The next morning Kibum woke Taemin up and both of them headed towards the railway station to catch their train to the village. They sighed with relief to find their train standing motionless and headed towards the three that had gathered at the entrance to one of the carriages.

“Kibum!” A boy called out, and Kibum smiled, dragging Taemin with him as he joined the circle. “Phew, on time!” He giggled and Kibum showed him his tongue before pushing Taemin in front.

“My cousin I talked about! Lee Taemin!”

“Hi Taemin, I am Jinki.” The one who had called out to Kibum, said, shaking his hand vigorously.

“And I am Jonghyun.” Another said, patting Taemin’s back. Taemin swayed in his force and he caught him by the arm, keeping him on his feet, “Sorry for that!” He chuckled.

“It’s alright.” Taemin smiled. He then looked at the last one of the group, who was yet to introduce himself. He was strikingly handsome and seemed to be taken aback at his presence, which Taemin chose to ignore. But him remaining silent intrigued Taemin, and he looked closer, feeling a tad bit envious, for he was dressed in far more decent clothes than Kibum had made him put on. The moment the guy felt Taemin’s gaze, he looked away. An awkward silence took over the five standing on the platform, before Kibum cleared his throat and the tall nameless guy finally spoke up.

“Minho. Hi.”

Taemin smiled a little, “Hi, Minho.”

Kibum ushered them into the train after that and Minho set all their bags on the top berth before flopping down at the window seat. Kibum and Jinki went out to buy some last minute snacks and Jonghyun dropped beside Minho, earphones in. Taemin took the opposite window seat, sitting cross legged as there was no one beside him yet. He leaned at the window, looking out to find Kibum and Jinki quarrelling about what to buy. He chuckled at that and looked away from the window to find Minho looking at him. When he turned completely, the tall guy had looked away again. Taemin’s brows wrinkled in confusion, but he shrugged it off as Kibum and Jinki had entered their compartment, hands full with packets of food.

Kibum started distributing stuff and Jonghyun started to complain at his less share.

“You get sick easy, so shut up!” Kibum shouted, and the whole compartment grew quiet. Taemin looked at Kibum, and then at Jonghyun, whose face was contorted in such a hilariously miserable way that he couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Every head turned to him when he laughed, and soon Jinki had joined him too.

“Yah, what is there to laugh about?” Kibum shouted again, and right then the train began to move, making Kibum fall on his face.

Taemin couldn’t help but laugh louder at his cousin, embarrassed and fuming as Jinki helped him up.

Jonghyun had started to roll in laughter, mumbling something about punishment for not sharing fair. Jinki was holding back his chuckles, for Kibum was throwing death glares at him, but he gave up eventually, laughing hard as he hugged Kibum casually.

Kibum’s face swelled up in anger, but he bit his lip and sat tight, glaring elsewhere. The only one apart from him who wasn’t laughing was Minho, who instead had his gaze stuck at the laughing Taemin, a smile on his face.

The compartment grew quiet eventually, and the miffed Kibum was consoled when everyone agreed to play his choice of games.

“Truth or dare!” Kibum exclaimed happily, spinning an empty soda bottle on the seat. Minho and Jinki groaned at his choice, but Jonghyun was staring at the spinning bottle excitedly, waiting for it to stop at someone.

It stopped at Jinki and Jonghyun cheered loudly, pulling Kibum towards him to whisper something in his ear.

“Truth or dare?” Kibum asked Jinki who sighed before saying, “Truth.”

Jonghyun let out a soft “Yes!” and Taemin chuckled softly at him. Jonghyun winked at him, not being able to contain the goofiness that had sprung up on his face due to his anticipation.

“No silly questions like, who do you like, who is she or he, how far have you got, okay?” Jinki frowned.

“Yeah, yeah.” Kibum said, “Then are you ready for your question, Mr Jinki?”

“Spit it out already.”

“It’s not a question I can spit out.” He said, changing seats to whisper the question in Jinki’s ear. The moment the question was whispered, Jinki’s face grew immensely red, making Jonghyun roar with laughter. Taemin looked at them, lost, and Jonghyun shifted seats and whispered what had been asked. Taemin’s eyes widened and he blushed a little. “Just look at Jinki.” Jonghyun whispered and Taemin turned towards the boy, soft chuckles leaving him at the red that had spread to the boy’s ears.

“I had told you, no silly questions.” Jinki muttered.

“I only asked if ever your junk has been grabbed, and if yes, elaborate.” Kibum recited the question loudly. “Now answer, you can’t back out.”

Jinki sighed, “Yes. At the club. When I was dancing. By some woman way older than me.”

Kibum’s eyes widened before he rolled in laughter, “You really…?”

Jonghyun was enjoying it too much, and Minho seemed amused. Taemin tried not to laugh, but eventually, chuckles left him. “I am sorry.” He said softly, to which Jinki responded with a wave, grinning later on.

The bottle was spun again, and it pointed to Jonghyun who chose dare. Jinki got his little revenge on him by daring him to go ask a man in the other apartment for his number. Jonghyun came running back when the man gave him angry looks and he was punished by lessening his already small share of snacks.

It pointed to Minho next time, who chose dare as well, and Kibum dared him to stand in the aisle, with his shirt off for two whole minutes.

