Samchon - Uncle

                When Minho had gained consciousness after the long night, he reached over in search of Taemin, only to be met with emptiness. Now convinced that the warm spot near him was indeed unoccupied, he cracked his eyelids open. Taemin was sitting at the edge of the bed, fully dressed as he packed things away into his bag. Taemin must have noticed the rustling of the sheets because his turned around. He chuckled awkwardly as he reached to scratch the back of his head. “Good morning, Hyung. I was wondering… Have you seen my ring? I think I might have misplaced it.” Ring? Minho thought. He rewatched memories of their last night’s kissing escapade in his head, recalling the ring on Taemin’s finger, how he removed it and slipped it into his pocket, a subtle gesture of claiming Taemin as his. Seeing as there was no longer a way for the ring to retake Taemin, he shared its location. “It’s in the back pocket of the pants I wore yesterday. They’re somewhere on the floor.” He made a noise similar to that of a sigh. “You made me worry for nothing, Hyung.” Minho crawled over to Taemin’s side of the mattress, staring at Taemin’s back for a second before wrapping he arms around the boy. He dragged the tip of his nose against Taemin’s neck and the boy unexpectantly shot up. “Hyung, what are you doing?” Without waiting for an answer he walked across the room in search for Minho’s pants. Once stumbling upon them, he rummaged through the pockets. Finding the ring, he slipped it onto his ring finger as he had the day before. “I’m not doing anything strange…” Minho mumbled, rubbing his hands together, warming them up. “Why are you up so early anyways?” Minho asked, noticing the time flashing on the clock hanging from the wall. “Well we’re leaving today, right? I don’t want anyone to have to wait on me.” Without being asked, he began picking up all of Minho’s clothes off the ground and folding them. He brought the pile onto the corner of the bed, being unable to pack the clothes for Minho. “Hyung, you should get ready. I mean, you don’t have too… Never mind. I’ll go upstairs and see if your mom needs help with breakfast.” And soon he vanished up the staircase. Minho took out his clothes for the day, a loose orange t-shirt and jeans, while packing the rest away. He took liberty of carrying their belongings up near the door. Going down one last time to make sure neither of them forgot anything, his gaze turned towards outside. Right before his eyes, the weather changed. Within a matter of seconds, the sun had turned into the moon and the fog had turned into pouring rain. Taemin and him were standing there against the pillar, the third one, away from prying eyes. It took less than a blink for everything to zoom ahead around 10 hours, bringing him back to this time. He pushed the memory to the back of his head as he recalled his task. After the floor, shelves, and washrooms were checked, he went back upstairs. He watched as Taemin circled around the table in an apron, setting plates, cutlery, and everything in between. The boy’s long hair hung from his shoulders, swaying with each movement of his body. Taemin caught Minho’s stare and smiled. He walked up behind the boy, garnering the said strands of hair and pulling it behind his ear.  He turned the boy around, and despite the risk of his wandering mother in the kitchen, wrapped his arms around him. “You look good in an apron.” He was aiming for a kiss on the boy’s forehead, leaning in. He registered Taemin’s expression of shock as he pushed him away, not hard, not far, just enough to move away. “Hyung, don’t do such… strange things.” What does he mean ‘strange’? Minho wondered as the boy scurried away from him. Before he could bring up how Taemin’s behaviour was strange and not his, his mom came along. “Minho-ah, sit down please. Breakfast will be served soon. Taemin is such a helpful, sweet boy. I’m happy I had the chance to meet him.” He turned back around to see Taemin greeting his father, helping him get settled for breakfast. He had brought him a newspaper and even offered to get him a drink. “Taemin, you are such an independent young man.” He heard his father say. They sat through breakfast, which Taemin was a big help in preparing and serving, arguing with his parents on how they had to go, although they’d love to stay. Minho purposely aimed his leg in Taemin’s direction, trying to intertwine them, but the moment their thighs brushed up against each other’s, Taemin retracted his leg. Why was Taemin acting this way? Had he done something wrong? From what Minho concluded, yesterday, they had agreed to date, right? He Minho was dating Taemin just as much as Taemin was dating Minho. There was no other way around it. He wanted to ask him now just what was going through his mind, just why he kept pulling away. Unfortunately it would have to wait until his parents weren’t there, so most likely the car ride back. Throughout the meal, Minho had noticed another thing. Taemin kept glancing at him. Each time he would meet his eyes, Taemin’s cheeks would redden just enough for Minho to notice, and he would turn away. Minho watched the clock tick away, sending the early morning hours off.

