Kai’s first day of school approached and Taemin had woken up extra early to help get him ready. He went out the previous day and bought a lunch bag and simple groceries to make a decent, filling lunch. The younger of the two was still buried under the piles of sheets on Taemin’s bed while Taemin was bee lining back and forth between the closet, kitchen, and bathroom. While getting himself dressed and washed up, he also managed to get his hands tangled in lettuce, tomatoes, and Ziploc bags. He found it troublesome staying away, his body operating in the dark hours of the morning.

                Given some time, he managed to fill Kai’s lunch bag with all four food groups as well as his knapsack with all the utensils he could possibly need. He wondered how mothers could keep this up every single morning.

                Glancing on the snoring Kai, he smiled. Without proper accommodations, along with Kai’s complains that the couch was too small, he ended up lending away half of his bed. Most nights so far, Kai would just end up spooning him, leaving the older boy in an occasional uncomfortable cradle.

                He tiptoed over to the bedside, hearing the structure creak as he leaned over Kai’s collapsed figure. His hand fell onto Kai’s shoulder, shaking the boy from his peaceful slumber. “Kai…” Taemin whispered, receiving whines as a response. He slouched down, resting his head on the younger boy’s side which was now revealed. “Taemin… Whatever it is, I don’t want to…” Taemin laughed, falling a bit as Kai laid himself flat on his back, holding the elder his chest. “You don’t even know what I was going to say.” Kai nodded, ruffling Taemin’s well-kept hair. “Yeah, but I don’t want to.” Taemin face a frown, getting up and heading for the door. “Alright, I guess I’ll have to go find someone else to cuddle with.” He heard a loud thud as he turned back around to find Kai on the floor, strangled by the sheets. “Geez, you don’t have to get too excited.” He laughed as he watched Kai struggle to unravel it. Soon enough, the boy stumbled to his feet, coming Taemin’s way. The elder gasped as he was slammed against the door seconds before being lifted off his feet. He clung to Kai, fearful of being dropped. “Hyung, you have me… you don’t need to go find anyone else…” The boy tried to say, still half asleep. Shaking his head, Taemin continued to laugh. “Nope, you said you don’t want to no matter what it is.” He was wondering how someone who just woke up had the coordination to carry him across the room and back into bed. He held Taemin closely while he seemed to be preparing himself back for sleep. Taemin went along with it, giving him an extra few minutes. Kai nuzzled his way against the curve of Taemin’s neck, rubbing the tip against the soft skin while taking the chance to inhale deeply, taking in the elder’s scent. He liked the idea of being able to smell Taemin after such a long time of not seeing him, he like the idea of them being together and having the scent grow on him even more. A few minutes later, Taemin spoke up again. “Kai, I’ll make you breakfast, but you need to tell me what you want.” He felt Kai’s lips brush against his neck like they did once before and he used it as a chance to sit up. Catching his gaze, Kai smiled. “Can I be greedy?” Taemin nodded, tossing his legs over the side. “Be as greedy as you’d like.” Kai playfully smacked Taemin’s arm. “Then I was pancakes with strawberries on them.” Taemin got up, skipping over to the kitchen once more. “Will do, boss. You get dressed and washed up though, okay?” Kai nodded, going off to do his own thing. Taemin went for the batter and strawberries, preparing the breakfast. He took a smaller, maneuverable knife and began cutting the strawberries into small hearts. Once the pancakes were made, he placed the slices neatly on top. He liked the way it looks, giving himself a mental pat on the back. It smelt great and he set it down on the counter while going to reach for a fork and knife. Kai came out, gasping when he saw the food. “Wow that looks so good.” His head swung back towards Taemin, smiling. “Thank you. Oh, I didn’t bring any toothpaste so I used yours. I hope you don’t mind.” Taemin shook his head, signalling that Kai should hurry up so that it doesn’t cool off. “Wait, before I eat, doesn’t my breath smell good?” Kai pinched Taemin’s chin, tilting the boy’s head upwards as he leaned in far too close. Taemin grabbed at Kai’s wrist while Kai tilted his head to the side, releasing a long breath. He was right, it was Taemin’s toothpaste. Taemin began to feel uncomfortable but couldn’t pull away under Kai’s restrictions. His hand d around until he found the fork, ripping of piece of the pancake off and shoving it into the small space between his and Kai’s lips and then the younger boy’s mouth. His heartbeat sped up after being exposed to the situation. As soon as Kai’s hand snatched for the fork, Taemin hit his head. “Taemin! What was that for?” He whined, but hushed down when the delicious taste kicked in. “You can’t just do stuff like that, Kai.” He stated, marching across the room. “I didn’t do anything!” Kai tried to argue. “You can’t… You can’t just invade people’s personal space like that!” He heard the sound of metal hitting ceramics coming from the younger boy’s direction. “So what? We’ve been best friends since ever.” Taemin raised his eyebrows at the sentence. “Even best friends don’t do that!” Biting into a strawberry, Kai shrugged. “Why don’t you show me what else best friends don’t do?” He mumbled to himself, stuffing his face. Once finished, Taemin swooped in to take the plate and wash it. “Put on your shoes, we’re leaving.” Kai obeyed, doing as told. “I made your lunch and packed your bag so you’re all set for today.” When he spotted the bag, he wiped his wet hands and handed it to the younger boy, taking his own in hand. It was now that Kai actually looked at Taemin who was fully dressed in his uniform. His cheeks reddened, finding it alluring how well the clothing hung off his small frame. He couldn’t hold himself back from slapping the elder’s bottom as he walked past, opening the door. Their eyes locked and their voices slowly gave into laughter. Kai looped his fingers through Taemin’s following the boy out where they began their first walk to school.

