“I love you.” Taemin whispered happily while Minho focused on wrapping a bandage around his wrist. “Hyung, I love you.” He repeated.

                “I love you too, Kitten.” Minho answered, going on to hum a tune playing on the radio.

                “Hyung~” Taemin sang, clinging to the elder.

                “Yes?” He played along, lifting the blonde who quickly wrapped his thin legs around Minho’s waist.

                “I don’t know how I could ever live without you. I was going crazy after a week.”

                “I was going crazy too, Minnie. I missed you so much. I kept calling and calling and you wouldn’t answer. I became so stressed. But that’s behind us now, so let’s make up for all the waster time, okay?”

                Taemin nodded, peppering the top of Minho’s head with countless kisses, making over exaggerated noises.

                “It’s really nice outside today, isn’t it, Hyung?” Taemin commented, “Let’s have lunch outside instead tomorrow.”

                He looked at the clock which sported the numbers one, two, zero, and seven in that order, indicating that it noon had just begun.

                That Monday was exceptionally pleasant and the two boys had agreed to leave school for their lunch, enjoying it together a few blocks away at Minho’s house.

                “We could have a picnic.” The older boy suggested, earning a positive reaction.

                “That sounds really nice! We can have it at the park. We haven’t been there in a while, have we? You can bring your camera and we can take pictures together and photograph stuff like flowers and tiny bugs.” Taemin expanded, clapping his hands once he was laid down on Minho’s bed, the elder hovering over him. “It’ll be really fun.”

                “I bet, babe. You’re so clever aren’t you?”

                Taemin laughed, receiving a peck on the lips. Finally getting a chance to speak, he tried sitting up, denied by the elder’s chest. “Hyung, it’s lunch time. We need to eat~”

                “Then what are you waiting for? I’m right here.” Minho stated, rolling over and pulling Taemin on top, having the blonde straddle him.

                “That’s not what I mean!” The younger boy laughed, cupping Minho’s cheeks in his soft palms.

                “Do you really want to eat?” He pouted, using his large eyes to his advantage. “I thought we could just come here and cuddle and do all the things we can’t do in public.”

                “I guess you’re right, I don’t think I’m too hungry.” Taemin caved, sticking his tongue out.

                “Good.” He smiled, pulling the blonde into his arms.

                They both relaxed, maybe a bit too much, as they eased into the sounds of cars driving by and birds chirping.

                Their finger’s fit perfectly between each other while the green tear-shaped gems on their matching leather bracelets attracted a soft glow from the sun.

                “Psst.” Taemin whispered, poking Minho’s side.

                “Hm?”

                “I don’t want to go back to school.”

                “So you can borrow my house while I’m gone.”

                “I don’t want you to go either.” He added, his hands now snaking their way around and onto Minho’s shoulders, massaging the muscly area.

                He knew he was doing well when he heard the elder release a moan against his neck, falling apart in his arms.

                “If you’re trying to persuade me… well, you’re doing a really good job of it, so don’t stop.”

                “That’s what I was planning on.”

                “We’re still leaving in twenty minutes.” Minho assured him, nibbling on Taemin’s jawline.

                “Hyung, why are you so unfair?” He whined.

                “Aw, Taemin, you say that but I know you don’t think so.”

                “That’s not true!” The younger boy argued, hands continuing to work on the tender skin.

                “Oh yeah?” Minho mused; his hand slipping into Taemin’s back pocket. He guided the blonde’s lips to his, parting them with his tongue and moving them slowly in a sensual kiss.

                Taemin was quick to react, his fingers tying into Minho’s dark hair. He mumbled an ‘ow’ when the elder pinned his wrists down, receiving a whispered apology and a shift in position.

                It didn’t take long for them to forget about eating, spending their lunch breaks in each other’s arms.

                They walked back, hand in hand, only separating when they neared Taemin’s school.

                Taemin was pouting the entire way, upset with Minho for cutting off their romantic rendezvous.

