caught the words primer on it, and stopped Taemin’s squeezing fingers the moment he parked the car. “No, I’ll have none of that. I told you, you look fine Taemin.” Taemin looks up at him, as if finally listening to the elder. “Are… are you sure?” Minho nodded. “You look amazing, and handsome to boot in that spiffy shirt.” Taemin broke out into a smile, squeezing Minho’s hand. “Thanks.” They stared into each other’s eyes; the only thing moving was their fingers against the other’s as they caressed each other. They were both scared breathless as Minho accidently pressed against the horn of the car. “Minho… you need to stop with this. This is the second time you’ve scared the life out of me today.” Minho blushed, feeling Taemin’s hand peel away from his as he opened the door and stepped out. “I can take the presents and the cupcakes inside. Can you grab the bags, Hyung?” Minho agreed, doing as told. “Uhm.. I’ll wait for you to go first, Hyung.” Taemin stopped in his steps, waiting for him to catch up. “What? Why?” Taemin pushed him forward with his shoulder. “Because it’s your parent’s house, not mine!” Minho chuckled as he led the boy. “Alright.” They walked up the steps and Minho rang the doorbell. “Who is it?” A soft voice came from inside. “It’s me!” Minho stated before the door opened and an older woman’s face came into view. It seemed to light up as her eyes met Minho, stepping out of the house and pulling him into a tight hug. “Minho-ah! Welcome home.” Minho embraced her just as enthusiastically, pulling away after a few long seconds and motioning to Taemin. “Umma, this is my friend, Taemin.” His mother looked Taemin over and Minho could see his sudden tenseness. He gave a comforting rub on the smaller boy’s back. “Is this the young gentleman I’ve been told so much about? If I remember correctly, it’s the ‘pretty boy I met by accident, but don’t regret’?” Minho felt his face turn peachy against the gloomy weather, scratching the back of his head. He could help notice that Taemin mimicked his expression. “It’s really nice to meet you, Mrs. Choi.” Taemin bowed deeply, being pulled up unexpectantly into a hug. “Oh please, I’ve only heard good things about you. I’m so happy you could join us for Christmas! Call me Imo!” Minho chuckled at the unsurprising kindness of his own mom. A man, soon recognized as his father stepped up behind her. “Minho, it’s great to see you again! And who’s this?” His mother pulled away from Taemin, turning towards her husband, an arm still around the boy. “This is Taemin! The boy Minho has been telling us about in all our phone calls!” Minho nudged his mom, embarrassed. “Umma, please stop!” His parents shared a chuckle, pulling the boys inside. “Have you two eaten?” His mother asked. “Yeah, we snacked quite a lot on the way here.” She closed the door, keeping the house toasty. “Minho, you know where the guest room is, yes? Show Taemin there and drop your stuff off. Oh, and please leave your shoes at the door.” They left their shoes on a mat and Minho waited for Taemin as him and his father exchanged small talk. “Alright, c’mon Minnie.” Taemin bowed once more before following Minho. They went down a set of stairs, into a large, open concept room. There was a bar up against the wall, a couch in the middle of the room, parallel to a flat screen TV and a sliding door out into a backyard with what seemed like a tarp-covered pool. “Wow, this is really something…” Minho laughed as he dropped the bags by the side of the couch. “The couch is declinable. We’ll be sleeping on it. We can unpack later; my mom really looked forward to meeting you so I’m sure she wants to talk to you.” Taemin nodded, taking his jacket off and tossing it over their bags, Minho doing the same. “Let’s go.” He led Taemin back upstairs where his mom was waiting with warm tea. “Here you go you two. Minho, did you inform Taemin about us hosting the Christmas party this year?” Minho gasped, as if suddenly remember. “No, I didn’t, I forgot! Sorry Taemin!” Taemin looked from his mom to him confused. “Every year a different family in the neighbourhood hosts a Christmas party. This year it’s my mom and dad’s turn so there’ll be a lot of people here tomorrow until, probably, what? Ten o’clock? Anyways, that’s all.” Minho’s mom offered a smile as she handed Minho a tray with tea. “Oh, Imo, I made cupcakes as a thank you for letting me stay! Give me a second.” Minho watched as Taemin disappeared down the stairs once more. “They’re really good. I guarantee you’ll love them.” Minho promised. “He’s very handsome.” She admitted. Minho groaned, staring at her. “Mom…” he looked back as Taemin popped back up with the familiar white box. “Here you go. Thank you so much for letting me stay; I can’t thank you enough, really!” She took the box from him. “Alright, you two go downstairs and play some games or watch TV. I’m sure it was a tiresome ride, it surely wasn’t short! If you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to call me, okay? All I ask is that you don’t make too much noise once your father and I go to bed.” She requested, starting the sentence with her eyes on Minho and finishing it off with Taemin. She the boy’s soft, long hair before giving him a comforting pat on the shoulder. “Good night.” With that, they made their way back down.

