A Quick Refresher; Minho/Taemin
Where Minho reminds Taemin what it's like to be in love.
Inspired by the 2min moments in Bangkok. And based on the fan account that Taemin and Minho shared a room in the hotel. If it makes more sense, the full title to this slice of life one shot is "A Quick Refresher Course on how to be Choi Minho's boyfriend."
Author's Note: i can't even remember when i last wrote 2min so this title has more meanings than one; it's a little reminder to myself too that 2min is as canon as ever. ^^V thanks for finding your way here and giving this story a shot! enjoy lovely readers!
It was probably normal to think that after knowing a person for 6 years (and counting) and spending almost every waking moment together, said someone would be as close as family, or for that matter, someone you already considered as family. It would then come naturally for you to be at home with the person, that you could be yourself and show your true colours, and that you could release all inhibitions, not caring about almost everything and still be loved unconditionally. And yes, Taemin thought so too; in fact, he treated his shinee hyungs as family, as brothers, as people who he loved and loved him wholeheartedly… well, there was an exceptional case though. Minho was that special someone, he wasn’t just family, and Taemin could never see him as an older brother; Minho was so much more than that. He was his perfect match, his better half and his soul mate. So if Taemin had to pick someone who he was most comfortable with, it had to be Minho.
Yet, when his manager had announced that he and Minho were to share a hotel room in Bangkok, Taemin found himself at a complete loss as to what to do with the rooming arrangement. He couldn’t explain exactly why he was feeling more nervous and afraid than happy or excited but the maknae knew it probably had something to do with the fact that it had been ages since they last had alone time with each other. The preparation for their comeback with Dream Girl had definitely taken its toll on their relationship, so much so that they couldn’t spare any effort on anything else other than their comeback. You could even say that work had become both Taemin and Minho’s top priority. With their minds so focused on producing their third album, they were practically married to their jobs and began seeing each other as nothing more than co-workers.
That was perhaps why Taemin was suddenly breaking out in cold sweat and feeling as if he was about to delve into the unfamiliar when he followed behind Minho and stepped into their assigned hotel room. It was weird but Taemin felt like he had forgotten what it was like to be in a relationship with Minho, he couldn’t seem to remember how to be Minho’s boyfriend and lover apart from merely being just his fellow member in Shinee. Boy was this going to be awkward. Knowing that closing the door would officially shut them out from the outside world and mark the start of their free time alone with each other, Taemin took his time to close the door and take off his shoes before he walked further into the room. Of course, how long could one take to do all that? Taemin obviously knew it was impossible to drag it out any longer without making things painfully awkward. And so, the dancer took in a deep breath, nodded determinedly to himself, even encouraging himself with a soft ‘fighting!’ before he finally turned around and made his way into the room. It was time to face Minho.
Little did the maknae know, Minho wasn’t oblivious to all this. In reality, the rapper had been watching Taemin the entire time, this Taemin would have realised if he hadn’t been too busy worrying about the unnecessary.
“So…”
“Taemin…”
As their eyes met, both Minho and Taemin spoke at the same time, and when they realised they did, both stopped and held back what they initially wanted to say and started at the same time again.
“Yes hyung, you wanted to say?”
“Sorry, you go first, Taem.”
Obviously, Taemin was beyond flustered at this point in time, his eyes blinking faster than the normal rate, his face as red as an apple. Minho, on the contrary, was as cool as ice, thoroughly amused by their situation, somewhat amazed that things could actually get this awkward with Taemin. And when he saw that Taemin had adorably placed a finger on his lips and signalled for Minho to speak first, the rapper couldn’t hold back a laugh.
“Do I scare you, Taemin?”
Taemin’s eyes were now widened like a goldfish. He was caught red-handed.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Minho thought out loud and then asked curiously, “What’s making you so nervous?”
“I’m not nervous…” Taemin shifted uncomfortably in his position and tried his best to avoid meeting Minho’s eyes.
