The next week KIbum and Jinki were sitting outside of a convenience store on the way home from school eating ice creams and talking about their plans for the weekend. They walked home together a lot, and often stopped for snacks on the way. 

"Oh, I almost forgot." Kibum interjected, "I invited Lee Taemin to join us for sketching at some point. If you think it'll be weird you can say no and I'll pretend I forgot, but I felt kind of bad, and he's been working really hard in class so I think it could be chill."

Jinki looked up thoughtfully from his cookie dough cone. "Hmm...I don't really know him, but we could always try it out once, see how it goes, and then take it from there. I thought he was into dance though, not art?"

Kibum popped the last piece of cone into his mouth. "Me too. I thought he was just taking the class for an easy A, but he's gotten really into it. He must be really competitive with himself or something, he totally zones out in class to focus on his work. I'm not saying he's great or anything, but it's definitely made me respect him more."

Jinki turned his head at this statement and looked at Kibum a little differently, speaking with a cautious tone. "When you say respect do you..."

Kibum knew what he meant. He sometimes used the word 'respect' to refer to people he had platonic crushes on, but he barely knew Taemin. 

"No, no. I just wouldn't mind getting to know him if I had the opportunity, that's all."

The truth was, there was just something about Taemin that he couldn't get out of his head. He'd never thought twice about the boy before, but now suddenly he was seeing him every day. He was almost forced to observe the way Taemin's eyes narrowed as he concentrated, the way his hair never quite stayed behind his ear no matter how many time he brushed it back with his hand, the way his fingers were slightly double-jointed, and the way his face lit up when he was proud of something he'd drawn. He had a simpleness to him that Kibum thought was rare, and at the same time he had a complexity that Kibum was sure he would find beautiful if he ever discovered it's whole truth. However, to get to that point he would have to really get to know his classmate, and he wasn't sure he wanted to, wasn't sure he wanted to get involved with someone that so many other people were interested in. 

Kibum had never dated anyone, and if he was honest the idea of it was one of the few things that scared him. He knew he was different, knew he thought of people in a different way, but would other people respect that? He'd read so many horror stories online of people dumped in relationships for their lack of ual attraction, and he didn't want to waste time getting close to and vulnerable with someone only to be pushed to the curb when they realized he wasn't interested in certain things. It wasn't that he wasn't comfortable with his ual identity, it was that he wasn't sure that other people would be. 

He'd told Jinki about it the moment he'd discovered the term. Jinki was confused at first, but he took the time to listen to Kibum explaining his feelings and now had a pretty good grasp on everything. It felt so freeing for Kibum now, to be able to talk about people he liked or was interested in with his friend and to know that Jinki wasn't assuming things that weren't true about him. It wasn't that he was hiding from telling others, it's just that it didn't feel as necessary. If someone had ever straight up asked him about it he wasn't going to deny his identity, but he didn't feel a need for other people who didn't even know him to know personal details about his life. 

The next day in class Kibum let Taemin know about his and Jinki's weekend plans. Taemin seemed relatively into the idea, and they had exchanged numbers. 

If he was honest, Taemin wasn't sure that going over to Kibum's house was a good idea, but he found it hard to say no to people, and part of him thought it could be nice. He'd enjoyed spending time with Kibum in class, and there wasn't much conversation required when one was sketching. Plus, he loved getting to see people's spaces. He hoped he'd get to see Kibum's room if only for a bit. Seeing the intimate spaces where others existed solely for themselves really helped him to understand them. Seeing a space someone had created for themselves was special. 

That night he had a harder time falling asleep than normal. He was a bit nervous. What if Jinki didn't like him...what if Kibum really didn't like him either? He rationalized that Kibum probably wouldn't have invited him over if he didn't want to spend time with him, but what if he was doing it out of pity, or because he had a crush on Taemin or something? Taemin was all too used to people only taking him by face value and letting that color their opinion of him. It was the main reason why he was hesitant to get involved with anyone anymore. It wasn't that looks weren't important to him too, it's just it always seemed that he was more interested in how his and the other person's personalities fit together while they were more interested in how their bodies fit together...

He turned over and started to count his breaths, hoping that sleep would find him soon. 

The next day he dressed in his favorite pair of ripped jeans and a white shirt. He gathered all his things together and waited for his mom to finish her lunch so she could give him a ride. 

He soon found himself shifting his weight from foot to foot as he anxiously waited for Kibum to answer the door. Should he ring the bell again? He didn't want to seem impatient...

Luckily at that moment the door was opened by a slightly bleary eyed Kibum. "Hey." He greeted Taemin. "Sorry, I slept in..."

Taemin chuckled as he stepped inside and Kibum shuffled to close the door behind him. 

"Jinki said he was on his way." Kibum said as he pulled his phone out of his pocket to check it. "We can get set up in here."