                It wasn’t until the school gates loomed over them that Taemin considered the threat of having Kai seen with him by anyone at all. He didn’t want Kai to get bullied because of him and he didn’t even want to think about Seunghyun coming along. He jerked his hand from Kai’s, giving him a smile as he nodded towards a set of door. “Let’s head towards the office. You can pick up your schedule and textbooks there.” Kai nodded, displeased by the sudden emptiness in his grasp. He tried reaching for Taemin’s hand once more but Taemin shook him off. “Not right now Jongin, please.” They walked into the principal’s office and talked the situation over. Kai was handed the sheet of paper with all his classes on it, and before even looking it over, he handed it to Taemin. He knew where all the classes were which made it a lot easier for the both of them. He wasn’t too familiar with all the teachers though. He looked up when he heard a loud slam. A stack of textbooks was dropped onto the table. Taemin smiled at them, a sense of nostalgia coming over him as he recognized each one from last year. Taemin pulled the books into his lap as a woman Taemin had around seen before walked in holding something. “As for your uniform, your parents deposited a check a week prior via mail. We hope all the sizes fit well. You will be asked to go change before you head to your first class, no excuses.” Kai nodded along politely. “Well then Kim Jongin, it is nice to have a new student. We hope both of us prosper in the future from this. Now off you go. Taemin; he’s in your hands. If there’s something you cannot do, feel free to contact a teacher. Have a good day.” They bowed deeply before leaving the office into a hallway which was previously empty, but now packed. With all the bustling around them, Kai put his arm around Taemin, making sure they didn’t split up. This obviously attracted a few pairs of eyes. Whenever someone simply talked to Taemin, it attracted attention. Why would someone want to be associated with him?

