The bus screeched to a halt and Minsoo once again took Niel's hand without thinking. They exited the bus in front of a cozy corner diner. Minsoo grinned at Niel. "Sorry to interrupt your song, I'm an idiot who is easily distracted."

 

Niel laid a hand on Minsoo's cheek and smiled. "We have plenty of time for me to sing to you." 

 

Minsoo held the door for Niel and the hostess gave them a small booth for two. When Niel made to sit down across the table from Minsoo, he reached out and lightly laced his fingers into Niel's. "Sit next to me." 

 

Niel didn't say anything, just grinned and blushed but obliged the request. Minsoo slung an arm around Niel's shoulders and pulled him close as they studied the menu. It was hard to concentrate on the daily specials because Minsoo was side-eyeing Niel's mouth and taking in his sweet scent, like coconut with a hint of something else. Lavender? Vanilla? He wondered how it was possible for Niel to still smell so good after a long night of dancing and sweating and falling asleep on strange couches. This train of thought continued on to bring Minsoo to the notion that he hoped he himself smelled okay with someone sitting this close to him. 

 

 They gave their orders to an impatient waitress who eyed them curiously before clicking away to the kitchen in her high heels. They sipped coffee and swapped stories while they waited for their food to arrive, and Minsoo was having a difficult time not staring at Niel's mouth. He had the fullest lips Minsoo had ever seen, lips that girls everywhere tried to achieve with their copious lipsticks and balms. Minsoo always hated that about girls, he always left their apartments with sticky gloss smeared on his neck and chest. He was entertaining himself with the idea of finding out if those lips were as soft as they looked when he realized their food was being delivered. The waitress oggled him like he had four heads but she dropped their plates without a word and left them to eat. Niel giggled when she walked away. "Guess she's jealous."

 

Minsoo picked up a piece of bacon. "She should be jealous," he sang before crunching into it. "She probably doesn't know someone like you." 

 

Minsoo felt like he was eating with someone he had known for years. Niel laughed at his stupid puns, understood his obscure references to old movies, and more than once they were thrown dirty looks because they were laughing too loud. They stole food from each other's plates and Niel insisted Minsoo eat his second biscuit because he was too full to finish it. Minsoo chewed slowly, trying to drag out the last few bites. When the meal was over they would inevitably have to take the bus back home, and then Minsoo would be forced to lay down in his empty, cold bed. His stomach turned over when he thought of trying to sleep, he knew he'd just be met with the same twisted dreams.

 

When they were done with their meals, they chugged the last dregs of their coffee and paid the tab, tipping the waitress well even though her stares burned a hole through Minsoo's back as they left. The diner was only three blocks from the apartment building, so Niel suggested they walk. Minsoo was fine with that because it meant more time to talk with him. He was beginning to think there was something in the punch at Namjoon's last night because he hadn't acted this way in ages. Not since he was fifteen...

 

He pushed those encroaching thoughts from his brain, focusing his attention on wrapping an arm around Niel's shoulders as they walked. He couldn't think about what happened all those years ago, not now that he was in such a happy moment. He battled with his latent emotions as he listened to Niel chatter about what songs he had planned for his class's chorus concert coming up in a month. Minsoo felt so warm despite the chill of the early morning nipping at his nose and earlobes. 

 

They reached the apartments and traipsed through the lobby to the elevators and Minsoo hit the number six button with a familiar jerk to this stomach at the thought of parting soon. He was wondering if he should just pin Niel to the wall, security cameras be damned, and express his interests very plainly. He almost took a step toward him before his legs turned to jelly and his tongue to concrete. The elevator spat them out onto the sixth floor and Minsoo decided that if he couldn't kiss the guy then he should at least see him to the door of his place. Even if it was just across the hallway. 

 

Minsoo wasn't sure what proper etiquette was for a guy you got drunk with at a party and accidentally romanced. Niel turned to him with that hundred watt smile again, leaning against the closed door. 

 

"You're something else, you know? Not what I expected from what the guys told me about you." 

 

That hot flush was creeping up Minsoo's neck again, his chest constricting and stomach fluttering. He cleared his throat and stuttered out what sounded the smoothest and most aloof. 

 

"I'm full of surprises once you get to know me."

 

Niel's eyes seemed to scan Minsoo's face. "I'll bet you are." he whispered. 