“I can tell when you’re lying.” Minho simply said before he advised the maknae, “Be honest with me and tell me the truth, Taem.”
“It’s nothing, hyung, really!” Taemin replied without hesitating, even waving his hands about and shaking his head to emphasise his point.
“Alright…” Minho shrugged as he plopped himself down on the bed and stretched his body out, relaxing himself completely on the comfortable mattress before he added, “If you say so, Taeminnie.”
With Minho closing his eyes and using what little free time they had to recharge himself for the day ahead while Taemin sat awkwardly at the edge of the other twin bed, silence fell in the room. Though it was a comfortable one for Minho, the same couldn’t be said for Taemin. The dancer was restless with so many thoughts running through his mind. There was so much he wanted to say to Minho, so much he needed to ask his boyfriend that he didn’t know where to start. Yet, a part of him wasn’t even sure if he should speak his mind, if he could that is, since Taemin’s mind was in a whirl.
Letting out a huge breath, Taemin turned his body and glanced over at Minho’s direction to check what his boyfriend was doing. And when he saw Minho resting peacefully and probably already fast asleep, Taemin was furious. It was simply unfair that the source of his problems was completely enjoying his break to the fullest and didn’t seem to have a single clue that there was another person in the room who was about to go crazy. Unhappy that Minho had let the matter go so easily without trying to force what was wrong out of him, Taemin finally lost it and sprung off the bed, charging straight to where Minho was. The maknae couldn’t take this lying down anymore.
“Hyung!” Taemin grabbed Minho’s shirt and pulled his boyfriend off the mattress, shaking him awake at the same time. “How could you be sleeping at a time like this?”
Minho’s reaction was nothing close to what Taemin had expected.
A smile tugged on the corners of Minho’s lips as he opened his eyes effortlessly to look at his boyfriend. “I knew you’d crack sooner or later.”
Taemin froze, narrowing his eyes at his hyung. “You weren’t sleeping?”
“Nope.”
“And you just let me be?”
“If I say yes, would you hit me?”
“Why would I do such a thing?”
“Okay… then yes.”
Taemin pushed Minho ruthlessly back down onto the bed.
Falling back onto the mattress, Minho let out an ‘oomph’ and wore an exaggerated expression that showed how hurt and betrayed he felt by Taemin’s action, “You said you wouldn’t hit me!”
“I didn’t.” Taemin blinked innocently, but Minho wasn’t one to be fooled. After all, he had long understood that the maknae’s innocence had always been an act. He also knew just how to make Taemin open up to him… because if there was one thing Taemin absolutely couldn’t stand, it was being treated as invisible by Minho. True enough, it did the trick. Taemin was back to normal.
“I’m glad you’re feeling more at ease with me right now…” Minho propped himself up on his elbows and smiled.
With surprise written all over his face, Taemin asked hesitantly, “Hyung… you knew?”
“You were pretty obvious about it, Taem.” Minho answered before he continued with a frown, “I can’t understand what there’s to be nervous about though, it’s not like you haven’t shared a room with me before… we’ve even done stuff you probably can’t even talk about without feeling shy about it.”
Taemin choked on air and quickly regained his composure, making sure the conversation did not stray from what he now wanted to confess to Minho. “Hyung, the thing is… this feels weird.”
“Weird?” With his curiosity piqued, Minho needed to hear much more than just that.
“Yeah,” Taemin nodded, suddenly turning all serious because this to him was important, “I don’t know how to act around you anymore, hyung. I feel like I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be in love with you. You know, it’s as if we’ve lost the spark in our relationship... but don’t get me wrong Minho hyung, I know I still love you, it’s just that we’re both not making any effort to do anything that, I don’t know, makes me feel as if you’re more than just a member? And I just wish we could find it all back.”
After listening carefully to every word Taemin had said, Minho didn’t take long to ponder over his boyfriend’s thoughts.
The rapper simply nodded and said, “We’ve never lost anything, Taem.”
