Three days away from his final exams and a thousand (a mild exaggeration, perhaps) more pages left to leaf through one final time, Onew stood at the doorstep of the most posh bungalow in the neighbourhood, thinking to himself of what exactly he was doing here.

Babysitting. That’s what.

Onew rang the bell and heard a shrill chime on the other side of the door, followed by a few screaming and a little wailing. The screaming must definitely be the divorced lady of the house, trying to gain some order in the chaos that was her household. And Onew knew for a fact that the wailing was definitely NOT the three year old boy, Taemin, the second and last of Mrs. Kim’s children. The wailing would definitely be Kim Kibum, the fifteen year old menace that thrived to push Onew’s buttons every chance he got.

Another wail of staged agony (because it was that obvious in his voice) echoed all the way to the front door. With a deep sigh, Onew repositioned his backpack on his shoulders and counted the number of white, fluffy clouds up in the sky. He was at twenty-three by the time the door swung open to reveal an immaculately dressed woman in her forties.

“Onew! Thank god you’re here!” the woman heaved a relieved sigh, whisking Onew into the house and pushing him all the way to the kitchen before he even got a chance to greet her properly besides the awkward bow.

“Okay, dinner’s in the fridge, Taemin’s is the one in the special container. All the numbers you would need are on the desktop in the living room by the phone. There are snacks up in the cabinets, help yourself to some if you want, just don’t give Taemin any. Make sure Tae’s in bed by eight and please for the love of god, keep Key out of trouble. He’s been begging to have friends over and I refused him so he might act up…” Mrs. Kim wound down from her train of words for a moment and Onew took the chance to slip in the question he had been waiting to ask.

“Ma’am, what time will you be back by? ‘Cause you see, I have this huge finals coming up and I’m gonna need to study. So I-“

“Oh my god! Minnie!”

Onew turned to see what it was that had shocked the woman so suddenly and was only mildly surprised to see the chubby-cheeked Taemin chomping down chocolate on the floor by the fridge.

“I leave him out of sight for one minute and this happens! YOU’D THINK THAT HIS OLDER BROTHER WOULD BE A LITTLE MORE RESPONSIBLE!” the woman said rather loudly, hurrying to her son and grabbing the chocolate away. Taemin’s face was smudged all over with the sticky sweet stuff and his clothes were all ruined.

“I’LL BE RESPONSIBLE WHEN YOU START TREATING ME LIKE A RESPONSIBLE YOUNG ADULT!” Key’s voice resounded from somewhere on the second floor.

Onew watched the woman shake her head to herself, busy pulling Taemin’s clothes off. It was obvious that she was in a hurry and she didn’t have time for this. Onew also knew that his questions might have been forgotten by now. So he took pity on her and did what he came to do.

“Mrs. Kim, I can manage this much…” he said, placing his bag on the kitchen table and lifting an underwear-clad Taemin up into his arms. Onew has always had a soft spot for this little, bowl-cut haired boy despite how much kids annoyed him in general. He just was too cute to even have bad thoughts about and he could be really sweet when he wanted to be. And the guilty little smile he would give when he knows he had done something wrong, just like the one he was giving now- simply too adorable.

Mrs. Kim smiled thankfully to Onew, lifting Taemin’s dirty clothes in her hands. She kissed her son on one chocolate covered cheek and patted Onew on the shoulder.

“I’ll try to be back by midnight, but I can’t promise you that since I’m hosting the gala tonight. Thank you for doing this on such short notice, Onew…”

“It’s alright, Mrs. Kim. We’ll be fine here. It’d be great if you can make it back as soon as possible but if you can’t, I guess I’ll just get my studying done here…” Onew shrugged nonchalantly.

The woman of the house nodded to Onew one last time before she turned to leave.

“Bye bye mommy!” Taemin called after her and his mother turned to blow him a kiss before she disappeared round the corner. Onew heard her bid farewell to Key also and heard a prompt but honest ‘Goodbye’ in reply. Shortly after, the front door slammed shut, leaving only the three of them in the house.

