It was Friday afternoon, and Taemin shouldn't have been surprised that Key had made plans for that evening. He listened only half-heartedly as they walked home from school, more interested in the music blasting from his earphones than the party his friend was talking so animatedly about. To be honest he was looking forward to a quiet evening in; he’d maybe get some dance practise in before relaxing in front of the TV.

          “...so what will you be wearing? Something casual, I think, but not too casual-”

          Taemin interrupted him. “Me? What are you talking about?”

          “I knew you wouldn't have given it any thought,” Key sighed, half smiling as he rolled his eyes. “Were you planning on going to the party in your school uniform?”

          “Going...to the party? I wasn't planning on going at all, hyung.”

          “What? But you have to go! Don't tell me you have plans, Lee Taemin, because I know you're free tonight.”

          “You know I don't like parties.”

          “It'll be fun! You can...dance and stuff. You like dancing. Besides, don't you realise how hard it was for me to get this invite? And it's a plus one, I can't show up alone or I'll look like a loser. Everyone's going to be there!”

          “Take Jonghyun-hyung.”

          “He's going with Se Kyung, and Jinki-hyung’s got a date too. I wouldn’t have asked you if there was anyone else, but you can't stay in that shell of yours forever, Taeminnie.”

          This time it was Taemin's turn to roll his eyes. “Hyung, it'll be boring. Rubbish food, rubbish music, and you'll go off with some guy and leave me alone in the corner of the room with no-one to talk to. I'd rather just stay at home.”

          “Taeminnie, please? For me? Look, I'll even find a hot guy to introduce you to. It's about time you started thinking about your love life.”

          Taemin shot him a stony look. “No.”

          “Please?”

          “No way.” He shook his head.

          “I'll buy you a new pair of dancing shoes...”

          The younger boy cursed himself for hesitating, but eventually shrugged. “Okay, fine. But I'm not staying past midnight. And we're going shoe shopping tomorrow.”

          Key grinned and grabbed his friend's hand, squeezing tightly. “Thanks, Taemin-ah, you're the best!”

-

          “Whose party is this, anyway?” Taemin muttered as he got out of the taxi in front of a large, fancy-looking house with neatly trimmed hedges and a marble water fountain in the front garden. “Must be pretty rich.”

          “Of course he's rich, it's Kim Heechul,” replied Key as if he expected Taemin to know who he was talking about. Taemin didn't, and said so. “Honestly, Taemin, he's only the most popular guy in the school. He's a senior and his dad's in government, but his parents are away for the weekend so he's throwing this massive party.”

          “The most popular guy in the school?” Taemin scoffed as they walked up the path, already able to hear the loud music and shouts from within the house. “How did you get an invite, then?”

          Key was obviously too excited to react to the insult. “The door's open – do you think we should knock? Or just go straight in...”

-

          Half an hour into the party and Key was nowhere to be seen. Honestly, Taemin hadn't been all that surprised when he'd disappeared to get them drinks and hadn't returned. The music, as expected, was disappointing and there was nothing to eat or drink besides cheap booze. The house was full of people dancing, yelling, even kissing in closets and spare rooms...but although Taemin saw a few familiar faces from school, there was no one he really knew well enough to talk to. He half-hoped to bump into Jonghyun or Jinki, but knew they wouldn’t want to be bothered if they really did have dates. He wove his way in and out of the crowd, ignoring drunken guys who tried to touch him up and ask for his number, and made his way into the garden.

          He quickly discovered that it wasn’t much better outside. The music wasn’t as loud, but there were more people and the mass of bodies rubbing together made it just as hot. The night air was tainted with the strong smells of sweat, cigarette smoke and alcohol and there was barely anywhere to stand, let alone sit down. Taemin sighed and wondered how long it would be before Key was ready to leave, but he knew it was no use; while Taemin couldn’t think of anywhere worse to be, Key  was in his element and would be enjoying every second of it.

          Thinking that he might as well try and enjoy himself, Taemin went in search of a drink. He grabbed a bottle of beer from a plastic drinks container filled with ice and unscrewed the top, taking several large gulps and wincing at the bitter taste. Though it was pretty strong, the alcohol didn’t have much effect at first so he downed the rest of the bottle in one and took another as he moved off into the crowd, pushing past several people and not caring particularly where he ended up. The beer had made him slightly unsteady and he stumbled slightly, knocking into someone and spilling the remainder of his drink. He barely heard the person’s irritated shout as he was pushed roughly forward and almost hit the ground hard.

          He was saved, luckily, by a strong pair of arms which caught him just in time and hoisted him up, holding onto him until he was steady. Embarrassed, Taemin looked up at his saviour, a tall boy who was perhaps two years older than him with short, curly brown hair and kind eyes. The younger boy felt his cheeks flush bright red; he’d just humiliated himself in front of the hottest guy he’d seen in a long time.

          “Are you alright?” the stranger asked, revealing a soft, deep voice that made Taemin’s heart flutter ever so slightly.

          “Y-yeah,” he stuttered, “Fine. Er…thank you.”

          “No problem,” the taller boy said cheerfully. “My name’s Minho. Choi Minho.”

          “L-Lee Taemin.”

          “Nice to meet you, Lee Taemin,” Minho said with a twinkle in his eye. “You look like you could use some space…come with me?”

          This turned out not to be a question, Taemin found out as Minho’s hand took his and he lead the younger boy through the crowd, back into the house and up a flight of stairs. They made their way through one of the upstairs bedrooms - Taemin still too stunned to protest - and eventually emerged onto a large balcony. Taemin was surprised to find that it was deserted – probably the only place in the whole house that wasn’t full of people.  It was almost completely silent; the music and animated atmosphere of downstairs seemed a lot further away than they were. Taemin took a deep breath and looked up at the black sky, which was empty apart from the single crescent-shaped moon, completely absent of stars. He’d lived in the city all his life but had never noticed the sky’s emptiness before.

