Noona mianhe – I’m sorry sister

                It took a few days for Taemin to get used to the idea of being a couple with Minho. The morning after they had returned from Minho’s parent’s house, Taemin had gotten two texts. One was from Ruki, wishing Taemin a great holiday, telling him how much he missed him and such. The other one was from Minho, containing the photo they had taken together. He had called later, asking Taemin about New Year’s Eve.

“Taemin-ah, about New Year’s Eve,”

“What is it, Hyung?”

“My friends, a lot of them being the ones you met last time, asked me to go join them. I told them I already had plans with you.”

“If you want to go with them, it’s fine. I’ve spent New Year’s alone before-”

“They said that they want me to bring you along so they could see you again.”

“What? Me? Are you sure?”

“It’s what they want. But it’s what you want that matters. Do you want to go? I can always tell them no.”

Taemin leaned back, thinking it over.

“Where are they going?”

“Clubbing, I think.”

“I’m underage.”

“That’s never been a problem for them before. Like I said, it’s all up to you. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to go. I’ll stay with you.”

How would they get him in? Would they smuggle him through in a large bag?

“Okay. I guess I’m up for it.”

“You sure?”

“Only a hundred and ten percent.”

“Haha, alright… Hey Taemin, can I come over that day? Beforehand, you know. So we could go there together.”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll have to get ready with you there then.”

“That’s alright. Okay, so I’ll go call them and tell them we’ll be attending.”

“Okay. Bye Hyung.”

“Bye Tae.”

