Built on Whims [ Part 2 ]
Taemin/Minho
PG-13, Romance
★ Minho had never been lucky with blind dates, but they could be the door to fortunate encounters.
Minho spent the entire week ruminating on his feelings. The more he contemplated how ridiculous it was, the more he found himself itching to see Taemin and bask in the closeness they had allowed to settle between them. It was probably why he had climbed up on a wooden box and sat outside the staff door 20 minutes before the end of Taemin’s shift.
He glowered at the wall as if it had personally offended him, resting his elbow on his knee and his hand in his palm. His hyungs had tried to set him up with another girl earlier that day. His prompt refusal had caused an uproar of questions and outrage he wasn’t ready to deal with yet. Everything was too fresh; his feelings too raw and sensitive to express them in front of everyone. Although he wanted Taemin to know what his feelings were for him eventually, he couldn’t imagine ever being ready to verbalize them.
Although he was not very keen on broadcasting it, he was no stranger to having crushes on boys. The yearning of making his affection known to the boy in question, however, that was new.
Minho shifted, embarrassed. He knew Taemin was single at the moment and despite that they knew each other for only a little over a month, the thought of seeing him holding anyone else’s arm had Minho’s blood boiling with irrational jealousy. They were friends still, hadn’t even kissed or did any truly couple-y stuff and there he was, feeling possessive over a quasi-stranger.
Rattle to his left put an end to his inner monologue.
“Oh, Hyung, you’re here early.” Taemin had come out of the door, holding a garbage bag in one hand and an empty crate of beers in the other. He went to throw them in a huge metallic box on the opposite side of the door.
“I got bored of the library.” Minho said. “I thought fresh air would be nice,”
Taemin chuckled again. He didn’t seem aware of Minho’s observing eyes fixed on him.
“Hey, seeing as you’re here early.” Taemin walked up to him, shivering. He really wasn’t dressed to be outside. “Could you go to the store and pick up cold medicine for my roommate?” He smiled sheepishly. “He’s sick. I thought we could go to my apartment and check up on him tonight.”
In all honesty, he’d hoped to spend time alone with Taemin, but he was positive he wouldn’t be able to articulate that thought. Minho looked at him, considering his options. The younger boy’s smile faltered somewhat at the way Minho munched on his tongue thoughtfully.
“Sure.” He finally answered. “What kind?”
The news was received joyfully
“Just a generic brand. He has a cold.” Taemin said, opening up the staff door. “Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure he’ll sleep the whole time.” He added before disappearing inside.
It’s only when Minho was standing in front of the over-the-counter cold medicine aisle in the drug store next door to the restaurant, hesitating between the seemingly endless number of boxes, that he realized how pathetic his attempt at pleasing Taemin was. Still, he wondered if the younger boy was struggling with the same thoughts about him. He wondered if Taemin ever wondered about him in the same way.
He sighed, grabbed a box of regular Tylenols, and paid. With his purchase dangling in the plastic bag in his hand, he walked back to the restaurant where Taemin was already waiting for him.
“Thank you, Hyung!” Taemin said, grabbing the bag to look inside curiously. “I’ll pay you back when we’re at my apartment. It’s not very far.”
Minho sort of shrugged, trying to say that money didn’t matter without sounding too cavalier. He missed the way Taemin sighed, lowering his head.
“You can talk to me, you know.” He murmured.
They started to walk. Minho was a bit confused about Taemin’s statement. “What do you mean?”
“You look like something’s bothering you,” The younger boy said. “I’m just saying you can talk to me about it.”
“Thanks.” Minho said, uncertain that it was the proper answer. “I’m fine though. Just tired.”
“You should sleep more,” Taemin said it seriously, but Minho found it hilarious. The very person he was losing sleep over was the one telling him to sleep more.
“I’m okay.” He said, feeling the tension leave his articulations gradually. “So, who’s sick?”
The change of subject was welcomed. Taemin’s fingers played with the handles of the plastic bag. Minho made it a point to let his arm hang by his side, just in case. According to Taemin, Jonghyun had been sick for a couple of days. They were fairly sure it was only a mild cold, but the symptoms persisted and both Taemin and Kibum were starting to worry.
“Kibum has an exam tonight,” He explained. “I thought you wouldn’t mind keeping an eye on him with me so it doesn’t get worse and I don’t get bored.”
“I don’t,” Minho replied, but seeing Taemin frown he quickly added; “Mind. I mean, I don’t mind.”
