Like the many calculations Jonghyun had done wrong in his life, he was bound to do at least one wrong with Taemin, of course. And that he did by thinking that he had convinced Taemin of his sincerity after their first non-date. Apparently not. Because after three non-dates and even more tutor sessions, here they were, discussing the same thing Taemin had always been doubtful about - Jonghyun’s ‘real’ motives.

“Are you perhaps interested in the industry as well? ‘ Cause if you are, then know that you’re going nowhere with me. I lost contact with them after I moved here. I’ve been on the search for a new one, but as of now, I’m not employed. I hope you understand that…”

Taemin said that matter-of-factly as he flipped through his newspaper. He stressed his point by sending Jonghyun this look before returning to his reading.

“Is it so hard to believe that I don’t have any ulterior motives?” Jonghyun asked, pulling a text book close and laying his head down on it, facing Taemin in a new plane. It was like seeing a whole new Taemin, something Jonghyun rather enjoyed.

“It is. Knowing what you know, I have to assume that you have some kind of a purpose doing this dating business with me…”

“But they were non-dates. So this would be a non-relationship. It’s quite different…”

“Alright, they were non-dates. As nice as they were, do you really expect me to believe you’re okay with dating someone… someone like me?”

“You enjoyed our dates a lot, didn’t you?” Jonghyun teased, ignoring the main point Taemin was bringing up. Mostly because he himself had never given it a deep thought. He wouldn’t know how to answer the questions in his own mind, so he chose to ignore them altogether.

Taemin did not answer, shuffling his newspaper loudly instead, looking like a snobby librarian as he did that. But Jonghyun could see the light if hue of pink blossoming on the other’s cheeks and that was enough for him. He knew Taemin had liked everything they had done on their dates so far, even when most of Jonghyun’s plans had derailed off track so terribly.

Taemin had sent Jonghyun a text with his address that very day that Jonghyun asked him out. It had been nerve-wrecking just thinking about what to do and say. Jonghyun has never felt this much pressure to impress someone before, but with Taemin, he felt this need to prove himself worthy of his time and attention. And perhaps even a little more, say like, love.

Psssshhh… Love.  Jonghyun could only laugh at that notion now that the first date was done and over with. Well, almost. Their incredible first date had been really… incredible, after all. Incredibly wrong.

It began with Jonghyun’s damn car acting up just as he was about to leave to pick Taemin up. No problem, he had thought, since he was early anyway. He just had to figure out the problem, fix it and go, right?

Wrong.

Jonghyun ended up having to ask to take his mother’s car, but she wouldn’t allow him to drive it so Jinki became their chauffeur for the night. Things couldn’t have gotten more awkward after that. Jinki kept having these random word vomits that left the atmosphere very tense for a few moments afterwards. Jonghyun’s routine the whole time had consisted of him trying to shut his brother up and sending Taemin apologetic looks. Jinki was just so uncontrollable with that mouth of his. He asked things like “Why do you like my brother?” and “Are you sure you’re gay?”. Things that Taemin apparently found funny, sometimes.

Well, Jonghyun guessed he owed his brother for at least making Taemin laugh like that. He had the most child-like laughter that was such a joy to watch and Jonghyun would keep staring if he didn’t risk looking like a ert.

By the time they got away from Jinki and went to the restaurant Taemin liked, it was already almost eight. And what do you know? The restaurant had a board on its entrance saying ‘Closed off for private function’. It left Jonghyun feeling like an idiot for not checking earlier and he couldn’t even look Taemin in the eye after that. He quickly decided to take Taemin to another decent place just down the street, knowing it’s way above his budget and all his money would be gone. Taemin seemed to be just fine with the change of plans and Jonghyun felt immensely grateful for it.

After eating and paying for it with blood, they finally left the place and decided to take a stroll to find things to do. Things to do that wouldn’t cost a penny because Jonghyun’s wallet was filled with nothing but air at that point. It was embarrassing when he had to keep turning down Taemin’s suggestions with lame excuses, but it would’ve been even more of a nightmare if Taemin had found out. Which he did by the end of the night, of course.

“How about karaoke?”

“My throat, it’s been really sore…”

“Okay, movies?”

“Nothing fun’s running now…”

“Well then, how about some desserts?”