                “Kitten, don’t be mad. School is more important than what we were doing.” The elder tried to reason, his loving caress being rejected.

                “That’s not a- that’s not an excuse, Hyung! You shouldn’t have… then why did you take my shirt off?”

                “Because I’m a guy and when my boyfriend’s climbing all over me and kissing me and stuff, I get excited and think with my crotch instead of my head, okay?”

                “But then all of a sudden your head starts working again?”

                “Okay, look, I know that I started something I can’t finish and that’s horrible of me but please don’t be upset. Listen here for a second,” He began, leaning close as he nuzzled into the younger boy’s neck, “What if I bring you back to my place later, spread you out on my bed, use that leftover whipped cream from last time and get you all sticky….”

                This caught Taemin’s attention, leaving him with a raised eyebrow. “Well, that would be a start.”

                “Mhm, and then I could undo your tie and tie you up with it in a position that would give you the perfect view of me you clean. I’m sure that after a few minutes, the whipped cream won’t be the only white stuff I’ll be off your chest.”

                “Okay, okay, that’s enough!” The younger boy stated, not sure if he could survive the next few hours with any more images in his mind.

                “Wait, I want to finish voicing the rest of my dirty fantasies. You know, you beg in a lot of them.”

                “I beg in a lot of mine too.” Taemin confessed, surprising the elder into a silence.

                Standing at the school gates, joined by Jongin, the two gave their final goodbyes until their reunion later.

                The youngest of the three watched them closely now.

                He wondered how he could have been so blind.

                It was more than crystal clear; the way Taemin’s eyelashes were always fluttering, the way that even the smallest from Minho seemed so loving. He could kiss Taemin and it still wouldn’t express the same amount of love that Minho manages to convey in simply brushing the blonde’s hair behind his ear.

                Everything he had wondered and been suspicious about up until now was answered, everything except for why they chose to hide it from him.

                From what he had noticed, it didn’t seem like it was Taemin’s idea to keep it a secret. If it was, he wouldn’t have answered with ‘so what if I was?’ when Jongin asked him if he was going to kiss Minho that evening at the cottage, on his birthday.

                Looking down at his watch, he counted that class would start in a little over ten minutes, tugging on Taemin’s shirt and urging him to go.

                “Taemin, we have to go now.”

                The blonde glanced at him, nodding.

                “Okay, well, I guess I’ll see you later Hyung.” Taemin sighed, wishing he could express his disappointment with a hug or kiss.

                “I’ll stop by later, kiddo. Don’t miss me too much.” The eldest said with a smile, ruffling Taemin’s hair before sending the two off.

                Holding back the urge to steal the blonde’s lips one last time, he shook his head, walking back to his own school.

                Jongin walked Taemin off to his next class a few minutes early, taking the empty seat in front of his.

                His head was resting on his folded arms which took up a majority of the elder’s desk, leaving the blonde to rest his chin on the top of Jongin’s head, fingers playing with his hair.

                “Hyung…” Jongin mumbled into his sleeve.

                “Yeah?”

                “I know your situation and I can understand the choices that you’ve made, but for some reason, I can’t accept them, no matter how hard I try.”

                “Jongin-ah, what are you talking about?”

                “I don’t really know why, but I still think that my choice would be better. I mean, it would make you uncomfortable but… I don’t want to stop trying so I hope you don’t mind. I might already be at a huge disadvantage, I was all along, but people change their minds about things, right, so I’m hoping you will too.”

                The older boy shot him a look of confusion when he lifted his head. “I don’t get it.”

                “It’s fine, hyung.” Jongin assured him, sneaking a quick kiss before getting up. “You’ll get it someday.”

                Taemin blushed, watching Jongin walk over to the door, leaving him to deal with more attention than he wanted. He wished that the younger boy wouldn’t do these things. It gave everyone the wrong idea.

                His blonde hair was sweaty, sticking to the back of his neck. He legs were tightly wrapped around Minho’s head as the elder relaxed further down him, taking his time with Taemin’s member clean.