                They walked into the bathroom and Taemin instructed Kai to go and change in one of the stalls. He handed him a shirt and pants, a pair of socks and dress shoes, while holding onto the rest. He stood timidly in the corner, trying to blend in with the wall. Kai changed reasonably fast as he came out of the stall, suddenly looking far more formal, his casual clothing in hand. “Look at you all cleaned up.” Taemin teased, approaching him to pull all the hems into place. “The last time I saw you like this was when you were in grade two and wanted to show me the new school uniform that your school changed to.” Kai blushed, remembering his excitement over the slightly darker shade of green on the thin shirt. “Don’t bring up embarrassing things like that Taemin…” He pouted but only until Taemin reached up to mess up his hair. “Let’s go drop this stuff off at your locker, okay?” Kai nodded, following behind like a lost puppy. Taemin loosely remembered the area where the numbers began with a two and therefore they wandered around a bit before finding their way. “Ah! Here it is!” He exclaimed. They hadn’t put the lock on it yet, allowing Kai to just pull it open. He took his clothes from Taemin and placed them on the shelf where he also put some of his textbooks. “You should write down your lock combination somewhere so you can actually open your locker after closing it.” Kai chuckled, nodding. “I can trust you to remember it when I don’t.” Taemin rolled his eyes but he’d do it for Kai any day. “Oh! Let me take a picture of your schedule!” Taemin said as he pulled his phone out. “Why?” Not expecting that reaction, Taemin paused. “Oh, I thought I could drop you off and pick you up after your classes…” Kai smiled, closing the lock before leaning against his new locker. “I was worried you wouldn’t. By the way, where’s your locker, Taemin?” Trying to orient himself, Taemin pointed up at the ceiling. “It’s upstairs on the opposite side of the school.” Kai seemed to deflate, pouting. “Aish! Why is it so far away?” He rested his textbooks on his shoulder, using his free hand to pull Taemin in as he wrapped his arm around him once more, this time with a possessive nature in mind. “Because I’m a year older.” Taemin laughed, tugged against the tall boy. With a little over ten minutes left until classes started, they walked towards Kai’s first period class. Kai was surveying the area, catching quite a lot of attention with his stunningly good looks. “The girls here are very pretty.” He commented. Taemin simply nodded. He didn’t think much of them. “Yeah, I guess.” Kai began rubbing his shoulder and Taemin felt himself unwind. “Do you have a girlfriend?” Kai suddenly asked. That’s when the promise he made with Minho echoed in his head.

“Don’t tell him.”

                After a moment of silence, Taemin smiled, shaking the thought off. “No, I don’t.” He heard Kai laugh. “Oh, that’s good to hear.” He looked up at the taller boy, raising an eyebrow. “Why? Do you want me to be lonely? Huh?” He joked, pinching Kai’s side. Suddenly Kai began stuttering, looking at the ground. “Uh, oh, I didn’t mean it that way, I just… it just kind of came out, I don’t know why!” When he saw Kai flustered, he patted the boy’s back. “I’m kidding.” He followed the numbers on the door until the number matched that on Kai’s schedule. “This is your homeroom.” He said, stopping in front of a door. Kai looked inside, seeing no one he deemed as deserving of his attention, and turned back to Taemin. “I don’t want you to leave.” He said outright, grabbing Taemin. The elder blushed, receiving looks from passersby. He palms slid down the length of Taemin’s arms, taking both of his hands with his own. He leaned back against the wall, pulling Taemin a bit closer, the boy squeezing between his knees. “Kai, don’t act like this in public-” Taemin wanted to scold, but shut himself up when Kai pouted. “Taemin, I imagined us being in classes together…” Taemin shook his head, “You know I’m a year older.” Kai nodded. “I know, but school seemed so much more appealing when I thought we’d be together all day.” Smiling, Taemin fumbled with the younger boy’s fingers. “I’ll come see you right after class ends.” The tall boy smiled as he cupped Taemin’s cheeks. “You’ve always been such a good hyung. When I get used to the school, I promise I’ll walk you to all the classes and take care of you instead.” Amused at the thought, Taemin giggled. “I’ll take your word for it.” He checked his phone and tried pulling away, unable to with Kai’s hold on him. “I have to go, class starts in two minutes and I haven’t even gone to my locker yet.” Frowning, Kai gave him an understanding nod. “Okay. I’ll wait for you.” He tugged on Taemin’s shirt, laughing the small boy against him as he squeezed him tightly. He also gave a kiss on the cheek before letting Taemin go, waving the blonde off before heading into his first class.

