ten days of vacation
ten days of vacation
minho/taemin
pg-13
a/n: i wrote this ages ago (read: last year) for the secret santa exchange at shinee_replay and... completely forgot to post it here, rofl. i r gud job. but yeah, so here it be.
ngl, my views on their characterization have changed a lot since then, so this, to me anyway, kind of... is not my best work, haha. i do like my minkey interactions though. /ramble
Minho isn't sure when he began to see Taemin in a light that was more than the comfortable friendship they shared-it was very gradual and subtle, and the realization happened while he was caught between wakefulness and sleep as he watched Jinki drool on his pillow. Minho supposes he should be worried, or at the very least, mildly concerned about this, but it doesn't really change anything. Much.
So he watches Taemin a little longer than usual, so he seeks Taemin out a little more often than usual, so he finds himself thinking about Taemin more-all of this doesn't affect Minho's daily schedule or how he goes about their performances or their daily lives at the dorm.
"You should tell him, you know," Kibum says with a raised brow, when Minho stared just a bit too long as Taemin came from the bathroom, hair wet and tousled. "I mean, you're like this lovesick puppy even though you're really not a puppy at all."
Minho hums, closing his book. "How am I not a puppy?" He understands Kibum perfectly, of course, but a little teasing never hurt anyone.
Kibum glares, seeing right through Minho's mask of innocence. Minho should have known; it only works on Jinki, sometimes Jonghyun. Kibum is probably the shrewdest of them all, when he wants to be. "Don't pull that, you know what I mean," he says, flopping down on the couch next to Minho with a sigh. "Anyway, tell him. Take him on a date, anything to stop your stupid moony eyes."
"Easier said than done," Minho replies, quiet because Jonghyun's in the kitchen and the last thing he needs is the whole band knowing. "And I don't have moony eyes."
"Yes, you do," Kibum says, smacking his arm. "Jonghyun's even noticed, so if you've got his attention, then, well... it's bad."
Kibum has a point, Minho concedes silently; a point that’s further proven by Jonghyun's attempt at moony eyes as he makes his way to the bathroom. Kibum snickers like any best friend should, despite the fact that Jonghyun looked more like an unfortunate cow than someone making moony eyes, in Minho's opinion.
"Also," Minho adds to his original argument, "We have our vacation coming up tomorrow. So I won’t see him for ten days."
Kibum grins, slapping Minho's cheeks affectionately. Affectionate or not, it still stings a little, so Minho dodges with a small sound of protest. "You'll think of something! I have faith in you, padawan." The phrase is awkward with accent, but Minho smiles anyway. "The force is strong within you, I can feel it."
With that, Kibum heads for the bedroom, probably to bug Jinki as he helps Taemin with his homework. Which reminds Minho that he should really get started on his own. He'll think of something-if he feels like it-later.
First Day of Vacation
For most of the day, Minho spends it in the main room with his family, cell phone turned off and left in his room so he's uninterrupted. When it gets dark and his parents shoo him off to his bedroom, Minho checks to see if he's missed any calls or text messages. His inbox is completely full. A quick glance down the list reveals most of them to be from Kibum. Minho tosses the phone aside; he'll look through them proper after he's showered and dressed for bed.
Minho gets hungry halfway through his shower, so before he tackles the full inbox he heads to the kitchen for a quick snack. Tiny bowl of kimchi in one hand, his cell in the other, Minho sprawls out stomach-down across his bed, careful not to make a mess since eating without looking is hard at times.
The first few messages are Kibum asking if Minho's made it home yet, did he get there alright with no accidents involving broken bones or, oddly, naked men in trench coats. Apparently there is a flasher on the loose, or so Kibum heard on the news. Minho rolls his eyes with a half-smile and deletes the messages, moving onto the next messages. They're from the rest of his band mates, asking the same thing (excepting the naked men bit). Taemin's is ended with a little smiley face that makes Minho's stomach do a flip of happiness. Minho saves them, to reply back later.
The rest of Kibum's messages are all about one thing, in variations-Taemin. A few have traces of Jonghyun in them, so Minho assumes Kibum is plotting with Jonghyun about this via text message. Which is, really, just what he needs for a peaceful vacation. Really. He wonders if they're planning on roping Jinki into this, as well.
Or worse, Taemin. Minho drops his head with a sigh, almost dipping the ends of his fringe into his kimchi. He's not hungry anymore, anyway, so he sets the bowl aside as he goes through the rest of the messages. There's a few from others in there, one from Donghae-hyung and one from Changmin-hyung. He saves them for later, more pressing matters on his mind.
To Kibum, he sends You are not helping. And don't bring Jinki-hyung in to this.
To Jonghyun, he sends Don't make moony eyes ever again.
To Jinki, he sends Watch out for naked men in trench coats.
And to Taemin, he sends I made it home fine. Did you? :)
He's about to take care of his bowl and go to bed when his phone buzzes and blinks.
I'm the Master Matchmaker Key! And it's my son you want, so you're stuck with me. :P :D
Minho goes to bed anyway.