                Just as promised, they found each other a few hours later, re-enacting all the fantasies Minho had spoken of.

                Reaching over for the can of whipped cream, Taemin squeezed some out just below his abdomen, catching the older boy’s attention only to make another sweet trail for his tongue to follow up his torso, neck, chin, and onto his lips.

                They both laughed, muffled by each other’s lips.

                “We should go get washed.” Minho suggested, his tongue scaling the walls of Taemin’s mouth.

                “I like being covered in your sweat and kisses though…” The blonde stated, being lifted regardless, and taken to the bathroom.

                “Well we can just move this there. Soap suds can be a turn on too. Do you want to take a bath or shower?” He asked, setting the boy down.

                “A bath.”

                “Alright.”

                He leaned over to let the hot water run, turning back to see Taemin with a bottle in his hands.

                “Hyung, can we make it a bubble bath? I had a lot of fun last time.”

                “Oh boy… last time you wouldn’t leave the bathtub for over an hour until the water was freezing and I drained everything.”

                “But I made so many cool things with the bubble! Like the pirate hat and the parrot!”

                Minho chuckled, taking the bottle from the boy and squeezing out a decent amount into the water. “They didn’t resemble either of those. You get an A for effort though.”

                Moments later, the tub was nearly overflowing.

                The older boy stretched out along the length with Taemin sitting sideways between his thighs, his legs dangling over the edge while he played with the hills of suds.

                “This one’s a cat.” He claimed, showcasing something which vaguely looked like the animal it represented.

                He went on to make several more, oblivious to the stare being directed at him, Minho resting his head in his palm.

                “This one was supposed to be a mouse but it kind of looks like a giant ladybug.”

                “Kitten, give me a kiss.”

                Taemin asked why, barely finishing the word before Minho pulled him in for several pecks.

                “I love you so much.” Minho affirmed, bringing Taemin as close to him as possible, ruining whatever creation he had made along the way.

                “I love you too, Minho.” Taemin proclaimed with a large smile, taking a break from playing and resting his head on the elder’s shoulder. He felt Minho’s thumb brush up and down his upper arm, his lips never ceasing to kiss the top of his head.

                “I think you’ve ruined me.” He admitted, “I’ll never be able to look at anyone else again. This will probably be the longest year of my life.”

                “Why’s that?” Taemin questioned, not seeing what was so special about it.

                “Because it’s the last year before I can propose to you.”

                The blonde blushed, lowering his face into the bubbles to conceal it. “By my next birthday, we’d have been dating for less than two years…”

                “I don’t care if it’s a five years or five months. I’m head over heels for you. I don’t want you to get away. That would be the biggest mistake I’d ever make.”

                They sat their quietly for a bit until Minho spoke up once more. “Choi Taemin… that sounds nice.”

                “What? Why not Lee Minho?” Taemin demanded, scrunching up his face as the action caused a soapy taste to enter him mouth.

                The older boy laughed, removing the bath plug with his foot, leaving the water to slowly drain. “I think that they both sound good. Now come on, I’ll get you dried up.”

                With just their pants on, they both sat on the small balcony, enjoying the late afternoon.

                Minho thought back to the time before he met Taemin. He’d never guess that he’d grow to love pampering someone as much as he loves to pamper his boyfriend.

                “The sun is setting. I wish I could see it.”

                The older boy dried Taemin’s blonde hair with a small towel, nodding along. “Yeah, too bad there are so many buildings in the way. That’s one of the cons of living in such a densely populated city.”

                “Move in with me.” Taemin suddenly spouted, turning to face Minho.

                “What are you talking about? I can’t. Your house is way too small. Besides, you already have a housemate.”

                He considered the facts for a few seconds, his thoughts branching out. “Okay, then let’s get a bigger place. Like one of those two floored condos or just a big one in general.”

                “Even with that not being a problem, you still have Jongin to house. I doubt he’ll want to move out already and I definitely doubt he has the money to.”

