Taemin ~

The line leading into the buses were too slow for Taemin’s liking. He rubbed his neck tiredly and glanced back at his hyungs, knowing Naeun was waiting in front of him. Why did they have to get up so early . . .?

Wait.

Taemin’s eyes widened. Was he really seeing these people heading to his line?

“No,” he whispered. “No, no, no!”

“Taemin?” Naeun yawned, turning to him curiously.

“Why us? Why did we get them on our bus?” Taemin whined, turning back to Naeun.

“Who?” The SHINee angels followed Taemin’s gaze and groaned.

“Annyeong!” Chanyeol greeted cheerfully. In the line to their bus was him, Kai, Kris, and Baekhyun. Taemin ran a hand through his black hair and shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut and praying that it was a dream. He opened his eyes slowly. It wasn’t.

“It’s okay,” he muttered as the line shifted forward. “We’ll have to put up with them at one point. Ah, Naeun, I’ll take your bags.” He picked up hers and Key’s luggage, and Onew helped him carry everyone else’s bags to the compartment under the bus. “I’ll go take my seat next to Naeun,” Taemin started to say when he saw Kai get up onto the automobile, smirking. “No!”

Taemin burst into the bus, but sure enough, the seat beside Naeun was claimed.

“Naeun, get out of that seat now,” Taemin seethed, but Kai scooted closer to her and kicked his leg up, blocking her passage. “Kim Jong In . . .”

“No harm,” Kai promised, flashing his white pearls. “There’s a seat right in front of us.” Taemin turned to see his apparent bus partner . . . Kris. Damn that cold block of ice, Taemin thought, knowing he was taking out his anger on the wrong person. When he surveyed the bus, he saw that Key and Jonghyun were seated together (of course), and Minho and Onew had scored seats beside each other. They all shot Taemin apologetic glances as he slid into his own place beside Kris. He shifted in his seat to look at Naeun, whose eyes were wide and skeptical of her own seat partner.

“Just don’t answer whatever he tells you and sleep,” Taemin commanded. “I’ll pummel him if he tries anything. Pinky promise.” He gave her the cheekiest smile possible and held out his pinky over the seat. Kris scoffed, and Kai raised his eyebrows, but Taemin ignored them and urged Naeun to seal the promise. Naeun hesitated before slowly linking pinkies and shaking with Taemin.

“Got it,” she murmured. She turned to stare out the window and closed her eyes.

As the bus started moving, Taemin couldn’t help looking back and making sure Kai wasn’t doing any funny business every few minutes. Each time he checked, Naeun was awkwardly trying to sleep, and Kai was sitting there coolly, arms crossed and waiting to stare back at Taemin with a leer. Each time, Taemin would grimace back.

“Would you quit moving?” Kris finally growled at him after half an hour. Taemin frowned at him, and then he finally decided to sit on his knees facing them, not moving back. “Finally . . .” Kris crossed his arms and went to sleep.

Taemin stared at Naeun, who was sleeping peacefully with her head leaning against the window, her body bouncing slightly as the bus drove over the bumpy road. Taemin bit his lip, wanting to be sitting next to her. He wanted to move her head off the uncomfortable glass of the window and onto his shoulder. His gaze slid over to Kai, who wasn’t staring at him this time. In fact, he was staring at Naeun. A sick feeling twisted in Taemin’s stomach, and he was about to lunge forward and strangle Kai when he glanced at him.

“What are you thinking Kai?” Taemin whispered, his mind praying that Kai’s sudden interest in Naeun was just him teasing his hyung.

“I’m thinking just as much as you are,” Kai replied evenly, his voice level. He looked back at Naeun. “I’m finally starting to understand how you barely think.”

What was that supposed to mean?

Kai ~

She looked so peaceful. Kai tried to ignore Taemin staring daggers through him as he watched Naeun sleep peacefully. Her lashes brushed her milky white cheeks, and her lips were parted slightly. He’d never taken much interests in humans; his parents had always forbade him from even talking about the Middle roamers, much more being so close to one of them. In fact, he found himself wanting to be close to this one.

“Stop looking at her like that,” Taemin snapped. Kai rolled his eyes up to stare at his enemy and former best friend. Technically, they were still very close. They were so close, yet they were rivals. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, that's what they say, right? It was funny how the world worked, and how fate played with lives. Just like how it’s playing with Son Naeun, Kai thought to himself, letting his line of sight involuntarily move back to the sleeping girl. “Kai.”

Kai glanced back at Taemin, irritated, then back to Naeun. “What?”