Second Day of Vacation
Minho wakes up to buzzing and blinking.
You are a jerk how dare you ignore me. >( Did you tell him yet????????? :o
Minho sends a quick and terse reply that no, he did not and Kibum really needs to find a girlfriend. There's another message below Kibum's from Taemin.
I did too! :D My mom made my favorite dinner when I got home. Don't tell Kibum-hyung, but she makes it so much better than he does. Keke :)
Minho grins. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. :)
His mom calls for him and he ends up shopping with her, but he doesn't mind. After the first five buzzes (all of them from Kibum and Jonghyun), however, Minho turns his cell phone off for the duration of the day.
Third, Fourth and Fifth Days of Vacation
Minho leaves his cell phone turned off, only checking it for messages other than Kibum's and Jonghyun's. Jinki finally replies with I think they caught him already. ^^ Oh, and Kibum says to tell you to get a move on. What is he talking about?
Sixth Day of Vacation
"You are a brat," Kibum's voice whines from the other end of the line. "I am offering you serious advice here, and you're just ignoring me."
Minho opens his mouth to reply, but his phone beeps and interrupts him. It's his call waiting. "I'll have to call you back. Taemin's calling me."
Kibum's spluttered "Hey, wait, I nee-" is cut off as Minho switches lines. "Hey," he greets, "Bored already?"
Taemin's laugh sounds sheepish. "A little, yeah. How'd you know?"
Minho shrugs, reclining against his headboard. "I think we're all just used to being with each other instead of our families," he replies, "I'm a little bored, too."
"Oh," Taemin says, laughing again, "That might explain why Jinki-hyung called me earlier, asking if I needed help with my homework."
Minho laughs, too, ignoring the beep that is probably Kibum calling him back. "Kibum keeps harassing me with text messages. Is he texting you, too?" he asks, curious.
"Yes," Taemin replies; Minho holds his breath, hoping Kibum hasn't- "It's just the same old, same old, though. Lots of emoticons and something about a naked man?"
Minho lets out a whooshing laugh. "Yeah, he told me about that, too," he says, relieved, "I think they caught him, though."
"Oh good," Taemin says with a light sigh, "Kibum-hyung also asked me some really strange things, though, when he called me yesterday."
Minho tenses. "Oh yeah?" he prompts, trying to sound casual.
"Yeah, he was asking me what kind of dates I'd like to go on and stuff," Taemin says, sounding baffled. "I think he's trying to set me up with someone."
Minho resists the urge to slap his forehead. Jinki's already been pulled into this, so why would Taemin be any different? Minho's just grateful that Kibum seems to be showing some sense of subtlety with his way of snooping, if not much. "Maybe. You never know with Kibum," he says, "Is that all he's asked?"
Taemin hums an affirmative, silent for a moment after that, then says, "Do you think I should let him, if he is? Like, I know we're kind of busy but..." He sighs. "I don't know, it'd be nice, I guess."
"Maybe," Minho says again, not sure if that's really what he wants to say-part of him is wondering what Taemin would think if he knew it was Minho that Kibum asked for, and part of him doesn't want to know at all.
"I need to go," Taemin says suddenly, "My mom's calling me."
"Okay," Minho says, even though he didn't hear anything from the other end except Taemin's breathing. "Talk to you later."
"Bye," Taemin says, and the line clicks dead.
Minho sighs. His phone beeps in his ear. He doesn't really feel like dealing with Kibum, so he'll just tell Kibum his phone went dead because of all the texting. It's only a partial lie.
Seventh Day of Vacation
Minho spends most of the day talking to his family and reading, cell phone hooked on the charger and turned off. He's probably got several missed calls and a full inbox again, but he can't be bothered to check. Minho's book is interesting enough that he doesn't really think about it until later in the evening, though, when his phone beeps to let him know it's done charging. Upon checking it, his assumptions are proven right. He does remember that Kibum had tried to say he needed something yesterday, and wonders if maybe it was to tell Minho what information he gathered from Taemin.
Supposing it couldn't hurt, Minho calls Kibum to find out. "Oh, now you're ready to talk to me?" Kibum answers.
Minho smiles despite himself, shaking his head. "My phone went dead," he says, "What did you need yesterday?"
Kibum harrumphs over the muffled sound of rustling. "Why should I tell you now?" he snaps, but there's not much bite behind it. "Did you know we're supposed to have snow soon?"
Minho frowns in confusion over the abrupt change of subject. "What does that have to do with anything?"
Kibum sighs, as if it was supposed to obvious. "Taemin-ah wants to go on a sappy date. First snowfall and all that," he explains, "I mean, I'd rather just go to the movies and maybe a fancy restaurant, but whatever."
Minho's frown deepens. "It's not that sappy," he says, feeling a little defensive of Taemin. "At least it's not cliché like movies and going out to eat."
"He wants to kiss under the mistletoe," is the flat reply.
Oh. Well, Minho has to admit, that is kind of sappy. Unfortunately, Minho also thinks it’s kind of cute.
