Taemin sat in the passenger seat of Key’s bright pink convertible, half paying attention to his mother-like rambles as they sped down the main drag of the cities fashion district. After the fiasco with Minho’s…intense pedicure, Key had offered Taemin some time off from the spa, much to Tae’s delight. Instead, they were going shopping- which was apparently one of Key’s favorite past times. Of course, he had originally loathed the idea, but he hated the idea of staying in the salon even more, causing him to reluctantly agree to spend the day looking for a new suit for prom. 

He internally sighed as they rolled up to the nearest mall and parked. Climbing out of the car, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and kept his head bowed as he trailed closely behind Key. He walked close to the elder as they weaved in and out of various stores and speciality shoppes. The hours seemed to drag on for the younger as Key pushed him into probably the hundredth fitting room that day. 

“Key…is this really necessary?” 

“Pft. Of course it is! You want to look fantastic for prom don’t you?”

“I told you before I don’t even want to go to prom.” His voice muffled as he pulled his t-shirt over his head. Carefully he picked up the grey pin-stripped suit and slipped it on, piece by piece. He placed his hand on the door knob and breathed deeply before stepping out into the main dressing area. 

Mirrors and benches lined the walls of the small room, allowing him to feel some relief for the privacy. Key was inspecting himself in one of the full length mirrors when Taemin caught his eye. He gasped loudly and spun on his heels to drink in the sight of the younger boy. 

“Oh baby you look stunning!” He screeched as he hurried to the boy’s side before forcing him into a quick spin. 

“K-Key!” Taemin exclaimed in protest. He felt far from stunning. The dress pants were miles too long and the dress jacket arms reached passed his finger tips, and as far as he saw in the full length mirror, the grey color paired with his already pale tan-less skin made him looked “washed out.”

“So it needs some alternations, but it could totally work!” The elder clapped his hands excitedly. Tae sighed and shook his head. 

“Key, I-I just don’t feel like…me in this.” Key cocked his eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest. 

“Well what would you wear? Because a t-shirt and jeans is not appropriate attire for the occasion.” He huffed sarcastically. Taemin rolled his eyes and let out a small chuckle; like before he felt himself unwind and the barriers he had worked so hard to build were slowly crumbling away. He felt normal around Key. Sure, the feline boy was beautiful, but he never flaunted it, instead he prided himself on his inner beauty and his loud and bold personalty. Something Taemin had secretly envied him for. He was comfortable around the elder and felt like he could share anything with him…well, almost anything. 

Tae smiled softly before speaking. “Can…can I try to find something that’s more me then?” Key’s eyes widened at the suggestion but stepped aside to let Taemin through. He followed the boy closely and silently as he slunk through the endless racks of suits. Each time Taemin stopped Key raised an eyebrow, noting the brandnames and styles that younger picked out. Finally after what seemed like an hour search, the younger selected what he considered to be the perfect suit. 

Slipping into the dressing room he suddenly felt a sense of excitement that he hadn’t felt in a long time. Maybe it was because he was shopping with a boy who he knew wouldn’t judge him, or the fact that it was the first time in a very very long time that he had dressed up for something special. 

In the dressed room, he carefully pulled on the black pair of dress pants and tucked in the white heart-print designer shirt. Finally he added the black jacket to match, a rose embroidered in white on the front added a dash of flair to the otherwise black suit. He took one last breath and re-adjusted his messy bun before stepping out of the fitting room. 

He heard Key in a breath as the older stared him up and down, his eyes going wide. Tae swallowed hard as a dark shade of pink tinted his cheeks. “Well?” He choked out. 

“Well….I’m impressed.” Tae cocked his head to one side in confusion before Key continued. “It’s just normally boys don’t go for that style or brand because of the price or the quality material.”

“Is that a good thing or bad thing?” 

“That’s a great thing Tae…I’m just shocked. No offense but…we didn’t think you had any sense of fashion…like at all.” Tae slightly smiled and adverted his eyes from the elder. 

“It wasn’t always like this.” He mumbled quietly. Key stepped closer to him and began smoothing out the shoulders of his coat jacket. 

“What do you mean?” He asked gently, knowing that even the wrong question spoken too loud might send the younger into a tizzy. Tae looked down as Key noticed his eyes darken with long forgotten memories. 

“I…” The younger whispered, keeping his head down. 

“Tae?” Key lovingly brushed one of the strands of hair from his face, tucking it behind his ear. “It’s ok, you can tell me. It’s just us.” The younger smiled solemnly before continuing. 

“I use to like doing this…” He motioned to the suit. “I use to like wearing clothes like this.” Key hummed in response, carefully calculating how to respond. 

