“What are your other two friends like?” Kai asked, draped over Taemin as the older boy folded the laundry on the floor. “Hm, Heechul… he’s much older than the rest of us. I think ten years older than me. But he’s very fun and easy to talk to. He’s a flirt though.” Taemin laughed. “Then Ruki… Uh, he’s really interesting. He’s from Japan and he’s staying here indefinitely on vacation. He rich so for all I know, he could decide to stay here forever. He acts very cute but sometimes he says things in Japanese that I don’t understand. I like him.  Both of them were very supportive of me in my tougher times or when I had troubles. I think you’ll all get along.” Kai nodded, rubbing the tip of his nose against the skin behind Taemin’s ear, revealed by the pulled back hair. “I want to spend a lot of time with you then.” He stated, wrapping his arms around Taemin’s tiny waist. “You live with me, isn’t that already a given?” The older boy laughed, finishing up with folding the clothes. “Kai, go put yours away, okay?” Doing the opposite of letting go, he only pulled Taemin closer. Lying back, he rolled over, situating himself on top before sitting down on the elder’s stomach. Taemin coughed, weakly trying to push Kai off. “Jongin! Get off, you’re so fat. I can’t even breathe!” The younger boy laughed, directing all of his weight at Taemin’s stomach. “Don’t be so mean hyung, I’ll become self-conscious and worry about losing weight.” Taemin continued to whine as his struggled to get out, resorting to repeatedly smacking Kai’s chest. “Go away Jongin!” He childishly groaned, pouting. “Maybe if you give me some reward?” The younger boy smirked, puckering his lips in a cocky manner before leaning in. Thinking on the spot, Taemin d around for one of the folded shirts before grabbing one, smacking Kai in the face with it several times until the boy tumbled off, trying to escape. “Okay, okay! I’ll go!” He yelled, crawling away. “No, it’s not okay! You can’t just do that!” Taemin argued, continuing the smack Kai with the shirt. “You brat!” He went on as Kai continuously apologized. “I treat you too well, don’t I? You’re sleeping on the floor tonight! I’m not even going to give you a pillow!”

                He looked over seconds after hearing a door creak open somewhere, gasping as he himself was knocked to the ground by a flying pillow. “Taemin! What are you doing to the poor kid?” He saw Kai scramble to his feet, running in the direction the pillow came from. Taemin looked up, glaring as he fixed his blonde hair, pushing aside the long strands blocking his vision. He immediately pinpointed the thrower of the pillow, raising his eyebrow challengingly at Minho who stood across the room, body a shield to Kai. “Tae, why are you bullying him? You shouldn’t act like this.” Minho scolded, hiding the amusement in his tone. “I wasn’t! He- Urgh!” Taemin tried defending himself, giving up because what could he tell Minho? He tried kissing me?

                Groaning, he threw the shirt still tightly in his grasp across the room, hitting both of them on its way through the air. He marched in the first direction he could think of. “Hyung-” Kai began but was hushed by Minho. “It’s okay, he’s fine.” Minho tauntingly followed Taemin and, through his frustration, Taemin didn’t notice that there was no place left to go, his path ended by a wall with a closet. “Where are you going to go now?” Minho teased, watching Taemin grow embarrassed. “Leave me alone.” He mumbled sheepishly. He grabbed for the door knob and in an uncomfortable manner, closed himself in the closet. He heard Minho laughing loudly on the other side. “Seriously?” He asked through the chuckling. “Alright, that’s enough. Come out now.” Kai went to fold the tossed shirt, putting away the fresh clothing. Minho got no response. “Taemin, if you don’t come out, I’m going to trash the whole place and drink all your milk.” In a frenzied panic, Taemin slammed the door open, unintentionally hitting Minho who stood outside. “No, please don’t do that!” He begged, grabbing Minho’s sleeve to keep him from doing anything. Minho smiled, ruffling Taemin hair. “Are you packing?” He asked, looking over at two empty suitcases of the corner of the room. Slightly taken back by the sudden change in topic, Taemin nodded. “Yeah. I know it’s a bit early, but then I can pack things later if I remember something I didn’t put in.” Minho ruffled Taemin’s hair, smiling. “Smart thinking.” He praised. “Now that you’re here, maybe I should get some pizza? Veggie? Pepperoni?” He said, listing the options. “What am I saying, you like Hawaiian. Kai!” He went on to ask, “What kind of pizza do you want?” Within seconds, he got cheese as an answer. “Alright, then I’ll get going. You two stay here. It shouldn’t take more than an hour.” Minho followed him to the door, taking a step out to give Taemin a small kiss. He came back in and closed the door, locking it. Kai had just finished putting away the clothes and sat down on the couch, turning on a show. Minho went to the kitchen, making himself some tea.

