As expected, none of other libraries in their town has the book that Taemin’s looking for.
How delighting.
Minho knows that he can’t possibly avoid meeting Jinki at least once more- though to push such meeting away, he decides to look for the book in an online bookshop. He’ll do that once he gets home. Now, he needs to find some good, red wine, that would somehow embellish his and Taeminnie’s ‘honeymoon’.
He enters the nearest grocery, looks for the right bottle. He thinks of all possible alcohols they’ve tasted together during those long years of friendship and—
Loyal, undeniable and flawless relationship, as Jonghyun likes to describe them.
He takes a deep breath and his eyes set on a very familiar bottle.
Red Cote, semi dry.
He takes it without any hesitation. And just when he turns to his right to pick some grapes as well, he stops dead in his tracks, thankful that his consciousness doesn’t fail to amaze him. Otherwise, he’d definitely drop the bottle.
“Oh.” he says, just like the last time. As if it was the only greeting he’s able to think of. But, really, what can one expect from him, when the circumstances are by all meanings unpleasant, and his mind turns blank just about every hour, with every memory, every association, every kick of conscience?
“Oh” nods the other one and Minho can with all certainty state that what Jinki’s face expresses at his moment is slight hurt. He can read it in his eyes. Jinki knows that Minho didn’t expect to meet him- that’s an understanding. But he not only knows that- he also knows that Minho didn’t and doesn’t want to meet him.
He’s just too easy to read, Minho realizes. And that makes it all even harder.
“Well, I… hey, no. what are you doing here?” Minho asks, suddenly realizing just where exactly they met.
“… shopping, same as you. Why?” Jinki apparently tries to make himself appear unfazed, but, as Minho understands now- the more he tries, the more he pretends- the more unconvincing he is.
“But… we’re at the alcohol section. What are you looking for?” Minho insists. He knows he might sound a bit ridiculous- they’re adults after all, and it’s not like Jinki can’t have friends or throw a party at his place or—
 

“Something to drink, what else would I be looking for in here?” he shrugs.
“I expected that, but… why?”
“Well, I can see you’ve already chosen what you want to drink. Maybe you’ll tell me first?” Jinki asks challengingly, clearly wanting to change the subject.
Or prolong the conversation.
“My… friend and I haven’t seen each other for a while, he came back from Japan just recently, and we… sort of wanted to, you know… celebrate his success and… just… you know. Celebrate.” Minho makes a gesture with his free hand, as if searching for the right word.
“Your friend? The one that asked you to find him the book?” Jinki remembers. Remembers too well. Just like Minho.
He nods in response.
“Have you found this book yet, by the way? You stopped searching for it when we… bumped into each other. I never meant to interrupt you, but then I realized, that I probably did that anyways…”
Minho could’ve lied, could’ve said anything to just get rid of him. But he was sick of lies.
“I… no, I haven’t found it. They don’t have it in any library around, actually. I’ve been thinking about buying it somewhere, maybe…”
“Well, I wouldn’t buy a book I’d need just for my thesis… especially when it’s rather frequent that we only use a few pages or even phrases from each book, there’s no use in buying them. Especially when those medical books are so expensive. You know, what I mean?”
Minho actually doesn’t know. It’s not like he’s ever written thesis. But there’s no need to admit that.
“… you might be right, I guess.”
“Why don’t you just give me the title so I can keep this book in, until you come and check it out?”
And there it is: another excuse for Minho to meet his accidental one-night-stand. Another meeting he not only can’t avoid but doesn’t even have power to avoid.
After all, it’s just a book, right? It’s nothing bounding, nothing implying anything.
Strange thing is that only after Jinki leaves the shop with cloudy gaze does Minho realize that the latter has never actually answered his question- he doesn’t know who those two bottles of vodka are going to serve.








It’s been four months. Over four months of not feeling each other’s body in the most intimate possible way. Over four months of not kissing, not embracing, not fulfilling each other with their presence.
No matter how many years have passed, every time when it comes to making love to Minnie, he becomes slightly nervous. It’s the love of his life after all, the boy he thinks he’ll spend the rest of his life with. It always makes him tremble, the single thought of getting that close to him.
Especially today, as he walks into their flat, he feels his fingers clutch a bit tighter at the bottle. The smell of so familiar sweet perfume makes his heartbeat race. The sight of Taemin in his white bathtub, sprawled airily on their bed makes his lips tremble and throat go dry.
Taemin tilts his head and gives him a look- that look- and soon the bottle is forgotten, left unnoticed on the bedside table, as everything merges into one thought, one aim, one desire, expressed wordlessly in the tangle of limbs, tongues and erratic breathings.
Whole world suddenly concentrates on the one person, one little boy, each fluttering of his long eyelashes, each silent sound that escapes his pink, soft lips, each frown made of pure pleasure.
For that short, so short amount of time, Minho finds himself unable to think of anything or anyone else that Taeminnie Taeminnie Taeminnie— the name comes out continuously from his swollen lips like a mantra, like an answer and cure for everything. His fingertips at first only skim the smooth, pale skin, then they grip at it almost painfully- hard enough to be felt despite all other sensations, but not as hard as to leave bruises. That slender waist, those slim hips move up and down, up and down, up and down, until there’s no restraint in their voices, until their minds turn blank, until they both cry out as they reach the highest peak of pleasure.
There’s nowhere Minho would rather be at than here, with exhausted Taemin, laying on his heaving chest with a sated smile gracing his angelic features.
It takes only an hour of a nap and two glasses of wine to make this whole peace crush immediately.









“It feels so good to be here again…”
Minho turns his head to his right and smiles at his glowing with happiness lover. He scoots closer, until Taemin can settle his head on Minho’s chest again.
“It’s amazing to have you back” Minho confirms, his head already dizzy from alcohol. He feels as if Taemin never left, as if those four months were just a cruel, long dream.
“You know what’s the most amazing thing about coming back?” Taemin asks, tilting his head, so that he can look Minho in the eye. When the older boy shakes his head a bit, he responds:
“Because I always know you’ll be here waiting for me. Because I know that even if I fail, even if things don’t go the way I want them to, I know I’ll still have you. Because I trust you. Above all, I trust you.”
And there it is. A sudden of guilt.
 
I trust you
I trust you
I trust you
                You’re a good person

“Which is why I know that I’ll have someone to come back to after my another trip to Japan” he adds, unaware of the stream of thoughts occupying Minho’s head.
Wait…
Another trip?...
“What ‘another trip’ do you have in mind?” Minho suddenly sits up, Taemin follows him and takes both his hands in his. He his knuckles soothingly for a while, sending him an apologetic look, biting his lower lip.
“They set me up for another apprenticeship, saying that I’m the one that would represent our university in a very convin— why are you looking at me like that?”
“For how long?” Minho’s euphoria disappears as soon as it appears. He feels like on a swing of moods.
Taemin frowns and looks away.
“Two weeks.”
That makes Minho gape at him.
“TWO WEEKS?!”
It’s not four months, it’s barely fourteen days, but Minho isn’t quite sure he can take it.
He tries not to groan, not to cry, not to run away to some bar and make himself drunk senseless- God forbid, he won’t do that anymore- when he asks Taemin when exactly he’s leaving.
“In about a month.”
A month. Another so-pleasing period of time that he’ll spend counting days to Taemin’s leaving. Another two weeks of torture after that.
And that unfaltering guilt he’ll have to carry on his own.
How is he supposed to handle that?

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Guys, just don't jump into conclusions after this chapter!!^^"



Is it just me or they really look like a straight couple here?...