“Alright, Taeminnie. Let’s go get you dressed up in clean clothes, shall we?”

Taemin nodded excitedly, almost too obediently. Onew could almost see the gears turning in the other’s tiny head clearly.

“Can we play with my robots afterwards, Onew hyung?”

Onew was drawn into Taemin’s wide eyes, the moist ones that had him mesmerized for what felt like at least a few minutes. Onew couldn’t hate the idea more because it was just Taemin wanting to play tea party with his robots instead of dolls (one can only guess how he came to this odd mix.) But how was he supposed to deny the boy the pleasure? No matter how emasculating it would be, Onew was just a soft-hearted giant that felt like he was killing little kittens whenever he refused Taemin something.

“Alright then… But only if you promise to behave in the shower…” Onew said, giving in. Taemin instantly became all smiley and nodded his head fervently. Well, that’s one problem solved.

Upstairs in Taemin’s room, Onew had no problem getting the little boy to get into the tub so that the chocolate could be washed off. Taemin was on best behavior, standing still and listening to Onew’s every order although he did notice how Taemin sometimes looked at the shower hose longingly. The boy loved to karaoke in the shower- a habit he probably picked up from his brother. Taemin always wrestled for the hose, making quite a fuss about it till someone gave in. And Onew tends to be a pushover most of the time so he was really no match for the younger.

After drying him up and lifting him out of the tub, Onew led him into the bedroom where the boy immediately started pulling out his toy chest. Onew just let him as he picked out pyjamas from the drawers. He knew where everything was by now because he had been babysitting these boys for a couple of years now.

It started out as a way for him to make extra income after his high school graduation and he still helps around till this day because of how fond Mrs. Kim had grown of him. Being the nice boy always, Onew never had the heart to turn down the woman’s requests. She had become friends with his own mother in the last couple of years and if what his mother told him was right, then this woman must have gone through a lot to get to where she is today. She had raised a baby alone at the peak of her career and that’s truly a commendable feat. But at the end of the day, she’s just a single mother with a bratty teenager and a naughty three-year-old, who needed desperate help.  Onew was help.

The door of the room swung open and Onew threw a glance over his shoulder distractedly while dressing Taemin.

“Key, could you do me a favour and heat up the dinner?” Onew said, struggling to pull the collar down Taemin’s head because the boy was thrashing around like he was drowning. He had to whisper words of comfort to get the boy to stay still long enough to do it properly.

Only to realize that he had put it on inside out.

“Oh should I? But you know hyung, the dinner’s not the only thing needing heating…” Key said, his voice nasal and low. Maybe he’s sick.

“What?” Onew asked, still preoccupied with getting Taemin to calm down a second time.

“I mean, the weather is chilly, the nights are really cold, sometimes I feel so cold I’m numb…” Key said, stopping in measures as if he was reciting a poem.

Onew finally finished up with Taemin and stood up to face Key.

“Are you si- What the f-“ Onew barely stopped the imminent curse in time before it was too late. Looking back at Taemin who was busy ‘organizing’ his tea party, Onew hurried to Key, carting the boy out of the room with his hands on the other’s shoulder and shutting the door behind him. It wasn’t until he was sure Taemin wouldn’t hear him that Onew finally uttered the words he wanted to.

“What the hell is this??” Onew asked, completely flabbergasted by Key’s get-up. He was dressed completely in black; a leather vest with metal chain links, the tightest ripped leather pants, leather cuffs with spikes and even a leather collar. His face was covered in excessive makeup but the eyeliner was most definitely the highlight.

Key had a sly smirk on that was obviously meant to be y but Onew saw it as nothing but a grimace. A scary one too.

“Do you like it, hyung? I call it ‘catwoman’…” Key said, caressing the hand Onew still had on his shoulder. Onew pulled away like lightning.

“Okay… Can I ask why you’re catwoman today?” Onew asked, confused.