                “Minho hyung…” Kai began, catching Minho’s attention as the water boiled. “Yeah, what is it? Do you want some tea too? I can make you some.” Kai shook his head. There was a moment of silence and Kai seemed to grow nervous. “Hyung, how close are you with Taemin? Not that it’s my business, but you two seem closer than friends.” Minho shrugged. “I’d say we are closer than friends.” Kai nodded. “Well then maybe you’ll understand where I’m coming from.”

                Kai picked at his knuckles anxiously. Minho wasn’t stupid; he had an idea of what was going to come next. “I wanted to ask a favour of you.” There was more silence filling in the distance between them. “I know you might think I’m disgusting, but I like Taemin. As more than a friend, really. I love him.” Minho nodded. “Yeah, I know.” Kai seemed shocked, eyes opening widely. “Wait, how did you know?!” Minho searched the cupboards for a mug, finding one he had bought Taemin once. “It’s obvious really.” This time, Kai was the one nodding. “Okay… what do you think about that?” As the tea filled the cup, it released steam into the air. “What’s it got to do with me? I shouldn’t have any say it in anyways. It’s up to you who you like.” Kai glanced back at the television, turning off the volume completely. “Yeah, but still. I wanted to know… Ah, also, the reason I’m saying all this is because Taemin’s birthday is coming up. We’re all going to the cottage and I wanted to do something special with. I was wondering, since you two are so close… if maybe you could help me.” He watched as Minho took a long sip of his drink, a clink sounding when he placed the cup down. “I’m sorry, I can’t do that. But it’s not because I think you’re disgusting or because I don’t like you. I just simply have conflicting feelings.” Kai stared at him, confused. “Wait, you don’t hate me for liking Taemin or anything about the situation?” Minho shook his head. “Then… do you like Taemin too? Is that why you don’t want to help?” Minho gazed into the drink, tilting it, moving the liquid to his whim. “Take it as you like; I’m just saying that it would conflict with my feelings. Sorry.” Kai was definitely suspicious. There was no reason for him to be okay with one but not the other, right? If he didn’t like that Kai was gay, he’d understand. He’s even okay with Kai liking Taemin, but not with Kai making a move on him? “Is it okay if I kiss Taemin in front of you?” The younger boy asked. Minho chuckled. “Is it okay if I kiss him in front of you?” Kai shook his head. “Maybe it’d be smart to see me as competition.” Minho said in a joking manner, though really he wasn’t joking. “What do you like about him?” Minho went on to ask. Kai chuckled, embarrassed. “What’s not to like about him? I’m sure you know, don’t you? He was one of my best friends growing up and whenever he left to go back to the city, I was always really depressed. Don’t you think he smells nice? It’s not cologne or anything; it’s just his natural smell. All my clothes smell like him too and it makes me really happy.” Minho took a moment to inconspicuously sniff his own shirt. It also carried Taemin’s scent. “Doesn’t he look really happy when he smiles too? I also like the way his voice sounds in the morning and the way it sounds when he whispers at two in the morning, scolding me that I should go to sleep because we have school the next day.” There was a pause. “I also like the way his lips feel.”

