Taemin felt the phone slip from his hands, fear setting in. Onew watched as it hit the ground and the screen cracked, but Taemin didn't even flinch. His face was completely devoid of color, eyes haunted, looking like he'd just seen a ghost. No, beyond that. It was if Taemin was the ghost, and it terrified Onew to no end. What had Jongin told the boy?

"Taemin. Taemin, are you okay?"

Taemin slowly shook his head, unable to speak.

"Taemin, what's going on?"

"Hyung, can I-" Taemin swallowed hard, pushing the fear away so he could speak. "Can I stay at your house for a little while?"

"What? Why? Taemin, what happened?" Taemin shook his head again, the fear still too fresh to speak of it quite yet.

"Please hyung, let me stay here." Onew had never seen Taemin  so scared.

"Taemin, what going on?"

"I promise I'll explain, but you have to let me stay first."

It was dangerous, letting Taemin stay at his house. The younger hadn't stepped foot inside his apartment since that first night, and things had changed since then.

Onew had changed since then.

"I don't know-"

"Please hyung!" Taemin gripped the elder's shirt tightly, shaking slightly from fear.

"You can stay." The words slipped from Onew's mouth, as they often did around Taemin. Of course they did; from the beginning Onew had never been able to say no to the younger. The dancer flung his arms around Onew in happiness and relief.

"Oh thank you hyung. Thank you so much." Onew led  the younger upstairs to his house, barely conscious of the world around him, still dazed from the hug.

"I'll get you another drink, just go sit on the couch. We can talk in a minute."

Onew quickly excused himself and headed to the kitchen.

While he made a fresh pot of coffee, he tried to calm his racing heart and banish the blush coloring his cheeks.

If I'm this flustered from a simple hug, what will happen if he kisses me again? Onew shocks himself with the thought, and quickly backtracks.

No. We aren't going to kiss again. Stop it idiot.

Once Onew had placed the cups of coffee on the table and situated himself on the couch, he repeated his earlier question.

"What happened?"

Taemin looked down, but this time, he answered. "My parents...they found out."

Two weeks ago, those words wouldn't have had any meaning, but now Onew understood, and his heart went out to the younger. Placing his hand upon the boy's and squeezing it lightly, he said softly "Don't worry. I won't let them get you."

"Thank you hyung."  He says quietly, once again wrapping his arms around the elder and pulling him closer. Onew hugs him back despite the protests in his mind, putting aside his unresolved feelings to comfort the younger.

No words were exchanged; they didn't need to be. All Taemin needed was Onew's arms around him, keeping him safe and warm, a silent promise that Onew would protect him. The only sound is their soft breaths, the ticking clock, and their racing hearts. Taemin feels like he could spend the rest of his life wrapped in those arms, if only Onew will let him.

The intimate moment is interrupted by Joon walking out of his room and stopping dead at the scene before him. Never having been a very tactful person, he did the only thing he thought to do: say something stupid.

"Took you long enough Onew!" The two sprung apart, staring at the eldest with twin looks of shock.

"No, hyung, you've got it wrong. I was just comforting Taemin." Onew explained, while Taemin sat there, blushing like crazy and scolding himself for thinking it could be anything else.

"About what?" Joon questioned.

Onew looked at Taemin, unsure about what to say. Taemin shook his head, eyes begging Onew not to tell Joon.

"It's nothing you need to worry about. But, can Taemin stay with us for a little while?"

"I don't mind, it's always nice having the kid around, but why?"

"Like I said, its nothing to worry about." Let it go hyung.

Joon seemed to have gotten the unspoken message and nodded. "Alright. Where's he going to sleep though?" Joon walked around to the front of the couch and dropped down beside Taemin, slinging an arm around his shoulders. In his mind, Onew was smacking himself in the head for not realizing sooner.

"Thats right, we only have two rooms, and one belongs to Joon..." Onew said, just now realizing the sleeping arrangement situation.

"That's okay." Taemin told him. "I can sleep on the couch, I don't mind."

"You don't have to do that, I can sleep on the couch." Onew volunteered.

Taemin frowned. "Hyung, it's your house. Sleep in you own bed."

"No, really Taemin, it's okay."

"I insist hyung, it's your bed, sleep in it."

"The couch is really uncomfortable."

"I can handle it."

"But-"

"For 's sake why don't you both just share Onew's bed? There, problem solved." Joon interjected, getting annoyed by the two. They were so painfully obvious, why the hell weren't they together yet?

"I don't know about that Joon. Really, I can take the couch, it's fine." Onew said nervously.

Oh yeah. Onew's an idiot who is afraid of his emotions. That's why.

"Lets just do what Joon hyung says. We'll argue all night otherwise." Taemin reasoned.

"But-"

"Just shut up and man up. God Onew, people would think you're a 13 year old girl." Joon rolled his eyes.