After light teasing and Minho trying to come up with reasons to explain his trouble with words, they reached the apartment building where Taemin lived. They took the elevator to the 7th floor and walked all the way down a hallway to find the right door.
Walking inside someone’s apartment was always an awkward business. It was like entering a new world where the rules were still unknown and you could be reprimanded for accidently doing something prohibited at any time.
“Just put your shoes over there,” Taemin pointed at a shoe rack. “Then you can go in the living room, I’ll go check on Jonghyun-hyung and be right back.”
Minho tentatively entered a room where a small television rested on a stand and an old couch faced it. There were full bookcases around the room and a lamp in the corner. The only light was soft and coming from a lamp post right outside the window. He stood in the middle of it all, feeling small and out of place.
“You can sit if you want,” Taemin said, walking in like he owned the place -which he kind of did.
He sat on the couch, next to Taemin who was fiddling with the remote control.
“Jonghyun-hyung is sleeping. I’m pretty sure Kibum-hyung gave him loads of sleeping pills before he left.”
Minho sniggered. “He’s out for a while then,”
“Yeah,” Taemin said, looking down as he smiled. He seemed to be sporting some kind of nervousness. “He probably is.”
They watched television. Music variety shows, mostly. They mock-argued over who was the best at dancing amongst the guests and hummed along to tunes they’d heard before but never bothered learning the lyrics to. As it got later and later in the night, variety shows transformed into talk shows, and then into reruns of dramas.
They kept on watching despite their disinterest and without being really invested in any part of the plotline. The music became more sentimental and the lights dimmer, the main couple was in some kind of emotional trouble. Minho’s hyper-awareness of Taemin next to him skyrocketed. He resisted moving his hand that was lying lifelessly between them, hoping that the younger boy would somehow understand that he was supposed to hold it.
He cleared his throat, drawing Taemin’s attention on him accidentally. As he turned to avoid contact, his eyes caught the sight of two people kissing on television. He blinked and looked down at the coffee table, counting how many coins were scattered on top of a fashion magazine.
“Hey,” Taemin’s amused voice reached his ears. He lifted his eyes to see the youngest boy simpering. He took in a shaky breath, trying to disregard his heart thumping faster.
“Hm?” Minho managed to squeak out.
His vision blurred at the edges. It looked like Taemin was leaning in, hinting at him to do the same. He did so, nervously, but not far enough to reach the other so Taemin had to move and close the gap himself. His eyes were already closed when their lips touched and he was surprised at the amount of tension leaving his body.
He may be the worst at making the first move, but he was confident in his kissing abilities. So when he pulled Taemin closer and pushed his head up with the joint of his index finger, it was with aplomb that he deepened the kiss. He felt Taemin squirm as he got more comfortable on the couch, humming softly against Minho’s mouth.
“Taemin, did you- Oh,” Taemin pulled away abruptly at the sound of his name. “Oh, my God, I’m sorry.”
Minho looked up just in time to see a boy wrapped up in a blanket, scurrying clumsily out of the living room.
“Hyung, it’s okay, come back. How are you feeling?” Taemin was blushing wildly as he got up to run after his roommate. Minho was fairly certain he was just as red in the face as Taemin was. He felt his cheeks with the tip of his fingers. Yep, he was burning hot.
Taemin brought Jonghyun back in the living room, persuading him to take a seat on the couch. Minho coughed, covering his mouth with the back of hand, and looked down. The three of them were sitting on the couch. Jonghyun didn’t seem to know if he should be looking at Taemin or at Minho so he ended up just sort of shaking his head slowly.
“Do you want herbal tea?” Taemin asked in order to break the silence -or attempting to escape from the awkwardness pressing down on them.
“No, no I’m good.” Jonghyun said; voice hoarse. He hawed.
It was weird to be so aware of who Jonghyun was without actually having met him before. He guessed it was the same for him because none of them felt the need to introduce themselves.
“Minho-hyung bought cold medicine for your headache.”
Although he didn’t partake, Minho admired Taemin’s effort to dissolve the heaviness.
“Kibum-hyung texted me this afternoon, but I couldn’t get to it earlier.” Taemin finished. Jonghyun only stared at him with eyes full of questions.
Minho glanced at Taemin who was running out of options at this point. He guessed that as soon as he’d be out the door, Jonghyun would bombard his roommate with questions about how, when and where. Taemin opened his mouth so he could start asking random questions that he could use to bring the subject elsewhere, but he was cut short by the front door opening up.