                The week slowly went by and due to their other plans; Minho’s and Taemin’s conversations were limited to text messages and late night phone calls. Once New Year’s Eve had approached, all of Seoul was preparing, including Taemin. He was staring at his closet, analyzing each piece of clothing. He brought his laptop out onto his lap as he sat at the counter, eating a bowl of fruit for breakfast. He searched through tons of websites, following topics such as clubbing apparel. A lot of the outfits were brand name and most importantly, not within his grasp. He noted a trend with formal shirts and skinny jeans, so he did his best to find those in his limited wardrobe. He pulled out red skinny jeans because those seemed to be popular and took out a dark navy shirt with a white, checkered pattern. He set the clothes aside for ironing later and went back to finish his meal. After several distractions, the bowl was almost empty. He had managed to do the laundry, clean the house, sort through his closet, and rearrange his soaps and shampoos throughout the bathroom. After working up a sweat in order to leave his house spotless he hopped into the shower. A lather, rinse, and repeat later, he left, wrapped in a soft towel. Drying himself didn’t take too long as he got right on it. He fit himself into a loose white tee shirt and a pair of baggy sweatpants. His phone vibrated across the room and he made his way to it. “’Knock, knock.’” He read. A ‘J’ followed up. “Who’s there?” He replied. “Open the door and find out.” Just as he finished reading the message, a knock sounded from the direction of his front door. He followed it until his hand was on the doorknob and the lock had switched to face the opposite direction. Instead of him pulling the door, it was pushed open in his direction. “Hey Minnie.” He recognized the voice immediately even though the name connecting previous text to the person had already given him away. “Hyung.”  He acknowledged before a bouquet of flowers was pressed against his chest. Taemin could bring himself to say another word; he was distracted as Minho ushered him backwards into his house, closing the door to a small crack behind him with his foot. He dragged the tip of his nose up Taemin’s cheek, pausing as they both chuckled awkwardly for second, continuing. Taemin began to follow Minho’s movements, feeling lured in by the older boy’s lips, but feeling far too embarrassed to take any initiative. He pursued the snaky movements back and forth until he was on his tippy toes and the other’s breath brushed over his lips. He heard the shuffling of feet as Minho laughed, patting his shoulder before walking away. Taemin felt flustered, squeezing the flowers in his hand as his cheeks heated up, closing the door completely. “The flowers are to decorate your house.” He heard as he walked towards the couch. “Thank you.” He watched as Minho took of his coat, tossing it over the arm of the one of the chairs, revealing a very eye catching outfit. Minho captured Taemin’s gaze and offered one of his blinding smiles. “Wow Hyung, you look amazing.” He commented, finding he couldn’t lie, not that he needed to. “Thanks.” Minho looked over at the towel. “You took a shower?” Taemin nodded. “You probably can’t notice, but I cleaned the whole place.” He held himself and he went over to make a drink. “Would you like some tea?” He asked, turning to see Minho eating one of the last pieces of fruit still remaining in Taemin’s breakfast bowl. “Yes please. Are you going to change?” Taemin shook his head. “No, I figured if I’m going to a club, I might as well wear something that’s easy to take off. You know, for convenience in case anyone there wants to take them off.” He heard a choking noise before a cough, and couldn’t stop himself from turning around as he poured some tea. Minho stood there, coughing into his elbow, chopsticks back in the previous place. “Hyung, I was joking!” Taemin guaranteed, setting everything down as he rushed over to the boy who once more straightened his posture. “Are you alright?” He asked slightly panicked, his hand resting on the boy’s shoulder. Minho nodded, clearing his throat. “Sometimes you say the most spontaneous things, Taemin-ah. It surprises me how someone like you can come up with such things. Come here, you owe me a hug” Before he could react, his was pulled against Minho, left watching the steaming tea over his shoulder. “I’m sorry.” He mumbled against Minho’s shirt, wrapping his arms around his neck. “You are going to change, right?” Minho repeated, but this time it was more of a command then a question. “Yeah, but I need to iron everything first.” He pulled away, going back to the tea. “I’ll iron it for you.”  Minho offered. “Do you really want to? At least drink your tea first.” He set two warming mugs between the two of them as they both sat down by the counter. They sat and drank their tea in small sips, being careful enough to not burn their tongue. They stole glances each other and during the occasional moment were their gazes met, they’d share a smile as well. When Minho’s cup was empty, he got out of his seat. “Where’s your iron?” Taemin pointed across the room to a thin door. “I have a steamer in there. Use that.” His lips curled upwards as he watched Minho roll the steamer out into the open room, and get to work. He was surprised at the concentration that took over him. After a few minutes, he started talking once more. “You know, I was thinking that maybe I could go to the bakery two blocks away and buy some muffins or something if they have any fresh ones. After I’m done this, of course.” Taemin nodded, propping his chin up on his palm. “That sounds good.” His eyes slipped to his computer when a short, high pitched, ring came from it. He hoped off and the chair and went towards it, seeing he had a notification. He had a new message.

Ruki: Tae-chan!~ I miss you! Can we video chat? Pleaaaaaaase!~ This is the only time I’ll have to see your face until I come back to Korea!

Taemin began typing.

You: Give me a second.