Onew flushed at the insult. "I don't want to make Taemin uncomfortable." Onew lied.

"I don't mind hyung. I'd rather this than have you sleep on the couch." Taemin shrugged, not noticing Onew's inner turmoil.

"If it really bothers you Onew, Taemin can sleep with me." Joon suggested, smirking as suddenly Onew changed his mind, shaking his head furiously.

"No, no. Thanks for the offer Joon, but Taemin will be fine with me." It was comical how quickly Onew agreed, so much so that Joon actually had to hold back laughter.

"If you're sure Onew. I wouldn't mind having him in my bed." Joon pulled Taemin closer, and, being used to the eldest's teasing by now, he didn't push him away.

"I'm sure. You can remove your arm too, let's not make our guest uncomfortable." Joon scoffed at Onew's obviousness, but still removed his arm. Best not to tease the barista too much right now. The poor man already looked like he was having enough trouble.

"Taemin, why don't you go take a shower? I'll get some clothes for you."

"Oh, arasso hyung." Taemin nodded and left for the bathroom; as soon as the door clicked shut, Joon hit Onew over the head.

"Ya! What was that for?" Onew cried, rubbing his now sore head.

"For being an idiot."

"I am not!"

"Oh come on! You obviously like Taemin, it's written all over your face. Chances are the boy likes you too, otherwise he wouldn't have kissed you before. Just confess dammit."

"I don't like him, he's just nice to have around." Onew argued.

"Right. Okay. I don't know what your problem is Onew, but you have got to get over it. You're hurting Taemin and you're hurting yourself. Just give the boy a chance."

Onew shook his head at the absurd idea. He and Taemin couldn't be together, it wasn't possible.

"I'm done listening to your insane ideas hyung. I'm going to bed." With those words, Onew left Onew and headed into the bedroom that he would now be sharing with Taemin.

Calm down Onew. Deep breaths. This is no different from when your friends stayed over in elementary and high school.

Except it was different, everything that included Taemin was different.

Onew changed into a loose fitted shirt and a pair of boxer shorts. He turned off the overhead light before climbing into bed and grabbing a book off the bedside table, using all his willpower to focus on the words on the page, and not on the boy currently using his shower.

Taemin walked into the bedroom sometime later, looking very much the same as he had the first time he'd slept at Onew's house. Clad in a shirt that was fitting on Onew but hung off Taemin's skinny frame, his bottom covered by only a thin pair of boxers, Taemin made his way over to the bed, the bed barely dipping when he sat on it. Onew swallowed hard, banishing from his mind the erted thoughts that arose upon the sight of Taemin.

Taemin crawled beneath the blanket, a couple inches from Onew, close enough that he could feel the warmth radiating from the younger. The dancer's face was cast in shadows, the only light source being the lamp on the bedside table. All these things combined was doing nothing good for Onew's imagination.

The two settled beneath the covers, and Onew flipped the switch on the table lamp, plunging them into darkness, his breath immediately becoming shallower as he worried about what might happen now that the lights were out.

Onew felt the boy beside him shift in bed and once he had settled, Taemin whispered. "You still haven't told me anything about your past."

Onew shivered at the mere thought. No longer out of fear of letting him in, but because he was terrified Taemin would leave him if he knew.

"Soon Taemin." He knew that answer only frustrated the younger, but thankfully, he didn't push it.

The two fell into a peaceful silence, and Onew listened as Taemin's breathing got slower, as he drifted off to sleep. Taemin shifted closer to Onew, curling into the warmth of the elder, and after a moment of hesitation, Onew put his arms around the skinny boy and pulled him even closer. Taemin sighed but didn't wake, a small smile appearing on his face, as if he knew what had just happened.

Onew stared at the sleeping boy wrapped in his arms, his face lit by the moonlight shining through the windows.

When had things changed? When had Onew become so close to this boy, become the one Taemin turned to when things got bad? It worried him how quickly Taemin had put his complete faith and trust in Onew.

It was then Onew began to realize just how little time he had really known Taemin, yet he was already so attached to the boy. He couldn't imagine life without Taemin anymore. Three days had been torture, but any longer and Onew may have gone insane. Their relationship was dangerous. Onew knew Taemin could leave him at any moment, and what would become of him then? Onew could  longer function without the boy, not properly at least. How had this boy changed him in so little time?

The fact that he had subconsciously placed his life into Taemin's hands frightened him beyond belief, but he didn't want to stop, not anymore.

Onew let one hand drift down the side of Taemin's face, caressing it softly.

"My name is Jinki." He confessed, knowing the boy couldn't hear him. "Lee Jinki."

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Aaand I end here and let your creative minds wonder if Taemin's going to wake up or not. You'll never know the answer! Until the next chapter anyways xD

Yay! Joon's back everybody! I was starting to miss that idiot.... 

Much fluff in the next chapter, so be excited!