He lead Taemin down the hall and into his bedroom. Taemin was blown away. The wall on the left was lined by a long desk strewed with art supplies and half finished projects. It was a mess of color and eraser shavings. His bed was pushed up against the other wall, which had a huge mural on it. It was of a forest clearing with woodland animals such as foxes and hedgehogs around the far sides. In the middle of the clearing were a deer, a buck, and a fawn huddled close. Starting above the trees on that wall and transitioning to cover the entire ceiling was a dark purple, blue, and black swirling night sky. The best part of this large mural was the sparkling gold paint which highlighted the stars and gave fairy lights to the forest. The wall on the far side of the room had a large window with light streaming out of it that covered the room with a soft glow. 

"Kibum..." Taemin didn't know what to say. "This is incredible."

Kibum looked down humbly as he smiled. "Thanks. I just finished it last summer. Here, check this out."

His eyes lit up as he closed the door behind Taemin and crossed the room to pull his curtains to cover the large window. Taemin blinked as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, and suddenly they were as wide as dinner plates. It wasn't just golden paint that Kibum had used, it was glow in the dark paint. His mouth hung open as he tilted his head back to stare at the constellations on the ceiling. This was seriously the coolest room he had ever been in. Kibum had way overshot his expectations. 

"Oh my god." He whispered. He could only imagine what it would be like to sleep under the stars like this. The other boy was silent next to him.

They both jumped as Kibum's phone lit up and vibrated. 

"It's probably Jinki." Kibum said as he reopened the curtains and Taemin's eyes had to adjust for the second time. "You can get set up over here," He gestured to his long desk, "Just push my stuff out of the way."

As Taemin put his bag down and began to unpack his things Kibum went back to the door to let Jinki in. 

"Yoyoyoooo." his friend greeted him enthusiastically, clapping Kibum on the back. "What's up? Are.You.Ready.To.Skeeeeetch?!!"

He did a little hopping dance around himself on Kibum's doorstep to accompany his exaggerated enthusiasm. Kbum cracked up, making Jinki smile triumphantly

"Taemin's already here." Kibum said in a softer voice even though he was sure Taemin couldn't hear him. "I was just showing him my room."

"and?" Jinki asked expectantly.

"He loved it." Kibum replied proudly, and he let Jinki into his house. 

As someone who was very comfortable with his surroundings Jinki went straight into the kitchen and opened the fridge. 

"Yess, iced tea!" He said excitedly. "I was craving some this morning, but we were all out."

He went into the cupboard and got out two glasses, pausing before he got out a third. "Do you think Taemin likes...HEY TAEMIN", he shouted to get the other boy's attention. 

"Yea?" They both heard him reply from the other room. 

"DO YOU WANT ICED TEA?" Jinki shouted back, grinning to himself. 

"Yea, sure."

"Well he's got good tastes." Jinki approved as he poured three glasses full of the amber liquid. 

As Jinki poured Kibum got out a bowl and filled it with his favorite snack food. 

"Do you think this is going to be weird?" Kibum asked apprehensively. 

"Only if we make it weird, it'll be fine" Jinki reassured him and he led the way to Kibum's room, balancing the three drinks in his arms. 

Kibum gawked as they entered the room. Taemin was finishing putting away the last colored pencil into his correct container. He had just cleaned up Kibum's entire desk.

"Holy crap you didn't have to do that." he said as he put down the bowl of snacks. 

"I'd forgotten what color this desk even was." Jinki joked as he passed around the drinks. 

Taemin's cheeks turned a slight shade darker with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, I..."

"No, it's ok, you don't have to apologize." Kibum explained, "I just wasn't expecting it. Thanks!"

He went into the other room to grab some extra folding chairs so they could all sit down at the desk as Taemin brought out their list of sketchbook assignments. 

"So," Kibum started as he leaned back in his chair, looking at his own list, "Which one do you want to do today?"

Taemin skimmed the list until his eyes fell on something he liked. "What about leaves?" He asked Kibum. 

"Sure. That's easy enough to get, come on."

Taemin followed Kibum and Jinki out of the room and down another hallway that lead to the back door. Kibum had a decently sized backyard with some wonderfully tall trees. 

"These look like they'd be awesome for climbing." Taemin observed outloud, his limbs itching to tackle the one nearest to him. 

"Oh my god, yes." Kibum replied more enthusiastically than he had been expecting. "Seriously, try it out if you want. I used to spend hours in these things."

As the other two searched on the ground for some interesting looking leaves Taemin circled the tree he was by, looking for a good limb to hoist himself up onto. Soon enough he was halfway up the tree, sitting on a sturdy branch and leaning against the trunk, taking in the nice view. 

"Woah, you're pretty fast." Kibum called up.

