The week leading up to the family reunion had JongHyun’s stomach in knots. With school and work everything was very stressful. And of course there was TaeMin. He was getting stronger every day but there were little chances of him being released from the hospital indefinitely, lest they wanted a repeat of the coma.

            As long as he was alive, though, JongHyun thought.

            “JongHyun, can you work the cash?” Onew called from somewhere in the back of the store.

            “Yup!” The younger boy abandoned his text book and moved to the counter so he could service the growing line of customers.

            He rung up item after item, forcing himself to make polite banter with the girls so they’d leave the store happy. The only thing he really wanted to do right now was go upstairs and hang out with Key. Unfortunately, Key was giving himself a “huge” makeover upstairs so everyone was shunned from going to the apartment… And he was working anyways… So he was stuck giving false smiles to under aged girls.

            “That make-up is selling really well,” Onew noticed, traipsing over to his employee. He set down a small box he’d been restocking the shelves with and moved to the cash to count receipts and money.

            “It’s mostly Key’s doing. He promotes that stuff like hot cakes,” JongHyun said.

            “Speaking of Key, is he done yet?”

            The two boys stared up at the ceiling wondering what was happening on the floor above. If JongHyun strained his ears enough he could hear the muffled sound of water and feet scuffling along the hardwood floor.

            What was he doing? He wondered.

            It was a while still before Key even made his presence noticeable again. An hour before closing time remained when his voice bellowed down the stairs.

            “Are you ready? Are you prepared to take in the almighty Key’s appearance?” Key yelled.

            “Yah! Come down already! You’ve been up there forever and we’re hungry!” JongHyun retorted.

            “Drum roll please! I present to you the new, even more beautiful, Almighty Key!” One foot was revealed on the stairwell then the next. A skinny jean clad leg was revealed next. JongHyun felt himself get excited when he saw the hem of a pink shirt revealed. He really just wanted a glimpse of Key’s perfect face. How he had transformed himself was really nagging on his mind.

            Alas, his whole body was exposed to the little crowd of two at the bottom of the stairs. Platinum blonde hair presented itself in a spontaneous manner. It acted as a helmet on Key’s head, covering his eyebrows and nearly touching his eyes. And those eyes… Had they not already been alluring? Now they were caked with eye shadow (who knew how many colours?) and polished with mascara and a sparkly, liquid liner. With the way the bottom half of his face glistened like a new born baby’s bottom, too, he’d surely shaved again and moisturized with the six billion bottles he insisted on storing in the apartment’s bathroom.

            Needless to say, the whole look put together was breath taking. JongHyun couldn’t even find the words to express himself. Even if there had been words they would have sounded lame in comparison to the great beauty beaming in radiance before him.

            “Wow…” JongHyun breathed totally and completely, one hundred percent baffled.

            “Did something go wrong with your hair dye?” Onew asked, snickering slightly.

            “Yah! I worked really hard on this look!” Key harrumphed, descending the final few steps.

            “I think it looks great,” JongHyun complimented. He migrated from behind the counter to his boyfriend’s side and held on his hand.

            “You really like it?” Key asked. His body jittered all over the place as he awaited the answer. If he answered something ridiculous like Onew had he was going to go back upstairs and become a brunette again.

            “I freaking love it,” JongHyun assured.

            Sensing a mushy, heartfelt couple moment spurring beneath the lovey-dovey looked the two were sharing Onew decided it was the right time to dismiss the young boys.

            “Go upstairs before you make me sick!” he exclaimed.

            Key exchanged a triumphant look with his boyfriend and dragged him up the stairs. Like all the other times before they settled down in JongHyun’s room. They tumbled over each other in a mess of flailing limbs. The pillows and rumpled duvet cushioned their fall and even invited them to rest in their personal space.

            Key giggled quietly when JongHyun wiggled his body closer to his as if he was a slug and not a human. His fingers pushed through his silky blonde locks adoringly making him shiver.

            “I like your new look…” JongHyun whispered.

            “Do you?” Key asked.

            JongHyun nodded. “Suits you…”

            The only way Key knew how to respond was with a kiss. He brought his lips down to JongHyun’s and pressed softly at first. He knew even before he felt it that he was going to kiss back. What Key hadn’t actually anticipated was for things to escalate the way they had. He assumed it happened sometime between when JongHyun eased his mouth open and when Key had slipped his hand behind JongHyun’s neck. No matter which way it had happened, somehow it had brought them to this moment.

            Both of JongHyun’s legs were spread on either side of Key, holding him down in a straddling position. Both his hands were up around Key’s head – one firm on the side of his face and the other tangled up into his quickly dishevelling hair. Their hips bumped together, rubbing regions that neither had ever had touched by anything but their hands before. Their position was reminding Key of the time he’d watched gay with one of his long lost ex-boyfriends. So when the two boys moaned low in unison Key thought it was a normal occurrence considering the passion buttering each of them. Unfortunately, it was a little bit too much too fast for JongHyun. The simple noise caused a switch to turn on inside of him. He pulled back from Key as if lightening had struck between their chests. His body rolled over to the abandoned space on the bed in which he’d been occupying earlier and furthermore still until he was standing by the bed, breathing hard.

            “Jjongie…” Key spoke softly, panicking himself. He sat upright, fixing his hair so as to not spook his boyfriend any more than he already looked.

            “Just hold on… H-hold on,” JongHyun ordered, pacing back and forth in the small room. His fingers tore crazily at through his hair until his hands trembled down to a mere tremor every other second. His heartbeat settled down enough for him to face his boyfriend again. His own look of fear was mirrored on Key’s face which sprung a leak in JongHyun’s panic.

            “I’m sorry…” he whispered. “I-I just can’t… Not yet… Not now…”

            “It’s fine,” Key consoled despite his own pulse beating hard. “I-I don’t think I can either…”

            “JongHyun moved back to the bed and kneeled by Key. There hand found each other in the tangle of sheets and squeezed for dear life. The simple action made it seem like everything was okay again. The peace had been instigated again, leaving things to tut along down the word at its leisurely pace again.

            “Sorry,” JongHyun apologized once more.

            “Stop apologizing…” Key whined, trying to lighten to mood. It worked. The two boys once again found themselves snuggled up together on their sides.

            “I’m meeting my family next week. I don’t know how that’s going to turn out,” JongHyun said.

            “It’ll be great, you’ll see,” Key assured him.

            “I’m nervous…”

            “Don’t be… It’s your family. I’d be happy if I could see my dad again…”

            “What happened to your dad?”

            “He left me when I was little. It’s been me and my mom only for as long as I can remember.”

            “I’m sorry…”

            “Nothing to be sorry for… I know my mom’s sick and going to leave me one day. I can only enjoy every moment I have with her now.”

            “I’ll take care of you forever…” JongHyun promised.

            “We’ll see…” Key murmured, despite thinking the same.