 

Minsoo was wondering if that was it, you know, the famous "kiss me," cue. The ones he always heard about guys missing in romantic comedies, when they had the chance to kiss the girl but misread her signals. He reckoned he understood where those guys were coming from now though, because if he'd ever been more unsure about whether or not to kiss someone it was right now. Luckily he was spared the decision because Niel was palming his pockets and saying, ". . I don't have my keys! I must have lost them at the party or on the bus or...dammit."  He bit his lip and cursed some more, and Minsoo laid a soothing hand on his arm. 

 

"Relax, the utility guy for this building brings his car to my shop and I always give him a deal. I'll get him to make some spares for you." 

 

Niel's face softened. "I...Thanks, that's so considerate. God, you've been so nice to me, you know that? It's so awkward being new in town and I just...I want to fit in. I want to have friends. It's hard enough transferring to a brand new school to teach. Some of the faculty hasn't been very, um, receptive to me if you know what I mean, since I'm much younger than them and I'm..." his voice cracked and he averted his eyes. He hugged his arms around himself and sniffled a little. 

 

Minsoo felt like he'd been smacked with a baseball bat. Of ing course, he knew how some of the older generation in this town could be, and it couldn't have been easy for Niel to gain acceptance. Sure he was absolutely pleasant and seemed to enjoy teaching very much. However, it wasn't hard to tell that he was a bit different and Minsoo had witnessed Chanhee get harassed by strangers out in public while he was minding his own business. He could only imagine Niel being stuck in a building with them all week. 

 

"Hey, no worries alright? Come into my place while we wait for the maintenance office to open. I don't know about you but Nam's couch isn't very comfortable and I'd kill to lie down."

 

Niel nodded and Minsoo placed a gentle thumb on his cheek to wipe away a tear. "Obviously I'm not judging you, and none of the guys are either. Especially Chanhee. We like you, and now that you live across from us you won't be able to get rid of us. Trust me, these s are clingy." 

 

Niel managed a small chuckle and followed Minsoo across the hall to his and Byungun's place. The apartment was still and silent inside. Minsoo could only guess that Byunghun was asleep in his room, and passing the couch he saw that Changhyun was asleep face-down on the sofa. Jonghyun was slumped into an armchair in the corner, head lolling softly to the side and drooling a little. No sign of Chanhee, though. Minsoo smiled and pressed a single finger to his lips to signal Niel not to wake the sleeping beauties. 

 

They tiptoed through the living room and into Minsoo's room, closing the door as quietly as possible behind them. Niel let out a laugh once the door was closed. "Those guys really wore themselves out. Where is Chanhee though?"

 

"I think I have an idea where he is," Minsoo said absently. When everyone woke up and recuperated later, things were going to get interesting. 

 

Minsoo realized that now it was just himself and Niel, alone, in his cramped bedroom. If he wasn't sure whether to kiss Niel earlier then he definitely had no idea what protocol was for this particular situation. He watched Niel slip off his jacket and shoes. He tried not to stare, he really did, but Niel's shoulders and collar bones were so angular and prominent that Minsoo had to shake his head to clear away his thoughts of biting them. 

 

"You can, um, take a shower if you like. I can lend you a shirt or something." He scratched the back of his head nervously and looked at his feet. 

 

"Actually, I wouldn't mind that. Namjoon's place was pretty...sweaty." 

 

Minsoo nodded and his lips unconsciously. "There's clean towels in the linen closet in the bathroom, our shampoo is cheap off brand stuff but it gets the job done." He didn't know why he was talking about shampoo. The thought of Niel in his shower raised some mental images that Minsoo told himself he was not going to dwell on.  

 

He opened his dresser drawer and pulled out a t-shirt for Niel. "You're smaller than me but it should still fit." 

 

"I'm sure it will be fine. Thanks, Minsoo." Niel disappeared from the bedroom and Minsoo heard the bathroom door close and the shower being . 

 

He let out a sigh. This was all so strange, and yet he felt more excited at spending time with Niel than he had about the past fifteen girls he had gone home with combined. He wondered what his old friend would think of him now, now that he'd had the courage to...He couldn't think about it, not about him, not now. Things were going well and if he started to think about ing high school he would just devastate himself and not be able to focus on Niel; and dear lord did he want to focus on him. 