"Thanks." Taemin answered. "My neighbor used to let me climb their trees before they moved away. My mom was always afraid I was going to break something." He moved his eyes around and stood up to grab some interesting looking leaves. From there he gracefully maneuvered himself down the tree and finally leapt to the ground. 

"Everyone got their stuff?" Jinki asked. "Alright, let's go team!" He punched the air and lead the way back into Kibum's room. 

The next hour was very enjoyable for everyone. Once they had started everyone pretty much got into their own workflow, and they only stopped to ask each other for suggestions and make comments. Kibum helped Taemin with his shading, and Jinki gave him some useful tips about perspective. With their assistance Taemin could definitely see his sketch improving. Of course, whenever Kibum or Jinki held theirs up to ask something he couldn't help but feel a bit discouraged. 

After a while Jinki's phone rang and he had to leave to pick up his sister, leaving Kibum and Taemin alone. Befor leaving he clapped Taemin's shoulder in a friendly way and told him he would see him at school. Taemin was really relieved to find that they got along. He thought Jinki's jokes were really funny, and he couldn't help but like the other guy. He had the feeling of someone who was good at looking out for and taking care of others. He seemed like he would be a really great friend.

"So, what did you think, how was it?" Kibum asked, trying to make conversation. The afternoon had gone by smoothly and hadn't been awkward, but he was afraid things might change now that Jinki had left. He was really glad to see Taemin interacting so well with his best friend. 

"To be honest, it's a bit of a downer drawing with you guys, but I had fun overall. I know I can't expect myself to be really good cause I just started, but I can't help being a little frustrated." Taemin turned his chair to face Kibum and propped his legs up on Jinki's abandoned chair. 

"I wouldn't worry too much, you've got a great start, but if it makes you feel any better come check this out." Kibum got up from his chair and bent down to pull some boxes out from under his bed. After finding the one he was looking for he gestured for Taemin to join him on the floor. He slipped off his chair wordlessly, curious what the other boy was about to show him.

"This is one of my first sketchbooks." Kibum said, holding it out so Taemin could see. "I'm really bad at throwing stuff away, and this is kind of special, you know? It shows me how far I've come whenever I start to feel like I'm not improving."

He handed the book to Taemin so he could flip through the pages. They were covered with many different things, some that Taemin recognized from around their town or in Kibum's house. Although they still showed something of Kibum's artistic style and talent he had to admit that his classmate had definitely improved a lot over the years. Taemin realized that he was being shown a snapshot of Kibum's life, a look into things he observed, spaces in which he had spend extended periods of time. Although the other boy probably hadn't meant it, he was showing him a small intimate peek into who he was.

"I get what you're trying to say," Taemin said as he continued to look, "but these are still better than anything I've ever drawn. You're seriously good." 

He e of the last few pages to find a couple of drawings of the same person, a boy. They looked like sketches done without the other knowing. The kid had a sparkle in his eyes and he was laughing and smiling,covering his mouth. Kibum's graphite depiction of him brought him to life before Taemin's eyes. 

"Who's this?" He asked, only realizing afterwards that perhaps it wasn't the best thing to do. 

To his surprise Kibum blushed a little and snatched the book out of his hands. 

"No one, " he muttered. "Just someone I thought was cute." 

He turned his back to Taemin as he put the book back into it's box and under his bed. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry." Taemin started. "If it's any consolation to you I-" But before he could finish saying that he liked guys too-at least that's what he was assuming Kibum was hinting at- his phone rang. His mom was outside waiting, and there was no time to continue the conversation. It wasn't exactly something Taemin wanted to spew off in a couple of sentences. It deserved time for thoughts and courage. 

After Taemin left, thanking him for the food and advice Kibum went to lay on his bed. As he stared at the ceiling he struggled to make out what he was thinking. He still wasn't sure that being around Taemin was a good thing for him. He was so used to being sure of how he felt before he met him. Now he was all mixed up and confused. After today he realized he definitely thought Taemin was cute, but was that it? He had to admit that seeing him climb that tree had definitely made him like the other boy more, and the time the three of them had spent together sketching had been really fun. If nothing else, he thought he'd at least like to be able to count Taemin as one of his friends in the future. Apart from that...he guessed he'd just have to spend more time with him to figure out the truth of his feelings. 

Author's Note: Yaaayyyyy I finially finished this chapter!! It took me so long, probably cause it ended up being twice as long as I usually write chapters. I really hope you guys like how things are going. I think it's best if things between them move slowly so I'm going to try to portray that, but sometimes I get kind of impatient so we'll see. I need to plan out the next few chapters so I have a good idea of how things will move. 

Thanks so much for subscribing and commenting. It really means a lot. Don't be afraid to leave comments or suggestions, I'd love to hear them. :)

Also, on a more serious note, I was planning on talking about Kibum's relationship with his family in this chapter but decided to leave it out completely after what recently happened. Unless I change how I feel I probably won't be mentioning them in the story.