Walking into the garden, Minho raised his head, letting the sunlight land on his skin. The sky was deep blue. Not a single could was in sight. The sun was shining so bright, he could forget the cold which the winter air was holding. Minho loved winter air. It felt fresh. He enjoyed every breath he took, especially because the air in his garden was filled with the scent of lavender. It was unseasonably for lavender to bloom in this wintertime, but somehow the cold didn’t seem to bother those small flowers. They reminded Minho of “Kibum” who took care of them. So many things about “Kibum” should be impossible, still that seemingly vulnerable human managed to break all the rules. He made Minho open up. That was something Minho wouldn’t consider to be possible, never in a million years. Being wrong was never more delightful.

“You shouldn’t be worry about me right now. Minho takes good care of me, really.” Minho couldn’t see the younger behind all the plants, but Taemin’s voice immediately made him smile. The older remembered the moment, few weeks ago, when Taemin met the inner circle for the first time in his office.

“These are your new bodyguards.”

Taemin bowed before introducing himself to the men standing in front of him. Six… seven, he counted. Seven men and every each of them looked strong and full of confidence despite their young age.

“Can I know your names?” Taemin asked with a smile after the others didn’t respond.

“This is Seokjin, Yoongi, Hoseok, Jimin, Taehyung and Jungkook. I’m Namjoon. I lead the team,” answered the man with resistance in his voice. He didn’t care to expend any effort of hiding his scorn for the boss’ lover.

Taemin didn’t need long to noticed Namjoon’s attitude towards him for the smile on his face faded away as the team leader spoke.

“I don’t need seven bodyguards. That’s too much.” Taemin protested.

“They’ll work in shifts and they won’t show themselves, so you won’t even notice them. But don’t worry, they are absolutely reliable.” Minho explained.

“But I don’t want that,” replied Taemin, “I would feel observed permanently. If they must be around, I want to know where they are.”

“It’s not our duty to be considerate of your feelings. We are responsible for your safety, not your feelings.” Namjoon stated and before Taemin had a chance to react, a hard punch had already landed on Namjoon’s jaw. The guard lost his balance and backed away in a split second.

“Who do you think you’re talking to?” Minho hissed. Right after he noticed it was the boss who had knocked him down, Namjoon returned to his place, facing down, as if he was waiting for a second hit.

“I beg your pardon,” apologized the team leader as he bowed to the boss and Taemin.

“I hate it when people don’t know their places,” said Minho. He was about to teach the other man another lesson, if it weren’t for Taemin who interrupted him, still holding on his arm.

“Let’s make a compromise. There would be at least one person in close proximity to me, right? Then that person doesn’t have to hide. I’d love to have someone to talk to as well.” Taemin suggested.

“With due respect,” replied Namjoon, “this is not how we work.”

“Namjoon-ssi, that wasn’t a request,” Taemin insisted and in the same moment, a proud smirk appeared on Minho’s lips. Minho remembered the first day they met. Taemin was insecure and timed. He remembered the first time they touched; Taemin wouldn’t stop trembling. Minho hadn’t expected something else though, since he almost broke Taemin’s neck. Considering their start, it was a miracle how they ended up here. If Minho had ever considered himself a King, then Taemin had become the Queen he needed.

-------------

“Ok, let me show you,” Taemin tried to convince the person on the other end of the phone.

“Let’s say a gang would storm this house right now. How far would they come? … Jungkook-ssi,” Taemin addressed the young guard, standing behind him.

Howsoever they did it, the team had chosen Jungkook to be the “visible” one. Jungkook was distanced and zero percent chatty. He was how Minho expected a member of the inner circle to be. But if Minho would look closer, he might notice the way Jungkook’s face light up a little every time Taemin talked to him.

“That depends on how many and how well trained they are, but I guarantee no one will make it in your 300 meters radius,” answered Jungkook and Taemin mouthed the words “thank you”.

“Did you hear that? So, don’t worry about me… Let me know, if I can do something for you, ok?” Minho didn’t see his partner’s face, but Taemin sounded worried.

“Who were you talking to?” The older finally spoke as Taemin ended his phone call. Hearing Minho’s voice, Taemin immediately stood up, showing himself between the flowers. Just as Minho had thought, the younger was wearing his garden gloves and soil was on his face. Still, when the sunlight fell on Taemin’s skin and when that human smiled at him, he swore that was a sight to die for.

“A friend. He is going through a hard time,” answered Taemin, taking off the gloves as he walked towards Minho.

“When did you come home?” He asked with a smile.

“Just now,” replied Minho while wiping off the dirt on Taemin’s face with his left hand and the younger had not missed that.

“What’s that?” Taemin asked, pointed at the box Minho was holding in his right hand.

“Cupcakes. It’s for you,” said Minho, leading Taemin to the pavilion. A single gesture from the boss and Jungkook understood it was time for him to leave.

Taemin sat down on the metal sea