 

Minsoo sighed and lifted his shirt over his head, flinging it to one side of the room. He fished his cigarette case and lighter from his pockets and set them on his nightstand and then proceeded to trade his jeans for flannel pajama pants. He collapsed onto his pile of pillows, took a joint from the case and sparked it. He had read somewhere that suppressed the chemical in people's brains that made dreams. He hoped that was true as he took lazy puffs and let the smoke fill his small room. Vivid images were pushing at the sides of his imagination but he willed them away and tried to focus on the memory of dancing with Niel. He closed his eyes and he took another long pull from the spliff and exhaled, remembering how he had shotgunned the smoke into Niel's mouth the night before when they were hammered. He wondered if Niel would let him do it again when he came back from the shower.

 

He was about halfway through the joint when Niel came back into the room. His hair was tousled and wet, and he looked much skinnier wearing Minsoo's shirt. He had put on the jeans he'd been wearing before, and Minsoo thought that just wouldn't do. "Third drawer has pajama bottoms in it, if you want some." 

 

Niel was still toweling off his hair, and he grinned. "You just want to watch me take my pants off." 

 

"I'll close my eyes like a perfect gentleman," Minsoo teased. He squinted them tight. "See? I can't see a thing. Let me know when you're done." 

 

Niel giggled and Minsoo heard the shuffling of fabric and a second later Niel said "Okay." 

 

When Minsoo opened his eyes Niel was coming toward the bed with his eyes on Minsoo's exposed abdomen, drinking in the sight of his toned body and multiple tattoos. Minsoo didn't know how he should receive him, so he held the half-smoked joint out to him. 

 

"It's so strong, it hurt my chest last night," he whined. "Maybe you can help me out?"

 

Niel stretched out on the bed and propped his head up on one arm, facing Minsoo, his huge almond eyes boring into him. Minsoo felt dizzy already and his voice was barely audible as he replied "I think I can manage that," in what he hoped was a husky, y tone. He pulled the smoke into his mouth and leaned in closer to the slender boy on his bed, gently pushing the aromatic smoke from his mouth to Niel's. Niel exhaled the smoke and his breath ghosted across Minsoo's mouth, making his own breath catch in his throat. 

 

He noticed Niel's eyes were wandering, raking over his bare chest and stopping at his hipbones jutting out above the waistband of his flannels. "How about one more?" Minsoo asked. He pulled a huge hit into his lungs, snubbed the burning cherry out in an ashtray on the nightstand, and turned back to face Niel. He placed a firm hand on Niel's chin an pulled him close, breathing smoke once more into his mouth. Niel made a soft noise at the contact of Minsoo's hand on his face, and he finished the exhale and gave a small cough. "Sorry," he choked out, "I don't do this that often." 

 

Minsoo chuckled. "It's cute, actually. But you don't need to if you don't want to. I'm just offering, what's the point in getting blazed by yourself? It's more fun to smoke with someone."

 

"You are a gentleman after all," Niel teased. Minsoo didn't remember Niel laying this close to him before, but somehow he had moved near enough to be brushing a hand over the tattoo above his left peck. Niel's touch was electric, sending a shiver through Minsoo's body. He dropped his gaze to Niel's mouth; his full lips parted ever so slightly. He flicked his stare back up to Niel's piercing gaze, and there was no way Minsoo was going to miss this cue. His hand moved to cup Niel's face, a thumb brushing against his jawbone as he closed the inch-wide gap between them and brushed his lips against Niel's. 

 

Niel let out another tiny moan when their lips connected. He slid his hand from Minsoo's chest, up his neck and tangled his fingers into his hair. Minsoo ran his tongue along Niel's bottom lip, making him sigh softly against his mouth. He deepened the kiss and bit at Niel's lip, and Niel let out a whimper. Minsoo practically growled his approval, and in a shuffle of limbs and sheets he was on top of Niel, hungrily at his mouth. Niel was making the best sounds Minsoo had ever heard, and he wanted to keep him at it. He ran a hand under Niel's shirt, up the length of his body from stomach to chest. He trailed kisses from Niel's ear down to his jaw, biting fiercely at his neck and collar bones. Niel squirmed underneath him, emitting breathy moans and running his hands up Minsoo's . Minsoo tugged at the shirt he'd given Niel. "Never should have let you have this," he breathed. Niel gave a sultry laugh low in his throat. "S'your own fault," he rasped against Minsoo's mouth, and arched his back to give him better leverage to pull it off. Niel's body was smooth and toned, and Minsoo little bruises onto the tanned skin. 