And with that, Minho got up, closing the distance between Taemin and him, and tilted the dancer’s chin to the perfect angle so he could mark his full lips with a kiss.
“What's there to find if it was never lost in the first place?” Minho questioned as he leaned his forehead against the maknae’s, their noses gently bumping together, before he moved back just a little so he could look straight into Taemin’s eyes. “Besides, we shouldn’t be consciously putting in the effort to maintain that spark. It comes natural to us, don’t you think?”
With Minho giving him one of his signature smiles that charmed every living person on the planet, Taemin found himself with nothing left to say. That didn’t mean that the maknae was fully convinced though. So upon seeing that Taemin was still trying to digest his words, Minho decided to speed up the process a little… okay, maybe much more.
“How about I give you a little refresher course?”
Unable to make sense of what Minho was suggesting, a confused expression appeared on Taemin’s face. He didn’t have much time to stay puzzled anyway since Minho had instantly cleared his confusion with actions that always speak louder than words.
In actions that Minho felt were as natural as breathing, the rapper reached out to hold Taemin’s face, reducing the distance between them once again until their lips met in a proper kiss that was undoubtedly way overdue. The touch of their lips against each other felt like home. Taemin soon found his heart rate increasing with every brush of Minho’s lips against his. And that was when everything fell back into place. The maknae found himself smiling into the kiss and naturally returning the familiar kisses from Minho that had, all along, been reserved only for him.
When hands began touching skin and breaths became shorter and quicker along with the battle between lips and tongues, Minho forced himself to pull away from Taemin and slow things down a little as he asked teasingly, “How’s that for a refresher?”
Breathing in, Taemin moistened his lips with his playful tongue and then replied like a helpful student, “I think, perhaps, it’ll be more effective if you could go more in depth?”
A smirk grew on Minho’s face. “Sure, we just have to make this quick though.”
Taemin winked mischievously, “I’m sure we can manage.”
And well, as clothes came off, hands lingered on warm skin and kisses placed elsewhere other than their lips, Taemin was definitely on his way to remembering what it was like to be in love with a certain Choi Minho.
Inspired by the 2min moments in Bangkok. And based on the fan account that Taemin and Minho shared a room in the hotel. If it makes more sense, the full title to this slice of life one shot is "A Quick Refresher Course on how to be Choi Minho's boyfriend."
Author's Note: i can't even remember when i last wrote 2min so this title has more meanings than one; it's a little reminder to myself too that 2min is as canon as ever. ^^V thanks for finding your way here and giving this story a shot! enjoy lovely readers!
It was probably normal to think that after knowing a person for 6 years (and counting) and spending almost every waking moment together, said someone would be as close as family, or for that matter, someone you already considered as family. It would then come naturally for you to be at home with the person, that you could be yourself and show your true colours, and that you could release all inhibitions, not caring about almost everything and still be loved unconditionally. And yes, Taemin thought so too; in fact, he treated his shinee hyungs as family, as brothers, as people who he loved and loved him wholeheartedly… well, there was an exceptional case though. Minho was that special someone, he wasn’t just family, and Taemin could never see him as an older brother; Minho was so much more than that. He was his perfect match, his better half and his soul mate. So if Taemin had to pick someone who he was most comfortable with, it had to be Minho.
Yet, when his manager had announced that he and Minho were to share a hotel room in Bangkok, Taemin found himself at a complete loss as to what to do with the rooming arrangement. He couldn’t explain exactly why he was feeling more nervous and afraid than happy or excited but the maknae knew it probably had something to do with the fact that it had been ages since they last had alone time with each other. The preparation for their comeback with Dream Girl had definitely taken its toll on their relationship, so much so that they couldn’t spare any effort on anything else other than their comeback. You could even say that work had become both Taemin and Minho’s top priority. With their minds so focused on producing their third album, they were practically married to their jobs and began seeing each other as nothing more than co-workers.