                As he had helped with setting the table, Taemin had helped to clean it up. Minho volunteered himself as well, leaving his mom to stand empty handed as all the morning house chores were simply swept from underneath her feet by two charismatic and energetic boys. Minho was left alone when his parents had unexpectantly called Taemin into the other room. His mother and father were sitting on the couch and Taemin noticed something wrapped neatly on her lap. “Imo? Samchon? What is it?” He asked, walking towards them. “Taemin, we cannot explain in words how much your presence has meant to us this Christmas. You have helped us so much. You helped decorating, making dinner, cleaning up; you even made breakfast today and helped clean that us as well.” Minho’s father continued from where his mother left off. “It’s not just the labour though. You made the night so much more enjoyable. You’re still so young, so cheerful and energetic. As the guests were leaving, we only heard good things about you.” He patted the present and his wife took the chance to stand up and hand it to Taemin. “Please accept our gift.” Taemin took it into his hands, but hesitated soon after. “N-no, I can’t.” He began but was hushed by the woman’s finger. “Please. You brought us cupcakes and that was a gift for us, so now we’re giving one to you.” At this point Taemin couldn’t argue. She moved him over to a chair and urged him to open it. At this point, Minho was done with the kitchen chores, leaning against the large wooden frame connecting the kitchen and the living room, watching quietly with a smile. Taemin unwrapped the paper, revealing a large, woolen cardigan with an Aztec pattern washed over it. “Wow, this is really nice.” He commented, raising it up as he looked over it. “Try it on!” His mom urged once more, a hint of excitement in her voice. He stood up and did and did as he was told, fitting himself into the piece of clothing, smiling at the soft texture. He twirled around as if he was a model, his mother clapping as his father chuckled. “I really like it. Thank you so much.” Minho watched as his mother and father shared a tight hug with Taemin. They probably missed pampering their son. Despite the fact that Minho was only two years older than Taemin, he had matured much quicker and they probably didn’t have time to enjoy that time of him still being innocent so much. They spent their last amount of time together sitting cozily on the living room couch. After several other failed attempts at making intimate contact with Taemin, Minho had given up for his parent’s house. Now standing in front of the door with their backs to the front door, they gave their final valediction. His mother’s eyes were teary as she scolded Minho for not coming home often enough and for not bringing Taemin along earlier, instructing him to come over more often along with Taemin. They made a promise to come again sometime, waving as they walked down the steps towards the driveway. Packing the trunk and backseat of the car as they had had it on the way over here, they got back into the front. Taemin was still dressed in the cardigan which Minho thought suited him very well. His parents had given them some food for the road to save them money. They had started up on their trip back home, back to the city.

                It was an hour in, on an empty road, when Minho looked over at Taemin. The boy was holding the bagged food in his lap as he looked out the window with a solemn expression. He took a deep breath as he shifted one hand from the steering wheel, reaching it towards Taemin’s lap, holding the boy’s hand. As all the other times, Taemin had tried to resist. This time though, Minho held on tightly. Taemin put up a struggle before sighing, giving a quizzical stare. “Minho, what’s wrong with you? You’re acting so strange today-” He tugged Taemin’s, making the boy’s upper body to lean over the compartment between the seats. He placed his hand on his chest, not moving his eyes from the road but still holding the other’s gaze. “What’s strange about this, Tae? What’s strange about wanting to hold my boyfriend’s hand?” Minho was taken aback by the amount of shock and surprise he was receiving from the smaller boy. “Boyfriend?” Taemin asked, his voice a few pitches higher. This caused Minho to avert his eyes from the road for a few decent seconds. “Yes, boyfriend.” He had read yesterday’s situation correctly, right? He started second guessing himself. “We…” he began slowly, “we kissed and then… we agreed to date.” He found it hard to keep his assured tone the more Taemin seemed to fall into disbelief. “W-we’re dating?” Minho now fell into a deep pit of confusion. Why did Taemin not know? “Oh my God…” He heard Taemin stop. Just as Minho had begun questioning himself, he finished, “I thought that was a dream…” Minho felt his voice stuck in his throat. “I woke up and I thought it was too good to be true. I was so embarrassed too, having a dream like that. Are we really dating? Do you really like me back? Is this not another dream?” Minho felt himself let out a shaky sigh that morphed into something more like an awkward chuckle. He relaxed back into the chair. It finally made sense why Taemin was acting so strange. “No Taemin, this isn’t a dream.” Taemin’s eyes widened as he cupped his mouth. “Wow… okay.” He pulled back to fix himself into his seat and Minho let him, their interlocked hands settling between them.