“Hyung, you don’t mind if I take a call, do you?” Minho offered a ‘nuh-uh’ as he worked on finishing the shirt. So Taemin pressed the call button, making sure his camera was on, waiting for the ringing to stop. He fixed his hair, looking at the reflection provided by the darker parts of the screen. He flinched at the unexpected volume suddenly coming from the speakers. “Tae-chan!” An energetic, skinny boy with bleached hair pulled back into a long ponytail clapped his hands. “Tae-chan! I missed you so much! You look so kawaii as always~ Send me kisses! Send me all your kisses! Oh my, Darling, you don’t know how much I miss you! Sometimes I find myself wandering thinking ‘maybe I should visit my sweet little Tae-chan’ and then I remember there’s sooooo much water between us and it makes me so sad.” Taemin smiled as the boy talked, his pace only quickening as one word built onto the other. “I miss you too Ruki. Are you coming back the day after New Year’s?” The boy quickly nodded, flailing his arms around as he spoke. “I’ll be back not tomorrow, but after tomorrow, which makes two days. But I haven’t seen you since before Christmas. Speaking of Christmas, I bought you so many presents! Were you lonely without me? Did you spend it at your house?” Taemin shook his head, pulling his knees up against his chest as he rested his chin on them. “No, I spent it with Minho.” He explained. He wanted to tell Ruki all about the kiss but he couldn’t possibly do it with Minho only a few feet away. “Oh no!” Ruki proclaimed. “That’s no fair at all! I’ll have to steal you back, heart and soul, the moment I arrive back in Korea. I’ll treat you so well Tae-chan!” It had now been a few seconds since the hum of the steamer had ceased and some other rustling sound began. He heard footsteps nearing. “Minnie, I finished tidying up your clothes. I’m going out to go buy those muffins now.” Before Taemin could turn around, Minho had leaned down and, pressing his lips to the apple of Taemin’s cheek, narrowly avoided the boy’s eye. He held it for a bit longer than usual, staring at the screen from his peripherals, looking straight at an amused Ruki, greeting him with a raised eyebrow. “Oh, hey there Ruki.” Minho spoke, his voice muffled by Taemin’s skin before he pulled away from the gesture and walked out the door with Taemin’s gaze following him. It wasn’t until the door shut that Ruki’s strong expression softening into a pout, the skin on the side of his face stretched as he slid his cheek down the back of his hand to where it rested. “Oi, what was that all about? He’s so mean~ showing off and…” Ruki’s complain began to fade into one giant slur. “Did something happen between you two?” Taemin turned around, double checking to make sure Minho had left before nodding. “Yeah.” Ruki urged him on with his hand. “It was during Christmas.” He shifted his position as he recollected the night, explaining the scene in detail; the weather, the temperature, the mood. How he took Taemin’s first kiss underneath the mistletoe, against the third pillar from the right, then chased him and claimed his lips all over again. “Are you sure he didn’t kiss you because you just happened to be under the mistletoe?” Ruki questioned. He earned a look somewhere between a glare and a puppy about to cry. “I’m just asking because I want to make sure he isn’t going to hurt my Tae-chan!” He argued. Taemin shook his head. “We weren’t underneath the mistletoe at first. We were sitting outside and right after I gave him his present, he lifted me to my feet and led to the mistletoe and kissed me.” He explained. “He’s lucky.” Ruki sighed. "Why would you say that?" Yawning asked, sincerely curious. "Because I've always wanted to kiss you. I mean, not in the romantic way, which makes it even worse. It's just that your lips look so soft, Tae-chan, and I want to know what they feel like against mine. I'm sure there's plenty of other people who could vouch for me, hai? If it were anyone else, I would have just done it. But you're so special that I just want to take care of you and pamper you. I could never bring myself to mistreat my little, innocent Tae-chan like that~ But maybe one day I'll steal a kiss, hai?" Taemin blushed, giggling as he nodded. They talked for a few minutes before Minho reappeared. "I guess the guard dog's back. Alright, well I'll be going then. Oh, and Tae-chan," Ruki began, raising his voice, "come pick me up at the airport so we can hold hands, kiss, and do other couple-y stuff like we always do! I'll text you the time later! Happy New Year's!" He heard a deep 'Hey!' coming from somewhere further away as an irritated Minho stepped into view. Ruki giggled before ending the call, leaving the dark haired boy to huff in frustration. "That guy's no good. Stop talking to him. You have me." He wrapped his arms around Taemin, waving a paper bag around. "And I have muffins." Taemin laughed placing his hands on the elder’s forearm as he took in the scent. “Hmm, the muffins might have just won me over.” He slipped out of Minho’s grasp, raising a finger in his direction as he walked towards the bathroom, scooping up his clothes on the way. “Hold that thought, I’m going to change.” He stripped off his comfortable clothes and started piecing his outfit together. Once clothed, he left the bathroom for a second and went for a small bag sitting on the floor of his closet. He looked through it for a pair of glasses that he had picked up on his way home from school one time. Red, he thought, just like his jeans. He went back to the mirror and placed the glasses down by the sink, reaching for his brush. He reached backwards, starting to brush the knots out of his hair, watching Minho’s reflection near as he entered the bathroom himself. “Can I help you?” he asked, placing his hands on the boy’s waist. “I’m just brushing my hair though.” Minho persuasively took the handle from Taemin’s hand, picking up where the boy had left off. “How do you want your hair?” Taemin’s awkward hands now rested on the edge of the countertop, as he watched Minho. “Up.” He whispered. Within a few sweeps, he requested a hairband which Taemin quickly provided. With his hair now being set in place, Minho leaned down and kissed the top of his head. “Hyung,” Taemin began, turning around as he tugged on the bottom of the elder’s shirt, “why are you so nice to me?” Minho looked at him with a questioning gaze. “Why wouldn’t I be?” He shrugged. “I’m sure part of it is the same reason all your friends like you.” Friends… Taemin thought, Right… “Hyung, you’re my favourite.” He leaned forward, wrapping his arms tightly around Minho’s chest. “Your favourite what?” Minho laughed. “My favourite everything.” Taemin squeezed him tighter, bringing a blush onto Minho’s face. “Minnie… you’re too cute!” Minho complained, but not really, because he loved it. “Taemin, under any other circumstances, I wouldn’t say this, but since you belong to me, I will. When we go out tonight, if you let anyone flirt with you and steal your heart, I’m going to be so upset.” He shook Taemin back and forth in his grasp. “Me too! If you let that happen, I’ll be super upset!” He cupped the taller boy’s cheeks, requesting all of his serious attention, but instead received a kiss. And another, and another. He received a trail of kisses from his chin, down his neck, following his arm, and ending on the back of his hand. “You’re the cutest thing ever, Taemin. Come eat the muffins with me?” Taemin reached for eyeliner, about to say that he still needed to apply makeup, but Minho stole it from it, still watching him for an answer. “Alright.”