Eighth Day of Vacation
"So," Jinki says, and just by the tone of his voice, Minho can imagine his hand smoothing down the sides of his hair nervously. "Kibum tells me you have a... well, a thing for Taemin." He sighs, as if steeling himself. "And. Well, I just want to say, I think it's great and all, and as Leader, I give you my blessing. And well, it's about time, really, because Taemin kind of adores you. A lot. So yeah, you should get a mo-"
"Wait, hyung. He... what?" Minho interrupts, gripping his phone a little too tight after he almost dropped it.
There's a beat or two before Jinki says, "You mean... you didn't know?"
"Didn't know what?" Minho asks again, stomach flip-flopping about.
"Wow," Jinki says, sounding awed, "I knew something no one else did."
"Hyung," Minho prods, exasperated.
Jinki laughs over muffled, rhythmic thumping, and then the laughter ends abruptly with a startled yelp and a crash. "I'm okay!" Jinki yells away from the phone. "Taemin likes you!" he says into the phone after a moment, in which Minho assumes he was righting himself. He's also almost positive Jinki was doing a victory dance before he fell. "I just... can't believe you didn't notice. Or that Kibum didn't."
"But how did you know?" Minho has to ask.
"Oh, he told me," Jinki says, a proud note to his voice. Minho decides to be kind and not mention that Jinki probably wouldn't have known either, if Taemin hadn't shared the secret with him. "About a month ago, maybe? So get a move on, already."
"Thanks, hyung," Minho says, feeling a little light-headed, "I'm going to go now."
Jinki's goodbye is cut off with a clatter, then there's nothing but Minho's breathing on the line. Minho hopes the phone isn't too badly broken. It'd be the second one Jinki's went through this month.
Ninth Day of Vacation
"Taemin, would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow?"
Minho stares at himself in the mirror, wondering why he's even doing this here when Taemin's not going to see him anyway. Also, that sounded stupid, so he's definitely not asking like that. In fact, Minho thinks using the word 'date' at all would sound weird, so he makes a note to ban it from his vocabulary temporarily.
"Taemin, would you like to hang out tomorrow?"
And they say he's the flaming charisma. My ass, Minho thinks darkly, and goes to call Kibum.
Kibum's advice turns out to involve using the word Minho's temporarily banned from his vocabulary, so no help there. Jinki doesn't answer his phone. Jonghyun tells Minho to just show up unannounced-especially if it snows-then whisk Taemin off his feet. Preferably a swooning Taemin. Minho'd hung up right then and there, vowing to never again ask advice from Jonghyun. Ever.
Minho gives up for the night. He spends the rest of it with his family, watching various shows. When the news announces they should have the first snowfall of winter tomorrow night, Minho thinks about giving up entirely. Where would he even get mistletoe?
Tenth Day of Vacation
Minho leaves his phone off, not in any mood to deal with buzzes and blinking and Kibum and Jonghyun-or anything. He only gets out of bed and dresses because his mom would get worried if he didn't, despite his having nowhere to go. He does feel bad that Taemin might be trying to call, but he's unsure he even wants to talk to Taemin. Minho's sure that, by now, Jinki's informed Kibum of Taemin liking Minho too, which means that Kibum's passed the information to Jonghyun. And Minho's even pondering if Taemin knows Minho likes him, because Jonghyun's horrible at keeping secrets, anyway.
Now that he thinks about it, Minho's band sometimes reminds him of a gaggle of gossiping girls.
Minho manages to find another book to keep him occupied throughout most of the day, pausing in reading it only for necessities and to eat lunch. In between lunch and dinner, Minho looks out his window to see it is, as the weatherman predicted, snowing. Minho closes his book and wanders over, watching the snowflakes as they flurry about and, every so often, stick to the window and then melt down.
"Minho?" His mom calls, breaking him from his trance. "You have a visitor."
Puzzled because he's not expecting anyone, and certainly not this late, Minho tugs on his hoodie and makes his way to the door. He's even more surprised to find Taemin standing there, cheeks and nose a rosy red from the cold, with a tiny smile on his face.
"Um, wanna hang out?" Taemin says, teeth set into his lower lip. They're slightly chapped; Taemin's been outside a lot during his vacation, since Minho's sure they were fine before.
"Let me get my gloves and scarf," Minho says, tugging Taemin inside. "I'll be back."
Taemin beams at him and Minho's stomach clenches nervously. He's grateful for the excuse to go get dressed for the cold outside, giving him time to think about what to say. It's clear that Taemin was egged on by the others to come and get Minho, since Kibum's nosy and too sharp for his own good; he probably figured out that Minho wasn't going to say anything to Taemin and took matters into his own hands. Sighing, Minho tugs on his gloves and heads back to the main room. On his way out, he grabs the chapstick he's got sitting on his nightstand, for both himself and Taemin.
"Here," he says, handing the chapstick to Taemin, "Your lips are chapped."
"Oh, thanks," Taemin says with another smile, applying it. "I forgot mine at the dorm," he adds sheepishly.