“Because ‘schoolgirl’ didn’t work last time. This time I thought a little more . Tell me, hyung have you been a good boy lately?” Key asked, producing something from his back that puzzled Onew for a bit until his brain caught up to the meaning.

“Okay, Key. I need you to go get changed right now. Get rid of all of this now and I will promise not to tell your mother about this. And please, for the love of god, put that whip away…” Onew said, getting a slight migraine. This has not been the first time Key hit him on so blatantly, but it certainly was the scariest try. Jinki doesn’t know what creeped him out more; the thought of a fifteen year old begging to be ed or that whip in his hand.

“You can tell mom, if you want. I’ve been meaning to get her blessings for our relationship anyway... So what do you say, hyung?” Key purred, his lips pulling back in another supposedly y expression.

“What relationship, Key?!” Onew asked in disbelief.

“You know, the one between you and me, where we love each other to death and back…” Key said without even blinking.

The awkward silence that followed was broken by Taemin’s squeal. Onew turned around immediately, going to check on him while shouting back at Key more firmly to go get changed and heat up the dinner.  He heard the other leave, storming down the corridor after a muffled grumble of ‘not fair’.

Onew was forced to put aside all thoughts of Key for the next few minutes as he indulged Taemin’s whims. So after a very chummy tea party with Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Buzz Lightyear and even a few members of the dinosaur family, Onew managed to somehow coax Taemin out of the room and down to have dinner.

Key was nowhere in sight in the kitchen so Onew had to heat the dinner himself. After he was done, he called for Key to join them at the table. They waited for a little bit, but Key was just taking too long so they ended up eating first, Taemin diving into his fried rice with his hands despite the help of his spoon. Onew, on the other hand, quietly enjoyed the macaroni and cheese dinner, watching the evening news on the TV in the dining room.

Fifteen minutes later, the both of them were joined at the table by a cleaned up Key in his regular tees and shorts. He looked suspiciously happy for someone who had been rejected for at least a dozen times by now but Onew paid no mind to it. He was just glad that Key had stepped out of all that .

“You look much better now, Key. Much, much better…” Onew said, offering a friendly smile. Key just answered with a roll of his eyes.

“You’re just saying that ‘cause I’m underage and . You’d be all over this if I was legal, wouldn’t you?” Key said, causing Onew to choke on his food a little. The former carried on eating like there was nothing wrong in the world.

“No, I assure you that that would not be the case…” Onew said when he regained ability of speech, frowning a little to emphasize his point. Yes, Key was a really handsome boy and yes, he could be a nice company when he wanted to be. But that’s just it, Key’s a boy, not a man. A young boy. And still as immature as one. Not to mention that he was ing , what with his teasing ways and all.

“You’re a liar, hyung. you…”

The deed was done. The word was out. But Taemin was still busy with his rice so he didn’t seem to have noticed. Onew glared at Key, chastising him for his language. Key simply shrugged it off, smiling evilly.

“We have all night together, hyung. Let’s see how long you can resist the temptation, alright?”

“Temptisyen…” Taemin repeated, picking up rice off the table and putting it in his mouth. Onew leaned over to wipe it off his hands and his mouth, giving Key a meaningful look to tell him wordlessly how wrong he was to assume that.

“Timtation. Resist….” Taemin chanted away joyfully as Onew finished cleaning him up.

“You’re doing the dishes today, Key. Go on…” Onew said, carrying Taemin to leave the dining hall. Key stood up, still smiling like the devil.

“All night, hyung, all night…” Key said, picking up the dishes obediently. Onew simply shook his head, resigned, leaving to the living room for Taemin to watch his favourite programs for a bit before going to bed.

“At least you’re on my side right, Minnie?” Onew asked, putting the boy down on the couch.

With the most angelic of smiles and the cutest of expressions on his face, Taemin answered Onew’s question.

“ you…”

And that was how Onew knew that it was going to be a long night for him.

(A/N) Thank you for reading!!! <3 Oh I just realised what a long title I've chosen for this story... Aissshhh...