Minho POV

 

“And then I told him to walk away. Well, I didn’t just say it—I had that glare on my face—you know, the one that says, ‘I could kill you with my eyes right here and now’ – and my voice was all low and threatening. So anyway, his eyes got all big and he hesitated for a moment, and then he flipped his hair and said, ‘Whatever. I don’t need this.’ And then he kind of stomped off, trying to act like he won, even though everyone knew he didn’t. And then after that we all went to lunch together. I got a sandwich with chicken, lettuce, and tomato. No cheese, of course, because-“

“Shut up,” I groaned quietly. The sound of Key’s excited rambling had been going on for hours. I understood that he missed Jonghyun and all, but was talking his ear off through video chat really necessary?

I sighed.

I wished Jonghyun would come back already.

Of course, then we’d have to deal with their little couple arguments. Or, worse, all their lovey-dovey baby talk.

It was a lose-lose situation.

But if I was being completely honest, I’d have to admit that I didn’t dislike their baby talk. It didn’t annoy me or anything. The only problem was that it reminded me that I would probably never be able to talk with Taemin like that.

I knew it was wrong of me to feel like that about the maknae of our group. He was still so young and innocent, and I had no right to take that innocence away by shoving my one-sided feelings on him.

Even so, I couldn’t help myself. I couldn’t stop myself from touching him whenever possible, or from gazing at him when he wasn’t looking. I had been doing a good job of hiding my feelings, even with all the touching, but recently it was getting harder.

A simple hug wouldn’t do now—I always held him much more tightly than necessary, and for too long.

I found myself kissing his cheek more often than I used to. I did it to alleviate the urge to kiss his lips. But shortly after, I’d have to hide my blushing face from Taemin’s wide, curious eyes.

Every now and then, my self-control would slip, and I’d find myself inviting him over to cuddle with me, just as an excuse to touch him some more and hold him close.

Thankfully, I always caught myself before it got too obvious, but I was getting worse with each passing day.

And sharing a bed with Taemin certainly didn’t help my situation. Especially not since the bed was only a twin.

And, unfortunately for me, the maknae had the habit of clinging to whatever was next to him when he was asleep. Sometimes I would catch a break and Taemin would hug the pillow, but normally he would end up pressed tightly against me, breathing softly as he slept, blissfully unaware of the war raging in my mind. Every now and then he’d hum softly and snuggle even closer to me. Closer than I thought was physically possible.

Nights like that are going to be the death of me, I swear.

Just thinking about all this was making me blush again, which was happening far too often now for my comfort.

Sighing again, and wincing at the grating sound of Key’s voice as he recounted every detail of his incredibly boring lunch, I decided I should go take a shower. Maybe with enough hot water and soap I could wash off the less-than-pure thoughts I’d been having.

As I walked down the hallway to the bathroom, I couldn’t help but hear a certain boy mumbling to himself.

Curious about what was going on, I quietly opened the door and looked inside my and Taemin’s room.

I saw the small red-head sitting at his desk, staring intently at his laptop.

“Just load the page—I know you can do it,” he murmured.

I held back my chuckle. Taemin always spoke to inanimate objects when they weren’t working properly. Like he thought they could hear him and would start working just because he asked them to.

“Yes!” Taemin cried out suddenly, raising his fist in the air victoriously.

I walked into the room then, curious as to what he was looking at.

“Talking to your computer again?” I asked.

“Maybe,” Taemin answered with that adorable giggle of his.

I laughed and walked over to him, leaning over his shoulder to look at the laptop screen.

“Fancams of our concert?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“I like to watch myself dancing,” he answered. “It’s good to know what I could improve on.”

“Always working,” I laughed. “That’s my Minnie.”

Taemin beamed up at me.

I knew he loved the nickname I gave him years ago. I loved it too.

I actually called him “Minnie” the first time as a joke. It started because Taemin had just discovered American snacks called  “HoHos”, and… well, you can probably imagine how he associated “HoHos” with “Min-Ho”.

For three weeks, Taemin called me “Min-Ho-Ho” every time he saw me.

As revenge for the ridiculous name, I called him “Tae-Minnie Mouse” after Minnie Mouse, another American icon. Since Minnie is female and, you know, a rodent, I expected it to seem like an insult. To my surprise (and slight disappointment at the time) he took an instant liking to the name, and it stuck. Although it did shorten to just “Minnie” over time.

It was even better because only he and I knew the story behind it. Everyone else just assumed it was a cutesy way of saying “Taemin”.

Snapping out of my recollection, I looked at the beautiful boy beside me. Long eyelashes, smooth skin, pink lips…

He really was perfect.