                Taemin half-walked, half-jogged through the hallways, en route to his locker. It was when he jumped around the corner that he flew into someone else. Normally, he’d expect to be shoved against the wall while he tried to make out an apology. This time, though, while he stumbled back, he was caught. “Woah, someone’s in a hurry.” He looked up, ready to give out apologies as if he were paid to do it, until his eyes met an average looking boy’s. He realized that it was the new student from one of his classes. He bowed his head and continued on his way, not knowing that the boy would turn on his heels and follow him. “Hey, class is the other way.” Looking over his shoulder, he spotted him, speeding up even more. “Please don’t follow me. You’re going to be late for class.” Surely enough, he caught up, joining Taemin. “That’s fine. Besides, we didn’t get to talk too much last time and I want to be friends. Don’t you feel that way too, Taemin-shi?” Taemin gave a worried laugh, darting towards his locker which was now in view. “This is definitely not the time for that.” When he neared, he recognized a figure standing next to it. It turned to face him. “Hi.” Jiyong greeted. Shortly after, he saw the other boy who followed. “Oh,” He said, looking him up and down with a raised eyebrow. “Sorry, I didn’t know you had company.” Taemin shook his head, midway through digging in his locker. “I don’t.” The other boy laughed, offering his hand to Jiyong. “Hi, my names Wanhyuk!” Ah, that’s his name, Taemin thought. Jiyong seemed to have a similar reaction to Taemin, rolling his eyes, uninterested. He shook the boy’s hand regardless. “Taemin, aren’t you a bit late? I was starting to think you wouldn’t come.” Sighing, it was as if he kept being reminded about how little time he had. “You two should go; the bell will ring any time now.” Jiyong shrugged, crouching beside the boy. “Then let’s skip, huh?” Within seconds, Wanhyuk was also by his side. “Then I want to join too!” Taemin shook them off, despite only looking in Jiyong’s direction. “No. Besides, even if I wanted to, I can’t. I have something to do the next week or so.” Jiyong got back up, nudging Taemin with his leg. “Then come out to play on the weekends. We can go smoke at a bar.” Taemin’s fake id came into mind, but he tossed the thought away. “I don’t drink or smoke.” Shrugging, Jiyong offered video games which Taemin said he’d think about. As he finished up, zipping his backpack closed, the bell rang. “Ok, well you two are late and it’s not my fault.” Wanhyuk smiled happily but Jiyong gave an amused smirk. “Fair enough. See you late, blondie.” Taemin scoffed as he walked to his class, the three separating.

                As promised, he picked Kai up and dropped him off. He was teased several times for now knowing what the younger called ‘his own territory’, getting them lost several times. They ate lunch together outside, the weather suiting the occasion perfectly. At one point, Taemin grew worried, seeing Seunghyun and his goons come into view, but then he saw Jiyong and Jiyong saw him and moments later, they were heading the opposite direction. Taemin was grateful. “Wow,” Kai would say, “This looks amazing. I can’t wait to eat all of this.” Taemin blushed, surprised by the recognition. “Anyone could make this.” He smiled. “Yeah, but the way you made it is the best.” He noticed Kai cleaning the container up but avoiding the broccoli. “Kai, eat your vegetables.” He ordered but Kai rejected it. “But I don’t want to…” Taemin lifted a piece with his chopsticks, raising it to Kai’s lips. "But Hyung..." Kai whined. "Do you really not like the lunch I made, Kai? I feel so sad." Taemin sighed, guilt tripping Kai who shook his head from side to side violently. He ate it, and despite the seemingly painful smile that accompanied his loud swallow, be smiled. He's so cute, Taemin thought. "Jongin-ah, you're so adorable. Maybe I was wrong. Taking care of you isn't all too much like taking care of a child, but more like taking care of a puppy. Please finish up the rest yourself." Kai looked down, stabbing another peice of broccoli and shoving it into his mouth. "Do I get a reward?" he asked. "No. Youre supposed to eat your vegetables. Youre not going to get a cookie for something you should be doing regardless." Kai groaned, shifting as he pulled Taemin into his lap. "Then at least help me make it more enjoyable." Taemin whined, trying to wiggle out of Kai's hold but Kai retorted with another whine and in the end, they just ended up looking like two idiots whining over nothing in the middle of the field until Taemin complied, feeding the boy.