 

Despite the obvious response from Niel, Minsoo was unsure of how to continue next. He hadn't exactly had much experience in the department of pleasing men. He had made dozens of girls come, had multiple one night stands that wouldn't stop texting him for weeks because they said no other guys could do the things he did for them. It wasn't difficult for him to please women, he'd had so much practice that it almost seemed routine. Minsoo could probably write a book on it by now. As far as he could tell, Niel was enjoying himself but his facial expressions and body language were much harder to interpret than a girl's. His moods were different, he was just different. And okay- kissing, biting, touching, that was one thing. Mostly anybody enjoyed physical contact that way. But what about taking it farther? Minsoo had never had a in his mouth. He wasn't sure how open he was to that concept. He'd never even thought about putting his own in another guy's mouth, although that concept didn't seem as odd now that his mouth was pressed against Niel's pouty lips. He sort of wondered how they'd feel on his... He was getting hard against Niel's leg; achingly so, but had no idea how far Niel was expecting to go here. What if he thought Minsoo did this all the time and was ready to him? Another thing Minsoo had never thought about was putting his in a guy's--

 

"Minsoo," Niel breathed. "We...we need to slow down, I..." 

 

"What's the matter?" Minsoo asked concernedly, pulling away from Niel's mouth. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

 

"No, it's not that it's just...I don't usually, I mean, I'm not going to have with a guy I just met," He finished bluntly. 

 

Minsoo just blinked and opened his mouth for a good few seconds before any sound came out. 

 

"I...wasn't expecting you to...not if you don't want to. I just thought that..." He was at a loss for words. All the guys had been going on and on about what a player Minsoo was and now Niel probably thought he was just aiming to get into his pants. He made a mental note to tell them to all shut the up later. 

 

Niel sat up and moved to sit near the edge of the bed. He crossed his arms over his chest and Minsoo thought he heard tears in his voice as he spoke. 

 

"You probably think I'm such an idiot, I shouldn't have kissed you if I didn't want you to think--" 

 

Minsoo moved to sit next to him on the edge of the bed, cutting him off mid-sentence. 

 

"It's not your fault," he whispered. "It's mine." 

 

Niel looked at him with glistening eyes. "How is it your fault that I got drunk and hung all over you at a party when you barely know me? You must think I'm such a--"

 

"Do not finish that sentence," Minsoo pointed a finger at him. "You're worried about what I must think about you? Practically everyone we ran into at that party commented on my,um...track record with girls and you're worried about what I think of you?"

 

Niel lowered his gaze to the floor. "I take it you don't bring guys home very often." 

 

Minsoo couldn't help but laugh. "I don't bring anyone home very often. The Minsoo you've been hearing about hasn't been around for quite a while actually. The last girl I talked to slapped me in the face."

 

Niel let out a soft giggle. 

 

"Its true," Minsoo went on, "and I haven't actually ed a girl in...I don't know, probably six months. Honestly I haven't been trying very hard." 

 

Niel fixed his gaze on Minsoo's face. "I just don't understand. You're this big player and everyone talks about how girls love you, but you've been so sweet to me, and now this. I just don't know what to think. How many girls have you had in this bed, Minsoo? And why am I in it now?"

 

Minsoo sighed. He had known his reputation would bite him in the one day. He wasn't sure what it was about Niel that made him want to be honest, brutally honest about everything. He took Niel's hand in his own and his fingers gently. He had shared so many aspects of himself with Niel over last night and this morning at breakfast, what was a little more?

 

"Niel, look. I'd love to tell you that this whole reputation of mine is just the guys talking, but...it's not, okay? It's who I am, who I have been for a long time." He paused, checking Niel's face, but he just fixed Minsoo with that mesmerizing stare, waiting for him to continue.

 

"Anyway, a while ago I had this girlfriend, or I guess the closest thing to a girlfriend you can get with me... I saw her a few times and was thinking about trying to make it more serious but I found out she was ing some other guy the whole time she was seeing me. I felt really ty about it and sort of lost my ambition to try and get with anyone else. She was the only person who has ever been in this bed besides me, and that was last year. I don't bring random chicks to my house, I've always gone to theirs, and I don't spend the night with them. I know it sounds awful but I'm usually out of there as soon as we're done...and I have never, ever danced with a girl all night and fallen asleep on a couch with her. And I've never invited a girl into my bedroom that I met the night before."

 

Niel studied his face for a moment, and Minsoo was terrified of what he would say next. 

 

"So, you do like guys then, or...?"

 

That question caught Minsoo off guard. He didn't know if he was ready to tell Niel that story just yet.

 

"Before last night I would have said I'm straight. Now I'm not sure what to call it. I've never really been interested in guys before. But you're..."

 

"I'm what?" Niel's brow was furrowed and he looked worried.