                The sky darkened prematurely against the winter season as the minute hand approached nine pm. Taemin and Minho approached a busy street populated by nightclubs and those who went to them. They walked hand in hand through the crowds until Minho spotted familiar faces and Taemin instinctively pulled away. “Minho! Come over here!” One of them shouted. “Taemin!” A higher pitched voice yelled and soon Taemin was wrapped in someone’s arms. “Taemin, I missed you so much! You never called me and I was so sad!” When his face was finally released from the girl’s chest, he looked up. “Ah! Noona mianhe.” She was wrapping her arms tightly around Taemin’s arm besides being quite taller than him with the stilettos she wore. “Hey Minho.” She added. “Hi Jessica.” They were then waved over by many others who were also glad to be seeing Taemin once more. “Hey there Taemin! Do you remember me?” He did. He remembered all of them except for a few he hadn’t seen before. What he didn’t remember were their names. He laughed, playfully punching the boy’s shoulder. “Of course someone as cute as you wouldn’t remember me.” Taemin shook his head, his hands zooming back and forth. “N-no, I remember you! I’m just really bad with names!” He tried to explain. "That's fine. Repeat after me: Chansung." He order, showing each syllable on his fingers. "Chansung." they said in sync. He chuckled, tossing his arm around the side of Taemin that wasn't occupied by Jessica. "By the way, take this." Taemin was handed a small plastic card that had a photo of him in the corner. "What's this?" He asked. "It's your ID. It's what's going to get you in." Taemin looked it over, reading what it said, past questioning how they had a photo of him. "Wait a second, this says I'm nineteen. I'm only sixt-" he was cut off by Chansung's hand, silencing him. "Taemin, you have to be eighteen to get into here. So you have to keep your age a secret, Okay? When you’re asked for your ID, just hand this over, let the guy look at it, and when he gives it back, walk in. You don't have to say a word." Taemin hesitantly slipped the card into his pocket before feeling a squeeze on his arm. "Just ask like the manly guy you are Taemin!" Jessica added. Does she even know what manly is? Chansung's manly, Minho's manly. He definitely wasn't but he wasn't going to argue either. This is when he wished he had his makeup to make himself look older. As the two were now split, Minho was with a group of both women and men whole Chansung had brought Taemin to introduce him to some new faces. "Heechul, I think your long lost child showed up." He joked, bringing Taemin face to face with a taller, cat-like boy sporting a similar hairstyle. "Haha, funny." He stated sarcastically as he glared at Taemin's current . His eyes softened, still quite predominant, as they shot to Taemin. "Ironically enough though, you do look a lot like me. You must have an amazing sense of style. What's your name?" Taemin was afraid of speaking up, seeing as this stranger seemed independent and strong minded. "Taemin.." he replied quietly. "Yah! Speak up! How am I supposed to hear you over all this noise?" He took a step towards Taemin, causing the boy to stiffen, nearly shouting his name at the top of his lungs, scared, if not terrified. Heechul laughed, tossing his head back as he laughed, clapping his hands before crossing them against his chest. "I like this kid. Come find me sometime later. I'll treat you to some nice wine." Taemin began explaining that he couldn't drink but Chansung shook him slightly. "Come on, you're not going reject his offer now are you? He's rarely this nice" Minho's voice could be heard from further away as he scolded the others. "Guys, don't force him into doing something he doesn't want to do." Everyone laughed and stepped back from Taemin, finally giving him some room to breathe. "What are you, his mom? And who said anything about him not wanting to? What are you, his mom?" Heechul retorted. Taemin giggled at the idea, surprising the sassy boy. "Wow, he's pretty cute. Where'd you pick this one up? More importantly, when can I take him off of your hands?" his hand was now under Taemin’s chin, examining him from all angles. "Never." Minho stated. "He belongs to me." he took Taemin around