After school had ended, Taemin accompanied Kai to his locker, taking all the younger boy's extra clothes into his own backpack, leaving Kai with free hands. Honestly, Kai felt extremely pampered. Back at home, he had to do a lot of physical labour, and being the only child, had to take care of himself while his parents took care of the house and garden. Here, Taemin spoiled him and served him everything he could want before he even wanted it. He knew he shouldn't get used to something like this, he wouldn't get this kind of treatment anywhere else, but he had to admit that he liked all the attention he was receiving. Especially since it was from Taemin. "Let's go, Babo. You're taking so long." Taemin rushed. Nodding, Kai closed the lock and they walked in the direction of the exit. When the exit sign glowed a bright red, he knew they were close. Once outside, Taemin seemed to let a smile slip. When Kai followed his gaze, his spotted a tall dark headed boy across the yard. He waved at them and that's when he even heard Taemin giggle. "Is that Minho?" Kai asked. Taemin offered a 'yeah' as his walk turned into more of a skip. "Why is he here?" Kai questioned. "He always picks me up after school." Taemin explained.

That was weird.

“Every day?” Kai asked as they approached. “Yup, every day.” Do you do something like that for someone who’s just a friend? Come see them every day and walk them home? Kai began to think. They stopped when they were a meter away from each other, Taemin going the extra step as he basically leaped into Minho’s arms. “How are you?” Minho laughed as his arms laced around the boy’s waist. “I’m good.” Usually, Taemin would have expected a kiss, but not today. “Let’s go.” Minho said, his smile as charming as ever. He threw his arm around Taemin, leading them towards the street. Taemin turned to look at Kai, taking his hand. Truthfully, he was a little jealous of how Minho touched Taemin on any whim and that it was fine, but the moment the blond boy took his hand, the jealousy simmered down. “How was your first day of school?” Minho asked, tilting his head to look at Kai. “It was good.” He answered. “Did Taemin make you lunch?” Kai nodded. “He makes really good lunches, doesn’t he?” Minho added on. “Yeah.” Taemin laughed, nudging the eldest. “Oh, Kai, did you make a lot of friends?” Taemin showed an interest and Kai enthusiastically replied. “Yeah, I made a few. None of them were anywhere close to as cool as you though, Taemin hyung.” Chuckling, Taemin squeezed the younger boy’s shoulder. “Thank you.” It now occurred to him that from another person’s perspective, they probably looked like a mom and dad picking their kid up from school, Kai being that kid. Shrugging it off, he decided to bring up another topic. “Taemin, I know you said you don’t have a girlfriend, but do you have someone you like?” He hadn’t discussed that with Minho yet. He just knew he wasn’t supposed to say they were dating. Taemin looked up to Minho, trying to ward off any suspicions. It was the most hidden of movements as Minho’s head shook less than a few millimeters in both directions. He looked back to Kai, repeating the motion. “No, I don’t.” Kai’s face lit up and Taemin couldn’t understand why. He also didn’t understand why Minho didn’t want Kai to know. He said it was a theory but what theory? He felt a little left out of Minho’s thinking process. “Minho hyung, do you always pick Taemin hyung up or was he lying?” Taemin felt a tingle on the small of his back as soft fingertips tiptoed along the hem of his pants. “Taemin’s a good kid, he doesn’t lie.” Taemin shoved Minho along with his wandering hand away, pouting from the teasing touches. “I don’t think anything’s wrong with it, but why? Don’t you have school too?” As he was talking, Taemin swapped places with him, leaving him