 

"You're different." 

 

That made Niel crack a smile. "I'm surprised at you for being honest with me so soon after meeting me. That really says a lot about you."

 

"I'm not a jackass like everyone makes me out to be, you know," he teased. "Like I said, a gentleman." He smirked at Niel. "I've been with a lot of girls but I never made anyone do anything they didn't want to do," 

 

He squeezed Niel's hand harder in his own. "I don't want you to do anything you don't want to, either." He added softly. 

 

Niel brushed a sudden kiss to Minsoo's lips. "Thank you," he breathed, and then "Maybe--maybe I should go." 

 

Minsoo's stomach lurched. "What? No! I mean, the maintenance office doesn't open for another couple of hours. You can't go home without your keys."

 

Niel sighed, but tilted his head a bit and grinned. "I guess you're going to be stuck with me all morning then." 

 

"I don't know if 'stuck' is the word I'd use." He let go of Niel's hands and resumed his previous position on the bed, laying on his back against the pillows. Niel scooted over to him and laid down as well, placing a head on his shoulder and an arm across his stomach. Minsoo his hands through his companion's soft hair and listened to his quiet breathing, and they were both sound asleep in minutes. Minsoo's last conscious thought of the morning was that the maintenance office had actually already been open for an hour.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Golden rays of afternoon sunlight were peeking gently through the sheer curtains in Minsoo's bedroom. It was quiet except for birds chirping faintly outside the window. Minsoo was brought to the edges of consciousness by distant voices talking. He opened one eye, doing his best to remember what had been happening. Niel was still asleep, nestled firmly to Minsoo's body with his mouth curved into a peaceful arc. Minsoo hated to wake him, even though he knew it must be late in the afternoon and was sure that Niel would want to go home. He closed his eyes again and took a deep breath, shifting slightly against Niel, who unconsciously shifted his own position and mumbled something but remained asleep. 

 

Minsoo was debating with himself whether or not to get up to use the bathroom and risk waking Niel, or to just stay there because he was immensely comfortable. 

 

He was spared the decision, however, when three sharp raps on the door startled both him and his sleeping companion. 

 

"Minsoo! Are you in there?" Byunghun called through the door. "We didn't want to hit the bong without you..."

 

"I'm here, Byung. I just woke up." Minsoo tried to call quietly to his friend, but Niel sat up with a start, but smiled when he saw Minsoo. He yawned and rubbed an eye as Byunghun asked "Do you want us to wait for you?"

 

Minsoo looked at Niel and smirked. "No," he called flatly. 

 

Byunghun was quiet for a split second, and then, "...Do you have someone in there with you?"

 

Minsoo scrubbed a hand over his face. "Byung, if you open that door I swear to god I will in your laundry basket." 

 

Niel had plastered is hand over his mouth to muffle his laughter. He laid back onto the bed and stretched deeply. "So what now? You can't hide me in your bedroom forever. Eventually I'm going to need to get back into my apartment." 

 

"! I completely forgot. I'll give Mr. Li a call." Minsoo rolled over and sat up, searching for his phone on the bedside table. When he picked it up, he had an unread text from Chanhee. He made a quick call to Mr. Li, who said Niel could come get new keys in thirty minutes. Minsoo thanked him and hung up hastily, wondering what Chanhee was messaging him about. He hadn't seen him since the party last night and he wasn't crashed in the living room with the rest of the guys when they got home. Minsoo stared at the screen for a moment, hesitating. It had been a really interesting couple of days but he was pretty content at this moment, and whatever this message was going to say could either be nothing or everything. He sighed and selected "read." 

 

 

Minsoo chuckled. "Oh, no, this should be interesting." 

 

"Did something happen?" Niel asked, scooting over to Minsoo on the bed and resting his head on his shoulder. 

 

"I don't think so, just a message from Chanhee. Apparently the guys didn't try to find him after the party."

 

"Hm...oh! , Minsoo, I'm so sorry, we were so drunk that I didn't remember until now, but I saw him leave the party...he was with that Jackson guy, they had their jackets on and Jackson had keys in his hand. You had fallen asleep already. I didn't think it was important..." 

 

Minsoo hit the button for Chanhee's name in his phone and put him on speaker. After three rings he picked up. 

 

"It's about time one of you s answered me," Chanhee sassed as he answered. "What the hell are you doing?"

 

"We were asleep," Minsoo told him. "Just woke up a few minutes ago."