“Do you-?” Taemin stopped abruptly and narrowed his eyes, looking at Kai then Naeun, back and forth. Then he looked around the bus, noticing that not everyone was sleeping, and some nosy seniors were even eavesdropping openly. “You’re just doing this to provoke me, aren’t you, Kai?” It sounded as though Taemin wanted more of an assurance rather than an answer. Like he wanted Kai to say yes. Kai smirked, but for once, he didn't feel the ego run to his head. He didn't really feel like smirking at all.

“I don’t know. Isn’t this something we should discuss later?” he stressed.

“If  so, then give me my seat back,” Taemin demanded. He stood up and crossed his arm, jerking his head to Kris.

“Why should I?” Kai shot back.

“Taeminnie, sit down,” Onew murmured, reaching over to pat the maknae’s back. “You’re going to fall if you stand while we’re driving.”

“I don’t care,” Taemin said firmly. “Move it, or otherwise tell me how you really feel.”

“About what?” Kai asked, even though they both knew exactly what Taemin was talking about - or who, for that matter. Taemin waited not-so-patiently, still standing in the middle of the row. Kai didn’t know what he felt, honestly. Maybe somewhere, in the back of his head, he had accepted it, but he was still in denial. So he wasn’t going to answer. He didn’t want to. Kai stood up calmly and slipped into the seat beside Kris, staring straight ahead as if it didn’t matter to him. However, his pride and something else deep in his chest were hurting, badly. For a minute, Taemin was still standing there like an idiot, and Kai could practically hear his shock. Finally, there was shuffling, and Taemin took the place Kai had been sitting in. Kai closed his eyes.

He wouldn’t let Taemin get what he wanted anymore. He wasn’t going to let that happen.

He just had to be sure of what he wanted next time.

Naeun ~

“Naeun-ah, we’re here. Wake up,” a soft voice whispered in her ear. She was leaning on someone's shoulder . . . At first, she tensed, remembering that she was sitting next to Kai, but then she got confused. If it was Kai, why did she feel so comfortable hearing him, with his breath brushing her skin, and her wanting to sink back into the sound of his words . . . Her eyes fluttered open.

“Taemin oppa?” she said automatically, her eyes fluttering open. She was still groggy, but her tone was full of disbelief. Taemin grinned.

“You called me oppa!”

Naeun tried to pretend that nothing of that sort had happened, looking up where Taemin had been sitting with Kris. Instead, Kai was in his place, his posture stiff. She could tell that he was aware of her staring at him, but he never tore his gaze from the front.

“How’d you get him to move?” Naeun inquired, genuinely curious. Taemin’s face fell for a millisecond before his brilliant smile returned.

“I’m the master of persuasion! Why do you think I’m so confident that I’ll get you to like me?” Taemin stated bluntly. He ignored Naeun’s uncomfortable shift at his comment and took her face in his hands. “Are you all rested now?” Naeun hoped that he couldn’t feel her cheeks warming up under his hands.

“Sort of.” Usually, she would push his hands away and pointedly disregard his existence, but today she decided to let him stay there. Taemin seemed a little thrown off by her change of reaction, but he didn’t move his hands. Naeun wasn’t sure if it was starting to get awkward, but before she could regret her decision, the bus jerked to a stop. Naeun fell forward, about to hit the seat in front of her, but Taemin quickly held out his arm and caught her.

“Wah, so romantic~” Onew sang. Minho smirked as he got up behind the leader to get off the bus. Naeun flushed pink, but she stopped flustering when she noticed Kai staring at them intensely. He saw Naeun looking back at him and quickly left the bus.

“What are you looking at?” Taemin asked. He turned to see Kai’s retreating back, and his shoulders visibly slumped when he realized that she'd been watching Kaix. For some unknown reason, Naeun felt guilty.

Why should she? It wasn’t like there was something between them for her to feel guilty about betraying him or something of the sort. Right?

“L-let’s go,” she stammered. She mentally cursed herself. Why was she stammering like an idiot? Taemin smiled and automatically took her hand to pull her up. “Y-yah! What are you . . .” He turned around and gave her an arrogant wink, which she returned by putting her tongue between her lips and blowing. By then, they were already off the bus. Taemin stopped, smiling childishly as the teacher gave orders.

“Hmm. Boys and girls have separate buildings?” Taemin pouted. “That’s too bad. I wanted to be in the same room as you.”

“Getting a room with a girl? In your dreams,” Jonghyun quipped as he threw his arm over Taemin’s shoulder. He flashed a pearly white grin. “And in my reality.” Naeun raised her eyebrows as Onew came over and slapped Jonghyun over the head for her.