                This caught Minho’s attention most of all. “How would you know?” He asked, sounding slightly demanding. “Well, we kissed once…” Minho was shocked. He didn’t know about this. “What do you mean you kissed?” Kai’s face turned all red and Minho could automatically tell he wasn’t lying. “Well, actually I kissed him. It wasn’t full blown or anything, I just kind of got the corner of his lips. But it was still really soft.” There was a growing weight inside Minho. He could tolerate a lot, but this was something he couldn’t let go of. Although Taemin didn’t kiss him back, the fact that someone else felt how amazing his kisses were upset Minho. He was tempted to tell Kai that he was much closer to Taemin, show off their intimacy, but he had to be mature. Besides, making Taemin keep it a secret just for him to let it out because of jealousy was childish. He sighed, placing his mug in the sink, washing it. “I guess that’s good for you.” He mumbled.

                Their conversation seemed to die then causing an awkward atmosphere for the next twenty minutes, leaving Kai to turn the volume on the television up again.

                Taemin finally lightened the mood when he returned with food. “I hope it didn’t cool down too much.” He said, quickly taking his shoes off and rushing over to the table. “It’s half Hawaiian and half cheese. I also got some dipping sauces. Sit down, sit down!” He ordered. Kai went to sit down while Minho took the chance to grab three plates and pour them all a drink despite having just finished his tea.

                The table was set as simply as possible, the boys sitting around, taking a slice or two each. “I hope I didn’t take too long.” He apologized. “Ah, you should’ve run.” Minho teased. Taemin giggled, kicking Minho’s leg underneath the table.

                They were all eating, sharing an occasional story or joke. Despite the conversations and food, Minho’s eyes were glued to Taemin’s lips, the ones Kai had supposedly kissed. ‘I just kind of got the corner of his lips’ continuously repeated itself over and over in his head. He didn’t notice it until he was in the middle of raising his arm, his long sleeve tugged over his hand as he rubbed Taemin’s lips of an invisible mess with his thumb. Taemin glance at Minho’s clean sleeve before wiping his mouth on his own sleeve. “Hyung, there was nothing there.” He commented. He was right, but Minho just wanted to make sure there was really no trace of Kai left there, in case Taemin missed that spot when he brushed his teeth and washed his face. “Yeah.” Minho whispered, offering a smile. “Maybe I was just looking for an excuse to touch you.” He laughed. Taemin smiled, rolling his eyes. “You’re a weirdo.”

                The pizza was nearly gone, slice after slice disappearing. “So we leave on Friday. I think the best train for us comes at five so it’s good to be packed that day and quickly get home after school. Heechul and I will probably get here around three thirty. Do you know about Ruki?” Taemin grabbed his phone, looking through a text conversation he had with the Japanese boy a few days ago. “He said he’ll come here around one since he has the key and just wait.” Taemin giggled to himself before looking up to meet Minho’s eyes. “How much luggage to you think he’s going to bring?” Minho chuckled as well, imagining sever cheetah and zebra print suitcases. “Hopefully not too much.” Then Taemin turned towards Kai, stealing a piece of his crust. “We’re going to buy you a bathing suit.” Taemin stated, resting his chin on his palm. “I already have one, hyung.” Taemin shook his head, leaning over a bit to ruffle Kai’s hair. “I don’t care. I’m going to buy you a new one. I’ll take you out and we can see which ones are best. I want to make sure you look really cool and impress everyone who sees you on the trip.” Kai flipped his hair back into place, avoiding Taemin’s eyes as he pinched one of the blonde’s fingers with two of his own. “I only have one person I need to look cool for and impress.”

                Taemin’s lips curled upward. He stood up from the table, collecting the plates into a pile. Tableware in one hand and pizza box in the other, he went to the sink, stopping by the garbage on the way. “Minho, what kind of shorts do you have?” Minho shrugged. “Just simple ones, nothing special. They’re pretty old.” Taemin walked back, plopping himself down in Minho’s lap. “Then you should buy some new ones too. We can all buy some new ones. They can match. Isn’t that cool? They can be bright pink with purple hearts on them.” The other two laughed at the idea, Kai maybe a bit too hard.

“We can also get those blow-up things that go around your arms to help you float.”

“Arm floaties?”

“Yeah, those! We can buy them in a pink that matches our super y hot pink swimming shorts.”