 

"We, huh? Did you bring someone home, too Min?" Chanhee teased.

 

"Maybe I did, what do you mean too? Chan, were you with Jackson?"

 

"Maybe I'm still with him," was the only reply.

 

Minsoo had figured as much, but he still asked, "Are you at his place?"

 

Chanhee giggled and Minsoo envisioned the evil grin he knew Chanhee had on his face this very moment. "Oh no, we're on the fourth floor, the guys didn't come home last night."

 

"Yeah, they're all here," Minsoo informed his friend. "They were passed out this morning when we got here."

 

"There's that mysterious we again, Min. Who did you bring home? Was it that bartender chick? Jonghyun hit on her for about two hours, she wasn't having any of it though, made me laugh to watch her shut him down--"

 

"It wasn't her," Minsoo inserted. "It's someone Byung introduced me to."

 

Chanhee scoffed. "Well, speaking of Byung, you can tell that er I had an excellent time last night, not that he'll ask." 

 

"Oh...okay, listen Chan, is there something you maybe need to talk to Byung about?"

 

"Min, there are several things I need to talk to Byung about, but trust me, he doesn't care to hear them from someone who doesn't have a nice pair of . Fortunately I have some other friends who do care." 

 

"Alright, well, we're about to hit the bong if you want to come up." Minsoo tried to change the subject. He really didn't want to be in the middle of this lovers' spat between two people who weren't even lovers.

 

"I might just do that. Might be fun to annoy Byung this afternoon. Thanks Min." Chanhee made a kissy noise and hung up. 

 

"He's quite sassy," Niel snickered. "I like him a lot." 

 

Minsoo turned to him and smiled. "He keeps things interesting, especially with his flair for the dramatic. I'm just surprised he brought a guy like Jackson home, I thought he was sort of, you know, into you."

 

Niel eyed him quizzically. "What do you mean?"

 

"Well, they way he was with you in the lobby last night..." Minsoo wasn't sure why he was bringing it up. He didn't really have a reason to be jealous. He knew why Chanhee was doing it. Maybe he just needed to hear it from Niel. 

 

"You mean the show he was putting on for Byung?" Niel laughed. "I saw right through it. When I was hanging out with those guys the other day before I met you, I saw the way he was with Byunghun and I talked with him about it. He was amazed I could tell, but I just knew right away. The way he looks at him, you know? I have a sixth sense for these things." 

 

Minsoo nodded, and Niel nudged him in the shoulder, teasing, "Are you jealous, Minsoo?"

 

Minsoo shoved him playfully, but hard enough so that he just flopped backwards onto the bed. He was on top of him in an instant, brushing his lips over Niel's and whispering, "I don't think that would do me any good, do you?"

 

Niel giggled and wrapped his arms around Minsoo's neck, pulling him deeper into the kiss with a satisfied sigh. Minsoo was determined to stay in the bedroom and kill the remaining minutes until Niel could pick his keys up, but Byunghun seemed determined not to let that happen. There was a loud series of knocks at Minsoo's bedroom door once more. 

 

"Goddammit, Byung, what?" He called with an irritated tone. 

 

"Sorry, just...have you heard from Chanhee?"

 

Minsoo sighed, and rolled off of Niel with a groan. "I just talked to him. Give me a minute, okay?" Byunghun didn't reply but Minsoo heard his retreating footsteps, and the sounds of heavy coughs and laughter coming from the living room. 

 

"All hell is going to break loose when Chanhee gets up here, just wait," he mumbled to Niel as he rifled through the closet for a clean shirt. "I shouldn't be getting in the middle of their , but they're both so childish. I feel like I'm babysitting sometimes. Changhyun is the only one who ever behaves himself." 

 

"You guys are fun, though," Niel replied. "Byunghun is oblivious but he's a good guy. I can tell he cares for Chanhee, just not in the way Chan wants."

 

"You haven't seen the mode that Chanhee is capable of, but yeah, of course he cares," Minsoo explained.  "We've been friends for ages. I just hope they don't try to beat the out of each other. That usually happens when they fight, and then Jonghyun and I have to break them up, and Changhyun freaks out when they fight because he's so sensitive and hates confrontation."

 

Niel raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know they got that...physical. That's interesting." 

 

"Oh, it'll be interesting all right." Minsoo finished dressing himself and held out a hand to Niel. "I should let them know he's coming before he gets up here. He might bring Jackson." 