Minho smiles, shaking his head. "Of course."
Taemin hands it back and they continue walking in silence. Outside, the wind is sharp and biting against Minho's cheeks, but the snow is more beautiful with no window between it and Minho. He can see why this would be appealing to Taemin. The thought makes him glance over, smiling into his scarf at how Taemin's laughing and catching snowflakes on his tongue.
"Your tongue will get chapped next," Minho can't resist teasing, shoving his hands into his pockets for more warmth.
Taemin grins, bumping Minho's shoulder with his own. "Whatever, that's impossible," he says, sticking his tongue out again, but this time at Minho. "Wanna go to the park?" The last time Taemin'd visited, he and Minho had spent almost all day at the park near his house, just sitting in the swings and talking, or Minho pushing Taemin on the merry-go-round.
Minho nods and lets Taemin lead the way. If the snow was thicker they could build a snowman, but it's still the light snow that won't stick to the ground until later in the season. As he watches Taemin walk ahead, Minho wonders whether he should say anything about his thoughts on Taemin's appearance. It had the possibility of turning awkward, if he was wrong. He decides to keep quiet for now-if it's really important, Taemin will more than likely bring it up.
"You're really slow, you know that?" Taemin calls out. He's already seated on the seesaw, pointing at the other side. "Come on, I can't move this thing myself!"
Minho grins, but doesn't speed up or slow down. Taemin heaves a noticeable sigh, slumping dramatically. When Minho gets close enough, he kicks out at Minho's calf, laughing. "You did that on purpose," he says, voice sounding like it would be more matched with a pout, rather than the big smile Taemin's wearing.
Minho shrugs, returning the smile, and sits down on the other end of the seesaw. He sits down hard enough that Taemin lets out a startled "oh!" when he's lifted off the ground. Minho laughs triumphantly while Taemin glares without any real anger. "I did that on purpose, too," Minho says.
"Obviously," Taemin says, squirming in an attempt to get himself back down on the ground. Minho relents after a moment, and they teeter back and forth until Taemin suggests they trade the seesaw in for the swings. Taemin loops his hand through Minho's arm and tugs him over. Due to the closeness, Minho can hear Taemin's teeth chattering from the cold.
The park isn't a big one, but the swings are at the far end of it, so Minho wraps his arm around Taemin and pulls him close. "You're shivering," he says, when Taemin looks up at him. Taemin gives him another one of his huge smiles, the smiles that make Minho think of sunshine and happiness and really, really sappy things that Kibum would scoff at. Minho feels his cheeks heat, but the cold flush across his cheeks hides the blush well.
Taemin leans his head against Minho, burrowing closer still. Minho sighs, wondering if he should say anything now. He was sure Taemin would, eventually, but Taemin seems content enough with this to let it be, and it's not like Minho's outwardly showing signs of nervousness or anything. "Taemin-ah," he begins, but is cut off by Taemin darting out from beneath his arm and running to his chosen swing. He stands there, grinning. "Being slow again," he shouts.
Minho smoothes his frown out with a small smile, this time jogging to catch up. "Do you want me to push you?" he asks, placing a hand on the chains.
Taemin shakes his head, biting at his lower lip again. He looks nervous now, eyes a little wider and his breath coming a little faster. He seems to steel himself, and after sucking in a sharp breath, says, voice wavering only a fraction, "Look up."
Minho does.
Taemin's standing underneath a sprig of mistletoe.
Minho looks back down and Taemin offers him a tiny smile, hopeful and shaking. "Did you do that?" Minho asks, blinking away his surprise.
"Not exactly," Taemin says, fingers pulling at a frayed end from his coat. "I... we can just forget it?"
"No," Minho says, and cups Taemin's cheeks, leans down to kiss him softly. Taemin makes a quiet, pleased sound as he kisses back, and Minho's stomach flip-flops all over the place. Taemin wraps his arms around Minho's waist and presses close, sighing between their mouths.
Minho could care less that they shouldn't be doing this out in the open, where anyone can see, and he doesn't care that his fingers and toes are in pain from the cold. None of that compares to how Taemin's chapped lips feel against his own, a little scratchy and warm and tasting like the cherry from his chapstick.
"About damn time! I'm freezing to death here, God."
Minho should have known. He breaks the kiss and turns, frowning at Kibum. And Jonghyun. And Jinki. "I should have known," he says out loud, for good measure.
"Well," Kibum says with a sniff, "It's not like you were going to grow the balls to do it. So obviously, Taemin will be the man in this relationship."
Taemin makes a tiny choking sound and hides his face, Minho frowns harder, Jonghyun snickers, and Jinki's blush is visible even though his wind-stung flush.
"Come on guys, you can all sleep over tonight," Minho says with a sigh, pulling Taemin close and ignoring Kibum's and Jonghyun's jests about where Taemin will be sleeping. There's no mistletoe in his house, so they really shouldn't worry about too much kissing going on. He glances down to see Taemin smiling his sleepy, content smile. Taemin looks up and the smile brightens.