“Yah, didn’t you guys listen?!” Key shouted, being the nagging umma as always. He was lugging all their bags over and promptly tossed them on the ground. Naeun’s bag, on the other hand, he handed over generously. “Everyone get settled. Then at five, meet at the shed on the edge of the woods. We’re having a survival challenge! Hurry!”

“Got it,” everyone sighed, picking up their bags and trudging away.

“Naeun-ah. I’ll pick you up later,” Taemin promised, smiling. Naeun looked away and hurried to the girls cabins. Stop beating so hard, she told her heart fiercely. What was the point of falling for a person who would leave you in the end?

Just like the rest of the people she cared about.

Naeun ended up getting a cabin with Suzy and Sulli. She bowed politely, and they did as well. They weren’t friends, not even close to acquaintances, but that didn’t mean they didn’t have manners. Naeun calmly put her suitcase on the separate bed since Sulli and Suzy had bunked together on the other side of the room.

“I’m leaving first,” Naeun murmured. She pulled on running shorts and a windbreaker before she slipped into comfortable shoes. She decided that she could wait for Taemin outside rather than sitting in awkward silence with two of the prettiest girls in school. Once outside, she knelt down on the ground and began to pick at the grass at the side of the cabin.

“What are you doing?” a voice piped up. Naeun jumped, startled.

Weird. That didn’t sound like Taemin. Naeun turned and suppressed a groan. Kai.

“What are you doing here?” Naeun countered, gritting her teeth together. She wasn’t usually this hostile, but would you be sweet to a Dark angel set out to destroy you and/or your love life? (A/N: Okay, maybe you would be if he looked like Kai - HAHahahaNO.)

“Well, I was going to pick you up - or, from your point of view, kidnap you,” Kai chuckled, stooping down next to her. “You know, so I could piss off your Taeminnie.” Naeun narrowed her eyes. “But then I decided . . . I wanted to test a theory.”

“A theory?” Naeun echoed flatly.

“Yeah. A theory. A dangerous one, actually . . .” He his lips, looking almost nervous, which surprised Naeun. Suddenly, Kai leaned forward and pressed his palms on the wall, his arms on either side of her. His face was inches from hers, and he didn’t even hesitate to push closer. He stopped when their lips were a few centimeters apart, the tips of their noses touching lightly. Naeun sat frozen with her back pressed against the wall, shocked. What was happening? “Shall I test it now?”

“Hell no!”It wasn’t her who had shouted that, even though she had wanted to say that.

But Kai’s mouth hadn’t moved. Well, Naeun wouldn’t have been able to tell anyways, because his whole body fell to the ground. Naeun scrambled up and stared at the person who’d punched Kai.

“T-Taemin,” she stammered. His usual happy air had been replaced by a menacing aura, his hair disheveled and his chest heaving, as though he’d run all the way here . . . had he? Taemin reached out and put his arm around Naeun, pulling her to his chest. She was already in enough shock; she didn’t even have enough strength to shake him away.

“What do you think you’re trying to test, Kai?” Taemin growled, stepping back. Naeun stumbled forward, only to fall against him again. She heard Kai scoff.

“Remember when I said we should discuss this topic later?”

Silence.

“Well, I guess I should say it now. Naeun,” Kai said flatly. She didn’t turn, still too lost and confused. She felt Kai grab her wrist and whirl her around. Taemin pulled her back protectively, but she was now facing Kai, who was staring at her intensely. Her eyes widened. “Naeun . . .”

“Shut UP!” Taemin roared, but Kai stepped forward and put his face close to Naeun’s again.

“I like you.”

And Taemin punched the Dark angel across the face yet again.

A/N:

WHOOOOOAAAAaaaoooooOOOO!!

Hahaha, actually, I know a lot of you were expecting it

(because you made it so obvious, author-nim)

So you all probably were just like

AAAAaaaAaahhhhh . . . well. I knew it. Ouch.

or

ahaHAHA, knew this was coming, get ready for drama, MWUAHAH.

Yeah, basically. I was looking through the chapter, and I feel sort of satisfied at the ending.

Sort of.

Anyways, shout out to my best buddy who used to love SHINee almost as much as I did.

But has betrayed me by moving on to other groups like EXO and U-Kiss.

Yes, the one whom I added EXO to this story for.

She has a tumblr account called shineepandaworld

Any tumblr users on here, please go follow her ^~^ It's mainly EXO, some SHINee, a bit of random groups like GOT7 and etc. She also has a touch of humor, meaningfulness, seriousness, and overall her. >~<

Okay, THANK YOU FOR READING! Please don't be afraid to comment, subscribe, and upvote!

-pannashawol