the waist, resting his chin on the boy's shoulder. "Don't make me take him by force. After a few minutes of experiencing me, I don't think it would be force anymore." Minho scowled, pulling Taemin against him a tad bit tighter. "You're horrible. If you weren't older than me, I'd kick your ." Minho threatened. "What? No swearing today?" Heechul teased, switching hia weight to his hip. "No. I censor myself around Taemin." He felt the tip of Minho's nose glide along the side of his face, just in front of his ear. "You're sickening. Why is he here anyways?" He asked, as if Taemin suddenly wasn't there anymore. "A bunch of us met him before and we wanted to see him again seeing as Minho talks about him so much." Chansung admitted. "Then Why haven't I heard of him?" Heechul questioned. "You probably have. You just didn't hear his name." Nichkhun, another familiar face, interrupted before greeting Taemin. "Were you at school when we had present our themed photos; the elemental ones?" Heechul looked as if he was recalling something. "Yeah... Yeah I was there." He jabbed a finger in Taemin's direction. "He was Minho's model." There was a sudden spark in Heechul's face, followed by a look of disbelief. "No ing way." Minho whispered a quick warning to watch his language but it was dismissed quickly. "This is the guy that Minho wouldn't give anyone his contact information?" Nichkhun nodded. "I didn't want to give his info because he's not a model." Minho clarified. "Yeah Well you didn't have to boast about 'luckily finding this great model' to everyone." Before he could continue, he realised he was at the front of the line and offered his ID before making his way in. Taemin followed his lead, and although he got a questioning look, he was allowed in. "Taemin, give me your phone number and email address. Seriously, I'm going to use you as much as I can." A roaring hum rose as blaring music hit their ears. Strangers upon strangers were mingling, their voice in time with the bass. He looked behind him and noticed that the group they came with had almost instantly dispersed and was no longer to be seen. Listening to his instinct, he latched onto the back of Heechul's shirt, the only person he had seen go in before him and had subconsciously followed. The taller boy turned around, surprised by the action, pulling Taemin up beside him. "What's up?" He asked. "I've never been to a club before.." he mumbled, staying close as they parted the crowds. "You're nineteen and you've never gone clubbing before?" Taemin shook his head, pulling him down as he whispered into his ear. "I'm not nineteen... I'm actually sixteen." He heard the elder laugh as he dragged him closer and closer to the bar. "Now I'm definitely going to treat you to some wine." He sat him down on one of the stools, taking a seat beside him as he ordered something Taemin assumed was wine in a foreign language. "At first, I had no idea Why you had tagged along besides that maybe the others had wanted to see you again. Now i find out how old you are and I really have no clue. They even made you a fake ID." The bartender had placed two glasses with a blood red liquid in them. Heechul didn't hesitate to take a sip but noticed that Taemin was much more caution. "I'm paying a lot of money for this wine, if you don't drink it, it'll be a waist." Taemin felt a pang of guilt and took a long sip, gagging. "You're adorable." The older man complimented. "So you really posed for all those photos? I mean, I heard Minho didn't Photoshop any of them. They were stunning. I'm not even going to get started on how good you look shirtless." Taemin had never thought that all of Minho's classmates had seen the photo; he also forgot his lack of clothing in some of them. Suddenly embarrassed, he crossed his legs and turned slightly in another direction. "Don't be shy." He turned the rotating stool so that Taemin once more faced him. "You wanna go dance later? When we finish drinking." He nodded, taking another sip of his wine which somehow got refilled. As Heechul talked, Taemin skimmed the crowd for Minho, finding him in the corner with some of the girls he had spotted earlier, including Jessica. Oh how he wanted to be there with him, just him. He wanted the crowd to go away, even if it was just a little.