A few seconds later, someone all but flew into the room only to crash down on the floor.
“It was a nightmare. What’s the point of giving a practice exam if literally none of the stuff’s going to be on the actual exam?” The boy, whom Minho guessed was Taemin’s other roommate; Kibum, asked. “I’m so hungry.” He got up, suddenly noticing all the confused eyes on him. “Oh, we have a guest. Minho, right?”
Minho nodded.
“What happened to you?” Kibum asked; eyes on Jonghyun. “You look ever dumber when you’re sick.”
Jonghyun growled, spitting a comment about Kibum’s face. Suddenly, Minho really didn’t want to be there anymore. He didn’t want to see a friendly quarrel erupt between roommates and he didn’t want to know about Kibum’s exam. All he wanted was to leave, go back home and clear his mind. Taemin was looking worriedly in his direction.
“I think I’ll go home,” Minho said.
Kibum stopped arguing with Jonghyun to look at him. “It’s almost 1am, you should stay over for the night.”
“I live close-by,” It was a lie. “I don’t want to impose on you,” Another lie.
“You won’t impose on anyone. Taemin has a mattress you can use, right? It’ll take like 3 seconds to set up,” Kibum said.
“No, I need to go, really.” He insisted; standing up to close the discussion. Jonghyun offered him an apologetic smile which he overlooked in fear of being caught in the same awkwardness as before.
Kibum shrugged, taking his now vacant spot on the couch and fussing over Jonghyun. Minho walked to the front door briskly, scooping up his shoes on the way to the door. Taemin followed him. He rocked on the ball of his heels then back to his toes while Minho tied his shoes.
“I’m sorry about my hyungs,” He said. “They’re good people.”
“Yeah,” Minho unhooked his jacket from a coat-peg on the wall and put it on. Taemin watched him expectantly. He looked like he was half hoping for something, but Minho couldn’t tell if it was for an invitation, another kiss, or a confirmation of whatever he had on his mind. He settled for turning the doorknob instead of guessing.
“I’ll see you next Friday?” Taemin’s voice broke in his hurry to get the words out.
Minho waved at him as he pushed the door open. “Sure.”
[ Part 3 ]
PG-13, Romance
★ Minho had never been lucky with blind dates, but they could be the door to fortunate encounters.
Minho spent the entire week ruminating on his feelings. The more he contemplated how ridiculous it was, the more he found himself itching to see Taemin and bask in the closeness they had allowed to settle between them. It was probably why he had climbed up on a wooden box and sat outside the staff door 20 minutes before the end of Taemin’s shift.
He glowered at the wall as if it had personally offended him, resting his elbow on his knee and his hand in his palm. His hyungs had tried to set him up with another girl earlier that day. His prompt refusal had caused an uproar of questions and outrage he wasn’t ready to deal with yet. Everything was too fresh; his feelings too raw and sensitive to express them in front of everyone. Although he wanted Taemin to know what his feelings were for him eventually, he couldn’t imagine ever being ready to verbalize them.
Although he was not very keen on broadcasting it, he was no stranger to having crushes on boys. The yearning of making his affection known to the boy in question, however, that was new.
Minho shifted, embarrassed. He knew Taemin was single at the moment and despite that they knew each other for only a little over a month, the thought of seeing him holding anyone else’s arm had Minho’s blood boiling with irrational jealousy. They were friends still, hadn’t even kissed or did any truly couple-y stuff and there he was, feeling possessive over a quasi-stranger.
Rattle to his left put an end to his inner monologue.
“Oh, Hyung, you’re here early.” Taemin had come out of the door, holding a garbage bag in one hand and an empty crate of beers in the other. He went to throw them in a huge metallic box on the opposite side of the door.
“I got bored of the library.” Minho said. “I thought fresh air would be nice,”
Taemin chuckled again. He didn’t seem aware of Minho’s observing eyes fixed on him.
“Hey, seeing as you’re here early.” Taemin walked up to him, shivering. He really wasn’t dressed to be outside. “Could you go to the store and pick up cold medicine for my roommate?” He smiled sheepishly. “He’s sick. I thought we could go to my apartment and check up on him tonight.”
In all honesty, he’d hoped to spend time alone with Taemin, but he was positive he wouldn’t be able to articulate that thought. Minho looked at him, considering his options. The younger boy’s smile faltered somewhat at the way Minho munched on his tongue thoughtfully.