                “The three of us can live there.”

                Minho snorted, dismissing the last comment as if it was the most unrealistic thing he’d ever heard. “No way. No way on earth would I ever move in with you two.”

                Feeling slightly hurt, Taemin asked if he despised the thought of sharing a place with him so much.

                “It’s not that, I just need a place where I can have you all to myself. I have to share you with Jongin when I’m at your house; he has you when you guys are at school. I just need a place where we can be alone and do whatever we want.”

                “He’s looking for a job! He’ll be out for at least a few hours a few days a week then!”

                “Yeah, but-”

                “Hyung, I really want to live with you!” Taemin tried to convey, clinging to the boy. “That’s what we were talking about before Jongin arrived, right? Well I still want that! I want to wake up and make breakfast for you, and make sure you have all your things, and prepared your lunch, and give you a morning kiss. I want to do all of that. Maybe you’ve stopped thinking about this, but I haven’t.”

                With a face full of blonde hair, Minho sighed.

                He watched the lights in the skyscrapers grow brighter and brighter with each passing minute, darkness setting in.

                It was true that they had talked about this before and it was true that Minho wanted it. Living with Taemin seemed like a dream come true.

                As far as money went, that wasn’t too much of an issue.

                They would probably have to move further away from both of their schools, but with so many subway stations and bus stops, that could be solved as easily as leaving an extra ten minutes earlier.

                Nothing was really holding them back and Taemin seemed to be all for it.

                The only thing that bothered him was that Jongin would always be there.

                He wanted Taemin to be his and just his.

                He wanted to be selfish.

                But selfishness never got an honest man anywhere.

                Pulling away, he looked Taemin in the eye, admitting defeat.

                “Okay then, I guess… talk to Jongin about it and see what he says. If he’s okay with it, then I supposed there’s nothing I can really do about it is there?”

                The boy’s eyes lit up, a smile spreading from ear to ear. “Seriously? You’re the best, hyung! You’re, like, my favourite person in the whole entire world! I love you so much!” He yelled, throwing his arms around Minho and squeezing the air out of him.

                “You should just stay here and never leave. You should just hold on like you are right now and never let go and be here and… and I want to have one kid.”

                Not expecting Minho’s future wishes to come out, Taemin’s heartbeat sped up. “Like, one kid… with me?”

                Minho nodded. “Imagine coming home from work and hearing ‘Taemin appa! Taemin appa!’ Doesn’t that sound nice?”

                “I guess you’re right hyung, it does sound really nice. But if I’m ‘Taemin appa’ then you must be ‘Minho umma’.” He laughed, biting the tip of the elder’s nose. “I’m happy to know you’re thinking that far ahead and that I’m still there. Anyways, I should probably go home now.” The blonde decided, standing up and stretching.

                “I’ll walk you back.”  Minho said, following Taemin inside where they both got dressed.

                “You don’t have to; it’ll be a waste of your time.”

                “I don’t want you walking home alone in the dark.”

                Taemin looked over at him, searching for a reason. “Why? I’ve walked home alone before and it was way past midnight.”

                “I know, but… I’d just sleep better knowing that you got home safely.”

                The blonde walked over to the front door, slipping on his shoes seconds before Minho did the same.

                “Hyung, it’s not a long distance. Besides, if it’ll really bother you that much then I’ll just call you when I get home.”

                “Then I’ll be stressed out waiting for the call. Just stop complaining and hold my hand.” He said, moments before slipping his fingers between Taemin’s.

                As Taemin had explained, it was a short and uneventful walk. However, by the end of it, Minho did seem more relieved standing on the younger boy’s front steps.

                “What did I say?” The blonde boasted, one hand on the doorknob.

                “It doesn’t matter what you said because it could have been a totally different story if I wasn’t here, so hush your mouth and give me one last kiss before I have to go.”

                Rolling his eyes, Taemin did as told, being pulled into something longer than anticipated.