“Well, somethings don’t change no matter how much we want them too, but don’t feel bad Taemin, it’s part of who you are. You should be proud of who you are.” Tae took Key’s hand in his and squeezed it gently. 

“I can’t. Not when being who I am is…ugly.” Suddenly Key pulled the younger into a bone crushing hug, wanting nothing more than to protect the seemingly fragile boy standing before him. 

“Taemin. I know it seems impossible for you to believe, but you aren’t ugly. You’re far from it.” Taemin stayed silent as he wiped away the few tears that fell down his cheeks. He slowly pulled away from the other, giving him a shy, but broken smile.

“Thank you Key.” He whispered. Part of him wanted to believe what his hyung was telling him, but a bigger part of him knew that it could never be true. 

~

Awkward silence fell between the two as they continued shopping. Key honestly didn’t know what to say, even if he tried he wouldn’t be able to persuade the boy to recognize his own beauty. However, he did notice that once Taemin had paid for the new suit, he walked with a new kind of enthusiasm, an almost excitement that he hadn’t see the boy display before. 

He smiled and bit his lip, thinking of just what Tae went through to make him hate himself so much. He came up with countless possibilities, but never approached Taemin about it. He figured Tae would tell when he was ready to. So he settled for watching over the boy, protecting him, encouraging him, supporting him, and helping him whenever he needed. 

Back in Key’s car, the two chatted idly about movies and music that they liked. However, it didn't take long for Taemin to notice they were no longer nearing his neighborhood. 

“Key-hyung? Where are we going?” Tae asked earnestly from the passenger seat, the strands of his hair flying violently in the wind. 

“Well, the entire staff has off today, so we thought maybe one of us could teach you to dance, seeing as you’ll be needing to learn that for prom.” Taemin froze at the words coming from the elder. 

“Hyung. Believe me when I say this but-“

“Ani, don’t give me any lip. You need to learn to dance. It’s a must. Regardless if you are going to prom or not.” 

“But Key-“

“I’m not taking no for an answer.” Key interrupted, not even giving Taemin a chance to protest. 

“No but Key seriously-“ 

“Besides we’re already here.” He stated flatly as he pulled into a parking space in front of a large brick apartment building. Tae glanced out the windows to see if he recognized the area. 

“Uhh where is here?”

Key hopped out of the car and beckoned Taemin to follow him. He slowly rose from the passenger seat and followed the older into the building. The apartments were on the outskirts of the city, about thirty minutes away from the salon. He followed Key up the endless flight of stairs until they reached the pent house apartments. Key pulled out the keys and unlocked the door. As they entered they heard loud voices drifting throughout the apartment. 

“Baby! We’re home!” Key sang out as he dropped his bags in the foyer. Suddenly Jonghyun stepped out from behind a set of french doors that led into the kitchen. Taemin froze as Jonghyun quickly pecked Key on the lips before turning and greeting him. 

“Hey kid. Any luck today?” He smiled brightly at the younger who stood in complete shock, looking back and forth between the two. 

“We had a great time babe. And you should see the suit he got. It looks great!” Key squealed as he was led into the kitchen where Jonghyun was preparing dinner. Taemin blindly followed them, the shock still setting in. 

“This is…your place?” He asked matter-of-factly. Key only chuckled as he pulled Tae with him into the living room where Onew and Minho sat side by side playing FIFA. Taemin stopped dead when he saw Minho perched on the couch. He looked…different today. He was barefoot in a pair of baggy jeans with a tight fitting t-shirt. His hair was loose and messy, much unlike the small ponytail he would wear at the salon. Taemin blushed and bit his lip as he awkwardly stood in the living room entrance. 

“Its our place.” Key answered. “Well me and Jongie’s, these two have their own places.”

“Hey.” Both Onew and Minho said in unison without ever looking up from the TV screen. 

“Dinner’s almost ready!” Jonghyun yelled from the kitchen. Tae looked at Key, then back at the others. He was still trying to wrap his mind around it all. Since he had met Minho he had always imagined what his private life was like. Heck, he wondered what all of their private lives were like. He assumed that once they came home from the salon they primped their own skin, did their own manicures, and made sure their image was perfect every night before doing the same routine the next day. It was weird to see them outside of the salon and acting so…normal.

“You’re staying for dinner. And then we can work on your dancing.” He only nodded as he slowly seated himself next to Minho, a light blush creeping up on his cheeks. Key’s words barely registered as Taemin glanced around the room taking in the sight. His living room was furnished in modern furniture and artwork. The kitchen was state-of-the-art with brand new appliances and equipment; everything looked pristine yet cozy at the same time. 

“Hey.” He whispered. Suddenly Minho cried out and threw the controller onto the ground as Onew jumped up and started dancing around the room. Tae jumped back in surprise at the outburst. Minho hung his head as Taemin watched Onew dance about the room. 