That was perhaps why Taemin was suddenly breaking out in cold sweat and feeling as if he was about to delve into the unfamiliar when he followed behind Minho and stepped into their assigned hotel room. It was weird but Taemin felt like he had forgotten what it was like to be in a relationship with Minho, he couldn’t seem to remember how to be Minho’s boyfriend and lover apart from merely being just his fellow member in Shinee. Boy was this going to be awkward. Knowing that closing the door would officially shut them out from the outside world and mark the start of their free time alone with each other, Taemin took his time to close the door and take off his shoes before he walked further into the room. Of course, how long could one take to do all that? Taemin obviously knew it was impossible to drag it out any longer without making things painfully awkward. And so, the dancer took in a deep breath, nodded determinedly to himself, even encouraging himself with a soft ‘fighting!’ before he finally turned around and made his way into the room. It was time to face Minho.
Little did the maknae know, Minho wasn’t oblivious to all this. In reality, the rapper had been watching Taemin the entire time, this Taemin would have realised if he hadn’t been too busy worrying about the unnecessary.
“So…”
“Taemin…”
As their eyes met, both Minho and Taemin spoke at the same time, and when they realised they did, both stopped and held back what they initially wanted to say and started at the same time again.
“Yes hyung, you wanted to say?”
“Sorry, you go first, Taem.”
Obviously, Taemin was beyond flustered at this point in time, his eyes blinking faster than the normal rate, his face as red as an apple. Minho, on the contrary, was as cool as ice, thoroughly amused by their situation, somewhat amazed that things could actually get this awkward with Taemin. And when he saw that Taemin had adorably placed a finger on his lips and signalled for Minho to speak first, the rapper couldn’t hold back a laugh.
“Do I scare you, Taemin?”
Taemin’s eyes were now widened like a goldfish. He was caught red-handed.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Minho thought out loud and then asked curiously, “What’s making you so nervous?”
“I’m not nervous…” Taemin shifted uncomfortably in his position and tried his best to avoid meeting Minho’s eyes.
“I can tell when you’re lying.” Minho simply said before he advised the maknae, “Be honest with me and tell me the truth, Taem.”
“It’s nothing, hyung, really!” Taemin replied without hesitating, even waving his hands about and shaking his head to emphasise his point.
“Alright…” Minho shrugged as he plopped himself down on the bed and stretched his body out, relaxing himself completely on the comfortable mattress before he added, “If you say so, Taeminnie.”
With Minho closing his eyes and using what little free time they had to recharge himself for the day ahead while Taemin sat awkwardly at the edge of the other twin bed, silence fell in the room. Though it was a comfortable one for Minho, the same couldn’t be said for Taemin. The dancer was restless with so many thoughts running through his mind. There was so much he wanted to say to Minho, so much he needed to ask his boyfriend that he didn’t know where to start. Yet, a part of him wasn’t even sure if he should speak his mind, if he could that is, since Taemin’s mind was in a whirl.
Letting out a huge breath, Taemin turned his body and glanced over at Minho’s direction to check what his boyfriend was doing. And when he saw Minho resting peacefully and probably already fast asleep, Taemin was furious. It was simply unfair that the source of his problems was completely enjoying his break to the fullest and didn’t seem to have a single clue that there was another person in the room who was about to go crazy. Unhappy that Minho had let the matter go so easily without trying to force what was wrong out of him, Taemin finally lost it and sprung off the bed, charging straight to where Minho was. The maknae couldn’t take this lying down anymore.
“Hyung!” Taemin grabbed Minho’s shirt and pulled his boyfriend off the mattress, shaking him awake at the same time. “How could you be sleeping at a time like this?”
Minho’s reaction was nothing close to what Taemin had expected.
A smile tugged on the corners of Minho’s lips as he opened his eyes effortlessly to look at his boyfriend. “I knew you’d crack sooner or later.”
Taemin froze, narrowing his eyes at his hyung. “You weren’t sleeping?”
“Nope.”
“And you just let me be?”
“If I say yes, would you hit me?”
“Why would I do such a thing?”
“Okay… then yes.”