Well, they should maybe worry a little.
minho/taemin
pg-13
a/n: i wrote this ages ago (read: last year) for the secret santa exchange at shinee_replay and... completely forgot to post it here, rofl. i r gud job. but yeah, so here it be.
ngl, my views on their characterization have changed a lot since then, so this, to me anyway, kind of... is not my best work, haha. i do like my minkey interactions though. /ramble
Minho isn't sure when he began to see Taemin in a light that was more than the comfortable friendship they shared-it was very gradual and subtle, and the realization happened while he was caught between wakefulness and sleep as he watched Jinki drool on his pillow. Minho supposes he should be worried, or at the very least, mildly concerned about this, but it doesn't really change anything. Much.
So he watches Taemin a little longer than usual, so he seeks Taemin out a little more often than usual, so he finds himself thinking about Taemin more-all of this doesn't affect Minho's daily schedule or how he goes about their performances or their daily lives at the dorm.
"You should tell him, you know," Kibum says with a raised brow, when Minho stared just a bit too long as Taemin came from the bathroom, hair wet and tousled. "I mean, you're like this lovesick puppy even though you're really not a puppy at all."
Minho hums, closing his book. "How am I not a puppy?" He understands Kibum perfectly, of course, but a little teasing never hurt anyone.
Kibum glares, seeing right through Minho's mask of innocence. Minho should have known; it only works on Jinki, sometimes Jonghyun. Kibum is probably the shrewdest of them all, when he wants to be. "Don't pull that, you know what I mean," he says, flopping down on the couch next to Minho with a sigh. "Anyway, tell him. Take him on a date, anything to stop your stupid moony eyes."
"Easier said than done," Minho replies, quiet because Jonghyun's in the kitchen and the last thing he needs is the whole band knowing. "And I don't have moony eyes."
"Yes, you do," Kibum says, smacking his arm. "Jonghyun's even noticed, so if you've got his attention, then, well... it's bad."
Kibum has a point, Minho concedes silently; a point that’s further proven by Jonghyun's attempt at moony eyes as he makes his way to the bathroom. Kibum snickers like any best friend should, despite the fact that Jonghyun looked more like an unfortunate cow than someone making moony eyes, in Minho's opinion.
"Also," Minho adds to his original argument, "We have our vacation coming up tomorrow. So I won’t see him for ten days."
Kibum grins, slapping Minho's cheeks affectionately. Affectionate or not, it still stings a little, so Minho dodges with a small sound of protest. "You'll think of something! I have faith in you, padawan." The phrase is awkward with accent, but Minho smiles anyway. "The force is strong within you, I can feel it."
With that, Kibum heads for the bedroom, probably to bug Jinki as he helps Taemin with his homework. Which reminds Minho that he should really get started on his own. He'll think of something-if he feels like it-later.
First Day of Vacation
For most of the day, Minho spends it in the main room with his family, cell phone turned off and left in his room so he's uninterrupted. When it gets dark and his parents shoo him off to his bedroom, Minho checks to see if he's missed any calls or text messages. His inbox is completely full. A quick glance down the list reveals most of them to be from Kibum. Minho tosses the phone aside; he'll look through them proper after he's showered and dressed for bed.
Minho gets hungry halfway through his shower, so before he tackles the full inbox he heads to the kitchen for a quick snack. Tiny bowl of kimchi in one hand, his cell in the other, Minho sprawls out stomach-down across his bed, careful not to make a mess since eating without looking is hard at times.
The first few messages are Kibum asking if Minho's made it home yet, did he get there alright with no accidents involving broken bones or, oddly, naked men in trench coats. Apparently there is a flasher on the loose, or so Kibum heard on the news. Minho rolls his eyes with a half-smile and deletes the messages, moving onto the next messages. They're from the rest of his band mates, asking the same thing (excepting the naked men bit). Taemin's is ended with a little smiley face that makes Minho's stomach do a flip of happiness. Minho saves them, to reply back later.
The rest of Kibum's messages are all about one thing, in variations-Taemin. A few have traces of Jonghyun in them, so Minho assumes Kibum is plotting with Jonghyun about this via text message. Which is, really, just what he needs for a peaceful vacation. Really. He wonders if they're planning on roping Jinki into this, as well.
Or worse, Taemin. Minho drops his head with a sigh, almost dipping the ends of his fringe into his kimchi. He's not hungry anymore, anyway, so he sets the bowl aside as he goes through the rest of the messages. There's a few from others in there, one from Donghae-hyung and one from Changmin-hyung. He saves them for later, more pressing matters on his mind.
To Kibum, he sends You are not helping. And don't bring Jinki-hyung in to this.
To Jonghyun, he sends Don't make moony eyes ever again.
To Jinki, he sends Watch out for naked men in trench coats.
And to Taemin, he sends I made it home fine. Did you? :)
He's about to take care of his bowl and go to bed when his phone buzzes and blinks.
I'm the Master Matchmaker Key! And it's my son you want, so you're stuck with me. :P :D
Minho goes to bed anyway.