“He’s…he’s not gonna be my dancing partner is he?” Minho chuckled and turned to him, a bittersweet smile gracing his lips. 

“Definitely not.” Tae met his gaze and smiled shyly. “How was today? Key didn’t wear you out too much did he?” Taemin shook his head before answering.

“I…I found a suit.” He let some bitterness drip from his tongue as he was reminded of his impending doom. 

“I’m sure it looks great. I can’t wait to see it.” Minho whispered back as he leaned closer to the younger. 

“Yea…” Taemin breathed as he searched the older’s eyes. Minho had been close before, but this time he didn’t mind it so much. He loved the elder’s eyes, how deep they were and how bright and full of energy they were. For a moment he wondered what his eyes looked like to Minho.

Their moment was interrupted by Jonghyun calling them all to the dinner table. Minho was the first to immediately back away and stand. Tae glanced up to see Minho’s hand extend for him. He nervously took it and allowed Minho to help him up and lead him into the kitchen. 

~

“I don’t think that’s how you do it.” Jonghyun sighed as Onew tried to once again show off his dance moves. All of the boys were ready and willing to teach Taemin how to dance, however each had their own opinion on what Taemin should learn. As they argued amongst themselves, Tae sat back in Key’s couch silently laughing to himself. As far as he saw, Minho had proven himself to be the best dancer, with his signature Tango. 

They had moved the furniture to the perimeter of the room, creating a large dance space in the middle that all five could fit into. 

“He needs to learn the classics!”

“Key. It’s prom. Not The Ballroom Championship!” Minho argued. Finally having enough Taemin sighed and rose from the plush cushions. Going unnoticed from the group, he stepped up to the large stereo system they placed across the room. He sifted through the various dance CD’s splayed out on the counter. 

“He doesn’t need to learn the tango!” Taemin smirked as he selected a mix CD and inserted it in the player. 

“Why can’t he?!” Suddenly the music filled the room and all arguments stopped. Taemin closed his eyes and breathed deeply as he let the music fill his soul and invade his senses. It had been too long since he’d done this. Excitement built up in his chest as he turned to the group, his eyes shining as the soft beat filled the room. 

Suddenly he grabbed Jonghyun by the hand and spun him around before pulling him close and beginning to dance the Cha Cha. The rest of the boys quickly moved out of the way as he quickstepped his way around the elder. Once the shock faded, Jonghyun immediately took the younger’s hand and began the energetic dance, matching all of Taemin’s steps with his own before spinning him off in Key’s direction as the music changed.

Minho’s mouth dropped as he watched the younger swing around the room with ease and grace. Shock was an understatement. Onew, noticing the elders stunned reaction, slid up besides him and placed his fingers under his chin to push his mouth closed. 

The music slowed as Key caught Taemin in his embrace and pulled him close as they spun around the room. Their hands clasped together as they waltzed slowly but steady, keeping in perfect time with the music. Both boys arched their backs spectacularly, as they swung around, smiling brightly as they moved about the room. 

As Tae’s body twisted and glided with the music, his shirt rose up to flash the soft creamy skin of his stomach. Minho blushed and quickly averted his eyes. Then suddenly the music changed. The bass thumbed and the rhythm grew. Taemin spun Key away, leaving Jonghyun to catch him. Tae spun right up behind Minho and paused as the music grew. 

The Tango. 

Taemin slowly and sensually slid his hands around Minho’s chest. He heard the elder in a breath as he nervously grasped the younger’s hand. Then Tae twisted around Minho, his legs sliding in between the others until they were face to face, their lips inches apart. Minho wrapped his arms around the younger as they spun before grabbing his hands and gliding him across the floor, their legs crisscrossed with each other as they moved about the room. They moved gracefully together, both forgetting where they were and who they were with.

After each twist and sultry step, Minho pulled the younger close and closer as his lips caressed the younger’s cheek, neck, nose, and upper lip. If Taemin wouldn’t have been blissfully submerged in the music he would’ve been freaking out. Each time they met each others deep and intense stares, neither wanted to break away or stop. Minho held the younger close as they moved as one, before he spun the younger around himself, catching him in his arms and twisting him to land in a finishing cradling position, both with their eyes on each other. 

The music stopped and the room was silent, save for the heavy breathes of Minho and Taemin. Slowly Minho guided him up to stand, awe written all over their faces. Minho couldn’t take his eyes off the younger, a bright red rushing to his cheeks as Tae slowly backed away, both of their hearts racing. 

“Well. Guess we don’t have to worry about that do we?” Onew chuckled as the other three stared at the talented boy in front of them.