                A few drinks later, Heechul, Chansung, and Nichkhun had swept Taemin off the chair and led him to the dance floor. By this point, Taemin was sulking slightly, feeling abandoned with strangers. The group had made it to the center, blending in with the others as they dance rhythmically with the highs and lows of the song. Taemin let his body become absorbed by the music, dancing in the limited space, pressed against bodies belonging to people he’s never seen before. He caught a clock somewhere in the corner of the room which displayed 10:49PM. His gaze was brought to Nichkhun as the boy turned Taemin’s face towards him. “So Taemin, tell us about you.” Taemin leaned his head back slightly against what he assumed was Chansung’s shoulder, a barely noticeable throb attacking the back of his skull. “There’s not much to tell.” He shrugged, feeling Chansung’s grasp on his shoulders, leading him to wave back and forth. “Humor us.” Heechul added. Taemin sighed, staring at the ceiling, wondering if maybe the stars could see him through the room of the thirty-something floor building. “I’m sixteen, I at school, I don’t have any friends, I rarely see my parents…” He laughed as he recalled what Seunghyun, Jiyong, and their posse had once called him while they beat him up a few years ago. “I’m a loser.” He was turned around as he fell into Chansung’s arms, back to torso, now facing Nichkhun and Heechul. “Ha, what a fib!” they laughed. “What about a girlfriend? Surely you have one.” Taemin thought about it. No, he didn’t have a girlfriend, but he did have Minho. Did Minho count? Minho probably didn’t want them to know he was dating Taemin, so for tonight, for right now, he wasn’t. “No… no I don’t have one. I have homework to take up my spare time for me.” They all laughed and Taemin was glad. “You should come play with us more often.” One offered. “Yeah, we go clubbing a lot, usually every week. You have a fake ID now anyways, so what does it matter? Tag along!” A small rectangle illuminated their faces. “Here, give me your number.” Heechul said as he handed Taemin his phone. The others did as well and Taemin punched the ten digits in each time. “I have this feeling of adrenaline right now. The same feeling I get when I get a girl’s number!” One joked. “You really missed out Heechul. That time when you were sick and we went to karaoke, Taemin came along with Minho. I really thought he was a girl. I was pretty jealous, thinking ‘damn, Minho brought the best treat for himself.’ I was so surprised to find out you’re a boy. No offence.” Chansung agreed. “He was so pretty. I had to really tame myself so that I wouldn’t jump you.” Once again, he was spun around, back towards Chansung as the boy pushed him against Heechul, which in turn backed up into Nichkhun. He growled playfully as his held onto Taemin’s small frame tightly. Heechul took the time to bring his arms around, planting his hands on Taemin’s chest, while Nichkhun stretched his arms past Heechul, fitting his forefingers through Taemin’s belt loops. “Sometimes the best company is the friends you come with, not the strangers you leave with.” Heechul whispered as he began moving along with the other’s, sandwiching Taemin in the middle as they bent and molded him. Taemin repeatedly blinked, his eyes closing tight as he tried to bring small details such as the gold accents on Chansung’s collar into focus. He began raising his hand, leaving it on top of Heechul’s, the other one holding onto the bottom of Chansung’s shirt. When the taller boy’s collarbone pressed up against Taemin’s face, he closed his eyes and took in the scent of the unknown cologne. It was strong and kind of hurt his nose, unlike Minho’s. Minho’s smell was soft and it made him happy. This one made his headache worse. He opened his eyes once more to find the group's eyes all directed at him, responding to something he might have missed. “Taemin?” He looked over and saw Minho standing still against the wave of people, staring right at him. “Hyung…” Taemin lazily slid himself from between Chansung and Heechul, stumbling as he tried to find the sensation of his feet touching the floor. “Hyung…” he repeated as he slowly, but surely, made his way to the older boy. He laced his arms around Minho’s chest, pulling him in as much as he could with his unresponsive arms. “Taemin, are you alright?” He asked, his eyes still on the other boys. Taemin shook his head. “I’m drunk…” At this point, Minho shot a disappointed glare towards the trio. “Taemin, let’s go somewhere else, okay?” Taemin nodded sheepishly as Minho took his hand, leading him away. He took Taemin into a quieter hallway somewhere where Taemin couldn’t explain because it was too hard keeping track of which way they had turned and how many times. The walls vibrated and the hum of the bass resonated. They sat on a small set of stairs where Minho pulled the smaller boy in, lending him a shoulder to lean on. “My head hurts…” Taemin complained. “How much did you drink?” Taemin began adding his fingers until he had nine, subtracted three, and added four more until he gave up and dropped his hands once more. “Too much.” Minho sighed into his palm, massaging the boy’s lower back. “You shouldn’t have drunk. I knew I shouldn’t have left you alone, I’m sorry. I lost track of you and then the girls pulled me away.” He began recalling the process of losing Taemin.

