Staring at his phone in annoyance, Taemin grumbled in dissatisfaction as the screen dimmed to black again. It has well been over a couple hours – six to be precise – since his boyfriend last texted him. Needless to say, it was getting on his nerves.

Not only was he disgruntled at Minho, but he was also concerned at the same time. The older boy had quite a habit of disappearing on Taemin and this wasn't the first time the latter found himself absorbed in conflicting emotions over his frog-faced delinquent of a boyfriend.

Minho, who was prone to harming himself – non-intentionally – hasn't changed from his high school years. He was still stubborn as ever, quite clumsy, and often found himself in trouble at every twist and turn. It never fails to anger Taemin as he would spend countless hours staring at his phone, like he was now, waiting for his “beloved” to answer.

'Enough if enough!' Taemin decided.

Throwing the covers off his head, the enraged male quickly stormed out of bed, phone in hand. He threw the useless device on a nearby couch and reached the kitchen in a frenzy.

'I need a ing beer,' he decided. 'If Minho doesn't have time for me, so be it. He's a grown man and so am I. I don't need to worry about him like this.'

Even so, thoughts of his lover never left his head even when he was stupidly drunk on his third full glass of wine in lieu of the absence of beer.

'He thinks he's soooooooo busy. Can't even give me a call now and then to tell me he's okay. I outta show him one thing or another~' Taemin continued to think loudly to himself while savoring his third glass of Mascoto.

It's been well past midnight now and not one text from Minho still. Even intoxicated, Taemin began to worry even further for the frog-face. So picking up his phone, he scrolled to his texts and quickly typed in an “I MISS YOU” to his lover, giving in to his overwhelming sense of worry for the boy.

One minute...then another...nothing. No response. Taemin was left sighing in utter disappointment for the fourth time that week. It was always the same routine, and he was getting sick of it. Taemin was melding deeper and deeper into a pool of depression and he couldn't handle it anymore. It was too much.

Gulping down his last glass of wine, the young adult got up and dragged himself to bed. He threw the covers over himself and reached for the limp piece of fabric lying next to his head. It was the only thing that got him to sleep nowadays.

The smell lingered on Minho's work shirt comforting Taemin even without his boyfriend by his side. And then, with said shirt grasped tightly in his possession, he cried. For what, he didn't exactly know, but it was just a mess right now as he was.

He cried for the sense of loneliness he felt every night waiting for his lover. He cried for the overwhelming sense of hate he felt in himself for trusting Minho. He cried for all the sleepless nights he's had wondering where his dearly beloved was. He cried knowing that what he was feeling was selfish, but he couldn't help it. He wanted Minho to be with him now more than ever. To the weak and fragile Taemin, Minho meant everything. He was comfort, he was love, and he was the only person that could stop his tears right now.

Thinking back, he began to hate how reliant he has become on the elder.

Since high school, the younger was always bullied and ridiculed and mocked. Every day was hell until he met him. Minho was like a shining light in his day, always there by his side. Life began to look up, that was until they grew older. Life got harder and Taemin found himself struggling with balancing life, work, and school. So many issues popped up, but he was fine as long as Minho was there, because to him, nothing else mattered.

Days passed quicker and their lives got even more complicated as Taemin entered college. He found himself struggling to keep up with his high grades and his almost nonexistent social life. Even worse, his work only got busier and harder as he was given more duties than ever. Taemin was practically a lifeless body throughout his entire day now.

Even so, he always made time for Minho. No matter what, if the elder needed him, he was there. Without school to worry about anymore, Minho was a workaholic. He practically lived to work and worked to live. To keep up with his extravagant lifestyle, not much came before.

Taemin was above all else his priority, but when the two weren't together, work was all that mattered and the younger tried hard not to interfere with that. On numerous occasions, the younger had brought up that fact, but Minho only seemed to shush him with rushed apologies and insincere promises that it wouldn't happen again; that the elder wouldn't be too busy as to ignore Taemin for most of the day.

'It's the last time I'm tolerating this,' Taemin would always think to himself. 'The last and very last.'

But that was never true. He would always continue to wait for Minho because he loved him. He loved him with every fiber of his being, and he knew, or maybe wished, that Minho loved him back just as much because on the rare occasion that they were together, Minho showed him nothing less than utter devotion.

That is why Taemin allowed one more lone tear fall from his eye before wiping off his sticky face. 'Minho can't see me like this.'

With tear streaks gone, Taemin laid back down with Minho's shirt now tighter in his arms and prepared himself for another sleepless night until his lover returned. And he will continue to wait...because love is patient.