And all of a sudden I had the irrepressible urge to touch him.

Remember how my self-control would slip at times?

Well this is one of those times.

On impulse, I picked up the laptop and carried it to our bed, reclining against the headboard.

“What are you doing?” Taemin asked.

“Come on, let’s watch it together,” I said with a smile, patting the empty space next to me.

 “Okay!” He bounced over to the bed, climbing up and imitating my relaxed position. He sat as close to me as he could get, which was exactly what I hoped for. I knew I’d probably regret this later, but for now I was very happy.

Once he was settled, I put the laptop down, half on his leg and half on mine. Taemin eagerly pressed the play button, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at his childish excitement.

The sound of our song “Sherlock” filled the room, and I smiled as I watched the five of us dancing along to the music. This dance was one of my favorites to watch, because Taemin always looked so intense while he was performing it.

He looked powerful.

He looked… y.

I blushed slightly.

Taemin then rested his head on my shoulder. I instinctively wrapped my arm around him, my previous thought suddenly erased from my mind as I felt the softness of his skin under my fingers.

I could never get enough cuddling with Taemin. I could hold him as tightly as I wanted and for as long as I wanted, and there was no problem. He even liked it.

And whenever he was the one to start it, even though I knew he did it innocently, it made my heart skip a few beats.

The video still played, and as I returned my attention to it, I saw that one of my favorite moments was coming up.

The tiny versions of us knelt down on the floor, tracing lines with our fingers. And once Taemin could reach me, he grabbed the heel of my shoe and straightened out my leg, flashing me a mischievous smile.

Taemin and I both erupted into laughter.

“I forgot about that!” Taemin cried, laughing hysterically.

“So did I!” I replied.

That was a lie. I remembered it perfectly. But for some reason, I was worried Taemin would think I was weird for remembering something silly like this that he’d forgotten.

But it didn’t matter to me anymore as Taemin clutched onto me tightly, laughing to the point of crying. I laughed just as hard, because Taemin’s laughter was absolutely infectious.

When at last we settled down, I noticed that the video was over.

Not wanting to release Taemin just yet, I asked, “You wanna watch another one?”

Taemin nodded eagerly.

Smiling, I randomly clicked on a video and started it before restoring my tight grip on Taemin.

But when I heard romantic music and saw the title of the video, alarm bells sounded in my head.

“2min is REAL!!!” the screen read.

I was panicking on the inside.

What would Taemin think? Would this make things weird between us? Is it too late to stop the video? Can I just pretend this never happened? Why did I have to click on this, of all things?!

As the video played, however, I found myself watching it. It was full of a bunch of little moments Taemin and I had shared over the past few years.

In every video, whenever I touched Taemin, he would smile that bright, impossibly beautiful smile. Time after time, his eyes lit up as he turned to me, a dazzling expression of happiness on his face.

My heart pounded and I felt my face heat up as I stared intently at the screen.

I couldn’t look away.

“Hyung?” I heard Taemin ask quietly.

In a daze from Taemin’s smiles in the video, I turned to look at him. “M-Minnie?”

“What’s 2min?”

My daze shattered into a million pieces as reality hit me hard and fast.

I just watched a 2min video with Taemin.

He saw me blushing.

And now he wanted to know what 2min was.

How in the world could I answer that?!

“I-it’s… it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it,” I said quickly. I looked down. Why was I still holding him?!

I released him quickly to avoid making things weirder.

Unfortunately, I think it had the opposite effect.

Taemin looked up at me with concerned eyes. “Hyung?”

“L-let’s put this away. I have s-some… uh… work to do,” I stuttered. I winced when I heard how high my voice got.

In a hurry to get out of there before I could make it any worse, I slammed the laptop shut, then frantically jumped off the bed. I dropped the laptop on his desk, and rushed out of the room, not daring to glance behind me.

I didn’t stop running until I reached the kitchen, where I leaned against the counter to keep my shaky legs from giving out.

It was ruined. Everything was ruined.

Taemin would find out what 2min was (he wasn’t stupid, after all), and then he’d start acting weird around me, and then he wouldn’t want to even be friends with me, and then he’d ignore me, and then he’d quit being a member of SHINee just so he wouldn’t have to see me anymore.

It was all my fault that Taemin was leaving SHINee.

In fact, he’ll probably move to Australia or something. Or Switzerland. He always said he wanted to go skydiving and snowboarding. But knowing him, he’ll probably forget a parachute when he jumps.

God, how was I going to face everyone now, knowing it was my fault that Taemin moved to Switzerland and died in a skydiving accident?!