Taemin was taken aback when the reluctant looking Minho obliged and stood his allotted two minutes, semi- in the aisle. Taemin didn’t glance at him, but the way Kibum and Jonghyun were enjoying the scene, he was tempted to look. The tall boy seemed embarrassed, despite his torso not possessing any embarrassing trait, and he stood uncomfortably with his arms folded in the aisle. Taemin couldn’t help but feel a little pity, but when the two minutes were done with and Minho rushed in to wear his shirt, Taemin’s pity changed into something else on seeing coyness glinting from Minho's eyes. He had seen embarrassment grace the other three’s faces as well...but somehow, Minho’s face was graced all too differently, making Taemin not want to look away.

A while later, he shook his head, flusteredness filling into him on finding his gaze stray shamelessly. He chided himself, before getting back into the game.

It was Taemin’s turn next, who chose truth, not wanting to undo his shirt or anything similar.

“No silly questions.” Jinki said in a warning tone. Jonghyun pouted and Kibum was lost in thought, thinking of something fun to ask. “Let Minho ask.” Jinki said, “You both will never come up with anything decent.”

After a little argument, the chance to ask was given to Minho, who seemed a little nervous as he thought what to ask. Taemin looked at him expectantly, and Minho couldn’t get himself to meet the boy’s gaze. Instead he fired away the first question that came to his mind.

“Do you like chocolates?”

Everyone stared at Minho in horror, while Taemin seemed surprised. “...Yes I do. I have a crazy sweet tooth.”

“Way to waste such an opportunity, Minho!” Jonghyun hit his head, making the tall boy scowl.

Next was Kibum’s turn and he chose dare. Jinki and Jonghyun discussed a long while, before whispering bits to Minho and Taemin, and getting a nod from them both, Jinki recited the dare, “On the next stop, you will get down in your pajamas, and run like a chicken, making chicken sounds for...one, no two minutes.”

Kibum’s mouth fell open, “No way.”

“Yes way.” Jonghyun smirked, “You can’t back out.”

Kibum settled in his seat, defeated, and he shot a glare at the chuckling duo, and then at the ignorant but amused Minho, and then finally to his innocently smiling cousin.

“What you smiling about?” Kibum snapped at Taemin, “You got out of it just fine!” He turned to Minho, scowling, “Seriously froggie, you couldn’t think any better than chocolates?”

Taemin looked at Minho who just shrugged, looking a bit embarrassed. Taemin spotted that trait again, and he couldn’t help but look a while, before looking away. The next stop arrived and Taemin sighed softly, confused at his strange interest in Kibum’s friend.

Jonghyun pulled Kibum up and Jinki threw him pajamas from the top berth, “Be loud.”

Kibum changed into his pajamas in the washroom and got out onto the platform, fidgeting nervously.

“Oi!” Jonghyun called out from the window, and Kibum grimaced, before reluctantly lifting his arms up and flapping them like a chicken.

“Run!” Jinki shouted.

Kibum cursed loudly before he started running to and fro, setting the whole compartment in hysterical laughter.

“We can’t hear you, Kibum!” Jonghyun shouted, and Kibum’s face flushed as he started murmuring something.

“Louder!” Minho and Taemin both shouted at the same time.

“Cuc coo roo roo rooooo!”

After that one sound, the four were rolling with laughter, and Taemin swore he heard the next compartment chuckling as well.

Jinki signalled Kibum to come back, and the boy rushed in, hiding his face which had reddened in embarrassment. He shut the door of the compartment, effectively shutting anyone who would peek in, or any laughter that would seep in.

“I ing hate you guys.” Kibum cursed.

“Aw, we love you too, Bummie.” Jinki said between his chuckles.

“I have never laughed so hard for such a long time.” Taemin panted, as his laughter died down a while later.

“Kibum.” Minho spoke all of a sudden, “You made the noise a rooster makes, not a chicken.”

“Oh yeah!” Jonghyun’s eyes widened, “You cheat! You have to do it again!”

Kibum just stared at him in horror for a while, before taking off his slipper and hurling it at him.

“Okay, okay! A rooster would suffice.” Jonghyun said, catching his slipper just before it hit his face.

“Let’s call it a night, guys.” Jinki yawned as he climbed to the upper berth. The berth opposite to his housed their bags, so Jonghyun and Kibum took the two middle berths, leaving the lower berths to Minho and Taemin.

Taemin shifted in his berth, adjusting his pillow. The trains were different and the seats too, and sleeping in such a tight space was something new, and quite uncomfortable. All the others had fallen asleep, except for Taemin. He squirmed in his berth a while, before giving up all hopes of getting any sleep and took out his mobile to check his SNS. He found his homepage filled with more photos of Yunhee, and he scrolled down, looking at each of them patiently as they loaded.

A small smile brewed on his face, for the throbbing of his heart had become fainter, but he still felt slightly uncomfortable while looking at the pictures. He didn’t know what troubled him, but it was fading- he could feel that. He felt his heart lighten quite a bit, and he logged out, looking forward to sleep with a heart less burdened.

He tossed his phone into his pocket, and tried to sleep, but he just couldn’t. He glanced at the other four, who had managed to doze off without an effort. He recalled Kibum saying during one of their skype calls that their dorm beds were small and hard, and hence Taemin concluded that to be the reason for them to adjust to the berths. He had forever slept on a soft mattress and the berth was too hard for his back. He did not know for how long he squirmed, but he managed to finally fall asleep.

A jerk woke him up early the next morning and he groaned softly as he looked o