          “Better?” Minho asked from behind him, and Taemin turned around, studying the boy’s face in more detail. He was incredibly tanned and even more incredibly handsome, with high cheekbones and full lips. Taemin wondered how he could have been lucky enough to fall into those arms, those long, muscular arms that had felt so gentle and supportive as they held him up.

          He focused on the boy’s face, however, as he answered in a whisper, “Much better.”

          Minho took a step closer until they were almost touching and Taemin’s breath hitched in his throat, a shiver running up his spine. His eyes shifted to the side, unable to look into Minho’s face as the older boy’s gaze intensified. Taemin’s mind had gone blank, unable to make sense of the situation he was in; he could hardly believe what was about to happen. This kind of thing never happened to Taemin, least of all with people he’d just met…was Minho about to-?

          Taemin’s eyes widened as Minho’s hand reached up to his cheek and he leaned in even closer. Without a word, the taller boy pressed his lips on Taemin’s in a cautious but passionate kiss, one hand moving to rest on the small of Taemin’s back while the other continued to caress the side of his face. Taemin instinctively closed his eyes and kissed back, wrapping his arms around Minho’s neck, his heartbeat increasing at a rate that was almost painful. Feeling reckless and light-headed - a sensation he was certain had nothing to do with the alcohol – his lips parted as an invitation to Minho. The other hesitated briefly before slipping his tongue into Taemin’s eager mouth, the younger boy releasing an illicit moan at the unfamiliar touch.

          It was Taemin’s first kiss and unlike anything he could have imagined. But of course it had to end, and he was left breathless as Minho slowly pulled away. The two were speechless for what seemed like several minutes as they stared into each other’s faces, Taemin searching for an indication that the kiss had meant as much to the older boy as it had to himself. But he had never been good at reading expressions, and Minho was practically a stranger, which hardly made it any easier.

          “I’m sorry,” Minho murmured quietly, the first to break the silence. There was none of the cheerfulness in his voice from earlier. “I…I shouldn’t have done that.”

          “D-don’t apologise, hyung,” Taemin said tentatively. This wasn’t what he’d expected…hadn’t Minho enjoyed the kiss? But that made no sense; after all, he’d been the one to initiate it and had been just as eager as Taemin. Was there another reason, then, that he regretted what they’d done?

          “But I just met you. I didn’t mean…it’s just that…” he broke off, looking frustrated at himself. “God, are you even – how old are you?”

          “I’m nearly sixteen.” Taemin replied indignantly. He knew he looked young, but he didn’t like being reminded of it.

          “Oh. . .” Minho took a step back and ran his fingers through his hair. “What the are you even doing here anyway? You’re underage, for god’s sake!”

          Taemin bit his lip and looked away, unable to help his eyes from swelling with tears. He took a deep breath and tried to pull himself together, not wanting to make the situation any worse. His heart sank as he realised his first kiss with Minho would probably be his last. “I’ll…I’ll just go, then.”

          Minho’s expression softened. “No, don’t cry, I didn’t mean…” he rested a hand on Taemin’s shoulder and smiled at him reassuringly. “Look, why don’t I take you home? You look tired.”

          Taemin glared at him. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

          “That’s not what I meant,” Minho said honestly, with a slightly amused expression on his face. “You’re pretty hot, Lee Taemin… I probably shouldn’t have kissed you like that but I couldn’t help myself. And I just thought it might be easier to get your number if I gave you a lift…but that’s up to you.”

          “Fine,” Taemin said, giving in straight away. It was all he could do to stop himself from grinning. Key would never believe what was happening to him…come to think of it, he couldn’t exactly leave without his friend, could he? But he did really want to go home, and Key could drive himself home when he was ready. Surely Key would understand if he saw how hot Minho was… “I’ll just call my friend and let him know I’m leaving.”

          But Key wasn’t answering his phone, probably due to the loud music, so Taemin sent him a text instead knowing that his friend was sure to check his messages if he was worried about Taemin’s whereabouts.

          “Ready?” Minho asked when Taemin was done. Without waiting for an answer he wrapped an arm around the younger boy’s shoulders and steered him back inside, through the bedroom and back downstairs. Somehow Minho found his way to the front door and pushed it open, pulling Taemin through until they were both outside again, stopping to breathe in the fresh air with relief. Minho looked down at Taemin and took his hand, unaware that Taemin’s heart had jolted wildly at the simple touch. “Have you ever ridden a motorbike before?” Minho asked.

          Taemin’s mouth fell open. “A…a motorbike? You mean you-”

          “Yep,” Minho smirked, and walked towards a navy blue vespa, leading Taemin with him. He pulled on his helmet and handed a matching one to the younger boy, helping him secure it around his chin. “Nervous?”

          Taemin was, but he swallowed the fear that was rising up in his throat and replied bravely, “Not at all!”

          Minho chuckled before swinging his leg over the bike and gesturing for Taemin to climb on behind him. Taemin barely had time to get his balance, however, before he was thrown backwards by a sudden force and temporarily blinded as the building in front of him erupted in an explosion of deafening noise and colour, sending flames and smoke high up into the black sky.

          His head was spinning and he couldn’t move; the only sound he could make out was his own scream. The last thing he was aware of were the strong arms tightening around him, pulling him away from the explosion as he slipped into unconsciousness.