“Sure.” He finally answered. “What kind?”
The news was received joyfully
“Just a generic brand. He has a cold.” Taemin said, opening up the staff door. “Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure he’ll sleep the whole time.” He added before disappearing inside.
It’s only when Minho was standing in front of the over-the-counter cold medicine aisle in the drug store next door to the restaurant, hesitating between the seemingly endless number of boxes, that he realized how pathetic his attempt at pleasing Taemin was. Still, he wondered if the younger boy was struggling with the same thoughts about him. He wondered if Taemin ever wondered about him in the same way.
He sighed, grabbed a box of regular Tylenols, and paid. With his purchase dangling in the plastic bag in his hand, he walked back to the restaurant where Taemin was already waiting for him.
“Thank you, Hyung!” Taemin said, grabbing the bag to look inside curiously. “I’ll pay you back when we’re at my apartment. It’s not very far.”
Minho sort of shrugged, trying to say that money didn’t matter without sounding too cavalier. He missed the way Taemin sighed, lowering his head.
“You can talk to me, you know.” He murmured.
They started to walk. Minho was a bit confused about Taemin’s statement. “What do you mean?”
“You look like something’s bothering you,” The younger boy said. “I’m just saying you can talk to me about it.”
“Thanks.” Minho said, uncertain that it was the proper answer. “I’m fine though. Just tired.”
“You should sleep more,” Taemin said it seriously, but Minho found it hilarious. The very person he was losing sleep over was the one telling him to sleep more.
“I’m okay.” He said, feeling the tension leave his articulations gradually. “So, who’s sick?”
The change of subject was welcomed. Taemin’s fingers played with the handles of the plastic bag. Minho made it a point to let his arm hang by his side, just in case. According to Taemin, Jonghyun had been sick for a couple of days. They were fairly sure it was only a mild cold, but the symptoms persisted and both Taemin and Kibum were starting to worry.
“Kibum has an exam tonight,” He explained. “I thought you wouldn’t mind keeping an eye on him with me so it doesn’t get worse and I don’t get bored.”
“I don’t,” Minho replied, but seeing Taemin frown he quickly added; “Mind. I mean, I don’t mind.”
After light teasing and Minho trying to come up with reasons to explain his trouble with words, they reached the apartment building where Taemin lived. They took the elevator to the 7th floor and walked all the way down a hallway to find the right door.
Walking inside someone’s apartment was always an awkward business. It was like entering a new world where the rules were still unknown and you could be reprimanded for accidently doing something prohibited at any time.
“Just put your shoes over there,” Taemin pointed at a shoe rack. “Then you can go in the living room, I’ll go check on Jonghyun-hyung and be right back.”
Minho tentatively entered a room where a small television rested on a stand and an old couch faced it. There were full bookcases around the room and a lamp in the corner. The only light was soft and coming from a lamp post right outside the window. He stood in the middle of it all, feeling small and out of place.
“You can sit if you want,” Taemin said, walking in like he owned the place -which he kind of did.
He sat on the couch, next to Taemin who was fiddling with the remote control.
“Jonghyun-hyung is sleeping. I’m pretty sure Kibum-hyung gave him loads of sleeping pills before he left.”
Minho sniggered. “He’s out for a while then,”
“Yeah,” Taemin said, looking down as he smiled. He seemed to be sporting some kind of nervousness. “He probably is.”
They watched television. Music variety shows, mostly. They mock-argued over who was the best at dancing amongst the guests and hummed along to tunes they’d heard before but never bothered learning the lyrics to. As it got later and later in the night, variety shows transformed into talk shows, and then into reruns of dramas.
They kept on watching despite their disinterest and without being really invested in any part of the plotline. The music became more sentimental and the lights dimmer, the main couple was in some kind of emotional trouble. Minho’s hyper-awareness of Taemin next to him skyrocketed. He resisted moving his hand that was lying lifelessly between them, hoping that the younger boy would somehow understand that he was supposed to hold it.
He cleared his throat, drawing Taemin’s attention on him accidentally. As he turned to avoid contact, his eyes caught the sight of two people kissing on television. He blinked and looked down at the coffee table, counting how many coins were scattered on top of a fashion magazine.
“Hey,” Taemin’s amused voice reached his ears. He lifted his eyes to see the youngest boy simpering. He took in a shaky breath, trying to disregard his heart thumping faster.