“I don’t know about you, but I feel like this thing we got going on right here is pretty sweet already…”

For that sly comment, Jonghyun had earned the nastiest scrutinizing glare from Taemin.

“When will you admit that you’re broke?”

And that had been the conclusion to their very first non-date. Well, not really. They still had ice-cream after that - Taemin’s treat.

Jonghyun was glad that the non-dates that followed were more interesting than the first. He had gotten used to being read like an open book, that he didn’t even try saving face anymore. So he let it loose, awkwardness and ill-timed jokes and all. However, Taemin being the odd character he was, apparently found something endearing about Jonghyun in all of this. Jonghyun couldn’t, for the life of him, figure out why though. Replaying the incidents in his head only made Jonghyun want to knock some sense into his head by hitting it against a wall.

But not Taemin, no. He found it ‘cute’.

“What should we do today?” Taemin asked, eyes trained on the article he was reading.

“Ummmm… The park? We could play soccer with some of the guys…” Jonghyun said, totally uncommitted to the idea. He was just saying what he thought would excite Taemin. Doing anything at all with Taemin was fine by Jonghyun. Why, even solving trigs sounded good when he knew it would be with the other boy.

“Ummmm… How about we go do something a little more… private? It’ll probably be better workout than soccer anyway….” Taemin said nonchalantly.

When it finally registered what Taemin meant, it made the grin on Jonghyun’s face quiver and slowly morph into a grimace. Heat rose to his cheeks as he tried to maintain composure under Taemin’s piercing eyes. Jonghyun sat up straight again, frowning to himself.

We haven’t even kissed yet.

“So what do you say, hyung?” Taemin slurred, closing the paper in his hands and leaning over to prop his head on Jonghyun’s shoulder.

“Soc- soccer sounds fun to me…” Jonghyun insisted, looking only at his interlocked fingers on the table.

“We could have more fun doing what I’m talking about…”

Taemin sounded different all of a sudden. There was an underlying tone in his voice that didn’t sound like Taemin at all to Jonghyun. It seemed foreign and it scared Jonghyun a little. The prospect of them being together that way, well, Jonghyun couldn’t say he hadn’t thought of it before. Far from it. He pictured it all the time because he was just another teenager and was all that was on his mind on a regular basis. But when he pictures it with Taemin, he sees something of a deeper connection than just . He wouldn’t describe his fantasies of Taemin as lewd or vulgar, even considering the kind of acts he dared imagine. He sees something much more intimate.

Great! Now I’m a closeted romantic. Out one closet and right into another.

“Jinki got some new DVDs from the store. We could watch a movie, grab some popcorns-“

“, you’re impossible!” Taemin burst out, losing his calm poise for the first time ever. Jonghyun’s brain seemed to have shorted because he could not seem to come up with a response to that. He watched in awe as Taemin grabbed his books and chucked them in his bag furiously, standing up abruptly to leave. Normally, Jonghyun would have thought to check for the librarian because of all the ruckus Taemin was making. But he couldn’t take his eyes off of angry Taemin.

What did he do wrong?

“Tae- Taemin, wait! What-“

“I don’t get you at all, hyung! I just don’t!” Taemin muttered – his face as red as tomatoes and eyes shooting daggers – before turning and leaving Jonghyun aghast.

Well, that was… new.

-I’m sorry??-

-U asking or telling me?-

-Both??-

-Whatcha sorry for-

-For whatever I- Jonghyun didn’t even get to finish typing before a new message came in. Looking at the length of it, Jonghyun had to stop and admire how fast a typist Taemin must be.

-U have to stop playing with me. U have to stop your act and just come clean. U don’t even know what u should be sorry for. For pretending, that’s why. For trying to fool me. I’ve given u every opportunity, what else are u waiting for? Do u want to humiliate me? Am I some trophy? Do u need to me to prove some point? What am I to u exactly Kim Jonghyun, ‘cause I don’t get it!-

Jonghyun read and re-read the message, just to make sure he was seeing this right. He was, and he didn’t like it. Is this all Taemin thought of him?

Jonghyun quickly typed the first thought that came to his mind in answer to Taemin’s question and clicked out of the messenger. He didn’t feel like being productive anymore, even though the pile of assignments still undone would suggest he should be. That was the third time Jonghyun had tried that weekend. And that was the third (and worst) time he had been shot down.