Second Day of Vacation
Minho wakes up to buzzing and blinking.
You are a jerk how dare you ignore me. >( Did you tell him yet????????? :o
Minho sends a quick and terse reply that no, he did not and Kibum really needs to find a girlfriend. There's another message below Kibum's from Taemin.
I did too! :D My mom made my favorite dinner when I got home. Don't tell Kibum-hyung, but she makes it so much better than he does. Keke :)
Minho grins. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. :)
His mom calls for him and he ends up shopping with her, but he doesn't mind. After the first five buzzes (all of them from Kibum and Jonghyun), however, Minho turns his cell phone off for the duration of the day.
Third, Fourth and Fifth Days of Vacation
Minho leaves his cell phone turned off, only checking it for messages other than Kibum's and Jonghyun's. Jinki finally replies with I think they caught him already. ^^ Oh, and Kibum says to tell you to get a move on. What is he talking about?
Sixth Day of Vacation
"You are a brat," Kibum's voice whines from the other end of the line. "I am offering you serious advice here, and you're just ignoring me."
Minho opens his mouth to reply, but his phone beeps and interrupts him. It's his call waiting. "I'll have to call you back. Taemin's calling me."
Kibum's spluttered "Hey, wait, I nee-" is cut off as Minho switches lines. "Hey," he greets, "Bored already?"
Taemin's laugh sounds sheepish. "A little, yeah. How'd you know?"
Minho shrugs, reclining against his headboard. "I think we're all just used to being with each other instead of our families," he replies, "I'm a little bored, too."
"Oh," Taemin says, laughing again, "That might explain why Jinki-hyung called me earlier, asking if I needed help with my homework."
Minho laughs, too, ignoring the beep that is probably Kibum calling him back. "Kibum keeps harassing me with text messages. Is he texting you, too?" he asks, curious.
"Yes," Taemin replies; Minho holds his breath, hoping Kibum hasn't- "It's just the same old, same old, though. Lots of emoticons and something about a naked man?"
Minho lets out a whooshing laugh. "Yeah, he told me about that, too," he says, relieved, "I think they caught him, though."
"Oh good," Taemin says with a light sigh, "Kibum-hyung also asked me some really strange things, though, when he called me yesterday."
Minho tenses. "Oh yeah?" he prompts, trying to sound casual.
"Yeah, he was asking me what kind of dates I'd like to go on and stuff," Taemin says, sounding baffled. "I think he's trying to set me up with someone."
Minho resists the urge to slap his forehead. Jinki's already been pulled into this, so why would Taemin be any different? Minho's just grateful that Kibum seems to be showing some sense of subtlety with his way of snooping, if not much. "Maybe. You never know with Kibum," he says, "Is that all he's asked?"
Taemin hums an affirmative, silent for a moment after that, then says, "Do you think I should let him, if he is? Like, I know we're kind of busy but..." He sighs. "I don't know, it'd be nice, I guess."
"Maybe," Minho says again, not sure if that's really what he wants to say-part of him is wondering what Taemin would think if he knew it was Minho that Kibum asked for, and part of him doesn't want to know at all.
"I need to go," Taemin says suddenly, "My mom's calling me."
"Okay," Minho says, even though he didn't hear anything from the other end except Taemin's breathing. "Talk to you later."
"Bye," Taemin says, and the line clicks dead.
Minho sighs. His phone beeps in his ear. He doesn't really feel like dealing with Kibum, so he'll just tell Kibum his phone went dead because of all the texting. It's only a partial lie.
Seventh Day of Vacation
Minho spends most of the day talking to his family and reading, cell phone hooked on the charger and turned off. He's probably got several missed calls and a full inbox again, but he can't be bothered to check. Minho's book is interesting enough that he doesn't really think about it until later in the evening, though, when his phone beeps to let him know it's done charging. Upon checking it, his assumptions are proven right. He does remember that Kibum had tried to say he needed something yesterday, and wonders if maybe it was to tell Minho what information he gathered from Taemin.
Supposing it couldn't hurt, Minho calls Kibum to find out. "Oh, now you're ready to talk to me?" Kibum answers.
Minho smiles despite himself, shaking his head. "My phone went dead," he says, "What did you need yesterday?"
Kibum harrumphs over the muffled sound of rustling. "Why should I tell you now?" he snaps, but there's not much bite behind it. "Did you know we're supposed to have snow soon?"
Minho frowns in confusion over the abrupt change of subject. "What does that have to do with anything?"
Kibum sighs, as if it was supposed to obvious. "Taemin-ah wants to go on a sappy date. First snowfall and all that," he explains, "I mean, I'd rather just go to the movies and maybe a fancy restaurant, but whatever."
Minho's frown deepens. "It's not that sappy," he says, feeling a little defensive of Taemin. "At least it's not cliché like movies and going out to eat."
"He wants to kiss under the mistletoe," is the flat reply.
Oh. Well, Minho has to admit, that is kind of sappy. Unfortunately, Minho also thinks it’s kind of cute.