They drove down the roads until the traffic started piling up and there were houses lining the roads, until their laughing and jokes died down into silence. The radio played silently in the background, pop tunes humming throughout the cars. Their hands were now in their own personal space as Minho focused on driving and Taemin focused on whatever came to mind. Minho reached over and ruffled the dazed boy’s hair, causing him to tilt his head slowly, leaning against his arm expectantly. “Hmm?” He rubbed the corners of the boy’s tired looking eyes. “Are you not going to sleep? It’s been a long drive and there’s still a little left.” Taemin shook his head, rubbing his cheek against Minho’s smooth arms. “Are you hungry?” Once again Taemin shook his head. “No, I’m fine.” Minho looked at the digital clock just above the radio controls, calculating at what time they’d get home. Four o’clock, huh? “Taemin, do you mind if I invite myself into your place?” His fingers moved up and down Taemin’s neck to mid-shoulder in a massaging motion. “Sure, Hyung. Why?” Taemin kept eye contact with the boy who kept looking ahead. “Just to eat. After all, it would be pretty awkward trying to split it when each different type of food has its separate container.” Taemin smiled as he negotiated, “I’ll get the meat and you’ll get everything else, Hyung.” Minho laughed, pinching Taemin’s ear playfully at the proposed deal. “That’s a horrible deal.” Their gazes met as they stopped at a red light, the smiles on their lips slowly straightening out. Taemin reached out and placed his hand flat up against Minho’s cheek as he turned the boy’s head forward. “The light is green, Hyung.” Minho cleared his throat, continuing to drive.

                When they drove through the now familiar streets, where each block brought them a few seconds closer to their homes, they began fighting both hunger and the urge to get out of the spots containing them for a good part of the day. The moment the car came to a stop, Taemin jumped out. He stretched all of his limbs until there was nothing left to stretch. Minho walked around himself and took out Taemin’s things, expecting the smaller boy to lead the way. He did just that, making sure to wiggle each toe as he walked up the steps, extend his arms to the fullest when he reached for something. He opened the door and walked inside. His slippers were still casually left around the room and his bed still remained to be made, just as he had left them. “Sorry Hyung, just throw the stuff down, I’ll quickly clean this up.” Minho did just that, taking the dinner from Taemin. “I’ll go heat this up.” Maybe he hadn’t noticed before, maybe he only did now because the consequences were different now, but it only registered now how familiar he was with the layout of Taemin’s home. It was small, so that wasn’t something to boast about, but it still strung some chord deep within him knowing that. As each dish went into the microwave separately, he took the intervals in between to take the plates out of the cupboards and fill the cups with beverages. He poured himself some orange juice which he spotted in the fridge and would have done the same for Taemin until he noticed the carton of banana milk. He poured each drink into its designated glass, taking the heated meal and spreading it out over the table. The plates were slowly but surely clean one by one as the hungry boy’s ate their day away. “Taemin-ah, all your eating is meat, meat, meat. Eat some veggies as well.” Minho commanded as he lifted some steamed vegetables onto Taemin’s plate with his chopsticks, blocking the way to the nearest piece of beef. “Hyung, I just want to eat! You’re not my mom.” His whining was temporarily hushed by another steamed food being shoved into his mouth. “Then stop making me feel like I am.” Regardless of his pouting lips, Taemin chewed and swallowed it without another word. The food was too good to last for more than fifteen minutes, so just as they had expected, it hadn’t. They piled up the plates, chopsticks, and spoons neatly on the table. Minho had wanted to wash it but Taemin vouched that he could do it later and that they should just relax for a little in the comfortable atmosphere of his house. The wind whistled outside, skidding along the walls. They cracked the window open slightly to air out the house before sitting back against the wall on Taemin’s once again messed up bed. They sat a few inches apart and Minho closed that difference with a single wiggle. “Taemin, you’ve been pretty quiet today. I mean, not really, not at all; just a bit quieter than usual.” He watched as Taemin fiddled with his fingers, his hands gently resting on his lap. He reached over, interrupting the tangling and untangling shenanigans with a finger of his over, and Taemin let his join. Soon he stole the younger boy’s whole hand. “I’m sorry… for being quiet. It’s just, I don’t really know how to act now that we’re… like ‘this’.”

“Nothing has to change.”

“If nothing has to change, then why can’t we just stay friends?”

“Is that what you want?”

“No.”