                When he thought it was over, his tried pulling away, being held in place.

                Trying to escape several times, he failed, giving in.

                “Hyung~” He whined, giggling although already pushed up against the door. “Hyung, I missed you.”

                “I missed you too, Kitten. That’s why I’m having trouble letting you go.”

                Feeling playful, Taemin bit Minho’s cheek, hearing him say ‘ow’ a few times in rapid succession.

                “Okay, okay, get out of here Hyung. You need to go right now or we’ll spend the whole night on the front steps. I love you, I love you, I love you, now go!” Taemin commanded shooing the boy away.

                “Will I get to see you tomorrow?” The elder asked, stumbling down the stairs.

                “Yeah, so go!”

                Smiling, he waved the tall figure off, watching it disappear into the darkness of the horizon, illuminated partially as he turned down the block.

                Turning, he entered his house, spotting Jongin eating cereal in front of the television.

                “Hey.” He said. “You know, whenever you go to Minho’s house, you always come back really late. I get lonely here.”

                The blonde snorted, dropping down beside him. “You saw me twenty four seven when I was stuck at home.”

                “I guess, but that’s different because you were really depressed and would even talk to me.”

                “Could you blame me?” Taemin asked, being offered a spoonful of the sugar coated flakes Jongin was enjoying. The younger boy placed the bowl down in his lap, leaving one arm to operate the spoon while he put the other one around Taemin.

                “I guess not. Want to know what I’m watching?”

                “Sure.”

                “Well I’m not going to tell you.”

                “Wh…what?” The elder asked, letting out a stifled laugh as he re-evaluated the boy’s statement. “Then why did you ask me? You know I can just press the button on the remote and it’ll show me what’s on, right?”

                “Oh well. You won’t find out from me.” He stayed adamant, his fingertips tickling Taemin’s neck.

                The boy squirmed, immediately rolling up into fetal position.

                Obviously finding him more entertaining than whatever mystery show he was watching, Jongin placed his late night meal aside, now using both hands to attack the boy.

                “No! Stop! Stop right now! Oh my god!” Taemin screamed, trying to smack the younger boy’s hands, failing immensely.

                This went on until Taemin was glued to the ground with Jongin sitting on his stomach, threatening that he was going to pee himself if the tanned boy didn’t stop.

                Managing to get the tickling to stop, he gasped for air, hugging himself.

                Relaxing his eyelids, which were so tightly shut to the point where he swore his eyes had cramped up, he tried catching his breath.

                “Jongin-ah… Are you going to stop now?”

                “No, I’m never going to stop. I’m never going to give up.” The younger boy answered in a tone that seemed too serious for Taemin to understand.

                “Well… just hear me out then.”

                “Okay.” Jongin agreed, his fingers gently scaling the length of Taemin’s chest and arm.

                “I was… I was thinking about maybe… I don’t know… buying a new place?”

                The younger boy began to slowly close the distance between them, placing one hand beside the blonde’s head for leverage. “Oh yeah?”

                “Mhm… a condo I guess… I was thinking that a bigger place would be nice… so one with two floors possibly?”

                Jongin continued to get closer; glancing over the boy’s parted lips and closed eyes. He wondered if he should start at the cheek, chin, or maybe go straight for the lips. “That sounds nice. It wouldn’t cost that much since we’d only need one bedroom.”

                Taemin shook his head slightly. “No, we’d need two or three, but three would be a stretch.”

                “Why that many? We can share the bed like we do here.” Jongin stated, his lips now so close that he could feel the elder’s hot breath on them. He quickly over his lips, attempting to moisturize them a bit before going for it.

                “Well… we’d need more than one because… Minho would be moving in with us.”

                Jongin staggered, eyes wide. “What?”

                “Minho would move in with us…” Taemin repeated.

                Of all the names to hear, he hoped he heard that one wrong.

A/N: Phew, I thought that was never going to get uploaded. Ive been having problem after problem with my computer today and it keeps restarting and bleh