Eighth Day of Vacation
"So," Jinki says, and just by the tone of his voice, Minho can imagine his hand smoothing down the sides of his hair nervously. "Kibum tells me you have a... well, a thing for Taemin." He sighs, as if steeling himself. "And. Well, I just want to say, I think it's great and all, and as Leader, I give you my blessing. And well, it's about time, really, because Taemin kind of adores you. A lot. So yeah, you should get a mo-"
"Wait, hyung. He... what?" Minho interrupts, gripping his phone a little too tight after he almost dropped it.
There's a beat or two before Jinki says, "You mean... you didn't know?"
"Didn't know what?" Minho asks again, stomach flip-flopping about.
"Wow," Jinki says, sounding awed, "I knew something no one else did."
"Hyung," Minho prods, exasperated.
Jinki laughs over muffled, rhythmic thumping, and then the laughter ends abruptly with a startled yelp and a crash. "I'm okay!" Jinki yells away from the phone. "Taemin likes you!" he says into the phone after a moment, in which Minho assumes he was righting himself. He's also almost positive Jinki was doing a victory dance before he fell. "I just... can't believe you didn't notice. Or that Kibum didn't."
"But how did you know?" Minho has to ask.
"Oh, he told me," Jinki says, a proud note to his voice. Minho decides to be kind and not mention that Jinki probably wouldn't have known either, if Taemin hadn't shared the secret with him. "About a month ago, maybe? So get a move on, already."
"Thanks, hyung," Minho says, feeling a little light-headed, "I'm going to go now."
Jinki's goodbye is cut off with a clatter, then there's nothing but Minho's breathing on the line. Minho hopes the phone isn't too badly broken. It'd be the second one Jinki's went through this month.
Ninth Day of Vacation
"Taemin, would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow?"
Minho stares at himself in the mirror, wondering why he's even doing this here when Taemin's not going to see him anyway. Also, that sounded stupid, so he's definitely not asking like that. In fact, Minho thinks using the word 'date' at all would sound weird, so he makes a note to ban it from his vocabulary temporarily.
"Taemin, would you like to hang out tomorrow?"
And they say he's the flaming charisma. My ass, Minho thinks darkly, and goes to call Kibum.
Kibum's advice turns out to involve using the word Minho's temporarily banned from his vocabulary, so no help there. Jinki doesn't answer his phone. Jonghyun tells Minho to just show up unannounced-especially if it snows-then whisk Taemin off his feet. Preferably a swooning Taemin. Minho'd hung up right then and there, vowing to never again ask advice from Jonghyun. Ever.
Minho gives up for the night. He spends the rest of it with his family, watching various shows. When the news announces they should have the first snowfall of winter tomorrow night, Minho thinks about giving up entirely. Where would he even get mistletoe?
Tenth Day of Vacation
Minho leaves his phone off, not in any mood to deal with buzzes and blinking and Kibum and Jonghyun-or anything. He only gets out of bed and dresses because his mom would get worried if he didn't, despite his having nowhere to go. He does feel bad that Taemin might be trying to call, but he's unsure he even wants to talk to Taemin. Minho's sure that, by now, Jinki's informed Kibum of Taemin liking Minho too, which means that Kibum's passed the information to Jonghyun. And Minho's even pondering if Taemin knows Minho likes him, because Jonghyun's horrible at keeping secrets, anyway.
Now that he thinks about it, Minho's band sometimes reminds him of a gaggle of gossiping girls.
Minho manages to find another book to keep him occupied throughout most of the day, pausing in reading it only for necessities and to eat lunch. In between lunch and dinner, Minho looks out his window to see it is, as the weatherman predicted, snowing. Minho closes his book and wanders over, watching the snowflakes as they flurry about and, every so often, stick to the window and then melt down.
"Minho?" His mom calls, breaking him from his trance. "You have a visitor."
Puzzled because he's not expecting anyone, and certainly not this late, Minho tugs on his hoodie and makes his way to the door. He's even more surprised to find Taemin standing there, cheeks and nose a rosy red from the cold, with a tiny smile on his face.
"Um, wanna hang out?" Taemin says, teeth set into his lower lip. They're slightly chapped; Taemin's been outside a lot during his vacation, since Minho's sure they were fine before.
"Let me get my gloves and scarf," Minho says, tugging Taemin inside. "I'll be back."
Taemin beams at him and Minho's stomach clenches nervously. He's grateful for the excuse to go get dressed for the cold outside, giving him time to think about what to say. It's clear that Taemin was egged on by the others to come and get Minho, since Kibum's nosy and too sharp for his own good; he probably figured out that Minho wasn't going to say anything to Taemin and took matters into his own hands. Sighing, Minho tugs on his gloves and heads back to the main room. On his way out, he grabs the chapstick he's got sitting on his nightstand, for both himself and Taemin.
"Here," he says, handing the chapstick to Taemin, "Your lips are chapped."
"Oh, thanks," Taemin says with another smile, applying it. "I forgot mine at the dorm," he adds sheepishly.