“I kept it a secret.” Taemin whispered. “Kept what a secret?” Minho asked. “Us. I kept us a secret. They were like ‘do you have a girlfriend?’ and I said ‘no, no, nooooo~ I’m single!’ and they believed me. So it’s okay. I did good right? I thought ‘Hyung will be so happy; no one will know he’s dating a loser.’ None of your friends know…” Minho turned his head sideways, looking at Taemin. “Taemin, I’m not keeping it a secret. You don’t have to hide it from anyone. If someone asks, you can just tell them.” Taemin began shaking his head. “Hyung, dating a guy is weird… why would you want people to know you’re dating me? It’s not normal. You probably have some pretty girl you like and-” Taemin was turned slightly, his leg now pressed against Minho’s. “Taemin, what are you talking about? If it’s anything, it is normal! Does it really matter if you’re a boy or a girl, fat or skinny, a model or average? I like you and that’s what makes it normal. An apple is an apple whether it’s red, yellow, or green right?” Taemin nodded. “Yeah.” Minho checked his watch. 11:20. “Forty minutes until New Year’s.” he announced. “We should go back-” Taemin began shifting but was stopped. “No, let’s stay. We’ll go back when there’s five minutes left. Rest a little.” He guided Taemin’s head onto his lap. “Hyung, your lap’s so soft.” Taemin giggled, earning a rub on his head. There were a few minutes of silence before either of them spoke up again. “Hyung, did I do something wrong?” Taemin was dragging his fingertips back and forth across Minho’s knee in time with Minho’s scalp caresses. “What do you mean?” Taemin gave himself a second to find the right wording. “When you found me dancing, you looked kind of surprised. I was wondering if I did something wrong.” He turned over so that he faced upwards; his feet now flat against the wall. “No, well… no, you didn’t. I just wasn’t expecting to find you like that. I guess I shouldn’t have left you alone.” He gently separated Taemin’s bangs. “I’m sorry Hyung. Don’t leave me.” He reached up, letting his finger run over Minho’s cheek in a squiggly line. “I would never leave you for something like that. Ever.” He began to lean down as Taemin lifted his head, shrinking the distance in between. “TEN MINUTES LEFT!” Someone shouted down the hallways, causing them both to grunt. Unable to hold himself much longer, Taemin completely sat up. “We should go in now.” He took Minho’s hand as he helped the elder onto his feet. “What a bother. Taemin, let’s go back to your place.” The younger boy laughed, making leading them through the door. “We wouldn’t make it in time.” There was now a large number on all the plasma screens hanging around the room, previously displaying random abstract designs.