 

Niel took Minsoo's hand and let himself be led from the bedroom, a thick wall of pot smoke hitting their noses as soon as the door was open. A two-foot bong was sitting on the coffee table, cashed but still slightly smoking. Jonghyun was on his 3DS and Changhyun was playing against Byunghun on the X-box. 

 

"Chanhee is on his way up," Minsoo announced, making his friends look at him. They dismissed the statement, but then all did a double take. Byunghun was the one to speak up. "Niel?" 

 

Niel smiled and waved, "What's up guys?" he asked like he hadn't just come out of their room mates's bedroom. 

 

"That's who you had in there?" Byunghun asked, an incredulous tone in his voice. 

 

"Yeah..." Minsoo began weakly. "We uh, passed out at Nam's and came home this morning. He was locked out of his apartment. We're about to go get new keys for him from Mr. Li." 

 

"You let another guy sleep in your bed?" Jonghyun asked. "No offense, Niel...just, you know, Minsoo with a guy in his bed? That hasn't happened since Tr--"

 

"Shut up right now, Jong." Minsoo warned sharply. "Yes, he slept in my bed. Is that an issue?"

 

Jonghyun looked stunned. "Sorry, Min, you know we don't care. I mean, Chanhee..."

 

Byunghun cut across them,  "What about Chanhee?"

 

Changhyun piped up, "Byung, how stupid are you? Did you see who Chanhee left with last night?" 

 

Byung looked from Changhyun to Niel and Minsoo, then to Jonghyun, who were all looking at him nervously. 

 

"Did I miss something?" He asked confusedly, looking around at the group. "What's going on?"

 

The rest of them were spared having to answer him, because they heard footsteps outside and the door knob turned, and in a split second Chanhee burst in without knocking. "What's up, es?" He called as he hung his keys on the hook next to the door. A dark-haired, toned figure followed him across the threshold, his usual smirk in place. "You all know Jackson," Chanhee added as Jackson greeted them all. 

 

Minsoo wished he'd had a camera to film the moment. Jonghyun and Changhyun waved to Jackson as he sat down on the sofa next to Chanhee, who leaned back lackadaisically, crossing his graceful legs and draping an arm around Jackson's shoulders. Byunghun's jaw nearly hit the floor.  Chanhee had the most satisfied grin on his face, sneering at Byunghun. 

 

"You've killed the bong already!" He exclaimed, as if the entire situation was normal. "Give it here, then." He slid the long water pipe closer to him on the table and dug into his pocket for his bag of buds. Niel was trying to hide his giggles and Minsoo was exchanging nervous glances with Changhyun and Jonghyun. They all knew this was a delicate situation. Chanhee knew exactly what he was doing. 

 

Byung's mouth was still agape as he watched Chanhee a long rip of smoke from the bong and pass it to Jackson and then the rest in turn. When it was his turn, he took his hit still suspiciously eyeing Jackson. As he blew his smoke out, he said, "Okay, so...is anyone going to tell me what the is going on here?" He gestured at Chanhee and Jackson. 

 

Chanhee leaned forward and rested his face in his hands, looking pointedly at Byunghun and, giving him his iest and sarcasm-dripped voice, said "What could you possibly mean, Byung?" 

 

Byunghun flexed his fingers and curled his fists. He'd abandoned his game controller. "You know damn well what I mean, Chan." 

 

"If you're referring to the fact I left Nam's party with Jackson, and now it's the next day and we're here, then I'm not sure what it is you want me to explain," Chanhee shot back. 

 

Byunghyun shot up from the couch in a millisecond and threw his hands up. "Is everybody ing gay around here all of a sudden?" He shrieked. 

 

"I'm not exactly gay, per se," Minsoo piped up. He loved Byunghun like a brother, but sometimes he was so clueless it astounded him. He needed this moment of clarity. 

 

Chanhee stood up too, maneuvering past the coffee table to get in Byunghun's face. His face was beet red and his tone was frigid.

 

"It's not all of a sudden, Byung. I've been gay since the ing day you met me. It's just in the past year I've decided to do something about it. It's not my fault you're too much of a skirt-chasing idiot to notice." 

 

He whirled around and held a hand out to Jackson. "We'll be leaving now," he told his companion curtly, and Jackson jumped up to follow him. "It's been a pleasure, gents," he said pleasantly and gave a small bow as he followed Chanhee out the door and shut it behind them. 

 

Byunghun was still standing, silently fuming with his fists balled and shaking. He looked at the other four of his friends. "Can someone please explain to me what the  just happened?" his voice came out in a shaky whisper. 