Minho smiles, shaking his head. "Of course."
Taemin hands it back and they continue walking in silence. Outside, the wind is sharp and biting against Minho's cheeks, but the snow is more beautiful with no window between it and Minho. He can see why this would be appealing to Taemin. The thought makes him glance over, smiling into his scarf at how Taemin's laughing and catching snowflakes on his tongue.
"Your tongue will get chapped next," Minho can't resist teasing, shoving his hands into his pockets for more warmth.
Taemin grins, bumping Minho's shoulder with his own. "Whatever, that's impossible," he says, sticking his tongue out again, but this time at Minho. "Wanna go to the park?" The last time Taemin'd visited, he and Minho had spent almost all day at the park near his house, just sitting in the swings and talking, or Minho pushing Taemin on the merry-go-round.
Minho nods and lets Taemin lead the way. If the snow was thicker they could build a snowman, but it's still the light snow that won't stick to the ground until later in the season. As he watches Taemin walk ahead, Minho wonders whether he should say anything about his thoughts on Taemin's appearance. It had the possibility of turning awkward, if he was wrong. He decides to keep quiet for now-if it's really important, Taemin will more than likely bring it up.
"You're really slow, you know that?" Taemin calls out. He's already seated on the seesaw, pointing at the other side. "Come on, I can't move this thing myself!"
Minho grins, but doesn't speed up or slow down. Taemin heaves a noticeable sigh, slumping dramatically. When Minho gets close enough, he kicks out at Minho's calf, laughing. "You did that on purpose," he says, voice sounding like it would be more matched with a pout, rather than the big smile Taemin's wearing.
Minho shrugs, returning the smile, and sits down on the other end of the seesaw. He sits down hard enough that Taemin lets out a startled "oh!" when he's lifted off the ground. Minho laughs triumphantly while Taemin glares without any real anger. "I did that on purpose, too," Minho says.
"Obviously," Taemin says, squirming in an attempt to get himself back down on the ground. Minho relents after a moment, and they teeter back and forth until Taemin suggests they trade the seesaw in for the swings. Taemin loops his hand through Minho's arm and tugs him over. Due to the closeness, Minho can hear Taemin's teeth chattering from the cold.
The park isn't a big one, but the swings are at the far end of it, so Minho wraps his arm around Taemin and pulls him close. "You're shivering," he says, when Taemin looks up at him. Taemin gives him another one of his huge smiles, the smiles that make Minho think of sunshine and happiness and really, really sappy things that Kibum would scoff at. Minho feels his cheeks heat, but the cold flush across his cheeks hides the blush well.
Taemin leans his head against Minho, burrowing closer still. Minho sighs, wondering if he should say anything now. He was sure Taemin would, eventually, but Taemin seems content enough with this to let it be, and it's not like Minho's outwardly showing signs of nervousness or anything. "Taemin-ah," he begins, but is cut off by Taemin darting out from beneath his arm and running to his chosen swing. He stands there, grinning. "Being slow again," he shouts.
Minho smoothes his frown out with a small smile, this time jogging to catch up. "Do you want me to push you?" he asks, placing a hand on the chains.
Taemin shakes his head, biting at his lower lip again. He looks nervous now, eyes a little wider and his breath coming a little faster. He seems to steel himself, and after sucking in a sharp breath, says, voice wavering only a fraction, "Look up."
Minho does.
Taemin's standing underneath a sprig of mistletoe.
Minho looks back down and Taemin offers him a tiny smile, hopeful and shaking. "Did you do that?" Minho asks, blinking away his surprise.
"Not exactly," Taemin says, fingers pulling at a frayed end from his coat. "I... we can just forget it?"
"No," Minho says, and cups Taemin's cheeks, leans down to kiss him softly. Taemin makes a quiet, pleased sound as he kisses back, and Minho's stomach flip-flops all over the place. Taemin wraps his arms around Minho's waist and presses close, sighing between their mouths.
Minho could care less that they shouldn't be doing this out in the open, where anyone can see, and he doesn't care that his fingers and toes are in pain from the cold. None of that compares to how Taemin's chapped lips feel against his own, a little scratchy and warm and tasting like the cherry from his chapstick.
"About damn time! I'm freezing to death here, God."
Minho should have known. He breaks the kiss and turns, frowning at Kibum. And Jonghyun. And Jinki. "I should have known," he says out loud, for good measure.
"Well," Kibum says with a sniff, "It's not like you were going to grow the balls to do it. So obviously, Taemin will be the man in this relationship."
Taemin makes a tiny choking sound and hides his face, Minho frowns harder, Jonghyun snickers, and Jinki's blush is visible even though his wind-stung flush.
"Come on guys, you can all sleep over tonight," Minho says with a sigh, pulling Taemin close and ignoring Kibum's and Jonghyun's jests about where Taemin will be sleeping. There's no mistletoe in his house, so they really shouldn't worry about too much kissing going on. He glances down to see Taemin smiling his sleepy, content smile. Taemin looks up and the smile brightens.
Well, they should maybe worry a little.