                  “Listen Taemin,” He brought the boy’s pale knuckles up as he rubbed them against his bottom lip. “We don’t have to be all extravagant and kiss in public or touch each other anywhere, or anything. We can take this as slow as you need to.” Taemin was now hugging his knees with his remaining hand and he followed the older boy’s actions with his eyes. “You probably have experience with this kind of thing, Hyung, I don’t… I don’t want you to be frustrated with me.” Taemin felt his cheeks heat up. It was different admitting how incapable he is to Minho compared to others. “Experience doesn’t matter Taemin. There’s no such thing as experience with love. You see, love… is like a dandelion seed. No matter where the wind carries it, if it’s the first or last of its kind to reach there, as long as the conditions are right, it’ll bloom. It doesn’t matter if I’m the first or that last person you fall in love with. If it’s meant to happen, it will.” Taemin smiled, but he couldn’t bring himself to laugh. “Hyung, you’re so cheesy. It’s painful.” Minho tossed his arm around the boy, holding him in place as he tickled him. “How disrespectful to your Hyung!” Taemin’s laughter filled the room, melting into Minho’s. Once he had stopped, he hadn’t removed his arm from the other boy. As Taemin caught his breath, Minho pulled him into a snuggle. “Hyung?” Taemin whispered. “Hm?” Minho replied, his tone just as low. “What if I wake up tomorrow and I think this is just another dream?” None of them offered anything for a few minutes before Minho sat up, releasing the boy. “Let’s take a photo. That way, you’ll have proof to look back on.” He borrowed Taemin’s spare sandals, although they were about a size to small, and went out into the cold weather, to the car, to fetch his camera. Not too long after, Minho was walking back and forth, looking for something to prop his camera up with. “Minho Hyung, we can just place one of my school books up on the bed to even it out and the sit on the floor for the photo.” He said, hopping off the bed. “Sure, where do you keep them?” Taemin walked over to his desk, taking his science textbook into his grasp and laying it on the bed. “Is that okay?” He instructed Taemin to sit on the floor across from the bed, asking him to move several times. Minho stood at an awkward angle as he positioned the camera before feeling satisfied and stepping away. “Okay, there’s a ten second timer. Ready?” Taemin nodded. He pressed the shutter release and took his place near Taemin, sitting down on the floor, his arm around the boy. The stared at the dark center, listening to the seconds go by, each beep indicating less time until the photo is takes. They were both counting each one.

Ten.

Nine.

Eight.

Seven.

Six.

Five.

“Hey Taemin,”

Four.

“Yeah?” He looked over at the elder.

Three.

Two.

Suddenly their lips met.

One.

Taemin saw the flash in the corner of his eye.

Minho’s eyes were closed.

                “H-Hyung, what was that all about?” Taemin asked, his heart nearly beating out of his chest. “This way, you can’t forget.” He went for the camera, picking it up as he went to review the photo. “What do you think?” He asked, offering the camera. Taemin stared at the image that coloured the screen, blushing. It looks… “Really good. It’s really embarrassing though… don’t you think?” Minho shook his head. “What’s there to be embarrassed about?” Taemin shrugged. “I should probably get going now.” The elder said, walking towards the door with Taemin following. “Wait, how will I get the photo?” Taemin asked, holding onto Minho’s sleeve. “I’ll get it on my phone and text it to you.” He nodded, watching as Minho got dressed, putting his boots on. Taemin held the door for him as he went through. Minho turned around and Taemin was still watching him. They both stared at each other as if they had something to say.

“Hyung-”

“Taemin-”

                They both laughed. “Go first.” Taemin offered. “I just wanted to know if I could get a hug.” Taemin blushed, walked through the threshold and into the elder’s ped jacket. Minho tugged on both sides, wrapping Taemin up in his coat. They held onto that embrace, unconscious of the winter eating them up. “Your turn.” Minho said, not letting the boy go. “Hyung, I want to see you tomorrow. Can I?” Minho felt his cheeks heat up at the adorable request, wanting to take the boy home with him. He nuzzled into the boy’s thick hair, nipping at his scalp. “Ouch, don’t eat me Hyung!” Complaining, he whacked Minho’s chest. “I can’t help it. You’re too cute.” As the boy shivered in his arms, Minho squeezed even tighter. “Taemin, I want to take you on a date; a proper date.” Taemin had never been on a date before; it gave him and anxious feeling thinking about it. “When?” Minho slowly began backing Taemin up into the doorway as he released him. “In five days. On the thirty first.” It took a bit from Taemin to register that as New Year’s Eve. He took Minho’s hand as if asking for all his attention. “Can we watch fireworks?” Minho chuckled. “Do you want to watch fireworks?” Taemin nodded his head violently, only stopping when Minho hugged it, afraid of the tornado his brain must be facing. “Then we’ll see fireworks. I have to go now, okay?” Minho said as he peppered Taemin’s forehead with dozens of kisses. Taemin scrunched up his face, giving one last nod while Minho pulled away.
“Bye.”

“Bye.”

                Taemin closed the door, taking a few steps away before hesitantly scurrying back, standing on his tippy toes as he looked through the small window decorating the top of his door. He watched Minho put the key into the ignition and buckle his seatbelt. He then watched, confused, as Minho didn’t drive away, but instead his camera. He stared at the screen that Taemin could identify as , but couldn’t exactly tell what was on it. Placing his fingertips against his lips, feeling something that perhaps Taemin couldn’t see, he smiled. He turned his head and his eyes surprisingly met Taemin’s. His face was now a bright red as he gave a short wave in his direction. Taemin did the same, standing there until Minho had driven away.

A/N: Early day update!