in the middle while he buried himself into Kai’s side, essentially protecting himself from Minho. “I do have school,” Minho began, trying to grab for Taemin as the boy used the youngest to hide. “But my classes end before yours, and I have no other choice but to care for my little puppy. Isn’t that right Minnie?” Taemin rolled his eyes, barking sarcastically. “Wow, I think if Taemin was a puppy, he’d be the cutest one ever. I’d love and cherish you and I’d take you for walks and wash your right afterwards.” He listed, taking Taemin’s hand. Blushed, Taemin looked towards Minho who was also looking back at him with a raised eyebrow. “Huh, maybe I chose the wrong owner. I don’t think it’s too late to run away.” Taemin joked, his hands travelling across Kai’s body in a way to irk Minho. And it worked. A little. “That’s not what you said after I walked you home from the movie theater, or at Christmas time when we were in the rain, was it?” Embarrassed, Taemin reached over to hit Minho. “And what did you say, huh? Did you forget about that? Besides, I have the right to change my mind.” He huffed, not getting the reaction he necessarily wanted. “You can say that all you want, but in the end, you know you wouldn’t leave me for the world.” Upset, Taemin linked arms with Kai, dragging him towards his house faster. “Let’s go Kai. We’re going home.” He brushed his hair out of his face, pulling the boy along with his fast pace. “What are we going to do?” Kai asked, feeling completely unknowledgeable in the verbal exchange between the two. “I can’t tell you exactly what it is, but I can show you. Just know that we’ll both feel really good.” He scoffed. “Hey, don’t do whatever you’re thinking about, Taemin!” Minho yelled from behind them. This is when Taemin broke into a run along with Kai, smirking as he ran for his house. He stabbed the key into the lock and swung the door open, trying to close it before Minho could come in. When he turned around, seeing Minho hot on his heels, he gave up, sprinting into the bathroom as he giggled insanely. Finding himself at a dead end, he spun around and watched Minho slam the door. He came towards him quickly, stance of a predator and smile of a villain. He grabbed Taemin’s wrists, pinning him to the wall while their chests pressed to each other’s. Their charade fell apart immediately with Minho capturing Taemin’s lips. “You’re a tease, you know that Taemin?” Minho spoke into their kiss, drawing an airy laugh out of Taemin. “Just because you’re acting single, doesn’t mean you are. You’re mine, got it?” Taemin nodded, his hands gripping onto Minho’s arms, feeling all the muscle. “Seeing you touch others makes me jealous and I don’t know what I’ll do once I lose control. I might end up attacking you in the middle of the street, you know? I won’t even look around before I kiss you passionately and tear off your clothes to show the world that only I can touch you and make you feel good.” Taemin giggled as Minho slid his lips off of his and down the younger boy’s neck, leaving a trail off kisses while Taemin’s long, thin fingers slipped into Minho’s black hair. “You know, that doesn’t sound like a bad idea. But isn’t that somewhat the same like putting a ring on my fourth finger?” Taemin laughed, coughing back a moan when Minho bit his collarbone. Minho brought his eyes to level with Taemin’s, pressing their foreheads to each other. “Is that what you want?” He asked, mimicking the shape of a ring with his thumb and forefinger, sliding them down around Taemin’s ring finger. Taemin nodded without a doubt. “Then I’ll do it if you can wait for me to get the money.” He smiled, placing a final peck on Taemin’s lips before pushing him in the direction of the door. “Now let’s go. Kai’s probably wondering what we’re doing in here so long.” Taemin smiled. “Okay.”