“J-Jongie, you’re the worst!” I heard Key suddenly exclaim from his room, squealing with laughter.

The sound of his voice, however annoying, snapped me back to reality.

I took a few deep breaths and tried to think about things more rationally, hopefully without imagining Taemin plunging to his death.

So, Taemin knows about 2min know.

No big deal, right?

I’ll just tell him our fans are crazy. That they have no idea what they’re talking about.

And if he asks why I was blushing, I’ll just tell him I was embarrassed by the thought of us being together, because it’s totally ridiculous and unimaginable.

Fool proof plan.

It’ll all be okay.

Perfectly fine.

Except now Taemin’s going to hate me because I ruined everything by playing that video.

I groaned and buried my face in my hands.

“I’m so stupid,” I mumbled.

“Hyung!”

My head shot up at the sound of Taemin’s voice.

“T-Taemin,” I greeted, wincing internally at my stuttering. Way to act normal, Minho.

Taemin walked over to me. “I figured out what 2min is,” he declared.

My heart was racing. This was it. This was where he was going to crush any hopes I had of ever being with him.

Despite my internal panicking, I managed to somewhat-calmly say, “All right…”

The maknae took a deep breath, then suddenly burst out, “I read all the comments and I saw the look in your eyes that everyone says is love and I realized you’re always touching me and… I just… I have to know: how do you feel about me?”

I froze.

He knew. He knew that I loved him.

I was screwed.

Could I lie my way out of this?

Could I convincingly tell him that I liked him only as a dongsaeng?

No, he’d see right through me. I was a terrible liar.

What should I do?

There was no way out…

Wait.

Taemin didn’t run in here yelling about how gross it was, did he?

No, he calmly walked in and asked how I felt about him.

He didn’t avoid me like I thought he might.

Does this mean… there might be some hope for me?

If he doesn’t hate me, then maybe… maybe he likes me?

Or, better yet, maybe he loves me?

He’s always been clingier with me than with anyone else.

And that smile, that blindingly bright smile I saw in that video earlier— he only shows it to me.

Could I possibly have a chance?

Yes. I could.

There was no backing down now.

This was it.

No more running away or hiding how I felt.

It was time to be a man about it.

That was when I felt it.

That switch in my personality that took me from shy, gentle Minho, to Flaming Charisma Minho.

Confidence swept over me and I lost all my inhibitions.

Standing up straight, I looked Taemin directly in the eye. The intensity in my gaze must’ve been more than I thought, because the boy blushed and looked down at the floor.

That wouldn’t do.

What I was about to say must be said to his face.

I cupped his chin and gently tilted his head up, forcing him to make eye contact.

“Are you absolutely sure you want to know?” I asked, my voice low and strong, just as it always was when I was in this state. “Because once you do, there’s no going back.”

He shakily nodded.

At last I smiled. “Then I can finally tell you that I’m completely in love with you.”

His mouth fell open as his face turned a brand new shade of red. “I-in love?”

“In love,” I affirmed. “And I have been ever since I first met you.”

He was quiet for a moment, eyes wide and cheeks impossibly red.

He looked unbelievably adorable.

After a while, he beamed up at me. “Hyung… I think I…“ His voice became quiet. “I love you too.”

He loved me.

He really loved me!

I couldn’t believe it.

A wide grin spread across my face.

After all these years of longing for him and wishing that one day he’d be mine, he finally said he loved me.

It was incredible.

It couldn’t really be happening, could it?

I wasn’t just having another dream, right?

No.

This was real. I wasn’t having a dream— a dream was coming true.

As I gazed at Taemin’s dazzlingly beautiful smile, I melted.

Too happy for words anymore, I finally let myself do what I’d been wanting to do for years.

I slowly leaned in, and at long last captured Taemin’s lips with my own.

It was definitely worth the wait.

Taemin leaned into me, resting his hands on my shoulders. At that small action, I threw away every last bit of self-control I had left.

I wrapped one arm around his waist, and moved my other hand from his chin to cradle the back of his head. He let out a happy hum as I laced my fingers through his hair. I was able to admire the softness of his smooth red locks only for a moment before my attention returned to the feel of his lips on mine.

Perfect.

It was absolutely perfect.

Unfortunately, however, we soon had to break apart for air.

I stared once again into Taemin’s bright, shining eyes.

“I love you,” I said, trying to squeeze every little bit of emotion I had into those three words.

“I love you too,” he replied. He smiled just as happily as I did, although I knew my smile was no match for that unbelievably dazzling one he was giving me.

He really was beautiful.

And now, he was all mine.

Swept up in my emotions, I pulled Taemin in for another kiss, this one far more intense than the last.