Minho buried his head into the back of Taemin’s shoulder as he chuckled. “Shut up, you’re so dumb.” Taemin took Minho’s arms by the wrist, lacing them around his own waist. “Ah, I guess I am. I guess you also don’t like my idea then?” He shook his head. “I might reconsider our friendship if you’re talking about this seriously.” He teased. “We should do some sort of bet and the loser has to wear something like that.” Kai pitched in, extremely amused by the idea. “I think you would lose and then quickly change your mind.” Kai agreed. “I probably would.”

Minho caught the youngest boy’s gaze from across the table. Kai’s eyes started out leveled with Minho’s but slowly sunk to Minho’s hands which were locked around Taemin’s body. He let a little of his possessiveness ooze out, dragging his hand down the blonde’s chest, stopping at his waistband with his fingers resting on his inner thigh. Kai was looking the whole time.

Taemin must have felt uncomfortable seeing as he sprung up a few seconds later. “Minho, you should go now.” He said, urging Minho out of the chair with his hands. “Come on, get up!” He ordered. He stared at Minho, confused when the elder puckered his lips. “What are you doing?” Taemin asked. “It’s your ticket to getting me out of here.” Grunting, Taemin grabbed the back of the chair, dragging it towards the door. “You can keep the chair then, I don’t care.” Minho stood up, sending Taemin flying back a few feet. “Okay, if you want me out that badly, I’ll leave.” Taemin smiled, letting go of the chair. “I just have other stuff to do, you know. Besides, I got to go buy Kai those shorts.” They walked towards the door, Minho poking Taemin’s side. “You’re a dork.” Taemin offered a ‘mhm’. “That’s why you love me.” Remembering Kai, he quickly added, “As a friend!”

‘Smooth’, he told himself, ‘real smooth.’

“Of course I love you as more than a friend.” Minho corrected. “You’re like the son I’ve never wanted.” Kai snorted in the background. “Oh yeah? Are you planning on making your son buy you pizza? Do you touch me with those filthy hands thinking of touching your future son?” The eldest raised an eyebrow challengingly. “You know it.” Taemin looked at him flabbergasted. “I’m done with you. Get out. Get out of my house. Me and Kai are going to church to pray and cleanse ourselves of you.” He pushed Minho out the door. “Bye Minho hyung!” Kai shouted. “Oh, you are so cold, both of you! How do you live with yourselves?” He asked jokingly, using the weight of his body to slow Taemin down. “The true question is how do we live with you?” Taemin fired back. “You don’t, that’s why I’ll move in and make it easier for you.”

“I got it. Anyways, you should go and start packing too. I can’t be there to do everything for you although that seems like something you’d get your son to do too.” He joked. “Yeah, you’re right. Hey, so, I’m really looking forwards to the cottage. Are you excited for your birthday?” Taemin shrugged. “I don’t know. Like I said, I don’t really celebrate it so to me it’s just a normal day.” Minho nodded. “Well I’m excited. I guess you can say I’m anticipating the nights more than I am the days.” Taemin blushed. “Yeah… me too.” With that, Minho pulled Taemin in for a tight hug. “Alright, then I’ll be going home. I’ll see you some other time, okay?” Taemin squeezed him back. “Okay, bye.”

“Taemin, come sit with me. Let’s play some games.”

“Ne.”

They both sat down on the couch, getting comfy.

“So what did you and Minho do while I was gone?”

“Nothing, really. I told him I like you.”

Taemin looked over at Kai, eyes wide. “You did what? What did he say?”

Kai shrugged, starting the game. “He was okay with it. That or he didn’t seem against it.”

“Oh.”

“But he didn’t seem to be fond of the idea of me touching you.”

“Really...? That’s strange… I wonder why.”

“I hate to say it, but I think he likes you, Taemin.”

“What? No, that’s stupid.”

“Maybe you don’t see it, but I do. The way he looks at you isn’t the way a friend normally looks at another friend, you know.”

“You’re imagining things.”

“Maybe, but if you were to choose between the two of us… I really hope you’d choose me.”

Taemin’s heart sank.

I’m sorry; I’ve already chosen… he thought to himself.

                “I hope we have a fun weekend.” Is all he said.