                Taemin looked at his knapsack, opening it and looking for his pajama. “You’re changing already? It’s only eight.” Minho said, looking at the boy as he pulled out his striped, white and blue pants. “Only? Geez, it’s so dark outside that it feels like it’s one in the morning or something. Maybe I’m just really eager to get out of these clothes. Is there a bathroom down here?” Taemin glanced around for any doors. “Why? We’re both guys, you can just change here.” Taemin shook his head. “I’d rather not, Hyung… It’s embarrassing.” He was directed to a white door and followed, closing the door behind him. “Hyung, can you bring me my hairbrush? It’s in my bag.” Minho looked towards the green bag and it didn’t take him too long to locate the wooden brush, examining it as he walked towards the bathroom. He opened the door, his eyes on the golden contours before lifting his head to hand it to Taemin. Taemin’s eyes were wide as he froze in his spot, shirtless with his pants half way down his thighs. He reached out for the brush like a robot, holding onto it as he awaited Minho’s release. “Hyung..?” Minho didn’t register his hands actions, finally letting go as his eyes traveled down Taemin’s chest. He had seen him shirtless once before, but this time felt slightly different. Not to mention something about being under his parent’s roof irked him. He reached out, cautiously running a finger down Taemin’s arm. “You know, you look really thin, but you actually have some muscle definition.” As he pulled his hand away, he was met with Taemin’s pushing him out. “What’s wrong with you, Hyung! Don’t just stand there while I’m in the middle of changing!” He was soon back in the guest room, the door slamming behind him. “And thank you!” A muffled yell. He was walking back towards the couch when he noticed a small, flower-design-wrapped box by Taemin’s bag. He picked it up and read the black handwriting on it. “’For Taemin’?” He sat down examining in suspiciously until Taemin came back into the room. “Taemin, what is this? It fell out of your bag.” Taemin shrugged as he walked towards Minho, sitting down beside him. “I don’t know, I’ve never seen it before.” Upon further inspection he recognized the design. “Oh, I know! We did secret Santa at school and someone gave me this. They were probably just trying to bully-,” he coughed loudly, hoping to drown out the last word, “I don’t know who gave it to me.” Minho plopped the box down into Taemin’s open hand. “Well, go on. Open it.” Taemin nodded, looking for a piece of tape of the wrapping paper. Once he had found it, he had peeled it off, the paper doing the rest. A black box was inside. “I wonder what it is…” Taemin admitted, his heart pounding as he wished for anything but profanity, because after all, Minho didn’t know Taemin’s at-school circumstances and he wanted to keep it that way. As he popped the box open, a small ring was revealed. It was a simple design with a pink-near-white, heart shaped gem in the middle. It made Taemin somewhat happy to know that he was worth this amount of money to someone, regardless of whether he knows them or now. Taemin tried fitting it over each of his fingers, but most failed. “Huh, this is strange. It only fits on my ring finger.” He slid it on, admiring the gentle appearance. Minho glared at the new accessory, trying to pull it off. “You can’t wear it then.” Taemin fought back with a pout, pulling his hand away. “Why not? Someone bought it for me, so I’m going to wear it!” He argued. “It looks like you’re married if you wear it there!” A small tug of war began over Taemin’s hand as his arm was jerked back and forth. “So what? I don’t care~” Minho held Taemin’s hand in place as he looked Taemin in the eye. “I’ll buy you one. It’ll be prettier.” Taemin sighed, leaning against the taller boy. “Hyung, I don’t care if you buy me a ring for millions of dollars, the point is that someone went out of their way to go buy this with me specifically in mind.” Minho lost at that very moment when Taemin came closer to him, like a kitten seeking warmth. “Alright… if you’re that adamant about it.” The smaller boy giggled as he pulled away. “Thank you for your permission, Hyung. Now go change into your pajamas so we can go huddle for warmth together!” And with the promise of cuddling, Minho was moved enough to get up and follow the younger boy’s instructions. Now changed with the couch reclined, they were laying closely together under thick blankets, a comedy playing quietly on the television. If I was dating Taemin, would each evening be as fulfilling like this? Having arguments over small things and then making up by wrapping ourselves up in each other? Minho closed his eyes, giving into the night’s calls, tilting his head slightly as he adjusted himself, wiggling over closer to Taemin. He stretched his neck, an intention made to look accidental, letting his lips lightly graze over Taemin’s soft cheek, just because he could. Just because maybe he wanted to see what it would feel like.