Taemin pushed Minho ruthlessly back down onto the bed.
Falling back onto the mattress, Minho let out an ‘oomph’ and wore an exaggerated expression that showed how hurt and betrayed he felt by Taemin’s action, “You said you wouldn’t hit me!”
“I didn’t.” Taemin blinked innocently, but Minho wasn’t one to be fooled. After all, he had long understood that the maknae’s innocence had always been an act. He also knew just how to make Taemin open up to him… because if there was one thing Taemin absolutely couldn’t stand, it was being treated as invisible by Minho. True enough, it did the trick. Taemin was back to normal.
“I’m glad you’re feeling more at ease with me right now…” Minho propped himself up on his elbows and smiled.
With surprise written all over his face, Taemin asked hesitantly, “Hyung… you knew?”
“You were pretty obvious about it, Taem.” Minho answered before he continued with a frown, “I can’t understand what there’s to be nervous about though, it’s not like you haven’t shared a room with me before… we’ve even done stuff you probably can’t even talk about without feeling shy about it.”
Taemin choked on air and quickly regained his composure, making sure the conversation did not stray from what he now wanted to confess to Minho. “Hyung, the thing is… this feels weird.”
“Weird?” With his curiosity piqued, Minho needed to hear much more than just that.
“Yeah,” Taemin nodded, suddenly turning all serious because this to him was important, “I don’t know how to act around you anymore, hyung. I feel like I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be in love with you. You know, it’s as if we’ve lost the spark in our relationship... but don’t get me wrong Minho hyung, I know I still love you, it’s just that we’re both not making any effort to do anything that, I don’t know, makes me feel as if you’re more than just a member? And I just wish we could find it all back.”
After listening carefully to every word Taemin had said, Minho didn’t take long to ponder over his boyfriend’s thoughts.
The rapper simply nodded and said, “We’ve never lost anything, Taem.”
And with that, Minho got up, closing the distance between Taemin and him, and tilted the dancer’s chin to the perfect angle so he could mark his full lips with a kiss.
“What's there to find if it was never lost in the first place?” Minho questioned as he leaned his forehead against the maknae’s, their noses gently bumping together, before he moved back just a little so he could look straight into Taemin’s eyes. “Besides, we shouldn’t be consciously putting in the effort to maintain that spark. It comes natural to us, don’t you think?”
With Minho giving him one of his signature smiles that charmed every living person on the planet, Taemin found himself with nothing left to say. That didn’t mean that the maknae was fully convinced though. So upon seeing that Taemin was still trying to digest his words, Minho decided to speed up the process a little… okay, maybe much more.
“How about I give you a little refresher course?”
Unable to make sense of what Minho was suggesting, a confused expression appeared on Taemin’s face. He didn’t have much time to stay puzzled anyway since Minho had instantly cleared his confusion with actions that always speak louder than words.
In actions that Minho felt were as natural as breathing, the rapper reached out to hold Taemin’s face, reducing the distance between them once again until their lips met in a proper kiss that was undoubtedly way overdue. The touch of their lips against each other felt like home. Taemin soon found his heart rate increasing with every brush of Minho’s lips against his. And that was when everything fell back into place. The maknae found himself smiling into the kiss and naturally returning the familiar kisses from Minho that had, all along, been reserved only for him.
When hands began touching skin and breaths became shorter and quicker along with the battle between lips and tongues, Minho forced himself to pull away from Taemin and slow things down a little as he asked teasingly, “How’s that for a refresher?”
Breathing in, Taemin moistened his lips with his playful tongue and then replied like a helpful student, “I think, perhaps, it’ll be more effective if you could go more in depth?”
A smirk grew on Minho’s face. “Sure, we just have to make this quick though.”
Taemin winked mischievously, “I’m sure we can manage.”
And well, as clothes came off, hands lingered on warm skin and kisses placed elsewhere other than their lips, Taemin was definitely on his way to remembering what it was like to be in love with a certain Choi Minho.