A/N: I'm back after a three-month break! OnKey is on the rise again thanks to Key's recent posts of his and Onew's text conversations. :) This chapter isn't very long, I'm afraid, and still as slow-paced as ever, but I hope you can still enjoy the read. 

As always, thank you for the subscriptions and the comments! They are the lifeblood of fanfic writers such as myself, so it would make me very happy to hear your thoughts on the story. 

Chapter V

Minho feels a little guilty for locking Jinki-hyung in with Kibum at a time when they both least expect it, but he doesn’t regret it one bit. Kibum can’t disagree that he had chosen the perfect time to execute the plan, even if it was without his consent. Who could have guessed that the leader would get so visibly upset seeing him and Kibum sleeping in the same room? But then again, the circumstances hadn’t been exactly normal then, and Jinki-hyung’s always been scarily protective of Kibum, right after Taemin.

Taemin’s the maknae, the baby of the group, so it can’t be helped that they all feel responsible for him as his seniors. Kibum’s placed right in the middle of them, and has proven well enough that he can take care of himself. Rationally, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be treated as one of the guys, the way he, Jonghyun-hyung and Jinki-hyung do to each other. Kibum, however, doesn’t exactly exhibit typical guy behaviour, being more interested in fashion, makeup, and apparently girl groups’ dances than sports and outdoor activities. His boyish attractiveness has blossomed into an androgynous beauty that leaves women envious and men disbelieving.

Rather than call him handsome, Minho thinks of him as beautiful. He remembers their first job with Etude House and the interviewer’s question: Why did all the members choose Key as the most fitting person for Etude House? Taemin had said because Key was pretty, Jonghyun-hyung because Key was in short, the vainest, and Minho had responded honestly. He had picked Key because he was beautiful.

Kibum has only gotten more beautiful as the years go by, so much that Minho has begun to question his own ual identity. The other rapper is clearly a man, but that hasn’t stopped him from finding him physically attractive. Spending time together in London has only reinforced that impression.

He’s presumed that the others have been immune to Kibum’s charms and he was the only one with a problem, but Jinki-hyung’s murderous aura hadn’t been normal, and neither was his quiet insistence at taking an obviously asleep Key back to his room. If it had been anybody else, Minho doesn’t doubt that Jinki-hyung would have been able to joke around and leave peacefully afterwards. In fact, their leader usually wouldn’t have been awake, even with the manager knocking on his door. Then again, Jinki-hyung has been avoiding Kibum like the plague since the latter half of March, or at least as much as can be possible given they’re in the same group, and it’s now April. At the very least, he must miss Kibum badly, enough to wake up early and want to talk to him.

From the way the two of them are back to giggling and smiling at each other like fools for the duration of today’s costume fitting, he can safely call Kibum’s plan a success. A good thing, too, since a united front is the best tactic they can adopt against the media. Dealing with Jonghyun-hyung can come later.

And so, apparently, can Kibum’s door. Even without Jinki-hyung’s confirmation, Minho had already guessed it was the oldest member’s brute strength that allowed them to leave the room. Originally, he had planned to unlock the room after another couple of hours lazing around in bed, but they had beaten him to the punch. The door is still in working condition, but there’s no way to lock it from the outside now. After they return home, though, and he takes a closer look, he realizes the damage is worse than he thought. It seems Jinki-hyung physically ripped the door from its hinges, changing the alignment of the door with its frame so that it can’t be closed properly, let alone be locked. He says as much to Kibum, who wastes no time slapping Jinki-hyung’s back.

“Who told you to destroy my door?” He scolds their oldest member half-angrily, hands on his hips. His lips are pursed; there is little to be afraid of, given the tight security of the building, but Kibum hates not being sure. Minho can practically read what’s on his mind—an unlocked door means two things: the possibility of his valuables (including branded bags and clothes) being stolen, and someone entering his room without his express permission.

Jinki-hyung looks genuinely apologetic, if a little confused. Their leader doesn’t seem to know the limits of his own strength. “I’m sorry, Kibum,” he cries dramatically, throwing himself at the blond man. “What should I do?”

“Why don’t you and Jinki-hyung share his room for a while until we get the door fixed?” In truth, Minho would offer his own room as replacement, but he’s seen the state of Kibum’s room too often to volunteer. Having Kibum over once in a while is all right, but Minho has no delusions that being confined to living in the same narrow space wouldn't inevitably cause an argument sooner or later. Better Jinki-hyung’s bedroom than his own. Since the manager rarely sleeps there, Kibum will have an entire bed to himself, and Jinki-hyung will be infinitely more patient with the whirlwind of clothes the other member is bound to bring along with him.

Jinki-hyung pulls away from Kibum to glance over at Minho, an unreadable look in his eyes. It makes him a little nervous. And then he breaks into a dazzling smile.

“As expected of Minho!” He exclaims, shaking the other man by the shoulders in his excitement. “It’s okay, Kibum, we can share my room!” Before a squirming Kibum can do anything, Jinki-hyung leans forward and kisses both his cheeks, laughing at his dumbstruck expression. It appears he has forgotten Minho is still standing in front of Kibum’s room with them.

Minho barely manages a mechanical nod, and then he retreats into his room, leaning his head against the closed door heavily.

He has clearly underestimated how far gone Jinki-hyung is. It’s not just some silly infatuation the way Minho is sure his attraction is—their leader’s feelings for Kibum are the real deal. Well, he had gotten an inkling of it from the morning’s events, and in hindsight the clues had all been right under his nose.

His face turns pale when he remembers the countless times he’d caught Kibum’s moans leaking out into the kitchen. Exactly how long has this been going on? He should have put one and one together, but at the time the thought of Jinki-hyung fooling around with another member, let alone Kibum, hadn’t occurred to him. He’s suddenly very glad Taemin’s a deep sleeper. Taemin may not be the innocent he likes to paint himself as, but there are still some things better left unseen.

Where does this leave Jonghyun-hyung, though? The main vocalist of SHINee is an insomniac; it’s more likely he would have noticed the noises coming from Jinki-hyung, Kibum and Taemin’s shared room before, and more recently Jinki-hyung’s solo room. Minho’s brows furrow at the possibility. Jonghyun-hyung must know more than he lets on.

A wave of dread hits him. Jinki-hyung and Kibum in lovey-dovey mode is all well and good now, but he doubts it will be all smooth sailing when Jonghyun-hyung comes back.

He probably needs to tell their leader to tone down the ‘newlyweds aura’ a little.