“Hm?” Minho managed to squeak out.
His vision blurred at the edges. It looked like Taemin was leaning in, hinting at him to do the same. He did so, nervously, but not far enough to reach the other so Taemin had to move and close the gap himself. His eyes were already closed when their lips touched and he was surprised at the amount of tension leaving his body.
He may be the worst at making the first move, but he was confident in his kissing abilities. So when he pulled Taemin closer and pushed his head up with the joint of his index finger, it was with aplomb that he deepened the kiss. He felt Taemin squirm as he got more comfortable on the couch, humming softly against Minho’s mouth.
“Taemin, did you- Oh,” Taemin pulled away abruptly at the sound of his name. “Oh, my God, I’m sorry.”
Minho looked up just in time to see a boy wrapped up in a blanket, scurrying clumsily out of the living room.
“Hyung, it’s okay, come back. How are you feeling?” Taemin was blushing wildly as he got up to run after his roommate. Minho was fairly certain he was just as red in the face as Taemin was. He felt his cheeks with the tip of his fingers. Yep, he was burning hot.
Taemin brought Jonghyun back in the living room, persuading him to take a seat on the couch. Minho coughed, covering his mouth with the back of hand, and looked down. The three of them were sitting on the couch. Jonghyun didn’t seem to know if he should be looking at Taemin or at Minho so he ended up just sort of shaking his head slowly.
“Do you want herbal tea?” Taemin asked in order to break the silence -or attempting to escape from the awkwardness pressing down on them.
“No, no I’m good.” Jonghyun said; voice hoarse. He hawed.
It was weird to be so aware of who Jonghyun was without actually having met him before. He guessed it was the same for him because none of them felt the need to introduce themselves.
“Minho-hyung bought cold medicine for your headache.”
Although he didn’t partake, Minho admired Taemin’s effort to dissolve the heaviness.
“Kibum-hyung texted me this afternoon, but I couldn’t get to it earlier.” Taemin finished. Jonghyun only stared at him with eyes full of questions.
Minho glanced at Taemin who was running out of options at this point. He guessed that as soon as he’d be out the door, Jonghyun would bombard his roommate with questions about how, when and where. Taemin opened his mouth so he could start asking random questions that he could use to bring the subject elsewhere, but he was cut short by the front door opening up.
A few seconds later, someone all but flew into the room only to crash down on the floor.
“It was a nightmare. What’s the point of giving a practice exam if literally none of the stuff’s going to be on the actual exam?” The boy, whom Minho guessed was Taemin’s other roommate; Kibum, asked. “I’m so hungry.” He got up, suddenly noticing all the confused eyes on him. “Oh, we have a guest. Minho, right?”
Minho nodded.
“What happened to you?” Kibum asked; eyes on Jonghyun. “You look ever dumber when you’re sick.”
Jonghyun growled, spitting a comment about Kibum’s face. Suddenly, Minho really didn’t want to be there anymore. He didn’t want to see a friendly quarrel erupt between roommates and he didn’t want to know about Kibum’s exam. All he wanted was to leave, go back home and clear his mind. Taemin was looking worriedly in his direction.
“I think I’ll go home,” Minho said.
Kibum stopped arguing with Jonghyun to look at him. “It’s almost 1am, you should stay over for the night.”
“I live close-by,” It was a lie. “I don’t want to impose on you,” Another lie.
“You won’t impose on anyone. Taemin has a mattress you can use, right? It’ll take like 3 seconds to set up,” Kibum said.
“No, I need to go, really.” He insisted; standing up to close the discussion. Jonghyun offered him an apologetic smile which he overlooked in fear of being caught in the same awkwardness as before.
Kibum shrugged, taking his now vacant spot on the couch and fussing over Jonghyun. Minho walked to the front door briskly, scooping up his shoes on the way to the door. Taemin followed him. He rocked on the ball of his heels then back to his toes while Minho tied his shoes.
“I’m sorry about my hyungs,” He said. “They’re good people.”
“Yeah,” Minho unhooked his jacket from a coat-peg on the wall and put it on. Taemin watched him expectantly. He looked like he was half hoping for something, but Minho couldn’t tell if it was for an invitation, another kiss, or a confirmation of whatever he had on his mind. He settled for turning the doorknob instead of guessing.
“I’ll see you next Friday?” Taemin’s voice broke in his hurry to get the words out.
Minho waved at him as he pushed the door open. “Sure.”
[ Part 3 ]