9:04:23

                They walked through the room, Taemin leading them back to where they had met before. His headache was killing him but he would bear it for now. They stood facing each other as did a lot of the other people in the room with the music now at a low volume. Heechul had spotted them, giving a small wave and receiving ignorance in return. Before Taemin had a chance to notice the male, Minho pulled him into a close hug and Taemin returned the embrace. Heechul laughed, shaking his head, giving a look that projected ‘you ’ throughout the room. With each minute, the crowd got louder, more excited. Then there were others who weren’t too involved in the scene, couples sneaking out to do things the public prevented them from doing. Soon the clocks only displayed four numbers, quickly getting smaller and smaller. Somewhere between 00:44:52 and 00:32:48 the two looked at each other. “You know, Hyung, I’ve never been so happy that my parents hadn’t come home for the holidays.” Minho looked took another glance at the clock. 00:28:12. “Taemin, call me.” Taemin raised his eyebrows, doing as told. “Hyung?” Minho shook his head. “Call my name. Come on, say it. ‘Min’?” He began for Taemin. “Minho?” He smiled, his hands interlocked as they rested on the small of Taemin’s back. “Now say it before you kiss me. Say ‘Minho, I like you.’ C’mon.” Taemin seemed puzzled. “You have seven seconds.” Minho added with a smug grin. Taemin rolled his eyes. “Minho,” The crowd began counting down with what sounded like ‘five’. “’Minho’ what?” The elder teased. “Minho…” He leaned up, stopping as close as possible before breaking out a smile. “You’re the worst.” Minho chuckled with one second left on the timer. “You’ve got some guts.” Taemin nodded, his whisper overpowering the crowd cheering all around them. “Happy New Year’s, Minho.”

                The darkness was too bright and the silence was too loud. Taemin rolled around back and forth on his bed, groans and grunts flowing out from his mouth one after another. “Hyung… it hurts~” He whined. “You have a hangover. You shouldn’t have gotten drunk.” He gripped onto Minho’s shirt tightly. “It hurts!” Minho brought the boy in and squeezed him tightly, numbing him weeps with his chest. “Its six thirty… go to sleep.” Despite the cold attitude, Taemin could feel the soft massage that the Minho offered with his barely controllable hands. “Hyung, you’re my favourite…” An ‘unf’ came from Minho’s lips. “You’re my favourite too.”

A/N: No banner for now because I'm in the middle of making it and I know I can get it better, I just need to fool around with it a bit. I'm really sorry the banners have been delayed lately :/ I've started using Photoshop and this program is super crazay. Once I get used to it, I promise they'll be on time!