I pulled him tightly against myself and swiped my tongue across his lower lip. When he gasped, I seized the opportunity to slip my tongue into his mouth.

He tasted amazing.

I backed him up to the wall, pinning him there with my own body as I kissed him deeply.

Our closeness, his body pressed against mine, our lips at last meeting— it all felt incredible. Better than I ever imagined.

At last we broke for oxygen.

Separating our faces no more than was necessary, I took in Taemin’s appearance. His cheeks were flushed, his lips red and swollen, his hair tangled from my fingers, and his eyes hooded and dark as night.

This was the first time I’d ever seen such an expression on Taemin’s face. And I sincerely hoped it wouldn’t be the last.

Suddenly I heard someone clear their throat. And it wasn’t Taemin.

We both snapped our heads to the side in panic. The panic increased when we saw Key standing in the doorway, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

“Just what do you think you’re doing to my baby?” Key hissed, glaring at me.

My blood ran cold. “I-I just…” I realized I was still pinning Taemin against the wall. I jumped back as quickly as I could and took a few steps away for good measure.

“Save your breath. I saw you, you ert,” Key hissed, glaring at me for a while longer before turning his attention to a very shocked-looking Taemin. “Are you all right?” he cooed, gently smoothing down the boy’s hair.

“I’m fine, Umma,” he replied, smiling adorably at Key.

How he could manage such cute aegyo at a time like this amazed me.

He was truly a professional.

“Good,” Key said, pinching Taemin’s cheek. He then stalked over to me, his expression reverting back to the homicidal one he was giving me earlier. “Now as for you, letch, I don’t ever want to see-“

He suddenly stopped talking when a faint beeping sounded from the direction of his room. His expression changed once again, this time to one of excitement. “J-Jongie!” he cried, grinning as he ran off to his room where Jonghyun had just started a video chat.

Taemin and I sighed in relief as Key left the room. We were only able to relax for a moment, though, because a few seconds later he ran back in.

“Don’t think you’re off the hook, Choi,” he warned me menacingly. “When J-Jongie gets back, he’s going to kill you. And I’ll help.”

I swallowed hard, my heart racing in fear as he stared me down.

Seemingly satisfied with my reaction, Key his heel and walked out.

Taemin and I stared at each other, sharing equally terrified looks.

And then… we laughed.

Suddenly the whole situation seemed ridiculous. Even the death threat seemed funny to me now.

And why?

Because I was just too happy to care.

Taemin was mine.

After years of waiting and longing, of trying to hide my feelings, of worrying he’d hate me if he ever knew how I felt, he was finally mine.

He loved me, and that was more than I ever hoped for.

Our laughter filled the air as we ended up back in each other’s arms.

Taemin was my world. I loved him with all my heart. And now that I knew he loved me too, I was the happiest I’d ever been. My heart felt like it would explode.

I pulled Taemin in for another kiss.

One of many, many more to come.

~*~

 

 

A/N: I’m baaack! ^_^

Wow, it’s been forever, hasn’t it?

And after such a long time… THIS is what I give you.

I’m sorry T_T

But it IS really long, so let’s hope quantity makes up for quality :P

Anyway, I’ve been meaning to write this for a very long time. I had the idea to write Minho’s side of the story when I was still in the middle of writing “Not So Crazy After All”. I hope I was able to do it well.

When I write romance stories, I usually write it from the female (or, in these stories, Taemin’s) perspective, so I was nervous about writing from the other view point. I’m worried that maybe it’s a little boring at parts…

Nonetheless, I’m happy with how it turned out.

But I’m not so happy with how long it took to finish it…

Well, better late than never, right? :P

I hope all of you liked this, and if you haven’t read Taemin’s side of the story yet, please check out my story “Not So Crazy After All”!

Please comment to let me know what you thought, or to complain that you liked the Taemin version better, or to yell at me for being gone so long, if you want.

I deserve it.

Darn you, tiny attention span! D:<

Haha, I’ll see all of you in my next story! Which, by the way, I am taking requests for since I… don’t really know what to write next ^^;

But I promise the next one will actually be up in less than a month this time :P

Now, to all my subscribers (of which there are over FORTY, which is just amazing) who didn’t give up hope that I would post this story eventually, I am really, truly thankful. I hope you continue to stick with me, no matter how inconsistent my posting gets :P

As an extra-special thank you, if I get enough comments on this story, I’ll post a bonus fluff chapter that shows how Taemin and Minho are doing after this. A glimpse into their new everyday life together. So please comment to earn even more fluff! XD

Thank you very much for reading, and see you soon! :D