 

Changhyun shrugged, afraid to detonate the situation any further, and Jonghyun just offered a simple mumble of "I dunno, dude, seemed pretty obvious..." 

 

Minsoo looked at Niel. "I think we should go grab your keys now," He told him. 

 

Niel nodded energetically. Minsoo gave Byunghun a clap on the shoulder. "Byung, don't be mad at Chan. He knows what he's doing," 

 

Byunghun nodded numbly. "It's just...Jackson Wang? Is he serious? Everyone knows how that guy is..." 

 

"I know, man. But if it doesn't bother Chanhee, then we shouldn't worry about it." Byunghun nodded again, mumbling a faint "Yeah...you're probably right..." 

 

Niel offered a piece of advice. "Byung, if you don't mind me saying...maybe you should just think about why it bothers you so much..." 

 

Byunghun opened his mouth to reply, but closed it again and nodded. Niel smiled and followed Minsoo out of the apartment. 

 

Minsoo let out a breath as soon as they were out. "Told you was going to hit the fan. Sorry it got so intense in there." 

 

Niel shrugged as they walked toward the apartment office building at the front of the complex. "It's sort of exciting. Living alone doesn't leave room for much spicy drama like that." 

 

Minsoo laughed and wove their fingers together. "You'll fit right in with us then." he told him. "Although, if it's spiciness you're after, I make a fantastic curry." 

 

Niel shoved him playfully, and they made idle chit chat all the way to the maintenance office. Mr. Li gave Niel his keys cheerfully and told them that any lad who was friends with Minsoo could call him anytime, and about how Minsoo was such a nice young man for helping him out with his car so often. Minsoo was getting that familiar jerk in his stomach again, because now that they were headed back towards their building, he knew Niel would need to go home. He probably had lesson plans to do or songs to practice. 

 

What was next though? Should he let Niel disappear back into his apartment, and then return across the hall to his own to smoke more weed and play video games with the guys? That all seemed like such an empty idea to him now. How long did he need to wait before he saw Niel again? Would Niel even want to see him again? He guessed he would, but what was the protocol here? Minsoo wasn't experienced at dating guys. Jonghyun had almost said his name, the name that Minsoo had tried so hard to forget existed. He almost spoiled everything for Minsoo. If he'd even heard the name he knew he wouldn't have been able to keep his composure. He shook those cobwebs from his brain for the hundredth time this week as they climbed into the elevator and ascended back up to the sixth floor and reached Niel's door once more. 

 

"So...what are you doing tonight?" 

 

Niel leaned with his back flat against the door and smiled. "I'm going to do some writing," he said sweetly, "I'm composing a song for my students to perform, there's an open house next week for the parents and we're doing a performance. I've still got some tweaking to do on the melody but I've got the lyrics down. I just need to fiddle around on the piano a bit."

 

"I didn't know you could play piano," Minsoo's voice was low and sensual. "You're so talented." 

 

"There's a lot of things you can learn about me if you pay attention," Niel teased, trailing a finger down Minsoo's chest. He was definitely into this flirty , Minsoo noted. 

 

"But how will I ever find the time if you're locked away playing piano like the phantom of the opera?" Minsoo pulled Niel close and pressed a hand to the small of his back, bringing the other one to the back of his neck. 

 

"I've got to get some work done sometime, I've got lessons so plan," Niel replied, but his voice was low in his throat. 

 

"I guess you're going to need to let me take you out for dinner tomorrow night, then," Minsoo breathed, and connected their lips for the the first time in what seemed like hundreds of hours. Niel made another one of those noises that drove Minsoo crazy and he pressed him up against the door, a little harder than he intended. From the gasp Niel emitted, he didn't seem to mind. He ran his hands up Minsoo's shirt and over his muscular back. He was pulling Minsoo tightly to his body, grinding their hips together, softly every now and then against his mouth. 

 

Minsoo almost forgot that it was broad daylight, and that they were in the open hallway, not in a closed bedroom. He gave one last bite to Niel's bottom lip before pulling away, breathing slightly heavier, and gave him a sly grin. 

 

"You know how to make an exit, I'll give you that, Min," Niel teased as he opened his door and stepped inside. "I'll see you tomorrow night." 

 

Minsoo could only continue grinning at Niel's usage of the affectionate nickname, and he wink at the last visible sliver of Niel's face as the door closed. It didn't dawn on him until he was already back on his own couch with the X-box controller in hand, that he hadn't had a single dream while Niel slept next to him.