He was really beginning to question why he had asked Taemin out in the first place. It had been a spur of the moment thing and it had felt so right. But Taemin had been so mysterious all along. Jonghyun knew the biggest secret about the younger boy and still knew him only as well as the next student that went to the same school. Was this all worth it? And to think that Jonghyun was going through this for a star, who was obviously so immersed in his ideal world to think that there might be a world outside of it.

Maybe going out with him was a mistake. What was Jonghyun thinking? That Taemin would stop doing what he did if Jonghyun disapproved of it? That him dating the younger boy would ‘save’ him from his promiscuous ways? He wasn’t thinking, that was it. He was too smitten by the confidence, by the blinding smile, by the flaming red hair, to make any sense of right or wrong.

But it also felt so wrong putting Taemin in a box and labeling him based on just the one thing that drew most attention to him. Especially after all that Jonghyun’s seen that made Taemin more than just the boy who moans for the camera. He was smart, funny, dedicated and so very passionate about everything that he does.

He made Jonghyun’s heart skip a beat and run into overdrive, all at the same time.

Ugh Lee Taemin, what do I do with you?

Monday came faster than anticipated. Jonghyun had been dreading it because it meant school, homework, grades and nor forgetting, tutors. Way to make the Monday blues even worse…

Jonghyun was on his usual path to his classroom, dragging his feet sluggishly while paying no attention whatsoever to his surroundings. He yawned once, or twice, he shifted the bag strap on his shoulders, he stared intently at the floor wishing it was his bed, where he felt like belonged forever.  Just his usual Monday routine.

What didn’t fit in that routine was the pair of feet that came into his view, blocking his way. Yellow shoes, Jonghyun couldn’t mistake the colour or its owner from a mile away. Jonghyun still pretended though, as though he hadn’t noticed and meant to go on his merry way around this obstacle. But said obstacle moved along with him, blocking him once again. They carried on with this odd dance for a while until Jonghyun grew tired of it.

“Taemin, I’ve- What the-“ Jonghyun was startled by the weight of the body that was thrown at him, almost pushing him backwards flat. Taemin’s arms wrapped around Jonghyun awkwardly, holding him in place.

“A friend? I thought we got past that after our first date!”

Jonghyun sputtered, incoherent and unable to breathe properly, what more with Taemin’s hair getting in his nose and mouth. But he did smell good, so Jonghyun didn’t mind that so much.

“We can talk… without… choking… to death… Taemin…” Jonghyun got out with some exertion.

“Huh? What?” Taemin asked, pulling back to an arm’s length away. Jonghyun breathed in properly before answering.

“You were strangling me…”

“Oh… Good!” Taemin said, launching back onto him and latching on like a leech. Jonghyun could feel the air being squeezed out of his lungs. Okay, probably not. But the hold was tight enough to.

“Friends. I like that. Don’t have many of those, but I still enjoy one occasionally...” Taemin mumbled, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Jonghyun eyed a passer-by, who ogled the embracing pair right back. He didn’t feel embarrassed though. He was too busy blushing at the thought of the kind of confession he was receiving from the younger boy.

“I’d like for more though. From you, hyung… Not just friends, but more…” Taemin said, clearing his throat, “That’s why I’m afraid, hyung…”

 The bell rang at that precise moment, signaling the start of class.

“Taemin…” Jonghyun hesitated, not knowing how to respond.

“Right! Class…” Taemin said, pulling away for real this time, looking at every space in the corridor but Jonghyun.

“So….”

“So yeah…”

“See you later?”

Taemin seemed to consider it for a while. Jonghyun’s smile began to falter. Did he misunderstand Taemin’s intentions again? Did Taemin not like-

Jonghyun’s train of thoughts met an abrupt end as his head was grabbed and pulled forwards, a big sloppy kiss landing on his forehead. Then, Taemin was off, sprinting away like the lightning, not turning back once, leaving Jonghyun flabbergasted.

Now that, that was indeed new. This never-seen-before side of Taemin was going to be Jonghyun’s downfall, he could already tell. 

(A/N) Hi there! It's a short update, but I am working with very little time here so I hope you guys understand... :D Thank you for reading and leaving me comments!!! XD

Have a great day ahead people! <3